Crystal Orb Review
posted: December 6, 2001 @ 6:46 EST by: ryan
OverclockedCafe has finished http://www.overclockedcafe.com/CrystalOrb/Crystal_Orb1.htm">their look at Thermaltake's predecessor to the Blue Orb, the Crystal Orb. The Crystal Orb is a copper cooler with nickel plating, is a bit larger than the Blue Orb, and because of the copper/nickel combo - a bit heavier.
"Once again they have raised the bar on quality of assembly and the "little" details that I have grown to appreciate, the chrome plating on the Orb is of high quality, the only, and I truly mean only flaw in the plating I could find was around the holes that the assembly screws mount to on the bottom. The overall fit of the individual pieces is precise, with no forging or stamping flash evident. As others have stated in their reviews, much to my disbelief the bottom was in fact almost mirror smooth (and if I didn't have a full beard I might be tempted to shave looking into it, it's that reflective and smooth.)."
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Abit Siluro MX400 Review
posted: December 6, 2001 @ 6:45 EST by: ryan
NeoSeeker has posted their review of the Abit Siluro MX400 Video Card. Here's a snippet:
"The core speed of the MX 400 is 25MHz greater than that of the older MX cards. This is fine and dandy, although more or less useless when the memory bandwidth limitations are factored into the equation. If the memory wasn't able to provide enough data to the core when it was running at 175MHz, a core running at 200MHz isn't going to do much better."
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Sony G420S 19" Review
posted: December 5, 2001 @ 3:29 EST by: ryan
The Tech Zone has posted a review of the Sony G420S. This is Sony's latest 19" Trinitron monitor. At $479.99, it's more expensive than most 19" monitor but you get a lot of monitor for the money. Features include an 18" viewable screen with a maximum resolution of 1800x1440 and 0.24 dot pitch.
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USB 2.0 24x burner
posted: December 5, 2001 @ 3:27 EST by: ryan
EverythingUSB has posted up their review of a USB 2.0 24x burner from Sony, and it's one fast little bugger. Check out a quote from the review:
"As USB 2.0 progresses, devices and company support grow. Such is the case with Sony and their latest USB CD-RW drive, the CRX1750U, also known as 24x10x40x USB 2.0 CD-RW."
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Speeze BigRock CPU HSF
posted: December 5, 2001 @ 3:13 EST by: ryan
SLCentral.com has posted a review of the Speeze BigRock aluminum CPU cooler. Here's a quote:
"When you first get the Heat Sink, you'll find it packaged in a box like any other sink you buy. Inside the box is the Heat Sink, which has a pink thermal pad, applied to the bottom, with a protective cover on it to keep it from getting messed up too much. As everyone knows, thermal pads suck, and apparently the folks at Speeze knew that a lot of people don't like them, so they also included a small tube of silver thermal grease with the heat sink. Quite slick on their part, I might add."
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Lian Li PC70 Review
posted: December 5, 2001 @ 3:13 EST by: ryan
VYW has just posted another review, this time of the Lian Li PC70 full tower case. This case has a few quirks, but it is overall quite a good choice for watercoolers. Here is a quote:
"A $230 case isn't the sort of thing that is for everybody. And even barring the high price of this case, not everyone needs a full tower. But if you have a lot of HDDs and also need space for watercooling then the Lian Li PC70 is an excellent choice. While the price is high, you do get a case with a high build quality and finish, and it comes stock with 4 cooling fans....The Lian Li PC70 isn't pefect, however. There were a couple of complaints that I addressed with mods (the exhaust grilles and the flimsy I/O panel) and there are two other ones I also want to mention. The case comes from Lian Li with aluminum rivets holding the top panel to the frame. I drilled them out and replaced them with screws, but I really wish Lian Li had just made the top screw together in the first place. My other complaint is that the AddA intake fans that are controlled by the 3 position switch are very quiet even on high speed, but the exhaust fans are not. It would make more sense to put the louder exhaust fans on a switch rather than the quiet fans in my opinion."
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Alpha PAL-8045 Review
posted: December 5, 2001 @ 3:12 EST by: ryan
Alpha, the name you know and love are back in the heatsink buisness with their new PAL-8045 monster heatsink. Case-Junkiez has the review:
"The PAL8045 is a new heatsink designed exclusively for AMD Socket A CPUs and unlike most other coolers on the market the PAL8045 is not a chunk of metal with an insanely fast 60mm fan attached. Instead Alpha have taken a step back and released a heatsink that instead of throwing raw RPMs of fan power at the problem, instead tackles it by increasing the size of the heat dissipation area to almost unheard of dimensions."
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Asus GeForce3 Ti Reviews
posted: December 5, 2001 @ 7:05 EST by: ryan
HotHardware has taken a look at two hot new GeForce3 Titantium cards from Asus.
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Swiftech MCXC370 Review
posted: December 4, 2001 @ 7:03 EST by: ryan
VoidYourWarranty has just completed another review, this one being Swiftech's latest air cooled heatsink: The MCXC370. This is virtually a standard MCX370 heatsink with a copper base, and the performance gain is pretty nice from the all aluminum version. Here's a quote from the review:
"The MCXC370 is Swiftech's second heatsink to utilize their new clip, and is also their first clipped heatsink to use a copper base. The only characteristic that separates this heatsink from the MCX370 is the copper base; everything else is virtually identical. A closer inspection of both the MCX370 and the MCXC370 reveals that nylon spacers are present on top of the tension springs. This simply provides a little more pressure for better contact between the CPU and the base of the heatsink."
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Detonator Driver Database
posted: December 4, 2001 @ 7:02 EST by: ryan
Tweaker's Asylum just finished updating their Windows 9X/ME Detonator Driver Performance Database with the latest official 23.11 Detonators.
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Intel Personal Audio Player
posted: December 4, 2001 @ 7:01 EST by: ryan
SLCentral has posted a review of the Intel Personal Audio Player 3000. Here's a quote:
"This is not a good pick for a third test because it might kill the player and then there's no fourth test. Well, people are always running in the rain for some reason and they need a player that can run with them. The player was completely submerged in a bowl of water for a period of one second, then taken out. I thought it would survive this test due to the construction which looks airtight and very conscientious about these thigns. I took the player out and hit play… the power came on, started playing, then turned off. I waited for about 8 hours until I knew the player was completely dry, then I played again… it worked. I guess water did get in and stopped the player but all it needed was for it to dry. DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Runs in the rain where you can get the occasional drops on this player probably wont affect it but submerging it in water might not be the best idea."
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Creative Inspire 5300 Spkrs
posted: December 4, 2001 @ 7:00 EST by: ryan
EnvyNews has posted up their review of the Creative Inspire 5300 5.1 Speakers.
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Akasa Silver Mountain HS
posted: December 4, 2001 @ 6:59 EST by: ryan
The Overclocker Café just finished up their review of the Akasa Silver Mountain Heatsink. Quote:
“If nothing else, this sink is absolutely beautiful to look at. The overall construction is very high. I can only imagine the engineering problems in trying to uniformly coat a heatsink in another metal. They did it, and quite well I might add. The downside of this effectively copper heatsink, is its weight. 480 grams is nothing to sneeze at.”
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SiS645 Chipset Scoop
posted: December 4, 2001 @ 6:58 EST by: ryan
Following their pretty successful 735 chipset, SiS is once again taking the hardware world by storm with this 645. Is this going to be another chipset that will rival VIA? HardwareZone has the scoop. Quote:
"All in all, the new SiS 645 chipset gives superb performance with DDR 333 memory technology, rivalling the much more expensive Intel 850 (based on RDRAM) and VIA's P4X266. Judging from SiS' agressive pricing on their chipsets, you should expect boards based on the SiS 645 to be extremely affordable. They are definitely getting my recommendation here."
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ATI RADEON 8500 Review
posted: December 3, 2001 @ 7:11 EST by: ryan
X-bit labs has posted their ATI RADEON 8500 and RADEON 8500LE Graphics Cards review.
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Win Some Stuff
posted: December 3, 2001 @ 7:11 EST by: ryan
The month of December brings with it a new contest at The Tech Zone! And boy do they have a great prize for you! The Tech Zone is giving away a WindTunnel IV Extended ATX case from the CoolerGuys.
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Macase Mid-tower Review
posted: December 3, 2001 @ 7:10 EST by: ryan
Overclockers AU has reviewed a mid-tower case from Macase.
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VIA P4X266A Chipset
posted: December 3, 2001 @ 7:09 EST by: ryan
ViaHardware has posted their preview of VIA's own VPSD P4XB-RA Motherboard, based on the new VIA P4X266A chipset. Here's a quote:
"VPSD was created as a way to ensure that VIA could sell it's P4X266 chipset and other chipsets derived from it. The board we are testing today is the VPSD P4XB-RA, based on the P4X266A chipset. This board is the same as the P4XB-R, but with a P4X266A instead of the P4X266. One thing to note is that this is a pre-production motherboard which we have received, so performance may increase with the final product. When we receive the final board, we will either update this preview or do another quick review to show the performance of the final product."
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Headphone Comparison
posted: December 2, 2001 @ 9:07 EST by: ryan
Acidhardware.com have posted up a five way headphone comparison. Quote:
"Headphone based systems have often proven themselves to be a cheap and compact alternative to a traditional fully equipped loudspeaker hi-fi system. Many audiophiles in the past have regarded headphones with contempt but this is slowly changing for the better. Among other things, it is often argued that headphones have several serious disadvantages (which we’ll discuss later) when compared to speaker systems but when assessed purely on a price vs. performance ratio headphones clearly show themselves to be an excellent option.
Interest in headphones has been primarily reignited by the availability of portable audio devices and listener’s concerns when it comes to space and privacy. For many it’s not economical to take up large amounts of space plus spend thousands of dollars simply to accommodate a traditional hi-fi system. Also, given the fact that speaker systems often disturb those around you headphones are an almost perfect alternative. They allow you to listen at whatever volume suits you regardless of time or place."
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PC Tote Review
posted: December 2, 2001 @ 9:07 EST by: ryan
PC Tote Carrying Handles review over at MikHailTech.
"As far as reliability goes, the PC Tote was extensively tested with systems up to 50lbs/22.7kg, so you needn't worry too much. The nylon strap itself is said to support 3000lbs, so if your system weight a bit more than 50 you can simply tie the straps after you buckle them together. The standard size adjusts to perimeters from 12-54 inches (137cm). These can also be used on full towers if wrapped around the front."
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Dual Duron at Home?
posted: November 30, 2001 @ 6:23 EST by: ryan
X-bit labs has posted an article called "Dual Duron at Home: Worth Trying or Not?".
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Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu
posted: November 30, 2001 @ 6:22 EST by: ryan
SLCentral has posted a review of the Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu and 6Cu+.
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EPoX 8KHA+ Mobo Review
posted: November 30, 2001 @ 6:21 EST by: ryan
PCstats has posted up a EPoX 8KHA+ Motherboard Review.
"On that note, when I was overclocking past 160 MHz FSB, I found the system wouldn't reboot! The same thing happened with the MSI K7T266Pro2-Ru so I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the KT266A chipset in that regard. I also used the Epox 8KHA+ as my main system board for a while (I plan to replace my aging KK266-R with it), and I found that under full load, it would reboot itself.
You really don't need me to tell you that this is a fast board and that you should get off your pants and run out and get one for your next gaming or performance system. The Epox 8KHA+ has gotten tones of positive reviews to this effect already, which is why Epox are really in the limelight nowadays."
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Zalman CNPS6000 Heatsinks
posted: November 30, 2001 @ 6:20 EST by: ryan
MikHailTech has posted up their review of the Zalman CNPS6000 Heatsinks. Here's a quote:
"First off, the fins are wider and shaped differently to improve both surface area and airflow between the fins. In fact, the fins have lager holes to allow a great deal of airflow to go through the heatsink even with the low air pressure the provided fans offer. Then, the heatsink itself is larger than the previous versions and the base is a bit thicker. All those advantages come with a price: the weight of the all copper solution exceeds AMD specifications for a heatsink; my suggestion is to use some kind of shim before installing it on a frequently moved computer. The AlCu version is in line with AMD specifications, so it’s not so dangerous to move the computer with it installed, but still a bit of care must be used."
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Xitel MD-Port DG2 Review
posted: November 30, 2001 @ 6:20 EST by: ryan
ExHardware takes a look at Xitel's MD-Port DG2, a sleek little device that allows you to record your MP3s to your MD player without any loss of quality, all without difficulties in a very easy manner.
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IOport Liquid Cooled PCs
posted: November 29, 2001 @ 7:13 EST by: ryan
Octools has just posted their world exclusive review of IOport's MAXIMUS Liquid Cooled PCs.
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Leadtek GeForce3 Ti500
posted: November 29, 2001 @ 7:12 EST by: ryan
HardwareZone has posted up their review of the Leadtek winfast GeForce3 Ti500 video card. Quote:
"The new WinFast Titanium 500 TD is a commendable effort by Leadtek as they are the ones that led the way with the first full working unit based on NVIDIA's latest GeForce3 Ti 500 chipset. In terms of price, well, you can expect it to command a premium over all other cards available in the market. If you are in for fast, speedy and stable 3D performance, the WinFast Titanium 500 TD will not disappoint you. However, if you're looking for something that you can overclock, this may not be the best there is. In fact, getting the older GeForce3 and overclocking it may give you performance comparable with the Titanium 500 -- that is if you're lucky enough to pick up a card with overclockable chips."
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ATI Radeon 8500DV Video
posted: November 29, 2001 @ 7:10 EST by: ryan
3dgameman has posted up a video demo of the ATI Radeon 8500DV card.
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ATI Radeon 7500 Review
posted: November 28, 2001 @ 6:41 EST by: ryan
Over at Hexus today has taken a look at the ATI Radeon 7500.
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SiS645 Chipset Overview
posted: November 28, 2001 @ 6:40 EST by: ryan
X-bit labs has posted an article called "SiS645 Chipset: DDR333 for Pentium 4 Platforms".
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512MB Crucial DDR Review
posted: November 28, 2001 @ 6:39 EST by: ryan
Exhardware has posted up a review of the 512MB sticks of Crucial DDR RAM.
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Visiontek Xtasy 6964 Review
posted: November 28, 2001 @ 6:38 EST by: ryan
SLCentral (Previously SystemLogic.net) has posted a review on the Visiontek Xtasy 6964 GeForce3 Ti500 video card. The card is hands down the fastest consumer video card on the market, but is it worth purchasing? Read the review to find out. Here's a quote:
"Visiontek actually intended their GeForce3 line to be OEM only, but then at that point in time they decided to target the consumer market as well. The difference? OEM will allow a company to sell a lot more of their product, but because of demand for quality in retail, a company has the chance to get some hardcore fans. Does their Ti (Titanium) lineup allow them to get some dedicated users? That's what we'll be finding out. Not only will we be looking at the numbers, we'll take things like price and offerings into consideration, as these play a crucial part in the retail game."
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Arkua HSF Reviews
posted: November 28, 2001 @ 6:37 EST by: ryan
The Overclocker Cafe' has just finished up its review of the Arkua 6228 and 7228 heatsinks.
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Lite-On LTR12101B CD-RW
posted: November 28, 2001 @ 6:36 EST by: ryan
MikHailTech has posted up their review of the Lite-On LTR12101B CD-RW:
"As you can see, the drive performs well with both pressed media and CDR media so there's no problem here, except maybe for the not so good seek times and CPU utilization, but I don't consider this CDRW drive to be the main CD reader in a PC, most users opt for the CDRW and CDROM /DVD-ROM combination because 56X CDROMs and even 72X CDROMs (Kenwood TrueX) exists, while the fastest CDRW can only read at 40X speed.
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ATI Radeon 8500 Review
posted: November 27, 2001 @ 6:31 EST by: ryan
Hexus.net has taken look at the ATI Radeon 8500 card with both the old and new driver sets.
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