Archive for October, 2009

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Saturday Tech Update – 10/31/09

Comments: 0October 31st, 2009 by JeffS

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Spyder3Express Monitor Color Calibration Device

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/spyder3express-monitor-color-calibration-device/

Review Blurb: “The Spyder3Express will automatically adjust the colors of your monitor to what they should be, I was amazed at the difference before and after calibration, I knew something was funky, but the Spyder3Express fixed it for me quickly and easily.”

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Sandisk UltraBackup USB Flash Drive

Link: http://www.techwarelabs.com/sandisk-ultrabackup/

Review Blurb: “They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and some memories are irreplaceable. Nowadays almost everyone saves their precious photos and memories electronically. So what would happen if your computer or notebook crashed and lost all that data? Thankfully, SanDisk has created a convenient USB memory stick that has the capability to backup all of our dearest memories and hopefully there will be no more worrying about losing those decade old pictures and priceless memories. There are many portable storage devices out on the market, so does the SanDisk Ultra-Backup Flash Drive have what it takes to compete?”

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nMediaPC HTPC 8000 Wooden HTPC Case

Link: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1114/1/

Review Blurb: “Recently nMediaPC added an interesting case to their HTPC line up, the HTPC 8000. The thing that makes it interesting is that it’s made of wood. I know I have never owned wooden case, or seen one that wasn’t custom built, so it’s different to see a wooden case as an off the shelf option. At 19.3(W) x "14.3"(H) x 11"(D) the HTPC 8000 is a bit on the big side for an HTPC case, but it can hold a full size ATX motherboard, full length expansion cards, and a standard ATX PSU. Before we get too far let’s look at the specifications of the HTPC 8000.”

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ASUS Maximus II Gene Motherboard

Link: http://hothardware.com/Articles/ASUS-Maximus-II-Gene-Motherboard/

Review Blurb: “Although the Core i7 and X58 combo is a proven performance leader, there are still plenty of Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPUs out there in the wild.  The Core 2 is still a very capable processor with many models costing less than half the price the cheapest Core i7 processor, the Core i7 920.  Thus, systems based around the P45 chipset are still a viable option for getting good, if not great, performance at a vastly more affordable price.”

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Steelseries 7G

Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/peripherals/steelseries-7g/

Review Blurb: “We review a lot of peripherals here at XSR, and over the years we’ve noticed the growing trend of steadily increasing prices with gaming mice costing upwards of £50 now. Still though, they aren’t the most expensive input accessory you can use with your PC, with specialised keyboards getting close to the £100 mark.”

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AMD Athlon II X3 425, 435 Processors

Link: http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/cpu/amd-athlon-2-x3-425-435-p1.html

Review Blurb: “The idea of manufacturing triple-core processors, put forward by AMD two years ago prior to the first Phenoms, looks promising even without mentioning certain CPU models. Such processors offer a good compromise for the transition period (when a large share of programs cannot efficiently use quad-core processors). That is there is an opportunity to manufacture processors that will have relatively high performance in programs badly optimized for multithreading, and that can benefit from multithreading optimizations as they appear in programs.”

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Asus Eee 1101HA Netbook Review

Link: http://www.i4u.com/section-viewarticle-618.html

Review Blurb: “Today I am checking out the Asus Eee 1101HA netbook. The machine has a larger screen and keyboard than your typical netbook packs. If you like the idea of a netbook but want a larger screen and keyboard, the Eee 1101HA may be just what you need.”

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SparkLAN CAS-673W Wireless Pan and Tilt MPEG4/MJPEG IP Camera

Link: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2987/sparklan_cas_673w_wireless_pan_and_tilt_mpeg4_mjpeg_ip_camera/index.html

Review Blurb: “Home security/ monitoring has been a growing trend for quite a while now. With the drop in cost and the availability of Power over Ethernet, inexpensive high-bandwidth wireless and now low cost/high image quality IP based cameras, we can only assume this trend will continue to grow.”

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OCZ XTC Cooler Rev 2 Memory Cooler

Link: http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/review.php?id=492

Review Blurb: “OCZ gives no attempts at hiding what is inside with the OCZ XTC Cooler Rev 2’s packaging, it is clearly displayed in all its glory. Whilst at this point I want to talk about the XTC Coolers brushed aluminium coating, I know I need to stick to the packaging. So, front side – is pretty simple, other than two logos and a very short product description, there is little to note on the front.”

Posted in Product Reviews

Tech Goodies – 10/30/09

Comments: 0October 30th, 2009 by JeffS

Good day, fellow tech people. I slept in after spending 16 hours cleaning and rearranging all the furniture in my apartment yesterday. I’m now paralyzed for the day, so it’s a good time to get some work done.  Here are your links!

Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive Desktop Upgrade Bundle

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/kingston-ssdnow-v-series-40gb-boot-drive-desktop-upgrade-bundle/

Review Blurb: “Kingston has just announced a new SSD drive, while that in itself isn’t that exciting as SSDs have been around for a while, the purpose of this particular drive though is different than others. The Kingston SSDNow V Series 40gb SSD is meant to be a boot drive only with the user putting their files, folders etc on a standard hard drive.”

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Cogage TRUE Spirit LGA1366 CPU Cooler

Link: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1108/1/

Review Blurb: “Cogage is the mainstream arm of Thermalright, and if you have been around aftermarket coolers for any amount of time you know who Thermalright is. The new brand name is an acronym meaning “Computer and Gaming Gear”. Currently Cogage only has two offerings, the MST-140 a down draft cooler for the LGA 775 and 1366 sockets, and the TRUE Spirit tower cooler for the LGA 1366 socket only.”

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB SATA 6 Gbit/s Hard Drive Performance Review

Link: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2988/seagate_barracuda_xt_2tb_sata_6_gbit_s_hard_drive_performance_review/index.html

Review Blurb: “A few weeks ago LSI sent over their first next generation SAS / SATA controller to review with a set of Seagate 15K.7 SAS drives that were also the first SAS 6 Gb/s products to hit the market. I think it is fair to say that Seagate is leading the charge when it comes to these next generation products that will improve the productivity of our daily computing experience for years to come.”

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Sandisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash Memory card

Link: http://www.techwarelabs.com/sandisk-extreme-pro/

Review Blurb: “How does one explain a card like this? I know – above top of the line! Or <Greater than? I say this because SanDisk’s new Compact Flash(CF) card line, Extreme Pro, with it’s 16, 32, and 64 GB options, has more speed than we have need… for… sorry about the rhyme.”

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Seagate FreeAgent Go Dock+ Portable HDD Docking Station

Link: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2984/seagate_freeagent_go_dock_portable_hdd_docking_station/index.html

Review Blurb: “External drives are coming back around in popularity. This return to favor has been due to a reduction in price of high capacity disk drives, better power management for USB devices (needing only one USB port vs. two), the growing popularity of SSD and the move to mobile computing as an extension of the workplace/desktop. As SSDs become more popular, but remain expensive for high capacity models, the desire for extra storage will be high.”

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Steelseries Siberia v2

Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/headsets/steelseries-siberia-v2/

Review Blurb: “As all good companies do, SteelSeries have taken one of their existing products, and made a series of improvements, upgrades and enhancements. The original Siberia headset, already a success, did have a number of flaws; perhaps the most notable of all was the microphone. The V2 should be able to put all this right as well as a few other bits and pieces. So can the Siberia headset be transformed from a good headset to a great one? Let’s take a look…”

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AMD Sempron 140 2.70 GHz

Link: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Sempron_140

Review Blurb: “AMD recently introduced the new Sempron family of processors which is based on the current K10.5 architecture and manufactured on a 45 nm process. It was a rather silent introduction, with very few websites reporting the news. Looking at the processor specifications, it’s really hard to find something interesting, whether you’re just a regular buyer or hardcore enthusiast.”

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How to install Windows Vista or Windows 7 from a USB drive

Link: http://www.eteknix.com/how-tos/how-to-install-windows-vista-or-windows-7-from-a-usb-drive/

Article Blurb: “Those of you who no longer believe optical drives are essential or own a netbook or similar device without a CD/DVD drive might be left wondering how they would go about installing Windows without one. Relax, as all you need is a 4GB or bigger USB drive, flash or hard drive based.”

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Logitech G27 Racing Wheel Review

Link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/15472/introduction.aspx

Review Blurb: “Logitech’s acclaimed G25 has been given a refresh in the form of the G27. Logitech claims to have addressed user’s issues with the G25. Let’s take a look at the G27’s new features.”

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ROCCAT Kova Gaming Mouse Review

Link: http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/articles_pages/roccat_kova_gaming_mouse_review,1.html

Review Blurb: “With only a few months left of this year, there is little time to release new products onto the market in time for Christmas, but Roccat have a few tricks up their sleeves. Back in August news circulated regarding the production of an exciting new gaming mouse – the Roccat Kova.”

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Nvidia 3D Vision Review

Link: http://www.lgrnexus.com/?articles/2009/10/30/nvidia-3d-vision-review.html

Review Blurb: “The dream of true virtual reality has lingered in our gamer heads for a long time now. While no one can really offer true in-home virtual reality at the moment, Nvidia is providing a way to play all of your favorite games in 3D.”

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Army Of Darkness – Screwhead Edition

Link: http://www.ascully.com/blu-ray-reviews/army-of-darkness-screwhead-edition/

Review Blurb: “The cover is pretty awesome, I must admit. I wouldn’t normally like an over the top, bigger than life bullshitty kind of cover, but this one is perfect. Ash, the hero, stands comically hunky, ready for the Deadite army and to defend the damsel in distress. It’s classic, just like the movie, so I take it with the grain of salt that I keep nearby for watching the movie.”

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ANTEC SKELETON OPEN AIR COMPUTER CASE

Link: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/antec_skeleton_case_review/

Review Blurb: “With their Skeleton case, Antec certainly had their design team thinking WAY out of the box. And Antec encourages its customers to, “Think beyond the BOX,” on the Skeleton’s carton. We’ve got one here in the lab, so follow along to page 2 as we take a closer look at this unusual and innovative chassis from our friends at Antec.”

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Sapphire Pure 1250W Power Supply Review

Link: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphirepure1250w/

Review Blurb: “Sapphire, probably better known for their high quality graphics cards, have recently introduced a new line of power supplies for the PC gamer, builder and enthusiast. The Pure PSU range is available in four variants from the workstation orientated Pure 650W, up to the top of the range Pure 1250W aimed at the power user.”

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In-Win Maelstrom

Link: http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1693

Review Blurb: “In-Win is back with their latest computer case designed for gamers, overclockers, and of course high-end workstation PCs. While we know that In-Win makes some of the craziest looking chassis’ on the market, it seems that the latest Maelstrom chassis is somewhat more unique in a sense that it’s not too wild looking, and instead of putting too much time into the whole outside look, there are some very interesting and useful features that make this case stand out from the crowd.”

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Saw – The Game – The Review

Link: http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1693

Review Blurb: “I couldn’t think of a better game to review on the eve of Halloween than one based on torture devices and cringe-inducing deaths at the hands of the infamous Jigsaw killer.  Zombie Studios and Konami, the marvelous guys behind Silent Hill, have brought the Saw series to life in the third-person survival horror game SAW.  I’m kind of glad they didn’t do some ridiculous spin on words for the title.  Those three little letters are still enough to send shivers down our spines when we think of all the painful ways that the creators of the Saw franchise have come up with to kill those undeserving of the lives they were given.”

Posted in Everything and Anything

Thursday Tech Goodies – 10/28

Comments: 0October 29th, 2009 by JeffS

I’ve got a busy day ahead of me – lots of post-wedding cleanup/catchup to do.  Still not fully back into my daily routine of writing and being at the computer for 15 hours straight, but after today I should be.

Regardless, one thing is back to normal – I’ve got some links for you.  Enjoy.

Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper Reviewed

Link: http://igadgetlife.com/2009/10/28/extra-dvd-to-all-mp4-ripper-reviewed/

Review Blurb: “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a look at any DVD Ripper programs here, but I think I’ve found one that might be worth your while to take a look at. This one is called Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper, it’s a DVD ripper that rips to MP4 format for iPod, iPhone and Zune. It’s very simple to use and it’s very fast, but it’s a bit on the expensive side…”

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20 Essential Tricks Every Outlook User Needs to Know

Link: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/10_tips_and_tricks_take_control_outlook

Article Blurb: “Are you stuck using Outlook at work? We feel your pain. Compared to the alternatives, like Mozilla’s light-weight and customizable Thunderbird client, Outlook is slow, bloaty, and downright unwieldy. Add to the fact that it isn’t free and Outlook doesn’t appear to have much going for it.”

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QPad HeatoN

Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/mouse-mats/qpad-heaton/

Review Blurb: “With the growth of online gaming, and the increased exposure through wider audiences sitting down and picking up a controller, or mouse and keyboad, one industry that’s built up nicely in the past few years, is professional gaming.”

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Alienware Aurora ALX Gaming System Review

Link: http://hothardware.com/Articles/Alienware-Aurora-ALX-Gaming-System-Review/

Review Blurb: “Computer hardware enthusiasts are a unique group. Its true that some enthusiasts may spend hours, days, or weeks tweaking their BIOS and other settings to achieve optimal performance, while others might spend an entire evening painstakingly routing wires for proper cable management.”

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AMD Athlon II X3 435 AM3 Processor Video Review

Link: http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/amd-athlon-ii-x3-435-am3-processor-video-review/

Review Blurb: “Today we are looking at the latest processor from AMD. It is part of the Athlon II family, and features 3 cores clocking up a speed of 2.9GHz per core whilst maintaining 45 nanometer technology and running at a comfortable 95watts. With a sensible price tag to boot, this tri core processor is another step forward for AMD.”

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Lian Li PC-V351R

Link: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/LianLi/PC-V351R

Review Blurb: “CaseKing is one of the few companies out there, which will not just sell anything. They only offer hardware that performs well and is of high quality. The shop offers quite a few exclusive parts and devices from all around the world and it is also the official distributor for a long list of well known manufacturers. Their assortment has grown greatly in recent years, while great service and support is still a very important part of the shop philosophy. The website may be in German, but due to great demand, an English version is in the works.”

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ASUS K50IN

Link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/ASUS-K50IN.html

Review Blurb: “When it comes to notebook sales figures, home entertainment models are in majority. Because of demand for such models, many home entertainment models exist on the market today, so users that search for one of these are presented with huge variety of models. ASUS positioned their new K50 series in that category, and we decided to take a look at K50IN model and see how it matches against ferocious competition.”

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Antec Easy SATA Review

Link: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/antec_easy_sata/

Review Blurb: “With the larger your files on your computer are getting, more storage space is being required to be installed in your system. This can be done with either an external hard drive or an internal drive. Some people are not huge fans of the external storage solution, so Antec has come up with a great solution to this problem with their Antec Easy SATA hard drive enclosure. The Antec Easy SATA enclosure is going to allow you to not only easily swap out hard drives between computers, but it is also going to allow you to easily and quickly add extra storage space to your setup while still using your SATA connections that you are used to allowing for up to 3Gbps data transfer speeds. I am very excited to see exactly how well this solution is going to work, as well as to see if it is going to handicap any performance that we are all used to with the SATA connections. So, let’s take a nice and close look at the Antec Easy SATA hard drive enclosure.”

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Samsung PN50B550 Plasma 1080p HDTV

Link: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7819&Itemid=40

Review Blurb: “Today we are taking a look at another HDTV from Samsung, but this time we have a Plasma unit on our bench and in the living room.  This is the first Plasma I’ve looked at from Samsung and I think it will be interesting to see how it compares in terms of black performance, color accuracy and refresh rate and speed when watching sports.”

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Silverstone RV02 Raven 2 Case Review

Link: http://www.ninjalane.com/reviews/cases/sst-rv02

Review Blurb: “In this review we will be looking at the latest and greatest case from Silverstone called the Raven 2.  As the name indicates this case is a second generation Raven chassis that shares many of the same fundamentals established by the original Raven.  We had a rare opportunity to see a working prototype of the Raven 2 at Computex and were impressed from the start.”

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BFG Tech EX-1000 1000W Modular Power Supply

Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/bfgtechex1000_1

Review Blurb: “This review is going to take a look at one of their beefier power supplies, the EX-1000. As the model name might imply, this is a 1000W unit that happens to sport things such as quad 12V rails rated at 36A each, a modular cabling design, an 80 Plus certified efficiency, and six PCI Express connections for multi-GPU support.”

Posted in Everything and Anything, Product Reviews

Tech Articles & Products – 10/28/09

Comments: 0October 28th, 2009 by JeffS

Oh my, news after noon! The world is crazy!

How Stuff Works: GPS Receivers

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/how-stuff-works-gps-receivers/

Article Blurb: “The big question – how does it work? How does your GPS receiver know where you are? How is it so accurate? What is making it function? Today we’ll take a simple look at GPS receivers and what makes them work to understand how these fancy little units make travel so easy.”

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My Friends Nintendo DS Review

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/my-friends-nintendo-ds-review/

Review Blurb: “My Friends is a game for kids who truly have no friends. It is designed for the most anti-social of children who cannot muster the energy to go outside, make real friends, and engage in basic outdoor play. It’s true that games designed for children aren’t all flash and bang and bullets and guns and graphics and stories like games for adults. Still, that’s no excuse for a game simulating playground activities like Tag. That just seems depressing.”

 

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Kingwin F-35 3.5" SATA Enclosure Reviewed

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15265&Itemid=1

Review Blurb: “Today for review I’ve got a fast looking hard drive enclosure from Kingwin called the F-35. It’s a bright red in color, it’s used with 3.5” SATA hard drives and utilizes a standard USB interface. Is it as fast as it looks? Read on to find out…”

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Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Headset Review

Link: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1109/1/

Review Blurb: “It seems like we just looked at an incredible Plantronics Discovery headset not too long ago, but there is now a new model, the Discovery 975.  When we saw the Discovery 925 last year, we thought that a Bluetooth headset package couldn’t get much better.”

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Rocketfish Rapid Fire Wireless Controller for PS3 Review

Link: http://www.i4u.com/section-viewarticle-615.html

Review Blurb: “Today I am going to check out the new Rocketfish Rapid Fire Wireless Controller for PS3. The controller is full featured and connects wirelessly to the game console. If you are looking for a new controller for your PS3 that will work with minimum fuss, the Rocketfish Rapid Fire Wireless Controller for PS3 may be perfect for you.”

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ASUS Maximus III Gene P55 Motherboard Review

Link: http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/articles_pages/asus_maximus_iii_gene_p55_motherboard_review,1.html

Review Blurb: “It definitely looks very impressive so let’s see how this new motherboard performs.”

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Zaward Gyre Flow Heatsink Review

Link: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2460

Review Blurb: “The fins are pressed over three 8mm diameter copper heatpipes, but how exactly do the fins disperse heat conducted by the heatpipes? Flipping the Gyre over reveals an exposed heatpipe base similar to a variety of Xigmatek heatsinks and two large cut-outs on either side of the aluminum fins. A large 40mm hole transects through the center of its aluminum fins and only adds to the confusion.”

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Our Own Worst Tech Nightmares

Link: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/our-own-worst-tech-nightmares/

Article Blurb: “We may not have digital hiccups on par with NASA and Microsoft, but our tech-addicted staff has seen more than its share of electronics behaving badly. Read some of our own worst-case-scenario stories, and feel free to leave some of your own in the comments section below!”

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XFX HD 5850 Review

Link: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/xfx5850/

Review Blurb: “The XFX HD 5850 is the second line of cards to come out of the AMD 5-series cards. The die still has the same transistor count as the 5870 Cypress core, with a few processing units disabled to get 1440 stream processors while the ROPs were untouched at 32.”

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Lexmark X204n Mono Laser MFP Printer

Link: http://tech-lobby.com/2009/09/lexmark-x204n-mono-laser-mfp-printer/

Review Blurb: “Lexmark, a well established and internationally recognised brand allows us to review one of their products. The X204n mono laser printer with its modest looks aims to please small office and home users. Check out the review.”

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Thermalright T-Rad2 VGA cooler

Link: http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/cooling/2069-thermalright-t-rad-vga-cooler

Review Blurb: “With video card technology growing consistently for some time now today’s video cards have grown into large power hungry monsters, some requiring 300w of power. With that amount of power being used they are bound to create a lot of heat in the whole possess. Reference designs from both ATI and Nvidia have heatsinks with fans that are sometimes very loud while not cooling to the extreme that some enthusiasts expect. That’s where Thermalright jumps in with their T-Rad?, designed to cool better than the stock design while (when using the right fans) keeping the noise to a minimum.”

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Cooler Master Storm Mouse Pad

Link: http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1687&pageID=7646

Review Blurb: “I am sure that many of you have been in the position where you get your new mouse home, and it’s just not as good as you expected. Well it may not be all the mouse’s fault. One commonly overlooked peripheral "helper" is the mouse pad.”

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NOVINT Falcon 3D Force Feedback Gaming Controller

Link: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2978/novint_falcon_3d_force_feedback_gaming_controller/index.html

Review Blurb: “I’ve had force feedback devices before, such as a joystick that was pretty much useless for anything but flight sims. But what NOVINT have brought to the table here is by no means an evolution of the force feedback joystick. It’s much different!”

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Gigabyte GTX 260 Core 216 Super Overclock Video Card Review

Link: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1113/1/

Review Blurb: “Gigabyte is no stranger to the world of high performance computer parts. Early this year I reviewed the first motherboard in their latest line of “Ultra Durable” lineup, the GA-EP45-UD3P. With an additional 2 ounces of copper in the PCB, we found the board to be one of the best solutions at any price for Intel Core Processors.”

Posted in Everything and Anything

Tech Articles & Product Reviews – 10/27/09

Comments: 0October 27th, 2009 by JeffS

Hello, good folks! After a week and a half off-duty for my wedding and honeymoon, I’m back in action.  For you, that means a grand daily dose of product reviews and other fine nerdy information.  I’ve had a great vacation, but it’s time to get back into the swing of things.  Let’s get to it…

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Nintendo DS Review

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/kingdom-hearts-3582-days-nintendo-ds-review/

Review Blurb: “Now we’re back with another title to add to the Kingdom Hearts family, 358/2 Days. This DS spin-off follows the journey of Roxas. Kingdom Hearts fans will know him as the member of Organization XIII who is the Nobody of Sora, the main hero of the first two games.”

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The Biggest Loser for Nintendo DS

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/the-biggest-loser-for-nintendo-ds/

Review Blurb: “The Biggest Loser isn’t as much a game as it is a guidebook to a healthy lifestyle. It features exercise instructions, healthy eating recipes, calorie counters, fat monitors, progress charts, goal planners and everything else you could imagine to get yourself in shape, develop proper eating habits and maintain a healthy physical weight.”

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Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/jabra-bt3030-stereo-bluetooth-headset/

Review Blurb: “I don’t know about you but many times I use my phone as my MP3 player if I want to travel light, our phones today have become much more than just phones, they’re complete multi-media devices as well.”

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Apple Tips #4: Play Windows Games on Your Mac

Link: http://igadgetlife.com/2009/10/25/apple-tips-4-play-windows-games-on-your-mac/

Article Blurb: “Sure, one can install Windows on the Mac using Boot Camp and play the games there – but that requires a full system reboot, as both operating systems can’t run at the same time, and switching between them isn’t as simple as logging out and logging back in. I don’t always want to have to completely power down and select a different OS just to play a game. Things need to run in the background, and life needs to keep going even if I’m absorbed in a game.”

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NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series PC Case Review

Link: http://www.bonafidereviews.com/blog/nzxt-beta-evo-classic-series-pc-case-review/

Review Blurb: “Today for review I’ve got a PC case or chassis from NZXT called the Beta Evo. The Evo is the improved or redesigned version of the original Beta case, and it’s improved for the better overall. The Beta case is a budget style case, at least in price, but it’s won many awards and is not what you would expect from such a low priced case, the features and quality is something you’d see a much higher priced chassis.”

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PowerMobile Advanced Emergency Charger

Link: http://www.bonafidereviews.com/blog/powermobile-advanced-emergency-charger/

Review Blurb: “We’re a mobile society and keeping power to our devices can get expensive. Pretty much all products come with a regular charger, but if you want mobile power you’ll need to buy another charger for your car, and maybe even one for your office as well. All of these chargers for our different devices can get expensive, so why not get one that is portable and can charge most all of your devices?”

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Withings WiFi Body Scale Review

Link: http://www.i4u.com/section-viewarticle-614.html

Review Blurb: “Today I am going to check out the Withings WiFi Body Scale. This scale works like any other bathroom scale with a twist. It will send your weight and other data about your body to your computer or to you iPhone. If you are trying to get in shape and you want to track details about your body the Withings WiFi Body Scale may be perfect for you.”

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ASRock ION 330 NetTop

Link: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7801&Itemid=40

Review Blurb: “It’s no secret that Intel has taken over the ultra-portable netbook market with the Intel Atom processor.  For desktop boxes, though this processor seems a little under-powered – especially for a platform that doesn’t have to be as portable as a 7" or 10" netbook.”

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NZXT M59 Classic Series Mid Tower Gaming Chassis

Link: http://www.modders-inc.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=299

Review Blurb: “Marketed as a gaming mid-tower case the M59 offers up features like clearance for 10.5 inch graphics cards, support for water cooling, and a well ventilated design.  We will see how well the case handles a budget system.”

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Thermaltake Toughpower XT 750W

Link: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=171

Review Blurb: “Oh… hello there. I didn’t see you come in, what with me hanging all these Halloween decorations. What? Santa Claus isn’t a Halloween thing? Sigh – ok. But I’m not taking off the Ghostbusters costume.”

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Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB Portable Drive Video Review

Link: http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/seagate-freeagent-go-320gb-portable-drive-video-review/

Review Blurb: “Today we are looking at the Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB Portable Drive. This particlar drive comes with a 5 year warranty, is quiet and uses the USB 2.0 interface. It’s perfect for storing photos, music and videos.”

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3Rsystem Iceage 120 Boss II Dimpled-Fin Heatsink Review

Link: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2461

Review Blurb: “Let’s get right to the point, 3Rsystem’s Iceage 120 Boss II heatsink is currently one of the Top 5 heatsinks tested on Frostytech. Key to the success of this Korean-made heatsink on both AMD and Intel synthetic test platforms are five 8mm diameter exposed base heatpipes and a unique "X" pattern that places the heatpipes in the path of high velocity air from the coolers’ 120mm fan.”

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GIGABYTE HD 5850 Video Card Review

Link: http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/hardware/1962_1.html

Review Blurb: “ATI’s recent launch of the HD5870 and HD 5850 video cards has forced NVIDIA to basically abandon the high-end video card market until the launch of their next generation Fermi architecture in the next couple of months. It has been an interesting launch of which there are currently four cards in ATI’s HD 5 series lineup: HD5870, HD 5850, HD 5770, and HD 5750 with more cards to come.”

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Antec Mini Skeleton Review

Link: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/antec_mini_skeleton/

Review Blurb: “Recently Mini ITX setups have been getting more popular among users. Products like Nvidia’s ION have been making it easier for users to get their hands on these mini setups. These mini setups do however, come with a challenge.”

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Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS Hard Drive ST3600057SS

Link: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=375&Itemid=60

Review Blurb: “Until SSDs can safely prove that they’re a reliable long-term media for Enterprise storage, the Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface owns the market share for server storage. Until Seagate launches their Solid State Drive counterpart, the 600GB Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS Hard Drive ST3600057SS delivers safe and affordable high-capacity storage to data servers and Enterprise environments. The 4Gb/s FC or 6-Gb/s SAS 2.0 interface allows the perpendicular storage technology to deliver 15,000 RPM data bandwidth for an industry-leading 1.6-million-hour MTBF. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS hard drive against a wide variety of storage solutions.”

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NZXT Sentry 2 Single-bay Touch Screen LCD Fan Controller

Link: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2981/nzxt_sentry_2_single_bay_touch_screen_lcd_fan_controller/index.html

Review Blurb: “NZXT are a well-established manufacturer of peripheries for the PC and the last fan controller we reviewed by them was well received.”

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In Win Maelstrom Full Tower Chassis

Link: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index.php?x=reviews&id=1067

Review Blurb: “In Win is a company mainly known for its power supplies or unique mid tower cases. Today we got the opportunity to review In Win’s first Full Tower Case, the In Win Maelstrom. This airflow giant can boast a total of 10, 120mm fans to go along with the airflow design built into the case. In Win has added many sound/vibration reducing implantations into this case such as the acoustic absorbers and patented hard drive rails. Read on further to see what In Wins first Full Tower Chassis has to offer.”

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OCZ Platinum 1866MHz DDR3 Memory

Link: http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1701

Review Blurb: “OCZ Technologies Memory is one of the most preferred types of memory to have in our computers. Who would not want to have memory that performs well, and stable in our computers? Unlike the Intel 1366 socket Core i7 CPUs tring to find a set of low voltage high frequency memory was next to impossible at the starting of this newer CPU type. This time around, memory manufacturers were prepared to have high frequency, low voltage memory for the newer Intel Core i5/i7 1156 socket CPU’s.”

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Buffalo MiniStation Metro 250GB USB Hard Drive

Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/buffalometro_1

Review Blurb: “Buffalo Technology is a manufacturer of computer components with a focus on storage devices that has been in business since 1975. They have recently expanded their line up of external storage devices to offer more styles, features, and storage capacities. One of the newer releases is the MiniStation Metro; a compact, lightweight USB hard drive that offers features to protect your drive and the data on it.”

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MacSpeech Dictate

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/macspeech-dictate/

Review  Blurb: “Before I start this review I have a confession to make; I hate typing! I am not the fastest typist and I tend to make more mistakes than I care to admit to. So when MacSpeech offered me the opportunity to review their MacSpeech Dictate software I jumped at the opportunity.”

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An Unofficial History of The Unboxing

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/an-unofficial-history-of-the-unboxing/

Article Blurb: “Gadget pron, gadget porn, unboxing, unpacking, uncrate, it’s been called many things, but it’s The Unboxing. Why is it that we love to unbox our gadgets, what is it that excites us so much about unboxing a new gadget or any tech related toy?”

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How Stuff Works: A Computer CPU

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/how-stuff-works-a-computer-cpu/

Article Blurb: “You’ve got a brain, right? Sure you do! And so does your computer. But instead of a soft, squishy blob of neurons and axons and synapses, your computer has a small square chip about the size of a Triscuit cracker that does it’s thinking.”

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13 Crucial WordPress Plugins for SEO and Networking

Link: http://igadgetlife.com/2009/10/15/13-crucial-wordpress-plugins-for-seo-and-networking/

Article Blurb: “Today I’ve put together a list of some of the most popular and most effective plugins for SEO and Networking that will help you get your blog rocking. Of course, the most important part of a blog is the content – but the right content paired with the right tools can be explosive.”

Posted in Everything and Anything, Product Reviews

Hooray for Tech Product Reviews – 10/13/09

Comments: 0October 13th, 2009 by JeffS

DoubleSight DS-70U Smart 7” LCD USB Monitor’

Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/doublesight-ds-70u-smart-7-lcd-usb-monitor/

Review Blurb: “It’s my opinion that you can never have enough desktop space, and by that I mean monitors. Using one monitor just doesn’t cut it for me, I’ve got way too much going on at any one time. I went from one LCD up to two LCDs, then three LCDs and now I have four LCD  monitors. I’m running out of space on my desk now as you could guess, but I’ve got a lot of desktop real estate to play with, and it’s amazing how quickly you can fill it up with all sorts of stuff. At any one time I’ve got two browser windows open, Outlook, Zune software. word processor, text pages and folders open with picture in them, one monitor just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.”

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 for Xbox360

Link: http://www.bonafidereviews.com/blog/marvel-ultimate-alliance-2-for-xbox360/

Review Blurb: “Today for review I’ve got the Xbox360 version of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. UA2 puts you in the shoes of 24 heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. The premise behind that game is that the government is trying to force the heroes and villains to register and basically become their private force, problem is that not everyone agrees with this. Iron Man is heading up those that are for the registration, and Captain America is leading the anti-registration forces and it’s essentially an all out civil war between the two sides.”

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PowerColor Radeon HD 5770

Link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Graphics-cards/PowerColor-Radeon-HD-5770.html

Review Blurb: “With new Radeon HD 5850 and HD 5870 models introductions, ATI also announced when and what models will be presented in the near future. Therefore, it was obvious that new generation begun with Cypress GPU, with code name RV870, which continued with Juniper GPU with code name RV840 GPU. With HD 55770 and HD 5750, along with HD 5870 and 5850 models, ATI has covered high and mid range DirectX 11 graphics cards market.”

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Amd Athlon 2 X4 620 CPU

Link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/14886/specifications.aspx

Review Blurb: “Today we are taking a look at a new Athlon 2 cpu from AMD. They have resurrected the Athlon name and made both dual and quad cores, we are looking at the quad core named 620 today that sells for around 90$. The question is what type of performance we can expect from these lower end cpu´s on the market? Lets take a closer look at what results we got.”

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Netgear WNDR3700 Review

Link: http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/6736/netgear-wndr3700-review

Review Blurb: “Netgear’s WNDR3700 has all the features we’ve come to expect from high-end routers, including a dual-band radio that enables you to operate two networks on different frequency bands, a USB port for attaching shared storage, the ability to establish a guest network (two, in fact), and, of course, support for the IEEE 802.11n standard. But the WNDR3700 also has a few features that we haven’t seen in any router, including the ability to monitor and even limit the amount of data that can be downloaded from or uploaded to the Internet, a valuable benefit if your Internet service provider caps your bandwidth and charges you for exceeding that cap. Still, there’s one feature that’s missing: The ability to share an attached printer over a network.”

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HIS Radeon HD 5770 1 GB

Link: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5770

Review Blurb: “Today AMD further strenghtened their Radeon HD 5000 Series lineup with the release of the HD 5770 and HD 5750. Both cards are targeted at the sub $150 price segment. They both use AMD’s new Juniper graphics processor which features 800 shader units, like RV770. Feature-wise those new cards offer the same features that were added with the HD 5800 Series, for example DirectX 11, Eyefinity, support for more than two active displays at the same time and improvements to HDMI Audio.”

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Sony VAIO NW Series (VGN-NW150J) Review

Link: http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/6735/sony-vaio-nw-series-vgn-nw150j-review

Review Blurb: “Sony builds pretty notebooks, and the VAIO NW series is no exception. The textured plastic enclosure looks fabulous in silver, and it resists fingerprints far better than the glossy finishes that have become so common. While it’s exciting to see a Blu-ray drive in a notebook at this price point ($880), it’s unfortunate that the battery doesn’t have enough juice to finish a feature-length movie.”

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NZXT Beta Mid-Tower Steel Chassis

Link: http://www.overclockersonline.net/index.php?page=articles&num=3201

Review Blurb: “NZXT is a regular here at Overclockers Online. This company makes products that cater to gamers such as specially-designed cases and accessories. I’ve reviewed a few NZXT products before and have been very pleased with them in general. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.”

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ASUS Radeon HD 5770 1GB Voltage Tweak Edition Review

Link: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/24216-asus-radeon-hd-5770-1gb-voltage-tweak-edition-review.html

Review Blurb: “Not long ago, ATI was late to market with their DX10-supporting architecture and it looked like NVIDIA was about to run away with the performance crown. Somehow even after the minor disaster that the HD 2900-series was, the boys in red were able to hold on for dear life until they had products that could compete on a level footing with the best the competition could offer. If we fast forward to the present day, the roles of each company have dramatically reversed with ATI taking its first plunge into the DX11 marketplace while NVIDIA is struggling to find a way to answer.”

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XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 Review

Link: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/24204-xfx-radeon-hd-5770-1gb-gddr5-review.html

Review Blurb: “For gamers, the last month has been a dream come true as ATI has effectively opened the floodgates on its 40nm manufacturing process by bringing an entire range of well-priced DX11 cards onto the market. The release of the high-end HD 5870 was quickly followed by the launch of the HD 5850; a card many people are calling the new 8800 GT due to its amazing price / performance ratio. The fun continues today with the simultaneous launch of two performance-oriented mid-range cards: the HD 5770 1G and the HD 5750 which will be available in 1GB and 512MB forms. In this review we will be looking at the XFX HD 5770 1GB GDDR5.”

 

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Rosewill RCM-8163 1.3 Megapixel Web Camera Review

Link: http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1690

Review Blurb: “It is amazing to me that portable webcams with decent picture quality at an affordable price are still hard to find these days. For customers such as traveling business men/women and broke college students; catching up with customers, bosses, significant others, or that hot fling is an essential part of everyday life. The Rosewill RCM-8163 webcam provides these consumers with a good product at a very reasonable price.”

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OcUK Titan Goliath Desktop Review

Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews.php?/misc_content/ocuk_titan_goliath_desktop_review/1

Review Blurb: “Overclockers UK is a well established e-tailer that have recently begun to offer wider ranges of prebuilt and also “built to order” systems, positioning their offerings squarely at the big guns of the industry from the entry level/business segment all the way to the niche gaming and home theatre computing segments. Boasting the use of purely “quality” parts, plenty of choice and an on-site technical support team, Overclockers UK believe they have exactly what it takes to establish a brand of high reputation. Today however, we have been given the opportunity to place one of their systems in the spotlight…it seems like a good’un…meet the OcUK Titan Goliath Core i7 Desktop Computer.”

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XFX HD 5750 Review

Link: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/xfx5750/

Review Blurb: “After the first wave of cards from when AMD changed from the 4-series to the 5-series, the second wave came. AMD presents the ATI HD 5770 and 5750 as targeted to the midrange graphics market and fall in line under the ATI HD 5870 and 5850. Stock designs of the 5750 have them built on 40nm fabrication just as the other 5-series, with memory sizes up to 1GB combined with a 128-bit memory bus. Stock speeds are set at 700MHz for the core and 1150MHz for the memory. The new video cards support some exciting new features – ATI Eyefinity and Microsoft’s DirectX 11. The cards also idle exceptionally well at 150MHz core and 300MHz memory when they are not under load, providing great energy savings.”

Posted in Product Reviews

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