News for June 15th 2010

Hi Guys! Let’s take a break from the regularly scheduled postings to check out the news from around the world..

 

Storage Related:

‘My Passport Studio’
My Passport Studio ultra-portable hard drive with customizable e-label  is the high performance drive packed with features for Mac users on the  go.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.me/storage/my-passport-studio/

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OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB 2.5" SSD review
"The secret of these high theoretical numbers is, of course, hidden away within the drive itself – More specifically, within the drive’s controller.  OCZ’s Vertex 2 series of drives all boast SandForce’s SF-1200 controller at its heart, a controller which has made waves on account of its impressive performance.  This is achieved via a number of methods – On the one hand, SandForce’s "DuraWrite" technology looks to optimise the read-write cycle thrust upon MLC flash cells with compression algorithms while also employing hardware encryption of data written to the drive (albeit with a blank password on devices such as this one).  This compression is, according to SandForce, highly effective at reducing the number of writes to a drive, compressing large application installs by over 50% according to their figures – Although this isn’t reducing the amount of data stored on the drive, it does mean that the drive controller has to write data less frequently to the SSD’s flash memory,
increasing both performance and the drive’s longevity."
http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1626&catid=37&Itemid=27

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Walton Chaintech APOGEE AstroDrive 16GB USB Flash Drive Review

Walton Chaintech, a company which manufactures lots of products like SSDs, Memory Modules, Memory Cards and Graphics Cards, does also produce Flash Drives. The AstroDrive 266X I have received for review is the smallest in the series, maroon colored. The flash drive has very good performances right out of the box, but Walton Chaintech also included a special utility on the drive to boost the performance even more.
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=1005

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Synology DS710+ 2 bay Nas Server

With all the reviews on KitGuru in the last month there is a good possibility you have already bought a new system, perhaps even one for media entertainment.

If so, the review today will be of particular interest as we will be looking at a 2 bay NAS system from Synology. NAS systems are a huge benefit for a home enthusiast user as they offer vast storage which can be accessed from any computer on your network.

Read the review over here: http://www.kitguru.net/networking/nas/zardon/synology-ds710-2-bay-nas-server/

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Corsair Force and Reactor 120GB SSD Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/news-5183-corsair-force-120gb-ssd-und-reactor-120gb-ssd-im-test.htm

Translation Link: http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http%3a%2F%2fwww.technic3d.com%2Fnews-5183-corsair-force-120gb-ssd-und-reactor-120gb-ssd-im-test.htm&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8
Quote: "The Corsair Force and Reactor 120GB SSDs with SandForce SF-1200 and  JMicron-JMF612 controllers arrived Technic3D. New available in 120GB and 240GB configurations. Results in extreme performance with up to 285MB/s sequential read and 275MB/s sequential write speeds? We will check this against other SSDs from Intel and Western Digital in Windows 7."

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‘Buffalo DriveStation HD-HXU3 USB 3.0 Review’
If you’re looking for an insanely fast external drive, then you’ve gotten it.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/06/buffalo-drivestation-hd-hxu3-usb-3-0-review/

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Kingston HyperX 1600/1866 1.25/1.35v DDR3.
If you are a system builder looking for the absolute lowest power consuming PC then RAM may be something thats overlooked. Extremely low voltage RAM like the kit of HyperX we have here today can really help bring down power usage. This can be a great building block for an extremely low power PC. This also future proofs your components in a way since Intel has stated that the next generation of CPU’s will use even lower voltage DDR3 than what is common today. However we will be using this RAM on an AMD based system which does not require the RAM to run at 1.65 volts or lower. This may be the case in a lot of computers since AMD makes some of the most power efficient CPU’s currently available.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1841

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Kingston LoVo 1866 Memory Review.
Quote: With more people interested in green hardware, Kingston have thrown their hat into the ring.
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/memory/kingston_lovo_1866_memory_review/1

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Corsair Force Series F100 100GB Solid State Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/corsair-force-series-f100-100gb-solid-state-drive-review/

Quote: “At CES every solid state drive manufacturer we met with was raving about the SandForce controller, the new controller that is going to bring blazing speeds to solid state drives and bring current solid state drives in the budget category with these new drives being in the enthusiast category. The controller from SandForce is the SF-1200 which is a small step down from the enterprise SF-1500 controller. Corsair has designed a new line of solid state drives around this controller called the Force Series, which is available in 100GB and 200GB versions. Today we will be looking at the 100GB version whi ch boasts very impressive very impressive read and write speeds at 285MB/s and 275MB/s respectively. Let’s check it out!"

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Apacer Handy Steno AH522 USB Flash Drive Review

The AH522 USB 2.0 USB flash drive from Apacer is made from high quality materials, including zinc alloy and electro-polished components. AH522 drives offer up to 16 GB of storage and high read/write performances.
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=1029

 

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Audio / Video:

TweakTown’s 2010 Mid Year Audio Roundup
QUOTE: "It’s almost hard to believe that nearly a whole year has passed us by since my mid year roundup for 2009. However, we must believe, because it means that much has been taking place in our great big wide world and to no lesser extent in the much-fabled world of audio. Which brings me to 2010; this has been a time of catch up I suppose for the multimedia audio industry.
As our love and demand of all things portable, silver and not entirely necessary (in a life and death sense) grows to unspeakable levels, the market for docks and headphones of innumerable different iterations come to fruition, as has been the tale to date in 2010."
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Eagle Arion ET-AR506-BK – Review
Article Clip: Every one is trying to cut back on the expenses now a days. So on the budget shopping is becoming an art. When it comes to the audio systems picking the right one could be a difficult task as well. Just about a year ago Eagle Tech USA has released Arion ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Soundstage. You can find our review of this system right here. The system was a success as it has great value for the low price. Today Eagle Tech USA has released a new version Arion, ET-AR506-BK 2.1 Soundstage.
Article Link: http://umlan.com/reviews/hardware/h127.html

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Mobile etc:

Lenovo T410s

URL: http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/review-lenovo-t410s/

Snippet: “Many companies look for brand as much as for features when selecting their laptops. They want a brand―and a laptop design―that says ‘We are a no-nonsense organisation which chooses only the best for our staff. We buy the right tools for the job and they enable us to work well for you. Lenovo plays to this market well and its laptops are often well specified with a no-nonsense physical design. At the higher end of the Lenovo range, laptops such as the T410s are equipped with go-faster features and management utilities. But that doesn’t stop the T410s having an innovation or two up its sleeve, too.”

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ZaReason Verix Notebook @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=15012
Summary: "One year ago we reviewed the ZaReason Ion Breeze computer that was built around NVIDIA’s ION platform with an Intel Atom CPU, but today we are looking at our first ZaReason notebook and it boasts some very high-end hardware. The Verix 1656 is one of ZaReason’s highest-end notebooks and its powered by a quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU (with Hyper Threading to make for eight logical cores in this mobile computer), a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M GPU, and a 15.4-inch 1680×1050 display. The ZaReason Verix 1656 also has a very nice brushed-aluminum exterior."

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MSI Wind U230-040US 12.1-inch Netbook
QUOTE: "AMD for a long time said that it would cede the netbook market to Intel and simply offered no parts that were appropriate for netbook use to compare against the Intel Atom parts. That has changed over the last several months with AMD now offering up its own line of CPUs aimed at netbooks and ultraportables called the Athlon Neo X2.
Today I have the MSI Wind U230-040US on my test bench and at first glance, the machine looks great. The screen is larger than you typically see with an Intel-based netbook and the keyboard is large as well. The real question is if the AMD hardware has what it takes to compete against the Atom line that dominates the market today."

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Griffin Elan Passport & Sleeve for iPad Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Review link: http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Griffin_Elan_for_iPad/index.shtml

Quote: “Honestly both the Griffin Elan Passport for iPad and Elan Sleeve for iPad are excellent cases for your iPad. They will both protect and look great while doing it. The materials seem very durable and the craftsmanship is high quality. With the design exception of the power/sleep button being covered on the Elan Passport, both models have been flawless to work with. I can easily recommend both products. As a word to the savvy shopper out there, never pay MSRP as it is usually way too high, just as in this case. The MSRP for the Elan Passport for iPad is $49.99 from the Griffin site, however you can find it on Amazon.com for less than $30. Also the Elan Sleeve is also $49.99 from the Griffin site and just $28 on Amazon.com. Finding great deals online on Griffin products is something I’ve found consistently and I commend them on allowing it to happen that way. So many companies today price their products right out of the market. Griffin is smarter than that."

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Cirago BTA3210 USB Bluetooth Adapter Review

http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16430&Itemid=1

Today I’ll be taking a quick look at the BTA-3210 Micro USB Bluetooth Adapter from Cirago. It is a very simple dongle that can give Bluetooth capability to laptops or computers without built-in Bluetooth functions. There isn’t a heck of a lot one can say about a device this straightforward, but let’s take a look at how well it functions and what it looks like.

 

 

Assorted Stuffs:

Computex 2010 Showgirl Gallery @ Ninjalane
URL: http://www.ninjalane.com/articles/events/computex2k10-babes
Quote: The amazing thing about events like Computex is that there are actually two shows. The first is the computer stuff we are there to see, while the other has to do with the Computex Showgirls. In some ways the Showgirls are more popular than the products they are there to support.

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Installed Memory vs RAM Usable by Windows @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Most PC users are familiar with the 4GB system memory limitation of 32-bit Windows Operating Systems, which is why 64-bit computing has become the standard for computer enthusiasts. Occasionally though, a computer system will not report the correct amount of RAM installed. In this article, our 64-bit Windows 7 test system had 6.00 GB of installed memory but indicates only 4.00 GB usable RAM available. While some may dismiss this as a case of defective RAM, you might be surprised by the culprit. Benchmark Reviews troubleshoots Installed Memory vs RAM Usable by Windows.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=541

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VIA M’Serv S2100 Mini Home Server Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/via_m_serv_s2100_server/
Article Snippet:
"Its tiny size makes it an easy addition to any home or small office and it packs an impressive amount of power for backup, storage, and other basic server functions. Add some RAM, hard drives, and an operating system, and you’ll have a server that is customizable for your environment without spending an excessive amount of cash."

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NZXT Summer Give Away at Bigbruin.com
Link:  http://www.bigbruin.com/item_26492
Quote:  Summer is just around the corner, accompanied by Independence Day in the USA and Canada Day in Canada, so let’s give away some prizes to celebrate! NZXT is teaming up with Bigbruin.com to sponsor another great give away! Up for grabs are three items from the NZXT line up; a Tempest EVO case, an Avatar gaming mouse, and a Sentry 2 fan controller.

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Linux: Infected by Complacency
URL: http://computingondemand.com/linux-infected-by-complacency
On my daily rounds, I pick up all kinds of good lil’ tidbits for article ideas.  Most of them are relating to Windows flaws or Anti Mac articles, but none of them really cut the mustard.  However, today I am going to pound my fist against the wall at those of US that thought we had less to worry about.  Yeah, we are Linux advocates, and we overlook security sometimes. Today I was introduced to a statement by UnrealIRCd detailing a trojan packaged with their IRCd (Internet Relay Chat deamon) for Linux.  This obviously represents one FATAL flaw with the Linux faithful; the blind trust we have for the most of the Linux community and the lack of attention we pay to what we are installing or downloading.  This time, it leads us to a backdoor that grants an evildoer the ability to run ANY command with the user’s privileges running the daemon.

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Samsung ML-2525W Laser Printer Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Samsung-ML-2525W-Laser-Printer-Review/1025
Summary: Review of the Samsung ML-2525W monochrome laser printer, which comes with wireless networking capability.

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StarCraft II – Blog: Part One @ GamingHeaven.net
"I was recently lucky enough to be given an opportunity to take part in the StarCraft 2 beta, thanks to the good folks here at Heaven Media and I’d like to share my thoughts with you on how the game is shaping up so far. First though I have a few confessions to make…"

http://www.gamingheaven.net/gamingreviews.php?reviewid=903

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Quick Links:

RV02 Case Review

In-Win Ironclad ATX Full Tower PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Aerocool QX-2000 and CyborgX review @planet3dnow.de

iXBT Labs Review: Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H Motherboard

The Best $500 NVIDIA PhysX Setup

Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 – The Future of Gaming is Here

Cooler Master Silent Pro GOLD 1200W @ PureOverclock

Noctua NH-U9B SE2 @ techPowerUp

JSCO Gamer Mouse Review  @ XSReviews

ASUS Maximus III Gene Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Jetway JNC84-LF M-ITX Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

Corsair 700D / 800D Cases Reviewed

Zotac GeForce GTX 470 Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

ASUS Rampage III Extreme: The Strongest X58 Category @ InsideHW

Lian Li Armorsuit PC-P50WB Aluminum Gaming Case Review @ Tweaknews

Sapphire RADEON HD 5550 Ultimate VGA Review

NZXT Vulcan @ PureOverclock

ROCCAT Apuri Active USB Hub with Mouse Bungee Review

Scythe USB Triple Foot Switch Review on Technic3D

Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 1200 Power Supply @ Pro-Clockers

Steelseries Kinzu Review  @ XSReviews