Hello humans. Yesterday I spent the day at a Sears with my dad helping him build a new Samsung appliance display. We’ve done a bunch of them so far and that was the last. They pretty much swallow the whole day and make me miss other stuff, so over the weekend it’ll be catch-up time on reviews and writing. I do enjoy working with my dad on those projects, though.
Anywho, here’s a slam bang list of news from around the web.
Drawn To Life : The Next Chapter Nintendo Wii
http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/drawn-to-life-the-next-chapter-nintendo-wii/
So today we have Drawn To Life The Next Chapter from THQ and I have to say that I never played the first Drawn To Life game so there’s not going to be any comparisons made in regards to the first game, but I can tell you that I had a lot of fun playing this game and so did my kids.
BUBBLE BOBBLE Neo!
http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/bubble-bobble-neo/
Today for review I’ve got Bubble Bobble Neo, it’s available from Taito via XboxLive and it truly brings back a lot of memories. This game was one of my favorites actually, I can remember playing for hours with friends and this version keeps to the original but adds a bit more to it. Updated graphics of course, along with 4 player co-op play and competitive play as well. So read one to learn more about an old favorite come back to life…
H1-Touch
http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/h1-touch/
The smartphone stand is the Rodney Dangerfield of the peripheral market – it does not get much respect. Most stands hold the smartphone in place but are not always designed for elegance or style. With the popularity of the iPhone and the rise of competitors such as the Palm Pre and Motorola Droid, the stand may regain a prominent role of people’s desktops.
TrickleStar TV TrickleSaver
http://www.bonafidereviews.com/blog/tricklestar-tv-tricklesaver/
Today for review I’ve got the TV TrickleSaver from TrickleStar and it’s an ingenious little gadget that is so simple, yet so effective in that it will help you save money on your electricity costs. The TV TrickleSaver is simple to use, just plug your TV into one of its outlets and then your other devices into its other outlet and you’re ready to go. It works by sensing when you power your TV off, then it turns off anything else that is connected to it, no more stand-by power means a lower electric bill.
New Need For Speed: Shift Patch Boosts AMD GPU Performance
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1130/1/
On September 25th, 2009 AMD’S Ian McNaughton blasted NVIDIA and The Way It’s Meant To Be Played (TWIMTBP) program in a blog post he made on the AMD website. It seems that many AMD video card owners were complaining that they were not getting smooth gameplay like they expected. They said the frames were dropping too much, which in turn caused slow performance, even on a Radeon HD 4890. Gamers were angry because of it, and of course blamed the CATALYST video card drivers for being crappy.
Logitech Squeezbox Boom
http://www.techwarelabs.com/logitech-squeezbox-boom/
After reviewing the Squeezebox Duet a few months ago, and believing everyone should own such a product, Logitech has sent us the Logitech” Squeezebox Boom” to review. After using the Squeezebox Boom all around the house (kitchen, out in the garage/driveway while washing the car), we are convinced the Squeezebox Boom is the Ultimate Christmas gift. The price may be a little steep for some consumers. Whoever receives theirs will enjoy using it without a doubt. This reviewer is an internet radio junkie and now I have the ability to listen to internet radio without the need to have my computer running, and I’m not confined to the computer room or my living room where I us the Logitech Duet.
Seagate Savvio 10K.3 SAS 2.0 6Gb/s 300GB 2.5-inch Hard Disk
It has been quite a busy month with next generation SATA and SAS 6Gb/s hitting the market. A couple of months ago we received out first SAS 2.0 hard drives from Seagate and tested them on first generation hardware, but we noticed that the two fastest drives that arrived, the Cheetah 15K.7 and Savvio 15K.2 were limited by the first generation SAS controller we had on hand to test with. A couple of weeks ago LSI and Intel both announced their first SAS 2.0 6 Gb/s storage controllers and we were able to finally get the most out of the Seagate second generation SAS drives.
Top Tested CPU Heatsinks At A Glance
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
HOW IT WORKS: The #1 Rank is considered the current Top heatsink for that parameter, #10 is considered the 10th BEST for that parameter. Only heatsinks that Frostytech has tested in its labs are included in these Top 5 lists; as such FrostyTech guarantees this list is incomplete, that some heatsink models available on the marketplace are omitted, and that it is not a permanent indication of what’s “the best heatsink ever.” Please click on any heatsink listed below for a detailed review and the official thermal and acoustic test results. Manufacturers and vendors are NOT permitted to replicate this list, nor make any claims of performance from it.
ASUS EAH5870 1GB Graphics Card Review
http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/articles_pages/asus_eah5870_1gb_review,1.html
Today we have with us the first DX 11 graphics card to be released, the ATI HD 5870. Much hype has surrounded the card and for good reason, and with the onset of Windows 7′s release, being a PC gamer has never been so exciting. But for ATI, the story has not always been one of faultless execution as we see today. To understand how we got to the HD 5870, we need to cast our minds back to the darker days of ATI when Vista was released and DX 10 was to revolutionize gaming. Back then, ATI were expected to obliterate the competition with its HD2900XT, promising outstanding performance with its GDDR4 memory and 512bit bus. Following, a successful DX 9 line up of cards, the HD2900XT only held disappointment and this triggered to a chain of events that has lead to the 5870 today.
Verbatim Store n Go Micro 4GB Flash Drive Review
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1698
Nearly everyone in modern society has need for portable digital storage, and therefore carry some sort of USB flash drive. They have replaced the floppy drive in terms of portable ubiquity (even Windows finally uses them to load disk drivers at install time), and it’s so convienient to be able to copy files to and from several computers. While they are small and portable, they still have their problems. Some drives are ruggedized, but can be large and have caps to lose. Other drives are small enough to fit on a keychain, but aren’t rugged enough to withstand the hostile environment of the average jeans pocket.
Leadtek Geforce GT 220 Extreme Overclocking Experiment
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=968
I know, I used to write these kind of overclocking adventures all the time, but since the work at hwbot.org is stacking up I find less and less time to do what I really like to do: overclocking. Although many people do not know this, I tend to see the HWBOT Overclockers League as yet another competition I can play in, however, not the absolute most important one. No, for me the entire concept of the bot is just one great playground: give me an Athlon XP and I’ll try to push it, using LN2, past previous world records. Anything, from low-end to high-end, that can be overclocked will be overclocked when it passes my hands.
NZXT Beta EVO Mid-Tower Steel Case
http://www.overclockersonline.net/?page=articles&num=3281
Following on the heels of Nivedh’s review of NZXT’s Beta case, I have the next evolution of that case if you will with the Beta EVO. The Beta EVO may look pretty much identical on the outside, but there are a few changes that can make a big difference.
CoGage True Spirit
http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/cooling/2113-cogage-true-spirit
One of the top heatsink manufactures Thermalright has impressed us multiple times with their top performing heatsinks. Recently they introduced a new brand and product line called CoGage. CoGage products are designed to have Thermalright’s performance on a budget for penny pinching enthusiasts. Our new friends over at Acoustic PC contacted us and wanted to know if we wanted to check out the True Spirit, and of course we would love too. They sent out a whole box full of goodies to help in the testing so big thanks go out to them!
Archos 3 8GB MP3 Player Review
http://www.everythingusb.com/archos-3-17897.html
Pick up the Archos 3 and you’ll be surprised at how light it is for something of its size. Not to say that it’s large; quite the contrary. To me, it sits firmly between an iPod touch (and its substantial heft), and the iPod nano (with its very nano screen). From here, Archos goes the one button route, instead relying on a capacitive touchscreen and a touch sensitive home button underneath the screen.
Adesso CyberTablet 6400 Tablet
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1700
As a graphic artist, I am familiar with digital graphics tablets. Most digital artists are familiar with Wacom products, but they tend to be very pricey. The price point of a tablet has a bit of “snob” factor to it, as professional tablets start around $350 and “lesser” entry-level tablets can be had for under $100. When I saw the Adesso CyberTablet 6400, I really didn’t have a lot of high hopes, given its $70 price point.
ASUS P7P55D Deluxe Motherboard
http://tech.tbreak.com/2009/11/asus-p7p55d-deluxe-motherboard/
Asus is a leading manufacturer in the computer industry with a reputation for producing high quality products that have helped this Taiwanese-based company reach the top of its industry. Asus motherboards and video cards are very popular among regular users and overclocking enthusiasts alike and so are there laptops and LCD monitors. Today we take a look at another feature packed motherboard by Asus, the P7P55D Deluxe.
Choiix Mini Air-Through Notebook Cooling Pad Review
Manufacturers of mobile computing are very keen to produce super thin solutions that are easier to move from place to place, due to the hardware inside being so compact this means that components get hot quicker than the conventional PC and this can ultimately lead to system crashes and even hardware failure. So to combat this problem cooling product developers are designing units to relieve mobile computers of this unwanted heat. Today we have one of these coolers, the Choiix Mini Air-Through Notebook Cooling Pad.
ABS SL Series 1050 Power Supply
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1710
If you recently made an upgrade to the Core i7 system you may found that your older power supply may not able to support the C6 power saving feature that is found in the Nahalem processor. The C6 power saving turns of the core clock, PLL, and the caches. As a result, it is able to lower the core voltage even lower than the C4 state. It is estimated that the C6 uses about 300% less power than the C4.
ZOWIE Hammer Gaming Headset
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3005/zowie_hammer_gaming_headset/index.html
The company bio of ZOWIE speaks of efficient durable products that come at affordable prices, much like a Kia or a Hyundai automobile. Funny about that, as ZOWIE`s Asia office is located inside the `Hyundai tower`.
Cooler Master Storm Sniper Black Edition Case
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1131/1/
Cooler Master has been around for as long as I can remember, producing some of the best cases around. Cooler Master announced a line of enthusiast parts called CM Storm at the first part of 2009. Part of that line up was a new case named Sniper. Today, we will be looking at the newest version of the Sniper, the Black Edition. The Black Edition comes with a few extras that the standard Sniper doesn’t. Most noticeable is the interior is all blacked out. Other additions include an extra 200mm fan and a CS-M FPS Tactics DC mouse pad. Before we get to much father let’s take a quick look at the features and specifications.
Lucid Hydra 200 Multi-GPU Performance Revealed
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Lucid-Hydra-200-MultiGPU-Performance-Revealed/
Today we have news of this technology finally coming to life. The Hydra 200 processor is currently in mass production and will soon be featured on retail motherboards, starting with MSI’s Big Bang Fuzion P55 motherboard. While this processor will initially be implemented on high end boards, it is actually better suited for the much larger mainstream market segment. Instead of replacing old hardware, upgraders and system builders alike can presumably optimize their existing graphics performance by adding a new affordable videocard.
Thermaltake Element G (VL10001W2Z)
http://www.modders-inc.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=306
The Thermaltake Element G is a mid-tower case that is taking square aim at the enthusiast that does not want the bulk of a full tower case, but has the need for a LOT of storage and an extreme need for airflow with lots of heat generating components.
Insignia NS-BRDVD3 Blu-ray Player Review
http://www.i4u.com/section-viewarticle-623.html
Today I am going to check out the Insignia NS-BRDVD3 Blu-ray player with 1080p output. The player is under $150 and packs in the feature you might not expect to find at such a low price point. If you haven’t gone Blu-ray yet, the Insignia NS-BRDVD3 Blu-ray player may be just het low cost player to get you into the HD world.
Inno3D GeForce GT 220 1 GB
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Inno3D/GeForce_GT_220
Currently NVIDIA is releasing new versions of their lower end graphics card series. All new cards are based on NVIDIA’s first 40 nm graphics processors. The GeForce GT 220 uses the GT216 GPU, while the G 210 uses the GT218 processor. Both cards are positioned in the lower end of the performance spectrum, with performance in the 9500 GT range. This is also the first time that NVIDIA offers a DirectX 10.1 compliant GPU. NVIDIA’s Reviewers Guide states “The GeForce GT 220 is the perfect GPU for Microsoft Windows 7″. I respectfully disagree, a Windows 7 graphics card should have support for DirectX 11 in my opinion, no matter if DirectX 11 is popular yet. NVIDIA has also worked on the media PC features and now lets you transmit the HDMI audio signal through the PCI-Express bus without the need for any SPDIF cable. Full HD video decode acceleration, NVIDIA CUDA and PhysX are also present on this card making this an all-round entry level solution if you are looking for a basic graphics card that works well for desktop use, and allows for casual gaming.
ECS P55H-A Motherboard Review
http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1970_1.html
Intel launched the Core i7 CPUs and X58 motherboard chipset last year offering high performance from the motherboards but also introducing a whole slew of new features that required a new motherboard, new memory kits (for Triple Channel memory), and the cost of ownership for that platform took many buyers out of the running. Every high-performance chipset is also followed by a more mainstream version and the mainstream version of the x58 chipset is the P55 chipset and Lynnfield CPUs.
XClio Godspeed One Advanced Mid Tower Case
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3006/xclio_godspeed_one_advanced_mid_tower_case/index.html
It has really been a while since I got to look at something from XClio. The last time I reviewed something from them was of the 1000 Super Tower. This chassis had all the bells and whistles; multi-colored lighting, adjustable fan speeds and a unique design set the outside of the chassis apart from the crowd. Inside it had some well appointed features as well, but all of this came at a hefty price tag. Currently the chassis goes for just under $180, but at that time it was a lot closer to $300 USD.
Xigmatek Midgard-W Computer Case CPC-T55DB-U02
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=400&Itemid=60
Today’s review focuses on the Xigmatek Midgard CPC-T55DB-U02 Computer Case, Big on features and while not an overly expensive case it is still closer to the top end of what I would call a Budget case. Tool free design, Midgard-W was designed by gaming and cooling thinking within tool-free hard drives and add-on card installation, easy installation CPU cooler back plate window, four pipe holes for water cooling system and seven cooling fan space at most.and a “gorgeous” outlook are only a few points why this chassis is a “must” not only for enthusiast but also for pc beginners. This case is certainly beautiful to look at, but looks are for the vain, Quality is essential to the success of a product. Will you be using this case in your next build? Come and take a closer look to see if this is the case for You.
VIZO Arius Ex
http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/storage/2095-vizo-arius-ex
Hardware limitations are a problem that are often encountered in any media PC environment. That limit could be a memory capacity or perhaps running out of hard drive bays in your case. Or maybe you’re just sick of constantly removing a side panel to swap hard drives. The perfect solution in all the cases above is an internal hard drive rack. These convenient pieces of expansion hardware allow a user to spend a 5.25″ bay and convert it to an additional 3.5″ hard drive bay. VIZO Technology Corp has sent us their 3.5″ contender in the Arius line, the Arius EX, to test.
SteelSeries Siberia V2 Headset Review
http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/articles_pages/steelseries_siberia_v2_headset_review,1.html
It was only a few weeks ago that I reviewed the Steelseries Siberia and today we have a fresh new version of this wonderful headset. Steelseries have recognized some of the issues that critics highlighted in the first version of the Siberia, and have made steps towards creating an even better gaming headset – which is fabulous news. I always find it admirable when companies identify problems and make the effort to improving their products – it shows how much they care about the consumer.