Week of June 27, 2004

Evening Edition: Wednesday, June 30 2004 - 10:11

SFF Round Up

The two gems in the lineup are the Qbic 3401a and the Condor. Remember how I commented that the Qbic looked porky? It was for a good reason. This bad boy can house 2 optical drive and 2 3.5" drives. The possibility of two optical drives is pretty impressive as it is the only SFF box in our roundup with the ability to do this. I'm under the impression that Soltek may be the only manufacturer....

Corsair XLPRO

Everyone is abuzz about the new Corsair ultra-low latency XL memory modules. Boasting an ultra-low latency of just 2-2-2-5 at 400MHz DDR, these memory modules are the fastest PC3200 memory modules in the market....

667 Megahertz XMS2

Corsair Memory, Inc., a global leader in ultra-performance DDR memory modules for PC gamers and enthusiasts, today announced new XMS2 5300 speed modules at low latencies. Today Corsair introduced four new products in this family of ultra-fast modules. These memory modules offer the incredibly fast speeds of DDR2 5300 and the low latencies of 4-4-4-12....

Beginners Guides:

Upgrading the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of your computer's motherboard, also sometimes called 'flashing,' used to be a complex operation full of potential perils for your PC. The task involved downloading the correct BIOS file, the proper CMOS chip flashing software, rebooting the PC into DOS mode, applying the correct commands and then waiting in suspense until the update finished. All the while there was....

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Afternoon Edition: Wednesday, June 30 2004 - 3:18

Posted by: Scott

Athlon 64 3800+ & High-end Graphics cards
article which aims to show how the latests cards are CPU limited.

"So basically this is Pentium 4. 2.8 GHz & AMD Athlon 64 3800+ versus GeForce 6800 GT , GeForce 6800 Ultra , Radeon x800 Pro & XT (PE) in a nice selection of games. After I explained my little worry towards AMD they agreed to shop out an Athlon 64 3800+ which I could use to experiment a little with for a few weeks. The results are quite shocking ..."

VapoChill LS
You can't get much cooler than one of these , especially since nVentiv are no more.

"The brilliant mounting mechanism, peerless cooling performance (now unmatched since the Mach II GT is no more) and stylish enclosure allow Asetek to raise the commercial phase-change CPU cooling bar."

PC3200
From cool, to HOT. Hot ram that is, to be exact.

"Walk softly and carry a big stick... or two! That would be applicable for our review subject today, 1 GB of Corsair TwinX1024-3200XLPRO RAM. I shouldn't have to go into detail regarding the Corsair name. Think high performance computing and Corsair will always be on the short list of players. And with the 3200XLPRO, they are taking some of the work out of getting extremely low latencies out of DDR RAM."

Canterwood
Despite all these new platforms and technologies, you can always grab a bargain from the 'older' tech, like this

"With its Prescott compatibilities this board can run any skt 478 processor, many of which can compete with the other, more exciting processors out there. For this reason we gave skt 478 one more try when we chose to build our most recent test computer. As far as price/performance this platform is tough to beat."

Springdale
And if you want a board with WiFi, then that could be the

"Although much attention right now is focused on the new i915/i925 chipsets, there is still several good performing 865 and 875 boards out there for consumers to have. With the introduction of the new chipsets, we will also eventually see the prices fall on these now "old" chipset powered boards. I prefer to look at them as "mature" rather than aging, as most 1st generation boards are hardly really ready for the average consumer. An example of this is the current issue with the new Intel ICH6R chipset, where some are having to be pulled off the market due to issues. It seems these days, those of us who jump on the bandwagon and purchase the "newest" computer hardware are really beta testing! These consumers also end up being the ones to come up some of the fixes for the issues we find."

5900XT
Since we are still waiting for the newer budget cards to arrive, the likes of the are still very much fair game.

"AOpen's GeForceFX 5900XT packs in 128MB of DDR RAM, supports dual monitors, has TV-Out capabilities and comes with a bundled copy of PowerDVD 5. Factor in the $239 CDN ($175 US) price tag (which is one of the lowest priced FX 5900XT's we've seen), and pretty much everything else can be forgiven if the card does seem a little vanilla. Oh, did I happen to mention that AOpen boosted the default core clock speed from 390 MHz to 420 MHz too?"

PolarFlo PR
PolarFLO TT Series CPU.

"The PolarFLO TT CPU is the latest in pc water cooling technology. We bring you the best performance at much lower flow rates and at high flow rates. The new design is fully comprehensive and future proof. We decided to take a more feature-rich and performance approach with the TT Series. The features this series offers is unprecedented. The PolarFLO TT Series CPU block is a simple two part design. If you can change the batteries in a flashlight, you can service a PolarFLO TT CPU. The main body of the block rotates to relieve stress and deflection on hoses. All the components are available individually. You can take apart the new PolarFLO TT CPU to clean, modify or interchange parts. The PolarFLO TT CPU uses the PolarFLO TT Series Posi-Seal Barbs and Plugs. These Posi-Seal barbs and plugs are easy to interchange. You can get the PolarFLO TT CPU in a 2 port or 3 port configuration. The low profile design will fit into the smallest cases and with the low flow performance, you don't have to worry about your pump-life. The new PolarFLO TT Series CPU water block is the first in the series, which will be the most professional, high-quality, and top performance series available."

We have been talking about these upcoming blocks in our forums for the past few days, complete with pictures.

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Morning Edition: Wednesday, June 30 2004 - 5:42

Posted by: Scott

9800Pro
I think the quote below sums up how OCNZ feel about the pretty well, but read the review for the full sotry as to why.

"Trust me, you will not find any card offering this sort of performance/cost ratio on the market right now. We highly recommend MSI RX9800PRO-TD128 128MB to anyone who is seeking great performance without having to deal with the devil."

Cases and Cooling
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MP3
The current market can offer you a pleathora of different MP3 players, including this .

"A few weeks ago I reviewed the HD-500 music Jukebox mp3 player from a company called Xclef, also known as Multi Channel Labs. Though the HD-500 was loaded with tons of neat features and performs really well, its size and inconvenient control layout keeps it from being a serious contender in the field of hard drive based mp3 players. To be fair, the HD-500 is actually Xclef's older model mp3 player; now a budget player. Though the 500 may not compete well against the current slew of music jukeboxes, Xclef's latest model, the HD-800, definitely has a chance. The HD-800 retains all the features of the HD-500, but is a sleeker and physically smaller package with a revamped control layout."

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Evening Edition: Tuesday, June 29 2004 - 9:05

Posted by: Marc

Mad Dog

A 7.1-channel surround sound audio chip seems to be the current solution, though there are few matching speaker packages on the market for consumer to even take advantage of. In this review, PCstats will test out the Mad Dog Multimedia's Entertainer 7.1 soundcard. This $60USD card looks to compete directly with Creative's Audigy line, offering many of the same features at an attractive price. It uses VIA's new Envy 24HT-S sound chip which boasts full 24-bit 192Khz capabilities. The Entertainer 7.1 ships in a....

ATI

So whats all this about then - why the old games in the list? Well today im going to be comparing alot of ATI hardware, from older boards such as the 9700 and 9600XT to the new cutting edge PCIE X800XT and mid range X600XT mainly due to the fact ive been getting alot of emails from Driverheaven members asking if now is a good time to sell on their older hardware and invest in a new "X" series board, ive put together this article with real world game performance from a variety of resolutions and....

Cooling and Cases

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Afternoon Edition: Tuesday, June 29 2004 - 2:13

Posted by: Scott

X800 Pro to XT
I didn't think it would be long before

"...people that have successfully soft modded the current batch of Club3D X800 Pro Vivo cards to XT by flashing with a Gigabyte Bios.

These cards are shipping with the 1.6ns Ram, bridges still intact and even have XT stickers on the HSF - by all accounts they are effectively XT cards with 4 pipelines disabled in the bios."

Also at Hexus is the

PC3200
This is some of the fastest PC3200 on the market, if not THE fastest. is reviewed at ARP.

"Everyone is abuzz about the new Corsair ultra-low latency XL memory modules. Boasting an ultra-low latency of just 2-2-2-5 at 400MHz DDR, these memory modules are the fastest PC3200 memory modules in the market. Today, PsYkHoTiK takes a look at the top XL memory kit - the 1GB Corsair XLPRO Ultra-Low Latency TwinX Memory Kit. He will show you what the new XL memory modules are all about and how well they perform. Check it out! "

OC-Zone also look at the

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Springdale
DFI's LanParty series of motherboards are well known, but if the flash and extra's are not for you, DFI also make the Infinity series. HardwareZoom checks out the

"DFI Super Patch in the 865PE Infinity is a memory acceleration technology that performs direct data transfer between the CPU and system memory. This significantly shortens latency time and provides improved system performance and memory bandwidth. Super Patch can be enabled or disabled. The amount of overclocking can be set from 5% up to 35%. For the CPU core voltage, it can goes as high as 1.975V which is dangerously high if it is not applied properly, however extreme overclockers should love it."

Watercooling
The Madshrimps test 2 and see who comes out on top.

"Recently during a forum discussion an astute observation was made concerning the evolution of water block�s and the testing thereof. To paraphrase, the state of water block design has evolved to the point, where the level of performance between quality water blocks has narrowed to within a few centigrade degrees. Where high standards are maintained among manufacturers, it seems quality is constantly improving as the performance gap shrinks"

54 Mbps Wireless
This probably the speed everyone aims for when they want to set up a home system. Hardware-Pacers check out the

"The 54 Mbps Wireless Ethernet Adapter is the fastest, meanest wireless adapter on the road. It transforms a home or an office into a grand wireless network where any wireless capable device can connect to it. With 54 Mbps wireless speed, it is guaranteed that the Internet does not contain any slowdowns and it is extremely easy to install. It can transfer information up to 54 Mbps and makes it capable to share the Internet, printers and other devices."

Morning Edition: Tuesday, June 29 2004 - 5:34

Posted by: Scott

PC3200
I don't think I've seen any review that dislikes this

"The XL memory uses Samsung's TCCD chips, which are actually DDR500 chips, but Corsair has built them on the PCB marked 3200XL, and designed to run at 400Mhz with 5-2-2-2 timings. They only come in 1GB kits, with or without the "Pro" series of LED light indicators. Read on to find out more about this awesome RAM."

5900XT
Another item that is well liked by reviewers is the 5900XT cards, and this at Explosive Labs is no exception.

"When it all comes down the entire point of the 5900XT line of video cards was to give consumers something with fair performance for around the $200 USD mark. Manufacturers have really been taking it upon themselves to make such cards more attractive and Gainward has done quite a good job at it. At around $260, which is quite higher than price point just mentioned, The Gainward Ultra/1300XT TV-DVI Golden Sample is still a great buy. Cheaper than a 5900 Ultra and almost half the cost of a 5950 Ultra it is hard to not like this card especially when it is capable of performing better and/or at the same speeds as each."

Gyration
No, it's some new dance craze but a keyboard and mouse set called the which aims to improve upon older models.

"When looking for a keyboard and mouse to control your HTPC, a few names come to mind for most of us. One of these such names is Gyration... HTPCnews takes a look at their latest Ultra GT Suite which replaced the older version which had some range issues when used with HTPC's. Read the review and find out if they fixed the issues and see the surprise that HTPCnews.com has in store."

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YHM
. Says it all really, but read below for more info.

"We have made some changes to our running contest; the winner now gets 5GB of email space instead of 1GB! We are going to give everyone who registers in our forums for the next month a free 50MB email account. So stop on by and sign up today, the free for all ends July 31st."

Evening Edition: Monday, June 28 2004 - 9:00

Posted by: Marc

Danger Den

As you can see the FX was returning a temperature of 0�C, not bad. To see how well the whole thing overclocks I will save that until I have fitted it to my 9600 Pro as this is a lovely overclocking card. Far better than the FX to be honest. It's worth noting that Coolermeister gets a 40% overclock with his 9800XT, a figure I intend to beat....

Nvidia

Nvidia is upping the ante significantly with SLI. The performance crown in the current generation of products is muddy at best but with SLI there leaves little doubt as to who will hold the bragging rights of fastest video solution. The summary of follow up questions to Nvidia omitted one of my concerns - one of the problems that faced 3dfx was the incredible expectations that followed after the....

Cooling and Cases

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Afternoon Edition: Monday, June 28 2004 - 1:24

Posted by: Hubert

Free Mags
IT professional? Simply a cubicle drone? Eitherway, may be worthwhile.

All the magazines are free to those who qualify. No catches or hidden trials. if the above don't appeal to you.

NVIDIA SLI
Guess NVIDIA needs to do something with those 3dfx patents... Tech Report has an article outlining

SLI stood for "scan line interleave," which was 3dfx's means of distributing the workload between a pair of PCI graphics cards in order to boost performance. Stick a couple of Voodoo 2 cards into your box, connect them together, and one would literally draw the even-numbered scan lines on the screen while the other drew the odd-numbered lines.

nF2 + WiFi
Hexus reviews the . Looks like they weren't all that impressed with it.

If you've got anything recent as far as Socket A goes, you're not going to see much to tempt you to the -E Deluxe, unless WiFi is your thing. Enthusiasts will either stick with what they've got, or get the DFI (or possibly AN7 if they are dyed in the wool ABIT fans).

Cases and Cooling

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Morning Edition: Monday, June 28 2004 - 8:12

Posted by: Hubert

EPIA MII
Our buds at Tweaknews look at the today. They seem to like the board, but aren't too hot on a couple of features.

The MII10000 reviewed today is practically the same as the M10000 other than the included CompactFlash, Cardbus and Firewire capability. The Firewire should remain an EPIA staple whereas the Cardbus and the CompactFlash wouldn't be missed by most of its targeted audience.

Here's a link to our review of the MII 12000.

WC Review
won't win any awards for performance, but if noise is of importance to you, this kit has very little of it.

The 3RSystem Poseidon WCL-03 is an intriguing product. The thermal results won't amaze, but the silence accompanying the performance is quite impressive. Having seen numerous air and water coolers in action over the years, I would have to say this is the quietest to date!

9600XT Review
Bjorn has sat down and spent some time with the . This is the Platinum Pack version of the kit.

All-In-Wonder cards always have interested me, especially after I visited ATI in Canada and saw them demonstrating a complete home with a main computer using an AIW card and several connected PC�s which could access the TV-image. Somehow it did sound exactly like what I would like to do here at my home.

6800 Ultra
If OCing on your own is too scary for you, how about a pre-OC'd which has it already done for you?

BFG Tech uses high-quality components on their boards while backing them up with a true Lifetime Warranty and 24/7 tech support. This allows BFG to offer their trademarked OCT line of cards and still have a full warranty without worry.

Personal Cinema
Hardly a barn-burner, may appeal to those of you who'd rather stick with NVIDIA for home cinema needs.

eVGA leaves nothing out of the Personal Cinema package. It includes two eVGA stickers, audio/video cables, multimedia hub, DVI-to-VGA adapter, FM antenna, NVIDIA remote control, two software cds, batteries, and of course the card (GeForce 5700 Ultra) itself.

Cooling and Mods

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Sunday Edition: Sunday, June 27 2004 - 5:13

Posted by: Marc

Water-cooling for Everyone

To help give you a better understanding of water-cooling and the options that are currently available, this review will be looking at two vastly different approaches to water-cooling: Cooler Master's new Aquagate Liquid Cooling Unit and the Asetek Waterchill (KT03A-L30) CPU Cooling Kit. One thing that makes these two cooling systems different....

Zalman Tour

The Zalman facility is located in Southern California. It is run and managed by a few employees. Everything is kept nice and simple, and clean might I add. There are some facilities that I've been to that just don't quite seem like an office. I had no troubles finding the office; the large building was clearly labeled with the Zalman logo....

Socket 940 vs. 939

Many have gotten caught up in the drag strip of benchmarks and overlooked the new features this latest introduction brings. Socket 939 does bring support for unbuffered memory but does this mean the death of Socket 940? Cool'n'Quiet has received a cool reception but it's a gem waiting to be polished. Socket 940 versus Socket 939. Which is the winning combination for you?

Shuttle

The tiny button that you see on the back panel is for clearing the CMOS which can come in handy if your overclocked system fails to boot up after you've fitted all your components and have the casing closed. Instead of re-opening the casing, simply press that button for a couple of seconds and you're up and running again....

Cooling and Cases

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