Tech News
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Happy Labor Day!!
Published: Monday, September 3, 2012 | By: DennisI trust that everyone had a good labor day weekend? I spent a good amount of time lounging around and the rest overclocking some GSKill TridentX memory modules. The whole experience has made it clear that I really need to build me a new test bench, and soon.
Going thru the inbox right now, look for some "new" review and hardware news shortly.
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Powercolor HD 7990 Devil 13 6 GB @ techPowerUp
Published: Friday, August 31, 2012 | By: DennisSeveral people have come to me saying that this card might be the best thing since the last great invention after someone figured out you could slice bread.
And that is saying a lot!
PowerColor is only making a small number of these awesome cards so be sure to buy early before they are gone. (then wait 6 months when used ones hit ebay)
PowerColor's HD 7990 Devil 13 is the first dual-GPU HD 7990 that reaches our labs. This huge triple slot, triple fan card comes with fully enabled Tahiti XT GPUs, running in an internal CrossFire configuration. As a result the Devil 13 is the fastest AMD-based graphics card we ever tested.
I esp like this quote from the review.
All data in this review was obtained after I repaired a major design error of the card. When I received it, the card ran extremely high temperatures, reaching beyond 100°C, causing instability and black screen hangs. The fan would also run at 100% almost instantly. This is caused by screws with integrated stop that resulted in too little mounting pressure between GPU and heatsink, clearly an engineering oversight.
They used a series of washers to apply more spring pressure to the heatsink and get better contact. My guess is that it wasn't an engineering oversight but rather an issue during assembly.
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"Pirateat40" Makes Off $5.6M USD in BitCoins From Pyramid Scheme
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 | By: DennisThis comes from the desk of "I told you so"! I am often reminded that Pyramid Schemes are all around us and are often called may things to disguise what they actually are. When I was first introduced to BitCoins I will admit I was curious because of how the money was generated but quickly lost interest after finding out that the money really has no backing aside from modern monetarily standards.
For instance think about this "What would happen if EVERYONE sold their BitCoins?" Well the people who sold first would get real money and as more people sold off their stockpiles the price would drop to the point where the coins would be worth nothing. Bottom line, early adopters win, (sound familar?)
Some duped investors have taken to trying to hunt down the pesky pirateat40. There are rumors that he is based in Texas. But short of extracting some good old fashioned (and wholly illegal) vigilante justice, it's unclear what the scammed can do. Bitcoin Ponzi schemes are growing more frequent -- one lawsuit in California [Scribd] has already taken up the issue. But it remains to be seen how seriously the courts will take the cyber-currency, given that it's founded on a rather anti-nation premise.
And of course, the onus for these losses largely rests on those who sent someone named "pirateat40" actual money, and failing to recognize the classic signs of a Ponzi scheme -- inflated interest rates, shadowy management, and unrealistic promises.While BitCoin money has value because people don't cash in vigilante justice still will land you in jail where BitCoins are not honored nor will get you any special treatment. #Food4Thought
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MSI Big Bang Z77 Mpower Review /w Guru3D
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 | By: DennisEver wonder what would happen if a mfg took a pretty good motherboard, messed with a few things, and re-released it as a "one up" better version of the same thing? Wonder no longer MPower is here!
Today we test the Z77 MPower version, which as you'll notice is a pleasant upgrade from their Z77A-GD65 motherboard -- yet with an improved CPU VRM, more friendly warranties and a new black and yellow color-scheme which merges the Lightning series graphics cards and these motherboards a little closer together. Have a peek at what was just released, this is the MSI Big Bang Z77 MPower motherboard. You just have to be impressed by the overall looks ...
MPower was one of the highlights of the MSI Computex show and designed to be an alternative to the high-end motherboard offerings that unify the product lines into a common visual representation. With the Z77 MPower we can see design queues taken from the lightning line with a black PCB and yellow accents on the various motherboard heatsinks
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GIGABYTE Launches Flagship Z77X-UP7 Motherboard
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 | By: DennisNow this is how you build a bawls out enthusiast motherboard!
A New Legend is Born
City of Industry, California, August 28, 2012 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched their latest overclocking powerhouse Z77X-UP7 motherboard, featuring the industry’s most robust 32+3+2 power design with Ultra Durable 5 high current capable components including 60A rated IR3550 PowIRstages chips from IR."With the Z77X-UP7 and its 32+3+2 power phase design featuring Ultra Durable 5 technology, we have created the very best CPU power design of any motherboard available today," commented HiCookie, GIGABYTE In-house Overclocking Expert. "Not only does this help extreme overclockers to reach 7GHz+ on their Intel Core i7-3770K CPUs and take down benchmark records, but it also provides System Integrators with a platform cool and stable enough to withstand the rigors of an always-on, overclocked water cooled system for their customers."
This guy some with 32 power phases (likely a dual 16 PWM design) and options to run 4-way SLI/Crossfire with a PLX Bridge chip or a single card with full 16x bandwidth direct from the CPU. OC Touch buttons are on board for the low level overclocker and you get the super sharp Orange and Black color scheme.
If anything I need this board to complete my Gigabyte OC board collection, AND to overclock the *bleep* out of my 3770K!
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MSI Master Overclocking Arena 2012 Qualifications have Ended
Published: Sunday, August 26, 2012 | By: DennisYep you read that correctly. All of the qualification events have ended and the winners from each event will all get a chance to compete at the world wide finals in Taipei. The contestants were chosen based on how well they did across 3 benchmark stages and the top combined stores were given invites to the finals.
The first Qualifier was for the Americas and was the one that I dedicated an entire month to complete in. Sadly I didn't qualify for a spot in the finals but Splave walked away with the first overall taking first place in all three stages.
- MOA 2012 Americas Qualifier
The second qualifier was for the European region and featured the same benchmarks but introduced the first time that Ivy Bridge was allowed in a competition. Xtreme Addict and T0lsty shared the top spot.
- MOA 2012 EMEA Qualifier
The third qualifier rounded out the world stage and encompassed APAC (Asia Pacific). I.R.I.S. took the top spot having missed first place in only a single benchmark. The same benchmarks and rules applied however the scoring results got progressively better towards the end of the HWBot based qualifying competitions.
- MOA 2012 APAC Qualifier
The fourth and final qualifier, Lords of Overclocking, was hosted by Futuremark and would decide who would get the last three seats. LOA concluded on August 23rd and according to the contest page at futuremark.com dRweRz and Coldest shared the top two spots with Perica_barii getting the third and final spot.
- MSI Lords of Overclocking 2012 @ Futuremark
HWBot claims that the MOA finals will be held on September 28th at the National Taiwan University Sport Center in Taipei Taiwan. It will be interesting to see how the competition unfolds and what hardware they will be required to use. -
They Say IE 6 is Dead but What Do They Know?
Published: Friday, August 24, 2012 | By: DennisI was trolling thru my logs today, like I do on a regular basis and noticed something strange. It would seem that 242 people (so far) have visited this website using the following browser.
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)
Yep you are reading that correctly. IE6.0, the ugly monger that came with Windows XP. This browser with its tiny throbber quickly became one of the most popular browsers in the world. That is until crafty malware programmers found security holes in the code that could infect your system with viruses and rootkits by simply viewing a banner ad.
For years Microsoft has been trying to force users to upgrade and in the western world those efforts have paid off. Maybe not how they wanted, given the popularity of Firefox and Chrome, but at least users aren't using outdated technology. Sadly there is one region in this world that hasn't gotten the memo, China. China may have one of the largest economies in the world and is responsible for 60% of all manufactured goods but they can't seem to kick the piracy habit and pay for the software they use. Heck they often pirate the stuff they make for others and sell it locally.
As a web developer I know that if I want people to view my websites I need to code for the target browser demographic. Sometimes that means writing extra code to deal with old browser quirks or simply to ignore the problem and allow the page to fail gracefully. Either way it comes down to what I believe in and my level of commitment to my readers. Of course I could be part of the solution and tell my readers to upgrade or stop visiting but somehow that doesn't seem right, even after upgrading the site to HTML5. -
PowerColor to Launch Dual GPU HD 7990 Very Soon? @ Hardware Canucks
Published: Friday, August 24, 2012 | By: DennisIn the hardware world speculation is one topic that tends to sell newspapers (or in this case, get page views) and Hardware Canucks has a monster of a story in store for you.
Hardware Canucks’ web of industry contacts has been abuzz today with information that PowerColor could be launching a supposed dual HD 7970 card named the HD 7990 as early as tomorrow, at a price of $999. While there may still be some confusion among industry sources, after a certain amount of poking and prodding, certain bits of information began to coalesce. First and foremost, PowerColor’s HD 7990 will be a ground up custom design which means there won’t be a reference version available to purchase nor will availability be widespread. We’re actually hearing about the possibility of less than 500 cards worldwide, some sources put the number at a mere 200. This lack of concerted availability is right in line with other custom dual GPU cards like the ASUS Ares and Sapphire HD 4850 X2, as is the astronomical price. At this point, Hardware Canucks can’t be certain about the PowerColor HD 7990’s specifications but logic dictates that it will have 6GB of GDDR5 memory (3GB per GPU) and two full Tahiti XT cores with 2084 Stream Processors each. Naturally, a large-scale custom heatsink will ensure this card runs relatively cool.
Now before you tune out saying "TLDR" let's step back and think about what a dual GPU video card can mean for hardware enthusiasts worldwide and the AMD pocketbook. The article says that this card will be in limited supply (around 500 units) and may sell for a smooth grand (USD). That is about the price of a GTX 690 and a little more than two HD 7970's in Crossfire. So, does it seem like the card worth it?
I'm sure Radeon enthusiasts will think so but lets ask my Overclocked GTX 660Ti's and see what they think
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NL: Review Block - Motherboards, Memory and Video Cards
Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 | By: DennisMost hardware sites have one of these posts every day so they can get the news posted quickly. You will find that I do them because I want to clean the news box and feel better about my failures to post news in a timely manner.
I've got a good mix of reviews here including some Motherboards, Memory and Video Processors. Incendently these three items are the building blocks of a modern computer system including that tablet you are reading this on.
Motherboards, Foxconn calls them old man computer parts, I call them needed weapons in the war on being awesome.
- Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H Socket 1155 Motherboard @ Pro-Clockers
- Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Intel Z77 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers
- ASUS P9X79 Deluxe Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
- Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel LGA 1155 @ techPowerUp
- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard Review @ APH Networks
Memory you know, to help you remember
- G.Skill Trident-X 2400 CL10 Dual Channel RAM Kit @ TechwareLabs
- Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666MHz 16GB DDR3 Memory Review @ HardwareHeaven
Video Card Round-Up
- ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP Edition
- EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti SC review
- ASUS GeForce GTX 660 Ti DirectCU II TOP
- GeForce GTX 660 Ti @ ocaholic
- MSI GTX 660 Ti Power Edition @ Bjorn3DOn a related note, I need a like minded person to help me keep on top of the news. If you're interested contact me via email. You'll find the address on the Contact page. OR you can send me a PM through the Ninjalane Message Forum.
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Dorcy (41-4289) 200-Lumen Tactical LED Flashlight Review @ ModSynergy
Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 | By: DennisNot exactly computer hardware but you can never have enough light when working on your computer. I can't tell you how many times I needed to open up the side of my system and couldn't quite see what I was after. Not wanting to unplug everything I set out to find a flashlight.
Had this little guy been nearby I'd have all the light I'd ever need.
The aluminum alloy 200-Lumen Tactical LED flashlight is model number 41-4289 and operates from 3xAAA batteries sporting a bright CREE Q5 LED with an ability of illuminating up to 200-Lumen. The Dorcy eliminates the traditional clicky switch form and decides to use a twist on/off push button pressure sensitive tail cap switch that enables momentary or full on function. Read on to see the other features of the Dorcy (41-4289) and see how it performs for a $39USD LED flashlight.
I like the momentary switch, nice feature for the select few who like to disco.
