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March 2003
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3-31-2003 |
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 WebMasterP
Now even your small form factor (SFF) cases are not safe. ModTown has modded a SK41G. I have mixed feelings about the end result, but overall I would say it turned out pretty good.
| Athlon 2600+ Packaged as 1800+ |
WebMasterP
OCPrices.com has posted an article about their Magic Athlon XP 1800+. This article just goes to show that, yes indeed, some people have all the luck. See: "This particular chip was originally a 2600+, and AMD [has] simply siphoned off batches from faster production lines to supplement slower models where demand is higher."
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3-28-2003 |
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| IBM & NVIDIA Form Strategic Alliance |
WebMasterP
In case you haven't already heard, NVIDIA and IBM are forming a 'business aliance.' Basically, NVIDIA is going to have IBM fabricate chips for video cards because IBM can do some better and/or cheaper.EAST FISHKILL, N.Y., & SANTA CLARA, CA. -- MARCH 26, 2003 -- IBM and NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) today announced the two companies have formed a multi-year strategic alliance under which IBM will manufacture NVIDIA's next-generation GeForce graphics processor units (GPUs). Read the rest here: http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?IO=IO_20030325_7334. Normally, I would be scared. However, I just remembered that I don't make GPUs, so I'm not in competition with NVIDIA. 
| Sneak Peak at 800MHz FSB Performance |
WebMasterP
Anandtech has posted a Sneak Peak at 800MHz FSB Performance. "With the 865 and 875 platforms, Intel will be enabling support for a 800MHz FSB and thus a new line of 800MHz FSB Pentium 4 CPUs also due out shortly. But what sort of performance boost should we expect out of increasing the FSB to 800MHz? That's exactly the question we're looking to answer today as we perform our first tests at 800MHz.>" As expected, the performance are good where bandwidth is important and minimal elsewhere.
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3-27-2003 |
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WebMasterP
EnvyNews has posted a complete and well written review of the SyncMaster 172T. Samsung makes a mean LCD monitor, just ask the reviewer. 
WebMasterP
OCAddiction has reviewed a water pump, the Hydor L30 320 GPH Water Pump. No offense to the guys at OCAddiction but the review is pretty useless. There is only one picture and the review is only two full paragraphs long. I do not even know why I posted it.
WebMasterP
There are a couple new case reviews out and about. First up, DeviantPC has reviewed the Coolermaster 201C-SX1. The 201C-SX1 is a very sleek aluminum case with great fan placement (in my opinion). Also, an Enermax CS-10182 Case has been reviewed at NexusHardware. When Enermax designed this case, they were definitely into making people happy and trying new things (e.g. the HDD mounts are rotated 90 deg to face the side).
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3-25-2003 |
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WebMasterP
Explosive Labs has posted an article called 'Intel Q&A - The Answers.' They have answers to thirteen questions. So, if you want to know the answer to questions like:"With the success of the nforce2 motherboards, are you guys going to start engineering a integrated graphics chipset that is more mainstream in performance?" you'll have to read the article.
WebMasterP
Sorry, there has not been any new posts in the past couple of days; I was hitting the slopes in what was some of the best snowboarding of the year up at Mount Baker (1.5+ feet of new powder every day). I would like to thank Dave (or 'AAA' in the forums) for the seriously awesome hook ups!
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3-21-2003 |
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WebMasterP
CyberCPU.net has posted a very short review on an OCZ cooler, the OCZ Dominator 2-CU. It's very short and performance based, which is what some would argue heatsink reviews should be like.
| Yeong Yang B0221 Sound Damped Case |
WebMasterP
BurnOutPC.com has reviewed a Yeong Yang B0221 Cube Sound Damped Chasis. If you're interested in peace and quiet, check this out. However, expect tradeoffs for the silence.
WebMasterP
Extreme Overclocking has reviewed a 256MB stick of PC3500 Basic Series DDR RAM from OCZ. It's a four page review and they put it through a decent amount of testing.
| Logitech Z-680 Speaker System |
WebMasterP
Design Technica has reviewed the Logitech Z-680 Speaker System. Please don't pay attention to the user reviews. Apparently the guy who posted the first user review thinks white noise is acceptable for a 'powerful speaker system.' However, I have the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1's and I don't get white noise until extremely high (and unbearable) volume levels. This doesn't take away from the actual review, I just thought I'd rant about the user's ignorance and let you know (in case you didn't) that white noise shouldn't be a normal occurance in a quality speaker system.
| Lamps Electronics Cold Cathodes |
WebMasterP
Red & Blackness Mods has reviewed some Lamps Electronics Cold cathodes. The Engish and spelling isn't spectacular, but the content is there. So, if you are looking for some cold cathodes check this review out.
WebMasterP
GamingIn3D.com has reviewed the Zalman CNPS5700D-Cu. While this quiet cooler is not compared to a lot of different coolers, it is tested in numerous situations to give you a really clear understanding of the products noise/performance ratio.
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3-19-2003 |
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| Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop [Bluetooth] |
WebMasterP
Overclocker's Austrailia have reviewed the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth. It's a pretty cool setup but it's going to cost you a pretty penny, $399 but I'm not sure if that's Aussie bucks or US. Either way, it's still a lot of money.
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3-17-2003 |
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WebMasterP
OCIA has reviewed the 3aCooler Z-Bra HSF. I strongly recommend you read the 'update' link he posted at the end of the review. This problem seems to be more and more prevalent with heatsinks I've been using as well. The clips lose their form after only a few uses.
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3-13-2003 |
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DuffMan
Since the "help" functions in any Microsoft program I've used rarely address any particular problem I'm having, I usually find myself digging through the Microsoft Knowledge Base. Someone with too much time on their hands has gone through and collected many of these articles with a humorous content that does not bode well for the software giant. Oh well.... it's fun to check out anyway.
Look at the funny MSKB articles.
WebMasterP
HardOCP has reviewed the GeForceFX 5200 & 5600. Very mixed and interesting results. Personally, I would rather get a Radeon 9800 at this point in time.
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3-12-2003 |
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WebMasterP
OverclockersOnline has reviewed the Soyo P4I 845PE which, of course, is based off of the 845PE chipset. It's only 5 pages so it won't kill you to peruse it either.
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3-11-2003 |
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WebMasterP
In VIA's normal fashion, they have put out a chipset (the KT400) and now they're putting out a revision of it to correct all the things they got wrong the first time. HardOCP has a KT400A Preview. I'm sure it's lacklust performance isn't going to help it any. After all, the nForce2 seems to tie, if not beat, the KT400A in every benchmark. Sure, it's a preview but unless VIA makes some major tweaks its not going to make it into many systems.
WebMasterP
Red & Blackness Mods has reviewed a can of pcToys Neon Maxx black light accent paint. The product looks pretty cool even though the review has some issues. But what can you expect from a guy who calls his NIC a 'LAN Card' [Edit: well, not anymore, he fixed it]?
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3-6-2003 |
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WebMasterP
It seems ATI has lifted their NDA and let loose the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Here are some reviews:HardOCP ReviewBeyond3D ReviewHexus.net Review
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3-5-2003 |
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| Misc. Motherboard Reviews |
WebMasterP
I have got couple of unrelated motherboard reviews for you. The first is of an Intel 845PE based board, Albatron PX845PEV Pro. The second is a nForce2 board reviewed at Hexus, the MSI K7N2-L. Variety is always good, right?
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3-4-2003 |
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| Skyhawk Aluminum AL4378D-SL Chassis |
WebMasterP
TwistedMods.com has reviewed the Skyhawk Aluminum AL4378D-SL Chassis. They cite the motherboard as 'you get what you pay for' and for an aluminum chassis, it's pretty damn cheap.
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3-3-2003 |
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| AMD Mobo makers getting cheap? |
WebMasterP
Normally I don't link to rants in forums because they are usually drivel. However, Witch in the ViperLair forums has posted an AMD Mobo Rant. I tend to agree with him about most parts, except I will continue to buy AMD motherboards because I found a company that makes quality boards (EPoX) consistently, as opposed to the ABIT boards I was using.
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3-2-2003 |
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WebMasterP
VoidedWarranty has come up with a sure-fire way to void the warranty on your hard drive. So, if you're wanting to make sure the warranty on your HDD is completely void and make it look cool in the process, try their Hard Drive Window Mod.
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