Tech News
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Super Talent 2GB PC2-6400 T800UX2GC4 @ Techgage
Published: Monday, April 24, 2006 | By: DennisWords of wisdom about memory heatspreaders. “The thermal glue that binds heatsinks will also remove the memory chip”. I still remember a photo that some poor sap posted of his video card after trying to remove the passive heatsink from the memory chips, the board was pretty much picked clean..
"Heat spreaders are pretty much a standard now, and Super Talent realizes this. These modules are equipped with a very light aluminum spreader that's indented to press against all 16 chips on each module. Nothing innovative here, but I am happy to see them be as light as they are. Generally, the lighter the heat spreader is, the easier the modules are to cool, especially with lots of overclocking. The spreaders are glued on, so if you wish to remove them you will want to have the proper glue to re-apply, or perform the task quickly. Removing the heat spreaders are generally not advised with BGA chips, due to the fact that they can come off the PCB far easier than TSOP ones." -
A pair of water coolers compared @ Tech Report
Published: Monday, April 24, 2006 | By: DennisAnd now these messages on watercooling
"FOR YEARS, WATER COOLING has been reserved for the most committed overclocking and silent computing enthusiasts. Piping water around a PC's internals definitely isn't for the faint of heart, and generally only those with supreme confidence in their plumbing skills have been courageous enough to tempt fate. Fortunately, water cooling is slowly becoming more accessible as all-in-one kits that minimize the need for extensive amateur plumbing become more common. These kits are perfect for those looking to get their feet wet without diving into the deep end, so to speak."
Long live watercooling.
My current watercooling project has been slow going but only because I was waiting for parts. Be sure to check out the progress in the Ninjalane Message Forum. You'll need to be a registered member and signed in to see the attached photos. -
NL: Review Block - Foxconn
Published: Monday, April 24, 2006 | By: DennisI'm actually starting to like Foxconn, much in the same way I saw Soltek as being a leader in their field the Foxconn solutions are a step above.
Foxconn 975X7AA Review @ Neoseeker
"The Foxconn 975X7AA has turned out to be a surprisingly good overclocker as far as FSB capabilities go! While the memory tunables are quite limited, and we're still stuck with that FSB/memory lock, I managed to raise the FSB to a whopping 280 MHz (from its stock 200 MHz). This gives us an awesome 1120 MHz FSB, which is definitely nothing to scoff at."
I think I can do better.
WinFast NF4SK8AA-8EKRS Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
"The WinFast NF4SK8AA-8EKRS motherboard was really easy to work with and posed no problems with anything that we threw at it. The NF4SK8AA-8EKRS also did very well for itself in the area of overclocking. Being able to run my Opteron 146 at 2.9ghz+ was pretty impressive on this sub-$100 board."
Home of the card style SLI, ie budget.
For more Foxconn goodness keep watch here. -
NL: Review Block - Asus is Asus
Published: Monday, April 24, 2006 | By: DennisHere are a few Asus reviews to chew on.
ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard @ Viper Lair
"ASUS was among the first Tier-1 manufacturers to release SLI X16 products when NVIDIA made the announcement last year. Rather than slapping on some new chipsets on their existing SLI motherboards and calling it a day, ASUS had overhauled the boards specifically for enthusiasts."
ASUS P5WD2-E Premium 975X Motherboard @ Pro-Clockers
" Improving on the P5WD2 with the Intel 955X chipset, Asus has released the P5WD2-E Premium based on Intel’s newest chipset the 975. Asus is known the world over for producing the best Intel based motherboards. Combining stability with a lot of overclocking features made the older P5WD2 the motherboard to have with the newer Cedar Mills and Pressler processors. We will today see if the newer Premium can hold a candle to the older brother."
Mobos - this is by bag, baby. -
Corsair TWIN2X1024-8500 Review @ Hexus
Published: Monday, April 24, 2006 | By: DennisThere isn't anything special about these memory modules except for some damn fast chips.
"Corsair's TWIN2X1024-8500 memory is aimed squarely at the enthusiast who wants every last drop of performance from their Intel-based machine. Our testing has shown that when used in conjunction with a 1066MHz FSB Pentium Extreme Edition 965 processor and i975X chipset, it is a touch faster than DDR2 667MHz memory that operates at far lower latencies than the '8500's 5-5-5-15."
Come to think of it I haven't reviewed anything from Corsair in quite awhile. I guess its time to send my peeps over there an email.
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WaterChill Xternal system is launched
Published: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 | By: Dennis"WaterChill Xternal system incl. SOFTWARE based control panel
The NEW WaterChill Xternal system incl. SOFTWARE based control panel is by far the most powerful external water-cooling unit on the planet. The Xternal offers superb cooling performance assuring rock solid stability and high overclocking potential. The unique software utilizes flawless control features such as pump speed, profile settings, and automatic fan adjustment. The compact WaterChill™ Xternal system fits perfectly on top of standard ATX cases and is very easy to install - with no need for ANY case modifications."
This thing looks damn sweet, but also kind of big. -
ASUS P5WD2-E Premium 975X Motherboard @ Pro-Clockers
Published: Thursday, April 13, 2006 | By: DennisIts amazing how well Intel processors overclock when compared to AMD. Back in the aXP days memory bandwidth was the key to performance so raw MHz didn't really matter much, however the locked nature of Intel processors require that MHz play a major role in the overclocking formula.
"Overclocking the ASUS was pretty easy. For those that prefer to use the old school way and go thru the BIOS, there is that option. And for those that want things a little bit easy can opt for the AI overclocking feature. Either way you should be able to obtain a really nice overclock." -
BFG 7600GT OC SLI and AeroCool ZeroDBA PSU @ Neoseeker
Published: Thursday, April 13, 2006 | By: DennisSLI means several things, speed, expandability and bragging rights. However it also means you will be spending more on your electric bill and initial build cost due to the unique power demands from both from the board and video cards and the fact 2 cards cost twice as much as one.
"My first impressions of the BFG GeForce 7600 GT OC SLI have been very well received. I feel that this is an ideal product for the gamer on a mid-level budget, or a DIY-enthusiast that wants a video card with some kick to it that won't turn his/her HTPC box into a nuclear reactor."
The reactor part I think would be indicating heat, but who knows. -
Patriot PDC2G3500LLK 2GB PC3500 Dual Channel Kit @ Bjorn3D
Published: Thursday, April 13, 2006 | By: DennisProvided you can actually see this quote would hold true.
"As you can see from the initial photo, Patriot uses a red heat spreader on all their enthusiast-level dual channel kits. The heat spreader is aluminum and uses what Patriot calls their "Bladed Technology" which I would assume is the way they serrate the material to make ribs adding additional surface area for heat dissipation. Red is generally indicative of speed, and we'll soon find out if that analogy holds true in the case of this DDR SDRAM."
Be sure to check out these sweet memory sticks in our latest review, hopefully there will be more reviews from both Foxconn and Patriot here at Ninjalane. -
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse @ BRnR
Published: Thursday, April 13, 2006 | By: Dennis"These mice were designed by gamers. Logitech engineers and designers spend hundreds of hours talking to pro gamers, getting feedback through questionnaires, interviewing casual gamers, and observing gamers of all ages and levels of expertise. We're proud of our partnerships with the community. So when we say "designed by gamers for gamers," we stand behind it."
For once I would agree, Logitech over the years has released a ton of different mice and I think finally has settled on a design that works for everyone.
