Huge News Update for October 23rd 2008!!

I was busy today, fixed my furance and had a bunch of other stuff going on so the news just piled up on me.. so here goes:

———————-

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Quote

“I find it hard to talk about movies I really really enjoy. I’m not sure why, I guess it’s because I want to just enjoy it as I watch it and then in my head without spilling out all the drooling accolades to the general public. Oh, but I do write my little reviews every week, and do the podcast discussion, so I am finding it hard to keep it all to myself, as you can imagine.”

Article Link http://www.ascully.com/?page_id=328

Article Title – Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

————————————

TechwareLabs has published a review of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Motherboard. Here’s a clip from the review:

Quote: Behind every amazing computer, there is an amazing motherboard. Today, RTM takes Gigabytes GA-EP45-DS3R for a spin. Competing with such boards as the ASUS Striker II, we have high hopes for this energy efficient little devil. Now we are left wondering: Can this board out perform the competition?

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/motherboard/gigabyte_ga-ep45-ds3r_motherboard

Title: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

———————————-

“With the increasing power, performance and functionality of today’s laptops, it’s no surprise that gamers choose a laptop as their primary gaming platform – especially LAN party junkies. The problem is that while power-hungry laptops of today provide high-performance gaming and graphics, they also generate huge amounts of heat. With the Notebook Cooler 200 Antec has succeeded the Notebook Cooler and the Notebook Cooler To Go with a more efficient and user-friendly solution that provides a steady stream of cool air below a laptop, as well as moving the hot air away from the machine. Hardcore gamers who enjoy marathon sessions should definitely take a closer look.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=822

———————————–

MSI Geforce 9600 GT 1Gb Hybrid Freezer VGA Review

“The MSI N9600GT Hybrid Freezer is equipped with 1Gb DDR3 memory and features an unique cooling solution which works passively when in 2D mode, and only makes noise when running 3D applications or games. MSI overclocked the GPU and Shader for increased performance, let´s find out how it compares to a vanilla Geforce 9600 GT.”

http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=875

—————————————

Title:    A-Data Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2 800MHz review

Direct Link:
http://www.modreactor.com/english/Reviews/A-Data-Vitesta-Extreme-Edition-DDR2-800MHz-review.html

Quote: “Memory is one of the three major performance factors in
gaming PCs – the other two are VGA and CPU. A-Data are one of the
biggest manifacturers of memory in the world with a whole line of
products targeting the hardware and gaming enthusiasts most commonly
reffered with the title “overclockers”. One such product reached
ModReactor’s lab, A-Data Vitesta DDR2-800 Extreme PC6400 2x1GB kit,
optimized for dual channel use with super low latency.”

———————————

USB Flash drives are officially ubiquitous in modern society. How do I know this? Because your mom has one. My friends tell me that their parents have them, too, and none of them are technically savvy in the least.

USB drives are extremely handy, and now you can pick one up for really cheap. Those of us on the bleeding edge have discovered that a 1GB, 2GB, or even huge 16GB flash drives just won’t do. We are busy people, and we need tons of photos, programs, emulators, websites, and data with us at all times, because you never know when you’ll need it.

Corsair has pushed the bleeding edge once again with their insanely huge 64GB Flash Voyager USB thumb drive. Not only does this unit have more capacity than a laptop computer from a few years back, but it is ultra portable and can fit in your pocket or a keychain.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1388

————————————-

here’re the Redaktion ocinside.de News from Wednesday, October 22, 2008:

The interactive Intel product ID guide is used for a fast and easy identification of the most Intel processors.
Just select the description of the Intel processor in the interactive guide and
you will see immediately the most important technical informations like the frequency, power, L2 and L3 Cache, Socket, etc.
The current version 2.1 contains a lot of new processors like the soon coming Intel Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme CPUs.
Additionally, completely new are the current Intel Atom processors, but also more than 30 Xeon processors,
several Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Duo and much more Intel processor informations.

Title:
Interactive Intel processor product ID guide v2.1

Link:
http://www.ocinside.de/html/workshop/intel_product_id.html

———————————

“I was very surprised to see that the Xigmatek Battle Axe VD964 perform so well. We all know that the Readon HD 4850 gets really hot, so when the Battle Axe cooled the card by almost 50% … it’s definitely a real eye opener.”

————————————-
Title: ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition Preview @ Techgage

Link: http://techgage.com/article/asus_p6t_deluxe_oc_palm_edition_preview/

Quote: Intel’s first Core i7 CPUs are set to launch next month, and already, related product is hitting our labs. The most notable is ASUS’ first mainstream X58 board, the P6T Deluxe. Key features include a 16+2 power phase design, SLI and CrossFireX support (up to three GPUs), support for SAS hard drives, and an external device to aide in overclocking.

—————————————–
Article Name: Sapphire Toxic Radeon HD4850 Videocard Review @ Tweaknews.net
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/sapphire_hd4850_toxic/

Article Snippet:

“Overall, Sapphire’s attempt to make an already fast card pack even more punch while keeping it cool and quiet can easily be summed to be a success. Sapphire’s TOXIC HD4850 version blends a good amount of looking cool while running remarkably cool as well.”

—————————————–

I4U NEWS published a review of the Microsoft SideWinder X5 Mouse.

Quote from the review:
“Today we are checking out the Microsoft SideWinder X5 gaming mouse. The mouse offers nice features like programmable buttons and macro recording capability.
Sensitivity for the mouse is adjustable and up to 2000 DPI. There are much more sensitive gaming mice on the market from other manufacturers, but the X5 may be a good alternative for some gamers. ”

Full Review:
http://www.i4u.com/full-review-492.html

————————————–

“Freecom’s Mobile DVD RW Recorder LS Pro is super thin and gives you an optical drive that is small enough to fit into your pocket. It’s also well built and looks good. The drive even comes with USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 connections, making it a practical choice for those with both Mac and PC laptops. If you’re looking for a lightweight optical drive that can burn up to 8.5GB of data, images or multimedia files, and produces professional looking CDs and DVDs using LightScribe media, the Mobile DVD RW Recorder LS Pro will fit the bill nicely. As an added bonus you don’t even need to connect the supplied AC adapter when reading CDs and DVDs because the drive is bus powered.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=821

——————————————-

Title: FarCry2 PC-Game Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-756,1-farcry-2-tatsaechlich-so-gut.htm

Quote: “FarCry 2 PC Game from UbiSoft arrived Technic3D. Far Cry 2 First-person shooter by Ubisoft is the anticipated sequel to the award-winning original that brings players into the beautiful and hostile world of Africa. Far Cry 2 for Windows Vista/XP features open-ended gameplay that allows you to play the game whichever way you choose, with the choices you make affecting where the game leads you. Outstanding Graphics,  Huge Range of Weapons/Vehicles and better than Crysis? See you in the following Review.”

——————————————-

NEW CONTENT (Storage) – Crucial 32GB 2.5″ Solid State Disk Drive

QUOTE: “It doesn’t matter if you are a home user, network administrator or enthusiast; when you think of memory, Crucial always comes to mind. As you are well aware by now, memory makers are using their expertise and producing storage drives based on non-volatile flash memory. This category is divided into two types, SLC and MLC. The Crucial CT32GBFAB0 we are looking at today uses SLC memory which is considered to be the fastest of the two memory types.

The CT32GBFAB0 is Crucial’s first SSD offering and it is important to remember that many other companies have already released three and four different SSDs. I have always found Crucial to be a company that takes their time when releasing their products and unlike some of the others would not start to sell a drive and revamp it a month later. Crucial is just more careful about the products they release.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1630/crucial_32gb_2_5_solid_state_disk_drive/index.html

—————————————-

We have just posted a full review of the Thermaltake DH101 HTPC Case.  This case fits nicely under your TV in your Audio/Video rack and offers some nice features as well as stellar looks.  If you have been thinking about which chassis to get for your upcoming HTPC build, or want to give your current rig a face lift, the DH101 is a decent choice.  Make sure to catch all the details in our review.

Title: Thermaltake DH101 HTPC Case
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6281&Itemid=40

—————————————-

Title: SilverStone Sugo SG04 @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=12989
Summary: “Last year we had looked at the SilverStone Sugo SG03 and found it to be a phenomenal successor to the Sugo SG01 Evolution and it had went on to receive our Editor’s Choice Award. Since the release of the SG03, SilverStone had decided to release the Sugo SG02 in the United States, which was a budget version of the SG01 and their most affordable chassis to date. Now though SilverStone has made a few improvements to the SG03 design and they have released the Sugo SG04. The SG04 takes the same design as the SG03 but it improves the cooling potential of the case, adds a case handle, and improves a few other aspects of this case. In this article we are looking at the SilverStone SST-SG04B-H as well as the SilverStone NT06 Evolution heatsink.”

———————————————

I hate mousepads. They slide all over the place, they stain, and they start to smell funny after a couple of keg parties. Mine usually sits on the opposite side of my keyboard, with a drink on top of it so I don’t ruin the finish on my desk. Frankly, I never even saw the point of them after the advent of the optical mouse. Back in the days of the trackball I understood it, you couldn’t get those damned things to work on any other surface.

In reality, before the world of hardcore computer gaming came along there really was no need for the mousepad for the optical mouse. Nearly any surface would do the job. But as mice got better, and their DPI resolution improved well into the thousands, your standard desktop surface just didn’t do the trick anymore. So people like Nova came along and decided to make sure you were getting the most out of your $75 mouse.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1382

——————————————

NZXT Avatar Mouse Giveaway

“In cooperation with NZXT we are able to give an enthusiast and/or gamer out there an upgrade of his PC rodent. The NZXT Avatar has 2600 DPI Optical Sensor which provides maximum sensitivity and responsiveness which yields unparalleled gaming accuracy. LED DPI indicator gives the user improved usage and feedback. 5.8 Mega Pixels/second with a max frame rate of 6469 ensures smooth fragging and accurate sniping. 4 Speed DPI switch enables you to go from slow sniper movement to quick attack movement in a matter of seconds.”

http://www.madshrimps.be/forums/showthread.php?threadid=58544

—————————————–

TechwareLabs has published a review of the NZXT Guardian 921 Case. Here’s a clip from the review:

Quote: 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.

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/PowerSupply/nzxt_guardian_921/

Title: NZXT Guardian 921 Case @ TechwareLabs

——————————————-
Title: Callpod Dragon V2 Headset Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/633
Category: Reviews

Summary:
Review of Callpod’s Bluetooth Dragon V2 headset for cell phones, which can also work as walkie-talkies.

Here is a snippet:
“Every time we look at Bluetooth headsets, they seem to be getting smaller and smaller. So when the Callpod’s Dragon V2 headset arrived for our review, we were amazed that this headset was actually larger than most. We found that it also has some unique features such as Bluetooth Class 1 certification, the ability to hook up to other Dragon V2′s  to be used as walkie-talkies, and the ability to pair with more than one device at a time. These exciting features made us anxious to take a closer look.”-

—————————————–

Title: Raidmax Aura Case at Modders-Inc

Summary: Raidmax has introduced a new member to its Performance Series Gaming Cases, the Raidmax AURA. A mid-tower computer case.

Articles URL: http://www.modders-inc.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=228

Site URL:  http://www.modders-inc.com

——————————————

Thecus N5200BR NAS Server Review

Date: 10-21-2008 By Elric Phares The N5200BR is a computer in its own right and the ability to back up files onto a file server and use it as a FTP server and other uses is well worth the price when balanced in the whole. The amount of energy the N5200BR consumes is less than a normal PC as the CPU is a Celeron-M 600MHz. As a file server, the N5200BR is an excellent example of using old hardware for new uses that work. There is nothing to complain about with the 5200BR, it is a solid well built and thought-out system that employs simple ideas and makes the user feel at ease with the unit from the point of entry of its installation to final backup of your files and information. The 5200BR is a two thumbs up Gamers’ Choice product, good job Thecus.

Link: http://www.gamepyre.com/hardwared.html?aid=1024&p=1

————————————————

Palit Giveaway At Motherboards.org motherboards.org

Author: Doc Overclock: 10-21-2008

Hello again everyone, this months contest features a matching SLI set of 9800GT 1GB Super cards from our friends at Palit to one lucky winner, this contest runs from he 21st of Oct until the 20th of November. These cards in SLI are actually faster than a single GTX280 so don’t doubt their gaming ability as this are a pair of sweet cards. A single random winner will be picked on the 21st of November and that winner could be you. You can enter the contest at the link below, and remember, you cannot win if you do not enter. Good luck to everyone who participates in this giveaway.

Contest

Link: http://www.motherboards.org/contest.html

————————————————-

Title: Sunbeamtech Acrylic HTPC Case Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/634
Category: Reviews

Summary:
Are you interested in an all-acrylic case for your media center PC? Today we took a look on Sunbeamtech’s HTPC acrylic case.

Here is a snippet:
“Many people like the idea of having a completely transparent case and with the popularization of HTPCs – computers built to be connected to your home theater system for playing movies and songs – Sunbeamtech released an HTPC acrylic case. Since heat is one of the main concerns when building a PC inside an acrylic case (since acrylic can’t dissipate heat, contrary to what happens with steel or aluminum solutions) Sunbeam’s acrylic HTPC case features four 80-mm fans. Let’s take an in-depth look on this case and see if lives up to our expectations.”

——————————————-

Titel:
Cooler Master RC590

Teaser:
Cooler Master and a case below 70 Euro? Let’s take a look…

Link:
http://www.tweakpc.de/hardware/tests/gehaeuse/coolermaster_rc590/s01.php

——————————————–

Asus U6V Laptop Review:

Link: http://www.rbmods.com/Articles/Asus/u6v/1.php

Quote: Asus are well known for their high quality products which range all the way from coolers to laptops. This is the first time we are going to test a laptop from Asus and we got their last super portable U6V model which has a smaller screen to make it more portable but it still seems to have fast parts inside. At a price around 1500$ this thing better perform well so lets take a closer look.

————————————–

OCIA.net has posted their review of the NZXT Whisper Full Tower Case.  Below is a direct quote from the review:
NZXT now introduces the latest in their Classic line-up of cases, the Whisper silent full tower chassis. Improving upon the success of the HU-001, the Whisper is touted as a step up from the Hush mid-tower. Featuring a large size E-ATX full tower chassis, the Whisper can support up to nine hard drives and a total of seven 5.25″ bays with ample space for large expansion cards. Dampening foam, rubber grommets and a padded PSU holder are some of the major features in silence.
———————————————————————–
TechwareLabs has published a review of the Gigabyte GA EP45 DQ6 Motherboard. Here’s a clip from the review:

Quote: Behind every amazing computer, there is an amazing motherboard. Today, RTM takes Gigabytes GA-EP45-DQ6 for a spin. Competing with such boards as the ASUS Striker II, we have high hopes for this energy efficient little devil. Now we are left wondering: Can this board out perform the competition?

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/motherboard/gigabyte_ga-ep45-dq6_motherboard/

Title: Gigabyte GA EP45 DQ6 Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

—————————————-

NEW CONTENT (Casing & Cooling) – Ikonik Zaria A20 Mid-Tower Enclosure

QUOTE: “If you are not familiar with the brand name Ikonik, fear not. You will find yourself in the majority. Ikonik is a relatively new company that is gearing a product line and aiming at the enthusiast. While not a huge market segment, we are a very vocal one and our opinions often filter to the more mainstream buying channels.

Another feature of the Ikonik Zaria A20 is an option called SIM, or System Intelligent Management. This is a device that is both hardware and software based, and is designed to help you monitor the system to make certain that everything is working as it should be.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1631/ikonik_zaria_a20_mid_tower_enclosure/index.html

—————————————–

Guess you just can’t have too much DRM. At least not if you believe RealNetwork’s CEO Rob Glaser. He’s going to help you rip your DVDs to your HD so you can play them on the go. Of course he doesn’t touch Hollywood’s DRM and in fact goes them one better…he adds his own unique, really cool DRM on top of it. Then when Hollywood says that’s not part of our agreement he does the only logical thing…he sues them!!! Life up in Seattle must be a little dull right now.

Rob Glaser, RealNetworks CEO, hasn?t had a lot of winners lately so we bet the idea of helping you copy your Hollywood DVD sounded like a great way to strike it rich?again.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1383

——————————————-

“SAS is the preferred interface for the direct-attach server space, SCSI’s former mainstay. SAS is for mission critical applications that require higher levels of availability and native expansion. SAS is optimised for the random performance requirements of the data centre. The 9690SA’s advanced RAID features, SAS connectivity, and powerful 3ware performance architecture make it the ideal SCSI controller replacement for data centre and Web server usage. It’s everything you ask for from a controller: quick, consistent and reliable. As an added bonus you get more cache compared to competing models from LSI Logic and Adaptec.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=820

——————————————–

InsideHW.com has posted editorial about TFT monitors in general. You can read a clip from review:

“You should be versed with today’s TFT monitor market to be certain that you really know what you want and what you need. Of course that there always be someone who will be satisfied with anything and those who always expect too much. In worst case, we should know where all the money gone. In best scenario, you’ll get almost ideal price /performance ratio in relation to your needs and budget. First we want to remind you on few basic work principles for TFT monitors. That will help you to understand causes of the potential problems and explain to you how you can easier to recognize them…”

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

http://www.insidehw.com/Editorials/Columns/Everything-You-Should-Know-About-TFT-Monitors.html

Title:

Everything You Should Know About TFT Monitors @ InsideHW

———————————————–

InsideHW.com has posted roundup for eleven 22-inch Wide TFT monitors (Asus, BenQ, Samsung, LG…). You can read a clip from review:

“For every period on time there is optimal monitor (screen) size. Nowadays, smaller monitor isn’t cheap enough and isn’t worth of savings while the bigger one still doesn’t justify the difference in price. The thing is that lately, mid range monitors and even from low range, become very quality pieces of hardware. And if you pick by random any of them, there are small odds that you’ll chose “piece of junk”. As result of these changes on local and global market it is actually very favorable state for nowadays buyers. Now you can have bigger monitor on the table with more than acceptable price especially if you buy it on sales. So, according to all that, wide monitor with 22-inch diagonal is the best buy at the moment. Keeping that fact in mind, we gathered eleven models that can be classified as cheaper and we did comparison test…”

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

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Displays/22-inch-Wide-TFT-Roundup.html

Title:

22 inch Wide TFT Roundup @ InsideHW

————————————————–

Eastern Promises Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Quote

“Life is rugged and rough in the city of London when you are a midwife (Naomi Watts) who comes face to face with the Russian mob. Our leading lady works in the city hospital where a young teenage girl gives birth and then dies, leaving only a baby and her diary, which is written in Russian. Yes, it’s a cool and very literary coincidence that the nurse’s father was Russian, and she has an uncle who can translate, but then again sometimes we take leaps of faith for movies that are worth it, and this movie is worth it.”

Article Link http://www.ascully.com/?page_id=480

Article Title – Eastern Promises Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

—————————————————

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.