"Who wouldn't want a near-1000 watt power
supply in a standard size PSU enclosure?
The Tuniq Miniplant 950W proves to be a
solid and stable performer, with plenty of PCI-E connections for the hardcore
gamer."
"The Rally2 Turbo lived up to the caliber of performance we've come to expect
from OCZ. This isn't just a sleek-looking drive; it's a sleek-looking drive
with the transfer rates to match. With fast read and write transfer rates
and a minimalist look/design, the Rally2 Turbo stands out among a crowd of
"flashy" drives...."
"The Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock lived up to its promise. It provides a
convenient method of connecting any SATA drive to your system so that you can
easily access the data on it. Performance was up to par, but the
real benefit is from the design. During disaster recovery, you
need something..."
"The Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P
Motherboard is an aggressive, extreme, yet efficient platform. It's a shock to
see this board do so well and do it even better at more extreme frequencies.
It's more affordable than most P35 overclocking motherboards and has plenty of
the top end features a power user could want."
"With the aluminum and plastic
construction, the
Lapworks Attaché is extremely light to carry
around; however, it's not meant to be something you lug around
in the laptop bag due to its shape. Instead, it's meant to sit
on your desk and act like a docking station, raising the
elevation of the screen to keep the user from craning their neck
and causing undo strain."
Perf-PC Real Modular PSU Inventor!
By now you've all probably heard that
ULTRA is suing just about every modular power supply maker under the
sun for a so-called "patent infringement" on the modular PSU.
All you long time readers out there might remember
we reviewed the worlds first modular power supply invented by
our friends over at Performance-PC's way back in May 2003! Don't
remember? Check it out!
Latest News
Around The Web....
VH News: Thursday Edition Posted by Diceman on Thursday, May 8, 2008 @ 9:13
Not like we haven't seen capable nerds, um, nerd-ify their scooters before, but one of the geekiest forms of transportation just got even geekier. The imaginatively named Geek Wheels scooter possesses more hardware than you can imagine, with a ginormous rear-mounted antenna, Garmin GPS unit, WiFi module, OTA TV tuner / FM tuner, high-resolution webcam, full-fledged Linux-based computer and an 8-inch touch panel to boot. The most amazing part? The creators have promised to provide regular updates and a how-to guide in short order. Make sure you invest in a high-quality helmet, alright?
SAN FRANCISCO, May 8 (Reuters Life!) - Playing video games does not turn children into deranged, blood-thirsty super-killers, according to a new book by a pair of Harvard researchers.
Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson, a husband-and-wife team at Harvard Medical School, detail their views in "Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do", which came out last month and promises to reshape the debate on the effects of video games on kids.
"What I hope people realize is that there is no data to support the simple-minded concerns that video games cause violence," Kutner told Reuters.
Windows Vista seems to be everyone's favorite whipping boy these days. PC World labeled it the #1 Biggest Tech Disappointment of 2007 and mini "E-Wars" are guaranteed to prop up anytime the names Windows Vista and Windows XP are uttered with the same breath.
Despite the explosive nature regarding any discussion of Vista, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates says that the operating system is doing just fine. According to Gates, Microsoft has sold over 140M copies of Vista globally since its consumer launch on January 30, 2007.
"That's a very rapid sales rate," said Gates who has been very supportive of the operating system despite the backlash.
Rolling around jacking up innocents and tossing Molotov cocktails is pretty enthralling on your vanilla 46-inch HDTV, but can you even imagine the rush of swiping a hot dog, burning out in someone else's whip and then snagging a new pair of kicks on this? Researchers (and gamers, obviously) down at UC San Diego have re-engineered their middleware to enable such masterpieces as this to be played on the big monolithic HIPerSpace screen, and needless to say, we can't imagine much real work getting done with this new functionality coming to light. Head on down to the gallery to see what you're missing -- science, research and 4.0 GPAs are such beautiful things.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google Inc.'s top executives on Thursday expressed hope that the Internet search leader will be able to form a potentially lucrative advertising partnership with Yahoo Inc. — a deal that would lower the odds of Microsoft Corp. renewing its attempts to buy Yahoo.
"We have been talking to Yahoo and we are very excited to be working with them," Google co-founder Sergey Brin told reporters before the company's annual shareholders meeting. "We share a lot of values with them."
Sunnyvale, CA—May 7, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced two new Reaper HPC solutions for enthusiasts upgrading to next generation of cutting-edge platforms. The PC3-14400 and PC3-12800 Reaper HPC Series are now available in both 2GB and 4GB dual channel kits to meet the specific needs of customized gaming systems or workstations, offering perfect compatibility with the latest platforms and chipsets at the height of DDR3 performance.
“At OCZ we know that there is more than just one type of high end user, and we continually expand our DDR3 offering to deliver tailored solutions for a wide range of unique applications,” said Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. “Our latest Reaper DDR3 kits are an ideal solution for hardcore gamers and overclockers looking for a combination of higher performance and stability supported by superior heat pipe based cooling.”
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (TTWO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) scored over $500 million in global sales of its criminal action game "Grand Theft Auto 4" in its first week, making it one of the most lucrative entertainment launches in history.
The video game publisher is sure to use the strong results, which topped even the most bullish expectations, to strengthen its bargaining position in talks with rival Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS.O: Quote, Profile, Research), which is trying to buy it for $2 billion, or $25.74 per share.
Starting May 9th, Sprint will begin a massive, $100 million marketing campaign aimed straight at the iPhone's nether regions. Stacking its 3G Instinct against the iPhone, Sprint hopes to show that EVDO and GPS make their product way better than anything coming out of Cupertino.
The problem isn't that the Instinct is necessarily a bad phone, or that Sprint is a worse service than AT&T. It's that Sprint's series of commercials will cost the company $100 million to promote a message that will most probably be a moot point in one month if/when Apple announces their 3G iPhone.
Philips Xenium phones are generally known for their long-life battery performances but if these photos are in fact real, then the designers are venturing into new iPhone, Diamond touchscreen territory. PC World China is saying that the upcoming Xenium x800 will have an "e2e" screen— that's an edge-to-edge touchscreen, apparently. From the photos it looks like it's got an orientation sensor, Wi-Fi, a browser, a curved design and a bevelled metal edge. Sounds a little familiar? Check out the photos yourselves.
Yahoo seemingly made its position absolutely clear -- it felt Microsoft's offer of $31 a share, a 62 percent premium on current prices at the time of the offer, was unfair and undervalued the company. It argued that anything less than $37 a share, or roughly a 91 percent premium on the price at the time, would be unsatisfactory.
In the end Microsoft dropped its offer, citing that Yahoo's expectations were unrealistic, while Yahoo tried desperately to reassure employees and shareholders that it had a plan to weather the tough times ahead.
VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS.O) unveiled two initiatives on Tuesday to breathe new life into its sports business by making games that are easier to play and customized for Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) popular Wii console.
Key games such as "Madden" football, "NBA Live" and "FIFA" soccer will come out in special versions for the Wii, which has become the best-selling game system by drawing in older and female players with friendly graphics and simple motion-sensing controls.
EA is also starting a sub-brand dubbed Freestyle that will be home to a new set of games not tied to any existing league and therefore free of expensive licensing rights. The first game will be "Facebreaker," a cartoonish and whimsical boxing game due out in September.
A friendly neighborhood AT&T employee forwarded us a purported memo for AT&T retail store employees that could provide a rather telling clue about the next-gen iPhone's release date this summer if it proves true. A similar memo went out last year around this time requesting that employees not take any vacations between June 15 and July 15, and this year those dates are June 15 and July 12 -- which seems suspiciously early, but that's what the man says. The memo cites "an exciting Summer Promotional Launch," which we're guessing doesn't refer to some new Motorola flip phone. Also telling is the fact that employees might be able to take some vacations later within that window when things die down a bit, which seems to imply that Apple could be aiming for a launch date right around the iPhone's one year anniversary of June 29th. How romantic.
Remember those three BlackBerry 9000 units that showed up on eBay? As I made note in an earlier post, when the auction got pulled by the powers that be (err.. RIM?!!) there were still two units remaining, leaving one Crazy BlackBerry Addict anxiously waiting for the delivery of this next generation BlackBerry smartphone.
As luck would have it, it turns out I’m the Crazy BlackBerry Addict! When mention of the eBay 9000s came up in the forums, there was plenty of discussion as to whether the devices were legit or not. The images accompanying the auction seemed too good to be photoshopped and were unlike any other leaked 9000 pictures I had encountered previously, so it only took a few minutes to make the decision to click the Buy it Now button and PayPal over the funds. At £399.99GBP + £19.99GBP shipping (~ $828USD) it was a gamble, but potentially a good deal considering previously reported rumors that the 9000 could carry an MSRP in the $900-$1,000 range. Worst case scenario if things went south I’d eat KD for a month and have a good story to tell.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc chief Jerry Yang signaled a more open stance towards Microsoft Corp on Monday, saying he had been seeking common ground when the software maker abruptly ended deal talks.
Yang told Reuters in an interview that he had "mixed feelings" about the weekend outcome, after investors showed their disappointment over the break-up of negotiations by sending Yahoo shares down 15 percent.
"We were negotiating a way to find common ground and then on Saturday they chose to walk away," said the 39-year-old co-founder of the pioneering Internet company. "They started it and they walked away."
SEOUL, South Korea - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said there will be a vast shift in Internet technology over the next decade as he met Tuesday with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
"We're approaching the second decade of (the) digital age," the software mogul and philanthropist told Lee at the start of their meeting at the presidential Blue House, according to a media pool report.
"The Internet has been operating now for 10 years," Gates said. "The second 10 years will be very different."
There's something about the idea of cramming a cellphone into a wristwatch that keeps the designs rolling out, but is this the first one with a touch of style? Possibly, with that metal case and strap, and looking not too horrifically fat to wear. The EP2502 even has a 1.3-inch OLED touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera, tri-band and Bluetooth support and claims to be shockproof. It's also supposedly the World's first waterproof cellphone, though we don't know to what waterproofing standard.
Fremont, CA, May 6, 2008 – Corsair® www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, announced today lab findings that show significant increases in performance and efficiency when increasing system memory capacity from 2GB to 4GB. Testing procedures and results can be found in the application note AN804: Gaming Performance Analysis – 4GB vs. 2GB, which is now available online here (.pdf file).
DENVER, CO May 6, 2008 – Mushkin, Inc. (www.mushkin.com), a global leader in high-performance computer products, announced the launch of a new high performance line of memory modules aimed at the power gamer market. Called Ascent, the new line raises the bar on its Redline and XP premium memory offering by using eVCI (enhanced Vapor Chamber Interface) cooling technology, the current state-of-the-art in heat spreaders.
“By combining high frequency memory chips into a package uniquely designed to handle increased heat and voltage demands, the Ascent product line offers gamers and other PC enthusiasts a new level of performance,” said Brian Flood, director of product development for Mushkin. “The line boosts maximum performance by keeping the memory chips up to 48 per cent cooler using Celsia’s new eVCI technology.”*