Tech News

• Max Payne 3 Review @ Techgage

  Published: Monday, June 4, 2012 | By: Dennis

  You know I didn't even know they had a Max Payne 2  oops!  It would seems that the Techgage guys really liked the game and wrote up a solid review.  Sadly it is a 3rd person style game so that will limit "my" desire to drop some green to play the Payne but that is just my opinion

  After a long hiatus, the infamous Max Payne is finally back. But before you think he's been living the good-life since the last time we checked in, think again. Beaten down and lacking any feeling of self-worth, we continue the Payne saga by getting an honest job protecting a wealthy family. What could possibly go wrong?

  This is a Steam based game so you can buy online and start playing a half a day later (depending on your internet connection)

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• CyberPower Zeus Thunder 2500 SE Ivy Bridge Gaming System Review @ ThinkComputers

  Published: Friday, June 1, 2012 | By: Dennis

  Seems like a good system, their review sample came with a Gigabyte Z77 motherboard and Core i7 3770K Ivy Bridge processor.  Sadly it does use the NZXT Switch 810 chassis but the gear inside makes up for it.

  When it comes to custom system builders one of the biggest names in the business is CyberPower PC.  They have systems specifically made for gaming, business, video editing and even students.  Today we are checking out one of their latest gaming systems the Zeus Thunder 2500 SE.  This system is based off Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge Z77 platform and features an Intel Core i7-3770K processor, GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, 16GB of memory and much more!  Did I mention they put all of this hardware in my favorite case so far this year, the NZXT Switch 810?  Read on as we take this gaming system for a ride!

  Not sure why people like the Switch 810 so much. I have one here and it just screams to me "I am junk".  Then again, maybe I'm being too critical and don't need the removable panels to stay in place or have the vents operate.  

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• Silverstone's Temjin TJ08-E Evolution enclosure @ TR

  Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 | By: Dennis

  This might be one of the best MiniATX cases on the market, its compact, expandable and has excellent cooling.  We reviewed the Silverstone TJ08-E some months ago and loved it from the start.

  Over the years, our tendency has been to review mid- and full-tower enclosures bursting at their riveted seams with fans and features. The occasional small-form-factor case has caught our attention, but other dimensionally challenged boxes have largely gone unnoticed. The winds of change are blowing, however, and today we have something on tap that should be of interest to the less-is-more crowd: a Micro ATX case from Silverstone.

  In the US the smaller cases go unnoticed because there is little reason for us to conserve on space, the homes here tend to be larger than the equals in EU and Asia so why bother with the small stuff? 

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• NL: Revierw Block - Just a few heatsink reviews

  Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 | By: Dennis

  It would seem that I have been doing a whole lot of heatsink reviews lately and it pains me to see bad reviews of good coolers along with the opposite.

  Heatsink Reviews
  - Prolimatech Genesis CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews
  - Thermaltake Frio Extreme Cooler @ TechwareLabs

  Look for our review of the Frio Extreme in the next few days, its one you will want to read.

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• 16 Intel X79 Socket 2011 motherboards round-up @ Hardware.Info

  Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 | By: Dennis

  It isn't uncommon for a hardware site to acquire a large number of motherboard samples, so many in fact that it may not seem possible to review them all in the short window between when the product launches and when other hardware sites get their reviews posted.
  
  Because of this some sites "bank up" their samples and do the reviews required to satisfy the advertisers and leave the rest to a large roundup article posted sometime after the dust settles.

  

  At the end of last year, Intel released its new generation high-end processors under the codename Sandy Bridge-E. The Core i7 3960X and 3930K feature six cores, up to 15 MB L3 cache, a quad channel DDR3 memory controller, and a PCI-Express 3.0 controller with 40 lanes.Our review showed that the new processors ensure Intel's comfortable lead on the CPU market. Since the architecture changed a lot compared to Intel's previous high-end processor, the manufacturer could not avoid creating a new socket and chipset for the Sandy Bridge-E CPUs. That new socket is called Socket 2011, and the chipset has been christened X79.
  
  The new platform has now been around for more than half a year and in that period we have tested a total of 16 motherboards with Intel X79 chipsets. Time for a round up!

  The list is rather extensive too with a few designs that we have already looked at.

  ASRock X79 Extreme4-M
  ASRock X79 Extreme9
  ASUS P9X79 Pro
  ASUS P9X79 Deluxe
  ASUS P9X79 WS
  ASUS Sabertooth X79
  ASUS Rampage IV Extreme
  ASUS Rampage IV Formula
  ASUS Rampage IV Gene
  Foxconn Quantumian 1
  Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3
  Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5
  Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2
  Intel DX79SI
  MSI X79A-GD65 (8D)
  MSI Big Bang XPower II

  Links will go to the articles on this site while the main link below will ship you off to Hardware.Info

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• The Demise of Guys? Or Shaming the Guy Brain?

  Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 | By: Dennis

  Here is a fun little article that talks about why guys become addicted to "tech" stuff either it be games, computers or pr0n.

  Every compulsive gambler, alcoholic or drug addict will tell you that they want increasingly more of a game or drink or drug in order to get the same quality of buzz.
  
  Video game and porn addictions are different. They are “arousal addictions,” where the attraction is in the novelty, the variety or the surprise factor of the content. Sameness is soon habituated; newness heightens excitement. In traditional drug arousal, conversely, addicts want more of the same cocaine or heroin or favorite food.

  The same could be said for overclocking, once you get the rush of a good score or addicted to making the most from your points pool you tend to keep going.  On the positive these types of addictions are often short lived and easily replaced.  

  At least for some

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• ASUS Maximus V Gene @ Bjorn3D

  Published: Friday, May 25, 2012 | By: Dennis

  To make up for the weak article snip in the notification I'll be including a picture of the motherboard in question.

  

  ASUS jumped into the Z77 chipset head first with many models and of course a ROG offering in the Maximus V Gene. 
  

  I won't lie, the Gene edition motherboards work great but are a little small for my tastes.

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• NL: Revierw Block - Cards Coolers and Memory - 5/25/2012

  Published: Friday, May 25, 2012 | By: Dennis

  Not much to say here but we have a good list of Video Cards (with a 3) CPU Coolers and Memory products.  This is where I usually make note of Crucial Memory and how they HQ in my town and yet are not ones to send out samples. No real issue for me since they got out of the overclocking game awhile back.

  Vid3o Cards
  - MSI R7850 Power Edition 2 GB @ techPowerUp
  - Inno3D iChiLL GTX 670 HerculeZ 3000 Graphics Card Review @ HardwareHeaven
  
  CPU Coolers
  - Spire Coolgate 2011 CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews (For some reason I think toothpaste when I read this)
  - Thermaltake Frio OCK Review @ HCW
  - Funky Kit Review: ARCTIC Accelero Twin Turbo II VGA Cooler
  - Thermaltake Frio Extreme Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
  - Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro Liquid Cooling System @ Pro-Clockers
  - Funky Kit Review: ThermalTake Frio Extreme CPU Cooler
  - Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler @ Maximum-Tech
  
  Memory Modules
  - Quad-Channel DDR3 Memory Round-Up: Kingston, Corsair, Patriot and G.SKILL @ HotHardware
  - Crucial Ballistix Elite DDR3 1866 16GB Quad Kit @ Pro-Clockers
  - Crucial BallistiX Elite 16GB 1600MHz Quad Channel Kit Review

  I'm planning a 4-way (for CPU Coolers ) look for it next week.

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• Extreme Overclocking Session III ( EOS ) Event 2012 @ Madshrimps

  Published: Friday, May 25, 2012 | By: Dennis

  Little events like this are pretty common in Europe but not so much in the US.  Yes, we Americans do have parties and such but the whole community aspect of it all is rare to see, much less exploit for internet linkage.

  Once in a while Team Madshrimps gets invited to attend a Team Overclocking event. Is it because people like us for who we are? Because of our looks? The knowledge we can share? Well to be honest we don't care about the previous. Most important thing on our own list is the abundant presence of free food and drinks. Secondly if the event is related to torturing PC Hardware, then we don't mind a long drive. Wickedly enough after each event, we get invited to the next upcoming one. So at least we must be doing something good. Time to get in the HWBot company war (in reality it's Massman's dad) and start the drive towards the 3rd EOS event at the cute town, called Heilbronn in Germany. 

  Looks like the Madshrimps overclockers went to Germany to overclock, I wonder how it went?

  Click the link below to find out.

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• Thermaltake Frio Advanced Heatsink Review @ Frostytech

  Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 | By: Dennis

  Below is the quote that accompanied this review link.  It describes the heatsink quite well but seems to be lacking the most important aspect of the cooler.

  Thermaltake's Frio Advanced heatsink stands 161mm tall and weighs upwards of 954 grams, it is rated to heat loads of 230 Watts by the manufacturer. The heatsink ships with two 130mm PWM fans arranged in a push-pull configuration that rotate at 2000-800RPM. Behind each fan shroud is a 110mm tall aluminum fin tower connected by five U-shaped, 6mm diameter copper heatpipes which are exposed at the base. Thermaltake's Frio Advanced heatsink is compatible with Intel socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775 and AMD socket AM2/AM3/FM1 CPUs.

  I have seen this heatsink up close and feel the first paragraph in the review is a little more descriptive.

  Thermaltake's Frio Advanced heatsink is basically a reboot of the Jing heatsink, but this time around the copper heatpipes are exposed at the base, none of the aluminum surfaces are nickel plated and the heatpipes not soldered to the cooling fins. We mention this seemingly minor point of construction, since the Frio Advanced's heatpipes are pressed into each aluminum fin with a new type of swage joint we haven't encountered before.

  I'm hoping to have a have a massive Thermaltake round up in the next couple weeks, look for this guy to be in the bunch.

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