NVidia GTX 780 Launch Day: The Little Titan That Could

Not gonna sugar coat it, this card rocks.  The GPU is basically the GTX Titan with a few SMX processors disabled and less onboard memory.  Does it hurt? hardly, the pocketbook will be happy with your decision and your games will be all like "BLAM!"

Web Reviews
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 WindForce 3x OC review @ Guru3D
- ZOTAC GeForce GTX 780 Graphics Card Video Review with Stuart Davidson @ HardwareHeaven (omgsuperlongmegawordusagelinkofdoom)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 780 Video Card Announcement @ Hardwarespot 
- ASUS GeForce GTX 780 Review @ Ocaholic
- The Almost Titan: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Review @ Techgage
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Review @ HotHardware
- Nvidia GTX 780 @ LanOC Reviews
- KFA2 GeForce GTX 780 in SLI @ Hexus
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Video Card Review @ Hi Tech Legion
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 review: Titan Light @ HardwareInfo
- Nvidia's GeForce GTX 780 graphics card reviewed @ TR
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 SLI @ techPowerUp
- Gigabyte GTX 780 WindForce OC 3 GB @ techPowerUp
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Review @ Hardware Canucks
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 3 GB @ techPowerUp

More GTX 780 news next month!

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NL: Review Block - Cards Coolers and Stuff

I need to start doing these more often but with pending product launches, Computex and a super secret project in the works I hardly have the time.

Cards: The Video Type - 3D Even
- Sparkle Calibre X660 Review @ Technic3D
- Sapphire HD7990 QuadFireX Review @ KitGuru
- ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN AMP! Edition 6144 MB @ techPowerUp
- PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Gaming Video Card @ TechwareLabs
- Club3D GeForce GTX 670 royalQueen @ ChipLoco
- PowerColor 7790 Turbo Duo @ PureOverclock
- HIS 7790 iCooler Turbo 1GB GDDR5 Video Card Review @ Madshrimps

Coolers: Its Chilling
- SilverStone AR01 @ PureOverclock
- SilverStone AR01 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
- Thermaltake Non-Interference Cooler NiC F4 CPU Cooler Review @ Pro-Clockers
- Noctua NF-S12A FLX, NF-S12A PWM, NF-S12A ULN Cooling Fan Review @ APH Networks

Cases: To hold stuff
- Thermaltake Armor Revo Gene Mid Tower Computer Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion

Storage: To remember what we have
- Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB Hard Drive Review @ Hardware Canucks
- G.Skill RipjawsX F3-2133C9D-16GXH @ Bjorn3D

I guess its time to stop playing games and start playing hardware.

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HOT Raspberry Pi DIY Mini Desktop PC Build @ HotHardware

Pretty sure this isn't a sexual thing but knowing how American media and film likes to spin innuendos you cannot be sure.

We recently set out to design mini desktop computer with the wildly popular Raspberry Pi single board computer. The Raspberry Pi is a Linux-driven, ARM processor-based micro computer that is known for its low cost and small size. People use the device for a variety of projects, from micro-servers to low cost media players.

Basically our goal was to turn what is currently one of the cheapest bare-bones computer boards into a fully enclosed mini desktop computer that could be taken anywhere without the need for cabling or setup. One of the high level goals of this project was also to learn about programming with Linux and get a good feel for programming in the Debian interface...

I have always been curious about Pi computers, not because they are super small and programmable but rather the purpose of them.  They aren't all that powerful so playing COD4 on one might be a challenge and while they say it can do full motion video so can my purpose built OPPO Blu-Ray player.

I guess HotHardware figured it out.

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A year later: Transformer Prime @ LanOC Reviews

I too have a Transformer Prime and when it comes to tablets I use it quite often.  The problem is I don't consume media on it in the traditional sense.  Yes I fire up pandora from time to time, and I surf the web doing research and even watch a movie or two but nothing can replace my Asus Slate.

That is unless you are doing mobile website testing, then get a Prime,  NOW!

I’m going to come clean to you guys/girls. I have had tablets for the past 2-3 years and for the first few years, I really never put them to use. I found them to be cumbersome, slow, and there just wasn't enough reason to use them. Frankly I could do it all on my phone just as well, with a smaller screen of course. About a year ago I had a Transformer Prime come in. With Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad core CPU I was intrigued and the optional keyboard was icing on the cake. I decided to REALLY give it a try and see what I thought. A year later I want to talk a little about my experience.

So with an intro like that, I'm wondering if they really liked the tablet or are just trying to get you to click on the link.

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Cold fusion reactor in every home and more powerful than gas

Not really computer related but here is an interesting article on cold fusion.  (and not the type developed by Allaire that powered Anandtech.com for "years")

against all probability, a device that purports to use cold fusion to generate vast amounts of power has been verified by a panel of independent scientists. The research paper, which hasn’t yet undergone peer review, seems to confirm both the existence of cold fusion, and its potency: The cold fusion device being tested has roughly 10,000 times the energy density and 1,000 times the power density of gasoline.

The process of cold fusion has been proved but it wasn't a viable energy source because it took too much power to get the reaction started.  I guess with this device they figured out how to bring the numbers down and make it safe to use.

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Beer drone using GPS will deliver drinks in South Africa

This might be fun, that is until a beer can explodes on your head.

Demoed in a recently posted YouTube video, an octocopter drone that delivers beer is being developed by a team that’s working with the OppiKoppi Music Festival in South Africa. Called the OppiKoppi Beer Drone, cans of beer are loaded into the drone prior to taking off and each can is attached to a clear, plastic parachute. After the drone reaches the approximate location of the person that requested the beer in addition to the appropriate altitude to safely drop the brew, the drone releases the can. Assuming the parachute opens correctly, the can safely glides to the ground into the hands of the thirsty festival attendee.

I wonder what happens to the plastic parachute after the beer has been delivered?  And why use plastic, wouldn't paper be more responsable?

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Google+ isn’t for us, it’s for researching us

I'm going to go ahead and put this opinion piece into the "No S#t" category and leave it at that.  Google+ launched with the promise that it may be able to compete with Facebook as a social media alternative.  I suspect that Google hoped their large user base would help launch them into social stardom and a year later the hype was gone and all those G+ buttons I placed on this website have gone un-used.

Heck I suspect most people with a Google+ account don't even bother logging in on a daily basis.  

On paper, Google+ is a beautiful, compelling, rich product. So why don’t I care?

When Google’s answer to Facebook first launched nearly two years ago, I was a cheerleader. Like everyone else, I was frustrated by the lack of control I had over Facebook and the early signs of “Facebook fatigue” (a phrase we’re now gratuitously throwing around) were starting to set in. Google+ had been under wraps for years; it was like this Internet-wide Easter Egg that we were so excited to finally see.

And I tried really, really hard to like it. And I still don’t.

The obviousness of it all is that Google uses everything own/build to market themselves,  They use Gmail to serve you ads and even tailor search results.  They use Youtube for the same purpose and, wouldn't you know it, they use g+ results to not only tweak your search engine position but also to tailor search results to those fortunate enough to click the little g+ button.

This is just smart business and a rather ingenuous way to tweak SEO.  It also makes the internet more responsive to the people searching for something.  its too bad Google+ will never be anything more than a fad.  /#opinion

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Nasa buys into Quantum computer

"Buys into" is the operable phrase here since this isn't the type of machine you just flat out "own"

It will be shared by Google, Nasa, and other scientists, providing access to a machine said to be up to 3,600 times faster than conventional computers.

Unlike standard machines, the D-Wave Two processor appears to make use of an effect called quantum tunnelling.

This allows it to reach solutions to certain types of mathematical problems in fractions of a second.

Effectively, it can try all possible solutions at the same time and then select the best.

Of course the Bitcoin miners are drooling right now and wondering how they can get on the NASA train.

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XS Gigabyte Series 8 Preview - Sound Profiles

With Computex quickly approaching I have started seeing more and more "leaks" regarding some of the new features found on new 8-Series motherboards.  Many of you have already seen the new Gigabyte heatsink design along with the new color scheme from Asus but maybe one of the most drastic updates comes on the new Gigabyte G1 gamer line.

Removable OP Amp chips to change sound profiles.

This feature has been common on Auzentech sound cards for years and the question remains on if this was ever something anyone would take advantage of.  Well, it would seem GBT has bought into the marketing and is now offering that feature.

Or so indicated by "Picture Rumors" posted on XS.

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Beginners Guides: Crash Recovery & The Blue Screen of Death @ PCSTATS

Maybe one of the biggest problems plaguing the computer industry is the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).  Of course a BSOD is different on every platform, for instance WIndows users know it as the blue screen you "might" see right before your computer just reboots itself.  Apple fanatics know the screen as "hey my computer locked up, it must be time to buy a new one" and finally Linux users are looking at us funny saying "what the heck are you talking about?"

Regardless of what system you use it is good to know there are some who are less fortunate  and have to deal with something bad in their PC.  For those, maybe this guide from PCStats can help.

In this article PCSTATS.com will walk you through the BSOD in many of its most familiar incarnations. We will not be exploring and cataloguing what each BSOD means, but rather providing a set of tools for troubleshooting that you can use to get around any Blue Screen Of Death, or constant crash issue. Just another step in PCSTATS' never-ending quest to save your hard earned cash from going to the computer repair shop.

Funny thing about the BSOD I used to get them all the time and 99 times out of 80 the problem was related to a bad driver or bad hardware.  These days unless you are overclocking most BSODs are caused by solar flares or from your computer giving you lip.

My how times have changed.

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