Download
Futuremark's official mirrors carry free updates for current
3DMark03, 3Dmark05 and PCMark04 users. A list of official mirrors
can be found at http://www.futuremark.com/download/.
Also
in the news
Leadtek Winfast PX6600
GT TDH SLI
Author: Denver
Mcanally
"The
Leadtek PX6600 GT is based of the same reference card model
as the other 6600 GT's. Leadtek has decided to use an open
fan aluminum HSF with a standard green PCB . This 6600 GT has
a 515MHz GPU, memory at 1.0GHz, 8 pixel pipelines, and roughly
173 million transistors. You can easily add additional heat
sinks to the memory for better cooling. This card retails for
around $200."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
GeIL Ultra-X PC3200
1GB DC Kit
Author: Randy
Torio
"GeIL
has been around for a long time, but since their company is
based in Asia, we sometimes forget the excellent memory products
they have released in the past. I remember the first time I
purchased the GeIL Golden Dragons with the nifty clear/golden
PCB and chips that never got hot. Simply plugging in GeIL Golden
Dragons into my HP Pavilion fostered my interest in LED's,
cathodes, watercooling dye, and case-modding. If it wasn't
for GeIL, I wouldn't be on the staff of InsaneTek! GeIL has
always impressed us with their dedication to the enthusiast
community, and today we have the honor of reviewing the GeIL
Dual Channel Ultra-X PC3200."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
26, 2005
Soltek Qbic EQ3901-300P
Author: Chris
Tom
"We
are quite happy to have an Athlon 64 small form factor that
can handle two hard drives and two optical drives. We are also
impressed with the first 300 watt power supply we have seen
in a SFF. Stability of the system was excellent, the price
is agreeable, and the looks are pleasant."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
GeForce 6600 GT and
SLI
Author: Michael
Schuette
"The
resurrection of SLI made possible by PCI Express offers new
dimensions for 3D processing - in both performance and price
categories whereas the upper midrange of the price range still
faces a painful void. That particular nitch is where the GeGorce
6600GT is aiming, especially in SLI configuration. From an
SLI standpoint, the 6600GT is especially interesting since
its single card performance - even though excellent for the
price - offers enough headroom for improvement by doubling
the resources. Therefore, the 6600 GT appears, in fact, a better
candidate for SLI evaluation than
its higher-end brethren, which may or may not run into system
and CPU limitations before they can play out their full combined
force.
Over the
past few months we have been confronted with the wildest arguments
about the pros and cons of SLI - even from official
sides. Thus, in view of the still prevailing general confusion
about some of the issues, particularly regarding the design
and functionality / necessity of some of the components, we
take
a more in-depth look at bandwidth, redirectors and video link
components, using multimeters and simple benchmarking approaches.
In the end, there is some redundancy in the board design and
some recommendations for simplification and, of course, a ton
of benchmark results.
GeForce 6600 GT and SL."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
25, 2005
TITAN Vanessa S-Type
Author: John
Chen
"TITAN
is not extremely well known, mainly because they've always
made budget products for budget systems. They broke that barrier
by introducing their first external/internal watercooling kit,
which wowed many enthusiasts. Although we didn't have the opportunity
to receive the watercooling kit, it does look very promising.
The good news is that we were able to receive their new universal
CPU cooler. Read on to find out if it's worth your investment."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Epox BT-HS02 Bluetooth
Wireless Headset
Author: Nathan
Glentworth
"With
cellular telephones and internet voice chat becoming more and
more popular, people realize that while enjoying these two
communication applications, they are unfortunately tethered
to either their cellphone or their computer via a wired headset.
Although in most cases this might not be a huge concern, but
after a while you will realize that you could doing other things
rather than being tied down to your computer, or you could
be talking over you cellphone without having that annoying
separate headset wire constantly catching onto your clothing
and uncomfortably ripping itself out of your ear."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
24, 2005
ASUS Star Ice Cooler
Author: Scott
Harness
"Numbers
when compared to a stock HSF are very good, although that can
be pretty much said about any non-stock cooler. An 11°C
drop in temperature under load compared to the stock HSF is
nothing to be scoffed at however, and this was at the fans
lowest speed."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Foxconn 925XE7AA-8EKRS2
Author: Stephen
Cooper
"If
Foxconn wants to succeed in the high-end market, they need
to address the needs and wants of the enthusiast. This means
adding a wider range of voltages for the RAM as well as for
the VCore and System. Also, Foxconn needs to allow for further
tweaking of memory timings so that the end user can squeeze
out every last bit of performance."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Nforce 4 Pro Tech
Overview
Author: Hubert
Wong
"Compared
to what was previously offered for the professional market
in
terms of the Opteron workstation and server side of things, the
nForce
Professional is a vast improvement. While the performance is
in question
until we see some professional level benchmark numbers, feature-wise
NVIDIA is putting a lot on the table."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
D-Link Air Premier
802.11a/b/g Wireless Network
Author: Scott
Sherman
"With
demands on bandwidth usage continuing to increase in my household,
I decided it was time to look at a higher speed wireless network.
The network I was using before was a network from Edimax (reviewed
here).
With that network, Internet and file sharing worked well for
small files, but when streaming videos off of my server to the
wireless clients, things got choppy at times. So I started my
search for a faster wireless solution. This led me to the local
Best Buy where I picked up a D-Link DI-784 Wireless Router. I
chose this router due to the ability of it being able to work
with 802.11a/b/g. This would let me set up the network independent
on the cards I used for the wireless network. This router also
has full support for WPA security, which is stronger protection
than WEP which also is a plus."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
23, 2005
OCZ Platinum PC3200
Rev2 1GB DC Kit
Author: Stephen
Jimenez
"Today
we have OCZ's Enhanced Latency Platinum Revision 2 PC3200.
OCZ's EL series focuses on low latencies at all of their rated
speeds, making it an overclocker's dream. The Platinum series
is just one of the many groups of memory that OCZ produces.
OCZ's primary goal is customer satisfaction and their warranty
assures that. OCZ does not only produce memory, but power supplies,
cooling solutions, and a DDR booster, which allows the user
to adjust memory voltage higher than what many motherboards
allow. Read on to find out just how well the Platinum PC3200
Rev2 performs."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Help the Tsunami Victims
@ InsaneTek
"InsaneTek
and our sponsors (Corsair, SilverStone, OCZ, Sidewinder, Crucial,
and Cooler Master) are here again with another contest. This
time we're dedicated to help the victims who have suffered
from the tsunami disaster. Since we don't actually know anyone
who lives there, the best way to help is to donate money. The
contest is for a good cause so please try to participate if
you can. Every little bit helps."
Get
the full details here
Also
in the news
ATake Phantom Robot
VGA Cooler
Author: John
Chen
"I'm
sure that most of you are unfamiliar with the company ATake.
Don't worry, I've never heard of them either. A quick stop
at their website reveals that they mainly manufacture computer
accessories like keyboards, mice, KVM switches, and cooling
products. What we have today is their new Phantom Robot VGA
cooler. With cutting edge graphic cards putting out some serious
heat, better cooling has become a necessity for even some of
the slightest overclocks. A stock graphic cooler can get rather
loud at times and silent enthusiasts hate it when that happens.
Fortunately, Zalman was smart in introducing a heatpipe VGA
cooler. Many companies followed, including ATake. Today's Phantom
Robot VGA cooler resembles the previously reviewed Zalman ZM80D-HP."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
22, 2005
Sunbeam Chameleon
Author: Rafal
Zak
"Back
in July of 2003 we reviewed a very similar case tuning product,
the Super Lazer LEDs from Xoxide. Today, I will show you what
we received from Sunbeam Tech. The product is called Chameleon,
a very meaningful and appropriate name if you ask me. The whole
concept is similar to what we've seen in Super Lazer LEDs,
but with major differences and advantages.
Everyone knows that having PC lights in your custom case gives
it a high-tech and clean look. The only problem with that is
most neon lights and LEDs are single colored. Of course you could
make your own color switch but why bother? Chameleon comes to
the rescue. So you want red on Monday and purpule the following
day? No problem, I will illustrate how easy it is to do just
that!"
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Designtechnica Featured
Article
Author: Dennis Barker
"The
biggest news from the Toshiba camp at CES was that it will
start shipping HD DVD player-only models in November 2005.
True HD DVD provides film content at 1080i, and should not
be confused with current DVD players that use special circuitry
to up-convert signals to 720p and 1080i. RCA and Sanyo will
be also offering HD DVD player only models in this timeframe
as well. Also based on a blue laser format, HD DVD will be
backwards compatible, and these players will playback both
DVD and HD DVD discs. As previously reported, the launch will
be supported by Warner Home Video with 50+ titles, Universal
Home Video (15+), Paramount Home Video (20+ titles), HBO Films,
and New Line Home Video. Reportedly, the new HD DVD discs will
include both standard definition and high-definition layers.
HD DVD currently has a maximum storage capacity of approx.
30GB. Like current DVD titles, Special Features may be placed
on a separate disc."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
20, 2005
Motherboard FSB Overclocking
Database!
Author: Stephen
Cooper
"Are
you tired of having to search around the web, looking over
countless reviews of motherboards to decide which seems the
best for overclocking? Sick of trying to figure out what board
will be the best for your setup? Then you've come to the right
place. The purpose of this database is to allow you, the overclocking
enthusiast, to gain a better idea as to the overclocking capabilities
of the motherboard that you're currently interested in."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
ATI Radeon X600 XT
Author: Matthew
Saffer
"When
reviewing a product like the X600XT, it's important to keep
in mind what the product's purpose is - in the case of the
X600XT, it is to provide a budget/mid-range PCI-Express solution.
In this respect, ATI has definitely succeeded - the X600XT
is within the boundaries of mid-range cards, and performs well."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Steamed at Steam,
and Heapsize
Author: Scott
Mikules
"There's
no doubt in my mind that Steam is a big load of Steam, but
Valve seems to think there's a need for massive control. I've
often thought of Valve as another Microsoft greed corporation,
but that might be pushing it a bit.
Steam is Valve's way of trying to control the copyright issues
abroad, and with good reason. The internet has brought good and
evil for publishing. Software is easily distributed across the
internet and easily downloaded by those who know where to find
it. So Valve's main concern was to protect its 'new car' from
thieves. Well, ok, cool; -- however."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Edifier R501 5.1 Six
Channel Surround Computer Speaker System
Author: Jeff
Caldwell
"This
beautifully simplistic designed sound system shows Edifier,
a relatively unknown speaker manufacturer, really knows what
geeks want their speaker system to look like. Simple design
is becoming more and more the trend in computer peripheral
manufacturing. Have the product perform well, but keep the
aesthetics uncomplicated."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
18, 2005
Mini-box Releases
Smart Power Supply for Car PCs
Unit Offers Stable, Noiseless PC Power, Eliminates Car Battery
Drain and Prevents Damage From Surges
Mini-box.com,
a subsidiary of Ituner Networks Corp., has solved one of the
most difficult problems in building automotive
PCs, by creating a stable, noiseless, intelligent power supply
that eliminates battery drain and prevents damage from power
surges. Mini-Box’s just released M1-ATX is the lowest cost,
intelligent Mini-ITX power supply available for vehicles. The
M1-ATX is designed to power VIA Technologies Inc.’s small
form factor native x86 Mini-ITX mainboard, which is increasingly
being adopted for entertainment systems in automobiles and boats
as well as in the home.
Smart Voltage Regulation and Surge Protection
The M1-ATX protects vehicle PCs from over-voltage and under-voltage
conditions and power surges from engine cranks that can damage
or destroy vehicle-based PCs. The M1-ATX can operate as low
as 5.7V and as high as 30V while providing strict regulation,
input voltage clamping and reverse protection.
Minimizes Battery Drain
Computers consume anywhere from a few milliwatts to several watts
when they are turned off, which can quickly run down a car
battery. The M1-ATX manages downtime battery use by using intelligent
schemes for cutting off various functions at predetermined
times and shutting the computer down completely when the car
battery drops below 11 volts.
Eliminates Amplifier Pops
The M1-ATX has an ‘anti-thump’ control that will
keep amplifiers turned off while the PC starts, eliminating annoying
thumps and pops.
Fanless Operation
The M1-ATX is a fanless power supply unit, providing ultra-quiet
power for the entire range of VIA mini-ITX mainboards.
“Car PCs have always been a dream that has been fraught
with a multitude of power problems,” says Andrei Bulucea,
president of Mini-box.com. “Our M1-ATX has solved those
issues in one, mass produced, low cost package.”
More information on the entire range of micro power supplies
can be found at http://www.mini-box.com.
Open source documentation for mini-ITX power related topics can
be found at www.via.com.tw/en/VInternet/power.pdf
Availability
M1-ATX is now available for retail and OEM sales at http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/it.A/id.356/.f and other reseller sites. For additional information, please
contact at m1-atx@mini-box.com.
Also
in the news
Thermaltake Hardcano
13 A2259 Multifunction Fan Controller
Author: Joe
Anderson
"While
the Hardcano 13 is not for everyone, the PC enthusiast wanting
a device to monitor multiple system temperatures and control
up to four fans would have to look long and hard to find anything
better. Throughout several days of testing, the device performed
flawlessly and exceeded my expectations in a number of respects."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
NZXT Nemesis Elite
Gaming Case
Author: Randy
Torio
"It's
not surprising that over the last couple years we have seen
some crazy-looking gaming cases. Cases made by companies such
as Raidmax, Logisys, and Thermaltake have become more creative
and innovative. While these cases are too flashy for my tastes,
the fact that these cases still exist signifies a large user
base for these types of cases. I browsed around several forums
and noticed that a good amount of people purchased these cases
for cooling potential. These cases typically have more fans
than standard cases. Today, NZXT has given us the honor of
reviewing their latest gaming case - the Nemesis Elite Edition."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Arctic Cooling Freezer
64
Author: Randy
Torio
"Arctic-Cooling
has been known mostly for their dominating VGA Silencers, which
combined efficient cooling and minimal noise. We reviewed their
latest update of VGA silencers months ago and awarded them
the "MUST HAVE" award. Today, we will be looking
at their latest innovation. The Freezer 64 utilizes a patented
fan that creates almost no noise. Hopefully, this heatsink
will be just as effective as their VGA Silencers were."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Arctic Cooling Freezer
7 LGA775 P4 Heatpipe Cooler
Author: Nathan
Glentworth
"Today
I will be reviewing a rather unique cooling solution that boasts
a quieter fan and from what the manufacturer is claiming, is
a better and more efficient cooling solution for your new LGA775
processor. With a rather interesting fan and enough surface
area to cool a toaster oven, let's see how this heatpipe based
cooler performs while being attached to the Tweaknews testbed
equipped with one of the hottest running processors on the
the market, the Intel 3.46Ghz Extreme Edition."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
ATI Radeon X800 Pro
Author: Craig
Shyjak
"The
X800 Pro is definitely no slouch. Smooth performance in most
games with the image quality turned up and the resolution maxed
is something to be proud of. Based on our results, we have
no problems recommending this card to our readers. While some
benchmarks have shown the 6800 GT to be faster, the actual
gaming experiences with the X800 Pro were positive."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Albatron GeForce 6600GT
(PCI-E)
Author: Brian
Tiller
"The
6600GT chipset is probably the best mid-range solution that
nVidia has ever produced, and Albatron has done a fine job
manufacturing their version of it. With the oversized gold
heatsink on the blue PCB, it's got the looks. And with very
nice frame rates in all of our benchmarks it's got the horsepower
under the hood as well."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
15, 2005
SilverStone Zeus ST-52F
520W Power Supply
Author: John
Chen
"SilverStone
strives to make great products that generate little noise.
They have a number of power supplies that are equipped with
large fans for cooling. Today's sample we've received is SilverStone's
high end power supply, which comes rated at 520W and uses 2
80mm fans for cooling. The power supply comes reasonably priced
and has many of the options that would satisfy many users."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
MSI NX6600GT-VTD128
Geforce 6600GT AGP Videocard
"MSI's
new NX6600GT-VTD128 AGP videocard is compatible with 8x/4x
AGP motherboards only, and will not physically fit in AGP 2X
or earlier slots. It comes equipped with 128MB of Samsung GDDR3
BGA memory on a 128-bit memory bus. At 900MHz, the MSI NX6600GT-VTD12's
memory is clocked 50 Mhz slower than the Albatron Trinity 6600GT
AGP card we reviewed recently, and a full 100Mhz slower than
the Gigabyte GV-NX66T128D's memory. We'll see later if this
has any impact on benchmark performance. For the multimedia
enthusiasts out there, the NX6600GT-VTD128 is fully VIVO compatible."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
13, 2005
Corsair Flash Voyager
USB 2.0 Drive
Author: Scott
Sherman
"Corsair
is a company that has been in the memory business since 1994.
They have always been on the leading front of memory technology
for desktop PCs, notebooks and servers. Since they have done
so well in these markets and know technology very well, they
have decided to go into the removable storage market, which
of course is memory being housed in different devices.
With this, they introduced their Flash Memory Family. This consists
of the Compact Flash Memory Cards, SD Multi Media Cards and the
Flash Voyager line of USB drives. Today, I am going to be looking
at the Flash Voyager line. I actually have a 128MB version and
a 512MB version of the drive. Interestingly enough after talking
to Corsair, they do not perform the same. It seems that the bigger
the drive, the better the throughput performance gets. You will
see that shortly in the tests I did."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
ECS 915P-A Review
posts on motherboards.org
Author: Hubert
Wong
"This
board is an interesting mix of old and new technology. In the
ever-changing world of computers sometimes one has to take
a step back. Video cards like the X800XT AGP are excellent
performers whether on AGP or PCI Express. With prices on an
X800XT on Price watch over $580 USD, it seems like a waste
to need to buy a whole new card just to support the PCI Express
Graphics interface. This board is perfect for that type of
consumer."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
BTX Form Factor Exposed
Author: Mike
Dowler
"Weren't
we all supposed to be using BTX by now? When this radical form-factor
change for motherboards and PC cases was first proposed by
Intel in 2003, its introduction was supposed to coincide with
the birth of the 'Alderwood' and 'Grantsdale' chipsets we now
know as the Intel 915P and 925X. Instead, the standard took
until just recently to get off the ground with manufacturers
in Taiwan, resulting in Intel bumping the official introduction
of the BTX form factor to their upcoming chipset generation,
'Glenwood' and 'Lakeport."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
NVidia GeForce 6600
GT Anomaly
Author: Dean
Barker
"While
this is not exactly an earth shattering issue, we did find
it interesting all the same. This was especially the case in
the context of every VGA card we've had pass through here before,
never scaled its settings back. Is this a good or bad thing
depends on the perspective of Joe User. Personally, I see this
as an good thing. At a certain point, instead of making your
gameplay d--r--a--g along, the scaling back tries to keep things
as playable as possible which is really what its all about
anyway."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
ATI All-In-Wonder
X600 Pro
Author: Hubert
Wong
"Overall,
if you're not much of a gamer and you're looking for more than
just a "video card" without breaking the bank, the
AIW X600 Pro is a good choice for you. If you are a more serious
gamer who is also interested in multimedia, you may want to
wait for ATI's AIW X800 XT flagship to arrive."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Thermaltake PurePower
680W Power Supply
Author: Shane
Unrein
"After
you stop drooling at the thought of having dual video cards
in an SLI setup, you come to realize some practical concerns.
Cost is the most obvious one. Most of us struggle to pay $450
for one video card, but spending $900 to $1,000 on two is just
ludicrous to many people. Beyond the cost though are other
important concerns, like power requirements. More and more
power supplies are including the new 6-pin PCI Express power
connector, but I have only seen a couple that offer two such
connectors. I happen to have one of them for review today --
the Thermaltake 680W Silent PurePower power supply (W0049)."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Gigabyte 6600GT
Author: Denver
Mcanally
" have
in my hands yet another NVIDIA 6600 GT's. This time I have
a GV-NX66T128D's from Gigabyte. I did my first 6600 GT review
almost a month ago and I have yet to grow tired of these cards.
I have reviewed 6600 GT's from Asus, eVGA, and now Gigabyte.
If you haven't read any of my other 6600 GT articles you might
not realize how awesome the NV43 GPU really is. For around
$200 you get a video card able to play games so well it even
rivals the ATI X800 in some benchmarks."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Mushkin PC2-5300 DDR2
Author: Joel
Weirauch
"However,
having the number of different speeds of DDR 2 coming from
as many of the memory manufacturers as they are, DDR 2 should
be quite refined by the time most people migrate to it. During
my testing, I noticed absolutely no problems with this memory.
I am quite impressed with the results that I was able to achieve
when overclocking the memory as well."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
10, 2005
Evercool WC-301 mini-water
cooler
Author: Brian
Tiller
"This
unit isn't designed to be a super-duper cooling setup, but
rather something for those of us looking for a quieter machine
at a minimum of fuss. Having the pump, radiator and reservoir
all in one unit will definitely appeal to anyone looking to
get their feet wet for the first time. Even with the fan speed
set at high, it was an almost completely silent solution."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
SunbeamTech Transformer
Author: Patrick
Ng
"We
recently reviewed the Samurai case, providing consumers with
quality at a decent price. SunbeamTech also produces the Transformer
case, which bears a strong resemblance to the Samurai. Today,
we'll see if the Transformer lives up to the precedent set
by the Samurai."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Bjorn3D and Corsair
Memory want to give away 4 billion bytes!
"Bjorn3D
and Corsair Memory are teaming up to give away 4 TwinX1024-3200XLPro
kits! 4 winners will randomly be selected from all valid entries
(se below for rules) and each will received one TwinX1024-3200XLPro
kit (two 512 MB sticks).
The Rules:
The contest runs from January 7th, 2005 to January 15, 2005.
You may enter only once during the contest.
You must supply a valid e-mail and shipping address.
Winners will be selected randomly by the staff of Bjorn3D."
Get
the full details here
Also
in the news
Power Your Gaming
World---GV-RX80256D: Exceptional Performance with Best Value
"GIGABYTE
Technology Co. formally announces the release of its TurboForce
edition X800 graphics accelerators, the GV-RX80256D. The release
of the GV-RX80 series is concurrent with the recent launch
of ATI top-of-the-line RADEON™ X800 VPU. The GV-RX80
series applies the advanced level of VPU introduced by ATi,
and with the extreme enhancement from SMARTSHADER™ HD,
SMOOTHVISION™ HD and revolutionary 3Dc™ engine.
Powered by
the ATI® RADEON® 800
chipset, the GV-RX80 series graphics card uses high-level 0.11
micrometer processing
and includes a 16x PCI-Express interface. The GV-RX80 series
graphics cards offer power and performance with 12 pixel pipelines
and with 6 vertex pipelines, with a clock speed of up to 392
MHz, and GDDR3 with clock speed up to 700 MHz. Above all, exciting
enhancement has been brought by GIGA-BYTE exclusive TurboForce
technology with up to 11% tweaked performance and with SilentPipe
to make possible amazing performance with absolute silence.
The GV-RX80
series has market leading spec– it supports
DirectX®9.0c, providing gamers with platform efficiency and
the best picture quality with sharp and accurate colors, delivering
a 3D Benchmark value up to 10,198 and a superb gaming performance
guaranteed. For supreme video experience, RX80 series fully supports
HDTV function up to 2048x1536 dpi, and with VEDIOSHADER™,
seamless integration of pixel shaders and real-time video will
present users a visual experience of tomorrow."
Jan.
07, 2005
Soltek EQ3901-300P
SFF PC
Author: Hubert
Wong
"In
the end, what we're really concerned about are the features,
performance and stability. Feature-wise, the Soltek EQ3901-300P
SFF has it all. Sure, PCI Express would have been nice, but
that is a limitation of the chipset used rather than the barebone
design and can easily be added once VIA releases their new
chipset for mass adoption."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Philips PSC724 Ultimate
Edge Six Channel Soundcard
Author: Jeff
Caldwell
"I was
skeptical about this sound card, as I believed that my onboard
sound was actually not bad at all. For 69.99 though, this did
so much more. The installation was a breeze, it auto-detected
to override my onboard sound, the drivers were installed easily
without any moving/searching for files."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Asus P5AD2-E and PCI
Express Article post on motherboards.org
Author: Doc
Overclock
Asus P5AD2-E
"As
far as features go this thing is loaded to the hilt with exceptional
hardware options throughout. WiFi LAN, Dual Gigabit LAN, HD
8-channel hardware audio, eight channels of SATA and then IDE
RAID as well, wow, now that is a lot of cool stuff on one board
and that just scratches the surface. The board ran flawlessly
throughout all the testing phases here in the lab and worked
well with various different speeds of memory as well as both
ATI and NVIDIA VGA cards My overall feeling of the board was
one of complete content, and I actually built my personal Intel
platform system on this board due to my overall beyond satisfactory
feeling. Asus has scored big with the P5AD2-E in my book as
it has all the necessary features to put it on the top shelf
of motherboards for the new 925XE chipset. A definite Editor's
Choice product is to be found under the hood of the P5AD2-E.
Good Job Asus!."
Read
the full review here
Author: D'Arcy
Lemay
PCI Express
"One
of the biggest news issues of late has been the introduction
of PCI Express. The questions are constantly coming in relating
to this new technology so people obviously are interested in
its explanation. "Why all the news?", "How does
this affect me?", "How is it different?" these
are all questions that end up in my email inbox from time to
time so, in writing one big article I plan to take care of
all of those questions in depth here on motherboards.org.The
main reason it's been even bigger news these days is that finally
there is support across multiple platforms, as well as some
semblance of products that make use of them. Intel was the
first on the block with their 9xx series of chipsets, and soon
we shall see products for the AMD 939 pin socket in retail.
As of yet there is nothing more than a few gigabit Ethernet
controllers to plug into the boards, excluding the more discussed
graphics solutions. That's something we'll get into later in
this piece. First things first though, and that's talking about
the whole of what PCI Express is replacing....."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
NZXT Nemesis & Nemesis
Elite Case
Author: Robert "Rob" M.
"The
thermal LCD meter that is included with the Elite is a nice
touch. The angle of display is adjustable and can even be folded
all the way down for easier transport. While I'm not going
to whip out a hammer to test its durability, the LCD display
seemed a little fragile when handling. It's a good thing to
keep that in mind when you load it up for LAN parties."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
05, 2005
XrayPad Thunder 8
Dual Surface Gaming Mouspad
Author: Josh
Williams
"Switching
from the normal gaming surfaces (desktop and cloth mouse pad)
to this Thunder 8 gaming pad was a great pleasure. I honestly
did not think it would make much of a difference. Well, I was
wrong there . . . very wrong."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Epox 9NPA+ (nForce4)
Motherboard
Author: Abbas
Jaffarali
"With
their AMD CPU based boards, Epox hasn't normally target the
mainstream user. Instead, they focus on the enthusiasts by generally
providing better options for overclocking. With that philosophy
in mind,
they're releasing their nForce4 based 9NPA+ motherboard and we
test drive
it today and find out how fast this baby goes."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Corsair Rev2
PC3200XL 2-2-2 Memory (TWINX1024-3200XL)
Author: Shane
Unrein
"In
the middle of 2004, Corsair re-introduced the market to '2-2-2'
memory modules with its XL line. I reviewed the Corsair TWINX1024-3200XL
PRO Series Dual Channel Memory Kit back in July and was very
pleased with it. Not one to rest on its laurels, Corsair decided
to improve this popular and award-winning product.
How do you improve such good RAM? Well, you don't change too
much. At the heart of the new revision of the 3200XL modules
are the same Samsung TCCD chips that were used in the original
3200XL sticks (and now in many competing products). The main
difference between the old and new XL's is the PCB (printed circuit
board). Corsair made some design enhancements to the PCB in order
to support higher top-end clock speeds. That adds up to the new
3200XL overclocking to high speeds with more success than the
old on."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
PQI Turbo PC3200 DPU
1GB DC Kit
Author: Randy
Torio
"Today,
we have the honor of reviewing one of PQI's best products of
their famous Turbo line: the dual channel PC3200 low latency
platinum edition. Like many of the low latency modules that
we have recently reviewed here at InsaneTek, PQI also utilizes
the Samsung TCCD chips in their PC3200 Turbo modules. Whether
or not these memory modules separate themselves from the rest
of the TCCD pack will be revealed...so read on."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Corsair TwinX1024
3200XL Pro GB Give Away
"ipKonfig.com
and Corsair Memory once again bring you a 4GB memory giveaway!
Corsair Memory is highly regarded here at ipKonfig.com, and
is among the most recognised memory options on the market for
gamers and high-end servers. We simply wouldn't leave home
without it! Each winner selected, a total of 4, will recieve
1GB of of Corsair TwinX1024 - 3200XL Pro series. The 3200XL
Pro is Corsair Memory's LED series memory modules, so it's
a great choce for those with modified computer cases with side
windows."
Get
the full details here
Also
in the news
HighSpeed PC Tech
Station
Author: Brook
Moore
"The
Techie in me rejoices, a case that I can quickly build a system
in and test its function, rip it down as quickly and start
all over again. HighSpeed PC has hit the mark with the Tech
Station. Not only does it fit the bill, you can rest assure
your components are cool and protected from static shock the
short period of time it will reside there."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
04, 2005
Thermaltake Purepower
680 Watt ATX Computer Power Supply
Author: Joe
Anderson
"It's
a rare product indeed that I can't find some fault with. The
Thermaltake PurePower 680W is one of those products. Stability,
power, features, finish and quality are all first rate. Hell,
I'm even using the box it came in, with its nifty plastic carry
handle, to store spares. I've always considered the PSU to
be the most important part of a system, feeding and protecting
all the other components. With a retail price of around $170
US, it's not the cheapest PSU out there, but it's not the most
expensive either and factoring in what you get for your money,
it's a good value."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Soltek SL-915GPro-FGR
Author: Stephen
Cooper
"I’d
have to say this is one of the better packages I’ve dealt
with on an i915G offering. Given that these boards are meant
more for budgeted users looking to upgrade to the latest processor,
it isn’t too surprising to see less hardware or cabling
inclusions with the package, but Soltek has chosen to supply
everything the end user would need."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Matrix Orbital MX421
LCD Kit
Author: Robert
E. Yawn
"What
device would a network administrator, an electronics gadgeteer,
and a computer enthusiast all find that is useful and maybe
even a little fun? Whether you are looking for a programmable
device to display status messages, a car stereo, or a downright
wicked cool toy to play with (that doubles as a fan controller),
the Matrix Orbital MX4 series of LCD kits offers tremendous
versatility for just about anyone with an imagination and a
purpose."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
DFI 855GME-MGF
and Intel "Dothan" Pentium-M
Author: Michael
Schuette
"Over
the past years, most of us have gotten so used to Intel's Pentium4
and a few selected Itanum2 that it has becomes kind of easy
to disregard the rest of Intel's CPU repertoire, from X-scale
to Banias and Dothan. Especially the Banias-core-based Pentium
M, not to be mistaken for the Pentium 4M has earned itself
the reputation of a superior performer at extremely low power.
This lineage has continued to spawn the latest version, codename
Dothan featuring a 2MB Level2 cache that, in combination with
the 32 MB each of instruction and data cache inherited from
the Pentium3 make for what could easily pass as Intel's finest.
Only, it does not fit into the roadmaps heralding GHz along
with superior heating performance.
Currently, no official desktop support for the Pentium M (as
in mobile exists), yet, this does not preclude some mainboard
manufacturers from taking the mobile 855 chipset with all its
known inadequacies and transplant it onto an ATX form factor
desktop board. The probably best known solution falling into
this category is DFI's 855GME-MGF mainboard in ATX format and
with a Socket479 processor interface. Supporting a meager DDR333
and AGP4X only and connecting the peripherals through a shared
266 MB/sec Hub-Interface 1.5 to the core logic, the specs are
plebejan at best.
Specs very often do not do justice to the idiosyncrasies of
any system, it is the symbiotic relationship between components
that can overthrow the current grain of wisdom - especially
if the latter originates in roadmap planning committees. Along
came a Dothan ...."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
VL's Editor's Choices
of 2004
Author: Hubert
Wong
"Some
things caught our attention, and other things not so much.
In the end, we saw some interesting technology, and put together
a list of what we felt is truly deserving of recognition, and
one company guilty of dipping its hands into the well once
too often."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Soltek SL-915GPro-FGR
Author: Randy
Torio
"A few
months ago we reviewed an innovative power supply known
as the "X-Connect." We then reviewed an innovative
Hard Drive
Enclosure that converts most EIDE hard drives into an external
drive.
Today, Ultra Products has sent us an even more impressive power
supply.
Now that our computers are harboring powerful CPUs, graphics cards,
and 10,000 rpm hard drives, it is important to have a power supply that
can supply enough juice to ensure system stability. The power supply
is often overlooked component for a system's vitality. It is assuring
that Ultra Products has decided to offer those enthusiasts a more
powerful option for a power supply while avoiding further "modular"
capabilities to keep costs to a minimum, although I suspect a modular
600 watt will be seen in the near future."
Read
the full review here
Jan.
02, 2005
Gigabyte 3D Rocket
Cooler Pro (GH-PCU22-VG)
Author: Shane
Unrein
"When
you hear the name Gigabyte, you most likely think of motherboards
or video cards. Or, you could think of one of the company's
many other products, but CPU coolers might be one of the last
things you think of, if you even think of it at all.
Gigabyte
has been in the cooler business for only a short while, but
it still has managed to make its impression felt with its
unique and innovative solutions. The latest cooler from Gigabyte
is of the 'universal' variety, which means it can be used on
all of the modern Intel and AMD sockets: 478, 775, 754, 939,
940 and A. The choices for LGA775 cooling have finally started
to grow, and it's nice to see Gigabyte add to those choices with
the 3D Rocket Cooler Pro (GH-PCU22-VG)."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
Shuttle XPC SN96G5
Barebones nForce3 Ultra Socket 939
Author: Carl
Nelson
"If
you're looking to build a Small Form Factor system based around
a Socket 939 Athlon64 CPU, the brand you will likely look at
first is Shuttle. This is because Shuttle not only started
the whole 'barebones SFF system' craze, but stuck with it,
and revised their platforms over the years.
Today we're
looking at the XPC SN96G5 from Shuttle. It uses their own proprietary
format motherboard, based on the NVIDIA
nForce3 Ultra chipset. It's the 5th generation of this particular
chassis, so form-factor wise, it's about as good as it gets for
now. However, there are some glaring issues with this system
that kept us from going crazy over it."
Read
the full review here
Also
in the news
FIC P4M-RS350 Motherboard
Author: Brook
Moore
"The
P4M-RS350 itself is a complete package that gives you the ability
to upgrade the graphics when you have the money to do so. It
carries competent performance and enough onboard solutions
that voids the fact there is only 3 PCI slots available."
Read
the full review here
"If
you are looking to upgrade your monitor, I would recommend
this one without hesitation. It doesn't have all the bells
and whistles as some of the more expensive monitors on the
market, but for the price of about $225-260 you absolutely
cannot go wrong with the CTX X701A.
