TechConnect Magazine

Techconnect Review Round-up 4/7/08

CPU & Motherboard

- AMD 780G/780V/740G Integrated Socket AM2+ Chipsets @ Digit-Life
- Celeron, Pentium Dual Core and Athlon X2: Which One is the Best USD 70 CPU? @ Hardware Secrets

Memory

- OCZ Flex-II PC2-9200 2GB Memory Kit @ TweakTown
- Crucial Ballistix 1GBx2 PC3-16000 @ OC Online

Storage

- Super Talent Pico-C 8Gb Micro USB Stick Review @ Madshrimps

Graphics cards

- Gigabyte Radeon HD4870 ( GV-R487-512H-B ) @ CPU3D
- Sapphire HD 4850 @ InsideHW
- Diamond Radeon HD 4870 Review @ Neoseeker
- Point of View GeForce GTX 260 Assassins Creed Edition @ techPowerUp
- PNY GTX 260 Video Card Review @ I4U News
- XFX GeForce 8800 GS & 8800 GS XXX @ Bjorn3d

Enclosures & PSUs

- Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W PSU @ BCCHardware

Cooling and modding

- ASUS Triton 85 Review @ Overclockers Club

PCs

- MSI Wind U100
@ bit-tech
@ TrustedReviews

Photo and video cameras

- Ricoh GR Digital II @ TrustedReviews

Other

- Samsung Tocco F480 @ TrustedReviews
- Canon i-SENSYS MF4270 Mono Laser MFP @ TrustedReviews

GeForce 9500 GT pictured

Delayed by quite a bit, the GeForce 9500 GT, Nvidia's sub-$100 9 series offer has now started shipping to OEMs with consumers set to get it from July 29. Featuring DirectX 10.0 support, 32 Stream Processors and a 128-bit memory interface, the GeForce 9500 GT is divided in quite a few versions - with either GDDR2 and GDDR3 memory and either 65nm or 55nm GPUs.

The 55nm GPU-equipped cards will be those shipping to retail and will have the same specs as the 65nm D9M-loaded models. The GDDR2 GeForce 9500 GT will have a 550 MHz-clocked core, a shader frequency of 1400 MHz and 512MB of memory at 500 MHz while the GDDR3-flavored models, will have the same GPU and shader clocks but will come with either 256 or 512MB of on-board memory set to 800 MHz.

In addition to the GeForce 9500 GT, the low-end market will also see the release of the 9400 GT but this one is expected at a later date.

GeForce 9500 GT GDDR2 model

GeForce 9500 GT GDDR3 model

Pictures courtesy of Tom's Hardware.

Akasa starts shipping the Omega PC case

Using all the knowledge accumulated from the making and selling of the Eclipse chassis, Akasa developed a new high-end case aimed at top gaming systems and workaholic workstations, the Omega. This new case is now shipping and is offering those interested 8.6 kg worth of carefully-designed enclosure. Measuring 460 (H) x 240 (W) x 560 (L) mm and codenamed AK-BKCSE-05, the Omega has an 1.5mm aluminum frame, removable motherboard tray plus side and top panels, a secure mounting bracket for the power supply and even four wheels.

Loaded with four 5.25-inch external bays, the PC case provides tool-free installation for all panels and PCI slots and has side and top meshes for adding four more 120 mm fans in addition to the front and rear ones included by 'default' and certified to work at a speed of 1200 RPM. The Omega fun doesn't stop here though as it also comes bundled with a washable dust filter and offers multiple connection options on the front panel - two USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE1394 connector, audio in and out and an eSATA port.

Set to hit the stores around July 15 the Omega will cost about Â£119.59 / $237 / 151 Euro (without VAT).

Lian-Li also unveils the TR-5 fan controller

Ending the week with yet another announcement, Lian-Li has now introduced the 5.25-inch TR-5 fan controller. Coming in two color versions - silver (TR-5A) and black (TR-5B ), the new controller takes up one drive bay and features a rather big central LCD, four temperature detection probes, an over-temperature alarm and it offers the possiblity of controlling the speed of up to four fans, all of them able to be set on either automatic or manual control.

The new controller can also display the time and date and can provide temperatures in both degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit. Already shipping, the TR-5s have a recommended retail price of $35. You can find them in Europe for just under 29 Euro.

Radeon HD 4870 X2 loves posing for the camera

We've seen it take it all off recently and now the Radeon HD 4870 X2 has a little something for all puritans out there, two more shots of it looking lovely (BEd: You do realize you're talking about a graphics card right?) in black and equipped with the reference dual-slot cooler. Codenamed R700, the upcoming PCI-Express 2.0 and DirectX 10.1-supporting card has two RV770 GPUs connected via a PLX bridge card that offer no less than 1600 Stream Processors.

Said to be available in both 1GB and 2GB versions, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 will utilize GDDR5 DRAM chips and will require extra power through two (one 6- and one 8-pin) PCIe connectors. The card is expected to be launched next month and cost $499.

Photos courtesy of ChipHell.

Lian-Li intros the EX-H33 internal hard drive rack

Taiwan's own Lian-Li has now officially launched a new hard drive hugger, the EX-H33 drive rack. Taking up three 5.25" bays, the rack can house three 3.5-inch hard drives, it has a lockable door and is equipped with a 120 mm fan at the back. The fan is set to work at 1000 RPM (rotations per minute) and is paired up with a washable dust filter.

The EX-H33 is expected to hit the stores right about now and cost approximately $60.

MSI offers Wind board for DIY netbooks

While they will likely be less popular than netbook, nettops make sense as secondary PCs and a lot of people will surely put these cheap, low-power and little desktops to good use. Currently, the likes of Asus and MSI are known to be making Atom-powered nettops but the latter has went one step further and has prepared the Wind board, a micro ATX motherboard equipped with an Atom N230 (1.6 GHz) CPU and the 945GC, ICH7 chip combo, for those who want to build their own nettops.

Codenamed MS-7314, the Wind motherboard uses two heatspreaders for its three main chips, has two DDR2-667 slots, one Ultra ATA and two SATA connectors and one PCI slot. The GMA950 integrated graphics card is hooked up to a VGA connector which is flanked by an Ethernet and four USB 2.0 ports. The Wind board is expected to hit the stores soon.

Microsoft preps four patches for Tuesday

Making us realize that another month has actually passed, Microsoft has started talking about what it's cooking up for next week's Patch Tuesday. Four updates ranked 'important' will be released then and they will come to resolve problems found within Microsoft Windows, SQL Server and Exchange Server that could enable spoofing attacks, remote code execution and an elevation of privileges. And now we wait. Or just enjoy the weekend.

Eee PC 904 to feature Celeron M CPU

With Atom processors still in short supply Asus has turned to the trusty old 900 MHz-clocked Celeron M CPU for its upcoming Eee PC 904 HD netbook. Initially thought to be Atom-powered, just like the 901, Asus' Eee PC 904 HD, which will feature a 8.9-inch LCD screen and have a size comparable, if not identical to that of the 1000 and 1000(H) models, is required to settle for the Celeron CPU and become the more or less official replacement of the 900 version.

Unlike its Celeron-equipped predecessors, the 904 HD will come with an 80GB hard drive and not solid state storage and will be available in two flavors - with either Linux or Windows XP pre-installed.

Google Talk becomes iPhone, iPod touch friendly

Viacom-bugged Google is now showing more love to iPhone and iPod touch users (in the US) as it has launched an Apple-friendly version of its instant messaging application, Google Talk. The fruity Google Talk can be accessed by visiting www.google.com/talk with Safari, and it looks very much like the desktop application.

One of the more significant changes to the way the IM app works is that the user's status is changed to 'unavailable' when a different window or application is active. As for the rest, just add words.