Simple KDE Rsyncing with Komparator

If you at all frequent our news, then you are probably aware that I use Linux most of the time. It's on my main work machine, while Windows is on the gaming rig and also the primary benchmarking machine that's responsible for most of our performance-related articles. You might also know about rsync, an application designed for Linux that compares two directories (remote ones also) and can make sure they are exact duplicates, if that's your goal.

Rsync is a powerful tool and has easily proven to be one of my most relied-upon. I've come to enjoy it so much, that I've even written an entire article around it. But, it does have some downsides. For some reason lately, whenever I attempt to rsync a local folder to my NAS box for backup, instead of filling in the blanks, it actually overwrites what is there, meaning that it's essentially copying that 130GB folder on top of itself. For a network connection, that is one slow process.

With that frustration, I stumbled on Komparator, a KDE-based tool that acts as an rsync frontend. In my particular case, it actually worked better than rsync, because it allowed me to proceed with that previously mentioned task, but did so without overwriting files that were already on the target, aka: exactly what rsync should have done.

The program has many options, and even allows you to save presets in case you run the same process regularly. The three main options are to allow you to first find duplicate files, find missing files and also find newer files... and all will be displayed in an easy-to-read manner. For some, that will be far better than dealing with a command-line.

Komparator is somewhat simple in design, but it does what it's meant to do, and does it quite reliably. I rsync'd three different folders to my NAS box and it did so without issue. So if you are looking for an easy way to rsync and happen to use KDE, definitely check it out.

Source: Komparator at KDE-Apps

Looking for a Killer Dual-Core? Don't Miss Our Intel E7200 Review!

For those who might have missed it, we posted a review of Intel's upcoming "value" Dual-Core processor earlier this week. The E7200 will retail for around $150 and rolls in with a 2.53GHz clock speed and 3MB of L2 Cache. Overall, it's a solid offering, and given the price, it should be one hot product this summer.

I wasn't able to push the chip to the heights I would have liked to seen it at, but 3.33GHz on reasonable voltages proved stable, so that says something. There's no better feeling than pushing a budget CPU to work like a more expensive one. Well, there's almost no better feeling.

So if you are on the lookout for a new Dual-Core and are on a budget, do yourself a favor and check out our review!

Simply put, the E7200 is an absolutely fantastic processor. It's fast, inexpensive and is capable of tearing through all of our benchmarks with relative ease. Despite its low-end status, it's even perfectly suited for gamers, as evidenced by our four games. When the E7200 delivers identical results at 2560x1600 as our QX9770 does... that says something.

Source: Intel E7200 2.53GHz Review

Becoming an Energy Drink Connoisseur

If there is one fad to catch on quick, it would have to be the energy drink. Like soda, they can be extremely addictive, so it's no wonder that it's grown into a $10 billion a year industry. But for those of you who think energy drinks end with the Red Bull's, Rockstar's, Monster's and et cetera, you are sorely mistaken. A new wiki entry at the Wired How-To Wiki tells you how to become an "energy drink connoisseur".

The author of the entry is Energy Guru... an appropriate name since he's personally reviewed over 600 energy drinks on his personal blog. Compared to the 10 - 15 energy drinks I must've had in my day, that's pretty incredible. He also gave my personal favorite pretty good ratings, so perhaps I don't have such bad taste after all.

For those looking to become such a connoisseur, tips are given... the most important being to write down your thoughts immediately after taking a taste. I sometimes do this with beer, and it's a great way to make sure you don't buy the same crap twice over. It also recommends drinking the beverage rather swiftly so that you can see how great the "buzz factor" is... but shotgunning is bad. So if you want to become something your mother could be proud of, check out the wiki page.

Small gas stations and liquor stores are to energy drinks what Whole Foods is to Belgian beer. These mom-and-pop shops are far more likely to pick up smaller, less-known brands than the big chain stores. That's how you find drinks like Hyphy, which is both the Bay Area's equivalent of crunk and in the energy drink realm, as Energy Guru wrote, "a clear knock off of Pimp Juice."

Source: Wired How-To Wiki

April 24th Tech Roundup

Motherboards & Processors
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - Bjorn3D
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - HotHardware
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - Legit Reviews
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - Motherboards.org
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - Overclockers Club
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - Tech Report
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor - Viper Lair
• AMD Phenom X3 Triple-Core - TweakTown

Displays & Video Cards
• ASUS 9600 GT TOP - Red and Blackness
• HIS HD3850 AGP - 3D Gameman

Memory & Storage
• A-Data C702 16GB Flash Drive - OC Modshop
• OCZ ReaperX HPC PC3-10666 Enhanced Bandwidth 2x1GB - APH Networks

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Cyber Snipa Stinger Gaming Mouse - OCIA
• Digiana AudiaX DGT-301 Wireless Audio FM Transmitter - i4u
• Razer Destructor Mouse - Appetite for Tech

Cooling
• Xigmatek Red Scorpion S1283 HDT CPU Cooler - Benchmark Reviews

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Mushkin XP-800 AP 800W PSU - techPowerUp!
• NZXT Tempest - i4u
• Ultra m998 Case - OC Modshop

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Gigabyte STA Thin Client - Phoronix