Tech News
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NL: Review Block - Sound Cards
Published: Thursday, February 14, 2008 | By: DennisWe haven't reviewed any sound cards in quite awhile, in fact the last one we reviewed was a Hercules part that we still use here in the Ninjalane Labs every once in awhile.
- Diamond XtremeSound - 5.1/16 bit Sound Card Review @ OCC
- Auzentech X-Fi Prelude Sound Card @ APH Networks
- Diamond Xtreme Sound 5.1 Review @ GamePyreEventually we'll need to get a hold of that Auzentech card.
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Patriot Viper 2x1GB DDR3 PC3-15000 Review @ Hardware Canucks
Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | By: DennisThese are some of the coolest modules around, not only do they perform well (un-confirmed by the Ninjalane Staff) but the heat spreaders are made from a copper alloy designed to dissipate heat faster without the aid of a noisy set of fans.
Of course these are DDR3 modules but the heat spreaders are the same.
This kit of Viper Extreme memory from Patriot is rated at an industry leading DDR3-1866 or 933MHz at timings of 8-8-8-24 with only 1.9v. When we first heard of the possibility of these specifications we thought it sounded like Patriot may have gone a little far with their expectations but the memory is available and here today for us to look at. With such high rated operating frequency, this memory doesn't leave anything back and it should be pretty interesting to see how these modules shake down.
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'Duke Nukem Forever' release possible in 2008
Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | By: DennisI wouldn't get your hopes up over this but if the rumors are true this might be the ticket to world peace, a cure for SARS, and the most bestest breath of fresh air you ever had.
Or, it could be like having a piano fall on you from the third floor.
food for thought
"We haven't formally announced any platforms for DNF," wrote 3D Realms President Scott Miller in an e-mail exchange. "But, of course hitting the big three makes the most sense (PC, PS3, 360)."
Miller added a note of caution on the 12-years-coming sequel and its release window, claiming, "We can't make an official announcement. Frankly, we may miss the mark by a month or two, but I feel very confident that we're on target this time. It's definitely an internal push." -
NVIDIA Announces High-Definition Computer on a Chip
Published: Monday, February 11, 2008 | By: DennisOMG this is like the coolest thing ever!!,
I'm gonna say this is the next iphone killer, not that it needed to be killed but damn
NVIDIA claims the APX 2500 is "the world's lowest power, high-definition computer on a chip," providing 10 hours of 720p HD playback and 100 hours of audio, the ability to decode, encode 720p video and support up to 12 megapixel camera sensors. It can ouput 720p video via HDMI and up to SXGA (1280x1024) for LCD/CRT support. As you'd expect, it can handle all types of movie, image and audio files and formats.
You'll have to check out the site for some really cool "photos" likely all made up but you never know.
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NL: Review Block - Memory and Mice?
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | By: DennisOk normally I wouldn't even consider posting a reviews like this but sadly unnamed people get all pissy when I don't post their news
I'll let you figure out what doesn't belong.
Memorys
- Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2x1GB DDR2-8500 Memory Kit Review @ Mikhailtech
- Kingston HyperX PC2-9600 DDR2 2GB @ Gideontech
Mice?
- Steelseries Ikari Optical Gaming Mouse Review @ Tweaknews (at least it has some good style)
All in all I shouldn't complain I'm willing to guess many of the sites that send me review related news have more people posting stuff in their forums than I have members.
And that was all she wrote
For now.
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NL: Review Block - Cooling
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | By: DennisWell all need to cool stuff and with our recent waterblock review it was time to feature some web reviews related to cooling.
Cooling
- Danger Den MPC-975X Chipset Waterblock @ techPowerUp
- 6 High End CPU Water Blocks Tested and Compared @ Madshrimps
- Scythe Zipang CPU Cooler @ Pro-Clockers
- Overclock3D Content: Aqua-Pcs Flow Performance CPU Block
- Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme Heatsink Review @ FrostytechCases (figured why not)
- Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 Case Review @ OCIA
- Thermaltake Sword M w/Liquid Cooling @ Hardware Canucks
- NZXT Rogue SFF Gaming Case Review @ Metku -
NL: Review Block - SkullTrail Info
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | By: DennisI'm not saying that SkullTrail is the end all of performance but damn if it doesn't look good, and have an excellent name.
- Intel SkullTrail Platform Review @ Motherboards
- Intel SkullTrail Preview - Dual Core 2 @ Legit ReviewsWe have another one down below too.
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Intel's Skulltrail dual-socket enthusiast platform @ The Tech Report
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | By: DennisYou know I was extremely excited about Skulltrail, heck I waited for a product like this since the advent of P3 SMP systems back in '00. Sadly Intel removed the ability to do SMP on anything but their Xeon line leaving the rest of us to ponder our existence.
Well Skulltrail brings many things to the table, Dual Xeon processors, Quad channel DDR2 memory support, and 4 16x PCI Express slots supporting up to 4 GPUs at a time. The Tech Report had this to say after getting the cold shoulder from nVidia bout 3-way and Quad-way SLI.
Skulltrail is a niche product, and it's not one I care particularly about, but these shenanigans make me angrier than anything I've seen from this industry in a good while. This is the kind of crap that makes folks give up on PC gaming and go buy an Xbox. I don't believe for a minute that this is about anything other than vindictiveness. I've heard credible rumors that Nvidia has seeded some PC makers with three-way SLI drivers that work perfectly on Skulltrail. I've also heard whispers that Intel is paying as much as $100 per motherboard for those nForce 100 chips. Yet Nvidia is still locking them out. Sheesh.
On the bright side, Skulltrail ought to work fine with AMD's CrossFire X when it arrives—even though, heh, the D5400XS's PCIe x16 slots are driven by Nvidia silicon. Imagine that.Seems like we lost yet another nVidia fanboy.
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DFI makes headway in Japan market
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | By: DennisI guess they are implying that Japan is a hard market to get into, I wouldn't know. If anyone has any insight into this drop us a line.
Taiwan-based industrial PC (IPC) maker DFI has obtained orders for digital signage, arcade gaming machines and office automation devices from clients in Japan, according to the company.
While there are relative high requirements for product quality in the Japan market, DFI has succeeded in competing for orders by virtue of its competitive quotes, the company pointed out.
DFI expects average monthly revenue of US$1.0 million from the Japan market, with devices to be used in digital signage and office automation applications accounting for a large portion of the shipments, the company noted. -
Intel to launch X48 in mid March
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | By: DennisThis is what they are claiming, we'll have to wait and see what materializes from this.
Intel has informed motherboard makers that it will definitely launch its X48 chipset in mid March, two months later than its original launch date, according to industry sources. The X48 chipset was originally slated for launch in January, but Intel pushed it back as inventory of X38 had yet to be cleared, the sources said.
Some makers, such as Gigabyte Technology and Micro-Star International (MSI), have already announced details of their X48 motherboards, but Intel's delay in officially launching the new chipset is preventing the mobo makers from setting shipping schedules of their new motherboards.
