God Bless America.

News Archive: March 2003

May 2003

Chaintech Reloaded 2003 Event Coverage @ Mikhailtech
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:14 PM EST

When these two items were shown during the presentation, a chuckle quickly went up from the audience. I, like many of my colleagues in the audience thought that these two items were simply regular PCI TV-tuner cards. This was not the case and we were in for yet another surprise to learn that Chaintech has developed both a digital satellite PCI card (DST-1000FTA) and Digital/Analog TV tuner card (D-A-DTT-100). Both of these cards should be well received in the Home Theater PC market.

Check it out at: Mikhailtech

Zalman ZM-MFC1 Fan Controller review @
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:12 PM EST

"Two sturdy 3-pole switches are installed on the right side, allowing the user to switch between 12v, 5v, and off positions. The switches are extremely sturdy, and give a satisfying click. The corresponding LED indicators are dual colored, giving off a blue glow at 5 volts, and brilliant red when using 12 volts. These switches have no power limitations, so any device that needs more than 7 watts should be connected to them. Since no variable resistance is present, no heatsinks are required for these switches."

Check it out at: OCModShop

Pentalpha Aqualia Water Cooling 5.25" Drive Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:10 PM EST

"Out of the box, my first impressions of the Aqualia Water Cooling Drive were mixed; this was mainly contributed by the compact size of the parts including the tubing. The Aqualia Water Cooling Drive is almost completely pre-assembled requiring users to simply attach the tubing to the waterblock and fill the system prior to use. The dimensions of the Aqualia Water Cooling Drive are 223mm (L) x 147mm (W) x 11mm (H) and is designed to conveniently reside in a 5.25" bay. An aluminum casing acts as a cover and encloses all the components inside. A silver and blue logo resides along the top portion of the aluminum cover with the other side exposing the dual 80mm fans above the radiator."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

eVGA e-G4 MX440-8X 64MB NVIDIA Personal Cinema Video Review #309 @ 3dgameman
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:06 PM EST

"The Personal Cinema offers an enormous amount of features and does it all in a single product. While this is not a hardcore gamer's card it performs well in most games on the market. The strong point about this card is its A/V capabilities, dual display and TV tuner functionality. Bang for the buck, it rocks. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dgameman

OCZ Ultra II vs Arctic Silver III: Two man enter, one man leave @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:05 PM EST

"A few weeks ago Arnie released a big thermalpaste roundup. If you'll recall, the OCZ Ultra paste turned in just average performance, not bad, but not particularly good either. In response to this, OCZ sent me their latest creation, OCZ Ultra II. While I don't have the 7 different compounds that Arnie had in the test, I do happen to have the excellent Arctic Silver III, as well as some original OCZ Ultra. Does the sequel have what it takes to take down AS III?"

Check it out at: OcPrices

SunbeamTech Rheobus @ MHW
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:01 PM EST

"Power is delivered to the rheostat via one 4 pin Molex power plug. Sunbeam was nice enough to include one Y adapter to allow you to split power off of another device if you power supply is already powering many other devices. The fans that were in this case were Sunon with the 4 pin power plug and do not work with this rheostat, since the power connector was not the 3 pin varity. The Rheostat will power the Sunon fans, if you have a 4 to 3 pin converter or if you put a 3 pin power plug on your fan. Remember, the Rheostat will power 20W per Channel. So you could actually put multiple fans on each of the 4 channels, if you had the proper power cables to do so."

Check it out at: MHW

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 : Sharing, In A Whole New Perspective editorial posted! @ Adrian's Rojak Pot
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 7:00 PM EST

"Our intrepid webmaster Ken Ng recently attended the launch of the new Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and instead of being bored to death, he came away mighty impressed! So impressed that he simply had to write an editorial on it!

In his editorial, Ken will reveal some exciting new features in Windows Server 2003 as well as the upcoming Microsoft Office 2003! Don't miss it! Come on in and read his editorial on the new Microsoft Server 2003 - "Sharing, In A Whole New Perspective!""

Check it out at: Adrian's Rojak Pot

Jazz Speakers Wireless J9940W 5.1 Speakers system review @ MonkeyReview
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:57 PM EST

Sound, for some it'll be an aspect in which hundreds if not thousands of dollars are spent, for others, a mere 30$ 2.1 sound system will be suffice. But, what about those of us that fit somewhere in between? Not wanting to spend our savings on a high end sound system but also realizing the quality that's available from of a mid priced 5.1 system. With that said, today we're going to be checking out the Jazz J9940W 5.1 Sound system from Jazz Speakers.

Check it out at: MonkeyReview

Scythe Ergo Diver reviewed! @ Dans Data
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:56 PM EST

From the subject line, you can't even tell what the review's about, can you?

It's a keyboard. It's from Japan. It's very strange. Some people may love it.

Check it out at: Dans Data

Swiftech MCX462+T Peltier HS Review @ GruntvillE
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:55 PM EST

"One thing is for sure, while the installation isn't all that complicated, it's definitely not for everybody. You have to remember that the equipment you are installing can cause condensation which is a big no-no on electronics such as your motherboard. Be sure to follow the directions closely and take your time. While the instructions provided with the unit contain most the information you will need to perform the install, it tends to be lacking a bit in pictures and can be a bit confusing at times. I'd recommend reading through our Peltier Installation Guide written by GruntvillE's own resident guru, Gunner. Being that it was his guide that assisted me with the install, I see little reason to copy/paste all of his information here."

Check it out at: GruntvillE

Windows Online Security & Privacy Guide @ TechSpot
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:51 PM EST

Making your Windows OS more secure and improving your privacy online is an awkward enough process given the sheer number of things that can be done to improve it. TechSpot's guide to Windows Online Security & Privacy we will cover many of such known solutions for various popular applications which should make your system more secure as well as less prone to viruses.

This guide has been prepared to be aimed at Windows 2000/XP users, though a lot of the stuff contained also applies to earlier versions of the OS, in addition to Internet Explorer & Outlook Express.

Check it out at: TechSpot

X-Pider Aluminum Case Review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:47 PM EST

"Working with this case was loads of fun and rather easy. I felt good from the very beginning since I knew that someone had at least opened the case to make sure that it was shipped intact and that the internals worked properly. The acrylic window was spotlessly perfect and mounted without a single flaw; it met evenly on both sides, and showed no hint of bowing or improper fitting. The case itself was very light and built around a proven design that is functional, easy to work with, and attractive."

Check it out at: Envy News

FlexiGlowHK Lazer Beam LED's Review @ ExtensionTech
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:44 PM EST

"Some products come along that change the way we think about modding our PC's. Some of us may not actually mod, in a sense the way it all started. Cutting our own windows, blowholes, and so on. With the multitude of great pre-modded cases on the market, most of us don't have to get out the Dremel anymore. While there is nothing wrong with that, just about everyone with a window in their PC has lighting right? Today, I'll be looking at something relatively new to the market. Lazer Beam LED's from FlexiGlow. They are the same people (the original company) behind the popular bubble lights. Continue on as I take a look at yet another fine FlexiGlow product."

Check it out at: ExtensionTech

Crucial 64 & 128MB MMC Flash Cards Review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, May 31, 2003 at 6:41 PM EST

"Face it, we are now in the 21st Century, and whether you like it or not, you have more than likely embraced some form of digital lifestyle. Chances are that one of these products - be it a digital camera, MiniDV camcorder, PocketPC or Palm PDA, or MP3 player - uses either SmartMedia, xD, CompactFlash, MMC (MultiMediaCard) or SecureDigital flash storage. One of these standards - MMC, or MultiMediaCard, was launched due to its Thin & Small appeal to OEM clients. However, best of all, MMC is quite a performer especially when compared with its younger bother; SecureDigital."

Check it out at: Envy News

Electronics 101 @ Modasylum
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:21 PM EST

"The present document will aide you in understanding the basics of simple electronics. There are many complex components in electronics, but this article will try to give a comprehensive explanation to most simple parts you can encounter.  For each component, there is a picture and the electronic schematics representation."

Check it out at: Modasylum

Altec Lansing 621 Speaker System Review at Ownt
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:17 PM EST

Today Ownt.com takes a look at Altec Lansing's 621 speaker set that pushes the quality of music and gaming speakers while still maintaining competitive pricing. Ownt.com covers the system in-depth to see just how well this set of speakers compares to other Altec Lansing offerings.

Check it out at: Ownt

Samsung SW-240 & SM-332 CDRW Drives Review @ Techware Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:16 PM EST

"In the past few months, CDRW technology has evolved tremendously, thus producing markedly higher burning speeds and lower prices at the same time, as well as being able to combine technologies like CD burner and DVD playback into one device."

Check it out at: Techware Labs

ABIT NF7-S V2.0 Review @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:12 PM EST

"With the BIOS corruption issue finally under control, the NF7-S is a dream to overclock. Gone are the days of nail biting while trying to tweak every last bit of performance from the nForce2. While in the benchmarks we were shooting for overall performance of the board/memory/cpu configuration, if you take the memory and CPU out of the equation (relax the timings on the memory, and drop the multiplier on the CPU), the FSB that the V2 NF7-S can achieve is astounding. When the CPU and memory are taken out, we hit the magical 250 FSB."

Check it out at: OCAddiction

PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 510 ATC-PFC Review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:09 PM EST

"When it comes down to it, this is the most stable power supply I have ever had the chance to work with. It provides clean power no matter how hard the system is being pushed and no matter how dirty the input power is. Even plugged directly into my wall socket, I get stable power that does not fluctuate when the power demands in the room change. The optional inclusion of external voltage potentiometers, which allow for fine tuning of the 3.3V, 5V, and 12V rails, is extremely useful for enthusiasts that need to increase or decrease voltages to maintain a stable overclocked state."

Check it out at: Envy News

Gigabyte 7VAXP-A Ultra KT400A Motherboard - Reviewed @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:06 PM EST

Tonight HotHardware's Tom Laverriere let fly with his impressions on Gigabyte's new KT400A motherboard for the AMD Athlon XP, the 7VAXP-A Ultra.  Stop on in and check it out for yourself!

Check it out at: HotHardware

Black Enermax CS-101812 Server Case Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 9:05 PM EST

"Out of the box, my first impressions of the Black Enermax CS-101812 Server Case after removing the packaging were very positive. As previously mentioned there are several manufacturers who have used this specific type of chassis design but Enermax has taken it upon themselves to uniquely style this case with some nice changes. The case measures approximately 486mm (D) x 200mm (W) x 427 mm (H) and supports all ATX and Dual Xeon motherboards. The entire exterior is black coloured with the main focus on the front bezel design and aluminum brushed highlights."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

VIA EPIA M9000 Mini-ITX Mainboard Review at I Am Not A Geek
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 8:58 PM EST

"The VIA EPIA M9000 may not be the answer for the person who needs the fastest components for game play, intensive business applications, or simple bragging rights, but it does not make any pretenses of being such a device. What it is does provide is a low power, low noise, low cost system ideally suited for rich multimedia, desktop, and internet applications. The miniature size and onboard integration of most of the peripherals allow the user the flexibility of endless installation opportunities. Whether it be in an office, a home entertainment center, a car, and so on, the practical uses and enclosure possibilities are really only limited to the owner's creativity."

Check it out at: I Am Not A Geek

Arctic Silver Céramique Thermal Compound Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 8:52 PM EST

"Regardless of an individual’s opinion on its ease of application, there is one feature to Céramique that should appeal to those who decide to purchase it. Céramique contains absolutely no conductive metals. This means that AMD users need not fear accidentally shorting out bridges on the chip, potentially damaging both the CPU and the motherboard. Obviously, it is this last feature that makes the product stand out from the Arctic Silver line."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

eVGA NVIDIA Personal Cinema (GeForce4 MX 440-8X): New and Improved @ explosivelabs
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 8:50 PM EST

"While NVIDIA has been duking it out with its rival [ATI] progressively over the years, they have left one area largely untouched.  For the past several years, ATI's All-In-Wonder cards have been the most visible occupying solution the multimedia/home entertainment niche.  Over time, this niche has even come to accommodate applications in business and education, and since the next generation of graphics will at least dabble in home entertainment, this has developed into a very profitable demographic."

Check it out at: explosivelabs

Corsair TwinX 1024-3200LL Memory Review @ PCstats
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 8:48 PM EST

"There's no question that if you want the best memory in the world there is a very short list of capable manufacturers from which to choose, and Corsair Memory is one of them. From our standpoint a manufacturer who is able to consistently produce quality memory is only half of the equation however, after all what happens when problems arise? Is the manufacturer there to support their products or are you simply stuck in limbo? Good customer service is a lost art these days, and it seems that it's easily overlooked by most buyers who only seem interested in focusing on how much something costs. Having RMA'ed enough memory in my time to almost every major manufacturer, I can easily vouch for Corsair's customer service. To me service is just as important as the product I'm buying, and I'd gladly pay a little more with the knowledge that I'll be taken care of should I ever have a problem. In this review today we're testing a set of 'matched' 512MB Corsair TwinX 1024-3200LL memory modules. This flavour of DDR is "officially" compatible with motherboards which have dual channel memory controllers according to the manufacturer. On a side note, we've been using Corsair XMS3500 CAS2 DIMM's to test dual channel DDR based motherboards in the PCstats.com Labs for several months and haven't yet had any compatibility problems."

Check it out at: PCstats

Albatron KM18G Pro Version 2.0 MicroATX motherboard Review @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 8:45 PM EST

"Micro ATX boards are always fun things to have around; their small form factor makes them ideal for any weird and wonderful modding experiments you should wish to endeavour in. This model from Albatron aims to have all of the fun, without the usual compromise in performance. Based on nVidia's nForce 2 chipset, this AMD micro ATX board promises all the tweakability and options we have come to expect from Albatron's boards, without sacrificing the dinky size."

Check it out at: OcPrices

Soltek SL-86SPE-L 865PE Motherboard Review @ Extreme Overclocking
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 30, 2003 at 8:43 PM EST

There are not many extra bundled features with the Soltek SL-86SPE-L. Included with the package are the basic bundled features like manuals, driver and utility CDs, IDE cable, and floppy cable. Two Serial ATA cables are provided but no power adapters for the Serial ATA drives like the IC7-G, 9CJS, and 8PE800 Ultra all have. No additional USB ports or audio jacks are present. This is a very stripped package. Since the motherboard only has two USB ports on its I/O configuration and the chipset supports up to eight, Soltek could have added a least a few more USB ports. Many devices are using USB such as hard drives, digital cameras, keyboards, mice, and 6-in-1 card readers. It is safe to say that most enthusiasts have over two USB devices and will be very disappointed that no more ports are provided.

Check it out at: Extreme Overclocking

Swiftech H20-8500 Water Cooling Kit @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:18 PM EST

"With all that in mind Swiftech released the H20-8500 built around their hugely successful MCW5000 water-block.  The H20-8500 is designed to be installed in most mid-tower cases with minimal hassle.  And obviously as a water cooling solution, it should provide excellent cooling performance with low noise.  Now lets take a look at what you are buying when you order the H20-8500."

Check it out at: OCAddiction

Hydor Seltz L30 Water Pump Review @ GruntvillE
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:17 PM EST

“I wanted to test the head volume of the units for myself. I got tired of everyone’s opinions on pumps and wanted to see for myself. This is not an exact test but it is extremely even and fairly accurate. I ran out and bought 10ft of cheap vinyl ½”ID tubing. I mounted the top portion of the tubing to the top rail of my deck and the bottom connected to the pumps top exhaust. The tubing was rearranged to make sure the pump sat on the bottom of the bucket and the tubing had as little movement as possible; vinyl tubing takes some work to get it back into shape after being on a roll. I marked the tubing every ft with neon orange paint and I poured 1gal distilled water into the bucket. I also used a bright dye for the water to make it visible in the pictures.”

Check it out at: GruntvillE

Bloodrayne Game Review @ Tech-Dreams
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:15 PM EST

Let's make a video game. In our game, we'll add every component that we can imagine a typical teenage boy gamer would like. First our main character needs to be a girl, and an attractive, sexy, and have an attitude. She should have some impressive weapons; big guns, and big knives. Next, we'll add some Nazi's that can be cut into an unbelilvable amount of pieces with said big knives. They of course will be the enemies. Hmm, the plot isn't quite thick enough yet, so let's toss in some vampires. Combine all of these with features that seem to be 'all the rage' in video games at the moment; Slow-Motion and bouncing breasts, and this is the recipe to create BloodRayne in your own home!

Check it out at: Tech-Dreams

Cremax IcyDock MB122UKGF Mobile Rack Review @ Tech-Dreams
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:13 PM EST

Some of you may remember a couple of months back I completed a review on a mobile rack which made me realize how much use I have for one. This time around I take a look at another mobile rack with some added features, stylish look, and USB 2.0 connection rather the typical IDE interface connection.

Check it out at: Tech-Dreams

ATi's All In Wonder Radeon 9000 Pro - Reviewed @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:12 PM EST

JeffB steps up to the HotHardware.com Test Bench tonight and lays down his impressions on ATi's latest All In Wonder product, the All In Wonder Radeon 9000 Pro.  This TV tuning, channel surfing budget card comes with ATi's uber-cool RF Remote Wonder receiver and a highly integrated remote control, for all your couch potatoes.  And guess what, it's still got game.

Check it out at: HotHardware

Asanté GX5-208 Gigabit Switch Review @ Networks Today
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:10 PM EST

Today we are taking a look at an Asanté FriendlyNET GX5-208 Gigabit switch. The switch comes configured with 2 10/100/1000 ports and 8 10/100 ports for a total of 10 ports. It can be configured as either a Desktop switch or with the included brackets mounted in a standard 19" rack."

Check it out at: Networks Today

Chenming Silver 301KE Mid-Tower Case Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:09 PM EST

"The Chenming 301KE Mid-Tower Case uses a feature made popular with the Antec and Chieftec series cases by incorporating a removable drive cage. Removing the internal drive cage is completed by adjusting a metal locking clip in the locked and unlocked position. Once unlocked, all that remains is removing the drive cage by pulling straight back and mounting a hard drive."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

Athenatech A747 Mid-Tower Case Video Review #307 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:07 PM EST

"The Athenatech A747 Mid-Tower Case is a great looking case which has some unique features. For example the adjustable duct and the dual locking mechanism at the side of the case, removable HDD rack & something I really like, tool-less drive insertion. Also, it has two USB2 ports, headphones and microphone connectors at the top front of the case. It's missing a removable mobo tray though. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

DFI Lan Party Intel (Canterwood) PRO875 Motherboard Review @ 3dXtreme
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 9:01 PM EST

"The DFI Lan Party motherboard is fast, stable, overclocker friendly and loaded with goodies, options and extras...."

Check it out at: 3dXtreme

Performance-PCs Custom Sleeved Ultima PSU Review @ VH
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 8:56 PM EST

"Performance-PCs is spot on when they named this new line of Custom PSUs the Ultima Series. This is by far, THE Ultimate Custom PSU Package available in the market today. First and most obvious of all, you get the best of the best PSU around, the Antec TruePower 550W PSU. These babies are known for their stability and reliability so you can't go wrong with that. On top of that, you get the awesome sleeving work on the cables that Performance-PCs is famous for. And it's no ordinary sleeving.. these are Flexo Pet Expandable UV Reactive Sleeves. You get the versatility of using only the number of connectors you need with their removable socket connectors. No more trying to hide the cables you don't use! Then you get the UV Reactive Acrylic PSU Cover, the Antec UV Reactive 80mm fan and a 92mm Blue Quad Led Fan!"

Check it out at: Virtual-Hideout

Vietcong Review @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 8:55 PM EST

"The demo of Vietcong was released a while ago now, last year sometime. Suffice to say it was way before the release date of the retail game. The Vietcong demo was a multiplayer mission called 'Save the Pilot' where gamers would play as the US to protect the pilot, and some would be the VC (the Vietcong) to hunt him down. Graphics were good, but the game failed to take hold of me so I lost interest in its progress.

However, being bored one day I decided to go to my local shop in search of a game to relieve my boredom. I noticed that Vietcong had just come out so purchased it because nothing else was around. I tell you; from the moment I finished installing the game and started to play it, my opinion on Vietcong turned full circle. Action-packed from the word "go", I haven't experienced such intense combat and sheer madness since I played Paintball in real life years ago."

Check it out at: OcPrices

Prolink GeForceFX 5200 Video Card Review @ TweakTown
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 8:54 PM EST

"We've been hearing about the new nVidia GeForceFX boards for some time now, but what about those who just can't afford to go without a month's rent to get the latest and greatest? Come join Mike "Darthtanion" Wright as he shows the way of the "Budget GeForceFX", namely the Prolink GeForceFX 5200. It offers the new technology at a bargain basement price, but can it do what we want it to? There is only one way to find out!"

Check it out at: TweakTown

CorsairMicro HydroCool200 Kit (Review) @ ipKonfig
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:22 PM EST

The water block used on the HydroCool200 is very compact, and universal. Those running AMD K7 based processors will have an installation bracket, as will those using Intel Pentium 4 processors. Corsair decided it could relieve the consumer of paying for extra blocks, and figured it would be more considerate to build a block universal for today's processors. On the top of the water block is a temperature probe that plugs into the slot plate card. Oddly, the thermal probe is not inserted into the block. Instead, the block is in a metal tube-like section on the top of the water block. Temperature readings are taken off of the top of the block, rather than underneath or inside. At this point, I'm not sure how well this will go over in the overclocking industry, but time will tell.

Check it out at: ipKonfig

Intel I865 "Springdale" Review @ TweakTown
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:17 PM EST

"Not long ago Intel graced us with their greatest DDR platform yet, the Canterwood 875P chipset for the Pentium 4 platform with 800MHz FSB support, PAT and Dual Channel DDR-400 support. However not everyone can afford the high asking price of Canterwood based motherboards, Intel's answer is the cheaper Springdale. Today Cameron "Sov" Johnson bench tests the non-PAT Springdale 865PE compared directly to the Canterwood."

Check it out at: TweakTown

Logitech Cordless Controller for PS @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:15 PM EST

"Consoles need upgrades too! Enter the Logitech Cordless Controller for Sony Playstation. This 2.4GHz cordless gaming pad works on both the PSX or PSOne, and the Playstation2. Designed for these consoles, the controller also works on a Windows PC with a 3rd-party USB dongle which converts the Playstation peripheral connector to a standard PC USB port. Armed with vibration feedback and dual-analog sticks, and the proper dongle, you could have one controller for both PCs and the console."

Check it out at: Envy News

Minolta-QMS Magicolor 2350 EN color laser printer Review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:14 PM EST

"Over the past couple of years, a few companies have begun to release color laser printers meant for the consumer/SOHO crowd. Minolta-QMS has been just one of the companies trying to capture this market. Its Magicolor color laser line has consistently vied with products from HP and Canon to grasp the hearts and minds of the home user. Thus, during the course of the Magicolor's life cycle, resolutions, memory capacities, and feature sets have steadily increased while prices have declined. All of which brings us to the one of the most recent models in the family: the Minolta-QMS Magicolor 2350 EN. Have we reached the point in the evolution of the color laser printer where a relatively inexpensive machine like the 2350 EN can provide the quality we expect?"

Check it out at: Envy News

SMC 802.11g WiFi Router review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:12 PM EST

"Once you go WiFi, it is hard to go back to a wired network at home or the office. The freedom one achieves with a truly wireless network - from PDAs to laptops, and now even desktop workstations - is one that is hard to express unless you have taken the plunge yourself. About the only thing stopping the power-user from making the Switch was the relatively slow-speed of 802.11b. However, now with 802.11g and its 54Mbit/sec connectivity, 2003 could very well be the year of WiFi."

Check it out at: Envy News

Nexus NX-4000 Real Silent Power Supply Review @ Hardware Extreme
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:09 PM EST

"With speed getting faster and parts getting hotter, it's getting harder and harder to build a quiet computer. In order to keep their systems cool, many users have been adding more cooling fans which have escalated the computers' noise level."

Check it out at: Hardware Extreme

EluminX Illuminated Keyboard Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:06 PM EST

"Out of the box, my first impressions of the EluminX Illuminated Keyboard were very positive. The standout feature of the EluminX Illuminated Keyboard is the inclusion of electroluminescent technology within the keyboards construction to provide a glowing key surface for a variety of computing environments. This feature is ideal for computer users who prefer low-lit environments and eliminates the use for additional room lighting in order to see the keys while typing. Electroluminescent technology can be easily defined as the direct conversion of electric energy to light by a solid phosphor subjected to an alternating electric field."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

XPCases.com XPDreamer Case @ PimpRig
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:04 PM EST

"Laughing heartily at the wussy 350 Watt “Turbolink” PSU that came with the case, I slapped in a 550 Watt, tri-fan Directron TT PSU. I laughed right up until the point the fan in the rear of the PSU ran into the fan in the top of the case! I did a little shoe-horning to get that puppy in there, but it’s a little snug!"

Check it out at: PimpRig

Thermalright SLK-900 HSF @ MHW
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:02 PM EST

"With the SLK-900, HSF compatibility is largely a function of the CPU platform. If you have a P4 based system, compatibility according to Thermalright should be 100%, as well as you have the choice of the two included mounting options, standard P4 retainer or the four hole motherboard mounting method. If, however, you have an AMD based system you must use the four hole motherboard mounting method. At this date not all manufacturers follow the AMD keep out specs so Thermalright has posted a list of AMD compatible motherboards that the SLK-900 will fit. I highly suggest you take a look at this list before purchasing a SLK-900."

Check it out at: MHW

The Art of Overclocking; Is It For You? @ PCstats
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 9:01 PM EST

"I recently went to one of the local computer stores here in Toronto to chat with my friend Marlon about my new Peltier thermoelectric cooler setup. One of his customers who was standing near by listening in interrupted to ask "is it really worth all the trouble for the last few MHz"? As an enthusiast I take pride in squeezing as much performance as I can from any given computer part (CPU, videocard, memory, etc) so I obviously said "Yes!" Skeptical, he went on to ask me a couple more questions. For instance; "I'm an average PC user, how would I benefit from overclocking?" and "just how much performance difference do you notice?" We talked for a bit and in the end, we came to a conclusion that overclocking was actually not necessary for him because of the type of computing he did. Since a lot of readers take the time to e-mail their questions in on this topic, I figured it's about time for me to write a little on the subject, and hopefully explain the benefits of overclocking. Overclocking isn't necessary for everyone, but hopefuly by the end of this you'll know whether it is right for you!"

Check it out at: PCstats

Chaintech Reloaded 2003 Report @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:56 PM EST

"Chaintech also elaborated on how exactly their product lines were designed. Quite simply, Zenith is the highest end product they make, Apogee is their best bang for buck, and Summit is their budget or "cost-effective" line. However, their high end VGA line is Apogee. Chaintech didn't have a rock-solid answer for their reasoning behind using Apogee instead of Zenith for the product naming of their high end VGA card."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

CRT vs LCD letters! @ Dans Data
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:55 PM EST

After I put http://www.dansdata.com/gz021.htm up, I got a lot of mail on the subject of CRT and LCD screens. Some of it was insightful, some of it was entertaining, some of it was, um, mildly nuts. Representative samples of these messages, and my replies, can be found in my latest letters column:

Check it out at: Dans Data

TurboCases Black X-Dreamer @ Bytesector
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:53 PM EST

Xoxide was founded in 2000 and set out to lead the computer cooling and modding markets, so far they have more than succeeded at this. They vow to provide cutting edge products always. The X-Dreamer is yet one more reminder that they are leading the market in modded cases and that they are making sure that what they offer is cutting edge and nothing less!

Check it out at: Bytesector

3GHz-plus on the cheap! @ Dans Data
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:51 PM EST

I've been mucking about with Canterwood and Springdale boards, some cheap and some expensive DDR400 modules, and an unsuspecting 800MHz-FSB 2.4GHz P4.

The results have been most pleasing.

Check it out at: Dans Data

Lian Li PC-6010 Chassis Review @ ExtensionTech
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:50 PM EST

"While I've looked at some nice "budget" cases before, there is no denying that Lian Li makes some of the best aluminum cases in the world. The PC-6010 case is more aimed for budget users, but still packs a very good punch in ease of use, and actually value. With the new aquarium side panel put in as a combo deal with this case, it not only should be pleasing to most, but the inclusion of a normal side panel too is awesome. So even if you don't like your aquarium side panel, you aren't out buying a new side for it. I also have quite a movie lined up for this review, and a simple little mod that I haven't seen anyone else do so far."

Check it out at: ExtensionTech

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 Ultra - The Real 5800 Ultra? @ Adrian's Rojak Pot
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:48 PM EST

"On May 13th, NVIDIA launched their latest GPU - the NV35 or as it is officially now known as - the GeForce FX 5900 GPU. Now, the thing on everyone's mind is how much better is the 5900 from the disastrous 5800 (NV30) GPU that was released not so long ago?

Check it out at: Adrian's Rojak Pot

Cooler Master XDream SE review @ OCModShop
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:17 PM EST

"A really cool feature about this heatsink is that the fan has a
rheostat built onto it which will allow you to turn the fan up and down.
Along with the rheostat Cooler Master has included two other
accessories, which help in making the rheostat easier to use. Instead of
just installing the heatsink, closing up your case, and having to open
it each time you want to change the speed they have included two ways to
connect it to the outside of your case. If you have a regular case you
can mount the rheostat to the one of your expansion slots on the back of
your case, which is easier than getting inside. If you have a Cooler
Master case you can mount the rheostat to the front of your case with
the provided bay cover. I really like the idea of the rheostat and like
that they included a good way to use it even more."

Check it out at: OCModShop

Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB w/ Cat 3.4 Vs. GeForce FX 5900 Ultra @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:14 PM EST

Tonight we've taken the two fastest, most powerful 3D Graphics / Gaming cards on the planet and put them head to head in a performance analysis and frame rate shoot-out.  The new 256MB Radeon 9800 Pro, with it's new Catalyst 3.4 drivers, takes on the GeForce FX 5900 Ultra.  Boot up, dial in and game on brothers and sisters.  This is 3D Graphics Hardware at its best.

Check it out at: HotHardware

3a Cooling Z-Bra Heatsink Review @ Overclocker Café
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:13 PM EST

The copper/aluminum construction isn't the only thing that sets this heatsink apart. As you can see the sink has a half round shape to it created by the cooling fins. While most heatsinks have fins that either flare straight up or off at an angle, 3a Cooler has designed the Z-Bra to curve away from the base and up to the fan mount

Check it out at: Overclocker Café

Corsair Hydrocool 200 Water Review @ AthlonXP
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:11 PM EST

" Water cooling has been a grassroots hobby for many PC enthusiasts, but a little out of reach for those not mechanically inclined. Corsair teamed up with Delphi Thermal Systems to build a solution that just might give access to this type of cooling to everyone, regardless of their skills. Their design is quite close to what you might call a "plug and play" one. Follow along as we look at what they have created to liquid cool your PC, a self contained system that is easy to set-up and simple to use."

Check it out at: AthlonXP

Albatron PX865PE Pro II i865PE Springdale Motherboard Review @ PCstats
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:09 PM EST

"With the release of mainstream i865 chipsets today there will be soon an influx of new Pentium 4 motherboards on the market from which to choose. Albatron have never been one to sit ideally by and pass on a technology advancement; so grab a coffee and get ready to follow long as we test drive the all new Albatron PX865PE Pro II motherboard. The PX865PE Pro II is of course based on Intel's freshly launched i865PE Springdale chipset, which coincidentally enough, actually launched in spring. Boasting support for 400MHz, 533MHz and 800MHz FSB based Pentium 4's (Northwood or Prescott core) processors, the Springdale chipset forms the basis of Intel's 'mainstream' dual channel DDR chipset strategy. The only downside to Springdale is that the i865 no longer carries on support for older 'Williamette' based Pentium 4 processors, or even socket 478 Celeron CPUs for that matter. After testing the AOpen i865 AX4SPE MAX motherboard we were generally impressed with what it brought to the table. Stock performance was good, and the board was loaded to the gills with features. We expect the Albatron PX865PE Pro II will have a lot of "goodies" as well, and hopefully offer a little more in terms of overclocking."

Check it out at: PCstats

ABIT IS7 865PE Motherboard Review @ Extreme Overclocking
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:04 PM EST

It has been almost a month since we first saw the Intel 875P (springdale) chipsets on the hardware scene. Now, a few weeks later, we are reviewing our first 865PE (springdale) board, the ABIT IS7. There are a few differences between the 875P and the 865PE chipsets such as the lack of PAT (Performance Acceleration Technology) on the 865PE. The 865 chipsets will be aimed at the mainstream market since it is considerably cheaper than the 875P.

Check it out at: Extreme Overclocking

Remote control your rig! @ Modasylum
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:02 PM EST

"To fully understand remote controlling, let's figure a TV and VCR set with it's remote controls. The way the remote controls work, is generally using IR (Infrared). Infrared is light which is not visible to the human eye. The IR signal sent from the remotes to the devices (TV or VCR) are pulses of that "invisible" light arranged in a way the TV or VCR will understand, a little like your modem pulses electric signals to send/receive information with your ISP."

Check it out at: Modasylum

HTPC Part 1Article @ ASE Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 10:00 PM EST

" The Home Theater PC is a prime example of convergence. It combines many different media playing functions into one box. Check out Part 1 of my HTPC building. "

Check it out at: ASE Labs

Maxtop CSX-001 Mini PC Chassis Review @ BigBruin
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 9:44 PM EST

"One of the dominant trends in personal computing at this time is the mini pc. Whether for use as an everyday computer, as a component in a home entertainment system, or as an in-car computer... small is definitely in. The Maxtop CSX-001 Mini PC Chassis is a Micro-ATX format case, complete with three case fans and a 200 Watt power supply, that may be of interest to people looking to follow the trend and lose their behemoth tower cases."

Check it out at: BigBruin

How Practical is a Personal Web Server? @ Bytesector
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at 9:43 PM EST

A personal web server is a great addition to any person or small business who isn’t looking to spend thousands of dollars a year on web hosting for their website. In a world where we are always looking for ways to cut costs, this definitely becomes an alternative to consider...

Check it out at: Bytesector

Gateway 450 XL Centrino Laptop review @ Designtechnica
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:42 PM EST

"The Gateway 450 XL is a mixed bag. On one hand you have a system with a large display, good performance and great external styling. On the other hand you have a lot of overlooked features. We would have liked to have seen better styling inside the notebook to match the outside, a rear cover to protect the back ports, external audio controls, and a larger battery pack. There is nothing wrong with the 450 XL, but a little more thought and polish could have made this system a serious contender for our editors choice award. If you are in the market for a sub $2000 notebook, you will want to take a look at the Gateway 450 XL as it offers tremendous value for the price."

Check it out at: Designtechnica

Vaja I-VOLUTION 10GB iPod Case review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:41 PM EST

“The I-VOLUTION is a semi-rigid leather case for the 5, 10, and 20GB Apple iPods and is fashioned from four layers of material including leather, tafetta, foam rubber, and ABS plastic. The materials and craftmanship are impeccable; there are no loose strings, nor are there scratches or imperfections in the material. The case, quite simply, is remarkably well-built.”

Check it out at: Envy News

ABIT IS7 Springdale Motherboard Review @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:39 PM EST

"The only real difference between this 865 and it's bigger brother, the Canterwood i875, is the fact that the 875 features Intel PAT (Performance Acceleration Technology).  While this is certainly a nice feature, it's anticipated performance gains appear initially to have been overstated a bit.  When you look at this board and compare it to the ABIT IC7 you come to realize that the PAT is the only real difference between the boards and their $20+ price difference and it makes you have to wonder if it's worth it. But hey, we'll let you decide that for yourself in the benchmarks section of this review."

Check it out at: OCAddiction

Criticool PowerPlant review @ MonkeyReview
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:37 PM EST

For anyone who has set up a liquid cooling kit which utilizes an AC powered pump, you can relate to the pain in the rear that it can be, when forced to cut a hole in your new or used case to allow the power cord (w Ground) a place to escape to, the inside of the case. For those of you wishing an alternative to a hole in their tower, those of us looking for a little more control over our pump, or those of you who just have a hard time remembering to turn on the pump before the system, the Criticool PowerPlant might be what you desire.

Check it out at: MonkeyReview

Thermalright SLK900U HSF Review @ GruntvillE
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:36 PM EST

“One of the other things that make the SLK-900U unique is that you can mount just about any type of fan on it, from a 70mm to 92mm. The “stock” fan that ThermalRight suggests is a Delta 92mm fan that moves an impressive 110.18CFM at a noisy 55dBA. However, most vendors on the web sell the unit without a fan so you can pick and choose which one suits your needs. For this review we will be using a ThermalTake Smart Case Fan-2 80mm fan which at full speed runs at 4800RPM, 48dBA, and moves 75.7CFM.”

Check it out at: GruntvillE

Flexiglow Lazer Beam Kit Review @ GideonTech
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:34 PM EST

Tiny bright lights in a translucent housing, with the ability to turn 180 degrees. Sounds like a good time for light freaks like us.

Check it out at: GideonTech

VIA EPIA M9000 Mainboard Review @ Overclocker Café
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, May 23, 2003 at 7:33 PM EST

The modding possibilities with the M9000 are endless.  As such, its appeal will be to one of two audiences.  The first being the audio/videophiles as the foundation for home entertainment control or any number of media related jobs.  The other group (meaning many of us) is the case mod folks looking to do something different.  You can probably think of any number of hip mods off the top of your head.  To be honest, I originally had planned on posting this review a number of weeks ago but I have been searching for a child’s lunchbox complete with superhero painted on it to serve as a case.

Check it out at: Overclocker Café

Albatron PX865PE Pro II w/ 1.2GHz FSB Support Review @ ExplosiveLabs
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:41 PM EST

"Albatron Technology Ltd., Co., a manufacturer of mainboards, VGA cards and monitors, is one of the first out of blocks with its FSB 1.2 GHz (overclock) ultra performance PX865PE Pro II mainboard which is based on Intel’s latest 865PE chipset. Although official Intel specs for this chipset has the default FSB set at 800 MHz, this board is capable of employing Albatron’s trademark overclocking technology to boost its FSB up to 1.2 GHz increasing performance up to 50%."

Check it out at: ExplosiveLabs

Complete E3 2003 Booth Babe Roundup @ Ownt
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:39 PM EST

3dNewz has gathered together all the booth babe coverage from around the net and compiled it into one list.

Check it out at: Ownt

MADLights Digital Lighting System Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:38 PM EST

"The MADLights Digital Lighting System is programmed for 16 different lighting effects at five speeds. This is accomplished by using a PIC16F628 8-bit CMOS FLASH based microcontroller. This particular microcontroller has the ability to store up to 16 pre-programmed lighting effect sequences. Consumers have the option of selecting their default setting and when the MADLights are turned off, the last effect used on the system will resume when powered back on. There are two pods of LEDs that extend from the circuit board using two five wire ribbon cables measuring 47cm each. From there, extending another 47cm are two more sets of LED pods, meaning that the pods can reach most places in a standard or full tower cases to achieve the best possible lighting effect."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

Part 2: Koolance PC2-601BLW Tower Liquid Case (Blue) Video Review #305 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:36 PM EST

"This product makes it possible for anyone to install a water cooling system quickly and easily. There are water blocks available for your CPU, Chipset, Video Card, and Hard Drive, a large radiator, 3 fans, and a reservoir that houses the pump. It even has a backup pump. Also, the system layout is very tidy. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

Asetek Waterchill Review @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:35 PM EST

"When we recently took a look at Asetek's Vapochill, pretty much everyone in the OcPrices office agreed that it was the most sophisticated cooling product in the world today. That’s all well and good, but not every overclocker can afford over £400 for their extreme cooling needs. Another problem is the Vapochill’s incompatibility with your existing super-modded case. Sure you can buy a standalone unit, but this still limits your chassis options to something immense, with even the Lian Li PC-70 being a tight fit. The next best thing to phase-change cooling is undoubtedly water-cooling, which can be over 5 times more effective at removing heat than a conventional heat sink and fan. Quality kits exist already from Swiftech and Innovatech, but with the Waterchill™ Asetek are attempting to provide an altogether more sophisticated solution."

Check it out at: OcPrices

VoyeurMod Blue Aluminium Chenming Case Review @ VH
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:33 PM EST

"Pre-modded cases aren't new to the commercial computer products market. Although there are many sites offering pre-modded cases now, it's nice to see a company who is willing to offer their product for inspection. I have examined every aspect of this case, and found all the good, and bad, features. Pre-modded cases may not spark your interest at first if you are a "hardcore modder", however I believe that using a pre-modded case as a starting point would save a lot of time and money. The results are guaranteed to look great, and you know you are getting your money's worth."

Check it out at: Virtual-Hideout

AOpen AX4SG Max i865G (Springdale) Motherboard Review @ Techware Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:32 PM EST

"About seven months ago, nVidia released their nForce2 chipset that supported dual-channel DDR333.  This gave AMD the edge over Intel's 845PE which only supported single-channel DDR333.  Intel responded to that threat with the release of the Springdale chipset. Since then, Intel has split the Springdale into two different chipsets: the 865 (Springdale) and the 875 (Canterwood). The primary difference between the two chipsets is that the Canterwood features PAT, which is touted to improve performance. The Springdale will be the cheaper of the two chipsets, focused towards the mainstream market. With the announcement of the Springdale new, AOpen has released a brand new motherboard, the AOpen AX4SG Max.  AOpen has pulled out all of the stops on this motherboard, which is representative of the quality that AOpen puts into all their motherboards."

Check it out at: Techware Labs

All Time Top 20 Best Selling Video Games @ Ownt
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:31 PM EST

Today Ownt.com has a "Quick Take" up were they yank some info from a printed source. This time they take some tidbits from an upstart publication, GameState. Ownt.com has some stats on game sells and how well some games have actually done. Which game do you think has sold 40 million copies?

Check it out at: Ownt

Intel i865 Springdale Review @ lostcircuits
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:30 PM EST

After launching the i875P (codename Caterwood) chipset about one month ago, Intel pushes out the budget version of the same silicon wrapped in more humble clothes. Featuring a reduced package size with lower pin count and stripped of some features relating either to performance (PAT) or else to data integrity (ECC), the new 865 chipset family comes at approximately 30% savings over the more expensive Canterwood chipset. This is on the chipset alone, further savings will be on the mainboard level because of easier tooling and lower manufacturing costs for the PCB.

Many tales are spun around ECC but suffice it to say that the average user will not see any benefit of its presence. Performance acceleration technology on the other hand targets the initial access latency, which is, after all the main culprit holding back system performance, regardless of bandwidth. Keep in mind that this is the exact issue that finally caused Rambus to falter but how bad is it with Springdale?

No less than three different versions of the new chipset are brought out, for the budget oriented, Intel releases the 865P, limited to 533 MHz FSB. Aficionados of integrated graphics will find their new toy in form of the 865G and finally, for the high-end user, there is the 865PE version. All three versions feature native support for Serial ATA integrated into the ICH5 but there are still differences. Read on to find out.

Check it out at: lostcircuits

Gigabyte Radeon 9200 Graphics Card Review @ TweakTown
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:28 PM EST

"Often products which are focused towards the value end of the market are over-shadowed by many for the more lucrative products available to us. Today Cameron “Sov” Johnson takes a look at Gigabyte’s GV9200 graphics card. It is based on ATI’s most recent value VPU, the Radeon 9200. It features AGP 8x and 128MB of onboard RAM and most importantly - will not cost you an arm and a leg. Does it have what it takes to power your value based system? Read on as we give you the answer!"

Check it out at: TweakTown

The Intel D865GBF "Springdale" 865G Reviewed @ Hothardware
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 7:26 PM EST

This morning our man from the west coast, Chris Angelini, checks in with the next big thing from Intel.  This time around he reviewed the D865GBF 865G motherboard based on the springdale chipset.  Click the link below for the full details and to see if Intel hit another one out of the ball park.

Check it out at: Hothardware

Logitech MX700 Mouse Review @ OCIA
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:27 PM EST

"The MX 700 is the most comfortable mouse I’ve ever held. It fits perfectly to my hand and none of the buttons are uncomfortable to use. It features eight buttons in all: the normal two buttons, a clickable wheel, a button above and below the wheel for scrolling, another button below the wheel for task switching, and two thumb buttons for forward and back commands."

Check it out at: OCIA

Thermaltake's Volcano 11+ Heatsink Review @ Tech-Dreams
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:26 PM EST

There are more and more viable companies out there making quality heatsinks for our processors. Each one making it's own bid at your wallet. Thermaltake has just upped their bid with the Volcano 11. The Volcano 11 isn't your typical heatsink/fan combination; it can function 3 different ways: plug it in and let it run at full speed 100% of the time; manually adjust the fan speed via a rheostat attached to a PCI bracket; and finally, and perhaps the most impressive, by using a thermistor that you can attach to the bottom of your CPU and let the fan adjust itself as your CPU heats up. Just which method is most efficient? How hot does that thermistor let your CPU get? And most importantly, how well does this thing cool your CPU?

Check it out at: Tech-Dreams

AOpen AX4SPE Max i865PE Motherboard Review @ PCstats
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:24 PM EST

As great and reliable as the i845D and onward were, they could never quench the Pentium 4 processors' (not even a 400 MHz model!) thirst for memory bandwidth. In fact, it could be said that the changes to the i845 series were more of an evolutionary path, but late last year when Intel released the E7205 (Granite Bay) chipset the revolution started. While the E7205 was officially a workstation chipset, Intel had finally offered up a dual channel DDR based chipset that could provide the Pentium 4 with sufficient bandwidth! The seeds were sown, and it was only a matter of time before Intel would bring dual channel DDR to the masses. In April of this year Intel released the i875P 'Canterwood' chipset which officially replaced the i850E as the top of the line desktop northbridge. Chipzilla said "bu-by" to RDRAM in the high-end Pentium 4 desktop world, but interestingly enough released nothing new for mainstream desktop computers to work with. The i845PE would have to last out a little while longer until i865 Springdale was ready. The release of the Intel i865 'Springdale' chipset comes today, and Intel has released no fewer than three flavours (i865P/G/PE) to choose from."

Check it out at: PCstats

Samsung SM-352B Combo drive review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:21 PM EST

“The recent surge of SFF (Small Form Factor) computers have caused a bit of a stir in the optical drive market. Looking to be as small as possible, the cases arrive with only one optical bay. Most SFF owners I have met opted for a DVD-ROM drive, however most of these drives tend to have rather lackluster CD-ROM reading speeds. Oh, and you want to back-up something? Too bad, as these drives have no write capability. Unless you are willing to spend upwards of three hundred on a writable DVD drive, you are left out on the pasture to decide whether you want support for DVDs or CD-RW capability. Without a doubt, this is where the Samsung SM-352B Combo drive steps in...”

Check it out at: Envy News

Intel 865PE and 865G Chipset Launch @ GamePC
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:19 PM EST

With Intel's launch of their new Springdale line of chipsets this morning, we've managed to get a few early boards based on this technology for testing in the labs. We've got the Intel D865PERL based on the 865PE chipset, along with the Asus P4P800-VM based on the 865G chipset under the microscope. Both chipsets support the new 800 MHz FSB Pentium 4 from Intel, dual channel DDR-400 memory and AGP 8x graphics. We compare the two new platforms to Intel's high-end Canterwoood (875P) chipset to see how the 865-series compares.

Check it out at: GamePC

Intel D865GBF (i865G) Review @ MBReview
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:15 PM EST

"As we have seen, both the i865PE and i865G chipsets hold their own quite nicely against the high end i875P chipset. It seems that as we progress into the more modern benchmarks which are more processor and graphically intensive, we see greater gains from the i875P chipset. As we expected, both the i865PE and i865G chipsets performed in unison throughout all the tests, as they well should. If you took a look at the scores of the Intel Extreme Graphics 2, you’ll know immediately that this isn’t something you’ll want to be doing any real gaming on, especially if it involves the more modern games."

Check it out at: MBReview

Intel D865PERL (i865PE) Review @ MBReview
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:14 PM EST

"Well, it seems that the i865PE chipset holds its own very nicely when placed head to head against the i875P chipset. Since the i865PE is geared more towards the enthusiast market, while i875P is geared more towards a workstation environment, the minor performance losses we are seeing here do not justify heading out and throwing down the extra green on an i875P board unless you want the best of the best. From our benchmarks, we can see that Intel’s Performance Acceleration Technology does indeed have some effect on the overall performance of the system, but in the end it turned out to be fairly small."

Check it out at: MBReview

FIC Springdale VL11PE Motherboard Review @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:10 PM EST

“Upon first inspection the board looks fairly impressive. We see the normal brown PCB however FIC has thrown some colors in with lime green DDR Slots and Blue PCI's, not to mention a few other colors sporadically placed around the board. I'm glad to see hardware manufacturers doing this type of "coloring" since the hardware mod community can take advantage of these sharp looks to show off in their windowed case. We also have been given word that the final production model will look much like its bigger brother, the P4-875P MAX Motherboard which has a nice red PCB.”

Check it out at: OCAddiction

Altec Lansing 251 5.1 Desktop Theater @ Geekshelter
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:06 PM EST

"I highly recommend these to a person looking for a cheap way to spice up there computer desktop. It is not a product for someone who listens to music all the time making their ear drums work overtime. Those people are better off buying a $400 system. These speakers are made for people with a low income and want the best they can get for a low price. I have found these for as low as $60, which is about the same price as the Logitech Z-640’s. I prefer these speakers over the Z-640’s because it has a better mid-range. However, the 640’s offer better bass."

Check it out at: Geekshelter

Guide To: Setting up an HTTP Server @ Computer Sphere
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 7:02 PM EST

"How would you like your own domain name [www.Your-Name.com], unlimited space, and unlimited bandwidth all for $40.00 A YEAR? No, I'm not crazy. Feel free to shop around, but you wont find a deal that nearly compares to that. It's quite simple to do with a little time. So I decided to write a tutorial on How to run your own HTTP server."

Check it out at: Computer Sphere

Chaintech Reloaded 2003 Conference @ Icrontic
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:17 PM EST

Behind the product is the company and a 20 year veteran, Chaintech, invited us to go one on one and we did.

Check it out at: Icrontic

Gigabyte P4 Titan GA-8PE800 Ultra Motherboard Review @ PCstats
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:16 PM EST

"Gigabyte have a solid reputation of building quality components and in the last year the company has "up'ed the ante" with their competition by offering a ton of features while still holding onto their aggressive pricing. The Gigabyte P4 Titan GA-8PE800 Ultra is no exception either, with a retail price of just $145 CDN ($90 US), I think this may be one of the best "bang for the buck" i845PE/Pentium 4 motherboards on the market at the moment! With 5.1 audio, Intel Gigabit LAN, three IEEE 1394 Firewire ports, Ultra ATA133/100 IDE RAID, six USB2.0 ports, Serial ATA/Serial ATA RAID, the ability to read smart cards (reader not incl.) and dual BIOS's what else more could a person want? The software that accompanies the P4 Titan GA-8PE800 Ultra is quite impressive as well, and includes a complete Norton Internet Security 2002 bundle which consists of Norton's anti-virus, Personal Firewall, Privacy Control, Parental Control and Ad Blocking."

Check it out at: PCstats

DIY UV LED Case Fan Mod @ MHW
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:14 PM EST

"So, I put my thinking cap on and wondered if I could get some ultraviolet LED’s to install on this fan? A call to the local Radio Shack proved futile. It seems that you can have any color you want there, as long as it is green or red! After looking around a bit, I found some at All Electronics for about $1.75 each. That’s a bit pricey for LED’s but bright UV versions are hard to find."

Check it out at: MHW

Ideazon Zboard Review @ Bytesector
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:12 PM EST

The Zboard is an outstanding innovation created by Ideazon for the purpose of allowing users to master the controls of very complex games and business applications.With its interchangeable design and its compatibility with almost all popular games and software on the market today, it is no wonder the Zboard is referred to as the only keyboard you’ll ever need!

Check it out at: Bytesector

M-Audio Revolution 7.1 soundcard review @ TechSpot
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:10 PM EST

Let me introduce to you M-Audio’s Revolution 7.1, powered by VIA’s Envy24HT chipset, the Revolution 7.1 is a true 24-Bit/192 kHz soundcard that doesn’t take constrains from AC97 limitations unlike many other soundcards even Creative’s flagship, the Audigy 2.

Check it out at: TechSpot

Chaintech Reloaded - Event in New Orleans! @ hardcoreware
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:08 PM EST

While most manufacturers wait for an exhibition like COMDEX, CES, PC Expo, or Computex, Chaintech has recently been flying North American press out to their own events to show off their OWN products, along with a few invited guests. Last time, they invited everyone out to Spain. This time, New Orleans. That's more like it!

We have a ton of pictures and info from Chaintech, regarding current and future products. We also have a lot of information on their guests, such as NVIDIA and Corsair. And this being New Orleans, well, use your imagination ;)

Check it out at: hardcoreware

Thermaltake SubZero4G AMD Cooling System Review @ TweakTown
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:04 PM EST

"For many, the mere sound of the term Alternative Cooling is enough to make them cringe. But what if I were to tell you that someone has placed some safeguards into the mix? Come join Mike "Darthtanion" Wright as he takes a hard look at the Thermaltake SubZero4G Cooling System. It uses a peltier cooling device but with some added features. He'll be looking at normal operation of this device as well as some results for an overclocked system, so come see if this is your chance to get into the new cooling craze!"

Check it out at: TweakTown

Soyn Clie TG-50 Review @ Designtechnica
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:03 PM EST

"All in all, Sony's Clie TG50 is an extreme device.  It is important to remember that first and foremost, this is a PDA.  It is not a portable TV, nor is it a Harmon Kardon stereo.  What it is, is sheer technological genius.  In its basic form it is not complicated by swivel screens or built-in cameras. The PEG TG50 is yet another example of Sony's prowess at building competent multifunction electronic devices that satisfy the needs of today's demanding consumer and greatly impact the overall quality of their life. "

Check it out at: Designtechnica

Maxtop CSX-7788KEB-Win Case Review @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:02 PM EST

"So in the land of Pre-Modded cases, what makes this Maxtop 7788 case any different from all the others you see listed on the web or at your local PC Store?  Well for one as you will see later in the review is the time taken to mod this case. The blow/suck holes are cut perfectly and with out any dangerous edges. The Paint Job is good, and the quality of the window and how it was secured in the case makes this one stand out just a little more than others in the same price range."

Check it out at: OCAddiction

Seagate Cheetah 10k.6 SCSI 320 Reviewed @ Techware Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:01 PM EST

"Seagate is the largest producer of magnetic storage products, so it is no surprise that it is the leader in the production of high performance SCSI drives. Seagate is now on to their sixth generation of 10k rpm SCSI drives, which is no longer the fastest spindle speed. However, with a data density that claims 36 gigabytes per platter, the Cheetah 10k.6 series boasts a maximum storage capacity of 146 gigabytes - couple these specifics with claimed 4.7 ms seek times and an Ultra320 interface, Seagate has created an extremely attractive hard drive."

Check it out at: Techware Labs

Corsair Micro HydroCool200 External Water Cooling Kit Review @ ipKonfig
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 7:00 PM EST

Processing-heavy computing like serious gaming can fry your computer – literally. But now the power and expertise of two industry experts can help you protect your valuable system. HydroCool 200 is capable of removing up to 200 Watts of dissipated power from your computer – eliminating the need for loud and expensive heat sinks and fans. The Hydrocool 200 is a fully contained, highly efficient external water cooling unit for performance personal computers.

Check it out at: ipKonfig

Antec True Control 550W PSU @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 6:58 PM EST

"350W PSUs are the bare minimum I would even consider these days, with 400W+ being more the recommended. There isn't such a thing as too much power though, and power users pushing their PCs even harder, I suspect 500-550W PSUs are going to be the norm by 2004."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

LIUtilities SpeedUpMyPC Review @ ExtensionTech
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 6:57 PM EST

"There is only so much that the fastest RAM, sweetest watercooling setup, and extreme overclock can accomplish for your computer. An aspect that is many times often overlooked in a good computer setup is the software. All the RAM in the world won't help you if your computer locks up at random intervals. Programs that are not written as tightly as they should be can steal your memory and keep it locked up, slowing your system down to a crawl. Today I'll be taking a look at a program by LIUtilities that puts these crashes and slowdowns into its sights, and optimizes the software side of things for a healthy, balanced system."

Check it out at: ExtensionTech

"How To Setup A Cheap Home Network!" Article @ Computer Sphere
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 6:56 PM EST

"After building my new computer, I decided to network the old Pentium III 550 MHz, and the new one together, so I could share a internet connection, printers, and files. I thought it would all be quite easy, however, it was anything but. So incase I ever have to FDisk or what have you, I decided to write a tutorial 'How to set up a cheap home network'. So here is a step by step guide on how to set up a network, I will also explain: How to crimp RJ-45, Configuring your router, Configuring your computer(s), and configuring your router with a HTTP server."

Check it out at: Computer Sphere

Samsung SP1604N ATA133 160GB HD Review @ ExplosiveLabs
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 6:54 PM EST

"When it comes to storage devices, hard disk drives in particular, Samsung is probably not that first manufacturer to come to mind. It's even most likely that you are not aware of the fact that they even do produce such products. Well ladies and gentlemen it is a fact that Samsung does indeed make hard disk drives, and from what we have seen so far they are some great performers."

Check it out at: ExplosiveLabs

RaidMax LP-6100E 500w Aluminum Black Review @ TechIMO
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:22 PM EST

"Raidcom Technology is a relatively new player in the power supply market, though this forward-looking company is rapidly emerging as a favorite among both overclockers and system integrators. The RaidMax LP-6100E power supply offers a sleek design that appeals to those seeking aesthetics, plus should deliver plenty of power for even the most demanding systems with its superior 500-watt rating. Hopefully our testing will prove to back up Raidcom's impressive claims."

Check it out at: TechIMO

Thermaltake Volcano 11 Xaser Edition review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:20 PM EST

“For comparisons sake, I pit the Volcano 11 against its older brother, the Volcano 7. Both are similar coolers, but once you apply them to a massively overclocked system, the Volcano 11 Xaser Edition really shows its true colors. Of course, massive cooling comes at a massive cost; but not in terms of pricing. The Volcano 11 is very noisy, but that is the name of the game if you are one that continually strives to push the envelope of personal computing.”

Check it out at: Envy News

VIA Nehemiah M10000 review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:18 PM EST

“Here at Envy News we have been blessed with not just a pre-production review of the VIA V9000 EPIA system but also the M9000 EPIA system. Well today we are even more blessed as I have here in our UK office a brand-spanking new EPIA M10000 with the Nehemiah CPU! The system forms the core of the new Hush Technologies case which we will be reviewing in due course. The M10000 couple with the Nehemiah core proves to us that this makes the ideal HTPC SFF computer. PowerDVD scores have never looked better...”

Check it out at: Envy News

Sunbeam AC-C Acrylic Mid-Tower Case Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:17 PM EST

"The final step in the installation process is to fasten the drive bay covers to the chassis. This is one area where Sunbeam really deviates from the norm. The bay covers are simply flat pieces of acrylic with one notable exception: a small half circle cut out carved into the side. Opposing cut outs on the front panel match up the plates to the case, which are secured via small push pins. The pins have a rubber gasket lining them, and the gasket acts as the backing that holds the plate against the case."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

EL Applique Review @ Modasylum
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:15 PM EST

"A lot has changed in the past couple years of case modding. Before, simple windows and neon were the majority of what was out there. Now we have a huge array of parts and accessories. One of the coolest accessories lately has to be EL devices."

Check it out at: Modasylum

Criticool "Waterplant" - Watercooling Reservoir Review @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:08 PM EST

"With heatsinks getting overly large and watercooling becoming a viable option for many, we see the rise of a new watercooling company, Criticool. Criticool manufactures the Criticool “Waterplant” reservoir, and Criticool “Powerplant” PCI relay card. What I have here today is the Criticool Waterplant. How does the “new guy” fare in a tough market?"

Check it out at: OcPrices

Web Developers worse than hackers and viruses? Article @ DWPG
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:07 PM EST

Our point of view is quite different, though. Having worked in one of the biggest ASP(Application Service Provider) environments in Norway for about a year, and at the IT dept. at Statoil, one of the leading oil corporations in the world, for two years, I am convinced that this is mainly caused by increased traffic to the sites and on the networks.\"

Check it out at: DWPG

Refresh rate driving LCD sales? @ Dans Data
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:06 PM EST

I was wondering why it is that so many people who upgrade from CRT to LCD monitors seem to like their new screens for reasons unassociated with their actual qualities.

Specifically, I wondered why LCD purchasers so often say their new screens cause them so very much less eyestrain.

I formed a theory.

Check it out at: Dans Data

Chenming X-Sonic Aluminum Mid-Tower @ GruntvillE
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:04 PM EST

“The case itself is kind of deceiving At first glance the size and design are much like the Antec Lanboy. But the differences are quite apparent rather quickly first there is no door covering the drives and second a much more aggressive looking front grill area. In the grill is a spot for a case badge now normally people don’t look at things like this but the case badge area is a spot with infinite possibilities and the low nature of this spot would make hiding wires for a mod quite easy.”

Check it out at: GruntvillE

Vantec Vs. Antec PSU Comparison @ Nexus Hardware
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:02 PM EST

"A power supply is a component that has seen little advancement since the early days of computing. Outside of increased wattage and extra fans, the power supplies of today are the exact same as those of yesteryear. However, today’s power supplies can differ greatly in quality. For those who don’t overclock, or have a slew of disk drives, a generic 350-400 watt power supply is usually just fine. However, for the niche that does overclock, power supplies are very important. Power supplies directly affect the overclocking capability of a computer. As a computer is overclocked, more current is drawn. If your particular power supply isn’t up to the job, stability is compromised. Now, what classifies a power supply as being “good” or “quality”? "

Check it out at: Nexus Hardware

SanDisk 802.11b WiFi CompactFlash Card review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 8:00 PM EST

“In this review, we examine the SanDisk CompactFlash 802.11b WiFi Connect card on a Dell Axim X5 Pocket PC 2002 PDA. We touch on Wireless Security, Hotspot roaming, Wardriving and netiquette, configuring a Pocket PC 2002 PDA to use a WiFi card and connection, and applications that can be used on the PDA in a portable internet environment. All in all, a great read; chock full of information on this emerging community resource.”

Check it out at: Envy News

Epox 8RDA+ Motherboard Review @ OCIA
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 7:58 PM EST

Epox is a well known manufacturer of quality motherboards. Not only are they known for quality, but many enthusiasts also know that Epox makes some of the best overclockable boards on the market. Many of us had great success in our overclocking adventures with the Epox 8K5A2+, based on the VIA KT333 chipset. Next out from Epox was the successor to the 8K5A2+, the 8K9A2+, based on the newer VIA KT400 chipset. Around the same time as the release of the KT400, well known graphics card maker Nvidia decided to release their second revision into the chipset world, the Nforce2. Like many other manufacturers, Epox jumped on this new chipset and released the 8RDA+ board sporting this new Nforce2 chipset. Today we will be looking as this very board, the 8RDA+ in an attempt to see if Epox still holds the 'overc