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The terms "classic" and "modern" are often tacked onto designs that are
neither modern, nor classic (much like the overused "extreme");
however, true classics, modern or otherwise, are easy to spot. The
distinction for me became clear several years back when I was looking
through a book of modern home designs and w... |
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Every task is easier and yields better results when you have the right
tools. If your task is piloting a jet fighter to digital dogfighting
victory, then a good flight stick is a must. If your cockpit of choice
is the front seat of a Formula One race car and your victories are
celebrated with checkered flags, then today's review of the new |
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Building your PC on a budget is a lot more fun when that budget is
closer to $3,000 than $1,000; but, sadly, most of us read about the
wallet busting uber cards and buy the budget and mid-range cards out of
fiscal necessity. The good news is that the current budget segment has
some pretty decent choices--like the Sapphire Radeon X1650 PRO we wi... |
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| "Vantec, a company known for different forms of external storage, is the next in line to release a pod. The NexStar Hard Drive Dock is an incredible looking device that will take any 2.5 or 3.5 internal drive and make it external. And all this is done without having to disassemble anything. All you h..." |
Posted by: Franz on 4/18/08 @ 07:05:30PM |
Hardware |
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| "AeroCool may not be the first name you think of when you are
talking about power supplies but, AeroCool would like to change that
and if this power supply is any reflection on their new line-up a
large number of people will be talking about it." |
Posted by: Franz on 4/18/08 @ 07:02:20PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Though this might be interesting for those WC heads out there looking for their next CPU block. Give it a read, the EX Supreme has a very interesting design worth looking at.
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| "Today we add two new blocks to our previous roundup, newcomer EK Supreme out of Slovenia and Koolance replacement to their CPU-330 the CPU-340." |
Posted by: Franz on 4/17/08 @ 08:24:01AM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: I know what I spent my refund on, and I wish it was some new PC parts. But, hey we can't all have what we want. Well, I sorta did, the wife got a new fridge and I got some pieace and quiet.
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| "Today is April 15th, 2008 and that means that it is the day taxes are due in the United States. While this is a time of stress for many Americans it shouldn't be as you might be one of the many that is expecting a substantial income tax refund this year. It turns out that over 70 percent of America..." |
Posted by: Franz on 4/17/08 @ 08:12:01AM |
Hardware |
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Lets Move the Page Shall we? |
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Posted by: Franz on 4/15/08 @ 07:56:06AM |
All |
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| "AMD recently released two new ATI TV Wonder HD tuners, both of which have been in our lab for the past few months. In that time, we've put them through numerous tests to see what each one was made of. While the 600 PCI left a bit to be desired, the 650 Combo USB proves to do a lot of things right." |
Posted by: Franz on 3/2/08 @ 02:32:44PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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| "The Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 that we specifically looked at in this article did very well in the benchmarks and consistently beat the AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition quad-core processor. This goes to show how well the Wolfdale core has been developed and also how bad of a position AMD is in when it come..." |
Posted by: Franz on 3/2/08 @ 02:18:28PM |
Hardware |
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| "In the world of computer cases, it seems that far too many do not stand out from the crowd. Cooler Master has decided to break tradition and create something special. With many features not seen before and full eATX compatibility, how well does the Cosmos S stand out?" |
Posted by: Franz on 3/2/08 @ 02:15:34PM |
Hardware |
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| "The Lian Li Armoursuit PC-P80 is, despite the garish Spiderman look of this particular review sample in my eyes, a rather attractive proposition as a case. The overall design is simple, functional and to-the-point on the basic, non-branded model and the addition of fans all over the case means that ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 3/2/08 @ 02:07:53PM |
Hardware |
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| "NVIDIA’s 3-way SLI indeed works but at the price of entry, it had better. The problem however is that in this instance it is based on technology that is approaching the end of its life. The 8800 GTX and Ultra have all but been replaced by the 8800 GTS 512MB and the 9000 series cards have already st..." |
Posted by: Franz on 3/2/08 @ 02:02:50PM |
Hardware |
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9600 GT REVIEWS |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/23/08 @ 05:15:01PM |
Hardware |
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| "Today I'm reviewing the Silverstone SST-KL03B-w. Will it make the grade? Silverstone is well-known for making quality enclosures, particularly for its high end cases, in both the full-tower and home theatre pc format. Given this pedigree, I expect this case will be no different." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/23/08 @ 04:57:06PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Have some quick posts here for everyone, I'm gonna try to get back into the swing of things. Start off with a review about a vid card that has caused a bit of a stir on several sites, the dual-gpu 3870 X2.
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| "Does a multi-GPU setup with one card interest you? You may want to take a look at AMD's latest high-end offering, the HD 3870 X2. We are taking a look at ASUS' version of the card which features a fantastic bundle, including an HDMI adapter and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/18/08 @ 07:52:51PM |
Hardware |
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| "Today TechwareLabs takes a look at the Tagan 900W power supply which includes some unique features we have not seen elsewhere. If you like lights and adding not only a powerful, reliable power supply to your case but also a components which will attract attention then the Tagan BZ900 may be just wha..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/18/08 @ 07:44:50PM |
Hardware |
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| "With more and more enthusiasts relying on external hard drives to backup and transport their data with, it is no wonder that the market is simply inundated with these kinds of devices. iStarUSA's newest offering, the T-7MI removable internal hard drive rack, looks to do something different by attra..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/18/08 @ 07:41:54PM |
Hardware |
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| "The case isn't just a gimmick, because it actually does have plenty of useable features. There is the potential for excellent cooling all around given the number of fans included and the fans that can be added. The open rear chassis almost appeared a bit odd since I'm so use to a closed chassis. H..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/18/08 @ 07:39:24PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Now, I am not a fan of all acrylic cases, mainly because they show every bit of dirt and dust bunny that the house. This one is no different, all be it a HTPC case. That might suit someones fancy.
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| "Construction of the case from the kit required no large amounts of time, skill or patience. Easy and quick to put together and no surprises is just what I like to hear with any build kit. Lots of room for up to eight hard drives, the ability to take extended PSUs, VGA cards and oversized coolers c..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/17/08 @ 06:46:22PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Looking at smaller CPU coolers for the case that I put a system in recently, since who really wants to run a stock cooler, just because it fits. This little gem just might fit the bill.
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| "We just finished a review on one of AeroCools newest SSF case
and now we have the oppurtunity to review one of their new heatpipe
CPU cooler. The AeroCool SilverWind combine 15 circular horizontal
fins with a solid 104 fin aluminum heatsink block and a variable
speed fan ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/17/08 @ 06:43:11PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: While this review compares beginner's WC to top dollar Air Cooling, this WC kit from Swiftech seems to be a good place to start dabbling in the black arts of water cooling. It comes with all of what you should need to WC today's CPU's, and with only two major parts, it should be hard to mess things up.
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| "There is a fine line between effective watercooling and relying on people believing that it is by definition better than air. Chilling by water is much more involved than a simple HSF combo, which normally holds people back from taking the plunge. With several components (radiator, reservoir, water ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 11/4/07 @ 07:40:46AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: BIOSTAR? I must be outa my mind head posting a review about a BIOSTAR mobo. Well yeah, but then I've read the review and I'm actually a bit surprised myself. Take a look, if you are after that P35 but can't see spending GIGABYTE $'s for it
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| "We have been given the chance to review Biostar’s new T series board based around the P35 chipset supporting DDR3 memory. P35 has been the real show card for Intel and just about everyone has been jumping on the bandwagon; and who can blame them? DDR2 or DDR3 on the one chipset along with CrossFire ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 11/4/07 @ 07:24:35AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: All I can say is that I thought this was just gonna be another normal old case that would bore me to death. But I stared flipping pages and stated seeing things that made me go, "Wow, that's NZXT?" Yeah, take a look, it's a LANer too, it even has its own carrying strap. Very cool.
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| "NZXT have been champions of the gamer case market for a while now. In order to keep a top position, you need to keep pumping out interesting cases designed for every user. To fit this bill, they’ve releases the Rogue. Featuring a box shaped design and LAN carrying strap, it should be able to keep NZ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 11/2/07 @ 06:42:53PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Case Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 10/14/07 @ 06:03:10PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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PSU Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 10/14/07 @ 12:47:30PM |
Hardware |
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News Catch up |
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Posted by: Franz on 10/6/07 @ 08:06:46AM |
All |
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Franz: Man, this little WB is just that, LITTLE. And it performs quite well for its size, given the real lack of surface area that other blocks have.
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| "TTIC has been around since the late 90's, though it's only since few years that they jumped into the desktop CPU cooling market.
Because of their advanced knowledge of heatpipe technology they have already accomplished quite a bit, now TTIC is exploring a very
new world, water coolin..." |
Posted by: Franz on 9/7/07 @ 07:38:44AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Catch Up for a few days |
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Posted by: Franz on 8/26/07 @ 07:26:58PM |
All |
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Franz: Man, Asus hit it right on the mark with their new mobo's based on the Intel P35 chipset. These puppies sure pack a ton of great features and even come with a NB heat sink that can be connected to your WC loop!
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| "There are numerous P35 boards available, so what does a company have to do to have an edge? Well, as far as ASUS is concerned, they should produce feature-packed boards that also come with many extras, including a game and 3D Mark 06. Oh... not to mention a water-cooled northbridge!" |
Posted by: Franz on 8/5/07 @ 06:36:03PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: This CPU cooler has a bit of an issue with Identity. It thinks its both an Air cooler and a Water cooler. Don't believe me? Then read the review and find out.
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| "Kingwin's first product released with their hybrid cooling system looks to be a success. The best of both worlds blended in a well performing, well designed product priced at $50. The only drawback worth mentioning was the sound level. The volume of the 100mm fan on the Gladiator was indeed very..." |
Posted by: Franz on 8/5/07 @ 06:22:31PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Zalman is at it again with more great stuff. This case is a monster when it comes to goodies, yes you really need to take a look at this one.
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| "The case itself though is even more impressive than our initial impressions lead us to believe. Not only does it look good to the eye, but the build quality is through the roof thanks to some thick, removable aluminium panels and the tight fit of the individual components. The insides of the case ar..." |
Posted by: Franz on 8/5/07 @ 06:11:25PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Now this is what I call a fan controller. It has an LCD readout, controls for up to 4 fans, 4 thermal probes for monitoring up to 4 different temps, and even a volume control. Pretty neat if you ask me.
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| "A long time ago, there wasn’t much you could do with an empty drive bay apart from maybe another disc drive. These days there are many different front panels that you can purchase for reasonable prices; Fan controllers, temperature readouts, VU meters, Card readers, the list is extensive." |
Posted by: Franz on 7/29/07 @ 09:21:45AM |
Hardware |
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| Jul, 2008 |
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