In this review we will be looking at the Gigabyte X79 UD3 motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset and supporting the new LGA2011 Sandy Bridge E processor. Gigabyte is offering three X79 motherboards in the Ultra Durable lineup starting with the UD3.
The Consumer Electronics Show is a great event for anyone interested in technology and it doesn't matter if you are interested in existing tech or want to see the future, you can find it at CES. Of course locating exactly what you are after does take some work
Ninjalane Podcast - In this episode we talk about playing Elder Scrolls V Skyrim and how getting 80 hours in might not be enough, we also discuss the new Gigabyte X79 UD3 and LGA2011 platform and wrap things up looking at the new Danger Den M6 CPU waterblock.
We're One Step Closer to True Invisibility Cloak
Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Web
This might be helpful in a few situations though it likely won't ever completely hide your pr0n collection.
Science completely hides a 3D object for the first time.
Who doesn't love it when fantasy and science fiction tropes become a reality? Well, guess what, the invisibility cloak isn't just for Harry Potter and Star Trek anymore. Previous attempts at such a technology have relied on covering an object with a "metamaterial" that would bend microwave light.
I doubt we'll ever reach syfy levels of invisibility but we can hope.
CM Storm QuickFire Rapid Gaming Keyboard Review @ Techgage
Published: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
The hot thing with gaming keyboards is the software to control macro creation and the switches used to register your key punches. But what happens when your gaming keyboard doesn't do that?
CM's QuickFire Rapid gaming keyboard is unlike any other. It's not flashy, it doesn't have a bunch of bright LEDs, it has no macro support and... it has no numpad. So what is it that sets it apart? Its sturdy design and use of CHERRY MX blue mechanical key switches. Let's see if those features make up for what's lacking.
I saw this little guy at CES and it is quite nice, despite being small.
Antec SoundScience HALO 6 LED Bias Lighting Kit Review @ Tweaknews
Published: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Look ma, LED strips!!
If you frequently stare at a monitor for hours on end while working or gaming, eyestrain is likely a common annoyance. Thankfully, you can treat your eyes to a bit of relief with the Soundscience Halo Bias Lighting kit. It installs on any monitor up to 24" and only requires a single USB port for power.
Not sure how looking at more lights is restful for your eyes but they do add a little bling to your chassis and help to show of those bodacious curves.
AMD & HardOCP FX GamExperience 2012 Coverage @ Legit Reviews
Published: Monday, January 23, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Legit Reviews posted two articles related to the GamExperience 2012.
The AMD & [H]ardOCP FX GamExperience Day 2012
Yesterday roughly 600 people headed to Eddie Deen’s Ranch in downtown Dallas, Texas to attend the AMD and HardOCP FX GamExperience. The FX GamExperience was a a free event that showcased the AMD gaming technologies available for PC gamers and to make it really special over $50,000 worth of prizes were given away from 21 sponsors during the eight hour event! Read on to take a quick peak at the event!
AMD Reality Check at FX GamExperience
AMD conducted a reality check for gamers down in Dallas, Texas for the FX GamExperience today that we were able to watch and tally up the results with them. For the challenge AMD setup up an area of the FX GamExperience venue with four test systems for two heads up tests. One system was powered by an Intel platform and the other by AMD and gamers had to pick which system played games the best.
The event is held in Dallas which is home to AMD, id and a few other big names so its no wonder the event has been gaining traction.
NL: Review Block - Coolers and Cases - 1/23/2012
Published: Monday, January 23, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Just a few cases and coolers to keep your gear safe and devoid of extra heat.
Cases
- Silverstone Raven 3 RV03 Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews
- Cooler Master's Cosmos II enclosure
- Silverstone SUGO SG08 mITX Case@ Pro-Clockers
Coolers
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Heatsink Review @ APH Networks
- Noctua NF-F12 Fan Review @ Midwest Tech Reviews
- Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
Of CES 2012 and missed expectations
Published: Sunday, January 22, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Having met Cyril a few times at the various trade shows I have to chuckle at his humor and honestly when describing CES 2012. I too was there and met up with the TR guys, briefly, to shake hands, say hi, and avoid the all too common question, "how is the show going for you?". Instead I commented on how Cryil was back in Las Vegas.
His remark will remain shrouded in mystery, however I can say there was a timid, yet heartfelt chuckle with his response.
Were there any firsts at this year's CES? None come to mind. CES 2012 was a show of second tries and third wheels, like the $529 Tegra 2 tablet from Toshiba and the convertible ultrabook from Lenovo that folds flat with the keyboard exposed below. It was a CES of me-toos and maybes, where prototypes of dubious value intermingled with MacBook and iPad lookalikes. There was no big, earth-shattering story this year; nothing like the birth of the netbook at Computex '07 or the unveiling of Nvidia's Project Denver at CES '11.
The post is short, and full of good, you should take 10, and read to the end.
Megaupload has been shut down
Published: Friday, January 20, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Web
In what might be the first of several website attacks the popular filesharing site Megaupload" has been shut down for piracy. While news of this takedown has been all over the web there is very little being said about the guy behind the uploads.
Dotcom, the megamind behind Megaupload, was arrested yesterday in New Zealand, his panic-room door busted down by officials, who found the hacker clinging to a sawed-off shotgun. Dotcom faces up to 55 years in prison if extradited to the U.S. and convicted on charges of racketeering, copyright infringement, and money laundering. The hacker-turned-multimillionaire businessman has been accused of costing the entertainment industry $500 million through pirated content uploaded to his popular file-sharing site, which boasted 180 million registered users and celebrity endorsements from Kanye West to Kim Kardashian.
Check out the site for a good history of what Kim Dotcom has been up to. Heck you even get a photo of the big guy. 
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel - Overclock Protection
Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Web
It is about time that Intel did something like this. For the longest time overclockers had to hide the fact they were abusing processors just so that they can use the 3 year warranty in hopes of getting their processor replaced. This is of a special concern when dealing with special $1000 dollar processors that come with unlocked multipliers and insane levels of performance.
Why spend that much money if you're not going to push them?
The Performance Tuning Protection Plan being offered by Intel is a chance for you to experiment with the overclocking features of your processor without the worries of what will happen if you push the procesor too far. The Plan allows you a single processor replacement, hassle-free, from our customer support. This is in addtion to your standard 3 year warranty. In other words, if it fails under normal usage, we will replace it under the standard warranty; if it fails while running outside of Intel's specifications, we will replace it under the Performance Tuning Protection Plan.
So what we are saying is this: Go ahead and push it, we've got your back.
The way this works is that you buy an enhanced warranty based on your processor type and if the processor fails while you are overclocking Intel will provide a one-time replacement, no questions asked. For more information and pricing check out the Performance Turning Protection Plan on the Intel website.
digg is Dead! - at least to Ninjalane and the rest of the Internet
Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Ninjalane
A few weeks ago I posted a thread in the Ninjalane Message Forum asking people if I should keep the "digg this" social button on each article page and I got some interesting results.
Unanimous of those was that removing the "digg this" button would not be the end of the world, in fact, some people actually offered me money to remove it.
Yes real American dollars, greenbacks, cash! or maybe that was a dream, I'm not sure. Either way the "digg this" button has been removed so any of you digg'ers, all 0 of you, will have to find another outlet to get your stories off.
Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to Protest SOPA, PIPA
Published: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Web
I don't normally get animated about bills like this because by the time they get passed they are so watered down that they cannot be enforced. However, I don't think that will be the case with SOPA and PIPA, both bills have backings from large industries who are basically struggling to survive.
Do not try to look up "Internet Censorship" or "SOPA" or "PIPA" on Wikipedia, the giant online encyclopedia, on Wednesday. SOPA and PIPA are two bills in Congress meant to stop the illegal copying and sharing of movies and music on the Internet, but major Internet companies say the bills would put them in the impossible position of policing the online world.
The biggest issue I see with these bills is how it will embrace anti-competition processes. In the early days one of the quickest ways to get to the top was to make sure your competition wasn't there. Sometimes that ment attacking the company physically or creating campaigns that targeted that company to ensure the public would no longer trust them.
With SOPA or PIPA there isn't anything to stop, say a rival hardware review site, from saying that their competition is pirating, log a complain and basically get that site blocked and or taken down without any recourse for appeal. I believe that is one of the issues still being discussed but it still brings up questions as to how far the bills will go to police the internet.
The story goes on to mention that the source of the piracy isn't always within the US but from foreign countries who find it easy to copy and redistribute US based software and technology. Sadly those are who need to be targeted and a US internet bill wouldn't apply.
How to build a digital pinball machine in Metku
Published: Sunday, January 15, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
This might be one of the coolest mods I have ever seen, at least since the advent of a mame machine. The mod consists of matching 3 video panels together to create a digital pinball machine complete with sounds and realistic switches,
Check it out. 
So what is a digital pinball machine? In short, it is a digital recreation of the original ones that you may have played in arcades, gas stations etc. I chose the shape of the machine to be
somewhat similar to the original ones but there is no reason to do so if more creative approach is needed.
I'm glad they opted to run it without the legs since they really didn't look sturdy at all.
Made it back to the Labs safe and sound
Published: Saturday, January 14, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Ninjalane
Well as you may have guessed CES 2012 has concluded and I am finally back in the Labs trying to get things sorted out.
There is some stuff I need to get caught up on around the house after which I can get to adding some more CES coverage and finally posting Episode 13 of the Ninjalane Podcast.
Stay tuned 
CES:2012 TechReport Round-up - Get along little doggies
Published: Thursday, January 12, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Busy Day for me yesterday so no daily post for Day 2 (yet). In the meantime check out what TechReport has been up to.
- Nvidia and Asus aim for $249 Tegra 3 tablet
- Thermaltake brings rubber domes back in style
- OCZ, Marvell scale Kilimanjaro with PCIe SSD
- Lenovo's Yoga bends over backward to please us
Another big day of running around and catching up with folks. Stay tuned.
Some CES 2012 Stories
Published: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Ninjalane
More CES News from around the web, hardware related at least
- CES 2012: Digital Experience @ ThinkComputers
- x86 Everywhere: Intel Announces Medfield Phones @ HotHardware
- CES 2012: EVGA SR-X Dual Socket 2011 Motherboard @ Legit Reviews
- 7-series mobos abound at Gigabyte @ TR
- TechwareLabs Event Coverage: CES2012 Monster Press Conference
- CES 2012: MSI’s Z77 Motherboards & Graphics Upgrade System @ Hardware Canucks
There isn't a wide range of Review site media at CES this year, which kinda explains the sudo lack of news. Stay tuned, more to come.
Sapphire Radeon HD 6970 2GB Dual Fan Review @ Hardware Canucks
Published: Sunday, January 08, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Even though the next generation of AMD HD graphics has been released and has proven to be faster than the 6900 series but not fast enough to justify a totally ignoring the previous generation.
Especially when they are a custom design from Sapphire.
The HD 7970 may be the graphics card everyone is talking about but it only just became available in somewhat limited quantities and pricing is far beyond the reach of most consumers. But while the Southern Islands-based cards will take over AMD’s flagship range, lower end cards still provide great performance at a fraction of the cost. That's where Sapphire's HD 6970 Dual fan enters the equation.
Of course the only real issue with a dual fan cooler on a GPU is that it won't vent to the outside, and that is why we have good case cooling.
NL: Review Block - Cases Roundup Style
Published: Sunday, January 08, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Being that this is CES week the news postings will be a little on the light side. Hopefully I can make up for it in CES news.
Until then here are a few cases from the news box.
- Antec's P280 enclosure
- Cooler Master Cosmos II Full-Tower Chassis Review @ Techgage
- SilverStone Grandia DG06 HTPC Chassis Review @ MissingRemote
Be sure to check out our own reviews of the Antec P280 and Cooler Master Cosmos II for comparison.
ASRock Extreme9 X79 Motherboard Review @ SSD Review
Published: Friday, January 06, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
I hate to admit it but the latest ASRock X79 motherboard does look really good both in terms of overall look and the UEFI interface.
Today we are going to test the new X79 Extreme9 ASRock Motherboard in a variety of high powered benchmarks. This new high end enthusiast-class motherboard looks to set the tone for the high powered X79 overclocking segment and we are testing to see if it can live up to its reputation as the “Overclocking King”. Let’s fire up the test bench, and see what she has!
ASRock is claiming that this board is the overclocking king which might just be marketing but the board appears to have all fo the required components and appears to look the part so only time will tell.
Fit for fan update - which cooler fit on the motherboard ?
Published: Friday, January 06, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Email
Ever wonder if a certain cooler will fit on a motherboard? Overclocked inside has created another JavaScript guide that does just that.
The interactive fit for fan guide is a new development, which contains some AMD Socket AM3/AM3+, Socket AM2/AM2+, Socket 939, Socket 754, also older Socket A motherboards and some HSFs for each Socket.
The guide is somewhat limited in that it doesn't cover memory height limitations or mounting hardware but if you are curious about physical dimensions be sure to check it out.
CES Next Week
Published: Friday, January 06, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Ninjalane
Just a friendly reminder that CES 2012 starts next week and unless I miss my flight or the end of the world occurs I plan to be in attendance.
Be sure to check the site and blogs section for highlights from the various CES days and get an idea of the stuff I have been looking at. Unlike previous years I don't plan to do reports on the show itself but do plan to post pics of some of the new gear the mfgs have on display.
There should also be a new Ninjalane Podcast episode posted during the show but likey won't cover anything from CES.
Canadian man uses iPad to enter US
Published: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - By: DennisNews Source: Web
I will admit that I am not an avid smartphone user, I have a Blackberry Pearl and love it for the form factor and the fact I can make calls. Aside from emails and text messages I use it for its intended purpose. a phone.
With that said I was surprised to see people in the SFO airport using their iPhones to validate their boarding passes making the whole process truly paperless. The same sort of thing has happened with a Canadian man who was able to enter the US with a digital copy of his Passport and valid driver's license.
Martin Reisch said Tuesday a slightly annoyed U.S. border officer let him cross into the United States from Quebec after he presented a scanned copy of his passport on his Apple iPad. Reisch was a half hour from the border when he decided to try to gain entry rather than turn back and make a two-hour trek back home to Montreal to fetch his passport.
He told the officer he was heading to the U.S. to drop off Christmas gifts for his friend's kids. He said that true story, the scanned passport and his driver's license helped him get through last week.
He said the officer seemed mildly annoyed when he handed him the iPad.
Of course a story like this wouldn't be something that border patrol would report so who do we have to blame for the story? Yep you guessed it
Cannot say I agree with allowing people to enter with a digital scan of their Passport but I do support digital versions of passports provided they can lock them down to prevent tampering, theft and tracking.
