Matrox Parhelia Launch Review by CrackMaster , June 29, 2002

Neoseeker had the opportunity to review the matrox Parhelia at their launch. They have gots pics of Quake, and Counterstrike on a three screen setup that you have to check out! Here's a piece: "The last time I heard from Matrox was the release of their G550 multi-display graphics card. For a long time, I thought nVidia had beaten them but boy was I wrong. Matrox is back and with a powerhouse, the Parhelia. This card is the first graphics card to utilize 512 bit graphics. Designed to handle multiple displays, the Parhelia has a powerful engine that will provide a worthy challenge to existing ATI and nVidia boards."[time=1025387209

Abit BD7II RAID mobo by CrackMaster , June 29, 2002

Accelenation.com reviewed Abit BD7II RAID mobo which uses the new i845E chipset from Intel. Here's a quote: "Abit has once again produced a strong board which blends performance with lots of overclocking features. The BD7II is a solid board if you’re into overclocking and achieving maximal performance from your setup. While the board has a lot of good points, it does have a few negative points."[time=1025387317

Samsung SyncMaster 151S Review by CrackMaster , June 29, 2002

At Gaming in 3D you can read a review of Samsung SyncMaster 151S. Take a quote: "So where does this leave us? Well, most 15" LCDs these days start around $400. Take a browse around a Staples or Office Depot and you'll see a whole bunch around that price range. Meaning? There's plenty of competition. Competition is good. Now, don't think that this automatically drops prices...15" LCDs aren't going to get much cheaper in the short term...but it DOES mean the companies are going to scrap it out to make the best damn monitor possible for $400."[time=1025387406

Thermalright SLK-800 Heatsink Reivew by CrackMaster , June 29, 2002

SystemCooling has taken a look at the Thermalright SLK-800 Heatsink. "Since the release of the now famous Thermalright SK-6 many months ago enthusiasts have clamored for an 80mm version. The cry was renewed recently with the introduction of the SLK-600. Well, it seems Thermalright was listening and the SLK-800 is their response!!"[time=1025387526

CPU-FX's Z4 Aqua Watercooling System Review by CrackMaster , June 27, 2002

Amdmb.com has released a new article today that discusses the CPU-FX Z4 Aqua Watercooling System. Here's a quote: "The Z4 Aqua is the direct result of 3 yrs worth of ongoing R&D by CPU-FX .The Z4 Aqua has had several different maze designs prior to their new Gear Star maze design and while I really cant comment on how the older designs performed ,the new Gear Star maze design performs admirably. The newly designed Z4 Aqua combines a gear-star mazed silver plated copper alloy core for maximum heat absorption with an aluminium top for maximum heat dissipation."[time=1025185910

Review of the AOpen CRW4048 CD burner by CrackMaster , June 27, 2002

Active-Hardware posted a review of the AOpen CRW4048 CD burner. "It was only shortly after our review of the AOpen CRW3248, which had a write/re-write/read speed of 32x/12x/48x, that AOpen sent us a sample of their new CRW4048, which, as its name indicates operates at 40x/12x/48x. It is our pleasure to be testing this baby today."[time=1025186013

Imperial Case Video Review by CrackMaster , June 27, 2002

3dGameMan.com posted a video review of Imperial Case (w/Temp. Sensor. "The Imperial Case while very inexpensive and having sleek looks it has no removable motherboard try and space inside is limited. It does however have many positive features; exhaust fan at the rear, temperature sensor with readout at the front, turbo cooling switch, auto control cooling system and also has a Firewire and two USB connections at the front."[time=1025186088

Warcraft 3 Review by CrackMaster , June 27, 2002

Icronic have tested Warcraft 3. "It’s been 8 years since Blizzard gave us the last incarnation of the Warcraft world. In that time a lot has changed in the realm of Real-Time Strategy. That’s not to say Blizzard have been completely left out, however. Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood War, continued their presence in the world of RTS, though not their previous dominance. Games such as the Command and Conquer series, Age of Empires/Age of Empires 2, Homeworld, the Total War series, and even Starcraft all brought different elements to the genre. So the question is, what has Warcraft 3 brought to the party? "[time=1025186170

Chieftec 360/420 Watt Power Supply Review by CrackMaster , June 27, 2002

PCTweaks.de have tested a Chieftec 360/420 Watt power supply. Check out their review![time=1025186399

Dr Thermal TIV8639L vs Thermaltake Dragon by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

PC Abusers has up a P4 CPU Cooler review, the Dr Thermal TIV8639L vs the Thermaltake P4 Dragon and stock Intel cooling. Here’s a clip: "The DR Thermal was the best performing heatsink in this group, and provided consistently better results than the Intel unit. It was nearly as quiet as the Intel unit and had a very good level of finish. The P4 Dragon outperformed the Intel unit when the cpu was not loaded, but did not seem to be able to handle the additional heat from 100% CPU utilization as well. The Thermaltake unit did come with the 3-speed fan controller, which is an excellent idea and unexpected on a $21 unit."[time=1024769586

Samsung SW232B & SW240B CD-RW Drives by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

Accelenation.com took a look at these 32-speed and 40-speed CD-writer drives from Samsung. Here's a quote: "Samsung’s entry into the retail CD-RW market should be greeted and welcomed with greatly. Both their SW232B and SW240B drives are great performers that perform up to their rated speeds for both reading and writing tasks. With the SW232B costing a mere $66 at GoogleGear and the SW240B becoming available soon most likely for less then $100, they should be taken into consideration for your next CD-RW purchase."[time=1024769659

ATI FireGL8800 by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

LostCircuits have run the ATI FireGL 8800 through the motions: "After years of absence, the name FireGL makes a come-back, this time it is ATi instead of Diamond Multimedia who are carrying the FireGL brand name. Positioned as a budget solution rather than a true competitor with the high-end solutions from nVidia and 3DLabs, the FireGL has a lot to offer and a few things that are missing. We have taken the card and run it through the mills, ripped it apart and put it back together on any system possible as long as it was fast enough."[time=1024769750

Eizo - FlexScan L365 review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

At IT Reviews you can read a review of an Eizo FlexScan L365 LCD monitor. Here's a quote: "In applications where desk space is at a premium, this sleek, compact display is one of the most appropriate solutions."[time=1024769893

ECS AG400T8-64 Graphis Card by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

OcWorkBench posted an exclusive review of ECS AG400T8-64 Graphis card based on SiS Xabre 400 chipset. "AG400T8-64 is a 64MB DirectX8.1 AGP 8x card. It uses 3.3ns 64MB DDR SDRAM and supports tv-out and 3D glasses. It has a Memory Clk : DDR 500Mhz, Engine Clk : 250 Mhz. It uses the SiS301 chip for NTSC and PAL encoding for TV-OUT and it could be used for dual display or mirror display."[time=1024770045

Athlon MP Brings Star Wars Movies to Life! by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

Amdmb.com has gotten a lengthy press release all about the work that ILM did on Star Wars Episode II and how the Athlon MP platform helped. They even touch a bit on the excitement over the upcoming Hammer processors. Here's a quote: "Digital pre-visualization, also known as animatics, elevates the art of cinema storyboarding far beyond the traditional black and white drawings of the last century. With desktop computers powered by AMD Athlon MP™ processors and readily available software, it is possible to bring animation, texture and mood to the earliest stages of movie production."[time=1024770148

Abit KX7-333R Mobo Video Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

3dGameMan.com tested Abit KX7-333R Motherboard (Socket 462). "The Abit KX7-333R Motherboard yet again proves Abit has a commitment to reliability, service and serious performance. One of the strong points of this motherboard is the ability for very high and stable front side bus settings which means overclockers will love this board." [time=1024771567

Cornea Systems MP704 LCD Display by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

At PCStats you can read a review of Cornea Systems MP704 17inch TFT LCD display. Take a quote: "In any event, that is long preamble to the introduction of Cornea Systems and their MP704 17" LCD monitor. The LCD panel features a brightness of 250cd/m2 and contrast ratio of 400:1. In stark contrast to the industry trend, Cornea disclose their pixel response time at 25ms. This number is often difficult to find, and has a large bearing on how a display looks in fast FPS games or action-oriented DVD's. The more important display specs are listed below for your consultation."[time=1024771656

FIC AT31 Motherboard Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

Tweakers Asylum just finished putting up their review of the FIC AT31 (ATi IGP 320 / A3) motherboard. Here are some details: “If you're looking for an "All In One" system with a sticker price even the most budget minded end user could swallow, the FIC AT31 is an EXCELLENT CHOICE and deserves a second look. With all of the features it comes packed with, I for one could easily swallow the $100 price tag! If however you're the "Hardcore Gamer" that demands the ultimate in performance, exit quickly before the AT31's attractive layout draws you in.....”[time=1024771743

AMD vs Intel editorial by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

Monster-Hardware returns to some more traditional computer hardware fodder and posted an editorial on AMD vs Intel. Here's a clip: "I was an AMD fan. I had nothing but respect for AMD, but lately I am starting to lose some of my respect for AMD. They make great processors and I currently have a 1700+ in my main rig. However I am beginning to warp over to the dark side. I am no longer an AMD fan, but I am also not an Intel fan."[time=1024771867

Mentor P4 Cooler by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

CoolCase4u.com tested a Mentor P4 cooler. Check out the review![time=1024797575

Windowed Kingwin Case Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

The Overclocker Café has just posted up their review of the Kingwin KT436B-WM windowed aluminum case. Here is a snip: “Effectively, with the exception of the windows, power button, and two fewer case fans, the KT436 and KT436B-WM are identical. The KT-436B like its brother, it incorporates all the features you have come to expect in high end cases but adding a choice of colored front bezels. The windows were a nice addition and we were surprised at how much we liked the see through three sides look.”[time=1024797660

Pyramid II Fan Silencer Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

ipKonfig.com has finished out a review on a rather odd product called the Pyramid II Fan Silencer. Here's a clip: "Pursuing the trend of looking for something to quiet things down, we once again unearth a product that stands out. This one, the Pyramid II Fan Silencer, was built for those looking for a simple and effective way to control noise without having to make all those fussy adjustments. In fact, this product is hands-free, and installs in a matter of minutes."[time=1024797738

ASUS 40x12x48x CDRW Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

The DDR Zone have taken a look at the ASUS 40x12x48x CDRW drive. Hear's a snip “For the past three years I've had a slow burner. A Diamond Data 30x6x4x which people love to laugh at due to its not so resounding quality and slow performance. It certainly wasn't the quickest burner at the time, and speedwise things just went downhill from there. Sure, you could still get life out of one of these old and slow drives, trudging along towards the end of its life. You could sit there for a half hour while it burns a full length CD, then wait for another half hour when you realize that the first time was just a test burn. You could go make a cup of tea, or a stir fry, even cook a roast while this was happening. Just anything that didn't involve using or bumping the computer lest the laser skip a beat and turn that hard work and waiting into a coaster for that cup of tea.”[time=1024797854

VisionTek Ti4600 vs. Gigabyte Radeon 8500 by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

TweakTown has just posted a new article entitled "Clash of the 3D Monsters - VisionTek Ti4600 vs. Gigabyte Radeon 8500" where they put the two head to head giving us an idea of the features of both but most importantly, which performs the best! Here's a snip: "nVidia has had control of the 3D graphics card market for a few years now with little competition until just recently with the release of Radeon 8500 from ATi, not to mention other solutions from SiS and Matrox. Today TweakTown takes a look at the VisionTek Ti4600 and Gigabyte Radeon 8500 where they put them head to head giving us an idea of the features of both but most importantly, which performs the best!"[time=1024797913

Soltek SL-85DR2 Motherboard Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

Tweakers Australia has just posted a review of the Soltek i845E based SL-85DR2 motherboard. Here's a snip: "As we touched on during the introduction, the most obvious and unique features of the layout would definitely have to be the silver PCB, which Soltek has creatively dubbed 'Silver Glacier'. Although the idea has been witnessed before, namely on Triplex's GeForce4 series of graphic cards, the concept not only looks good, but is said to help reduce surface temperatures. Whether or not this has any validly to it certainly goes undecided from my point of view, but indeed it certainly adds a bit of spice over traditional brown and green boards."[time=1024798009

Titan TTC-D5TB(4) Cooler Review by CrackMaster , June 22, 2002

Tweakers4u.de tested a Titan TTC-D5TB(4) CPU cooler. Check it out![time=1024798104

ASUS P4T533 RIMM4200 mainboard by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

OcWorkBench posted a review of the ASUS P4T533 in which they compared the results to various mainboards using i845E, i845G, SiS645DX chipset. They compared it with ABIT BD7-II RAID, MSI 845E Max2, DFI NB73-EA, ASUS P4B533-E, Gigabyte 8IEXP, Intel D845GBV, EPoX 4G4A, ASUS P4S533 SiS645DX mainboard. Check it out![time=1024703786

Visiontek Xtasy Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

EXHardware has posted up a new review of the Visiontek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB Graphics card! Here's a snip: "VisionTek, the company famous for it's high performance graphics cards is once again the first to hit retail shelves with their new Xtasy GeForce4 Ti 4200 graphics card which is based upon the new nVidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 GPU. It's no doubt that the GeForce4 Ti 4400 and 4600 based cards are the fastest graphics cards available today but at the same time, they demand a premium price for the performance they offer."[time=1024703945

Cooler Master PTK-001 Thermal Compound Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

Mikhailtech took a look at Cooler Master's KTK-001 thermal goop. Not as good as AS3, but not as bad as toothpaste either. Here's a quote: "I am quite surprised by Cooler Master and their new retail products. Not only these products show the usual CM quality, but even more, they have a very nice package with everything you need. The PTK especially impressed me because it managed to stand against the AS3, and, although not perform as good, still holds some other advantages that are equally important, like no electrical conductivity. The PTK-001 doesn't need a burn-in period, you just put it on your CPU/GPU or whatever and that's it."[time=1024704079

Shuttle XPC SS40G "Mini Computer System" by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

Tweakers Asylum just finished putting up their review of the Shuttle XPC SS40G “Mini Computer System”. Here are some details: “It's inevitable. As electronics manufacturers continue to push the "technology envelope" things seem to shrink. Take cell phones for example. The first cellular phones to hit the market were monstrously huge "bag phones" and "brick phones". Years later and you now have manufacturers building cellular phones that will barely fit in the palm of your hand. Shuttle's answer to "shrinking technology" is their line of Mini Computer Systems dubbed "XPC".”[time=1024704159

Gainward's GF4 "Golden Sample" Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

HotHardware.com reviewed something all of the hardcore gamers out there will surely like to see! "We got our hands on one of Gainward's GeForce 4 PowerPack! Ultra 750 / XP ViVo Golden Samples (Is that a mouthful or what!). This card ships with an awesome software / accessory bundle, and turned out to be a very good overclocker."[time=1024704332

BS and Membrane Keyboard Technology Article by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

Viper's Lair posted an article about BS and membrane keyboard technology. Here's a clip: "Wait a second… why would we be using a keyboard layout made to slow us down? Let's look back before keyboards - typewriting. In 1868 Christopher Latham Sholes was awarded the operative patent for the typewriter. After receiving this patent, Sholes still had many 'bugs' to work out, and spent a good deal of time with the machine, working out the kinks. One of the kinks in the machine was key jamming, which was prone to happen often and could hurt the machine. If a typist typed two letters one after the other too quickly, the "hammers" would hit each other; the typist then had to dislodge the hammers and that could get a bit messy. So, Sholes came up with a keyboard layout that would place letters which would be most likely struck closely in succession on opposite sides of the layout."[time=1024704445

Sony CPDG520 Monitor Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

TweakTown has just posted a review of the Sony CPDG520 Monitor. Here's a snip: "We've all heard of it and likely drooled over the idea of having one for ourselves as well. What is this you ask? Come join TweakTown as they take a look at the Sony CPDG520 Monitor. With 21 inches of real estate, it manages to give enough room for even the greediest among us. But can it live up to the hype that has been circulating lately? Let's find out!"[time=1024704493

Chaintech GeForce4 MX440 Special Edition by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

HardwareZone.com tested Chaintech GeForce4 MX440 Special Edition video card. Here's a snip: "All in all, the Chaintech GeForce4 MX440 Special Edition is a noteworthy product from Chaintech. With a price of S$190, it has got good performance, value and appealing looks going for it. The downside is in its software and game bundle that really leaves you lacking. However overclockers would be satisfied with the performance gained from tweaking. Another nit-pick we had with the card was the lack of a DVI output connection. This being a Special Edition card with a GeForce4 MX core that already integrates dual TMDS transmitters, we were disappointed that it was not equipped with at least one DVI output. If not for a DVI output, we would have appreciated it having a secondary DB-15 analog VGA output since there's already a built-in secondary RAMDAC."[time=1024704610

AVM Fritz Card DSL Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

TecCentral.de have reviewed the AVM Fritz Card for ADSL. Check out their review in English if you don't understand German![time=1024704733

Samsung 152T TFT LCD Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

Neoseeker posted a review of the Samsung 152T TFT LCD. Here's piece: "When I first unpackaged the screen, I noticed how compact & portable the display was. The base fold neatly into the back of the actual screen acting like a handle for hand carrying. The screen it self seemed fairly thin. The 152T has just recently (last few days) been introduced to the public, and Samsung claims that this LCD Panel is the thinnest in the world with a depth of 20.6mm. Other than the display being pretty stylish, I noticed that the frame around the actual LCD is pretty thin. I've seen a few other LCDs, and i've only seen one LCD panel which has a thinner frame, the 191T from Samsung. Besides this, notebooks are the only ones which have frames of a few milimeters."[time=1024704821

Soltek SL-85DR2 i845E Motherboard Review by CrackMaster , June 21, 2002

Tweakers Australia has just posted a review of the Soltek i845E based SL-85DR2 motherboard. Here's a snip: "As we touched on during the introduction, the most obvious and unique features of the layout would definitely have to be the silver PCB, which Soltek has creatively dubbed 'Silver Glacier'. Although the idea has been witnessed before, namely on Triplex's GeForce4 series of graphic cards, the concept not only looks good, but is said to help reduce surface temperatures. Whether or not this has any validly to it certainly goes undecided from my point of view, but indeed it certainly adds a bit of spice over traditional brown and green boards."[time=1024704915

Asus P4T533 i850E and RIMM4200 by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

HotHardware.com took a look at the all new Asus P4T533 i850E Motherboard with support for RIMM4200 RDRAM Memory! What exactly is RIMM4200? How fast is it with the i850E? All these mysteries and more are revealed![time=1024582681

Lian-Li PC-6083A Aluminium Case Review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

BlargOC have reviewed the Lian-Li PC-6083A Aluminium Case. Here's a snip: "Today we have another Lian-Li case in for review, this time it's one of their newest cases, the PC-6083A, which closely ressembles the PC-60 series but uses a different facia and has a very nice addition to the standard chassis."[time=1024582761

Video Cards in UltraSilent Mod by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Dirkvader.de posted a modding guide on how to silence your video card. Check it out![time=1024582925

CrazyPC Dr. Thermal Extreme Heat Sink by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Virtual-Hideout.net took a look at the Dr. Thermal Extreme Socket A Heat Sink from CrazyPC! Here's a quote: "The first part of the testing was done with the T-Bird 1.4 stock. I installed everything and turned on the computer. I let the computer run for 2 days using it normally before I actually started testing it. Why? Well, it let the Arctic Silver setup and cure. The 2nd reason was the sheer fact I totally forgot to do the testing after installing it. God I am retarded!!! I then stressed it using Sisoft Sandra's CPU Burn-In on the Multimedia settings. I let it run for 3 hours when I took the max temperatures. The 2nd part of the testing was done with the T-Bird 1.4 running at 1.6, yes I know, weak, only a 200MHz overclock. It was enough to push the Dr. Thermal Extreme though. I did the same exact thing as I did with the CPU at stock speeds"[time=1024583042

Samsung PC-800 @40ns review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

CPU3D posted a review on Samsung's lastest RDRAM modules ... PC-800 @40ns. "Firstly, I would like to say ... I am totally shocked. Intially, I had my doubts about the whole thing with RDRAM and Rambus. I always thought that it was more hassle than its worth, but now I can see why RDRAM goes so well with Pentium 4 processors. They were made for each other."[time=1024583132

Low Cost Cooler Shootout by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

CoolCase4u.com posted a shootout with low cost coolers. Check it out![time=1024583231

Plextor PLEXCOMBO 20/10/40-12A Internal Drive by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

3dGameMan.com tested Plextor PLEXCOMBO 20/10/40-12A E-IDE (ATAPI-4) internal drive. "The PLEXCOMBO 20/10/40-12A E-IDE incorporates a 20x CDR, 10x CDRW, 40x CD-ROM and 12x DVD Player into one unit. Plextor is know for it's quality, reliability, service and performance and there is no question, this drive delivers. Also, the Plexcombo is an excellent option for anyone interested is a solid all-in-one burner/DVD drive." [time=1024583321

X-micro Impact T4200 128mb Review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

OcPrices.com have just finished a review of the X-micro Impact T4200 128mb video card, a Geforce 4 Ti4200 based card. Take a quote: "There's really no other upgrade for the PC like a new video card. New video cards are like computer turbo chargers, they make the most noticeable impact in that most precious of commodities, the almighty frame rate. That's why when I received X-Micro's Impact T4200 in the mail, I proceeded to drool over the box like a giddy 5-year-old. I'm a veteran of computer hardware, but I always find my self gazing longingly at each new generation of video cards, with their colorful PCBs, increasingly aggressive cooling systems, and uber-powerful hardware. Established in 1999, X-Micro have been around since the times of the riva TNT and have won multiple awards for each and every generation of their graphics chipsets - a testament to their quality."[time=1024583414

Sony Vaio PCG-U1 Laptop Review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Ripnet-UK got their hands on the smallest laptop in the world - the Sony Vaio PCC-U1. "This beastie is not much bigger than my old Psion Series 5, but manages to pack in a whole raft of great features, inclusing a 1024 x 768 resolution display. It is a truly amazing piece of hardware, and will very likely make you go green with envy." Check it out![time=1024583548

Overclocking the P4 1.7GHz on 800MHz Bus by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Tweakers Australia posted some information about Soltek's success in running a Pentium 4 1.7GHz on an 200MHz (800MHz QDR) front-side bus. Here's a quote from what they had to say: "This BIOS can fix AGP clock at 66Mhz & PCI clock at 33Mhz when overclocking; by this way, you can get a more stable system. Our R&D team have sucessfully overclock this mainboard to 200Mhz (200 x 4 = 800Mhz FSB)! This is certainly a great news for overclockers; however, please note that now most CPUs have been locked, it is very difficult to find an unlocked CPU."[time=1024583712

Zalman 6000Cu review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Overclocker Café has just finished putting the Zalman 6000Cu heatsink through its paces. Here is a snip of the review: “One nice notable about the install, was the installation tool included in the kit. The end fits into a hole in the clip allowing for easy prying on and off of the clipping mechanism. Exceptional! Downside of this is if you lose this tool, don’t think for a second that a Phillips head will work, because it won't; we tried.”[time=1024626245

DIY Kleer-Dome Case Badges by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Monster-Hardware have reviewed the DIY Kleer-Dome Case Badges kit. Here's a quote: "I have always kind of had a thing for case badges. In fact, I still have the first case badge from the first machine I ever had built. That case badge has been on every single computer of mine I have built to this day. It was sort of a rite of passage: When a new machine was done and fully-tested, my Plus Data case badge went on it. As much as I have come to cherish that old domed Plus Data case badge, I have been looking for a long time to retire it, and replace it with a custom-made case badge. In the past, that has always been too expensive. Recently though, with the introduction of the DIY Kleer-Dome Case Badges that has changed."[time=1024626335

VisionTek Xtasy Review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Got Apex? has posted a review of the VisionTek Xtasy GeForce 4 Ti 4200 128MB. Here is a clip: "As you can plainly see this card overclocks extremely well indeed. As a matter of fact, I have never had a card do quite this well. The GPU ran just fine all the way up to 315 MHz! That my friends is just as fast as I was able to get my 4600s to run. Apparently, that new heatsink and fan unit does do an exemplary job of cooling the processor. Well, either that or I just happened to get the world’s fastest 4200 processor. As for the memory speed, nevermind 446 MHz, it is really something when modules rated at 4.0 ns (250 MHz / 500 MHz DDR) will keep on ticking away right up to 560MHz DDR! And, I didn’t just run a benchmark or two and call it a day either."[time=1024626439

Eden + Xcard = Home Entertainment Machine? by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

The DDR Zone have taken a look at the VIA Eden platform and the Realmagic X-Card and its use as a low power entertainment system. Here is a quote: “The focus of this review is not to elaborately describe the Eden board and provide benchmarks of the machine in operation, instead it is to test the Eden in one very specific role, that is using the Eden as a home entertainment machine. The Eden is sold as low power consumption device and as such its CPU isn't going to break any benchmark records anytime soon.”[time=1024626523

Voyetra Teach Me Guitar Software Review by CrackMaster , June 20, 2002

Futurelooks posted a review of a great piece of software: Voyetra Teach Me Guitar. Here's a clip: "I should start off by saying that I have absolutely no musical experience at all, unless you count the recorder in elementary school. I’ve recently bought an Art & Lutherie acoustic guitar and thought, “hey, I’m as smart as some of these rock stars, it’ll be easy to learn.” After trying to learn from a book for a month or so, and nearly going rock star and smashing it to pieces, my roommate asked me that if he could get me a computer program to teach me how to play, would I be interested and to do a review on it as well. I figured that it was a hint that my progression wasn’t sounding very good."[time=1024626593

Matrox Parhelia 512 Press Release by CrackMaster , June 19, 2002

Matrox let Icronic have the official word on the Parhelia 512 including core speed, availability and pricing. It's a whole video card full of goodness! The Matrox Parhelia 512 promises to be the hit of the summer. Check it out![time=1024504164

MSI GeForce 4 MX440 Review by CrackMaster , June 19, 2002

HardwareDome have tested the MSI GeForce 4 MX440 video card. Check it out![time=1024504378

nVHardPage update v0.92.9b by CrackMaster , June 19, 2002

A new version of nVHardPage has just been released and you can find details about it and download it from the Guru of 3D. "This is a very rapidly growing and comprehensive NVIDIA graphics card tweaker. Now finally with overclocking support ! nVHardPage is now at build v0.92.9b. Quick sidenote, this tool has built in support for NV Refreshrate fix. So within a few clicks of a mouse button your problems are away."[time=1024504718

XP Detonator Performance Database Update by CrackMaster , June 19, 2002

Tweakers Asylum just finished uploading our latest update to the Windows XP NVIDIA Detonator Driver Performance Database! They have added performance data from the 28.32, 28.35, 28.80, 28.90, 29.11, 29.20, 29.40, and the newest 29.42 Detonators… If you are unaware of our Windows XP Detonator Performance Database, here are the details: “The Windows XP NVIDIA Detonator Driver Database contains performance data on most of the current Windows XP NVIDIA Detonator Drivers. For each set of NVIDIA Detonator Drivers added to our database we have included performance data from SEVERAL different benchmarks, not just a few.”[time=1024504874

Lian Li PC-61 Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

LittleWhiteDog has just posted a review of the Lian Li PC-61 aluminum case. " There's over 50 intense hardcore images of this black beauty being stripped down to a bare frame, using nothing but thumbscrews."[time=1024409758

Globefan Coolers And Thermal Fan Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Icronic goes back to the roots to check out new coolers and thermally controlled fans from Globefan Technology. Here’s a snip: "Globefan caught our eye the other day with their varied selection of AMD and INTEL CPU coolers and another product that I was very interested in trying out; a thermally controlled cooling fan. Did Globefan's coolers make the grade and will thermally controlled cooling fans be the wave of the future?"[time=1024409858

QDI 32MB USC Disc with safe-lock by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Hardware-Test.dk took a look at a small USB disc from QDI, the QDI 32MB USC Disc with safe-lock: "This little fellow makes it a whole lot easier to transport documents etc. from at home to work i.e., all thanks to its flash memory." [time=1024423204

Touring the Memory Giants - Kingmax and Kingpak by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

TweakTown had the chance to take a tour of both Kingmax and Kingpak fabs during Computex 2002 in Taiwan and has just posted an article with information all about it. Here's a snip: "Each year the always hectic and ever exciting city of Taipei plays host to Computex – The biggest computer trade show in Asia and what is considered by many as one of the most interesting and spicy shows in the world. The trip was broken up into company meetings, company parties and we can’t forget factory tours - in particular tours of Kingmax and Kingpak which TweakTown tells us about today in their latest article."[time=1024423274

Gainward Geforce 4 Ti PowerPack! Ultra/750XP by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Viper Lair tested a Gainward Geforce 4 Ti PowerPack! Ultra/750XP "Golden Sample". Here's a snip: "Ok let's take a look at the overclocking potential of this card. I ramped up the settings and the best overclock that I could get from the card was a very sweet 318/735. Higher than that and the screen had some spots here and there. I ran 3dmark at 318/738 but the spots gave me a headache and it crashed half way through the nature demo, stuttering every few seconds for as much of it as it did run. Have to point out here, I tried the card at higher settings in the course of testing how far I could go. When it got to far the PC crashed and upon reboot, the card was reset back to "safe mode" standard settings by Expert Tool. Very nice."[time=1024423402

ASUS P4B533-E Motherboard Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Tweakers Australia has just posted a review of the ASUS P4B533-E motherboard, based on the Intel 845E chipset. It supports a heap of features, and performance is simply outstanding. Here's a snip: "The P4B533-E is the most feature-rich i845E board from ASUS, adding dual-channel FireWire and USB 2.0 support, Promise ATA133 RAID, Intel 10/100 LAN and C-Media 6-channel surround sound to the list. Being such a heavily integrated motherboard you could only expect a heavy price tag, but knowing ASUS, something that you can also expect is extremely good performance and stability."[time=1024423476

Vantec ICEBERQ Video Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

3dGameMan.com tested a Vantec ICEBERQ VGA/Chipset Cooling Kit. "The Vantec ICEBERQ (VGA/Chipset Cooling Kit) is a great product for most chipsets and works well on video cards. Included is: thermal tape and compound, heatsinks, the Cooler and clips. Also, this product is very simple to install and is inexpensive."[time=1024423589

Coolermaster IHC-H71 Copper HSF by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

At FrostyTech you can read a review of Coolermaster IHC-H71 Copper Pentium 4 HSF. Here's a quote: "The Coolmaster IHC-H71 fulfills this role by bringing highly conductive copper, heatpipes, and a good sized fan together. The large copper heatsink features twin heatpipes coming from the base, poking out the side, and then wrapping back in towards the upper fins. The fan is a nice weighty 6000RPM, but not incredibly noisy. The big question is of course how much of an effect the twin heat pipes have on the overall performance of the heatsink, and thermal tests are the only answer to that question, so let's begin."[time=1024423839

Mikhailtech Case Giveaway - Week 3 by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Mikhailtech begin week 3 of this month's case giveaway. This week it's the "Imperial" mid-tower with temperature LEDs and an auto control cooling system. Here's a quote: "Features: Temperature LED indicator and Auto control cooling system. Supports 2 USB Ports and 1 IEEE 1394 on front right-hand side. (IEEE 1394 Port is 100 times faster than USB). Supports Pentium III and Pentium 4 main boards (Including ASUS motherboards). 9 Bays in total. Now with a much Harder and light metal body. Specifications: Dimension (WxDxH): Chassis-195 x 470 x 405mm or 7.75" x 18.75" x 16.00". M/B Support: Pentium 4, ATX, and Micro ATX. Drive configuration : 4 - 5.25" exposed, 2 - 3.5" exposed, 3 - 3.5" hidden. Expansion slots: 7. Front panel control: Turbo cooling switch, Power switch, Reset switch, Power LED and HDD Led. Front access USB-2ports module. Front access Fire Wire IEEE1394-1 port module. Speaker : 2.25" Audio speaker. Case fan: one 8cm rear fan (optional), one 8cm front case fan (optional)."[time=1024425356

Audiotrak Maya 7.1 & 7.1 Gold Soundcard Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

HardwareMasters.com just posted their newest review on Audiotrak's two 7.1 sound cards: the Maya 7.1 and the Maya 7.1 Gold. Here's a snip: "The high-end computer gurus (you know who you are out there) probably already have 5.1 sound systems. But, if you don't, you should check out our review of Audiotrak's 7.1 Sound Cards. We'll review both the 7.1 and 7.1 Gold cards. There is little different between these two cards, so we have decided to rate them together. So how does one of the few sound cards to offer eight discrete channels rate?"[time=1024425450

How-to Article by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Case modders are often as concerned about how the inside of their PC looks as well as the outside. CaseJunkies have a little how-to article on dressing up loose wires inside your case. Here's a snip: "I toyed with the idea of hiding all the wiring in the case, but that would have been a huge lesson in patience and heartache. In the end, I tried a few different things and worked out a nice little mod that keeps fan wiring and the likes looking neat as well as looking pretty nice at the same time."[time=1024425597

STOMP's Clutter Buster Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Voided Warranty has taken a close look at STOMP's Clutter Buster. Here's a quote! "I didn't even follow the suggested mounting methods and it is still very securely mounted on to my monitor."[time=1024425757

Jedi Knight 2 Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

Think Techie has posted a review on Jedi Knight 2. Here's a clip: "Do you enjoy fighting the Dark Jedi? Do you enjoy annihilating your enemies with a lightsaber? Have you ever tried to fry someone you didn’t like by pointing your fingers at them and throwing lightning at them? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast might be the right game for you! Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast puts the player in the shoes of Kyle Katarn who is a mercenary. He has appeared previous LucasArts games such as Dark Forces and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. This newest installment into the series of Star Wars based action games based around Kyle Katarn. You play both in first and third person depending on personal preference and what weapons and playing style you are using. LucasArts uses id Software’s Quake 3 Arena engine to power Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (JKII) with the help of Activision and Raven software."[time=1024425873

Intertex IX66-edflc ADSL Modem Review by CrackMaster , June 18, 2002

EXHardware has posted up a review of the amazing Intertex IX66-edflc ADSL modem. Here's a snip: "The IX66-edflc has it's firewall set to Hi by default and when we first connected to the internet, most applications such as ICQ or Kazaa did not work. This is because at the Hi security profile, the firewall blocks out all incoming traffic to the system and with a simple security profile change, everything was back to normal. The built in firewall is an excellent addition and should provide sufficient protection against any security threats. The ability to quickly change security profiles from Lo to Hi with the touch of a button is simply unbeatable."[time=1024426009