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BFG Tech EX Series 1000 Watt Power Supply 07-03-2009

Here at OCIA.net, we’re no strangers to power supplies. However, I’ve personally only had the chance to look at one BFG PSU before, the impressive “performance series” LS-680: a non-modular unit aimed towards the middle-of-the-line crowd. Today, we’re going to have a look at a higher end unit, the EX-1000, “enthusiast series” modular power supply weighing in at 1KW of power.

Kingwin XT-1264 HTC Cooler 07-01-2009

New for 2009, Kingwin has replaced the RVT-12025 with a newer, updated tower cooler dubbed the XT-1264. Both models retain their machined individual copper heatpipe base with aluminum fin configuration coupled with a 120mm fan. The new cooler design is a few millimeters shorter than the old RVT but nearly 2½cm thicker for increased fin surface area. Heatpipe count has been increased from three to four for better performance and heat dissipation. Support for Intel's socket 1366 is also added.

Kingwin EZ-Dock 2 HDD Docking Station 06-29-2009

Late last year we reviewed the Kingwin EZ-Dock hard drive docking station, where it earned our Seal of Approval for its features and price. Kingwin has followed up the original EZ-Dock with its sequel, the EZ-Dock 2. In addition to the 2 in the model name signifying the second in series of hard drive docking stations, it could also be construed to refer to the fact that it now supports not just one, but two drives operating either independently or in conjunction with each other.

Samson C01U Recording/Podcasting Pak 06-24-2009

Samson markets the C01U as the first affordable studio-quality condenser microphone with a USB interface. The first thing you notice is the weight of the microphone. It has a heavy gauge mesh grill protecting the diaphragm and has a real meaty, solid feel. Taking a look under the hood, we find a 19mm internal shock-mounted diaphragm with a cartoid pickup pattern. What sets this apart from similar condenser microphones is it's directional pickup. It allows you to face the mic in the direction of the sound you want to hear without grabbing the noise from the rear and sides of the mic itself.

OCZ Fatal1ty 550W Power Supply 06-22-2009

The market for consumer electronics and computer hardware has been generally immune to this sponsorship phenomenon — that is, with one exception. There are a host of products out there stamped with the name of a certain Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel. Fatal1ty, if you’re not familiar, has on the order of 30 “notably accomplished” gaming tournament placements on Wikipedia, including five 1st place finishes for Quake III Arena.

Whether Mr. Wendel’s gaming prowess gives him any sort of above-average knack for choosing quality computer hardware I’ll leave for you to decide today as we look at OCZ’s Fatl1ty 550W Profess1onal Series PSU.

  Latest Tech News
Thursday News posted on 07-02-2009

Dessert Menu of the Day.

» GIGABYTE MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 Motherboard • TweakTown
» Rosewill RM-8500 • Bjorn3D
» Xigmatek NRP-PC402, 80Plus Bronze at a budget price • Au-Ja.de
» Kingston SSDNow M-Series SSD Upgrade Kit • TweakTown
» Sparkle GeForce GTX 275 Video Card • Legit Reviews
» AMD Phenom II CPU Multiplier unlock, Vcore unlock and fourth core unlocking • ocinside.de
» Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premier • Overclock3D.Net
» Mushkin EP-400AP 400W PSU • Technic3D
» Coolit Domino A.L.C. DM-1000 CPU Cooler • Overclock3D.Net



Maxcube Amoris 6010 • Overclockers Club.

"For Maxcube's first case, I must say I am impressed with the features it brings to the table. Not only is the case sleek and stylish, but it has function as well. The case features two more front USB ports than most cases I've seen and is following with the new trend of bring eSATA to the front panel as well. Tool-free cases have been around for a while and Maxcube has integrated this feature into the Amoris. It even introduced a new concept to me, the external CMOS reset switch, which would be useful to any overclocker, as you wouldn't have to open the case to reset CMOS. Having the CMOS reset is nice, but it has been almost standard on high performance motherboard I/O panels for well over a year now. The case did lose some ground in the tests however, probably due to the fact it only runs on two fans. Nevertheless, for only having two fans, it kept up pretty well with the competition, which in the case of open air, had no fans, or with both the X-Fighter and Super Lanboy, had an average of three fans"



NZXT Khaos Aluminum Full Tower Gaming Chassis • TechwareLabs.

"When on the look out for a new case to out fit your rig, you may have a peek over at what NZXT is producing. NZXT is still a young company, only being established in 2004. However, they have produced a fairly decent sized list of computer chassis, some with a very unique design and look. With the NZXT Khaos at hand, one can only speculate as to what NZXT has in mind as a "unique" and "unparalleled design"



CoolIT Domino A.L.C Watercooling Kit • Tech-Reviews.co.uk.

"For true CPU cooling performance and silence, air cooling is not thought to be the solution. You need water cooling. It seems a scary concept – cooling your processor with water – which is why many enthusiasts steer clear of the idea. Moreover, it can be costly with an average kit easily topping the £100 mark."



Tuesday News posted on 06-30-2009

Dessert Menu of the Day.

» Thermal Paste Round Up • Bjorn3D
» NewerTech Voyager Q FireWire USB eSATA - SATA Hard Drive Docking Solution • TestFreaks
» Synology Disk Station DS409slim • ITReviewed
» Top 5 Heatsink Chart • Frostytech.com
» Coolermaster Hyper N520 CPU Cooler • Tech-Reviews.co.uk
» Kingwin Mach 1 1000W PSU • JonnyGURU.com
» Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound • eTeknix
» Synology DS209 NAS • Computer & Consumer Electronic Reviews
» Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU Cooler • Modders-Inc
» Linksys WRT610N Dual Band 802.11n Gigabit Router • BCCHardware
» Rosewill RX81-MP-US External SATA Enclosure • Tech-Reviews.co.uk
» Speedlink Vento 2.0 Speaker Set • Verdis Reviews
» AMD Phenom II TWKR Black Edition Processor • HotHardware.com
» AMD Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition • Legit Reviews
» Kingston HyperX (KHX-FAN) Memory Cooler • TweakTown
» AMD Phenom II TWKR Black Edition • Neoseeker
» Sapphire HD 4730 512 MB • techPowerUp!
» Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 • Technic3D
» Vizo Saturno 2.5" External HDD Enclosure • Tech-Reviews.co.uk
» Patriot Memory Torqx 128GB SSD • CDRInfo.com
» Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme Thermal Compound • eTeknix
» Edifier S730 2.1 Soundsystem • TweakPC.de



Competitions & Giveaways.

» Win a Coolit Domino ALC • Driverheaven
» Win one of two Enermax LibertyECO 620W PSU's • Driverheaven



Samsung SyncMaster T240 LCD monitor • PureOverclock.

"Who doesn't like large display monitors? Sure we do! Advances in product technology and quality have made an LCD display for your computer a given these days, it's just a question of how much you can spend and which one to get. Responding to this surge in demand for quality 24-inch LCD displays, today we look at the Samsung SyncMaster T240, a monitor that comes with a respected pedigree, making big claims at a good price point. We'll see if that holds true"



Cooler Master ATCS-840 Case • Verdis Reviews.

"Today we have the latest ATCS case released at a similar time to the HAF-932 which returns to the more classical breed of Cooler Master cases. The manufacturer will hope this particular enclosure can match the iconic level of some of their previous designs such as the Cosmos. However, can the ATCS-840 really match up to its predecessors? Let's take a look…"



Coolermaster Hyper TX3 • Rbmods.

"Coolermaster is one of the most well-known cooler manufacturers in the world. Today we will have a look at their new Hyper TX3 cooler, which is compatible with most of current CPU-sockets including LGA1156."



NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse • TechwareLabs.

"Looking for a mouse that's made to fit you? Want to be able to frag across the map with the simple click of a thumb, leaving your enemy looking at the sky in a pool of his own blood? Join Ian as we take a look at NZXT's introduction to the Gaming Mouse line-up, the Avatar Gaming Mouse. Will this mouse make you the MVP, or force you to hold onto that 2D grenade? Join TechwareLabs as we take a look..."



AMD TWKR Edition CPU • Overclockers Club.

"I am very impressed by what I achieved with the TWKR. Going extreme cooling allowed for a great boost in frequency. What amazed me the most is that the processor required much lower voltages than the previous Phenom II chips. Even when overclocked to around 5GHz, it did not need more than 1.6V. However, I know there is much more left on the table. I felt dry ice could not provide the temperatures needed to scale to the top of the processor's performance. In fact, the processor ran better with lower voltages than 1.6V. My theory is that maybe it was getting a bit too warm when I pushed high voltages in it, which it is supposed to sustain without any problems due to its high leakage. The same thing happened if I increased the integrated memory controller voltage beyond a certain point at the same time as the core voltage, even if it ran fine when the only overclock was on the IMC. In other words, I felt dry ice cooling was still very limiting for the TWKR Edition since it did not allow the high voltages it can take"




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