HyTek Computer - News Archive: May 2001

Syncmaster 191T 19 inch TFT LCD Review Posted by PCstats
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 10:06 PM EST

"We often take for granted the standard LCD display, looking first for the ultra thin dimensions primarily, and then investigating other areas. Big bulky Cathode Ray Tube monitors have taught us to think that a computer display can only, and should only turn left or right, and tilt up or down. Okay so you are probably thinking, "19" LCD, isn't that kind of an odd size?" For most of the time that LCD displays have been on the market you have been hearing about 18.1" LCD displays which offer a comparable size to that of a 19" CRT (in fact a 17" LCD is just about the same size too, but that is another story). Well someone must have finally realized that it is really much simpler to compete against standard CRT displays head on and offer a 19" LCD size which is bound to be less confusing to consumers."

PGN message: D-LINK Announces Industry's First Fully Integrated IEEE 802.11a/.11b Dual Band Wireless Access Point
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 10:03 PM EST

"D-Link has announced the release of our D-LinkAir Pro DWL-6000AP Dual Band Wireless Access Point and I thought you would be interested in the news. The D-LinkAir Pro DWL-6000AP Dual Band Wireless Access Point is the industry's first integrated dual radio 2.4GHz/5GHz wireless access point that simultaneously serves both 802.11a wireless connectivity at 54Mbps and 802.11b wireless connectivity at 11Mbps.

The new D-LinkAir Pro DWL-6000AP Dual Band Wireless Access Point is the ideal solution for future-proofing and upgrading Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)."

ATI Radeon 8500 64MB Review Posted by Envy News
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 9:59 PM EST

With the GeForce4 Ti and Radeon 8500-128MB cards now out on the market, what’s not to like about the cost of previous generation cards having their prices lowered to affordable levels? In this review, we give you an ultra-comprehensive expose on ATI’s Radeon 8500 64MB retail card – from DVD playback to Anisotropic and Antialiasing. Here’s a snip:

“By now, the ATI Radeon 8500 has been out for several months and has garnered its share of the spotlight. When first released, the 64MB edition commanded a price tag of $299 US and was targeted towards the gaming and performance computing population and slated to compete directly with the GeForce3 line of video cards.

Since that time, nVidia released their GeForce4 series and the 64MB Radeon 8500 dropped substantially in price. Rather than relegating the card to shelf filler and focusing completely on its next-generation series of cards, ATI chose to continue with the Radeon 8500 line as a viable and competitive product.”

Dynatron Model P Skived Copper Heatsink Review Posted by Frostytech
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 9:50 PM EST

Another heatsink from Dynatron. There making a name for themselves. Let's check out this offering and see how it performs. Here's a quote:

"The last time I tested a heatsink with a 38mm thick high-speed Delta fan my finger got sucked into the "blender of death" and there was plenty of blood - see picture :) Be smart, keep that fan grill on at all times. The Model P heatsink from Dynatron is a full copper skived heatsink with a very powerful, and very noisy Delta fan. Heck, the fan is larger than the actual heatsink so that should tell you something. These 38mm thick Delta fans draw 0.83A so it is better to plug them into the power supply via a Molex pass thru cable adaptor. We haven't ever had a fan blow a fuse on one of our motherboards, but I have heard a few accounts of things happening in the long run which may be due to the high current draw."

Xoxide Z-40 Storm Midtower Case Review Posted by OCIA
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 9:45 PM EST

OCIA has posted their review of the Xoxide Z-40 Storm Midtower Case. With a total of 4 blowholes sucking and blowing air like crazy, could this be the premodded case for you? Here is a clip from the review:

"The side and top blowholes are controlled via a small rocker type switch on the bottom/front of the side panel with a small lamp above it (which is lighted or off depending on switch position). The fans give us 110CFM intake, and 69CFM exhaust. The Sunon's aren't that loud, but then again, with a Delta fan screaming at 8,000rpm, I can't really hear the other fans at all :) "

Lazer LED Review posted by 3dXtreme
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 9:39 PM EST

Everyone with a window needs a light to show it off. There are a lot of choices out there so lets see if this light will be the one for you. Here's a blurb:

"Whether it's lazer etched or plain plexiglass a case window is necessary. The next step is adding a case light. Will it be a cold cathode light? Will it be neon? What color will it be? These are all questions that one must decide upon when putting a light into a computer case."

Senfu Copper Heatsink & Probe Review Posted by 3dXtreme
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 9:34 PM EST

This is an interesting heatsink. Lets see if it performs as good as it looks. Here's a Blurb:

The base is smooth to the touch with a few imperfections. Lapping is out of the question, unless you want to destroy all those coatings. The big hole at the bottom is for a temperature probe. It fits neatly into place and held there with a plastic cap. The entrance has 2 small hooks on each side to keep it secure. It's completely safe to use with a shim, an added bonus.

Thermaltake Hardcano 2 Hard Drive Cooler Review Posted by Extremeoverclocking
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 3:05 PM EST

Here's something to keep those highspeed hard drives of yours cool. Keeping them cool may extend the life of them and save your info from being lost. Here's a quote:

Thermaltake strikes again with their new line of HardCano hard drive coolers! The really neat thing about these isn't their ability to cool a hard drive, but the integrated thermal probes. The HardCano 2 includes two separate temperature probes and LED readouts. Other models include replacing one of the LEDs with a 3 way power switch (to adjust your CPU fan speed for instance).

HWP PUBLISHES: The Ultimate Powerhouse System
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 1:32 PM EST

Here at Hardware Pub we have reviewed the ultimate powerhouse system. This system is packed with features, power, and speed. Although the price tag, at $2,700 is a bit hefty, it's quite apparent that the system is well worth the investment. Here are some of the components that this system includes: Pentium 4 2.2GHz Northwood, Intel D850MV Motherboard, 2x 256MB Samsung PC800 Rambus memory chips, Asus 128MB Geforce 4 Ti4400 video card, Fujitsu 40G ATA100 7200 RPM hard drive, Creative Soundblaster Audigy Gamer sound card, 3Com Etherlink 10/100 NIC, NEC Multisync LCD 1700V display, Logitech Z-560 speaker system, LG 24x10x40 cd-writer, all in a Antec SX1030B Performance Series SOHO File Server Tower.

Just by these specs you should be able to quickly realize the amazing potential of this system. Follow the link below to see how this beast performs.

Designtechnica takes a look at Toshibas 20Gb PCMCIA hard drive
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 1:27 PM EST

Designtechnica takes a look at Toshibas 20GB PCMCIA hard drive. For those of you who are unaware, this is a larger capacity version of the same hard drive that is used in the Apple iPod. Apple used the 5 GB and the 10 GB version in the current iPod’s, could there be an even larger version coming soon? Possible. Imagine the possibilities of a hot swappable 20 GB PCMCIA hard drive. You could theoretically use this for laptops; tablet PC’s, PDA’s, DVR’s and many other applications.

Asus P4S533 SiS 645DX Motherboard Review Posted by GamePC
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 1:21 PM EST

Asus teamed up with a Sis chip to see what they can do to make the P4 scream. Looks like they might be on the right track. Here's a quote:

Today at GamePC, we've taken a look at the brand-new Asus P4S533 motherboard, which utilizes the recently released SiS 645DX Pentium 4 / DDR chipset. The 645DX is the first chipset on the market to be released with full and licensed support for Intel's upcoming 533 MHz FSB Pentium 4 processors. We've tested the board against other Pentium 4 chipsets, including tests with a Pentium 4 running at a whopping 600 MHz FSB!

Nexland ISB Soho Home Router Review Posted by Monster-hardware
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 1:16 PM EST

Monster-hardware have just published our latest review, the Nexland ISB Soho Home Router. This router has been getting a lot of press lately, lets see if its deserved. Here is a quote:

"The Quickstart guide was enough to get my 1st connection set up. I was, however, disappointed that the Quickstart guide did not include information on Windows 2000 or Windows XP setup. They should have included it because most new PC’s are being shipped with XP Pro or Home edition. The User’s Guide was very detailed and gave step by step instructions on how to set up different types of connection accounts including PPPoE Internet Account, Dynamic IP DHCP Internet Account and Static IP Internet Account. The ISB Soho allows configuration by MAC address and host/domain names - which make it compatible with any ISP. It also supports additional PPPoE Sessions."

PGN has posted a D-Link Press Release to introduces a Wide Range of Powerful Antennas For 802.11b Wireless Networks
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 1:09 PM EST

Here's a snip:
"D-Link has announced the release of seven new D-LinkAir 2.4GHz IEEE 802.11b antennas and I thought you would be interested in the news. Targeted for use with wireless adapters, access points and wireless gateways, the variety in design among these new antennas from D-Link provides more flexibility than ever before when building a network using wireless technology. The new D-LinkAir 2.4GHz antennas range from an indoor omnidirectional ceiling antenna, which delivers spherical polarization within a 55 yard range at 4 decibels (dBi) of signal gain, to an extremely powerful outdoor high gain directional yagi antenna, which delivers a distance of more than three miles at 18 decibels (dBi) of signal gain."

Color Cases X-Wing 101 Case Review Posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 10:52 PM EST

Today we take an exclusive first look at Color Cases' X-Wing 101 case. It looks really cool, features clear fan blowholes and a special "pop-up" model. Unfortunately there were some major installation problems. Here's a quote:

The other biggie is the top blowhole. Although such an addition is almost standard on all modded cases, what Color Cases did is a bit more unique. The mechanism is spring loaded and the blowhole pops up with the push of a button. This also activates the fan inside. Speaking of which, everything is pre-attached and the fan is protected by a plastic grill to keep any external objects from messing up the works. The fan points toward the rear so the case still looks nice up front. And all the better, as this slanted design prevents possible damage to the case and internal components (what would happen if you spilled pop into the blowhole?!?).

Tocools Crown Retail Heatsink Review frostytech
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 10:40 PM EST

I have never heard of this heatsink before. Let's take a look at it and see what she's all about. Here's a quote:

"The Crown heatsink from Tocools is one of the more interesting adaptations of an extruded heatsink because of how the base is formed. On typical run-of-the-mill extruded heatsinks the base is a constant thickness over then entire area. Where the Crown sets itself apart is that it uses a base with varying thickness. Along the central axis of the heatsink the base rises to a peak 18mm high, and along the outer edges it slopes down to just 1mm. Of course, if you look from the outside the Crown looks a simple multi-fin heatsink."

Shuttle SS50 Pentium 4 Cube System Review posted by pcstats
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 10:29 PM EST

"Large cases are good for some applications, but sometimes it is more desirable to have the smallest possible formfactor you can manage without the expense of a laptop. To this end several companies have produced small formfactor Cube computers. These computers, like Shuttle's SS50 use special motherboards and standard components to maximize features and lesson space requirements. Things which are normally the product of an expansion card or two are integrated into the motherboard and the result is something that if tuned right can be extremely quiet. One look at the SS50 and I really don't have to say much more to convince you of its many applications and coolness factor. Great for LAN parties, MP3 servers, or just something cool for the receptionists desk is something you can decide. What is very new about the SS50 is that it is a socket 478 Pentium 4 DDR based computer."

Windows Security Guide I Posted by Tech Help Center
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 10:25 PM EST

In getting back to our primary focus of educating people on how to protect and take care of their computers, Tech Help Center has just finished the first guide in a series of Windows security guides. Here's a excerpt:

"Tech Help Center has compiled a list of some necessary programs to secure your Windows computer. Together, these programs fulfill almost all security functions that you will need to perform on your computer. This is the first Windows Security Guide. As new programs are released, or existing programs are updated, we will be compiling updated Windows Security Guides."

A Reviewer's Personal Favs @ Icrontic
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 10:14 PM EST

Icrontic looks back at the last year through one of their reviewer’s eyes at his personal picks of the hardware, software and tweaks that he’s worked with. Here’s a snip:

“Software, tweaks and hardware reviews of what's hot and what's not are a mainstay of Icrontic and all of our colleague’s sites. We so often pay such close attention to the most recent product that it's good once in a while to look back at what was.

This is not a top ten list of the best but a pick of this reviewer’s personal favorites from the last year; Which case impressed me the most? Which motherboard did I like? What heatsink would I choose? What is the best tweak I found? Where's the best tech support? All of these questions and more will be answered.”

AMD 762 tweaking guide Posted by Mods 4 me
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 10:08 PM EST

First of all I updated out 762 PCR file to fix a few things and added a little bit more.

What are the registers?

The chipset registers are pretty simple, they are memory locations in the northbridge that control the way it behaves. They control every aspect of the northbridge. Now as the northbridge is responsible for controlling the CPU, the memory bus, the AGP bus and the PCI bus, then its a pretty important part of your computer. The chipset registers are usually set by the BIOS at the time of boot-up, but by using some very useful pieces of software we can override these settings from Windows. This will help you find the maximum settings for your hardware without having to continually reboot. Of course when you set something too high your system will crash! Also some of the cheaper motherboards out there don't have all of the tweaks that are supported by the chipset. If that is the case this is the only way that you'll be able to make your system perform like you want.

What sort of things can be changed?

You can change pretty much every setting available in the BIOS plus some more that aren't. You can change all the memory settings, RAS, CAS and so on. You can change your AGP aperture size, change AGP modes from 4x to 2x or 1x...and more.

PureOc.com has posted a Jetway V333DA Motherboard Review
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 4:13 PM EST

Jetway may not be the most known motherboard manufacturer in the world, that's why we review there board to find out if they still can make good motherboards. Here's a quote:

"Jetway continues to make visually good motherboards. Like the older KT266/A motherboards the V333DA have a coloured PCB. But this time Jetway has chosen to go with a red PCB and not with blue. We liked blue but changes is always nice and when I think about it red looks better. Jetway have chosen not to give the PCI/AGP slots any special colour but the memory slots are light purple like before"

Creative water chiller article Posted by PimpRig
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 3:56 PM EST

Here's a nice little do it yourself article. If your into water cooling and like to do things yourself this is a must read. A little quote:

"I will not dwell on basic principles of water-cooling and peltiers/TECs, (thermo-electric coolers). Instead I will explain my goals and the approach I used to attain them. Let me state that this does fit into that category of endeavors where only those willing to risk equipment loss and even physical harm should go. You have been warned, now on to the fun."

Global Win CAK-II 38 Cooler in Video Review #156 Posted by 3dGameMan
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 3:48 PM EST

Globalwin is a well known for its perfomance coolers. Here is a review of one of those. Let's see how it looks. Here's a quote:

"The Globalwin CAK-II 38 Cooler has most of the characteristics of a awesome cooler; high CFM fan, its copper and cools your CPU very well. However, it's loud at ~47dBA and has the single clip design which is a little dated and unsafe" ~3dGameMan.com

Logitech Cordless Keyboard Review Posted by Envy News
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 3:40 PM EST

Yes, we’re quite fond of Logitech products! This week’s Logitech review on Envy entails the Cordless Keyboard – a low-cost, cordless keyboard with iTouch capability. Read on to see how we rated this beast:

Late one night (or early in the morning depending on how you look at it), I stared down at my large old AT keyboard that uses a PS/2 adapter, along with a serial port extension on the end. The long drooping cable swung over the edge of my desk has become a testament to its 4 years of unrelented use; a cheap $15 keyboard literally bought off the back of a truck at the local flea market. I looked down and said "Well buddy, its time for me to move up in this world". And off to the store I went - later returning with a new cordless keyboard from Logitech.

Global Win CAK-II 38 Heatsink/Fan Review posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 12:27 PM EST

Global Win was one of the first to introduce performance heatsinks to the mainstream. Using the infamous Delta fan, the FOP38 was a performer. The Delta is still present, but the heatsink has a new look now. How does it rank against the rest in its class? Read on to find out...

"The clipping mechanism has really improved over the FOP series of heatsinks. With those heatsinks it was really necessary to use both a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to get the clip over the socket slugs. With the CAK-II this has been improved to just needing a flat head screwdriver to clip it to the socket slugs..."

X-Wing 101 Mid-Tower Case Review Posted by ipkonfig
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 12:17 PM EST

Here's another review from the folks at ipKonfig. This review covers the X-Wing 101 Case, and it's many features. Check out their review:

Here's a case that adds a nice touch to the office, with a touch of chrome and charcoal grey finish. It's not too often we see a case with this design, especially with an exhaust fan that pops up. But, as we all know, many cases come with more than just a front bezel and side panel.

The X-Wing 101 comes with two intakes side-mounted for good cooling performance. Up front we have two USB sockets, plus spots for mic and headphone hookup, and a few more goodies!

Logitech z-560 speaker system Review Posted by GeekExtreme
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 12:11 PM EST

Hi Folks, we got our hands on the Logitech z-560 speaker system and we're gonna go ahead and tell you what we think of them. Here's a snippet:

One word. Simply Amazing. Ok, so that's two words. It deserves three. While I was unable, for the time being, to hook these up in my office next to a set of Klipsch and decide which was better, I would imagine that Klipsch is in for some hefty competition from Logitech in the future.

Belkin USB Dual Media Reader/Writer Review Posted by Envy News
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 12:06 PM EST

In the first of several multiple-format USB Flash memory readers on Envy News, we review Belkin’s offering. Here’s a snip:

As you can see, the Dual Media Reader has its advantages for people like me, as well as for those who don't want to wait for their digital images to get onto the computer screen. This isn’t a "cutting edge" product as much as it is a convenience one. Plug it in, it works great, use it, and forget about it. If you're the double reader kind of person, then this will let you save a USB port, reduce desktop clutter, and it actually looks good. SanDisk may have captured my heart in the past with their readers, but Belkin has won mine with their looks!

The virus I'm waiting for...Article Posted by Dan's Data
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 11:58 AM EST

I've put up another Ground Zero column on Dan's Data.

This one's about the virus that I wish someone would write.

30 Updated Visitor Projects Posted by GideonTech
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 2:19 AM EST

You have to check this one out. There are some nice looking cases to get ideas from. Here's a qoute:

GideonTech had a major (minor?) update to their Visitor Projects page. Haven't sent much about this section but we've added a few submitted mods like a computer in a wooden toy house, case mods with a LCD on the front to play your NES emulator, etc.

Asus P4B533 *Retail* Motherboard Review Posted by SubZero Tech
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 2:13 AM EST

Asus and Sis team up to offer this motherboard for you Intel folks. Looks like your new P4 Northwood will find a new home on this board. Here's a quote:

Not too long ago SIS announced a new P4 chipset named the Sis645DX. This chipset is similar to the old Sis645 chipset announced around half a year ago but contained a few enhancements such as support for DDR333 and 533mhz FSB. After seeing some Sis645DX reference board reviews the performance was great and outperformed all P4 DDR chipsets. One noticeable addition was support for DDR400 which is contained in the BIOS, at these speeds memory benchmarks outperformed all competition even the old memory king Rambus.

Chenming 601AE Black Server Case Review Posted by ipKonfig
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 10:08 PM EST

ipKonfig releases another Chenming case review today, and this case is one nice black beauty, and as well has much to offer for the consumer. Here what they had to say:

Looking for a full tower case with every possible option? Well, look no more! After hours and hours of research into what would satisfy me and most other people, I settled on the Chenming 601AE Black Server Tower from kdcomputers.com. This review will take you through some of the nooks and crannies of this case, and you will see why I think it could be the one for you, too.

StarTech ATX8300PRO PC Case Review Posted by Icrontic
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 2:42 PM EST

The case being to me the most important part of the computer comes in a wide variety of flavors. You have to decide what your requirements are and find the right case to meet them. Hop on over to this review and see if this case will meet your needs. Here's a quote:

The StarTech ATX8300PRO PC case came with an extensive list of features; thicker than average steel construction, spacious and unobstructed case interior, four tool-less 5.25 inch drive bays, two 3.25 inch tool-less drive bays, a removable hard drive bay for two drives, front USB, firewire and 1/8 inch jacks, tool-less side entry, 300 watt power supply, and an additional cooling fan.

EPoX 8K3A+ Motherboard Review *UPDATE* Posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 2:33 PM EST

We've just updated our EPoX 8K3A+ review with new benchmarks including two more top-notch motherboards from Asus and MSI. Here's a quote:

The chip used by EPoX is the HighPoint HPT372, very popular among motherboard manufacturers (ABIT boards come equipped with HPT370/372 controllers, and now even Shuttle uses this chip). Besides the usual RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 0+1, the HPT372 also features UltraATA 133 interface, so you can use ATA133 HDDs at full speed only when connected to the RAID controller. The HPT372 is my favorite RAID controller, especially because it works very well with standard HDDs in a non-RAID configuration, meaning you can only use one HDD connected to the RAID controller. The downside is you have to install the OS and drivers with the HDD connected to the normal ATA ports and then switch it to RAID ATA133. The IDE ports are placed in the lower right corner of the board.

TDK VeloCD 40X Burner Review Posted by GeekExtreme
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 10:19 AM EST

Everbody is offereing 40x burners these days. Lets take a look and see how TDKs offering stacks up. Here's a snippet:

Let's see -- a 40x burner, less than $150, 12X Re-Write . . . Oh hell, yeah. And it's a TDK! Was our initial impression on track? Or did this "Hot" burner turn out to be a cold turkey?

Microsoft Office Keyboard Review Posted by GeekExtreme
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 10:09 AM EST

Hi Folks, We've gone and picked up a Microsoft Office Keyboard. Is this the keyboard every Geek should have? Or is it the keyboard every Geek should throw in the trash? Here's a snippet:

When this keyboard first came out, with a $70 price tag -- my response was "NO WAY." I couldn't quite understand the need for some of the functions it had either - sure, hot keys are cool -- but what the heck is the reason for a scroll wheel? The built-in hand rest looked cool though. But, as I said, there's no way I'm going to shell out $70 for the keyboard. Some things just aren't worth $70, and in my opinion, this was one of them. Well, a couple weeks ago they dropped to $40, and a few days after that OfficeMax had a $10 Instant Rebate on them. $30 for this keyboard? Now that's worth a try.

Buddhacon Reviews Panasonic's Allure Cell Phone.
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 9:59 AM EST

I don't have a need for a cell phone. I do like to keep up on the thechnology just incase that need changes. So, lets go check out this review and see what we get with this cell phone. Here's a quote.

“The Allure may be small, but it is packed with features. The Allure comes with a built in speakerphone, voice commands for calling, 250 locations for contact storage, SMS messaging, distinctive ring, vibration alert, phone personalization, 20 second voice memo, word T9, scratchpad, 6 backlit displays, caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling and more.”

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Player Posted by ICEHardware
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 9:48 AM EST

Now this is (from personal experience) an awesome sound card. I have the MP3 model myself and it sounds fantastic with my 4.1 speaker setup. Check out the review. Here's a quote:

"Its perhaps not surprsing then to see the launch a new range of soundblaster cards to replace the aging Live! series and to embrace newer features. Welcome to the world of Audigy..."

BoPC has just posted their review on the NoVibes Hdd cage made my NoiseControl Germany
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 9:34 AM EST

We have another product here to try and cut down the noise in your system. I'm not particularly bothered by the noise but I could use a little help as long as it's not at the expense of performance. This sounds like a good start . Lets go and check it out. Here's a quote:

"Noise in your computer is a problem for most everyone. Since everyone has HDD that spin at 5400+RPMs you know, that your HDD does make excess noise. To prevent this Noisecontrol came up with something. They realize that it's mostly the vibrations that make the noise so they came up with the NoVibes Hdd Cage. Let's take a closer look at what we got here."

Bopc has finisht their review on some Sound Dampening Mats
posted by BaBylon5 on Saturday, April 27, 2002 at 1:23 PM EST

Some of you out there don't appreciate the whine of a powerful fan on your puter. So you want it to be quiet do you. Then go and check out this review and see if this is the answer to your hearing problems. Here's a quote:

"Today I'm looking at a product that will change that noisy computer of yours into almost total silence. The Noisecontrol Magic Fleece mats, let's take a closer look at them."

Asus GeForce3 V8200 Ti500 Deluxe Video Card (Reivew) Posted by ipKonfig
posted by BaBylon5 on Saturday, April 27, 2002 at 1:12 PM EST

ipKonfig.com has finally finished up their review of the Asus GeForce3 V8200 Ti500 Deluxe Video Card. Seems as they had run into some issues, and they do point them out. Thankfully, they did find some interesting fixes straight from Asus themselves. Check out the details:

It's time to grab that cup of coffee; this one is going to thrill you beyond imagination. Asus, as we all know, has built some of the top performing video cards ever to hit the market. This card, however, has gone beyond expectations, beyond its limits, and surpassed a gamer's dream. The Asus V8200 Ti Deluxe is more than just a video card; it's a peace of Asus art work!

Swiftech MCX462 Review Posted by OCIA
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 11:11 PM EST

OK people you have to go and check out the review on this heatsink. I have it on my puter and it is an awesome setup. Here's a quote:

"Idle temps remain the same, but load temps drop another 2C, coming in at only 41C! This MCX462 + 80cfm Delta combo has set a new temp record for my box at this level of overclock!"

KingWin Multi functional Transfer Panel! Posted by Insideproject
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 11:04 PM EST

Do you often use USB or Firewire devices? Do you like to monitor the temperature of your CPU, GPU or case? Sick and tired of always having to crawl behind your computer just to unplug a device? Well, Kingwin has come up with a solution! The Multi Functional Transfer Panel brings your easy access USB, Firewire, game and audio ports, plus it has a cool little temperature monitor on board

Organizing Your Cables Part I Posted by Insideproject
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 12:23 PM EST

So, you have the most tricked out case on the block, loaded with all the latest hardware and cooled to perfection. There's only one problem. When you try to show it off to all your friends, you have to look through a jungle of drive cables to see the goods. Have no fear, by the end of this two part series to organizing your cables, you will be able to sport your hardware without using a machete.

Cooler Master ATC-201 Case Posted by Overclocker Café
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 12:14 PM EST

The Overclocker Café just finished up reviewing the Cooler Master ATC-201 aluminum case. Aside from this being the first brown anodized aluminum case we’ve seen it is feature rich. Here is a snip of our review.

“On the case’s top is the cleanest looking blow hole you will ever see. Cooler Master obviously wasn’t satisfied with a simple fan grill. The have used a wire mesh to cover the area and color coordinated it to the brown of the rest of case. No screws were visible and the screen is almost perfectly flush with the roof of the case. The wire mesh is of a thick enough weave to conceal the fan below but not so thick as to restrict air flow.”

Socket A-Cooler Roundup! Posted by Tek Sector
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 12:08 PM EST

Tek Sector has just finished up their Socket A - Cooler Roundup! This roundup includes five units by Thermal Integration, Vantec, Kingwin, Speeze, and Arkua.

"I'm sure everyone can answer as to why we all need a good performing socket cooler in our systems...So we can overclock the hell out of it, right? Well, for most people reading this article, that is most likely the case. However, some folks may be simply looking for a cooler that performs a little better than the stock heatsink that comes packaged with the purchase of a new XP processor, without the noise levels of some of the higher performance coolers out there."

Coolermaster ATC210 Aluminium Case Review Posted by Virtual-Hideout
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 12:03 PM EST

New staffer, Rikk, churns out his first ever review for Virtual-Hideout.Net. He takes a look at the Coolermaster ATC210 Aluminium Case. Is this aluminium beauty the one for ya? Read on!

"Is the CoolerMaster ATC-210 really that bad? No, not at all - in fact, it is one of the highest quality cases I have ever had the chance to get my hands on. My point is this. If you are going to buy a CoolerMaster case purely because it costs more than double the price of any other similar case on the market, and therefore expect twice the features, you will be disappointed! Put simply, the CoolerMaster doesn't have a dozen fans, a tricky sliding front bezel or a built-in force field (!) What the CoolerMaster does have is sophisticated design principals, attention to detail, and a quality of build that is better than any other case I have seen. Sure, other manufacturers have produced similar cases for lower prices, but when you have a good look at them they aren't even in the same ball-park when it comes to that one elusive attribute - Style :-)"

Abit KR7A - RAID KT266A Motherboard Review Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 11:53 AM EST

One of the fastest motherboards in existence has made it's way into the labs. Sure, it's still based on the "now-getting-moldy" KT266A chipset, but it still ranks right up there as the motherboard everyone else tries to beat.

"The HPT372 IDE RAID controller is featured on this board, and works very well indeed, with a surprisingly easy setup. I have never even seen a Raid setup before, and even I was able to have an array set up and configured to go in seconds thanks to the High Point Raid BIOS setup (if I can do it, so can the dumbest of people)."

More letters! Posted by Dansdata
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 26, 2002 at 11:48 AM EST

I've put another of my I/O letters columns for Atomic magazine up on the Web.

This one features more frustrated overclockers, mystery brand motherboards and laptops, Quake 3 benchmarking, and a reference to squirting coffee up your bottom.

You really can't ask for more than that, can you?

D-Link Neteasy NetCam Review Posted by ICEHardware
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 8:45 PM EST

"Usually I expect webcams to be of poor quality but when I saw what this one can produce my view was changed."

Seven Card GeForce 4 MX 440 Round-Up Posted by HotHardware!
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 8:39 PM EST

Tonight on HotHardware, we've posted a round-up of seven GeForce 4 MX 440 based cards. Products from Abit, Chaintech, eVGA, Gainward, Leadtek, Visiontek and X-Micro are all represented. We evaluated everything from their price to their bundle, ran a slew of benchmarks and picked a winner! Check out the link below for the full scoop!

eVGA GeForce4 MX440 review Posted by 3D Spotlight
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 2:46 PM EST

For the first time ever, NVIDIA has come out at once with a product solution for every segment of the market, with three GeForce4 MX models, three high-end GeForce 4 Ti models and a new Quadro, rather than the staggered releases of previous series.

The GeForce4 MX440 represents one of NVIDIA’s latest middle range budget oriented Graphics cards. This particular card we’ll be testing today at 3D Spotlight will be eVGA’s take on the GeForce 4 MX 440.

Nexland ISB SOHO Review Posted by GideonTech
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 2:38 PM EST

Gideontech ran through a few tests with the Nexland ISB SOHO, a router/gateway device.

"Setting up the ISB SOHO is very easy, it's basically plugging in the WAN cable (the Ethernet cable that comes from your modem), plugging in the LAN cables, plugging in the power supply, and booting your cable modem and your system(s)."

Thermalright's new SLK-600 heat sink review Posted by DansData
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 2:28 PM EST

I've added Thermalright's new SLK-600 heat sink to my giant CPU cooler comparison.

At a glance, the SLK-600 just looks like a bigger version of the older SK-6. But it's got a genuinely innovative triangular copper slug in the middle of its array of super-thin fins, and it works really, _really_ well.

I checked it out with a stupidly powerful Delta fan, and with a far more sensible little Y.S. Tech, here:

Vantec HDC-502A HD Cooler Review Posted by Extreme Overclocking
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 2:20 PM EST

Extreme Overclocking has a new review up, this time they take a look at the Vantec HDC-502A HD Cooler. It is an Aluminum heatsink with dual fans to keep your hard drive nice and cool. While a HD cooler isn't a requirement for today's 7200RPM IDE drives, cooler components will function more reliably, and last longer.

Designtechnica Reviews Casio’s new QV4000 Digital Camera
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 2:47 AM EST

"The QV-4000 is not the smallest digital camera available – nor the largest. Personally I prefer that a digital camera with the resolution and features of the QV-4000 emulate the size and shape of the compact 35mm SLR cameras that it is likely to replace or complement. The look and feel of the QV-4000 says, “This is a real camera.”

AMD Duron 1 GHz Processor Review Posted by PC stats
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 25, 2002 at 2:43 AM EST

"We've been focusing our attention on the AthlonXP lately but we often forget that most people want something a little less pricy for their home computer; most applications don't even tax a 1 GHz CPU let alone one that runs at 1.5 GHz. One solution to this vexing problem is AMD's budget chip, the Duron 1 GHz. With a price of roughly $90 CDN in the retail package, the Duron 1 GHz CPU is very affordable. Based on the Morgan core (really just Palomino with 64KB L2 cache) the 1 GHz Duron has the same features as its more expensive AthlonXP/AthlonMP brothers. Those features include hardware prefetch, Power Now! technology and even SSE."

ASUS A7V333 Mother BoardReview Posted by lostcircuits
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 10:25 PM EST

The launch of VIA's new KT333 chipset has spawned an avalanche of new board releases. Some of the new boards are mere reiterations of KT266(A)-based boards, some others take over the outlines of existing concepts but have some deep modifications under the hood. An example of the latter category is the ASUS A7V333 that looks similar to the earlier A7V266-E but is essentially a completely new board under the cloak of superficial similarities. Changes include but are not limited to the new chipset revision and additional interfaces as e.g. IEEE 1394 Firewire and Smart Media. Different logical addressing of the CPU configuration is one of the changes brought to the table. For the consumer, the bigger question is whether the A7V333 is worth the upgrade from any existing platform as well as whether there are any new bugs to watch out for. The answers are yes and yes ......

Enermax - EG365AX-VE FCA Review Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 10:18 PM EST

Probably one of the most neglected components when slapping together a new PC, power supplies are mondo important. Lockups, poor cooling and general instability can all be corrected if you have the right PSU. Enermax is well known for reliable PSUs, the EG365AX-VE FCA even has a fan control option.

"The amount of connectors on this unit is amazing, almost doubling my generic PSU. With 8 standard Molex connectors, 2 for floppy drives, one main ATX power connector, 1 AUX connector and a P4 ATX 4 pin power connector you would be hard pushed to run out! It even has a fan speed monitoring cable for those who have an extra header handy on there motherboards."

Bopc has finished their review on the Soyo Fire P4I Mobo
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 10:15 PM EST

You Intel lovers need to get on over and check out this mobo. It may be the one to become the home for your new Northwood CPU. Here's a quote:

"Welcome to our third motherboard review. The socket 478 Northwood compatible Soyo P4I Fire Dragon Motherboard. This motherboard sports the Intel i845D and ICH2 chipsets. and it comes with many many extra's. Let's take a closer look at what's included and what we got here."

RULE GeekExtreme.Com for a Day!
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 10:08 PM EST

Think you can run a website? Here's your chance for a day. You have to bid for the opertunity though. Check out the deal at GeekExtreme.

Guide to Microsoft's Baseline Security Analyzer Posted by 3D Spotlight
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 10:59 PM EST

Recently Microsoft released the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer MBSA), to analyse Windows 2000/XP (& NT4 remotely) systems for potential security issues, e.g. Hotfixes not installed.

This short guide posted at 3D Spotlight will take you though configuring stand-alone PCs to use this tool.

Designtechnica has taken a look at the Airpanel100 from Viewsonic.
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 10:56 PM EST

"There are many wireless devices, but nothing like this; this wireless monitor allows mobile viewing of files from the host machine and/or network, without needing a hard disk drive, keyboard, or mouse (a stylus-type pen is all that is needed)."

Power Cooler PCH147H Copper Heatsink Review Posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 10:52 PM EST

Back to heatsink reviews. Well, for now at least. Today we check out Power Cooler's PCH147H, thus far being the best one we've tested. With a more powerful fan this cooler should be up there with top dogs from Vantec, Dynatron and others. Here's a quote:

What surprises me to no end is how many different clip designs/mechanisms Power Cooler has come up with. My favorite has to be the one found on the PCH075H. Unfortunately this isn't one of them. The problem with this particular clip is the fact that it doesn't bend. At least not more than 1-2mm. Although you can't see it in the picture (and I couldn't remove it because of the fixed shroud), the width of the clip's body is situated vertically, not horizontally. Elementary physics will dictate that bending something along its thicker part without warping/breaking is impossible without expansion/compression of the material itself.

CaseAce GearGrip - CRT Review Posted by ViperLair
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 22, 2002 at 10:22 PM EST

Outside of the ghetto "throw a couple of ropes, and make a backpack" idea to lug your equipment from LAN party to LAN party, CaseAce has a line of products to address that issue. Today, we're going to be looking at their CRT solution.

After setting all this up, I gave it a test drive of carrying a 19" Trinitron from one floor to another. To be honest, I had a lot of trouble doing this. I didn't have many obstacles in my way, but the strain of the monitor was tough on one arm. I managed to do it anyways, and it did save me some time, as I was able to carry a box in my other arm. I tried the same with a 21" monitor, but this time I couldn't get more than 5 feet, before giving up.

SubZero Tech has posted their review of the Kingwin FPT-01S Multifunction Transfer Panel
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 10:35 PM EST

Here's something for those of you that like to be able to plug things into the front of your computer rather than having to reach around the back.

Editiorial: Computer Hardware Websites Today Posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 10:29 PM EST

Today we have our first editorial, dealing with the current state of afairs between web sites, vendors and readers. Unfortunately the situation doesn't look so good for the readers. I can feel the flaming" coming ...Here's a quote:

The other route is trampled. You have all this stuff, but then you notice something new being released. You know you can have it, all you have to do is ask. But wait, you're loaded with items as is. Can you stop yourself from getting more and more? Highly unlikely. So you graze over moral conviction and write an article after merely looking at a product for a fraction of an hour. It gets better (or worse, actually). Some people don't even have the decency to take their own pictures; others could care less about the quality. As for writing, it hurts to see a complex product get a few sentences of attention and it's surprising how people claim to be impressed by something when they haven't even turned it upside down.

Project Silence Part 1 is online (Quiet PC70) Posted by Burnout PC
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 10:18 PM EST

BurnOutPc.com began modding their lian li pc70, also reviewed on their site. the project is called "Silence". Here's a quote:

"My intention of this project is making the ultimate silence water-cooling rig, that looks cool, and performs extreme. The case I'm using for this project is the Lian Li P70 with new front bezel revision. Like said before it will be water-cooled. I'm using a Soyo Fire P4 motherboard with it, and a Pentium 4 1.6A running over 2ghz"

Directron 21" FD Trinitron Monitor Review Posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Saturday, April 20, 2002 at 11:14 PM EST

Today we take a look at Directron's 21" FD Trinitron monitor. This Dell P1130 run at an awesome 1600x1200 @ 85hz and has unbelievable image quality. Here's a quote:

The P1130 uses Sony's FD Trinitron picture tube. Normal tubes are spherical cutouts; they're rounded both vertically and horizontally. This causes the worst glare and can be difficult to watch at times. Then there's the decade-old Trinitron. This first incarnation was based on a cylindrical cutout. That is, it was flat vertically but rounded sideways. The latest and greatest is FD (Flat Display) Trinitron, with a perfectly flat tube. Other companies have their methods. Samsung uses DynaFlat, Viewsonic uses SonicTron, Mitsubishi uses DiamondTron, the list goes on.

Bopc has reviewed some heatspreaders
posted by BaBylon5 on Saturday, April 20, 2002 at 11:08 PM EST

Need to get a little more FSB out of your ram? Keeping it cool could be the answer. Let's see if these heatspreaders actually make a difference besides looking cool. Here's a quote:

"Today we are going to speak about the advantages of using various types of solutions to keep the guts of you computer cool. Primarily we will look at heat spreaders for your DDR ram. I would like to thank Victor from Ocsytems for providing me with these heat busting solutions. Now let's take a closer look at what we got here."

Bopc has taken a closer look at the Fortis A102 Pro Heatsink
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 19, 2002 at 11:58 PM EST

Another heatsink review to expand the choices for you to make. Take a look and see if this one meets your needs. Here's a quote:

"Today I'm looking at the Socket A/370 A102 Pro HSF from Fortis. The cooler is made out of copper and aluminum. It comes equipped with a high-speed delta fan. What does this HSF have to offer, aside from an excellent clipping device just like Vantec's coolers? Lets take a look."

4 Switch Variable Speed Baybus Review Posted by OCIA
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 19, 2002 at 11:51 PM EST

If you have a load of fans in your case you may want to have control over them. This product might just be that item you've been looking for. Here's a quote:

"This particular baybus is a four switch, dual LED bus, capable of running your fans at full 12v, 7v (which is adjustable), or turned off completely. Each switch is rated as 6 watts. While this is not as much as some of the rheobus kits out there, it should be plenty for normal applications. "

Visiontek Xtasy Ti4600 Review Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 19, 2002 at 11:44 PM EST

In a sea of video card manufacturers, Visiontek has built up a reputation of producing quality products, and their GeForce 4 Ti4600 is no exception. We already knew it'd be fast, so we'll see if Visiontek's Ti4600 is worth your hard earned dough.

"For now, this has been the most powerful consumer card we've had the opportunity to test. The benchmarks say it all, as the Visiontek Xtasy is one heavy hitter. Image quality was excellent, as was the 4XS AntiAliasing. Visiontek backs their product up with a lifetime guarantee, and they actually have staff that answer the phone. With nVidia's driver track record, you'll likely be well covered in this area for a long time."

D-Link Roq-it 10GB MP3 Jukebox Player Review Posted by OnePC
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 19, 2002 at 11:38 PM EST

If your on the go you like to take your music with you. MP3 players are one way to do this. Check this one out and see if it's what you want. Here's a quote:

"Interested in a portable MP3 player that provides 10GB of storage space? The D-Link Roq-it contains a built-in hard drive that can also store any non-MP3 files and might be just the thing for you--if only it had better audio quality."

Hercules Fortissimo II Review Posted by SubZero Tech
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 18, 2002 at 11:56 PM EST

Here's a budget sound card from Hercules. Go see what kind of fun this is to set up and how it performs.

Belkin Nostromo n45 Review Posted by OcPrices
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 18, 2002 at 11:46 PM EST

We have just finished reviewing the Belkin Nostromo n45 gamepad. This neat little PS2-like pad features a total of 13 buttons ( 21 if you include the d-pad) all fully mapable to keyboard strokes. It can even be used as a mouse!

Here is a quote:"From the setting up to the game playing, the Belkin Nostromo n45 was a pleasure to review. The look of it doesn’t seem so impressive; so don’t judge this by the way it looks. I think Belkin added that silver bar and the bottom so it would look “pretty” or at least have some sort of attractiveness. The only thing I can say that’s bad about it would be that it was hard to get out of the hard plastic package."

Designtechnica reviews Turtle Beaches' new AudioTron
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 18, 2002 at 11:43 PM EST

For those of you who love to listen to music ( who doesn't ) This is a must read. Here's a quote:

Many of us stream internet music through our computers while at home or at work. We use clients like Real Player, Sonique, Winamp, and Windows Media player. The sound quality at 128Kbps is astounding with quality rivaling your cd player to the average ear. I have often longed for a means to stream internet music into my home theater but most players on the market are lacking in both features and design. Find out why the AudioTron is a MUST HAVE for audio enthusiasts.

eVGA Geforce4 MX440 Video Card Review posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 18, 2002 at 11:38 PM EST

Today we have a 5-page review of eVGA's Geforce4 MX440. Good card, but is the technology worth it? Here's a quote:

While I never took the cooler apart (it seems to be fastened well in place and I don't feel like breaking anything just yet), the rear reveals the 10 internal fins. Although pretty small (this would be an equivalent to a 40mm fan), the one ACS uses is incredibly powerful yet quiet. The breeze coming out the exhaust holes is very noticeable and even during stress tests, barely warm. Which brings up another point: because of the ACS orientation, at least half the memory chips (those on the front that is) will get some active cooling if you attach ramsinks with fins. This is due to the air being directed that way.

MSI StarForce GeForce 4 MX 420 Review Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 10:33 PM EST

We're taking a look at another budget video card, the low end MX 420. It carries a price tag of under 100$, and although it won't blow the doors off your Quake 3 benchmarks, it saves enough green to make the company Chief Financial Officer happy.

"The Starforce GeForce 4MX420 is based on, as the name suggests, the GeForce 4MX 420 GPU. The MX420 is the entry level GeForce 4MX chip. To clear something up, the GeForce 4MX line is more of a successor to the GeForce 2MX line, and not the GeForce 3, as the name implies. The name was a marketing strategy by nVidia, as the GeForce 4 name obviously is appealing to your average consumer. The Geforce 4MX line has no true DirectX 8 support, meaning that while your newer games will indeed run on this card, they will not be able to use pixel shaders and environment bump mapping as the developers intended."

OCIA has posted their review of a Black Hydraulic Midtower Case from Directron
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 10:28 PM EST

Here's a sweet looking case. Black with a hydraulic front bezel. Let's check out the review and see if looks are everything. A little quote:

This side-panel is also removable after unscrewing 2 screws. You can use an optional 3rd screw that secures the motherboard tray and this side panel, if you feel the need. No, I didn't not make this blowhole. The other unique thing about this case, is the fact that it comes standard with an 80mm Blowhole(with 4 pin connector), gold fan grill, and 80mm fan. Even though the fan is not the greatest in the CFM department, just the fact that you get a blowhole, grill, and fan with this case should give it a big plus when you are at choosing a case for your PC."

Designtechnica takes a look at Candela, the rechargeable candle!!
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 10:20 PM EST

This is a little out of the ordinary but some of you might enjoy this review. You can set the mood before you you get intimate with your computer. Here's a quote:

I know it sounds weird, a rechargeable candle?? Seriously, take a look at this cool new product. The Candela is a rechargeable candle of sorts. It's completely safe, non-toxic, reusable, inexpensive and aesthetically pleasing. This article covers all aspects of its technology and safety measures.

Contest From Hardware Extreme
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 at 10:47 PM EST

Hardware Extreme is giving some stuff away and you don't have to sign up and make posts. I would recommend checking out thier reviews while over there. Here's what you can win:

e-GeForce4 MX 440 AGP Video Card with ACS

Acorp KT266A Motherboard

128MB Mushkin Rev3 PC150 SDRAM

Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live!

ThermalTake Volcano 7

Zalman CNPS6000 Heatsink

CrazyPC Lazer LED Review Posted by SubZero Tech
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 11:53 PM EST

Lights for your case fans. Another evolution in the modding sector. Take a look. Here's a quote:

The Fan LED first made an appearance about 5 months ago, and has become fairly popular since then. This mod, however, was fairly difficult, requiring the user to mount an LED into the blade itself, and if they wanted to use more than one LED, the LEDs had to be balanced. Also, the methods for powering the LEDs were complicated, and prone to failure. CrazyPC’s new “Lazer LED” kit is the solution for the not very technical computer enthusiasts who want a nice looking case, but don’t know how to do it themselves.

El Light Kit Review Posted by Technoyard
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 11:46 PM EST

Technoyard has posted their latest review. This time they have looked at a EL
light kit by PC Case Gear. Here's a qoute;

"Want to add some special effects to your casing? Well Electro Luminescent lights
is what you need. Spanning at a diameter of only 2.3mm, these incrediby flixible
light kits are real cheap add-ons for your case."

BurnOutPC has taken a look at the Zalman 6000 Copper / Alu Noise prevention Heatsink
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 11:42 PM EST

This is one of the wierdest looking heatsinks out there. But the looks don't mean a thing when it comes to keeping the CPU cool. Let's see if this one can do the job. Here's a quote:

"This will be our second look at the world of Zalman’s silent heatsinks. You know the ones I am talking about, they're the funky looking almost flower-like coolers. Today I'm looking at the Zalman 6000-AlCu flower cooler provided by Zalman."

MSI GeForce 4 MX 440 Review Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 11:35 PM EST

If the Titanium series is a little out of your price range, nVidia does have the value oriented MX series instead. Hardly a screamer, it still provides great performance for current games, and has some value extras for "regular" consumers.

"We've recently been lucky enough to get our hands on the new MSI G4MX440-T Video card. For a little background on the G4MX440-T, It's based on the GeForce 4 Mx chipset, which is geared towards the casual gamer in both price and performance. The G4MX440-T is the card most geared towards the gaming novice and goes for about $139.99."

New Poll
posted by Josh on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 10:11 PM EST

I have just put up a new poll...finally!! Check the link to the right and go vote!

CoolerMaster DAF-B82 Thermal Controlled Case Fan Review Posted by Teksector
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 1:09 AM EST

Here's a case fan from coolermaster with a twist. You already know they make quality cases so let's go see what they have done to make this fan special. Here's a quote:

"As you can see from the graph and specifications in the photo above, the CoolerMaster DAF-B82 is equipped with a thermal sensor for regulating the fan speed dependent upon the ambient temperatures within the case. The specs report that we'll have a 1000RPM fan below 23C and a steady increase in RPMs, with a maximum of 2500RPM when ambient temperatures reach 45-50C. You may be asking yourself, as I did, how will this benefit an overclocker such as myself?"

Designtechnica reviews the Plextor PlexWriter 40/12/40A CDRW
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 15, 2002 at 1:00 AM EST

In this fast passed day & age this CDRW that may save you time. If your a heavy duty burner or looking to upgrade your CDRW then you better take a look at this one and see if Plextor maintains thier quality. Here's a quote:

While everyone else was announcing their 32x drives, Plextor quietly released their 40x drive, completely skipping the release of a 32x, all in the name of better performance. Today I will be looking at the Plextor PlexWriter 40/12/40A, the fastest drive on the market today. Does it do justice to the Plextor name?

Kingwin Multifunction Transfer Panel Review Posted by TEKSECTOR
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 10:55 PM EST

It may not be a Lian Li Aluminum Mobile rack, but this unit isn't a bad bang for your buck.

"With its severe popularity, it would come as no surprise to me that most of us have heard of a Multifunction Transfer Panel by now. If you haven't heard of one before, then you're probably wondering what in the world it is. Well, a Multifunction Transfer Panel is basically what it sounds like…a panel for transferring functions! Just kidding…It's a little more than that, with a few cool surprises that come in an inexpensive standard 5.25 sized unit."

BurnOutPc has taken a look at the OverClock Prove OCSonic Modded Enermax 10 Bay Tower case
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 10:37 PM EST

If your like me you feel the case is just as important as the parts that go in it. This is a review of a highend case. Check it out as BurnoutPc takes it through the paces. Here's a quote:

"When you are looking for a high-end case you are willing to spend the money necessary to acquire a case that possess the quality, features, feel, and the presence that you look for. There has been a shift towards aluminum cases as of late but for myself, I like to know that I have a case in my hands and feel the weight of the product. Now my ideal case has a few certain requirements: Extensive capacity for all my toys, sufficient power, and fantastic cooling. In my quest for my ideal case OCSYSTEM step in and sent me the best case I have encountered to date. Today I'm taking a look at the OverClock Prove OCSonic Modded Enermax 10 Bay Tower case."

PC-PitStop HDD Cooler Review Poared by SubZero Tech
posted by BaBylon5 on Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 10:28 PM EST

Need to keep those highspeed harddrives cool? This cooler attaches to the bottom of the drive so you can still install it in a 3.5 drive bay and save your 5.25 bays for something else. Let's check out the review and see how it performs.

EPoX 8K3A+ KT333 Motherboard Review Posted by Mikhailtech
posted by BaBylon5 on Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 10:19 PM EST

The KT333 boards are starting to role out in force. Here's a review of one from EPOX who have been coming to the table with qaulity boards as of late. Go check out this review it's extensive. Here's a quote:

Enermax Whisper EG351P-VE Power Supply Review Posted by Explosive Hardware
posted by BaBylon5 on Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 10:09 PM EST

We need enough power to run all our goodies in our cases. The high power use of todays processors and the cooling solutions to keep the heat down require a good power source. The Enermax is what I use. Go take a look at the review and see if it's for you. Here's a quote:

"Enermax has been widely recognized throughout many enthusiasts as some of the top power supplies out there today. Enermax has a wide range of products and as some people may think, it's not just power supplies. They specialize in Switching Power Supplies, PC Cases, Server Chassis, Industrial Rack Mount Chassis, HDD Mobile Racks, Fan Coolers, and other peripherals. ENERMAX Technology Corporation was founded in early 1989 by a group of young professional, enthusiastic, and high-tech oriented people in Taiwan. ENERMAX's goal is to develop, design, and produce all its products with unique features."

Dell's quality of service decreasing
posted by Josh on Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 11:10 AM EST

If you are thinking about purchasing a Dell, you might want to take a look at this.

Xoxide ClearStorm Review Posted by SubZero Tech
posted by BaBylon5 on Friday, April 12, 2002 at 11:30 PM EST

If your nervous about cutting holes in your case or doing other mods it's good to have a place to have them done for you. Here's a review on one of those places. A little quote for ya before you head on over:

"Xoxide does an excellent job modifying stock cases. ...this is the perfect option for someone who doesn't want to do their own mods but wants to have a modded case."

El Flatlite Review Posted by SubZero Tech
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 11, 2002 at 11:04 PM EST

We all want to show off our new window. What better way than to put a colored lite inside the case. Check this review out. Here's a quote:

"The light produced was clear and bright, and the flatlite was fairly flexible. The included adhesive backing attached itself firmly to all the surfaces that I tested."

GeForce 4 MX Overview Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Thursday, April 11, 2002 at 10:58 PM EST

I wrote up a small one page on what the GeForce 4 MX is all about. I know there are a lot of people who think it's merely a clocked down GeForce 4 Ti, so they better be informed.

"Unlike the Titanium cards, which are based off NV25 technology, the MX is based on NV17 technology. Consider that the GeForce 3 is based on NV20 tech, and the GeForce 2 on NV15, you'll see where this is going."

Logitech MOMO Formula Force Steering Wheel Review Posted by Windy City Racer
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 11:46 PM EST

Here's a new steering wheel and pedals from Logitech. If your into racing games on your computer you better get over to Windy City Racer (A Gaming Site) and read how well this thing performs. I think I need to get the Nascar game so I will have an excuse to buy this.

How-to setup ICS in Windows XP Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 11:33 PM EST

Let's face it, we're all cheap. Why pay for more than one Internet connection, when you can share it? You can simply buy a router or switch, but that can be costly. Dave, who some of you may know in our forums as Wiz, wrote up his third ICS guide. This time, it's for cable modems in Windows XP.

"This is a step by step setup of how you get Windows XP to use Internet Connection sharing when you have a Cable Modem connection with the computer connected to the cable modem via NIC (1) and NIC (2) going to a hub (or a crossover cable to the other computer) and then having the secondary computer plugged into the hub also."

Designtechnica takes a looks at Samsung's DVDL100
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 12:40 AM EST

This is an interesting item. Its portable and is a multimedia center. Lets take a look at it and see if it is the next hot thing in the market place. Here's a piece from the article:

” What is small, allows you to play DVDs, listen to music, and view photographs without being plugged into a wall? If you said a laptop…then you have been just as ignorant of new products as I had been. Samsung's DVDL100 is a new portable multimedia device, similar in form to a laptop, but without the "baggage" that being a laptop would enlist.”

BurnOutPC.com has just posted their review on the eVGA E-Geforce 4 MX 440
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 12:29 AM EST

Ok another review of the budget Geforce4 Nvidia video card. Check out the review and see if this card will fit your needs especially the price. If you don't need the most powerful then this may be just what your looking for. Here's a quote:

"For the casual game enthusiast a $300+ graphics card just doesn't fit into their budget. NVIDIA realized that they had to appeal to a wide range of consumer's budgets, enter the Geforce MX line of chips. The Geforce MX line of chips are designed to provide good gaming performance for individuals who have a limited budget. Today I will be looking at eVGA.com's e-GeForce4 MX 440!"

The Lian Li Pc70 case Review Posted by BOPC
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 12:20 AM EST

We have another review on what I feel is one of the best cases out there, a Lian-Li. They make a sweet case and a breeze to work on. The Pc70 is the large server size case. Go take a look but keep in mind pictures don't show how nice the case really is. You need to have one. Here's a quote:

"Say Lian Li, and everyone says the ultimate case. Lian Li is the premier manufacturer of aluminum cases. Aluminum cases have better heat transfer rates, are very light, and easy to mod. Today I am looking at the beautiful Lian Li PC70 provided by our friends over at Oc-Shop."

Designtechnica discusses the future of multimedia in e-mail
posted by BaBylon5 on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 12:11 AM EST

Designtechnica discusses the future of e-mail, including the possibilities of true multimedia in the e-mail. Does this lead to a new world of spam? Imagine receiving a video that automatically plays without you wanting it too. Will advertisers take advantage of multimedia in e-mail? We list advantages of multimedia in e-mail including rich media. Read our article to find out.

BurnOutPc.com has posted their review on some Silvermesh rounded cables
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 at 12:21 AM EST

Here's a product that will pretty up your case and also help the airflow. Go check it out. Here's a quote:

"Nothing is worse when you look into your buddy’s perfectly windowed Lian Li case and all you see is a bunch of IDE ribbons. Its like this, he spends all this time and energy (not to mention money) on making your case look good, but forgets to finish the job. Now having your cables in good order, not only looks good but also it improves airflow. Aiflow is the most important thing in your case if you overclocked your cpu. If you do not have good airflow you might loose those few precious degrees that you wanted when you bought your self the 50 bucks in fans. Today i'm looking at 3 Silver mesh rounded cables provided by Highspeedpc.com"

World Exclusive: Leadtek Winfast TV 2000XP Review Posted by OcPrices
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 at 12:15 AM EST

Finally a review on a stand alone video capture card. I like the ATI offerings but would like to what my options are. Lets check this card out and see how it performs. Here's a quote:

"For some reason, very little attention is paid to stand alone video capture\tuner cards. ATi’s All-in-wonder series of video cards usually get glowing praise for all of their video input capabilities, but the reviewers always seem to forget that you can get the benefits of the All-in-wonder (or nVidia’s Personal Cinema) capabilities without any of the drawbacks from a separate capture\tuner card. For example, in order to fit the tuner and capture chips on the Radeon 8500DV, the clock speed had to be dramatically reduced because of heat issues, and of course when its time to upgrade to the next speedy 3d card, you lose all those extra goodies. With a separate capture\tuner card, you’re free to get the fastest pure 3d cards for gaming, and you can keep the tuner card no matter how many times you change your main video card. Nice idea isn’t it?"

Hardware Extreme has posted a shootout of the EVGA & X-Micro GeForce4 MX 440 graphics card.
posted by BaBylon5 on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 at 12:08 AM EST

If you are looking for a value GeForce 4 card, then take a look at this review now! Here's a quote:

"For the low price of this card combined with the great performance, it's definitely a great buy. As far as the individual company cards go, if you are looking for a card that has a lot of extra bundles, comes with a lot of extra features and is heading in the retail market while retailing a fair amount more, then your definite path is the eVGA GF4 MMX440."

Everglide Giganta + Mouse Skatez Review Posted by Viper Lair
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 8, 2002 at 11:59 PM EST

Simply put, cloth mouse pads just don't cut it if you're serious about gaming or any precision work. Everyone is looking for an edge, and today, we have a combo that might address that need.

"After sticking the Skatez to the mouse I immediately had to test out the setup and hopped into a quick game of Wolfenstein. The mouse glided across the Giganta absolutely smoothly. There was none of the sticking that had occurred before. I even tried just the Mouse Skatez on my desk and, while absolutely being smoother, it wasn't as good as the Giganta/Skatez combo."

Cooler Master HHC-001 Heat Pipe Heatsink Review Posted by Explosive Hardware
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 8, 2002 at 12:52 AM EST

Here's another heatsink review. Cooler master makes a decent cooler lets go see how this one stacks up. Here's a quote:

"Cooler Master needs little introduction. They have been around for quite some time now manufacturing well known OEM grade cooling solutions. Just a quick look at AMD's list of approved thermal solutions provides plenty of proof of Cooler Master's ability to get the job done. Recently, Cooler Master has begun pushing hard into the enthusiast market with new HSF designs and delivering performance worthy of serious consideration by those demanding serious cooling. One such Cooler Master product is the HHC-001 CPU Cooler."

ATi All in Wonder Radeon 7500 Review Posted by SubZeroTech
posted by BaBylon5 on Monday, April 8, 2002 at 12:44 AM EST

This is the value version of the 8500DV. Not everybody can afford 400 dollars for a vid card so for us this card looks pretty darn good. Lets go take a look and see how it performs. Here's a quote:

"The ATi All in Wonder is a feature filled video card, tons of multimedia capabilities and gaming performance that should suffice (for now) for the average gamer. At the price of $199 (around $165 for savvy shoppers) the value is too great to pass over. The TV features is by far one of the be

April 2002