Tech News
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EK Supremacy CPU Water Block Full-Nickel @ PureOverclock
Published: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 | By: DennisI have recently been looking at what has changed in the world of watercooling and EK has been one of the front runners in market penetration. Jury is still out on performance but based on the results of this review. Well, you'll just have to check it out.
Supremacy means to dominate, control, and that one is superior to others. EK claims the Supremacy outperforms its legendary Supreme HF block by 2°C, and has better hydraulic flow by 20%. Today we’re going to put this water block in the ring with some of today’s top CPU water blocks to see how it defends against the other ruthless arse-kicking water blocks. Read on to find out what this new flagship cooling block is all about.
From a style standpoint I'm not a fan but the block design looks pretty good.
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Skype will replace Windows Live Messenger
Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 | By: DennisIt would seem the threat of Skype taking over the world is real, except in China.
It's been confirmed that moving forward Skype and Messenger are to become one. The shift started with Skype 6.0 (Windows/Mac) as users have been able to log in using Microsoft account credentials since this latest release. Microsoft expects to retire Messenger worlwide in the first quarter of 2013, except for China where we assume Skype doesn't have a strong penetration.
With Skype taking over, Microsoft is touting more features for Messenger users including mobile support on iOS and Android, better video call features, Facebook integration and group calling.I can still remember when I first signed up for MSN Messenger. At the time I was using ICQ for personal messages and AIM for work. Across both accounts I had friends all over the world and would chat all the time. As time progressed I came to enjoy using MSN Messenger, so much in fact that I eventually abandoned all of my other accounts.
It would seem I'm not forced to change chat clients again with the promise of free computer to computer calling.
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Windows 8 Review – Part Two: The Things I Love @ Techgage
Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 | By: DennisA couple weeks ago Rob posted what he hated about Windows 8 which mirrored my own feelings towards the OS. Well, in proper product review form he has come back to share the things he loves about Win8
As difficult as it may be to tell sometimes, Windows 8 does in fact offer a lot to love. I’ve already had my say about what frustrates me with the OS, so now, I’m taking a look at the other side of the coin. What is it that makes Windows 8 pleasant to use? Select highlights include aesthetic improvements, the improved transfer dialog and the new syncing capabilities.
Do his findings hold water and justify the Winh8 we have come accustomed to? or does Windows 8 mark the best thing since sliced bread, toasted, with a touch of butter?
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Sandra 2013: For Windows 8 including 3 new benchmarks
Published: Monday, November 5, 2012 | By: DennisThis is some great news for those of you (and us) using Sandra for system testing and benchmarks. Some of the new features of Sandra 2013 are listed below.
New GP (GPU/APU/CPU) Cache/Memory Latency benchmark
Benchmark all the different memories (global, constant, shared/local, private) of modern GPGPUs using the 3 access patterns (in-page random, full random, sequential/linear) in OpenCL and CUDA. Please ask if you need details.
New GP (GPU/APU/CPU) Cache Bandwidth benchmark
Benchmark all the different memories (global, constant, shared/local, private) of modern GPGPUs and measure L1, L2 and L3 cache bandwidths in OpenCL and CUDA. Please ask if you need details.
Memory Latency benchmark: code/instruction caches latencies
A brand new benchmark using its 3 dedicated access patterns ("in-page" thus avoiding "out-of-page" latencies, "full random" and "linear/sequential") to fully test code caches performance. Please ask if you need details.
Brand new style for Windows 8
So you feel "at home" in Windows 8 / Server 2012. The previous theme (Aero/Metal) is included. Windows 7, Vista and XP are still fully supported!Personally I can't wait to try out the new version.
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Gigabyte Aivia Krypton Mouse & Mouse Pad Review @ Hardware Canucks
Published: Monday, November 5, 2012 | By: DennisGigabyte may not be the biggest name in mice and mice accessories but they do deserve a look.
Gigabyte's new Krypton mouse may be slightly expensive at $80 but it can be used by left or right handed gamers and includes an envious feature set. This goes hand in hand with the double sided Krypton gaming mouse pad that goes for $40 while providing a huge surface for enthusiasts.
The mouse pad looks really good but, as you will notice from the photos, it is quite large with rubberized frame around the mousing surface.
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NL: Review Block - Bay Parts, Cases and a Big Ass Mouse Pad
Published: Friday, November 2, 2012 | By: DennisFriday review block for your clicking enjoyment. (don't forget to click)
Bay Stuff
- NZXT Aperture M Review @ ThinkComputers
- Icy Dock MB981U3S-1S HDD Docking Station @ Hi Tech Legion
- Vantec NST-D400SU3 NexStar SuperSpeed Dual Bay Hard Drive Dock Review @ Pro-Clockers <- Long ass name don't you think?
- Vantec MRK-425ST-BK EZ Swap F4 Quad Bay 2.5" SATA SSD/HDD Rack @ Pro-Clockers
- ICY DOCK MB662USEB-2S-1 Dual Bay Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ ThinkComputers
Cases
- Fractal Design Array R2 @ HW-Journal
- Bitfenix Ghost Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
Big Ass Mousepad
- Mionix Sargas 900 Deskpad Review @ XSReviews.co.uk
Mouse
- Epic Gear Medusa Gaming Mouse Review @ XtremeComputingOf course users of Windows 8 will not find ANY of this interesting but we can hope the tile trial will give us back a start button.
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Tip: How to Secure Erase an SSD Easily Within Windows @ HCW
Published: Thursday, November 1, 2012 | By: DennisFor those of you curious about cleaning up an SSD this tip from HCW might help you out. Warning you'll need to make sure the drive is clean with everything backed up since the procedure will remove everything.
If you have been frustrated with trying to wipe your SSD to a fresh state with secure erase, check out this easy method you can do in Windows easily. Works every time!
The article talks about how when you are done it will be filled with 0's so I would be interested to know if anything could be recovered from the drive. In the rotational days that would be the case.
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With all due respect to ECS, a rant about non-feature features @ PCStats
Published: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 | By: DennisPeople that know me will often comment on how I like to call "bullshit" when it comes to computer users being stupid and while my attitude is a little more reserved when it comes to my online presence there is no doubt that I will fully support a story like this one at PCStats.
A look across the battle field of desktop PCs will tell you that Gigabyte is currently pushing Intel Thunderbolt connections, ASUS and it's exceptionally knowledgeable JJ Guerrero are driving overclocking into new territories, MSI is struggling to hold on by investing in high quality board components... and ECS is calling a bent piece of aluminum which blocks airflow from the CPU fan from impinging against the back side of a videocard and memory, a dust shield.
We all know that dust will happen regardless of what snake oil you apply or how fast your fans run but there are steps you can take to prevent excessive build up. A vertical strip of metal doesn't seem to be one of them.
I remember having to justify my projects in college and one thing that process taught me is that you can do anything you want provided you can justify its existence AND convince your peers (or professors) that it was a good thing. When I see things like "thermal armor" or "military spec components" I am saddened knowing that a similar peer group had to approve of such features and that eventually end users (and reviewers) would be required to sip the Kool-Aid, else justify them wrong and deal with the fall out.
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GALAXY GeForce GTX 660 Ti GC 3GB SLI Review @ [H]
Published: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 | By: DennisOne of the most powerful things you can do with a modern GPU linking more than one of them together to get more power. This is the principle of the modern super computer and can do wonders with gaming performance when combined with a linking technology such as SLI.
We already know that a GTX 660 Ti can easily double its performance in two way SLI but how does that help in surround gaming? The [H] has the answer, in their own words.
We've got something special for you; SLI and Surround gameplay! Two GALAXY GeForce GTX 660 Ti GC 3GB video cards in SLI in NV Surround resolutions for your gaming pleasure. We will find out how this setup performs, compares, and even overclocks. If you want an affordable SLI solution with great gaming performance, you'll like this.
Galaxy is a EU company but don't let that stop you from checking out the article, it's not their fault they no longer sell Gainward products in the US.
Oh wait, it is
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Windows 8: The convertible OS @ TR
Published: Monday, October 29, 2012 | By: DennisIf you are thinking about making the jump to Windows 8 you might want to do it soon, I hear that MS is going to pull the plug on the whole operation, recall the back stock and wait for Windows 9.
j/k
TechReport takes a look at what Windows 8 might do best, run on a convertible tablet.
After spending a week with Microsoft's touch-friendly OS, one thing is clear. Windows 8 is perfect for convertible tablets. Here's why:
I don't know about you but while I am curious I would be a little scared to blow away my Infinity Pad install just to try our RT.
