God Bless America.

News Archive: November 2002

November 2002

ZXMods Cold Cathode DIY Kit Review @ Mikhailtech
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:52 PM EST

The next step is to take the molex pass-through connector and attach it to the extension switch and the plug for the inverter. This entails stripping the ends of each wire and joining them together. You can use electrical tape for that, but I used twist-on connectors instead. The extension itself is obviously of high quality, as is the switch. The extension is long enough that it allows for mounting of the switch anywhere in an Antec SX-830.

Check it out at: Mikhailtech

Performance-PCs Custom Sleeved Power Supply Review @ VH
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:49 PM EST

"Rarely do we get a product here that's just damn near perfect. Well, I must say that this product is. This product was beyond my greatest expectations; it looks great, it's high quality, it's fully customized, and it's effective. There's not much else to say, except that this is one kickass product. The price may seem somewhat steep, but I really believe it's well worth it. Performance-PCs really hit a home run here, and even better, it's not something mass produced and offered by 20 different brand names; this is completely custom, hand made to your specs by the guys at Performance-PCs... This product is truly a winner."

Check it out at: Virtual-Hideout

NV Detonators v41.09 @ overclockercafe
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:47 PM EST

Just a quick note to let you know we have posted up the newest Nvidia Detonator drivers in our download area.  Looks like we are up to version 41.09 now.  While I have not benched these out myself as of yet, I have installed and run them without any difficulties on XP Pro.

Check it out at: overclockercafe

ModRainbow light kit review @ RipNet-UK
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:46 PM EST

"The PCB board is 12 inches in length, which seems almost standard for case lighting, but in this case the length is needed to space the LED's well or they would be too compressed to give a good effect. The board is also only a few millimetres thick and about a centimetre wide, although the foam padding on the bottom of the board increases it's depth somewhat. Still, the unit is very compact..."

Check it out at: RipNet-UK

Worlds First review of SamCheer's ClearView case @ BurnOutPC
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:43 PM EST

"The box came late actually. The delivery person dropped the case off by my neighbors, and they came knocking on the door around 8, so I'm sorry if some pics are a wee bit to dark. My first impression of the entire package was that it is so big. What's in there? a refrigerator or something?"

Check it out at: BurnOutPC

Altec Lansing AVS300W Speakers @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:42 PM EST

The AVS 300W's strong point is definitely its sub woofer. Rather than go cheap, Altec Lansing has made a very sturdy woofer. The woofer has been painted white, with the exception of the back, which shows the woofers original press-board color. While not overly powerful, the woofer provides deep, rumbling bass tones that compliment the rich sounds produced by the speakers.

Check it out at: Viper Lair

OptoRite 48X CDRW (CW-4802) Review @ AusPCWorld
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:41 PM EST

Most of us in Australia are quite new to the Optorite brand or some may have not even heard of it. Today we have a look at the 48X Speed CDRW (CW-4802) from OptoRite. Does it have what it takes to be a decent CDRW contender?

Check it out at: AusPCWorld

Neon ATA-133 Rounded Cables Teview @ Overclocker Café
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:40 PM EST

“I mean, I thought about every imaginable form of rounded cable that could be made, had been.  We have seen the standard vinyl covered lines in about every color under the sun, silver and copper mesh, with some supporting today's ATA-133 devices.  It should have been assumed that somebody somewhere was looking at a set of lines with their head cocked to one side wondering, "how can I get some neon in there?"  Apparently, they figured it out.”

Check it out at: Overclocker Café

Vantec Nexus Fan Controller Video Review #245 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:37 PM EST

“The Vantec Nexus Fan Controller keeps your fans spinning and does it in style. It's available in black or silver, controls up to four fans and each fan is operated by an adjustable speed knob. Also, each knob is backlit with a blue LED making it stand out from any other fan controller currently on the market. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

LIUtilities WinBackup Review @ Monkeyreview
posted by Babylon5 on Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 8:36 PM EST

Backing up information is a necessary part of running a business and operating a computer. If you haven't done it yet, there is no time like now. LIUtilities has put together the WinBackup utility that is the 2 things you really want a backup utility to be, unobtrusive and flexible…

Check it out at: Monkeyreview

TherMagic Watercooling CPU Cooling System Review @ OCIA
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:18 PM EST

"Installation began with me powering down the system, unplugging the power cable from the PSU and laying the PC on its side. From this angle I had to unscrew and move the PSU to remove the heatsink, a ThermalRight SLK800. After removing the sink I cleaned up the CPU core with some rubbing alcohol and q-tips and reapplied the TherMagic paste to the CPU. I brought the watercooling system over beside me and put the larger part of the unit on top of one of my PCI cards and positioned the cold plate in place over the CPU. I grabbed the mounting clip and proceeded to put it in place. All was going well when all of the sudden the blue hose going into the cold plate pops off!"

Check it out at: OCIA

AVC Avalanche Socket A Cpu Cooler Review @ 3dXtreme
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:17 PM EST

"The heatsink is made from aluminum with a copper slug pressed into the center of the base. I have always enjoyed coolers made this way as I usually see great temperature scores while not worrying about the stress on the socket due to excess weight."

Check it out at: 3dXtreme

Spam CounterStrike review @ ASE Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:15 PM EST

"  Everyday I get some 30 to 60 e-mails. Only about 5 of them are of any use to me and the rest I now consider Spam. These 'Spams' are from my erratic perusing of the Internet. Clicking on this site, signing up for e-mail of potentially interesting items or entering some contest. (Waste of time you say, but someone has to win those contests!) Some Spams are from the original site I visited, but a lot are from 'list resellers.'  "

Check it out at: ASE Labs

TweakMonster Shim Reviewed @ BurnOutPC
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:13 PM EST

"Shims, Shims, Shims. You can live without them, but if your like me and you want absolutely 0% risk of crushing your core then this product suits you. This shim fits any AMD processor, it works great. And easy installation. However you can install coolers without the shim too. It just gives a secure feeling when installing a cooler."

Check it out at: BurnOutPC

Benchmarking - How and Why? @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:12 PM EST

"Many people consider anything over 60fps to be playable, and we can see with even the current/previous generation average graphics cards, they have no trouble reaching frame rates over 100fps for a card that was only about $100 (US). We can see even the more mainstream video cards today can easily play at 1600*1200, thus making Quake III a benchmark that really has no meaning with newer video cards."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

VLSystem L.I.S Blue Platinum Kit Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:11 PM EST

"A closer look at the back of the VLSystem L.I.S Blue Platinum Kit reveals that this product is not your typical serial LCD display. The product is a Hitachi HD44780 compatible parallel display, which is connected directly to a PCB controller board. The controller board is a separate circuit with an onboard PIC processor, which converts the character display signals from parallel to serial. The controller board is attached to the main LCD display via 16-pins and is supported by a series of plastic standoffs. Next the PIC processor is a variable resistor, which allows you to manually adjust the contract of the LCD circuit. It would have been nice if this feature was added to the front of the unit or included as an adjustable software option. Next to the variable resistor is a set of 3 x 2-pin jumper options for adjusting the RGB settings. The jumper settings allow you to control the forward voltage for the backlight options."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

Abit BG7E (i845GE) Mainboard Review @ MBReview
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 29, 2002 at 7:09 PM EST

"The combination of Abit’s performance orientation and the latest Intel chipsets has shown what we have all come to expect from Abit, true performance. The i845GE based BG7E we reviewed today managed to swap the performance lead back and forth with the i845PE based BE7-RAID all day long, but the BG7E managed to come out on top in the areas where gamers and enthusiast will surely take note of."

Check it out at: MBReview

Antec PLUS 1080AMG Case Review @ Mikhailtech
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 10:29 PM EST

Not only does the front panel look great, because it is the same color as the rest of the case, but it is also hides a lot of interesting features. First, there's the door that covers the drive bays, which I find to be very useful in case of nosy kids/pets or otherwise disturbing people (like girlfriends that like to know what that shiny small button does, during a download or a fragging match). The door is not only designed to keep others from interfering with your hardware, but also for aesthetic purposes; it hides those ugly beige drives from sight. And, of course, you can lock the door so nobody can mess with your beloved computer while you're out. By opening the door, four 5.25" drive bays and two 3.5" drive bays are revealed along with four LEDs and two buttons.

Check it out at: Mikhailtech

Overclocking article @ LMBAtech
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 10:27 PM EST

LMBAtech have a slightly old but fairly unseen guide to how to speed up your old PC (i.e. PII, PIII, Celeron). In the ever changing PC market, squeezing every penny from an outdated computer could help. Intended for beginners and upwards, it describes simply how to use BIOS and jumper overclocking on Intel CPUs (although a large part is also applicable to AMD). If it is suitable for your site, here is the link:

Check it out at: LMBAtech

EasyBuy2000.com Wireless Optical Mouse Review @ Geekshelter
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 10:24 PM EST

"The first thing I'll say about the EB2K Wireless Optical is that it's almost an exact replica of the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical in general shape and structure. The EB2K Wireless Optical does come in a stealthy translucent black (With the EB2K logo affixed in plain sight, of course), however, which is more appealing than the bland, opaque, off-white of the MS Intellimouse Optical...."

Check it out at: Geekshelter

Happy Thanksgiving!
posted by Josh on Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 12:13 AM EST

It's that time of year again...  No I am not talking about the December stretch of holidays, but rather the holiday that gets you in the spirit.  I just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Check it out at: HyTek Computer

Vantec Nexus Multifunction Panel Review @ MonkeyReview
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:32 PM EST

“Right off the go I was impressed with this unit. It’s looks, versatility and easy installation make it a good choice for anyone looking for the features it offers. Regrettably the unit also has a few shortcomings, I really wasn’t impressed with the LCD display and they missed a few features for alarm control and not having the ability to display temps in Fahrenheit puzzled me. The construction is very well done, the install isn’t as bad as it looks and really for what the unit does do well I am happy with it. With a little bit better LCD and software this unit could be the cream of the crop……”

Check it out at: MonkeyReview

I-SeaPhoto Digital Outdoor Camera Video Review #244 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:31 PM EST

“The I-SeaPhoto Digital Outdoor Camera is both a rugged digital camera and a webcam. Also, this camera comes with a sealed clear protective housing which means that it can be used while snorkeling, diving or in almost any rugged environment. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

Soltek SL-85DR3 (Intel 845PE) Motherboard Review @ 3dXtreme
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:29 PM EST

"The Soltek SL-85DR3 is built on Soltek's Glacier PCB making it very tempting to hardcore enthusiasts with a case window with it's only lacking feature being the onboard LAN option. The Soltek SL-85DR3 has earned a score of 9 for it's performance during testing, the incredible bundle, impressive value and it's stability."

Check it out at: 3dXtreme

Sky Hawk Galaxy-Lx PSR4616B7 Case Review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:27 PM EST

If you are anything like me you are constantly tweaking, upgrading, or doing anything else you can to make your computer run faster and, yes, look better. Let’s face it – what do most people see first when they look at your computer? The case! So why not make it stand out and show off the beast of a machine hidden inside?”

Check it out at: Envy News

Darth Vader PC Review @ BurnOutPC
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:26 PM EST

"The Via EPIA Mini-ITX motherboards are so small they are natural candidates for unique and wonderful "case mods". I've been rolling ideas around in my head since the boards were first introduced. This last weekend I created my first EPIA based project PC - the Darth Vader PC."

Check it out at: BurnOutPC

Albatron PX845PE Pro IIS Review @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:24 PM EST

"Albatron is still a fairly new player in the motherboard arena, but they’ve already proven that they have what it takes to run with all of the well established players. While many major motherboard companies have released disappointing vanilla boards with limited overclocking options as of late, Albatron instead continues to come up with innovative new features and focus on the enthusiast, rather than OEM. With that big 667mhz FSB label right on the box, its clear that Albatron stands behind this board as an overclocking champ. We certainly have no reason to doubt them, as the last Albatron board we tested, the PX845G Pro II, was able to make 190mhz FSB. Can Albatron deliver another knockout with the new i845PE based PX845PE Pro IIS? Lets find out!"

Check it out at: OcPrices

ATI Radeon 9500 PRO Review @ Beyond3D
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:23 PM EST

"When we look at the multi-texturing fill rate, the 9500 PRO takes off from the normal 9500 and is now much closer to the 9700 PRO. Multi-texturing on the R300 requires multiple clock cycles to achieve, so here 8 pixels per clock are not trying to be squeezed through the memory bus. In this sense, the 8x1 (pixel pipelines by texture sample units per pipeline) design on 9500 PRO is acting more like the 4x2 design we've seen on other 128-bit cards such as Radeon 8500 or GeForce 4 Ti."

Check it out at: Beyond3D

ATi Radeon 9500 Pro Graphics Card - Review @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:21 PM EST

Today ATi has unleashed its new "Performance Mainstream" Radeon 9500 Pro Graphics Card to the retail market.  We have a world's first full release retail product review for you today, of this new cost sensitive DX9 capable power-house from ATi.

Check it out at: HotHardware

Overclocking 102: Taking Your Overclock to the Next Level @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:20 PM EST

"There are three brick walls that any overclock will hit which can be compensated for. As was previously discussed, the first obstacle to overcome is heat. This is the easiest obstacle to overcome, simply by employing some form of cooling solution. That can be as simple as a CPU cooler upgrade, or as complex as a state-of-the-art phase-change cooling system. The other scenarios that will hinder your overclocking progress need some understanding of motherboard and CPU design. After explaining how the system works at stock speeds we will identify why it hinders higher overclocks, and then describe how to compensate for it. This article will address higher front side bus values and their effect on the entire system, while a future article will look at processor design and how to compensate for running a CPU beyond it’s designed frequency."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

SiS Xabre 600 Graphics Card @ GamePC
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:18 PM EST

Today over at GamePC, we've taken a quick look at the newly announced SiS Xabre 600 graphics chip. While SiS doesn't get nearly as much publicity as nVidia, ATi, or Matrox, SiS has been ramping up their Xabre line of GPU's in order to compete in the budget graphics market. The new Xabre 600 boasts a new 0.13 micron manufacturing process (an industry first), along with a 300 MHz GPU and 600 MHz DDR memory. We test out their reference design against other budget cards from nVidia and ATi to see how it stacks up.

Check it out at: GamePC

Sky Hawk Galaxy PSR4616 Case (Review) @ SystemCooling
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 9:17 PM EST

"Let's face it; the days of beige boring cases are gone. And if you're anything like me you are more then happy to see those days behind us. Case manufacturers are coming up with more and more inventive ways to attract buyers. Skyhawk is no exception; I would even describe them as a leader in the area of modded cases. In the last few months they have done nothing but evolve the designs and functionality of their cases. The Skyhawk Galaxy, which I will have the pleasure of presenting to you in this review, will hopefully prove my point."

Check it out at: SystemCooling

ATi Radeon 9700 Water Cooling Project @ DeviantPC
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:27 PM EST

Having this new mill was going to prove invaluable for making the Radeon 9700 cooler, due to the more cluttered layout of the ATI card having components around the ram chips on the PCB, some of which protrude higher than the ram.....
I decided to tackle the hardest block first, this being the frontside ram block, needing to fit in an area most cluttered for surface mounted components, along with space allowance considerations for the VPU block, it wasn't going to be as easy as past block builds.

Check it out at: DeviantPC

TV card review @ LMBAtech
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:25 PM EST

LMBAtech have a roundup of four TV cards, the leadtek WinFast XP2000 Deluxe, Pinnacle PCTV Pro, Hauppauge WinTV Go, and Hauppauge WinTV USB. Whilst not intended to be matched against each other, it highlights some of the key things to look out for in a TV card.

Check it out at: LMBAtech

SiS Xabre600 Reference Videocard Review @ pcstats
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:23 PM EST

When SiS released the Xabre400 GPU earlier this year, it was a huge step forward for budget-minded gamers. Today SiS officially releases the Xabre600 GPU which is basically a shrunken, beefed up version of the original Xabre400. Based on a 0.13 micron technology core running at 300 MHz the new Xabre600 is an evolutionary advancement of the older 250 MHz 0.15 micron process, Xabre400 core. The Xabre600 reference card we are examining is backed up with 64MB of DDR memory. The memory is made by Hynix and runs in sync with the GPU at 300 MHz - what SiS call the "Duo300". The Xabre600 boasts Pro8x8, so like it's predecessor, it is both DirectX8 compatible and 8x AGP compatible. DirectX 8 compatibility means that games which take advantage of the Xabre's pixel shaders should look more vibrant and lifelike. Whereas, 8x AGP effectively doubles the bandwidth available on the AGP bus to the videocard."

Check it out at: pcstats

Jab-Tech Chieftech Dragon Aluminum Modded Case Review @ 3dXtreme
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:19 PM EST

"This new case is based on the same design with the exception of the case being made of Aluminum instead of steel. The Chieftech Dragon was a very cool case even before the mods. Add to a great case two windows and three fans and you begin to understand my overwhelming excitement...."

Check it out at: 3dXtreme

SharkaCorp Innovatek Set5 Water-Cooling Kit Review @ VH
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:18 PM EST

"The pump included in the Set5 is an Eheim 1046 model. Eheim is probably the most well know pump manufacturer in the water-cooling industry. Their products are highly respected due to their pumping power and efficiency. Innovatek gives you all the parts that Eheim would include with the pump (if purchased separately) including the filer and stock fittings. The only part we will be using for this kit is the pump though. The reservoir that Innovatek includes is fairly small, but it works very well. To attach the reservoir to the pump, you must first remove the light gray grill piece from the pump. The piece simply pops off, and then you can twist the reservoir onto the pump's intake valve. The result will be an in-line pump/reservoir in one! Despite its small size, the reservoir is easily filled by twisting off the yellow cap on top, a nice feature."

Check it out at: Virtual-Hideout

SiS Xaber 600 AGP8X Graphics - Previewed @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:15 PM EST

Good Morning everyone.  We've taken a look at SiS' new entry into the Mainstream Value 3D Graphics market this morning, the Xaber 600.  Can this card compete with the likes of a GeForce4 MX, Radeon 9000 or even the GeForce 4 Ti4200?  You'll just have to read on to find out!

Check it out at: HotHardware

Pen Drive Plus 2.0 32MB USB 2.0 review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:13 PM EST

“What do you get when you mix 32MBs of NAND Flash memory and a USB 2.0 port? Seven megabytes per second of goodness! The Pen Drive Plus 2.0 is one speed demon which thoroughly wrecks the scores of our other 8 Flash Drive reviews. See how this monster compares with all nine of our Flash 'Keychain' drive reviews. Now, if only we had a few gigs instead of just 32MB!”

Check it out at: Envy News

Thermaltake SK-6+ Heatsink review @ envynews
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:10 PM EST

Thermalright has developed a reputation for bringing quality to the table and has been lauded and awarded for their design and performance by nearly every web site imaginable. With their new low-cost competitor, the SK-6+, this trend looks to be continuing as tight pockets and skinny bank accounts now have the chance to buy into one of the best names out there. Can Thermalright’s SK-6+ take the heat and prove itself worthy of its namesake? That’s what we’re here to find out.”

Check it out at: envynews

ACT-LABS PC USB Light Gun Review @ hardcoreware
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:08 PM EST

If you want to play classics like Duck Hunt or Operation: Wolf on the PC, this $30 unit from ACT-LABS is pretty much your only choice.

What we're going to do is find out whether the choice we are stuck with is a good one or not...

Check it out at: hardcoreware

Swiftech MCW50-T GPU Water Block (Review) @ ipKonfig
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:05 PM EST

"The Swiftech MW50-T comes to the table with more than just liquid cooling; it's specially designed for cooling the GPU. The special feature is the pre-installed Peltier. This 80.3 watt Peltier is the key; its quick-connect fittings give it the ability to adapt to almost any type of liquid cooling kit available on the market....Most of us at this point would tend to think: "Here's another attempt at better cooling…" But, that's not the case here. As odd as this may seem, the Peltier is quite differently installed compared to what we're used to seeing; the hot side of the Peltier is actually submerged with the coolant inside the water block. What this basically means is: the 'hot' plate of the Peltier 'IS' part of the internal construction of the block. There is no a copper plate that finishes the inside of this unit; the Peltier takes care of this. This is good news, and not often done. Swiftech knows the benefits of using this type of method, and it makes sense. Allowing the liquid to run directly across the 'hot plate' of the Peltier will, simply put, cool more efficiently. But before some of you start in on me: "But Mr. Mikules. That will corrode the porcelain plate on the Peltier unit…" No, I'm afraid not. The porcelain on peltiers are baked just the same as a porcelain coffee cup."

Check it out at: ipKonfig

DIY USB Christmas Lights Mod @ monster-hardware
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:03 PM EST

"I disassembled Johnny 5. The plastic battery housing just pulls apart. You can then tell which wire goes where. Be sure to leave some slack in your wire so you can easily reuse it on some other project. I marked which wire went to the positive with a piece of scotch tape. My original plan was to run them from the power supply, but then I thought that wouldn’t be practical at all. Why not USB?!"

Check it out at: monster-hardware

Romtec Trios 2 Review @ Nexus
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 6:01 PM EST

“Setup is intuitive. Connect the IDE devices, connect the IDE header to the motherboard, and pop the card in. There is no software to install. In fact, the card doesn’t even use the PCI bus, its simply an easy internal mounting method. In my opinion, it’s much better than the Original Trios. I prefer to lose a PCI slot over a 5 ¼” drive bay, but that’s obviously dependent upon your personal situation.”

Check it out at: Nexus Hardware

Philips JackRabitt32 External 32X DVD/CD-RW Drive Review @ Designtechnica
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 5:58 PM EST

"When connected to your computer, the JackRabbit32 can act as either a CD Burner or a DVD Player. In the former, you can burn CD-Rs at 32x and CD-RWs at 10x, or read at 40x. Any software you might need is provided, including Roxio Easy CD Creator 5 (or Toast 5 for Mac OS X) and PowerDVD."

Check it out at: Designtechnica

SIS Xabre600 Vid Card Review @ lostcircuits
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 5:55 PM EST

Today, the embargo lifts on the latest addition to the graphics market, that is the SIS Xabre600 which brings the first mass-produced 0.13 µm design process to market. Like its predecessor, that is the Xabre400, the Xabre600, turbocharged to a whopping synchronous 300 MHz core/memory clock features hardware pixel shaders but does vertex shading in hardware optimized software a.k.a vertexilizer to scale vertex performance with CPU power.

Check it out at: lostcircuits

CoolerMaster Aluminum & Copper RAMsinks Review @ OCIA
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 5:46 PM EST

"Seeing as my system RAM is already decked out with heatspreaders and my video card has RAMsinks already in place, I was forced to test these RAMsinks on the various chips on my motherboard. Just for the record, my board is an MSI KT3 Ultra 2, running a 1600xp overclocked to 1754 MHz. I used the copper sinks placed in the location you see above. I also slapped down two aluminum sinks on the power resistor chips."

Check it out at: OCIA

irock!300W Wireless Music Adapter Review @ Geekshelter
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 5:44 PM EST

"Do you own one of those CD to tape adapters? Do you having not being able to play your mp3’s off your mp3 player on your big stereo system? If so, we have the product for you. irock! has made a great product so you can listen to all your music off you digital audio player on any stereo. Lets take a look!"

Check it out at: Geekshelter

Abit AT7-Max2 mainboard Review @ Active-Hardware
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 7:06 PM EST

The AT7 Max2 is an AMD-platform based on the KT400 chipset, and continues in the tradition of the Max series, while extending on its versatility. Thanks to the VIA KT400 chipset, for instance, the AT7 Max2 includes support for 8X AGP, Serial ATA150, and DDR400 memory.

Like the original AT7 Max, the new board also includes an HPT374 Highpoint RAID controller, though this time it comes with a different set of channels: two ATA133, and two Serial ATA150.

Check it out at: Active-Hardware

Lian Li Pc65B Reviewed @ BurnOutPc
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 7:04 PM EST

"Let me see here, going through our review page and taking a look under cases, you can see that we have reviewed more than a few cases from Lian Li and the list keeps growing actually. Maybe, in our second year we will have all the cases reviewed from Lian. But for now we will continue the trend with yet another case from our friends at Coolerguys"

Check it out at: BurnOutPc

Antec HDD cooling system review at RipNet-UK
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 7:03 PM EST

"Hard drives. Hard drives. *Adopts husky, seductive voice* Haaaarrddd driiives. Nope, doesn't work does it? No matter how you say it there's just no way of making hard drives sexy and exciting. They just sit there quietly and do their thing, looking after all your data. Until of course they break, when life can suddenly get much more exciting. You may notice the bitter voice of experience creeping through here; I had a 30 gigabyte IBM DeskStar commit suicide on me recently, having just been singing its praises in the RipNet-UK forums...."

Check it out at: RipNet-UK

GearGrip LCD Shield Harness Video Review #243 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 7:02 PM EST

“The GearGrip LCD Shield Harness is a fantastic product which makes carrying almost any size LCD quick, easy and secure. With lots of padding, a mesh pocket, a think rubber handle, a carry strap and overall tough construction it's a must for transporting an LCD. Also, this product is an inexpensive way to ensure that your expensive LCD will be protected. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

DIY Cheap Projector Guide @ GideonTech
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 7:00 PM EST

"There's no doubt that most people looking at this have come across a video projector before. Maybe it was at a business meeting, or maybe it was during a high school or college class. If you're anything like me, you probably thought of the gaming possibilities of the projector instead of it being used for boring PowerPoint presentations. I decided to look further into projectors and found a very interesting niche in the technology that lets you build (don't get scared! There are no tools involved!) a quality projector for under $200."

Check it out at: GideonTech

Thermalright SLK800 Copper Heatsink Review @ frostytech
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:58 PM EST

"What could possibly be better than an all copper heatsink built from the ground up with performance cooling in mind? Okay, an all silver heatsink would be better, but since such a thing doesn't exist in the mainstream cooling world, we'll just have to settle for the Thermalright SLK-800 and plug our ears. The SLK800 uses a triangular shaped base which is similar in many was to what we have seen from the Korean manufacturer, Tocools. The difference here is that Thermalright have milled a slot all the way down the center of this rather large copper Toblerone shape for a three-prong clip to take hold of the socket. With a base thickness over the core of just 8mm, it would have been nicer to see a different method of clipping utilized here."

Check it out at: frostytech

Vapochill Premium Edition Review @ OcPrices
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:50 PM EST

"The VapoChill PE is as far removed from the original VapoChill as a Ferrari is from a Ford. The case aesthetics, functionality and overall professionalism have been improved upon to such a degree where the VapoChill is now the only sensible choice for those wanting sustainable super cooling. Its performance is simply phenomenal, and at 3.7Ghz we are currently enjoying Performance almost 20% faster than the fastest consumer PC systems available to buy - anywhere. When I was first loaned a Vapochill these things cost a shade under five hundred pounds. At Chillblast they can now be had for as little as £329. To put it into perspective, if you buy a 1.8Ghz processor and manage to get it to 2.8Ghz, which is by no means impossible, the case will have paid for itself already vs. buying Intel's flagship."

Check it out at: OcPrices

New ways to be wrong @ dansdata
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:40 PM EST

This one's about the new(ish) ways in which you can go wrong when using Internet information sources. It's not as simple as just believing stuff that isn't true, any more.

The new column contains several links related to exploding biscuits, and a bit of a rant about a page on a site with a rude name. You can't really ask for more than that, can you?

Check it out at: dansdata

Zalman CNPS5700D-Cu CPU Cooler Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:38 PM EST

"Based on the same flower finned principle Zalman is famous for, the CNPS5700D-Cu has 98 pure copper fins arranged to fit the heatsink duct, each fin stamped with a "ZM" on each fin. On either side of the fins Zalman has utilized two aluminium blocks to keep the fins together in this pattern. However, since the design of the fins are thin, care must be exercised when handling the heatsink since the fins are prone to bending. There are 98 very thin fins in total, which gives this heatsink an impressive 1270 cm2 worth of surface area to dissipate heat."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

Shuttle SB51G XPC Review @ GamePC
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:30 PM EST

Today at GamePC, we've taken a look at the newly released Shuttle SB51G XPC small form factor barebones. The SB51G is the follow-up to the wildly popular SS51G XPC, which was the first major SFF PC to feature AGP expandability. The SB51G features Intel's 845-GE chipset, and includes a slightly redesigned chassis, a new front bezel, and support for Intel's new Hyperthreading technology.

Check it out at: GamePC

Help! Letters! @ dansdata
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:29 PM EST

This time, more of my deathless wisdom on EMR and whether it's dangerous, why even widescreen TVs don't display movies with the whole screen, connecting speakers to things, mysterious hard drive deaths, opening stuff in new windows, upgrading a less-than-new PC, and people who ask me to do their homework for them.

Check it out at: dansdata

PowerLeap PL-P4/N @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 6:28 PM EST

"The question you need to ask yourself is if you have an older setup, is it more worthwhile to do a complete system overhaul, or to tryout an upgrade kit? Normally, I'd say you're better off changing everything if your system is very old, but the P4/i850 still has a lot of life left, and as I've said, parting with all that expensive RAMBUS ram would be a waste. Still, I was curious to see if the performance gained in a CPU upgrade, motherboard remaining the same, would be worthwhile."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

SunbeamTech Rheobus #2 Review @ VH
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:42 PM EST

"Although it really seems to be geared for the Aluminum case owners out there, it really isn't. The aluminum faceplates you see included on the review units that are curculating are optional. You can get all the great features you see above and install it on your own faceplate from your case. That's very important to keep in mind. I'd say Sunbeam hit a home run with this unit. It does everything you could want (and have wanted for quite some time) in a top quality Rheobus. This unit should be hitting the online retailers very,very soon and should retail around $40USD (est.). In my opinion, anywhere in the $40 price range is a good value for the features and quality you'll receive. If you're looking for a high quality rheobus with stunning good looks and the power to match, you can't go wrong with the Rheostat Kit #2 from SunbeamTech. You may also save a few bucks on the #1 kit if you can do without a feature or two."

Check it out at: Virtual-Hideout

Kool Cases Panther Full Tower Case Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:41 PM EST

"My first impressions of the Panther Full Tower Case after removing the packaging were extremely positive. Out of the box the case is very well constructed and built solid than most full tower cases of the same size. Kool Cases has emphasized that the design of the Panther incorporates a complete screw-less and tool-less design. The case measures approximately 21.25" (H) x 16.5" (L) x 7.5" (W) and weights just over 24.8 lbs. The highlight for this particular model are some pre-modified stock cooling options as well as a black translucent front bezel."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

PC Toys 520 watt Power Maxx Power Supply Review @ OCIA
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:39 PM EST

"Another feature I found useful was the fan adjustment. There are two manual settings that adjust the RPMs of the three power supply fans. The manual settings definitely had an effect on the power supply. While there was not a huge increase in noise on the manual settings, there was an increase in airflow that was noticeable as my hand was placed over the exhaust fan. I chose to keep my fan on the automatic settings. I think it is more efficient to let the power supply adjust the fan rpms in relation to temperature."

Check it out at: OCIA

AMS gTower with Slight Modifications - (Review) @ SystemCooling
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:37 PM EST

Before receiving this case I was what you could call an aluminum case virgin. I'd seen them at stores and friends' homes. But I never actually had one to play with and to review. So when an opportunity arrived to do this review I jumped at the chance and after looking over this case for a few hours I have to admit that I will never own a steel case again. Not only is this case extremely light as compared to cases like the Cooler Master ATC-710 or the Antec SX-830 (which are basically the same Chenming case), this AMS gTower has a superb fit and finish.

Check it out at: SystemCooling

Titan Copper VGA Cooler Review @ ICEHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:36 PM EST

"It also looks good which is important to some people, although in reality you don’t see much of it unless you have a case window. It's also very cheap and will defiantly out perform your bog standard heatsink provided with your graphics card. The fact that you get 3 different clips means that it will fit most graphics cards without a problem but as you saw with my card it can still be a close fit. The molex adapter and the thermal paste were a nice addition to round the package off and to get you up and running nice and quick."

Check it out at: ICEHardware

PowerColor Radeon 9000 PRO 128MB DDR"Evil Commando" Review @ I Am Not A Geek
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:34 PM EST

"Without alot of competition in the market for a dual head card, this ATI card by PowerColor provides great performance for the price. At an average price of $130.00 you are able to move up to dual head support without breaking the bank. For those of you just using one monitor - the Radeon 9000 is still a top performer in its class."

Check it out at: I Am Not A Geek

Four Port Neon RheoBus Review @ Overclocker Café
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:33 PM EST

An interesting thing about the neon is that it is powered off its respective Rheostat channel.  What this means is that with the dial turned low, the light will be dim, at full honk it will be bright.  At places in between, its brightness is determined by the amount of juice the Rheostat is set at.

Check it out at: Overclocker Café

Albatron PX845E i845E Silver Motherboard Review @ pcstats
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:31 PM EST

"With the motherboard markets so competitive right now, manufacturers must take extra measures to ensure their products stand out, and that you the consumer buy them. This competitiveness usually translates into more features for the consumer, and flashier appearances in some cases. One of the most popular tools of the trade for main board and video card makers has been the use of multi-coloured PCB's. A few years ago, the colour of a motherboard was determined by how it was made, usually ending up green or brown in colour. A few manufacturers broke the mold and tried black PCB's, which were originally marketed as Mil Spec grade if I remember correctly. One thing lead to another and now we have motherboards on store shelves in every colour, from purple to blue, green to red. Albatron have chosen a nice shade of blue for most of their motherboards, but the PX845E is obviously different... it's coated in silver."

Check it out at: pcstats

Corsair DDR XMS3500 DIMM Review @ Explosive Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:28 PM EST

Corsair Micro, now one of the leading companies in the race to produce the fastest DDR modules in the world, has only taken strides to increase their popularity. If you go back to last year, Crucial Technologies was gaining all the hype with their PC2100 modules that performed well and were able to reach speeds much higher than specified. Well as the new year arrives, it seems that Crucial has left the race in producing hardcore OCer DDR modules and let companies such as OCZ, Geil, Corsair Micro, etc. get into the fray.

Check it out at: Explosive Labs

Samsung SyncMaster 181T Review @ MonkeyReview
posted by Babylon5 on Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 6:26 PM EST

“I have always enjoyed testing Samsung monitors, since I’ve seen DVI in action it’s hard to go back to an analog connection. I really like the thin bezel and how its best put as “All Screen”. For someone on a budget looking to get a good sized LCD, with great quality, low power consumption and built for the future, I would recommend the 181T. Its DVI connection allows for future use as more and more video cards are supporting it. I think Samsung has hit the nail on the head with the 181T, for its intended audience I feel it’s a perfect fit.”

Check it out at: MonkeyReview

Corsair XMS 3500 Platinum Series DDR RAM Review @ Extreme Overclocking
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:51 PM EST

Corsair has been a leading and well-respected memory manufacturer for years now. They have provided some of the highest quality memory modules available on the market and have made quite a name for themselves. This year they started their Extreme Memory Speed (XMS) line. These modules are made for people who really need the speed such as gamers. These modules are the top of the line in speed and performance out of all the Corsair modules. Today we will be looking at the 256 MB XMS3500 Platinum Modules, which are currently the fastest memory modules Corsair has to offer.

Check it out at: Extreme Overclocking

Xoxide Variable 4 Port Baybus @ ASE Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:49 PM EST

'There are many Baybuses around, but have you ever seen one with a variable adjustment? Xoxide delivers, but is it all that great? You need to read the article to find out!'

Check it out at: ASE Labs

eDimensional wired 3D Glasses Video Review #242 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:48 PM EST

"The eDimensional wired 3D Glasses add a whole new thrill to games, pictures and even DVD's on your CRT monitor. Also, with this model you don't have to worry about batteries, however, those who dislike cables might prefer the wireless glasses. Whichever model you prefer they will both offer the same amazing 3D effect. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

MSI 845PE Max2-FIR Motherboard Review @ pcstats
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:46 PM EST

One of the biggest problems with the i845E/G chipset is that the Pentium 4 FSB increased from 400 MHz to 533 MHz, the available memory bandwidth to the processor didn't. Consumers with 533 MHz based P4's were still paring them up with PC2100 memory and performance suffered consequently. To get around this problem, Intel has just released the i845PE/GE which officially brings the Pentium 4 processor and PC2700 DDR memory support together. As usual, MSI is one of the first manufacturers to have adopted the new i845PE chipset, and with it they produced the MSI 845PE Max2-FIR motherboard. Following the recent trends from this company we are faced with a board that has literally everything on board (in the most desirable configuration that is). With three 186-pin DIMM slots supporting up to 2 GB of PC1600/2100/2700 memory, integrated USB 2.0, Ultra DMA133 IDE RAID, hardware based 5.1 channel audio, Intel RC82540 powered Gigabit 10/100/1000 LAN, integrated IEEE 1394 Firewire and six PCI slots! With specs like that you can understand why I've just upgraded my office computer with this model board."

Check it out at: pcstats

Logitech's MX series of mouses @ dansdata
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:44 PM EST

The MX 300, MX 500 and MX 700 are all genuinely better than what's gone before. In some ways. In other ways, they aren't. And some of their advantages aren't as big a deal as Logitech want you to think.

Check it out at: dansdata

Shuttle's SB51G i845GE Based Mini PC - Reviewed @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:42 PM EST

We've got some serious Pentium 4 horsepower in a seriously small footprint this morning, on the HotHardware Test Bench.  Shutttle's SB51G XPC Mini Barebones System is here, with it's AGP slot, USB2.0 and Hyperthreading ready CPU socket. This i845GE based system impressed us in a big way... pun intended!

Check it out at: HotHardware

Thermal Compound Shootout @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:41 PM EST

"In terms of performance, other than the XTC and EXP products, performance between the compounds was relatively equal across the board. Even the absolute worse was only one degree higher than the Nanotherm Ice and Blue. The question now is what to buy and do you need it."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

OS Updates page @ TechSpot
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:38 PM EST

Here at TechSpot we have done a major update to our "OS Updates" listing recommended patches for Windows XP, 2000, Millennium or 98se users. Indeed a very useful resource that covers some important OS updates which not even WindowsUpdates.com features.

Where possible we have linked to download locations from which you can save the actual files in case you need to apply them at a later date, e.g. due to a re-install.

Check it out at: TechSpot

Sapphire ATLANTIS Radeon 9500 Review @ Beyond3D
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:35 PM EST

"In comparison to the 9000 PRO though, it seems that 9500 can keep a nice little performance gain over all resolutions. This is probably in part to the extra geometry throughput of the 9500, but it could also be due to the fact that 9500's 'HYPER-Z III' bandwidth saving scheme can do early rejection of occluded pixels that weren't already rejected by the hierarchical Z-buffer."

Check it out at: Beyond3D

Plextor 48/24/48A Review @ Techware Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:34 PM EST

Over the past years, Plextor has become a name associated with quality, innovation, and speed. The Plextor 48/24/48A is not a disappointment in any of these categories. It's truly amazing everything this drive can do, and even more amazing that it can do it all in less than 3 minutes over the span of an entire CD.

Check it out at: Techware Labs

Watercooled GF4, Core and Memory Voltage Mod @ monster-hardware
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:33 PM EST

"You can see the metallic heatspreader at the left - unmolested... it looks OK, eh? Well look at the next pic after a bit of sanding... the concavity clearly stands out as an unlapped area... this area slowly shrinks as you lap... but be careful of some of the higher resistors on the board (outlined in red)... get too enthusiastic while lapping and "off they go!" - I can tell you that Crazy Glue won’t fix it either, don’t ask me how I know that..."

Check it out at: monster-hardware

Sky Hawk Jupiter Case Review @ Tech-Dreams
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:31 PM EST

"When building a computer, many people overlook the case, and either get a cheap one, or just get the first one they see. The case should really be one of the main choices to make. Especially if you want to combine looks with functionality. You want a nice balance of structural integrity, cooling, looks, and weight (if you move it a lot). With modding being as big as it is today, even case manufacturers are taking to the scene, and pre-modding cases to include windows, blow holes, lights, and even LCD's. Sky Hawk gave me the opportunity to review their Jupiter case, and it is a nice balance of the above, with few exceptions."

Check it out at: Tech-Dreams

Zalman CNPS6000-Cu Review @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:30 PM EST

“The 92mm fan that comes packaged with the heatsink is rated to run very quietly. In normal mode, it only produces 33dBA. In silent mode, it produces a measly 20dBA. There was no real point in running the fan in silent mode as the normal mode is already pretty much silent. I could hardly hear a thing. I think my power supply was louder than the heat sink fan.”

Check it out at: OCAddiction

Performance BIOS settings for Iwill @ Geekextreme
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:27 PM EST

"Doesn't all that sound like fun? Well, not really, but it's immensely rewarding to go through and tune all the settings and end up with a system that snaps open the windows quickly and shows marked improvement of benchmark scores..."

Check it out at: Geekextreme

Performance BIOS settings for Abit motherboards @ Geekextreme
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:25 PM EST

"After living with a KT7Raid and variants for over 3 years, I pretty much have the BIOS menues memorized -- hopefully we can work through everything in the menues and solve a few problems or tweak and eek out a few more in-game FPS or a couple hundred benchmark points. Don't be shy--post your settings and relevant benchmarks before and after along with comments and input."

Check it out at: Geekextreme

Power Cooler PCW182H.H CPU Cooler @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Friday, November 22, 2002 at 6:23 PM EST

"The 70mm clear worldwide patented blue fan features 14 blades that spin about 5000 RPM with a noise level of 38 dBa. Although this is louder than some others brands on the market, the fan is still relatively quieter than the average Delta. Included in the box were two retention clips and a packet of Silmore heatsink silicone compound. The retention clips are designed to clip onto the top of the motherboard retention module base and hold the heatsink into place. The clips provide the proper force to obtain the best thermal transfer, which is standard for Pentium 4 based motherboards."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 review @ VH
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:19 PM EST

"Most computer users, even those who aren't as enthusiastic about hardware as most of us are, have heard of Logitech. This is mostly due to the diverse amount of products offered by them, ranging from mice to game controllers and from speakers to cameras. Logitech certainly has proven themselves worthy to design good products beyond mice and keyboards, and they are quickly establishing themselves as the premier computer peripheral manufacturer. Today I'll be looking at one of their latest products from their camera lineup, the new QuickCam Pro 4000."

Check it out at: Virtual-Hideout

CoolerMaster Aluminum Alloy CD-ROM Bezel @ OCIA
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:18 PM EST

"On most aluminum cases, you will find the finish to be that of the brushed aluminum look. Unlike steel, with aluminum you have the option to anodize your case in nearly any color of the rainbow. While certain colors do look great on these cases, most people prefer the rugged brushed aluminum look. A case like this looks great fresh out of the box, but once you install your components, you are faced with the fact that your CD-ROM bezels do not match the aluminum case. For some this is not a problem, but for the perfectionists, this must be taken care of. A few options are available for someone in this situation."

Check it out at: OCIA

Protect Yourself From Viruses @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:17 PM EST

"Like the story, in the computer world, a trojan horse is a malicious program that does not appear to be obvious. There are several trojans out there, and an infamous one is the dreaded Back Orifice. Many times, nobody is aware they've been infected, and trojans are hidden in almost anything interactive in nature."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

SanDisk ImageMate Dual Card Reader review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:16 PM EST

“In the continuing trend of multi-card Flash memory readers, SanDisk refreshed their family of USB Flash readers with a series of two and three-in-one products with some very smart features. Gone is their ‘tadpole’ beige pod; their new line-up is a work of art and quite refreshing compared to some of the more generic readers on the market.”

Check it out at: Envy News

How to Volt-mod your GeForce4 @ TechSpot
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:14 PM EST

Save those big bucks and bring new life to your GeForce4 Ti4200 videocard. We explain you in a detailed article how to voltage modify your Ti4200 board in order to achieve speeds above those found on the more expensive Ti4600's.

In our tests we were able to clock a vanilla Gainward board @ 340/650 MHz; making a total gain of over 30% for both core and memory speeds.

Check it out at: TechSpot

Comdex 2002 @ GamePC
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:11 PM EST

We're back from Vegas, and we've got quite a few nuggets of information to share with the world. We've posted our roundup of the events in association with Comdex 2002, including the announcement of nVidia's GeForce FX, new products from ATi, live tech demos of new AMD processors, new chipsets from all the major players, lots of cool stuff from Transmeta and Microsoft, and lots of fun gadgets from the floor. Everything can be found in our full Comdex report.

Check it out at: GamePC

Innovatek Innovaset 2 Water Cooling Kit Review @ 3dXtreme
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:10 PM EST

"All in all the Innovatek Innovaset 2 Water Cooling Kit delivers in a big way. Installation and setup was a breeze and the cooling performance was nothing less than stellar. This was my first experience a water cooling kit and Innovatek did not disappoint me at all."

Check it out at: 3dXtreme

AVC Avalanche and Tundra 2 HSF Review @ Techware Labs
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:09 PM EST

"To begin, the look and feel of these heatsinks is excellent. You can tell a lot about a product by the care taken in packaging and also in the finish of a product. These two heatsinks have very nice finish. The all copper Tundra2 features a clear, quiet, yet effective oversized fan delivered great performance. The aluminum Avalanche with copper insert, and a mean looking 11 fin fan performed equally as well."

Check it out at: Techware Labs

Logitech MOMO Force Wheel review @ Envy News
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:08 PM EST

“We here at Envy pride ourselves in reviewing the best of the best gadget gear and peripherals. The Logitech MOMO Force feedback wheel is no exception! Sporting Ferrari red plastics, a hand-stitched leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum pedals, and strong Force effects, this is one gaming controller you don't want to miss.”

Check it out at: Envy News

Everglide Giganta review @ RipNet-UK
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:06 PM EST

"Often gamers will spend a lot of money on a decent mouse and not give a thought to which mousemat to use with it. I am one of those people! For quite a while now I have wanted to try a 'gaming' mousemat but..."

Check it out at: RipNet-UK

ATI Radeon 9700 PRO Review @ Icrontic
posted by Babylon5 on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 6:05 PM EST

The whole point to this dreary story is two words which I'd like to borrow from a favorite author, Douglas Adams, and those are:

And that's what should not be done. Panicking can lead to all sorts of awful things such as war, driving erratically and stubbed toes. Take satisfaction if you bought the ATI 9700 PRO as you currently have the gaming king. It's also pretty safe to say that you are the envy of everyone.

Check it out at: Icrontic

GearGrip LANBag Video Review #241 @ 3dGameMan
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 7:04 PM EST

"The GearGrip LANBag makes carrying all those necessary LAN party goodies very simple and convenient. This product is also currently available in Gray, Red and Black so coordinating will not be a problem. Watch the Video to find out more..."

Check it out at: 3dGameMan

Wbhouse AMD watercooling kit review @ Alltechbox
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 7:03 PM EST

"The WaterFRESH 1.36 is a waterblock entirely made of electrolytic copper. The body of the block is red painted and the construction quality is high insomuch that the base and the top are soldered in an invisible way: it seems that the WaterFRESH were built from a single piece of copper."

Check it out at: Alltechbox

Visual Basic programming guide Part 3 at RipNet-UK
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 7:02 PM EST

Continuing the popular series of Visual Basic programming guides, RipNet-UK today publishes Part 3:  A Guide to using Components.  One of RipNet-UK's regular forum contributors will walk you through using components to make your own media player.  Here's the link:

Check it out at: RipNet-UK

BIOS Guide massive update @ lostcircuits
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 7:01 PM EST

"Programmable CAS latency can be achieved by inserting bypass switches into the output path between the Sense Amplifiers (SA) and the output pins to bypass the pipeline stages P1 and P2. The illustration shows an example of an EMS HSDRAM chip capable of running in CAS-1, -2 or -3 mode. Depending on the mode register set (MRS) command issued by the controller during initialization, the switches (S1 and S2) are left open (CAS-3) to force the data through the buffers, or closed to establish a fast bypass (CAS-1). Alternatively, one single switch can be opened so that the data still have to go through one buffer but can bypass the second for CAS-2 operation. "

Check it out at: lostcircuits

More Comdex Coverage @ PimpRig
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 6:58 PM EST

We have some more info coming straight from our guy at Comdex.  More interesting stuff including info on some PC3700 RAM.

Check it out at: PimpRig

Vantec Nexus Multi-Function Panel @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 6:57 PM EST

"The LCD display displays the system information your interested in with the touch of a button. There are three temperature probes included with the Nexus, and all you have to do is attach them to whatever it is you want to monitor. I would imagine the most likely combination is the CPU, hard drive and system. However, you can choose to watch the video card, your memory or even your Northbridge. It's up to you. Another nice feature is the LCD is backlit, so even in the dark, you can still read the LCD."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

DutchCedar's "BadAss" Ultimate case mod @ AthlonXP
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 6:56 PM EST

When I first saw this case mod posted in our forums, I thought that this guy had too much time on his hands. After seeing his liquid cooling project, I've changed my mind. This guy has WAY too much time on his hands. I guarantee that you have never seen a case mod quite like this. Go see how DutchCedar turned 2 CoolerMaster cases into 1 "BaDass" case, complete with liquid cooling.

Check it out at: AthlonXP

OCZ Technology Goliath 2 SE & Glacier @ Monkeyreview
posted by Babylon5 on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 6:55 PM EST

The Goliath 2 SE is huge! I don’t know how else to describe it. As you see in the picture below, the size is just over 3 inches and the weight of the copper makes it quite heavy. The fins used to dissipate heat are very thin and do a very impressive job of allowing cool air through the heatsink as well as getting rid of heat. Thanks to its copper base, good temps are anticipated from it.

Check it out at: Monkeyreview

Asus A7N8X Deluxe nVidia nForce2 Motherboard @ GamePC
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:42 PM EST

Today at GamePC, we've given a thorough once-over to one of the first motherboards to hit the market utilizing nVidia's new nForce2 chipset, the Asus A7N8X Deluxe. This Athlon XP platform offers dual channel DDR-400 memory support, AGP 8X, dual 10/100 Ethernet connectivity, and nVidia's superb integrated Dolby Digital 5.1 audio engine. We benchmark the platform in various memory configurations versus VIA's KT400 chipset to see who delivers the best performance with an AMD Athlon XP 2700+ processor.

Check it out at: GamePC

Enermax CSX305ILS case Review @ BlueSmoke
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:40 PM EST

Case modding - not just for extremists anymore. More and more cases are coming out of the factory pre-modded, which can be a good thing. Today BlueSmoke gives the Enermax CSX305ILS a good looking over. How did they like it? Read on to find out.

Check it out at: BlueSmoke

GeForce FX Launch Interview @ Beyond3D
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:39 PM EST

"Yes it is. Because we have native support in our hardware for FP16 and FP32. So, every pipeline is wide enough to accommodate the full 128-bit through the entire thing -- in the Vertex Shader, in the Pixel Shader and out to the frame buffer. Because we support 128-bit throughout the entire pipeline we added some extra control line and we can split those 128-bit channels into 64-bit channels. Now, that's only in the shading architecture, so we don't get twice as many pixels, but you get twice as many 64-bit in instructions. Also, if you want to use FP16 you'll have a smaller frame buffer so it has a lower footprint in memory as well."

Check it out at: Beyond3D

FIC Radeon 9000 Pro review @ TechSpot
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:37 PM EST

With ATI's latest wave of Radeon's, it comes the Radeon 9000 Pro, touted for the budget conscious and casual gamer; the FIC AT009 based on this chip offers more than decent performance at a low price, TV-out and dual head display features.

Check it out at: TechSpot

Koolance -- EXOS External Liquid Cooling System (Review) @ SystemCooling
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:36 PM EST

Koolance has been making pre-fab'd cooling kits for some time now. But much of the consuming public still fears the idea of placing water inside a case, and has fears of the installation process as well. Much of that fear can be dissipated, now, as it's been made a lot easier. Koolance has designed an external water cooling kit that is very user friendly. In fact, you'll have this kit installed and running in no time. The only 'real' tool that is needed is a simple screw driver, and some dykes. That's pretty much all that's needed: simple tools and a small amount of your time.

Check it out at: SystemCooling

Thermaltake Xaser II 6000A & Mod-gear Review @ hardware-test
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:34 PM EST

"Xaser II 6000A is no doubt a top deluxe case. Basically it is a revamped version of their ThermalCase series but there are reasons enough to grant this case its own unique name. It is really a thrill that Xaser II 6000A is executed in pure aluminium – apart from the front lid – as the weight is very low combined with very good looks internally. It has – as I mentioned earlier – also a certain cooling effect – but that is not the reason for praising the aluminium. Thermaltake must have had the growing interest for over clocking in their minds when they created Xaser II 6000A because it comes with a perfect airflow."

Check it out at: hardware-test

Nexland Pro800 8-port Broadband Router Review @ OnePC
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:33 PM EST

"With so many routers available on the market, how do you choose? Are the higher prices on some routers justified? With that in mind, we examine the Nexland ISB Pro800 router to find out if good things come in small purple packages."

Check it out at: OnePC

FanStorm Deluxe Fanbus Review @ monster-hardware
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:32 PM EST

"FanStorm is a fan controller that helps manage airflow in your pc controlling up to 16 fans simultaneously. It uses a technology called "Pulse Width". This design does not produce heat, unlike traditional fan controllers that use a resistor. This technology also helps control heat automatically without the need to flip a switch or turn on a fan."

Check it out at: monster-hardware

Computuning Dual 120mm Monster Radiator & 80mm Radiator Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:30 PM EST

"The Dual 120mm Monster Radiator is marketed directly for hardcore overclockers who want the maximum amount of cooling performance in their water cooling systems. The product measures approximately 240mm x 132mm x 55mm and weights 550g. Consumers interested in utilizing this product will have to make sure that they have the appropriate amount of room since this radiator is suited for server tower cases. The Dual 120mm Monster Radiator is similar to the 80mm Radiator and uses a series of interconnected copper tubes which demonstrate the water flow pattern. The outer shell of the Dual 120mm Monster Radiator is composed of an all aluminium shroud as the base. There are eight pre-drilled fan mounting holes in each corner, which simplify the process of installing the radiator on a double 120mm fan mount. The aluminium fins inside the radiator are tightly woven and provide high thermal dissipation in a relatively small area."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

GeForce FX Preview @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 6:27 PM EST

"Admittingly, I feel the GeForce FX will be something a lot of people are going to want to have for their "Doom" box. The specifications look impressive, easily better looking and faster than their GeForce 4. Given that it's at least double the Ti4600's speed, it should be 20-30% faster than ATi's best. This is only speculation, and we can only support their claims when we test the GFFX in house."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

HyTek Hosting
posted by Josh on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 11:12 PM EST

Grand opening special – NO SETUP FEES

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Phpmyadmin
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Webmail
Perl
Shell Access
E-Mail, AIM & ICQ support
And more… 

$10/month
all above
250MB Storage
20GB Bandwidth 

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all above
500MB Storage
35GB Bandwidth

$20/month
all above
750MB Storage
50GB Bandwidth 

RESELLER PLANS: 

$25/month
Reseller control panel (handle your own customers)
All above features
5GB Storage
50GB Bandwidth

$40/month
All above features
10GB Storage
100 GB Bandwidth 

Payment: Personal check, Money order, PayPal, BidPay, C2it

If you are interested, contact me:
AIM: JS0709
E-Mail: josh@hytekcomputer.com

Check it out at: HyTek Hosting

Innovatek innovaSET1 Water Cooling Kit Review @ MODTHEBOX
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 6:08 PM EST

"The kit ships with an Eheim 1046 AC pump. Innovatek ships the pump with all of its included hardware, although the inlet housing and the PVC fittings are not required. Included with the kit are two brass compression nut fittings for the inlet and outlet of the pump. There are two main reasons these pumps are so popular with water cooling kits. The first is that they operate in complete silence. The only noise I could hear from the pump was the vibration the pump made along the bottom of my case. With some closed-cell foam underneath the unit to absorb the vibration, I couldn’t even tell if the pump was running when the system was operational. The second reason is that Eheim pumps generate little to no heat. With the pump running inline for over 24 hours, the housing was still cool to the touch. Since the unit is also submersible, both inline and reservoir-based systems will enjoy lower coolant temps or case temps with this pump installed. The pump has a removable mounting bracket, so users wishing to permanently secure the pump to the chassis can do so easily."

Check it out at: MODTHEBOX

NV30 (GeForce FX) Preview @ Beyond3D
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 6:04 PM EST

"Colour Compression - 4:1 Z compression techniques have been implemented in prior generations of hardware; however, Intellisample now extends that into colour compression. Again, a 4:1 loss-less compression technique is enabled on the pixel colour information. The process is enabled entirely through hardware and is transparent to the application. The biggest benefits of colour compression will be seen when FSAA is enabled."

Check it out at: Beyond3D

NVIDIA NV30/GeForce FX Official Preview @ HotHardware
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 6:02 PM EST

Our Big Italian in the field, Marco "Big Wop" Chiappetta, reports in today, live from Comdex, with a world's first official debut of NVIDIA's new GeForce FX !

Check it out at: HotHardware

Zalman ZM300A-APF 300W Power Supply Review @ M:6 Hardware
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 6:00 PM EST

"When I first hit the power button, I can't hear anything from the PSU. I thought that maybe the noise was drowned by the other fans, but NO! Even with other fans switched off, I can hardly hear any noise. Very low humm to be exact. You won't even notice the noise unless, of course, you put your ear next to the fan;) Even at the full load the noise is still acceptable."

Check it out at: M:6 Hardware

CPUfx Z4 Watercooling Kit review @ TechSpot
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:59 PM EST

If you are into extreme cooling and overclocking you will want to take a look at CPUfx's Z4 Intercooler, a complete kit packed with everything you will need to get you started for watercooling your PC.

An upgrade from the popular Z3 kit we tested about a year ago, now featuring an inline 12v pump and if you ask for it, a GeForce4 waterblock for watercooling your videocard, too.

Check it out at: TechSpot

Dual Voltage 6 Port Baybus @ OCAddiction
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:56 PM EST

"The only performance improvement you will gain in having installed a Baybus is the ability to change the voltage output on your fans. Normally the Baybus operates in full 12V output, and with this version you have the ability to turn the fan off completely, or operate it at 7V. When you operate the fans at 7V the noise is GREATLY reduced. So when your not running your rig at full tilt, you can give your ears a break and run the fans at 7V."

Check it out at: OCAddiction

Swiftech MCX462+ @ Viper Lair
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:50 PM EST

"Using a 70mm fan, we managed some decent performance out of the heatsink. Using an 80mm fan though, provided outstanding results. The only annoying thing about using an 80mm fan is the snap rivets. Although installation is easy, you're going to need a flathead screwdriver to get these off if you want to change fans."

Check it out at: Viper Lair

Lite-On 40x12x48 vs. 48x12x48, head-to-head @ I Am Not A Geek
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:49 PM EST

"With CD burners getting faster and faster, how do you know when it's time to upgrade? We've compared 2 of Lite-On's fastest burners, the 40x12x48 and the 48x12x48, to help us decide. Is 48x really that much faster than 40x? Read on and find out!"

Check it out at: I Am Not A Geek

Xoxide X450 Aluminum Case Review @ I Am Not A Geek
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:45 PM EST

"Xoxide provides us with a solid aluminum case with an eye-catching side window. With case mods, especially windows, becoming more and more standard, it's nice to see that all windows don't have to be square, rectangle, round or oval. The front acrylic with blue accents adds a touch of class, and the all aluminum construction shows functionality. If you're looking for something above average that won't damage your wallet, take a serious look at this case."

Check it out at: I Am Not A Geek

Cooler Master IHC-H71 Intel P4 478 Review @ 3dXtreme
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:44 PM EST

"The fan used by Cooler Master was a 70x70x25 fan that spins at 6000 rpm. Quite a bit faster than the Spire I've been using which spins around 3000 rpm. 46 Cfm of air comes at a price, 46 dBa to be exact. 46 dBa is much louder than most the other Intel P4 coolers on the market, however not many produce 46 cfm, those fans are mostly used for AMD cooling solutions."

Check it out at: 3dXtreme

Vantec EZ Swap Rack MRK-102FD @ MonkeyReview
posted by Babylon5 on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 5:42 PM EST

The LCD is the last thing I will talk about, this is really the meat of the unit and it’s what sets it apart from your normal HDD rack. The information