Content and news by Rob Williams

As an artist at an early age, I’ve always loved creating things a little out
of the ordinary. Drawing was always my favorite thing to do. As I grew-up and
began to explore the world of computers, I witnessed people creating works of
art into their CPU boxes. Computer modding here I come, I was drawn into this
new hobby instantly. I knew that with all my knowledge in the sheet metal
fabrication trade (3-1/2 yrs.), airbrushing (10+ yrs.), and professional
spray-painting (20+ yrs.), with this kinda background I knew I could build
something unique.

Check out the full review at Mod The Box.

Borrowing the evaporation chamber technology that its bigger brother is famous for, the VapoChill Micro is aimed to please the more budget conscious user who is not able to afford, or willing to pay for anything BUT high end air cooling.

Head on over to Extensive Mods for the full review.

The mouse is an integral part of your system, what you do with it determines what type of mouse you will want to use. Sunbeamtech is a maker of a wide variety of items, they are fairly new as they launched in 2000. Located in Taipei within China, they make cases, lights, fans and much more. Today we are going to look at their latest gaming mouse the X-1300; they have two different models the Sensor-X and the X-Sharp. I will be taking a spin with the X-Sharp. Sunbeam is stepping up to the gaming grade mouse plate; the only spin here is that they offer a low price. Let’s take a look and see if this less expensive mouse can hold up in line with such other mice as the Mx-518 from Logitech.

Head on over to Think Computers for the full review.

The PrimeCooler SuperSilent heatsink itself is made in the tried and trusted design of using individual copper leaves which are then held tightly or squeezed together to form the base contact area.

Check out the full review at A1 Electronics.

After the missions are said and done, the last of the flashbacks past and events set in history, we’re left fulfilled and impressed by Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood. This title is gaming proof that in some cases, the same tired old storyline can take on a whole new light when a personality is given to it, and the player can identify with the character they are to play.

Head on over to Game Pyre for the full review!

Thermaltake has had a great year this year. Boasting one of the best coolers made this year, the Big Typhoon. Producing one of the best watercooling cases this year, in the Tai-Chi. The next item we are about to review may not be turning the overclocking community upside down, but it will make things a lot easier for the day to day computing. Thermaltake has sent us the Muse 3.5 hard drive enclosure.

Check out the full review over at Pro-Clockers.

IT’S RARE THAT WE review CPU coolers at TR, but every so often one comes along that we can’t resist. OK, every so often one comes along that I can’t resist. It seems I’ve developed something of a fetish for funky, silent CPU coolers, and although my therapist assures me that there’s nothing wrong with lusting after artfully sculpted heat pipes and cooling fins, I do my best to suppress those urges. I’m only human, though, and when we spotted Zalman’s new CNPS9500 LED at Computex, I couldn’t resist the impulse to procure one for testing.

Head over to Tech Report.

So what makes the new iPod better than previous versions? Well for starters it includes a larger 2.5-inch QVGA color screen and is capable of video playback. The player is slimmer as well, measuring in at less than half an inch thick – that’s 45 percent slimmer than the previous model. Despite its thin size, Apple has added a larger battery to this years model which promises five more hours of playback when compared to last years. That means up to 20 hours of total audio play time before this baby runs out of juice. Available in 30GB and 60GB flavors, you can store up to 150 hours of video, 15,000 songs, and up to 25,000 photos (all on the 60GB version) – that’s a lot of media. Included with the new iPod is a set of ear buds, the latest iTunes (version 6) and a USB cable for charging and syncing the iPod with your PC.

Check out the full review over at Design Technica.

This review is going to take a look at a new offering from Logitech. With its keyboards Logitech has been focusing on evolution, not revolution, which is fine, because they have a good foundation to built upon. The Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 Media Remote is Logitech’s first desktop to include a remote control, so you know its aimed at media and home theater PC (HTPC) use. This is a quickly growing segment of the market, as computers are often taking over the digital enterainment duties of the tech-savvy household. This desktop kit has great looks and functions to spare, it should be a great pick.

Check out the full review of this cool set at XYZ Computing.

OCZ has been dead silent in the DDR2 category that it has been disappointing. With the new Platinum PC2-6400, OCZ is back and ready
to challenge all competitors. Low latencies and high speeds never sounded so good.

Head on over to InsaneTek for the full review!

Who doesn’t own a laptop these days? Your thin notebook with that itty bitty heatsink is causing your CPU fan to spin at full
speeds. Need better cooling for your laptop? The Serina from TITAN will be a good candidate.

Check out the full review at InsaneTek.

The Evercool Lander is certainly one of the more “spartan” devices that I’ve ever come across which simply employs a tried, tested and proven method to help cool down a device by simply manipulating air and blast it on a hot surface. However, in our tests it has proven itself to be effective and most importantly does its job in fighting heat problems. At least now my stock fan doesn’t have to work overtime, the max RPMs average about 4300 RPM, that’s bearable as the noise from the stock fan itself will drown out any other whirs that may come from any other fans.

Check it out at PC Modding Malaysia.

nVIDIA recently addressed a rather large performance gap between its entry level and mainstream products by introducing the GeForce 6600LE GPU. It uses the same NV43 core as the mainstream Geforce 6600GT videocard, but this time around the NV43 has been teamed up with TSOP-II 400 MHz DDR memory which dramatically cuts down costs. Videocards based on the new GeForce 6600LE core, like the Albatron PC6600LEQ, can be had for around $100 US. That makes these cards very price competitive.

Head on over to PC Stats for the full review.

Today 3DXtreme is taking a look at Thermaltakes’ Silent PurePower Series, ATX 12v 2.0 TWV500W Power Supply Unit. Thermaltake once again delivered their latest product to 3DXtreme and this time around has some extremely unique features that will be interesting to look at. The TWV500W features a modular cable management system and Total Watts Meter Module as well as Dual PCI-E connectors. Other features include Active PFC and dual 12v rails. This is one of those “last one you’ll need to buy” products that should keep you covered for quite awhile to come.

Head on over to 3D Xtreme for the full review.

With more people building their own computers there are a ton of cases to use. Depending on the decision you make, you may lack front or side connections. This is where the FrontX panel comes into play. By using the FrontX panel you have the ability to bring just about any type of port to the front of your system, this is a great product that you can configure to your own need and usage.

Check out the full review over at Think Computers.

For those that aren’t familiar with the larger-than-life marketing maestro for multimedia at ATI, Godfrey isn’t afraid to say what he thinks on a wide range of topics, not least the video quality of the products he’s in charge with. That makes an interview with him always worth it. Would Mr. Cheng open up across our entire set of questions, or would he refrain from answering various things for the time being?

Check out the full interview at Hexus.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – October 19, 2005 – AGEIA™ Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, today announced that ChessBase Gmbh has signed a publisher-wide licensing agreement to use the AGEIA PhysX™ SDK in FRITZ 9 and other upcoming titles. ChessBase also announced their support for the upcoming AGEIA PhysX processor.

Read: Full Press Release

In this review we will be looking at the DFI Infinity nF4 Ultra motherboard. This board is based on the nVidia nForce4 Ultra chipset and is designed for budget minded users that want more than a budget board.

The PCB is the industry standard and slightly fugly brown/gold but to the credit of the DFI designers it is very sturdy and features nice rounded corners.

Head on over to Ninjalane for the full review.

In Quake 4, you play as a space marine named Matthew Kane, who has recently been assigned to Rhino Squad. In keeping with first-person shooter storyline tradition, Kane doesn’t speak, but the marines around you will more than make up for the lack of chatter coming out of Kane’s lips. You’re the new guy, and some of the squad’s even betting that you won’t even survive for one day.

Why must Gamespot tease me like this! Read the full review at GameSpot.

There’s a quote I’ve got stuck to the outside of my monitor, which, while borderline fruity, is something I always enjoy reading. It goes, “The art of punctuation is of infinite consequence in writing; as it contributes to the perspicuity, and consequently to the beauty, of every composition.” Glancing at it again this morning, it struck me that that’s precisely how FEAR behaves. It’s a game that seeks to embolden action sequences through the lucidity of slow motion, and with help from technology that taps deep wells of environmental detail consequently beautifies the composition in ways that nothing else can. Nothing. Not even Half-Life 2. Good quote, that – I’m glad I stuck it over the top of the “I OWN YOU!” sticker.

I haven’t had a chance to play the full version yet, but having a rating of 9/10 makes me want to hurry up. Check it out at Euro Gamer.