Microsoft is now directly responding to Apple’s “buy a mac” commercials with their adament “I’m a PC” commercials. The commercial starts out with a John Hodgman lookalike pretty much demanding an apology from Apple for stereotyping PC users. The commercial then shows people from all walks of life; from cool laid-back twenty-somethings to doctors, students, researchers, and even Bill Gates himself proclaiming that it’s great to be a PC, and we refuse to be cast into a mold.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1362

Title:
Lexar FireWire 800 Compact Flash Reader

Link:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Lexar/Firewire_800_CF_Reader

Brief:
Lexar’s new FireWire 800 CF Card Reader uses the powerful interface to offer unprecedented bandwidth with allows you to optimally use the latest CF card technology. While the traditional USB interface is limited to a maximum of about 30 MB/s, the FireWire interface goes up to 100 MB/s. Clearly a difference if you move a lot of files to and from your CF card.

I4U NEWS published a review of the Thrustmaster T-X3 Charge Hub for the Sony PS3.

Quote from the review:
“Today we looking at a PS3 accessory from Thrustmaster called the T-X3 Charge Hub. The hub charges two PS3 controllers and adds needed USB ports to the PS3.
We play lots of PS3 around my house, specifically we really like Rock Band.
The problem when you have all four ports on the PS3 packed with drums, guitars and a mic is that when a normal PS3 controller goes dead, you can’t even connect it to the system to use while it recharges. Thrustmaster has a product that fixes this issue called the T-X3 Charge Hub. Read on for all the details of the T-X3 Charge Hub.”

Full Review:
http://www.i4u.com/full-review-479.html

NEW CONTENT (Memory) - Mushkin XP3-16000 Ascent 2GB DDR3 Memory Kit

QUOTE: “Through the DDR and DDR2 days Mushkin kits came thick and fast with high speed, high capacity and low latency modules designed for both Intel and AMD platforms. Now we have the dawn on the DDR3 revolution coming and it won’t be long before we really start to see DDR3 hit its peak.

The kit we were supplied with contained two pieces, 1GB in density. The modules are designed to run at PC3-16000 or 2000MHz using 9-9-9-24 timings at 1.9v. These are the specs for use on 790i SLI chipsets and not guaranteed to run on the Intel chipsets. However, we aren’t content to just follow the rules here.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1601/mushkin_xp3_16000_ascent_2gb_ddr3_memory_kit/index.html

Best Regards,

The TweakTown Team
http://www.tweaktown.com

Any self-respecting Boy Scout knows that one should “Always Be Prepared”, and this holds true when playing video games. It has happened to me on more than one occasion that my controllers run out of battery life way before I am ready to put it down. There are several Xbox 360 battery chargers on the market, and I have tried them all. It’s great that you can charge multiple batteries at one time, but you still have to think about and manage your batteries. Why can’t my controllers automatically charge when I’m not using them?

Nyko has come to the rescue once again with their Xbox 360 Charge Base. Not only will this puppy charge your Xbox 360 controller, but it does so without you having to remove the battery!

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1357

InsideHW.com has posted review for Cooler HP 530 Notebook. You can read a clip from review:

“This HP notebook is not new. To be honest it is more than one year old model. So why are we talking about this “old” model? Well there is one good reason: price tag (430€)! This is one of the cheapest models (or maybe THE cheapest) that we found so far that is powered by thoroughbred Core 2 Duo CPU. Don’t forget that this model can be found in more than few variations but model that we tested named FH542AA had Core 2 Duo T5200 CPU inside…”

If you are interested to read some more, we present you link:

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/HP-530-Notebook.html

Title:

HP 530 Notebook @ InsideHW

Title: Zalman ZM600-HP 600 W Power Supply
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/402
Category: First Look

Summary:
ZM600-HP is a 600 W power supply from Zalman with a heat-pipe to cool down the secondary rectifiers and a modular cabling system. Internally identical to OCZ GameXstream 700 W, could this unit be a disguised 700 W unit? Check this out!

Here is a snippet:
“Zalman ZM600-HP is a 600 W power supply featuring a big 120-mm fan, an internal heatsink with a heat-pipe and modular cabling system. This unit is internally identical to OCZ GameXstream 700 W (the only difference between the two is the use of a heatsink with a heat-pipe and a modular cabling system on Zalman’s model. Let’s take an in-depth look on this power supply and see if it can really deliver 600 W or even 700 W. “

Title: Ubuntu’s BulletProofX Takes Simpler Step Forward @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=12860
Summary: “Introduced in Ubuntu 7.10 was a feature known as BulletProofX, which provides a fail-safe mode that is by default used when the X server fails to properly initialize. In this original implementation, it would default back to using the VESA display driver with 256 colors and then proceed to run the displayconfig-gtk utility. While this is nice for the end-user as it keeps them from touching a terminal to debug an X server problem, for experienced users it inhibits them from easily debugging the problem. This Canonical implementation also had frustrated other users. However, with the forthcoming Ubuntu 8.10 release, it has received some much-needed improvements while making BulletProofX more simple.”

Date: 09-19-2008 By Benjamin Sun At the end of the day is EVE Online a fun engaging game that holds one’s attention? It really depends on the type of player you are. If you like point and click space combat games that have a lot of multiplayer aspects including forming your own Corporation, controlling sectors of space and have the extra time to put into the game, EVE Online is the type of game for you. If you get bored of that type of game then I would suggest looking elsewhere. In any event, EVE Online has a free 14-day Trial membership that doesn’t require a credit card so you can try it. That is one advantage that EVE Online has over games of a single player variety, the ability to try out the full game for no cost and see if you like it.

Link: http://www.gamepyre.com/reviewsd.html?aid=1016&p=1

NCIX AMD Platform System Review

Author: Doc Overclock Date: 09-19-2008

My overall experience from the shipping to support to testing and evaluating the system was a pleasant experience. Email correspondence took no more than 24 hours and the phone support was available during normal daytime working hours. Like most companies there is a restocking fee if you wish to return the system after 15 days, which is reasonable as you should know within that timeframe if the system is to your liking or not. NCIX seems to be on the right track and although here are always the chance of UPS/FedEx dropping your box NCIX does do a good job of packing the system, it could be a bit better with foam on the inside of the case to keep the CPU cooler or other parts from bring dislodged during shipping. Nothing is perfect, but if you are looking for a new PC NCIX is definitely a company worth considering for your buy. I give them an Editor’s Choice as my personal experience was much better than some other companies I have dealt with. NCIX makes a solid system, are pleasant to deal with and have good support for their customers, you can’t ask for much more than that.

Review Link: http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/hardware/1816_1.html

Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler Review

“A new high end heatsink comes to the market, this direct touch heatpipe from Sunbeamtech is equipped with a 120mm fan and aims to deliver excellent price/performance balance. Let´s put it through our load test”

http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=874

NEW CONTENT (Small Form Factor) - ASUS EeeBox Mini Desktop PC

QUOTE: “ASUS thought it was time to expand the Eee name and bring out something for your desktop; thus, the EeeBox was born. The overall purpose of this product is very similar to the EeePC; it’s got to be cheap and perform well in the tasks it’s suited for.

We wonder, though, can an Intel Atom processor with 1GB of RAM really do much for us? There’s really only one way to find out and that is to take the time to use and examine the product ourselves. What we’re going to do is have a look at the package and the EeeBox itself and then talk about our experience using it. I’ve taken the time to poke and prod my way around Windows XP and I will give you a rundown of my thoughts on it.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1600/asus_eeebox_mini_desktop_pc/index.html

Best Regards,

The TweakTown Team
http://www.tweaktown.com

Title: Crysis Warhead PC-Game Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-741,1-crysis-warhead-verbesserungen-im-detail.htm

Quote: “Crysis Warhead PC Game from Electronic Arts arrived Technic3D. Take on the fight as the volatile Sergeant “Psycho” Sykes in a new parallel story taking place during the events of the original smash hit, Crysis. Psycho’s secret mission will take him to the other side of the island on a ruthless pursuit of a North Korean general hell-bent on obtaining powerful technology. With the versatile powers of his Nanosuit and an arsenal of fully customizable weapons & vehicles at his disposal, Sykes will do whatever it takes to carry out his top-secret objective. Better and faster than the first version? See you in the following Review.”

“I do like the MSI Wind. It’s very neat and tidy … works great and feels compact and lightweight. I would have prefered if it had a 6-Cell battery, but then that would have increased the costs. All-in-all, I think MSI have done a good job with the Wind … but a drop a price would have made it a perfect buy.”

Read the rest of the review here … http://www.cpu3d.com/review/5965-1/msi-wind-u100-netbook/introduction.html

TechwareLabs has published a review of the Wolf King Trooper MVP Gaming Mouse. Here’s a clip from the review:

Quote: Want to get the most out of your game? Check out the Wolf King Trooper MVP Gaming Mouse. With an available 2,200 DPI, the trooper MVP can handle even the most intense gamer. But can the gamer handle this mouse?

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/peripherals/Wolf_King_Trooper_MVP/

Title: Wolf King Trooper MVP Gaming Mouse @ TechwareLabs

Auras TwinW SMF660 Intel CPU Cooler Review

“This compact Intel S775 heatsink 3 heat pipes and a 92mm fan squeezed between two aluminum columns. It promises good performance at acceptable noise levels. Let us find out if these claims are true and compare it to 46 CPU coolers we tested in the past.”

http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=859

GIGABYTE UNITED INC TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to today announce the first annual GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship to be held in Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday, September 25th, 2008.

The GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship promises to be the industry’s largest global overclocking competition in history with overclockers from 23 countries including Australia, China, France Germany, Greece, HK, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Middle East, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA and Vietnam battling for first place at the 3F Ballroom of the prestigious Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan. In addition to the contestants, GIGABYTE has also invited worldwide media here to Taipei to witness first hand history in the making.

GIGABYTE regional OC competitions are now in full swing worldwide to decide who has the overclocking skills to qualify as contestants for the GO OC. This is the first time that GIGABYTE has gathered so many of the world’s elite overclockers in one venue to showcase their unique overclocking capabilities and fight for the title of worldwide champion, so the competition will be fierce.

Read the rest of this entry »