W.I.L. Hardware Tech-News Highlights for March 2006

The Best of 2005: X-bit Labs readers’ choice winners for best hardware survey are out – link.

CeBIT, the biggest IT show on earth, celebrates its 20 anniversary this year. It is a fair for buyers and decision makers, not for simple admirers, which is why CeBIT is still alive, unlike some others. X-bit Labs covered the show – Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7.

Power consumption and the modern geek – link.

Systems

The future looks bright for quiet computers, says Silent PC Review – link.

Why new multicore chips + Xen virtualization technology = dream machines – link.

Planning your PC upgrade based on forthcoming CPU, memory, and GPU advances – link.

Tyan’s self-contained mini-rack system brings supercomputing to the desktop – link.

New O’Reilly book Building Extreme PCs is out – link.

Build a quiet (but not necessarily silent) gaming system – link.

The latest “killer gaming rig” from ExtremeTech – link.

Death of server predicted, denied – link.

The Intel-based Mac Mini is about four times faster than the Mac mini G4, according to one benchmark – link. Apple Mac Mini reviewed – link. Mac Mini Core Solo reviewed – link.

The Mini-ITX Linux PVR project – link.

A $159 PC from Fry’s computer is surprisingly good – review.

Why and how would one build a Home Theater PC? (To make it quieter one will have to go beyond article’s suggestions) – link.

The Koobox/Linspire value PC is not a terrible deal for $299-$499 – review.

Azul is a hot maker of appliances that accelerate Java and other virtual machine execution environments. Sun seems to have a few problems with them – review.

Gates expresses distain for $100 notebook, pushes MS-sponsored “ultra-mobile computer” expected to cost $599-$999 – link.

Tips for putting Linux on a notebook computer – link.

Acer’s Aspire 5670 Intel dual core notebook is quick and also relatively cheap, with 1GB RAM, 100GB SATA HDD, Radeon X1400, webcam, and 15.4” screen – review.

Acer’s AMD Turion 64-based Ferrari 4005WLMi notebook is in fact among the fastest and most powerful notebooks and has a superb exterior design, and a high price – review.

Apple’s MacBook Pro is a sweet upgrade from the PowerBook G4, but sophisticated users might wait until the software catches up with Intel’s processors – link.

Lenovo’s Thinkpad X60 is a solid implementation of the new dual-core Centrino platform – link.

CPUs, motherboards, chipsets

Why motherboard reviews are useless – link.

Voodoo PC head Rahul Sood has written a very informative post about the competition between AMD and Intel – link.

A comparison between an overclocked AMD FX60 and the next generation Intel Conroe shows definite advantage to the later – link 1, link 2

Intel’s Celeron D 64 is pitted against the Sempron 64 in a fight for the 64-bit crown of Budget CPUs, with mixxed results. With the arrival of DDR2, the AMD product’s advantage will be enhanced – link.

AMD 3.38GHz X2 faces an Intel 2.93GHz Core Duo – link.

The Epia N800E Nano ITX board is underpowered, has horrible driver support for Windows, and is expenisive. Only for those who like Via or want an even smaller footprint than a nano-notebook – review.

1GHz Chinese Dragon chip “as good as 2GHz Pentium” – link.

– AMD

More information on the new AM2 socket technology, and then some – link.

AMD attacks DDR-II latency problems – link.

AMD set to offer “energy efficient” processors, targeting Intel Conroe – link.

AMD finally breaks the 3GHz barrier, as it tries to rebound against the impressive Intel Conroe demo – link.

AMD’s Opteron 285 Socket 940 CPU eats the Dual Core Xeon for lunch while consuming much less power – link.

ATI’s Crossfire Xpress 3200 dual graphics PCI Express chipset for AMD64 performs, but it does not win, and nVidia is coming out with its next generation competitor soon – review.

Abit’s AN 32x Socket 939 motherboard is feature-heavy, with some passive chipset cooling, great overclocking potential, and great speed control. But it is not clear that it beats the competition – link.

ASRock’s 939SLI32-eSATA2 is a board designed and marketed for the AMD enthusiast on a budget ($85), yet it excels in most areas. It offers the best overall combination of performance and features available on AMD motherboards under $100 at this time – review.

Asus’s ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire-based A8R-MVP mainboard benefits from its ULi M1575 South Bridge, but design flaws have it not be a very fast platform for Socket 939 CPUs – review.

Asus’s A8R32-MVP Deluxe motherboard is obviously aimed at the serious enthusiast. Its Xpress 3200 is the smallest chipset on the market and dissipates only 8W. The board impresses and represents a lethal product, especially when paired with a Radeon X1900XTX, and does not cost as much as one would expect. Probably the best socket 939 board available – review 1, review 2, review 3, review 4.

Epox’s EP-9U1697-GLi motherboard, with a cheap price, a very good predigreee and the tacit approval of nVidia for SLI compatibility, is a sure winner. Unfortunately the ULi M1697 chipset utilized on this board will probably have a short life span in light of ULi’s acquisition by nVidia – review.

Epox’s EP-9GF6100MJ motherboard is a nice entry level nForce 430/Geforce 6100-based combination is not as good as the 6150 though, but still better than anything SIS or VIA has on the table. A-list of features and cheap, but poor overclocking capabilities and not so great bundle – review.

– Intel

There is still a lot of fight left in a humbled Intel – link.

Intel Developer Forum Spring 2006 day 1 coverage includes keynote speach from Intel’s CTO. Quad-core and 45nm circuit size CPUs on tap for 2007 – link 1, link 2. Index of The Inquirer’s IDF Spring 2006 stories – link. ExtremeTech’s IDF stories – link.

Will Intel’s new core architecture close the technology gap? – link.

Intel announcements at Spring IDF 2006 put desktop, notebook buys on hold. It made so many “compelling” and “innovative” announcements that there is a distinct possibility it may have shot itself in the foot – analysis.

Intel’s new “core” could gore AMD sooner rather than later, especially in the two-socket server market, which makes up the vast majority of system sales – link.

Intel’s digital home group is struggling to persuade the market to go along with its Viiv push – link.

Intel quad-core Clovertown may be first to market but will not have competitive performance, says analyst – link.

Intel’s Kentsfield quad core desktop CPU slated for Q1 2007, like Windows Vista (coincidence?) – link. Intel readies nine varieties of Merom notebook microprocessor, all of them dual-core – link.

Intel’s U.S. retail desktop market share plummets, as AMD’s share of the market jumped to 81.5% during the first two months of 2006 – link.

Intel claims Woodcrest server chip has 80% performance boost – link.

Intel releases Mother-Of-All-FUD documents – link.

Intel’s 65nm Presler core Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 CPUs leave AMD with the performance lead – review.

ECS’s C19-A SLI is a motherboard for the Intel user on a budget and offers a very solid performance oriented platform for general usage and gaming – review.

Is nVidia’s Business Platform a competitive desktop alternative to Intel? Maybe once they get a competitive notebook offering … – link.

Graphics

AnandTech’s March video card price guide is out – link.

Hardware-based physics efffects acceleration is coming – link.

ATI partly acquires XGI Technology – link. XGI to exit consumer graphic chip business – link.

ATI unwraps its latest pair of workstation-oriented graphics chips, including what it claims is the first ever board to support 1GB of graphics memory. Cards with the chips will set you back $1600-$2000 – link. ATI FireGL V7350 – review. Discussion here.

ATI’s FireGL V7350 graphics card, based on the 90nm R520 GPU, has lifted the performance level of the ATI’s professional family to a completely new level, making it a worthy competitor to nVidia’s Quadro FX 4500 … but not an indisputable leader – review.

Two new graphics cards from ASUS look odd, but apparently result in reduced noise – link.

Two Asus X1600XT silent graphic cards in two Crossfire systems tested, and proves to be a great way to make your Crossfire system silent – link.

Asus’s EAX1300Pro entry level card comes with a high core/memory speed of 600/800MHz, real HSF and 256MB memory. You also get dual DVI ports. In all a decent competitor to the 6600DDR2 – link.

Gainward’s Bliss 7800 GS 512 MB AGP is the fastest AGP card in the reviewer’s experience, is dead silent, and it can overclock like crazy – review.

nVidia’s recent silicon shrink to 90nm gives it a range of products that are cheaper to produce and less power hungry – link 1, link 2, link 3.

MSI’s NX7600GS-T2D256EH is nVidia’s new cheap, no frills, mid-range card which should give ATI a run for its money – review.

Memory, storage

AnandTech’s March storage price guide is out – link.

Navigating the memory upgrade jungle – link.

OCZ releases reduced latency 1GHz DDR2 RAM – link.

FingerGear releases what they claim is the first bootable USB drive. Computer-On-a-Stick USB Pro has a complete Linux OS + many applications – link.

Firm sells deluxe USB memory sticks with gold casing and encrusted with brilliants that cost up to $3500 per unit – link.

Verbatim to offer “reincarnated floppy disk” flashdisk in Europe – link.

Samsung unveils 32GB Flash-based “HDD killer” – link 1, link 2.

– Hard disk drives

A guide on RAID and all its subtleties – Part 1.

“Network Attached Storage” (NAS) devices provide an easy solution to free your files from any given “server” PC. Buffalo’s HD-HG300LAN Gigabit LinkStation is based on open standards, and is a power user’s delight – review.

An opinion on who is the best storage vendor currently around – link.

Five 2.5” HDDs with 7,200rpm speed tested. Seagate’s Momentus 7200.1 100GB ATA (ST910021A) and Hitachi’s 7K100 100GB (HTS721010G9SA00) achieved the highest results in most of the tests – roundup.

Notebook HDDs of up to 160GB put under the microscope. Hitachi’s TravelStar 7K100 is by far the fastest notebook HDD available, while Seagate’s Momentus 5400.3 merges 160GB capacity with 5,400 RPM performance – link.

A comparison between external HDDs with 400GB and 500GB storage capacity from Seagate and Maxtor favors the later, and also favors FireWire over USB 2.0 – review.

Fujitsu claims to-be-introduced 200GB SATA notebook HDD will give desktop equivalent performance using only 1.6W of power – link.

Hitachi’s DeskStar 7K500 500GB HDD is not quiet, but is preferable to competitor’s high capacity HDDs because the drive can drop down into low RPM mode whenever its not in use – review.

Samsung’s 250GB SATA 300 SP2504C is one of the fastest HDDs out there – review.

Seagate 100GB external USB 2.0 HDD and the 5GB 1” USB drive both pack a lot of punch in a tiny form factor – reviews.

Seagate’s 5GB Pocket Hard Drive, selling for around $80, is a viable alternative to flash-based devices that has a greater storage capacity – review.

Western Digital’s 10,000rpm Raptor X gets the fastest magnetic HDD out there crown – review 1, review 2.

LaCie’s rugged 80GB portable HDD is cool, but even Mac users may prefer something a little more soberly styled and cheaper. The higher price brings you better performance, a Mac OS-friendly back-up application, and additional features vs. competitors – review. And their Skwarim 30GB pocket HDD wins on capacity and convenience (but oh that bright pink color …) – review.

Infrant Technologies’ ReadyNAS NV has enterprise features with a desktop footprint – review.

– Optical drives

Blu-Ray and HD DVD are massively over-hyped, high-density disc formats that in many ways are already outdated, and too expensive – link.

Samsung’s SH-B022 Blu-ray Disc writer preview arrives, and shows some promise – preview.

Rivals start to spin Blu-ray, HD DVD alternatives – link.

Cases, power supplies, cooling

Zalman’s TNN-300 fanless PC enclosure system only takes a micro-ATX motherboard, and is much smaller and lighter than the TNN-500, and at $700 or less, should find wider consumer acceptance than the TNN-500. Comes with the iMon remote control system – review.

Zalman’s HD-160 HTPC case is a nice addition to the company’s product line – review 1, review 2.

Coolermaster’s over 10Kg Centurion 534 casing features include a 120mm fan, a mesh like design to improve airflow and a tool-free assembly, and a lot of space to play with – review.

– Power Supply Units

Enhance’s ENP-5136GH 360W PSU is a new 80 Plus (80% efficiency from minimum to maximum load) brand. With a better fan controller, it would have the potential to challenge the Seasonic S12 as the quietest PSU (for medium and high-powered systems, the S12 will be quieter) – review.

PSU load balance is critical in dual-videocard systems – link.

The Hyper Type-R 480W PSU lacks the modular cable design as its elder brother. With a 120mm fan, expect good performance, good efficiency, low heat dissipation and low noise – review.

ThermalTake’s ToughPower 550w PSU is SLI, Crossfire and Dual core compatible. It gets high marks from the reviewer – review.

Speeze’s Rocketeer 600w PSU comes with a variable speed fan control, a thermo reactive cooling system, 120mm blue ball bearing LED, short circuit protection, sleeved cables – review.

HEC’s WinPower 550 PSU scores high in reliability – review.

The Ultra X-connect II 550W ATX PSU is very quiet and capable, albeit not cheap – review.

– Cooling Solutions

Roundup of 17 120mm case fans indicates that graphic card and CPU cooling segments are more important for noise reduction – link.

How to mount a case fan, plus a discussion about air cooling strategies in general – link.

Microcool’s NorthPole XE Whisper heatsink + fan is specifically made for the Pentium M 915 chipset-based Socket 479 boards from AOpen. The combination of the stock CPU HSF and the NorthPole XE for the North Bridge performed best, both acoustically and thermally – review.

Thermaltake’s Silent Boost RX K8 heat sink fan for the AMD 64 family (including AMD2 socket) features low fan noise, toolfree installation, and a fairly low price – review.

Noctua’s NH-U9 low noise heatsink has plenty of aluminium fins surrounding four copper heatpipes. No fans are included and the overall weight of the structure is just below 600g. It dissipates heat very well, although beaten into first place by its bigger brother – review. Noise levels and effectiveness of various heatsinks compared here.

The Turbine Card Cooler XT is composed of two 120mm fans with two twists. First there is a double layer fan blade design and secondly, there are 16 blades per fan which means improved air circulation – review.

Vantec’s Vortex 2 hard drive cooler comes with a high power blower that will keep even the hottest HDDs cool and a cleanable air filter to keep your drives dust free – review.

Cooler Master’s CoolDrive Lite HDD cooler takes on Vantec’s Vortex and Vortex2. The former offers the best heat and noise reduction, the quietest fan and the lowest price – link.

Cooltrek’s Vostok water cooling unit is relatively small, does not cost much, and it performs like a real champ – review.

AKUATEK’s eXtreme FS-92 is the world’s smallest all-in-one processor liquid-cooling system looks very nice. However, unfortunately, its efficiency is not that impressive – review.

CoolIT Systems’ Freezone liquid CPU cooling system is quiet and maintenance-free, but costs $399 – review.

16 water-cooling systems reviewed – roundup.

Miscellaneous components and periferals

Hacking your Linux-based wireless router – link.

Compro’s Videomate H900 PCI TV FM card comes with a load of accessories including a remote and a series of cables. The card has onboard hardware encoding and a very good picture quality, and also a low profile – review.

Refillable printer cartridges from Walgreens, office supply chains, on horizon – link.

What are the best sub-£100 speaker set out there? – link.

Altec Lansing’s AHS302USB headset produced some of the best sounds for its price range – review.

Epson’s £550 Perfection V700 Photo scanner is aimed at photo professional. The quality of its scan clearly puts it amongst the best – review.

Microsoft’s ultra-mobile PC “Origami” dissected. Is it a PDA? Is it a tablet PC? Nope – analysis. Origami is just a PC … better luck next time – link. Origami another failure for Microsoft – link.

Why the PS3 cannot lose, despite how much crap Sony shovels on its devoted customers – link.

The leading edge of high-tech is being played out in rapid evolutionary fashion in the cellular phone world – link.