EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLI nForce 4 SLI AMD Review

Subject: Motherboards | May 20, 2005 - 12:26 PM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

Our own Jonathan Hung has put together a review of the EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLI nForce 4 SLI AMD Motherboard If you are planning to build a new SLI system you will want to look this one over.

The EPoX EP-9NPA+SLI is a very strong contender in the increasingly crowded SLI market. What sets this board apart from the rest is the great feature set and the cheaper price.

Another mixed cooling bag & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 20, 2005 - 11:41 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

The one liquid cooling review I have to give you comes from MODTHEBOX, the Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80.  If you are wondering, it's an 80mm-based radiator, and you can also get a 120mm version.  It has no abliilty to add video cooling to it, so here's a few new coolers below, in case you need 'em!

"One unique aspect of the Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 is the inclusion of an integrated pump and reservoir housing. This all-in-one solution works well with case interiors tight on free space.

Google Announces Personalized Home Page

Subject: General Tech | May 20, 2005 - 11:35 AM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

Google has released its new personalized homepage service which include news, weather and stock information along with other customizable features.

Citing user requests to coalesce it's disparate services, Google yesterday released its new personalized homepage service.

Everything USB reviews keyboard aimed at the HTPC crowd

Subject: General Tech | May 20, 2005 - 08:56 AM | Dave Phelps
Tagged:

With Home Theater PCs becoming more commonplace, we begin to see more items aimed at that segment of enthusiast. Everything USB takes a look at a new keyboard that ends the frustration of controling your PC from the couch.

With the PC quickly becoming a part of many people's entertainment center, the universal remote is suddenly not so universal.

Why You Shouldn't Always Unsubscribe From Emails

Subject: Systems | May 19, 2005 - 10:02 PM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

Have you ever unsubscribed from one spam related email only to find yourself inundated with countless more later on? Extensiontech has done an Investigative Report on Why You Shouldn't Always Unsubscribe From Emails This may save you some spam in the long run.

This all started from me being spammed by some "Online Adult Dating Service" spam email. Of course my Spam Assassin caught it, and labeled it appropriately though. I guess I just had some weird inclination to go look around.

Blu-Ray DVD's Hit 100 GB

Subject: Storage | May 19, 2005 - 05:24 PM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

TDK has unveiled a 100 GB Blu-Ray disc at a Tokyo exibition this week. TDK has achieved this higher capacity by making this a four layer disc that can record data at 72Mbps (bits per second), double the 36Mbps rate for current Blu-Ray Discs. More can be read at The Register and at Macworld

The beast holds up to 100GB of data.

Aerocool Gatewatch

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 19, 2005 - 02:00 PM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

GruntvillE has put together a nice review on the Aerocool Gatewatch fan contoller.

The Gatewatch unit is made of a plastic material that matches the aluminum cases very well. This unit comes in silver aluminum and black only. The front plate is plastic, but the base of the unit is aluminum. Recently I reviewed the Coolpanel from Aerocool, which was made entirely of plastic, which made mounting the unit difficult. I do not expect the plastic screwholes to last long.

ASUS EN6800Ultra-DUAL GPU Preview

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 19, 2005 - 09:34 AM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

Virtual Zone has a preview of a dual 6800 Ultra GPU card from ASUS. This thing is just monstrous!

ASUS is going to launch their new EN6800Ultra Dual card later this month at Computex that features two 6800Ultra GPUs on a single card.

Nvidia Geforce 6600/6600GT Videocard Roundup

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 19, 2005 - 09:16 AM | Chuck Smith
Tagged:

Mike Dowler has put together a nine card Nvidia Geforce 6600/6600GT Roundup at PCStats. This roundup tests both AGP and PCI Express versions of the 6600/6600GT cards.

The Geforce 6600/6600GT GPU, like its opposite the ATI X700/X700 PRO, offers considerably more for the money than the mainstream cards of previous generations did. PCstats is testing out nine Geforce 6600 and Geforce 6600 GT based videocards, in both AGP and PCI Express versions.

Compucase gets Compu-reviewed

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 18, 2005 - 10:57 PM | Dave Phelps
Tagged:

This Prescott Compliant budget case gets put in the hot seat over at 3DVelocity.

Off to E3

Subject: Editorial | May 17, 2005 - 11:42 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: blog

Well, in about 6 hours I'll be on a plane to LA for this years Electronics Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as the mecha of the gaming world.  While the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Revolution announcements have all already been shown, now its time to get the nose on the floor and hunt out information on the hardware behind these beasts!

Look for updates in my weblog and on the main site during the show!

A Whole Lot of Ageia PhysX News

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 07:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

A whole lot of press releases from Ageia, the pioneers of the PhysX physics processing unit, hit my inbox a bit ago. 

First up, it looks like the Playstation 3 is going to have some Ageia Physics middleware to aid in development of games on the new console.  Fans of City of Hereos and those looking forward to City of Villians will be interested to know that the Ageia NovodeX physics software is going to be used in the engine for the g

AOpen to introduce Pentium M motherboard using desktop 915G chipset

Subject: Motherboards | May 17, 2005 - 11:40 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

I have yet to see the first AOpen 915-based motherboard that was "released" but the company is already planning a second one. 

The i915GA-HFS will support a number of improved features over the recently released 915Mm-HFS motherboard, which is based on the mobile Intel 915GM Express chipset.

Ride in the NV RV?

Subject: General Tech | May 17, 2005 - 11:17 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

If you happen to be in LA this week during E3, keep an eye out for the "NV RV"!  I'll try to wiggle my way in and see what kind of luxuries I can partake in.  ;)

ATI and Microsoft Usher in the HD Era of Gaming

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 10:40 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

ATI just sent this PR out over the wire. 

ATI and Microsoft Usher in the HD Era of Gaming

Xbox 360 redefines the visual experience: unparalleled performance drives new levels of realism and immersion

E3 - LOS ANGELES, CA

— May 17, 2005 — The era of HD gaming is in full effect at E3 2005 with ATI Technologies Inc.

ATI Mobility X700 Reviewed

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 10:36 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

Beyond3D.com has taken a look at a notebook featuring the ATI X700 Mobility part to see how it stacks up as a gaming machine. 

As well as comparing the performance of the Mobility Radeon X700 with relatively freshly taken scores from the desktop X700 PRO and X600 XT we'll also compare it against the previous performances of the Mobility Radeon 9800 and X800, where we can.

BFG 6800 Ultra OC 512 MB Review

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 10:34 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

Chris Angelini has written up a review of the BFG 6800 Ultra 512 MB card for Firingsquad today.  If you feel a need to spend $1000+ on a graphics card, you're in luck!  ;)

This is a tough one to call, and it took collaboration between a couple of FS staffers to determine if spending one grand on a graphics card represents the epitome of hardcore or the depths of foolishness. In the end, we fell right about in the middle.

Gigabyte 955X Royal Motherboard Review

Subject: Motherboards | May 17, 2005 - 10:31 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

HardwareZone has a review up of the Gigabyte 955X motherboard, dubbed the "Royal". 

Performance-wise, the GA-8I955X Royal was able to perform as well and in some cases outperform the Intel 925XE Express reference board, meeting our expectations for the new chipset. It also showed some exceptional performance in the hard drive subsystem testing.