W.I.L. Hardware Tech-News Highlights for November/December 2006

2007 ... time for the Wintel end game – link.

Web news about silent computing – link.

Systems

SilentPCReview-designed computer systems available from resellers – link.

Shuttle XPC SN27P2 barebones desktop system is a good system for users who want to run Linux – review.

Stratus Technologies sells Linux-based servers that offer the kind of fault tolerance that will handle mission-critical applications and leave admins with peace of mind – link.

Epatec’s tiny 200MHz PC (€139) makes a capable thin client on a Linux terminal server – link.

Geekcorps Mali team wins tech award for innovative PC – link.

Playing with the One Laptop Per Child project system – link.

Apple’s 24” iMac shows there is more to high end than performance. It remains one of the quietest off-the-shelf systems it is possible to buy and offers fairly good value-for-money – link.

CPUs, motherboards, chipsets

2006, the year everything changed on the CPU front – link.

A peek at upcoming faster Power6, Cell chips – link.

Beginner’s guide to motherboard selection – link.

– AMD

What is next for AMD? A summary – link.

AMD’s socket 939 CPUs to die this year – link.

AMD’s Quad FX platform is AMD’s temporizing response to the recent quad-core Intel Kentsfield launch, and will most likely appeal only to the most dedicated AMD fans. Once AMD switches to the 65nm process and introduces the K8L micro-architecture, Quad FX platform may acquire new meaning – link.

– Intel

Intel’s Core 2 Extreme QX6700 and Core 2 Quad Q6600 are world’s first quad-core desktop CPUs. The line has a big future ahead of it – link.

Intel Kentsfield trounces AMD Quad FX in raw performance and performance per Watt – link.

Four 975X motherboards for Core 2 Duo tested. MSI 975X Platinum Power Up Edition has the superior price-to-performance ratio – link.

Seven motherboards using Intel’s new P965 chipset for Core 2 Duo compared. The clear winner in performance testing and the mid-market value leader is MSI’s P965 Platinum, while Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe represents a surprisingly good value for the low-cost market – link.

Four MicroATX motherboards for Core 2 Duos are based on the G965 chipset with integrated GMA X3000 graphics, and do a great job as a foundation for business computers, small sized PCs or Home Theater PCs – link.

nVidia’s long-awaited 680i SLI chipset for Core 2 Duos gets its first group of motherboards. The Asus Striker Extreme demolishes the competition, but half the field is still working to perfect its products – link.

Graphics

Graphic predictions for 2007. Fusion, a sort of CPU-Graphic concept that will save some power and make a system on a chip possible, will probably be shown in 2007 but will not go into production before 2008 – link.

PowerColor X1950 Pro features a the unique cooling system developed by Arctic Cooling, making it almost silent, notwithstanding its increased GPU and memory frequencies. While light on the accessories, a relatively small sum of money buys you a high-performance mainstream solution – review.

nVidia’s flagship GeForce 8800 GTX is tested vs. 25 benchmarks, and emerges as clear champion for gamers (pending improved drivers) – link.

Memory, storage

DDR2 is overstretched beyond its GHz limits. Finally, it is time for DDR3 – link.

6GB OCZ memory works on Vista 64 bit – link.

Sandisk releases 32GB 1.8” solid state drive. Will cost $600, claim it only consumes 0.4W vs. 1W for a regular HDD – link.

eSATA (external Serial ATA) lets external drives communicate at the same speed as internal drives, unlike USB and FireWire – link.

500GB HDD shootout shows that the performance of modern hard drives is affected by the cache buffer algorithms more than by the physical design – link.

Plextor PX-760A dual-layer DVD burner supports a number of exclusive technologies that ensure optimal burn quality for almost every medium. Downside is the not-very-confident processing of errors and the traditionally high price – review.

The next generation disk format has been settled once and for all. Thanks to the due diligence, hard work and unprecedented cooperation between the media companies, the hardware vendors and the OS vendor, we finally have a solution. It is quite easy, Piracy, the better choice – link.

Cases, power supplies, cooling

Zalman’s HD135 HTPC case is flawed by poor airflow design, badly executed vents, and as is so common with Zalman, poor stock fans – review.

Recommended PSUs for quiet computing – link.

Corsair HX520W and HX620W modular PSUs deliver clean, ultra-stable power under a wide range of demanding conditions. They also happen to be about the quietest fan-cooled PSUs around. To top it all off, Corsair offers a five year warranty – link.

AMD and Intel Heatsink Roundup 2006 – link.

Scythe’s SCNJ-1000P Ninja heatsink is still one of the best available heatsinks on the market. Cooling is superb, and with the included fan noise is acceptable. To ensure the quietest operation though, undervolt the fan to achieve near silent operation – link.

Zalman CNPS9700 LED cooler cooler from Zalman should be appreciated by owners of CPUs with not just high, but extremely high heat dissipation, while if the Scythe Infinity contained two fans or at least two fasteners for them, overclockers would have a leader among air coolers – link.

Cooler Master Mars, Eclipse and Hyper TX cooling solutions all display design originality, but this has had a negative effect on their efficiency – link.

Anatomy of the silent fan – link.

80x25mm fan roundup: Any one of them would be quite at home in a quiet system so long as high airflow is not needed, but some have better sound character than others – link.

120mm fan roundup shows fierce competition for quietest entry – link.

Miscellaneous components and periferals

Most CEOs would faint dead away if you said you had taken a prototype of their new electronic device, ripped off the housing, reconfigured its innards, hacked your way through its code, and then sewn the whole thing into the stomach of a Teletubby doll. Steve Tomlin, CEO of Chumby Industries, creators of chumby, a small tabletop device that connects wirelessly to the Web and uses a collection of widgets to gather information, would shake your hand and say thanks – link.

Liberating iPods in Cambridge: During the event, dubbed iRony, users were walked through the process of installing flexible and featureful free/open source software firmware without DRM onto their digital audio players – link.