eVGA e-GeForce 9800 GTX | Cheap and Fast High End Gaming Graphics Card
Written by Admin on April 27, 2008
Today’s we are looking at the Nvidia9800 GTX by eVGA. Taking a look at these graphic cards you might think that they’re a tad on the big size, but these sizes are now common amongst the high-end graphic cards. Some consider the 9800GTX to be on par with the 8800GTX. However, the greatest difference between the two cards is that the 8800GTX is equipped with 768MB of memory while the 9800 GTX has a memory of 512MB and both cards are DDR3. What makes the 9800GTX different is that the market price of the card being cheaper than the 8800GTX
Looking at the specification the 9800GTX is more superior in terms of its core, shader, memory clock speed and many others. A difference between the two would be at its memory bandwidth and memory interface. In this area, the 8800GTX succeeded the 9800GTX.
Some games were tested using the Geforce9800 GTX: F.E.A.R, Dark Messiah, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Oblivion and Crysis. At lower widescreen resolutions (1680×1050 and bellow), the Geforce 9800GTX outperformed the 8800GTX but with only a minor difference in terms of frame rate. However, when the resolution was cranked up to 2560×1600 and pushed the limit of the two graphic cards the 9800GTX started to choke and decrease in performance.
Our conclusion is that the two graphic cards are quite the same so if you already have a 8800GTX then it isn’t really worth upgrading just yet. But if your upgrading from a lesser card then it might be an idea to go for the eVGA e-GeForce 9800GTX because it’s one of the cheaper Geforce 9800GTX’s if you’re looking at a performance for price perspective.
More Info about the eVGA e-GeForce 9800 GTX
Posted in: Graphics Card, Nvidia, eVGA
Logitech G11 | Large Blue and Silver Backlit Gaming Keyboard
Written by Admin on April 26, 2008
The Logitech G11 gaming keyboard is virtually the same as the old G15. The only difference between the two is that the G15 version had an LCD which some people considered useless. Other than that, the Logitech G11 gaming keyboard is exactly the same as the old G15. It also has programmable keys and could definitely be a lifesaver especially while gaming.
There is only one way to describe the size of the keyboard and that is “huge”. Logitech have made virtually no other changes to the G11 except remove the LCD, so it is its same huge self. It also has the same disappointing USB ports at the top. However, these ports are only 1.1 and not 2.0. So, any high-speed devices simply don’ work.
Like the G15, the G11 also has a blue back light for its keyboard keys. I have always loved this features as it allows you to play immersive games without having to turn the light on to see the keyboard, ruining the atmosphere of the game and also allows you to have late night gaming sessions, without having to disturb anyone by leaving the light on.
This keyboard is definitely with gamers in mind and could give you an advantage over other player because it picks up keystrokes faster than standard keyboards. A hardcore gamer would probably be interested in having shortcuts rather than clicking the items manually, especially in MMORG games such as World of Warcraft. That’s where this baby comes in. There are 18 programmable G button and above those are the M1, M2, and M3 buttons. What would this mean you would say? Well, you could program up to 48 macros per game! That could definitely save you some major time. Of course the G Keys don’t just have to be used in game, because you can select different profiles for different games you could have the buttons do something different on the desktop such as launching applications or even storing passwords.
This keyboard doesn’t just have to be for gamers. If you are doing a lot of working on the computer rather than playing games, then this keyboard might not be suitable for you. However, some people don’t want cheap feeling standard keyboards that you can buy and instead want something a bit more robust. The G11 can speed up repetitive tasks through its short cuts and can help gamer’s doge out the way quicker due to its quicker key presses. The old version of the G15 is still available if you’re really want the LCD, but it does cost a lot more and would be better off getting the new one. But if you’re a gamer who doesn’t want the LCD then the G11 is for you.
More Info about the Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard
- Logitech G11 on Newegg
- Find the Logitech G11 on Amazon
- Take a look at the Logitech G11 on thenerds.net
- Find the Logitech G11 Cheap on Ebay
Posted in: Gaming Keyboard, Logitech
CaseLogic Hard Drive Case | Hard, Durable and Small External Case
Written by Admin on April 25, 2008
After reviewing a few External Hard Drives over the last few weeks I thought it would be a good idea to review something that would give some protection to the things I’ve been recommending. So today’s review will be on the CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case.
The Case is ideal for the recent hard drives that I’ve been reviewing as they have been on the small end of the scale, but the one that matches almost perfectly is the Western Digital Passport. It fits very snugly, but this just means that it doesn’t move inside of the case meaning it is less likely to be damaged.
The case has two compartments, one for the hard drive it’s self and the other mesh casing is for the cables that you’ll need. There is room however for another hard drive if you don’t want to carry the cables around in the case. Or you could put your ipod or phone in there for safe keeping.
Other than that there is not much else to say about the CaseLogic case, its durable and stops your hard drives taking knocks that could damage the data held on them. If you’re on the move a lot and your notebook case gets thrown around and dropped quite a bit then it would be a good idea to make the investment and get a case for your external hard drive to protect your data.
Main Features of the CaseLogic Hard Drive Case
- Durable and Hard shelled
- Compact and small
- Can hold two External Hard Drives
More Info
Posted in: CaseLogic, External Hard Drive, Hard Drive Case
Amazon thinks Macs are out selling PC’s - What are they thinking?
Written by Admin on April 24, 2008
Amazon have gone down in my expectations today, I’m a huge fan of Amazon for their great prices and wide product portfolio. Some of you may already know that Amazon has Meters to show how one product is out selling others.
Today Amazon posted one entitled “Apple vs Windows OS
Second they aren’t even comparing the top PC’s, as they are with the Mac’s. These are where the compared Notebooks are in the best selling notebooks list on Amazon.
| 20 | HP Pavilion TX1420US | 1 | Apple MacBook MB403LL/A | |
| 22 | HP Pavilion Artist Edition | 2 | Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A | |
| 32 | Sony VAIO VGN-CR320E | 4 | Apple MacBook MB404LL/A | |
| 74 | Sony VAIO VGN-NR240E | 9 | Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A | |
| NA | Toshiba Satellite A205-S5812 | 29 | Apple MacBook Pro MA895LL/A |
Yes looking at the best selling list the Mac notebooks do dominate the top, however there are Windows Notebooks that are higher up in the rankings that could have been compared, such as the HP Pavilion TX2120US at number 12.
I think Amazon have fiddled with the figures a bit to put Mac’s in a more favourable light to try and sell a few more. And only comparing 5 from each OS is flawed in its self because there are hundreds more PC’s than Macs meaning that PC’s can less of each specific model but still come top in overall sales, which they do.
More Info
Posted in: News
Canon CanoScan 4400F | Budget Photo Scanner - Scans Negatives
Written by Admin on April 23, 2008
Today, we will be reviewing Canon’s sleek-looking CanoScan 4400F scanner. I would classify this scanner as a budget scanner and has an optical resolution of 4800×9600 dpi. The scanner also has a capability of scanning an image or document up to 48 bit depth. Though the number may seem to be large, it is however, common amongst all the scanners within this price range. That should be enough technicalities and now on with the review of the CanoScan 4400F.
CanoScan 4400F specializes in scanning films and hence the “F” after the 4400. A good thing about this CanoScan is that its slide holder could scan up to six negatives at once or four 35-mm slides. What was discovered however is that the slide holder is a bit too narrow for a glass mounted slide. A test of the scanning speed of a 35-mm frame at 2,400 dpi took almost 2 minutes for it to finish. This proves to be quite slow if you compare it with results of other scanners, such as the the Epson V100. We also discovered that the green scanned by the 4400F to be less vibrant than the original, which was quite disapointing. Other than that, the results made by 4400F are sharp and accurate.
Most of the software given by Canon, as most bundled software isn’t quite as useful as you would hope and there are a lot of better software on the market. One software that did catch my eye though was a piece of software specially made for film scanning. It quickly detected the strip of negatives and then split it so that we are able to choose which part of the film that we are interested in scanning. This software did prove itself to be quite handy when scanning film into the computer. The other software that Canon provides are the Arcsoft Photostudio, Scansoft Omnipage SE and Presto! PageManager these are bundled with the scanner.
All in all, it’s a good scanner for its price range, especially if you are looking to scan your films. However, the lack of vibrant in green could be quite a turn off. There are other scanners which could be better than the CanoScan 4400F in terms of scanning speed and color accuracy. This scanner also lacks an infra-red sensor which could eliminate the dust and scratches from being scanned during the scanning process. This feature however can be seen in the higher end products from Canon but not this budget scanner.
Main Features of the CanoScan 4400F
- Scans Negatives of Photo’s
- 281 trillion possible colors
- Ability to scan thick items
More Info
SimpleTech SP-U35 | Small Portable External Hard Drive USB Powered
Written by Admin on April 22, 2008
Today I’m looking at another external hard drive specifically designed for notebooks and people on the go. Although slightly larger and heavier than the Western Digital Passport that I have already reviewed this SimpleTech disk is one of the smaller external hard drives I’ve come across.
As we have come to expect from portable external hard drives it is powered via its USB cable, the cable that comes with this SimpleTech hard drive actually has two USB plugs on it. This is so if your notebook isn’t sending enough power to the hard drive, you can plug the additional USB plug into another USB port to provide the extra power. Although there is a 5 VDC, 1.0A plug in the back of the hard drive should you find yourself in a situation where you would rather use a power supply father than drain power from your notebook. Although this cable isn’t supplied you can easily pick one up cheaply in most electronic stores, or you may even have one lying around the house.
In terms of file transfer speed it averaged around the 20mb/s mark but it did take time for the speed to pick up. Some times when you are not using the drive for a while it will switch into its power saving sleep mode, although this is a good way to save your notebook battery it isn’t great if you quickly want to open a file from your hard drive and you have to wait 6-8 seconds while it’s in its start-up sequence.
Overall I would say that this was a great little external hard drive for someone that is isn’t looking to spend a great deal of money, but is still looking to buy a great looking hard drive.
Main Features of the SimpleTech SP-U35
- Great looking Shell
- Dual USB Powered
- Fast Transfer Speeds
- Power Saving Features
More Info
Posted in: External Hard Drive, SimpleTech
Epson Stylus Photo RX595 | All In One Printer - Prints From Flash Cards
Written by Admin on April 21, 2008
The Epson Stylus Photo RX595 is an All-in-One photo printer manufactured by Epson. It has optical resolution at 1200dpi and has the capability to scan at up to 48-bit color depth. The printer features six normal sized ink cartridges, a small lcd screen, memory card slots and is also compatible with any Pictbridge cameras. It also comes with a sample of 8.5×11” glossy photo paper and a Memorex printable CD-R. Now that I got the boring stats out the way I can get on with the review.
The printer does print quite well considering it’s an all-in-one printer. The configurations are also user friendly and you can fully customize your printing preference through the properties button. One of the printer’s best and most annoying features is the fact that you can print straight onto printable CDs and DVD’s in the tray. The results given are terrific. The CD can look professionally done and its quality is as good as It is on normal paper. As I said this is also its most annoying feature, why? Well It’s mainly due to how awkward it is to align the CD into the tray. Of course you won’t be that bothered by it if you are just printing the odd CD, but I imagine if you want to print a lot it would get quite frustrating.
As it is an all in one printer it has the same functions of a photocopier, printing a scan without the need of a computer. However, for some reason Epson decided that if you need to print more than 100 pages, you would need to do it through the computer, I’m not sure why they took this approach but I never really need more than 100 copies scanned so It doesn’t bother me. Other than that, you just need to scan the document needed, push the big Start button and wait till everything is done. You can also state on how many copies that are needed to be copied and whether it should be black and white or in color.
In conclusion, I would say that the Epson RX595 All-In-One Photo Printer is definitely a worth a look if you want to buy an all in one printer. It is certainly one of the best all in one printers out there, however I would highly suggest you take a look at the dimensions of the printer before purchasing as it is on the large side, if you do want to take a look at the dimensions check the link to Amazon below.
Main features of the Epson Stylus Photo RX595
- High Quality Printing and Scanning
- Prints onto CD and DVD’s
- Prints straight from Flash Card
- LCD Display
More Info
Posted in: All In One Printer, Epson, Printer
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe | Dual Core Processor Great for Overclocking
Written by Admin on April 18, 2008
CPU’s are the second least most likely component you will upgrade in your computers life, the last thing being your motherboard so it’s best to buy a CPU that will scale with your system. The Intel E6600 does just that being one of the most stable and overclockable CPU’s in its price bracket.
Designed as a middle of the range Dual Core processor the E6600 is still one of the most recommend buys for a high end budget system because of the scalability of the processor, as its pretty easily overclocked. Meaning this CPU is ideal for someone who is looking to run a lot of small applications at the same time. Although if you want to play the latest games out there you should really start thinking about buying a Quad Core processor as the E6600 is the limiting factor in my computer playing Call of Duty 4.
Taking a look at the specs though the E6600 Conroe boasts 2.4GHz in each core, I’ve gotten this up to 3.2GHz overclocked on my system and the maximum I’ve seen it overclocked is 4.05GHz so it can really be pushed beyond its stock settings. Taking a look at its other specs it has a 1066MHz Front side bus and 4MB of Cache.
In my eyes one of the best features of the Intel Core 2 Duo range was the power consumption compared to the old P4’s. The newer chips are much more environmentally friendly and green because it only turns on certain CPU features when they are needed, these newer chips also operate at lower frequencies these two factors combined leads to a huge reduction in power.
One of the most common factors I have noticed when looking at the customer reviews on various supplier sites was that most people are saying “It’s incredibly fast, for its price”. Although I did notice a few negatives that I have to agree with, mainly the amount of heat that the chip produces which is a lot considering I’ve now started to use my computer to heat the room rather than turn the radiators on.
All in all though I have to say if you are still running a Pentium 4 processor I think it is time you should upgrade, as you will not only be getting a nice speed boost you will also save on electricity and helping the environment.
Main Features of the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe
- Fast and Stable
- Reduction in power consumption
- Easy to Overclock
More Info
PNY Verto GeForce9600 GT | Latest Middle Range Gaming Graphics Card
Written by Admin on April 17, 2008
With the latest line of NVIDIA’s cards (the 9 series) being out for a while now I thought I’d take the plunge and review one, the one I chose was the PNY Verto Geforce9600 GT. If you were wondering why I chose the PNY Verto as the first of the cards to review, simple, at the time of writing it’s the most popular, coming in at the 1st most bought Graphics card on Amazon.
The Geforce 9600 GT is Nvidia’s answer to the lack of middle of the road graphics cards giving DirectX 10 support, true there was the Geforce 8600 GTS but it didn’t live up to the DirectX 9 cards of a similar price.
I’ll start with the specs, the PNY Verto like most of the 9600 GT’s has a base memory of 512MB, a memory clock rate of 1800MHz and a memory bandwidth of 57.5GB/s. The card also has a shader clock rate of 1625MHz and 64 steam processors.
Looking at the Specs above the card shares many of the same specs of the PNY 8800 GT, beating it on shader clock rate, and almost on equal on both memory bandwidth and clock rate, but it has half the steam processors which is where the performance is lost.
But what does it actually perform like while gaming?
Well I tested my both my current 8800 GT and the PNY 9600 GT in my current machine so I could get a direct comparison between the two. I’m testing the two cards by playing Crysis and using fraps to record thefollowing frame rates.
PNY Verto GeForce9600 GT
Min: 20 fps
Avg: 37.843 fps
Max: 59 fps
PNY XLR8 GeForce8800 GT
Min: 23 fps
Avg:42.194 fps
Max 64 fps
Taking a look at the frame rate difference between the two cards provides interesting data, although the 8800 did out perform the 9600 would you want to pay the extra $100 for less than an extra 5 frames per second?
I think that if you are that if you are looking to buy a new card now at under $200 I would recommend going for one of the Geforce9600 GT cards. If you’re looking for more information on the card other than my brief review, I would check the links below.
Main Features of the PNY Verto GeForce 9600 GT
- 512MB Graphics Memory
- HD Compatible
- DirectX 10 Compatible
More Info
Posted in: Graphics Card, Nvidia
Logitech G15 | Durable Backlit Gaming Keyboard with LCD
Written by Admin on April 11, 2008
Computer Gamers are always after the greatest hardware that can help them get one over on the enemy. The Logitech G15 is one of such pieces of gaming equipment that can help gamers reach their goal.
As a gamer I know that speed is everything, especially when trying to dodge bullets so one of the first things that Logitech did to change this from an ordinary keyboard was to increase the timings on the key presses and allow you to press more keys around the WASD area simultaneously. This allows you to duck in and out of cover and strafe much more quickly.
The screen was one of the main things that attracted me to this keyboard, as I wanted to able to see who was talking via voip whilst in game. But the LCD does much more than that and gives you information that you didn’t know you needed until you start using it, for example it can display your characters stats in WoW or the amount of nades you have in BF2. Even in games that aren’t supported by the G15 the LCD can still display the time so you don’t have an excuse for still playing at 1AM.
The G-Keys on the left side of the keyboard allows you to record macros, these allow you to click a single button to carry out a task that would otherwise take you several keystrokes to do. Macros are useful for role playing games such as WoW or Lord of the Rings online, but I have little use for them in First Person shooters other than automatically typing messages on the screen.
There are two versions of the keyboard as a newer version of the keyboard came out and used the same name as the old version which confused quite a lot of people at the time. I think Logitech gave the newer keyboard the same name because they are fundamentally the same, with a few design changes. One of the main differences is the amount of G-keys on the old version there were 18 physical G-keys which made the keyboard way too big to fit on most people’s desks, the new one now has 6 and is now able to fit on most people’s pull out keyboard trays. This was from Logitech listening to its customers and updating a product to fit their needs, how often do you see that from large companies these days?
The Logitech G15 has been my keyboard of choice for the last year and I don’t think I will be able to go back to gaming on a standard keyboard, even after hammering the WASD keys constantly over this time they are still there and working perfectly. The only thing I have noticed is that it’s a lot noisier while typing than it was when I first got it, and for the amount of typing that I do these days It is getting rather annoying.
Main Features of the Logitech G15
- LCD for displaying in game stats
- Programmable G-Keys
- Backlit so you can see what your typing in the dark
- Media Keys - Change songs while playing
- Windows Lock - Locks the Windows button to stop the game switching to desktop
