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Giveaway
Windows-7

My Windows woes continue.  This time around, I have been trying to upgrade my Laptop running Windows Vista to Windows 7 Professional.  After initiating the upgrade process it would stall at 62% and give no indication as to what would cause the issue.  Well, after a bunch of research and much less hair, I have an answer for you.  Read more…

microsoft-policiestoprevent

In my efforts to get my company’s demo rooms up and running with the solutions we offer to our customers, I have been faced with numerous Windows errors and issues.  The one I have been faced with today was an error message stating “The system administrator has set policies to prevent this installation.”  However, I am the administrator and I haven’t set any policies on this machine yet! Read more…

dell

Nothing ceases to amaze me anymore.  Those of us that have relied on system manufacturers to provide us with clean systems, servers, and components “out of the box” now have a new wrinkle to iron out.  If you have spent any money on a Dell server these days you may want to check your model… and receipt. It seems Dell has shipped some of their replacement motherboards for PowerEdge R410 Rack Servers with malware code in the flash storage on the motherboard. Read more…

microsoft

I don’t understand why things just can’t seem to work seamlessly.  Especially when you are talking about Microsoft Products.  You would think that one Microsoft product would work without issue with another, and you would think that you are pretty much guaranteed that this would be the case when the Microsoft Product in question is installed through Windows Update.  Enough of the babbling and on to the point… When installing updates for Windows Server 2003, I was pimp slapped with another error “The Requested Lookup Key Was Not Found In Any Active Activation Context”.  Read more…

RF-BTCMBO2-logo

Along with the migration of the PC from the home office to the living room comes a bunch of new challenges.  Some of these challenges are simple and some are not so simple; one of my greatest challenges was controlling my HTPC from across the room.  I will not accept having a wired keyboard and mouse attached to my HTPC nor will I suffer from relying on line of site wireless devices.  With that said, a solution proposed itself in the form of the Rocketfish RF-BTCMBO2 Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse one day while I was strolling through Best Buy. Read more…

Wednesday, July 28, 2010


Posted: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:28:51 +0000

Hard Drive
WD's 7200 RPM Scorpio Black 500GB Notebook Hard Drive @ Hothardware
OCZ RevoDrive 120GB PCI-Express SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
OCZ Revo 120GB PCI Express SSD Performance Preview @ Techgage.com

Cases
NZXT Phantom Full Tower ATX Case Review @ PCPER
NZXT Phantom Case @ TechwareLabs
Aerocool VS-9 Case Review @ Club Overclocker
NZXT Phantom @ PureOverclock
Antec DF-30 Dark Fleet Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews
Enermax Volcanus Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
Thermaltake Armor A90 Review @ HardwareLogic
Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Full Tower PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Misc
Rosewill RK-800G Gaming Keyboard Review @ BURNED iN
IDAPT I3 Universal Desktop Charger Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Samsung UN55C6500 55 Inch LED TV Review @ Tweaknews
Vantec NexStar Superspeed SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter Review @ Hi Tech Legion
Geeks.com Mini USB 2.0 LED Projector Review @ OCIA.net
Cooler Master Choiix Cruiser Mouse Review @ ASE Labs
Rosewill Super Slim 2.4GHz Wireless Touchpad Keyboard Review @ Legit Reviews
AMD on StarCraftII: Anti-aliasing will come when performance is better
Cooler Master Choiix Cruiser @ PureOverclock
Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV HD Media Player Review @ Bigbruin.com
ASUS N61Jv Optimus Core i3 16-in Notebook Review
Choiix Power Fort Advanced review
Arctic Cooling C1 Mobile USB Charger with Solar Panel
HP ZR30w 30-Inch S-IPS LCD Monitor Review

Power
PC Power & Cooling 950 Mk II Power Supply @ Bjorn3D
Rosewill Libertas 800 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200 Power Supply Review

Motherboards
GIGABYTE H55N-USB3 (Intel H55 Express) Mini-ITX Motherboard
MSI P55A-GD65 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
AMD 890GX - Gigabyte vs. ASRock review in Metku.net

Cooling
Best CPU Cooler Performance Q2-2010 @ Benchmark Reviews
GELID Icy Vision Graphics Card Cooler
SilenX Extreme Efflizio Silent CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews
GPU Air Cooler Royale @ Bjorn3D
Thermaltake Frio @ techPowerUp

Video Cards
Sparkle Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 With Custom Cooler Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
NVIDIA Quadro 5000 2.5GB Fermi-based Professional Graphics Review

Memory
Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Monday, July 26, 2010


Posted: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:27:44 +0000

Cooler Master Elite 430 Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews
ASUS GTX 460 TOP 768MB @ PureOverclock
MSI Big Bang XPower Intel X58 Motherboard Review @ OCIA.net
Prolimatech Armageddon CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews
MSI Big Bang XPOWER Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

Wednesday: July 21, 2010


Posted: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:37:42 +0000

Software:

  • SRS Labs HD Audio Lab - The Ultimate PC Audio Software @ Legit Reviews


Cooling:


Cases:


Power:


Processors:
  • AMD Athlon II X4 640 CPU @ Rbmods


Video Cards:
  • Gigabyte GTX 465 1GB (GV-N465UD-1GI) @ Bjorn3D


Motherboards:
  • Gigabyte H55N-USB3 ITX Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps


Misc:
  • OC3D: Asus VG236H 3D Vision Monitor Review
  • Sumo Lounge Sway Couple Beanbag Chair Review @ Bigbruin.com
  • Motorola Droid X Cell Phone Review @Hardware Secrets
  • Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard Review @ ASE Labs

Tuesday, July 20, 2010


Posted: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:32:07 +0000

Cooling:



Storage:


Misc:
  • How to get the most out of AMD Sempron 140 CPU? @ BayReviews.com
  • TomTom XL340-S 4.3 Inch Touchscreen Portable GPS Review @ Bigbruin.com


Motherboards:

Monday, July 19, 2010


Posted: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:06:22 +0000

Cooling:



Misc:


Motherboards:


Cases:


Video Cards:


Memory:
  • OC3D: Mushkin Blackline 12GB Kit Review

Friday, July 16, 2010


Posted: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:03:20 +0000

Video Cards:

  • GalaxyGeForce GTX 460 Super OC 1GB Video Card
  • CHW.net review of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB & 768MB
  • Sapphire HD5670 Ultimate 1GB Review @ Club Overclocker
  • OC3D: nVidia GeForce GTX 460 768MB GDDR5 Review


Cases:


Misc:
  • Brando Bond Spy Sport Watch With Camera/Mic/4Gb USB Review @ Madshrimps
  • NETGEAR WNDA3100 RANGEMAX DUAL BAND Wireless N Adapter Review @ Madshrimps
  • TRENDnet TEW-691GR 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router Review @ Madshrimps


Notebooks:


Cooling:
  • Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com
  • CoolIt ECO A.L.C. CPU Cooler Review @http://www.burnedin.com/review/coolit-eco-alc-cpu-cooler

Thursday, July 15, 2010


Posted: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:58:43 +0000

Hardware:



Cooling:


Misc:

Tuesday, July 13, 2010


Posted: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:13:57 +0000

Hardware:

  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 768MB and 1GB Video Card Reviews @ Legit Reviews
  • Crucial Ballistix 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Kit with Thermal Sensor Review @ Bigbruin.com
  • Jetway NC84E-LF mITX motherboard review @ APH Networks
  • JSCO JNL-101K Noiseless Gaming Mouse @ PureOverclock
  • Silverstone Fortress Series FT02 Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews
  • Aerocool PGS Vs-9 Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
  • ASRock P55 Deluxe3 S1156 Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps

Cooling:


Software:
  • Free Alternatives to Adobe Reader for Viewing PDF's @ Techgage.com
  • Griffin iTrip Auto (2010 version) @ MaximumCPU
  • 9 Steps to Purge Your PC of Malware @ BURNED iN


Misc:

Monday: July 12, 2010


Posted: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:20:34 +0000

Hardware:
Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3-1600 @ PureOverclock
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 1 GB @ techPowerUp
NVIDIA GeForce GTX-460 768MB Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews
MSI GeForce GTX 460 Cyclone OC 768 MB @ techPowerUp
NVIDIA GeForce GTX-460 1GB Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews
AXLE GeForce GTX 468 768 MB @ techPowerUp
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Debut: ZOTAC, EVGA @ HotHardware.com
OCZ Vertex 2 50GB Solid State Drive Review @ OCIA.net
MSI GeForce GTX 460 Cyclone OC 1 GB @ http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_460_Cyclone_OC_1_GBtechPowerUp

Cooling:
Zalman VF3000A VGA Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

Misc:
Diamond HD Media Wonder - Mini HD Media Player Review @ Hi Tech Legion

Friday, July 9, 2010


Posted: Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:30:47 +0000

Hardware:
Antec Sonata Proto Case @ TechwareLabs
Amacrox Free Earth 88PLUS 600 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
Fractal Design Array @ techPowerUp
Asus ARES Dual Radeon HD 5870 4GB Review @ HotHardware.com
Corsair Force F120 SSD @ PureOverclock
Antec DF-35 Dark Fleet Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews
Chenboro ES34169 mITX Sever Chassis @ TechwareLabs

Cooling:
OC3D: Nexus VCT-9000 Silent Cooler Review
ProlimatechArmageddon @ Bjorn3D

Misc:
Thecus N2200 Review - Your ideal home NAS? @ Madshrimps
Logitech HD C510 Webcam @ Rbmods
ASUS Cine5 5-Channel Speaker Review @ ThinkComputers.org
QNAP TS-859 Pro @ techPowerUp

Repairing a Broken GRUB 2 Boot-Loader on Ubuntu @ Techgage


Posted: Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:35:09 +0000

There's no question that GRUB 2 brought on numerous improvements over earlier versions, but it also introduced a small downside... a relative overhaul to how things are done. There are no more menu.1st (or similar) files that keep a simple configuration, nor are all of the commands the exact same at the command-line. You might have been an expert with GRUB 0.x, but you'll still face a small learning-curve with GRUB 2.

http://techgage.com/news/repairing_a_broken_grub_2_boot-loader_on_ubuntu/

Thursday, July 8, 2010


Posted: Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:25:45 +0000

Hardware:
MSI H55M-ED55 LGA 1156 Micro ATX Motherboard Review
Super Talent USB 3.0 Express Drive Flash Drive Review @ Tweaknews
SilverStone PS05 Midtower Case Review @ OCIA.net
AMD Athlon-II X4-640 Processor @ Benchmark Reviews
OC3D: HIS Radeon HD 5550 1GB GDDR3 Review
Vantec NexStar 2.5" SuperSpeed USB 3.0 @ techPowerUp
Thermaltake BlacX Duet Review @ ASE Labs
Aerocool V12XT-600 Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
SilverStone Precision PS05 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
REVIEW: ASUS P6X58D-E @ PureOverclock
G.Skill Phoenix Pro SandForce SSD Test @ Benchmark Reviews
Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Full Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Sapphire HD 5550 Ultimate Edition Videocard Review @ Tweaknews
ASUS ARES 4 GB @ techPowerUp
OCZ Technology 50GB Vertex 2 Solid State Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com

Cooling:
Cooler Master HAF-X @ PureOverclock
Evercool Transformer 4 CPU Cooler Review @ BayReviews.com
NZXT Sentry LXE Touch-Screen Fan Controller @ Techgage.com
Prolimatech Samuel 17 @ PureOverclock
Cooler Master V6GT CPU Cooler @ Benchmark Reviews
HIS HD 5770 IceQ 5 Turbo 1GB @ Viperlair
Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 @ Bjorn3D

Misc:
NZXT Sentry LX Aluminum High Performance LCD Display Review @ Real World Labs
Asus ENGTX465 (GTX-465) Voltage Tweak Edition @ Bjorn3D
Android 2.2 Review: A Deep, Delicious Dive Into Froyo @ HotHardware.com
Diamond HD Media Wonder - Full HD Media Player Review @ Hi Tech Legion
iPod Touch 3rd Generation Review @ Hardware Secrets
Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 500GB Portable Hard Drive Review @ OCIA.net

Home Theater Desktops? Bah, I Say! Why notebooks are the answer.


Posted: Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:27:22 +0000

Quote

It wasn't until a friend brought over an HDMI-equipped laptop that I realized the solutions to my home theater problems could have been in my lap all along. My own laptop at the time, an older Lenovo R series, was obviously not built with media playback in mind. It stuttered when playing 1080P Youtube videos and had nothing more advanced than a VGA output. My friend's laptop, however, had HDMI, and was able to play back streaming 1080P HD video without a single issue. It could do everything that my dedicated HTPC could do but it was portable, made less noise, and took up less space. And yet it was nothing special - just a Core 2 Duo laptop with Nvidia mobile graphics.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=949


This is an interesting take on the HTPC. Although I feel differently, it is a good read.

Wednesday: July 7, 2010


Posted: Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:04:33 +0000

Hardware:
Logitech G9x Laser Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews
OCZ Enyo 128GB USB 3.0 Portable SSD @ Techgage.com
Axle Radeon HD 5450 @ Rbmods
Nexus Edge @ PureOverclock
Cooler Master Elite 430 Black Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
AXLE RADEON HD 5450 512MB GDDR3 Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
Athlon II X4 640 vs. Core i3 530 CPU Review @ Hardware Secrets
Rosewill RX358 3.5" USB 3.0 Enclosure @ techPowerUp
Axle Geforce GT 220 Videocard Review @ Tweaknews
Diamond ATI TV Wonder HD750 Review @ Hi Tech Legion
In Win Dragon Slayer M-ATX Case Review @ HardwareLook.com
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R: USB 3.0, SATA 6G @ HotHardware.com
ASRock Core-100HT Intel i3-330M HTPC @ Benchmark Reviews
ASUS Xonar DX2 Sound Card Review @ ThinkComputers.org
OC3D: Corsair Dominator GT 1600MHz AM3 Review

Misc:
LapWorks iPad Recliner Review @ Virtual-Hideout
Synology DS210+ Network Attached Storage @ TechwareLabs

Cooling:
Scythe Musashi VGA Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
Dynatron Genius G950 CPU Cooler Review

Friday, July 7, 2010


Posted: Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:10:55 +0000

Hardware:
MSI 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard @ Bjorn3D
Cooler Master Storm Scourt Case Review @ BURNED iN
OC3D: Asus Ares hands on WORLD FIRST
iXBT Labs Review: Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 Motherboard
Corsair Reactor R60 SSD Test @ Benchmark Reviews
Roccat Pyra Mouse @ Rbmods
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.80 GHz @ techPowerUp

Cooling:
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 Heatsink Review @ OCIA.net
Anatomy of Computer Fans @ Hardware Secrets

Misc:
Choiix Comforter Lapdesk Review @ BayReviews.com
Sonos ZonePlayer S5 Multi-Room Music System Review @ Hardware Secrets
PlayClaw - Has FRAPS' Killer Arrived? @ Techgage.com

Wednesday Morning: June 30, 2010


Posted: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:54:37 +0000

Hardware:
Silverstone SST PS05 Review - XSReviews
ASUS Radeon 5870 V2 @ PureOverclock
Xigmatek Utgard Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews
ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 Motherboard Review @ Bigbruin.com
Vantec NexStar CX SuperSpeed USB 3.0 external drive enclosure @ TechwareLabs
Sunbeamtech Air Box USB 3.0 External HDD Enclosure Review @ Madshrimps

Cooling:
Zalman VF1000 LED VGA Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
XSPC Rasa CPU Water Block @ PureOverclock
Cooler Master V6 GT CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Misc:
Business PC Upgrades That Pay Off @ Hardware Secrets
Performance Tuning - More Bang For Your Buck @ Hi Tech Legion
GlacialLight PalmSiren Dynamo 2 Multifunctional Flashlight Review @ Madshrimps

OCZ Vertex Limited Edition (LE) 240GB Custom SandForce SSD


Posted: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:49:05 +0000

The OCZ Vertex Limited Edition (LE) was the first generation SandForce SSD to hit the market. At the time of release the LE was plagued with one issue after another. Many drives were shipped to customers with the same on drive serial number which caused issues for RAID arrays. Drives were dropping dead left and right according to forum posts all over the place, too. Even calling the LE an official SandForce was a bit of a stretch since the drives shipped with a OCZ logo rather than the SF-1222 that in the last three months we have become accustomed to seeing on consumer SandForce drives. OCZ had a head start on their competition but some users walked away from the early adapter experience feeling a disappointed.

OCZ remained dedicated to the Limited Edition product line and turned things around as the firmware evolved. At this time nearly all of the known issues have been resolved and the firmware for the LE is now in line with the Agility 2 and Vertex 2; all three now share FW 1.10. One thing is clear; the latest version of the OCZ Vertex LE is not the same as the first run of drives that had a lengthy issue log. That log has now been cut down, shredded and is in little pieces. There are a couple small issues that remain, but we will tell you about those and how to avoid them later in the article.

http://mailbot.tweaktown.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/r/TweakTown_News/h/20100629111005/www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3372/ocz_vertex_limited_edition_le_240gb_custom_sandforce_ssd/index.html/

NVIDIA Surround and 3D Vision Surround Revealed


Posted: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:48:56 +0000

NVIDIA's initial foray into multi-display gaming with NVIDIA Surround and 3D Vision Surround seems to be a great counter to AMD's release of the technology for gamers' use back in September of 2009. NVIDIA is finally nearing parity with AMD's 5000-series of graphics cards with DX11 support multi-monitor gaming though they are nine months behind. Better late than never as the saying goes and maybe AMD has created a market that NVIDIA can swing in and take over...? We still aren't sure that will be the case but NVIDIA Surround is definitely a differentiating and compelling option for the PC gamer and enthusiast.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=946

Morning News: Tuesday June 29th, 2010


Posted: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:48:18 +0000

Hardware:
Thermaltake Armor A90 Steel Midtower Gaming Case Review @ OCIA.net
Intel Core i5 655K @ PureOverclock
Asus Xonar DS 7.1 Surround Sound Card Review @ Tweaknews
ROCCAT PYRA Wired + Wireless gaming mice reviewed in Metku.net
HIS 5570 Silence 512MB @ Viperlair
Thermaltake Armor A90 @ techPowerUp
AMD Athlon II 255 and 260 Processors @ TechwareLabs

Cooling:
Cooler Master V6GT @ PureOverclock
Cooler Master V6 GT Heatsink Review @ Ninjalane
OC3D: Scythe Yasya Review

Misc:
Apple iPhone 4 Review With Video @ HotHardware.com
Kingston Meeting & Factory Tour @ Bjorn3D
NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround Tested, Burned In @ HotHardware

OCZ Vertex 2 120GB Solid State Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org


Posted: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:46:29 +0000

A little over a week ago we had the opportunity to review our first SandForce-based solid state drive the Corsair Force Series F100. If you have been following solid state drives at all you know that many drive manufactures are dropping the controllers from Indilinx and going with these new SandForce controllers. The new SandForce controllers are very impressive and really push solid state drives to their limits. Today we will be taking a look at the OCZ Vertex 2 120GB Solid State Drive which is based off the SF-1200 controller. It is designed for maximum performance for the mainstream sector. It is a vailable in capacities ranging from 50GB all the way up to 480GB, let’s take a look!

Posted Image

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/ocz-vertex-2-120gb-solid-state-drive-review/