Introduction

‘Silent’ is a word that is greatly over used in the PC industry. Power supplies, CPU coolers and video cards are all marketed as being silent, despite featuring fans or other moving parts. These products may well be quiet, but they are definitely not silent.

Chillblast’s Fusion Vacuum PC is different. It is 100% passively cooled in nature, has no moving parts whatsoever outside of the optical drive, and the manufacturer claims that it makes no sound whatsoever.

Despite this, the Vacuum is designed to be an uncompromising general purpose PC, with credible gaming abilities, plenty of expandability and great overall performance.

Specifications

Lian Li PC-A05FNB Aluminium Tool-less Chassis in Black
AMD A8 3870 CPU
Nofan CR-95C IcePipe 95W Fanless CPU Cooler
Asus F1A75 Motherboard
Sapphire HD6670 1GB Ultimate
8GB Corsair Memory (2 x 4GB)
Corsair Force 120GB Solid State Drive
Samsung B123L Blu ray  ROM/DVD-RW Combo drive
Silverstone ST40NF 400w Fanless PSU

Chillblast’s choice of a Llano AMD chip is an interesting one. These processors may lack the raw grunt of a Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, but the integrated video solution is far more powerful. It also means that, despite being passively cooled, the Vacuum can actually be marketed as a Crossfire gaming rig.

Introduction

Every gamer has felt it at some point in their playing career. After a double digit hour session of console or PC gaming:  dry eyes, they ache, you can’t focus properly, they might even be watering. It sucks but its a price to pay for just one more game.

Apparently though, that’s not completely necessary. Gunnar Optiks have been making gaming grade computer glasses for a long time now and they’ve recently teamed up with Steelseries to produce some new branded pairs of the specs. Utilising a yellow tint, minor magnification and other lens features to make it easier on your eyes, the idea is to allow you to game and work for longer with less strain on those important eye balls.

Let’s see if they live up to the hype.

Features

SEMI-RIMLESS DESIGN
Provides a broad visual field without peripheral obstruction. See more. Win more.
TOTAL COMFORT CONTROL
Adjustable nosepads and twin-rail temples make the fit comfortable to any face.
HEADSET FRIENDLY
Unique SteelSeries temple design is comfortable and pressure-free with headsets.
REDUCE GLARE, IMPROVE FOCUS
Lenses designed to reduce glare, amber tint reduces harsh blue light for better focus.
MINIMIZE EYE STRAIN
Lessens visual stress and dry eyes.
IMPROVED FOCUS
Helps relax the ocular muscles to stay focused.
CHOOSE YOUR COLOR
Available in Onyx/Snow (exclusively sold on SteelSeries.com) or Onyx/Orange.
Rx COMPATIBLE
Custom order your prescription lenses through the GUNNAR Optiks Rx Program.

Unboxing

Steelseries use some generic “Gaming Eyewear” packaging for the Desmo glasses, with a big plastic viewer that lets you see them before buying.

Click to Enlarge

The back is similarly quite generic, but lists off some features of both the Desmo and the alternative Scope specs.

Click to Enlarge

Flipping the lid over gives you alternative language versions of the glasses’ features and a look at the arms.

Click to Enlarge

Along with the glasses you get a small, fold out leaflet explaining how they work – very vaguely and in laymans terms – and a white, cloth pouch to keep them safe from scratches.

Introduction

So I might be eight months late on this one – big apology to Silverstone on that one – but here’s the XSR take on the Silverstone SD01. It’s a stackable HDD pad mount which lets you make your standard hard drive portable. Sort of. It’s a bit of an odd product but here it is.

Specifications

Features

• Unique stackable design for easy upgrades and expansion.
• Support SATA and SAS interface hard drive.
• Maximum 6Gbits data transfer speed via SATA or SAS dual-lane interface.
• Plug and Play & Hot-swappable connection.(system with AHCI mode)
• The power source synchronizes with computer.

Unboxing

Click to Enlarge

Along with the HDD pad, you get a power cable that hooks up to a molex four pin connector, a small collection of screws and bits, a couple of different size PCI brackets and an eSATA to SATA connector.

Click to Enlarge

Introduction

I’ve been looking at quite a few different media players recently and contemporary ones are all quite similar. Around 8 inches across, internal hard drive of varying size and internet connectivity.

Today I’m looking at one that’s a little different though. It’s compact, missing a few traditional connectors but manages to include built in wireless connectivity. There’s no internal storage to speak of, but the applications and games available make this one of the – on paper – most fully featured HTPC replacements out there.

Let’s check it out.

Features and Specifications

For full specifications click here. For full features click here.

Box and Bundle

Nothing particular of note to mention with the packaging, except the recent firmware updates have fleshed out the apps. far more than the front image shows.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Along with the WD TV Live player itself, you get:

• Remote control
• EU power adapter
• 3.5mm to composite cable
• Batteries
• Setup and warranty leaflets

Click to Enlarge

Introduction

While Microsoft and Nintendo might be hoping that their next generation of home consols will ultimately become our HTPC, media centres of the future, for now the trend is for media players like the one I’m looking at today. The Eminent RT3 is an HD video, music and image player with built in web functionality.

Let’s check it out.

Specifications

• Webservices: several webservices like Shoutcast, Metafeeds, Flickr and Picasa are supported. The webservices we offer can change without notice and we can not guarantee the function of these services
• Hard disk: Internal 3.5 inch SATA (NTFS/FAT32)
• Audio: Digital Optical (TOSlink) & COAX interface and stereo (CINCH) output
• Video Output: HDMI, Composite Video
• Next-Generation Realtek 1185DD C+ chipset
• Streaming media: Video and audio
• Lan port: 1000Mbps
• USB 3.0 port: 1x client port
• USB 2.0 ports: 2x host port
• Picture formats: HD JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIF, PNG
• Subtitles: SRT, SMI, SUB, VOB (DVD) & PGS (BluRay)
• Audio codecs: DTS, AC3, DTS-HD, TrueHD, MP2, MP3, OGG Vorbis, PCM, LPCM, MS-ADPCM, LC-AAC, HE-AAC,
• COOK, RA-lossless, FLAC
• Video codecs: AVCHD, H.264, VC-1,MPEG1/2/3/4, MKV, M2TS, TS, ISO, FLV, VOB/BUP/IFO, AVI, MOV and others
• Euro plug version: EM7280 / UK plug version: EM7280UK

Feautures

• Play video formats like MKV, VC-1, AVCHD H/X.264 on your Full HD 1080P television
• Supports Blu-Ray ISO files
• Supports AC3 & DTS stereo downmix
• Optical and Coaxial output for Dolby AC3 & DTS
• Supports TrueHD & DTS-HD pass through on HDMI
• HDMI networked HD media player with next-generation Realtek RT1185 chipset
• USB 3.0 client port for transferring data between PC and player
• Connects to your network or via USB to your pc
• Built-in BitTorrent and Usenet (NZB) download client
• Stream music or video from your network by Samba or UPnP
• Two USB host ports, built in SD/SDHC memory card reader
• Built-in Gigabit lan
• Play from internal hard disk, usb hard disk and your network (LAN)
• All-new Video/Music/Photo library system
• 5-Year warranty

Box and Bundle

Some weird looking packaging if I’m honest. It’s not even remotely enthusiast focused. This turquoise, swirly background seems just a bit odd. It’s not a colour scheme you see that often.

Some of the features that the RT3 supports are noted, including gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, FTP and Blu Ray ISOs.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Along with the media player, you of course get a few accessories. There’s a USB 3.0 host cable, composite, HDMI, remote control, quick setup manual, manual CD and European power cable.

Click to Enlarge

Introduction

Avalanche Studios are a company well-renowned for their open world games; Just Cause and Just Cause 2. After making quite a splash in this market, they’ve decided to add to their repertoire with their latest downloadable title: Renegade Ops.

About the Game

“Destruction just got awesome.

In Renegade Ops you must defeat Inferno, a madman intent on global domination. Destroy enemies across a range of stunning environments using a wide variety of vehicles. Players have the choice to fight alone in single player mode, team up offline with two-player split screen or join the dynamic 4-player online co-op experience. Blast your way through enemy lines by working together, or compete for achievements as you and your friends aim to top the online leader boards.”

Features

• Single player campaign across varied, luscious levels
• Four playable vehicles each with unique special weapons
• Two player split-screen co-operative play
• Up to four player online competitive co-op
• Level up your character to increase your weaponry
• Fight to top online leaderboards

Introduction

Performance is a great factor when deciding what to buy, but what about looks? Should a rig be esthetically pleasing, or is it just a waste of money? For some, including me, casemodding is a hobby and can give a lot of pleasure. Improving the looks of your system can make the difference whether it’s good for the living room, to show off on LAN-parties, or just for your own satisfaction.

Today we’ll take a look at some casemodding accessories supplied by and available at AquaTuning.

About AquaTuning

Aquatuning is a huge webshop that is all about watercooling and casemodding. That actually sums it up, but there’s more to say. AquaTuning has stores in fifteen different countries, a lively forum and a huge product portfolio. You’ll find products of all related brands here. In this article I’ll focus on Phobya products.

The Plan

Click to Enlarge

The plan? Simple! I’ll change this heap of messy cables and dust into a sparkling blue machine.

Click to Enlarge

AquaTuning kicked me off with a bag of sweets, that’s sweet! [rimshot, Ed.]

Click to Enlarge

First off will be the 8-pin CPU cable. It’s now yellow-black with a white header, which doesn’t fit the theme at all.

Click to Enlarge

Second, the fan wires, looking messy and the red doesn’t comply with the blue theme.

Click to Enlarge

Ah… 24-pin cables with their rainbow colours. Typically, I want these cables to be subtle and not so much in-your-face as it is now. Some casemodders make a practice out of sleeving their cables with multiple colours to fit a more specific theme.

Besides these parts, I’ll also replace one of my low performance fans with a nice and silent fan. Last but not least, I’ll sleeve some cables myself, to show the ease of this process and the wide variety of options available.

Yesterday we took a look at the raw performance of the Cryo PC Alto HTPC. Today it’s more about the usage experience. I won’t lie to you, it’s going to get subjective and opinionated, but that’s what makes these types of reviews that much more fun.

Media Viewing

With an HTPC, one of the biggest parts of its usage is going to be media viewing. This means watching DVDs, Blu Rays, streaming on sites like Youtube and listening to music.

Physical Media

DVD watching was a nice experience with the Alto, though it’s hardly something that you’d expect to go awry. With the PC setup as a media station, it boots straight into Windows Media Centre, letting you watch the DVD from within that OS subsystem, or you can exit out and do things with your own chosen piece of software.

Blu Rays were slightly different, mainly in the fact that the Alto doesn’t come pre-loaded with any software that you could use to play one. Trying to do so from within Windows Media Centre just brings up an error message. It might be a bit pernickety, but considering there are no free solutions, I’d have liked to have seen some Blu-Ray software included with the Alto: especially since you get a Blu-Ray drive in the system build.

However, once you get things started, the Alto is a lovely way to watch your HD media. It produces a great picture and the sound is more than adequate. Real hardcore sound enthusiasts may feel the need to add a sound card to their build (this can be done with the Cryo PC configuration) to get the utmost ouf of their speaker setup, but for a standard 2.1 system, I doubt you’d notice much difference. That said, it’s not like you need to upgrade, as the onboard chip supports up to 7.1.

Streaming

Streaming as above really, no problems with the video or audio, regardless of quality. This is what you’d expect from a system around the £1000 mark, but it’s comforting to know that there’s no gremlins waiting for you with streaming video.

Since there’s no built in wireless connectivity – which I would like to see in a media PC – you do need to provide your own, or hook up a traditional ethernet cable. The former will provide some problems for HD streaming as 1080p is simply not possible on a traditional WiFi N speed network.

TV viewing is nice and easy with these system. Again, no bundled software, but you can download it straight from your bundled card’s manufacturer site. Hooking up an aerial gives you immediate access to several channels and once they’re scanned and locked in, you’re good to go.

Media PCs and media centres are becoming more and more common, especially with people losing a little faith in their stalwart desktop system. Today I’m looking at a rig from Cryo PC that looks to bridge the gap between traditional desktop and media centre, offering decent performance in a lounge setting, with some media features thrown in for good measure. I give you the Alto.

Because testing a system can take quite a while, this review is being split into two parts. This first one will focus on raw performance and synthetic testing, while Part 2 will be more gaming and subjective in nature.

Specifications

CPU: Intel i3 2100T
Motherboard: GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB 1600MHZ
GPU: Zotac GT430
Storage: Corsair F40 40GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB LP
Case: Zalman HD503
TV Tuner: Black Gold BGT3595 Dual DVB-S/DVB-T
Sound: Onboard

Cryo’s Take on the Alto

“The Alto is designed to provide the optimum home theatre solution balancing form and function.  With it being the same size as a standard home theatre or hi-fi appliance and fitting into place where a regular DVD player, DigiBox, Video recorder or CD player might have been.  Yet it has the scope to accommodate a substantial amount of storage space (8TB or 10,000+ films and 8 million songs) and a number of expansion cards (PCI and PCIe).

With this its able to support multiple tuners, terrestrial and satellite (DVB-T and DVB-S), high end 3D graphics cards, a large amount of memory and multiple disk arrays for resilient and high speed storage (RAID).

It also comes with a standard remote and optional touch panel for convenience.  The remote can be integrated into a standard third party remote consolidation system such as Philips Pronto.”

Introduction

Today I’m going to be testing Foxconn’s latest AMD Fusion Nettop. This kind of product is right up Foxconn’s street and I am looking forward to seeing how it pans out. Based on the AMD Fusion platform the Nettop is a low power consumption computer with many uses. I will be finding out whether it’s worth its price and whether it would be usable for day to day use.

Specifications

Dimentions: 190(W) x 135(D) x 25(H)mm
APU: AMD E-350 1.6GHz
Chipset: AMD A45 FCH
Memory: Single SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 up to 4GB
Expansion slots: 2.5″ SATA II 3Gb/s
Back panel:
1x RJ-45 (10Base-T/100Base-T/1000Base-T)
4x USB 2.0
1x Line-out jack.(support S/PDIF-OUT)
1x HDMI
1x DVI
1x DC in
Front panel:
1x SD/SDHC/MS/MS Pro/MMC 5 in 1 Card Reader
2x USB 3.0
1x Mic in (support S/PDIF-IN)
1x Headphone
Features
IEEE 802.11b/g/n WiFi – very useful for a product like this
Power on/off and HDD LED