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Reviews Around The Web
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Choose Web Reviews from this Maker:
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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"By far the Application Profiles feature is the coolest feature in CCC 10.2. I think it will revolutionize the way drivers will be updated. If it works as well as it looks like it will, we will see performance gains much sooner for newly released game titles. Despite not having as much of a cool factor as the application profiles does, let's not forget about the ATI PowerPlay. By downloading and updating to CATALYST 10.2 video card drivers it means that consumers can save money on your electric bill, which is fantastic. Reducing your systems power draw by 7-12 Watts may not seem like a whole lot, but over time it does add up. If you are like me and leave your computer on pretty much 24/7 it will save you money in the long run. It's not every day that you get new features, improved performance and a reduction in power. This is by far one of the greatest updates in CATALYST history!"
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"While the Eee PC 1201N was not designed to be the leader in battery life, we were still impressed to see it surpassed the battery life performance of the ASUS N10Jc with the NVIDIA 9300m graphics. We expected the 1201N to perform similarly, but the result was an extra coveted hour of battery life both in idle and DVD playback tests. The only benefit the N10Jc had over the Eee PC 1201N was the ability to turn off the NVIDIA 9300m and just use the Intel integrated graphics in order to conserve battery life. As many may recall, NVIDIA recently announced an answer to this issue for ION2 by incorporating their Optimus technology into the new platform in order to allow the longest battery life possible while still having the discrete graphics when you need them. We look forward to this technology entering the netbook arena!"
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"Today HardwareHeaven will have a look at Antec's new flagship model in the TruePower Quattro series, the Quattro 1200W. Antec claims that their latest Quattro model offers cutting edge electrical performance while still operating quietly and this unit provides a unique feature, Powercache, which we will look at in detail."
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AMD releases its Athlon II X4 635 processor to the market with some interesting over-clocking capabilities.
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"Offered in both grey and red finishes, each wrapped in a reflective zinc alloy frame, the A-DATA Nobility S805 is a very attractive looking device. Its heft, at 25g (.88oz), is substantial for its size and certainly gives the perception that this is a well constructed and rugged piece of hardware. It comes packaged with nothing other than a warranty information brochure and is available in capacities ranging from 4GB to 16GB..."
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As the Editor-in-Chief here at APH Networks, it's probably no
surprise to you if I told you that my house is fairly filled with technology.
What I have around here is nearly a dozen computers, spread over three
floors. There are several network attached storage file servers. Multiple
wireless routers are set up to cover both sides of the house. Central wired
home networking with Gigabit switches are deployed for stationary devices.
Adding to that is a couple of network color laser printers. If what I have
mentioned sounds similar to what you have at home, man, you have got to keep
reading. If you don't, then man, you still got to keep reading, haha. A few
years ago, I reviewed Slim Device's Squeezebox V3 (Now owned by Logitech) --
an otherwise excellent network audio streaming device in its days. The device
was not without its limitations, however. For one thing, it was still
relatively expensive for approximately $300 at that time. Secondly, it only
plays audio, and not video. Thirdly, it only streams data from computers with
SlimServer installed. But times have changed. Today, we'll look at Patriot's
Box Office -- and to say Patriot's Box Office is probably one of the most
versatile media players that can hook up to your home theater system may
merely be an understatement. It not only plays music, but also videos at up
to 1080p resolution. It can play media files over network on virtually any
device with no modifications. Don't have a central media server? No worries
-- the Box Office can also accommodate an internal 2.5" hard drive to store
your music, movies, or photos, or even access files on an USB mass storage
device. With all the convenience to let you simply sit down on your couch and
access all your media by an (included) remote control, most people might be
scared to look at the price of admission at this point. But you know what?
It's only $100. Yep, I'm not kidding, and you didn't read it wrong -- a
hundred bucks! Read on to see if the Patriot Box Office is really that big of
a deal. Pun intended.
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What do you think of when I mention the word 'Spartan'? Now I
can't speak for the majority, but that word reminds me of the city-state of
Sparta in Ancient Greece. Characterized by their exemplary military power
back in 650 BC to 371 BC, the fictionalized retelling of the Battle of
Thermopylae also happens to be the topic of the 2007 action film "300"
starring Gerald Butler. The movie 300, in a nutshell, is this: a King
(Leonidas) leads three hundred Spartans into a battle against the Persians
(who were led by Xerxes), whose army numbered over one million soldiers. I
think it's safe to say that the Spartans in this regard are viewed as
underdogs. At this point, you may be wondering how this relates to our
review. Well, today we will be taking a look at the AZZA Spartan 102, a
budget (Or otherwise value oriented) mid-tower chassis from AZZA. AZZA is a
relatively new player not only in the computer chassis market, but also a
newcomer in APH Networks' review line-up. In the past several months, AZZA
has made huge strides in the industry, introducing a variety of different
cases competing in several different price brackets; ranging from high end
products for the hardcore gamer, to budget chassis for casual gamers. The
AZZA Spartan 102 is a great example of the latter, which we will be looking
at today. Does the Spartan 102, priced at a mere $39.99 MSRP, keep up with
the likes of Antec's Three Hundred and the NZXT Beta? Can it do as the
Spartans have done, and upset the competition? Or will it be overwhelmed by
its stiff and likely more experienced competition? Read on to find out!
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Saturday, February 13, 2010
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"It's hard enough to be a video card manufacturer that embraces both sides of the fence, let alone one that only specializes in one of the two major producers of GPUs. Companies like PowerColor, Sapphire and HIS need to really have stand out versions of popular models. The good news for these companies is that half the work is done; ATI have managed to produce a great line-up of models for us to choose from.
Now it's up to the partners to make what is a good card a great one. PowerColor have actually gone a bit crazy lately; they've got a number of really stand-out models in the series which include models from the 5600 series all the way to the 5800 series."
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"Just before CES we were made aware of an incoming package from Vantec. Instead of bogging us down with a sit down meeting where we could go over performance graphs, pie charts and a bunch of nonsense that you guys wouldn?t want to read even if you were stuck at your in-laws all weekend, Vantec has done us all a favor and just shipped over their latest products. In our package we received a PCIe USB 3.0 controller card (PN: UGT-PC302) and the latest prototype of the soon to be released NexStar 3 SuperSpeed (PN: NST-280S3-BK).
The USB 3.0 PCIe Host Controller is a two port device that is so small that it may just fit GIGABYTE?s X58A-UD7 with the massive heat sink installed. The Vantec NexStar 3 SuperSpeed appears more like a retail unit than a prototype. The only thing that gives it away is the white box that it was shipped in. Everything inside of the box appears to be ready to go, so I don?t think we will have to wait too long for retail availability."
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"By the middle of Q1 2009 AMD began releasing new AM3 based processors with integrated DDR3 memory controller, and a revised 785G chipset with new SB710 Southbridge soon followed. ECS joined the fray with their A780GM-M and A780GM-M7 micro-ATX motherboards, and just as they did previously with the AM2+ A780GM-A Ultra, they have followed these with an upscale, full size ATX A785GM-AD3 Black Series. Sharing many of the same features as the rest of their Black Series boards, the A785GM-AD3 offers solid caps, gold plated CPU and RAM contacts, Special ACC (Advanced Clock Calibration) and support for AMD OverDrive or traditional overclocking via M.I.B. II BIOS tweaking utility."
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The Razer Moray+ In-Ear-Headset is another product for the mobile gamer. It iss mall, but is it good also?
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"Weve been talking about iPad competitors for a couple cycles now and they seem to be growing faster than anyone can keep up with. The latest, the iTablet , is kind of the anti-iPad in that it is a full PC based on Intels Atom technology and not simply a large smartphone without the phone bits. The iPad is clearly better-looking, but the iTablet is more capable and has a name that wont cause snickers. There is little doubt the iPad will outsell the iTablet by a substantial margin, but should it? And what does this say about the gullible part of our nature? Coincidently Guy Kawasaki, the ex-Apple evangelist, posted a warning on gullibility this month which, especially given the current topic, seems a pertinent thought to keep in mind."
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In terms of features the MSI R5770 video card has other 5770 cards beat as it has the extra cooling, V-points and Rivatuner (Afterburner). The card is excellent in performance with performance that outstrips the competition from NVIDIA and DirectX 11 which cannot be done on NVIDIA cards that are released so far.ATI is selling a lot of DirectX 11 video cards and as the year progresses without a competitive card for this price point, they will sell more. MSI is offering this video card for free for those purchasing a Fusion motherboard if you register and are among the first 100 purchasers of the combination. The 5770 card?s NVIDIA competition is just not there.
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If you are looking for a Bluetooth headset that is equally adept at handling voice calls and music, you might want to check out Altec Lansing's latest.
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If you own a netbook or laptop computer you know just how bad the
speakers can be on those devices and that is why BGears has
introduced the ViBRO Sound System. Using a single speaker element
they are able to create audio that will far surpass the audio you
currently hear, and all it needs is a USB connection.
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