Tech News

• Apple triggers religious type reactions in the brains of their fans

  Published: Friday, May 20, 2011 | By: Dennis

  I think many of us knew this was true, deep down, but were afraid to come forward and say something.  The thing that is most annoying (to me) is Mac fans who only talk about apple products or make every life reference as it relates to some apple product they own.

  Of course this study is a little biased considering that the results can also be applied to Anime Otaku (Anime fans), or even followers of NASCAR.

  The neuroscientists ran a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on an Apple fanatic and discovered that images of the technology company's gadgets lit up the same parts of the brain as images of a deity do for religious people, the report says.
  
  The first episode of the documentary shows Apple employees "whipped up into some sort of crazy, evangelical frenzy" at the recent opening of an Apple store in London.

  This article is full of great quotes.  The following reminds me of every Tested Podcast ever made.

  Observers and Apple critics have long accused fans of the tech company of taking their infatuation to an extreme. 

  I just hope one day to finally understand why apple products are so popular, is it really the marketing? or did they really succeed in creating computers for average people with average needs?  

  Now that I think about it, I don't want to know, I am a Windows user in a Microsoft world, call me a sheep or the smartest person on the planet, but at least I resisted the urge to buy an iPad. 

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• Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS

  Published: Friday, May 20, 2011 | By: Dennis

  This would be the Blue edition to the UD7 we'll have posted this weekend.  Both great boards however the UD7 comes with the NF200 for triple video card support.

  Meet the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3 motherboard, a non-integrated graphics take on the new Intel Z68 chipset. While the Intel Z68 is reknown for combining the best the Intel P67 & H67 chipsets had to offer in one platform - and let's face it, also puts the final nail in the coffin of both. Intel Smart Response Technology is a particularly neat solution that addresses the problem of Solid State Drives being too small and too costly for many people. What Intel Smart Response Technology does is bring about like-SSD performance to operating systems and applications installed on traditional mechanical SATA hard disk drives (HDD).

  I have to admit I never looked at the UD5 vs UD7 comparison and there are several major differences between the boards.

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• Beginner Guide to Assembling an HTPC @MissingRemote

  Published: Friday, May 20, 2011 | By: Dennis

  Here is an interesting and rather short guide on putting your first HTPC together.  I find it quite ironic that they choose to use the same case we used in our recent article of the same nature.

  We recently covered some recommended parts for Building a Home Theater PC and today we are taking that one step further by taking you through each process of how you can build your very own HTPC. The process is not going to be identical to what you will experience as parts will vary depending on what you select, but hopefully this will give you the knowledge you need to have the confidence to try. And as usual, remember our forums are here to help you if you hit any snags in the process.

  I do owe everyone a wrap-up on what happened to our HTPC build, turns out that the nVidia card I picked woudn't play nice with my Home Theater setup so I had to swap it out for a similar card on the ATI/AMD side.

  Overall looks great with less filling.

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• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 details leaked

  Published: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 | By: Dennis

  I was never a COD player until attending a COD4 LAN several years ago, after that I was hooked.  Despite the poor reviews and scripted gameplay of BlackOps I still played thru the entire game, and actually had fun.

  Modern Warfare 3 promises to be much like the first 2 "good" versions with even a better single person story line.

  The game will reportedly start us off in New York City as the Russians attempt to invade the United States, and eventually take us around the world through 15 missions as multiple characters until we get to the game’s climactic final mission in Dubai. Gamers will be able to play characters on all sides of the conflict, and control multiple vehicles new and old, and tons of new weapons and hardware.

  I can't wait!

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• Intel Z68 Chipsatz and the Gigabyte Z68X UD7 @ TweakPC

  Published: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 | By: Dennis

  Strap on your German thinking caps and charge up the babblefish we're headed to the .de!  TweakPC has a review posted of the new Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD7 motherboard for the LGA 1155 socket.

  The Gigabyte P67 UD7 was one of the best P67 Boards out there. Now we have the successor, the Gigabyte Z68X UD7 at hand for a review. What benefits does the new Z68 Chipset offer?

  We'll have an English version review of this very board in next couple days.

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• NL: Review Block - Kitchen Sink Edition

  Published: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 | By: Dennis

  In this review block we have a little bit of everything, lets hope its good.

  Video Cards
  - Powercolor HD6850 Single Slot Edition Review @ Kitguru

  Cases or Chassis
  - Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced @ PureOverclock
  - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D enclosure @ TR

  Processors
  - AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE 3.70 GHz @ techPowerUp

  Memory
  - G.Skill Ripjaws-X Series PC3-17000 16GB Kit Review

  Not really a slow news day, but rather a "not good" one.

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• Intel's Smart Response; SSD Caching Tested @ Techgage

  Published: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 | By: Dennis

  One of the exciting new features found on the Z68 is a technology called Smart Response.  Funny thing is Silverstone released this technology last year and never really took off.  Lets hope Intel has better luck.

  Interested in faster-than-mechanical performance but don't want to splurge on a big SSD? Intel has a tech for that, and it meets you half-way by utilizing a modestly sized SSD for caching purposes, used in conjunction with any HDD you want for total storage. Read on as we cover both the setup process and our real-world test results.

  Personally I think this is a great thing and with some board makers putting SSDs onboard only makes the prospect even tastier.

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• NL: Review Block - Zed68Ex Reviews (Z68X mobos)

  Published: Monday, May 16, 2011 | By: Dennis

  We will be seeing a bunch of Z68 enabled motherboards over the next couple weeks as stocks and samples improve.  Here is a round up of Z68 motherboards from the news inbox.

  - ASUS P8Z68-V Pro @ Bjorn3D
  - ASRock Z68 Pro3 (Intel Z68) Motherboard Review
  - ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
  - ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 (Intel Z68) Motherboard Review @ Kitguru
  - OC3D: Gigabyte Z68X UD5 B3 Review

  Stay tuned, more to come including some UD7 benchmarks and such.

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• Installing a Computer in a Car @ OCIA

  Published: Monday, May 16, 2011 | By: Dennis

  Ever wondered how to install a computer into a Van?  (not down by the river btw)

  I mulled over multiple options for nearly a week before deciding that I wanted to install a PC in place of the current setup. A computer would allow me to add all of my MP3s as well as replace the unsightly TV / VCR combo. The PC would open up nearly all types of digital video formats as well which would certainly come in handy for passengers during a road trip.
  

  There are several other good quotes in the article along with a few good laughs

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• The dark side of Dubai - Johann Hari

  Published: Monday, May 16, 2011 | By: Dennis

  I recently read an article saying that Dubai was one of the places you needed to visit before you die, or in this case before it crumbles back into the desert it was created from.  Don't get me wrong I have always been interested in Dubai and what they were doing over there but there comes a time in any economic development when you have to pull back and decide if you want to show off or try to do more with your investment dollar.
  
  In a way Dubai is like a modern day ancient city created to attract travelers from around the world and give them a taste of how things could have been back in the old world.

  A South African PR girl shows me around its most coveted rooms, explaining that this is "the greatest luxury offered in the world". We stroll past shops selling £24m diamond rings around a hotel themed on the lost and sunken continent of, yes, Atlantis. There are huge water tanks filled with sharks, which poke around mock-abandoned castles and dumped submarines. There are more than 1,500 rooms here, each with a sea view. The Neptune suite has three floors, and - I gasp as I see it - it looks out directly on to the vast shark tank. You lie on the bed, and the sharks stare in at you. In Dubai, you can sleep with the fishes, and survive. 
  

  This is a long article and I urge you to read the last section, even if you don't read anything else.

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