Content and news by Rob Williams

You may wonder why even review the X800XL since the X1K series is (somewhat)
out. Well, these cards cost around USD 250 to 350, well below the X1800XL
and very near the X1600 series. Experience (and preliminary benchmarks) seem
to indicate that the X1600 series has about the same level of performance as
the GeForce 6800, only when not doing AA and AF. So, we think the X800XL is
still worth buying (and we’re also hoping these cards will get a price cut
soon). We test four cards this time: ABIT RX800XL 256EDVIO, ASUS EAX800XL
2DTV256, Gecube X800XL 256 MB Uniwise and Gigabyte X800XL Silent Pipe
(GV-RX80L256V).

If the new X1K series didn’t do much for you, maybe you will want to consider the proven X800XL series. Check out the full round-up over at Tech-Hounds.

Today 3DXtreme is taking a look at the newly released Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5 revision 3 designed specifically for the NVIDIA 7800 GTX series of video cards. Arctic-Cooling has been producing some of the best after market coolers for GPUs replacing noisy, inefficient stock cooling with a unit that outperforms while producing very little noise volume. The NVIDIA 7800 GTX already includes a stock cooler that is silent, so why the need for Arctic Cooling to step up and release this modified version of the already successful NV Silencer 5? The 7800 GTX’s cooler may be quiet it’s also not all that effective as the load temperatures can slowly climb towards 80 degrees Celsius. And while this is a safe temperature according to NVIDIA’s specifications allowing your $500 video card to see temperatures this high is something even the average enthusiast would cringe at.

This cooler definitely made quite a difference over stock! Check out the full review at 3D Xtreme.

The Cowon iAudio X5 is in a sticky situation. As an MP3 player, the X5 has a lot going for it. Think Apple iPod photo with video capabilities and you get the idea. The problem here is that with its video capabilities, the X5 falls into a different product category where it doesn’t really belong; with portable media players. Look past its video performance though and buy the X5 for its true calling – high quality audio.

This is a great looking MP3 player, very sleek. Check it out at Design Technica.

Enter Imation. Their shockingly lightweight Disc Stakka, which stylistically resembles something like a restaurant booster chair for toddlers, is designed to rid me and the rest of the world of our optical backup woes. Despite Playskool styling, the Disc Stakka seems to bring a lot to the table. In brief, the Disc Stakka is a combination jukebox, Lazy Susan, and databased storage-solution. Its internal (and inaccessible) carousel holds 100 five-inch optical discs (sorry, no mini-CDs for you). The slot-loading mechanism up front is merely a loading bay; there is no drive or optics present in this device whatsoever.

If you constantly back up information like I do, check out the review at XYZ Computing. Seems a little clunky, but it’s interesting.

The SI-120 is a very innovatively designed CPU heatsink and it should have zero compatibility issues with many motherboards. By slightly tweaking and renewing the XP-120, the Thermalright has done a great job by bringing the SI-120 into the market. Although the SI-120 easily tops a few tower-type CPU coolers we have tested, we believe that this is helps the heatsink to be compatible with most motherboards out in the market. Weighing at only 400g without the fan, the heatsink is not heavy and will give a peace of mind for LAN Party goers. The installation process was very simple and straight forward thus beginners should have little problem with this heatsink.

Check out the full look at PC Modding Malaysia!

Trying to find the “right” memory for one’s PC is a difficult task, what with all the different brands and speeds to choose from for both Intel and AMD platforms. On the test block today is a 1GB set of dual channel DDR from Crucial. Sold under the Crucial Ballistix name, this pair of 512MB PC4000 DDR modules have been well received by the enthusiast community. The 184 pin (unbuffered, non ECC) DDR DIMMs are dual channel compatible and have a default rated speed of 250 MHz, or PC4000. Default timings are very conservative at 3-4-4-8. To reach an overclocked speed of 250 MHz, the memory is rated for use with voltages as high as 2.8V.

Check out the full review over at PC Stats.

We are taking a look at the ASUS CT-479 Adapter which allows you to use an Intel Mobile Processor in your desktop. This Socket 478 to Socket 479 converter is considerably less expensive than the native Socket 479 boards. With this adapter you can turn that old ASUS 865P/875P mobo into a serious gaming machine. The OCZ DDR Booster is reviewed along with the ASUS CT-479 Adapter.

Head on over to techPowerUp! for the full look!

The left side panel is the central focus of most cases. It has the perspex window, so it was clear that I needed some strong Alien vs Predator theming on this panel. Luckily, I found the right artwork to give me the ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ text in the correct font, and there was room to engrave a small Alien head and a small Predator head in opposite corners of the panel.

Check it out at Bit-Tech!

SUSE Linux 10.0 features an easy-to-install Linux operating system that lets you browse the Web, send e-mail, chat with friends, organize digital photos, play movies and songs, and create documents and spreadsheets. You can even use it to host a Web site or blog, create a home network, and develop your own applications. It is the most recent stabilized, fully integrated edition of SUSE Linux. If you are looking for a stable version of Linux to run on your personal computer or home server, this is the best choice.

If you have been looking forward to this as much as I have, definitely grab the download here. Sadly, I am having problems getting it installed, but I am tinkering to see how I can fix it. Check out the full press release here.

This is one loaded keyboard…no doubt about it. Not only does it have a full sized layout of keys, but it also has more hotkeys than I think I’ve ever seen on a keyboard. Functions range from shutting the computer down, to cutting and pasting, to navigating the web, and even a scroll wheel on the left side.

Check out the full review at Extreme MHZ.

Today, we’re seeing Asus get back into the business of making the best enthusiast-class graphics cards on the market, as we’re looking at their new flagship gaming card, the Asus Extreme N7800GTX TOP/2DHTV, better known as the 7800 GTX “Top Edition”. Not only is Asus going for the high-end performance crown with this card, but they also want to deliver the quietest card and provide the most features as well. With the help of the Swiss, it looks like they’re going to accomplish just that.

Head on over to GamePC for the full look.

ALCATRAZ ISLAND, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 6, 2005–NCsoft® North America has announced that customers will be able to subscribe to two of its massively multiplayer online games, City of Villains(TM) and City of Heroes®, for the subscription price of one. Subscribers to City of Villains and City of Heroes will have only a single…..

Forget operating systems or office suites; in fact, forget software. One of the things that Microsoft has been spectacularly good at over the last five years has been hardware or, more accurately, keyboards and mice. From the first Natural keyboard, through the first optical IntelliMouse – up until recent times, Microsoft has consistently churned out good quality, ergonomic kit.

This is a great looking media keyboard.. no doubt one of the best I have seen. Check it out at Bit-Tech.

Mississauga, ON, October 6, 2005 – Nikon Canada today announced its 2005 holiday product line-up. This holiday season, digital photography goes wireless and consumers see the world from entirely new angles. Ranging in price from $289.95 to $1,069.95, Nikon’s revolutionary compact COOLPIX and digital SLR (single lens reflex) series of cameras offer unique features and functions, making great gift ideas for photographers of any skill level.

Read: Full Press Release

Intel recently concluded their Mobility Campaign with a big bang at Zouk! Boasting a celebrity DJ, a fashion show and DJ group Altered Image, the Intel Mobility Party was also where Intel announced the winners of the Intel Notebook Bag Design Contest! Check out the report!

Check out the full look at the party at the Rojak Pot!

With the amount of kits for watercooling your PC that are out on the market today it’s hard to decide what would be best for you, throw in all of the different types and sizes of cases that are available and choosing a kit could be a real nightmare. Swiftech has done all of the leg work with the Apex-H2O kit and have made a damn near universal water cooling kit that requires very little if any “handyman” work to install.

Head on over to Viper Lair for the full review!

Patriot has been providing some amazing enthusiast lately and their 2GB solution is not all that bad. It is priced to target the
budget enthusiast, but it does overclock pretty nicely.

Check out the full review at InsaneTek.

A1 Electronics have updated their exaustive list of LGA775 motherboards. If you are in the market, definitely check out your options here.

Celtech Studios has released a fix for Eclipse. In our download section there is an update patch to bring 1.0 to 1.01. For new users there is a full install for version 1.01. Celtech has also released video previously only seen at Eclipse’s public exhibition at the Guildhall last June. This video…..

With the public release of the NVIDIA Linux 1.0-8XXX display
drivers now coming toward the end of October, we felt it was time to
offer another driver comparison of all the drivers released in roughly
the past year, as we haven’t done any mass comparisons since early 2005.

Check out the full article at Phoronix!