EntriesBiostar GeForce 9600GT (V9603GT52)
This is a guest post by Jared Thomas of Overclockers Online
Manufacturer: Biostar
NVIDIA has had the performance crown in the high end market ever since they released their 8 series of video cards nearly 2 years ago. Often lost among all the hype of the high end cards are their little brothers in the middle of the pack. Our expectations were never really high for these mid level cards, but lately this has changed. Since the release of NVIDIA’s 8800GT and ATi’s 3870, you can get quite a bit of performance and features for very little. Following on the heels of the very successful 8800GT, NVIDIA has released the first card in the 9 series, the 9600GT.
Today I have the pleasure of taking Biostar’s 9600GT card for a spin around the testing block. With the release of the 9600GT, NVIDIA’s model lineup seems to get even more confusing for the average user. Where does the 9600GT stand in line when looking at performance and price? Coming in at roughly $30 cheaper than the 8800GT at launch, is your money better spent on the older series? Read on and hopefully we can answer some of these questions.
Package and Accessories
Let’s start out by exploring the box Biostar’s 9600GT comes in.
Tags: 9600GT, Biostar, GeForce, nVidia, Overclockers Online, Review
Antec Quattro Power Supply Problem – Final Update
Some of you may remember my beef with my Antec Quattro 800W power supply in which nVidia Sentinel kept warning me that my 8800GT was not getting enough power. This is technically impossible given how we loaded up the power supply with 680W worth of peltiers and it survived all the abuse in the review.
I finally got an answer from Antec and nVidia, it is not a problem with the power supply but with the nVidia drivers. If you download the newest GeForce drivers, it resolves the problem! Thank you nVidia and sorry to Antec for my false accusations. Go out and get yourself an Antec Quattro!
Tags: Antec, nVidia, PSU, Quattro
Tagan BZ900 900W
This is a guest post by Anthony Hong of Overclockers Online.
Manufacturer: Tagan
As of lately, Tagan’s BZ series of power supplies have been making quite a few waves. Tagan, in partnership with ABS Labs, or more commonly, a Newegg subsidiary have put together quite the monster of a power supply. For starters, Tagan’s BZ series comes in nothing lower than 700W and all the way up to 1300W.
Although this is Tagan’s first appearance at Overclockers Online, they are by no means new to the power supply scene. Since the unlikely beginnings found at a Computex dinner party, their presence has grown far beyond simply power supplies to include high performance cases and drive enclosures.
Tagan’s BZ power supplies, or ‘Below Zero’ series are cooled by a single massive 13.5cm LED fan. Today we will be looking at Tagan’s brand new BZ900, a unit that simply does not shy away boasting 900W of clean, solid, and efficient power.
Tags: 900W, Overclockers Online, Power Supply, Review, Tagan
Silvertone KL02 Case
This post was written for Overclockers Online by Jared Thomas.
Manufacturer: SilverStone
Silverstone has long been a company known for their high quality full tower cases and elegant home theater PC cases. While their Temjin series of cases always garner a lot of attention for high quality and great cooling, they also make mid tower cases for those seeking something a little, more modest in size but with the same quality.
It has been quite some time since I decided that a mid tower was not enough room and moved into a full tower case. While full tower cases offer more roomy interiors, they also are much larger on the outside and such not everyone has the room to accommodate such size in their office. Today I am taking a look at their latest in the Kublai series, the KL02B-W, aiming to offer high quality construction like the Temjin series without all of the high end features. The KL02B-W still offers a variety of unique features, read on to find out how well it all comes together.
Package
The KL02B-W comes in a black and dark blue box, matching the color style of the case itself.
On the front of the box you get an exterior view with a list of features. On the back is an exploded view with a few of the features highlighted.
Tags: case, Chassis, KL02, Overclockers Online, Review, Silverstone
Toronto Earth Hour – March 29, 2008 @ 8PM
If you haven’t heard about Earth Hour, maybe you’ve already been living under a rock without excessive use of electricity. In which case, you’ve probably done an excellent job and keeping your carbon footprint relatively small.
In Toronto, Earth Hour was considered a huge success. I was at Nathan Phillips Square when it began and I didn’t think it was that big. The lights dimmed but around the city but visible light pollution still hung in the air. There was even a single office still lit in City Hall.
In an effort to curb the use of electricity, it was reported that Toronto’s electricity demand dropped by 264 Megawatts. The equivalent of 175,000 homes turned out their lights in a city of a little over 3 million. According to the announcers at Nathan Phillips Square, that’s a participation rate of 7% for the homes in the city.
I personally thought that was low and figured Torontoians should have done better and stepped it up to 10%.
Despite me saying the buildings around NPS were not fully dimmed out like the power outage of 2003, the aerial photographs captured SaveOurClimate show a very different story.
Tags: Aerial, Earth Hour, Lights, photos, Power, Toronto
HIS Radeon HD 3450
Manufacturer: HIS Digital
HIS is one of the better known video card manufacturers when it comes to ATI-based cards. I’m sure you have seen several of their products reviewed here at Overclockers Online. Before continuing further, I must admit I am an NVIDIA fan and that this is the first ATI card I am getting my hands on in about 4 years – my last ATI card was a Radeon 9000 Pro.
In the past two years, the term “high definition” has become a household term. Video card manufacturers, such as ATI, have embraced it as well such as in the case of the Radeon HD series. In this review, we will be taking a look at the Radeon HD 3450 from HIS.
Package
HIS has opted to go with a relatively small package for the HD 3450. The front is heavily adorned with a graphic that looks like abstract art. The model name is clearly displayed, as well as HIS’s logo. Icons flaunting several features are also present. These include a sticker that says “HIS Certified 0dB Silence” in reference to the passive cooler on the card that we will take a look at shortly. Also, we can see that the 256MB DDR2 equipped, PCI-Express 2.0 based HD 3450 supports ATI CrossFireX technology, and HDMI output with 1080p “Full HD” capability. A DVI-to-HDMI adaptor is also pictured.
Tags: 3450, AMD, ATI, hightech information system, Overclockers Online, Review, video card
Zalman CNPS7500-Cu
Manufacturer: Zalman
Not too long ago I had the opportunity to try out Zalman’s newest water cooling system, the Reserator XT, and their latest heatsink aimed at the HTPC and small form factor market, the CNPS8700 LED. Today I am taking a look at one of their desktop products, the CNPS7500-CU. The 7500-CU follows suit with Zalman’s long line of ‘flower’ heatsinks and looks to continue their reputation for quality and silence. Read on to find out how their latest heatsink performs.
Package and Specifications
The packaging is pretty much identical to the packaging of the CNPS8700 LED that was reviewed earlier. You get a clear view of the heatsink inside and you are clearly told that it is compatible with the latest Intel and AMD CPU’s.
Tags: CNPS, CNPS-7500, cooler, HSF, Overclockers Online, Review, Zalman
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