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Ninjalane Staff Blogs
I was sent an article today talking about "Operation Global Blackout" which is the code name for the Anonymous cyberattack planned for March 31st 2012. The operation is in response to some high level arrests of its members and the threat of censorship by Congress using SOPA and PIPA.
While I cannot say that blacking out the internet will get the members released or stop SOPA and PIPA it will create a lot of free time for the ultra dedicated facebookers, tweeters and online gamers. So what would you do if faced with a total internet blackout??
Here is my top 17 List of things to do when Anonymous takes down the Internet on March 31st
1] Start entering IP addresses in hopes you can find your favorite websites.
2] Hope that website developers didn't hardcode domain names in their links. (as if they ever should)
3] Party like its 1999!
4] Host a LAN Party, you may not be able to access the Internet but you can still play games right?
5] Horde gasoline and generators so you can stay online after the power goes out. (Die Hard 4 Style)
6] Visit your local bookstore for "Hardcopy".
7] Relinquishing junk. Stage one, preparation. For this you will need one room which you will not leave. Soothing music. Tomato soup, ten tins of. Mushroom soup, eight tins of, for consumption cold. Ice cream, vanilla, one large tub of. Magnesia, milk of, one bottle. Paracetamol, mouthwash, vitamins. Mineral water, Lucozade, pornography. ~ Mark Renton
8] Get a girlfriend NOW!
9] Rent at 120 Liter tank of LN2.
10] Stagger outside, become confused and disoriented by the "real world".
11] Talk to people in person.
12] Practice your penmanship.
13] Put together a card game.
14} Get drunk!
15} Pick up a copy of Playboy, the old fashioned way.
16} Setup a sign in your front lawn for your status updates.
17} Spend some quality time with your cat, relax and take a fucking break.
links: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9225635/Operation_Global_Blackout_Real_danger_or_irrelevant_?taxonomyId=145
I thought it would be fun to rant a little and give my 3 month report of using the Core i7 3960X
First of all I do love the platform, from a technology standpoint. The processor is super fast and comes with a quad channel memory controller. Despite what others might say the extra memory bandwidth does increase performance both in games and basic benchmarks. And let's face it there is something humbling when you see 50 GB/s+ when running the SiSoft Sandra memory bandwidth tests. However all is not roses and crab cakes when it comes to overclocking the SB-E and it would seem that while some companies have embraced the platform there are a few who seem to struggle in making the platform fly.
As of this post I have used four X79 motherboards (and posted two reviews). The boards include the Gigabyte X79 UD3, Gigabyte X79 UD7, Asus P9X79 and Asus ROG Rampage IV Extreme. Of these boards I was most attracted to the UD7 due to the benchmark friendly aspect of the design and general Gigabyte build quality. R4E and UD3 were second on my list with the R4E ranking up there with the UD7. Both the P9X79 and GA X79 UD3 compete for mainstream users with the UD3 having the upper hand when it comes to multi-GPU support given the 4-way SLI and Crossfire friendly PCI Express layout.
This next comment will likely make my Gigabyte friends a little upset but of the boards I have tested I can honestly say that Asus has the better X79 solution, the UEFI is better (and faster), overclocking is more stable and there are more convenience features on the Asus boards for tuning and power efficiency. That isn't to say I "dislike" the Gigabyte boards since I do like them from a hardware standpoint but much like the Foxconn Rattler the awesome hardware is plagued by a poor software solution.
Here is a for instance. When I was doing my Quad GTX 580 runs for HWBot I choose to use the Asus Rampage IV Extreme. Despite my better judgment of using a review product before I have done the review (Personal rule) I assembled the system with the soul intent of overclocking. The system would be watercooled using the Danger Den M6, Hydro L35 and triple fan radiator. After a couple hours of tuning I was able to run 4.9Ghz with the 1.25x BLCK multiplier with only 1.36v of core voltage! Core temps stayed around 40c rising just shy of 50c under load, not bad to say the least.
I attribute those stats to the crisp winter air but have later come to realize that it might have been a little more than just my cooling solution. When I tried to replicate the same clocks on the UD7 I was unable to make it happen. The processor required more voltage to reach the 4.7Ghz mark and the system would lock up if I tried enabling the 1.25x BCLK multiplier. Needless to say I had to reset the CMOS and my PSU more times that I would like to admit.
There were some discoveries during this overclocking session, both of the processor and the UD7.
- I could in fact run my processor at 106BCLK assuming it set it in the UEFI. If I used the motherboard controls the adjustment limit was 3 steps with the fourth step leading to a system lockup.
- I could run the 1.25 multiplier. Doing so was not 100% stable and was only able to happen if the XMP profiles were not set and you lowered the BLCK to 90. For some reason this would allow the system to reboot at the new speed and recover from the system shutdown.
- Large BLCK adjustments would cause the motherboard to power off and when the board would power on it would trip the current protection in the PSU requiring it to be powered off to work again. This was 100% repeatable and a little bothersome.
- After getting 1.25x to load I was able to run at 132 BLCK stable however if you powered down the motherboard it would never come back until the CMOS was reset. (see power off protection tripping and not being able to load 1.25x)
Both of the Asus boards would run stable at 1.25x allowing you to power down reboot and restart. Heck the TPU switch sets the 1.25x multi so there is obviously a problem somewhere in the system.
Currently I only have the Core i7 3960X but plan to pick up a Core i7 3930K C2 edition before too long. Given that most enthusiasts are using the 3930K you can be assured there will be plenty of points available on HWBot. I have yet to put this processor under the phase or run it up above 4.9Ghz which is one of my immediate goals but until I can find a board that will allow me to tweak the processor and overclock the way I want there isn't much point in going thru the effort.
The final days of CES were filled with lazy meetings and attempts to meet with some old friends who we have bumped into at the various events. Sadly one of those meetings didn't happen due to how strict hotels are about letting random guests wander the halls. And you know, if they don't pick up the guest phone when you call they tend to miss out.
Cooler Master
As some of you may remember the Cooler Master and Ninjalane partnership goes back almost 10 years which seems like a long time until you consider that Cooler Master as a company has been around for twice that. 2012 marks the 20 year anniversary of Cooler Master so keep watch on their website as they will be doing contests and giveaways all year long.
Stopping by the Cooler Master suite I was greeted with a couple of new products including a new HAF chassis design that shares the same outward appearance but is considerably smaller and more realistic for "average" sized computer systems.
Of course the Cosmos II was on display including a new storm case called the Striker, does it look familiar?
What would a visit to Cooler Master be without seeing some new cooler designs? The highlight of these was this CPU cooler that is one of the first I have seen that uses a vapor chamber in addition to standard heatpipes. The end result is denser thermal transfer and increased heat capacity.
The CMHD girls were on hand modeling some of the latest Cooler Master products. These coolers have been shown before and feature a unique 45 degree twist to their radiator design and now come in different capacity levels.
Choiix
Choiix is the Cooler Master consumer line and while Ninjalane doesn't feature that many Choiix products they do have some good stuff on display including this portable tablet stand.
Roccat
Americans love German engineering and there is no better example than what Roccat has been doing with their latest generation of gaming keyboards and mice.
The Kone mouse is a unique design that fits smoothly in your hand and comes with twenty two mouse functions across any of the twelve physical buttons. All of this functionally is due in part to the included software and Easy Shift button concept.
Isku is the name of the Roccat gaming keyboard that follows the standard QWERTY layout and is equally configurable as the Kone mouse. In fact if you use both of these products together you can begin to use the keyboard to control the mouse and vice versa.
What would awesome gaming accessories be without a true 5.1 surround gaming heatset? Roccat has you covered there with the Kave. Kave is a multi driver 5.1 surround sound headset that uses analog connections and USB port for power.
The headset is an over ear design and is really quite comfortable.
Silverstone
I missed stopping by the Silverstone booth during CES 2011 and missed out on some really great products.
The first product I was introduced to is a smaller version of the FT03 which was so popular during CES 2011. These case features support for the smaller SFX PSU form factor which is also something Silverstone has been working on to not only make available but also make 80 Plus compliant. The 450 watt unit here is a 80+ Bronze PSU and is quite powerful considering the overall size.
It has been awhile since Silverstone released an upgraded version to their HTPC lines and the GD08 pictured here features support for five 120mm fans and 2 80mm fans and over eight 3.5" hard drives. Cooling all of those drives is accomplished with a custom HDD rack and 120mm fan cooling solution.
One of the first Silverstone cases reviewed at Ninjalane was the TJ04, and while the case was nice to look at there were obvious cooling issues. The new TJ04-E has resolved those cooling issues and added considerably more features that not only retain the clean lines found on the TJ04 but also give it a modern cooling and storage solution.
The second day of any major tradeshow brings out the best in people, under the worse conditions. Typically this is also the busiest day of the show since most of the keynotes have concluded and the attendees get a chance to see everything on display.
CyberpowerPC
My first stop was with a well known boutique builder called CyperpowerPC. They are known for lavish computer systems that not only perform well but look great too.
The highlight of the suite was the Black Mamba which is a gross understatement in saying the system is big, in fact this system is feature packed complete with a custom case design to further reinforce the design. Black Mamba is part of the Fang series of gaming systems with the added bonus of a secondary computer system located at the top of the chassis that can be put to a variety of uses including media server and a secondary system for overclocking control using tools like ROG Connect.
Both systems are linked using a standard Ethernet cable and are accessible over any standard wireless connection.
Some of the other systems on display showed off the other custom chassis designs including this one that is configurable based on what side of the desk you like to have your system on.
The case allows you to remove the motherboard tray and position is so the opening is facing right or left allowing you the option of how you want the PC orientated. This is a great feature that isn't normally available even on DIY case designs.
Gigabyte
Gigabyte has a few new systems on display however the highlight of CES was the Z77 chipset designed for Ivy Bridge and the new G1 Sniper 3.
Both of the new board designs were pre-release models meaning that the layout and colors are likely to change. Pictured here is the Sniper 3 showing off a wrap around PWM design and new and improved sound and networking chips. Much like the Sniper 2 the board will feature Creative audio and Bigfoot Networks Killer Nic for enhanced gaming and system performance however as an additional benefit the board will come with an addition of a secondary Intel Nic for dual network access.
The Z77 product lines haven't fully matured but will be available in the standard Ultra Durable lineups and may even feature a smaller MicroATX design for smaller form factor gaming.
I did spy a new waterblock in the Gigabyte booth that is brand new from Danger Den called the M6. Look for it on Ninjalane soon.
Lian Li
One of our last appointments was with Lian Li the famed aluminum case builder from Taiwan. The chassis display was rather small from what we have seen in the past but no less interesting. Of course one of the highlights of the booth was the PC-U6 "shell" case that will fit a MicroATX motherboard and full length video cards.
To help with cable management Lian Li will begin including a plastic wire channels with their newer cases. This won't replace using zip ties to bundle your wires but should help dress up the case by keeping everything together.
This cute case is designed to be portable and quite rugged against scratches and corner dents.
Conclusion
I actually met with a few more companies on Day 2, you can see photos from those visits in the forth coming CES 2012 photo gallery.
CES has officially started and despite what you might hear the place is packed, For some reason traffic on the strip and surrounding areas is considerably less than it has been in the past but there is no shortage of warm bodies roaming the Convention Center halls.
As I may have mentioned before CES, for me, is actually two completely separate shows, the main CES and then the side show for companies that what to take advantage of the press but, for some reason or another, choose not to be part of the official show. The later of these is generally the companies that support this site and have the products we like to see.
Sapphire
Day one started off a little slow with a lazy meeting with Sapphire to check out what cool products we can expect to see this year. One of the coolest items was the VID-2X video module that allows you to expand your desktop using a display port connection and two external monitors.
VID-2X acts as an interpreter telling your computer that the two monitors are actually a single display with double the normal horizontal resolution. The end result is instant desktop expansion using pure hardware.
The Pure Black 990FX is a board I saw in Taiwan this last summer and here is what the final mockup will look like. Make note of the large PWM cooler and multitude of PCI Express expansion slots. Only two of these slots will run at full bandwidth but every one of them will support a video card.
North Hall Wanderings
The North Hall is normally reserved for car audio and electronics and is where you want to go to see some of the best looking cars around.
Here we have what might be the first S10 I have ever seen at CES. The truck is your standard extra cab with a totally custom interior and a sound system that would make any audiophile jealous.
Audi had a prototype car on display that looks to be in direct competition with the dinky small smart car.
I call this sorry excuse for a motorcycle the snowmobile with wheels. Of course this particular bike has 10 grand worth of audio gear attached and quite a few custom body panels.
No stop to the North Hall would be complete without stopping off at Directed Electronics to check out the latest Orion audio gear. Sadly the HCCA line hasn't changed much, and by the looks of it, DE might be getting out of car audio to focus on something bigger.
Much to my surprise all of the big names from my car audio days were present including Audio Control, SoundStream, Phoenix Gold Precision Power and MTX to name a few
EVGA
I always like stopping by the EVGA suite and check out the latest motherboards they have on display. Of course the major difference from last year is X79 and that the boards are shipping now.
The board pictured here I s the X79 FTW which is the 3-way compatible enthusiast motherboard and one step down from the flagship. I have been told the two boards are identical in terms of layout and features with the only exception being support for 4-way SLI and XL-ATX form factor. Other than that they are identical right down to posicap placement and EVGA Branded chokes.
What EVGA suite visit would be complete without a photo of the EVGA SR-X dual LGA2011 Xeon motherboard designed for overclocking, general mayham and general overall indulgence of exciting tech and raw power.
Ya, I want one
EVGA is also going to release their own line of power supplies and the flagship 1500w gold PSU has the unique ability to enter "dummy" mode and also overclock (or overpower) to 1650w by flipping a few switches and applying 240v power. Not too bad for a fully modular PSU.
Rosewill
My last stop for the day was with a company that hasn't shown up on the Ninjalane product radar very often, Rosewill. As you may know Rosewill is a rather large product company that deals in items such as computer cases, power supplies, notebook coolers and networking. However, what you may not realize is that Rosewill also deals with home décor and personal appliances (coffee makers, hot plates and stuff like that). It is really quite interesting to see what they sell.
Much like our Thermaltake visit there is simply too much to post but I can show you this fancy USB wireless device that comes with its own USB extension and vertical dock.
