Bring you the latest tech news http://www.ocia.net Here at OCIA.net, we're no strangers to power supplies. However, I've personally only had the chance to look at one BFG PSU before, the impressive "performance series" LS-680: a non-modular unit aimed towards the middle-of-the-line crowd. Today, we're going to have a look at a higher end unit, the EX-1000, "enthusiast series" modular power supply weighing in at 1KW of power. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bfgex1000 New for 2009, Kingwin has replaced the RVT-12025 with a newer, updated tower cooler dubbed the XT-1264. Both models retain their machined individual copper heatpipe base with aluminum fin configuration coupled with a 120mm fan. The new cooler design is a few millimeters shorter than the old RVT but nearly 2cm thicker for increased fin surface area. Heatpipe count has been increased from three to four for better performance and heat dissipation. Support for Intel's socket 1366 is also added. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingwinxt1264 Late last year we reviewed the Kingwin EZ-Dock hard drive docking station, where it earned our Seal of Approval for its features and price. Kingwin has followed up the original EZ-Dock with its sequel, the EZ-Dock 2. In addition to the 2 in the model name signifying the second in series of hard drive docking stations, it could also be construed to refer to the fact that it now supports not just one, but two drives operating either independently or in conjunction with each other. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingwinezdock2 Samson markets the C01U as the first affordable studio-quality condenser microphone with a USB interface. The first thing you notice is the weight of the microphone. It has a heavy gauge mesh grill protecting the diaphragm and has a real meaty, solid feel. Taking a look under the hood, we find a 19mm internal shock-mounted diaphragm with a cartoid pickup pattern. What sets this apart from similar condenser microphones is it's directional pickup. It allows you to face the mic in the direction of the sound you want to hear without grabbing the noise from the rear and sides of the mic itself. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/samsonpodcasting The market for consumer electronics and computer hardware has been generally immune to this sponsorship phenomenon - that is, with one exception. There are a host of products out there stamped with the name of a certain Johnathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel. Fatal1ty, if you're not familiar, has on the order of 30 "notably accomplished" gaming tournament placements on Wikipedia, including five 1st place finishes for Quake III Arena. Whether Mr. Wendel's gaming prowess gives him any sort of above-average knack for choosing quality computer hardware I'll leave for you to decide today as we look at OCZ's Fatl1ty 550W Profess1onal Series PSU. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/fatal550w A few weeks ago I noticed that the WiFi connection on my phone started acting up, randomly disconnecting and such. I suspected my Belkin router as the culprit, but after testing the phone on other wireless connections as well as having my laptop work perfectly on the Belkin, I knew it must be something else. I did a good bit of research and came across the crazy idea of putting your phone in the freezer to fix the problem. With nothing to lose, I figured I would try a variant of that method and see what happened. http://www.ocia.net/articles/chillfix So in this day of smaller PSUs, the 1kW+ power supply is still a legitimate choice for many enthusiasts and gamers. Today I will be looking at BFG Tech's latest and largest power supply, the EX Series 1200 watt modular PSU. Yeah, I know, BFG is a video card and motherboard manufacturer, but they have been building power supplies for some time. The EX 1200 has BFG's Frequency Conversion technology, which allows for 80Plus efficiency, even at loads as small as 10% (most power supplies aren't very efficient at very low loads). This technology makes the EX significantly different from nearly every power supply on the market. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bfgex1200 This is the first point-n-shoot camera that I have worked with extensively in about three years as I have been using a DSLR exclusively. Before that, I owned a few Nikon and Olympus point-n-shoot cameras and have had some brief shooting time with a Canon and Kodak camera in the past year or so, neither of which I was terribly impressed with. Of course, it would be foolish to think the FX150 would outperform the DSLR so I won't exactly be comparing the two side by side here today. I have, however, been looking for a nice point-n-shoot unit to carry around with me at all times and I aim to find out if the FX150 is a worthy contender in that category. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/fx150 There are a multitude of aging notebooks and laptops out there, such as my IBM ThinkPad T40, that are incapable of being upgraded to take advantage of the latest SATA hardware. With a 1.5GHz Pentium M processor and 1GB of memory, the old T40 has system specs similar to the more modern netbooks that have become increasingly popular of late. But with a hard drive that's five years old and only 60GB in size, the T40 gets quickly left behind in the performance department, as it chugs along with slow read/write speeds and high access times. Can installing a current, leading-edge SSD sporting the old PATA interface breathe new life into this 5-year old paperweight? Join me as I aim to find out! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingspecssd Since launching the GTX 200 core one year ago, nVidia have continued to enhance and develop their existing 9000 series, refining the G92 core that began life in the latter part of their 8th generation cards. But other than the fact that prices continue to fall as newer, faster revisions of chips are created, and you can now get a GTX 260 for less than half the price it launched at last year, there have been no new mid-range or low-end cards introduced to round out the bottom of the 200 series model line. Instead we've seen such cards appear as the 9600GSO, 9800GTX and 9800GTX+ to take up these slots. It seems nVidia decided it's time for a new naming convention, and has basically re-released the 9800 GTX+ rebranded as the GTS 250. Let's have a closer look at one of these new cards, the XFX GTS 250, and see if there's anything else to the new name. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xfxgts250 NZXT Corp is relatively new to the computer hardware industry. Five short years since the company's founding in 2004, NZXT has not only released more than 15 cases, but also gaming mice, power supplies, and other accessories. Their inventory ranges to all ends of the price spectrum: from their $450 all aluminum Khaos, to their budget case, Alpha, which sells for about an eighth of that price. Today, we're going to have a look at the just released NZXT Beta, a case for those with slim wallets. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtbeta I had heard of installing Vista and even Windows 7 RC using a flash drive, but never XP (my operating system of choice). I spent some time researching and by combining a few things I learned on various sites, put together a method that was pretty quick and worked perfectly. I decided to make this guide (complete with clickable screenshots) for people like me who need a no-nonsense method of installing XP from a flash drive. http://www.ocia.net/articles/xpflashdrive Cooler Master introduces a smaller version of the HAF design, the 922 mid-tower. The HAF 922 shares its bigger sibling's rugged, industrial looks and overall style, bundled in a slightly smaller package. The HAF 922 measures only about two inches shorter than the full tower 932. Possibly better classified as an oversize mid-tower, this works out to just one 5" bay difference between the two. Weight is down by a good bit, only 21 pounds compared to the 932's almost 30. Join me as I take a closer look at the Cooler Master HAF 922 mid-tower. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmhaf922 It's not often that a previously unheard-of company comes along and launches such a wide product line targeted specifically at a certain niche group of computer enthusiasts. But that is just the scenario that we have today with relative new-comer Azza. While some might say that the PC case and power supply market is already saturated with more than enough choices, sometimes a fresh look is exactly what is needed to jump-start a whole new direction in product development. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/azzasolano The Behemoth takes a similar shape to the Logitech MX Revolution, with extra grooves that are home to the ring and pinky fingers. The scroll-wheel, in an old-fashioned choice, does not light up and does not provide any sort of tilt-scrolling features. Also on top, we see the on-the-fly DPI switching button. As the sensitivity is higher on the mouse, more of the blue LEDs turn on. The left side of the mouse is home to two buttons, typically used as forward and backward for browsing. The Behemoth is generally single-textured, with a soft rubbery-plastic feel to it, which isn't too grippy that it is uncomfortable, but won't get slippery when sweaty. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczbehemoth The Thermaltake Litepower 450W is rated for a very respectable 85% efficiency, which places it in the 80 Plus Bronze classification. Another feature of the Litepower to be noted is the impressive five year warranty offered by Thermaltake. The Litepower 450W has some features more often associated with a high quality power supply, such as the large 120mm fan, open mesh rear vent and a nice amount of heft to the unit. The UL identification number E190414, indicates that this particular unit is manufactured by FSP Group. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttlite450 Taking all of this into consideration, most users simply can't afford / stomach the pain to spend $800 for only 64 GB of storage capacity regardless of what kind of memory it uses. But, these same users also desire something that is quick and won't cause stuttering / pauses when used as an OS drive, a common problem with early generation SSDs. For those that fall into this category, OCZ created the Apex Series of solid state drives. Utilizing an internal RAID 0 configuration to help eliminate poor performance and stuttering, can the OCZ Apex live up to our expectations of what a midrange MLC-based SSD should deliver? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/apex120gb I received a package a few weeks ago from the guys over at Moneual Labs which contained two items for evaluation: the Cresyn CS-HP500 Headphones that I reviewed earlier this week and the Cresyn C750E In-Ear Earphones that I will be taking a look at today. As the name implies, these earphones are designed to fit into the ear canal and come with three different ear tips in varying sizes to ensure a perfect fit. Priced at just under $100, are these higher-end earphones worth this premium price tag? Continue on as we find out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cresync750e The headphones in question today are the CS-HP500 model which feature a folding design for portability. I will be saving the earphones for a separate review in the near future. I initially assumed the CS-HP500s were a new product, but after some research online I found information on them dating back to 2007. Either way, they are new to me (and most likely many of you as well) so let's see what these headphones have to offer. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cresyncshp500 It is the WD Caviar Black 1TB drive I will be taking a look at today. The Black series, in addition to offering the greatest performance of Western Digital's consumer lineup of Caviar drives, also includes the same five year warranty as their more expensive Enterprise class. Sporting a class-standard SATA 3.0Gbps interface, 7200rpm spindle speed and a whopping 32Mb of cache, the WD1001FALS represents Western Digital's top of the line consumer grade hard drive. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/wdblack1tb Another week, another new OCZ Technology product hitting the market... or so it seems. For the past year or so, the team over at OCZ have been releasing new products at a feverish pace. Whether its a new memory kit, heatsink, power supply, SSD, keyboard or mouse, it seems there is always something new going out the door. Today we will be taking a look at one of their latest peripherals, the OCZ Eclipse Gaming Mouse. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczeclipse Today, we have for review one of Thermaltake's newest CPU coolers, the Thermaltake TMG IA1. TMG is Thermaltake's "thermal maximum grade" product group, a series of computer hardware products aimed at the quiet computing audience. You can glean a little bit more information from the forgotten TMG website. In contrast to the brute-force approach of the Thermaltake BigTyp 14 Pro, which I had a chance to review a few weeks ago, the IA1 hopes to provide a more elegant and standard way to cool your CPU without a burden on your ears. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttia1 Today we have for review Razer's latest keyboard, the Lycosa Mirror Special Edition. With regard to specifications, the Lycosa Mirror is the same as the original Lycosa, except with a mirror black plastic finish over the whole keyboard. These features include, but are not limited to, pass-through USB, headphone, and microphone jacks, backlit keys, a media touchpad, and fully customizable keys. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/lycosamirror One year ago Shawn reviewed the Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard, which bears a striking resemblance to the one I have in my hands, the new Arctosa. In case you were wondering where Razer came up with these names, both Lycosa and Arctosa are families of wolf spiders, just like the Tarantula that shares its name with Razer's original gaming keyboard. All of Razer's products are in fact named after predators, their headsets are all named for aquatic hunters, their mice are all snakes and their keyboards are spiders... I guess it's a Razer thing. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razerarctosa While it may be difficult to get excited over a thermal paste, especially when there is a seeming myriad of different brands and types available, it is a necessary and often overlooked commodity. Cooler Master's new ThermalFusion 400 arrived in this plastic blister pack, unusual packaging for thermal paste. Included with the paste is an applicator, the first I've ever seen included with any brand interface material. This is a welcome addition, as it is common for thermal paste makers to give instruction to spread the product around without actually touching it or the surfaces to be covered. The thermal paste itself is in the typical syringe type container with plunger to control the amount of product released. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmtf400 Anyone that spends a lot of time in front of a computer monitor, whether for business or pleasure, knows that productivity is directly related to how much screen space you have at your disposal. Having several windows and programs open and visible at one time can save you a lot of time. Up until recently, if you really wanted a lot of desktop real estate, but didn't want to spend a small fortune to get it, the most economical choice was to run dual monitors. Now that LCD monitor prices have dropped substantially in price, however, many can now afford to upgrade to a larger monitor without breaking the bank. Such is the case with today's review sample, the 24" HP Debranded HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/24hpdebranded We're certainly no strangers to Cooler Master here at OCIA.net, particularly their superb lineup of cases. In every instance, Cooler Master has walked away with an OCIA.net Seal of Approval, and garnered praise not only from myself but also other reviewers. However if there were one negative detail to point out, it would be the higher than average price that these cases demand. One other might be the overly large size of the chassis. Cooler Master's Elite series of cases address both of these issues however. Prices for these entry level enclosures are well below $100, some even under $50! But in order to get the cost down to this budget level does Cooler Master have to cut corners and deliver an inferior product? Or is the Elite series every bit as capable of holding up to the Cooler Master name? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmelite360 With the launch of Deneb, AMD has finally moved to the 45nm process and are breaking in a new socket interface at the same time. The main difference with AM3 is the introduction of DDR3 support. But rather than require a forklift upgrade, AMD has incorporated both DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers into the AM3 chips. One of the first of these chips debuted last month with the tri core X3 BE 720, running at 2.8Ghz. But with only three cores, is the 720 even a viable upgrade for someone with a first generation Phenom quad or is it just a hamstrung slug of silicon? Join me as I aim to find out! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/amd720be Besides plain ol' PC memory modules, CSX also builds memory for overclockers and gamers in their CEC and Diablo series memory modules. Though Compustocx is well known in Europe, they aren't well known in the US and are working on getting into the North American PC system memory and SSD markets. Today I will be looking at the CSX CEC series DDR2-800 CL5 4GB dual-channel kit. Will the CEC do the trick? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/csx800 When it comes to Solid State Drives, the old adage holds true... speed costs, how fast do you want to go? OCZ's own SSDs such as their Core series of drives, have often garnered praise for their fast read/write times, but like other brands have been priced out of reach of the average consumer. To combat this OCZ has released their Solid Series, a value line of SSD drives for the masses. The 30Gb model they sent over for review today can be found for right around $100. But at that price can it live up to the OCZ name? Or is it merely a glorified USB thumb drive in disguise? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczsolidssd Six months ago NZXT sent over one of their new Avatar Gaming Mice for review. Seeing as how this was their first attempt at an input peripheral aimed specifically at the gaming enthusiast, the Avatar performed very well and got high marks from us and elsewhere around the 'net. About the only complaint we had with it was the placement of the side navigation buttons and their propensity for getting accidentally bumped while maneuvering the mouse. It seems we weren't the only ones to report this flaw, and NZXT we're happy to say has listened. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtavatar2 Today, we're going to have a look at Thermaltake's latest air cooler, the BigTyp 14Pro. The BigTyp 14Pro is the newest generation of Thermaltake's legendary Big Typhoon air cooler, which was met with great reactions back in its day. The Big Typhoon's large footprint and excessive heat-pipes worked as a brute force solution to the problem of a hot processor, and did a great job of it. The BigTyp 14Pro hopes to do the same. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttbigtyp14pro A little over two years ago we reviewed the NZXT Zero, an aluminum full tower case from NZXT's Crafted series. This case earned our Seal of Approval for its good looks and great cooling ability. It's still readily available today from many online retailers, priced in the $130-$140 range. NZXT has released their latest in the Crafted line-up and successor to the venerable Zero, aptly named the Zero 2. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtzero2 While not as powerful as the newly released item(s), previous generation hardware does have its advantages. As I just mentioned, it is much cheaper than the latest and greatest. Also, since the hardware is at the end of its production cycle, odds are that all of the bugs and kinks have been taken care of in previous revisions. And perhaps most importantly, the hardware has been in the community for a while which means it is well documented on tech sites and forums across the net, so you will have a good idea of what to expect in terms of performance and overclocking before buying. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/q9650 The Storm Sniper is actually billed as an "ultra mid-tower" by Cooler Master, sort of middle of the road between a mid-tower and a full tower. While marketed for gamers there are some nice extra features incorporated into the Sniper that any enthusiast can take advantage of, like the adjustable feet, built-in fan controller, robust cooling design and more. The chassis is a hybrid steel/aluminum design and similar to the HAF uses quite a bit of mesh in the front, top and left side for optimum cooling. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmstorm As a follow-up to our EZ-Dock, Kingwin sent over the newest model in their external drive line-up, aptly named the Big Drive. The Big Drive is a dual SATA RAID enclosure, supporting up to 2Tb volumes using JBOD, RAID1, RAID0 and Safe33/50 configurations. It can be connected via USB 2.0 or eSATA interfaces and supports the latest Windows and Mac operating systems. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kwbigdrive Today, we have for review one of OCZ's newer releases, the OCZ Throttle eSATA Drive. OCZ has been producing removable storage for a number of years now, and has, at long last, released an eSATA thumb drive. Promising read speeds of up to 90MB/s and write speeds of up to 30MB/s, the Throttle is sure to be a crowd pleaser. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczthrottle Last week I took the BFG Tech MX 680w Power Supply out for a spin, which earned our Seal of Approval based on several different criteria. The unit was rock solid stable, silent, modular and would look great in most any system. But for the user on a budget or those not into hardcore gaming, the 680 watts offered is simply overkill. If you fall into this category, have no fear, as BFG Tech has something right up your alley, the MX 550w PSU. Virtually identical to its 680w bigger brother, the 550 unit we have on the test bench today is about $25 cheaper, money that could be put towards other hardware or simply stashed away for a rainy day. Will the smaller MX 550w be able to follow in the footsteps of the beefier 680 model? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bfgmx550 But what will come as a surprise to most people is the direction Cooler Master opted to go with the V10. While externally it appears very similar to the air cooler on display at the CES booth, the original consisted mainly of a V8 cooler with an extra bank of fins and a second 120mm fan. But that's not the version we have received for review... oh no. A close look at the product packaging reveals the V10's trump card, 200W HYBRID TEC cooling. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmv10 Being a "celebrity" of sorts does tend to paint a target on you, and Wendel is no different. Instead of praising him as a role model and successful entrepreneur, critics have harped that Fatal1ty branded products have steep price tags and that you are essentially paying extra for the "Fatal1ty" name. A quick check at a popular online retailer reveals that most Fatal1ty branded gear is priced according to its competition. Others tend to forget that the majority of Fatal1ty products are top quality; he doesn't just go around and endorse every product thrown at him. It is with this mindset that we present the OCZ Fatal1ty Series 700w Power Supply for review. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/fatal700w As you reach for the unfamiliar device it seems to jump out of your hand in a glorious leap of faith. Although you attempt to use cat-like reflexes to regain control of your prized possession, the phone smashes into the pavement below. Horrified at what you have just witnessed, you slowly approach the now inanimate mobile phone and find its once glorious LCD screen cracked. Gravity wins again. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/boldotterbox The portable DVD player we have for review from Geeks.com is the PDV-70X from Spectroniq which offers a 7" widescreen LCD display housed in an attractive silver body. It supports 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio, has a standard 480 x 234 resolution, supports DVD, VCD, CD and JPEG playback and advertises up to 2 hours of power with the included rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/spectroniqdvd Today, we have for review CoolIT's latest cooling product: the Domino Advanced Liquid Cooling (ALC) all-in-one kit for single CPU systems. In keeping with their catchphrase, "Target the heat, kill the noise," CoolIT hopes that the Domino ALC provides a silent yet powerful cooling solution. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/coolitdominoalc BFG Technologies is a proverbial newcomer to the power supply market, although their claim to fame began in 2001 with their highly successful line of video cards. Since then, they have expanded to include motherboards, power supplies and even full systems. Today we will be taking a look at one of their modular power supplies, the BFG Tech MX 680w Modular PSU. The MX Series represents the modular version of the LS series which we took at look at last year. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bfgmx689 Today, I will be looking at OCZ's DDR3-2000 SLI-ready 2GB dual channel kit. Supporting EPP, this memory kit is ready for that high-end SLI gaming rig. Here at OCIA.net, we've always loved OCZ's memorythe innovations, looks, and high performance. Read on to check out this high-end OCZ memory kit. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sli_DDR3_2000 It's been close to two years since we last took a look at a SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) memory card. At that time, SDHC was just beginning to be implemented into consumer devices and thus, support was pretty scarce. Like any new technology, it was only a matter of time before it caught on with the masses. Fast-forward to today, where SDHC has made a successful transition, effectively replacing the older SD format and has become the most popular memory card format. Capacity has also increased, with SDHC cards currently available up to 32GB in size. Today we will be taking a look at a slightly smaller card in the OCZ Gold Series 8GB SDHC Memory Card. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/8gbgold While the GTX 260/280 cards have taken over nVidia's top slots for video card gaming hardware, their 9 series continues to flush out the bulk of their product lineup, and the 9800 GTX+ reigns as top dog among the 9 series family. The WinFast PX9800 GTX+ Leadtek Limited appears to have identical specs to their standard PX9800 GTX+ with the only difference being that of a slightly different cooler face and bundled game selection. Otherwise both match the nVidia reference specification in clock speeds and chip design. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/leadtek9800gtx With so many power supplies available these days, it is definitely hard to find the right one. From picking the right features, to balancing performance with price, it can seem like they all blend together. Today, we have for review Cooler Master's latest bid into the PSU market, the Silent Pro M 600W, which hopes to stand out among the vast crowd of power supplies currently available. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmsilentprom600 Logitech has had a great deal of success with their diNovo-branded keyboards. The original, the diNovo Media Desktop, was released over five years ago and featured a keyboard, media pad and mouse. A few years later, the diNovo Edge was introduced and despite its high price tag, is still one of the most popular media keyboards among end users. Since then, we have seen the diNovo Edge Mini and even Mac versions come to fruition. Today we will be taking a look at the latest incarnation of the diNovo, the diNovo Keyboard for Notebooks. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/dinovonotebooks AMD released the 780G IGP chipset earlier this year, with its highly-acclaimed onboard HD3200 graphics and an emphasis on multimedia and casual gaming. While originally paired with the SB700 southbridge, the new SB750 began showing up on 790FX/GX boards in mid-summer, and has by now begun to filter down to some of the lower end chipsets such as this one, the A780GM-A Ultra from ECS. One new feature of the SB750 is support for AMD's Advanced Clock Control, which is supposed to help achieve higher and more stable overclocks. ECS completes the A780GM-A Ultra with AMD OverDrive capability, solid caps, integrated VRM heatsink and support for up to 160W for the CPU. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ecsa780gm Right on the heels of our Sunbeamtech HDD Docking Station review comes another external drive storage product from Kingwin, the EZ-Dock. Although offering similar features to the Sunbeamtech and other units, the EZ-Dock isn't just another copy of the same design. It supports both 2.5" and 3.5" SATA drives and can be connected via the USB 2.0 or eSATA interface. It also offers a one-touch backup option that is not available on many of the other docking station brands. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingwinezdock It was nearly a year ago when we reviewed the HR-03 GT from Thermalright. At the time, the GT represented Thermalright's latest and greatest video card heatsink, made to cool the latest and greatest offerings from nVidia and ATI, namely the GeForce 8800/9800 G92's and the Radeon 3850/3870 RV670's. Then in June/July nVidia and ATI released new flagship cards based off the GT200 and RV770 cores. However, aside from some early water block releases there wouldn't be an aftermarket cooling option for the GTX for months to come. But Thermalright was not willing to let their loyal fans down, and based on customer demand they have developed the all-new HR-03 GTX cooler. This represents the first and only aftermarket air cooler for the GT200 series cards that I am aware of. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/trhr03gtx In the months following CES 2008 we have seen a proliferation of hot-swap hard drive docks come to market that all bear such a striking resemblance to the original BlacX that we can only come to the conclusion that Thermaltake is licensing the design. Such is the case with the product we have for review today, the Sunbeamtech HDD Docking Station. Like the original, the Docking Station supports 2.5" and 3.5" SATA hard drives up to 1Tb in size in an easy-to-use hot-swap base connected to the computer via USB. While the original BlacX did not support eSATA, that has since become an added feature and one the Sunbeamtech Docking Station also offers. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sunbeamhdddock Last month we reviewed the Tuniq Potency 550W power supply, which earned our OCIA.net Seal of Approval for its robust performance and incredible price. Take that same quality product, double the number of +12V rails, increase power capacity by 50% and add a bunch more connectors, all while keeping the size a mere 2cm larger, and you'll end up with the Tuniq Potency 750W. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tuniqpotency750 When it comes to mobile gaming, the issue of audio is one commonly ignored. The sounds coming from the games on your PSP or iPhone aren't the most intriguing, so most people simply mute their mobile gaming device in public. Those little gadgets are for more than just games though. If you're going to listen to music, you probably don't want the cheap stock earbuds included with your device. Enter the Razer Moray in-ear headphones, today's review item. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razermoray We have for review today Envision's G218a1 Professional Series 22" widescreen display. At just over $160 at Geeks.com, the G218a1 definitely comes in friendly on your wallet and hopes to be a choice pick for the budget rig. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/envision22 Using a process never before seen in PC cases, the panel is then arched precisely on two sides with automotive-caliber press machines to create the top, front and bottom sides of the chassis. The end result is an aluminum chassis frame with more than twice the structural rigidity of average steel cases, helping to practically eliminate vibration-induced noise. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ft01 Heat spreaders on memory modules are nothing new; they first saw use on RAMBUS memory back around the turn of the century, and quickly caught on in the enthusiast memory market as a means to help dissipate extra heat brought on through higher performance. More recently manufacturers have taken to incorporating heatpipes and additional banks of fins to provide even better cooling capacity. The Thermaltake RamOrb takes this idea one step further by adding a fan directly to the heatsink. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttramorb Last year at CES, we saw OCZ Technology's first bid to the mouse market with their Equalizer gaming mouse. The Equalizer had all the makings of a good mouse-on-the-fly DPI switching, back and forward buttons, a nice rubber feel, even two sizes. Today we have for review OCZ's next try at a gaming mouse, the Dominatrix (I know, right?). http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczdominatrix OCZ Technology first began doing business in August of 2000 and since then has earned a reputation for being one of the top manufacturers of enthusiast computer hardware in the marketplace. From their initial offerings of high speed memory, to their current lineup including power supplies and cooling products, OCZ's claim to fame has been their commitment to the end user. They continue to be innovators in their field and are constantly developing new and exciting products like the one we have for review today, the HF-MK1 HydroFlow CPU waterblock. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczhydro The Thermaltake VI-ON offers a couple different flavors, either a USB/eSATA interface or USB-only, and is available in a high gloss black or white. All versions support 3" SATA drives up to 1TB in size, and feature a SMART active cooling system and embedded drive suspension to reduce vibration and noise. The one we have for review is the black, USB-only model. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttvion While the Denmark-based NorthQ has been making a variety of computer hardware products for the past few years, the availability of their merchandise has always been limited to non-existent in the United States. NorthQ not only manufactures a broad spectrum of computer equipment, from cases to power supplies to CPU coolers (water and air), but also home and car electronics. Their name may not be big in the USA, but we have seen their products before with good results. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/northq3360a The six heatpipes travel up out of the base and around the circumference of the fins, with the outermost pipe routed through the copper section and the inside two pipes traversing the inner aluminum fins. As the heatpipes begin and end in the base it could be said there are really only three pipes, but each capable of bidirectional heat dispersal. The control knob is conveniently mounted in a space between the fins on the opposite end of the cooler. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttmaxorbex Finally we have the Smart Switch, which controls the dual BIOS that Palit has used with this card. In "normal" mode, the card operates at 750 MHz core / 950 MHz memory. When "turbo" mode is engaged, the card is overclocked to 775 MHz core / 1000 MHz memory - talk about user friendly overclocking! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/palithd4870 You may not have heard it used before, but gelid can actually be found in a dictionary. The word literally means very cold or icy. How fitting for a company who specializes in PC cooling components to use it as their corporate name. Gelid Solutions originated earlier this year as a Hong Kong based company under Swiss management. They manufacture CPU coolers, fans and other thermal-related computer hardware for gamers and silent enthusiasts. Today they have sent us a product sample for review, the Gelid Silent Spirit. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/gelidspirit Today I will be looking at the smallest of the latest line of power supplies by Sunbeamtech, the Tuniq Potency 550 watt. With 80Plus and SLI certification, and a pair of +12V rails at 25A each, this little guy should be able to power my energy sipping Phenom rig. Will it make the trip? Read on to see! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tuniq_potency550 Color reproduction on this screen is fantastic and these photos don't do it justice. I can easily say that it is far better than my two current Chimei screens. HP screens are well known for their superior image clarity and color reproduction and this unit does not disappoint. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/22hp NZXT now introduces the latest in their Classic line-up of cases, the Whisper silent full tower chassis. Improving upon the success of the HU-001, the Whisper is touted as a step up from the Hush mid-tower. Featuring a large size E-ATX full tower chassis, the Whisper can support up to nine hard drives and a total of seven 5.25" bays with ample space for large expansion cards. Dampening foam, rubber grommets and a padded PSU holder are some of the major features in silence. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtwhisper For some time, FSP Group has been marketing retail PC power supplies in America under the name Fortron Source, and more recently under their real name, FSP Group. Today I will be looking at one of their latest power supplies, a 700 watt PSU in the new Power-Mod series. It is a modular power supply with SLI certification and over 80% efficiency. Will this power supply impress? Read on to see! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/fsp_power_mod_700 One of the perks of my job is getting to look at some of the coolest new computer and consumer electronics, often times before they are even released to the public. Back in January at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we got a sneak peek at Cooler Master's upcoming product line. There were several new and exciting products on display, from cases and power supplies to new CPU and GPU cooling solutions. Today we will be taking a look at one of the CPU coolers we saw on display, known simply as the V8. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/v8 The OCZ ModXStream 600 is a lot of power supply in a relatively small package. Boasting 25A on each of its dual +12v rails, plus an additional 25A each for the +3.3v and +5v, the ModXStream 600 seems at least as capable if not more so than many power supplies with higher wattage ratings. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczmodxstream600 Logitech knows a thing or two about being successful and they have injected this knowledge into their business model. They know that you have to supply a steady stream of new and innovative products to keep customers coming back. They are also well aware that you need a wide range of products, from high end gear all the way down to items that will fit any budget. It is with this mindset that Logitech released the Cordless Desktop S520 last month, the latest addition to their keyboard + mice combos that checks in at a very attractive price point. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/s520 Such begins the introduction for Cooler Master's latest full tower design, the HAF 932. HAF stands for High Air Flow, which seems to be the driving force behind this case structure, with three 230mm fans plus another 140mm fan pre-installed. The entire front of the chassis consists of open mesh from top to bottom, and additional use of large openings in the side, top and rear. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmhaf932 NZXT introduces the first gaming mouse from their award winning design team. As with all of NZXT's PC accessories, Avatar is designed to provide gamers with the ultimate crafted gaming armor to emerge victorious in the gaming arena of choice. Featuring an ambidextrous and smaller form, the Avatar mouse is versatile and ideal for gamers. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtavatar You don't need to spend a fortune for a high quality, multiple-use stereo headset. That is, according to TekNmotion, makers of the Yapster Gaming Headset. Yapster was designed for a large audience of users ranging from everyday online computer uses such as PC gaming, internet chat, VOIP or simply high quality stereo music. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/teknmotionyap Swiftech has been around since 1994 and is perhaps best known for their thermoelectric and liquid cooling solutions that first gained popularity in late 2000 / early 2001. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to test the Swiftech H20-220 Compact water cooling kit, and liked it so much I'm still using it on my primary system. Today I have for review the Apogee GTZ, Swiftech's new flagship water block. While it shares the same name with its predecessors, it also leaps beyond the GT and GTX performance charts thanks to an entirely new design that pushes and refines both thermal and mechanical specifications to the limits of today's technology. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/swiftechgtz Even though overclocking has come a long way from hacked BIOS, pencil tracing, etc, it still isn't for the squeamish. You can still fry your CPU or motherboard, though it is much harder due to safety measures built into Intel processors and most motherboards. But with a little preparation and forethought, nearly anyone can successfully give their rig some extra oomph by a mild overclock, or make it really scream with a serious overclock. Read on to find out how! http://www.ocia.net/articles/overclockingcore2 We recently caught up with Robert "Razer Guy" Krakoff, Razer founder and president, who was able to give us a unique insight into the growing gaming market and what consumers can expect in the future. In between a trip from the Games Convention and Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2008 in Seattle, Krakoff wanted to start off by discussing the company's most recent product announcement. http://www.ocia.net/articles/razerguy NZXT has been building cases targeted for gamers and enthusiasts since 2004. Headquartered in Taiwan, NZXT's company objective is to "provide every gamer with a case that they can identify with." To this end NZXT offers two types of case designs, the more conservative Classic series, and the contemporary Crafted line. I've reviewed models from both in the past and I have to say I prefer the Classic series styling, however today I have for review the Guardian 921 which is the latest in their Crafted series. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtguard921 Rosewill is the brand-name associated with the reseller Newegg.com. Like Costco's Kirkland, Newegg uses Rosewill to sell competition products at cheaper prices than the big names that they already sell because they don't have to play the middle man of reselling, they are selling factory direct. Recently, Rosewill has put together their latest aftermarket GPU cooler, the RCX-V100, which we have for review today. Because companies like Rosewill sell a wide variety of products, they are not always associated with the best of quality. Especially in a market like cooling, where companies have become extremely specialized, many people won't trust a generic name like Rosewill. Can it stand up to the test, though? We'll find out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/rcx-v100 Palit is one of the few companies that sell both ATI and NVIDIA cards. Though their rocket-launcher armed frog has only become popularly recognizable in the past year or two, they were in fact founded a whole 20 years ago in 1988. As you know, that's quite a while in tech years. With ATI's new HD 4xxx series of cards, Palit has geared up to add one more PCB to their arsenal, the HD 3850 Super +1GB videocard, which we have for review today. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/palit3850 Until now, these two worlds have gone surprisingly separate ways with their cases and peripherals; the flashy-type modders had their bright, intense LCD screen fan controllers, while the classier of builders had the plain vanilla, brushed aluminum rheobus. Today, however, we have for review NZXT's Sentry LX fan controller, which hopes to break that divide. Inset in a classy, brushed aluminum faceplate is a bright, detailed screen. This has potential to be the best of both worlds. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtsentrylx BFG Tech is one of those companies you expect quality products from, no matter what you're buying. While most famous for their graphics cards, they make a range of products, including motherboards, accessories, and power supplies. BFG has a few lines of power supplies, from modular to energy efficient, and has recently started advertising their 550W and 680W LS power supplies. A few weeks ago, our very own Zahn had a look at the 550W version and was generally impressed with the quality and performance versus the price. Today, I'm going to have a look at the 680W version to see if it's true to their slogan, "efficiency and performance meets affordability." http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bfgtechls680 We review quite a few cases here at OCIA.net, but it's been a few months since our last one from Apevia. It's always exciting to see what new chassis designs they come up with, one common factor among them all is the ability of Apevia to produce a quality, stylish case at a very good price. Today we have a new mid-tower to take a look at, dubbed the X-Sniper. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/apeviaxsniper J&W Technology is a name I was not familiar with, however they have been around since 1994 and currently sell 450,000 units monthly. Until just recently they have not had any distributors outside of Europe, Asia and Australia, however recently a few of their products have popped up on North American e-tailer sites like Geeks.com. Today I have for review their JW-RS780UVD-AM2+ motherboard. This is a micro ATX board utilizing the AMD 780G chipset, features the latest HT 3.0 and PCIe 2.0, support for DDR2-1066 memory, onboard Radeon 3200 DX10 graphics with 64Mb SidePort memory, and HDMI and HDCP ready. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/jw780g This month OCZ Technology celebrates their 8th anniversary manufacturing high performance memory products for the computer enthusiast market. They're also the latest manufacturer to jump on the Fatal1ty bandwagon, releasing both DDR2 and DDR3 modules under the world famous PC gamer's banner, in PC2-6400, 8500 and PC3-10666 speeds. OCZ sent us over a pair of their new Fatal1ty modules for review, the 2x2Gb PC2-6400 Dual Channel kit, and claim "these high-performance memory kits were co-developed with the expertise of the world's 12-time champion to meet the needs of fellow gamers." http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczfatal1ty One product category that has grown rapidly in popularity recently is the Solid State Drive or SSD. By using an array of flash memory chips grouped together in a standard-sized enclosure, the SSD offers several benefits over a traditional hard disk drive. For one, they have no moving parts, so they operate completely free of noise. They also produce very little heat, which should make them ideal for use in tight spaces where cooling is a concern, like laptops and other portables. Their greater tolerance for vibration and shock are also a boon for notebook use, as is their lighter weight. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/transcendssd While unfamiliarity with the Thermaltake name requires residence under a rock in a remote land, this big named company has also been producing water cooling kits and components for several years now and as such is a known name in the business. Today, I have the Thermaltake ProWater 850i, a complete liquid cooling kit for your CPU. While complete kits don't have the best reputation for performance, they do serve as fantastic introductions to the water scene. Their upgradeability makes them a great introductory choice for beginners and they come with thorough manuals to help ease the leap of faith that is liquid cooling. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttpw850i In the past we've always spec'd a high-end air cooler for our Performance build, however we've seen a few really good yet inexpensive liquid cooling kits come out recently. Among these was the Swiftech H20-220 Compact that we reviewed several months ago. Coming from a brand like Swiftech you know it's going to be high quality and the performance is really good, even for a pre-assembled kit. If you don't have room for a double-sized radiator in your case, the Swiftech Compact series is also available in a single H20-120 model. http://www.ocia.net/articles/performance2008 It's no secret that Intel has been dominating the processor market the past few years, which is why we decided to go with an Intel based system for the Mainstream build. Although the Kentsfield core has been out for some time, prices have only recently fallen to the sub-$200 mark. In fact, the Q6600 made our Performance build the last time out, so it is still quite a capable processor for Mainstream computing. The Q6600 operates at 2.4 GHz, 1066MHz FSB with 2x4M of shared L2 cache. This processor has an excellent price point and is extremely overclocker friendly. http://www.ocia.net/articles/mainstream2008 For that very reason, we started writing these System Buying Guides a few years back. We have three categories of Buying Guides: Budget, Mainstream and Performance. Our Budget Guide has a spending limit of $600, the Mainstream limit is $1,200 and we allocate $2,400 for our Performance Guide. The systems that we piece together here are designed to give you the best overall experience under the given budget. http://www.ocia.net/articles/budget2008 BFG offers several different models of power supplies, from the value-oriented GS to the modular MX series, all the way up to their top of the line ES-800; they have something for every need and budget. The one I have for review today is the LS-550, which seems to fall somewhere in the middle of their lineup. Despite the relatively smallish power rating, the LS-550 offers quad +12v rails, 6 and 8-pin PCIe and ATX 2.2 version compatibility, all backed up by an impressive 5-year warranty. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bfgls550 A company "built on gamers' dreams," NZXT has since expanded upon their "Crafted Series" cases, into a line of more modest, yet still stylish, "Classic Series" cases, and even two lines of power supplies. They have, for the most part, enjoyed great success with all of their products, which are known for being high quality despite having a lower than usual cost. Today we have for review the NZXT Performance Power 800W power supply, one whose launch was abnormally silent and hasn't received much attention. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtpp800 A few months ago I reviewed the Icy Box NAS 4220 dual-drive enclosure from Raidsonic. They've taken the best features of the NAS box and incorporated them into the product we have for review today, the Icy Box IB 3218. Bearing a striking resemblance to the NAS 4220, the IB 3218 uses the same housing and drive mounting mechanism, but without the network interface. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/icybox3218 Unless you've been living under a rock for the last eight years, you've no doubt heard of OCZ. In August of 2000 they started out with a determination to manufacture the best high speed DDR available. And while they've certainly built their reputation on the performance and reliability of their memory, OCZ has branched out to provide enthusiasts with other products as well, most notably power supplies and coolers. Today I have something totally new from OCZ, the Alchemy Elixir gaming keyboard. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczelixir Like most of their recent coolers, the Zalman CNPS9300AT uses a circular heatsink design, and just like previous 9000-series coolers the CNPS9300 uses an upright orientation with heatpipes connecting it to the base. CNPS stands for Computer Noise Prevention System, and Zalman uses this designation on all products designed for noiseless operation. Can an air cooler designed to be "noiseless" really provide enough cooling for modern processors? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/zalman9300 EVGA is no stranger to video card enthusiasts, in fact they are celebrating their ninth anniversary this month. They have been leaders in innovation and customer service, with excellent features such as lifetime warranty, 90-day optional step-up and 24/7 tech support. Today I have for review the EVGA GTX 260 video card, one of the latest in graphic card designs. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/evgagtx260 iStar originally catered more towards IT professionals and the like, but in recent years, they have started creating products that the average consumer can use on a daily basis. Items such as ATX computer cases, hard drive coolers and external hard drive enclosures are all items now offered by iStar. Today we will be taking a look at one of iStar's new products, the T5F-SS, a mobile hard drive rack for use with any 3.5" SATA drive. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/istarhdd I don't know about you, but I have quite a bit of data that I wouldn't want others to have direct access to. Items such as e-mail archives and financial records could potentially be disastrous in the hands of someone with malicious intent. Those who carry around vital data in external enclosures are even more at risk, as this data is "out and about" quite often and subject to loss or theft. If you fit into either of these categories, SilverStone recently released an external 2.5" hard drive enclosure that uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to encrypt the contents of the drive inside, rendering it useless without the RFID sensor key to unlock it. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ssrfid The idea behind combining multiple graphics processors to increase performance is nothing new. While you might be familiar with recent SLI and Crossfire solutions from modern-day video card manufacturers nVidia and AMD/ATI, the birth of multi-GPU 3D gaming can be traced back more than ten years ago to a company called 3dfx and their Voodoo2 graphics chipset. Today we find nVidia and AMD/ATI competing on a new graphics front, combining a hybrid mix of integrated motherboard graphics chipset commonly found in low-cost mainstream computer systems with that of a more traditional separate discrete graphics card. http://www.ocia.net/articles/hybridsli We received the silver model but a black version is also available, if that would better fit your home theater system color scheme. The 7" touchscreen immediately makes its presence known, taking up the entire center area of the front bezel. Just below the LCD screen is a spot for your optical drive. To the right, we have a bank of control buttons and a volume knob. On the left, we find a power button, HDD LED and IR sensor (more on all of these in a bit). http://www.ocia.net/reviews/moncaso972 If a computer is plugged into a wall, and nobody is there to turn it on, does it still use energy? While a more familiar question with trees begs existential consideration, the answer to my question is far simpler; it's yes. As gas prices go up and up, everyone is looking to economize and save money everywhere they can. Phantom energy, electricity drawn by devices not in use, is one target of many people's efforts. Still, a lot of us think that the minimal wattage used by an empty cell-phone charger isn't worth the hassle and that there are bigger fish to fry. The <1W pull we observe in chargers and other small appliances leads us to forget about unplugging our devices altogether, even the bigger ones. What about your computer, though? http://www.ocia.net/articles/energyuse Today we have for review one of GELID's first products ever, their thermal compound, GC-1. I've seen a lot of thermal compounds hit the market and pass it by, and often times it seems as though it will take something absolutely astonishing to overshadow the great name of Arctic Silver 5. Even though many pastes out there perform better, have better features (not electrically conductive, doesn't have a burn in period, etc.) and are cheaper than Arctic Silver 5, it seems impossible to knock it from its thrown. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/gelidgc1 We have hardcore gamer mice with plenty of customizable buttons and super-sensitive laser tracking, ergonomic mice that offer great comfort and ease of use, all-purpose mice that are suitable for most needs and even mobile mice, designed for use with your notebook while you are out of the office on business or maybe even on vacation. Logitech has mice that fall into every category mentioned, and today we will be taking a look at the VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks, a portable solution that promises to pack a lot of features in a very small footprint. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/vxnano Nowadays, while they have started to make some higher-end graphics cards as well (for example, a 9600GT 1GB), Diablotek still has some good mid-range offerings, like their 8600GT 1GB that we have for review today. The new trend these days seems to be to go overboard with our PC components and buy high-end everything, when all you are going to do is chat and check your email. The 8600GT is for those among us who realize that onboard video just isn't enough, but anything else wouldn't be necessary as often is the case in a HTPC. The extra 512MB of RAM over reference should give a cheap performance boost to iron out kinks, but again, nothing more than you need. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/diablotek8600gt OtterBox has been around since 1996, catering to the "klutzy, spontaneous, chaotic, graceless individuals who have broken a device or valuable due to their active lifestyle". Whether you are into hiking, biking, camping, skiing, swimming or any other outdoor activity, OtterBox likely has a product that will allow you to safely bring your electronic gadgets along for the ride. Today I will be taking a look at the OtterBox Armor Case for the iPhone, the more rugged alternative to the Defender Case that we reviewed earlier this year. Unlike the Defender series, the Armor series is fully waterproof up to 3 feet, and OtterBox even included a set of Waterproof Headphones for us to try out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/iphonearmor With the 3870s and the 4850s so closely matching in price, suddenly buying a second 3870 doesn't seem like such a good idea. You can buy a 3870 for under $140.00 and have two 3870s in Crossfire (or a 3870 and a 3850 in CrossfireX depending on what you did back in the day). Alternatively, you can sell your 3870 and probably pull in a solid $90, and then buy a 4850, netting $100 and saving yourself the electricity bill of having two cards at the same time. Naturally, we have a problem with using just one card when we could so easily have two, but it really is the performance that counts. http://www.ocia.net/articles/3870crossfire Thermalright is now set to further capitalize on the success of the Ultra-120 eXtreme with the release the TRue Black 120. While physically identical to the Ultra-120 eXtreme, other than the new black nickel finish, the TRue Black comes with another set of clips to attach a second fan in a push/pull configuration and Thermalright has thrown in a small tube of their improved thermal compound, Chill Factor 2. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/trblack120 WWAN is becoming more and more popular for business travelers and remote locations for internet connectivity. With a simple USB or PCMCIA card stuck in your laptop, you can pretty much connect from anywhere you can get cell service, and the bandwidth available on these wireless plans is about what you'd expect from an entry level DSL connection. Which means sooner or later you might think to yourself, "boy it sure would be nice to be able to share this big pipe with more users than just my laptop". http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cradlephs300 TekNmotion specializes in CD/DVD carrying cases, individual disc cases as well as sleeving for individual discs. The Pulsar SX Gaming Headset, released just two months ago, represents their introduction into the gaming market. According to their website, this headset has been in development for over two yeas and includes pretty much everything that you need in a gaming headset... except the high price. Can this newcomer really produce a quality gaming headset at a fraction of the price? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/pulsarsx Most people wouldn't expect a quad-core rig with Crossfire graphics cards to run well on 500W, but the Silencer is a testament to the fact that it can with a high quality power supply. Theoretically, at full load, this rig pulls about 400W, but very few power supplies rated below 600W could handle it. Indeed, on the topic of performance, the Silencer did a fine job, though I would have liked to see a slightly more accurate reading on the 5V line. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/pcpcsilencer500 Although Intel's Core Duo and Quad processors have pretty much taken over the top performance rung from rival manufacturer AMD, fans of the underdog company have reason to rejoice... Phenom is here. With a new 9x50 numbering scheme to represent the latest stepping, and no longer plagued by the TLB errata, AMD re-released the Phenom X4 chips to retail suppliers with 2.2, 2.4 and 2.5 Ghz operating frequencies. So if you're finally thinking about taking the K10 plunge, or you are looking to get a little more out of your Phenom processor, this guide was written with you in mind. http://www.ocia.net/articles/k10overclock The PC-A77 has some of the great features we have grown to love in Lian Li cases over the years. A removable motherboard tray, top panel, and hard-drive cage make for flexible installation. Their unique hard-drive installation system greatly reduces vibrations, and they even included a fan controller. Continue on as we check this case out in greater detail. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/lianlipca77 Next to video, sound is probably one of the most important aspects of a PC. And if sound is important to you, it should be of decent quality too. Today I'll be looking at the Logitech Z Cinma Advanced Surround Sound System. Although not a true surround sound setup, which typically include six, seven or more speakers laid out in a circle around the listener, this is a 2.1 setup, with two satellite speakers comprised of dual mids and tweeters, and a single high-power subwoofer for the bass. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/logitechzcinema Today I have for review a new motherboard model from Biostar, the TF8200 A2+. This board is part of Biostar's TForce lineup, which are upscale versions of their regular motherboard series, featuring better components and more options for enthusiasts and overclockers. The TF8200 A2+ uses the GeForce 8200 design, part of nVidia's most recent release of 8000 and 700 series chipsets for AMD. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tforce8200 Kingwin has been around since 1992 and has recently started promoting their high-end Mach 1 power supplies. Last September, we had a chance to review their Mach 1 800W PSU, and today we have for review their Mach 1 1,000W PSU, the ABT-1000MA1S. With six 12V rails, four rated at 20A and two at 35A, a hefty 150mm fan, and a unique modular cabling system, this power supply has a lot of promise. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingwin1kw The team over at Kingwin recently sent word that they would like for us to check out their latest hard drive enclosure, the Elite Series. The Elite Series 3.5" SATA enclosures, built of dual process anodized aluminum, feature a one touch back up system and are USB 2.0 and eSATA compatible. How will this combination of features stack up against the heavy competition already in the marketplace? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingwinelite Today we're going to have a look at one of Sigma's newer cases, the Unicorn. The Unicorn is a standard steel mid-tower case, finished in black with red LEDs. Of course, we all want our case to turn heads in one way or another, but are we willing to sink low enough to name our case the Unicorn? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sigmaunicorn Occasionally here at OCIA.net we receive review requests from overseas companies that we've never heard of before. Such was the case with computer and home electronics manufacturer NorthQ. Based in Denmark, NorthQ offers chassis, cooling and power supply products as well as other electronics for home and car. Today I will be taking a look at their Siberian Tiger water cooling system for AMD and Intel processors. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/northqtiger NZXT has addressed these problems with their latest midtower, the Tempest. Dubbed "Airflow King", this case has a fully vented bezel, dual 120mm front intake fans, dual 140mm blowhole fans, plus 120mm window and rear fans. Sounds like plenty of ventilation, but will it sound like the next Hurricane Katrina has arrived? Read on to see! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxttempest For testing, I used two programs, HD Tach and HD Tune, to test the write and read speeds of the drive in the dock. For reference purposes, the drive used was a 3.5" Maxtor 320GB, 7200 RPM SATA Drive. During testing, I was curious to see how having USB devices plugged into the hub would affect drive performance as they share the same USB bus to the computer. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/blacxse Lite-On Corporation has been in the optical drive business since 1999 and makes many of the products that OEM system builders use in their computers. But they also sell products in the consumer retail market which are typically priced in the lower end of the scale compared with some of the equivalent models from other major brands. For this reason they're a popular choice for many home builders as well. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/liteonezdub For a lot of people, an all-in-one bundle from a popular brand is just what they need; it would minimize the research work for finding quality, and it would combine soundcard and speakers/headphones to further reduce consumer work. Enter the 5H v2 USB headset from SteelSeries. This headset not only comes backed by the name that so many people trust, SteelSeries, but also comes bundled with a USB soundcard for a cheap upgrade over onboard sound. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ss5hv2usb Today I will be looking at one of OCZ's newest power supplies, the EliteXStream 800w PSU. This will be the first OCZ power supply I have reviewed here. OCZ is well known for their high-performance system memory and have been in the power supply business for a while as well. Will the EliteXStream 800 live up to the high expectations I have of OCZ products? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/elitexstream800 The MX 5500 was announced back in January at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where we brought you on-site coverage of each of their five new products. Today I will be taking a look at their latest keyboard / mouse combo and see if they have hit yet another home run in the marketplace. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mx5500 You may have seen some Eagle Tech products while shopping the online e-tailers. They certainly offer some attractive prices, especially their power supplies. But Eagle has a fairly wide selection of gear, from chassis to speakers, power supplies to external storage. Today I have for review two of their hard drive enclosures, the latest N and I series USB attached storage. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/eaglehdds As various components become more advanced, they also require more power to operate. According to Western Digital, the average 1 TB hard drive has a power consumption rating greater than 13.5 watts. Western Digital's new GreenPower drive, which we will be looking at here today, claims to shave 4-5 watts over typical drives in the same category. Any power saving is a welcomed addition, but will the drive's performance be hampered to accomplish this? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/wd1tb More and more I get people approaching me asking about cooling their rig. Sunbeamtech never really crossed my mind when people ask me. I tend to go with Thermalright, Zalman, Noctua, or Tuniq myself. After having my hands on the Core-Contact Freezer from Sunbeamtech, I might have to start adding them to the list of viable solutions to today's cooling needs. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/corefreezer Unless you're into Japanese anime, you very well might have never heard of Gundam. It didn't gain much popularity in the west until it was introduced on Cartoon Network's Toonami in 2000. But it seems that In-Win is banking on their case buyers being familiar with Gundam Wing and appreciating the similarities enough to be interested in their new case design, the Metal Suit GD. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/inwinmetal With the semi-recent arrival of DDR3 memory, OCZ has had the chance to expand on a whole new line of products. Already, they have the full series available on their website: Reaper, ReaperX, Platinum, Gold, Titanium the list goes on. Today, we have for review the 2x 1GB OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-10666 memory kit, rated at 1333MHz. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczreaper10666 The problem with all earlier forms of removable media is capacity. Even a 16 or 32 gig flash drive can be a little small for some uses, and they are pretty expensive. Think about it, you can pick up a 500 gig HDD for the price of a 16 gig thumb drive, or a 750 gig for the price of a 32 gig thumb drive. For that matter, you could get a RaptorX for the price of the 32 gig flash drive. Today, we will be taking a look at the Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock, an external solution for simple swapping of hard drives. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/hdddock SilverStone is a company that needs no introduction. Although they have only been in business since 2003, in that time they have produced some great case designs. In the tradition of the Zeus and Olympia power supplies, with their single, large +12v rail, SilverStone now introduces the next generation of power supply built especially for enthusiasts, the Decathlon. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/silverda700 For most computer savvy users, transferring data between two computers is relatively easy. If you have a network set up, you can share data between two computers. Alternatively, you can simply use a flash drive... but that might not be very efficient if you are transferring a large amount of data. But, for those users who aren't as "skilled" with computers, this can present quite a problem. I have seen countless people burn CD after CD of data to transfer to their laptop, which of course is time-consuming and wasteful. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/usbcopycable Shopping for a monitor isn't exactly straightforward, though. As if picking a size weren't hard enough, you also have to balance your standards for specifications versus price. That's too much work for a lot of people, especially after they just spent a month researching the best hardware to buy, and they stick with the well-known names like Samsung and Viewsonic. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/hi221d Lian Li certainly put a lot of thought into the design of this case, even taking the time to implement the classic separate thermal zone design that is common to many full-tower and server cases. Can this case wow us like the PC-A17 did, though? Continue on as we find out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/lianlipcv1110 Back in January at the 2008 CES, Logitech introduced five new products which would be released in the coming months. Among those products was the diNovo Mini Palm-sized Keyboard, which was an Honoree in the Best of Innovations at the show. The diNovo Mini looked extremely promising at the show, with its TouchPad and full QWERTY keyboard, and we have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to review it for you all. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/dinovomini Tuniq, a subsidiary of Sunbeamtech, really made their name known with their Tuniq Tower CPU air cooler. The Tuniq Tower was recognized as one of the best air coolers on the market for longer than a year. Since then, they have become increasingly popular for their cases, thermal accessories, and most recently, power supplies. One power supply that has been getting a lot of attention lately is the Tuniq Miniplant 950W which we have for review today. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tuniqminiplant The design of the Open It! is based on diagonal cutters, better known to people not into electronics as wire cutters, wire snippers, or wire clippers. They are 8.5" from the tips of the blades to the end of the longest handle. The handles are made of high impact plastic, the darker edges are a rubberized non-slip material. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/openit Earlier this week we tested out the Stinger Gaming Mouse from Cyber Snipa. During this time we've also been using Cyber Snipa's Sonar 5.1 Headset as well. With a USB connection, eight speaker sound and adjustable boom mic, the Sonar 5.1 looks to have a lot going for it as well. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cybersonar The Cyber Snipa Stinger is a laser mouse, which provides much more precise movement than a standard LED optical mouse, and supports multiple dpi settings including a default 400/800/1600/2000 with continually adjustable sliders up to a max of 3200. With as high as 1000Hz (1ms) report rate, the Stinger gives you over 7,000 frames per second with a tracking speed of 45 inches per second. There are nine buttons with six of them being programmable using the included macro editor. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cyberstinger OCZ has never been a major player in the CPU cooling industry, but lately they have moved in strong. CES 2007 was their big opening, where they showed off preliminary models of their Cryo-Z phase change cooler, as well as some of their soon-to-be-released air coolers. A little more than a year later now, they have released four air coolers: the Vanquisher, the Vindicator, the Vendetta, which we reviewed back in November, and the Vendetta 2, which we have for review today. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczvendetta2 Today I have one of Sans Digital's newer enclosures for review, the MobileSTOR MS2UTN+. Utilizing the SIL 5744 chipset, the MobileSTOR offers the typical dual drive configurations such as JBOD, Spanning (BIG), RAID0 and RAID1, but also something I haven't seen before, SAFE33 and SAFE50. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sansdigmstor The size of the CG6 is perfect. It is small enough to fit into a purse or pocket, yet large enough that you don't feel like you are going to break or drop it during use. The camera uses a pistol-grip style which works perfectly for both left and right-handed users. The fact that the camera is so small also means it is extremely lightweight. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xacticg6 Thermaltake has now carried that same patented design over into the processor realm with its DuOrb CPU Cooler. Utilizing twin 80mm fans just as the VGA Cooler did, this time surrounded by six copper heatpipes rather than two, and both an inner aluminum fin and outer copper fin configuration, the DuOrb CPU Cooler takes advantage of the wide wingspan of the DuOrb design to cool not only the processor but also the memory and surrounding socket area. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttduorb Thermaltake is one company that is hard to stay on top of. In the M9 case review last month, I mentioned how it seems like there is always something new coming from those folks. Well here to prove me right is the latest offering in the Xaser class full tower, the VI VG4000 series. Thermaltake calls the Xaser VI a Super Tower, and if the box is any indication of its size, I'd say they're right. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttxaservi Today we will be taking a look at a "dedicated" desktop stand from LapWorks, the Attache Desktop Stand. The Attache picks up where the Futura left off in terms of desktop stands, adding several features that should greatly improve usage in this configuration. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/attache It was a little over a month ago that I had a chance to review another Cooler Master case, the Cosmos S. While the Cosmos is certainly a supurb case, a veritable heavyweight contender, not everyone may have the space (or the pocketbook) for an enclosure like that. This month Cooler Master has sent us something scaled down a bit, but equally as impressive looking, the Centurion 590. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmcenturion590 Back in February I had the opportunity to take a look at the OnAir GT USB HDTV Tuner from AutumnWave. The portable OnAir GT, their flagship product, allows you to watch both Analog and HDTV on your computer anywhere there is a signal (over-the-air or direct cable connection). While the OnAir GT did well in our testing (enough to earn our Seal of Approval), there were a few drawbacks that I found. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/onaircreator In the previous Razer review, we took a look (and listen) at the new Piranha gaming communicator. The second item they sent over for review is their Destructor gaming mat. More than just your average mouse pad, Razer says their Destructor mat has a proprietary gunmetal coating which yields a highly reactive surface. The result is superior tactility, improved responsiveness and enhanced tracking. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razerdestructor Recently Razer sent over two of their latest products for review, and the first one I'll be taking a look at today is the Piranha Gaming Communicator. Razer touts the Piranha as having true to life audio quality with superior clarity and bass, a noise-filtering microphone and ergonomic and adjustable earphones. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razerpiranha Regarding the actual paint job, since each CSX case is air-brushed by hand by a different artist, there are no two cases in the world that are 100% identical. If you are the type that likes a truly unique product, you will certainly find that here. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/csxwraith One of my all-time favorite cases has been the X-Jupiter tower, one that until just recently I had been using as my primary enclosure. Today I'll be taking a look at the new X-QBOII, a micro-tower case that appears to be sort of a scaled-down version of the X-Supra mid-tower, also recently reviewed here at OCIA.net. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/apeviaxqboii Wouldn't it be cool to be able to build your own cable? A modular-designed power cable, that allows you to use only the connectors you need, in the order that you need them? Nesteq has answered that call with their ECS series of power supplies. Today we will be looking at the Nesteq ECS 7001, a modular 700 watter that allows you to do just this. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nesteq7001 Today I have for review one of Silverstone's newer HTPC series of cases, the Grandia GD02. If you liked the style of the full-size GD01 but were just looking for something a bit smaller, the GD02 might be right up your alley. It's a micro-ATX size case, and like most HTPC enclosures it is designed to blend right into the other devices in your entertainment center, with a brushed aluminum finish on the front, available in either black or silver. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ssgd02 When it comes to saving money, I am all ears. Throw in some environmental benefits and you are well on your way to a great product. Today I will be taking a look at a product that incorporates both of these features into a single device, the Solio H1000 Universal Hybrid Charger. This portable battery charger draws it energy directly from the sun, thanks to an integrated solar panel and stores this power for up to a full year using an internal 1000mAh lithium ion battery. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/solio1000 There are a number of devices Thermaltake offers that you might not be aware of. For example, last month we reviewed a unique data retrieval product from them, the BlacX hard drive dock, which allows users to easily hot-swap SATA drives from a convenient desktop base unit. Today I have another of Thermaltake's newer storage solutions for review, the Muse R-Duo RAID. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttmuseduo The Real Power Pro 1250 is one of 10 power supplies receiving nVidia's highest SLI rating, for three 8800 Ultras or 8800 GTXs. It also has an 80Plus certification, certified to maintain more than 80% efficiency. Actually, this power supply is rated up to 87% efficiency. What does that mean? A more efficient power supply uses less wall current than a less efficient one, which means less dollars out of your pocket. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/coolermaster1250 Today I have for review an Icy Box multi-drive NAS device, the IB-NAS4220-B. NAS is short for Network Attached Storage, and unlike a typical external hard drive enclosure which must be connected directly to a host computer in order to access, a NAS device uses a network client to allow access across a shared medium, like Ethernet. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/icybox4220 Since the merger of Sunbeamtech and Tuniq, we have seen many of their products share cross-company styling cues and design features. Sometimes it is difficult to say exactly which company is responsible for what. Take for example the patented Core Fan idea we first saw implemented on our Sunbeamtech Quarterback case review. Now we find that same technology applied to the third case design to come from the folks over at Tuniq, named simply "3". http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tuniq3 Today I will be looking at the Apollo Aposonic Radeon HD 3850 512MB. It is a mid-range DX10 card, Crossfire ready, sitting in the notch between the geForce 8600GTS and the 8800GT. Will the HD 3850 make me turn my back on nVidia? Read on and see. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/apollo3850 The material inside is sodium sulfate decahydrate, Na2SO410H2O, also known as Glauber's salt. This material changes phases (from solid to liquid) at 32 C (90 F), which makes this product excellent at storing heat and is commonly used to store thermal energy for solar heating systems. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ixoft Anticipating these delays, Art. Lebedev was successfully able to release another product based on the same OLED technology, the Optimus Mini Three. The Mini Three is billed as the world's first keyboard with OLED screens... although I wouldn't quite call it a "keyboard". The phrase "auxiliary keyboard-informer" used on Art. Lebedev's website is a much better description of its actual function. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/minithree The wireless IR remote control has 10 buttons to fully control speaker functions as well as basic iPod functions, so you can change tracks from the remote without having to actually touch the iPod. This of course only works with iPods plugged into the dock and will not work with other MP3 players that are connected via the line-in jack. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/stereoorb Today I'll be looking at the recently released M9 series mid-tower case. There are two versions available, the VI1000BWS with side panel window and the VI1000BNS non-windowed case, which is the one I received for review. Measuring 17" tall by 8" wide and almost 20" deep, this black-only steel mid-tower offers the typical micro and standard ATX size in a compact frame. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttm9 Now, with the main site set, we focused our attention to the forums. We switched to a new forum software and also totally reworked the layout to better match the main page. So now, it's time to celebrate, and what better way to do that than to give away a ton of free stuff to you, our readers?!! We have teamed up with several of our sponsors and put together a prize package worth over $1,300 !! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/forumcontest The case is aluminum, in a very shiny gunmetal color, that Apevia calls titanium. The spec label is on top of the case, and won't be visible when the PSU is installed. I've seen a lot of complaints about the specs label being on the visible side of a PSU, hiding the finish, so those people should be happy with this one. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/warlock750 Protecting our investments is a top priority for most people. This is why we have insurance on many of the expensive / priceless things in life, such as our cars, homes and even our lives. Unfortunately, when it comes to the iPhone, Apple / AT&T see things differently and thus, customers are not given the option to insure their phone against accidental damage. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultraclear The box the H2gO came shipped in certainly didn't match the typical computer case shipping container; a plain brown cube with no exterior markings to indicate what's inside. I always liked this about one other manufacturer, Thermalright, who for years has used plain brown boxes to pack their products in. I think it says something about the company, something to the effect of... we'd rather spend our money on making you a great product than flashy advertising on the box it comes in. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mtnmodsh2go In terms of aesthetics, the Lycosa is certainly an attention-grabber. The top surface has a sleek, glossy finish, almost like a piano. The buttons are finished with a non-slip, rubber finish that contrasts the glossy surface really well. The wrist rest appears to be regular black plastic, with the Razer logo in the center. I really like how the keys aren't fully visible when the back light is off, producing a nice stealth effect. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/lycosa Today I'm taking a closer look at the Cooler Master Real Power Pro 750W, which is a non-modular power supply with a 750W continuous load rating. Like all of the Real Power Pro line, the 750W carries a five year warranty, has an 80-plus efficiency certification and is SLI-ready with dual 6 and 8-pin PCIe configurations. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmpowerpro750 Included in the retail package is the charger itself, a spare battery container, USB cable and an instruction manual. The iPod / iPhone kit was packaged separately and simply consists of a retractable cable with a USB port on one end and an iPod / iPhone port on the other end. The cable extends and has a locking mechanism, so you can pull the cable to the desired length without it winding back up. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/aaausb There are so many thumb drives out there, some fast and some slow, some high capacity and some smaller than a quarter, that it's really easy to brush them aside and think that those differences don't really matter. OCZ wants to discourage this kind of a mentality and it shows from their diverse lineup of USB flash drives, from durable to speedy to high capacity. Today we're going to have a look at the OCZ Rally2 Turbo 8GB USB flash drive, which promises to provide impressive speeds (up to 35MB/s read) while maintaining high capacity (available in 4GB and 8GB modules). http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczrally2turbo You may remember during our CES 2008 coverage we highlighted a product from Yoggie Security Systems called the Gatekeeper Pico. The product was named "Best of Innovations 2008 - Computer Accessories" at the Consumer Electronics Show and Yoggie Security Systems has sent over a demo of the Gatekeeper Pico for our review. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/yoggiepico The Sphere is an all-copper, quad heatpipe and fin CPU cooler shaped like, you guessed it, a ball. It comes with a single-speed radial fan built in, instead of the typical axial fan you find on most CPU coolers. The radial output of the fan helps to cool other components in the immediate vicinity of the CPU socket. This combination of round-shaped fins and radial output fan put the sphere into a fairly unique class of cooler. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmsphere The team at OCZ are among those manufacturers. The past couple of months have seen OCZ release several new DDR2 memory kits, this one, which is a 4 gig version of their popular PC2-8000 5-5-5 Platinum Edition. Will we get the performance from this Platinum Edition memory that we have come to expect from OCZ? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/pc2_8000platinum Lian Li is a name synonymous with quality in the case market. Almost every year, they release new chassis, all improvements upon the last in their line. Naturally, when LanCool PC (a subsidiary of Lian Li) said that they wanted to send over a Lian Li case, I was pretty excited to check it out. Today's review sample, the PC-A17, may have a familiar sounding name: it's the next generation PC-A16 case, and they're about as similar as their names are. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/lianlipca17 Right on the heels of our Cosmos 1000 case review comes the totally revamped Cosmos S from Cooler Master. Although the Cosmos is really a nice case, there are a handful of things that could be done to make it better. We'll be taking a close look at the new Cosmos S today to find out if Cooler Master has made this latest version better than the last. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cosmoss The Vice President of Business at Aeneon said that the, "new XTUNE DDR3 memory series will leverage the enthusiasts' performance experience and demonstrate the DDR3 main advantages as one of the first products in the market: offering high-speed computing as well as limiting power." Rated at 1.5V, these modules certainly run at lower energy consumption than recent DDR2 modules that have been released at 2.0V stock, but as one of the first kits on the market, can it provide the performance we're hoping for? Continue on as we find out http://www.ocia.net/reviews/aeneonddr3 While the relatively new line of Extreme Edition memory products by A-Data still carry the Vitesta model name, the EE modules offer very aggressive timings, more comparable to other manufacturers of high-end performance memory. It is one of these sets of memory sticks I will be taking a look at today, the ADQVD1A16K 2x1GB PC2 6400 Extreme Edition DDR2-800+ Dual Channel Memory Kit. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/adata800ee Today we will be looking at an iPhone case from iSkin, the revo and revoClip. The revo offers users a nice mix of standard features, such as all-around surface protection with a durable silicone exterior, but also brings to the table a few innovative features that we haven't seen on other cases, like the embedded anti-microbial protection and privacy film. With features like this, the iSkin revo is sure to attract some attention, but is it really worth your hard-earned money? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/revo Today we're going to have a look at Razer's most recent mouse, the Lachesis. Weighing in at 4000dpi with a 1000MHz polling rate, this mouse is sure to be an absolute beast. But, does a 4000dpi sensor provide noticeable improvement, and will Razer stay true to their well-earned reputation? Read on as we find out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razerlachesis My point being, if you are still using an ancient CRT monitor, you owe it to yourself and your desk to upgrade to a slim LCD and there is no better time than the present. Today we will be looking at a "budget" 19" widescreen LCD monitor, the Black X2gen VGA/DVI TFT LCD Monitor w/Speakers, to see if it is worth the relatively low asking price. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/x2gen19in The Rosewill RX353-S BLK is a SATA drive enclosure that offers both USB 2.0 and the latest eSATA interfaces. The aluminum case accepts any single 3" SATA drive, either SATA150 or 300, with support for NCQ and up to 1TB of capacity. With the USB 2.0 connection, transfer rates of up to 60MB/s are possible and 300MB/s with eSATA, depending on the drive used. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/rosehddenc2 I've used more than a few Thermaltake CPU coolers over the years; no surprise considering they've been in business since 1999. Today I'll be taking a look at another of their latest products, the Max Orb. Following the progression of orb coolers, from the Golden Orb II through the Blue Orb and Ruby Orb, the Max Orb represents yet another level of advancement in design for Thermaltake. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttmaxorb Super Talent is a company most commonly known for their contributions to the memory market. Unbeknownst to most consumers, however, they also manufacture a variety of solid state memory, power supplies, and digital music players. Today we're going to have a look at one of Super Talent's less main stream products, the Vidego touch-screen digital music player. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/supertalentvidego Apevia has a lot of cases. A quick look at a popular online retailer shows 127 listings at the time of this writing. Most of these are economy-priced premodded mid-towers, in many different colors, some with a power supply, some without. This will be the fourth Apevia/Aspire case I have owned, and I have liked each of them. For someone wanting a decent lower-priced premodded case, you can't go wrong with one from Apevia. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xsupra If only there was a portable power source specifically for the iPhone user... which is where today's product comes into play, the iPhone Portable Power Station. The iPhone Portable Power Station is a phone case and external power source in one, boasting some pretty neat features on top of all of this. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/iphonepps Thermaltake introduces their newest lineup of power supplies, the Toughpower QFan series. If you haven't guessed, the Q in QFan stands for Quiet, as Thermaltake advertises an ultra-low 17dBA noise rating at up to 50% load. There are two models available, the 650w and a 500w version. Today I'll be taking a closer look at the 650 model. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttqfan650 Thermaltake took note of this and created a product that really stood out at the show, a hard drive docking station known as the BlacX. The idea behind this product is so simple and yet, so ingenious that I am shocked that nobody else has thought of it yet. Simply put, the BlacX is a USB 2.0 hot-swappable 2.5" and 3.5" SATA docking station that accepts all hard drives up to 1TB in size. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/blacx The AutumnWave OnAir GT USB HDTV Tuner is a portable TV Tuner solution designed for use primarily with your laptop, allowing you to pick up both HD and analog signals and watch them wherever you may be (granted you are able to receive a strong enough signal). http://www.ocia.net/reviews/onairgt This isn't something you'd expect to see under the notebook of some guy in a dress shirt and tie sitting next to you on a plane, or of someone in a business suit at Starbucks. More likely, you'd see this under an Alienware gaming laptop at a LAN party. I have no problem believing this is something from NZXT. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/Cryolx Naturally, Cooler Master is a company focused on cooling performance in their products. Last October I reviewed their most recent budget case, the CM690, which had all of the right features for the overclocker in all of us with expandability for many fans. Today, we're going to have a look at their latest high-end case, the Cosmos 1000. This case, however, has a slightly different focus than most CM products: silence. Priced at nearly $200USD, it's sure to be a crowd-pleaser, but can Cooler Master keep true to their name while dampening noise? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmcosmos1000 The Futura provides a simple solution to the problems of using a notebook in your lap. No power necessary, no moving parts and it fits in your notebook carrying case or backpack. It weighs just a hair over one pound. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/futura OtterBox must have heard similar reactions from others, as they now have two distinct lines of cases for your valued electronics: The Armor Series, which is rugged to the extreme, and the Defender Series, labeled as "semi-rugged". Today we will be looking at the latter, in the OtterBox for iPhone Defender Series. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/iphoneotterbox Swiftech has been around since 1994 and is perhaps best known for their thermoelectric and liquid cooling solutions that first gained popularity in late 2000 / early 2001. Recently I had the opportunity to test out one of their latest water-cooling kits, the H2O-220 Compact. I know some of you are probably thinking, "oh no, not a water-cooling kit... http://www.ocia.net/reviews/swiftech220 Kingwin is one of those companies that many enthusiasts often overlook. The name has not previously been associated with higher quality and performance hardware, but lately they have really stood out with their upper-end SLI certified PSUs, high-tech CPU coolers and very attractive HDD enclosures. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/rvt12025 This will be my third Apevia/Aspire case. Besides the X-Dreamer II, which I used for the better part of a year, I had an X-Plorer that I used for at least a year, a long time for someone who gets as many cases as I do. So I am familiar with Apevia cases, and expect the X-Telstar to be a mid-priced, fairly well built and finished, pre-modded case with a few interesting features. Read on to see if it meets my expectations. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xtelstar GPU computing is something we were not familiar with, but as Chris explained, the key behind GPU computing is utilizing the stream processors on NVIDIA graphics cards. These stream processors can provide anywhere from 10x to 100x speedups in your algorithms over conventional CPU cores. According to Tycrid, a single Titan workstation can replace over 50 dual quad-core workstations! http://www.ocia.net/articles/tycrid The North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center is home to mobile audio, navigation and other vehicle accessories, and is a great place to see some really cool rides. But, being the car enthusiasts that we are, we took things a few steps further and also visited the Imperial Palace Auto Collection AND Exotic Cars at Caesars Palace. Odds are, you won't find all of these cars in any other CES coverage. So, sit back, and enjoy the ride - we sure did! http://www.ocia.net/articles/cescars Jook, a subsidiary of Razer, is a wireless technology standard that allows any portable music player to act like a personal radio station. Basically, Jook wirelessly broadcasts songs to people in the immediate vicinity. Think of Jook as "social networking meets music". With the success of social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook, it only makes sense to expand on this growing market. http://www.ocia.net/articles/jook This year's Mako is slightly different in looks and functionality from what we saw last year. The new satellite speakers are now more of a flat black instead of the chrome-ish finish we saw last year. Another neat feature on the Mako is the use of Cat 5 cable instead of the traditional audio cables. http://www.ocia.net/articles/ces11 Despite being named the Silencer Quad, this PSU uses just a single beefy 12V rail, running 60 amps! Seeing specs like those just makes you want to drool. High efficiency, just one silent fan, and single rail design, all of this is amazing but is it too good to be true? Continue on as we find out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/pcpcsilencer750 Cooler Master also had their line of custom computer case art at their booth, CSX. Cooler Master has teamed up with Smooth Creations to provide these hand-painted, limited edition chassis in many unique designs. I was totally blown away by the quality and detail of these paint jobs. The CSX cases have, by far, the best paint job that I have ever seen on a computer case. Expect to drop off $1200 - $1500 for a custom-designed CSX chassis. http://www.ocia.net/articles/zaletcc And since there are still uses for it, the memory guys are still designing and building new DDR2 memory modules, treating us to lower latencies and higher frequencies than previously availableat ridiculously low prices. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/reaperxd800 Today, Thermaltake offers nearly every accessory you can imagine: PC cases, air and water cooling solutions, power supplies, external hard drive storage, etc. We stopped by Thermaltake's booth in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center to see what they have in store for the coming year. http://www.ocia.net/articles/ttake You saw it in "Live Free or Die Hard," and you liked it. Don't lie, I know you did. The kid was a nerd, the movie had no plot, and they used acrylic PC cases it's embarrassing I know. But you liked the keyboard. What's not to love about a waterproof, folding keyboard right before a great fight scene? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/atkeyboard Besides being able to check out all of the latest in tech gear, CES is a great place to network, and what better setting to do that than a party? This year, there were over 50 parties going on during CES. It is impossible to attend them all, because many take place at the same time... http://www.ocia.net/articles/parties Yoggie Security Systems is the developer of the world's first hardware-based computer security solution. The whole goal behind Yoggie is to eliminate software-based security solutions and move those off of your computer. Doing so, according to Yoggie, has several advantages. http://www.ocia.net/articles/yoggie With all of this ballyhoo about HD-DVD-this and Blu-Ray-that, it's easy to forget that regular old DVDs and even our old faithful CDs are still quite posh. Not only is your box nearly unusable without some sort of compact disc reader for software, but most forms of entertainment such as movies and music still sells predominantly on these "old" formats of DVD and CD. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/liteondvdrw Logitech released five new or improved products at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. The five products that were unveiled: Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote, diNovo Mini Keyboard, Z Cinema Advanced Surround Sound System, Squeezebox Duet Network Music System and the Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution. http://www.ocia.net/articles/logitech We stopped by the Art Lebedev Studio booth in the Sands convention center on Tuesday. You may already be familiar with the name Art Lebedev: these are the guys responsible for the Optimus Maximus keyboard, which has been a very hot product this past year. http://www.ocia.net/articles/cesd We scheduled a meeting with Arctic Cooling to check out their new lineup for 2008. Arctic Cooling specializes in making silent, high performance cooling solutions such as heatsinks, fans, VGA coolers and even power supplies. http://www.ocia.net/articles/cesacg The AEE is the largest event for the adult industry worldwide. Think of it as the CES of the adult entertainment industry: manufacturers, distributors, retailers and adult stars all converge here to do business. The one difference between CES and AEE is that the AEE is open to fans on specified days. http://www.ocia.net/articles/aee With drives as large as 1TB (that's a terabyte, you know 1024GB) available in mainstream technology, the once considered monstrous 500 giggers now seem like pocket change and are the budget user's choice buy. Today we're going to have a look at Western Digital's 500GB Caviar SE16 (WD5000AAKS) drive, one of the most popular drive for system builders lately. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/wdcaviar500 Something a bit more interesting is the new Flex2 DDR3 modules. These heatspreaders feature a new fin design that is more efficient when being used as a passive cooling solution. If you want to ramp things up with liquid cooling, each side of the Flex2 has an inlet and outlet, allowing you to fully cool each side of the module with fresh coolant. http://www.ocia.net/articles/oczces2k8 You just upgraded your PC, you got the latest motherboard and processor, several gigs of fast memory and a high-end video card so you can play that cool new game that just came out. You put the system together and get your OS loaded, only to see a warning that your video card performance will be degraded because it isn't getting enough power. Doh! You forgot to consider a power supply as part of your upgrade. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sirtec400vga This year Data Drive Thru unveiled the iTornado, a device that simplifies and expedites the computer-to-computer file transfer process. Housing two retractable USB cords and a microcomputer within its spiral casing, the iTornado has the ability to transfer documents, pictures, and music instantaneously without the need to clutter both computers with software. http://www.ocia.net/articles/taganddt Thermalright has combined the wrap-around design of the original V1 cooler with their through-hole technology from the HR series and produced the HR-03 VGA cooler. There are several versions of this cooler, the HR-03 GT represents the latest edition, compatible with the newest nVidia G92 (8800 GT/GTS) and ATI RV670 (HD38x0) cards. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/hr03gt The 2008 CES officially kicked off today as the show floors were opened to industry affiliates and media earlier this morning. Normally we would wait until the end of the week to publish our CES "Booth Babes", but let's face it, everyone loves booth babes, so if we don't have to wait, why should you? http://www.ocia.net/articles/boothbabes After brief opening remarks by Gary Shapiro, the President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, Bill Gates was welcomed on to the stage. Gates started his speech off by announcing that he will no longer be working at Microsoft full-time but will remain the Board Chairman. http://www.ocia.net/articles/gateskeynote The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show doesn't officially start until Monday, but if you are a member of the press, you are invited to get a sneak peek at the latest technology at CES Unveiled. CES Unveiled took place Saturday from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Marco Polo Ballroom at the Venetian Hotel. http://www.ocia.net/articles/unveiled Today I'm reviewing the Thermaltake Toughpower 850W Power Supply. Thermaltake is a name often associated with quality in any of their products, from cases and case fans to coolers and power supplies. This particular power supply boasts a variety of features, but at a price: it costs almost $260 at a popular online reseller. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/thermaltaketough850 SilverStone Technology Inc. has only been doing business in the USA since 2003. In that relatively short amount of time they have expanded their product line to include computer cases, power supplies, processor and liquid cooling systems, external storage and audio devices, fans and other related case accessories. Their power supplies were one of the first to receive nVidia SLI certification and the company has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification for quality and customer service. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/silverkl02 Last month I did a thermal compound review where I pitted the venerable Arctic Silver 5 against the latest stuff from Tuniq, the TX-2. Well here we are, almost exactly one month later, and we have a new contender in the arena, the OCZ Freeze. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczfreeze For several months, the only aftermarket VGA cooler that I could find for my 8800GTX was the Thermalright HR-03 Plus. I reviewed this cooler back in April, and while it did offer excellent performance, it sacrificed precious expansion slots to accomplish this. Fast-forward eight months to present day and we have another new VGA cooler to test with the 8800GTX, the Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/duorb For those of you familiar with shopping at New Egg you've undoubtedly heard of Rosewill. There are literally hundreds of products sold through the Egg under the Rosewill brand and compared to pricing on some of the name brand products, the Rosewill gear is usually quite inexpensive. But do these house brands have the same quality as traditional 3rd party manufacturers? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/rosehddenc I mean, what is a power supply? A rectangular box with electrical stuff in it and wires coming from it (I do understand what the stuff inside does, but I know that most don't). The box may be steel or aluminum; painted, plated, or anodized. The wires may be sleeved or not, modular or not. There will be a fan or two, they may have LEDs, or not. I guess that's why I found it rather refreshing to review the Sigma Shark. No, it isn't some kind of radical departure from the basic power supply, but it is a little different. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sigma635 I looked at the little 1.5" intake hole, then looked at the bed, the carpet, the dining table (which has a tablecloth with some brocading on it), the sofa, all over the house. I found very few spots that I might use it without some kind of interference with the fan intake. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nbcool Today's review sample is the Aztec ATX case, Raidmax' latest attempt to please the gaming market with their "Elite" line of cases. With various options for cooling, some intense LED lights and a removable motherboard tray, this monster of a case looks like a promising product. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/raidmaxaztec While doing some online shopping recently I decided to look into how I might possibly improve my mousing experience, and the Pro Mousepad and Mad Dotz from XTracPads caught my eye. To be honest, the Mad Dotz were the only aftermarket stick-on mouse feet/pads I saw at this particular site, and the Pro was the cheapest gaming mousepad that didn't have pictures of dogs or WoW characters printed on it. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xtracpads Seems like there's always something new coming from the folks over at Thermaltake. It's no wonder, with an ever-expanding product line that now includes air and liquid cooling, computer cases, power supplies, external storage enclosures and fans and other case accessories. Today I'll be taking a look at the LANbox, a small form factor, portable "cube" case from their desktop series. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttlanbox The government of the United States of America has a message for you: "All your TV are belong to us". Ok, well maybe the US government didn't say that but they have said that all full-power television stations will no longer be able to broadcast their signal on analog channels come February 17, 2009. http://www.ocia.net/articles/dtv2009 The Ultra Power Partner is a 325 watt auxiliary power supply that fits into an optical drive bay. It works in addition to your current PSU, for example, if you have a 500 watt power supply, install the Power Partner, and now you have 825 watts, plenty enough extra juice to power that pair of 8800GTs. Is the Power Partner the answer to your power problems? Read on. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/powerpartner Personally, I very much appreciate a keyboard with a nice-feeling touch, as I spend as much time typing as I do most anything else. I really can't describe the feel I like, but I know it when I feel it. Soft, but with a distinct "snap" when a key is pressed. My current keyboard feels ok, but not great. So will the Logisys Ultra Slim Soft Touch Keyboard meet my requirements? Let's see. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultraslimkeyboard Often times, in the hype of building up a great new rig with all of the hottest new components, we forget that, beyond calculating pi and folding protein molecules, the computer experience comes entirely from peripherals. Almost nobody includes keyboards, speakers, or even monitors in their budget. In reality, though, a nice new monitor can make your old rig feel new again. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/soyo2058 With the latest designs, many motherboard manufacturers have started producing boards with chipset/mosfet heatsinks onboard, linked together with heatpipes. The HR-09 mosfet cooler was designed for those users with motherboards that either have an ineffective stock chipset/mosfet cooling system, or that don't have one at all. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/trhr-09 OCZ's Titanium modules fall somewhere between the Platinum line and their high-end Reaper series. Although these aren't the PC2-8000 Alpha VX2 model, which stands at the top of the Titanium lineup, they bear the latest CL3 tag. Yes, that's right, they're rated for an ultra-low CAS3 at PC2-6400 speeds. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ocztitanium NZXT has sent over one of their latest cases, the Rogue. Although they list it with their Crafted series, the smooth clean lines of this SFF case I feel more appropriately fits the Classic series. But the Rogue doesn't exactly match either of their two categories, most of which are populated by mid-tower designs. As this is targeted as a SFF LAN gaming case, a first for NZXT, this really comes as no surprise. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtrogue All thermal paste is relatively the same, and as long as you use something between your processor and heatsink (besides a thermal pad) you're good. Or is it? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tuniqtx2 As I mentioned earlier, the base is designed so that the three heatpipes will directly touch the CPU's heatspreader. I'm not a thermal engineer, but I do realize that there is some efficiency loss when transferring heat from one substrate to another, such as from the heatsink base to the heatpipes contained within. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/Vendetta Internal liquid cooling system components are usually separate pieces, which do require a little extra space in your case, something mid-tower owners may not be able to afford. It also adds complexity and additional time to the installation when the end user has to put everything together themselves. But Thermaltake now has a solution for both problems, the Bigwater 760i. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttbw760i For those of you who are concerned with the longevity of your data, though, there are plenty of low-quality, rackety hard drive coolers out there. I don't know about you, but I know I don't want any more noise coming out of my box. Ultra Products proposes to solve those problems of hard drive heat and noise with their aptly named Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultrahddcooler The Thermaltake V1 is a copper base, copper heatpipe/fin CPU cooler compatible with Intel LGA775 and AMD 754/939/AM2 sockets. It has a strange sort of "flower" fin design that resembles something that could have come from the folks over at Zalman. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ttv1 But, like many other "base" products... take the ATX computer case as a good example, there are so many different creative spins being implemented that it keeps things fresh. Today we will be taking a look at the latest external 3.5" hard drive enclosure from Kingwin in the Z1 Series 3.5" External Hard Drive Enclosure. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/z1hdd Are you tired of boring traditional computer impressions and long to experience the excitement of revolutionary hardware design? We thought so. In that case be sure to check out the latest, er... case, from Sunbeamtech... the Quarterback. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sbqb Thermalright combines the best of their blow-down coolers with the unique design of the high-riser series to bring us the SI-128 SE. Instead of "Second Edition" as you might think, the S in SE is for Silent, something their HR line of coolers was quite good at. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/si128se Following the release last month of their 5610 series of 80mm upright coolers, GlacialTech announces their latest 92mm 5710 Silent and PWM designs. If you're thinking to yourself, "Glacial-who?" then you should definitely sit up and pay attention, we're about to blow your socks off. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/glacialtech5710 The major selling points of the CNPS8700 NT are its noise levels and its size, making it the ultimate HTPC companion. With these two features at Zalman's focus, will the performance take a hit or stay true to the Zalman name? Continue as we find out http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cnps8700nt Ultra sent over four components from their Stackables line: Stackables 180-Watt Multi-Outlet Power Center, Stackables All-In-1 Card Reader & USB 2.0 Hub, Stackables 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Enclosure and the Stackables 3.5" IDE Hard Drive Enclosure. I will take a look at each product in detail throughout this review. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/stackables There are four PCI-E cables to accommodate a pair of 8800GTXs in SLI. Each cable is marked according to its rail, +12v1 and +12v2. This is quite cool, to ensure that each card will be on its own +12v rail. I personally have not seen a PSU labeled like this, though I'm sure there could be others out there. This is the kind of attention to detail I am talking about. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/rosewillrs850 I've said it before, and I'll say it again: digital media has taken the world by storm! Whether it's television, cell phones, cameras, etc., nearly everything we have grown to love is moving (or already has moved) to a digital format. Every day we see something old spring back to life with a digital twist. Today we will be taking a look at one such item, in the 10.4" TFT LCD Digital Photo Frame. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/dframe Geeks has provided us with many random computer gadgets in the past, and this product is right up their alley. Most people may not consider a wireless thermometer as a computer tool, but if you think about it, this fits perfectly into your geek toolbox. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/irthermometer Once again, Zalman has created an excellent product that does exactly what it is supposed to do and more. The VF-1000LED is a video card cooler that provides excellent cooling in silence. It is quite beautiful, if you like copper, with its large expanse of fins and heatpipes. At fan levels low enough to be inaudible, it dropped my load temps more than 30C under the stock cooler. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/vf1000 Mobile phone and PDA manufacturers have integrated Bluetooth into many of their handsets, which allow us to use wireless headsets and connect our electronics to computers and other devices to share pictures, music, etc. Today we will be taking a look at a modern Bluetooth product in the Cirago Micro Bluetooth USB Adapter. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ciragobt There are times I'd like to be able to turn the fans up to the max for short periods of time, like when overclocking. And to be honest, there are times I miss the look of those analog knobs on the front of my rig. Call me old skool, call me old man, I'm sorry, I like dials and knobs. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mfc2 NZXT's company objective is to "provide every gamer with a case that they can identify with." To this end NZXT offers two types of case designs, the more conservative "Classic" series, and the contemporary "Crafted" line. Today we look at the Alpha, one in the former category of case offerings from NZXT. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtalpha Designated the m998 in recognition of the HMMWV "Humvee", Ultra compares its latest case offering to the ruggedness and versatility of the popular military vehicle. Can this aluminum mid-tower design really live up to its appointed name? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultram998 There is another piece to the puzzle that many gamers totally overlook and skimp on: audio. A decent 2.1 system is more than enough to get you by, but if you really want to hear the game as it was intended to be heard, surround sound is a must. Surround sound totally immerses you in the game you are playing and gives you a true advantage over someone using headphones or 2.1 audio. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/g51 I had pretty much settled on this cluttered system... that is, until I came across the Ultra Products 7 Port USB Buddy Hub. This USB hub seemed to be the answer to all of my problems and would leave me with a much cleaner workstation. I contacted Ultra Products and a few weeks later, the Buddy Hub arrived for testing. Will this hub really solve all of my problems? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/buddyhub Clocking in at 700Mhz core and 1050Mhz memory, the NX8600GTS OC sports a 25/50Mhz increase over the standard nVidia reference set. The cooler is an upgraded design to MSI's "regular" NX8600GTS as well. When they're offering the OC version for the same price as the non-OC, who wouldn't go for that? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nx8600gtsoc This will be the third video card that I have reviewed from Geeks.com that was built by a company that I haven't heard of, or that I wouldn't normally consider when purchasing computer hardware. I guess that I, being a fairly typical humanoid, am somewhat afraid of the unknown, and that especially goes for computer hardware. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/8600gts Cases are kind of an anomaly in the world of computer hardware. Some people won't pay more than $50 for a case because, all in all, it's just a metal box. Others pay $300+ for thorough cooling solutions, complete PC silence, or professional aluminum styling. There is yet another group, though: those who want flashy, bright, "gaming" cases, that look cool regardless of performance or noise. The various aspects and features of the case one chooses arguably tell a lot about their priorities and personality. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cm690 Along with the release of the mid-tower X-Jupiter Jr. comes the full tower aluminum X-Jupiter chassis. With more fans, more space and less weight it's like the little Junior grew up... and went on a diet. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xjupitertower Marking the 3rd generation of Ultra's popular X-Connect line of power supplies, the latest X3 series combines all the great features of previous models, such as fully modular design and FlexForce cables, with high power outputs to satisfy the demands of today's multi-core CPU/GPU systems. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultrax3800 Several things instantly stand out on the specs list, most notably the fact that you can install a standard ATX system in this case. Many HTPC cases restrict you to Micro-ATX only systems, which really limits the type of hardware that you can use. A 7" LCD touchscreen is something you certainly don't see on most HTPC cases. The chassis appears to have good cooling also, with four pre-installed 80mm fans. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/moncaso932p The idea of exposed heatpipes makes sense. Besides the transferal of heat between the heatsink and heatpipes, the heatsink itself can be made of aluminumallowing lower manufacturing cost, and less weight. We'll see just how well this new idea works. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/rvt-9225 Following closely on the heels of the full-size X-Jupiter tower comes the mid-tower X-Jupiter Junior from Apevia. Looking very much like its larger sibling, the X-Jupiter Jr. is available in four colors and two side panel configurations, giving buyers a total of eight different choices in case design. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/apeviaxjupiter Aside from the general design, this drive is anything but classic. It boasts some pretty spiffy features and even makes some bold claims, such as being 100% weatherproof and fully submersible in water. Water, eh... well then, let's just see if the OCZ ATV Turbo drive can back up these claims in both frozen and boiling states! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/atvturbo Tagan advertises the El Diablo as the world's first case with an enormous 360mm fan in the side panel. Couple that with a nearly-as-large 250mm fan in the front and you've got a case that moves some serious air! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/taganeldiablo Moral of the story: protect your investment! When I recently purchased my iPhone, one of the first things I did afterwards was hit the net in search of a case. I ended up selecting Mobi Products iPhone Skin Case. So, did I make a good choice? Continue on to find out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mpcase I have tried this method with several different MP3 files and have found this to be the easiest and most effective method. My initial problems were with the ringtones overpowering the crummy speaker, but doing the Decrease Volume trick in Sound Recorder eliminates 99% of the overpowering sounds and leaves a crisp, clear ringtone that works great! http://www.ocia.net/articles/iphonetones The packaging for each enclosure is nearly identical, with a photo of the drive on the front of the box as well as a few key features. The back of the box goes into further detail of the enclosure. Upon opening the box, we find a screwdriver, a set of screws, driver + installation disc, USB cable and the enclosure itself, tucked away securely in a leather carrying case. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nexstarsx The debate of the paste rages on! What makes one thermal paste better than another? Is it the little features in these so-very-essential products, or is it sheer performance? In my everlasting quest of the answer, I have come across Arctic Cooling's MX-2 thermal compound, which appears to be a promising contestant in the goop challenge. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/acmx2 Cooler Master has been releasing a lot of new products lately. From cases to peripherals, I'm starting to see their name everywhere. One of their most recent products to hit their website is the Hyper 212 CPU cooler. With support for all platforms, four heat pipes, and a silent, blue LED 120mm fan, this cooler has a lot of things going for it. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/CMHyper212 Let me clarify by saying that this case is huge. I want to get that out of the way. One of my favorite designs for cases is the matte finish for that modern look. The front has a smooth finish mixed with the matte to break up the monotony. With plenty of holes drilled out, they made sure there was somewhere for everything to vent, even above the PSU. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/monolith Today I will be looking at my second 2.5" HDD enclosure in as many months, in the Vantec EZ-Swap EX 2.5" drive enclosure. This enclosure offers a different mix of features, which may prove to be more useful that those on the Icy Box. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ezswapex Kingwin, aka KWI Technology Inc, has been around since 1992, which makes them one of the oldest aftermarket hardware companies in the industry. They started out making CPU coolers and external HDD racks, and now are into liquid cooling, cases, high performance air cooling, power supplies and some pretty innovative storage solutions. They pioneered the use of aluminum in external storage enclosures, which led the way for its use in cases. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingwinmach1 Back in June, I reviewed the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 video card cooler. Though entirely passive, it blew the stock cooler out of the water. People have been raving on and on about this cooler in reviews, and it seemed like it just couldn't get any better until Arctic Cooling put out the Turbo Module, an addition to the S1 and S2 coolers. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/acturbomod 32 bit versions of Windows, both XP and Vista, have a maximum memory limit of 4 GB. On paper, this sounds perfectly well, as the kit we have for review today is just that, 4 GB. But this specification can be a bit misleading. You see, this 4 GB limit includes all of the system memory... which includes, for example, your video card(s) memory. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczquad There are a lot of power supplies out there today boasting a variety of features. Between modular power supplies and super silent ones, it can be really hard to find exactly what you need. Ultra Products is trying to make this decision an easy one with their X3 Power Supplies. They really set their eyes on the prize when designing these power supplies, and it shows. The X3's have all of the hottest features that everyone is looking for these days: a fully modular cable system, a silent 135mm fan, flex-force sleeved cables, and extreme (85%) efficiency. Today we're going to have a look at the 600W flavor. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultrax3600w Coollaboratory's Liquid Pro and Shin Etsu's X23 have been fighting for the lime-light for the past few years, but only tested by a few American (or other English speaking language countries) review sites. Everyone seems to get different results, all with a "clear winner," which brings into question the idea that thermal compounds really do differ from one another. Today, we're reviewing Coollaboratory's Liquid Pro to see for sure if this difference exists. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/liquidpro Laptop hard drives are now being used in external enclosures instead of traditional 3.5" drives for a number of reasons. These drives are much smaller and generate less heat and noise than 3.5" drives. Write speed and capacity limitations were once a point of concern for laptop drives, but that is now a thing of the past. Today I will be looking at the Tagan Icy Box IB-266StUS-B, an external 2.5" drive enclosure that offers a variety of connection configurations and flexibility. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/icybox Whether you are interested in lifecasting, video conferencing or simply chatting online with friends or family on the other side of the planet, it all starts with a webcam. I tried using a webcam several years back and quickly gave up because the quality was horrible. It was like watching a photo slideshow in slow motion. Things have certainly come a long way since then and I am excited to try a "newer" webcam to see just how much improvement has been made over the years. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/qcpro9000 CoolIT Systems has taken the cooling industry by storm with their recent releases of the Freezone and the Eliminator CPU coolers. Capitalizing on the technology behind thermoelectric cooling, CoolIT has managed to bring high performance cooling to even the least experienced of users. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cooliteliminator Today we will be taking a look at a powerful unit from their newest line, named X3. Ultra has taken all of the best features from their previous models and packed them in the X3. On paper, this power supply looks to have everything a hardcore enthusiast could want, and more. But, will it be able to deliver on those promises? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultrax31k The Lexa Blackline is a nice looking rig. The window could be a little smaller, to hide some of the wire mess, but not a big deal. The red LED fans are a change from the blue ones most rigs use, and the black/red combination is a cool look. I ran the front, rear, and side 120mm fans with 12v, and the trio are surprisingly quiet. So quiet that I may not change them to 5v in the future as I usually do. Keep in mind if you run them at 5v, the LEDs probably won't light up much. The red HDD led is differentgoes very well with the theme. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/blackline We here at OCIA.net got our first look at OCZ's FlexXLC "Hybrid Cooling Solution" at the 2007 CES show in Las Vegas back in January. OCZ was displaying the very same kit that we will be looking at today, the PC2-9200 2x1GB kit, which, at that time, was tagged as the world's fastest memory. Now, nearly eight months later, we get the opportunity to test this memory for ourselves. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczflex9200 There are a variety of ways to carry data with you. You could buy a notebook computer and schlep it with you everywhere. That can be helpful if you need processing power or internet access on the move. Not everyone, however, has the extra cash for another computer, or the shoulder muscle to tote around a heavy laptop. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cirago The product up for review today is made by Wolf King and is called the Ultimate FPS Warrior Game Pad, or just Warrior for short. It's not meant to take the place of your keyboard but rather clusters most of the left-side keyboard controls into a circular pad for easier accessibility. If you're looking to replace your keyboard altogether check out the Timber Wolf which incorporates the circular pad with a standard notebook-sized keyboard. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/warriorpad Needless to say, a full, high quality water cooling system will undoubtedly run you a few hundred dollars. The average high-end PC owner either isn't ready to drop that much more money over an air cooler or doesn't need to cool anything except their CPU. And even among those who do have the dough and the desire, it takes a special person to take that leap of faith to a custom water kit, with so much room for mistake and ruining your beloved computer. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/aquagates1 With accommodations for triple 120mm radiators and multiple power supplies, these cases are built with watercooling in mind. Watercooling is not a requirement, however. You can still get plenty of functionality from a U2-UFO with simple air cooling. http://www.ocia.net/articles/mmduality Today I'm trying out Arctic Cooling's Accelero S1, a passive VGA cooler, on my ATi Radeon X1900XTX 512MB card. Two of the major issues with this video card are its hot, hot temperatures and its loud fan, so I'm excited to see how this will perform and help remedy these issues. Introduced April 24th of this year and scheduled to arrive in stores in the coming few days, the Accelero S1 relies on negative air pressure created by other case fans to suck outside air through the expansion slot across its fins. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/acceleros1 I will be testing the SDHC card using my laptop (HP Pavilion tx1119us) and digital camera (Nikon D80 DSLR). I will be using HD Tune and SiSoft Sandra to measure read / write, access times and such. http://www.ocia.net/articles/ocz8gbsdhc NZXT is well known for their Crafted Series of computer cases, producing such hits as the Nemesis and the Guardian - the Transformer-ish case that put NZXT's name on the radar of millions of hardware / gaming enthusiasts worldwide. NZXT has since broadened their product line to target non-gamers as well. The Classic Series presents customers with a quality NZXT chassis without the added "bling". Today we will be taking a look at the NZXT HUSH, the latest offering under the Classic Series. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxthush The Movie World Enclosure onscreen GUI is extremely simple to use. There are four different modes (views) you can select from. The first (and default) is File Mode, which like Windows Explorer, has two panes. The left pane displays the folder structure and the right pane lists the contents of the current folder. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mwenclosure It has very thin, tightly packed fins for high airflow situations. They are also folded down on the ends to keep the air flowing directly through the heatsink. The blackplate on the top of the cooler is attached to the blue LED fan and slides out with some encouragement, making it possible to put in a higher powered or lower noise fan. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tuniq120lfb The back of the unit uses a honeycomb style grill to allow plenty of hot air through. A power connector and on/off switch are also present on the rear of the unit. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/modxstream780 Perhaps most well known for their various types of memory, they make a variety of hardware, from laser gaming mice to video cards to CPU coolers. Most importantly, at least for the purposes of this review, they make power supplies. OCZ sports many lines of power supplies, including gaming grade and modding friendly lines. On May 25th, OCZ announced their merger with PC Power and Cooling, showing how serious they really are about the power supply industry. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/stealthxstream600w Well here's something that might just fit the bill. It's a little gadget made by Soyo Group (the same folks that made motherboards) and it's called the TechAID. It's a small diagnostics card that plugs into a PCI slot on any motherboard and reads and displays BIOS trouble codes during POST. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/soyotechaid Borrowing a page from CPU and GPU cooling solutions, we now have heatpipe technology being used on memory modules. The principal is the same as other heatpipe coolers - heat is transferred from the base of the cooler (in this case, the memory modules) to the upper deck of aluminum fins via the copper heatpipes on either side of the module. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ocz6400reapereb We all know how the story played out for 3dfx, the graphics company that had dominated the industry for several years in the late 90s with their Glide API. The Glide API was created by 3dfx and optimized the overall gaming experience when used in conjunction with the Voodoo hardware. Having a specialized API was both the highlight and the downfall for 3dfx. For the few short years that Glide reigned supreme, there were several games released that implemented this proprietary API. http://www.ocia.net/articles/glide The power supply itself is finished in a high gloss gunmetal paint job which looks great. The right side (or left, depending on how you look at it) of the power supply displays the typical specs sticker found on all units. This unit has four 12v rails, each sporting 18A. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bequiet700w I decided to put this article together to help answer a few different questions. I will be comparing the iPhone to the Palm Treo 700p in a wide array of categories, from music, e-mail and web browsing to Google Maps, text messaging, screen size and everything in between. http://www.ocia.net/articles/iphone700p Today I am reviewing a tester from CoolMax that offers exactly that... an LCD that displays exact voltage outputs for each of the different rails. CoolMax advertises this tester to be accurate to within +/- 0.1V and with all outputs displayed to the tenth of a volt we can infer the unit is simply rounding up or down. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/coolmaxpsutester The front bezel houses two 5" drive bays and one 3" opening, next to which is the LCD temperature display. Immediately below this is the spring-loaded steel carry handle. It retracts into the case when not in use but can easily be pulled out when you need to carry the X-QPack 2 to your next gig. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xqpack2 A day earlier, Digg moderators pulled a story from the site that contained the hacked HD DVD encryption key. Digg did not want to put itself in a position to "break the law" and potentially be sued. Diggers caught wind of this "act against Democracy" and, in a fight against what many considered unjust censorship, began submitting story after story that contained the HD DVD key... and they were all getting dugg to the front page! And thus, the revolution was kick into warp speed http://www.ocia.net/articles/digg Those looking for some extreme cooling/overclocking are certainly in store for a treat. With a high performance cooling fan, I was able to obtain some of the best temperatures I have seen on an 8800 GTX card to date - even better than what most watercooling options can offer. When it comes to overclocking, I was able to push the 8800 GTX well beyond the previous 650 MHz barrier with stock cooling. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/thermalrighthr03plus I want to take a moment and discuss the Enhanced Performance Profiles that are present on these modules. In a nutshell, if your are running an nForce SLI-based motherboard, the board will automatically detect the presence of EPP enhanced modules. These EPP modules are pre-programmed with advanced SPD (Serial Presence Detect) settings to boot at 800 MHz with timings of 4-4-4-15 1T. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczsliready6400 As the description suggests, there is actually some active science/technology behind how the headphones function. Using Logitech's SilentSound technology, the headphones dynamically adjust to and filter out surrounding noise, leaving you with a quieter environment in which to enjoy your music. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/logitechnch To get a feel for where the X1900XTX stands on the market, it was created shortly after the X1800 series to compete with nVidia's 7800 series. Specifically, the X1900XTX would compete with the 7800GTX. The X1900XTX, however, blew the 7800GTX out of the water and is more aptly compared to nVidia's 7900GTX. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/atix1900xtx The X-Finity has the same number of connections so I won't go over that again. But, the cool thing with these cables is that they aren't rounded and sleeved like most you are used to. These cables are designed to lay flat, which means you can easily route them in your case. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultra800s The Plus Deck 2c has the necessary controls for a tape deck... play, reverse, fast forward, fast reverse, stop and eject. Actually, there are two eject buttons. There is also a headphone jack and mic jack; I guess for someone that wants those up front but doesn't already have the capability. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cassettedeck Idle temps at stock clock were in the low 50s, so I was pretty apprehensive overclocking with the stock cooler. The cube on ATI Tool heated the GPU into the low 60s. I tried some overclocking anyway, and even with a very mild overclock, I couldn't get through 3DMark06 without the program locking up. So, I install a Zalman FS-V7 that I had on an unused card. Idle temps immediately hit the low 40s. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/7900gs One of my favorite features of the TVisto is the ability to play .ISO files directly. This means that you can rip a DVD and have the TVisto play the .ISO file as if it were the actual DVD, complete with menus, special features, etc. This is a great way to back up your DVD collection and take it with you anywhere you go. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tvisto Right away it's clear to see where the name of the product comes from - it looks like a book! The front of the My Book has two clear rings. The inner ring is lit with a blue LED to show the remaining free space on the drive. The outer ring also has a blue LED and acts as an activity light, flashing when data is copied to or from the My Book. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/wdmybook320 One of the coolest features of this keyboard are the included "gaming keys". These extra keys can be swapped out with the standard letter keys. The included tool is very easy to use. Just slide it down over the existing key, then lift up. The key pops right out, allowing you to put the alternate key in its place. I was very impressed with how well the tool worked. It takes only a few seconds to swap out each key. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/revoltecgear A power switch is located on the rear of the unit, as well as a switch for the +12v rail which can be set to "split" or "combined". This is the first power supply I have seen that offers such a switch. There has been a lot of talk the past few years with the introduction of multiple 12v rails, and even more as of late with the jump back to single 12v rails. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/precise850 The CoolViva features a copper base with three copper heatpipes that run the length (top to bottom) of the heatsink. The pipes cross through aluminum fins to dissipate heat. The radial fan forces air through the fins by blowing air from front to back and then out through the rear of the case using the vented riser plate. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/cmcoolviva You can press down on the scroll wheel at any time to switch between Click-to-Click and Free Spin mode. Even more interesting, the MX Revolution can detect the type of application that is currently active and adjust the scroll wheel according. Also, the wheel can automatically detect how "fast" you spin the wheel; if you spin it fast enough, it will automatically switch over to Free Spin mode then lock back into Click mode by itself! http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mxrevolution Here we get a look at the heatpipes and the TEC which is sandwiched between two copper plates. Each plate has four heatpipes leading to the upper deck of aluminum fins that are cooled by the 92mm fan. Initially, the CPU is cooled by the "heatsink" - that is, the heatpipes and aluminum fins. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultrachilltec First, the OP1000 features a single +12v rail that is rated at 80A (88A peak). What does this mean exactly? Many other high end power supplies feature multiple (usually 2-4) +12v rails which average 20A per rail. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean that you will need to make use of multiple rails, as to not overload a single rail. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/silverstoneop1000 The upper deck (where your hand rests) is made from a smooth rubber material which feels more like micro-suede; very nice. The scroll wheel has 24 individual click positions that remain silent when scrolling. The left side of the mouse has two large fully programmable thumb buttons. The Razer logo is positioned discreetly in the center of the mouse and blends in nicely when the mouse is not plugged into your computer. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/deathadder CoolIT claims the Freezone can go head to head with the best watercooling systems, right out of the box. The "kit" comes pre-filled and pre-assembled so all you need to do is install the cooling block on your processor and mount the chiller assembly in your case. Yes, everything fits inside the case; yet another advantage over some watercooling kits on the market today. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/freezone The OCZ 8800 GTX, like most every manufacturer's offering, is based on the NVIDIA reference design, so don't expect anything new or ground breaking here. But there are a few things that do set the OCZ card apart from others. First, the OCZ 8800 GTX is "binned to perfection" -- this means that every OCZ card is pre-screened and only the best cards make it to market. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ocz8800gtx I will be installing the Ultra-X heatsink in my Intel test system. You can see just how large the Ultra-X is compared to the stock Intel cooling solution. The hardware needed for this install includes the backplate, four spring-loaded thumb-screws and four clear washers. Be extra careful when handling these washers, since they are very difficult to see. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/enzotech One of the good things about the ProXStream that sets it apart from other 1kw power supplies is its small footprint. We measured the unit to be 5 1/2" in length. Most other 1kw units (and even some not as powerful) are much longer, which will cause problems with optical drives and in cases that use a top-mounted exhaust fan. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/proxstream1kw This week I get a chance to check out one of NZXT's latest offerings in the "Classic" series, the Duet. Aptly named for its ability to function in either a mid-tower or desktop orientation, the Duet looks to give users the benefit of a small footprint case without having to sacrifice on hardware due to component size constraints... http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtduet Before we move to the heart of the diNovo Edge, I wanted to show you just how slim this keyboard really is. The Edge measures just over 1/2" thick; 13mm to be exact. Extending the feet help raise the keyboard up a bit more, should you feel more comfortable with this typing angle. Logitech keeps with this slim design on the face of the keyboard as well. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/dinovoedge Using the 3.0x memory ratio, we find a little more headroom when slightly relaxing the timings to 4-5-5-8. Still using 2.3v, this brings the modules up to 501Mhz or DDR1002, impressive. The system is completely stable at these settings, able to pass four 32M Super Pi runs in a row. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/supertalent6400 As I approach his back bumper I hit redline and slam it in third. With the finish line fast approaching, I made my move, flying around him on the left and crossing the finish line with half a car length to spare. I had won the race! I step out of my car and throw my fists in the air. I look to the crowd for my much earned recognition only to find two cats and my girlfriend looking at me with expressions of bewilderment, bringing me full circle back to reality. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/logitechg25 The tissue paper is also something not regularly seen in case packaging. After pulling all of that packaging away you can see the front panel and side window are further protected by yet another layer of plastic. The side window is even covered inside and out. Ultra has obviously taken extra steps to make sure this case arrives at your door with the finish in factory pristine condition. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultragrid Swiftech included their extremely popular APOGEE CPU water block with the system and they have already installed and leaked tested the complete cooling system. Unless you have a AMD socket M2, all you'll need to do is install the block, connect the two hoses and fill the system. If you have an AMD socket M2 based system, you'll need to switch out the water block's mounting plate. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/swiftechp180 Simple and easy to understand commands make programming the unit a breeze. For those users who require more complex commands, you have the ability to adjust even the smallest factors such as delay time between macro commands. Logitech has an extensive database that should cover most any brand and model of equipment that you may own. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/harmony720 CES 2007 may be in the history books but we still have a ton of photos to share with you. We visited many booths during the show but due to the fact that many of these booths were crowded, we couldn't schedule a meeting with all of the companies we visited and thus, no in-depth articles. Below you will find "everything else" we saw at CES, including the showroom floor, 3 Doors Down, Las Vegas night life and of course, booth babes! Enjoy! http://www.ocia.net/articles/misc SilverStone was founded in 2003 and has earned a very respectable reputation in the past few years. Perhaps most known for their line of ATX and HTPC cases, SilverStone also makes some great high-end power supplies and cooling solutions. We stopped by the SilverStone booth and met with Tony Ou who gave us the complete rundown of what's out now and what to expect in 2007. http://www.ocia.net/articles/silverstone e stopped by the Razer booth on day three of CES to check out what new products they have in store for 2007. We were anticipating a quick visit as the booth was somewhat crowded. I informed one of the Razer associates that we were there. I was pleasantly surprised when Robert "Razer Guy" Krakoff, founder of Razer, offered us an in-depth look and demonstration of their latest product, the Razer Mako 2.1 THX speaker system. http://www.ocia.net/articles/razer Besides our love for computers, we here at OCIA.net are also very much into cars. While CES is not specifically geared towards the automotive industry, there are plenty of hot rides on hand being used to showcase new audio, navigation and other vehicle-related goodies. We took a few hours to tour the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center to scope out what was new in the industry. Our cameras were in heavy use and below are some of the sights we wanted to share with you all. Enjoy! http://www.ocia.net/articles/cars The OCZ Technology / Shuttle Overclockerfest was the second party we attended in as many days. The party took place Monday night from 9 p.m. until midnight on the 29th floor of the Bellagio Hotel. http://www.ocia.net/articles/oczshuttle Cool IT Systems was the first vendor we met with at CES. Cool IT made their presence known last year at CES with the release of the Freezone, a closed-loop liquid cooling system that makes use of a Thermal Electric Cooler (TEC) to chill the liquid to sub-ambient temperatures. Cool IT is back again this year with even more new and innovative products. http://www.ocia.net/articles/coolit The Tech Zone CES Kickoff Party: Killer NIC & OCZ Technology! http://www.ocia.net/articles/ttzparty Twenty hours into the trip and we were just about to reach Albuquerque, New Mexico. The snow had long since stopped but the roadways were still a bit treacherous. http://www.ocia.net/articles/roadtrip3 As with most tasks that XPTB and I set out to accomplish, things rarely go as anticipated... and this trip is no exception. Our last update was just four hours into the trip. It is now 16 hours later and we have just left Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our journey to this point is as follows. http://www.ocia.net/articles/roadtrip2 Mapquest calculates the trip to be 1602.61 miles from Olive Branch, MS to Las Vegas, NV which equates to 23 hours, 18 minutes and traveling through eight states. The original plan was to leave out at 8 a.m. Friday morning. Well, that didn't happen as some last minute packing and vehicle maintenance was required. We ended up rolling out around 2:30 p.m. after a quick Burger King lunch. http://www.ocia.net/articles/roadtrip I have a tradition that I've had for about 30 years. Any time I get new audio equipment, the first music I listen to on it is Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". I wore out at least two vinyl records of it, a couple of 8-track tapes, at least one cassette and a couple of CDs, so I can say that I have listened to the entire album once or twice. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razerbarracudaaudio Firing the unit up shows off the quality of the display, 128x128 pixel resolution and 262k color. When connected to an XP computer the player is immediately recognized as a removable storage device and assigned a drive letter. The player also recognizes it is connected and ready to transfer files. The built-in lithium battery recharges through the USB port. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/supertalentms It's no secret that today's hardware is demanding more power than ever before. For instance, those interested in running two 8800GTX cards in SLI are looking at a bare minimum of 750 watts in the power supply department. Factor in your processor(s) demands, hard drive(s) and watercooling gear and that 750 watt minimum seems a little less inviting. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ocz850 Of course, gaming is what they are for, and gaming is what I will do. I spent several hours playing Oblivion, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142, America's Army and Call of Duty 2. As with music, the S-500 has excellent sound, maybe too good... I'm not really accustomed to hearing everything so well. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/everglideheadphones Now, let's consider power. I don't particularly care for getting power by USB, and that isn't an option here if you are using SATA interface. An internal power supply causes a few problems. It adds to the size and weight of the enclosure, plus adds heat. Vizo decided on an external AC adapter, and was kind enough not to use a "wall wort" style. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/viso The ET-850 is certified to be SLI Ready by Nvidia, and even features four PCI-Express power leads for graphics cards. It is rated for over 80% efficiency with four independent +12V outputs, and has eight Serial ATA power connectors. With plenty of power and plenty of connections, it sounds like it's ready to take on anything available on the shelf from quad-core CPUs to SLI graphics cards with as many Serial ATA drives as you can fit in most cases. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/etasis850 Viewing the case from the rear, it really looks like an upside-down ATX. This rear plate is interchangeable for either an ATX or BTX motherboard. Each side panel comes with two thumb screws for easy removal. This case gives you the choice of using either two 80mm fans or a single 120mm fan for rear exhaustion, and has a removable plate for mounting the PSU through the rear. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/zerodegree The rear of the case offers two 120mm exhaust fans. I was happy to see a free-flowing design with these exhaust ports, rather than the restrictive grill designs that many other case manufacturers use. You can also see that two thumb-screws are used to hold the left side panel in place, allowing you to gain access to the case without the need for a screwdriver. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtzero Laptop coolers of various forms have been around for years, from special insulating pads to stands to things with fins and fans, but for every different type you see there are a myriad of mixed reviews over whether they're actually very effective or not. As I mentioned, in my experience their performance has been less than stellar. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/titancoolingpad The keypad lines up directly over the buttons on the phone, giving you full access to all of the buttons on the Treo. I did run into a slight issue here, however. With my Treo 700p, the green "call" button and the red "end call" buttons were not properly labeled. For the 700p and 700w, the correct placement for these icons would be on the horizontal buttons directly above their current placement. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/otterboxtreo Voltage specifications are printed on the obligatory side panel sticker. From the listed UL number E130843 we can determine that the Rocketeer IV is made by Topower, a well-known, high-quality power supply manufacturer, who also happens to make power supplies for OCZ. The UL listing will often reveal the true manufacturer of a power supply if it is simply rebranded under another company name. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/spirerocketeer I will be the first to admit that most all of the Fatal1ty products I have seen to date look pretty sweet, but many end users have complained about the hefty premium price tag put on these items and cannot justify spending the extra money. Today I will be looking at the Zalman Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 Champ1on Series Aluminum Case... definitely a flashy looking system, but does it warrant the near $360 asking price? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/zalmanfatal1tycase As with all products from Swiftech, you get everything you need to install and connect their products to your current system. There are three sets of Swiftech's "Patent Pending" "F" style connectors in the most popular US sizes (1/2", 3/8" and 1/4"), so you shouldn't have any problems connecting the MCW-Ramcool to your current system regardless of the tubing size that you're running now. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/swiftechramcool I tried two different approaches, the first using a single large (700MB) ISO file, followed by a collection of around 500 smaller JPG files (250MB) and recorded the amount of time it took to copy these to the drive (Write) and from the drive (Read) separately. Transfer rates were calculated from these times and the Read and Write speeds were averaged to compare to results from HD Tach and HD Tune. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczmegakart Enter the NZXT Adamas Premium Aluminum Chassis: NZXT's first attempt at an all-aluminum case. NZXT was established in 2004 with their sights set on the gaming enthusiast market. Their first offering, the Guardian midtower case, had a revolutionary look (many said it resembled a Transformer) and was an instant hit. NZXT has expanded on their Crafted Series to include four other cases and more recently introduced the Classic Series which consists of the Trinity, Lexa and the newest addition, the Adamas. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtadamas With nearly a 700W rating this PSU looks ready to tackle the toughest of power requirements, and has some stunning good looks to match. There are also some pretty useful features you don't find on many other manufacturers power supplies, namely switchable illumination and see-through bottom, as well as a host of other handy gadgetry to keep your computer power needs well fed and easy to manage. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/apeviaiceberg To help solve this problem Cooler Master has developed a VGA water cooling solution that will remedy the heat problem as well as eliminate the noise problem. Cooler Master's Aquagate VIVA VGA cooling is an all-in-one sealed unit that offers the added benefit of being able to convert over to a CPU water cooling unit if the end-user so sees fit, http://www.ocia.net/reviews/aquagateviva The 700p comes with plenty of memory to start you out. 128 MB of onboard memory (60 MB available to the end user) allowed me to install all of the applications that I wanted, including some games. I still had roughly 45 MB or so left over. This leaves enough room to store a fair amount of music or tons of pictures and videos without even touching the expansion card. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/treo700p It is easily the best looking unit I have seen in person to date. The reflection that the EvoStream gives off is amazing. But, like anything that is shiny, it picks up dirt and especially fingerprints very easily. I was careful in handling the unit during the photo shoot to minimize getting it dirty. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczevostream Of course laptop coolers of various forms have been around for years, from special insulating pads to stands to things with fins and fans, but for every different type you see there are a myriad of mixed reviews over whether they're actually very effective or not. I must admit I'm a bit of a skeptic and never bought into these kinds of products, but when Cooler Master, who's been in the PC cooling business for 10 years, said they were sending over one of their new Notepal P1's, I couldn't wait to try it out. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/coolermasternotepal NZXT is a Taiwanese company that has built a name for themselves in the enthusiast community as a manufacturer of high-quality, low-cost innovative design computer cases. I recently had the opportunity to review one of these NZXT products, the Apollo mid-tower case, which received our seal of approval for its aesthetics, features and price. So when NZXT followed up with an invitation to check out their Precise 650 power supply my only question was, where do I sign? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtprecise650 The thin copper fins are skived, meaning they're actually sliced from the base during the manufacturing process. Because the fins are still attached at the bottom there is better heat transfer than if the fins were soldered. It appears that this heatsink has a missing fin at the far left, there is a ridge on the base as if there was once a fin there, and there is certainly room for one. The fan bracket also appears slightly bent. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/blueicepro OCZ began to diversify their offerings in 2004 with the release of power supplies aimed specifically at gamers. Since that point, OCZ has continued to expand their horizons, now offering cooling solutions to go along with their already wide array of products. Today we will be taking a look at yet another one of their new innovative products in the 2 GB Secure Digital Dual Memory Card. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczdualsdcard The headphones are packaged in a very attractive box with the black and green Razer motif inside of a blister pack. They are part of the Barracuda Integrated Audio System (IAS), which consists of the HP-1 headphones and the AC-1 Gaming Soundcard. The soundcard is not quite ready for release, but hopefully they will soon will allow me to give you a review of the whole system. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/barracuda It also includes a quiet 95mm LED fan and hardware for mounting to Socket 939, AM2, 478 and 775. With this impressive feature list it's hard to imagine that the Tempest would not perform well, however given the length of time since their last HSF offering, can OCZ hit a home run right out of the box? Or is the Tempest more likely to go down swinging? http://www.ocia.net/reviews/tempest Unfamiliar with the basics of Thermoelectric cooling? Thermoelectric pads are used to create a heat flux between the junction of two different types of materials or cooling components. The very basic explanation is that they transfer heat from one side of the pad to the other. So, adding a Thermoelectric pad to a computer component, with a waterblock on the side dissipating the heat, can make for a very efficient cooling device http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mcw60t After getting the Mini-Kart out of the packaging, you find that it has it's own clear plastic carrying/storage case. This storage case does come in pretty handy really and will help you keep track of the drive. If you have any sort of clutter at all on your desk, you stand a good chance of losing track of the drive; it's that small. Trust me, it happened to me more than a few times. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/minikart I located mine next to a return vent in my house, and in summer or winter months when the system is heating or cooling, the Reserator receives a good amount of circulating air. In the spring and fall however, the handler runs only infrequently, and during those months average water temperatures typically climb a few degrees. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/resfan Enter the new CK-1022-6 Freedom, touted as a Super Tower / entry-level server case from Asys. Yes, that's Asys, with a Y. Can't say that I've ever come across any of their cases before, but the product information sheet looked promising. And the pictures showed it was no slouch in the looks department either. There were also some interesting features I wanted to check out a bit closer. This might not be such a bad case after all. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/asys The Krait has acceleration in its drivers separate from the acceleration found in XP. Though acceleration is very handy when using a 400dpi optical mouse, Razer feels that acceleration on a 1600dpi mouse will probably be a hindrance and leaves it off by default. This does not affect the acceleration found in XP, which can be turned off in the control panel. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/krait The SP-600W Rocketeer IV is being marketed as a "modular cable, SLI-ready, gaming PSU". As of this writing, if you look at the Rocketeer IV at Spire's site, it is advertised as being "darkgrey titanium colored" (this one is definitely black), and the advertised specs are somewhat different (lower) than the ones on this PSU. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/spirepsu Late last year I had the opportunity to review SilverStone's 600w Strider power supply. The unit held its own very well and didn't even break a sweat, regardless of how far I pushed my hardware. It was clear that SilverStone had a winner on their hands with the 600w Strider, but we all know that you can't sit idle in the computer hardware industry or you will be left in the dust. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/st75zf Enter the Biostar TForce 6100. Although not normally a make I would consider when choosing a motherboard, the features this board offered really caught my attention, and the advertised overclock-friendly TForce (as opposed to the more standard 6100-M7) reeled me in. Biostar offers this board in Socket 754, 939 and AM2 flavors, and in order to keep costs down I chose to go with a Sempron 64 2500+ in 754 format. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/biostarforce The Ultra-90 encompasses the same basic features as the XP-90's and XP-120; heatpipes through an array of fins connecting to a base for contact, but the Ultra-90 is a tower design. Thermalright claims it can outperform it's predecessor, the XP-90, using a lower CFM fan. Today we'll see how it compares to the XP-90C using the same fan. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ultra90 Both coolers feature four dual heat-pipes through 38 aluminum cooling fins mounted to a copper base, all soldered for maximum thermal convectivity. The NH-U9 is designed to be used with 80mm and 92mm fans; the NH-U12 with 120mm fans. Both coolers can mount two fans at once and are compatible with Intel Socket 478, LGA 775, and AMD K8. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/noctua As I noted before, the DiamondCool is constructed primarily of copper. It has 55 micro (0.40mm) fins soldered to a very thick base (8.5mm). It uses four copper heat pipes to help draw the heat away from the base and transfer it to the copper fins above. In theory this should work very well, but the proof is in the testing. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/spiresinks With more fin density and now 2 full circumference heatpipes, the 9 expands upon an already good design, and still maintains a low profile without resorting to taking up space on both sides of the card. Just one look at this cooler and you know Zalman has done their homework. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/vf900 Today I will be taking a look at the new HR-01, an aluminum heatsink incorporating 8, count them, 8 heatpipes in an all-new (for Thermalright) tower design. Thermalright claims the HR-01 is so efficient, it can be used solely as a passive radiator, meaning it requires no fan attached directly to the heatsink. Many companies before have tried the passive tower design... tried and failed to produce a heatsink that even comes close to equaling the performance of a traditional fan-cooled heatsink. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/hr01 The heatpipes pass through the center of the fins and are soldered in place. A total of 52 fins provide for a large surface area for cooling. As with Thermalright's other coolers, the finned portion of the heatsink overhangs the base by a good margin and should provide indirect cooling for components surrounding the CPU socket. http://www.ocia.net/reviews/si120 Recently, I reviewed the Apollo nVidia 6600GT. During the research for that review, I found out that the chipset on all 6600GT's has an onboard temperature sensor, but many card manufacturers opted not to enable temp monitoring on their particular cards. I would assume to discourage overclocking, but I'm just guessing. http://www.ocia.net/articles/tempmonitoring As mentioned earlier, I set my timings to 2.5-3-3-8-1T. I also lowered the HT multiplier to 3x. At these settings, I was able to get a maximum stable overclock of 9 x 255 (1:1) = 2,295 MHz, or basically 2.3 GHz. I tried lowering the multiplier to 8 and even 7, and also lowering the RAM divisor but was unable to get better results than those obtained at 9 x 255. I also tried various voltage settings, backing down from max as I have read that it can help sometimes. But in my case, I had no luck. http://www.ocia.net/articles/939oc Once you feel like you have a pretty good understanding of what is going on, the next thing to do is consider your components. In my case, I purchased the motherboard and CPU on a budget and didn't plan to overclock from the beginning, so I will just have to tough it out. But as you will see in the end, a budget system can oftentimes clock higher than more expensive setups. http://www.ocia.net/articles/754oc fstroupe performs a PSU mod on this fine piece of equipment! http://www.ocia.net/articles/hpmod