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News Search Results for: ink Cooler Master CM 690 NVIDIA Edition Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Nov-06-08] (0 Comments) Cooler master is well known for a wide variety of PC accessories. The line-up consists of heatsinks, power supplies, fans, external Gelid Solutions Silent Spirit CPU Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Nov-06-08] (0 Comments) Gelid Solutions' Silent Spirit CPU cooler is a small, lightweight, high performing heatsink for both AMD and Intel CPUs (including Intel Socket LGA1366). Its four heatpipes connect to a pure copper base and an angled block of fins to cool surrounding motherboard components. The cooler is also extremely silent with Gelid's silent 9 2mm PWM fan attached. Thermalright T-Rad2 Video Card Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) Video card vendors always seem to manufacture graphic cards that have undersized heatsinks with incredibly loud fans and that are almost as hot as the surface of the sun. One would think that after decades of building these things they'd take a hint and build reference cards with thermal solutions that are adequate for stock performance. However, due to this inadequacy many other companies have found a market to fill and Thermalright is a company with proven designs and great success. The Thermalright T-Rad2 picks up where the reference design left off... iPod Nano Mono-Chromatic @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) Apple has scratched last year’s design in favor of a comeback to the iPod Nano’s roots. Let’s see what we think about the new iPod nano model. Nehalem Revolution:Intel's Core i7 Processor Complete @ the fact [Nov-03-08] (0 Comments) Intel's new Core i7 series of processors is a modern marvel oftechnology that brings previously inaccessible performance to the consumer.In areas where multi-threaded applications are dominant, heavy multi-taskingis the norm or multimedia encoding is the primary function, the move to aHyperThreaded Core i7 part is a no brainer. But Intel's biggest problemmight not have anything to do with AMD or another outside source:the factis that the Core 2 Quad processors are still fantastic performers, widelyavailable and pretty damn cheap. Anyone that has a quad-core system willlikely not find a compelling performance benefit to upgrade from it to aCore i7 unless they subscribe to one of the usage models mentioned above.Intel has definitely attempted to curb this dilemma with the introduction ofthe $284 Core i7-920 and I think that this CPU will find its way into manyof our reader's machines. [Affiliates News] World's Most Powerful:Wicked Lasers The Torch @ aphnetworks.com [Nov-01-08] (0 Comments) In today's world, the term [electric] torch is often usedsimultaneously with flashlight. But remember why torches were called'torches' in the first place? Because these portable open fires have somereal burning power (After all, it does carry real fire and fuel) in additionto, well, some lighting ability. On the other hand, a conventional flashlighthas practically zero designed fire power, as its purpose is to provide light;and depending on what you have, most consumer units have a very poor range.When I think of 'torch', Wicked Laser's The Torch comes into my mind. Why?It's called The Torch for a really good reason -- simply put, it can burnthings, and no, I'm not kidding. But unlike conventional fire torches, it hasnothing short of incredible brightness and range. Carrying a 100W bulbpowered by a massive nickel-metal hydride battery, anything within severalinches of The Torch will definitely begin to burn in seconds. Meanwhile,other than its insane ability to transfer heat over short distances, TheTorch is also insanely bright with an amazing range. We'll show you somephotos in just a moment. With a brightness rating of 4,100 ANSI lumens, it'sroughly twice as bright as an average home theater LCD projector. They callit The Torch world's most powerful flashlight (As currently reviewed byGuinness World Records) with a very good reason. Excited? We won't keep youwaiting. Not excited yet? That's also a very good reason for you to read on. [News] OCZ Gladiator Max CPU Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-31-08] (0 Comments) On the deck today, is the Gladiator Max - a heatsink which takes onthe lineage afforded by a rather interesting slug of copper which took onheating duties back in the K7 days. Granted, back when this would have beena dime-a-dozen cooler, so my opinions coming into this review are mixed.Considering the four thick pipes riding the heatspreader, a good fan, and ahuge mass of fins, though - there may be some hope. An Interview with Lara Croft @ bit-tech.net [Oct-30-08] (0 Comments) */bt://You spend a lot of time in Lara's outfit, running around with guns -- so we can probably guess the reaction you get from men, but what sort of reaction do you get from other women? What do women tend to think of Lara Croft? SilverStone Raven Mouse @ modders-inc.com [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) The look, balanced feel and cutting edge ideas shows me thatSilverStone is truly serious about the mouse market. If they take some ofthe feed back that has been put out on the web about the Raven, which hasbeen favorable, and tweak it I think that they will have one heck of mouseand most definitely be a serious contender in this market. A job well doneby SilverStone and thank you for pushing the limits on a mouse. Cooler Master V8 Heatsink and Fan @ techwarelabs.com [Oct-23-08] (0 Comments) We all want the power of a V8, but with gas prices the way they are, most of us are trading our V8 trucks in for puny four cylinder eco-friendly cars. Cooler Master wanted to put that V8 power back in your life without driving you to the gas pumps. We introduce to you the all new Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler. Will this beast give us the power we need to cool our overclocked 140W AMD 9950 Black Edition down to room temperature? [News] Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-23-08] (0 Comments) Like many of the other companies finding reviews on our pageslately, Cooler master's claims to fame come from eternally supporting theenthusiast edge of the industry. Though their start was found in coolingproducts, Cooler Master went on to begin producing branded fans, heatsinks,power supplies, and even liquid cooling systems. In that vein, the V8 ismore or less a rectification to this departure - a step by Cooler Master toreturn themselves into the realm of performance cooling. With the capacityto blow away almost 180w of heat, the V8 has the potential to slide CoolerMaster back up into the echelons of performance cooling, though it may wellhave a few hindrances along the way. With that said, it's time to see whatthis latest offering can do. Sunbeamtech Core Contact Freezer @ pureoverclock.com [Oct-23-08] (0 Comments) On the test bench today is Sunbeamtech's Core Contact Freezer, which offersHeatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) technology, a newer trend in tower-styleheatsinks, and promises some efficient cooling numbers. NZXT Guardian 921 Case @ techwarelabs.com [Oct-22-08] (0 Comments) There is much more to a case than just looks. You need a sense of protection. A sense of security for your hardware within. NZXT offers all of this and more with their Guardian 921. Join Erik as he gets down and dirty with the NZXT Guardian 921 and tells us what he thinks. DYMO DiscPainter ed @ thetechlounge.com [Oct-21-08] (0 Comments) While it might not be quite as creative as spending hours scouring magazines for that perfect cut and paste cover for your newest teenage crush mix tape, the DYMO DiscPainter does make things easier. Two lousy minutes worth of printing lends a semi-professional look to any DVD or CD made for inkjet printing. Overall I was pleased with the final image quality given that there is only one ink cartridge doing all the work. If you look closely you can sometimes spy the concentric rings left behind from DYMO's RadialPrint technology. But at arms length most users would be hard pressed to complain about the quality of most print jobs. Ikonik Vulcan 1200w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Oct-16-08] (0 Comments) Manyof the PSUs we've reviewed recently have been mid-range units, andI think it's time we upped the game. Thankfully Ikonik have been kindenough to send through their latest Vulcan PSU. It comes with a host ofconnectors, and a large 1200w capacity. Let's see how it compares tothe lesser watted units we've reviewed recently. 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? Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre ed @ thetechlounge.com [Oct-14-08] (0 Comments) As you can probably guess from the rather interesting name, Monster teamed up with Dr. Dre to get some celebrity name recognition for this new offering. I'm not so sure Dr. Dre would be the first person to pop into mind when thinking of audiophile priced headphones, but he is in the recording industry and should be instantly recognizable to anyone slightly familiar with the Rap/Hip-Hop scene nonetheless. Let's get past the names involved here, though, and see if the Beats are truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. Technic3D/Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer @ technic3d.com [Oct-14-08] (0 Comments) The Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer CPU Heatsink arrived Tech nic3D. The CPU Cooler with 120mm Fan, Fan Controller, 8 Heatpipes, H.D .T. technology and easy installation. See you in the following Revie w the Freezer compared with Standard Boxed Cooling and more. [News] Vantec Aeroflow FX92/FX120 HDT CPU Coolers @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-13-08] (0 Comments) I'd have to say that the FX92 is definitely not a heatsink to passup; though it does manage to make itself heard when spinning up to meet theload, it's cooling performance nearly matches that of the much heaviersinks, and even an upgraded watercooling kit. That's nothing to sneeze at.So, what we now have sitting here are a pair of products - one which isgreat, and one that needs work. On the plus side, though - they both workwell enough, are accessible enough, and cheap enough to recommend, andthat's a step forward. Technic3D/Thermolab Micro and Nano Silencer @ technic3d.com [Oct-11-08] (0 Comments) The Thermolab Micro and Nano Silencer HTPC CPU Heatsink arrive d Technic3D. Design for Mini-ITX and Micro ATX form factor. Low noise by applying PWM Control fans? See the following Review on a Intel XE6 800 CPU compared with Standard Boxed Cooling and many more. Xigmatek Red Scorpion @ pureoverclock.com [Oct-09-08] (0 Comments) On the test bench today is Xigmatek's Red Scorpion S1283, which offersHeatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) technology, a new trend in tower-styleheatsinks. We'll be comparing this to a couple other very capapble coolersto determine its cooling efficiency. The Scorpion sure looks good, butcooling is king, so we'll see if it's regal or reject. Samsung S3 MP3 Player ed @ tweaktown.com [Oct-09-08] (0 Comments) Arriving on my doorstep recently was a sleek and sultry little number from the big S, their new S3 series MP3 player. The version sent to me by post as pictured is the “pretty in pink” model, because as a modern 20something guy, I’m secure in my manliness... The menu system of the player is fairly intuitive and you will rarely find yourself flummoxed or lost in menus, so it’s easy to switch into DSNe 2.0 environments while playing a track. There is a bunch of standard pre-sets offering you EQ boosts and then there are spacial simulators to give the effect of a concert hall or a stadium gig. Asus Eee PC S101 @ bit-tech.net [Oct-08-08] (0 Comments) */Opening the flap reveals the Eee PC S101's striking metallic burnt orange lid -- a massive change from the black and white casing used on the older Eee PCs. It's already clear that Asus has changed direction with the S101 and we think that it's for the better. However, we're sure that some won't like the burnt orange -- we've heard that Asus will be offering a number of lid options, including graphite and champagne, along with the metallic burnt orange on the model we looked at. Free Anti-Virus Roundup @ velocityreviews.com [Oct-03-08] (0 Comments) Although it isn’t possible to fully protect your computer from a huge array of viral, spyware, and other malware threats, a good anti-virus application goes a long way to securing your PC. Now that most computers are permanently connected to the internet, it is more important than ever to ensure you have an up-to-date and reliable anti-virus package on your computer. Some people still don’t have any installed, thinking that because they are careful what they download, they will be safe. Others don’t like the thought of losing even the slightest amount of performance from their PC. However, the importance of getting a good virus scanner cannot be underestimated – and this lesson is often only learned after a virus infection. AMA Serac 770 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-19-08] (0 Comments) Whenit comes to buying a new cooler you can be almost certain thatmost people will overlook water-cooling as an option. There used to bemany reasons for this, such as the mammoth costs of a entry levelwater-cooling kit and the paranoia that accompanies the knowledge thatthe system could leak all over your precious rig . But recently thecost of water-cooling has fallen and although some still consider it arisky option, I think the tide is beginning to turn; so to speak. TodayI have with me a funky looking kit from a relatively unknown firm, AMAPrecision Inc and it's called the Serac 770. Let's check it out. Sapphire HD 4850 512 MB 100245L Own PCB Design @ techpowerup.com [Sep-18-08] (0 Comments) Sapphire has engineered their own version of the Radeon HD 4850 with cost and cooling in mind. The card's new unconventional heatsink looks good and keeps the card cool - far below reference design temperatures. The best of all is that the card costs only $169.99 online which makes it the cheapest HD 4850 available today. Noctua NH-C12P - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-11-08] (0 Comments) Withthe increasing amount of tower-type CPU coolers on the market,enthusiasts seem to have entirely forgotten about the classic top-downformat. So today, we’ll be taking a step back from tower formatheatsinks by reviewing the Noctua NH-C12P – a cooler whichsurprisingly, uses the top-down design. Let’s resurrect this staple ofdays gone by, and find out if it can beat today’s preferred format. Powercolor PCS HD 4670 512 MB @ techpowerup.com [Sep-10-08] (0 Comments) Today AMD launches their new cards based on the RV730 graphics processor. The Powercolor PCS HD 4670 we have on our testbench today comes with a dual slot heatsink which offers excellent cooling and low noise. Together with the serious gaming performance of this card, AMD has managed to successfully position their product in the sub-$100 segment. OCZ Flex II 4GB PC2-9200 DDR2 Memory @ legitreviews.com [Sep-09-08] (0 Comments) The OCZ PC2-9200 Flex II 4GB memory kit steps up the game for 4GB memory kits. No longer does 4GB have to be associated with slow and loose timings. Focusing solely at the performance available, this kit really does give you the flexibility to choose between tight timings or high frequencies with appreciable read, write, and copy bandwidth across the board. Factor in the overclocking, Extended Voltage Protection, and the Xtreme Liquid Convection heatsink and you've got a well rounded memory kit... Akasa's Blue Aurora CPU heatsink @ bit-tech.net [Sep-08-08] (0 Comments) */The Akasa Blue Aurora has consistently impressed us throughout the review, and we were actually quite surprised at just what an excellent cooler it is -- Akasa is not generally harped about across online communities as the best thing since sliced bread. In fact, we've genuinely struggled to find anything really wrong with it and between this and the 965, we would actively encourage people to reconsider the constant recommendations of old. [Editorial] Google and Chrome - A Plausible Future @ thetechlounge.com [Sep-05-08] (0 Comments) Google wants to change the world. Knowing what they know and not doing anything with it is anathema. Being able to see what people want, how they think, all this is part of their intention to build something different. That isn't a bad thing, they're not out for control in a cravenly sense, and they aren't positioning themselves as a kind of benevolent dictatorship. And Chrome, in its simplicity, telegraphs their plan. Firefox replacement? Hardly. Microsoft replacement? Nothing like that. What Google is working on is an Internet replacement. Or rather, an alternative. Is Your Linksys SD2008 Switch Overheating or Losing Connectivity? @ legitreviews.com [Sep-04-08] (0 Comments) If you already own the Linksys SD2008 and are having issues with it remember the switch has a limited lifetime warranty, so you shouldn't be stuck with a faulty product. The newer Linksys SD2008 v3.0 switches are more power efficient and put out far less heat than the older v2.x series that so many people are having issues with... SumoSac Sultan Luxury 'Beanbag' Chair @ thetechlounge.com [Sep-04-08] (0 Comments) Endurance gamers will love the Sumo Sac Sultan. The huge pillow easily accommodates nearly any size human, and at least two average- sized ones. If you are looking for a man-chair to add to your furniture fold, consider the Sultan. Apartment residents wanting to save space and avoid shoving a couch up three flights of stairs may find a Sumo Sac a suitable alternative. The Sumo Sultan will suffice for basically any application you can think of for a huge bag of comfort... just don't operate heavy machinery after use. TRENDnet TEW-624UB 300Mbps Wireless N USB 2.0 Adapter @ tweaktown.com [Sep-03-08] (0 Comments) Over the past few weeks we have looked at a couple of products from TRENDnet, including the 200Mbps Powerline AV Fast Ethernet Adapter Kit as well as the 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Gigabit Router.Both are pretty good products and overall we were left thinking quite good things about TRENDnet and what they had sent us to review. Today we have another review of a TRENDnet product and this time it is the TEW-624UB (version B1.0R to be exact) 300Mbps Wireless N USB 2.0 adapter. It is designed to add wireless capability to your Windows 2000, XP or Vista desktop PC or notebook or as an upgrade over a slower wireless connection such as 802.11b. Skullcandy ComTi Multimedia Headphones @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Sep-03-08] (0 Comments) SkullCandy have in my opinion have a great headset here, not only does it sound good, it comes with the best warranty in the market, come on do you think any of the other brands would replace the unit at 50% of the cost if you jump up like a lunatic to celebrate and snap the cable? I think not, and you just would be silly to ignore that kind of warranty! iStarUSA xAge-N99-US USB 2.0 Hard Drive Docking Station @ legitreviews.com [Sep-02-08] (0 Comments) Overall, I think the iStarUSA HDD dock is a great device to recover the use of dormant drives or to expand your storage options. With backups being so important, this gives you one less excuse for getting them done. Found online for less than $30, this is also a relatively inexpensive solution to your storage needs. Aside from a short power cable, I found no other flaws with the docking station and was easily able to add a variety of drives without compatibility issues and even hooked it to my Apple MacBook Pro for a quick compatibility check... Zalman HD160XT Plus Premium HTPC Case @ tweaknews.net [Sep-02-08] (0 Comments) I loved Zalman's HD160XT when I got a chance to look at it in early 2007. It was hard for me to imagine that they could improve on it very much. Well, they found a way. Actually a couple of ways. I like the reorganized front panel for the improved access to the control buttons and I/O features. I also think that the change to the iMON software is an improvement, not only for its functionality, but also for the future support and updates that will be available from SoundGraph. Losing fan control and temperature monitoring is a bit of a disappointment, but the fans in the HD160XT Plus are very quiet (at 5V) anyway, and looking back, I don't think I used the temp monitor that much either. [News] Moneual MONCASO 972 HTPC Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-31-08] (0 Comments) It pleases me to say that the price of the Moncaso 972 is moreaffordable than the 932 when it first launched. When the 932 was brand new,it required a $700 to $800 premium which was quite steep for many to afford.The 972 comes in at about the $500 which will attract far more users. Thequality of the entire product reflects the money is well spent. Perhaps inthe future, we may could see the possibility of more drive storage for dualoptical drive use. Or, maybe we'll see vertically mounted drive bays toincrease hard drive count as well as a hot swappable bay or two. Theconcepts are endless. The idea of an optional keyboard has it's pros andcons. On the one hand, you're stuck with their software and limited keyboardfeatures. And on the other hand, if you get to pick the one you want, you'rehappy. The enclosure continues its legacy of refinement. It's a testament toMoneual in just how quickly their designs and concepts have grown in theHTPC market. It would seem that there is very little that can be improvedupon in this enclosure. It's inspiring to think what we can expect fromMoneual and the Moncaso HTPC series in the near future. Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB Toxic Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-29-08] (0 Comments) This is the ATI counter-point to the 9800 GTX+:Sapphire's Toxic HD 4850. It may be alone, and it may not be more power-friendly, but it's, ahem, wickedly fast. The icing is that it doesn't really cost more than other HD 4850s--sure, it's on the high side, but it's still cheaper than a 4850 and a Zalman heatsink. The astounding thing is how closely the Toxic keeps up with an HD 4870, cards that cost close to a hundred dollars more. Bombshell of NVISION08:SLI goes native on Intel X58 @ pcper.com [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) NVIDIA is going to allow the Intel X58 chipset to natively supportSLI graphics configurations.Let me let that sink in. No need for an nForce 200, no need for any special logic of any kind, noneed for an NVIDIA product but the graphics cards themselves. Obviouslythis is GREAT news for the gamer - now we can finally get high qualitymotherboards that are reasonably priced and will run both NVIDIA SLI and AMDCrossFire GPU configurations. We are very excited about the idea ofunifying our platform selections for the hardware leaderboard, for using asingle motherboard for all our graphics card testing and just excited aboutwhat it means for high-end PC gaming in the big picture. NVIDIA to Enable SLI on Select X58-based Motherboards @ techgage.com [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) NVIDIA's SLIwon't be available on X58? Think again! The company hasjust announced 'native' support on select X58-based motherboards, allwithout the use of their own chipset. Dual-GPU configurations will beenabled without a bridge, while the higher-end offerings, including apotential Quad-GPU, will. CSX Diablo 2000MHZ DDR3 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) Overthe last year or so, the price of DDR2 memory has completelybottomed out, meaning many gamers and hardware enthusiasts have stuckwith it, and by and large ignored the newer technology, DDR3. However,as prices of the new range start to come down, people are taking moreof an interest. Today I have a kit from a little known company calledas CSX, who've been kind enough to let us test their Diablo kit. A 2GB,2GHZ pair of sticks, that come with a huge heatsink, with D9 chipsunderneath. Can they reach their rated 2000MHZ speed? Let's find out. Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB Toxic Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) This is the ATI counter-point to the 9800 GTX+:Sapphire's Toxic HD 4850. It may be alone, and it may not be more power-friendly, but it's, ahem, wickedly fast. The icing is that it doesn't really cost more than other HD 4850s--sure, it's on the high side, but it's still cheaper than a 4850 and a Zalman heatsink. The astounding thing is how closely the Toxic keeps up with an HD 4870, cards that cost close to a hundred dollars more. Technic3D/Auras Fridge VGA Cooler @ technic3d.com [Aug-26-08] (0 Comments) The Auras Fridge VGA Heatsink arrived Technic3D. Auras Fridge supports also VGA cards from NVIDIA Geforce 8800GT and 9600GT series. The VGA coolers comes with place for two 120mm Fans. See you in the fo llowing Review the Fridge on a 9600 GT compared with Arctic Cooling, X igmatek Battle-Axe Cooler, Thermalright, GFXChilla and the Zerotherm H urricane HC92 Cu. [News] Patriot Viper 2GB DDR3-2000MHz Memory @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-25-08] (0 Comments) The crucial link in the chain for getting the best performance fromthe Patriot Viper PC3-16000 2GB Memory Kit is whether or not yourmotherboard and processor can handle Front Side Bus increases. If yourNvidia or Intel chipset based motherboard can't give you something upwardsof at least 1600 MHz FSB, then you won't really be tapping in to the bulk ofthe memory's potential. Nvidia 790i users can at least expect great thingsfrom the BIOS memory and CPU Bus Link option. A quick change to a memorysetting or two and you're running at 2000 MHz. But, again, you'll get muchbetter results if you at least tap in to your processor's 1600 MHz FSBpotential. OCZ Vendetta 2 @ bit-tech.net [Aug-22-08] (0 Comments) *While the OCZ Vendetta 2 isn't silent, or the absolute best thermal performer, it strikes an excellent balance between them considering the £23 price tag. In fact, in some respects we think OCZ might be selling itself short at this price, or we'd happily pay a few quid more for some spare screws and gromits... and a new mounting mechanism. While it might not be up there with the big boys of the Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 or Noctua NH-U12P in performance, /for the money/ there is very little able to touch the Vendetta 2's performance, both thermally and acoustically. Early Look:Asus P6T Deluxe - Intel X58 Begins @ bit-tech.net [Aug-21-08] (0 Comments) *With all the kerfuffle surrounding Intel's IDF this week and Nehalem news pouring out of almost every crevice of the internet, Asus gave /bit-tech/ a quick wink and a nudge then slipped us a brown paper envelope...via a postman. [Affiliates News] Thermal Paste Roundup August 2008 @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-18-08] (0 Comments) It has been over a year since we've reviewed thermal paste.With the previous presented to us being Arctic Cooling's excellent MX-2thermal compound in July 2007 and reviewed August 2007 -- it was, no doubt,excellent thermal paste; and were able to achieve a score of 8.1/10 on ourNumber Ratings. Thermal paste may seem so insignificant -- it can be easilyoverlooked to an extent that many people simply buy what they've heard of themost, and not necessarily what is the best. Thermal paste may 'seem' to beall the same with each other; but each is actually quite unique withdifferent companies making different formulas for synthetic compounds ormetal compounds. But all serves the same purpose to allowing better transferbetween the cooled device and the cooler; filling microscopic valleys insurfaces that has microscopic imperfections to maximize heat transferefficiency at its source. Today, we will be looking into several differentbrands of claimed 'high performance' thermal paste and see which one performsthe best. Our four-way competition today includes the 'classic' Arctic Silver5, our previous winner Arctic Cooling MX-2, the price competitive Tuniq TX-2,and the NT-H1 paste from silent PC enthusiasts' favorite company Noctua.* Link:http://aphnetworks.com/reports/thermal_paste_roundup_august_2008 [1]* Image:http://aphnetworks.com/report/thermal_paste_roundup_august_2008/005.JPG [2]Thanks for your support. Don't forget to send your site news tonews@aphnetworks.com [3] as well!Best Regards,JonathanAPH Networkshttp://aphnetworks.com [4] technic3D/Spire Blue-Star 1000 @ technic3d.com [Aug-18-08] (0 Comments) The Spire Blue-Star 1000 (SP678SO) CPU Heatsink arrived Techni c3D. The CPU Cooler with 90mm Fan, H.D.T. technology, 4x 8mm Copper he at pipes and easy installation. See you in the following Review the Bl ue-Star 1000 compared with Standard Boxed Cooling and more. Vantec NexStar USB/eSATA Hard Drive Dock @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-16-08] (0 Comments) The Vantec product we had the opportunity to look at today is notyour typical external hard drive device. It is the Vantec NexStar Hard DriveDock which supports both 2.5 Asus CrossHair II Formula motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) */The original CrossHair was great, at the time, but we feel the CrossHair II is one to miss. I think Asus has done what it can with what Nvidia and AMD has handed over, but ultimately there are better products elsewhere that can be had for a fraction of the price. The swanky pants Republic of Gamer board might do a lot of things pretty well, but nothing spectacularly like you'd expect. It feels decidedly average at the end of the day, and we don't drop £150 on an average product./* Gigabyte EP45-DS3L S-Series Intel P45 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) Today, I will be looking at the EP45-DS3L, Gigabyte's economy-pricedP45 motherboard. This is probably the least expensive newly releasedmotherboard I have seen coming from either of the top two motherboardmanufacturers in a very long time, and obviously marketed towards thosebuyers looking at buying boards from ECS, ASRock, or one of the othermanufacturers that build budget motherboards. Will the EP45-DS3L meet thehigh standards that we have come to expect from a Gigabyte motherboard, withfeatures found on its bigger brothers? Read on to see! [News] Zalman CNPS9300-AT CPU Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) It IS a great sink in terms of quality, and usability. Anyone caninstall it, and almost anyone would appreciate it's appearance, yet it'sperformance and cost are found to be lacking. If you could find thisheatsink on sale it would turn out to be a great buy, but otherwise... I'mnot sure exactly what would motivate users to purchase it, other than anunusual fondness for Zalman, and a wee case. XIGMATEK HDT-SD964 CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Aug-14-08] (0 Comments) With a trio of heatpipe direct touch CPU cooler reviews under our belts, I can definitively say that the tech is quickly catching on and spreading like wildfire. I am standing strong behind my statement from the last review of a H.D.T. cooler that I think this is the direction most CPU heatsinks will go in the future; much like the way nearly all CPU coolers use heatpipes nowadays.Today we are going to take a look at the HDT-SD964 from XIGMATEK. Unlike all of the Heatpipe Direct Touch (H.D.T.) coolers we have looked at thus far, this cooler does not use a 120mm fan. The HDT-SD964 uses a 92mm fan and is a little shorter than the others. This will allow the cooler to be placed in smaller enclosures like 4U server chassis’ and equal sized media center cases. Code of Honor 2:Conspiracy Island @ bit-tech.net [Aug-14-08] (0 Comments) The real problem with Code of Honor 2 isn’t the bad graphics,though those are the first thing anyone will notice. Poor graphics wecan cope with. Not every game has to have huge polygon counts and ProcedurallyGenerated Dynamic Mega-texture-awesomeness – but good games do have tohave something. They have to have a hook that can draw people in and makethem want to play more. Code of Honor 2 doesn’t have that.Utterly boring and bland and far too easy in the singleplayer game, aquarter-baked and shallow experience on the multiplayer side, Code of Honor doesn’t really do anything right and is doomed to soonreside in the bargain bin. There are two type of games to find in bargain bins though. There areold or unappreciated games that are still very much worth playing andthen there’s stuff that just couldn’t survive in a capitalist marketdue to a stunning lack of worth. If you’ve read the review this far andstill can't figure out which one we think Code of Honor 2 is then this is probably the game for you. Braid @ bit-tech.net [Aug-12-08] (0 Comments) Braid does have a few problems despite our love for it. Theoblique logic and lateral thinking that you need to learn how to applytoo rapidly scales up from Easy to Murderous, for instance, and thegame doesn’t always do a great job of introducing the new ideas. Worse, the game doesn’t even have a proper help page and there’sliterally no introduction to the rewinding mechanic until you die forthe first time – something you naturally spend your first go throughthe game trying to avoid. The combined ingenuity of the gameplay and the gentle, nostalgicbrilliance of the art and writing do manage to overcome this though andit’s a testament to the pacing of the game that you manage to learn allthese elements without any decent manual or instruction. Cerebral and startlingly playable, Braid is a throwback to the forgotten world of commercialplatformers and proper adventure gameswhere the puzzles were hard, but rewarding. At times it can be toodifficult for its own good, but the bulk of the game isn’t weighed downby this and Braid instead manages to float upwards, toexcellence. QNAP TS-409U Rackmount NAS @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-11-08] (0 Comments) QNAP wowed ThinkComputers a while back with its TS-109 Pro NAS, asmall, aluminum-cased, single-drive unit. QNAP has grown quite a bit sincethen, and recently released a larger unit for its small business andcorporate users, the TS-409U. The TS-409U is a quadruple bay rackmount NASwith support for up to 4 TB of space in a variety of storage configurations,including RAID5 and RAID6. Its variety of server software, including a fullLAMP stack and printer server, can provide usefulness and utility to usersat all levels of technical know-how and work goals. Thermalright IFX-14 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Aug-11-08] (0 Comments) This is just what Thermalright did with the IFX-14. The coolerconsists of twin towers linked by a set of heat pipes. Now I am not going togive you all the features here in the introduction. But I will tell you thecooler does come with a little surprise. Something that no other coolercomes with. If you want to know what it is then you will have to continuereading. Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1250W Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-09-08] (0 Comments) As enthusiasts build high-end computers which require more and morepower for the multiple processors, multiple graphics cards, and multiplehard drives in these rigs, power supply manufacturers, such as CoolerMaster, churn out power supplies with increasingly higher wattage to handlethese power-thirsty devices. Cooler Master sent ThinkComputers the nextgeneration of its Real Power Pro series, the six-12V-railed 1250W monsterwith enough connectors and juice to power just about anything one couldthrow at it. The Silent Release of the 740G @ pcper.com [Aug-09-08] (0 Comments) The greatest strength of this platform is likely the powerconsumption. At idle, with 2GB of memory, a 500 GB HD, a BD drive, and a X24050e, the system was pulling a very meager 55 watts from the wall. At fullload it was pulling 91 watts. If we consider that the Atom and Nanoplatforms that Ryan tested last week were around the same idle power, it isimpressive to think that a comparatively fast dual core processor with afairly robust integrated graphics portion is sitting in the same area atidle, and at full bore it is about 20 watts higher than the Nano with itsVIA/S3 Chrome based chipset. HTC Touch Smartphone ed @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) For me, Windows Mobile has always been primarily focused on data access, rather than data creation or modification. The Touch excels in this regard. It's not a multimedia powerhouse, but it will get an acceptable job done for most of your basic needs. If HTC added a hardware keyboard and a standard audio port, I think this would be a perfect Windows Mobile device. For now, if you are looking for a small, attractive smartphone and you can put up with a less-than-ideal input solution, the Touch may be a great option for you. ASUS MK241 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) The last LCD monitor we took a look at from ASUS was the 22-inchPG221. It was one of the most amazing LCD's that I have seen and if you area gamer you would definitely love it. One thing that it did lack was a HDMIport. This time around ASUS has sent us their 24-inch MK241 LCD thatfeatures full 1080p HD playback via an HDMI port. Not only that it features3000:1 contrast ration, integrated webcam, and ASUS's Splendid videotechnology. Let's see how the MK241 measures up. Vantec NexStar 3i External Hard Drive Enclosure @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-07-08] (0 Comments) The Vantec NexStar 3i External Hard Drive Enclosure incorporatespower saving modes to help save power and prolong the life of hard drives.It operates in three power saving modes:idle, stand by, and power down; allof which are automatic. The USB connectivity provides high data transferrates on hard drives with up to 1TB of data. The small design of the NexStar3i takes up very little desk space and even keeps cool with an aluminumcase. Read on further to see how it performs. [Affiliates News] Interview:Andrew Milligan, the Brain Behind Sumo Lounge @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-06-08] (0 Comments) It's been almost two years since we've conduced our lastinterview. There are so many interesting people in the world, I just don'tknow where to start! After taking a look at the Sumo Lounge SumoSac a fewweeks back, there's one person I felt like I really need to interview. That'sAndrew Milligan, the guy who came up with Sumo Lounge, a company that designsand markets beanbags, and brought it to what it is today. I really wanted toknow more about the brainchild behind this company when I read the WallStreet Journal article on some background to his business. But how much can acouple paragraph say? Not a lot. I'm really lucky to get to know Andrewhimself though. So, with our notebook (computers) and the such in hand, wehad an opportunity to sit down with Andrew over at Sumo Lounge with ourexclusive interview on APH Networks today.* Link:http://aphnetworks.com/lounge/interview_andrew_milligan_the_brain_behind...[1]* Image:http://aphnetworks.com/funstuff/sumo_lounge_sumosac_sultan_khaki/006.JPG [2]Thanks for your support. Don't forget to send your site news tonews@aphnetworks.com [3] as well!Best Regards,JonathanAPH Networks Tagan BZ Series 900W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-05-08] (0 Comments) I have reviewed Tagan's 2 previous power supplies the GuardianX1000W and the ITZ Series 1300W. Both power supplies performed well, butthere was one problem they were not modular. No one wants a ton of wireslaying around in their case. Tagan has a new series of power supplies, theBZ series which not only are modular, but are very attractive as well. Taganwas nice enough to send us the 900W version of the BZ series, let's check itout! Tagan CS Monolize Full Tower Case @ legitreviews.com [Aug-05-08] (0 Comments) Some may look at the cooling package of the Tagan CS-Monolize and think that it is not very elegant, but more along the lines of brute force. Well sometimes a hit with a big hammer is what gets the job done, and Tagan brought a really big hammer. They stuck two fans pushing 150 CFM each in a case that only takes up 2.4 cubic feet of space. So getting fresh air into the case is not an issue... Raidmax Aura Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-05-08] (0 Comments) Raidmax has just launched a series of mini-tower cases targeted to the female audience, Aura, available in four unique colors:seashell pink, emerald green, polar blue and “really black”. ASRock P45R2000-WiFi P45 DDR2/DDR3 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-04-08] (0 Comments) Our good friends at ASRock feel your pain. Building practicalsolutions for tough problems into motherboards is what they are best knownfor, and they have just released what may be the answer to your problems, anIntel P45 board capable of running both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. This isn't anew idea, a few companies did the same thing with the P35 last year. Mostattempts were less than awesome, but ASRock's board was clearly the bestattempt. With this experience under their belts, ASRock has released theP45R2000-Wifi. Will it be the solution for those wanting a gradual crossoverfrom DDR2 to DDR3? Keep reading to see! In Win Alpha360 Mini-Tower Case @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-04-08] (0 Comments) In Win is a king of case manufacturers. Their purview extends across the entire realm of beige, from the calm sea of beige to the shallow cliffs of beige, with the inoffensive beige plains between. I speak in jest. I have a soft spot in my heart for the oft-marginalized company, mainly because they made the first case I ever bought. It was, you know, off-white, a mini-tower affair that came with an adequate PSU. And even though I've since played with the full spectrum of cases, that first case I still have, and still use. Despite the color, it was way ahead of its time, both in layout and features. So I look at the Alpha360, boxed up in Engrish, and I think, people should know about these guys. These cases are awesome. I mean, these specific cases. The rest are all King Beige. NVIDIA Exiting Chipset Business? We take another look... @ pcper.com [Aug-02-08] (0 Comments) I think the majority of these concerns about NVIDIA's chipset busin ess started with the confirmation that NVIDIA was either not granted a CSI license by Intel (also known as Quick Path Interconnect, the bus for upcomi ng Nehalem/Bloomfield processors) or decided they weren't going to try to a cquire one to make chipsets for the first round of Nehalem processors. Ins tead, NVIDIA has offered up the nForce 200 bridge chip to potential X58 chi pset motherboard vendors to enable and allow SLI technology on Intel's upco ming platform shift. Many in our space saw this is a white flag from NVIDI A, that they weren't able to cut into Intel's chipset business as they'd ho ped. [Affiliates News] Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W (Report) @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-01-08] (0 Comments) Wow, time sure flies by. Precisely two months ago, I was stillsitting in a classroom, scribbling down notes and preparing for exams. Thenthere's the excitement of the stuff I have planned for the summer afterexams. And of course, I was often found at various car dealerships checkingout the latest releases (And of course test driving, which is just my excuseto redline cars) -- that aside, what I'm talking about is that I have thisThermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W modular power supply sittinghere at APH Networks for the last two months before I even started thisreport. Historically, I haven't been a big fan of Thermaltake power supplies.I owned quite a few of their cases, which were excellent. But the powersupplies, at least back in the days, were low in price but not really the'tier 1' performance that I'd come to expect. Generally speaking, this powersupply didn't capture much of my attention either due to my personalimpression. When I finally decided to open it and check what was inside overa month later, and did some research online, it seemed to me that theToughpower Cable Management 650W offered incredible performance across theboard. Was I surprised? Well, yes I was. Let's crack open this power supplyand take a look at the physical build of this Channel Well Technology builtunit in our report today.* Link:http://aphnetworks.com/reports/thermaltake_toughpower_cable_management_650w[1]* Image:http://aphnetworks.com/report/thermaltake_toughpower_cable_management_65...[2]Thanks for your support. Don't forget to send your site news tonews@aphnetworks.com [3] as well!Best Regards,JonathanAPH Networkshttp://aphnetworks.com [4]Add this newsletter issue to a newsletter by selecting a newsletter from theselect list.Send a newsletter or a test newsletter by selecting the appropriate radiobutton and submitting the node.Install Mime Mail module to send HTML emails. Mime Mail is also used to sendemails with attachments, both plain text and HTML emails. Rosewill Xtreme 630W Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-01-08] (0 Comments) Rosewill recently introduced the extreme 630W version of its Xtremeseries of extreme power supply units. The Xtreme 630W version retains thequadruple 12V rails and extreme SLI readiness of its more powerful Xtremesiblings, while adequately powering most mid- to upper-mid-end rigs.ThinkComputers goes man and machine, power extreme, in this review of theRosewill Xtreme 630W. Thermaltake DuOrb CPU Cooler @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-31-08] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake DuOrb CPU Cooler provides more than just CPUcooling. The dual fan design cools the entirety of the upper portion of themotherboard in addition to the CPU. The DuOrb includes double-sided radiantheatpipes disperse the heat through the extensive number of fins surroundeach fan. The mirror coated copper base provides even better heatdissipation between the contact surface and the CPU over other CPU coolers.Read on further for the full review. Cooler Master CSX Broodling Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-30-08] (0 Comments) We first got a glimpse at the Cooler Master CSX cases at CES. Theyboasted amazing and very unique paint jobs. CSX stands for Spire CoolFlow III - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Whenit comes time for an enthusiast to upgrade his or her processor,it's usually quite a momentous occasion. Lots of planning goes into theperfect choice of hardware, and it's not uncommon for a cooler upgradetoo; as faster usually means hotter. Therefore they usually go forsomething something much beefier than before – not one which lookssimilar to the stock Intel model. It’s odd saying that as today, we'vegot a Spire CoolFlow for review, which does, look remarkably similar tothe stock Intel heat-sink and fan. Let’s just hope it gives a boost inperformance. ASUS P5Q-E Intel P45 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Today I am looking at the Asus P5Q-E, one of Asus' threebudget-minded P45 motherboards, this one supporting CrossfireX, with two x 8slots, and one x 4 slot (the primary PCI-E slot is x 16 when a single videocard is used). It also sports heatpipe chipset cooling, and other featureswe'd expect only on Asus boards costing much more, all with an energy-savingtheme. How will this board stand up to the requirements of enthusiasts? Readon to see. Sumo Lounge SumoSac Sultan - Khaki @ aphnetworks.com [Jul-26-08] (0 Comments) You might think that, here at APH Networks, we're a bunch of geeks who own a dozen computers at home. Maybe a TV and a microwave, and that's about it. I don't know about other members of the APH Networks team (Sorry guys hehe), but here's the deal though:While I do have almost a dozen computers around here, and I do own a microwave and an HDTV, I have something more than that. After all, despite popular belief, we do have a life. Okay, jokes aside, my point is that we aren't all over tech and tech related stuff all the time. Once in a while, we do have non-computer related products here in our labs. It's already been two years since we looked at the Sumo Lounge Omni Beanbag Chair. Just a few months ago, we 'reviewed' the TWM Performance Complete Short Shifter Kit just for fun. Automotive accessories? Heck, yes. Last month, Andrew from Sumo Lounge got in touch with me again and asked if I wanted to take a look at their latest product, the Sumo Lounge SumoSac. Obviously, I said Eagle Consus I-Series ET-CSIU2J-BK Hard Drive Enclosure @ aphnetworks.com [Jul-26-08] (0 Comments) Today, SATA hard drives are still the most popular type of mass storage devices on the market today. Sure, there are flash SSDs -- but these SSDs easily cost around $500 for a 128GB unit. Even though SSDs are known for their performance, the are still undeniably pricier than a SATA hard drives with several times the storage capacity. With these cheaper SATA hard drives floating in the market today, we could easily buy more of them and obtain more storage for the price. On the other hand, if you are thinking about what you should do with extra hard drives laying around, you could always get an enclosure and put it in for additional storage as well. Such enclosures are especially good for those users with smaller cases, or just want to make use of unused SATA drives for external storage. Eagle Tech is not a new producer of hard drive enclosures, and promises solutions to external enclosures. To be honest, before this review I have never heard of the brand Eagle Tech. But after some research, I have seen many Eagle product on sale at online computer retailers for somewhat competitive prices. Today, we will be reviewing the Eagle Consus I-Series SATA to USB 2 Bay JBOD External Storage System; a mid-range dual bay hard drive enclosure, which retails for around $40 at press time. Technic3D/Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 @ technic3d.com [Jul-26-08] (0 Comments) The Sapphire Radeon HD4870 arrived Technic3D. The AMD Graphic Card with a SingleSlot Heatsink and a very good price better than oth er Graphic Cards? Technic3D will see the RV770 Chip in the following R eview with 2560x1600 up to 1280x1024 against the GTX280, 9800GX2, HD38 70X2 CrossfireX and many more on Windows Vista. [News] Thermalright TRUE Black 120 CPU Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-25-08] (0 Comments) So, do you NEED this heatsink? Should you rush out, and snap up thefirst one available? As much as I'm thinking Thermalright would love us tosay yes to that, the answer is really no. For standard cooling needs, aregular old Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme will do the job just fine, and ifyou throw in, what, a $3 set of fan clips, an $8 tube of thermal grease, anda $12 fan, you're still running a surplus. Is that the point? Hardly. Whatthis product is, is one of the best looking heatsinks that you can get ahold of, not to mention one of the best performing. When people see itthrough your case's window, not only will it say [News] VH Attends PDXLAN 12 in Portland @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-25-08] (0 Comments) There are LANs. And, then there are LANs! This weekend, I had areally good time attending PDXLAN in Portland, Oregon. This is one of thelarger LAN parties that sold out on 500 seats. As a matter of fact, theytend to sell out every LAN event due to the really cool swag and prizeraffles. PDXLAN happens about every six months. If you think that's tooclose together, you're mistaken. The LAN even sells out every time andthere's always a packed hotel because of it. You get complimentary pizza andBawls energy drinks Saturday night, but can order pizza and pastas from thesame pizza parlor pretty much anytime for delivery. How's that for service? CineRaid Quad-bay SATA/SAS RAID Device @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-25-08] (0 Comments) Every now and then, ThinkComputers gets the opportunity to review apiece of hardware which we'd consider dream hardware. Sometimes it'sattainable, but it's excess to most of us. The CineRaid Quad-bay SAS RAIDdevice is one of these. It's an external RAID device:it connects via aPCI-Express Serial Attached Storage card and adds extremely fast andfailure-tolerant storage to a system. It's meant primarily for professionalgraphic artists, but we gamers can drool and perhaps even purchase one ofour own if we have a burning need for speed. ThinkComputers reviews it. AMD's Phenom X4 9350e @ bit-tech.net [Jul-24-08] (0 Comments) There doesn't seem to be too much special with this particularsilicon.For the same price there are too many other processor choices thatoffer better performance in every other area - an Intel Core 2 QuadQ6600 is virtually the same price (and probably less following therecent price cuts) and offers oodles more performance, and many of ourreaders can testify to building a very quiet PCs based on this CPU.We're struggling to think of situations where you'd absolutely needthis CPU - the only one we can come up with is if you wanted aquad-core mini-ITX boardthat's limited to 65W. This would be the only option that would fit, soit wins by default. But then again we fail to understand why you'd buythis over a Phenom X4 9550Essentially, unless it fills a specific application you require, thenthis CPU is not for you. Even if you which is cheaper and you can simply underclock and undervolt it atouch. do decide you need it, you'll need to find a PhenomX4 9350e (it's been a month since launch and they're still notavailable anywhere UK or State-side). Sherlock Holmes Vs. Arsene Lupin - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-24-08] (0 Comments) SherlockHolmes:A popular fictional detective, born and based inLondon, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th Century.Many readers have been interested in his stories and adventures withhis sidekick Dr Watson. Who’d have thought that they would make a videogame about him? Turns out there is actually a series of games based onhis adventures, 4 in fact! Such titles as “Sherlock Holmes:TheAwakened” and “The Case of the Silver Earring”. Today I have with me,Sherlock Holmes Vs Arsene Lupin (anyone else think he looks likePoirot?) so let's see what it's like. Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-23-08] (0 Comments) So what does it take to beat the Thermalright Ultra-120 when it comesto all out performance? Well an improved Ultra-120 in this case it is calledthe Ultra-120 Extreme. So in order to beat the best you have to make itbetter. Now I think this is Thermalright thinking and we are here today tosee if this is true. Will the two extra heat pipes that were added to theoriginal make enough of a difference to dethrone the king? We will take timeto put the new cooler through some tests and see what happens. Razer Mako 2.1 THX Certified Multimedia System @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-23-08] (0 Comments) Razer and THX have teamed up together to design the Razer Mako 2.1THX Certified Multimedia System. This sound system offers OmniDirectionalspeakers which fill the entire room with surround sound. The Mako comesequipped with an all-in-one touch sensitive control pod which allows youhave the controls right at your fingertips. The control pod also provides3.5mm headphone jack for quiet listening and a 3.5mm auxiliary input jackfor those looking to hookup their iPod or MP3 player. This system certainlybeats others out there in sound quality, even those Bose MP3 player systemsyou might have. Vizo Milano MIP-100 HDD Enclosure & Multimedia Player @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jul-23-08] (0 Comments) The picture quality too is as good as, if not better than, the video recorded from my media pc, though I think it maybe not quite as good as DVD quality but it WAS a rip from a DVD so it would have been compressed and therefore cannot be as good. I played it on all outputs, composite, svideo and component and they all worked fine with component giving the best results, as you would expect. Griffin Wave iPhone Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-22-08] (0 Comments) It has been a while since the original iPhone was released and stillthere are products coming out for it. As far as cases go I've seen quite afew. It seemed that they were either really bulky, but provided goodprotection or very stylish and provided little protection. Well the Wavecase from Griffin seems to provide good protection, while still lookinggood. Let's take a look... Speedlink VOIP Mouse @ rbmods.com [Jul-22-08] (0 Comments) Todays product must be one of the oddest things we have reviewedever- and I've seen alot! We are going to take a look at Speedlinks VOIPmouse, this little mouse is the size of a laptop mouse and it opens up to bea corded Skype Phone. You can either receive calls or just make a callyourself. The small display shows you who is online and it allows you tocall straight from the phone, to me those features don't sound to bad buthow well does it actually works is the question I ask myself. Vigor iSurf II Hard Drive Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Jul-21-08] (0 Comments) The iSurf II from Vigor has an MSRP of $29.99 and a quick search on our shopping link shows that it can be found for less. For that price you get a solid attractive piece of hardware. Despite having two 40mm fans, it is rather quiet. Even with the test system sitting on top of the bench and the iSurf II at the same level as my head it was not noticeable over the rest of the system... Technic3D/Noctua NH-U12P Cooler @ technic3d.com [Jul-21-08] (0 Comments) The Noctua NH-U12P CPU Heatsink arrived Technic3D. The CPU Coo ler with one or two 120mm Fan and four Heatpipes. The newest revision has been reworked for enhanced main board compatibility and now comes with Noctua's NT-H1 pro-grade thermal compound and NF-P12 Fan. See you in the following Review the NH-U12P compared with 10 other Heatsink's . Technic3D/Powercolor HD4850 @ technic3d.com [Jul-19-08] (0 Comments) The PowerColor Radeon HD4850 arrived Technic3D. The new AMD G raphic Card with a SingleSlot Heatsink and a very good price better th an all the other Graphic Cards? Technic3D will see the RV770 Chip in t he following Review with 2560x1600 up to 1280x1024 against the GTX280, 9800GX2, HD3870X2 CrossfireX and many more on Windows Vista. LapLogic W800 Aerogel Extreme @ aphnetworks.com [Jul-18-08] (0 Comments) I'm not going to lie -- I'm a huge fan of plugging external peripherals into my laptop. Mock me all you want; but because nowadays laptops are so friendly with USB-mice (not so much PS/2 products), external speakers, mics, and even webcams, I feel obligated to take advantage. If you question my allegiance to external mice, I will proudly say that I have yet to use the touchpad at home, with the exception of the first time I set eyes on my Dell Inspiron 6400 to make sure it actually worked. In fact, there's a thin layer of dust collecting upon the keyboard and touchpad because of my external keyboard and mouse -- both of which I find to be more ergonomically-friendly. Why is it, then, that when we're on-the-go, our laptop coolers don't offer the support for our mice? I think it's a travesty that we are forced to use the touchpad and not a mouse -- especially if we brought one along for the purpose of using it. No worries though -- LapLogic took into consideration the mouse and conceived the W800 Aerogel Extreme. Using similar technology to the LapLogic G800 Aerogel Extreme, it's got an extra portion just for the mouse to rest on. Is it a step forward, or does it force you to take two steps back? Samsung YP-P2 MP3 Player @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-18-08] (0 Comments) Keeping up with our recent fascination with touchscreen devices, theSamsung YP-P2 gets rid of most of its physical controls in favor of a userinterface that relies almost exclusively on its large touchscreen display.While it may not necessarily be able to compete against the iPod touch, theSamsung P2 multimedia player still comes with a very healthy smattering offeatures. LG Flatron L206WU with DisplayLink @ bit-tech.net [Jul-17-08] (0 Comments) *Wiring up an additional monitor via a USB 2.0 port is certainly an attractive and intriguing option and the LG L206WU does just enough to suggest that DisplayLink could well be the interface of choice for PC monitors in the future. Flip Video Ultra Digital Camcorder @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-17-08] (0 Comments) Digital video has become extremely popular with websites likeYouTube. With YouTube anyone can upload a video and make it viewable to theworld in minutes. YouTube makes it easy for you, but most digital cameras donot. For one some digital cameras only let you take 30-second clips and theusually they are in some weird format that only your camera software canread. So you have to have some knowledge and software to convert the video.Pure Digital, makers of the Flip Video decided to make things easier for youwith a standalone digital camcorder that is extremely easy to use. Read onas we check out the Flip Video Ultra! A-DATA Gaming Series DDR2-800 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) Today I will be looking at a DDR2 4GB kit marketed towards gamers,the A-DATA Gaming Series DDR2-800 5-5-5-12. A-DATA probably isn't your firstchoice for high-performance memory, but in a mere 7 years, they have becomethe second largest vendor of memory modules in the world. Will the GamingSeries memory impress? Read on to see. ASUS EN9600GT SILENT Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) You’d think we would have looked at all 9600GT cards on the market, but I can guarantee there are more out there. The particular one we’re looking at today comes from ASUS and carries with it a silent cooler. We’ve seen GIGABYTE offer the 9600GT in silent form, sporting both 512MB and 1GB of GDDR3. MSI also has a card where the fan only spins when the card needs it. During our testing, however, the fan never actually spun.Silent cards are becoming quite the rage and everyone wants good performance without any noise. In the past, the design used to be reserved for low-end cards, but these days we seem to be able to get a good performing card that outputs not a single dB. In the highly competitive market that is the 9600GT, we will today see if ASUS are able to do anything that helps them stand out from the pack and if it’s a card worth looking at. Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer @ bit-tech.net [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) *Contact coolers, where the heatpipes are in /direct contact/ with the processor's heat spreader are becoming more and more popular, and today's heatsink review is a prime example of this new approach to heatsink design. Intel Centrino 2 Platform Launches - New CPUs and Hybrid Graphics @ pcper.com [Jul-15-08] (0 Comments) We mentioned switchable graphics above as a new power savingstechnology from Intel, but what exactly is it? Think of it as NVIDIA'sHybrid SLI technology for a notebook rather than a desktop; a notebook thathas both discrete and integrated graphics (as all Centrino 2 systems willhave) can either automatically or manually be switched from operating oneither GPU solution. This way you can see the benefits of an IGP solutionfor battery life concerns when necessary or utilize the performance of adiscrete GPU solution for gaming sessions when battery life isn't an issue. mStation Orb 2.1 Stereo Speaker System for iPod @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-15-08] (0 Comments) Without a doubt the iPod is the most popular MP3 player out there.If someone you know has an MP3 player most likely it is an iPod. With thepopularity of the iPod there are a plethora of accessories made specificallyfor the iPod. None is more popular than iPod speaker systems. Today we willbe taking a look at the Orb 2.1 Stereo Speaker System from mStation. Read onto see why it is called the Orb and if it the perfect iPod speaker systemfor you. Coolink Chipchilla Chipset Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Jul-14-08] (0 Comments) The Chipchilla from Coolink manages to decrease chipset temperatures while maintaining a low noise level. It is extremely light-weight being constructed of copper and aluminum all for an decent price. Limited availability and some installation issues are all that hold this cooler back. Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 Intel P45 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-14-08] (0 Comments) Today I will be looking at Gigabyte's latest mainstream LGA775motherboard, the EP45-DQ6. Based on the P45 chipset, and utilizing DDR2memory, this board boasts advanced energy-saving features, something we allhave to think about nowadays. Will this motherboard really save energy? Willit have the overclocking features and capabilities that we enthusiastsrequire? Read on to see... Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red DDR2-800 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) Yes, DDR2 is still a viable platform, and still suits well over halfof the enthusiast community just fine. But to put it bluntly, in the past,the PC industry has had no problem creating a new technology, and making theold obsolete, regardless of how we, the enthusiasts, feel about it. Yet herewe are, over a year into DDR3, and we steadily are seeing new DDR2 memoryand motherboards. Today I will be looking at Crucial's latest DDR2 modules,the Ballistix Tracer DDR2-800 4 gig kit. Besides a capability of 4-4-4-12timings, in a market that has seen DDR2 4GB kits for quite some time, whatcan Crucial do to make a PC2-6400 memory kit interesting enough for us totake notice? Read on to see! OCZ Vendetta 2 Heatpipe Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-09-08] (0 Comments) Now we have at our doorstep the Vendetta Dos ok the Vendetta 2. Thisnew and improved Vendetta is bigger and sports a larger cooling fan.Naturally, we would think that a larger version of a similar cooler woulddeem better temps and higher overclocks. Well we are here today to see ifthe theory correct. Thermaltake Armor+ MX Midtower ATX Computer Case @ legitreviews.com [Jul-08-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has tried to cram as many features from the larger “super tower” Armor case into this standard size mid tower, and did a good job of it. You have all the classic looks, the build quality, and you can still fit everything into the case. With shrinking space comes the 'snug factor'. The Thermaltake Armor+ case has close quarters, but you can still get most full length video card in this case. Metal Gear Solid 4:Guns of The Patriots ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jul-08-08] (0 Comments) Before MGS4 hit the shelves, a flurry of gameplay videos hit the web, and I couldn't help but watch a couple of them. These videos left me deeply worried about the game. Reservedly excited, you might say. The thing that really had me worried was that it seemed the formula might have been modified a bit too much - elements I had loved so much in the previous titles didn't seem to be there anymore. In a way, it just looked a bit like Call of Duty meets Splinter Cell, with some Metal Gear Solid rainbow sprinkles on top. So, after playing the game all the way through (and then some), were my reservations justified? Thermaltake Armor+ MX PC Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-07-08] (0 Comments) Today we got a chance to look at the Thermaltake Armor+ MX VH8000BWSMid Tower Case. The VH8000 series cases, eight total, come in both silverand black and some also include power supplies and pre-installed watercooling systems. Some handy features of this case include a compact designwith an optimal cooling system for both liquid and air systems. The included23cm fan keeps parts cool while being extremely quiet, despite its hugesize. Read on further to learn more about this case. Coolink GFXChilla VGA Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Jul-05-08] (0 Comments) The test results show that the Coolink GPUChilla dropped the idle temperatures by 49% and the load temperatures by an impressive 45%! Our only complaint on the Radeon HD 4850 was how hot the card ran and the Coolink GPUChilla took cooling to the next level. The 49% reduction at idle put the Radeon HD 4850 at 33C, which is better than we expected. The factory heat sink works, but it obviously leaves room for improvement... [News] Dynapower USA TP-LINK (TL-WR543G) 54Mbps and (TL-WR642G) @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-03-08] (0 Comments) Dynapower USA sent over the TP-LINK 54M Wireless AP Client Routerand the 108M Wireless Router. Each of the routers have XR, or ExtendedRange, technology which can increase the range 2 to 3 times the normal802.11b range. They both are designed for Small Office/Home Office wirelessnetworks, and integrate Firewall, NAT-router and Wireless AP. The 54M Routeradditionally sports a 4-port switch. Not only designed for the SmallOffice/Home application but for those of use on a small budget. Sigma SP-700 700W Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-03-08] (0 Comments) ThinkComputers liked Sigma's Shark 635W when we reviewed in inFebruary. It was a decent, affordable unit with a unique exterior design.The quad 12V-railed, 700 watt SP-700 is Sigma's newest model, and it ditchesmost of the qualities which made the Shark so unique. Despite its exterior,the functionality of the unit is still pretty decent. Read on, through, andsee where Sigma could improve the SP-700. SilenX iXtrema IXC-12HA2 CPU Cooler @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-01-08] (0 Comments) The SilenX brand is most commonly known for their cool and quietcase fans. SilenX, however, does manufacture heatsinks, power supplies, andother goodies. Today SilenX gave us the opportunity to review the SilenXiXtrema IXC-120HA2 Pro Series Heatsink. This vertical fin stack designoffers plenty one of SilenX's very own case fans, we actually got two totest out. The features include a fan speed controller, exposed copperheatpipes on the base, and an entirely screw-less design making for an easyand tool-less installation. abit AX78 AM2+ 770 chipset Mobo @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jun-30-08] (0 Comments) For this review I will be taking a look at one of the new motherboards Abit are offering, the AX78 Phenom compatible motherboard, which I think is fair to say is aimed more towards the budget end of the market.. Lenovo IdeaPad U110 11.1-inch Laptop @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-30-08] (0 Comments) We mainly know Lenovo for their line of ThinkPad notebooks, butconsumers really do not like those laptops because of their plain styling.Luckily for consumers Lenovo has released a new line of notebooks calledtheir IdeaPad series. We first got a look at Lenovo's Ideapad series at CESearlier this year. Out of the 3 new notebooks we were most interested in thevery tiny U110. This small laptop has a lot of very innovative features likea LED backlit screen and facial recognition. At only 2.92lbs it is a perfectnotebook for traveling and mobile users. Will all these features make theU110 worth its price tag? Read on to find out. Meridian F80 Audio System ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-28-08] (0 Comments) If you've never heard of Meridian, well, I hate to say it, but it's probably because you're just like me and can't afford to spend your entire annual income on a pair of loudspeakers. While I think it's safe to say that the F80 won't set you back that much, it's definitely not a cheap audio solution either. Let's take a closer look and see what kind of value the unit has to offer... ASUS EN9600GT TOP Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) The Asus 9600 GT TOP edition is obviously not the fastest card in NVIDIA’s line up but that is not the goal here. As of this writing, the Asus 9600 GT is selling for $129 after a $20 Mail-in-rebate, which is an astounding value! You get a card with a great cooling, low-noise heat sink, and an overclocked card for the same price as a reference model. Though the performance differences weren’t that large compared to the reference card the heat sink easily makes this card the, forgive the pun, TOPS in its class... NVIDIA Forceware 175.16 vs 175.19 @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) Most people would think that when NVIDIA, who is the world-class leader in graphics technology, releases a new driver to the public that SilenX iXtrema IXC-120HA2 CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) A few weeks ago we looked at the Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer, our first crack at a heatpipe to Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) direct contact CPU heatsink. In retrospect, nothing other than the base was very remarkable; at least nothing that would lead us to believe anything other than the contact point would cause such great performance. The fan used from Sunbeamtech was a silent type that does not push a large amount of air, and this only confirmed that direct heatpipe to CPU technology is more than just a marketing tool.Today we will be looking at another direct contact cooler, this time from SilenX. The SilenX iXtrema IXC-120HA2 is very similar to the SBT CCF; they even share the same mounting hardware. While the two are similar, they are not identical. The SilenX version is more robust, giving us the option of using two 120mm fans (one on each side of the fins). This is a feature that SBT did not include with their offering. Crucial Ballistix DDR3-2000 2GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) Yes, you read the title correctly, DDR3-2000. Isn't that incredible,that memory operating speed has climbed that high in such a short time?Think about it, one year ago, we were beginning to see the first DDR2-1066modules being released. Today, all memory manufacturers offer a DDR3-1600module, many offer a DDR3-1800, and over the past month the more prominentof them have released a DDR3-2000 module. Considering PC3 system memory hasonly been out for about a year, I don't think that we've come close toseeing the limits of DDR3. In Win PowerMan Commander 1200W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) In Win, purveyor of many fine cases which ThinkComputers reviewedthroughout the years, recently burst into the power supply market with itsPowerMan line of high-wattage units. Decorated like military hardware andsupplying 1200 or 1500 watts of sweet, sweet electricity, the PowerManseries is ready to ensure your weapon of newb destruction is solidly juiced.ThinkComputers locks and loads the PowerMan 1200W in this review. C&C Kane's Wrath Producer Interview @ bit-tech.net [Jun-23-08] (0 Comments) BT:Did you get anyfeedback from the fans on any specific things they wanted to seeimproved from Command and Conquer 3?JV:Yeah, absolutely. What we did find immediately was thatpeople didn’t think that the D-Pad was fast or comfortable enough toreally utilise in an RTS game. That was kind of the first thing wewanted to do – to try and find a new and natural evolution to theradial interface. And that’s kind of what the new interface does. Also, just in terms of the gameplay, a lot of people found TiberiumWarswas pretty tough and was very difficult on Xbox 360. With the newinterface though and with the game in general we think we’ve made iteasier by tuning the campaign a bit more and made it a better balanceof difficulty. Plus, a lot of the new units and the whole idea of just going back intime and looking at Kane and so on – all that was based on playerresponses. CradlePoint MBR1000 Mobile Broadband Router @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-23-08] (0 Comments) EVDO is basically wireless internet access that can be accessed overa cellular network. Almost every cell phone provider offers EVDO service.What's great about it is that anywhere you get a cell signal you getinternet access. No depending on a hotel's internet or a hotspot at a coffeeshop for internet access anymore. I currently use an Express card fromSprint that allows me to connect to the service, but what if I'm on a tripwith friends? Why should they have to pay $9.99 per day or more for internetwhen I already have access? That is where the CradlePoint MBR1000 comes in. Overclocking The NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Jun-22-08] (0 Comments) The highest settings we could get stable with the GeForce 9800 GTX+ were 855MHz on the core and 2200MHz on the shaders. That is 55MHz higher on the core and 175MHz higher on the shaders than what we could reach on the old 65nm G92 core. For those that like percentages the overclock is roughly 6% higher on the core and 8% more on the shaders, which is significant, but nothing over the top. Usually with die shrinks overclocking performance stays close to the same, even more so when no major architecture changes are made. It should be noted that the memory overclocked better on the GeForce 9800 GTX+ and it seems NVIDIA has moved over to Hynix branded GDDR3 memory ICs. The GDDR3 memory IC's on the new GeForce 9800 GTX+ card were Hynix H5RS5223CFR-N2C, which are rated 1200 MHz (GDDR3-2400) 0.8NS with 1.5V. These are the same memory IC's that were found on the GeForce GTX 280 cards we reviewed last week... Xigmatek Achilles CPU Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Jun-21-08] (0 Comments) The Xigmatek Achilles S1284 heatsink has many improvements over the famous HDT-S1283 cooler. There are now four U-shaped heatpipes, and they are nickel-plated. The fan design is new and unique as well, with its white LEDs that light up the fan's smoke frame and orange blades. Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 In Crossfire @ tweaktown.com [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) I actually tested the HD 4850 before I finished writing my review on the GTX 280, which turned out to be good news for AMD but bad news for NVIDIA. It completely changed my opinion on the GTX 280 before I had even finished writing. The thing is, the GTX 280 is a good card in the sense of what it’s capable of. Such technology as CUDA and PhysX are great inclusions. But I’m a gamer; I want FPS! - I can’t sum it up better than that, and the GTX 280 really didn’t deliver in that department. I wrote in my editorial the other day that the HD 4850 in Crossfire wasn’t going to bring me fully back into the world of PC gaming, but I think the HD 4870 has the ability to do this. While the performance on the HD 4850 is excellent in Crossfire, it’s not loads faster than the GTX 280. That’s fine; we didn’t expect it to be faster at all simply because of the price. The thing is though, it is, and this is awesome news for people who want what could probably be the absolute best value for money setup we’ve ever seen – Yes, ever! ASRock K10N750SLI-WiFi nForce 750a Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) ASRock is well known for their inexpensive motherboards that oftenhave innovative solutions for expensive problems, or they have big-boychipsets sometimes unavailable in economy boards, and they add onboard WiFito all of their motherboards. Will the K10N750SLI-WiFi, the firstmotherboard on the market sporting nVidia's #2 AMD chipset, make my firstPhenom experience a pleasurable one? Stay tuned to find out! Tom Clancy's EndWar 'voice-on' p @ bit-tech.net [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) Besides, for every negative we can think of about Endwar wecan also think of one or two positives. The game is obviously a labourof love for many of the developers and it’s clear than an awful lot ofwork has gone into not just perfecting the admirable science behind thevocal recognition software, but also the balancing and technicalitiesof the game itself. There are still a few things which need to be cleared up to satisfy ourcuriosity – is the game part of an entirely new franchise Ubisoft arelaunching and will the game be staying as an Xbox 360 exclusive, forinstance. These are matters on which Ubisoft is keeping understandablya bit quiet on for the moment.Still, whether or not the franchise looks set to spore one thing iscertain for the moment and that’s that Real-time Strategy buffs are infor a definite treat when it comes to Tom Clancy’s Endwar.The game may still look a little bit rough and may be a bit on thesmall-scale side of things, but the game is very fast-paced and has adeceptive level of depth once you’ve got to grips with the voicecontrols and are able to order groups to take cover in buildings orunleash special abilities. Endwar is an interesting looking game and while it obviouslyisn’t going to be the definitive Tom Clancy experience by the look ofthings (that honour still lies with Rainbow Six), it couldcertainly be one of the most interesting console games of this yearregardless. Gigabyte's GA-EP45-DQ6 motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Jun-18-08] (0 Comments) We do think Gigabyte has made a motherboard with a lot ofpotentialhere – the board currently works very well under default conditions. Ithas tons of features—and some are genuinely great little nuggets—far,far better software and very good performance for DDR2 but even thoughit has lots of BIOS options we are unable to use with the board in itscurrent state. Strip out the four Gigabit Ethernet sockets and strap on802.11n Wi-Fi instead would give it a similar high end appeal but withmore variety for home users. The hardware RAID implementation alsoneeds more thought put into it.What is has done for us is lay the foundations for what could be someawesome value friendly EP45-DS3R or the DS5 that we had a first lookat not too long ago. However, we'll give it a few months to see whatGigabyte comes out with on the BIOS side before we really see if theycan shine. Scythe Ninja Copper heatsink @ bit-tech.net [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) The key problem for the Ninja Copper lies in the fact thatwe’vealready tested ultra low noise coolers like the Noctua NH U12P andThermalRight Ultra 120 eXtreme, and not only were they very quiet, butboth performed brilliantly thermally. When you consider that the NinjaCopper is priced in the same region as these top performers, it becomesimpossible to recommend as even a silent cooling solution.The enormously frustrating mounting process for S775 and thefingerprint magnet copper surface are the final shuriken to the heartof the Ninja Copper. Scythe has left the Ninja’s design fundamentallyunchanged for over three years now, while its competitors have beenreleasing more and more advanced coolers, packing in more cooling finsand more efficient heat pipes - this is starting to show now.While it might be silent, we simply cannot excuse the poor thermalperformance and S775 mounting problems of the Ninja Copper, and at over£40, it represents very poor value for money compared to moderncompetition. Silent? Yes. Deadly? Definitely not. Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 Gaming Headset @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) Cyber Snipa is emerging on the gaming grade market with qualityproducts for a reasonable price. Today I got to a chance to take a look atthe Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset. The quality is muchhigher than I could have ever expected for the cost. Connecting through USBand having an in-line audio control the sound quality of the eight totalspeakers which includes a decided sub speaker in each ear. These stylishheadphones provide premium comfort and cooling with soft foam covered withvelour and mesh fabric. Asrock X48TurboTwins-WiFi @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) The Asrock X48TurboTwins-WiFi is the highest price motherboard fromthe company. But is cheaper than others sporting the same chipset. Spending$300 plus on a motherboard may be painless for some but many of us would beill for some time even thinking about spending that much money on amotherboard. So in this class the X48TurboTwins would be considered thevalue board at $240. We will put it thru the test and see if it is worth theasking price. Thermaltake DuOrb CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) Over the past year I have looked at several high performance heatsinks from various manufacturers. The mould has stayed the same for nearly all of the coolers; build it tall and put large 120mm fans that push the air to the top or rear of the case and hope a case fan removes the air quickly. This is a very efficient way to cool a processor, but it leaves pockets of air around the motherboard. Thermaltake has responded to the complaints of the motherboard manufacturers in a big way; they’ve brought the Orb design back into the big leagues. This time it’s as a twin fan that will not only cool your processor, but your memory, back side of your graphics card and motherboard as well. Acer AL2016WB Widescreen 20-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) Today I will be looking at the Acer AL2016WB 20 Asus Eee PC 901 First Impressions @ bit-tech.net [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) We like the Eee PC. It's small, it's lightweight, it'sperfectlybalanced - it's perfect for press trips; in other words when we need adinky little notebook to help us bring you the latest news and reviewsfrom events round the world. Also, at the same time, it runs Linux - which can't help but appeal tothe elitist geek in all of us. The nice folks at Asus know that we like the Eee PC as well, which waswhy they took the first possible chance to head down to the new bit-techoffices and show us the brand new model of the insanely popularsub-notebook. The Eee PC 901 is the latest in the Eee PC line and is fundamentallysimilar to the Eee PC 900 we revieweda few weeks ago, but with a handful of new features and software thrownin - including a new 1.6 GHz Atom Processor instead of the older,underclocked Celeron. On top of that swanky, sparkling new 45nm CPUchip, the Eee PC 901 also houses new Bluetooth support and Dolby SoundRoom on the XP versions, but unfortunately not the Linux like we havehere. 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. Our 5 Favorite iPhone Apps @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-15-08] (0 Comments) The iPhone has been out for a while and Apple has just announced thenew iPhone 2.0. Many people are excited about the 2.0 firmware for bothversions of the iPhone because they will be able to download applicationsfor their iPhone for mobile use. Well I'm sure you have heard about peoplejailbreaking their iPhone's. That is the first thing that I did when I gotmy iPhone! Jailbreaking opens up the iPhone so you can put third partyapplications on it. There are a ton of applications out there, but we have alist of 5, which are our favorites. QNAP TS-409 Pro Turbostation @ techpowerup.com [Jun-14-08] (0 Comments) QNAP already added nearly every thinkable feature to their NAS firmwares. To make a new series innovation had to be found elsewhere. QNAP decided to double the capacity in their TS-409 Pro and add features to utilize this space. The four disks that the TS-409 Pro houses can therefore be put in any RAID level including 6. Besides adding RAID 5 and 6 support QNAP shows they take their RAID arrays seriously by adding support for online expansion and RAID migration. Combined with the already proven ease of use and list of software features the TS-409 Pro Turbostation promises to be a solid product. OCZ EliteXStream 800W @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) The EliteXStream is the example of what two companies can think upwhen they get together. The EliteXStream is a single 12 volt rail behemoththat is sure to raise some eyebrows. The EliteXStream belongs to the crowdof people that believe all the power should be in one main 12 volt rail.This is a philosophy that we have seen for many years from PC Power andCooling. But if you are a member of the multi-rail power supply club, OCZhas the ProXStream for you. The EliteXStream is available in to varieties,an 800 and 1k models. Each is enough to power the biggest of gaming systems.And today we will be reviewing the 800 watter for you. Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) Noctua changed things up a little this time around by going to a down draft style cooler, but in the process they made several improvements. The biggest, and most noticeable, is the reduction of the overall height. The NH-C12P is 2.63 inches or 67mm shorter than its predecessor, the NH-U12P. At an overall height of 4.5 inches or 114mm (with the fan), it can fit in cases that the NH-U12P could never think of, such as desktop mini tower... Thermaltake @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) Although we were unable to make it out to Taipei for Computex thisyear our friends at Thermaltake were nice enough to give us all theinformation on their new cases, power supplies, and coolers. Although theydid not announce as many products as they did during CES they still had somereally cool new products. Let's take a look and see what Thermaltake has instore for us! ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf 7-inch Laptop @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-11-08] (0 Comments) When the Eee PC was announced many people were excited for it,myself included. The thought of a small 7-inch laptop for under $400 wouldexcite anyone! Now this is a budget notebook so you're not going to beplaying games on it, but for most people they do 2 things on their computer,surf the web and word processing. Having a small notebook that can easily becarried and used for those functions for that price tag is pretty amazing.Now the notebook comes with Linux pre-installed, that might be a barrier forsome people, but we will have to see how we like it. Read on to check outthe ASUS Eee PC! Samsung SC-MX10 Digital Camcorder @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-10-08] (0 Comments) Digital cameras revolutionized the consumer photography scene and itseems that we are currently undergoing a similar revolution in the arena ofdigital videos. Up until now, most digital camcorders have been tooexpensive for the average consumer. With products like the Samsung SC-MX10Flash Memory Camcorder, it just got a heck of a lot easier for Joe Public totransform into the next Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese. Oh, I guess youshould have some movie-making talent before you can make that leap. Age of Conan:Hyborian Adventures @ bit-tech.net [Jun-09-08] (0 Comments) It’s always a painful and futile experience to try reviewing anMMO.For instance, there are problems with credit cards and the inevitablefact that we forget to cancel the subscriptions after the review isdone, therefore inadvertently charging a couple of hundred pounds tocompany credit card. Most of all though, the review very quickly runs out of date as thegame is constantly updating and how much anyone enjoys the game ismassively dependent on the calibre of gamers they end up gamingalongside. That means you’re going to have to take any conclusions weoffer with a pinch of salt – ok? Just so we’re clear.That said, Age of Conan is a lot of fun once you get intoit – the proviso mainly being that you do have to make an effort to getinto and jump over the initial few hours of boredom. Game designers seem to be labouring under the impression at the momentthat MMO games as a genre have only one aim; to topple World ofWarcraftas Lord of the Pings. To do this, they seem to think that you need acertain gimmick or hook – PvR gameplay or genre blending MMOFPS actionfor instance. So far, that tactic doesn’t seem to be doing to well – soit’s refreshing to see that Age of Conan bucks the trend andinstead focuses on creating just a solid and persistent world to playin. Age of Conan:Hyborian Adventures doesn’t bring anything hugelynew to the table and the only real gimmicks it has going for it are thefranchise behind it all and the fact that you can’t take two stepswithout faceplanting into the second biggest pair of boobs you’re everlikely to see. It’s a fun and accessible RPG though, and on that frontit can’t be faulted. Zalman Reserator XT External Water Cooling System @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-09-08] (0 Comments) The Zalman Reserator XT offers more than your typical external watercooling system. It includes detailed gauges and sensors for the avid watercooler wanting to know what's going on. It also allows, with ease, thesupport for additional water blocks. Don't worry about remembering to refillthis system because it will tell you when it's thirsty. Read on further tosee what other features the Reserator XT has to offer. Corsair XMS3 DHX DDR3-1600 EPP 2.0 Certified 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) Today I will be looking at one of Corsair's latest system memoryproducts, the TW3X4G1600C9DHXNV, a PC3-12800 4 gig kit verified at DDR3-16009-9-9-24 @ 1.8v, and sports nVidia's EPP 2.0 nForce certification, alongwith Corsair's DHX patented heat spreaders. Will the XMS3 prove to be thestrong, stable, trustworthy product that we have come to expect from memorybearing the Corsair sails? Read on to see! Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Processor @ aphnetworks.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) When we speak of heated competition in the computer world, we used to think of two pairs of rival camps:Intel and AMD, and then there were the nice memories of ATI and NVIDIA. After July 2006, it seems the maps have changed as AMD began to fight its still-ongoing two front war like Germany in World War II. Interestingly, this two front war came just at the right time after Germany took over the French capital. Those were the days when the Athlon 64 X2 was owning the Pentium D. Then they tried to blow its way against the east by spending $5.4 billion buying out ATI Technologies. Meanwhile, the other team were getting their acts together and the United States entered the war -- Intel brought in the Core 2 Duo that literally owned AMD in the enthusiast and consumer market. Two years later, Intel continued to floor the gas pedal -- and it's not a gas pedal in just any car -- continuing the cycle of price slashes, new stepping revisions, and lately the arrival of the Penryn 45nm CPUs. Well, here we are, with two vastly different CPUs sitting in our labs right now. Of which one is a so-called 'low end' dual core Wolfdale E7200 CPU (Like dang, I paid $200 for an E6300 back in 2006... this thing is low end? It's faster than an E6600) priced at $133 per 1000 units, and the second is the second best consumer processor from Intel -- the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 retailing for over $1000. Today, we'll look at the Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale CPU and see how much bang you can get for the buck. G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D DDR3 Memory @ rbmods.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) Today we look at the new DDR3 kit from Gskill. The F3-12800CL7D seemsto be a middle class memory kit from Gskill that is supposed to perform verywell, it is also equipped with a new heatsink that is also supposed tooutperform the old design Gskill uses. Check out the rest of the review tosee what speeds we can boost this ram kit to. Razer Mako 2.1 Speaker System ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) Razer's entrance into the gaming sound arena was impressive and simple, following the path they'd cut for input devices. Their audio lineup includes a superb sound card, a headset, and a 2.1 speaker system. Their sleek style stands out first, and, priced as they are-- $400--quality is expected. Re-thinking the very shape of a speaker seems appropriate. Not only for Razer, but also for THX, their partner in this matte-finish affair. The center of the re-design is simple: point the drivers down, bounce the sound out in every direction. And now every spot is the sweet spot. But their combined forces multiply marketing, add to the technical BS, and I say there are faults to find. Thermaltake Bigwater 760i Liquid Cooling System @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has made water cooling easy with the Bigwater 760i 2UDrive Bay Liquid Cooling System. This system is internal and fits nicelyinto two empty drive bays in your case. This system has everything that youneed to get started, even coolant and tubing. This is the first watercooling system that I have ever built and found it quite easy and fun toinstall. This system provides many nice features even the water cooling guruwould find attractive. Read on further to find out what they are. Diamond Viper HD 3870 1GB Video Card ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-04-08] (0 Comments) Under the heatsink is a whole lot of GDDR3, which in itself doesn't mean much--you can find a pile of budget cards with a gig of RAM, the extra memory incapable of boosting their meager performance--but the 3870 is plainly able to fill its frame buffer. If it were truly a budget card, it would come off as sheer marketing; with a high-end card like this, it really does make a difference. The last great ATI card was the HD 2900 XT, a spectacular misfire. But despite it's ridiculous power consumption, sub-par video processing, and tremendous heat with the blower to match, it still beat out the 512MB HD 3870. I hoped that this redesigned 3870 would have what it takes to finally put out the year-old performance despot. And it does, in almost every way. 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. GFXChilla by Coolink @ modders-inc.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) The GFXChilla is a new cooling solution for your graphics cardthat uses two fans and a series of heat pipes. It easily dropped thetemperatures of the video card and installing the card is a simple process. NEW CONTENT (Computex Taipei 2008 Coverage) - Day 1 News Links @ tweaktown.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) Day 1 of Computex 2008 sees Intel announcing and demonstrating its latest additions to its processor and chipset families - Atom now takes its place in Intel's processor line-up with other names like Pentium and Core. For my first meeting of 2008 I was invited to the GIGABYTE suite in Taipei 101, and what a view from the 36th floor! - But being the computer geek I am, the sight from within was even better.With Atom launching today, GIGABYTE’s GA-GC230D Atom powered motherboard was on display. We are really looking forward to getting this one in for review. The Reflection HTPC @ bit-tech.net [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) So now its time again for me, the crazy Swede, to build a HTPCcase -but this time, I have strayed a bit from my usual path. I'm trying togo a bit more clean and stylish in my design than before. My casemods usually have some skulls, flames or pentagrams in them, butthis one has none of that at all. Even I get tired of the same oldthing eventually, so now it's time for me to boldly go where I haven’tgone before. My past projects like the Pentagram HTPC and the WeightedCompanion PCwere a lot of fun to build and I'm very happy with them, but fittingthe pentagram beneath my TV turned out to be a bit of a problem. So,this time I'm going small sleek and stylish...or at least I think so.The aim here is to build a case that could be used in any living roomwithout scaring your grandma out of her socks. For me that is a bit ofa challenge since I have no experience in this type of design. But,enough with the small talk - lets get to it and do some case building. Computex Taipei 2008 Coverage - Day 0 News Links @ tweaktown.com [Jun-02-08] (0 Comments) In the lead up to the show, we heard nothing but people complaining that the show would be a disaster because of the travelling between halls. While we agree it is a bit of an inconvenience, but we don’t think it is that bad as everyone is making out. Here's why.We met several companies out in the Nangang hall today and we can report that by taxi from the Grand Hyatt, it took us 12 minutes to get out there or $180 NTD around 2pm. We heard reports that it would take up to one hour in peak out but that’s just not true. We returned back to the Grand Hyatt at just after 5pm and it took a little over 15 mins or $220 NTD. Given the show hasn't started yet, it won't add that much time as the express way is rather good. Honeywell Arius 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-02-08] (0 Comments) Honeywell is not a name you think of when you think of LCD Monitors,actually they are very new into the market. Recently they partnered withSoyo to produce LCD monitors and televisions. We got a chance to take a lookat one of their latest LCD's the very affordable Topaz S 24-inch LCDmonitor. Now Honeywell has a new LCD that is a more advanced and premiumversion of the Topaz S. Let's take a look at the Arius 22-inch WidescreenLCD Monitor! The Mobile Charge @ pcper.com [Jun-02-08] (0 Comments) In our line of thinking we often consider the CPU the core of theplatform, but that is beginning to change. In the Tegra line the CPU actsas the conductor of the platform, but most of the performance features thatNVIDIA is pushing are actually accelerated by the graphics portion of theplatform. Consider how video decode and encode has gone from the CPU to theGPU in the past several years. This is merely an extension of that overalltrend, but trimmed down to the very basics. Nehalem and X58 show up in Taipei @ bit-tech.net [May-30-08] (0 Comments) First, the CPU and its new socket:while the roadmaps say thehigh-endNehalem to be launched in Q4 will have up to eight cores, the one MSIhad in its office was just a quad-core but with eight threads. The socket is still LGA, but instead of the 775 used on current boards,this one now features 1366 pins and is slightly rectangular – notPentium Pro rectangular, but simply a stretched out square. The back of the socket now has a metal backplate to brace itself andI’m afraid you’ll be buying a new heatsink too because the socketfittings have changed since LGA775. In fact, the whole area that needsto be exclusively for “Intel CPU use” is now apparently over twice thevolume of that compared to LGA775 giving motherboard manufacturers evenless space to shoehorn in additional components. Technic3D/EKL =?UTF-8?B?R3Jvw58tQ2xvY2snbmVy? @ technic3d.com [May-30-08] (0 Comments) The EKL Gro=C3=9F-Clock'ner CPU Heatsink arrived Technic3D. Th e CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan, H.D.T. technology, 4 Copper heat pip es and easy installation. See you in the following Review the EKL comp ared with Standard Boxed Cooling, Xigmatek, OCZ and more. Apple iPod Touch 8GB and Giveaway! @ illuminandi.com [May-30-08] (0 Comments) Apple pulled all the stops for this device, and it shows. Presentation and looks are flawless, though the niche in the market for a device of this complexity and price is shrinking. Thermaltake BlacX SATA to USB HDD Dock @ tweaktown.com [May-30-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has just come up with the ultimate enthusiast accessory; at least that is what went through my head when I first saw the press release of the new BlacX and BlacX SE. As I read the release my mind started to drift away, thinking about the two foot tall stack of SATA drives sitting in my closet and how useful it would be to just grab a drive and start transferring data to it within seconds. Forget about the need to take off the side panel, get on the floor, find a flash light and locate one of two hundred SATA cables that are in the room (that you can never find when you need one). Just grab a drive and plug it in. If this scenario sounds familiar, than you are definitely a PC enthusiast and will want to read on to have a look at the new Thermaltake BlacX. Cyberlink to launch new TrueTheatre video-enhancing @ bit-tech.net [May-30-08] (0 Comments) Cyberlink, the Taiwanese outfit behind the popular PowerDVDsoftware isabout to launch some new technologies – we were given exclusive firstaccess to its new Noise Reduction technologies, Video Stabiliser, VideoUpscaling (re-engineered) and fps upsampling engines.The products are still in the development stages – the noise reductionwon’t be available until next year, we were told, so the technology wasstill a work in progress and “out of its PowerDVD wrapper”. Cyberlinkis branding everything top to bottom to match its TrueTheatre range –if you’ve already seen PowerDVD 8 you’ll be aware of the TrueTheatreSurround audio upscaling option that’s already nosed its way in there.First up, the TrueTheatre HD technology – this is the latest generationof Cyberlink's CLEV which is specifically designed to upgrade DVDs toHD resolutions while retaining the quality. Cyberlink admitted it wouldnever be as good as an original HD print, however, it also will try tocapitalise on the many DVDs already sold and many HDTVscurrently being sold. >From the demo video, it looks pretty perfect (as we’d expect) althoughperhaps a little too sharp in some places. We were told that thesharpness and other factors were not a changeable setting, it wassimply going to be an on or off option at the current time. ASUS EAH3850 X2 1GB Dual GPU Video Card @ thinkcomputers.org [May-30-08] (0 Comments) Recently, ASUS was among the first companies to put a pair of ATI HD3850s on a single graphics card, for a more affordable dual-GPU experience.I reviewed a Radeon HD 3850 (single GPU) earlier this year, and was veryimpressed with it.performance just shy of an 8800GT at $100 less. A pair onone card should be an awesome experience. Today I will be looking at theASUS EAH3850 X2 1GB, twin 3850s with 512MB each, one of the few on themarket. Will it meet my dual-3850 expectations? How will it compare to the9800GTX, nVidia's top of the line single-GPU card? Read on and see! Boom Blox (Wii) @ bit-tech.net [May-29-08] (0 Comments) With all that said though, there are a few weak points in BoomBloxwhich perhaps limit how much fun you can have with it. The first andmost damaging flaw is the length of the game because after only a fewhours of gaming we¡¦d already finished nearly the entire Explore modeand were making a decent dent in the Adventure side of things. The other thing to bear in mind is that, like all puzzle games, BoomBloxwill frustrate you as much as it¡¦ll keep you entertained. Playingthrough the Chemical Blox campaign in Explore mode was something we didwith ease until about the eighth level, at which point we got stumpedfor more than an hour. Lots of swear words were uttered before weeventually got a gold medal. Still, it¡¦s all very much a minor chink in the armour of BoomBloxand this is definitely one of the must-have family games in ouropinion. As a party game it may play second fiddle to the likes of Warioware,but if you¡¦re after something to play on a week night when you don¡¦tneed a bottle of tequila to have fun then this is definitely the gamefor you. The combination of fluid controls, screaming chickens and hugeexplosions is a sure winner. Cyber Snipa Stinger Laser Mouse @ thinkcomputers.org [May-29-08] (0 Comments) Most people probably haven't heard of the Cyber Snipa brand. Thiswas the first time that I've ever used or even heard of their products.Don't let this fool you. The Cyber Snipa Stinger is quite a powerful mouseand if you ask me, a better mouse than most other high end gaming mice. Itoffers everything you can think of in a gaming mouse:ergonomics,comfortable, weight system, mice feet, and horizontal scroll just to name afew. Read on further to see how good this mouse really is. ZEROtherm ZEN FZ 120 CPU Cooler @ thinkcomputers.org [May-28-08] (0 Comments) ZEROtherm has really made a name for themselves over the past year.The last 3 products we reviewed from them scored very high and all of themhave received awards. But there are still people who have not heard of them.Well ZEROtherm has announced a new cooler, the ZEN FZ 120, which they werekind enough to send us. Will it perform up to what we have grown to expectfrom ZEROtherm? Read on to find out... Asus Xonar DX PCI-Express sound card @ bit-tech.net [May-26-08] (0 Comments) The Asus Xonar DX isn't the perfect product a spec sheet wouldlead youto think – its software interface might be appalling and we've had towait for a proper EAX driver to fix popular games like BioShockand Half-Life 2:Episode Two,but at least it installed without issue on various systems includingboards based on Intel’s P965, X48 and P45 chipsets, along with NvidianForce 780i SLI and AMD 690G-based motherboards – we even used an x8slot instead of just an x1 and as expected, it made no difference. Theonly problem we've heard is that there are issues with it and the 790iUltra SLI because of the PCI to PCI-Express bridge chip. The Xonar DX has a fantastic core feature set – its sound quality islargely indistinguishable compared to the Xonar D2X and it'ssignificantly better than on-board audio. What’s more, the price tofeature ratio is what makes it very accessible to buy.In games (where EAX is progressively becoming less of a key feature),the quality was absolutely excellent, and now finally there are gameslike BioShockthat benefit from the working GS3D 2.0 engine, but that's not to saythat future EAX games will though. However, Asus did come througheventually and in only a few weeks, which is more than can be said forCreative's driver tradition.While we may harp on about Creative's record of support and bug fixing,what would happen if someone reverse engineered Asus’s software toenable DTS effects on the DX? Or opened up the ALT for other use? Asushas also yet to prove itself on how it supports its soundcard productsin the long term – it’s