Tech News
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A+GPB CA-AP107 Mid-Tower Case Review @ FastLaneHW
Published: Thursday, October 2, 2003 | By: DennisFastLaneHW takes a look at GPB pre-modded case, which may be a good choice for those that want a modded case with window and lights, without having to spend much time with a dremel.
"Lately, premodded cases have been all the rage among computer enthusiasts, due to the fact that buyers can get cool-looking computers without putting time and money into modding them, which many of us do not have time for. Today we'll be looking at a nice new premodded mid-tower case from A+GPB, complete with a 400w power supply." -
Mobo Makers Shifting to SATA Specs
Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | By: Dennis"Taiwan motherboard producers are giving full thrust to the development and manufacturing of products with serial ATA (SATA) specifications to replace parallel ATA (PATA) models as SATA boards emerge as the mainstream products in the market.
JMicron said that 20% to 30% of motherboards already adopt SATA and this ratio will increase to 50% by the end of 2004 because of SATA’s faster bandwidth and improved software compatibility."
Some better than others.
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Abit Debuts New Processor µGuru
Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | By: Dennis"Abit Computer debuts its new microprocessor µGuru designed exclusively for Abit motherboards. The µGuru’s independent onboard memory allows users to save overclocking settings for specific applications.
µGuru supports Abit EQ, Abit FanEQ, Abit OC Guru, Abit FlashMenu, Abit AudioEQ and Abit BlackBox with a user-friendly interface to deliver optimal performance and stability."
There are quite a few motherboard makers including things like this into their new line of products. -
MSI NBOX N5900 Ultra @ Bjorn3D
Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | By: DennisBjorn3D takes a look at MSI's newest video card powered by nVidia FX5900 Ultra GPU. The card is packed with 3 full version games, and also features a pretty nice cooling solution. Check it out.
"'Drool-inducing' is probably the best way to describe the NBOX. This has be be one of the best bundles ever offered with any PC component! MSI really outdid themselves with this one. The included games are great, and the utilities and other software are quite useful. Kudos to the team at MSI that put the NBOX together!" -
Prolink PixelView GeForce FX 5900 128MB Review @ Digit-Life
Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | By: DennisDigit-Life takes a look at nVidias fastest gpu - FX5900 by exclusively testing only the Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness PC game. This is one of the few games that has the full DirectX 9.0 support. Take a look and find out how it compares to the ATI 9800pro.
"Today we will test one more video card based on the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900. It seems that there's nothing to add to this subject. But it's wrong. First of all, High-End products and any alterations in this price niche indicate that the developers work hard trying to improve performance and drivers." -
Asetek WaterChill Watercooling Kit @ Overclockers Australia
Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | By: DennisWith watercoolers getting more popular with time, more kits are being introduced in to hardware world. Watercooling kit might be a good solution for people that want to start watercooling but have no experience.
"The hardcore watercoolers will perhaps scoff at the notion of a newbie-friendly watercooling kit, preferring instead to hand-choose their components and opt for fancier (or salvaged from junkyard/wreckers) parts here and there. However, they are not the market Asetek is aiming at with this system. For those who have been contemplating watercooling, who want a system that can be assembled fairly simply and which offers very decent performance with low noise, the WaterChill kit seems an ideal solution." -
Radeon 9600XT and Radeon 9800XT @ Bjorn3D
Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | By: DennisBjorn3D takes a look at ATI's newest cards, though you will only find benchmarks for the 9800XT. The 9600XT seems to be a little delayed, since ATI wants to sell as much as possible of the more expensive cards.
"While there are improvements on both the Radeon 9600XT and the Radeon 9800XT, they weren’t exactly revolutionary products that we were shown. ATI still is building on the excellent foundation of the earlier cards, just improving a little with each refresh. That’s not a bad thing since the products they have right now are outstanding, but that also means that you need to think hard before upgrading if you already have a Radeon 9600 or a Radeon 9800. " -
ATI Radeon 9800XT Review @ NordicHardware
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 | By: DennisATI launches their newest flagship - ATI Radeon 9800XT, which, honestly, is nothing but a little souped-up 9800pro. Though, I have to admit, the HSF does look pretty cool.
"To say that ATi is going well right now would be an obvious understatement. At the moment both ASUS and MSI are having advanced plans on turn over to (or at least combine with) manufacturing of ATi based graphic cards. ASUS and MSI are two of nVidia's most important partners and are shipping a big part of all nVidia-based cards that reach the market..." -
Block-o-Reviews @ Ninjalane
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 | By: DennisWell, it's time for another Block-o-Reviews here, at Ninjalane. It became a habit to have at least one Block-o per day. I think it's a good way to look through in a search of something interesting, without having to scroll through pages of news. Without much furthere talk, here it is:
- Crystalfontz USB LCD Model 632 Review @ BigBruin
- ThermalTake TR2M1 AMD CPU Cooler Review @ 3dXtreme
- Toshiba SD-R5112 DVD-R/RW Drive Review @ Digit-Life
- Logitech Cordless MX Duo vs Logitech Freedom Optical Review @ HardwareZoom
- Steelpad 4S Professional Gaming Mousepad Review @ Tweaknews
- Allied 500W PSU Review @ PC Abusers
Well, that's it for now. More to come later. Don't forget and come back to... -
ATI Radeon Line-up @ Digit-Life
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 | By: DennisDigit-Life, in this huge review, takes a look at various ATI Radeon cards, ranging from the slowest 9200, to their flagship 9800pro. Worth a check if you're planning on getting one of the ATI-powered cards in the near future.
"Today we have only RADEON 9600 PRO and 9600 within the DX9 line which are weaker than the RADEON 9800 PRO. But these cards are much cheaper than the RADEON 9800 PRO. So, what will be between them? RADEON 9700 PRO/9700 based cards are not produced anymore. One of the expected solutions was the RADEON 9800 with lower clock speeds. The same PCB comes with cheaper and slower memory (3.3ns) and chips clocked at 325 MHz (i.e. which do not operate properly at 380MHz). The solution is similar to the RADEON 9700 PRO though the clock speeds are 325/590 MHz instead of 325/620. But the difference is almost unnoticeable. The gap between $300 and $350 is now filled up, and the 9700 PRO is done away with"
