Crames!

Review: Thermaltake Massive23 CS Gaming Notebook Cooler

2009-08-10T10:36:00.001-04:00

Processor manufacturers nowadays are working on making cooler and more efficient processors, especially for mobile applications. However, processors still generate a lot of heat, and in the cramped confines of a laptop chassis, this heat can really build up. This is why companies like Thermaltake make mobile cooling solutions, such as the Massive23 CS Notebook Cooler. This cooler is designed to raise the laptop at an angle to allow air to circulate around the chassis, as well as make the laptop's keyboard more ergonomically attractive. The fact that Thermaltake is marketing this as a "Gaming" Notebook Cooler makes me hope that it will be able to provide me with significant cooling, as well as sleek looks.

Review: NZXT Cryo S

2009-06-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

If you are an owner of a laptop, as many people are these days, you might have noticed that when you use it, a considerable amount of heat is generated. While it may not bother you very much, that heat is something that all computers generate, and too much of it can cause your computer to become unresponsive or start glitching. Luckily, there are several solutions out there that help laptops dissipate some of that heat by changing how the laptop sits on your desk, as well as adding fans. One of these devices is that NZXT Cryo S notebook cooler. Earlier, I reviewed this cooler's larger brother, which is designed for large laptops, but the Cryo S is designed with 15" laptops in mind.

Congratulations!

2009-05-31T21:56:00.002-04:00

Part of my 101 in 1001 list was to write a blog post at least once a month. However, with only hours left in May, I'm coming close to missing my deadline. All day today I was thinking of what I could write about, but at the same time I was spending a lot of time with my family who gathered today to watch my sister graduate. While she will most likely not read this ever, I would like to take the time to congratulate her on my small blog. She was heavily involved with various commencement tasks, including being one of the speakers and also singing with several other people. She did a really great job in my opinion. It has been a fun, yet tiring day that has let me remember some of the fun I had when I graduated. I have gotten to see many old friends over the past few days, and have enjoyed seeing all my sisters friends be so excited.

In the fall my sister will be heading to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt and I will be heading back to Ohio Northern to finish the second half of my college career. I wish my sister the best of luck, and would like to say one more time, congratulations, Laura.

101 Things... 1001 Days

2009-04-21T10:39:00.002-04:00

I'm not a big fan of lists, or planning things ahead, yet when I read Ben's (a fellow OCC staff member) blog, his 101 list really stood out to me. I decided that I wanted to do my own and started thinking of specific goals that I would like to obtain in the no-so-near future. After several days worth of thought, the list below is the one I eventually settled on.

One thousand and one is a weird length for something to go on for, and I was curious how long that was in terms I would better understand. It turns out that 1001 days is roughly equal to 2 years, 8 months, and 27 days... almost 3 years. If my life continues as I hope it does, I should be gone from college and into the American work force, a scary realization. As such, some of these goals are academic, some work related, some social, and some for my general well being. I hope to achieve everything listed here, but the reality is that I probably won't. Some of them are almost entirely out of my control, or are prohibitively expensive. Others are pretty easy, and some I won't be able to even start until I am older.

I plan on keeping this list as up to date as possible, as well as blog about my experiences as I knock items off the list. Encouragement is always welcome, and I hope I see some of my friends start similar lists that I will be able to encourage them on (after all, I need three to complete goal 49).

Start Date: April 21, 2009
End Date: January 16, 2012

1. Graduate from the engineering college at Ohio Northern University
2. Learn at least four new programming languages [0/4]
3. Learn at least one new human language [0/1]
4. Contribute to at least five open source projects on my own time [0/5]
5. Make a bug patch that gets accepted
6. Score par on an 18 hole round of golf
7. Attend the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, or other championship game
8. Write a web interface to keep track of this list
9. Write a new blog post at least once a month
10. Photograph at least five celestial objects [0/5]
11. Own an 'L' series lens from Canon
12. Do a photo shoot at least once a month
13. Hit an out of the park home run in softball
14. Drink a beer with my dad
15. Get a girlfriend
16. Get a full time job (upon graduation)
17. Visit every state [43/50]
18. Visit Europe
19. Go on a mission trip outside of the United States
20. Attend church at least twice a month
21. Save at least 10% of the money I earn
22. Begin tithing
23. Try a new beer at least once a month
24. Rally for something I believe in
25. Watch at least 50% of the IMDB top 100 [21/50]
26. Watch a new film once a month
27. Organize my music collection
28. Organize my movie collection
29. Organize my photo collection
30. Organize my email
31. Beat fifteen video games [0/15]
32. Hold an EC position
33. Have another 4.0 GPA quarter
34. Learn to mix / DJ
35. Get a little
36. Increase my vertical leap at least six inches [0/6]
37. Make a workout plan and follow it for at least six months
38. Get an original blog post on the front page of Digg or Reddit
39. Win a serious award
40. Go camping at least four times [0/4]
41. Go golfing on at least ten new courses [0/10]
42. Get my pilot's license
43. Drive on a race track
44. Participate in a fantasy sport
45. Learn to drive stick
46. Volunteer to be an EMT / Firefighter
47. Run at least five 5k races [0/5]
48. Bungie jump or go sky diving
49. Get three people to make a 101 in 1001 [0/3]
50. Vote in every election
51. Walk or ride my bike to work at least 50 times [0/50]
52. Cook once a week (when I'm home)
53. Cook a new recipe once a month
54. Make my own recipe
55. Hide a geocache with something valuable in it
56. Watch a sunrise with someone I love
57. Spend an entire night in Jolly Pirate with a friend
58. Help people I don't know solve five problems on IRC [0/5]
59. Visit two friends that are not brothers each summer [0/2] [0/2] [0/2]
60. Visit two friends that are brothers each summer [0/2] [0/2] [0/2]
61. See a tornado
62. Keep in touch with my friends that graduate
63. Stay off Facebook for a week
64. Help someone who's car has broken down on the side of the road
65. Attend every class for a quarter
66. Randomly go to Vegas for a weekend
67. Party with another SigEp chapter
68. Make a major improvement to the SigEp house
69. Grow a beard
70. Reach level 80
71. Spend no money on my credit card one month
72. Pay for the person behind me at a toll booth
73. Read the Bible cover to cover
74. Invest in a company I don't already have stock in, and follow it
75. Feed a bum
76. Buy all my friends shots when they turn 21
77. Exclusively use a Unix based operating system for everything except gaming
78. Go to ten Reds games [0/10]
79. Go to four Bengals games [0/4]
80. Buy something from Woot!
81. Sell ten items online [0/10]
82. Keep a clean room for three months
83. Video tape myself on a party night
84. Grow my own peppers
85. Make my blog good enough that I get 100 people to follow it [1/100]
86. Go on a spring break trip
87. Get into the habit of reading the newspaper in the mornings
88. Renew an old friendship
89. Visit my sister at the college she chooses to attend
90. Visit a friend out of state
91. Go trick or treating with a friend
92. Watch an entire series of two TV shows [0/2]
93. Collect a full deck of cards from Pabst tops
94. Own a Blackberry
95. Go on a random road trip
96. Get rid of a subscription I don't really need
97. Play ultimate in the rain
98. Solve fifty Project Euler problems [1/50]
99. Do something suggested by somebody else
100. Do another thing suggested by somebody else
101. Make another 101 in 1001 list for the next 1001 days

Progress: 0/101 (0%)

It's Sunday at The Masters!

2009-04-12T09:54:00.002-04:00

Over the past several days I've been very fortunate to get to attend my fourth Masters tournament in Augusta. This year has been a little different though, with the new entrance being set up, breakfast being served on the course, and different golfers. However, the biggest difference that has happened this year is who I came down with. This year I came down with several of my friends from school, instead of how it has been in past years (going with family). It has been a lot of fun being the one "in the know" this year and sharing the traditions of Augusta National with our guests.

Overall this has been a really fun year. We left at 8 AM on Thursday from Ada and drove to Middletown where we switched cars and headed out towards South Carolina. We stopped in Spartanburg for the night, getting back on the road towards Augusta around 9 the next day. On Friday, we met Aunt Vickie and Uncle Mark at the church we always meet at a little after noon and Baird and I headed onto the course. We walked the front 9, watching the golfers as we went. It was neat that we got to see Gary Player, the black knight, play part of his last round at Augusta. On Saturday, Baird and I had the morning shift while Frazer and Rob took the afternoon... we woke up at 5:30 AM to get to the course in time to place chairs at the number 12 tee, right in Amen Corner. We then walked the back 9, getting to see the entire course, and sat in the hole 4 grandstands until it was time to switch the badges.

Today, we got up early again in order to get our chairs set up, this time on the number 7 green, a beautiful spot that allows you to watch the players come up 7, and putt there, as well as watch them tee off on number 3, come in on number 2, and watch their second shot on number 8, a lot of action for not having to move at all. We are switching the badges in about an hour, and will be sitting in that spot all day, I'm pretty excited as it is a place that I haven't really gotten to enjoy much of in the past years. There are also some awesome pairings that will be coming through, including Tiger and Phil, two of my favorite golfers.

All in all, this has been a great year at Augusta National for me. We have gotten three days of gorgeous weather, gotten to see some great golf, and gotten to spend time with some good friends. I'm so thankful that my grandparents have given me the opportunity to attend the Masters, and hope I have the opportunity again in the future. I also am really thankful for my Uncle Mark who last year taught me a lot about the course the two days we were here.

Review: LaTosta Lightweight Laptop Stand

2009-04-09T07:25:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

All laptops generate heat, much like every other computer. However, adding additional cooling to a laptop is a lot harder than to a desktop computer. To help cool laptops, companies have begun to produce laptop coolers. Typically they are large plastic devices with fans in them to help actively cool the underside of a laptop. The LaTosta is different, however. Instead of a plastic bed to place the laptop on, the Laptop Stand is made out of two metal clips that help elevate the back side of the laptop in a very minimalist fashion, as I will show you later in the review.

Review: Evercool Hermes Notebook Cooler

2009-03-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Laptops are fast becoming one of life's necessities. Many people are even beginning to use them in place of a normal desktop computer by leaving them on their desk 24/7. However, running a laptop full power day after day can really begin to wear on it. One way to help reduce the amount of wear on it is to use a laptop cooler to help whisk away some of the heat that the internal components generate. Pretty much every company that has made a cooling device for a computer or a mobile accessory has made a cooler to help preform this task. The bottom line is to reduce the operating temperatures to try and enhance the lifespan of the components contained in that plastic and metal enclosure. Manufacturers have continued to come up with innovative and functional solutions to do just that. The Hermes from EVERCOOL is one such cooler. The wing design looks appealing, but the question is how will it perform against the competition?

Review: Chieftec AEGIS Full Tower

2009-02-01T23:43:00.001-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

A lot of times, the case for a computer is a secondary thought. However, the case, in addition to looking cool, can provide several other benefits, like noise reduction and cooling. By the same token, however, a case may not have any of these benefits, or even worse. Every component in a computer generates heat, including the major contributors like the CPU, GPU, and hard drives. The size of the case is also something that should be taken into consideration, as the more expansion cards you have and the more hard drives you have, the larger a case you will need.

This case, the AEGIS, is made by Chieftec, a company that prides themselves on "always bettering themselves." This case is the full tower version of the AEGIS, meaning it has more drive bays and more expansion slots than the typical mid tower case. While the mid tower didn't get a great review, hopefully the full tower performs better.

Review: Chieftec AEGIS Mid Tower

2009-01-20T23:42:00.001-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

All computer cases are created equal, right? Actually, wrong. When you are building your own computer, most people just skip over the case and get one that is cheap or one that they think looks cool. This isn't always what is best though. A computer case has many functions beside the basic "sit and look cool." For instance, a computer case can drastically change your temperatures on all your components: hard drives, RAM, CPU, and GPU are the big ones. Also, a computer case can have a large effect on how much noise you can hear from the internal components like fans and hard drives - pretty much anything that spins. Since the case is used to house your components, the size of the case and how many expansion slots it has available is something that needs to be taken into consideration. Pretty much any self proclaimed cooling expert or modding expert out there will agree, all cases are not created equal.

Now this is where the Chieftec AEGIS mid tower case comes in. With Chieftec's promise of "always bettering themselves," I expect a case that preforms well in all areas. The feature list is amazing, and hopefully it all works, as I will be testing each and every piece. I'm pretty excited to give this case a shot at glory, so lets get right into the testing.

Review: Super Talent Pico-E 8GB

2008-12-31T23:39:00.000-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

As computers have aged, files have gotten larger, and people have come up with alternative ways to store data. Of course, there are still hard drives, which are nice, but are not very mobile. There are CD-Rs which are mobile, but can only be written to once in most cases. However, many people now use USB thumb drives. These little guys can carry huge amounts of data rivalling a double layer DVD, and even in some cases, a Blu-Ray disc.

Today, we will be looking at a certain USB thumb drive. It is the Super Talent Pico-E, which is an 8GB drive. This drive is very small and only has the "half USB" connector as I like to call it. It also has a shiny finish. Super Talent makes a lot of other drives though, including an eco-friendly one and one that can be dunked in a glass of water, which have been reviewed by OverclockersClub before. These drives will be compared to the Pico-E later in the review.

Review: Asus My Cinema-PHC3-100/NAQ/FM/AV/RC TV Tuner

2008-10-30T23:37:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Television has been around for a long time, much longer than computers. However, it turns out that TV and computers complement each other very nicely. Who hasn't wanted to record a TV show on their computer so they could watch it later, or rewind a program to hear the punch line of a joke or see an instant replay of your favorite football team? Other people just don't have a lot of room available to them and would like to watch TV on their computer. While most computers don't come with the ability to do this, you can get an add-on card to allow you to connect a cable signal or antenna signal to your computer and tune in to any channels you have access to.

One such TV Tuner is the Asus My Cinema-PHC3-100/NAQ/FM/AV/RC (which from now on I'll simply refer to as the Asus My Cinema, even though this refers to an entire product line) which is a PCI card that can tune in FM radio as well as digital and analog TV signals. This is truly an all-in-one package, as it comes with a remote, as well as some software to make your experience complete. The software will let you tune in channels, record television, and watch TV on your Windows Vista sidebar. A final benefit that I will mention here is that the card also serves as a hardware MPEG2 encoder, releasing some of the stress off your CPU and onto the card.

Review: MSI N9800GT

2008-10-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

It used to be that if you needed a new video card there were only a few choices to choose from. There would be the ultra high end card, the mid range card, and the card for people who want to save money. While these same categories exist today, there are many more cards that fit into each category. This is great for the consumer because now we can weigh what features we want and have a smooth gradient of options to choose from, anywhere from the inexpensive cards to the 600 dollar cards that double as a room heater.

The MSI N9800GT is one card that fits into the mid range category, even though it has a high end name. The N9800GT has all the features of a 9000 series card and is based on the G92b chipset which is made on a 55nm fab. This card will support DirectX 10, however it is not entirely DirectX 10.1 compliant. With a core clock speed of 600MHz and a memory clock speed of 900MHz, this card is already pretty fast. It has 754million transistors which eat up 105watts of power, enough to run a normal house lightbulb. The question that this review will answer is whether or not that 105watts of power is worth it or if it is better spent on other hardware.

Review: ATP ToughDrive

2008-08-13T23:33:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

USB drives today are like floppies of yesterday. We use them for everything, from moving small files from one computer to another, to storing applications that are customized to your liking. Almost everyone has one, and there are many different options for them. You can get them in all sorts of colors, from many different companies, and with very different styles - just like the floppies of yesteryear came in different colors.

ATP has produced a set of drives called the ToughDrive. The particular version of the drive I am reviewing is camouflaged, 2GB in size, and has a key ring included. Additionally, the ToughDrive is advertised as waterproof and shock proof, making it ideal for people who are on the go, and need something durable to store their data. The modest 2GB size is enough for most people, and its small physical size keeps the option to put it on a key ring open.

Review: Tagan Icy Box IB-3218 Series

2008-08-03T23:31:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Everyone needs more and more storage, and as files get larger, our smaller drives get less effective. After all, who wants to install a drive that can only store several movies or a vacation's worth of photos? On the other hand, something that is becoming very handy is the ability to take hard drives with you to work, a friend's house, or on vacation. This portability allows many forms of media to be shared, company secrets to be encrypted and sent long distances, and games and applications to be run on computers other than your own - without losing your settings.

The Tagan Icy Box is a device that will allow you to knock down both of those birds with one stone. It is an external hard drive enclosure that uses a JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) setup. This allows you to connect 2 drives, no matter what capacity, and they will show up in your OS as one physical volume. Not only is it portable, but it is also a nice way to combine multiple smaller capacity drives into one larger drive. Let's take a close look at it and see how it performs.

Review: Eagle Consus

2008-07-30T23:22:00.001-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

As files become larger and larger, our need for storage expands, and with that, our need for mobile storage. It used to be acceptable to carry around several floppy disks, which would allow you to keep small files on them. Now, however, we want to have the ability to carry around music, movies, and pictures to show to our families and friends. As you probably know, most of these files would be way too big for a floppy disk, and some might even be too big for a USB flash storage device or a writable DVD. This is where mobile hard drives come in to play. They allow you to carry all your largest files around in a pretty convenient package.

The Eagle Consus is one such setup, which will allow you to have tons of mobile storage at your fingertips. The Consus is an external enclosure, which means that it allows you to fit your own hard drive in it. It includes all the electronics to support data to be transferred over USB, even though the hard drive you use isn't. This means that how much storage, and how fast the storage is, is mostly up to you. This particular model allows connection to your computer via USB 2.0, is fanless, and supports Macintosh computers, as well as Windows based ones out of the box. Linux support isn't advertised, but probably isn't too hard, as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty.

Review: BenQ G2400W

2008-07-15T23:17:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

If you are visiting this website, or any website, you will probably agree that computers are a great tool for doing work, having fun, and learning. However, without a monitor, our home computers become nothing more than number crunchers. A good monitor can make the difference between being able to enjoy using your computer to getting a headache after using it for 15 minutes. As monitors become larger and larger, more things are possible. More realistic and immersive gaming environments start to pop out, the ability to see a lot more data, and, of course, larger high definition movies. While we look for larger and larger monitors, however, we cannot forget quality. The difference between a high quality monitor and one that just downright stinks can make the difference in whether you enjoy working at your computer or not.

Today, I am going to be taking a close look at the BenQ G2400W, a 24" widescreen monitor that runs at a resolution of 1920x1200, which is slightly over the Full HD specification (which comes in at 1920x1080 resolution). A monitor this big needs a pretty large amount of bandwidth to display everything without losing data, and because of that, it supports DVI and HDMI. However, if you have a computer with VGA output, there is no reason to fear as there is a VGA port as well. With a monitor larger than some TVs that supports over 1080p, it should be a joy to use and I am excited to put it through its paces.

Time Warner Metering

2008-06-15T16:02:00.009-04:00

If you like this, consider Digging it... the more people that see this, the better!

I keep seeing articles about Time Warner beginning to test the implementation of metered internet and figured that maybe it was time to give a call to Time Warner and let them know what I think. It took be about an hour and a half before I was finally able to talk to someone who was able to help me, but I think it was absolutely worth it.

Now, the reason that I am writing this blog post is because I want everyone who enjoys being able to watch their favorite movies and TV shows on line, enjoys the luxury of working from home over a VPN, enjoys learning about some of the most obscure stuff you can find, enjoys downloading software packages, and enjoys doing anything else the internet has to offer to call your ISP and tell them that you will be taking your monthly business elsewhere if you are forced into using metered internet. It doesn't matter if you have no other options in your area, it doesn't matter if you don't live in Beaumont, Texas (where Time Warner is currently testing their metered internet service), and it doesn't matter if you won't be affected by the metering because you would be under the cap anyways (in fact, it is extra important that people in this situation call). Just do it. My actual phone call only took half an hour and that was after they put me through a series of redirects. It's not hard, and it is helping take a small step forward to keep our ISPs from taking a giant step back.

Here is the Time Warner phone number to call:

877-317-7766

If you call that number, you are going to have to have an account with Time Warner or RoadRunner, tell them that you are calling because you have a service complaint about metered internet, they should send you to someone in accounts or accounting or something like that. All you have to say there is that you are concerned about the possibility of Time Warner going to a metered internet model. When I called, after I told them why I was concerned the lady asked me a simple question: "If Time Warner forced you to use a metered layout, would you continue using our service?" I gave her a simple answer back... "no." Thats all you need to do. So is it worth it to you?

If you have another service provider and want me to add their number to the above list, please let me know and I will get it up there right away. Likewise, if you know any extensions that go straight to any high ups at these places, let me know and I will add those too.

Thanks for reading. I hope you decide to do the right thing and act.

----- UPDATE -----
Someone on Reddit provided a list of some providers and how to get straight to talking with someone. I have no idea if any of these work, but if your ISP is listed, it might be worth a try.

America Online F 800‑827‑6364 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

AT&T Worldnet F 800‑400‑1447 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

Bellsouth FastAccess DSL F 888‑321‑2375 Press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 2, ignoring messages.

CompuServe F 800‑848‑8990 Press 1211.

Earthlink F 888‑327‑8454 Press 1; press 0 at each prompt thereafter, ignoring messages.

Hughesnet F 866‑347‑3292 Press 2. Juno F 888‑839‑5866 Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.

MSN F 800‑386‑5550 Say "agent" at each prompt, until offered a representative; say "yes."

Netscape F 866‑541‑8233 Press 000.

NetZero F 866‑841‑1442 Press #### at each prompt, ignoring messages.

People PC F 800‑736‑7537 @ Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

SBC DSL support F 877‑722‑3755 Say "sales".

Sprint Broadband Direct F 888‑996‑0001 Press 00.

Time Warner Road Runner 877‑318‑8333 Direct to human.

Verizon DSL F 800‑567‑6789 Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages.

Verizon FiOS F 888‑553‑1555 At prompt say "operator"; at prompt say "yes"; at prompt say "operator"; at prompt say "yes."

I know some of these ISPs aren't currently thinking about metering, but it might still be worth a call to tell them you don't want to see them rolling it out or letting them know you appreciate the fact that they are not considering it.

Review: Corsair Flash Voyager 32GB

2008-05-28T23:14:00.001-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Not that long ago, people were transferring files between computers on small capacity floppy disks. These floppies were then replaced by CDs and DVDs, and now flash storage. Flash storage has been around for a while now and has always been increasing in capacity. Flash drives have many benefits, including speed and size, and open new doors like putting live bootable operating systems and very large files on them. The possibilities are endless with this much space.

The Corsair Flash Voyager 32GB is absolutely huge. Corsair's Flash Voyager series has gained a large following because of how rugged they are, and they come in a large variety of sizes. They are also water resistant so you can do a large range of activities and be assured of your data's safety. With a flash drive this big, you can always have your information with you wherever you go.

Review: Vizo Mini Ninja Notebook Cooler

2008-05-01T23:13:00.001-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

A lot of people these days are getting laptops instead of desktops. While a laptop has many benefits over the desktop computer, it also has its drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is heat. A desktop computer has plenty of room to allow air to flow around all the components and enough room to house a large heatsink. Laptops on the other hand, have very limited space because of their mobile nature. This limited space in turn limits air flow, which causes the temperature inside the computer to rise, causing unstable conditions for your laptop.

Devices like the Vizo Mini Ninja have been made to help combat these rising temperatures. These devices typically raise the laptop off the surface of your desk and have fans to increase the airflow around the bottom of the chassis. These combined measures can do wonders to drop the temperature of your laptop, but some do better jobs at it than others. Lets see how the Vizo Mini Ninja performs.

Review: Vizo Propeller System Cooler

2008-04-25T23:10:00.001-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

All computers since the beginning of their history have had to face the problem of heat. This heat can force computers to run at a slower speed or less efficiently than they otherwise might, and in extreme cases, could cause the computers to stop functioning all together. Knowing this, people who build computers, and even more so people who overclock computers, need to be conscious of this heat and take steps to reduce the heat in their systems. Many products have been made to help with this.

One of these products is the Vizo Propeller. The idea with the Propeller is not a new one but is still a pretty cool idea. It works by occupying an empty expansion slot in your case and then uses a turbine style fan to expel air out of the case. The design is very similar to a scaled down version of what is seen now on high end video cards.

Review: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DQ6

2008-04-10T23:05:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

There are many components that are included in a complete computer system, all of which are required for proper operation. However, there is one component that allows all of the other parts to interface with one another. This component is, of course, the motherboard. Motherboards allow the RAM, CPU, video card, hard drive(s), and everything else to talk to each other. As time has gone along, certain improvements have been made to motherboards, such as using solid capacitors, including power saving features, and providing the ability to modify almost any setting that controls voltage, bus speeds, etc.

The Gigabyte GA EX38-DQ6 is one of Gigabyte's higher end motherboards that uses Intel's X38 chipset. The motherboard has many features, including Blu-Ray and HD DVD audio support (and 7.1 + 2 channel output), 2Gigabit LAN (via Teaming), Ultra Cool Silent Pipe technology, ultra durable capacitors, chokes, and MOSFETs, and dynamic energy saving. Specially designed for 45nm processors, the EX38-DQ6 can run any Core 2 processor and can push the FSB up to 1600MHz and will push DDR2 RAM to 1200 MHz. In this review I am going to go through and look at and test every part of this motherboard thoroughly so you can know if it is the motherboard for you.

Review: Rosewill Notebook Cooler RNA-7000W

2008-04-08T22:57:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Laptops are amazing machines that pack a lot of punch in a small package and as a result, they get very hot. Depending on how much you know about computers, you may or may not know that heat can cause your computer to run in a very unstable way and reduce the life of the many components used to make it run. To combat this in a traditional computer, people can buy heatsinks, water cooling systems, or increase their airflow through the case. However, none of those solutions are very practical on a laptop, so an alternate solution has surfaced. This solution is to place fans underneath the laptop to increase airflow around it. This is in the hope that this increased airflow can move the old, hot air out of the way, for cooler air to come in contact with the chassis and cool the components inside.

The Rosewill RNA-700W Notebook Cooler does just this. With two small fans that are powered by USB under a solid aluminum stand, air flow can be increased to the bottom of the chassis, cooling it the laptop and the components inside. Also, the notebook cooler is tilted at a slight angle which allows for the Rosewill to serve a second purpose, which is to improve the ergonomics of the keyboard. Lets take a closer look at the Rosewill and see how much the temperatures drop.

Review: Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse

2008-03-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

When it comes to playing a FPS game or taking advantage of the UI elements of your operating system and programs, a standard mouse is what most people use. They have been around forever and, to most people, are nothing special. However, to the enthusiasts and gamers, a mouse can mean a lot. Factors like DPI, number of buttons and the ability to customize it, are meaningful terms that can make the difference in your mouse choice. Although those are all important, companies that produce mice don't talk much about real world performance and comfort in a realistic way, and that is exactly what this review intends to do. Hopefully by reading this review, you will get a good idea of the real world performance that this mouse provides.

The Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse is one of Saitek's new high end gaming mice. Saitek claims that this is the first 3200 DPI mouse - a very impressive feat. The GM3200 also sports many features along the lines of user customization; for example, the weight of the mouse can be changed by adding or removing small weights and the amount of friction can be changed by flipping the feet of the mouse over. These features sound pretty exciting and will be looked at in-depth over the next couple of pages.

Review: Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini (250Gb)

2008-03-11T00:31:00.001-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

One of the problems that has plagued the modern computer since its introduction in the 1930s is the issue of storage. As time went on, people invented devices to help solve this problem and one of these devices is the ever familiar hard drive. These hard drives started out holding about 5 megabytes, which isn't much by today's standards, but a huge amount by the 1960 standards - almost as huge as the drive physically was. Now we have similar drives that hold much more. So much more, in fact, that most people won't ever be able to fill one up. However, with the introduction of online music and movie stores as well as the introduction of high definition video, the computer or media enthusiast might find that their hard drive just isn't holding quite enough. Many of the people who frequent Overclockersclub.com might just jump and buy a new, high capacity, internal drive without even thinking of an external like the drive I will be reviewing. This is a silly mistake though as an external drive, which can have capacities matching even the best internals, has many benefits, including the ability to take your data with you to wherever you might be, and also the ease of install.

The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini is one such external hard drive. It is incredibly small, only a little bit bigger than my iPod, and can hold 250 gigabytes (Gb). There is also a 160Gb version that you can currently buy according to your needs. The drive has only one cable to connect: a USB cable that gives the drive its power and also provides the data link. Because of this, you will need a powered USB port or a powered USB hub. All of this sounds just great, but lets take a closer look at how the drive looks and preforms!

Review: Lapworks Attaché Laptop Stand

2008-03-11T00:24:00.001-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

As laptops keep getting smaller and smaller, the insides of the laptops get hotter and hotter. While the companies that produce the components used in the laptops keep trying to make these components use less electricity and run cooler, there is still a long way to go especially when it is no easy feat to make something both smaller and cooler. The heat that these components generate is not good for them and can decrease the lifespan of your laptop, so taking every measure that you can is a responsible action. To do this, most people buy laptop coolers which typically try to increase airflow around the laptop. Like all products, these laptop coolers all sport different feature sets and preform differently. Hopefully, through this review, you will be able to choose a laptop cooler that fits your needs.

The Lapworks Attaché Laptop Stand is one laptop cooler that you might consider. This cooler is made out of Aluminum and has two small fans embedded in the surface of it. There is also a USB hub which can help you have the ability to plug a few more USB devices into your laptop. While the Attaché cools the laptop, there is also a second benefit that it aims to provide: ergonomics. The bottom of the Attaché can be raised to several different heights depending on how your laptop is set up. Some settings make it more comfortable to type, while others make it easier to see. All these features will be discussed in depth in the following review, so if you are interested in making your laptop last longer and protecting your body from unnecessary strain, read on!

Review: Saitek GM2400 Laser Mouse

2008-03-08T23:58:00.004-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Computer mice have been around since the 1980's and most people reading this site probably remember the first generation of mice that they used. Yes, I'm talking about the horrid ball mice. Thankfully, most of us no longer use a ball mouse, but rather an optical mouse that instead of "feeling" the user's movement, "sees" it. Since its inception, optical mice have become more and more complex and powerful, which is good for everyone, and especially gamers. With the newer laser mice of the past few years, more and more accurate pointing is possible, making it easier and easier for you to get the ever beloved headshot. Since getting the right mouse can mean the difference between being the hunter and being the hunted in many games, it is a very important decision, and through reading this and other reviews, you should be able to get a very good idea of what mouse could be your weapon of choice.

The Saitek GM2400 Laser Mouse is one of Saitek's newer, high end mice. A laser driver allows the mouse to reach a resolution of 2400 DPI and is adjustable on the fly. An ergonomic design gives you comfortable access to six configurable buttons that are along the sides and top of the mouse. A combination of using lightweight material and using PTFE feet allows the mouse to slide along pretty much any surface. I plan on testing all these features of the GM2400 in this review and hope that it can help you make an informed decision about what mouse will be your new pointing device.

Review: NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler

2008-02-23T12:46:00.001-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

The laptops these days keep getting smaller and smaller and the components inside them get more and more powerful. While the components in the laptop are getting more efficient as the years pass, they still generate a lot of heat and when they are confined to such a small space, the heat really builds up, which is bad for the components and can be uncomfortable for the user as well. Only small fans help the laptop by itself expel the hot air out of the casing. People have noticed this heat issue and have been designing products to assist your laptop cool itself down. Over the years these have become more advanced and feature rich.

The NZXT Cryo LX is one such laptop cooling device. This laptop cooler has three 120mm fans housed in it, more than some computers have, and is tilted upwards to make the keyboard more comfortable to type on than if it were flat on your desk. As a bonus feature, there are some USB ports on the back. USB is used for a lot of today's electronics and it always seems like there just aren't enough ports. With the Cryo LX, you can plug in up to four additional USB devices, as long as they don't pull too much power. Join me now as I take an in depth look at the NZXT Cryo LX.

Review: mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb iPod Dock

2008-02-11T12:44:00.002-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

iPods have exploded in popularity over the past several years and coming with them has been a slew of accessories, ranging from battery packs to speaker systems. Like all products, however, there are ones that perform above and beyond what they are supposed to do and there are others that are just a waste of money. It is really helpful to know which ones are good before you go out and buy them, and this is the goal of this review.

The mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb is an iPod dock sporting 2.1 audio (2 main speakers and 1 main subwoofer). Having 2.1 usually means that sounds should be crisper with bass that hits harder than the similar units that integrate all sounds into one speaker. Unlike many iPod docks, however, this one only plays music from an iPod or other auxiliary source (via a headphone jack), but allows the docked iPod to be connected to your computer (and thus iTunes or whatever other program you use to maintain your iPod). Let's take a look at how these features really work and if they are worth it!

Review: Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator

2008-01-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Headsets are a hard thing to shop for. Unlike a graphics card, which has a definite speed and feature set, headsets are pretty subjective. Yes, you usually see the dynamic range of the headset, if they are closed or open ear, and if they have an inline volume control. After that, however, you get some features that you really have no idea what effect they will have. Does it really matter if the connector is gold plated? What does having a neodymium magnet driver mean? And are these features worth an extra $30 or $40? That makes reviews like this one essential tools in aiding you with your purchase decision, and I will do my best to help you out. Headsets are very helpful in a lot of situations, and more and more games have built-in VoIP support, which makes it even easier to communicate and strategize with your teammates. A headset should be in every gamer's toolbox.

The Razer Piranha headset boasts several features that everyone should like. Some of these features are the 18-22,000 Hz dynamic range (well outside the human audible range), the ability to use it with either 1/8th inch inputs/outputs or USB, and an inline volume control. Some other features that it boasts are braided fiber cable protection, 32 Ohm impedance, and a single-sided cable for "hassle free usage." These are the features that make people wonder if they're really necessary or not. Let's take a look at how the Razer Piranha stands up to some testing, and see if these specs really make for a great product.

Review: XFX 8600 GT Fatal1ty

2007-12-13T12:39:00.002-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Video cards are getting faster and more powerful every time you turn around, and while it is great to have the greatest and best, not everyone wants to spend upwards of five hundred dollars to buy the ultimate in performance. Many people would rather sacrifice a portion of that performance for a significantly cut price. Video card manufactures are keen to this and have always produced cards that are slightly less powerful than their flagship brethren. For nVidia, the 8600 series is this card.

The XFX 8600 GT Fatal1ty card aims to provide an amazing experience, complete with Direct X 10 (if you are running Vista), at a lower price than the full blown 8800 series. Carrying the name of arguably the most famous professional gamer, Fatal1ty, The XFX 8600 GT Fatal1ty does not leave much out, packing many similar features as the higher class cards, such as PureVideo HD, HDCP capability, and full 128-bit HDR. Other 8600 GT cards have done well in the past with our benchmarks, so lets see how the 8600 GT Fatal1ty stacks up!

Review: Ultra Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler

2007-11-29T12:34:00.001-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Almost every component in a computer generates some amount of heat and usually this heat can, and will, hinder the performance of your computer. Usually when you hear about heat, you think of the CPU, the graphics card, or even sometimes the north bridge. But for most people, the hard drive does not come to mind right away. After all, they aren't performing millions of calculations every second. However, hard drives do spin at amazing speeds; up to ten thousand revolutions per minute, which is faster than most car engines. This spinning, coupled with the seeking for data, can generate large amounts of heat that can wind up slowing your read rate, increasing the CPU usage while accessing the drive, and, in extreme cases, cause your drive to fail. The Ultra Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler aims to help with this problem.

The Ultra Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler is a lightweight heatsink that attaches to your hard drive, giving the drive additional area for the heat to go and additional surface area for the heat to radiate off of. As the cooler's name implies, the heatsink fins are constructed of aluminum, while the cooler also utilizes an additional four heatpipes that arc across the unit. The cooler is passive, so no additional noise should be present from using this device. Let's take a more in-depth look at exactly how well the Ultra Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler performs!

Review: CoolerMaster Hyper212

2007-11-23T12:31:00.000-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

One thing that has always plagued computers is heat. The physics behind the computer is where this heat comes from, and if too much heat is present, you will see your computers performance drop, and even in extreme cases, become unusable. To battle this problem of heat, a heatsink is used. These heatsinks transfer the heat from the computer's main chip, the CPU, to itself, which has a larger surface area, allowing the heat to dissipate faster. Most heatsinks nowadays are growing larger and larger and attempting to get more and more air flowing over them. Recently, the idea of the heatpipe, a hollow pipe filled with a liquid that has a low boiling point, was introduced and a lot of heatsinks then added these to their spec sheets. What CoolerMaster did with the Hyper212 was shrink the heatsink's size but increased the number of heatpipes that run through the heatsink. While the Hyper212 does not hold the record for the number of heatpipes, it does have more than most, coming in at four. They also allow for two fans to be attached to the heatsink to add additional airflow, where most heatsinks only have one. Will these changes allow the CoolerMaster Hyper212 to outperform its larger brothers? Let's find out.

Review: Titan G5T Notebook Cooling Pad

2007-11-11T12:28:00.002-05:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Most people that use notebooks love them, even though they have several obvious flaws. Two of the most notable flaws that most notebooks have are the heat generated by them and the poor quality of the speakers. What TITAN aims to do is to address two of these flaws with one product, its G5T Notebook Cooling Pad. The G5T uses USB audio to power two speakers, both of which the notebook rests on to elevate the bottom of the notebook, allowing for increased airflow under the chassis.

Review: Logitech Quick Cam Pro for Notebooks

2007-09-18T12:25:00.002-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Telecommunications have been evolving at a very fast pace since the invention of the telegraph. A huge shock was when Bell gave the little beeps that we call morse code, a voice. Now another shock has quietly arrived. Logitech and other manufactures are giving that voice a face. Webcams aren't anything new, but they are beginning to get a lot better. The Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks is no such exception. With the ability to take pictures up to eight megapixels and the ability to capture video at thirty frames per second, the QuickCam definitely gives its self some high expectations. Will it be able to meet these expectations in practice?

Review: Cirago Smart Mobile

2007-08-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Have you ever been on the road taking tons of pictures of a particularly beautiful landscape, when your memory card runs out of space and you dont have a spare? The Cirago Smart Mobile Storage could be just the solution to this
problem. A 7-in-1 card reader is bundled with a hard drive and a battery, to allow you to copy all the data from your flash based card and put it onto the internal hard drive - a clever solution to a problem that hasn't been very well explored. Will this hard drive enclosure / card reader be able to keep up with other external enclosures, while adding some extra functionality? Let's find out.

Review: C4 NGen

2007-08-16T22:32:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

The C4 NGen series of mouse pads integrates an old concept with a new design idea. The old concept is that of Teflon, the slick surface which almost everyone is familiar with, while the new design idea is, of course, applying Teflon to the mouse pad. Three separate items were sent for this review. The C4 NGen, a traditional mouse pad with the Teflon surface and a thin foam backing, as well as the C4 NGen04, which is just the Teflon surface with a non-slip coating on the back. The final product that was sent was a set of 30 "3/4 inch discs" that are also Teflon, which provide a Teflon-on-Teflon connection between the mouse and the mouse pad itself. Will this novel concept skid its way to the top of the pack? Or will it slide down to the bottom?

Review: Antec SpotCool

2007-08-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

People like lots of things on a stick. Ice cream, hot dogs, and...fans? Thats Antec's hope with its product, the Spotcool. This little device has a small fan on the end of a bendy stick that can screw onto several different places inside your computer. The Spotcool can then be directed to point at most components in your case to help provide some extra cooling.

Review: Logitech FreePulse Wireless headphones

2007-07-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

The week of the fourth of July is all about celebrating freedom in the United States. This year, however, I was able to celebrate in a unique way, with Logitech's FreePulse Wireless headphones. The headphones are meant to be used on the road in conjunction with an MP3 player or other portable device. However, they can also be used with any computer or other audio player, as long as a quarter inch headphone jack is present. These headphones boast that they are lightweight, comfortable and of course, wireless. Will these headphones let freedom ring?