News

This goes out to all fallen hero in our armed forces and to all that are serving the country right now. Please take some time out of your day to remember those that have fallen to give us our freedom.

I'm tapped. Check out Halo PC on the gaming site.

Radeon 9800 Pro @ Short-Media.
Epox K8T800 @ PCStats.
Aspire X-Dreamer 2 @ FLHW.
Crucial 9800 Pro @ ClubOC.
VIA CL10000 @ Tweaknews.
asetek Watercooling @ Madshrimps.

Lots of reviews in this post. And be sure to check out my CoolDog Case Review if you haven't.

Hardware:
Asus SK8V @ AMDZone.
P4 3.2C EE @ PCStats.
Hercules 9800SE AIW @ Hexus.

Cases, Cooling and Related:
Tweakmonster EL window thing @ ET.
Coolman LED fan @ FastlaneHW.
CMI BMW Case @ MHW.
Xdreamer 2 @ RBMods.
9800 Pro heatsink mod @ Nexus.
Silverstone Gaming Case @ Short-Media.
TT Volcano 12 Extreme @ HWHell.
And at TT.
CMI Mercedes Case @ TechIMO.
asetek Watercooling @ Ninjalane.

Whatever:
Logitech IO pen @ Bigbruin.
Auravision EL Mouse @ Ohls.
DVD Media Guide @ Designtechnica.
Crucial 256MB thumbdrive @ PCStats.
Logitech MX Duo @ Techjuice. Editor's Choice!

Looking for a cheap and relatively nice case? Look no further if cheapness is your friend. Read on about the Cool Dog Case!Next Page »

Lots of reviews. Damn. Don't worry, I should be caught up by this week.

CMI BMW Case @ TechIMO.
Radeon 9800XT @ TT.
OCZ DDR500 @ OCTools.
Albatron Springdale @ Legitreviews.
Dynapower USA Spiden case @ PCTZ.
Something new @ HWHell.

Okay, more reviews coming soon.

GW 520W PSU @ Madshrimps.
TS Heatronic P4 heatsink @ Frostytech.
SiS 655FX @ PCStats.
Mushkin PC4000 @ VL.
Shuttle SB65G2 @ Hexus.

nVidia has released a new set of Win2K/XP forceware drivers for the nForce chipset series. And this set includes a new version of the often cursed at SW IDE drivers. Let's hope they got those CD burner and hard drive issues cleared up. A list of the fixes and improvements.

- WHQL certified kit for nForce, nForce2, and nForce3
- First release of NVIDIA IDE driver for Windows XP and Windows 2000

General compatibility fixes
Audio Improvements:
- Realtek ALC655 codec support added
- Fix for BSOD on loading DLS files
- Reduced susceptibility to audio glitches under heavy system load; additional fixes for 6 channel GetPosition glitches
- ASIO support for recording at sample rates other than 48kHz; lower and more predictable latency
- Fixes for NOLF. The 3D minimum and maximum distance and the roll off factor were not being taken into account for air absorption. Also modified reverb gain so that the max distance was taken into account
- Fix for EAX reverbs; initialized EAX reverbs to off when querying for the EAX listener interface; updated EAX property handlers to ignore invalid parameters instead of range limiting -- this matches Creative EAX behavior

Direct download here. Win2K/XP nForce v3.13

The best combo of keyboard and mouse, ever. Read this now, before you try to buy another set.Next Page »

Are there chilly winds blowing about the Wintel alliance these days? Might be as I would have never thought that IBM would sign a deal to supply it's PowerPC cpu's to power Microsoft's Xbox 2. Whereas Intel probably doesn't make much in profit supplying older P3 tech cpu's to make Xboxes, this has got to be a blow to Intel's reputation.


IBM Knocks Intel Out of Xbox

Problems and problems, this is the second time something has been DOA sent to me . Ohh well, I have other reviews to post today, I'm hoping to finished the MX Duo review, and a very small case review. Maybe even a third item! Yes, I'm very behind on reviews.

Hardware:
Gigabyte Springdale @ TT. We tested a similiar board.
Soltek nForce 3 @ AMDZone.
VIA M10000 @ TT. We also tested this board.

Other:
Swiftech Watercooling @ ClubOC.
Klipsch 5.1 @ TTZ.
SteelPad 4D @ Tweaknews. I like this pad.
Shuttle SB65G2 @ TT.
Antec Lanboy @ CyberCPU.
Plextor DVR writer @ Designtechnica.
Plextor External DVDRW @ Tweaknews.

Ever wondered how a CPU is made? A layman's version of how the process goes from converting the raw materials into the brains of your PC are explained in this short article over at The Inquirer guide to making CPU's.

Looks like an updated Winamp 5 beta has made it's way onto the web.....


Winamp5 Beta2

Remember that we have a few reviews coming out this weekend. They include some mice and keyboards, some hardware, and more! Look for them.

Icemax fancontroller @ Crazymodders.
Chenbro gaming case @ Ohls.
EZ Watcher barebones @ Legit.
Icemat black @ DVH. A good glass mousepad.
Albatron Springdale @ PCStats.
Gigabyte nForce 3 @ AMDZone.
CM Centurion @ VL.
Chaintec FX5600 U @ Tweaknews.

We've got some more reviews coming out tomorrow and the weekend. Stay tuned for that.

Coolengine T6C @ 3DX.
Arus T6C @ Ninjalane.
Gigabyte nForce 3 @ PCStats.
AOpen P4 heatsink @ Frostytech.
Bytecc HDD Enclosure @ OCIA. We just posted it also.
Sata card @ Madshrimps.
Antec Overture @ PCA.
Vantec Fan controller @ Fastlanehw.

Warp2Search has posted a linky to Nvidia's new System Utility. This utility can be used to monitor your Nforce2/3 based system's voltages and even over/underclock your box all from within windows, without having to reboot your system.

The motherboards that are supported -

NVIDIA nForce2:
-ASUS A7N8X-E
-Biostar M7NCG
-Epox EP-8RDA+
-Epox EP-8RDA3+
-ABIT NF7-S

NVIDIA nForce 3:
-Gigabyte K8NNXP
-Shuttle AN50

Direct linky to the Nvidia System Utility v1.0 for your box clocking pleasure.

OnlyNewz has posted a pile o' links for motherboard bios updates from Tyan, Gigabyte, Soltek, Epox, MSI and Asus, as well as a new Realtek RTL8139/810X series driver to make surfing the web a little easier.

Direct linky to the realtek download page here.

A USB 2.0 external enclosure for review today.



Read up on the whole thing. Nice and Aluminum.

I just posted a new external hard drive enclosure review, make sure you check it out!

Mushkin PC4000 @ Legitreviews.
SteelPad 4D Review @ Ripnet. A better review here.
Wet and Chilly WCing ver2 @ VL.
Abit IC7-Max3 @ TT.
Abit 5600 cards @ Hexus.
Vantec Nexus Fan Controller @ MHW.
TT Lanfire Xaser 3 @ Futurelooks.
ATI AIW 9600 Pro @ Accelenation.

Flash drive and memory card readers are all abound. Need more storage capacity? How about a mobile hard drive! Let's see what this Bytecc USB 2 Enclosure has to offer.Next Page »

Make sure you read the reviews that we put out. More are coming later today sometime.

Winamp remote @ VL.
SLK-947U @ PCA.
Seasonic 300w PSU @ Lanaddict.
OCZ PC4200 @ Madshrimps.
TT X-View @ HWL.

This is hopefully the last mousepad review that we have for awhile.



Read up on the whole thing. This pad is plastic, which is awesome!

Lots of reviews in this news post. If you haven't seen the Logitech MX 700 Review, check that out. Also, check the SteelPad 4D review. There is also a Tron 2.0 review at the new gaming site!

Hardware:
3.2C GHz Pentium 4 @ PCStats.
Asus K8V Deluxe @ AMDZone.
M-Sonic USB Audio @ Short-Media.
Corsair PC3200LL @ Ohls.
OCZ PC3200 @ AMDZone.

Other:
Howto connect your PC to TV @ Madshrimps.
TT Volcano 12 @ 3DX.
Advance A320B @ Hexus.
Antivirus @ Short-Media.
Soltek XPC @ Hexus.
Antec Minuet @ EPIAcenter. Damn fine case.
Case arts mable case @ Furioustech.
AOpen uATX case @ 3DX.
Crucial 7in1 Reader @ Madshrimps. No Big Deal.

Well, well. Many reviews still to come, but for now be sure to read up on the best optical mouse to date!



Get the details here. Remember this is only the start of the review explosion on the site.

The new version of the SteelPad is plastic, and that is a welcome change to me. Let's find out how the new and cheaper pad handles itself.Next Page »

Beta ATI Catalyst 3.9 drivers version 6.14.10.6396 are being hosted for download over at Station Drivers's ATI driver page.

The following chipsets are supported in this beta -

Radeon 9200, 9600 & 9800 chipsets

It includes control panel 6.14.10.5057

Bios version 22, for Abit's NF7 version 1.X boards is now available for download using the Flashmenu v1.30

Direct linky for the bin file in case you want to store to disk- NF7 Bios v22

As a precaution, always reset your bios to defaults first before flashing to a new bios.

Apparently AOL is going into users system settings to make adjustments to close the port which windows messenger service (this isn't the same thing as the MS Messenger IM client) uses, without the users permission due thier efforts to combat popup spamming. Is this a violation of the the The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?

"They are trying to do the right thing ... but you sort of feel dirty after you hear it," said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer for Counterpane Internet Security Inc. "It's a very dangerous precedent in having companies go into your computer and turn things on and off."

AOL Story

For those users (at least in XP. W2K too?) who wish to turn the service off themselves just go into the control panel > admin tools > services > messenger. Right click on the service, then properties and choose disabled from the 'startup type' box and click apply. You can also choose to stop the service from the same menu.

A new version of Mother board monitor has been released with a ton of new fixes and support for new sensor chips and boards.

MBM v5350

Not sure which sensor to use for you motherboard when setting up MBM? Use thier motherboard sensor list.

We passed 4 Million Page views early this week! And as a reminder, make sure You get in on the hat contest. All you have to do is post to that thread and make a few other posts to win an awesome ASE Labs Hat!

Look for Version 3 on the horizon as well, and another contest!

I just put up a review on the Logitech MX 700 mouse. Quickly, read it! We've got more reviews coming today and tomorrow!

SiS 655FX @ Accelenation. Our review will be out this weekend.
Auras T6C @ Frostytech.
nVidia FX5700 and 5950 @ Hexus.
XGI Volari new GPU @ PCStats.
Albatron nForce 2 U @ Myworld.
Seagate drives @ RBMods.
Enermax USB Enclosure @ VL.