The latest graphics card megatest is here:
Buyers Guide 2006 pt. 1
Buyers Guide 2006 pt. 2
The latest graphics card megatest is here:
Buyers Guide 2006 pt. 1
Buyers Guide 2006 pt. 2
Graphics Card Megatest Part 3
Nvidia is improving the production process of its new family of cards, so the GeForce 7600 and 7900 cards are manufactured on a 90 nanometre process instead of the older 110 nm one. The most tangible result of this refined production process is the cards' lower heat output under load. From a performance perspective, the GeForce 7600 GT can be considered a replacement for the GeForce 6 series. Nvidia is also doing some spring cleaning with regard to its more recent product lines; it looks like the 7900 GT is the designated successor to the 7800 GT and GTX cards, in terms of both price and performance.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/05/15...2006_part3_uk/
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Hard Disk Charts
This page is updated on a regular basis and provides a unique resource for everybody who is looking for a hard drive - whether it is for home or for business use. Our new service is free and allows for interactive performance comparison, real-time price/performance and costs per Gigabyte analysis.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/storage/charts.html
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Intel's RAID 5 NAS
Even a multi-billion dollar outfit such as Intel needs to find new pathways to tread. The giant has reorganized itself in the past year, and is looking to gain customers by offering comprehensive hardware platform solutions. Complex technologies are often easier to market in this way, and as a nice side effect, the company can also sell more chips at the same time. This also gives Intel the opportunity to sound out new business opportunities, such as networked storage - one with high growth potential.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/05/19..._raid5_nas_uk/
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Press Release: Thermaltake Socket AM2 Cooler
"Thermaltake Technology has recently announced the new silent AMD Socket K8 / AM2 heatsink – TR2 R1. The TR2 R1 matched with the special hanging 9238 fan utilizes the chassis airflow and provides the smoothest airflow while looking great. The easy-to-assemble nature of the TR2 R1 will please both the silent-computing enthusiasts and system integrators." ~thermaltake.com
http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/2032/82/
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Lian-Li PC-201 Case
Lian Li has built upon their success with the PC-V style chassis originally seen in the PC-V1000 and PC-V1100. This upside down, power supply on the bottom, sectional design opened many doors for system builders and modders alike. By compartmentalizing areas of the case, thermal and wire management issues became more streamlined and simplified. Who doesn’t like a tidy case?
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...-201/index.htm
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Akasa PowerPlus 650W Power Supply
Akasa is well known for a wide variety of PC accessories such as cases, coolers, cables, control panels, lights, and power supplies. This review will be taking a look at the server class Akasa PowerPlus 650W model. This power supply meets ATX12V 2.01 & EPS12V 2.11 specifications, and is capable of supporting even the most power hungry single or dual CPU systems.
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/r...-P650FF_1.html
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Liam
AMD socket AM2:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/05...hlon_64_fx-62/
The $100 Laptop
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/05...t_kids_laptop/
Liam
Overclocking:
Beginners Guides: Overclocking the CPU, Motherboard & Memory
The term overclocking is thrown around a lot, for better or worse. If you're one of the many who has never overclocked, this guide will explain what it is and how to do it to the computers' processor, motherboard and memory. - Version 1.0.0
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1804
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AMD Athlon 64 General Overclocking Guide
Everything you ever wanted to know about Athlon 64 overclocking, and then some. If you are confused about HTT, LDT, memory dividers and relationship between these settings, then read on. This in-depth overclocking guide will show you how to get the maximum from your brand new Athlon 64 system.
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=get...142&howtoID=58
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Pentium 4 Northwood Overclocking Guide
For as long as we've had personal computers, overclocking a low-priced processor to match the speeds of higher clocked (and higher-priced) models has been a popular endeavor for many. Many old-timers can regale you with stories of their incredible overclocking feats of bringing a 286 processor to a full 18 MHz, which were unheard of heights for that particular age. The same goes for the 386 and 486 processors, which with the right mix of motherboard and user skill, could also be overclocked marginally. This may seem rather strange in this day and age, but jacking a 486-50 to 66 MHz was quite the relative performance jump.
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/...le.php/1380951
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XbitLabs OC Guide
Have you always wanted to see what your processor is capable of but feared to do something wrong? Today there is an illustrated guide that will take you through the entire process, step by step. With our new guide CPU overclocking will be as easy as ABC!
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu.../oc-guide.html
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Beginner's Guide to Overclocking for Performance.….and Value!
Since entering the mainstream, overclocking has gained both fame and infamy. While easy overclocking of mainstream parts has allowed ordinary users to become overclocking novices, some vendors also adopted overclocking, in some cases pushing cheap parts to their breaking points solely for promotional purposes, often prompting community backlash. Today, popular appeal has lead enthusiasts and engineers to throw considerable resources at the effort -- such that overclocking for bragging rights now seems the primary raison d'etre. Hence the general sentiment of many outside observers: Why pay $300 for the flashy equipment necessary to make a $150 processor perform like a $450 processor, but with less longevity?
http://www.sysopt.com/features/softw...le.php/3608801
Liam
XFX GeForce 7950 GX2 XXX Edition Video Card Review
NVIDIA, in spite of any of their minor flaws has been dominating the VGA scene for the past few quarters, and ATI regardless of having a bit better image quality in 2D and usually 3D as well cannot seem to beat the GeForce 7 machine and their partners. NVIDIA has now upped the ante so to speak and instead of the Gigabyte 3D1 series of Dual-Graphics cards in a single slot solution we get the new 7950GX2 from NVIDIA themselves. What's so special? Well for starters compatibility, NVIDIA has ensured that many boards not just a single company boards, will support the new cards. For many users, a simple BIOS flash will allow you to use the new 7950 series cards in your existing board. For those building a new system from the ground up, no worries here almost all manufactures have a board that will suit your need and support the new 7950GX2. If you are looking for one of these bad boys to come in an AGP flavor you are looking to the past my friend as the PCIe interface is the only slot that can accommodate the 7950 series cards and the AGP is on its way to the graveyard.
http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/...re/1624_1.html
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Enermax Modular 1000W (1Kw) Power Supply
The EGA1000EWL provides a maximum power of 1000 W; the EGA850EWL is its small brother at 850 W. Both are compliant to next year's EPS12V specification, which is expected to be launched as "EPS12V 3.0". However, as the standard has not yet been finalized, Enermax simply calls it EPS12V 2007. The main addition is a fifth 12 V rail that is used to provide sufficient energy for multi-processor/multi-core and multi graphics cards solutions. Enermax claims to reach an efficiency of 80-86%, which is clearly above average. The PSU is kept cool by a huge 135 mm fan and a second 80 mm fan.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2006/0...max_1000w_psu/
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HIS Radeon X1800GTO IceQ3 Turbo
Around September last year, we had an influx of high performing mid range graphics cards based on ATI R4xx series cores, boxed and labled as X800GT and X800GTO. This was a good thing for all concernced as ATI and the card manufacturers were able to sell on less than perfect GPU's as well as sell on excess stock of X800 series GPU's. These cards were sold at a relatively inexpensive price point but came with a high performance level for that price point. There was also the possibility that lucky card owners could flash the BIOS on their cards to 'unlock' the pixel pipelines on their card and get a full fledged XT or XL. It was good for consumers and it was good for ATI and the card manufacturers.
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/vid...to/index.shtml
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ASUS Extreme Radeon EAX1900XTX Video Card
For performance enthusiasts, there's no such thing as too much power. Of course when it comes down to dropping half a grand on video cards, they are not always the most reasonable of choices, but reason be damned if it means we can get more eye candy and speed. Nevermind the insanity of cashing in those rent checks by doubling up cards for either CrossFire or SLI.
We'll come back to the whole justification of spending a lot of money on hardware, but let's focus on the review at hand as we were lucky enough to have ASUS send over their latest flagship ATI part in the form of the ASUS Extreme Radeon EAX1900 XTX Video Card. Everything from Avivo to Shader Model 3 is here, but we can find this on ATI's own cards. The question is, does ASUS bring anything unique to the table?
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/vid...tx/index.shtml
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Antec Performance One P180 Mid-Tower Case
Regardless of what type of computer you have, AMD, Intel or Mac there's one things ALL computers have in common, an enclosure... more commonly known as a case. If you have been in the "modding" scene for any length of time you are most likely very familiar with Antec. Their SX series of cases is probably the most modded case ever produced. I still have two of the many lookalikes that were produced in my basement. At the height of the modding craze the SX series was THE case, lots of room and huge modding potential. Not ones to just sit back and rest Antec kept putting out new cases that continued to wow, most notably the P160, and last year the silver P180.
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cas...0b/index.shtml
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NVIDIA nForce 500 Series Technology Overview
A short while ago, NVIDIA demonstrated their latest to several members of the press. While there were some leaks prior to the embargo date today, we here at Viper Lair are ready to share with you what we've known about for weeks. The gloves are off and NVIDIA will be announcing a whole family of nForce products covering a number of SKUs. Our focus will be on the nForce 590 SLI, their no excuses chipset for the enthusiast.
As most of you can already figure out, the nForce 500 series is the fifth generation of their chipsets. The nForce 500 series does have a lot in common with the nForce 4, but NVIDIA didn't just grab an existing design, change the socket and stamp a new model number to support new CPUs from AMD (immediate) and Intel (forthcoming). They have added a fair number of new features and some architectural changes that should bode well for the intended market. What does the future hold? Read on to find out.
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cpu...90/index.shtml
Liam
Can Ageia's PhysX Card Bring Real-World Physics to Games?
Ageia says its new physics processing device and engine will do nothing less than revolutionize PC gaming. We see just how well Ageia's PPU (physics processing unit) can handle flying debris and shrapnel in Ghost Recon Advanced War Fighter, which you can also see for yourself by downloading our video. So what is a physics processing unit and what does it offer games? The short answer is that a physics processor can handle the CPU's physics-related tasks. However, the PPU does not replace the graphics card, which is still needed to render images. Instead, the physics engine simulates effects that you would expect to see and experience in the real world, such as gravitational pull or friction.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/06/19/can_ageia_uk/
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Peculiar PC Peripherals
If you knew someone who worked up a sweat while gaming, and believed that objects were actually coming out of the computer screen, you might consider professional help as the right solution. However, before you make that call, check to see if their gaming rig is pimped out with any peculiar peripherals. It could go a long way to explaining the odd behaviour.
For the mainstream PC gamers out there, only a few gaming accessories and peripherals are usually considered essential: a joystick, a USB joypad, and perhaps a racing wheel. On the other hand, for the hardcore gamers who are either obscenely wealthy or willing to draw from their children's college fund, there are dozens of other products that can enhance the PC gaming experience.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/06/22...eripherals_uk/
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Nvidia GeForce 7950 GX2 - SLI On A Single Card
Since the advent of Scalable Link Interface technology, which allows two graphics cards to function as one, SLI has become the buzz word for a cutting-edge gaming experience. Naturally, two graphics cards are more powerful than one, and today Nvidia takes that approach to the next level, creating a single card with two graphics cores. Last year we saw the first attempt at two cores on one card with the Asus Extreme GeForce 7800GT Dual, which put two GPUs on a single PCB. Nvidia went on to comment that this would not be their official approach to quad graphics solution, though.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/06/06...e_7950_gx2_uk/
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HIS Radeon X1900XT IceQ3
The big guns right now from ATi are the Radeon X1900XT and X1900XTX. These cards are the red team’s response team green’s GeForce 7900 GTX series. Bringing a full 512 megabytes of memory and a 512-bit Ring Bus Controller to the take every advantage possible; ATi’s latest Radeon packs horsepower to spare. Hightech Information Systems (HIS) has released their version of the Radeon X1900XT with their quite famous IceQ Cooler now in its third incarnation. The IceQ3 Cooler allows this speed demon Radeon to run cooler and just as importantly, quieter than the competition giving it a significant edge. Today, thanks to the good people at Hightech Information System, we have the HIS Radeon X1900XT IceQ3 Dual DVI card on the bench.
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...IceQ/index.htm
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Logitech V400 Laser Cordless Mouse for Notebooks
Mobiles users often require the same level of precision and features offered by high-end mouse controllers, and can quickly outgrow the standard laptop touchpad. This is especially true for gaming or multimedia uses, but even standard office tasks can really benefit from a prime notebook mouse. The challenges in this market are daunting, as not only does a notebook mouse have to offer comparable performance to a desktop model, but also do so in a diminutive format that fits the mobile target market, while being sturdy enough to handle the rigors of regular travel. This gets even tougher to accomplish when you bring wireless into the equation, but the Logitech V400 Laser Cordless Mouse for Notebooks does a very good job of combining these into a very attractive package.
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardwar...le.php/3613436
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SyncMax 533Express DDR2 Memory
With the release of the AMD Athlon AM2 series, DDR2 memory has really taken over from DDR memory. Both of the major CPU manufacturers are moving or have moved to a DDR2 only support for their CPU's. There are many different brands of memory out there, the big names like Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, OCZ, and Mushkin, and many other smaller names. One of these is Concord Idea Corp, a Canadian company that 'designs, manufactures and distributes PC Memory', your standard memory manufacturer for the last 19 years. There are many different speeds of DDR2 memory from the PC2-4200 to current high-end PC2-8000. Latency has also become a valuable selling point as the JEDEC standards for DDR2 only require 4-4-4 or 5-5-5 timings on the memory. So lets see what Concord Idea (SyncMax) has sent us.
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/mem...r2/index.shtml
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Cooler Master iGreen Power 600W PSU
Cooler Master are well known for their cases and cooling accessories, and over the past couple years, their power supplies are popular products in their portfolio. Cooler Master does bundle some of their PSUs in many of their entry level cases, but their premium PSUs are typically sold as standalone products. Such is the case with the Cooler Master iGreen Power 600W. The problem with many power supplies these days is that while they can draw a lot of power, a good deal of it ends up being wasted and the end result is more heat and wasted energy. Many PSUs from all manufacturers suffer from this, and the iGreen Power sets out to address this issue in Cooler Master's product lineup.
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cas...00/index.shtml
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Seagate Barracuda 750GB 7200.10 SATA II Hard Drive
Is there ever such a thing as too much storage? In my opinion, not really. While I rarely keep enough "live" data, meaning, information I access frequently, to fill up 200GB, I tend to be something of a pack rat. I'll download tons of files, and forget about them. Eventually, one day I'll do an audit and see well over 350GB just sitting there. The Windows MCE PC I'm currently running is loaded with a terabyte of storage, and is frequently used to record television content. Surprisingly enough (maybe not for all of you), after about 2 months, we're now down to the last 150GB of free space. Who would have guessed all those 2 hour season finales I've yet to watch would add up so quickly.The days of 80GB to 120GB drives for enthusiasts are pretty much over. Games can easily eat up 3GB at a time, demos several hundred megabytes and don't forget all the P2P goodies that we know all of you collect (don't worry, your secret is safe with us).
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/sto...10/index.shtml
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HIS X1800GTO Turbo 256MB Video Card
"Need to get in the game, but don't want to break the bank? Well, this video card offers great performance and features at an affordable price. The core speed on this product is 520MHz, which is 20MHz over the default X1800 GTO core speed. 256MBs of GDDR3 memory at 1000MHz is also a plus. It also comes with 12 pixel shader processors that will have no problem powering through the latest games. And let's not forget, its crossfire ready!" Watch the Video to find out more..."
http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/1709/47/
Liam
Intel Xeon Woodcrest
The 5100 being tested runs at 3GHz and comes with 4MB cache. Performance is very good. However, it is quite ironic that Intel is now faced with the same problem that AMD had a few years ago when it tried with great difficulties to impose the Opteron. Intel has a completely new architecture that even if it is superior will have to depend on a solid platform to succeed. For now, AMD has the upper hand, but never underestimate Intel.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/06/26...on_opteron_uk/
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Cooler Master Mystique 631 ATX Mid-Tower Case
Today 3DXtreme is pleased to present our latest hardware review of a recently released mid-tower Case from Cooler Master. Cooler Master has long been known for delivering some of the highest quality Cases to the market. The ATC series was a personal favorite of mine and I owned three of them over the years. When heat and the need for more space shifted my focus to full-tower Cases I was sad to have to leave my ATC Cases behind. Today’s Case, the Mystique 631, is an aluminum mid-tower available in a silver or black brushed aluminum finish. Weighing in at a mere 13.9 lbs it was refreshing to review a Case this light yet this well constructed. It has been awhile since I’ve seen a lightweight Case that was made of aluminum come in for a review.
http://www.3dxtreme.net/index.php?id...rmystique631p1
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20" LCD Monitors: XXL Displays
This is not the first time monitor makers have tried to sell us displays in wide format. But until now, nobody's been buying - and for good reason. Though the 16:10 picture format is ideal for movies, few of the panels were capable of screening a film decently. Obviously that was because of the sparkling artefacts that were far too visible when watching movies on them. This form of video noise is also amplified by the Overdrive technology that manufacturers use so liberally in an attempt to shave a half-millisecond off their competitors' latency scores, with no regard for the display's suitability for screening movies. Overshoot was becoming enough of a problem that we decided to add it to our list of tests, as a way of giving credit to manufacturers who make an effort to produce quality electronics.
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/06/27/xxl_displays_uk/
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Lian Li PC-V2000B Plus Full Tower ATX Case
Lian Li has been making some of the most gorgeous aluminum Cases for years now. Previously I have used the Lian Li PC-65 and PC-75 and have always been fond of them. Things have gotten flashy lately with Cases, custom window panels, lights, gigantic fans - some of the new Cases I've found to just be downright tacky. When I first saw the Lian Li PC-V1000 and PC-V2000 line it was a breath of fresh air. Finally, here comes a Case that is just so perfect out of the box even the most hardcore modder will want to leave their dremel alone and just enjoy the natural beauty of the the PC-V2000.
http://www.3dxtreme.net/index.php?id=lianlipc-v20001
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Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 CPU Cooler
Recently 3DXtreme has been taking a look at high end air coolers. Products like Thermaltakes' Big Typhoon, Blue Orb II and the Artic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro have all been reviewed within the last few months. Air cooling with products like these allow for some great overclocks - however would a high end air cooler ever be able to keep pace with an entry level water cooling setup? How about a one piece unit from the likes of Cooler Master? Today that’s just what we are going to set out to see.
http://www.3dxtreme.net/index.php?id=cmaquagater1201
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EPoX EP-9U1697 GLI Motherboard
The Taiwanese company EPoX is back for their eighth motherboard review here at Overclockers Online! They have for us yet another value-oriented board; however, this time it is for the AMD K8 socket 939 platform.
http://www.overclockersonline.com/in...ticles&num=392
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Patriot 2GB PC2-5300 Memory
Patriot Memory has made several appearances at Overclockers Online. Our last look was with the Patriot Memory 2GB PC4000 ELK and they have consistently been able to prove themselves as a worthy option when you go out and buy memory for your next machine.
http://www.overclockersonline.com/in...ticles&num=390
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Foxconn 975X7AA Motherboard
Foxconn is not a uncommon name around here at Overclockers online. However, many of you may not have heard about them or may not have had the opportunity of purchasing a Foxconn motherboard but you really should as they have proven themselves as worthy contenders in this fierce industry. We have tried their nVidia based motherboards, but for the first time we're taking out an Intel 975x chipset board out for a spin.
http://www.overclockersonline.com/in...ticles&num=389
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Plextor PX-EH25L NAS
What do you think of when you hear the name Plextor? Optical drive solutions from CD-ROM to DVD-RW drives, at least that's what you should think of if you have been involved in computers over the last decade and a bit. Of course you may just be familiar with offset printing and Plextor might be a name you have heard alongside Sanden and Aquaflex as Plextor is much more than just an optical drive manufacturer. To us computer connoisseurs, however, Plextor will always be associated with optical storage.
http://www.overclockersonline.com/in...ticles&num=391
Liam
Beginner's Guide to Motherboard Selection
So what goes into choosing a motherboard? Certainly the support for a desired CPU is key, and Tom's Hardware Guide is there again with everything from low-power mobile processors to 200+ watt overclocked monsters. But a motherboard is far more than simply the device a CPU plugs into!
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/07/26..._selection_uk/
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OCZ GameXStream 700W Power Supply
OCZ Technology has released a new line of power supplies dubbed the "GameXStream" series. Currently available in only 600W and 700W configurations, these power supplies are meant for serious PC enthusiasts, gamers, and power users. Both models are SLI-Ready and feature some pretty impressive specifications. These power supplies both feature four 12V rails, the main difference is the 700W allows for a maximum combined 12V load of 680W, whereas the 600W model allows for 580W.
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/r...am_700W_1.html
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Inno3D GeForce 7600 GST
What do you get when you take a GeForce 7600 GS core and strap it onto a 7600 GT's PCB and memory? You get a GeForce 7600 GST of course. Inno3D has taken the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup approach to graphics with their latest card and with it, made a subsequent blurring of the three tiered system of 'high end', 'midrange' and 'bargain version'. Inno3D's new GeForce 7600 GST blurs the boundaries by bridging the bargain and midrange card classes with their 7600 GT card except that it has a 7600 GS core swapped in. Will the huge bump in memory speed from off the GT be enough to get this card into the mainstream of performance? Surprisingly, it does and does so nicely. Today, thanks to the Inno3D people, we have a sample of their GeForce 7600 hybrid on deck, the 7600 GST. Let's have a closer look.
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...0GST/index.htm
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NZXT Apollo Gaming Case
A couple of months ago I had the chance to look over the Lexa case from NZXT. This was the first case from NZXT that I had reviewed and I was very impressed with it's design, innovation and creative thought that went into it. While NZXT is a fairly new chassis designer they have built a solid reputation in a very short time. Today, I've got my hands on their newest case, the Apollo. I have to be honest and tell you that from my review of the Lexa, I have very high expectations of this case so let's see if NZXT has produced another winner.
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...ollo/index.htm
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ZALMAN CNPS9500-AM2 Heat Sink Review
Zalman specializes in silent, or quiet, computing solutions. Having developed the CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) line of products, Zalman is mostly recognized for their CPU and VGA coolers....as well as their marketing affiliation with Fatal1ty,
http://hardwarelogic.com/news/62/ART...006-07-26.html
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Crucial PC2-8000 DDR2 Memory
I've reviewed countless Crucial products in the past. Hard to believe it, but the first one was way back in 2001 and it was on the PC-2100 memory. Crucial has come a long way since then. As a matter of fact, the whole computer industry has excelled in the past few years. Memory speeds have to keep up with the current system advancements so they have become faster and faster. There is a big difference between PC-2100 DDR memory from yesteryear and today's PC2-8000 DDR2 memory.
http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/2932/103/
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Intel Core 2 Duo vs AMD Athlon 64 FX-62
Although Reg Hardware published benchmarks for the new Intel Core 2 Duo and Extreme chips almost two weeks ago, it has taken that long for Intel to launch the product formally. If you've got the cash, you should be able to pick one up today. But the question many folk - particularly those with a preference for AMD's processors - are still asking is, why? There's no doubt that Intel has produced an impressive successor to the Pentium D, but can it beat AMD's latest offerings?
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07...hlon_64_fx-62/
Liam
Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 Review
With the recent launch and our coverage of the Core 2 Duo, the hype of Conroe has been replaced with very real excitement. Yes Conroe is very much a powerhouse. Yes it is the hottest CPU to be released in as long as is worth remembering in this fast paced industry. And yes, apparently demand is huge. Stores that we know of are still waiting to take pre-orders, but we've been told there's a pre-order "queue". With this type of CPU demand comes the real need for motherboards.
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha...ews/ga965p_dq6
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Systemax Wildcat AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 SLI Gaming PC
Due to the fact that we're an on-line PC hardware enthusiast and technology news publication, the majority of our readers tend to be the do-it-yourself type that build their own custom systems. We cover the gamut of PC hardware, from high-end motherboards and graphics cards, to optical drives and speakers. And while we typically focus on the latest "hot" hardware here, we also like to diversify our content with mainstream hardware that has greater appeal to the masses as well.
http://www.hothardware.com/viewartic...leid=846&cid=8
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Powerware 5125 1000VA UPS Review - Ready for Blackout Season?
In August of 2003 a massive power blackout hit Canada and the US, plunging 50 million people into darkness for nearly two days. During the first few seconds of that blackout, countless computers went silent, causing untold data loss. For most people, the power failure simply resulted in a 'data integrity check' by the operating system the next time their PC booted up. For others, the blackout may have caused the loss of an unsaved document, or in the worst case, total file corruption....
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.c...eid=941&page=1
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BFGTech Geforce 7950GX2
Let’s face it; there are some companies who are able to produce products for the enthusiast market – even if by default, and there are those who truly understand it. BFG Technologies is definitely a company who understands its target audience and in fact is made up partially by enthusiasts. Everything from its minimalist packaging to its advertising simply screams “we are gamers and want others to enjoy our products”.
http://www.gdhardware.com/hardware/v...950gx2/001.htm
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Zalman VF900-Cu VGA Heatsink Review
The companies newest videocard heatsink is called the Zalman VF900-Cu, and it offers wider GPU compatibility with the large variety of ATI and nVidia videocards that on the market. In fact, five different mounting hole styles are supported! Unlike the ZM80D-HP which used heatpipes and front and rear mounted aluminum cooling fins, the Zalman VF900-Cu occupies space on the front of the videocard only. Measuring about 96mm in diameter, the VF900-Cu is entirely constructed of copper components, with two 5mm diameter heatpipes looping around the outside of its many thin cooling fins.
http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...articleID=1980
Liam
Faster, Quieter, Lower: Power Consumption and Noise Level of Contemporary Graphics Cards.
It is no secret that as the contemporary graphics cards get more powerful and hence require better quality power supply units and more efficient cooling systems. Power consumption and the level of generated noise very often become other important criteria besides performance and image quality when one is shopping for a graphics accelerator. Today we will try to find out what VGA cooling solutions are the quietest and the loudest ones, and what contemporary graphics cards can be called the most economical from the power consumption standpoint.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/vid...wer-noise.html
Liam
AMD and ATI Sittin' in a Tree, M-e-r-g-i-n-g
Will Intel and Nvidia Toast the Happy Couple?
In a move valued at $5.4 billion, AMD has acquired graphics heavyweight ATI Technologies. Although the purchase had been rumored for some time, AMD's gutsy move still shook up the industry: Sure, buyouts and mergers happen all the time, but these are two of the biggest names in PC hardware, companies that have often been performance leaders in their respective categories. By joining forces, AMD obviously feels this new powerhouse offers a more formidable challenge to archrival Intel.
The main impetus behind this move has been the much-anticipated convergence of CPUs and graphics chips into consolidated multimedia processors. External capabilities have been moving onto the processor die for some time -- Level 2 caches, math coprocessors, memory controllers -- and it appears that graphics are the next target. With CPU and GPU in one chip, new possibilities open for everything from low-power slimline computers to cutting-edge performance machines.
http://hardware.earthweb.com/chips/article.php/3624916
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Gateway M285-E Review
There's a famous running gag from Saturday Night Live's 1975 season: Week after week, Chevy Chase would open the "Weekend Update" news segment by announcing, "This just in -- Generalissimo Francisco Franco still dead." In other news, this November will mark the fourth anniversary of "This just in -- Microsoft says Tablet PCs to take over notebook market."
Touch-screen systems fill a niche; workers tap or jot on clipboard-like slates to fill out forms in hospital rooms or at insurance-claim sites, and pen-capable PDAs and smart phones are everywhere. But even with the convenience of convertible models that switch from notebook to tablet mode with screens that swivel and fold back over keyboards, laptop shoppers have largely ignored the option to scribble and sketch as well as type and click. So have some manufacturers.
But not Gateway. In fact, the prairie PC companion has introduced one of the freshest convertibles around: Not only does the M285-E have a dual-core CPU (albeit Intel's eight-month-old Core Duo instead of the brand-new Core 2 Duo), it has a 14-inch widescreen (1,280 by 768-pixel) display.
Among Tablet PC challengers, Toshiba's Portege M400 and HP's Compaq T4400 also offer Core Duo power, but are more likely to cause writer's cramp with 12.1-inch, standard-aspect-ratio XGA (1,024 by 768) screens. Lenovo's ThinkPad X41 relies on a single-core Pentium M processor.
Toshiba's Tecra M7 is a true rival to the Gateway, since it has both a Core Duo CPU and a 14.1-inch widescreen display. But while it's a subjective preference, we think the Tecra's more likely to cause eyestrain -- like not a few non-convertible notebooks, it goes for high-res bragging rights by squeezing 1,440 by 900 pixels into a space that comfortably accommodates 1,280 by 768. This sounds impressive, but arguably makes menus and icons harder to read and demands more careful penmanship in Win XP Tablet PC Edition's input panel. And the M7, like the abovementioned tablets, costs more than a comparably equipped Gateway.
http://hardware.earthweb.com/compute...le.php/3624881
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Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 Review
Technologically speaking, it's our job here at HardwareCentral to be all-knowing: up to the minute on what's on the market, ready to explain details and differences to advise buyers about every PC-related purchase.
Take you, for example. You're interested in a Microsoft mouse but aren't sure which model suits you best? Right this way, friend. Let's take a quick peek at the vendor's Web page. As you see, Microsoft ... um, Microsoft has ... Microsoft sells 23 different mice? Oh, to hell with this, pal, you're on your own.
Well, OK, not quite. If you look at just a few models at close to the same price point, it's possible to tell how each is positioned in terms of features. Last fall, for instance, we reviewed Microsoft's Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, a top-of-the-line pointing device with extra-precise laser instead of the LED technology of most optical mice.
The 6000 also offers a scroll wheel that's not only clickable but tilts for horizontal as well as vertical scrolling; two left-side-mounted buttons including a magnifier to zoom in on any part of the screen; and ergonomic design sculpted for the right hand, with a thumb scoop on the left side and grooves or troughs on top to cradle the index and middle fingers. It's priced at $65 -- with most retailers, as with most mice, willing to take $5 or $10 off the sticker.
http://hardware.earthweb.com/periphe...le.php/3622811
Liam
ATI Radeon X1950XTX (GDDR 4) Vs. Nvidia Geforce 7950 GX2.
ATI Radeon X1950XTX (GDDR 4) Vs. Nvidia Geforce 7950 GX2.
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33976Quote:
We managed to benchmark the latest Radeon X1950 XTX card and compared it against the fastest Geforce 7950 GX2.
We know that 7950 GX 2 ends up close to $100 more expensive but we are comparing two of the fastest cards around.
You can read our review of the Radeon X1950 XTX here and so we won’t get into many details. The card is clocked at 650MHz core and 2000MHz GDDR4 memory. But was this enough to beat Leadtek's PX7950GX2 TDH card clocked at 500MHz core and 1200MHz memory powered with two cores?
Liam
VGA Heat-Pipe Cooler Roundup 2006
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/08/30...undup_2006_uk/Quote:
Using the highest performance graphics hardware comes at a cost. Actually, it has many costs: money, power, heat, and noise. Money can buy you a high performance graphics card, and a strong power supply can provide the power it needs... but no matter what you do, that monster graphics processor is going to output a very substantial amount of heat. To make matters worse, cooling that hardware is probably going to be pretty loud, to boot.
Take, for example, the ATI Radeon X1900 XTX, arguably one of the hottest graphics accelerators on the planet. Out of the box, and under load, our test sample came a lot closer to 90°C (194°F) than we'd like - and made an unpleasant racket while doing it.
Cooler is always better when it comes to graphics processors, as it allows for more aggressive overclocking and longer component life. And if we're making a wish list anyway, quieter would be nice, too.
Who will come to the consumer's rescue? Lucky for us, some knights in shining armour have arrived: companies that have indeed built a better mousetrap.. er, cooler. These are heat-pipe VGA coolers, to be precise; let's have a look at some of the notable contenders.
Liam