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News Search Results for: asp Logitech G510 Keyboard @ rbmods.com [Aug-26-10] (0 Comments) Perhaps the most impressive attribute of the Logitech G510 is its sheer size. At over half a meter long this keyboard commands an impressive amount of desktop space, although not entirely unjustified. With a time and a half the amount of keys on a piano, finding space to locate these can be challenging. Logitech not only manages this but looks good while doing so with the G510. Angry Birds Iphone App @ rbmods.com [Aug-23-10] (0 Comments) The Angry birds iPhone application is the number one most popular paid iPhone app worldwide. It was created by Clickgamer and has managed to once again impress! The game is a stimulating puzzle that can keep you entertained for any great length of time. Most people, in fact, find themselves drawn to the game and play far longer than they ever intended. NZXT Sentry LXE Fan controller @ rbmods.com [Aug-19-10] (0 Comments) With five unique fan controllers and temperate probes the NZXT Sentry LXE looks to provide easier management of your internal temperatures. Providing options for either manual or automatic control this fan controller gives an impressive feature list, but does this AMD Phenom 2 X6 1090T CPU @ rbmods.com [Aug-14-10] (0 Comments) AMD has not been able to keep up with Intel lately which has caused them to lose out on parts of the market. Today we are looking at a X6 CPU from AMD, which they have named 1090T. Will this new six core CPU be able to compete with the faster Intel CPUs, lets take a look. Enermax T.B.SILENCE 14cm Fan @ rbmods.com [Aug-10-10] (0 Comments) Summer means heat and that means a harder period for your computer since the heat increase will make your cooling have to work harder to maintain a stable temperature in the case. Enermax have released a 140mm fan which moves quite a bit of air at a very low noise level. Motorcycle stuntman @ rbmods.com [Aug-03-10] (0 Comments) Let your imagination to fulfill its thirst of mayhem. Do you love playing motor- bike games? Well this one is different from all other racing games, it is an imaginative game. It gives you a feeling of real life thrill and excitement. Contest Time! Rbmods teams up with Warcraftmovies.com @ rbmods.com [Aug-01-10] (0 Comments) We are giving away World of Warcraft related accessories from Steelseries, all you have to do is answer two questions. Joby Gorillatorch Original @ rbmods.com [Jul-17-10] (0 Comments) When you work with computers there will always be a time when you end up working in small spaces and bad light. Joby have come up with a solution to this with their Gorialltorch light that has three magnetic feet that can be twisted and turned around anything. Logitech HD C510 Webcam @ rbmods.com [Jul-09-10] (0 Comments) Logitech has released their new HD webcams with the Logitech Vid webcam software so you can make HD calls to each other. Today we are going to try out the new C510 model that they sent us, we are going to see what type of picture quality we can expect and also what it actually requires of our computers. Roccat Pyra Mouse @ rbmods.com [Jul-01-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at two mice from Roccat, they sent us their wireless and wired Pyra mice for testing. We are going to test these mice in both a gaming Speedlink Pro USB Joystick + 99 best of C64 Classix @ rbmods.com [Jun-27-10] (0 Comments) Remember that old machine you used to play alot on in the mid 80s to late 80s? Commondre 64 was the big deal then with alot of famous games with superb gameplay and feeling in the games. Speedlink has taken advantage of this and reawaken the Commondore 64 games by creating a joystick similar to the Tac2 joystick in the past that was the most wanted joystick on the market. Included with this they have bundled 99 Commondore 64 classic games for you to play with this Tac2 Kodak EasyShare M341 @ rbmods.com [Jun-20-10] (0 Comments) Digital cameras have become the norm for almost all home consumers. While most of us do not have $2500 to drop on a Cannon EOS 5D DSLR, we can afford something better than the cameras built into our phones. Geeks offers cheap digital cameras so, today we are reviewing the Kodak M341 Jays Q-Jays Earphones @ rbmods.com [Jun-11-10] (0 Comments) Todays review will be about their new Q-jays that have some awesome features for example its small size, and superb fit due to a high end silicone sleeve. Lets have a closer look at what type of performance and fit when can expect from these earphones. Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jun-08-10] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has been putting out quality products since 1999. Thermaltake has had its hands in everything from CPU and GPU coolers to cases and power supplies. Today we will be looking at Thermaltakes update to their SpinQ cooler:the SpinQ VT. Join us as we analyze the cooler and test how it performs. GMC H-80 Case @ rbmods.com [Jun-05-10] (0 Comments) Today we have GMCs newest case up for review:the H-80. This case is designed for extreme cooling performance as well as striking aesthetics. The H-80 features a huge 250mm side intake fan as well as stealth drives. Thermaltake V3 Black Edition @ rbmods.com [Jun-02-10] (0 Comments) Today we are reviewing the Thermaltake V3 Mid-Tower computer case. Boasting a bottom-placed PSU design, built in filter, and multiple 120mm fan mounts, this case promises performance air cooling in a slick black case. Does this case deliver? We go hands-on to find out. Asrock X58 Extreme 3 Motherboard @ rbmods.com [May-30-10] (0 Comments) With the new X58 chipset on the market the S1366 seems to have to got another speed bost, we are today looking at the Asrock X58 Extreme 3 motherboard which is filled with some nice features. The queston is though will we see some performance difference compared to older S1366 boards? Luxa2 H1-Touch Cell phone holder @ rbmods.com [May-26-10] (0 Comments) With all these fancy cellphones on the market you want to make sure to protect them when they lay on the table, some might even want to show them off. Luxa2 has released a very exclusive looking cellphone holder that is supposed to hold everything from a Iphone to smaller Nokia phones, lets have a closer look and see how good this gadget really is. Asus SBC-06D1S-U External Bluray drive @ rbmods.com [May-19-10] (0 Comments) Bluray has started taking over the market since late 2009 and more and more Bluray products have entered the market. Asus has kept up with the demand and released an external Bluray player/writer for computers. We are going to test this new model out and see what we can get out of it both noise and quality wise. How to install Kubuntu Linux in a virtual box virtual machine @ rbmods.com [May-16-10] (0 Comments) Over the years as an IT professional I have had many situations when having Linux available has been extremely helpful. Things from password decryption on windows hosts when someone accidental changed the password on the only account, or needing to do vulnerability testing has been made easier by using Linux.... Zaward Vapor 120 Cpu cooler @ rbmods.com [May-12-10] (0 Comments) Today we have the pleasure of having the new Zaward Vapor 120 on the test bench to review. This seems to be a massive cooler with some decent specifications. We are going to see how well it performs and how loud it actually is. NZXT Contest @ rbmods.com [May-12-10] (0 Comments) It is time again! We have teamed up with the NZXT crew to give away a Tempest Evo case. Gskill F3-12800Cl7T Tri channel kit @ rbmods.com [May-08-10] (0 Comments) We are going to look at a tri channel memory kit from Gskill today which we will compare vs a high performing Mushkin and Corsair kit. We are going to see what type of speeds we can expect at stock and also what we can do when it comes to overclocking. Luxa2 M1-Pro Laptop cooler @ rbmods.com [May-02-10] (0 Comments) Luxa2 a sub division of Thermaltake makes more exclusive products than Thermaltake, they are slowly getting into the market and got some VERY nice cases but today we are looking at their fanless laptop cooler. This product is completely made out of aluminum with a very exclusive look but it does lack fans so the question is if it actually works, lets have a closer look! Corsair Flash Padlock 2 @ rbmods.com [Apr-25-10] (0 Comments) Flash drives has hit the market hard in various sizes, but one thing that has been missing is a security flash drive. I have seen ones with thumb prints but Corsair has released the Padlock 2 which encrypts the drive and locks it with a pin code. How well does it perform? Asrock A330ION Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Apr-21-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a mini ITX motherboard from Asrock with the latest Intel Atom processor, integrated Nvidia videocard, HDMI and Full HD support. How well does it perform? Lets find out what we can push out of this mini ITX board. ASUS Designo Series MS238H 23-in LCD Monitor @ pcper.com [Apr-19-10] (0 Comments) On more of a technical aspect, the visual fidelity of this displayis quite nice. The MS238H uses a lower-quality Twisted-Nematic (TN) LCDpanel, the main drawback of which is limited viewing angles. However, withthe design of the stand on the MS238H, and the limited angles that it canbe set at, it becomes a non issue. The LED backlighting also helps toproduce a more vibrant image. Gigabyte GA-MA890GPA-UD3H & GA-MA790X-UD3P @ rbmods.com [Apr-18-10] (0 Comments) Today we will take a look at two motherboardsmanufactured by Gigabyte. First is GA-MA890GPA-UD3H which is based on new 890GX chipset and the other one is GA-MA790X-UD3P which is based on the old highend chipset 790X. We will compare these motherboards against each other and see if the new chipset performs better than the old flagship. Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse @ rbmods.se [Apr-14-10] (0 Comments) It has been quite some time since we looked at a Razer product last. Today we are taking a look at their imperator mouse with features such as a moving thumb button, and 5600DPI according to the specifications. We are going to compare this mouse vs some high end mice on the market so lets take a closer look. XClio A380COLOR Plus Case @ rbmods.com [Apr-04-10] (0 Comments) Today we have one of XClios newest cases up for review:the A380Color PLUS. Priced at $170, this case is aimed towards enthusiasts looking for a roomy and flashy case. The A380Color PLUS features 256 customizable colors and two huge 250mm intake fans. MSI Big Bang Trinergy Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Mar-28-10] (0 Comments) MSI sent us a sample of their Big Bang Trinergy motherboard which is a socket 1156 motherboard that comes packed with features as a THX soundcard, OC dashboard, OC genie function etc. Lets take a closer look at what type of performance we can get from it. Mionix Naos 5000 Mouse @ rbmods.com [Mar-24-10] (0 Comments) Not very long ago we looked at a gamer mouse from Mionix named 3200 which ended up being a very nice mouse that we awarded for a well balanced gamer mouse. Today we are taking a look at the Naos 5000 which is the next Steelseries Sibera V2 Headset @ rbmods.com [Mar-21-10] (0 Comments) Steelseries sent us their Siberia headset Version 2. Quite some time ago we looked at their first version which ended up being one of the most comfortable headsets I have tested in my life. Will this V2 live up to the previous ones, and have they fixed some of the flaws that the reviewers have pointed out? NZXT Hades Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-16-10] (0 Comments) NZXTs newest case comes from the companys Crafted series of cases, which includes such edgy designs such as the recently reviewed Tempest EVO. Lets take a look at NZXTs latest. Noctua NF-P14 FLX 140mm Fan @ rbmods.com [Mar-13-10] (0 Comments) Noctua, being well known for their quiet, but very effective CPU coolers, knows how to build quiet and effective fans. Continuing the trend to larger and larger fans, Noctuas latest fan is of 140mm dimension. The nice thing about this fan is that it has mounting holes for both 140mm and 120mm, so it is backwards compatible. Mionix Keid 20 Headset @ rbmods.com [Mar-11-10] (0 Comments) Mionix the mouse manufacturer from Sweden have now released a gaming headset out on to the market, and we are today taking a look at this Keid20 headset. We are going to test it in both gaming and also with normal music listening to see if the headphones hold the same quality as their mice do. Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Message-Id: @ techpowerup.com [Mar-06-10] (0 Comments) Dimastech is continously updating their Benchtable and listening to the feedback of both users and reviewers. The V2.5 simplifies many aspects of assembly, while adding new and useful features to the Benchtable. We take a close look at what it has to offer and at the improvements, to see if it is a worthy successor. Verbatim InSight Portable HDD 500GB @ rbmods.com [Mar-03-10] (0 Comments) We are taking a look at an external HDD from Verbatim today, they sent us a sample of their latest 500GB HDD that is equipped with a display on the front of the eclosure to show how much space is left on the HDD. Lets see how it will perform vs other removable drives. An Insight to NVIDIAs Next-Gen ION Platform @ tweaktown.com [Mar-02-10] (0 Comments) NVIDIA made many of us sit up and take notice of the hardware acceleration of HD video in netbooks and nettops back in 2009 at CES when the company showed off its first ION chip. The device took a while to come to market, but it eventually did and was welcomed by those looking for better HD video performance and graphics in small netbooks and nettops.NVIDIA is now unveiling the successor to the original ION platform; this referred to as Next-Generation ION by NVIDIA, but often called ION 2 in the media. So far the only product to have been unveiled using the platform is the Acer Aspire One 532G. NVIDIA is betting big on the new platform and sees a huge market for netbooks moving forward, especially those that use quality graphics like ION. Roccat Arvo Gaming Keyboard @ rbmods.com [Feb-28-10] (0 Comments) One accessory that is overlooked alot of times is the keyboard when it comes to gaming. Roccat sent us their new Compact Gaming Keyboard named Arvo. This is a extremely compact keyboard for gamers that might not have the space to keep a full size keyboard or they prefer to have alot of macro buttons. It also has a steel plate built into it so if you are an angry gamer.... I think you get the idea! Asus EAH5750 Videocard @ rbmods.com [Feb-25-10] (0 Comments) On todays testbench is a Asus 5750 videocard, this is a 140$ card that seems to really bring some bang for the buck performance wise according to the specifications. We are going to compare it vs some higher performance cards that we have looked at before; and also try to boost performance with some overclocking. Geeks.com Mini LED LCD Projector @ rbmods.se [Feb-22-10] (0 Comments) A few days ago we had the chance to check a new mini led digital projector from geeks.com and were pleasantly surprised by the size of the unit. Besides its size it is also extremely light making it great for parties and small to medium size audio/visual presentations. Moneual MonCaso 600 Case @ rbmods.com [Feb-19-10] (0 Comments) Moneuals usual set of features on their cases can include touch screen LCDs, front paenl knobs, stylish looks, and even remote controls. The Moneual MonCaso 600 is more of a mainstream case in that it is rather simple and featureless. Axle Geforce G210 Videocard @ rbmods.se [Feb-16-10] (0 Comments) Axle is one of our new sponsors and today we are looking at our first sample from them; they sent us a Geforce G210 512DDR2 videocard that is mainly meant for HTPC setups. It comes with a HDMI port, Nvidia Purevideo HD tech, and a bunch of nice features that come in handy when watching HD material. ATI 5450 512MB Videocard @ rbmods.com [Feb-11-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a HTPC aimed videocard from ATI. We got a sample of their brand new 5450 card that is a low profile card which should be able to play heavy HD material and also have the Eyeinfinity feature. So lets get started and have a closer look at how this can perform. Mushkin PC3-12800 6GB Kit @ rbmods.com [Feb-09-10] (0 Comments) Mushkin sent us a sample of their new DDR3 memory kit. We got a sample of their Tri channel kit with 3x2GB Ram kits at 12800 speed and 7-9-7-24 timings. What can we do with this kit and our Core i7 920 Cpu? Lets have a closer look. Arctic Cooling Univeral USB Charger @ rbmods.com [Jan-31-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a bit different product than normal, we got a couple of samples from Artic Cooling that we are going to look at today. They sent us their Universal USB chargers, a 1 port version and a 4 port version that we are going to test out today. NZXT Tempest EVO Case @ rbmods.com [Jan-27-10] (0 Comments) NZXT has updated their Tempest case, now dubbed the Tempest EVO It is of course geared towards gamers and enthusiasts. NZXT claims that the Tempest EVO allows for expiation and compatibility with future hardware. Steelseries Xai Gaming Mouse @ rbmods.com [Jan-23-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a mouse from Steelseries, they sent us their latest gaming mouse named Xai. This mouse comes equipped with a small display on the bottom and it is also conveniently made for lboth eft and right handed users. A quick first look at the software shows an array of various features to play around with if you are a gamer or normal user. Lets take a look at this mouse to see what kind of performance we should expect. Asrock ION 330HT-BD Nettop @ rbmods.com [Jan-20-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a very SMALL HTPC from Asrock, they sent us a sample of their ION 300HT-BD where the BD stands for a Bluray Drive so we can use Bluray on this small HTPC. It seems quite competetive towards its competitors with good features and very small size so lets have a look at how it will perform. AMD Athlon2 630 CPU giveaway for all Swedes @ rbmods.se [Jan-20-10] (0 Comments) Rbmods.se has teamed up with AMD to give away a AMD CPU. This contest is only for people from Sweden this time. Simple rules, register on the forum and become a fan on facebook. ATI Radeon 5670 Videocard @ rbmods.com [Jan-14-10] (0 Comments) ATI has released their latest DirectX 11 card so today we are taking a look at a 5670 that we recieved from ATI for testing, we are going to run it with both some DirectX10 and 11 tests and also see how it does in various benchmark programs, so stick around. Patriot Gear Box Network Device @ rbmods.com [Jan-10-10] (0 Comments) Many have or are looking at setting up a home server to store media files, backups, maybe even set an FTP server and print server. But for home use, a dedicated server for this use is really overkill. Sure, one can use excess hardware, or a previous main system as a server, but the extra desk space and electricity consumed can add up quickly. Patriots Gear Box gives all these services while small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Crucial M225 64GB 2.5" SSD @ rbmods.com [Jan-07-10] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a SSD drive from Crucial. We are going to test this drive out in both in normal daily usage and also in some benchmarks to really see what type of performance we can expect from it. Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 @ rbmods.com [Jan-04-10] (0 Comments) Intel sees a big market share when it comes to CPUs, but the one place where AMD remains competitive is budget processors. Lets see how Intels latest socket 775 offering, the E6750, fares. NZXT Lexa S Case @ rbmods.com [Jan-02-10] (0 Comments) In a slumping economy, cheap, stylish cases are all the rage. Read on for a full review of the Lexa S from NZXT. Ultra X4 600W and 1050W Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Dec-30-09] (0 Comments) It has been about 2 years since Ultra, innovator of the modular cable power supply, has introduced a new line of power supplies; the Ultra x3 series was available in wattages up to 1000 Watts. With their latest offering, the x4, Ultra ups the ante with a 1600 Watt model, along with a 500, 600, 850, 1050, and 1200 Watt standard ATX units, as well as a micro ATX Noctua NH-D14 Cpu cooler @ rbmods.com [Dec-14-09] (0 Comments) Noctua is well known for their top of the line cpu coolers, they have now developed a new cooler which is about twice the size of their older ones. Noctua coolers have always been quite big but this takes the prize so it is going to be interesting to see how well it performs. Roccat Kova Mouse @ rbmods.com [Dec-02-09] (0 Comments) Today we have a new Roccat product on our test bench, they sent us their latest mouse that they named 8 Way Thermal Interface Material Roundup @ rbmods.com [Nov-27-09] (0 Comments) Thermal conductivity is another way to say heat transfer, and good thermal conductivity to your heatsink means lower temps for your processor. Thermal interface material is an important part of the thermal interface between your heatsink and processor. It fills the microscopic pits and valleys that can form between two pieces of metal. Since the thermal interface material has better thermal conductivity than air, more heat can flow from the heat source (processor) to the heat dissipation device. Ultra X4 750W PSU Giveaway @ rbmods.com [Nov-16-09] (0 Comments) This time you can win a Ultra X4 750W PSU, all you have to do is become a fan of our Facebook page. Can it get any easier? Nexus NX-5000 PSU @ rbmods.com [Nov-15-09] (0 Comments) Nexus is well known for their silent products. They have everything from cases to cpu coolers and they all have one thing in common and that is.... SILENCE! Nexus focuses on silent products and have released alot of them lately which have turned out to be high quality products with the right price range. We were happy to recieve their new Nx-5000 PSU on the test bench so lets see if this PSU unit can follow the quality standards we expect from Nexus. Nexus Edge Case @ rbmods.com [Nov-07-09] (0 Comments) Nexus is one of the leading manufacturers of computer power supplies and enclosures. Their products are combined with great quality with reasonable price. Today we will have a look at their newest enclosure Nexus Edge, which is aimed for enthustiastic markets and highend users. Zalman CNPS10X Extreme Cpu Cooler @ rbmods.com [Nov-03-09] (0 Comments) It was a long time ago since we looked at a Zalman product, today though we have their latest cooler on the table. We recieved a sample of their CNPS10 Extreme Cpu cooler that we are going to compare vs a well performing Noctua cooler both under stock speed and overclocking. Spire Blackmoon Series 550W @ rbmods.com [Nov-01-09] (0 Comments) Spire is one of those manufacturers everyone knows. Their productline includes fans, coolers, cases and powersupplies. We have reviewed many of their products in the past and today we will have a look at Spire Blackmoon Series 550W power supply. Will it be as high quality as previous powersupplies we have reviewed from Spire? Read and find out. Logitech G27 Racing Wheel @ rbmods.com [Oct-30-09] (0 Comments) Logitechs acclaimed G25 has been given a refresh in the form of the G27. Logitech claims to have addressed users issues with the G25. Lets take a look at the G27s new features. Thermaltake Element G - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Oct-28-09] (0 Comments) Inorder to achieve and become a “great” product, a case needs tosucceed in a number of different areas. It not only has to keep theinternals safe and secure, and with plenty of cooling but also lookstunning too. Modders and enthusiasts pride themselves on theaesthetics of their enclosures and so the style, shape and evenlighting of a chassis are hugely important.Thermaltake’s latest addition to their Element series, the Element G,aims to succeed at all these aspects as well as having a few tricks upits sleeve. Without giving too much away just yet, let’s take a betterlook. Enermax ECO80+ 620W SLI PSU @ rbmods.com [Oct-26-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a PSU from Enermax, a well known power supply manufacturer. We received a sample of their ECO friendly 80+ and SLI certified PSU. This unit has 620W and should be quite silent if we look at the specifiations. Lets have a closer look at this unit and how it can perform. Xigmatek Nrp-Pc501 PSU @ rbmods.com [Oct-23-09] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a product from Xigmatek, they have expanded quite a bit in the European regions and seem to get bigger and bigger with various products. We got a sample of their Nrp-Pc501 PSU that we are going to take a look at, we will compare it vs a high performing Enermax PSU to see what type of numbers we can get and also compare the noise they make. Lets take a closer look at the product. Rbmods Pressrelease List Message @ rbmods.com [Oct-20-09] (0 Comments) AMD has released several lower end cpus on to the market to compete with Intel. We are going to look at the Athlon 2 X2 245 cpu that sells for about 50$ which is one of the cheapest cpus on the market. We have decided to compare it in some tests vs a Intel 6300 cpu that has the same cache and clock speed. Qpad 5K Mouse @ rbmods.com [Oct-18-09] (0 Comments) Qpad, known for superb high quality mousepads and recently also headphones have now released a mouse. I guess this comes quite natural since they have been in the market for a time, we are going to try out this new 5K mouse on their own mousepads to see how the mouse works in various enviorments. Lets have a closer look. Zalman MFC3 LCD Fan Controller @ rbmods.com [Oct-16-09] (0 Comments) Fans can be noisy and disturbing to a work environment, but we all know that stressing PC hardware provides excessive heat that can be damaging to the components. Fan controllers come in handy to keep the noise in check during office work, but crank up the air when gaming. RBMods reviews the Zalman MFC3 LCD Fan Controller. Read on for the full review. Amd Athlon 2 X4 620 CPU @ rbmods.com [Oct-13-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a new Athlon 2 cpu from AMD. They have resurrected the Athlon name and made both dual and quad cores, we are looking at the quad core named 620 today that sells for around 90$. The question is what type of performance we can expect from these lower end cpus on the market? Lets take a closer look at what results we got. I-Rocks Wireless Slim Keyboard and Mouse Combo RF-6572L Nano @ rbmods.com [Oct-09-09] (0 Comments) Today were looking at a wireless keyboard and mouse offering from I-Rocks. This is an interesting product for those looking for a keyboard/mouse combo for their HTPC, or for those just looking for a decent wireless setup for their everyday computer to reduce some wire clutter. Roccat Valo Keyboard @ rbmods.com [Oct-01-09] (0 Comments) Roccat a well known gaming accessory manufacturer sent us their latest keyboard named Valo. This keyboard really aims mainly at the game with 41 macro keys, profiles, and macro recordings that all come in handy for a gamer, lets take a closer look at what we got here. ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB Graphics Card and AMD Eyefinity @ pcper.com [Sep-23-09] (0 Comments) The new AMD Radeon HD 5870 is the fastest single-GPU graphics cardyou can purchase today and will likely remain that way through at least theend of the year. The new Evergreen core, with its 1600 shader processorsand improved texturing power, is able to best the GT200 core that wasdominating the HD 4800-series cards in every aspect except efficiency. Addto that mix support for DirectX 11 gaming and compute applications with newfeatures like Eyefinity and you have all the makings of a fantastic productlaunch that will dominate the GPU market for months. The one caveat isthat AMD has left the GTX 285 still as a relevant graphics card option... Super Talent Pico C 32 GB Flash Drive @ rbmods.com [Sep-20-09] (0 Comments) Super Talent gives the phrase MSI N285GTX Superpipe OC GeForce GTX 285 @ pcper.com [Sep-17-09] (0 Comments) What we can walk away with at the end of the review is that MSI hasproduced a pretty tremendous card. The build quality is excellent, thecooler design works just as it is supposed to, and the NVIDIA GTX 285 is avery good chip that provides a very good gaming and entertainmentexperience. The slight overclock did not affect stability, and the tad ofextra performance was appreciated. Though we have become spoiled by highend cards in the $199 to $249 range, there still exist products above thatwhich can actually deliver more performance. Luxa 2 LM300 Touch Pro @ rbmods.com [Sep-10-09] (0 Comments) HTPC cases have turned into big sellers on the market as they tend to match your home theater systems and allows you to use them as media computers. Media computers are handy when it comes to viewing movies, listening to music and viewing pictures as an example. Mionix Saiph 1800 Mouse @ rbmods.com [Sep-07-09] (0 Comments) A month back we looked at the Mionix Saiph 3200 mouse that ended up being a well shaped gaming mouse, today we have the cheaper version named 1800 that is less expensive and has less functions. Knowing Mionix though I am sure this can be a good competitor even though it lacks some of the features the bigger brother does. Lets have a closer look at what we can expect from the mouse. R2-D2 USB-Hub @ rbmods.com [Sep-06-09] (0 Comments) Looking for a USB hub or a Starwars product? Well you can get both in one product, we are looking at the R2-D2 usb hub that even makes the same sounds as he does in the movie. It is cool looking and all but can it perform like other USB hubs? Verbatim 2.5' Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 Executive 500GB @ rbmods.com [Sep-03-09] (0 Comments) Verbatim, one of the worlds leading manufacturers of datastorage media has expanded their productlines to portable hard disks. Today we will have a look at their 2.5' Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 Executive 500GB model. AMD Phenom 2 965BE Cpu @ rbmods.com [Aug-31-09] (0 Comments) The Phenom 2 955 performed extremely well for the money you paid for it, this new 965 version costs about 245$ which is still a fair amount below the Core i7 920 price,. The question is; will it be able to perform somewhat similar or even faster than the Core i7? Let's take a closer look. Kingwin XT-1264 HTC CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Aug-28-09] (0 Comments) The high performance CPU cooler market has gotten very competitive lately, and after the release of Intel's Core i7 platform not every cooler is compatible with the larger cpu. Fortunately many manufacturers, including Kingwin, are now including Core i7 mounting hardware with their existing coolers. Most coolers are still compatible with older processors though, so it is important to make sure they are effective in every setup. Now, RBMods reviews the Kingwin XT-1264. Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 1 Terabyte SATA HDD @ rbmods.com [Aug-26-09] (0 Comments) SSD drives are starting to come in bigger sizes these days but they are still not available in terabytes and when they will be they will cost a fortune. Therefore SATA hard drives are still better when it comes to storage, Geeks.com sent us one of their Hitachi 1 TB Mionix Alioth 320 & 400 Mousepads @ rbmods.com [Aug-22-09] (0 Comments) Mionix a well known gaming accessory manufacturer here in Sweden creates great mice as we saw in an earlier review, but what about their mousepads? Today we are going to take a look at their Alioth 320 and 400, where the 400 is a bigger version but still the same material as the 320. Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 550W @ rbmods.com [Aug-19-09] (0 Comments) We are taking a look at a PSU from Coolermaster today which is one of their cheaper versions on the market, it will go together with one Coolermaster case that we are reviewing later on, but for now we will test this PSU to see what type of numbers we can get out of it. Coolermaster Sileo 500 Case @ rbmods.com [Aug-17-09] (0 Comments) Coolermaster is well known for their high-end cases, but what about their mid range cases that everyone can afford? We are looking at the Sileo 500 today that seems to have some silent features and a stylish look. It also has a PSU included with the bundle that we are going to look in a separate review so the features are quite cool, lets take a closer look. NZXT Panzerbox Case @ rbmods.com [Aug-14-09] (0 Comments) Most computer cases nowadays are suffering from a size problem; they seem to be getting bigger and bigger as people find more stuff to put inside them. But what if youre looking for a case that is mid-sized yet still provides high performance cooling? NZXT, makers of a wide range of computer products, offers a case that promises to deliver just that, the NZXT Panzerbox Computer Case. Will this case offer the best of both worlds? Read on to find out. Mionix Saiph 3200 Mouse @ rbmods.com [Aug-11-09] (0 Comments) Mionix a small company from Sweden that manufactures mice and mousepads, they are well known here in Sweden and are also in an expansion phase to spread over the world with their products. They specialize in mice and they have aimed their market towards gamers mainly but also more casual gamers. We are going to compare this vs Razer mice and also a Logitech mouse and see what we can expect from this mouse. Raidsonic Icybox IB-NAS902 @ rbmods.com [Aug-09-09] (0 Comments) Want to have fileserver, but don't have the money or place to put the server? NAS is your solution. Raidsonic, among many other manufacturers, has launched network-attached storage product line and today we will have a look at their IB-NAS902B NAS-device. NZXT Cryo S @ rbmods.com [Aug-09-09] (0 Comments) With laptop sales consistently topping desktop sales, a comfortable and cool computer is quickly becoming a top priority. There are many laptop coolers out on the market with similar features. So how does one decide on which cooler to purchase? Some of the important traits include angle between laptop keyboard and computing surface, structural rigidity of the unit, cooling capabilities, transportability, and of course price. Lets see how the NZXT Cryo S does in each of these categories. Acer Aspire One D250-1165 Netbook @ tweaktown.com [Aug-09-09] (0 Comments) Netbooks are very hot right now because of the poor economy and the hottest netbook of them all is the Acer Aspire One. Acer has several Aspire One machines and today we are going to toss the Aspire One D250 netbook onto the test bench and see what it is made of. This machine sports a 10.1-inch LED backlit screen and much more, so if you rare in the market for a netbook, you are in luck. If you have wondered what exactly makes the Aspire One line so popular, this will be the review for you. Corsair TR3X6G1600C7 Memory Kit @ rbmods.com [Jul-30-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at the our first tri channel ddr 3 kit.Corsair was kind enough to send us a 6Gb kit of their 1600MHz memory. Withtimings/latency at 7-7-7-20 we are looking at quite decent timings so it isgoing to be interesting to see what we can do with it when it comes to theoverclocking part of this review. Asus Rampage 2 Extreme Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Jul-27-09] (0 Comments) Today we recieved a real heavy weight board on our test bench! Asussent a sample of their Rampage 2 Extreme motherboard which really seems tobe an overclocker board filled with features so you can boost the crap outof your Core i7 boards. We are going to twist and turn it to see what typeof results we can get from the board. Intel Core i7 920 CPU @ rbmods.com [Jul-25-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at another Core i7 processor fromIntel. We got ourselves a 920 to play around with and use in our testsystem. Comparisons will be between this and the new AMD Phenom 2 955 whichis the fastest AMD processor on the market right now. We are going to seewhat type of performance we can get from this unit that is supposed to betaken out of the Intel inventory to make room for cheaper units named Corei5. Nexus TDD-9000 Liquid Laptop Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jul-23-09] (0 Comments) Nexus, one of the largest computer cooling peripheral manufacturersin the world sent us their newest invention TDD-9000 liquid laptop cooler.TDD-9000 doesn't have any fans in it and is based on liquid cooling. Thereare something special in TDD-9000:s cooling mechanism so let's have a lookif it does what Nexus has promised. AMD Phenom 2 905e CPU @ rbmods.com [Jul-20-09] (0 Comments) Another AMD Phenom II X3 705e @ rbmods.com [Jul-17-09] (0 Comments) Today we will have a look at one of the AMD:s latest consumer classprocessors.We will put the Phenom II X3 705e cpu against last generationsPhenom 9500 and see if it performs better. Let's have a look. TechwareLabs s the CoolerMaster HAF 922 Case @ techwarelabs.com [Jul-16-09] (0 Comments) Cooler Master has had success with their HAF932 case with its high air flow design and larger than life case size. The engineers took the HAF932 and scaled it down a little and came up with the HAF922 in order to put a case with design aspects of the hugely successful HAF932 case into lower price range. This new case by Cooler Master is a case which is a got to have for those want the HAF932, but can't afford the price. Sapphire HD4890 Toxic Videocard @ rbmods.com [Jul-14-09] (0 Comments) The videocard market is slowly moving forward and today we are takinga look at a HD4890 from Sapphire. We are going to compare this vs some highend and a mid range card to see what kind of performance we can get fromthis setup. Gigabyte ODIN GT 550W PSU @ rbmods.com [Jul-11-09] (0 Comments) We are looking at a power supply in todays review, Gigabyte sent us a Patriot TorqX 64GB SSD Harddrive @ rbmods.com [Jul-08-09] (0 Comments) SSD drives are getting more and more mainstream all the time, andthey have actually released info that they should drop in price soon andreplace the older IDE and SATA drives. The question is though; have all theissues with write speeds been fixed then? We are going to benchmark theTorqx 64GB from Patriot today to see if we can see some speed improvementscompared vs a Gskill SSD we got awhile back. Razer Carcharias Headset @ rbmods.com [Jul-06-09] (0 Comments) There are certian elements in gaming that are both critical andnecessary. Sound is one of them. It can provide feedback to the gamer in away that a monitor can't. Razer has been in the audio facet of gaming for awhile now, and today we are going to take a look at their newest headset,the Razer Carcharias. Let's see how it performs. Roccat Tusko Laptop Bag @ rbmods.com [Jul-03-09] (0 Comments) Roccat which is a well known brand on the market now, has madeproducts like mice, mousepads, keyboards and more. They sent us their Tuskolaptop travel bag for test, it seems to be a very safe and protective bag atfirst look however the 15-19 inch max monitor size worries me. Maybe we canpush in something even bigger into this bag? Lets have a closer look. Coolermaster Hyper TX3 @ rbmods.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) Coolermaster is one of the most well-known cooler manufacturers inthe world. Today we will have a look at their new Hyper TX3 cooler, which iscompatible with most of current CPU-sockets including LGA1156. Noctua NF-S12B FLX @ rbmods.com [Jun-27-09] (0 Comments) Noctua, makers of silent PC cooling components, sent us their newestfan:the NF-S12B FLX. With silence in mind, the NF-S12B was designed toproduce the smallest amount of noise possible, while still pushing enoughair to keep your computer cool. Can it live up to Noctua's reputation formanufacturing super quiet, well performing fans and heatsinks? Read on tofind out. Message-ID: @ ccereviews.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) The TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS isn't only good on performance; QNAP hasprovided the full package with many built-in features. This includes printserver, webserver, dataserver, multimedia server and download manager toname a very small list. While the TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS commands a premiumprice, you get a premium product. The only shortcoming is the 1 yearwarranty but for any digitally inclined household or business, the TS-809Pro Turbo NAS is seriously worth considering. Asus Pro61s Laptop @ rbmods.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) Today it=B4s once again time for a laptop review, Asus sent us a sample AMD Phenom 2 955 @ rbmods.com [Jun-19-09] (0 Comments) AMD sent us another one of their latest cpu=B4s, we got a sample oftheir Phenom 2 955 which should prove to be the AMD=B4s current badboy. We aregoing to compare it vs the 940 cpu and vs a older Intel cpu in varioustests. Lets take a closer look and see what we can expect for these 245$that you end up paying for this unit. Coolermaster HAF 922 @ rbmods.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) Coolermaster is one of the most notable manufacturer of coolers andcomputer cases. Today we will have a look at Coolermaster HAF 922 computercase which is a combination of high quality, cool looking and innovativecooling solutions. NZXT Beta Case @ rbmods.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) We've had a chance to review a bunch of cases from NZXT, makers of awide range of computer peripherals. For the most part, we've been impressedby their build quality and attention to detail. Today we'll look at one oftheir latest case offers, the NZXT Beta Computer Case. Will this casecontinue their streak of solid performers? That's what we're here to findout. CM Storm Scout Case @ rbmods.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) CM a sister company to Coolermaster keeps releasing alot of productsat the moment, we have reviewed their Sniper Case earlier which proved to bea really cool mid class case. This new Storm doesn=B4t look any worse than theSniper, it actually got a couple of features that the Sniper was lacking, solet=B4s take a look. Coolermaster V10 Cpu Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) I have to admit it was awhile ago I personally looked at a cpucooler, Coolermaster convinced me to take a look at their V10 cpu coolerthough as it is a normal cooler and it also has a TEC built into it. Itseems to be big and bulky but I guess it has all the potential to prove as agood air cpu cooler, we are going to be comparing it vs a well performingNoctua cooler so let=B4s have a closer look. Hornettek Viper and Hover Enclosures @ rbmods.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Today we will be looking at two 3.5 Asus EAH4770 TOP Videcoard @ rbmods.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) We are going to take a look at a brand new video card that sells foraround 120$ and should perform similar to a 4850 video card. I=B4m sure youalready figured out that we are going to review the 4770 card from Asus, weare going to compare it vs a few 4850 cards also from Asus in severalbenchmarks. The main features on this card is the price/performance, thismeans you should get ALOT of performance for a small price, so lets have acloser look and see what we can expect from the card. XTracPads Logic Mat @ rbmods.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) One majorly overlooked, yet crticial element when it comes to agaming rig is a mousepad. It doesnt make the game run smoother or give itcrisper details but it makes gaming alot easier. It improves tactileresponse and allows your movements to have more speed, comfort, andprecision while gaming. Behold! The mousepad! Today, RBMods takes a lookat three new Logic Mats from XTracPads. They come with a reusable adhesivebacking to help prevent them from slipping and sliding on your desktopsurface. Let's take a look at how they work. Arctic Cooling Fusion 550R @ rbmods.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) Arctic Cooling most known for their superb cpu coolers have releaseda power supply on to the market. If we look at the stats they promise alot,82-86% efficiency, intelligent fan control and ultra quiet 80 mm fan.Knowing Arctic Cooling I know I should expect a superb product so lets havea look if they can live up to their name also on the PSU market. Nexus Value 430 & RX-8500 @ rbmods.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) Quiet yet powerful powersupplys are the keyword in today=B4s computer Corsair Voyager Port @ rbmods.com [May-10-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a device that should make it easy foryou to backup information onto your flashdrive. Corsair has developed theVoyager Port which allows you to plug your flash drive into the port andwith one push of a button if will backup all the info you have preconfiguredfor it to backup. Since the flash drives are getting bigger they are able tohold more data and they are way more durable than any harddrive on themarket. This makes the flash drive a excellent choice for backing up data,but how does this device work and what types of speeds can we expect? Verbatim SecureDigital Class 6 32GB @ rbmods.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at a Verbatim SD memory card fromVerbatim. This is a 32Gb SD card which is supposed to be a bit faster thanstock cards. Verbatim is well known for their high class storage media likedvd=B4s and cd=B4s so it's going to be interesting to see if this device cankeep up with the high quality Verbatim has delivered before. Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard @ rbmods.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) Looking for an edge when it comes to PC gaming? Well, Xoxide,provider of a wide range of computer accessories, sent us one of the latestgaming keyboard, the Razer Arctosa. Razer is a well-known gaming productmanufacturer that has produced many well-known gaming products such as theRazer Diamondback and Viper mice. Will this new keyboard bring similarperformance to both gaming and everyday applications? That is what we'rehere to find out. MSI N285GTX Videocard SuperPipe OC @ rbmods.com [May-02-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at one of the latest MSI cards on themarket! We got a sample of their N285GTX SuperPipe OC which has a twin fancooler, and thicker heatpipes for better cooling. This card should clock abit better than the others on the market with this new cooler and maybe alsobe a bit more silent although that remains to be seen. Lets have a closerlook! In Win X-Fighter & Commander 750 W @ techpowerup.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) The X-Fighter takes its inspiration from the Star Wars universe. In Win has gone to great length and created their own design around that aspect. The result is a very interesting chassis with a lot of unique features and one of a kind, animated LEDs, which are certain to draw a lot attention at the next LAN Party. Asus VW226H Monitor @ rbmods.com [Apr-26-09] (0 Comments) In need of a new monitor? Then take a closer look at this monitorwith its 26 inches and full HD resolution! At first glance it seems to be apretty nice monitor and knowing Asus their prices are not very high eitherwhich is always a plus. A HDMI output with 2 MS and alot more featuresreally seems to make this a good monitor but does it live up to its name ordoes it have back bleed issues like previous Asus monitors? Ulti-Mat Mousepad Roundup @ rbmods.com [Apr-23-09] (0 Comments) Mousepads are important part of gaming. These come in various sizes,materials, brands and colors. Today we will have a look at three highquality gamer mousepads made by Ulti-Mat. Asus 4850 Matrix Videocard @ rbmods.com [Apr-17-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at the 4850 Matrix videocard from Asusthat is very similar to the other 4850 cards Asus offers but this one comeswith a lower clock frequency and hopefully a lower price. We are going tosee how this card can handle high resolutions and also share ouroverclocking results from our testsl Lets have a closer look. Asrock A780GMH/128M AM2+ @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) Over the past couple of years we have reviewed several of Asrock'smATX motherboards here at Pro-Clockers. Asrock's whole thought processbeyond their smaller line of motherboards is affordability, stability andupgradable. And all three of these aspects is what you will see in our nextreview sample. The A780GMH/128M offers a new twist on an older chipset. Themotherboard is based on the AMD 780G but instead of using the older SB700South Bridge, Asrock took it upon themselves to implement the newer SB710.Why not the SB750 SB?. Well, we did mention that the motherboard offersafford ability. And this was one way to cut cost. What else does the boardhave to offer? You will have to read a little more. Thermalright AXP-140 HTPC CPU Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Apr-15-09] (0 Comments) The Thermalright AXP-140 HTPC CPU cooler opens up a couple of different ways to keep your system cool. Combined with a dual core 45nm CPU you should have no problem running this heat sink without a fan, or with one below 20 decibels. As an HTPC enthusiast that leans more towards the multimedia aspect as opposed to gaming, the difference in sound is HUGE! Instead of hearing the CPU fan spinning its little heart out when it comes to a quiet scene in a movie, you have a silent computer that keeps you focused on being entertained. That is really the whole point here, giving you peace of mind that your hardware is running cool, as well as giving you peace and quiet... Hiyatek HY-CF-6288-1 Laptop cooler and stand @ rbmods.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) Laptops are used in many places. Some of us use laptops as theirdesktop replacements. Those laptops can get quite hot every now and thenwhen using programs which use a lot CPU- and GPU-time. Hiyatek has providedus the solution for this. Hiyatek HY-CF-6288-1 2 in 1 laptop cooling pad &stand is meant to be used as a stand for your laptop and to cool yourlaptop. Let's have a look at it. Asus Eee 1000HE @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) Though notebook manufacturers have managedto make netbooks ultra portable by shrinkingdown just about everything and doing awaywith nonessentials like optical drives, oneaspect of being small has also been theAchilles Heel of the netbook:battery life.With batteries practically the size of packof Twix, most conventional netbooks are luckyto limp three hours before zonking out,making them less than useful for theaway-from-home computing their size has beentailored for. Asus does away with thatsmall-battery mentality on the Eee 1000HE,which has been specially built for endurancecomputing away from the wall socket - 9.5hours, according to Asus. But can this tinylittle netbook hold up to that promise? Anddoes the bulky new battery impair itsfunction as a netbook? Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 @ pcreview.co.uk [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) The most important component of KIS 2009 is undoubtedly the anti-virus scanner, which is the backbone of protection for any computer. Some of the most comprehensive AV testing is done by a company called AV-Comparatives, which test a variety of scanners against a huge database of viral infections. This is one of the most effective ways of measuring the performance of AV scanners, and provides a much more representative result than personal testing. In the latest test of on-demand AV scanners (Feb 09), Kaspersky is tested alongside 16 other products in their default modes. A 97.1 overall detection rate was achieved, which is roughly a mid-table result – however the number of false positives was significantly lower than many other scanners. Coolmax V600 600W PSU @ rbmods.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) Deciding on a power supply can be a tough choice, with a wide rangeof suppliers and features for each unit. While power output is important,there are other factors such as efficiency, noise, and even looks that areequally as important. Today we'll be looking at a 600W power supply fromCoolmax, the Coolmax V600 PSU, which has been designed with performance inmind. We will keep that in mind while we examine this product and compare itto some of its competition. Super Talent 16GB Pico C Flash Drive @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-06-09] (0 Comments) Our next Pico we will be reviewing is the Pico-C Nickel. Which likethe Gold model is plated with the precious metal. The advantage the Nickelhas over the Gold we reviewed is an additional 8 gigs of storage. Not onlyis the storage size a pretty amazing aspect of the Pico but its physicalsize is as well. The Pico weighs in at an incredible 6 grams. At this sizethe drive is a non factor while hanging around your neck on a necklace or onyour key chain. AMD Phenom 2 940 CPU @ rbmods.com [Apr-04-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at AMD=B4s latest processor, the Phenom 2940 Quad core Cpu. How will this unit perform vs the high performing Intelprocessors on the market and how will it perform vs the older Phenom? Let=B4stake a look. USB Geek USB Frog Mouse @ rbmods.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) USB Geek is reseller of many USB-gadgets. Their product rangeincludes devices from many manufacturers. You can find almost everythingwhich fits to USB from their websites with reasonable prices too. Today wewill have a look at their frog mouse, which is mainly targeted to children. Thermaltake Element S Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) When I choose a computer case, I am often drawn towards a couple ofthings:good looks and cool features that will make building and using thecomputer enjoyable. Thermaltake, makers of a wide variety of computer products, sent us asample of one of their new cases, the Thermaltake Element S Computer case,which from the package seems to combine stylish looks with a sophisticateddesign. Does this case have all the elements needed to be considered a casefor pros? Let's find out in this case review. Hawking HomeRemote Pro Wireless Video Camera @ rbmods.com [Mar-24-09] (0 Comments) Recently we had the change to check out Hawking's HomeRemote Pro HomeAutomation Starter Kit and were impressed by the easy installation andintuitive user interface. As mentioned, there are a number of add-onaccessories to this system, and today we'll take a look one such item, theHawking HomeRemote Pro HRPC1 Wireless Video Camera. Will this camera takehome automation and monitoring to the next level? Read on to find out. Steelseries World of Warcraft Mouse @ rbmods.com [Mar-21-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at a new mouse from Steelseries,this mouse has been hard to get due to its popularity. The reason it is sopopular is because it's an official World of Warcraft mouse, what is sospecial about it then? Let=B4s find out! Nexus Beamair @ rbmods.com [Mar-19-09] (0 Comments) Fansand cooling are something you should keep in mind when building a computer.There isn't such a thing yet as a silent yet powerful fan. Nexus has made a newand original attempt to solve that issue. Nexus Beamair is a new kind of fan ductto get everything from your fan. Let's have a look at it. CM Sniper Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-14-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at a new case named Sniper that ismanufactured by a sister company to Coolermaster. This case seems to havealot of cool new features to lets check it out! Chieftec HM-01B HTPC Case @ bigbruin.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) Installing a system in the Chieftec HM-01B HTPC case was extremely simple, and the tool-less drive features may be the best I have ever used. Unfortunately not all aspects of the installation are tool-less, but it went quickly anyway. The internal layout gives you plenty of room for all the necessary components, with means to manage the wires neatly. Asus P6T Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a new socket 1366 motherboard from Asus. Thisnew board seems to be the new Core i7 badboy from Asus, it is available indifferent versions that come in different prices. This seems to aim itselfvs overclockers mainly and it also has a quite high pricetag of 270$. Letssee how this board will perform and we will also try to boost our Core i7 abit to see what features this board can offer. Evercool RF-8 Rifling 80mm Fan @ rbmods.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) Case fans come in a wide variety of sizes, with the most popular onesbeing 80mm and 120mm. But is there any way to squeeze more fan blade area ina standard size fan? Evercool, makers of a wide range of fans, has produceda new product, the Evercool Rifling RF-8 80mm Case fan, that provides 92mmfan blades in an 80mm housing. Will this design provide the best of bothworlds? Read on to find out more. GMC R-4 Bulldozer Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-07-09] (0 Comments) Most computer cases on the market nowadays come with a fairlystandard set of equipment and have similar layouts. It's rare that you finda case that offers a unique design. GMC, makers of a wide range of computercomponents, has developed a new case, the GMB R-4 Bulldozer Computer Case,which challenges the concepts of traditional case design. Will this casebulldoze the competition? Let's find out in this review. Ineo 2,5" All in one Enclosure @ rbmods.com [Mar-01-09] (0 Comments) With todays need of more HDD space, enclosures can be found invarious sizes and colors to help you use your harddrives. How fast are they?How well do they perform? Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:X-Mailer:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) Often, when a product is marketed for a certain special feature, itsuffers in other aspects. The ATP EarthDrive is not one of those products.In addition to being the world's first recyclable USB drive, it alsoperforms well. With read speeds just shy of 30 MB/s and write speeds of 10MB/s, the EarthDrive is similar to other USB drives we've reviewed in thepast. Its small size also makes it easy to work with. Also, it's waterproof! NOX Coolbay HX - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) Todayhere at XSReviews we have a product from a very muchup-and-coming company – NOX. With cases these days needed to be so muchmore than just a chassis; aesthetics, cooling and noise are allimportant aspects. With the high standard of PC enclosures in thismodern era, will NOX be able to break into this heavily competitivemarket and become a well-known brand themselves? NOX are hoping toachieve this with their latest product; introducing the NOX Coolbay HX. Death of a Gutless Wonder @ jonnyguru.com [Dec-01-08] (0 Comments) Quite some time ago, I took a look at several cheap-o units aspart of my Bargain Basement roundup in an effort to determine whether or notthese generic units that come free with computer cases are worth trusting.Since then, I've had people hounding me to blow up some more of these units. Sapphire HD 4830 512MB - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Nov-18-08] (0 Comments) WithATI continuing to dominate the top end graphics card market,they're releasing cards left right and centre, to get even a firmergrasp on the top end of the industry. Today I'm looking at their 4830card, which promises some top performance with a reasonable price tag.Let's see how it does. XSR Link Correction @ xsreviews.co.uk [Oct-16-08] (0 Comments) Computercooling is becoming a much more widespread topic with extraemphasis on silence in comparison to the past where this aspect ofcooling was more or less disregarded in an attempt to produce maximumperformance. The challenge that faces most manufacturers nowadays isthe perfect combination between the two. Today at XSReviews, we have awhole series of Arctic Fans up for review. However, the question iswill this latest series of fans be able to meet both the demands ofperformance and silence? Arctic Cooling Fans - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Oct-15-08] (0 Comments) Computercooling is becoming a much more widespread topic with extraemphasis on silence in comparison to the past where this aspect ofcooling was more or less disregarded in an attempt to produce maximumperformance. The challenge that faces most manufacturers nowadays isthe perfect combination between the two. Today at XSReviews, we have awhole series of Arctic Fans up for review. However, the question iswill this latest series of fans be able to meet both the demands ofperformance and silence? InWin Commander 750w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Oct-07-08] (0 Comments) Inthe past, overclockers had a core set of components they needed tofocus on to guarantee stability and performance:CPU, motherboard,memory and GPU. One often overlooked aspect of the intrepid systembuilder was the PSU. However, as products have become more highpowered, with GPUs especially needing hundreds of watts just on theirown, PSUs have become far more important. With that in mind, InWin havesent over their Commander 750w PSU. Let's see how it holds up. [Affiliates News] Gigabyte GeForce 9800GT 512MB Graphics Card @ aphnetworks.com [Sep-14-08] (0 Comments) What do you call a company that manufacturers the same carunder 50 different nameplates? Answer:General Motors. So, in that sense,what do you call a company that markets the same graphics card under twomodel numbers that indicate (supposed) separate generation of cards? Answer:NVIDIA. Jokes aside, no one can deny that there are truths to these claims --with the General Motors one having a bit of exaggeration, of course. Theever-so-popular NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT was ever so popular amongst enthusiastsand general consumers alike for its excellent performance; and even more soconsidering the retail prices. That was approximately one year ago. Now,tides have changed and ATI/AMD is returning to the game in the graphics frontwith the performance-to-price leaders such as the 4850 and 4870. How abouttaking the G92 based 8800GT and calling it a new product? Well, here we are,with a 8800GT called a 9800GT. As most would know how the NVIDIA 9-series arebasically are mostly derived off the 8-series and not a completely newgeneration (They are mostly G92's and G94's) -- the 9800GT made it into the9-series with a few minor updates. But trust us, it's practically the samething -- more info on the second page of this review. Therefore, in honor ofNVIDIA's excellent branding job, we based this review off the Gigabyte 8800GTTurboForce review with a few minor changes (We made it as similar aspossible, haha). Good thing Gigabyte made it a little more unique with acustom built unit and an aftermarket Zalman HS/F. Let's see how the 8800GT,er, 9800GT, performs. Zen and the HFX Mini HTPC case @ bit-tech.net [Aug-18-08] (0 Comments) *If you compare it to other passively cooled HTPCs on the market, like the Hush PC UK-E1200 or the Hoojum Cubit PCs then it is undoubtedly cheaper -- if only by a few hundred pounds. Moreover by shopping around on eBay for the internal components you can knock off considerably more of that price. What you get in overall quality is not that much different from the competitors' machines. The case is well-built, all sorts of necessary bits and bobs are included, and some aspects of it are very cleverly and well designed indeed. Acer Aspire One @ bit-tech.net [Aug-04-08] (0 Comments) *There are some issues. Shoddy speakers and a trackpad that is more hand-cramping and difficult than doing the secret ant-man handshake with every ant in a colony are the main problems, but the Aspire One does a good job of overcoming them and still offering great performance and usability. It isn't quite perfect, but it comes damn close and is definitely the most attractive subnotebook we've seen since the Eee PC 701 first landed. Mercenaries 2:World In Flames P @ bit-tech.net [Aug-02-08] (0 Comments) *We've yet to have a chance going hands-on with /Mercenaries 2:World in Flames/, so we unfortunately can't speculate on what is likely to be one of the most important aspects of the game -- the controls and balancing. If the PC port ends up suffering from Sloppy Conversion Disorder then it could bring the only game crashing down. WALL-E @ bit-tech.net [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) * The reason that Pixar films are so successful is that operate on two levels:there's the twee story and characters that appeal to children, and then there's the clever dialogue and dirty in-jokes for the adults. Pixar have a virtually unmatched talent to weave both these aspects together in a film in such a way that both children and adults alike can rave about it. upgrading memory voids the warranty @ bit-tech.net [Jul-24-08] (0 Comments) For those who don't know, even though MSI has left a slot freeformemory upgrades, the problem MSI faces is that it doesn't include aspecific flap for the memory like every other laptop - you literallyhave to take the whole thing apart to get to the free memory slot (orhard drive if you want to do that too). The level of complexity ingetting it back together correctly is far beyond Samsung Instinct @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) The Sprint Instinct from Samsung is one ofthe hottest new phones on the market, thanksto its slim profile, vibrating touchscreen,and standard headphone jack. It also hasfeatures that are now standard fare onmidrange phones, like GPS, a Web browser, anda microSD slot. The Instinct's lack ofbuilt-in WiFi means prospective iPhone buyersprobably won't be swayed, and its live TVstreaming pales in comparison to that of theLG Voyager. But Samsung has clearly beenlistening to consumer complaints about thecompetition (and its own Glyde) and has madea reliable, satisfying handset with a stellaraccessory bundle. The Perfect Razer Desktop @ tweaktown.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) With the Razer Lycosa Keyboard, Lachesis Mouse and Destructor Gaming Surface, we have a serious gaming setup and a sweet looking desktop.Again Razer does not disappoint on the uber-elitist front by allowing you to tweak every aspect of the mouses performance, and even to what sensitivity levels you can hot swap to. There is even axis specific sensitivity adjustment; this is clearly top-end stuff. Roogoo (PC) @ bit-tech.net [Jun-23-08] (0 Comments) Just because the game is tough though, isn’t to say that RooGooisn’t fun. It is fun to play, kind of. Fun in the same kind of way as Peggleor Drug Warsor any other casual game. You don’t actually massively enjoy playingthe game, you just crave the sense of accomplishment and completion andyou get sucked into this trap early on thanks to the pick-up-and-playdesign. There are only two real things that prevent RooGoo frombeing a good game and neither of these are really going to be a hugeproblem to any initiated puzzle fans. The first is that there reallyisn’t much to be had beyond the single game mode and once you’ve playedone level you’ve played them all. The other problem is the way the game presents itself. We’ve jokedabout the bright colours, MeeMoos, King Goos, and Roos of RooGoo, but the reality is that they really are a problem. RooGoois too fast and frantic to be a kids game, so we have to judge it asmore than that and while the game would still have problems if it waspresented as a less immature puzzler, it would be a bit better off. The Incredible Hulk (Xbox 360) @ bit-tech.net [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) We expected The Incredible Hulk to be bad from theoffset, notout of some inherent bias but more to do with a realistic reflection ofthe past and the facts of the matter. On this front, TheIncredible Hulk didn’t disappoint us. It’s predictable, samey, bland and as by-the-numbers as any game ofthis type could be. The developers have got a checklist of all theusualerrors made on movie tie-ins and they’ve zipped down and ticked themall expertly. As a game it’s more shallow than a Paris Hilton-wannabeand uglier than the real-deal. But, at the same time, it is kind of fun to mess around with. And no,the Paris Hilton jokes stopped last paragraph thankyouverymuch.Elements of The Hulk’s character are captured very well and it’s quitebizarre to see that Sega has done a better job of capturing the wallclimbing experience than Activision did with Spiderman 3.Also, just because a game is shallow doesn’t mean that it’s bad – everyid Software game ever proves that, just about. Despite all the chinksin the armour and the fuzziness on the lens there is still a sense ofprogression that makes the game involving to play and aspects of theanimation do feel suitably kinetic and powerful. In the end, though Hulk can’t claim to be as good as themajority of the games out on shelves nowadays, he can certainly wipethe floor with Iron Man and the othercomic-movie-adaptation-tie-ins at the moment. Far Cry 2 hands-on p @ bit-tech.net [Jun-04-08] (0 Comments) Now admittedly we were a little disappointed that our plan toincinerate the ramshackle huts had failed so early on and that we hadhad to fall back and rely on Warren’s help, but the process actuallyhelped to prove how great Far Cry 2 is when it comes to providing anemergent experience and an arena for players to experiment in andcreate their own stories.This, if anything, would seem to be Far Cry 2's speciality –it just refuses to be consistent in any aspect of the game design.There are a few hard and fast rules which make the game worldconsistent with how we think the world should be – wind that blows,fire that spreads, wood that splinters – but that’s about it. The restof the game is different every time you play it because the details arealways changing. Put simply, when it’s the case that the direction that the wind isblowing in can change your entire approach to a mission then you knowyou’re in for a hugely open and vastly replayable gaming experience. Far Cry 2 may yet have problems we haven’t uncovered and grantedthat a single mission is no basis on which to judge an entireunreleased game – but if we were so foolish as to do judge in that waythen Far Cry 2 is one game that we’d definitely get veryexcited about. Haze (PS3) @ bit-tech.net [May-23-08] (0 Comments) For a game that's had so much hype surrounding it, Haze shouldhave been the perfect game. The problem is that few games rarely liveup to the hype, and Haze falls firmly into that category.Nectar should have been an important part of the game, but instead itcomes across as just another gimmicky power-up. It makes the openingsections of the game far too easy and appears to disappear in the rebelsections of the game, only to be used as an artefact to drive theplotline forward.The storyline itself is hackneyed and feels lazy in its execution. Thetale of the corporate stooge who joins the rebels to bring down thecorporation has been done before and, more importantly, it's been donefar better. There are a few clever twists and turns to the tale laterin the game, but not enough to drag the story out of mediocrity.Taken as a run-of-the-mill FPS, Haze certainly isn't dire, but on theother hand it never really reaches the heights to which it aspires. Ataround six or seven hours to complete, there's not really enough in thesingle player game to keep you coming back after the first playthrough. You might play it again in co-op mode, but even themultiplayer games aren't enough to get you hooked.Haze could have been so much more, but it falls short on so manylevels. The game feels unfinished, as though it has been pushed out ofthe door six months early. Depressingly, it might be that another fewmonths of spit and polish could have produced the game that the hypepromised.Then again, perhaps not. Maybe every game studio is destined to producea game that they're embarrassed about. If that's true, then Haze willbe hiding at the back of Free Radical's closet for a long time to come. First Look:Acer Aspire Predator Gaming PCs @ bit-tech.net [May-23-08] (0 Comments) We certainly believe that Acer has a market in PC World styleretailstores for first time buyers and families wanting something special,but we aren’t sure if Acer will ever break into the market covered byboutique system builders like Vadim. What’s more, most serious gamersare often running on a shoe-string budget, so £1,500+ for a gamingmachine that will be out of date in a year is a lot of money to coughup.We’ll be having a much closer look at one of Acer’s Aspire Predatorgaming PCs in the near future to see if our concerns turn out to bereality once production grade hardware is available. It's a Mod Thing @ modders-inc.com [May-17-08] (0 Comments) It's A Mod Thing!! You see, modders are that rare species that cantake any aspect, well of just about anything, and associate it with a mod oreven make a mod out of it, or build a mod into it. [News] Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-28-08] (0 Comments) The Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock lived up to its promise. Itprovides a convenient method of connecting any SATA drive to your system sothat you can easily access the data on it. Performance was up to par, butthe real benefit is from the design. During disaster recovery, you needsomething that's straightforward and easy to use and won't add more troubleto your life. The NexStar Hard Drive Dock succeeds in this aspect. Phil Hester of AMD Resigns from CTO Position @ pcper.com [Apr-12-08] (0 Comments) AMD is truly at a historic lowpoint, and it seems that it is due toa bad combination of technology, competition, and perhaps some internalcomplacency. Phil was brought in as CTO at AMD's pinnacle, and he haspresided over that position from that point to the low valley we now see thecompany. Is he a fall guy? Was it his decisions that led them on the roadto here? Or were there thoughts of cutting salaries of these uppermanagement individuals, and he simply felt that it was not in his bestinterest to stay and take the cut? Hard to say. TWM Performance Complete Short Shifter Kit @ aphnetworks.com [Apr-01-08] (0 Comments) It's been quite a while since APH Networks, obviously the most well known highly dedicated car enthusiast website, took a look at what we've originated from -- car reviewing. Lately we've gotten a little off track and got into all those computer products for some odd reason. But in all seriousness, take a look out on the streets. Here in North America, cars are so common, it's not even funny. From 20 year old Buick sedans to the latest Acura CUVs, and then *gasp* there's a high school kid driving their ricer that's so low they can barely make it over a speed bump, wing so big and heavy that turned their car's weight distribution into 40/60, decals on the side of their car from dozens of companies that they don't even own parts from, and tinted windows that resemble those of an opaque black wall. Well here's one for you:Performance modifications are more practical than visual modifications. Driving a standard transmission (Or manual transmission, stick shift, or whatever you want to call it) myself, there's all to one point that makes it so unique and fun to drive:The combination of the third pedal and the gearstick. Sitting in a few real performance vehicles lately, I wasn't all in for their fuel economy, but their short throw manual really intrigued me. Moving back to my own car, here's a cheap, easy do-it-yourself modification that makes your shifting all that much fun -- the complete short shifter kit from TWM Performance. Adding onto that, we also had an aftermarket weighted shift knob to go along with it. Let's see how it improves your driving experience. NVIDIA Quad SLI Take Two - 9800 GX2 up to bat @ pcper.com [Mar-25-08] (0 Comments) NVIDIA has missed the mark with their launch of Quad SLI on the 9800GX2; an incredible single graphics card has been shoved into a technologythat we all wanted to see work but that just is not yet ready for aspotlight. With just a couple of exceptions, performance on the Quad SLIsystem was uninspiring and was frustrating more often than it was fun toplay on. There is potential though! NVIDIA needs to take a tip from AMDand not just address performance scaling across more titles but integrateusability features that will help users deal with multi-GPU issues likemonitor configurations. An interview with BioWare's Matt Atwood @ bit-tech.net [Mar-18-08] (0 Comments) Bit:It’s interesting you’d say that because a lot ofPC games aremoving more towards console games in an effort to avoid piracy. Waspiracy a factor in the console launch?Piracy is always a concern obviously, but if we were that worried thenwe wouldn’t do a PC version at all, right?Hmm, maybe I should qualify that. We’re very concerned about piracy andwe put steps in to stop people doing that. At the end of the day theBioWare team spent four years—it’ll actually be more than that when thePC version is out—of their lives making just the first game in thistrilogy. Four years of their lives with very many long hour days. Theydeserve to have consumers pay for the title – they’ve put a lot of workin. That said, piracy didn’t factor into our platform choice massivelyand the sequels will be released in the same way – Mass 2, Xbox360. Watercooling Fluid Shootout @ bit-tech.net [Feb-17-08] (0 Comments) But all of this was for one worthy goal is there a fluid thatreignssupreme? Does anything do water's job better than water? The numbersdon't lie nothing is better than pure, straight up water so far, atleast where temperatures are concerned. But there are a couple fluids that perform just as well, and their sidebenefits of colouring, anti-corrosion and (most of all)non-conductivity make them well worth your time. Though temperaturesare our primary concern, I've also made sure to note other aspects ofeach fluid that can have an effect on overall usability colouring,bubble dispersion, and clean-up.So which ones are truly better than water, when you take all of thisinto account? Halo 3 and The Art of Repetition @ bit-tech.net [Feb-06-08] (0 Comments) Let’s take Halo 3, and, before I actually say anythingabout Halo 3,I should make a disclaimer digression. I had put up some articles aboutrepetition in games on my blog, and how I felt that repetition issometimes a good thing (more on that later), and may have implied thataspects of the Halo 3 campaign could have benefited from somemore repetition, and I ended up with some comments that went somethinglike this:“Variety is the spice of life. Games with repetition suck. Your gamewill suck and no one will play it.”Now, I think I’ve played through the Halo 3 campaign about halfa dozen times. I love the game—I even pre-ordered it. I enjoy fanboyspeculation about Halo’s association to Marathon.While this does not make me an expert in all things Halo, I think it atleast gives me license to critique and comment. So I say:fanboys,stand down!hat out of the way, the critique goes like this:imagine you areplaying through Halo 3for the first time. You play as the legendary saviour of humanity, whoplays it cool while expertly wielding a massive arsenal to mow downwave after wave of baddies. However you have a somewhat foggy idea ofwhere to go next, what a missile pod does, how all of those crazy newitems work, the feel of a Spartan laser, and so on. So here’s themismatch:in cut scenes, the Master Chief is extremely cool andconfident, but under the control of the first time gamer, the MasterChief is suddenly acting like some bewildered idiot, fumbling withbubble shields and flamethrowers.Games like Marathon and BioShock succeed instorytelling because the main character can be a bewildered idiot. In Marathon,you’re a space marine who lands on a colony ship with very little ideaof what’s going on, when suddenly aliens start attacking and AIs startfighting over you. BioShock is roughly the same story—you landon an underwater city, things start attacking you, and greater powersstart fighting over you via the radio. You’re a dummy with a big gun,and everyone knows and is willing to exploit this fact. Zalman HD160XT Plus HTPC chassis @ bit-tech.net [Feb-04-08] (0 Comments) While its looks are clearly designed by the gods themselves,it’s notfollowed through into some of the core design aspects – obviouslysomeone made a list of every feature they could think of andsomeone else drew a kick ass looking case – then the two were pressedtogether between someone's palms, hoping to get the ultimate PC case.It hasn't happened here with the Zalman HD160XT Plus – it needs to beseamless and work without issue but it just isn't as we continually hadto find ways around problems.It does a lot of good things and it will look a perfect complement toany home theatre setup – I know because I've used the original ZalmanHD160 as an HTPC case for the past six months, but I wouldn't everconsider upgrading, it's just not worth over twice the price. And whileI love the full colour display with the huge potential it brings over astandard VFD – it's just not as easy to use and customise as I'd like.By now, several years down the line since its first HTPC cases, we’dexpect Zalman would have worked on not only its design but the packageas a whole and for £400 we’d expect nothing less than perfection.Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Staying Independent @ bit-tech.net [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) There are a lot of crushed souls in the games industry. A lotof peoplewho set out with the hope of creating fantastic new games that allowthem to express their creativity, whilst simultaneously providing agreat experience for the players. These are the people who were cutdeepest when publishers pull the budget on the risky titles infavour of the safe bets. These are the people who lost a little morehope each time the producer told them that their idea was way too outthere for a modern audience. We knew people like this when we set up Introversion and we run intothem now and then in the bars and restaurants surrounding the gamesconferences. When we first set out to write video games we knew the damage thatpublishers could do both to games themselves, and the people writingthem, and we were not willing to let that happen to us. In order toensure our creative freedom, we had to be independent from publishersand license holders, and that independence has become a guiding mantrafor us.Independence from publishers has allowed us ultimate freedom andenabled us to create without compromise, explore without boundaries andlive by a work ethos that isnt about setting limitations. After sixyears with the sole aim of keeping the company financially afloat, wedid a spot of team building or as industry bods call it, visionalignment. We wanted to establish in what direction we might all beheading. Despite the fact that were a fairly disparate bunch of peoplewith very different motivations, the exercise really proved thatremaining independent was the key shared aspiration at Introversion. VIA Isaiah Processor Architecture P - Low Power CPU @ pcper.com [Jan-24-08] (0 Comments) The Isaiah is a truly competitive part when compared to currentofferings from AMD and Intel. It is a out-of-order, superscalar designwhich utilizes multiple decode and execution units that take it a big stepabove the previous C7 processor. In fact, many of its design aspects doremind us of Intel's Core 2 Duo, but with a mind towards overall powerconsumption. Intel @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-15-08] (0 Comments) Chip giant Intel made a fanciful showing at CES, but its desktopprocessors were not its top dog this year. No, folks, this year, Intel waspushing WiMax, the next generation wireless standard designed to providebroadband speeds throughout the world. Intel also showed off its mobilecomputing platform and companies who use it. Intel also announced a mobileInternet device platform, as well as a system-on-a-chip platform aimed atset-top boxes. Intel did formally announce its 45 nm process, though.ThinkComputers has the scoop. bit-tech :Mass Effect @ bit-tech.net [Dec-01-07] (0 Comments) It’s difficult not to use superlatives and become all effusivewhen writing about a game like Mass Effect, but in this case it’s welldeserved.I’m not saying that the game is perfect:it’s not, and there are stilla few little spanners in the works. The graphical glitches and awkwardload points aren’t major points, and it’s a testament to the quality ofthe game that I’m essentially forced to nitpick to find something wrongwith the game. Mass Effect is huge too, both in terms of the area the gamecovers and the amount of playing time. There are enough side quests andachievements to keep even the most obsessive gamer happy for a year andBioWare has said that once the main game is finished, it’s stillpossible to travel around the galaxy and visit other planets,completing side quests that you may have missed.Add on top of that the chance to replay the game with differentdialogue decisions and the additional episodic gaming that BioWare haspromised, and Mass Effectgoes from being a huge game to being a mind-cripplingly massive game.It’s the type of game which gives ‘100 percent Complete Perfectionists’nightmares.If BioWare manages to carry on the quality of the storytelling foranother two games, plus the interim episodes, it will have donesomething the likes of which hasn’t been seen in computer gamingbefore. If you are at all interested in video game storytelling orsimply want to play a Shooter/RPG which offers colossal replayabilitywithout becoming a grind-fest then buy Mass Effect. You won’t regret it. ASRock 4Core1333-eSATA2 r5.0 LGA 775 ATX Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-16-07] (0 Comments) Some motherboard manufacturers specialize in providing products for aspecific group of users or a select audience. While some boards are gearedtoward PC gamers and enthusiasts, others are made to cater to multimediausers and budget-minded consumers' needs. ASRock typically creates uniquemotherboards that are extremely feature-rich, but won't break the bank.Today, we have the ASRock 4Core1333-eSATA2 ATX motherboard on our testbench. This board sports a host of features including support for 1333 FSB,CrossFire video cards, PCI Express, eSATA, and HDMI to name a few. Thosefeatures are just the tip of the iceberg for this motherboard, so let's moveright into the review. Logitech G9 Laser Mouse @ techpowerup.com [Nov-07-07] (0 Comments) Logitech goes all out with their latest gaming mouse - the G9. While it may look very futuristic, the shape is perfect for right handed gamers. The G9 can be customized in almost every aspect, from weight to size and feel over to all the DPI settings and button assignments. This makes the device the perfect weapon of choice, no matter what type of gamer you are. Rosewill RCX-Z4 CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Oct-26-07] (0 Comments) For those of us that gawk at computer hardware all day Rosewill is an aspiring company looking to make a name for themselves. Currently Rosewill sells over a hundred products through heavy hitter Newegg and Chiefvalue.com, and the list quickly keeps growing. Today we will be looking at the Rosewill RCX-Z4, the first in a series of CPU Coolers that will be tested in the T.E.C.C (Thermal Environment Control Chamber). If you missed the introduction article you should read it before moving forward. Rosewill R6AS5 PC Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Oct-18-07] (0 Comments) To those of us computer enthusiasts that are more on the snobbishside, Rosewill is a brand that is often overlooked. You know, in mostaspects of my purchasing life, I buy the generic or the cheapest.but whenbuying computer hardware, I nearly always buy the Prestigio Officer 375 @ insidehw.com [Oct-15-07] (0 Comments) Prestigio in Europe is predominantly known as a notebook brand.Besides that, their manufacturing lines are aspiring life to numerousdifferent products, mainly very good in design. Given we are facing computerplaced into display chassis, Mac products are first we can think of. Still,unlike them, Prestigio Officer is not primarily focused on design itself.Price is play trump, and we salute it... bit-tech P:Assassin's Creed hands-on p @ bit-tech.net [Oct-13-07] (0 Comments) In fact the only real problem is the futuristic-bend on thestory. Onits own it would be forgiveable, but it manages to pervade itselfthrough into absolutely every aspect of the game. Flashing clouds ofbinary for loading screens, streaming symbols in the middle of combatand invisible walls dotted with pseudo-scientific emblems – these arethe elements which could ruin the game's otherwise fantastic set-up.A lot of this could of course change dramatically over the next fewmonths. These futuristic elements could be toned down or removed. It’seven possible that they could be so well explained in the full versionthat they turn from weak points to indispensable and innovative gameelements. But I’m sceptical of that possibility and I for one am going to bewatching Assassin’s Creedvery closely as the release date creeps forward out of the shadows.It’d be a horrible shame for this awesome game to stab itself in thethroat by trying to be something it isn’t. bit-tech :Half-Life 2:Episode Two @ bit-tech.net [Oct-11-07] (0 Comments) Perhaps the greatest accolade to lay on Episode Two atthis point is for me to again acknowledge that I was wrong to bitchabout the delays in the episodes. Episode Two was worth thewait, worth every second of it. With a compelling story which is excellently told, a fantastic andproven gameplay mechanic and an utterly enthralling way ofcommunicating with the player via digital actors like Alyx, EpisodeTwo is one of my favourite games ever. That’s not an expression I cometo lightly. You have to go play it and you have to go play it soon, but take myadvice and make sure that you play it in as few separate sittings aspossible. This isn’t the type of game you should dip in and out of forfive minutes at a time, though you easily could. This is the type ofgame you should spend some serious time on, exploring the world thatValve has delicately crafted for you. If ever there was a good reason for you to neglect your real life andplay a computer game for hours on end then Episode Two is it. CoolerMaster HyperTX CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Oct-06-07] (0 Comments) CPU Heatsinks need to do one thing... cool. And they must do thatwell, else face the wrath of enthusiasts. CoolerMaster has been playing inthe enthusiast space for many years, and has a good grasp on the pulse ofthis market segment. CoolerMaster has just introduced several new CPUheatsinks and today, Modders-Inc gets to play with the brand new HyperTX. Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse @ tweaktown.com [Oct-01-07] (0 Comments) It seems like this is the year of the gaming mouse, with new prod ucts from Logitech, Microsoft, Razer and SteelSeries. The first one to ge t us a sample to have a play with was Logitech with its new G9 mouse. Eve n from the word go people thought it looked odd and we can't disagree t hat we had our doubts about this new design, since the previous design ha s been around for a good few years now, even though it has received a few tweaks along the road. The most unique aspect with the G9 is the fact that the shape of the mous e can be changed, something no other mouse has ever offered. The intercha ngeable grips are an excellent idea and the mouse ships with two differen t grips so hopefully Logitech will follow through and release more grips for it in the future. Apevia X-QPack 2 - XSs @ Jon \ [Sep-21-07] (0 Comments) Soyou want to go to your LAN party but really can’t be bothered tohump around your humongous PC case weighing in at more than a man cancarry? Well, Apevia (formerly Aspire) feel your pain and have come upwith a new version of their LANer’s case the X-QPack wisely namedX-QPack 2.With an all aluminium chassis and a steelcarrying handle, it should be your perfect partner to your nextgeek-fest. Let’s have a look how it performs. A Look at the Tagan ITZ 700W Power Supply @ aphnetworks.com [Sep-18-07] (0 Comments) It's been quite a while since we last took a look at a power supply. Power supplies are interesting products -- because often, reviews of products in this category are conducted and tested in methods that make it difficult to distinguish one power supply from another. Many aspects have to be taken into consideration -- of which certain criteria consists of efficiency, noise, power ripple, and of course the ability to pull out the rated specifications. Because many cannot afford such equipment to obtain results regarding those aspects, articles covering power supplies often come out with less than adequate information. We cannot say that we haven't once fallen into a similar trap, although we still stand by our recommendations -- because the products we've recommend were tested with professional equipment which already clearly demonstrated to us that they are indeed excellent products! However, we will go for a different approach as we report on the Tagan ITZ 700W power supply today -- let's have a close examination on the hardware aspects of it, and let other review sites with professional equipment show you the results. After all, the internet is the place for researching your hardware components! Austin Game Developers Conference Coverage @ techgage.com [Sep-06-07] (0 Comments) One of the more important aspects of any MMO game ishaving some great back-story. To gain an idea of what goes on behindthe scenes, we sat down with both Web Fiction Author and also theCommunications Director for CCP Games, creators of EVE Online. Auzentech Prelude 7.1 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-04-07] (0 Comments) Soyou want a gaming sound card? Creative it is then. Ah, see that’s whereyou are wrong. Creative have recently released their X-Fi chip toAuzentech who have worked their PCB trickery into producing a card withthe good aspects of the X-Fi with the window open to use Dolby DigitalLive, DTS Interactive, and DTS NeoPC in the future.Considering as this was one of the major complaints with the X-Fiitself, this card could be a serious contender to the Creative crown… Corsair VX450W PSU @ hothardware.com [Aug-18-07] (0 Comments) Looking over the specifications, the VX450W has just abouteverything we would expect from a PSU of this caliber, although there aresome interesting aspects which should be noted here. The power supply'srated 85% efficiency is a great selling point, as the industry's focus on Apevia X-Telstar Mid Size Case @ pro-clockers.com [Aug-13-07] (0 Comments) If you look around some of your favorite online retailers you willsee a listing for the Apevia X-Telstar case. The X-Telstar sports a largesee-thru side panel and circular display that gives you all the details onwhat is going on inside the case. The light aluminum construction is a bigbonus as well. Apevia has never been a big fan of the industry standardbeige casing. This is Apevia newest case to market, but will it be aspopular with us as the newest Q-Pack we reviewed a few weeks ago? Read alonewith us and we will tell you. A look at Omega Sektor - the UK's largest LAN gaming centre @ bit-tech.net [Aug-11-07] (0 Comments) I spent a good ten or twenty minutes talking to these potentialcustomers and the one thing that I found most amazing was that they allbelieved the games were running on maximum settings, despite the factthat I later showed them it was default settings and that the PCprevented you from pushing the texture detail to high.Still, I pushed the topic forwards and asked them if they would bewilling to pay for time in the centre. The answer was a unanimous yes,despite the fact that none of them knew how the centre was to bepriced. When I outlined the pricing plan to them, they accepted it asperfectly reasonable given the quality of the hardware and selection ofgames and services. Herded back into the Omega Sektor-mobile and sent back towards thetrain station, I was no longer struggling with my conclusions. OmegaSektor had successfully won me over and it wasnt because of the fancycars and flowing wine either. Omega Sektor struck a chord with me,making me enthusiastic about competitive gaming again and bringing backthe old adrenaline rush which only LAN gaming can deliver. Couple thatbuzz with the reasonable prices and the backing of companies like Inteland Scan Computers, its hard to deny that Omega Sektor is set to bethe hub for professional and competitive gaming in the UK. At the Mercy of Record Labels @ cooltechzone.com [Jul-23-07] (0 Comments) At this point in time, Apple seems unstoppable. Not only are they ridinghigh off of the unbelievable success of the iPhone, but all other aspectsof what they do appear to be surging, too. Consumers are rushing topurchase Macs, iPods, and media from iTunes, and theres also a greatamount of interest in the forthcoming release of Leopard. Theres no doubtthat this is both a good time to be working at Apple and a good time to bean investor in the company, but when you step away from the situation fora moment, its truly eye-opening to see how fast it could all begin tofall apart. Zotac GeForce 8800 GTX AMP! Edition @ bit-tech.net [Jul-13-07] (0 Comments) On the whole, Zotac's first foray into our labs has been apretty goodone. Of course there is very little differentiation, aside fromclockspeeds, from most other board partners out there because Nvidia’shigh-end cards are all built by a third party contractor. However, whatwe have seen is that even a relatively new manufacturer can polishNvidia’s now nine month old GeForce 8800 GTX and create a pretty goodproduct.We’re a little disappointed that Zotac didn’t increase the shader clockspeed, but considering the relatively small performance difference thisisn’t a massive issue. Games are becoming more shader heavy and asproven by the GeForce 8800 Ultra, the higher shader clock results inultimately higher performance even despite a lower “core” clock. AMD ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT, 2600 Pro and 2400 XT @ pcper.com [Jun-29-07] (0 Comments) The Radeon HD 2600 Pro was in the same sticky situation:it waspitted against the NVIDIA 8500 GT in the AMD documentation though we wereable to find 8600 GT cards for about $100 putting them in the same pricelevel as the 2600 Pro. The 2600 Pro didn't really stand a chance againstthe 8600 GT card either, in much the same way the 2600 XT couldn't fight the8600 GTS successfully. Apevia X-QPack 2 Micro-ATX Enclosure ed @ hi-techreviews.com [Jun-27-07] (0 Comments) Just about one year ago, we had the pleasure of reviewing the Aspire X-QPack Wii Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 @ rbconsoles.com [Jun-18-07] (0 Comments) When I first saw the Wii remote, the first thing I thought of was howgreat it would be to play a golf game using the motion-sensing remote thatyou can grip like a golf club. Fast forward to today, where Tiger Woods hasput his name on one of the early golfing games for the Wii, Tiger Woods PGATour 07 from EA Sports. Will this golf game turn out to be the nextgeneration of video golfing games? Read on to find out. Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-11-07] (0 Comments) It seems that Thermaltake is at it again with new designs andinnovations. Today they have graced us with their newest cooler, the V1 CPU. The V1carries a design that is very different from most of the CPU coolers we have seenlately. The V1 looks like a pair of Oriental fans attached to one anothervia four copper heatsinks. The aesthetics, size and some of the technicalaspects of the cooler looks to be very promising in performance and style. Antec P-182 @ hi-techreviews.com [Jun-11-07] (0 Comments) The last case we reviewed from Antec was their model 900 and it hasproved to be one of the most popular cases on the market thanks to theimmense amount of space it offers. Today we are reviewing the new P-182,this case is designed to help eliminate the excessive noise that certainperipherals might generate within you case. Come on along as we take an indepth look at the Antec p-182. Apevia X-QPACK2 mATX Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-06-07] (0 Comments) The X-QPack 2 small form factor mATX case from Apevia is thecompany's latest chassis offering. Apevia is the new name for AspireInternational, which was known for its X-Dreamer and X-Infinity series ofcases, as well as fans and other accessories. This review checks out theX-QPack 2, which is the new version of the original X-QPack case. Itfeatures a new design, better power supply, and ever more style than theoriginal X-QPACK. Let's take a look! Steelpad QcK Heavy Gaming Mousepad @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-05-07] (0 Comments) Mousepads may not be a big deal to some, but for many gamers it is akey component to gaming. The Steelpad QcK Heavy, brought to you by SteelSeries, offers every aspect that a gamer needs to succeed in theirtournaments, clan matches, and casual gaming. Let's take a further look tosee if it really stands up to the title of professional gaming equipment. [News] APEVIA X-Qpack2 Micro Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-03-07] (0 Comments) Just over a year ago, Diceman reviewed the original Q-pack fromAspire. Well, this time around we get to review the second generation of theQ-pack, called the X-Qpack2. It's from the same company, but they also havea new name, which is Apevia. The X-Qpack2 is a micro size aluminum enclosurethat comes in a rainbow of colors:black, silver, blue, green, red, andyellow. These cases have the three sided windows; however, they also offer anon-windowed version, and those come in silver and black. The one offered upfor review is the X-QPACK2-BL/500, which is the blue front with the windowedpanels. So, with a nice choice of colors and styles, it's now time to seeif the second generation enclosure measures up to it's first generation. EVGA e-GeForce 8800 Ultra Superclocked @ bit-tech.net [May-31-07] (0 Comments) Getting back to EVGA's card and bundle, we think that it's agoodproduct, but it's priced out of the grasp of most early adopters,nevermind the enthusiasts that regularly read bit-tech. It just doesn'toffer enough value for money over EVGA's e-GeForce 8800 GTXSuperclocked card, which is over £100 cheaper.This isn't uncommon for products based on Nvidia's GeForce 8800 UltraGPU though, because the initial cards clocked at reference speeds werepriced well out of the market too.At least the price has come down a little bit, but we can't help butfeel it needs to come down further still. The reference clocked GeForce8800 Ultras start at around £470 (inc VAT) now, but we don't believethat the minuscule performance between it and EVGA's Superclocked 8800GTX warrants a £50 price premium - £20 would be more acceptable in ourbook. As for EVGA's heavily overclocked GeForce 8800 Ultra that we'velooked at here, we think that it needs to come down below £500 beforeit's going to be an attractive proposition.The current pricing structure just places it in the bracket for thosewith more money than sense. A shame, because that's about the onlything wrong with this product. Apevia X-QPack2 @ overclockersonline.net [May-31-07] (0 Comments) As good as the case may be, it's not 100% perfect. There's still thelittle QA/QC issue identified with the window that nags in the back of mymind. If you went with the windowless model, then you're home free. Aspectslike the removable motherboard tray, carrying case and multiple storagecapabilities make it a wonderful little case that should be on your list toconsider for mATX machines. NZXT Adamas @ techpowerup.com [May-21-07] (0 Comments) NZXT is well known for producing some very high quality components. The Adamas is constructed of 3 mm thick sheets of aluminum and only utilizes the best in materials and some very innovative engineering. A price tag of just under $200 US Dollars demands this quality as well as high expectations on compatibility and the installation process. We take a close look at every aspect of this case to let you know if it is worth it. XTracPads Ripper @ techpowerup.com [May-11-07] (0 Comments) The XTracPads Ripper is the smaller brother of the Ripper XXL. The mouse pad series comes in three different sizes, all with a wide aspect ratio. The thin cloth pad is incredibly soft and comfortable, with the under-padding clinging to the table quite nicely. We give a few mice a hurl on the Ripper to see if the unique aspect ratio is just what a gamer needs. OWT VSC-158 @ overclockersonline.net [May-08-07] (0 Comments) Over Way Technology is a new company with big aspirations for cooling products in several markets, judging by this cooler they really need to be putting more effort into the PC cooling department if they want to succeed in the US market. APEVIA X-QPACK2 Aluminum Case w/ 3 Windows @ pro-clockers.com [May-01-07] (0 Comments) Well, with the X-QPack2 of course. The new and improve SFF fromAspire sports pretty much everything the older unit does but adds a littlebit more. 'In what way?' you may ask. Well, lets start with a more powerfulpower supply and better cooling. And this is just a start. Is the newversion the SFF case that can replace your tall tower style unit? Check outthe article. Nexus SFM-1000 Vibration Absorbers @ rbmods.com [Apr-17-07] (0 Comments) Looking to complete a silent PC build and eliminate as much noise aspossible, yet still retain some cooling ability? Often times, case fans cancontribute a significant amount of noise, since they are on the outside andusually secured with larger screws that transmit vibration. Nexus, makers ofa wide variety of noise-reducing products, has released a new product, theSFM-1000 Case Fan Vibration Absorbers, which offer a different way to securethe fan that helps eliminate the noise. Can they get the job done? Let'sfind out. BlackBerry 8800 @ xyzcomputing.com [Apr-11-07] (0 Comments) The softening of the BlackBerry's edges, even in a business model like this one, is due to the influence of the Pearl. The Pearl was their first model to use the trackball and have the slick new design, an aspect that previous models lacked. A quick glance at the Pearl (aka the 8100) and then at the 8800 will reveal how closely they are related. Of course the 8800 is larger, due to the use of a QWERTY keyboard, but both are slim and stylish. Compared to the stubbier 8700, both of these phones are more attractive and prove conclusively that business does not have to be boring. Foxconn GeForce 8800 GTX @ hothardware.com [Apr-03-07] (0 Comments) With so many vendors offering G80-based products, it is difficult todetermine which company should receive your hard-earned money. To aid inthat decision, we'll be taking a look at Foxconn's take on the referenceGeForce 8800 GTX. By taking a proven design and adding a solid bundlewithout adversely effecting cost, it appears as though Foxconn is quicklybecoming a viable threat in the GPU vendor market. Alienware Area-51 7500 @ hothardware.com [Mar-29-07] (0 Comments) Like other Alienware systems, the Area-51 7500 has many configurableoptions, such as processor, operating system, memory, chassis color, harddrive, and much more. You can spend anywhere from $2,199 for the defaultoptions, which don't include a monitor, to over $10,000 if you maxeverything out. Corsair Dominator TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF @ hothardware.com [Mar-21-07] (0 Comments) In PC enthusiast circles, Corsair is a name that needs nointroduction. For years, the company has consistently produced some of themost sought after, high speed memory modules available at the time. TheirXMS line of DDR memory was incredibly popular when it was released, as werethe company's Pro and Xpert modules. Today it's Corsair Dominator memorykits that are enticing PC enthusiasts, thanks to their innovative coolingsolution and high-performance. OCZ Flex XLC Hybrid Water-Cooled Memory Kit @ hothardware.com [Mar-07-07] (0 Comments) With the release of their Flex XLC modules, OCZ is offering aproduct which is substantially more flexible than most other enthusiastclass memory modules on the market. They can be air-cooled or water-cooled.They'll run at lower clock speeds with tight timings, or at high clockspeeds with more relaxed timings. The Flex XLC modules are unique,efficient, and from what we've seen thus far, the pricing is in line withother high-end modules. Sapphire Radeon X1950 GT @ hothardware.com [Mar-03-07] (0 Comments) Sapphire clocks the Radeon X1950 GT at levels which are close to,but slightly lower than the Radeon X1950 Pro. While the Radeon X1950 Profeatured the RV570 GPU clocked at 580MHz with 1.4GHz GDDR-3 memory, theRadeon X1950 GT features the RV570 at 500MHz with 1.2GHz GDDR-3 memory.While a 500MHz GPU clock may seem quite high for a mid-range part, keep inmind that this GPU features 36 pixel shaders, which is 3/4 that of thehigh-end Radeon X1950 XTX. AMD 690G/V Series Chipset P and Performance Evaluation @ hothardware.com [Feb-28-07] (0 Comments) It has been a long time since we saw a chipset released under the AMD nameand the 690 series appears to be a solid offering in the IGP market.However, it does appear that AMD is still playing catch-up with NVIDIA, asthe nForce 430/61xx series has been out for quite a while and NVIDIA ispoised to release their MCP68 in the not too distant future. With thepromise of an integrated GeForce 7 class graphics engine in threevariations, in addition to adding integrated DVI/HDMI support, the MCP68should end up being a more apples to apples comparison to the 690G in theend. We should also consider that NVIDIA's future MCP72 may include DirectX10 ready graphics. Though, as the saying goes, you can't compare unreleasedproducts to a product that is here today.Regardless what the future holds, the AMD 690 series stacks up well comparedto what is currently available on the market. However, with new offerings onthe horizon from NVIDIA, we hope AMD is already looking ahead to the nextevolution from the 690 series to maintain and grow in the IGP space. HP LP-3065 30" LCD with 92% Color Gamut @ hothardware.com [Feb-27-07] (0 Comments) Although the work efficiency / productivity argument is an importantone in the business world, most of us enthusiasts find it somewhatunexciting to think about. We just love having bigger and bigger monitors,especially for PC gaming and watching movies on our computer. We've had thepleasure of reviewing a couple of large LCDs in the HotHardware labsrecently, and today we're going to spend some time with HP's new flagshipflat panel monitor, the LP-3065. Dell XPS M1710 rev. 2 @ hothardware.com [Feb-23-07] (0 Comments) In order to truly appreciate the changes Dell has made to theirflagship notebook, one must look inside the system. Easily, the mostdramatic change is the upgrade to NVIDIA's latest enthusiast mobile GPU, theGeForce Go 7950 GTX. However, there are additional enhancements which havealso been made including the inclusion of 802.11n wireless networking aswell as the ability to overclock the CPU. SoundGraph iMON Ultra Bay @ techpowerup.com [Feb-21-07] (0 Comments) Soundgraph has updated their own VFD series with a new display which is not only twice as big, but one could say twice as good as well. The one aspect which did not get bigger, but in fact, smaller is its price. While the original Soundgraph VFD had a price tag of ~$100 the new Ultra Bay sells for $95. The new graphical LCD is a great choice to display any type of font, while the new buttons make navigating even easier than before. AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ @ hothardware.com [Feb-20-07] (0 Comments) AMD has been fairly quiet as of late. A few months ago, we took alook at their initial Quad-FX platform and FX-70 series offerings. However,on the mainstream socket AM2 front, AMD hasn't made any real noise since therelease of the Athlon 64 FX-62 way back in May of 2006. That's not to sayAMD hasn't released any products since then. In fact, the company haslaunched a plethora of lower-clocked Dell's XPS 710 H2C Performance Gaming System - Evaluation @ hothardware.com [Feb-20-07] (0 Comments) The Dell XPS 710 H2C Edition is billed as a top-of-the-lineultra-performance machine built with the most hardcore of gamers in mind, aniche that Alienware is very familiar with. Not only does the XPS 710 H2Chold the distinction of being Dell's first non-limited edition factoryoverclocked computer, it also uses Dell's first in-house liquid coolingsystem to keep it's quad-core power plant cool. The XPS 710 H2C is the mostheavily performance-specified XPS system yet, with an Intel Core 2 QX6700processor, dual GeForce 8800 GTXs, 4 GB of RAM and two Western DigitalRaptors in a RAID 0 array, as standard equipment. We recently got our handson one and we've been putting it through its paces, as it ripped through thebenchmarks in our labs. OCZ ProXStream 1000W PSU @ hothardware.com [Feb-16-07] (0 Comments) The unit is amazingly small for a 1000W power supply; as similarunits form other companies typically require extended depth designs, whichcan require larger cases in order to be mounted properly. The OCZ unit, onthe other hand, has the depth of a standard ATX power supply, meaning it canbe mounted in nearly every standard ATX chassis on the market today. XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB & 8800 GTX XXX Editions @ hothardware.com [Feb-13-07] (0 Comments) XFX's GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition sports higher GPU andmemory frequencies, which will give it a marked advantage over HIS Radeon X1650 XT IceQ Turbo and Radeon X1650 XT iSilence II @ hothardware.com [Feb-08-07] (0 Comments) Each card comes with its own main selling points. The iSilence II, as itsname suggests, is completely silent and devoid of any moving parts in itsintegrated cooling solution. The IceQ Turbo version, on the other hand,sheds silence for speed, coming in with higher clock speeds on both GPU andRAM and a hefty HSF cooler to keep temperatures in check. Sapphire Radeon X1950 XTX @ hothardware.com [Jan-31-07] (0 Comments) Today at HotHardware.com, we're going to take a look at Sapphire'stake on ATI's flagship, aptly named the Sapphire Radeon X1950 XTX. On thehardware level, there is very little to differentiate this card from ATI'sown branded Radeon X1950 XTX, but Sapphire does sweeten their offering witha more generous accessory bundle and a relatively competitive price. Intel's 45nm Process And The First Signs Of Penryn @ hothardware.com [Jan-27-07] (0 Comments) Intel said the first products to use this technology will likely be 35Wmobile CPUs, with servers and desktops to follow depending on platformreadiness. If your wondering if your motherboard will support Penryn, Intelexpects some motherboard developers will have to make minor modification tosupport Penryn, which include some BIOS changes and perhaps electricalchanges. Some of the current crop of LGA775 compatible motherboards arelikely to work, however. It'll be a similar situation to the Conroe launch. Asus P5N-E SLI nForce 650i SLI @ hothardware.com [Jan-26-07] (0 Comments) The Asus P5N-E SLI uses a fairly standard design based on an ATXform factor and a sleek black PCB. Asus didn't take any huge chances withthe design here, but considering this board is targeted at the mid-rangemarket, they didn't really have to. Notable items upon first glance are thedual PCI Express x16 slots with SLI link adapter, the huge heatsinkpassively cooling the Northbridge, and a Southbridge which is not cooled byanything. EVGA e-GeForce 7950 GT KO SLI @ hothardware.com [Jan-25-07] (0 Comments) As enthusiasts, we'd all love to own a killer quad-core powered rigcomplete with a healthy amount of RAM, super-fast hard drives, and a pair ofNVIDIA's flagship GeForce 8800 GTX cards pushing the pixels. The kind coinrequired to assemble a system like this puts them well out of reach for themajority of us, however, hence the immense popularity of more affordable,mainstream products like the one we're going to talk about today, EVGA'se-GeForce 7950 GT KO. Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI @ hothardware.com [Jan-16-07] (0 Comments) Asus has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and has set a newbar for high-end gaming / enthusiast class motherboards. The Striker Extremeis an excellent product overall, and dare we say is a masterpiece due to howwell thought out this design is. Once you work with this board for anextended period of time, you can begin to appreciate the work put in byAsus' R&D team -- these guys know what they're doing and have made amotherboard that proves it. Young Year YP-AB Transparent Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-16-07] (0 Comments) We took an in-depth look on a transparent power supply manufactured by Young Year and also sold under other brands, like Aspire/Apevia and found out that inside it is a trashy low-end generic unit. Asus and The Second Coming of The Lamborghini @ hothardware.com [Jan-12-07] (0 Comments) Opening the lid of the latest version of the Asus Lamborghini notebook, wesee that the aesthetics of the system have undergone a major facelift. Goneis the somewhat bland appearance of the previous model with a rich leatherpalm-rest with yellow piping taking its place. Golden accents and abiometric fingerprint reader add to the luxurious finish of the latestincarnation of the Lamborghini notebook. Sapphire X1950 Pro Dual Spy Pics At CES - X1950 Pro 1GB CrossFire @ hothardware.com [Jan-12-07] (0 Comments) In addition, the card also employs a full 512MB per GPU for a totalof 1GB per card. Since traditional Radeon X1950 Pro configurations aresetup with 256MB of on board memory, the GPU complexes should scale a littlemore robustly at high res with high levels of AA. Sapphire expects tolaunch this in the next month or so but we having feeling it will be alimited release type of product. Word is a $399 price point is beingtargeted. And as you can see, there are CrossFire edge connectors on the topside of the card, so quad CrossFire is a possibility. Sapphire is supposedlyworking on quad functionality now. Crucial Ballistix 2x1GB PC2-5300 @ overclockersonline.net [Jan-05-07] (0 Comments) As I mentioned in the opening, this was our first experience with akit of memory from Crucial here at Overclockers Online and I don't think wecould have had better modules to look at. I had big expectations from thismemory after I saw that the IC's they used were the famous D9GMH and thoselofty expectations were surpassed in all aspects of overclocking. HIS Radeon X1950 Pro IceQ3 Turbo @ hothardware.com [Dec-22-06] (0 Comments) Today, we will be looking at HIS' take on ATI's mid-range beast, theRadeon X1950 Pro IceQ3 Turbo. This card comes with higher core and memoryspeeds than the original specs call for, and it sports a large heatsink/fandesigned by Arctic Cooling. Mid-Range GeForce 7 Series Round-up @ hothardware.com [Dec-15-06] (0 Comments) Shopping for a GeForce 7 card is akin to stopping at Baskin Robbins thesedays, with so many flavors to choose from. We decided to grab one of thoselittle plastic spoons and do a little of the sampling for you. Up fortoday's taste test are MSI's NX7900GT-VT2D256E-HD, a pre-overclocked 7900 GTalso featuring HDCP support, and two cards from Asus:the EN7900GSTOP/2DHT/256M/A and the EN7950GT/HTDP/512M/A. The former card also comesoverclocked by default, and by a large margin, while the latter card sports512MB of RAM as well as HDCP support. EVGA e-GeForce 7950 GX2 @ hothardware.com [Dec-06-06] (0 Comments) As you would expect form a card with a pair of G71 GPUs and 1GB offrame buffer memory running in tandem, the EVGA e-GeForce 7950 GX2 performedmuch like a pair of GeForce 7900 GT cards running in SLI mode. The EVGAe-GeForce 7950 GX2 was clearly much faster than any of the other single-GPUbased cards we tested, and it traded the top spot in most tests with the7900 GT SLI setup. AMD QuadFX Platform & FX-70 Series Processors @ hothardware.com [Nov-30-06] (0 Comments) Today, AMD aims to re-capture the hearts of hardcore enthusiastswith the official launch of their QuadFX platform. News about QuadFX hasbeen trickling out for months under the Thermaltake & Tagan High-End PSU Shoot-Out @ hothardware.com [Nov-28-06] (0 Comments) Power -- It's one of the most important factors for peak systemperformance and stability. Yet, the PSU is still an often overlooked PCcomponent. While not as sexy as a high-end motherboard, video card or RAM,the power supplying these components is just as important as the componentsthemselves. HIS X1650 Pro IceQ Turbo @ hothardware.com [Nov-22-06] (0 Comments) ATI's reference design specs the Radeon X1650 Pro's GPU speed at600MHz, a full 100MHz faster than the X1600 Pro which runs at 500MHz.However, HIS took things a step further, and raised the GPU clock anadditional 25MHz, to a default speed of 625MHz. ASUS Lamborghini VX1 Notebook @ hothardware.com [Nov-20-06] (0 Comments) ASUS has worked closely with the famed Italian automobile manufacturerLamborghini to bring the new VX1 notebook to market. Blending theperformance ideals of each company with the bold, unique and racy designs ofLamborghini, the ASUS VX1 offers a creative new spin on the thin and lightnotebook platform. Abit IL-90MV Core 2 Duo Mobile Motherboard - HTPC Ready @ hothardware.com [Nov-17-06] (0 Comments) The board we're talking about is the new Abit IL-90MV, which worksin conjunction with Intel's Core Duo / Core 2 Duo mobile processors todeliver excellent home theater performance with a feature set directlytargeted at this market. Low noise, low power, low-heat, tons of audio/videooutput options, and a Micro-ATX form factor to boot. Quad-Core Core 2 Extreme - GeForce 8800 GTX SLI NF680i Ultimate @ hothardware.com [Nov-16-06] (0 Comments) We know you're out there. Come out from behind the network switch panelnow and fess up. Step away from the stack of Red Bull empties and pull offyour head-set. You're thinking the same thing we were, frankly. What canall this new-found horsepower do for me when we put together the fastest,most capable components money can buy? Take a Core 2 Extreme QX6700, dropit into a bleeding edge nForce 680i motherboard, install 2Gigs of highperformance memory, add not one - but two - GeForce 8800 GTXs in SLI mode,and overclock the stuffing out of everything -- shaken not stirred, thanksvery much. If you've got the coin to belly up to the bar, we've got justthe concoction the doctor ordered. Read on thirsty speed freaks. Thisarticle is for you. Thermaltake Silent Water II @ techpowerup.com [Nov-15-06] (0 Comments) Some people would love to get into a water cooled setup, but aren't quite sure where to start, or don't really want to get into anything too complex. Thermaltake has a solution for this - The Silent Water II. Coming pre-built and ready to go, it's just a matter of mounting this cooler to reap the benefits of watercooling without the hassle of setting up pipes, leak testing, and the other aspects of building a water cooled system. MSI mPC 51PV SFF System @ MSI comes to mind as a company that initially approached the SFF [Nov-15-06] (0 Comments) MSI comes to mind as a company that initially approached the SFFmarket with some trepidation, but has since found their stride, so to speak.MSI now has three different series of slim and small form factor PCs (Hetis,mPC, and Crystal), each with distinctly different feature sets and targetaudiences. Sonos Digital Music System @ thetechlounge.com [Nov-14-06] (0 Comments) I have discussed in many reviews the desire to live the digital lifestyle. This so-called new lifestyle has obviously been coinedby many companies and countless marketing majors as they try to sell us their new products. These products range from high storagecapacity NAS devices to full service media PC's. Each company puts their own spin on a particular product, in an attempt to get theconsumer to bring their music or their video off their computer and onto their device. Sometimes this works, other times it is ahorrible failure. Today's digital lifestyle contender is the Sonos Digital Music System. Basically, this is a network MP3 player.Although not exactly a groundbreaking idea, in the end it all comes down to execution. If you think about it, the iPod is justanother MP3 player very similar to all the rest, but its execution (and arguably, the design) was spot on. What I want to know isif Sonos' new ZP80 bundle is actually a well executed network MP3 player, or just another shot in the dark. For my tests, Sonos hasprovided a ZP80 bundle, ZP100 ZonePlayer, SP100 LoudSpeakers, and a Cradle. IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad Z61p @ In 2005 IBM sold the Thinkpad line to Chinese computer maker, Lenovo [Nov-14-06] (0 Comments) In 2005 IBM sold the Thinkpad line to Chinese computer maker, Lenovomaking it the 3rd largest computer vendor in the world. Under the agreementwith Lenovo, IBM would retain its branding on the Thinkpad line for severalyears to follow. Shortly after the acquisition, Lenovo began producing newThinkpads. In the mix was the first widescreen Thinkpad, the Z60, thatoffered an optional Titanium cover. The optional lid was a significantdeparture from IBM's traditional business black coloring scheme and mostcertainly signaled a new era in Thinkpad design. NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI P @ hothardware.com [Nov-09-06] (0 Comments) In case you haven't caught on by now, the ASUS M2R32-MVP vs ECS KA3 MVP Extreme:CrossFire Xpress 3200 @ hothardware.com [Nov-07-06] (0 Comments) Looking at the two boards for overall value, the first place tostart is price. Using various price search engines, we found the ASUSM2R32-MVP being offered for anywhere from $144 - 159. The ECS KA3 MVPExtreme weighs in a bit lower, ranging from $135 - 145. Taking this intoaccount, unless overclocking is a serious concern, the ECS KA3 MVP Extremehas a lot more to offer at a slightly lower price point. With far morestorage options, plenty of data cabling and expansion components, the ECSKA3 Extreme strikes a solid balance between features, performance and price.Conversely, if overclocking is a major factor, the ASUS M2R32-MVP is a greatfit, but some might feel its overall retail experience is a bit lacklusterfor the price. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 @ David Altavilla [Nov-02-06] (0 Comments) Today Intel is officially launching a new Quad-Core processor,formerly known by the company's internal code name, ATI Radeon X1650 XT CrossFire @ Today, ATI is adding yet another member to the Radeon X1K family of [Oct-30-06] (0 Comments) Today, ATI is adding yet another member to the Radeon X1K family ofproducts, the Radeon X1650 XT. While its name suggests the X1650 XT isnothing more than a higher clocked variation on the barely 2-month oldRadeon X1650 Pro, that's actually not the case. The Radeon X1650 Pro isbased on a new GPU, formerly code-named RV560, that is much more powerfulthan anything else in the X16x0 family. Intel P965 Showdown - Abit vs. GIGABYTE @ Gigabyte's GA-965P-DQ6 and Abit's AB9 Pro are both aimed squarely at [Oct-26-06] (0 Comments) Gigabyte's GA-965P-DQ6 and Abit's AB9 Pro are both aimed squarely atthe enthusiast crowd. These two companies with wildly different pasts arenow vying for the same piece of the enthusiast pie, but from different ends.Gigabyte is coming from the high-end with the DQ6, packed with featuresgalore, while Abit is coming from the budget segment with the AB9 Pro, ano-nonsense overclocker. Choosing the right Portable MP3 player (part 1) @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-24-06] (0 Comments) MP3 players are everywhere! It seems that the number of makes and models How to Defeat Brock (the final boss) @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-20-06] (0 Comments) In Overtime mode, you have to defeat Brock to get the MSI K9N SLI Platinum & Foxconn C51XEM2AA @ pureoverclock.com [Oct-14-06] (0 Comments) Not so long ago Nvidia launched the nForce 500 chipset's for AMD'snew DDR2 capable socket AM2. By now you should all be aware of the minimalperformance increases DDR2 has brought to the A64 architecture and it's lowlatency on-die memory controller, but from my perspective the most difficultaspect of the AM2 and nForce 500 launch is leaving behind the oh-so maturemotherboard choices available for s939 in place of brand new 'unproven'boards, so to speak. With that point made, anyone who's eying up AMD'srecent and significant price drops across the board will be asking onequestion - which AM2 board will rock my world? The Feel-Good Game of the Season @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-13-06] (0 Comments) A recent study involving the preparedness of Seattle area residents has NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX @ hothardware.com [Oct-12-06] (0 Comments) Today, NVIDIA takes the notebook platform yet another step closer toenthusiast desktop performance with the launch of the new GeForce Go 7950GTX. As the company's new flagship mobile GPU, this graphics chipset offersunprecedented performance for the notebooks without sacrificing the featuresand functionality a notebook demands. To X-Finity and Beyond! Ultra's X-Finity 500W PSU @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-11-06] (0 Comments) The Ultra X-FinityT 500 Watt PSU w/ Active PFC appears to be exactlywhat one would look for in a power supply of this energy rating. First,it is in an attractive enclosure of black brushed aluminum, with wellfitting seems, and strong-looking materials. It is also very heavy -lots of circuitry as work here. The cables are what Ultra calls,FlexForce:They are designed to make routing and space-management betterinside your case. They are an attractive black and silver scheme, andmuch more pleasant to use than the standard red-black-black-yellowcables. Of particular interest is the huge 12cm fan, which spinsrelatively slowly, and is very quiet. Yes, I would certainly be proud toshow off this power supply. But does it perform? A Cheap Video Card that Doesn't Suck - eVGA 7600GT PCIe @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-10-06] (0 Comments) The GeForce 7600 GT is based on the G73 core and is essentially half of Ultra Power Protection Units with AVR @ hothardware.com [Oct-06-06] (0 Comments) A few members of the crew here at HotHardware have had experienceselling or servicing PCs for large retail chains at one time or another, andeach one of us can tell a handful of stories about clients that didn't takeour advice with regard to power protection and ultimately paid the price. Itnever ceased to amaze us how someone could drop upwards of three thousanddollars on a high-end PC, only to scoff at the $50 surge protectorrecommendation. Sleek as Hell and Power to Boot:Ultra's X-Connect 2 550W PSU @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-04-06] (0 Comments) If we have learned one thing from television, it's that more power is a Intel's Quiet Investments @ hothardware.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) Intel moved in on a quiet little investment of a UK-based companyagainst the backdrop of IDF the other day. And if you weren't maniacallyfocused on some of these things, as we are around here at HH, it would havesneaked past you, right under your nose, without so much as a twitch of yoursensory circuits. However, a press release that came across the wire thisweek was very telling indeed... DFI LANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR @ hothardware.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) DFI has earned a reputation over the last couple of years forproducing feature-rich, enthusiast friendly motherboards. DFI's decked outLANPARTY family of motherboards in particular has become known to manyaround the world as a family of products that cater to the unique needs ofthe enthusiast and overclocking communities. Today we present to you DFI'sLANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR. Build around the CrossFire Xpress 3200 chipset andwith a plethora of BIOS options and integrated peripherals, this board has Ultra's Aluminus Case Enlightens You @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) Nearly every component of a computer is designed to go into a case.There have been plain boring cases built for the last 30 or years, withvery few manufacturers taking the time to make their computers look asappealing as their performance. A few exceptions pop into mind:Apple,Alienware, and well.those are really the only two that come to mindeasily. See what I mean? Most DIY enthusiasts try to get a case thatwill try to look good as well as be serviceable; maybe paint it, or cuta hole somewhere, or go all-out and build their own case from scratch.An area that has been very popular is to put a see-through window on thecase, so you can look at all of those hundreds of dollars in hardwareput to good use. A few years ago, you really had to cut your own holeusing tools, but those days are gone my friends, because now thereis.The Aluminus! Asus P5B Deluxe WiFi Motherboard @ pcper.com [Oct-02-06] (0 Comments) The Asus P5B Deluxe excels in the feature department -- it haspretty much anything you could ask for. Eight integrated SATA connections(7 internal and 1 external) and a single IDE channel should supply more thanenough storage capacity for any user. Six of the SATA channels are providedby the Intel ICH8R and support RAID 1, 0, 0+1, 5 and Intel's Matrix Arraytechnology. USB 2.0 and FireWire connections are plentiful as well; the P5Bhas got you covered. HTPC on the Cheap:Intervideo's HomeTheater @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-02-06] (0 Comments) Some of us find ourselves without a signed and stamped Windows MediaCenter Edition PC. At least, that's the situation I find myself in.Without built-in features like TV-tuning and remote control, I am leftto search for third-party solutions. Intervideo wants to help and offersone solution, the broadly named Home Theater package that claims to Intel Kentsfield Quad-Core Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Performance @ hothardware.com [Sep-29-06] (0 Comments) But can we really exploit the available throughput of a quad-core IntelCore 2 processor? Will this new high-end CPU aimed to woo the hearts of thecomputing enthusiast, with its subtly-sexy IDF Day 1 Coverage, Quad-Core QX6700 and 80-core Teraflop Chips @ hothardware.com [Sep-27-06] (0 Comments) Mr. Otellini then moved on to Kentsfield and Quad-Core. These newmulti-core CPUs will be targeted at the enthusiast market at first and itwas confirmed that they will be available in volume in November. The firstchip to hit retail will be known as the Core 2 Extreme QX6700. And futuremodels will be known as the Core 2 Quadro. Finally, he claimed hugeperformance gains over existing dual-core processors, and talked about howcurrent threaded software can readily take advantage of the chip. MSI NX7950GX2-T2D1GE @ hothardware.com [Sep-22-06] (0 Comments) Usually, good price / performance ratios are reserved for moreaffordable mid-range cards. Flagship cards rarely offer a lot of value,however. That's just not the case with the 7950 GX2, though. It offersperformance that somewhat justifies its $550+ price tag. The GX2 performsroughly on par with a pair of GeForce 7900 GT cards, and its price isin-line with the cost of two GTs. And MSI's version of this card proved tobe an excellent representative of NVIDIA's flagship. Can Blogs be Commercialized? @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-22-06] (0 Comments) The blogosphere is a relatively new phenomenon that has arrived on the Systemax Sabre Intel Core 2 Extreme Gaming PC @ hothardware.com [Sep-20-06] (0 Comments) What's in a name? So often hardware companies name their productsto paint a mental picture, or set the tone for how they want potentialcustomers to view their particular component. The names chosen are meant toinvoke feelings of speed, performance, size or perhaps the supposedexhilaration you will experience when you see that piece of hardware inaction. With the latest gaming PC to hit the HH labs, we take a look at theSabre Intel Core 2 Extreme Gaming PC from Systemax and start off by asking:What's in a name? Tell your Boss where to Stick it with Verbatim's Store'n'Go 2GB USB U3 Drive @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-20-06] (0 Comments) If you're not concerned about your boss snooping on you, then you should APEVIA X-Pleasure Aluminum Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-19-06] (0 Comments) Apevia (previously known as Aspire) was established in March of 1999 and they are in industry leader in the manufacture PCcases and power supplies. Apevia actively designs, imports and markets PC parts including computer cases, accessories, case fans,power supplies, and matching keyboard/mouse/speaker kits. Today we will be taking a look at the aluminum Apevia X-Pleasure casewhich features 120mm blue LED fans, a temperature gauge as well as a fan controller. What do you get the Modder who has everything? Vantec Slot Protectors @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-19-06] (0 Comments) The inside of a computer case is often covered in dust. Moreimportantly, dust can settle inside unoccupied PCI and RAM slots. Overtime, the dust build-up can become significant enough to cause contactproblems with newly installed PCI cards or extra RAM memory. WithVantec's PCI/RAM Slot Protectors, you can easily prevent dust fromsettling inside your PCI/RAM slots. Additionally, the Vantec PCI/RAMSlot Protectors are UV-Reactive, a perfect accessory for systems withwindowed cases and UV lighting. Corsair Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF @ hothardware.com [Sep-16-06] (0 Comments) We have to give credit where credit is due, and praise Corsair fordelivering and innovative, high-performance product in the DominatorTWIN2X2048-8888C4DF memory kit. The R&D put in to develop DHX and thetweaked PCB seems to have paid off, as the Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DFmemory kit is the fastest currently available. At almost $600 though, thisis some expensive stuff. We suppose if money is no object, overclockerscan't do much better than the Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF kit, but we knowmany of you are cringing at the idea of spending $600 for 2GB of memory,when slightly lower performing kits are available for half the price. A PC Tech's Best Friend:Vantec's IDE to USB Adapter! @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-15-06] (0 Comments) Vantec has been making great products for the computer mechanics andenthusiasts alike for years, and this product will increase yourproductivity if you need to backup harddrives a lot whilst repairingcomputers. Normally you need to shutdown the PC and plug in the hardriveinto your IDE port (making sure to set the correct master/slave jumpers)and reboot again, then when done copying the data you need to shut itdown again, and so on... it gets quite annoying if you have to do thatall day, so this is where this little cable comes in. XFX GeForce 7950 GT 570M Extreme @ hothardware.com [Sep-14-06] (0 Comments) The GeForce 7950 GT we'll be evaluating today comes by way of XFX.In typical XFX fashion, the company has mutliple GeForce 7950 GT offeringsin their product stack, the $299 PV-T71J-YHF9, which is clocked at NVIDIA'sreference specifications of 550MHz / 1.4GHz, and the $329 PV-T71J-YHE9 whichis not only clocked a bit higher at 570MHz / 1.46GHZ, but also sports asilent, passive cooling solution. Logitech Harmony 895 @ ukgamer.com [Sep-14-06] (0 Comments) Logitech's Harmony 895 is one of those rare breeds, combining high-end functionality with a price that won't leave you gasping for breath. As a universal remote control it needs to have a cool factor and the designers at Logitech have come up with something that looks sleek, does the basics very well and has a few tricks up its sleeve as well. Ultra Grid ATX Mid-Tower Case @ News-Modders-Inc [Sep-13-06] (0 Comments) Choosing the right case is becoming a hard thing to do with somany options out there. With the size, brand, style, color, form factor, andprice all weighing heavily on a consumers decision. Lets take a look at oneof Ultra Products newest cases, The Ultra Grid. We will see what the Gridbrings to the table from all aspects. Asus P5W64 WS Professional @ hothardware.com [Sep-13-06] (0 Comments) The Asus P5W64 WS Professional offered virtually identicalperformance to its more mainstream counterpart, the Asus P5W DH and held aslight advantage in most of our benchmarks over the Intel BadAxemotherboard. In our testing with the P5W64 WS configured with the ArecaHardware RAID controller, the combination put up some of the fastest RAIDperformance numbers we've seen in our labs to date. MIME encoded twice @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-13-06] (0 Comments) Compact and Versatile Unit Allows Multiple USB Devices, WiredControllers and Flash Memory Cards to Simultaneously Connect to the Xbox360 Apevia X-Discovery PC Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-12-06] (0 Comments) I remember a few years ago when modding first started to come into the scene, cases with windows and lights were verypopular. Lately many PC case manufactures have been going for the more conservative sleek look. So there are not that many optionswhen looking for a PC case with all that bling. Apevia, which was previously known as Aspire has sent us a great case that has a tonof bling. The X-Discovery case has everything you want in a case, a side window, LED fans, front lights and a clear door. So let'stake a look! Logisys Phone Smart LED Keyboard illuminates, innovates @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-12-06] (0 Comments) Keyboards are the primary input device for computers today, and been one Danger Den nVidia Watercooling Kit & MAG II-LE Pump! @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-11-06] (0 Comments) As our faithful readers might know we have a small history to reviewing Vantec NexStar 3:USB & Firewire external enclosure @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-11-06] (0 Comments) By just looking at the boxart you know instantly what your dealing with, Downloadable HL2:Episode Two Gameplay Movie 1 & 2 @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-07-06] (0 Comments) OCModShop brings you two new downloadable videos of Half-Life 2:Episode PAX 06 Swag Giveaway Contest! @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-07-06] (0 Comments) OCModShop was at the Penny Arcade Expo '06 in Bellevue, Washington, and Hell Wars delivers promise of pain, killing @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-07-06] (0 Comments) Is your brain tired after the long missions of Halo's campaign? Do you XFX GeForce 7900 GS 480M Extreme & 7950 GT Info @ hothardware.com [Sep-06-06] (0 Comments) The company is launching two new GPU's aimed squarely at the moremainstream price segments of the gaming community. Here, we find the GeForce7900 GS coming to market with an MSRP of $199 and the GeForce 7950 GT whichcarries an MSRP of $299. With these two GPU's, NVIDIA is providing themarket with a direct response to ATI's recently announced and yet currentlyunavailable Radeon X1900 XT 256MB as well as the currently available RadeonX1800 GTO. Apevia BeastPower PFC680W-BL Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-05-06] (0 Comments) Apevia (previously known as Aspire) was established in March of 1999 and they are in industry leader in the manufacture PCcases and power supplies. Apevia actively designs, imports and markets PC parts including computer cases, accessories, case fans,power supplies, and matching keyboard/mouse/speaker kits. Today we will be looking at the Apevia BeastPower PFC680W-BL power supplywhich features active PFC (optional), dual fans (80mm and 120mm), a fan adjustment knob, and LED lights on the PSU, and a maximumpeak output power of 680W, and is SLI Ready. nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition @ hothardware.com [Sep-02-06] (0 Comments) We recently received one of Asus' new P5NSLI motherboards that'sbuilt around the NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI chipset. The Asus P5NSLI is amid-range Core 2 Duo compatible and SLI capable motherboard targeted atmainstream users on a budget. While it may not have all off the bells andwhistles of some higher-end products, the P5NSLI does have a relativelycomplete feature set that is likely to fit the needs of all but the mostdemanding power users. Verbatim Store'n'Go 4GB USB HDD makes apps portable! @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-01-06] (0 Comments) It's hard to imaging a portable device today without some sort of flash Antec's Minuet 300 mini ATX case takes aim in the Living Room @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-01-06] (0 Comments) Whether it be for home theater, LAN parties, or simple space economics, Sunbeam-Tech Silent Storm Case @ techdomain.com.au [Aug-30-06] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Tech has been in the PC modification and accessory business since 2000, first starting by specializing in the development of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL). Throughout the years, they have expanded their product line to cover just about all aspects of computer modding, including cooling systems, computer cases and peripherals. Asetek WaterChill Xternal @ hothardware.com [Aug-29-06] (0 Comments) Today we have one of the newest external water cooling solutions onthe market, the Asetek Waterchill Xternal. Certainly one of the more refinedexternal water cooling kits to date, Asetek claims that their new solutioncan provide performance levels on par with internal water cooling systemswith the ease-of-use of an external solution. As Asetek is one of the mostrespected names in the enthusiast cooling market, this lends credence totheir claims. Asus P5W DH Deluxe - 975X Core 2 Motherboard @ hothardware.com [Aug-25-06] (0 Comments) Probably one of the best looking motherboards to grace our labs in along time, the P5W DH Deluxe is what some might call a BAD COMPANY FOR NEXT-GENERATION CONSOLES @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-23-06] (0 Comments) All-New Game Reinvents the Award-Winning FPS Franchise for the Xbox 360 Palm's TX Handheld - High Power Wireless PDA @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-23-06] (0 Comments) Palm's newest iteration of their world famous PDAs, the TX is easily the 700W GameXStream & 620W Enermax Liberty PSUs @ hothardware.com [Aug-22-06] (0 Comments) When you begin to crave high-end dual or quad GPU configurations,you must realize that a high quality and high capacity power supply isprobably in your future. Fortunately, both NVIDIA and ATI make your searchfor an acceptable PSU a little easier as both companies have certificationprograms to verify if a PSU is suitable for multiple video cards. Today, wehave two beefy PSUs on the test bench, both of which have been deemed NVIDIASLI Ready and ATI CrossFire Certified. The two PSUs are the 700W OCZ 700WGameXStream and the 620W Enermax Liberty. Sony Announces Pink PS2 @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-22-06] (0 Comments) Debuting at Leipzig and good news for girls (and more sensitive men). Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announces New Price for PlayStation 2 @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-22-06] (0 Comments) PlayStation 2 Price Reduced to ?129, Memory Card to ?19.99 ASUS WL-700gE Router Download torrents with PC turned off @ tweaktown.com [Aug-21-06] (0 Comments) Putting all other MFDDs to shame is the ASUS WL-700gE. Officially its a wireless router (because its got to be called something, but thats like calling Arnold Schwarzenegger that guy with all the muscles. The truth is a lot more involved and complex. The ASUS WL-700gE is more like a combination of a wireless router/gateway and a thin client system, and the feature-set is rich, rich, rich. Read on and make awe-inspired gasping noises at all the appropriate places. ParaWorld invites the community to the multiplayer demo challenge @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-21-06] (0 Comments) With the release of the ParaWorld multiplayer demo, the officialParaWorld community portal MySkulls.com goes online GTR2 drops the hammer in Bella Italia @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-21-06] (0 Comments) Dynamic In-game footage, a selection of Empire unit profiles and thelatest screenshots revealed BULLET WITCH for Xbox 360 @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-21-06] (0 Comments) Developed by Japan-based Cavia, Bullet Witch is set on a bleak planetearth in the year 2013 with human kind on the brink of extinction andhideous demons creating a tidal wave of destruction and havoc. Corsair CMPSU-620HX PSU @ hothardware.com [Aug-16-06] (0 Comments) Over the course of the last few years, Corsair has expanded theirproduct line to address additional markets beyond memory modules. Here, theindustry has also seen water-cooling units under the COOL brand as well asflash memory drives launched under the Flash Voyager USB brand name. Today,we find Corsair venturing into yet another enthusiast market segment withthe launch of the company's first ever series of power supplies. Intel Centrino Duo Whitebook @ hothardware.com [Aug-12-06] (0 Comments) Desktop PC owners have enjoyed this level of flexibility for yearsand a migration to a Notebook platform quickly reminds us how we have takenthis all for granted. Consumers are starting to demand the same level offlexibility that they enjoy with Desktop PCs now their Laptops, however. Thelarge value-added resellers like Dell, HP and Sony have heard our cries andhave begun offering more options on their products, but it's still notenough for many people. Bare-bones laptops, coined A 360 Experience @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-10-06] (0 Comments) poster_thumb.jpgContent-Disposition:attachment; filename= It's Official @ hothardware.com [Aug-09-06] (0 Comments) Another major difference was that NVIDIA launched the GeForce 7950GX2 at retail. On the day of launch, enthusiasts could finally buy dual-GPUpowered GeForce 79050 GX2 video cards from their favorite e-tailers. But,at launch, NVIDIA wasn't quite ready to endorse Quad-SLI for theDo-It-Yourself market. Quad-SLI was only supported when purchased in a fullsystem built by an approved partner. NVIDIA took this route to ensureQuad-SLI owners had a good experience and didn't have to contend withincompatibilities or other potential pitfalls. Asus PW191 Widescreen LCD Monitor @ hothardware.com [Aug-08-06] (0 Comments) Asus recognized the need for such a display and released the slightlylarger widescreen we'll be looking at here, the PW191. As its name implies,the PW191 is a 19 Flexiglow Mouse Pad Funkifies Your Desktop @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-08-06] (0 Comments) Are you using a boring old cloth & rubber mouse pad? How about a lame, limp nanometer-thick piece of blandness? Well you need to get some style, man! You need glowing, alternating, mesmerizing LEDs imbedded into a super slick, acrylic, USB-powered Flexiglow mouse pad! Energy Efficient Athlon 64 X2 4600+ & 3800+ @ hothardware.com [Aug-03-06] (0 Comments) Both AMD and Intel have made great technological strides when itcomes to power consumption in their current CPU architectures. Both theAthlon 64 X2 and Core 2 Duo processor cores have elaborate clock gatingschemes to allow their cores to ramp down during periods of inactivity orlight workloads. AMD's line of 5 Ways to Watch TV on the Computer @ bigbruin.com [Aug-01-06] (0 Comments) Over the last several years, computers have worked their way out of the office and into just about every aspect of our daily lives. Home computers are no longer boring beige boxes destined for an existence revolving around e-mails and personal finances. They can also be the key to our personal entertainment that allows us to immerse ourselves in games, music, movies, and television (TV). This Tech Tip will focus on the television portion of the list above, and will take a look at five ways in which just about anyone can enjoy watching television on their computer monitor. Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard @ techpowerup.com [Jul-10-06] (0 Comments) Logitech has produced something every gamer needs. A keyboard with backlighting, usable in the dark. It will make the use of your World of Warcraft or Counterstrike key binds easy to use and out of the way. Even the LCD is useful, with sheer endless possibilities. Once again the quality and details of this input device is just what we have come to expect and love from Logitech - perfect in every aspect. Overclocking the Athlon AMD XP-M chip @ techdomain.com.au [Jul-08-06] (0 Comments) Since its origins, overclocking has come a very long way - with vast amounts of time, energy, and money paid into the lofty ideal of pushing a processor to previously unheard of speeds. Todays enthusiasts use all forms of cooling, from simple heatsink and fan setups to water and even phase-change systems, to combat the age-old enemy of heat. Along with employing better cooling tactics, enthusiasts also spend a lot of time researching their parts (including the batch numbers) and trying all manner of little tricks to get the most out of their system and processor. This article covers my personal experiences of overclocking the AMD Athlon XP-M chip and all of the barriers encountered. While it isnt a comprehensive guide for beginners, it does cover many important aspects of overclocking. Apevia As550w-bk Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Jun-30-06] (0 Comments) We met Aspire or as they are now known as Apevia at Cebit 2006 and had a nice discussion which led us into starting to review their products. This is our first Apevia review and as they were kind enough to send us their 550W power supply for review. They have named is As550W-bk which seems to have some good specifications such as two 12v rails with 17 and 19 amps each. We will compare this in our testing vs good performers as Ocz Powerstream and a Zalman PSU. MSI NX7600GT VT2D256E @ hothardware.com [Jun-21-06] (0 Comments) Every once in a while a product is released that challenges all others inits class, setting itself apart from the pack. One such product is NVIDIA'sGeForce 7600GT line, which brings major competition to ATI's closestalternative, the Radeon X1600XT. On paper, the two products are very closebut MSI takes NVIDIA's reference GeForce 7600GT and adds a little flair andpanache to its NX7600GT-VT2D256E. With an oversized, premium cooler that isboth cool and quiet, as well as Memory and GPU speeds clocked higher thanreference specification, the NX7600GT-VT2D256E is ready for leading-edgegaming and overclocking. Casion Exilim EX-Z60 Camera @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Jun-16-06] (0 Comments) The Casio Exilim EX-Z60 is a great digital camera with a lot of features. For $249 you get 6-megapixels of fine photography power behind a sleek, thin silver casing. The quality you've come to expect from Casio is very apparent in the Exilim EX-Z60. Pictures can be previewed on its gigantic 2.5=94 LCD that is crisp, clear, and bright =96 a valuable asset to photographers. Combined with the EX-Z60's anti-shake DSP technology and BestShot configurations, you get a decent camera at a great price. Read on learn the positive and negative aspects about this offering from Casio. Samsung MM-a900 @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Jun-15-06] (0 Comments) When it first appeared, most folks dismissed the Samsung MM-A900 as a mere knock-off of the Motorola RAZR, the iPod of the cell phone world. Many people spoke to soon. While the broadband EV-DO-capable A900 (available from Sprint for $199.99 with a two-year contract), may lack the RAZR's iconic style and solid metallic feel, it is slightly superior in almost every other aspect. However, while both phones will turn heads, neither phone incorporates a removable memory option, which means that neither is a good choice if your interest is combining your phone with an MP3 player. Although, if you're considering either the A900 or the RAZR mainly to up your cell sartorial splendor, your choice may come down to which carrier you prefer. The RAZR is available from Verizon and Cingular and the A900 is only available from Sprint. Get the Most Out of Your PSP:Accessories @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [May-24-06] (0 Comments) Sony's PSP has been a smash hit in the gaming world. With tons of great features already built in, such as Wi-Fi and external storage, people are constantly looking to trick out their PSP so that every possible piece of technology available is in their grasp. From protecting your investment with a quality case to giving your PSP 4GB of storage, the range of options for customizing your system is endless! We're here to showcase 10 great accessories you'll need to get the most out of your Sony PSP. =?windows-1252?Q?Super_Talent_2GB_MEGA_Screen_MP3/FM/Recorder_Player__ @ bigbruin.com [May-19-06] (0 Comments) Super Talent has come up with a great little device that does much more than just play MP3s. Even though the voice recording feature was of questionable quality, it did work well enough to be useful. The FM radio worked well as did the photo album function... One aspect of the Super Talent MEGA Screen Player can be seen as both a positive and a negative, depending on who you ask. The device does not support DRM, so you can not use subscription based music or otherwise protected files from places such as iTunes and Napster. ECS 945G-M3 & C19-A SLI Motherboards @ hothardware.com [May-16-06] (0 Comments) “As ECS continues to gain respect and attention in theenthusiast motherboard market, the company is of course extending its reachinto the segment it is best known for - the budget segment. While high-end andenthusiast-level boards often cost $150 or more, budget and entry-levelmotherboards can usually be had for $70-90. Entry-level doesn't necessarilyequate to a lack of great features though, as demonstrated by the two reviewcandidates on the test bench today. UberSoldier PC Game @ thinkcomputers.org [May-14-06] (0 Comments) Games, I love getting them for review, especially first person shooters. I like all sorts of games but FPS games are myfavorite next to strategy games like Act of War etc. It is also nice to get good games for review, and UberSoldier falls into thatcategory, I might actually call it a great game. Before I received this for review I read a couple other reviews and one wasparticularly bad, and I was sort of unhappy about it as I was planning on buying the game. After installing and playing I can'tfigure out what they were talking about and how they gave it such a bad review... Evesham Voyager C720DC with GeForce Go 7900 GTX @ trustedreviews.com [May-13-06] (0 Comments) Gaming notebooks are a great idea. If you're constricted for space, then Sony E3 Conference Summary @ bonafidereviews.com [May-09-06] (0 Comments) E3 started off with a bang as Sony revealed a lot of juicy info about their until-now mysterious Playstation 3 console. The most important bit being the PS3's price and launch date. The second big, and quite surprising, announcement was on their final controller design that features limited motion-sensing capabilities. Aside from those two major annoucements there was a bunch of stuff shown off including aspects of the online capabilities and game previews. Let's take a closer look at everything Sony had to say. VIZO Master Panel Offers Front-Door Action @ ocmodshop.com [Apr-13-06] (0 Comments) poster.jpgContent-Disposition:attachment; filename= ELF File Format in Linux @ osweekly.com [Apr-11-06] (0 Comments) ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) is a standard file formatfor most executables, shared libraries and object codes. This format wasoriginally developed and published by USL (Unix System Laboratory) aspart of ABI (Application Binary Interface) and now its a widelyaccepted format in most UNIX variants. What is Aspect Oriented Programming? @ osweekly.com [Apr-10-06] (0 Comments) Most people have heard of object oriented and structuralparadigms of programming. These two are generally widely used. But thereare many programming problems which cannot be solved using theaforementioned structures. This results in implementation of theseproblems outside the main module which finally results into confusionamong developers and tangled code. Social Networking Services @ osweekly.com [Apr-06-06] (0 Comments) A social networking service is an online applicationspecifically focused on building and verifying social networks for aspecific purpose (whatever it may be). Many social networking servicesare also weblog hosting services. With the currently growing interest inonline social networking services, social relationships in the realworld are emerging in the Web and a user itself is gradually coming toplay a central role in Web content. The emergence of user informationfrom the real world into the Web has a great impact on information system. moddin.net s the Thermaltake Muse @ moddin.net [Apr-05-06] (0 Comments) "This external 3.5 Sea Sonic S12 430 Watt Power Supply @ ocmodshop.com [Mar-29-06] (0 Comments) poster.jpgContent-Disposition:attachment; filename= AeroCool 620W Zerodba Power Supply @ legitreviews.com [Mar-25-06] (0 Comments) Besides the stability, another aspect of this PSU that really impresses me is the specifications. With a combined total of 38A supplied to the +12V rails, this PSU greatly surpasses the 30A requirement for a high-end SLi PC according to this page over at SLI-Zone! If you are building an ATI CrossFire system you will soon find out that ATI doesn't mention 12V Amp requirements on their certified site and only list two brands of power supplies that are in their voluntary program. We contacted ATI and they informed Legit Reviews that their X1900 CrossFire solution needs at least a 550W power supply with a 38A 12V rail, which means the AeroCool 620W power supply will again meet the requirements for both ATI and NVIDIA power requirements... moddin.net s the Enermax Laureate EB305C-B @ moddin.net [Mar-24-06] (0 Comments) "This particular item is from our friends at Enermax who are probably better known to most of you as a leading :Radeon X1900 XT Shootout @ hexus.net [Feb-18-06] (0 Comments) As happens immediately after a new product release, boardpartners compete to be first to market with their retail offering.PowerColor and SAPPHIRE, along with pretty much every other ATI AIBpartner, use reference Radeon X1900 XT 512MBs, which we'veestablished to be top-notch gaming cards. In fact, there is nomeaningful difference between the two partners' cards, and yourchoice, should you opt to go down the X1900 XT 512MB route for yourPCI-Express gaming thrills, will come down to other factors such asprice, bundle, and warranty. The X1900 family also benefits fromATI's Avivo video-processing technology, and for some users it's notall about 3D. Indeed, better looking pixels should be a requirementfor each new generation, across the board. StarTech.com SV221MICROUA KVM @ overclockersonline.com [Feb-08-06] (0 Comments) In short, the StarTech.com SV211MICROUA is pretty impressive with thefeatures it offers over the 4 port big brother, the SV411KA, but the lag inmouse and keyboard switching really detracts from the overall appeal. The most important aspect of the SV211MICROUA is the software that it comeswith. When I first saw that there was a CD I almost cringed. I initiallyfigured that if the unit allows for switching without the software that Iwould probably not use it for anything other than testing. Boy was I wrong. X-Micro Stereo media phone (Bluetooth) @ rbmods.com [Jan-24-06] (0 Comments) X-micro is a company that makes quality products in pretty much every aspect. You can find Bluetooth, mp3, Wlan etc... from them and they all are easy to use and high quality yet still affordable for the normal consumer. We have reviewed alot of their products in the past but today we have something different from them. It's a Bluetooth stereo media phone, and with this device you can basically talk on Skype, listen to music, etc... through this Bluetooth device. You connect a BL dongle in your computer and with this device cliped onto your pants or shirt and you can have wireless music or Skype at home. Datacolor ColorFacts Professional 6.0 @ xyzcomputing.com [Jan-20-06] (0 Comments) Color calibration is an important, though often overlooked, field. Many people buy their display hardware, plug it in, and just assume that it loo ks correct. Some people go ahead and make a few changes to their display after installing it, configuring whatever features they see as being inac curate. This sort of subjective analysis is a step in the right directio n but it can only take users so far; at some point a more objective and sc ientific method is needed. For people who see accurate color as being ve ry important, the type of testing needed is best seen in a hardware-based, external device. One such device is the Spyder2 calibration tool from D atacolor. This device plugs into a computer's USB port and mounts on the display. From this point it is able to analyze many different aspects o f the image so that the monitor can be properly configured for an accurate picture. This ColorFacts tool is a professional version of the Spyder2P RO Studio kit which we reviewed some time ago. This same tool was adapte d to make the SpyderTV which was recently released. Datacolor now includ es this colorimeter with a professional-grade software program, ColorFacts Professional. NVIDIA nForce4 SLI XE and Ultra for Intel P @ pcper.com [Jan-17-06] (0 Comments) NVIDIA's release of two new chipsets for the Intel market that aimat mid-range and budget level of consumers is a necessary move if they wantto make any headway into the Intel platform market share that Intel's ownchipsets dominate. ATI already has a clean grasp on the Intel leftoversthanks to their growing relationship and Intel's usage of ATI chips on theirmotherboard designs. End-users looking for a budget box upgrade may findthe SLI XE and Ultra core logic sets intriguing, if not overly exciting. Milwaukee 2.4v Cordless Driver for Computers @ gruntville.com [Dec-27-05] (0 Comments) The drill itself wi ll be of most use to modders and system builders alike. I used it to build a syste m and was able to use it for every screw in the case. The mainboard went in wit h ease. I had no problem with the small screws for mounting the floppy or the hard drive. The power supply was a breeze and even the video card and other PC I devices were easy. I found that setting the clutch to 3 was just right fo r every aspect of the build. Also keep in mind that the driver has a pivot joint to allow for it to bend if needed for tight spaces or simply for comfort. moddin.net s the Matrix Orbital MX6 @ moddin.net [Dec-26-05] (0 Comments) "I'm sure all of you (or at least the vast majority) have heard of Matrix Orbital in the past - they're a huge name in the moddin community, and quite rightly so; their LCD displays have built a reputation as the most versatile and easy to use on the market. :NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS P @ hexus.net [Dec-09-05] (0 Comments) While it'dbe nice to see NVIDIA filling out the performance range with 7-seriesGeForce products, since the GPU at the basis of those will be that bitbetter performance and carry slightly better IQ features, the 6800 GSis a fine last-gasp for the NV4x GPU range that'll keep many a gamerhappy in front of the PC this holiday season. :Finally time for some UK XBOX 360 action! @ gaming.hexus.net [Dec-03-05] (0 Comments) Now we're allowed to officially write about that creamy whitebox that's been sitting here for the last 10 days, Team HEXUS haspassed the time reading all about Microsoft's latest console onpretty much every gaming site on the web. I swear, if we see just onemore picture of the front of an Xbox 360, unless it's got a naked andoiled Kiera Knightley dangling off it, I'm going to scream! Cooler Master RealPower 550W @ techpowerup.com [Nov-23-05] (0 Comments) Cooler Master has engineered a great PSU which has a PCI-Express Power connector and can supply 12V from three rails. Most PSUs have only one or two. For the visual aspect there is a Watt Viewer which goes into a drive bay and automatically displays the current power consumption of your computer - without the need of additional software. PrimoChill PC ICE @ thinkcomputers.org [Nov-16-05] (0 Comments) I've been into liquid and water cooling for almost a year now, you may think that that isn't a long time, but trust me itis. I've learned A LOT in that short amount of time about the various aspects of liquid cooling. I've used plain water, water withadditives, and alternative liquids for cooling. Being in the review 'business' I find I need cooling solutions that are far superiorto stock and even after market air cooling. With many reviews I have found myself overclocking my CPU, which of course generates alot of heat and stock cooling just will not let me do what I need to do. In all my trials and errors I have found water is the bestfor cooling, there are a few companies out there that make alternatives to water and today I will be looking at one of them.PrimoChill's PC Ice from Voyeurmods is what is on the testing/review block today. moddin.net s the ULTRA mini portable disk @ moddin.net [Nov-11-05] (0 Comments) "Now that I have a pile of IDE hard disk drives sitting around in the wake of several SATA upgrades, what better than to use it in an external enclosure like this. This unit will upgrade any 3.5 Broadband Security part deux:So, how DO I get secure? @ ocmodshop.com [Nov-10-05] (0 Comments) The first thing you need to do is log into your router. For my examples, I will be using a LINKSYS router, which is one of the most popular brands today. LINKSYS routers come with a software package to help you get them setup. Because of this, often people do not know what IP address their IP address is or, more importantly, the IP address of their router. There is a simple way to get his information. I most windows operating systems, you can open a command prompt window and type the command Bigbruin.com Article:HTPC Primer, Part II @ bigbruin.com [Oct-28-05] (0 Comments) In the first of a two-part series of Tech Tips on getting started wi th a Home Theater PC, or HTPC, we looked at the two most basic features to be considered:audio and video. With those areas addressed, there are sti ll plenty of aspects worth considering that can help your computer become b etter integrated into your home theater for a truly enjoyable experience. Some of these aspects include component speed, cooling, noise, style, and the user interface. Professional vs. Amateur Digital Cameras - Where do you draw the line? @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-26-05] (0 Comments) OCModShop's own photography journalist has written her premiere article about the differences between amateur cameras and professional gear. Aspire X-Plorer Case @ viperlair.com [Oct-26-05] (0 Comments) Aspire has delivered a very attractive design, on the outside. Once you open the case up, you run into some old fashioned design concepts with some not so thought out solutions and positioning of fans and air-ducts. Although in my situation I have a specific motherboard that causes a position issue, there should be a plan in place for that, as DFI is not exactly a small motherboard supplier in the enthusiast market space. Compaq Presario V2410 Turion 64 Notebook @ pcper.com [Oct-25-05] (0 Comments) However, despite the battery there are some really nice aspects to the Asus N7800GT DUAL - 7800 SLI on a Single Card @ pcper.com [Oct-13-05] (0 Comments) First, this particular card is a limited edition run of 2000 units(I have number 36). So that in and of itself means that this card may beharder to find than we are used to. As for pricing, you can expect to findthis card to sell for around the price of two standard 7800 GT cards.Currently you can find the Asus 7800 GT for sale around $400. Do the mathand that means this N7800GT DUAL is going to cost you somewhere in theneighborhood of $850 to own. Gasp. Intel's New Architecture @ pcper.com [Aug-24-05] (0 Comments) Intel's next architecture is still going to be based on the IA-32instruction set, of course, but the interesting aspect here is that allthree markets (server/desktop/mobile) are going to share the same commonmicro-architecture between them. They give the term Logisys Double CCFL Fan Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-09-05] (0 Comments) Well My future's so bright I gotta wear shades... Ok, now I'mshowing my age here because not many of you got that I bet. Any who... Todayyou get blinded by the light; we have for your viewing pleasure the LogisysDouble CCFL Fan Kit. Logisys has become a fairly standard brand in thecomputer market and is known for quality products. I like lights, flash andwhatever makes my case stand out from the rest at a LAN. I was excited to begetting this item for review; will it live up to my hopes and aspirations?Read on and let's find out. Before I start let me throw in a thank you toLogisys for this fine piece of lighting. Gigabyte and Abit 955X boards @ bit-tech.net [Aug-03-05] (0 Comments) The reason for the chipset change is that Intel’s northbridgecontainsthe memory controller which needs to be updated in order recognise bothCPU cores. This has caused a lot of people to cry out at Intel’ssupposed “lack of foresight” where these people claim that the wholei9xx range of chipsets should have been dual core enabled from the wordgo. Maybe so, but as the i925X chipsets were being designed Intel wasprobably still thinking it had some clock overhead in the Prescottwhich, as it happens has turned out not to be true. Aspire X-Cruiser @ overclockersonline.com [Aug-01-05] (0 Comments) Aspire was happy to provide me with a black sample, out of the many colors they offer for this case, as I am always partial to the simplicity and elegance of black. Upon removing all the packing material, the first thing about the X-Cruiser that caught my attention was the finish. A very nice, glossy paint was utilized and the black seems very deep and smooth giving the indication that multiple coats were applied. I am a car enthusiast and although this is not an automotive quality finish it is not far off. New content - BF2 @ techneek.co.uk [Jul-25-05] (0 Comments) Not too long ago in PC gaming history came Battlefield 1942. It was hailed as a great game, many loved it, few hated it. Then Battlefield Vietnam. Same basic idea, set a few decades later. And now, Battlefield 2.Battlefield 2 (BF2) is an online action FPS (First Person Shooter) set in modern times. It has all the generic aspects of an online FPS from the last 5 years, including different “kits” (such as medic, sniper, engineer etc), two teams, a (albeit quite complicated) point allocation system, and many different guns. But it adds something special to this mix, and makes it a game you just can’t put down. So what are these points? Func sUrface 1030 MBA Limited Edition @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-22-05] (0 Comments) Wow, card readers now it's mouse pads. I think if someone here hasproblems with their roof we might be able to fix it using mouse pads. Onwith the show. Today I have a mouse pad that already garnishes awards suchas Maximum PC's moddin.net s the Vantec NexStar 2 external CD/DVD enclosure @ moddin.net [Jul-19-05] (0 Comments) "For anyone who want's to share an optical drive between home, work and friends PC's or who doesn't want to install an internal drive or to void warranties by opening up their PC's then this is the ideal solution.It's fast, simple to install and use - especially on Windows XP based systems (preferably SP2) and it really does look nice sitting next to your keyboard or monitor." Direct Link:http://www.moddin.net/review.asp?ReviewID=167 Aspire X-Cruiser Case @ viperlair.com [Jul-15-05] (0 Comments) Aspire have released quite a multi-function enclosure. Overall the styling of the case is very nice. The three analog gauges on the front not only provide a good amount of information, but also a nice graphic feature. The blue black and silver color scheme really work, and the inclusion of the led fans provide a nice glow in the dark look. NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX @ pcper.com [Jun-22-05] (0 Comments) The NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX card takes the title of being thefastest GPU on the planet, there is little doubt of that. The performanceof the new G70 core is impressive in all aspects and the new transparencyantialiasing is a welcome addition to NVIDIA suite of image qualityenhancements. With HDR improvements as well, the 7800 GTX is going to be agood GPU selection for some time to come. moddin.net s the Steelpad S&S and Steel Grips @ moddin.net [Jun-16-05] (0 Comments) "Is your mouse underperforming? Can't control your cursor or crosshair? Need a hand improving your accuracy? Well, today I'm taking a look at The all-new [steelpad S&S] and the steel grip, both part of Soft Trading's [steel series]. But will they help me up my frag count?" Direct Link:http://www.moddin.net/review.asp?ReviewID=166 moddin.net s the Vantec NexStar 2 external HDD enclosure @ moddin.net [Jun-11-05] (0 Comments) "I think it's pretty obvious from the photo's that this kit is one of the most stylish peripherals that you can get.Installation is straightforward and for anyone who has migrated to SATA or has upgraded their old IDE to a larger capacity - this is a fantastic kit.In fact if I hadn't had a stash of drives lying about I would have probably gone out and bought a new one just to show this kit off to my friends." Direct Link:http://www.moddin.net/review.asp?ReviewID=165 Samsung SyncMaster 243T @ pyroport.com [Jun-06-05] (0 Comments) I am pleased at the performance of this board, for an Athlon 64 owner looking for an AGP solution, it doesn't come better than this. The amount of peripherals Asus have bundled with the board is incredible:I have all 8 USB ports being used, the WiFi card works a treat, and the SATA raid configuration is extremely fast. Various News Items [May-27-05] (0 Comments) Aspire X-QPack reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com SeaSonic S12 500W Power Supply @ techniz.co.uk News from Xbox-360-Source! @ xbox-360-source.com High Quality E3 2005 Booth Babe Pics @ pimprig.com Samsung SyncMaster 930MP Multifunctional 19" LCD Monitor @ bonafidereviews.com Various News Items [May-24-05] (0 Comments) Samsung SyncMaster 243T review @ pyroport.com AGEIA PhysX processor Preview @ pcper.com Intel ICC Report - May 2005 @ ASE Labs Samsung SF-565P Multi-Function Fax/Laser Printer @ pcstats.com TechConnect's Photoshop CS2 New Features In-Depth Look @ tcmagazine.info Hyundai Imagequest L90D+ Review @ mistix.co.uk [May-21-05] (0 Comments) Buying a TFT is a personal affair, purchasing the right one is like jumping into a wasps nest, get the honey or be stung. Being stung is a very common occurance, getting the right product for your needs is not an easy choice You may well decide to bump up the budget to avoid cheaper models, and hopefully avoid the rubbish. For our next review, we will be taking a dedicated look at the L90D+ manufactured by Hyundai Imagequest. Aspire X-QPack Case @ Viper Lair [May-17-05] (0 Comments) Those of you looking to build a SFF PC from scratch will want to give the Aspire X-QPack a close look as it offers more in terms of options from most pre-built SFF PCs. Overall, it's a decently designed chassis though it doesn't stray too far from the basic fundamentals of a "cube" SFF. Various News Items [May-14-05] (0 Comments) "Company Takes Stand Against Booth Babes" @ XYZ Computing Thermalright XP-90C and LGA775 RM reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Pair of Logisys Computer Reviews + GIVEAWAY @ ap0calypse.com "ESPN Releases Ultimate Baseball Online Beta" @ XYZ Computing Aspire X-QPACK Aluminum MicroATX Chassis @ pimprig.com Various News Items [May-14-05] (0 Comments) Linux vs. Windows Web Hosting @ The Tech Zone Bigbruin.com Review: eDimensional AudioFX Force Feedback Gaming Headset @ bigbruin.com Windows XP Professional x64 Edition @ cdrinfo.com X-Box 360 specs @ HEXUS Vantec All in 1 USB Card Reader @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [May-04-05] (0 Comments) Vantec NexStar 3 Drive Enclosure @ ThinkComputers.org ATI X800 XL 512 MB GPU Preview @ pcper.com ATI's Radeon X800 XL 512MB graphics card @ techreport.com XGI Volari V3XT @ bit-tech.net World Cyber Games Case Modding Competition: new feature @ bit-tech.net The introduction of 512MiB consumer graphics hardware @ hexus.net Aspire X-QPACK Aluminum Mini Case w/ 3 Windows Video Review #563 @ 3dgameman.com Various News Items [Apr-25-05] (0 Comments) Raidmax KY-550ATX PSU @ A True Review The Best Case Scenario Test Rig Completed @ thebestcasescenario.com Arctic Silver ArctiClean Review @ ocmodshop.com 2nd Generation 6GB iPod Mini Review @ The Tech Zone GIGABYTE GA-K8N Ultra-9 Motherboard @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [Apr-22-05] (0 Comments) o More Paper Launches from ATI and NVIDIA @ CoolTechZone Showering With Friends @ futurelooks.com Wireless Networking Troubleshooting Guide @ The Tech Zone LightScribe Drives Comparison @ cdrinfo.com MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E @ Viperlair Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 @ A True Review [Apr-18-05] (0 Comments) Reward of water-cooling a CPU is apparent; high cooling performance with very low noise. Equally apparent is the risk involved. If something goes wrong during the installation your computer turns into a high voltage aquarium. While most computer enthusiasts feel the reward outweighs the risk, the average computer do it yourself (DIY) person does not. In an effort to push water-cooling into the mainstream by taking out the risk, Cooler Master introduces Aquagate Mini. How does Aquagate Mini eliminate the risk aspect of water-cooling? Read on and find out. Various News Items [Apr-12-05] (0 Comments) Forceware driver roundup update @ origo3D.com Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 @ InsaneTek Aspire X-Plorer Steel Case Video Review #554 Logitech MX-1000 Cordless Laser Mouse Review MSI K8T-Neo FIS2R Motherboard Review @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Apr-07-05] (0 Comments) News Flash - Targus ChillHub Notebook USB 2.0 Cooling Pad Review @ futurelooks.com Bigha Jasper Always @ A True Review Review: Sunbeam Samurai Mid Tower Case Review @ Tech-Mods.net Samsung YH-925 20 GB Digital Audio Player @ TechTastic.ca Is Your Always On Connection Always Secured? @ thetechzone.com Linux vs. Linux: The Battle for the Desktop @ cooltechzone.com [Apr-04-05] (0 Comments) So, you have mastered every aspect of computing (or maybe not), and you are bored with the Internet. What can you do to bring back the thrill that you had the first time you fired up the latest Windows operating system? How about downloading or purchasing Linux? Linux is an open-source operating system that is in the public domain, meaning that it must be offered free and no company or individual can claim it. Even for the most literate users, experimentation into new areas of computing can be a fun and an interesting challenge; therefore, trying out one of the latest Linux distributions is an excellent way to venture into the world of Unix based operating systems. Ahanix D'Vine 4 Home Theater PC ATX Case @ PimpRig [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) The front view, I have to say, is the most stylish aspect of this case. The thick brushed aluminum front has a solid classic look to it. The smoked glass hiding the VFD display is set very well and does give at all when you push against it. Since this is a HTPC case there are 2 USB and 1 Firewire ports on the front that are good additions for plugging in a video camera for direct downloading. The drive bay door conceals 2 External 5 inch Bays. Rugby 2005 Game Review @ NewsTechInfo.com [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) Rugby is a sport that is known throughout the world, yet not many people have played it or seen it. EA Sports makes sure that gamers see the challenge of Rugby and show how it differs from Football. The game depicts every aspect of Rugby, which is played in real life and tries to cram it in a game. They have a tutorial available for those who are just getting to know Rugby. Rugby's rules, the understanding of the game, and player positions and controllers are all taught via the tutorial engine. Since they are not all learned in a day, it does take a bit of time to learn everything. mCubed T-Balancer SL4 @ A True Review [Mar-27-05] (0 Comments) Part of being a computer modder is control. A modder likes to control the look, sound, and performance of their computers. One major aspect of computer control is controlling various fan speeds the our computers have. The reason one wants to control fan speeds is because of the relationship between computer temperatures and noise. Higher fan speeds are potentially lower computer temperatures, but higher noise output. Naturally, each person has their own acceptable balance between noise and temperatures. One product that can help you find and efficiently maximize that balance is the T-Balancer SL4 by mCubed. Just what can the T-Balancer do? Read on and find out. Lite-on 16x Black Dual Layer DVD Burner @ Tech-Mods.net [Mar-24-05] (0 Comments) LiteOn was established in 1975 and began producing LED displays and over the past 30 years has become a leader in electronics world wide with quality, integrity, and innovation being key aspects of their buisness. Today we are looking at LiteOn's SOHW1673S Black Dual Layer DVD burner in black which supports DL 4X writing speed. I must admit the first unit sent to me had an issue with invalid format errors on both CD's and DVD's but their tech support quickly sent me a replacement that works flawlessly!. Storcase's DE50 Backup solution @ pyroport.com [Mar-23-05] (0 Comments) When was the last time you backed up your work? Many studies show that hardly any companies are able to recover lost files within 30 minutes, and it is not unreasonable to assume that SoHo and "enthusiast" markets are even less likely to have implemented decent backup solutions for their important data. SilverStone LC10 HTPC Case Review @ OCModShop [Mar-18-05] (0 Comments) The outside of the case is absolutely stunning and will definitely match your other equipment. External design looks very professional and is well implemented. More thought should have been put into the needs of the home theater enthusiast, as the bar is raised for professional home theater equipment. What is acceptable for a standard computer will be scrutinized by an audiophile. Protection against Adware and Spyware @ pcreview.co.uk [Mar-17-05] (0 Comments) First, let me make my opinion clear: The installation of adware should be illegal and harshly punished. Adware has exploded because it offers big economic incentives for its sponsors. Theyll never adequately inform PC users about their software before its installed. This troubling aspect of adware will never be wished away. Netgear's MP101 wireless audio system @ pyroport.com [Mar-15-05] (0 Comments) Wow. Simple as that, once I had ironed out the WEP problem, it was all systems go, and it has been going for about 4 hours a day for over a week in my house, so no nagging family to tell me "turn it down"! Building A Silent Server/HTPC @ OCModShop.com [Mar-14-05] (0 Comments) This article will also be good for someone looking to build their own HTPC. With any HTPC you want it to be silent, be warned though this usually takes some work. Servers typically very noisy on an enterprise level but we're not building an enterprise server. For a home server that the typical power user would build it is not that difficult to keep it quiet. For this reason I am going to focus on building this computer to be silent, or at least as quiet as possible. Beginners Guides: Linux Part 2: Installing a PC @ PCstats.com [Mar-14-05] (0 Comments) For the second installment of this PCstats guide, we're looking at something a little more permanent. We're going to take one of the most popular and easy to use free Linux distributions, SUSE Personal 9.1 and explore the process of installing Linux onto your hard drive as a full operating system. We'll look at how to configure your desktop using the KDE desktop manager, get a grasp on your personal files in the Linux file system and connect to the Internet for web browsing and email. We'll also teach you how to make Linux co-exist peacefully with your existing Windows installation, so you can use both. This particular version of Linux was chosen because its small footprint and easy to use configuration tools make it an excellent way to reduce the often-daunting learning curve that the Linux OS can present. We firmly believe that learning to use an operating system productively is the first and most important step in achieving full familiarity and expertise with that system. Various News Items [Mar-05-05] (0 Comments) kwaFlo RAM Cooler Review @ OCModShop Corsair Twinxp1024 3200xl (Xpert) @ Rbmods AOpen i915Pa-PLF Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Swissbit's 2 Gig Twist Pro Flash Drive @ TechTastic.ca Thermaltake Big Typhoon @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Feb-24-05] (0 Comments) Danger Den RBX Waterblock Review @ OCModShop Sunbeam Night magic, Lazerled and Led projector @ Rbmods Ultra X-Finity 600W Power Supply Video Review @ 3dgameman.com Dual MSI NX6600GT-TD128E SLI Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Sunbeam Transformer Giveaway @ A True Review ATi Radeon X850XT Platinum Edition Review @ cluboc.net Various News Items [Feb-23-05] (0 Comments) Ultra-Violet Video Game Editorial @ The Tech Zone PC Perspective Hardware Leaderboard @ pcper.com Forceware Roundup 2005 (WHQL, Beta, DNA-Force, TC-Force, XtremeG) @ origo3D.com The Current State of nVidia SLI - SLI Part 3 @ OCModShop Intel Pentium 4 6xx Review @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Feb-10-05] (0 Comments) Asus Extreme N6600GT - SLI Part 2 @ ocmodshop.com orsair Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Flash Memory Drive @ 3dgameman.com ThermalRock Circle @ InsaneTek Hard Drives: ATA versus SATA @ bigbruin.com XTrac Hybrid Gaming Pad @ A True Review Various News Items [Feb-04-05] (0 Comments) The State of Linux Gaming @ CoolTechZone Networking Basics @ The Tech Zone aigo F660 portable MP3 Player review @ pyroport.com Review: I-Rocks IR-7220 Optical Mouse @ BigBruin.Com TriGem KLOSS KL-I915A @ HEXUS Logitech MX1000 Wireless mouse @ pyroport. [Feb-01-05] (0 Comments) D-Link's latest DWL-2100AP wireless AP claims to push the standard 802.11g 54Mbps speed up to 108Mbps when a compatible D-Link card is used. We have one on test (along with a D-Link 108Mbps laptop card) to see how it compares to our existing 802.11b (11Mbps) wireless network. Various News Items [Jan-31-05] (0 Comments) Enermax CS-718 & AeroCool Gatewatch @ AMD Review ATi Radeon X800 Pro Review @ OCModShop X-Raypad Thunder 9 Mousepad Review @ Ascully.com VIA Intel Pentium 4 PT Chipset Preview and Launch @ VR-Zone Hardware Swiftech H20-120(Rev. 3) Liquid Cooling Kit @ OCIA.net Various News Items [Jan-31-05] (0 Comments) ATi Radeon X800 Pro Review @ OCModShop ABIT Fatal1ty AA8XE i925XE Motherboard @ OCTools.com VIA PT Series Chipset Preview @ thetechzone.com VIA PT Series Chipset Preview @ BigBruin.Com Help the Tsunami Victims @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Jan-15-05] (0 Comments) Aspire Chameleon 550w PSU Review @ overclockercafe.com Enermax EG495AX-EV @ cluboc.net BigBruin.Com Article: Power and Your PC G.SKILL Extreme Series PC4800 512Mb Kit @ OCTools.com Verbatim 90X Store 'n' Go PRO USB 2.0 Drive Review @ d-silence.com Sunbeam Mini Baybus @ A True Review Various News Items [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) I-ROCKS X-SLIM EL KEYBOARD X Slim Keyboard with Electron Luminescence and Cross-Directional Optical Mouse @ cluboc.net Logitech MX1000 Wireless mouse @ pyroport.com Silverstone LC10 HTPC Enclosure Review @ Ascully.com News: EZ Power Supply Tester Reviewed (Beneath the skin style) @ MetkuMods Abit Fatal1ty AA8XE Motherboard Review @ pcperspective.com Various News Items [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte GeForce 6600 GT (GV-NX66T128D) PCI-E reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Enermax CS-527 ATX PC Case @ ThinkComputers.org Gigabyte X600 XT and RigShowcase @ Envy News OCModShop's Best of 2004 Evercool WC-301 mini-water cooler review @ overclockercafe CES 2005 Coverage: Shuttle's First BTX XPC @ CoolTechZone 2006 Corvette Z06 Preview @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Jan-07-05] (0 Comments) Evercool WC-202 Water Cooling Kit Review @ overclockercafe.com MSI K8N Diamond SLI @ t-break Intel's MatrixRAID Examined on OCAU Review: Samsung DuoCam SC-D6040 @ accelenation.com Raidmax Samurai 908 Gaming Case Video Review #518 @ 3dgameman.com SMC Gigabit Equipment Review @ OCModShop Corsair Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Drive 256MB @ OCTools.com Featured PimpRig // Project: Vash (Trigun) SilverStone LC03V Case Review @ OCModShop [Dec-31-04] (0 Comments) Overall this is a really good case and would be great for your HTPC or server if you plan on building one. The paint job on this case is amazing and the aluminum bezel will really stand out in your house. The removable motherboard tray and drive cages make installation much easier and faster which is always a good thing. The VFD and bright blue LEDs will add a lot to the case from a functional and aesthetic standpoint. For my project I hope to have it be silent and use no fans, however if needed there is a 60mm exhaust fan as well as a punch-out for an 80mm intake fan below the drive cages. *World Exclusive* Aspire Chameleon 550 Watt PSU @ OCIA.net [Dec-23-04] (0 Comments) In the above picture, you can see that the power cord "bracket" as well as the "on / off" switch have been constructed of green UV reactive material, fitting in with the overall theme of the power supply. To the upper left of the power switch is the adjustable fan speed controller, which controls the 120mm clear LED fan mounted on the underside of the power supply. Below the fan controller is the 115 / 220 voltage selection switch. To the right of this switch we have another switch with three different color settings. This switch actually controls the LED color of the 120mm fan. Chaintech GeForce 6600GT AGP Review @ OCModShop [Dec-23-04] (0 Comments) I am very impressed with this video card, I didn't think that it would make such a huge improvement. This is the kind of upgrade that makes spending the money worth while. Before the 6600GT I used the 5700 Ultra in my personal system and it simply wasn't cutting it. Many of the games I would play were choppy with good image quality or ran ok but looked unimpressive because of the lacking AA and AF. This card is also very overclockable to give you more than you paid for which is always great. All of the necessary accessories are included to take advantage of everything this card offers and the software bundle is great. If you are looking to upgrade your video card but cant afford a 6800 and don't want to make the jump to PCI-Express this may be exactly what you are looking for. Corsair Mod of the Month Dec '04: AquaSphere @ Bit Tech [Dec-23-04] (0 Comments) This is the only computer we've ever met which was *designed* to smoke! The Corsair Mod Of The Month for December 2004 is: AquaSphere! Built from scratch using aluminium and genuine carbon-fibre, this UV bad-boy isn't just a watercooled PC - it's a ROBOT too! Various News Items [Dec-23-04] (0 Comments) Razer Diamondback Gaming Mouse @ ocia.net Liutilities Wintask Pro 5 @ Rbmods MSI RX800SE-TD256 (ATi X800SE) Review @ 3DChip Sunbeam Lightbus @ 3dvelocity.com PC AirCon PAC 400 Review @ ocmodshop.com PimpRig Review // Enermax Noisetaker EG701AX-VE (W) SFMA V2.0 NZXT Nemesis Elite @ cluboverclocker.com Danger Den TDX Waterblock Review @ OCModShop [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) Instead of using their traditional maze flow design Danger Den has made something completely different. The TDX is similar to the RBX block from Danger Den, although modified for use with only 2 hose barbs. The area of water impingement features a wave shaped set of channels with cupping divots that force water to convect with the surface via cavitations of the blocks surface right over the CPU. This design greatly increases surface area at the waters impingement, as well as increasing heat transfer by using higher pressure forced convection. BFR Article: LED Headlamps: Shining a Light on the Future of Lighting @ bonafidereviews.com [Dec-15-04] (0 Comments) Technology has changed the way we go about every facet of our lives; from mundane, obligatory tasks like jobs and civic responsibilities, to our entertainment and leisure pursuits. One fascinating aspect of this is the synergy that innovations kindle around themselves. Technological solutions to a need in one field often spark broader application in unrelated areas, which in turn spread even farther. We'll look at a small sampling of items that are doing just that today. Various News Items [Dec-13-04] (0 Comments) 1GB PQI Intelligent Stick USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ The Tech Zone Nu 16x Dual layer DDW-163 dvd burner @ Rbmods Icybox IB-350U-B-BL enclosure review @ pyroport.com SwissBit 2 X 512MB PC4300 DDR2 @ techniz.co.uk Foxconn 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 Review @ cluboverclocker.com Forceware 66.93 VS Forceware 71.20 @ tcmagazine.info Thermaltake 350w PurePower Fanless PSU review @ ocmodshop.com [Dec-10-04] (0 Comments) As you should know by now if you have read other articles by me I love a quiet system. Computer noise today in my opinion is unnecessary. While you can go out and buy the biggest baddest fan for your heatsink and video card the benefits of doing so are not enough in my opinion. In most cases the same overclock that you would get from the loud air cooling can be achieved with quiet or silent alternatives such as lower RPM fans or watercooling. The fact that this power supply is silent makes it perfect for anyone who desires a silent system and would be an ideal candidate for a HTPC or home server. DIY Heatcore: Inexpensive & Great Performance @ ocmodshop.com [Dec-08-04] (0 Comments) One such viable alterative that is readily available and easily modified is a heatercore. While there are many different models that can be modified to work in a watercooling system, one that has gained quite a following is the Chevrolet Chevette heatercore. More specifically, the heatercore for the 1986 Chevette, Fedco part number 2-161 or GDI part number 399069, which is approximately 6-1/8" x 6-3/8" x 2". The factory tubes are 3/4" and 5/8" which require some modification to work with 1/2" ID tubing used in a watercooling system but this modification is not that complicated and well worth it considering that most auto parts stores have this heatercore for around $22. Additionally, the tools needed for the modifications are fairly expensive and they are likely ones that most already have on hand. Various News Items [Dec-06-04] (0 Comments) Waffer PC Aircon PAC 400 @ OCIA.net ATI Radeon X800 XT PCI-Express 256MB @ TheTechLounge Review of Altec Lansing inMotion Portable Sound System for Apple iPod @ bonafidereviews.com Gigabyte GA-8GPNXP Duo @ Envy News Ultra X-Connect 500W Modular Power Supply Review @ CoolTechZone Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC4000 Review @ ocmodshop.com Thermaltake HardCano 13 fan controller & 6-in-1 memory card reader review @ Danger Den TDX Socket 939 Review @ cluboverclocker.com aigo F186 512Mb Portable MP3 Player review @ pyroport.com [Dec-03-04] (0 Comments) Flash memory has been quite proliferous over the last few years, spawning many gadgets. Storage for digital cameras, mobile phones, data storage, music players, the list goes on and on. The cheap, nonvolatile and small form factor features of flash memory make it an ideal choice for all these products... Matrix Orbital MX312 Review @ ocmodshop.com [Dec-03-04] (0 Comments) I'm grateful that this product uses USB for communication; I can't say how much I dislike using legacy connections. The LCDC software that is provided to work with the VFD is great and has tons of configuration options and many available plugins. Not only does this display look amazing but it has a built in keypad for external control. Also if you ever want to change the color of the display you just need to buy a new filter and replace the original one. One thing that I always look for with computer hardware and software is good documentation. Because everyone has a different level of experience it may be necessary to follow the documentation to get the product working the way that you want. Matrix Orbital has done an excellent job providing documentation for just about everything concerning this product and is detailed with pictures and great information. Taking everything into consideration I couldn't ask for much more from a product... Various News Items [Dec-02-04] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Chameleon Light Controller @ 3dvelocity.com Vantec EZ Swap 2 Removable Hard Drive Rack @ hi-techreviews.com DFI LAN Party Pro875B Motherboard Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Verbatim Store 'n' Go Pro USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ thetechzone.com EverCool Ice Man AMD & Intel air cooled heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net Foxconn 755FXK8AA-8EKRS Review @ cluboc.net Samsung Syncmaster 172X Display review @ pyroport.com Various News Items [Dec-01-04] (0 Comments) Gigabyte G-MAX N512 Centrino Laptop Review @ pcstats.com Raidmax Cobra Gaming Case @ hi-techreviews.com Dying for a Drag? @ 3dgameman.com Steelpad QCK + MousePad @ TechTastic.ca The Dark Side of P2P File Sharing @ The Tech Zone A First Look At Half-Life 2: Deathmatch @ ocmodshop.com ATI X850 XT Platinum Review @ t-break Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard Review @ pcperspective.com [Nov-30-04] (0 Comments) Moving on past the graphical aspects, we see that Asus has stacked the A8N-SLI Deluxe quite well with a lot of storage options. How does eight SATA channels and two IDE channels sound? That should satiate just about anyone with a fetish for large hard drives. Only users looking to move on with lots of IDE drives and optical drives will have to look for new hard drives. Along that line, the NVIDIA SATA controller also supports the new SATA 3.0Gb/s standard so when drives become available, you'll be ready. A4Tech NB-30: Battery Free Wireless Optical Mouse Review @ CoolTechZone [Nov-25-04] (0 Comments) A4Tech has recently announced their "no-battery" mouse, which is the worlds first optical mouse that operates without the use of batteries, at least to some degree. Undoubtedly this makes them unique and certainly attention grabbing, but is the innovation justifiable? As you will later find out, the price to performance ration may not be so desirable to many. While the company enters the market with a nice and innovative product, we do recommend that they consider some aspects of the products such as the price and the mouse pad. How to use an Xbox Controller as a USB PC Gamepad @ ocmodshop.com [Nov-24-04] (0 Comments) When I bought Tony Hawk Underground 2 the game simply wasnt playable with a mouse and keyboard so I needed a gamepad. I had a lot of consoles but I like the Xbox controller the most of all, however that is a personal preference. The big plus of an Xbox is that it is in fact an extremely modded pc, well in my eyes it is. So if you know how to strip and solder a few wires you can get your Xbox controller to work on your pc, heres how we do it. Thermalright XP-90 Heatsink Review @ ocmodshop.com [Nov-18-04] (0 Comments) In addition to the fins there are four heat pipes. Heat pipes are closed metallic tubes that generally contain a phase change liquid in side. Heat is applied to one end of the pipe, which in turn changes the liquid to vapor where it moves to the other end of the pipe where heat can be removed. In this design the heat pipes are enclosed into a cast aluminum base where heat from the processor will be applied and then whisked away and distributed to the top of the fin array. Here a fan will remove the heat from the fins through forced convection. It seems the theory behind this design is to remove heat as quickly as possible (higher heat transfer rate - aluminum dissipates heat faster than copper using forced convection) as opposed to having a high heat capacity (large copper bases - copper has a higher heat capacity and conduction rate than aluminum). This tends to explain such a drastic change from what many would consider a usual design from Thermalright. Aspire ATX-MR500W CONCORD Series Aluminum Power Supply Video Review #504: @ 3dgameman.com [Nov-15-04] (0 Comments) The Aspire MR500W Power Supply has a peak wattage of 500 watts which is ample for most PC's. It has two 80mm fans which can be manually controlled, and all of the leads are sleeved. The sleek aluminum casing makes it very light compared to most power supplies. In addition, this package includes a 80mm case fan and a fan rheostat. FIC KT-748 Motherboard Review @ ocmodshop.com [Nov-15-04] (0 Comments) I believe that this board fits well within the market space it is aimed at, mainly the budget builder market. While not a stellar performer, it does support many of the newer technologies that many older boards with similar prices may not. The ability to use the 400MHz front side bus Athlons is a big plus, as is support for PC3200 memory. I would recommend this board to someone looking to build an entry to mid level gaming PC, but not to the budget overclocker as the lack of overclocking options make it a very poor performer in that respect. Various News Items [Nov-12-04] (0 Comments) Cooler Master Cavalier 1 CAV-T01 @ overclockersonline.com Review of PLEXTOR External 12x4x16 PX-712UF DVD Writer @ bonafidereviews.com ATI Radeon Xpress 200 @ t-break Traxdata Media full Presentation @ CDRinfo.com HEXUS.net Review: Akasa's Eclipse 62 Waffer PC AirCon PAC 400 System Cooler @ OCTools.com ECS 755-A2 Socket 754 Motherobard @ pcperspective.com Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 nForce4 Ultra Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com NFSU 2 Review with 8 in-game movies and updated benchmark results! @ gameconnect.info Sky Hawk IMC-6371 Mini Barebone System Video Review #503: @ 3dgameman Various News Items [Nov-12-04] (0 Comments) 8Com digital bluetooth headset @ Rbmods Beginners Guides: USB Memory Drive Projects & Tips @ pcstats.com Making Your Own Window Appliqu @ ocmodshop.com Beginners Guide To OverClocking @ OCIA.net Thermaltake Big Water 12cm Liquid Cooling System Review @ BigBruin.Com Samsung SyncMaster 710N LCD Monitor @ TechTastic.ca Thermaltake Xaser Damier V5000A Case @ bigbruin.com [Nov-10-04] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has embraced the idea that the plain beige, or even black, case is pretty much a thing of the past... Now within your grasp are computer cases that not only offer better cooling, but fancy windows, lights, and other gadgets to make even the most hardy case "modder" take notice. The V5000A is very definitely one of those cases! OCZ T-shirt Giveaway @ OCModShop @ OCModShop [Nov-09-04] (0 Comments) OCZ was nice enuogh to send over some of their new T-shirts for me to give away. This contest will be similar to the previous contest that was run. Every post you make in the forum will give you a single entry into the contest. You can get a maximum of 50 entries from 50 posts over the duration of the contest. There will be 7 winners in this contest so come on over and start posting! EPoX EP-8RDA6+ PRO Motherboard @ pyroport.com [Nov-09-04] (0 Comments) EPoX have been one of my favoured motherboard manufacturers for some time now, mainly down to a favourable price / performance ratio. Today we have their latest (and quite possibly last) Socket A (Athlon XP) motherboard, the EP-8RDA6+ PRO. News 2004-11-05 - WLAN 11g Router + PCI Card @ Swemod [Nov-05-04] (0 Comments) Today were going to have a look at two wireless products from X-Micro. X-Micro were kind enough to send me a WLAN 11g Turbo Router and a WLAN 11g Turbo PCI Card. The turbo mode means that when this is used the products can run in up to 108Mbps wireless. Great speed without wires, but does it work all the time? Well take a look on that in our review. Nextbase Portable DVD Player review @ pyroport.com [Nov-04-04] (0 Comments) The format of DVD has been incredibly quick to usurp VHS as the standard of choice for watching films. It was circa five years ago that I got my DVD player, which at the time was hideously expensive, and extremely large. Not many people at the time had seen the digital glory of DVD and it would often get a lot of people exclaiming 'wow' at the quality of the picture DVD can produce. Various News Items [Nov-02-04] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing MX5020 2.0 Speaker System Video Review #498 @ 3dgameman.com Mid-Range Buyers Guide @ TheTechLounge Mushkin 1GB PC2-4200 DDR-2 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Exclusive: Gigabyte GA-8TRX330-L motherboard review @ OCModShop Logitech MX-1000 Cordless Laser Mouse @ 3dvelocity.com ATI Silencer 1 Review @ ap0calypse.com Samsung SCD 105 Digital Camcorder @ TechTastic.ca Review of Tomcat i915 (S5120) Motherboard @ bonafidereviews.com The Art Of Cable Folding @ The Tech Zone EverCool VGA Heat Pipe Universal ATI & Nvidia heatsinks review. @ a1-electronics.net Spyware/Adware Prevention and Removal Guide at Auphan Online @ PimpRig Review // Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case w/Window HEXUS.net Review: Corsair 1GByte DDR2 Twin2X Matched Memory Pair Sapphire x800 Pro @ pyroport.com [Nov-01-04] (0 Comments) Today on Pyroport, we would like to bring you a comparison of what are bound to be very popular variants of the cards, the Ati Radeon X800 Pro vs. the Nvidia Geforce 6800GT. Both are priced in the UK at roughly the same point, approx 300 at the moment... SuperJoyBox3 @ Swemod [Nov-01-04] (0 Comments) The name of the product tonight is Super Joy Box 3 and its a nice little product that you connect to any USB port. When done so you get yet another game port, but not really just another game port. This new game port is only for use with Playstation controllers. Intel 925XE chipset and 3.46GHz Extreme Edition CPU @ HEXUS.net [Oct-31-04] (0 Comments) AMD has moved on but Intel's top-level performance has remained largely the same, so whilst I'm a fan of all the good aspects of 925X/XE chipsets, I find it hard to recommend it as a performance platform when the Extreme Edition is still playing catchup, most notably in gaming. Cast aside any company-specific favouritisms and ask yourself objectively what you would rather have if money was not an issue - an AMD FX-55/nForce4/DDR1 2-2-2-5 memory setup or 3.46GHz Extreme Edition/i925XE/DDR2? Various News Items [Oct-28-04] (0 Comments) Vantec EZ Swap Removable SATA Hard Drive Rack Video Review #496 @ 3dGameMan.com Simple Dual Channel PC3200 1GB Kit @ AMDReview.com 2006 HUMMER H3 Preview @ The Tech Zone Inno3D GeForce 6600 @ 3dvelocity.com X-Micro EVA 256Mb MP3 Player @ ThinkComputers.org PowerColor Radeon X800 Pro VIVO Review @ InsaneTek Mushkin LII-V2 1024MB PC3200 (Review) @ ipkonfig.com PimpRig Review // Corsair XMS2 5400 Pro DDR2 RAM Shuttle SN95G5 Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware Sony LocationFree TV LF-X1 Review @ auphanonline.com Computers in spaaaaace! @ dansdata.com Raidmax Samurai ATX Gaming Case Review @ BigBruin.Com PimpRig Daily Disturbance // Forum-Flaming Etiquette Modding stuff giveaway @ Rbmods PQI Turbo PQI25400-1GDB DDR-2 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Danger Den Maze4 GPU Waterblock review @ ocmodshop.com Various News Items [Oct-26-04] (0 Comments) Forceware 70.41 Download @ tcmagazine.info nForce4 Special @ amdboard.com Pentium4 at 1066MHz System Bus @ tbreak.com Cooler Master Real Power 450W @ InsaneTek Altec Lansing XA2021 2.1 Speaker System Video Review #495 @ 3dgameman.com News - SilverStone SST-TJ06 Temjin 6 @ overclockersonline.com JetArt XCool NP5000 Notebook Cooler @ overclockers.com.au PCI-Express: First looks and the future @ ocmodshop.com Logitech X-620 Speakers @ My Guy Games Western Digital WD360 36GB SATA Hard Drive Review @ The Tech Zone Latest Antivirus and Spyware Tools Roundup (10-26-2004) @ tcmagazine.info HEXUS.net Preview: ATI's Radeon X700 XT and Radeon X700 PRO Xtrac Ripper XL Mouse Pad @ TechTastic.ca SilverStone Timjin 5 Case Review @ OCIA.net Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO @ Rbmods LG GSA-4160B Double Layer 16X DVD Recorder (AWARD!) @ CDRinfo.com [Oct-23-04] (0 Comments) LG Electronics, formerly known as GoldStar, was established in 1958 as the pioneer in the Korean consumer electronics market. Since then, a lot has changed in LG Electronics. In November 2000, Hitachi and LG formed a new joint venture to manufacture optical storage drives under the name "HL-DS". These recorders are well tuned and with unique features. Various News Items [Oct-22-04] (0 Comments) Interview: Danny Lee - XGI @ accelenation.com X-Micro Combo Bluetooth Print Adapter @ TechTastic.ca Crucial Ballistix and Kingston HyperX PC3200 Low-Latency Memory Review @ CoolTechZone DVD2XViD 2.0: The ultimate guide at Short-Media.com Alpine KCA-420i iPod Adapter Review @ The Tech Zone Cooler Master Stacker case review @ ocmodshop.com It's SnitchCam time! @ dansdata.com MSI Radeon RX800XT-VTD256E Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler-Pro @ pcperspective.com Thermaltake TrueLight Memory Heat Spreader @ A True Review Aspire 500 Watt PSU Review @ OCIA.net OCZ DDR Booster Diagnostic Device Video Review #494 @ 3dgameman.com EPoX EP-8KDA3+ nForce3 (AMD Athlon 64 Socket 754) motherboard Review @ ocinside.de [Oct-21-04] (0 Comments) Today there's a very well overclockable Athlon 64 motherboard at ocinside.de The EPoX EP-8KDA3+ nForce3 Socket 754 board can really convince on the whole line and is thus the first Reviewed motherboard, where's absolutely no negative aspect. More details to the overclocking features, the scope of supply and the technical equipment is shown in the EPoX EP-8KDA3+ Athlon 64 Review. Various News Items [Oct-21-04] (0 Comments) OCZ DDR2 PC2-5400 Performance Series Memory Video Review #493 @ 3dgameman.com Asus AX800XT/TVD Videocard Review @ pcstats.com SilverStone TJ04 case review @ OCModShop Corsair TwinX 1024 PC3200XL Low Latency Memory Review @ BigBruin.Com Review of Logitech diNovo Media Desktop @ bonafidereviews.com PowerColor R9800 Platinum Edition 128MB VGA Review @ overclockers.co.nz Asus K8N-E Deluxe Review @ cluboverclocker.com Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Bloodrayne 2 review @ gameconnect.info America's Army Tweak Guide Updated @ TweakGuides.com Various News Items [Oct-20-04] (0 Comments) News - Logitech Z-3 @ overclockersonline.com PimpRig Contest // PimpRig Pumpkin Carving Contest - Win a UV X-Connect PSU! Athlon 64 FX-55 and 4000+ Reviewed @ pcperspective.com AMD Athlon 64 4000+ Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware Firewire/USB 2.5" HDD Enclosure Review @ pyroport.com Latest Antivirus and Spyware Tools Roundup @ tcmagazine.info Athlon 64 FX-55 / Athlon 64 4000+ @ AMD Review HEXUS.net Review: AMD's Athlon 64 FX-55 and Model 4000+ CPUs @ hexus.net AMD Socket 939 4000+ and FX55 Review @ Techware Labs Ultra 4 in 1 USB 128MB Drive/MP3 Player Giveaway @ ap0calypse.com HEXUS.net Review: NVIDIA's nForce 4 Monolith MX-7010 Mp3 player @ Rbmods PolarFLO TT Series Waterblock @ MHW SilverStone Temjin TJ02 Case @ 3dvelocity.com Xtreme Files F1-B Computer Backup @ A True Review Various News Items [Oct-18-04] (0 Comments) Test of pre-production model of a GeForce 6800 LE card from Leadtek @ 3DChip Review of Toshiba PDR-M70 3.3 MP Digital Camera @ bonafidereviews.com Aspire X-Navigator @ Envy News Etymotic High-End Earphones Roundup - ER-6i, ER-4P, and ER-4S Models @ CoolTechZone Jetart AK-1000 Water Cooling System @ cluboverclocker.com ABIT AA8 DuraMAX - LGA 775 Motherboard Review @ cluboverclocker.com TRIBES Vengeance Review @ My Guy Games Interview with Marketing Manager Danny Lee from XGI! @ tcmagazine.info Raidmax Cobra 822 ATX Case Review @ BigBruin.Com AMD Athlon64 - 64-bit vs. 32-bit, A Head On Comparison @ pcstats.com OCZ PC4000EL Gold Edition review @ ocmodshop.com OCZ PowerStream 520 Power Supply @ 3dvelocity.com OCZ DDR PC-3700 Gold Revision 3 Memory Video Review #492 @ 3dgameman.com OCModShop Folding@Home team started @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-15-04] (0 Comments) I just registered a Folding@Home team for OCModShop with number 40163 I know there are tons of other teams way ahead of us but the more people we get the better we will do. To join the team, just put the team's number (40163) in the configuration panel (on graphical clients) or enter the team number at the first time you run the client (for text console versions). For more information about the OCModShop team and to stay in touch with other team members please check out our new distributed computing forum. Various News Items [Oct-15-04] (0 Comments) T-Balancer Temperature and Noise Balancer Review @ ocia.net I-Rocks KR6810 X-Slim EL Keyboard Review @ BigBruin.Com Thermalright XP-90 Review @ insanetek.com Samsung HLN617W 61" DLP Television Review @ pcstats.com Coolmax Xtreme Files F1-B @ TechTastic.ca Chenbro Xpider II @ Envy News Steelpad Steel Grip @ HardwareHounds.com 10 Tips To Safe Online Shopping @ thetechzone.com Contest @ Overclockers Online Asus K8N-E Deluxe nF3 250 Gb Review @ pcperspective.com Forceware Drivers Compared @ tcmagazine.info Raidmax 520w RX-520XP Titanium PSU review @ ocmodshop.com Review: Samsung Multifunction Device @ accelenation.com Gigabyte K8NS Pro motherboard review @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-14-04] (0 Comments) The DDR slots are positioned far enough from the AGP slot so you can easily change memory without having to remove your video card. The IDE and floppy connectors are adjacent to the DDR slots which is a good spot for them. This location however isn't a good choice for the ATX connector and would have been better off over by the 12v connector. As I mentioned before the nForce 3 250 chipset is the only one on here and is covered by an active gold colored heatsink. This heatsink produces little to no noise when powered on which pleases me since I don't like fan noise. One nice thing about Gigabyte motherboards is that they use a dual BIOS system which gives you redundancy. If you happen to improperly flash your BIOS saving you the time and frustration of having to RMA your motherboard. Various News Items [Oct-13-04] (0 Comments) Swiftech H20-120 Water Cooling Kit @ Envy News Soltek K8AN2E-GR nForce 3 250GB Motherboard Review @ overclockers.co.nz Building The Ultimate LAN Party Computer @ The Tech Zone Review of Fable @ bonafidereviews.com Etymotic ER-6 Isolator Earphones Review @ CoolTechZone Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 Review @ My Guy Games GlobalWin Jefi Water Cooling "Aquarium" @ A True Review FSP Group's Cooling kit @ PyroPort.com Toshiba Pocket PC e400 Review @ HardExtreme.org 2 Days Left in OCIA.net's CoolerMaster Giveaway HEXUS.net Review: GeCube Radeon X800 PRO Abit AA8-3rd Eye motherboard review @ ocmodshop.com WinXP Media Center 2005 Presentation review @ tcmagazine.info Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude @ gameconnect.info Thermaltake Fanless103 @ Rbmods Raidmax RX-520XPW 520W Power Supply Video Review #490 @ 3dgameman.com Epox EP-5EGA+ 915G Motherboard Review @pcstats.com Various News Items [Oct-12-04] (0 Comments) DangerDen TDX @ overclockersonline.com Jetart JAP416A CPU Cooler @ 3dvelocity.com Wireless A/V Spycam Review @ OCIA.net Asetek WaterChill Power Kit Water Cooling Review @ BigBruin.Com Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude PC Review @ My Guy Games Topram 1GB SD Card Review @ hardextreme.org MSI K8T Neo2 FIR AMD Athlon 63 939 motherboard review. @ a1-electronics.net Apple iPod Mini Review @ The Tech Zone Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Review @ gameconnect.info HEXUS.net Review: BFG GeForce 6800 Ultra Overclocked Albatron PCX5750 review @ ocmodshop.com Various News Items [Oct-11-04] (0 Comments) World Premiere! Abit SV-1A Socket 939 motherboard with PCI-X and integrated ATI Rage XL Graphics @ amdboard.com PimpRig Review // VL System LIS 2 Premium VFD Mushkin PC3200 V2 Enhanced Latency DDR Review @ overclockercafe.com CS: Source Review @ My Guy Games D-Link Home Networking Soltuion @ MHW Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO review @ ocmodshop.com SimpleTech PC3700 Nitro Series Memory Review @ CoolTechZone Logitech Frequency Directed Dual Drivers (FDD) Technology Explained! @ CoolTechZone Dual Monitor How To @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Feature: NVIDIA's GeForce 6200 Launch AGP-e Slot on 915 boards compared @ t-break HEXUS.net EXCLUSIVE: ECS 915P-A Motherboard -- LGA775, DDR1 & 2,AGP & PCI-E Various News Items [Oct-08-04] (0 Comments) Dell Optiplex GX280 Review @ 3dvelocity.com InsaneTek Case Modding Contest - One week left EverQuest II Preview @ My Guy Games Star Wars Battlefront PC Game Review at Auphan Online @ auphanonline.com Updated Computer FAQs @ TechFreaks Coping with a Serious Data Loss @ The Tech Zone Latest Bios updates - Friday, October 8 - 37 in total! @ tcmagazine.info 44 Screenshots of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes @ tcmagazine.info SONY 710 Double Layer 16x DVD Recorder @ CDRinfo.com CS Source Screenshots @ Techconnect.nl PimpRig Review // Cable-Safe Cable Manager BTC 9128CRF Wireless Office Keyboard Kit @ Hi-Techreviews.com GeIL Ultra-X PC3200 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Oct-07-04] (0 Comments) ABIT AG8 Motherboard (Socket 775) Video Review #488: @ 3dgameman.com Antec TruePower 330W Power Supply @ pcstats.com Rounders Collectors Edition DVD Review @ Ascully.com Viper ATX Gaming Case @ AMD Review Vantec NexStar NST-350UF External HD Enclosure Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM CoolerMaster October Contest @ OCIA.net Ultra Products Brand Mod Gear @ BigBruin.Com Ultra XConnect 500 Watt Power Supply @ OCIA.net NBA Live 2005 Review @ My Guy Games Steelpad's Steel Grip @ TechTastic.ca David vs Goliath - FX5900 PCI-E vs AGP Gaming Comparison @ overclockers.co.nz Article: BFR Consumer Price Guide @ bonafidereviews.com EverCool NP-201 notebook computer cool pad review. @ a1-electronics.net IBM ThinkPad X40 Review @ The Tech Zone Intel IGP Chipset Overview: ATI 9100 Pro IGP vs. Intel GMA 900 @ hardcoreware.net Thermaltake Jungle 512 review @ ocmodshop.com Gigabyte GO-U0128B USB Flash Drive Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Oct-06-04] (0 Comments) Soltek EQ340IM QBiC SFF PC Review @ pcstats.com OCModShop contest - 3 AC Ryan modding packages @ ocmodshop.com AC Ryan Contest @ OCIA.net OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Platinum Revision 2 @ 3dvelocity.com PimpRig Review // UV X-Connect 500W Modular PSU OCZ Platinum: Limited Edition vs. Enhanced Bandwidth @ insanetek.com 8Com Wireless BH220 Bluetooth Headset @ A True Review Logitech X-530 Speakers Review @ CoolTechZone Nostromo SpeedPad n52 Review @ My Guy Games 500 Watt Ultra X-Connect Power Supply Review @ The Tech Zone Review: Zensonic Z710 Wireless Headphones @ hardavenue.com DVIco FusionHDTV DVB-T Digital TV Tuner Card @ overclockers.com.au Various News Items [Oct-05-04] (0 Comments) Streamzap PC Remote Control Review @ Ascully.com Rosewill R710N 17 TFT LCD screen @ Rbmods Apple 4th Generation iPod Review @ The Tech Zone Ricoh Caplio GX Review @ pyroport.com GeIL Ultra Platinum PC3200 Memory Review Gigabyte GA-8I915P Duo-A Reviewed @ Hi-techreviews.com ABIT AA8-DuraMAX Motherboard (Socket 775) Video Review #487 @ 3dgameman.com BigBruin.Com Review: Ezonics Esound 5.1 6-Channel USB Headphones Sims 2 Review @ My Guy Games Chaintech AA6800 Turbo Review @ overclockercafe.com The Paperless Office Editorial @ The Tech Zone CrazyPC's Vampire Mid-Tower Case @cluboverclocker.com SWISSMEMORY USB Victorinox 128MB Drive Review @ HardExtreme.org Various News Items [Oct-04-04] (0 Comments) Madman's Guide to Linux: Volume Three - Updating @ Gurureview Ultra 4 in 1 USB 1.1 128MB Drive / MP3 Player Review @ ap0calypse.com Contest @ ap0calypse.com Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro @ insanetek.com News: HDD Eyez -mod @ MetkuMods HEXUS.net Review: ASUS AX800XT/2DT PCI-Express Viper Mid-Tower Case @ A True Review Review of Samsung SyncMaster 192MP 19" Multifunctional Display @ bonafidereviews.com Abit first dual-Opteron motherboard @ amdboard.com Aspire X-Navigator Case Review @ overclockercafe.com SF2100 3D Slot Fan @ 3dvelocity.com Asus P5GD2 Deluxe review @ ocmodshop.com Yeong Yang Technologies' Mars YY-5603 @ ClubOC BigBruin.Com Review: Logisys Glacier Dual LED Fan 500W Power Supply Mountain Mods Twice 7 Case @ Viper Lair Call of Duty: United Offensive Review @ My Guy Games Wednesday stuff [Sep-30-04] (0 Comments) RFID Chip Editorial @ The Tech Zoone Ultra MP3/128MB USB Flash Drive @ Viper Lair 3DMark05 First Look @ tiscali.co.uk X-Ray Technology Thunder8, Thunder9, & Aqua3 review NZXT Guardian Crafted Gaming Armour Review @ Gurureview OCZ PowerStream 520W Power Supply w/Adjustable Rails Video Review #485 @ 3dgameman.com Ten Steps to a Secure PC - Updated! @ pcstats.com Jetart JACSD1 VGA Cooler Kit @ 3dvelocity.com OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev. 3 Memory Review @ CoolTechZone Temjin 5 Case review @ Techware Labs Burnout 3: Takedown Review @ My Guy Games Toodis Mpal 400 Ultra Compact AV Player @ A True Review InsaneTek Contest - 2 Weeks Left @ insanetek.com Silverstone SST-FP54 Review @ OCIA.net SilverStone SST-ST30NF Aluminum Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM SilverStone LC-02's Cooling Problem @ TechFreaks Various News Items [Sep-28-04] (0 Comments) BigBruin.Com Review: A-Top Technology X-Blade ATX Window Case Plextor PX-712A DVD Writer Review @ CoolTechZone Lite On SOHW-1633S 16X DVD Burner @ A True Review GeIL Ultra Platinum PC4000 dual channel kit review @ ocmodshop.com Full Spectrum Warrior PC Review @ My Guy Games Correction FSW PC Review @ My Guy Games FSW PC Review @ My Guy Games Corsair Vs512mb400c3 @ Rbmods Corsair Vs512mb400c3 @ Rbmods Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 High Speed USB Memory Review @ The Tech Zone World Premiere! AMD Athlon 64 Acer Aspire 1520 notebook Specifications and Photos @ amdboard.com [Sep-25-04] (0 Comments) With Acer Ferrari 3400 we had a chance to realize how strong was Acer commitment to offer an attractive AMD notebook lineup with some of the most exquisite designs. Today AMDboard.com, the AMD specialist site, is first again to release the specification and photos of the newest AMD Athlon 64 Acer notebook. Relying on VIA chipsets to provide some unprecedented features like Gigabit LAN or FireWire IEEE1394, the Acer 1520 offers no less than 3 types of graphic chip (NVIDIA GeForce4 448 Go, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700) and a choice of 2 screen sizes (15" and 15.4"). Most interestingly, the Acer 1520 shares the same base than the Acer Sempron notebook version known at Acer 1360 which can already be found in 2 flavors, AS1362WLMi-XPP and AS1362LCi-XPP with both using AMD Mobile Sempron 2800+. Various News Items [Sep-25-04] (0 Comments) Asus V9999 Gamer Edition Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Samsung SyncMaster 173p LCD Monitor @ TechTastic.ca Cooler Master Real Power 450W Power Supply Video Review #483: @ 3dgameman.com Altec Lansing AHS602 Gamers Headphones @ X-Trememodz PimpRig Guide // Fantazmic2's Fabric Mod How-To Albatron Mars PX915G Pro Motherboard SilverStone Temjin TJ06 Case Review @ insanetek.com NEC ND-3500A 16x Double Layer DVD Recorder @ CDRinfo.com The McDonald's Tiki Hut Nemo Happy Meal Toy Review! @ rojakpot [Sep-24-04] (0 Comments) Pencil modding this product was simple. Step One : Turn on its side and expose the two contact pads. Step Two : With handy 2B pencil, draw a thick line over the plastic connecting the two pads! Step Three : Enjoy pencil-modded Tiki Hut Nemo! Various News Items [Sep-23-04] (0 Comments) Titan TWC-A04 7.5 volt water pump mod to increase the cooling performance. SteelPad S&S Mousing Surface Review @ GruntvillE.com Asus WL-330g Pocket Wireless Access Point Review @ thetechzone.com ABIT Radeon RX600XT-PCIE Review @ cluboverclocker.com Tt SilverRiver Drive Enclosure Review @occ Vantec SATA EZ Swap @ ThinkComputers.org SanDisk Cruzer Mini and Water Filled Optical Mouse Reviewed @ Hi-techreviews.com Cleaning Copper Waterblocks guide @ ocmodshop.com Crash Recovery: The Blue Screen of Death @ pcstats.com Shuttle Zen ST62K Barebones Review @ Gurureview Altec Lansing's AHS602 Gaming Headphones Video Review #482 @ 3DGM HIS 9550 128MB VIVO Edition Video Card Review @ Tech-Mods.net Spire CoolForce VGA Cooling Kit Review @ OCIA.net Pentium 4 M0 Stepping 2,8 GHz overclocking @ Dark][Tweaker Logitech Cordless Desktop MX for Bluetooth Review @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Review: GALAXY Glacier GeForce 6800 128MB Cheap and cheerful headphones! @ dansdata.com HEXUS World Exclusive Preview: IWill's ZMAXdp - Dual Opterons in aMini PC Fitting a 120cm radiator & fan in to a computer case mod. @ A1E Gigabyte GA-8TRS350MT Radeon 9100 IGP PRO @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Sep-21-04] (0 Comments) Antec TrueBlue 480watt psu @ Moddingworld.co.uk Hot news from AC Ryan - AC Ryan launches Ryanpowertt2 - Customizing your way with CableFREE Artec T1 USB Terrestrial Digital TV Box Review Scythe Coolers (FCS-50 Heatlane & Kama) Video Review #481 @ @3dgameman.com OCZ PowerStream 420W Review @ insanetek.com Albatron PX915G Pro review Logisys Phantom Case Reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com PimpRig Review // PolarFLO TT Series 2 Port Waterblock Article: DOS to DirectX and Beyond @ d-silence.com VisionTek Xtreme2 GO DRIVE Review @ The Tech Zone ATI's X700 Reviewed @ pcperspective.com HEXUS.net Preview: ATI's Radeon X700 XT Shuttle XP17 @ t-break Vantec EZ-grip molex connector kit @ Rbmods Various News Items [Sep-18-04] (0 Comments) Monster Gecko PistolMouse FPS @ COC Tt Fanless 350w PSU review @ overclockercafe.com Thermalright XP-120 HSF @ MHW Blackfire 4 UV-LED Lighted Fans and Backy Review @ OCIA.net AOpen XCcube EZ65-II Mini Barebone System @ CDRrinfo SilverStone TJ06 Computer Case @ A True Review Various News Items [Sep-15-04] (0 Comments) Logisys Computer: Liquid Neon and RAM Mod Review @ ap0calypse.com InsaneTek Case Modding Contest Thermalright SLK-800U heatsink review @ ocmodshop.com ThermalRight SLK-947U Heat-Sink @ TechFreaks RCA WHP160T Wireless Headphones @ A True Review Intel Pentium 4 560 @ Viper Lair Thermaltake BigWater mods for more cooling performance. @ a1-electronics.net How to setup a wireless home office @ The Tech Zone Crucial Hi-Speed Gizmo! 2.0 Review @ pyroport.com In search of stupidity Chaintech Volari V3 Review @ 3DChip Super flower SF 480TS-BK 14cm Fan Switching Power Supply @ Dark][Tweaker Super flower SF 480TS-BK 14cm Fan Switching Power Supply @ Dark][Tweaker Various News Items [Sep-13-04] (0 Comments) AeroCool VM-101 Fanless VGA Cooler @ OCIA.net Samsung ML-2552W Laser Printer @ TechTastic.ca PCViper UltraKit - Heatsink Lapping kit @ tiscali.co.uk Titan TWC-A04 Mods 2 for more cooling performance. @ a1-electronics AMD Socket A 2500+ Comparison (Barton, Mobile, Sempron) @ hardcoreware.net Razer eXactMat Gaming Mouse Surface Review @ Ascully.com Samsung YEPP YP-780V Digital Audio Player Review @ The Tech Zone Letters of necessity @ dans data Article: A sequel too far? @ Pyroport Jetway PT800TWIN @ HEXUS Overclockulator v1.1.1b Freeware App @ PimpRig Giveaway // Win a new X-Connect UV PSU! @ PimpRig Various News Items [Sep-11-04] (0 Comments) Vantec Fan Vibration Dampener Kits @ frostytech.com FIC Condor Mini Gaming PC Video Review #477 @ 3dgameman.com Vantec Spectrum fan card & PCI slot covers @ Rbmods Beginners Guides: Windows XP Safe Mode Explained @ PCstats Zalman 5.1 Channel Headphone Amplifier Review @ OCIA BenQ DW1620A 16x DVD Recorder @ CDRinfo.com Epowertec Puma True450 & Cougar 470 power supplies @ COC How to Etch a PCB Tutorial @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-10-04] (0 Comments) After about 1 or 2 minutes youll notice that you can see some board through the copper. Frequently check until all of it is gone, when your artwork is clean and clearly visible get it out of the bowl and rinse it with water. Remember we dont want to leave it in the solution for too long or it will begin dissolving the protected copper. Congratulations, you just made your own Printed Circuit Board. Wildtangent Removal @ I Am Not A Geek [Sep-05-04] (0 Comments) WildTangent was founded in 1998 by Alex St. John, the principal creator of Microsoft's DirectX multimedia platform. From the beginning, the company's mission has been to enable the delivery of the richest interactive content experiences online using the least amount of bandwidth. To that end, the first version of WildTangent's technology platform, Web Driver 1.0, was released in September 1999. Since then over 50 million people have adopted the WildTangent Web Driver to enrich their online experience. This is an online gaming package that is installed by a number of third party applications and even OEMs, ISPs and AIM. The games aspect of this is really rather cool. The being installed without you asking for it isn't cool at all. ATI4 & NV5 silencer review @ PC Unleash [Aug-30-04] (0 Comments) The most noticeable feature on the silencer cooler is that it expels the heat completely outside the case, which not only helps the graphic card cool but also helps maintain the systems overall low temperature. This review will be short and simple, but it contains all the vital aspects regarding the performance of the new silencer. I have compared it with Gainwards stock cooler as well as the Geforce 6800 cooler. These will be used when trying to compare the performance of the Silencer. I know that some of you are waiting desperately so why wait any longer to discover its secrets?. Interview with Mr Kevin Wu of BTC @ CDRinfo.com [Aug-29-04] (0 Comments) The following interview was very kindly given to CDRinfo by Mr Kevin Wu, Development Manager of BTC Xice EC900 @ Swemod [Aug-25-04] (0 Comments) Water cooling today is relatively safe and easy to handle. The perfect thing is that its not like an aquarium that needs to be cleaned ever week or so. It could however be a little bit difficult to install a water cooling kit as it needs space, holes and more to start working in your case in order to get the best performance. Xice has released a product that helps everyone to run a water cooled computer. Its easy to install, looks really nice and its name is External Cool 900. Interview with Mr Bo Lustrup of Kiss @ cdrinfo.com [Aug-14-04] (0 Comments) The following interview was very kindly given to CDRinfo by Mr Bo Lustrup, Marketing Manager of Kiss Technology Memorex travelDrive @ Swemod [Aug-11-04] (0 Comments) Need to transfer files quickly between two computers? Don't have any Internet available? Too long to use network cables? Then perhaps you should take a look on this USB Drive. Steamed Turtle @ Steamed Turtle [Aug-10-04] (0 Comments) Today I have had a chance to look at a type of product I've never looked at before. This is the Xtrac Mad Wax from Xtrac Pads; its goal is to improve their already great mouse pads by making them slicker and smoother so that your mouse glides more easily upon your Xtrac mouse pad. I will go through the product, in this review, and test it in all aspects. ASUS DRW-1604P 4X DL and 16X DVDR Worldwide Exclusive @ CDRinfo [Aug-04-04] (0 Comments) The ASUS DRW-1604P supports 16X DVDR, 4X DVDRW and 4X DVD+R DL writing according to the official specifications. As a CD recorder, it supports 32X CD-R and 24X US-RW writing along with 40X CD-ROM reading. JetArt DT6000 - Multifunction Control Panel @ Swemod [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) Need to control the noise in your computer? Does your fans sound like a airplane? Well here might be the product you are looking for. Controlling the airflow together with looking at the temperature on 6 different spots in your computer will make your system more quiet and ensure stability. Black Icemat 2nd Edition @ Swemod [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) Need a new mousepad? Can't choose which to get? Have a look on the Black Icemat 2nd Edition as this is the ultimate mousepad for all uses. Bluetake BT200 Printer Adapter @ Swemod [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) Tired of all the cables running behind your computer? Or perhaps all over your room or office? Well Im have found the solution you might be after! A Bluetooth adapter from Bluetake that will let you put your printer wherever you want. Corsair XMS3200XL Pro Twin-X @ COC [Jul-30-04] (0 Comments) In retrospect, The XL is a whole new kind of memory that is the ultimate in low latency for better overall throughput. Basically this memory gives you that extra edge no matter what speed you run it at. You also get the addition of Corsairs LED that gives you a good idea how active your memory is. Of course their really is no real use for the LED's other than cosmetic, although you could diagnose problems if the memory is run in dual channel and one stick may run a little off. Another aspect that we witnessed in our testing lab is the improved application of Corsair's heatspreader. It seems to be compressed enough to cover all of the memory modules. News 2004-07-27 @ Swemod [Jul-26-04] (0 Comments) Do you have computer problems? Well I thought so; therefore I took a look on this product. HD Guard will help protect you from viruses, new driver installation problems windows crashes and much more! Nikon D70 Digital SLR Review @ pyroport.com [Jul-15-04] (0 Comments) In this review, our guest writer David Harris takes the Nikon D70 DSLR camera to task in his own unique way. David is a keen photographer, with a taste for wildlife, astronomy and those random shots that always seem to happen when you don't have a camera handy! GeIL 1GB PC4000 Ultra Platinum @ Swemod [Jul-04-04] (0 Comments) I am very glad for this review, my first DDR ram test and it came from GeIL. The only thing to say about these modules is that, they look awesome! But do they perform as they look? Well You should take a look! Trust 782AV LCD Power Video @ Swemod [Jul-03-04] (0 Comments) Tonight we have a little different product perhaps for a computer hardware review site, a digital video camera, also called DV-Camera. This camera comes from Trust and is called 782AV. As usual you get your product in the black/red box which clearly show you want you get. Do you want to know how it performs? Head over to our site right away and Ill show you! 4 New Reviews @ CDRinfo [Jul-02-04] (0 Comments) Philips was the first manufacturer to develop DL recording, in cooperation with Mitsubishi Chemicals. The brand new recorder from Philips supporting this feature is the DVDRW885K. The recording speed for this format is up to 2.4X. The drive also supports DVD+R/RW recording with speeds at 8X and 4X respectively. In the CD category, the drive offers 24X for CD-R and 16X for CD-RW media. SilverStone SST-FP53 HDD Cooler @ Steamed Turtle [Jul-01-04] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at an aspect of system design that can be over looked quite often. And that aspect is cooling those expensive hard drives. With the manufacturing of high-speed drives on the rise we are becoming more and more concerned with keeping them cool. Even if you don't own 10K RPM Raptor you will still be glad to know that keeping your trusty 5400RPM or 7200RPM drive nice and cool will help prolong it's life. Keeping a hard drive cool will also help protect against drive errors. So, today we are going to take a look at the SilverStone SST-FP53." Chenming 602A ATX Case @ PimpRig [Jun-28-04] (0 Comments) When I went out to retrieve the package, I firmly grasped the box, and heaved it up like I normally do. However, this time I was surprised because it felt like there was nothing in the box and I almost lost my balance. It felt like there was nothing in there except packing peanuts! When I took the box down to my lair and opened it I saw that sure enough, there was a computer case in there. But damn, is it light! Waterblock Testing ( RBX & Intimidator ) @ Swemod [Jun-25-04] (0 Comments) Tonight its time for a new review and this time Im going to compare two water blocks. One RBX block from DangerDen and a block called Intimidator from Frigus Engineering. Both blocks have their own design and quality; we will take a closer look on both blocks and we will see which block that performs the best. AOpen COM5232 / AAH dvd recorder @ CDRinfo.com [Jun-18-04] (0 Comments) AOpen COM5232 / AAH dvd recorder Sapphire Radeon 9600 XT @ PyroPort.com [Jun-18-04] (0 Comments) The Radeon range recently received a big boost from the announcement of the X800 range of cards based around the RR420 chipset. These cards will be far from cheap for some time to come, but it does mean that many retailers will be dropping the prices of some of the older generation of cards, some of which are still performance cards in their own right. Glasperlenspiel, the heart mod @ PC Unleash [Jun-16-04] (0 Comments) Are you getting tired of always seeing the same kinds of mods? Nothing new and original, you say? Well then, take a look! This one is definitely out of the box. When I first saw the work of the modding artist, Yang (Jae Chul), I was definitely surprised by how this individual had managed to unleash his creativity. This is his masterpiece, and I would like to share it with the entire world. EPIA MII motherboard @ pyroport.com [Jun-14-04] (0 Comments) In November of last year VIA announced the release of the EPIA MII motherboard. Touted as the Digital Home Platform for totally connected home entertainment is sports cardbus and compactflash ports in addition to the already wide array of features available to the EPIA. Aspire X-Infinity Case @ Steamed Turtle [Jun-13-04] (0 Comments) We have seen all sorts of pre-modified cases made to look like all sorts of things. Aspire has come out with their latest mid tower chassis, the X-Infinity. This new case is designed to look like the front end of a luxury vehicle, and it really does. It's definitely a rather unique design concept but given the popularity of Aspire's other cases, this highly affordable pre-modified case is sure to please those "case modders" or gamers on a budget. Here is our review of the Aspire X-Infinity QuietPC AcoustiFan 120mm @ Overclocking HQ [May-21-04] (0 Comments) Lately it seems like everyone wants a quiet PC. The only problem is when you overclock your PC you need to cool it. Fans have always been the overclockers weapon of choice when it comes to ventilating your case, or cooling your heatsink. A kind of double edged blade if you will. Fans do a great job of cooling things off, but fail when it comes to the quiet aspect of your PC. Leave it to the wonderful engineers at QuietPC to come up with an Ultra Quiet Fan Silverstone's Temjin SST-J03 Nimiz Case @ AMD Review [May-19-04] (0 Comments) I find the Silverstone Nimiz case to be a spectacular one! What's there not to like? The case is anodized, Type II, and retains all the best qualities of an aluminum case. Aluminum provides integrity similar to a steel case, without the extra weight, and surprisingly, the Nimiz was so light with the system specifications listed above, I nearly fell over onto my back when I lifted the system off the floor. Never have I lifted such a computer that weighed so little. At one time, when I owned a Lian Li PC-60, that case was just as heavy as a steel enclosure. I love every aspect of the Nimiz case not only were there no sharp edges in the inside of the case but also its size. This case is huge, and there was plenty of room, unlike the Sonata case. If I were to choose purchasing between the two I would go for the Nimiz because it rivals the Sonata in terms of quietness. The Nimiz does not even specialize in silence, but maintains that. The only drawback between these two is the price. Morex's Cubid 2699 M-ITX Case review @ pyroport.com [May-12-04] (0 Comments) The Cubid 2699 is a smaller case than the 3688 and yet it does have the PCI and firewire facilities that the 3688 lacks, in addition to a slim floppy bay and 3.5" hard drives. The case is constructed from anodised steel throughout but it retains a lightweight feel. You can pick one up for around the 50 + VAT mark so it could well be the cheap alternative that many M-ITX builders are looking for. Aspire X-Infinity Case Review @ OCIA.net [May-12-04] (0 Comments) Now if you notice, this case is called the X-Infinity. What they should have called it is the X-BMW, cause that's exactly what it looks like. It resembles a 5 or 7 series BMW to me. It includes parking lights (inner) and the main headlamps (outer). When the computer is off, the parking lights stay on and when you power up, the headlamps turn on along with the parking lights. This feature is really nice unless your computer is in your room and your trying to sleep at night. I found myself flipping the power supply switch to cut off the parking lights. Changing your Windows XP Logon Screen @ IANAG [May-09-04] (0 Comments) So many people out there are using programs that you have to pay for to do a task that you can easily do for free. All you have to do is know the proper tools. A while back I showed you how to create your own boot screen. Today I'd like to show you how to change your login screen. I've found a freeware application that handles this aspect of things very well. Download it here. If you don't want to use software I have a registry route at the end of this article. Panasonic's CW-8123B Slim Slot DVD drive @ Pyroport [Apr-20-04] (0 Comments) One of the big questions facing Mini-ITX system builders is the choice of optical drive. This question is often compounded by the fact that many smaller cases require the use of slim drives... http://x-trememodz.com/content-81.html @ X-trememodz [Apr-16-04] (0 Comments) Computer modification is a lot like building a custom car, so there is really no suprise that we are starting to see some car themed pre mods. The trick is to not overkill the car theme, I saw a case several months back with a BMW theme, and it was just horrible. Aspire's new case the X-Infinity has a car theme to it, did they over do it or did they find the right balance between car and computer case? You be the judge. Thermalright SP-97 @ Steamed Turtle [Apr-12-04] (0 Comments) After a bit more pain on my part, more great service from thermalright, and a slightly longer wait, the SP-97 SocketA cooling solution is here for all to see. We'll be evaluating its performance in regards to overclocking (hence, cooling performance), along with (once again) general impressions of the quality and other relevant aspects of the product. Steelpad 4S @ Swemod [Apr-05-04] (0 Comments) If you get yourself a mousepad like this, you won't need to buy a new one for several years. I promise you that as long as you let the mousepad stay on your desk and just use your mouse on it like usual, you will still have this mousepad a couple of years after you bought it without perfomance loss. Keep on reading to find out more... Olympus C-750 Digital camera review @ Pyroport [Mar-22-04] (0 Comments) Olympus have been producing Ultra-zoom digital cameras for several years now, these compact digital cameras are renowned for their very high zoom, affordability and good feature set. The camedia range is ideally suited for digital photographers who want to start experimenting with the more advanced features of the hobby but may not have the funds to purchase one of the more technologically advanced cameras. Super-Flower SF-609 @ Swemod [Mar-21-04] (0 Comments) Tonight I'm going to have a look at a fanmaster from Super-Flower. It's name is SF-609 and for a start it looks really nice. Innovision report from CeBIT @ Swemod [Mar-20-04] (0 Comments) Here is our first text-free article from CeBIT. Innovision gives us all the images for this first article. If you want to see what Innovision can offer, check out our article! Logitech diNovo @ Swemod [Mar-19-04] (0 Comments) ''Today we are going to take a look at Logitechs new Bluetooth keyboard, multimedia pad and mouse. Why invest in a new keyboard is the main question. There are many reasons to do so, the regular keyboard are often very ugly with its pale greyish colour and the quality is often rather low. With this new ''kit'' from Logitech you have all that you can wish for in accessories for your computer. Keep on reading to find out more... Acousticase C6607B @ Swemod [Mar-15-04] (0 Comments) ''More and more people are jumping on the Quiet PC bandwagon, and more and more products are heading against this rapidly growing market, so is the case we are reviewing today. The case is a case from AcoustiProducts called AcoustiCase C6607B. There is also a white version of this case called C6607A. Keep on reading to find out more... Plantronics Audio 90 Headset Review @ GruntvillE.com [Mar-10-04] (0 Comments) Often, people grab the cheapest set at the local retail store, overlooking the most important aspects, sound and comfort. There are many options available and there are also many different price ranges. Music lovers need intense, high-quality sound. Gamers need good sound, comfortable fit and a microphone. For $200 you can get headsets that sound like you are sitting front row at a concert or make that rocket launcher blow your eardrums as you run for your life. Wow, $200! That's the price of a good video card! Not everyone has that kind of money to shell out, and price shouldn't stop the gamers and music lovers from having a performance headset that's comfortable. So that leaves many of us searching for the headset that falls into this category. Silverstone HTPC Case - LC-02 @ Swemod [Mar-06-04] (0 Comments) Well first of all. A first look on this case made me say "Wow, this is quality!". And when I further looked into the case and all it's features I can't say anything else than just "Wow". OrbitalOC.com has reviewed Vantec's Spectrum Mouse Pad! @ orbitaloc [Mar-03-04] (0 Comments) So you have the best computer known to man, you've modded every last detail and it looks absolutely perfect. Now you look up at your nicely modded keyboard and notice that there is something missing. Your mouse pad isn't holding up its part of the mod. It just sits there and looks ugly. until now that is! Vantec has released a mouse pad that promises to improve the look of your otherwise plain desktop, and give your setup that final touch. Interview with VIA's Tim Handley @ Pyroport [Mar-01-04] (0 Comments) The VIA CN400 is the new flagship digital media chipset for VIA processors. It will be available on both the Nano-ITX and Mini-ITX EPIA mainboards and, indeed, introduces a 200MHz FSB. Boards are planned for the first half of 2004. Wayvet Crystal Clear Reservoir EH48R @ SweMOD.Com [Feb-26-04] (0 Comments) Today we are going to review a water reservoir from Wayvet. A reservoir that you just plug right onto your Eheim Pump. Just fill it up and you should get a great constant flow to your pump. Let's have a look on this reservoir and see if it does what it should. Crucial's 256Mb Gizmo USB Flash drive review @ pyroport.com [Feb-25-04] (0 Comments) The Crucial Gizmo is without a doubt, a useful little gadget. Whilst there are countless other permutations of flash storage products on the market, few are as appealing as the Gizmo. It's slender lines, pearlescent finish with its eye catching hologram proudly stating its capacity make for a very appealing device. Intel Desktop Board D875PBZ @ cyberCPU [Feb-23-04] (0 Comments) Intel has always been known for quality, their business is surrounded around their processors but their motherboards are sometimes not considered when compared to other manufacturers. For die hard Intel fans the Intel desktop boards may be the best if not only choice for them. The motherboard I am testing today is based on Intel's i875P chipset. Trust 962Z Powerc@m Optical Zoom @ Swemod [Feb-22-04] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at one of the latest offerings from Trust called 962Z Powerc@m Optical Zoom. It seams like Trust is heading for the mainstream user with this camera, it comes with all features that the mainstream user could wish for. Keep on reading to find out if it make the grade. Seasonic 350W PSU @ Rbmods [Feb-20-04] (0 Comments) We will have a look at another power supply tonight. It's from a company called Seasonic and it has a huge 120 mm fan installed. This is supposed to be a very quiet power supply so that is an aspect we will concentrate on and will also compare it to a Zalman power supply. This will be a interesting review so stay tuned. Morex's Cubid 3688 M-ITX Case Review @ Pyroport [Feb-13-04] (0 Comments) Two years ago Morex released a new range of cases and power supplies for VIA's Mini-ITX range of motherboards. Not much has changed since then, the company have two main varieties of Mini-ITX case; the 26 and the 36 series. It is a 36 series case that we have here today, in the form of the C3688. We have the black version, but it is also available in silver. Zalman ZM-NB47J Reviewed @ Swemod [Feb-08-04] (0 Comments) Today we are reviewing Zalman's newest passive cooling for our northbridges. This cooler surely does it's job along with looking great ;) Care to take a look? Vantec Vortex Review @ OrbitalOC.com [Feb-02-04] (0 Comments) As most of us all know, hard drives produce quite a bit of heat. Heat slowly wears down the life span of hard drives, so cooling them is essential if you want your hard drives to last and protect your storage. Today were looking at Vantecs Vortex hard drive cooler. Well have to see how it adds up against our previously reviewed coolerdrive3, and hard drive cooler with dual fans. Lets check it out.... Voyeurmods Custom Lian Li Side Panel Review @ OrbitalOC [Jan-14-04] (0 Comments) So you want a case window, huh? So what if you dont know how to do it yourself, or you dont have time to make your own window, or you just cant make it come out exactly like you want it to? Well Voyeurmods has answered your case modding prayers with a custom, fully assembled side panel with a window of your choice already installed. Sound as good to you as it did to me? Well then read on.... Smart Alec and Monolith laptop bags @ Envynews [Jan-13-04] (0 Comments) Laptop bags that stand out in a crowd are not the mass produced, boring laptop cases; they are the ones that are produced by individuals driven by creativity. Tom Bihn hit the mark dead-on with the Smart Alec case design; it's fashionable, rugged and designed to stand the test of time. Tagged with the Monolith, the Smart Alec permits some of the best protection in the market for any laptop, Mac or PC. The combination of the two with the simple clasp design leaves the laptop bag competition in the dust. 516 results. New search. |
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