Content and news by Rob Williams

As we always say and it is true, you don’t buy a power supply every day so you want to buy one that will supply your needs today and tomorrow. This SiverStone Zeus 650w ST65ZF will certainly do that for you and with the decent length of the leads and well equipped power leads it will suit any computer and has got to be a good buy.

This is somewhat of a basic looking PSU, but it packs a ton of power. Check out the full review at A1 Electronics.

What kind of switch to use is the first question you will ask, the
answer depends on how you want to be able to control it. Switches can be a
little intimidating if you do not know how they work. After reading this
guide I hope that you feel a bit more comfortable when choosing and working
with switches.

This is a very well thought out guide if you are needing to implement switches into your mod. Definitely check it out at CaseModGod!

Three years later here we are with 1GB of their Gold DDR400 dual channel memory ready for interrogation. It is important to note that this is not the VX (Voltage eXtreme) version of memory, just the regular Gold DDR400 memory. However, while it’s not high voltage, it does come with some extremely tight 2-2-2-5 timings right out of the packaging.

As we have proven clear here before, OCZ memory is usually top notch. But how about memory for the average consumer, who may not be so much into OC’ing, but just wants regular speedy memory? Read the full review at Bona Fide Reviews to see how it performed.

Zalman is committed to creating a “user friendly” environment by reducing computer noise through their cooling products, and one of their latest offerings is definitely designed to do just that. The Zalman Reserator 1 Plus is a fanless water cooling system, and in this review we will be testing it on a very heat intensive SLI system. Let’s see how it fared.

This is incredibly unique. If you didn’t want to keep a WC setup inside your PC, then this is even more perfect. Check out how it made out over at Big Bruin.

This review is going to take a look at the X700 IceQ video card from HIS. If you built a system a not long ago (probably more than 12 months), there is a good chance that your video card is not aging very gracefully. There are a lot of reasons to consider a card like the X700 IceQ, but a main one is that cards like the ATI Radeon 9600 are having a lot of trouble with this generation’s games and they are in need replacement. If you want to do this without breaking the bank you are going to need a solid, mid-level AGP card in order to get the most out of a game like Half Life 2. This way your socket A, 478, or 754 computer can stay intact and you can cure your gaming woes.

This seems to be a great card for a budget, but I’m not too sure that it would be the 6600GT, which comes in at around the same price. Check out the full review at XYZ Computing.

Once again, from HKEPC, they have leaked the specs for the X2 5000+, which I didn’t know was in production. If all of this proves true, then this is going to be an extremely interesting chip.

It will be based on a 65nm process and have support for DDRII 667MHz! Of course, it will still be Socket M2 based, and will use the 8 * 333 base multipliers, for a 2.667GHz processor. All I can say is.. wow. This thing will be expensive! Check it out at HKEPC.

HKEPC has tested out the new ATI X1800XL against the ultra proven 7800GT. Now, the XL is usually considered to be more of a ‘budget’ card, when being compared to the XT and PE. Amazingly though, the X1800XL keeps right up behind the 7800GT, scoring only 200 points less in 3D Mark 05.

If that’s the case, then I suddenly have very high hopes for the X1800XT, because it may obliterate the 7800GT/GTX. You can check out all the results in this thread.

If you are a gamer that uses a headset, you know that it has to be high quality in order to be ahead of the game. You want to know which direction enemies are in, and you want it to sound like you are in the game. We are taking a look at the Altec Lansing AHS602i gamers headset, which includes many features that may appeal to the hardcore gamer.

Totaling close to 3000W (3KW), these five top quality power supplies from various manufacturers will battle it out on our overclocked nF4 SLI Intel Edition setup with a pair of GeForce 6800GT overclocked to Ultra, running in SLI mode. In the end of the review, we will find out if it is worth to spend extra cash for an NVIDIA SLI certified power supply or perhaps a non SLI certified power supply will just do fine.

This is quite the in-depth look at a couple great PSU’s. If you are in the market, check out the full look at PC Modding Malaysia.

Xingtone’s software allows you to load an audio file from your computer or CD, chop it up to get your favourite bit, edit it a little and then send it to your phone via the Internet. You’re not downloading something pre-made, you’re not composing your own music, you’re creating a tone from your own personal media library.

Check out the full look at Hexus.

A Windows Vista computer starts and shuts down as quickly and reliably as a television, typically within 2 to 3 seconds. Windows Vista processes login scripts and startup programs and services in the background so you can start working right away. You’ll also shut down and restart your computer less often by using the New Sleep state, a simple one-click on and off experience which not only reduces power consumption, but also delivers and protects user data.

I’m extremely skeptical about this one. I couldn’t imagine a top of the line computer at that time could pull it off.. but we shall see I guess. Check it out at Microsoft. Grabbed from Digg.com.

Another impressive feature is the vinyl wrapped MDF (Medium Density
Fibreboard) subwoofer enclosure. Most of the systems in this price range use
particle board for their enclosures. Particle board is a cheaper solution, but
at the sake of sound colouring due to “ringing” or what is known as resonance,
MDF does not suffer from this. The front of the subwoofer face is simple yet
stylish with an orange LED power on indicator, and triangular control knobs.

In the 2.1 speaker market, it’s hard to look unique. There are so many outrageous designs, that it’s definitely a great spot for competition. These are cool looking, but not overdone. See how they sound over at Mod The Box.

“I don’t really care if the case on my Nano gets scratched but my screen has scratched up so badly that all the images are starting to become distorted,” Cason wrote, echoing the sentiment of many others in the discussion. “I have only carried it in my small pocket in my shorts and nothing is in there to scratch it. I still can’t figure how the screen looks like it has been rubbed with sandpaper when the entire time it has been safe in my pocket (with absolutely no items).”

That’s a sign of poor design. If this is really the case, then Apple would have had to known of this problem before release. Check out the posting over at News.com.

Transcend designs their system memory modules to be simple and
aren’t engrossed by heatspreaders or any unconventional features but
simply remains on target for the normal PC hobbyist, however, will the
Elpida E5108AE-5C-E ICs be able to perform anywhere close to the
extravagant overclocking abilities we experienced previously by the
Elpida E5108AE-6E-E parts? We’ll find out today in this review and just
how well these DDR2-533 modules fair for normal computer usage.

That’s one easy name to spit out. Transcend may not be a name that immediately comes to mind when thinking about a memory purchase. Check out what Phoronix has to say.

Ah, power supplies, we all need them, we can’t live without them. Not so long ago I did a review on the Mge/Xgbox Magnum PSU, today I have another from the same company. It is the Vigor 500 Watt power supply. There comes a time when that stock PSU just won’t cut it anymore, but where do you go when you need a good power supply with a great warranty? Well MGE offers a Lifetime Warranty on their power supplies and other products. How’s that for confidence in your product?

This is a great looking PSU, that somewhat reminds me of the Ultra X-Finity. Check out the full review at Think Computers to see how it performs.

nVidia has recently launched the K8 IGP Chipset – C51G and C51PV, they have integrated NV44 Graphic Core and Support DirectX 9.0c and SM3.0. We have got the C51PV and C51G samples from Albatron , AsRock and MSI to compare with ATi Xpress 200G

Check out the article at HKEPC.

Microsoft may not be getting the market lead it had hoped for with the launch of its new console, as reports come in of a spring launch strategy for Sony’s PlayStation 3.

According to German website Gamefront, chairman and CEO of Sony, Sir Howard Stringer confirmed that the company plans to launch its next generation console in the spring of 2006; much earlier than most industry observers had predicted.

This could likely only be the Japanese release, and the US and Europe release will still be later in the year, right before holiday season. At least that will allow enough time to become bored of the Xbox 360 before PS3 launch! Check it out at Games Industry.

The original Day of Defeat first saw the light of day as a fan-made modification using the original engine for 1998’s Half-Life, just like another modification from around that time called Counter-Strike. Both modifications went on to achieve plenty of popularity–they were even snapped up by Half-Life developer Valve and became official…..

The Thermaltake Tribe comes with everything you need. The radiator, reservoir, cooling fan and tubing are all contained within an external Unit. The kit also includes the Water Block, an H-clip that supports most any form factor (including 478, 775, K7, K8, Socket A), 3/8″ OD Hosing, Adapter Plug, Screws, PCI Slot Cover for routing the hoses, Easy Fill tank and a beautifully illustrated manual that will walk a first-timer through the installation with ease.

If you are on the lookout to make your rig a water cooling rig, you may want to consider the one reviewed at Overclockers Cafe.

Laptops and cooling. Somehow those two words don’t seem to go together. Everyone who has a laptop knows how hot they run; which is the reason they usually are purchased out of need rather than want. They serve some practical purposes for school, work or just convenience. So when Titan offered up their newest Serina Stylish Cooling Pad for review, I jumped at the chance to check it out. The model I received was TTC-G2TZ/A that has the optional card Reader and 2.0 USB ports. Titan does offer the fan pad only model TTC-G2TZ/D, as well as a 1.1 USB option. The idea behind the Serina Cooling Pad is to pull heat away from your notebook in order to keep the temperature of the internal components down, which we all know is a major cause of hardware failures.

If you want decent cooling for your laptop, and don’t mind handing over $109 (ouch), check out this review at PimpRig.