Tech News
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Soltek SL-KT600-R Review @ HardwareZone
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2003 | By: DennisHere is one of the newest mobos from Soltek featuring the new VIA KT600 chipset. The board is built in the typical Soltek manner giving you a "no frills" mobo to start building on. Some people don't like that much but for me this is the ultimate starting point. The only question that remains is “do you still get a good bang for the lack of bux?”
In most cases, the answer would be yes.
"Our final comment would be a note on how to overclock CPUs on this motherboard. For example, if you had an FSB333 CPU and wish to use FSB400, you will first have to change the multiplier ratio required, save to CMOS, exit the BIOS and power down your system. On the motherboard is a small jumper block that governs FSB speed and their default is set for auto detection." -
Intel Chipset Release Schedule @ Rojak Pot
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2003 | By: Dennis"Check out the chipsets that Intel is going to release in the future!
Alderwood, Alviso, Grantsdale, Lakeport. You name it, we got it!"
According to the chart most of this happens in the very near future. -
Mistify Boomslang 2100 vs Logitech MX500 @ crazymodders
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2003 | By: DennisPersonally I don't like the new MX series of mice from Logitech, don't get me wrong I use Logitech stuff religiously and from a technical standpoint the MX series is great but the shape of the mouse appears to be designed for one person, and one person only. I have yet to determine whom that one person is but I'd be willing to bet that it was somebody’s wife or girlfriend. Just a hunch though.
"A lot of people are chosing for wireless mice lately, but those can easily cost 20$ more than the non-wireless mice. Today I'll be reviewing 2 non-wireless input devices. First I will review the Logitech MX500, the non-wireless version of the Logitech MX700, and then I will review the Terratec Razer Mistify Boomslang 2100." -
Thermaltake Volcano 11+ Review @ RipNet-UK
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2003 | By: Dennis"Clipping the cooler on was a bit of a nightmare actually. If you've installed a few HSF's then you'll know the scenario........ you put the first side of the cooler on, and then have twenty attempts to clip the other side on. It finally clicks into place and then you realise it's only because the first side has come off again! Doh! Needless to say that I got it on eventually but I was starting to get a bit worried about my CPU for a while there."
I would agree, check out our review of the Volcano 11+ for comparison purposes. -
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 Review @ Unique Hardware
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2003 | By: Dennis"These 7200.7 hard drives have many security features built in, and come packaged very well. If you were ever to experience a problem, Seagate also provides the software you need to fix it. Although the drive was just a tad slower than the older Barracuda V, we expect better drivers to be released which should push these drives to new performance levels."
I don't think SerialATA drives are hindered by bad drivers but rather from overhead in the SerialATA interface, aka hardware. Just give the technology time to mature.
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PC4200 DDR Memory by GeIL
Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 | By: DennisI haven't been a huge supporter of Geil memory but when you churn out DDR533 dual channel memory some people tend to take notice.
Here are some of the specs:
"PC4200 533Mhz Dual Channel DDR Ultra Platinum Version:
Available only in 512MB (2X256MB) and 1GB (2X512MB) Dual Channel DDR Ultra Platinum Kits.
- 184pin, Non-ECC, Un-buffered, high performance DDR memory modules.
- Hand Picked 3.5ns GeIL Chips
- 6 Layers Ultra Low Noises Shielded PCB board.
- Optimized SPD for Intel’s 875/865 chipset Dual Channel DDR motherboards.
- Tin Coated Platinum - Copper Heat Spreader
- Lifetime Warranty
- CAS 3 8-4-4 Running @ DDR533Mhz PC4200
- 2.6v-2.95V
- Retail package with neon green clear acrylic case and instructions."
The memory timings are the same as many DDR500 modules from companies like Corsair and Kingston thus making the GeIL modules slightly faster from that standpoint. As you will see later this isn't always a good thing. -
i875P Dual Xeon Motherboard Photos
Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 | By: DennisI mentioned this before but who knew the "Canterwood" could support dual Xeon processors.
Anyhow the cool thing about this Akiba post is related to the store they are pimping. "Two-Top" was the retail front end for many Quata and Freeway products including motherboards and cases. Freeway motherboards have long sense died off but the legacy lives on. -
Shrinking Graphics Market Effects Taiwan Mfgs.
Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 | By: Dennis"Sales of discrete graphics cards have not met earlier expectations as their market has gradually been eroded by integrated chipsets, according to Taiwanese graphics card makers.
The global graphics card market is expected to account for less than 50% of the global PC market in the second half of this year, down from about 50% in the first half, according to sources at Leadtek Research, a Taiwan-based graphics card maker.
In the first half of this year, Taiwanese graphics card makers including Leadtek, Gigabyte Technology and Micro-Star International (MSI) all missed their targets."
Be sure to check out the graph, the results are pretty bad. -
MSI Geforce FX 5600 Review @ CyberCPU
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 | By: Dennis" I have seen a lot of reviews of the Geforce FX 5600 Ultra but I didn't see many reviews of the lower cost option, the non ultra. Today I will be reviewing the MSI FX5600-TD128 (MS-8912). This is my first chance to take a look at the Geforce FX and I had some really high expectations. I will be comparing this card to a Geforce 4 TI 4200."
The GeForceFX series is actually pretty sweet though in some of the more popular games of today it seems to lack in framerate. -
Late News Review Block
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 | By: DennisThe Ninjalane site news was a little late today but that does not mean nobody sent any in.
- Nexus PHT-3600 SkiveTek @ A True Review
- 3R System R201 Case Review @ Dans Data <-- Cool
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