W.I.L. Hardware Tech-News Highlights for March/April 2007

Systems

Can your PC really handle Vista? – link.

A quiet media PC made from junk – link.

Acer’s $489 Aspire AST180-UD400B desktop box proved a solid performer – review.

Excito’s Bubba is a little Linux-based server appliance that makes running and managing a SOHO server easy and fun – link.

Darter’s laptop has a few flaws, but overall provides a decent system for Linux users clamoring for a Linux-friendly vendor – link.

The server primer – Part 1, Part 2.

CPUs, motherboards, chipsets

Semiconductor Production 101 – link.

More details on 45nm Penryn and Nehalem CPUs – link.

Intel Penryn, the 45nm update to Intel’s current Core 2 processors, performance is previewed. The fastest gets faster – link.

Intel brings Core 2 Duo to ultra low-power chips – link.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420, E6320 and E4400 plus another 15 sub-$200 dual-core CPUs should add the the line’s popularity – link.

Conroe-L single-core micro-architecture comes to Celeron processors. Prices will be very low – link.

Graphics

Samsung’s 3.2Gbps GDDR4 is spotted – link.

GDDR5 RAM is on the horizon. Will mean lower voltages, smaller chips and higher frequencies, combined with increased bandwidth – link.

GeForce 8 streams to the mainstream in the Asus GeForce 8600 GTS. Traditionally, successful performance-mainstream parts at $199 price-points offered performance level similar to former flagship offerings released a year or a little more before, but the 8600 does not leave the 7950 GT behind – link.

Memory, storage

8GB USB stick from Kingston – link.

160GB (the smallest size with a reasonable cost/GB) HDD – roundup.

Cases, power supplies, cooling

Thermatake’s Bach VX case is a pretty interesting and a classic design from a company known for its gaming extragavanza designs – link.

Four unique ATX cases compared – link.

MadShrimps monthly CPU heatsink roundup is one of most solid cooler roundups, so check back every month to see what is new.

Vigor’s Monsoon II TEC CPU cooler is a great alternative for anyone not interested in water cooler maintenance, risks and associated component installation hassles. It was at least able to achieve the same cooling effect as a similarly-priced water cooler at maximum CPU stress levels, and requires nothing more than a couple of thin cables and a controller card – review.

Scythe Andy Samurai Master and Enzotech Ultra-X coolers take on overclocked CPUs. Former is very quiet, effective and easy-to-install, but has limited compatibility with mainboards and some cases. Later shows unprecedented performance but limited compatibility with mainboards – link.

Cooler Master GeminII CPU cooler is highly effective and very quiet, and no more expensive than rivals even with added cost of two fans. Drawback is limited compatibility with motherboards for AMD processors – link.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon and MaxOrb CPU coolers are equals when it comes to their noise levels, and have different advantages that may dispose one towards either otherwise – reviews.

Gigabyte 3D Rocket II CPU cooler does not beat the current cooling efficiency leader, but stylish looks, universal design, relatively simple installation procedure and low level of generated noise at minimum fan rotation speed are indisputable advantages – review.

Zalman Reserator 2 fanless liquid-cooling system has its drawbacks, but it is silent – review.

Cooler Master CoolViva Pro GPU cooler delivers high cooling performance at low noise, is compatible with most graphics cards except GeForce 8800, and is cheaper than its rivals – link.

Silent PC Review’s recommended fans – link.

Antec MX-1 is an unusual and welcome external HDD enclosure. Its combination of features is completely unique with eSATA and USB 2.0 support, along with highly effective active cooling and virtually no increase in noise – review.

A beginner’s guide for watercooling your PC – link.

Miscellaneous components and periferals

Logitech’s Z-5500 THX speakers showed enough power and quality not to think about getting an cheaper (than $245) alternative – link.

Four wide screen 19” monitors compared – link.

Acer 22” AL2216W LCD’s low price goes a long way towards overcoming the flaws – review.

Dell’s 2407WFP and 3007WFP 24” and 30” LCDs still stack up well against newer offerings – link.

Swans S200A stereo system is positioned as a High-End solution targeted for PC users, that has only average sound quality – review.

Silicondust’s HDHomeRun is a standalone, dual-tuner HDTV receiver that streams video over the network, and supports Linux right out of the box – link.

Playing with the Nokia N800 tablet device – link.

Apple TV compared to Xbox 360 – link.