Tech News
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Athenatech A747-SS Case Review @ MonkeyReview
Published: Friday, August 1, 2003 | By: Dennis"Athenatech has in many ways considered what a user is looking for in a case, and did a spectacular job in delivering the goods. I would have no problem recommending this case to a middle range user, but may however find it harder to recommend it to a dedicated PC enthusiast. The case has adequate airflow to provide a cool environment for a basic system, however, an enthusiast may wish for more cooling options, such as extra fan space, to enhance or help stabilize an overclock."
I still believe that any "dedicated PC enthusiast" should mod their case right after taking it out of the box.
That way you can get all the airflow and lights you want. -
Eumax Transfer Panel Review @ The Tech Lounge
Published: Friday, August 1, 2003 | By: Dennis"At first I was skeptical; I have never been a huge fan of transfer panels. I don’t really love the fact that you have to plug transfer panels into pre-existing connections rather than plugging them directly into the motherboard. But in the end I was so satisfied with the Eumax panel that I decided to keep using it."
Honestly, I also find the transfer panels to be quite usless as most of the cases nowadays come with both USB and Firewire ports in their front panels. Most people will find the little LCD display to be the best feature in this transfer panel. -
Abit IS7-G vs. Epox 4PDA2+ Review @ Digital-Daily
Published: Friday, August 1, 2003 | By: DennisWe already know that Epox is a strong contender in the nForce2 market and we already know what the Abit IS7 can do. So what do you suppose will happen when you match up an Epox Springdale board against the seasoned IS7-G?
"As a result, if we tested all the boards with the memory timings = 2-2-5-2, then the Abit IS7-G would show a performance level that doesn't make much difference relative to the other boards. However, many boards are unable to run at such timings (e.g. again the Epox 4PDA2+) and thus severely lose to the Abit IS7-G." -
Altec Lansing 2100 2.1 Speaker System Review @ HardwareLab
Published: Friday, August 1, 2003 | By: Dennis"The Altec Lansing 2100 is an excellent system for gaming. The size of the speakers are great for saving desk space, and would be ideal for taking to a LAN Party. The system includes an adapter to hook it up to a TV or games console. For playing CDs and DVDs the system handled the sound okay, if you are looking for outstanding quality, the 2100 wouldn't be in that category but is an all-round ideal system for the average user, who plays games, the odd CD and DVD."
A 2.1 system might be a little too small for today's games, as most of the games already utilize 4.1 or even 5.1 systems. However, if a 2.1 system satisfies your needs, Altec Lansing seems to be quite a good choice. -
iCute 0314TL-BS Case Review @ Modsynergy.com
Published: Friday, August 1, 2003 | By: Dennis"The iCute 0314TL-BS case is a great case. The fact that it is sexy, and different than cases out there is a bonus. The frontal cooling is great providing you with three fans but you will have to remove the rear grill to get the most out of the cooling. The case is strong, sexy, and the case fans are quiet."
I'm usually pretty picky when it comes to pre-modded cases. However, this one seems to be quite nice, especially for the people that want something different than a beige box. -
Who Wants Money?
Published: Friday, August 1, 2003 | By: DennisIt's come to my attention that in honor of Redmax's Birthday, there is a little contest in the forums . . . Enter now to win!
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Corsair XMS4000 TwinX Review @ Legit Reviews
Published: Thursday, July 31, 2003 | By: DennisIt would seem that these modules love to overclock, check out the Sandra scores at the end of the review.
"The XMS4000 TwinX DDR Modules came in a recyclable plastic box that contained no manual. If you need installation help with DDR500 memory you are best off staying away from your system anyway!" Good call. -
P4ATX55F 500w PSU Review @ Ohls-Place
Published: Thursday, July 31, 2003 | By: Dennis"Now think about a server for a second. Yes it will have lots of fans, more than likely more hard drives than you are running now, maybe not a gaming graphics card, but a video card none the less. Now the big ticket item, CPU X 2, now you better have a very good power supply. So lets take a look at the AGPB-P4ATX55F 500 watt server power supply and find out if its a very good power supply."
Most good servers have redundant power supplies though for a single PSU unit just about anything with a high degree of wattage will do. -
Carbon Black Thermal Pastes
Published: Thursday, July 31, 2003 | By: Dennis"The paste she has created is based on dispersed carbon black (a particulate form of industrial carbon used to reinforce rubber) mixed in a soup of ethyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol. In tests comparing it to solder (a method of thermal transfer not typically used with electronic components because of the temperature required to bond it to both surfaces), the carbon paste surpassed the pure metal bond in thermal conductivity by 33%."
Carbon thermal paste, A good concept that actually works. Intel is using something similar by covering the TIM on their retail heatsinsks with carbon, the only drawback is the huge mess it makes. -
GigaCube Radeon 9600 Pro Review @ Extreme Overclocking
Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 | By: Dennis"The heatsink is made out of aluminum. There is a sticker in the center of the fan bearing the Powered By ATi logo. The heatsink and fan are decent but hardcore overclockers and enthusiasts might want to change it out to something that cools a better. Where the fan meets the heatsink, there is a blue, a green, and a red LED. When the card is powered on, the LEDs light up, but they also flash, making it look like a disco club. "
It is no wonder that Breakdown wants to get one. Though compared to other video card solutions out there the heatsink appears to be a little small.
