April
28, 2005
Dual core Opteron
and Athlon 64 Venice core availability and pricing
Author: Chris
Tom
"We
have details about availability of the dual core Opteron models
including pricing. They should be shipping soon.
http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=2706&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Also we have
learned that the Athlon 64 Venice core with SSE3, better memory
compability, and improved overclocking is also available now with
the 3500+ model hitting stores.
http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=2700&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0"
Also
in the news
Scythe Kamaboko
Z
Author: Patrick
Ng
"Just
because a cooler uses heatpipes doesn't make it superb. While
the Kamaboko Z looked promising, the performance wasn't stellar.
It's still better than the stock cooler of course."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Raidmax Samurai
XE 901 Gaming Case
Author: John
Chen
"Raidmax
makes a few changes to their original Samurai case and comes up
with an Alienware lookalike. While it still focuses on looks,
there are still some good features included, like dual 120mm fans."
Read
the full review here
April
26, 2005
S3 GammaChrome
S18 Pro and ThermalTake Big Water Liquid CPU Reviews on motherboards.org
S3
GammaChrome S18 Pro Video Card
Author: Benjamin
Sun
"S3 was
the very first company to actually have a VGA card claiming to
be 3D compatible in the form of their S3 Virge chipset. Ten years
later we still see S3 in the VGA game and this time they introduce
the S18 Gamma Chrome series, that shows promise in the mid range
arena."
Read
the full review here
Thermaltake
Big Water Liquid CPU Cooler
Author: Doc
Overclock
"Many
companies these days find themselves dabbling in the liquid cooling
arena. Thermaltakes Big Water closes the gap between hardcore
and user friendly and offers a liquid cooling unit that is functional
as well as ergonomic."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
A.C. Ryan Modding
Products
Author: Björn
Endre
"We decided
to put together this overview article instead of trying to review
every little item separately.
The products
we are looking at today are:
ConnectxT
Kit Deluxe, UVRed - This kit includes all you need to mod all
the connectors in your computer.
ConductxT DIY Kit Chain-Your-DriveT, UVblue
FlexSleeveT Kit UVblue - Sleeve up your cables.
MORFT psu modding kit, UVBlue - Everything you need to mod all
the cables from your PSU.
Roundcables ATA133 60cm UVSilver - Rounded ATA-cable with UV-Active
particles.
BackyT Combo, UVBlue - Need access to molex and fan power outside
the case? Then backy is the thing for you.
SATA cable 50cm GREENEON - Tired of your boring SATA cable. Then
this cool SATA cable is for you."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Thermaltake
Armor VA8000 Full Tower Case
Author: Norman
Tan
"Some
lead, and some follow. Some imitate, and some 'enhance'. In the
5+ years we've been around, Thermaltake has been all over the
map. Sometimes they have a neat idea, sometimes they blatantly
rip a product off. Sometimes they take an idea, and run with it
a bit.
Today we're
reviewing the Armor VA8000 Full Tower Case from Thermaltake. It
is obviously inspired by Cooler Master's Stacker case, but it
does have some really cool features worth talking about. It is
definitely one of the more unique looking cases we've reviewed
in a while."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Jetart JACSH1
Universal VGA Cooler
Author: Luke
Ponio
"Jetart
enters the GPU cooling competition and gives Arctic Cooling a
good fight. Equipped with blue LED's and universal installation,
it becomes a great choice for enthusiasts."
Read
the full review here
April
25, 2005
HIS X850XT
IceQ II Turbo
Author: Brook
Moore
"The
HIS adaptation of the X850XT is more than well done, it borders
on ingenious. Simple, yet extremely effective silent cooling,
give you stable overclocks to the levels of the Platinum Edition
without even a 2nd glance. Add to that a range of adapters that
could make your day and a Dual DVI output launch this card to
the top of the pile, especially when you consider the price differential
for that Platinum Edition card next to it."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
CoolerMaster
Aquagate Mini R120 Water Cooling Combo
Author: Trevor
Flynn
"If you
want outstanding CPU cooling capabilities, you're probably going
to look at either a huge copper heatsink with a huge loud fan,
or water cooling.
And normally
when you think 'water cooling' you think of a sloppy, complicated
mess.
If Cooler Master has anything to say about it, you can forget
about that! They have put together an all-inclusive CPU watercooling
rig dubbed the Aquagate Mini. The R120 version comes equipped
with a 120mm fan that spins as low as 800 RPM. Best of all, the
entire unit is powered by fan headers on the motherboard."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Thermaltake
Kandalf VA9000SWA Silver Aluminum Computer Case
Author: Joe
Anderson
"Thermaltake
calls its new Kandalf case “The Super Tower” and with
good reason. Not only is it super sized, it has tons of super
features that really set it apart from the crowd. I really can’t
say enough good things about the Kandalf. While the $200 price
tag may put it out of reach for some, Thermaltake gives the buyer
that can afford it lots and lots of very nice features and I would
consider the Kandalf to be worth every red cent. It looks great,
has superb cooling and was a dream to work in. The BTX upgrade
kit and the ability to easily install a water cooling system are
very nice features and add a bit of future-proofing that buyers
really should consider nowadays."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Wintec AMP-X
PC2-5400 1GB DC Kit
Author: John
Chen
"Wintec
introduces AMP-X as their enthusiast line of memory. Although
new to the whole ballgame, the AMP-X DDR2 memory provides some
tough competition for the bigger established boys."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Arctic Cooling
ATI Silencer 4 Rev. 2
Author: W1zzard
"Arctic
Cooling released a new version of their successful ATI Silencer
4. The new revision fixes all previous problems, most notably
the clicking fan noises. Cooling performance is excellent - this
is the best cooler for the X800 we tested so far."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Logitech MX518
1600DPI Optical Gaming Mouse
Author: Nathan
Glentworth
"Although
at a MSRP of US$49.99 you might deem this mouse to be a little
on the pricey side, as with any computer product, if you want
to best, be prepared to pay for it. This mouse packs the precision,
the features, the comfort and the quality a gamer will require
to allow them to accurately game for years without a single issue.
I have yet to have a single issue with any Logitech product. You
buy it, you use it, you enjoy it like it isn't even there."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Titan Vanessa
S-Type
Author: Craig
Shyjak
"Overall
the Titan Vanessa S-Type is a great heat sink. Performance is
on par with other similar heat sinks, and the noise wise it is
very quiet. If you don't have a Socket 462, mounting will be a
breeze, and the included fan controller gives you that much more
control of the performance."
Read
the full review here
April
21, 2005
Gigabyte Radeon
X800 (GV-RX80256D)
Author: Chad
Unrein
"Gigabyte
seems to be making a push to be a favorite video card vendor among
people who want a silent PC, like those with a home theater PC
or those who have spent a lot of extra money on other quiet components.
Both are very good reasons to get a video card that is as silent
as possible. Noise from a cooler always comes from the fan, so
the best way to make a cooler quiet is by making it fanless. Gigabyte
has done this with their Silent-Pipe technology. Essentially,
it is a heat pipe design that pulls heat away from the graphics
chip and transfers it to the back of the board. This makes it
a completely silent video card."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E
Author: Hubert
Wong
"The
MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E is a very solid offering for those looking
to upgrade themselves from a DirectX 8 video card. While it's
not based on NVIDIA's flagship 6800 Ultra, the 6800GT offers everything
feature-wise that the Ultra does at a much lower cost."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Broadcom launches
Opteron chipset!
Author: Chris
Tom
"Broadcom
Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in wired and wireless
broadband communications semiconductors, today introduced the
industry's most integrated, HyperTransport™ technology-based
server I/O controller that features all of the major industry
standard I/O interfaces on a single chip. This includes 1 GHz
HyperTransport technology, PCI Express®, PCI-X®, HyperTransport
tunnel, and integrated dual Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports. Leveraging
Broadcom's GbE and I/O expertise, which is based on multiple generations
of field-proven technology, this new platform solution demonstrates
Broadcom's leadership in providing highly integrated, feature-rich,
flexible and scalable server I/O products. As a result, Broadcom
continues to deliver the best mix of performance, power consumption
and cost-effectiveness in the server market today."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
DFI Lanparty
Freezer
Author: //mAr
"The
DFI Lanparty Freezer is a chipset waterblock, made by german company
MIPS-Computer. It is the only chipset cooler on the market which
can cool the DFI Lanparty's NForce4 chipset, even when there are
two video cards installed in SLI mode."
Read
the full review here
April
20, 2005
Crucial Ballistix
Tracer PC4000 1GB DC Kit
Author: John
Chen
"Corsair
is not the only player with the flashy looks. Crucial's Ballistix
Tracer steps up with their "bling bling" memory to give
enthusiasts great performance, overclockability, and of course,
aethestics."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
TXGF Dallas,
College Station, and Houston lan party coverage
Author: Chris
Tom
"So
what is a lan party? It a gathering of people who bring their
computers in a common venue and throw them on a network to game.
That is a bit of a simplification, but that gives you an idea.
They can range from just a few friends, to a few thousand people
like you will see at Quakecon. Now what do good lans take? Plenty
of power, tables, servers, prizes, and Bawls normally."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
16X DVD Burner
Comparison: Aopen vs Gigabyte
Author: Jeff
Tom
"It
is a constant race in the technology industry of companies leapfrogging
each other with the latest advancements while graphics cards move
at an incredible rate optical storage moves at a slightly slower
pace. Five years ago a DVD-ROM or CD writer was a luxury and even
then products weren't the fastest. Today great DVD and CD burners
can be picked up for $50 as prices drop across the board and implementation
of DVD-/+R standards have allowed for mass storage backup in a
few minutes on one disc. Functionality continues to improve and
DVD media is now at a reasonable price for all to afford. More
functionality, more speed, and more reliability at a cheaper costs
is a continuing force in the spread of mass storage. Today we
look at two of the top burners on the market, AOpen's DUW1608/ARR
and Gigabyte's GOW 16-16A as we take an inside look at to see
how performs."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Thermaltake
K450 (CL-P0075) AMD Athlon 64 Heatpipe Cooler
Author: Scott
Sherman
"The
first time I heard about the Thermaltake K450 heatsink was when
I started my search for a CPU cooler for my Athlon 64 FX 55 in
my SLI system. The problem I had was that the heatsink that was
sent to me for my FX 55 was not meant for that CPU. I found this
out by seeing my FX 55 temperatures soar to 70C when running Folding@Home.
I knew this was way too high and headed to AMD's sight to find
approved heatsinks. At that time, the only approved heatsink was
the K450."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Sapphire TRIXX
Author: W1zzard
"Today
we bring you a world-exclusive Preview of Sapphire TRIXX. This
is Sapphire's new overclocking utility which is shipping this
month. It boasts many new and exciting features, like maximum
overclock detection."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Next Generation
SATA (and SATA-II) Hard Drive Comparison
Author: Norman
Tan
"It's
pretty well established now, that if you are in the market for
a new hard drive for a modern system, it should be SATA. And as
newer chipsets are released with support for advanced features
like NCQ and SATA-II, choosing a drive is requiring a bit more
research.
Today we'll
be putting the latest drives from the 4 HD manufacturers to the
test. We have WD's venerable Raptor, in 74GB form, Seagate's latest
flagship, the Barracuda 7200.8, Maxtor's DiamondMax10. And representing
the first SATA-II drive to hit our labs is the T7K250 from Hitachi."
Read
the full review here
April
19, 2005
ASUS A8N-SLI
Premium
Author: Hubert
Wong
"In
single card mode, the race is close with the A8N-SLI Premium taking
most of the application tests, and flip flopping with the K8T890
in the gaming tests. Turn on SLI though, and the race will not
even be close provided your games can make use of it."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Fortron Sparkle
ZEN
Author: W1zzard
"Today
we have a very special PSU on the test bench - it is completely
passive. Fortron trusts their design so much that they say a backup
fan is not needed.
I was surprised to see the Fortron Sparkle ZEN power our demanding
test platform without any load problems. While the electrical
noises were definitely annoying, they are only noticable on higher
power systems."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Seagate USB
2.0 5GB Pocket Hard Drive
Author: John
Chen
"Why
waste your time on skimpy small USB pen drives when you can have
a massive 5GB on the go? Once you have the portable storage space,
you won't want to go anywhere without it."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Scythe Silent
Box
Author: Patrick
Ng
"If
you want a completely silent system, you should definitely take
a look this Silent Box. Be warned though, temperatures do rise
a bit."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Cooler Master
Vortex TX Universal CPU Cooler
Author: Trevor
Flynn
"Lately
we have been noticing a trend from the CPU cooler companies. While
still offering the huge heatsinks that look like they could rip
a motherboard right out of the case, they are starting to offer
more and more 'midrange' coolers. These are intended to be a step
up from the stock cooler that came with your CPU, but available
at a modest price point.
There are
some things a cooler must do right before it is worthy of consideration
though. Today we'll be looking at the Vortex TX from Cooler Master.
This cooler will fit on virtually every CPU made recently, and
is touted to be 'silent'. We'll have to see about that..."
Read
the full review here
April
18, 2005
Asus K8N-DL
dual Opteron nForce 4 product page and availabilty
Author: Chris
Tom
"We
have news about the Asus K8N-DL dual Opteron nForce 4 motherboard
including specs, links to the product page, and details on the
boards availability."
Read
the full review here
April
16, 2005
Samsung SyncMaster
915N
Author: Scott
Sherman
"I
have looked at many Samsung monitors over the last year and a
half and they all have performed well for what they where designed
for. The one thing they all lacked was a <25ms response time
that a more than casual gamer wants. Don't get me wrong the monitors
did play games well but you still had that ghosting effect that
looked like motion blur when playing a fast first person shooter.
16ms or less is what you are looking for in a LCD monitor to play
games.
Samsung steps
up to the gaming plate with 915N for the gamer that wants to have
a larger screen. This monitor is rated at 8ms response time! They
also now make smaller monitors that also have 12ms response time.
The only problem I have seen with this product line is so far
they are VGA interface only and do not support DVI. On the other
hand leaving DVI out does let Samsung sell this monitor at a less
expensive price. This monitor can be found under 400.00 dollars
from many online retailers."
Read
the full review here
April
15, 2005
MSI K8N Neo4
Platinum SLI
Author: Chris
Tom
"MSI
has a been a long time support of the Athlon line of CPUs with
motherboards from back in the Slot A days. As one of the tier
1 motherboard makers this has been of great assistance to AMD.
Today we look at their nForce 4 SLI offering, the K8N Neo4 Platinum
SLI which was one of the first SLI boards on the market. Before
we get a closer look at this board here are the specs from MSI."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Samsung CLP-510N
Laser Printer
Author: Scott
Sherman
"Printers
have evolved a long way since the Epson 80 dot matrix of decades
ago. Dot matrix printers are almost totally gone, and everyone
seems to have an inkjet printer these day. Inkjets are fine printers
except for a few little things: ink usually only lasts a couple
hundred of pages and runs $30.00 to $40.00 per cartridge, and
the ink can be smeared if the paper gets wet. So if you want to
keep cost down, you get a laser printer. Here you usually spend
about $60.00-90.00 per toner cartridge, and they print 5,000 pages
per toner on average. The only problem has been that a color laser
printer has cost $1,500.00 to $5,000.00, or at least that is how
it used to be. Over the last couple of years, color lasers have
been getting very inexpensive, and today I am going to look at
one such printer, the Samsung CLP-510N."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Abit NF8 Overclocking
Revisited
Author: John
Chen
"Our
past overclocking ventures with the Abit NF8 was only decent and
seemed to be BIOS bottlenecked. After updating the BIOS to Abit's
BIOS 15, the motherboard soared through the roof. The overclocking
key has been found and the potential has been unlocked. DFI is
no longer the lonely boy in the Socket 754 overclocking department."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
DFI LANParty
UT nF4 Ultra-D
Author: John
Chen
"What
we have here today is DFI's lowest end nF4 solution, the LANParty
UT Ultra-D. Many have been anxious for the release of the board
because DFI's reputation for overclocking is growing rapidly.
The main attraction of the Ultra-D would be the great VDIMM access.
Allowing as high as 4v to memory, the Ultra-D seems to be the
best overclocking solution possible. Will it be true? We've reviewed
Abit's gaming board, the Fatal1ty AN8, and it was able to overclock
extremely well. So now the rivaling companies go head to head
here at InsaneTek, with performance, overclocking, and features
all put to the test to see which board is better."
Read
the full review here
April
13, 2005
Samsung DVD±R/RWTS-H552U
Author: Scott
Mikules
"DVD
technology is on a good rise for the consumers and it only
grows each year. Now, Samsung comes out with their Double-Layer
technology for their latest DVD recording technology. It offers
a great deal of performance and stability--it's Samsung, would
you expect something less? The Samsung DVD±R/RW - TS-H552U
burner brings a lot to the table of DVD burning with its Double-Layer
capability and its high-speed burning capacity."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Sapphire Radeon X850 XT PCIe
Author: Shane
Unrein
"For
a while, the Radeon X800 XT PE was the best ATI-based card
you could get. At the end of last year, ATI changed that by
releasing the X850 series of cards. Just like the X800 series,
the X850 comes in several flavors: Pro, XT, and XT Platinum
Edition (in order of least to most horsepower and therefore
cost)."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
ColorVision
SpectroPRO2 Monitor & Printer Calibration
Suite
Author: Norman
Tan
"One
thing that a lot of people are interested in, but is hard to
find much information on is monitor calibration. There are
a few free tools and sites out there to calibrate for some
settings like brightness and contrast, but for true colour
reproduction, that just won't cut it.
ColorVision
has created a tool that reads directly from your monitor, and
allows you to calibrate it for true Pantone colour
reproduction. And for those interested in perfect prints, they
offer a similar device for printers as well."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
HIS X850XT Platinum IceQ II
Author: Hubert
Wong
"Between
the HIS card and ATI's card, the performance and features are
identical, so the main advantage of the HIS X850XT-PE is the
improved cooler. While we knocked it earlier, it does run quietly
and cools on average about 12°C cooler than ATI's cooler.
Other than that, deciding between the cards is going to boil
down to pricing and availability."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Chaintech SE6600G
Author: Jeff
Tom
"Aesthetically
the SE6600G is not too different from other cards on the market,
a blue PCB and a matching blue heatsink with a translucent
fan adorn Nvidia's GPU. In addition to that Chaintech have
put silver heatsinks over the memory modules on the PCB to
give the memory a little extra cooling. What Chaintech have
done seems to have worked as it is one of the best overclockers
we've seen so far but we'll get to that shortly. The 6600GT
does not require external power and allows for SLI, although
we did not have two cards to test."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120
Author: Randy
Torio
"Cooler
Master introduces the first true all-in-one watercooling kit
that's ready to go right out of the box. A kit like this is
a good first step for future watercooling enthusiasts."
Read
the full review here
April
11, 2005
Corsair XMS Xpert 1GB PC3200 (TWINXP1024-3200XL)
Author: Chad
Unrein
"Thanks
to Samsung's TCCD memory chips, there are many companies offering
high-performance, low latency memory modules. This means that
these companies have to differentiate their 'ultra low latency'
products in other ways, such as improved heat spreaders, appearance
and price. Heat spreaders and appearance usually go hand-in-hand,
since a heat spreader covers most of the module. Many of these
competing companies offer shiny, gold or platinum heat spreaders
that look pretty cool and add some 'bling' to a case with a
side window. Then there's Corsair, a company that seems to
like to redefine what can be put on a heat spreader. With the
XMS PRO series, Corsair engineers added activity LEDs to extra
large heat spreaders and slapped them on their high-performance
RAM. These are great for anyone who wants high-performance
memory that also offers a unique look to a windowed case."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Epox 9NPA+ Ultra Motherboard and HSPC Tech Station Reviews
at motherboards.org
The EpoX 9NPA+ Ultra
Author: Ben
Sun
"EPoX
always makes a decent contribution to the motherboards they
manufacture that usually goes above and beyond the competition
in terms of performance and the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra is no exception
to this rule. With performance near the top of the tested nForce4
boards, this board is a solid choice for the enthusiast. The
nForce4 platform is the highest performing, most feature rich
single video slot board on the market now. The fact remains
that there are few RS480 boards from ATI and VIA KT890 boards
competing with the nForce4 platform. I would recommend the
9NPA+ Ultra from EPoX as it overclocks well, has adequate features
and is very reasonably priced."
Read
the full review here
High Speed
PC Tech Station
Author: John
Chen
"The
HSPC Tech Station is a very nice little workstation that allows
hardware enthusiasts an easy way of swapping out hardware.
It is very compact and makes good use of all the room provided.
The large 120mm fan is a bit on the loud side but pushes a
lot of air to keep things running cool. With motherboard layouts
like the DFI Ultra-D where DIMM slots are located at the top,
the memory gets great cooling. You won't have to worry about
components overheating. Of course not all things are perfect.
My major gripe with the workstation is that it does not provide
security for motherboard installation. The motherboard is loose
and can slide around if the bench is moved too much."
Read
the full review here
April
8, 2005
PCI Express 101
Author: Brook
Moore
"For
those who are looking for an upgrade to their system, PCIe
(short for PCI Express) is a great technology to take advantage
of. However, if you are looking to have the best possible graphics,
there is no reason to splurge on a motherboard just with PCIe
as AGP 4x and 8x should provide ample bandwidth for any intensive
games you run, including Doom III / Half Life 2 and other soon-to-be
released titles."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Thermaltake Kandalf
Author: Randy
Torio
"Today,
InsaneTek has the honor of reviewing Thermaltake's latest addition,
the Thermaltake Kandalf Series. The Thermaltake Armor Series
has already received considerable praise for its amazing features
and versatility. The Kandalf series adds some extra features
to the already acclaimed Armor series. We will be looking at
the black version of this case, which utilizes a steel chassis.
Thermaltake also has a silver version of this case that utilizes
aluminum for lighter weight."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
HIS X850 XT IceQ II Dual DVI VIVO 256MB PCIe
Author: Björn
Endre
"The
HIS X850 XT IceQ II Dual DVI VIVO 256MB PCIe is yet another
high-end ATI-powered card from HIS that costs a premium but
delivers a lot of horsepower to your computer."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Corsair Demonstrates Industry Leadership by Introducing
World's Fastest DDR2 Memory
-- New XMS2 5400UL offers blazing fast DDR2 memory performance
at the lowest latencies currently available --
Fremont, CA (April
7, 2005) - Corsair ® Memory, Inc., a
worldwide leader in high performance memory and cooling products
for the enthusiasts and the overclockers, today launched the
world's first DDR2 memory that delivers a guaranteed clock speed
of 675 MHz at extremely low latency settings of 3-2-2-8-1T. Developed
and certified to provide unparalleled performance for the new
NVIDIA ® nForceTM4 SLI Intel ® Edition platform, Corsair's
new XMS2 5400ULTM memory promises unmatched speed and cutting
edge technologies for the discerning PC enthusiasts.
Taking full advantage of Corsair's leadership in developing
ultra low latency memory, the new XMS2 PC5400UL is a true next-generation
DDR2 memory. Created specifically to leverage the nForce4 SLI
Intel Edition chipset, the 5400UL is the most overclockable memory
offered for the Intel platform. Available as a single module
or a matched pair of single sided DIMMs based on very tightly
screened 64Mx8 DDR2 DRAMs, the new XMS2 5400UL modules offer
innovative features that boost peak performance while providing
rock solid stability. PC enthusiasts and gamers can now enjoy
performance leaps in system performance unseen before.
"The nFORCE4 SLI Intel Edition offers a powerful and flexible
memory interface that is capable of supplying loads of bandwidth
to the CPU. Corsair's new 5400UL family enables the user to maximize
this capability," stated John Beekley, VP of Applications
Engineering at Corsair. "We believe the 5400UL is the world's
fastest production DDR2 module at both aggressive and relaxed
latencies, making it the ideal memory choice for high performance
DDR2 platforms."
Each XMS2 5400UL module is enclosed in a signature black heat
spreader that provides efficient heat dissipation. The Twin2X
kits are tested as a matched pair at their rated specifications
and packaged together immediately after passing test, guaranteeing
that the customer receives a product that has been verified in
the dual channel environment. Corsair stands behind its products
with an industry-leading life time warranty and a knowledgeable
support team.
XMS2 PC5400UL Features:
NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition certified
Guaranteed clock speed of 675 MHz (PC5400)
Ultra low latency settings of 3 (CL) - 2 (TRCD) - 2 (TRP) - 8
(TRAS) , at 1T command rate and 2.1v
Optimized for extreme overclocking with tight timings
Available in the following packages:
CM2X512A-5400UL - Single Module of 512MB
TWIN2X1024A-5400UL - Matched Pair of 2 * 512MB modules (1GB kit)
Both single module and matched pair packages will be available
through Corsair's authorized resellers and distributors worldwide.
For more information and specifications of the new XMS2 5400UL
products, please visit http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair/xms2.html
About Corsair Memory
Corsair Memory, a member of JEDEC, has been a leader in the
design and manufacture of high speed modules since 1994. We have
earned our reputation as being the first to market with leading-edge
products supporting new computing platforms and technologies.
Corsair supplies memory for applications ranging from mission-critical
servers to ultra-high performance gaming systems. The performance
and reliability of Corsair memory products makes them ideal for
memory intensive computing.
Also
in the news
Shuttle XPC SN25P NFORCE4 SFF System
Author: Carl
Nelson
"Every
time Shuttle launches a new chassis, it is always interesting
to see what kind of features have been added. Although the
XPC's seem to be getting bigger, they are starting to incorporate
features you never dreamed possible in such a small system.
The SN25P
is an NFORCE4 PCI-E solution for Socket 939 CPUs. When you
see how much they have crammed into this SFF, you would
be amazed. It has everything you could ask for from a full tower
system, in a tiny package that can be carried around."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Xtrac Hybrid Gaming Mousepad
Author: Josh
"XTrac
aimed to give us a decent gaming mouse pad, and there is no
doubt that they succeed in doing so. They have provided us
with something that looks good, feels good, is easily packed
and most importantly achieves what it's meant to do, provide
you with something that gets the most out of your optical mouse."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP 6600GT Turbo Force
Author: Jeff
Tom
"The
first thing one notices about the GV-NX66T128P is the heatpipe
Gigabyte have attached to their design. The card seems to be
the exact same setup as their GV-NX66T128D 6600 video card
but rather than featuring a heatsink and fan cooling solution,
the 128P uses a heatpipe instead, which adds to the width and
height of the card overall but barely. Attached to both sides
is a large gold heatsink covering the blue PCB and a broze
leaf-shaped cover on the front with the Gigabyte logo on it.
But how does it cool? That depends, on a system good cooling
there shouldn't be any problems but if you're already running
a little hot you may want to watch out as the card heatsinks
will heat up. The benefit though is that the cooling is of
course completely silent with no fans on the unit, a definite
plus for some although the most fans used today on cards don't
have too much of a problem with noise but for those who want
it deadly silent, it is a great way to go."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
500 Watt+ Power Supply Comparison
Author: Norman
Tan
"To
keep up with ever-advancing CPU's, video cards, and other components,
Power Supplies have to get more powerful and advanced all the
time. Occasionally, we like to collect some power supply units
from various manufacturers, and contrast them in the latest
test configurations.
Today we
have five PSU's that are 500W or more. Features and layout
varies dramatically, and some offer advanced EPS12V compliance
for dual CPU rigs."
Read
the full review here
April
5, 2005
Can RAID Systems Fail?
Author: Alexandria
Haber
"RAID
undoubtedly offers more data protection than non-RAID disk
systems. However, the management of the disks and the data
distribution across them can be complex. Complex redundant
systems can suffer failure, most often not a fault of the technology
used or the design of the array, but most likely because of
its failure to correctly apply these systems which leads to
a single point of failure causing disastrous data loss."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
MGE XGbox Extreme Mod Kit
Author: Stephen
Jimenez
"XGbox
provides a nice set of simple mods in the Mod Kit for anyone
looking to improve the appearance of their case. Though there
is certainly more out there in the realm of modding, the Mod
Kit provides a decent start."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Sansun LED Keyboard
Author: John
Chen
"Those
who go to LAN parties with pimped out systems now have an extra
piece of hardware to show off--the keyboard. What we have today
is an LED keyboard from Sansun. The keyboard has built in blue
LED's that glow when the system is turned on."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition
Author: Shane
Unrein
"For
a long time, it looked like NVIDIA was only going to have AMD
chipsets, but last November, NVIDIA and Intel announced a partnership
that enabled NVIDIA to release a motherboard chipset that supports
Intel processors. For Intel fans wanting the great performance
of nForce, the wait is now over. So what is the name of this
new chipset? It is the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
NVIDIA nForce4
SLI Intel Edition
Author: Hubert
Wong
"Application
performance is probably secondary as the nForce4 SLI is aimed
squarely at gamers and enthusiasts. Going back to AMD Vs Intel,
it used to be pretty clearly AMD all the way, but now the waters
have muddied somewhat as the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition has
bridged the gap by allowing the user to plug in two NVIDIA
cards into their system. Granted, one card will also do for
those who can't splurge on two cards, but the idea we're trying
to make clear is you now have a choice."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
NZXT Trinity Full Tower Case
Author: Trevor
Flynn
"With
a few radically designed cases under their belt, NZXT has decided
to tone it down a bit, introducing the "Classic Series" that
is radical only in price point.
With the basic version
carrying an MSRP of just around $70, the Trinity won't have
to go to extremes to impress us. It has
to look good though, and if you take a look you'll agree that
they've at least succeeded in that. However, we found that this
entry-level case from NZXT doesn't exactly live up to their own
standard they set so high with their previous two cases."
Read
the full review here
April
4, 2005
Two Foxconn Motherboard Reviews and Corsair 1GB XPert
Memory Giveaway at motherboards.org
Foxconn WinFast NF4K8MC-RS Motherboard
Author: Ben
Sun
"As
far as features go, the Foxconn NF4K8MC-RS is middle of the
pack for the available boards. Four SATA ports is not out of
the ordinary. Otherwise, to get features like a Foxconn board
with 7.1 surround sound and Firewire, you need to purchase
either another model, or the nForce4 Ultra model. The bundle
is ok, but my experiences with the Norton's Internet Security
Suite left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. On the other
hand, there are a couple of redeeming factors on the Foxconn
NF4K8MC-RS is available for $82 online. This is the lowest
priced nForce4 board on the market now. You get a PCI Express
slot for the newer video cards, and the size of the board allows
you to fit it into virtually any ATX class case."
Read
the full review here
WinFast 755FXK8AA-8EKRS Review
Author: John
Chen
"Foxconn
WinFast 755FX motherboard is a decent motherboard if it did
not have the huge BFG 6800 OC artifact problem. That is the
main reason why I did not like the motherboard. Being a motherboard,
it should allow all hardware to be compatible. The BIOS is
also very lacking with overclocking features. There are frequency
adjustments but there are close to no voltage options. This
board is not targeted at the overclocker anyway. The board
performs decently and seems to be rather decent overall, but
because of the issue with the BFG 6800 OC, I highly encourage
you to do your homework on compatibility before making the
purchase. Coming in roughly $90 it seems to be the cheapest
Socket 939 AGP motherboard available. Personally, I would spend
an extra $10 or so and go with something else."
Read
the full review here
Corsair 1GB XPert Memory Giveaway
Corsair is also giving away 1GB XPert memory modules to 4 lucky
winners. This is their latest high-performance RAM with some
visual LEDs to boot. Check out the details here on the giveaway
signup page.
Get
the full details here
Also
in the news
Sony PlayStation Portable Part 2: The Games
Author: Björn
Endre
"In
my previous article, I told you all about the cool new portable
console from Sony, the Sony PlayStation Portable. Even though
it handles music and video very well, it is a gaming console,
and thus its gaming capabilities are the most important. This
last part in our Sony PSP coverage will focus on the games."
Read
the full review here
In case you missed it before part 1 can
be found here
Also
in the news
EPoX EP-5LWA+ 925XE
Author: Hubert
Wong
"EPoX
put together a very nice motherboard based on the 925XE chipset.
While you need to own the incredibly expensive 1066FSB Extreme
Edition CPUs to get the most out of it, we see little reason
to pickup a 925X based board even if you have an 800FSB CPU.
The extra headroom should allow better overclocking as the
chipset is validated at the higher speeds, and there isn't
much of a price premium between 925X and 925XE boards."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
A-DATA Vitesta PC4800 1GB DC Kit
Author: John
Chen
"Overclockers
in Asia pick A-DATA as the top choice for overclocking memory,
just like how top overclockers in the U.S. choose OCZ. It is
only recently that they're reaching out to the overclockers
here in the U.S. As soon as they start sending out review samples
and making themselves more available in the online market,
I'm sure enthusiasts will pick up the name in no time."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X1024-4300C3PRO 1GB DC Kit
Author: John
Chen
"What
we have today is Corsair's new addition to their DDR2 line
of memory. Although not the fastest rated memory available,
the XMS2 PC2-4300 Pro allows low latency operations at 266MHZ."
Read
the full review here
April
1,
2005
OCZ Platinum PC4800 1GB DC Kit
Author: John
Chen
"While
high speed TCCD is attractive, it's difficult to find. TCCD
overclocking results are also inconsistent. Enthusiasts often
go through multiple purchases before finding the right kit.
All those transactions are a pain. Yet now, OCZ has the fastest
DDR available, the Platinum PC4800."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Intel Pentium 4 3.73GHz Extreme Edition
Author: Hubert
Wong
"As
we've seen in our results, the gap between AMD and Intel in
terms of application performance is a lot closer than it used
to be, at least when we're talking about $1000 processors.
The 3.73GHz Extreme Edition did edge the Athlon FX-55 in most
of the application tests (and trumped it in video encoding),
but the race is getting tighter here. While the FX-55 did win
all the gaming benchmarks, we saw that the larger cache and
1066FSB narrowed the results for Intel, but not enough to overtake
AMD."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
DFI Lanparty UT NF4 Ultra-D Motherboard
Author: Carl
Nelson
"Motherboard
manufacturers are looking for more and more ways to distinguish
their products from others. Some go further than others, giving
features and solutions that are useful for different types
of users. Others resort to cosmetic changes, and interesting
bundles.
DFI has gained
a reputation for offering killer overclocker boards that look
better than any other. This time with the NF4
Ultra-D, they are also adding some innovative features like Dual
PCI-E video card support, and MemTest86 in the BIOS. That's just
the tip of the iceberg though..."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
BFG Tech GeForce 6600 GT OC (Solo and SLI)
Author: Shane
Unrein
"For
the out-of-the-box warrantied overclock, you will have to pay
a slight price premium over stock speed 6600 GT's, but if you
want one of the highest performing 6600 GT's available, then
BFG has you covered with its 6600 GT OC. It's a great card
with cool looks and a mediocre bundle. As always, though, I
have to emphasize BFG's lifetime warranty and 24x7 tech support.
Those two things are very big selling points to me and offer
a lot of comfort you just can't get from many other companies.
Obviously
since the 6600 GT OC offers great performance by itself, it
will also provide some of the best performance numbers (if
not the best) in SLI mode when you set up a pair of them on your
SLI motherboard. If performance and support are your top concerns,
then look no further than BFG. The 'OC' line continues to offer
top performance."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Albatron PX925XE Pro-R
Author: Scott
Harness
"The
Albatron PX925XE Pro-R is a fine board but not one that a true
hardcore enthusiast should aim for; if balls out overclocking
is your thing you should look elsewhere. That said, if you
have a 200FSB CPU, you can feel safe in the knowledge that
the 925XE will allow you headroom up to 266FSB at least, but
the same can be said of other 925XE boards."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Gigabyte
GV-3D1
Author: Jeff
Tom
"The
GV-3D1 comes in at about the same size of a GeForce 6800 Ultra
with a its heatsink doesn't take up the adjacent PCI slot.
Putting two 6600 GTs together does of course require more cooling
and additional power, unlike yourToday we look at a newcomer
on the US digital music player scene. Sorell, a Korean company,
has entered the market with their SF2000. It is a flash memory
based device that not only plays music, but can be used for
storage. The model we used was equipped with 512mb of memory,
and plays MP3, WMA, OGG,and MPEG audio files. Before we look
more closely at the player lets take a look at the specs. typical
6600 GT card, but it of course also eliminates the need for
a bridge to connect two cards. While it could work in any SLI
motherboard, Gigabyte are only selling it in a package with
their SLI motherboard and it's also only compatible with the
Gigabyte K8NXP SLI, though it should shave off a typical SLI
setup with a retail price of $550."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Sorell SF2000 MP3 Player
Author: Chris
Tom
"Today
we look at a newcomer on the US digital music player scene.
Sorell, a Korean company, has entered the market with their
SF2000. It is a flash memory based device that not only plays
music, but can be used for storage. The model we used was equipped
with 512mb of memory, and plays MP3, WMA, OGG,a nd MPEG audio
files. Before we look more closely at the player lets take
a look at the specs."
Read
the full review here
