Tech News
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Know-How: Digi+ Power Control Rampage IV Formula @ ocaholic
Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 | By: DennisI do wish there were more guides like this running around.
On one hand the BIOS of recent motherboards has become much easier to handle when you look at it from a user interface perspective. But on the other hand you'll find even more settings and options and almost nobody knows what the different entries are here for. For us this is reason enough to jump in and explain in a series of articles what the different features are about. First we start with the Digi+ Power Control features from a brand new Rampage IV Formula motherboard, which we think is a very good example.
There is a good chance that information like this can be found on the ROG Forums, either way it is worth a read.
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Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers
Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 | By: DennisZotac is one of the biggest names in SFF systems with a huge lineup of Mini-ITX motherboards and appliances and it is good to see they have Z68 enabled products to replace the previous generations.
Small form factor systems are nothing new, but with the Mini-ITX form factor they keep on getting smaller. Today we are going to take a look at a motherboard that is perfect for a small form factor or media center application. The board is the Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme and it features support for second generation Intel Core processors, discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 430 graphics processor, support for DDR3 memory, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s support and of course built-in WiFi. Read on as we check out this tiny motherboard!
Given our experences with Z68 and P67 it is pretty easy to assume the overall level of performance so it really comes down to overall features.
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NL: Review Block - Inbox Wrap Up
Published: Monday, December 19, 2011 | By: DennisLittle bit of everything
- OC3D: PowerColor HD6970 Devil 13 Review
- GeForce GTX 580 Showdown: ASUS Matrix vs.EVGA Classified @ Legit Reviews
- G.Skill Ripjaws Z F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH 16GB Quad Channel Memory Kit @ Bjorn3D
- Liquid Cooler Lineup: Intel, Corsair, MainGear Square Off @ HotHardware
- Gigabyte Z68XP-UD4 Review @ HCW
- ASUS Rampage IV Formula @ ocaholic
- OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCI-Express SSD Review @ OCIAStay tuned more news to come along with a few reviews in the works.
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Crucial Ballistix 6GB DDR3 2133 MHz RAM Triple Channel Kit Review @ TechwareLabs
Published: Monday, December 19, 2011 | By: DennisOk normally I would make some comment about how I live in the same town as Crucial HQ and how they do produce some really good memories but wow what a review. Three pages long and only one low quality product image.
The price of DDR3 has fallen rapidly lately, making it much more affordable to populate all of your RAM slots. Crucial introduces their new DDR3 2133 MHz Ballistix RAM in a triple channel kit. Find out if you should be using this with your i7.
This is a triple channel kit for Core i7 900 series processors but has timings and speed equal to that of a Sandy Bridge setup so we have to wonder if the modules are really tuned for the 900 series or if they took some extra SB modules and bundled them three to a pack.
Might have to go ask.
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ECS X79R-AX Intel LGA 2011 @ techPowerUp
Published: Sunday, December 18, 2011 | By: DennisRegular readers will know that I rarely post ECS stuff but their new line of gaming boards have gotten my attention. They aren't particularly "pretty" but the design is very unique.
With the launch of Intel's latest well under way, ECS has sent us another warrior to battle the twin dragons of injustice, the ECS X79R-AX. Undoubtably the best board ECS has ever released, the ECS X79R-AX is ready for battle, after receiving training no ohter boards has. Set to finally banish the dragons back to the demise they planned for humanity, the ECS X79R-AX has hit the TechPowerUp testing battlefield.
Not sure what this talk of Dragons is about but the board does come feature packed supporting 4way graphics cards and twelve SATA ports. It's almost like ECS didn't get the memo that X79 wasn't supposed to have that many.
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NL: Review Block - KItchen Edition
Published: Sunday, December 18, 2011 | By: DennisJust a quick list from the past week of news and reviews you may have missed.
Accessories
- Logitech Wireless Keyboard K360 Review @ Techgage
- Corepad Keira mouse mat Review @ XSReviews
- Tritton Gears of War 3 Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Headset Review @ HardwareLOOK
- Rosewill Mechanical Keyboard @ PureOverclock
Cases
- Lian Li PC-TU200 Case Review @ HardwareHeaven
- Antec Solo II Review @ XSReviews
Power Supplies
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1050 W @ techPowerUp
- PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500 Watt PSU Review on Technic3D
- Thortech Thunderbolt Plus 1000W Power Supply Review @ HardwareHeaven
- NZXT Hale82 750W and 850W @ PureOverclock
Fans and Cooling
- Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 @ LanOC Reviews
- Noctua NF-F12 120mm PWM Fan Review @ Viperlair
- Noctua Focus Flow 120mm NF-F12 PWM Fan Review @ Legit Reviews -
The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown
Published: Thursday, December 15, 2011 | By: DennisMoving the world off Internet Explorer 6
10 years ago a browser was born that changed the world and killed Netscape, its name was Internet Explorer 6. Now its 2011 an era of modern web standards so it’s time to say goodbye.
Most developers have completely written off IE6 and rather than trying to adopt there websites to support the old browser they simply let it fail gracefully. Ninjalane.com is one of those sites, but is also a site who hasn't fully embraced "all" of the modern standards as an attempt to support the 90%.
It would seem that Miscrosft is trying to get the world to stop using IE6 by launching an IE countdown in hopes that the world will upgrade.
Other sites are reporting that MS will forceably upgrade computers to the latest version of IE which begs the question, if the user isn't using a genuine version of windows, and has turned off automatic updates, how are they going to get it? On a similar notes assuming MS is going to ignore the legness of the OS, what is stopping them from installnig a time bomb with the browser to remote disable the system after a certain amount of time?
Sources
- Microsoft Is Nuking Internet Explorer 6 With Worldwide Automatic Upgrade
- IE 6 deep-sixed in Microsoft browser overhaul
- The Internet Explorer 6 CountdownEither way this should be fun to watch.
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MSI Radeon HD 6950 1GB Twin Frozr III Power Edition OC Review @ Hardware Canucks
Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 | By: DennisThere are several things that makes MSI video cards unique and the most notable is the cooling solution comprised of elegant heatpipes and dual variable speed fans. While the card doesn't have an external exhaust the overall cooling is exceptional.
The most recent graphics card in MSI's quickly expanding stable doesn’t aim for the headlines but continues a longstanding tradition of offering excellent performance at a reasonable cost. Their HD 6950 Twin Frozr III 1G/OC (yes, it’s a mouthful) only goes for around $260 but should be able to play almost any game on the market at its highest detail settings and mid to high resolutions.
HD6950 cards are the current sweet spot in the AMD lineup offering good DX11 performance with only a slight sting in the pocketbook. Makes you wonder if these cards can be flashed to HD6970 status.
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Asus Rampage IV Extreme @ LanOC Reviews
Published: Monday, December 12, 2011 | By: DennisIt wasn't until I "really" got into overclocking that I understood why so many of the top overclockers used ASUS products. Of course some of that is driven by sponsorships and extreme loyalty but once you remove the fanboys (and girls) from the equation you are left with board and cards that they really do perform.
The Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) products encompass the top of the line where cost is rarely an object and fondling is encouraged.
For X79 we have taken a look in detail at both the reference design and Asus’s professional solution. What about a model made specifically for gaming? The X79 platform is called an enthusiast platform; there are finally no limitations on bandwidth to video card, something that was an issue on 1155 motherboards. Today we are going to take a look at Asus’s Rampage IV, their flagship motherboard designed specifically for someone who only wants the best. Will this be the end all be all motherboard? Let’s find out!
Looking at a product from all angles can be a difficult proposition and can sometimes skip over certain details that may not be that important, even if the review is 19 pages long!
I'll let you be the judge.
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Intro To The Solid State Drive - Consumer SSD Benefits
Published: Monday, December 12, 2011 | By: DennisFor those of you who may not know what a SSD is, or why you do or don't need one, this article is for you.
Laptop computers are now sporting a new option that is going to amaze most as a result of the visible speed improvement and many will never really understand why. Some will boast of how quick their new laptop starts while others will read the fine print to see that there is this new thing called a solid state drive which has replaced the hard drive. The latter will most likely comprise of those reading this article and wanting to know what a SSD is and how it does what it does.
Our article today hopes to be the beginning of efforts to tackle many of the questions surrounding solid state drives and today’s report will examine what exactly makes the SSD so special in todays world of computing. Follow-up reports will be added regularly to tackle the many questions the ‘new SSD enthusiast’ has about this new technology and we encourage comments and questions which will, in turn, form the direction we follow in assisting with your SSD education.While I can see the benefits of SSDs they are not always the best option for overclocking since high BCLK speeds tend to cause the controller to go rouge and destroy your data.
