Overclockers Pulse - Computer Hardware Reviews

Back in Black: Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme Black Edition Review

Spawne32 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:24:17 +0000

Thermalright has been the reigning champion of air cooling solutions for years, with no end in sight. The introduction of the Ultra 120 Extreme cooler in early 2007 marked the beginning of a new era of air coolers, which left the rest of the cooling market in the dust when it came to raw performance. To this date virtually no cooling company in the industry has been able to catch Thermalright with traditional heatsink designs. Known for the stylish all nickel plated look which is on almost every cooler they sell from CPU heatsinks to GPU heatsinks to even chipset coolers and mosfet and ram coolers, Thermalright has made a breath taking decision to offer a black version of its premier cooler the Ultra 120 Extreme, officially dubbed the TRUE Black 120.

Ask anyone amongst the overclocking community for their recommendation for the best air cooler, and it will be the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, but that being said, Thermalright has been under extremely harsh criticism regarding the manufacturing quality of their products over the past 2 years. With increasing problems relating to base finish quality and faulty mounting systems, users grow weary of the high price tag for faulty equipment. It will be our number one goal today to examine the quality of the TRUE Black Edition, as it has an even higher price tag of almost $80.00 USD, and we are certain that no one wants to pay a high price for poor build quality. Will the TRUE Black Edition improve upon its predecessors previous manufacturing problems, or will it be jabbed with the same criticism as the regular Ultra 120 Extreme, all questions we will answer in the pages to follow, as well as the age old question, does black retain heat? A question that has been raised by many users since the news broke of the new color. Lets get started.

- Next Page ” TRUE Black 120 Examined” >>

Danamics LM10 Liquid Metal Based Cooler Updates

Spawne32 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:36:31 +0000

Danamics has sent us an update regarding their LM10 Liquid Metal heatsink. Danamics is leading the way in a ground breaking new heatsink design which utilizes liquid metal the same way heatpipes work on conventional coolers. I highly recommend you check out their website at http://www.danamics.com

“The liquid metal is a key component in Danamics cooling systems. Liquid metal has two major advantages when cooling high power density heat sources:

Firstly it has superior thermophysical properties that decrease temperature - and temperature non-uniformity - on die and across chips.

Secondly the electrical properties of the liquid metal enables efficient, reliable and ultra compact electromagnetic pumping without the use of moving parts, shafts, seals, etc.”

Click to Enlarge.

Source: Danamics

OCZ Introduces Elixir Keyboards under the new Alchemy line of Gaming Products

Spawne32 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:40:56 +0000

Sunnyvale, Calif.-July 10, 2008-OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the expansion of its gaming peripherals under a new “Alchemy” line, with the introduction of the Elixir keyboard series for highly advanced functionality in game-play. Featuring a wealth of user-friendly features combined with an ergonomic and sturdy design, the Elixir keyboard will deliver a unique combination of performance and vale to gamers as they blaze through the latest PC titles.

“The new Alchemy line from OCZ is designed to offer gamers quality gaming solutions that deliver both exceptional performance and value,” said Eugene Chang, Product Manager of the OCZ Technology Group. “Just because gamers have a budget doesn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy premium gaming features, and our first Alchemy solution the Elixir gaming keyboard is designed with quality ergonomics and offers efficient game-play with programmable macro keys.”

The Elixir is a high-quality keyboard featuring the necessary features such as 10 tri-mode programmable macro keys, mode selection, a pop-up menu shortcut, and Windows® Media Players optical controller. The sleek design of the Alchemy Elixir Series will maintain your comfort throughout long gaming sessions with its membrane tactical keys made from 100% rubber-coating for no-slip comfort and ergonomic design. The Elixir also features a USB port for added convenience, along with an extremely reliable lifestyle of 5 million cycles. The Elixir series is compatible with Windows® XP (SP2 or later) and Windows® Vista^TM. Elixir keyboards feature a MSRP of $29.99 and are the ultimate accessory for a budget gaming system.

OCZ Elixir Keyboard Product Page

New feature in Core Temp 1.0: Plug in system.

The Coolest — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:46:43 +0000

I have started to work on a new feature aimed at developers for Core Temp.

I’ve been talking about shared memory in the previous release, and although that gives some flexibility in creating Core Temp add-ons, it doesn’t make the 3rd party software an integral part of Core Temp.

The plug in system changes that as it will allow any programmer with an idea for a new Core Temp feature\extension to create one, add it to Core Temp and the plug in becomes a part of it.

Currently most of the Plug in system code complete, and it is ready for Beta testing. The information on plug in creation is still not public, and needs to be properly written, but I want to start working with developers as early as possible to test both my code and theirs so that when the new version is finally released it will be as stable as it can be.

So I’m opening a private beta testing phase for the plug in system, meaning anyone who knows some Object Oriented programming model should be able to make it, it’s rather simple really. So if you have a feature that you always wanted to see in Core Temp, now you can create it. To participate please drop me an Email.

Plausible Deniability? 3dGameman Rips off Hardware Canucks Copyrighted Images?

Spawne32 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:57:26 +0000

I was doing my daily rounds across the net at various tech forums, when I came across this lovely tidbit over at Hardware Canucks. It would seem that there is some controversy arising over the validity of the images used in 3dGameman’s reviews. Check out the full forum thread over at HWC by clicking here.

In the meanwhile, i had to do some investigating my self, turns out, the story is true. One of Hardware Canucks images from their Palit Radeon HD4870 512MB Graphics Card Review shows up at exactly 2:46 in 3DGameman’s review of the HIS HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 Video Card. To be certain of its matching, i even used photoshop to examine the images further. They are identical even down to shapes and tears in the thermal pads on the heatsink, to the position of the sticker on the cooling fan. Just have a look for yourself…

Screencap of 2:47 during the HIS HD 4870 Review @ 3dGameman.com, Click to Enlarge.

Side by Side Comparison of the HWC Image and 3dGameman Review Video, Click to Enlarge.

Original Hardware Canucks Image, Click to Enlarge.

Close up of the heatsink during the 3DGameman Review, Click to Enlarge.

This is truly disturbing from a reviewers standpoint. Its one matter to criticize another’s work, but you out right steal images and reuse them as your own is down right offensive, and then to go as far as to deny the fact of. SKYMTL was quoted on the HWC forums saying the following..

The site in question was contacted. They have denied it is ours even though I can tell you that it is either a damn good copy (which it isn’t) or indeed ours. The fan angle is the same, the little dent I put in the ram’s thermal pad is there, my lame reapplication of the VRM thermal pad is shown, the shadows are the same and when superimposed the images line up to a tee.

At this time we are still deciding what route to take since this usage is in clear violation of our Terms and Conditions. No, we were not contacted with a request to use it…a request we have granted many times in the past I may add. In addition, all diplomatic routes between the two sites was stopped at the behest of the owner of the site in question after we offered to allow them to use it as long as the watermark was reapplied.

I must say I am disappointed since I count myself as a diplomatic type of person and I wanted a quick resolution to this.

Keep a watchful eye on this one fellow reviewers, as for myself, i will be re-evaluating how our images are branded and copyrighted.

-Spawne32

Article Update: We have been informed that 3DGameman has removed the images out of the review videos in repsonse to the overwhelming support for Hardware Canucks defense. Including the ones that involved copyrighted Techpowerup images as well. Id like to thank the community for getting behind HWC and Techpowerup and helping this matter get resolved quickly. We as reviewers are grateful for all the support you give us in keeping our work respected as our own.

Scythe Releases the New and Improved “Ninja 2″ Heatsink

Spawne32 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:01:05 +0000

Scythe Co., Ltd (Tokyo, Japan) announces the improved version of its famous fanless Ninja CPU Cooler, “Ninja 2″, to the market. Performance improvement has accomplished for this version 2 as 5% increase in fanless operation (TDP 65W at 25°C/77F ambient temperature) and 15% increase in active cooling operation (TDP 130W at 25°C/77F ambient temperature). Most of the features will remain the same from the former version, yet simply better performance and great value for your money. To have the best optimized cooling performance for Ninja 2 CPU Cooler, Scythe originally designed “Slip Stream” 120mm case fan was specifically tuned to spin at 1000rpm to maximize the performance and maintain the low noise level. Simply try this out to see the improvement of the performance in both fanless and active cooling mode! Ninja never die, welcome the version 2 of powerful Ninja 2 to the market! For further details, please refer to the below.

Model Name: Ninja 2 CPU Cooler
Model Number: SCNJ-2000

Compatibility:
Intel:
Socket 478 All Speeds
Socket T/(LGA)775 All Speeds

AMD:
Socket 754 All Speeds
Socket 939 All Speeds
Socket AM2 All Speeds
Socket 940 All Speeds

Dimension:
116 x 116 x 152mm / 4.57 x 4.57 x 5.98in (Overall Dimension)
120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.72 x 4.72x 0.98in (Fan Dimension)

Fan Speed: 1000rpm (±10%)
Fan Noise: 20.50dBA
Air Flow: 52.90CFM
Weight: 705g (+115g Fan) / 22.75oz (+3.71oz Fan)

MSRP:
54.00 (USD)
30.95 (EURO) excl. VAT

Scythe Ninja 2 Product Page, Click Here!

OCZ Vendetta 2 Performance Heatsink: Vendetta gets a Younger Brother

Spawne32 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:40:38 +0000

When you hear the name OCZ, you immediately think memory, but what you may or may not know is that OCZ has been producing high end performance products with exceptional quality in many other market areas, including power supply’s, cooling, gaming peripherals, and for a short time recently, customizable laptops. Today we are going to be diving deep into OCZ’s cooling product lineup, and taking a look at one of their newest air coolers on the market, the Vendetta 2, featuring Heat-Pipe Direct Touch (HDT) technology. This new cooler improves upon the excellent cooling performance of the original Vendetta series heatsink, which was designed for 92mm fan applications.

If you have been keeping up with the latest in cooling products over the past 2 years, you know that there is a new evolution in air cooling that is taking place. That evolution is the refinement of the HDT or Heat-Pipe Direct Touch, an innovative design which advances air cooling performance power even further then originally thought with heatpipes and copper alone. This new generation of heatsinks has put traditional styles on the verge of extinction. Up until a few months ago, serious performance cost you between $50 to $75 USD, and now for well under $50 dollars you can get not only a high performance top tier air cooler, but get all the accessories included without the need to spring for additional fans or thermal paste.

Rumor persists that OCZ’s new Vendetta 2 cooler even rivals the champion of champions, the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. Today, we are going to put that to the test, not only against the TRUE 120, but against rival HDT designed coolers as well.

- Next Page - “Inside the Box” >>

OCZ Technology Announces Core Series SATA II 2.5″ Solid State Drive

Spawne32 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:27:04 +0000

Delivering the World’s First Truly Affordable High-Performance SSD for Consumers at Price Points Less than 50% of Comparable High Performance SSDs

Sunnyvale, CA-July 1, 2008-OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the OCZ Core Series SATA II 2.5″ Solid State Drives (SSDs). OCZ has gained momentum in this pioneering technology, which uses NAND flash instead of rotating platters as the storage medium, and is a high-performance, highly reliable and energy-efficient alternative to conventional hard disc drives.

“SSDs offer higher performance, reliability, and energy efficiency than conventional HDDs but the cost variance has limited adoption of vastly superior SSD technology, until now,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. “It is our mission to deliver the highest performance products to consumers at reasonable prices, and with the release of the Core Series SSDs we have done exactly that.”

Core series SSD drives are available in capacities of 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB and deliver incredible 120-143MBs/ 80-93MBs read/write speeds and seek times of less than 0.35ms, making the Core series up to 10x as fast on a seek-time basis and up to 40% faster on a R/W basis that the best performing 2.5″ HDDs on the market, all while consuming 50% less power. MSRPs at time of launch are USD $169, $259 and $479 for 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models respectively.

OCZ Core Series Product Page, Click Here!

Xigmatek Achilles S1284: Review or Preview?

Spawne32 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:20:42 +0000

Last year Xigmatek stormed the performance cooling market with their patented HDT (Heat-Pipe Direct Touch) design. This unusual variation of the traditional heatsink base allows the heatpipes of the cooler to directly contact the CPU rather then having to transfer heat through a copper or aluminum baseplate. This allows the heat to be transferred into the heatsink and into the air significantly faster than standard heatsinks. Over the past several years there have been a few breakthroughs in air cooling technology: extensive use of copper, heatpipes, and now the Heat-Pipe Direct Touch system which paves the way for the next generation of coolers.

I initially had the chance to review this out of the ordinary concept back in 2007 when I was heading up my own review site, Overclockers Pulse. Being the optimist, I was excited that this heatsink would perform quite well, however due to the limited number of heatpipes, and small surface area of the HDT-S1283, I was not expecting it to be a top-end cooler. Much to my surprise, the cooler itself managed to come within a few degrees celcius of my Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme, which was…amazing to say the least. On top of the extreme performance, the cooler itself had a very low price tag, being sold for about $40 USD. That was roughly $30 dollars less then the top tier coolers at that time.

Since that time last year, Xigmatek has come a long way, releasing a slew of new heatsink designs and accessories to go with them. Heeding the word of reviewers and the community itself they continue to improve on their original models in both performance and style. Today you are going to have a first hand look at their latest release in the heatsink lineup, the Achilles S1284.

We first heard about the Achilles S1284 a few months ago when it appeared on the Xigmatek website, sporting an extra heatpipe over the S1283, and larger surface area. Since that time, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the product, which may have wound up costing some of you money you may not have wanted to spend. Several weeks ago, review websites started receiving samples of the S1284 for testing. However our excitement about its performance soon turned to dismay, as reviewers began posting problems with the S1284 design, including issues with the base not making complete contact with the CPU, which is vital for performance on the S1284 (which we will go into later). A few days after these reviews started appearing across the web, Xigmatek released a statement saying that the S1284 samples that were issued were display models only (Note: Page 6 “Xigmatek Achilles S1284 HDT CPU Cooler”- Benchmark Reviews 5/7/2008), and that the version that would hit store shelves would fix the design flaws on the Achilles. This new version was supposed to hit stores several weeks after Computex, per the response Xigmatek marketing gave in response to my inquiry. However this did not happen, roughly 2 weeks before Computex had even begun, Newegg.com, the online computer superstore, began selling the Achilles S1284 to the public for $44.99. I immediately received questions about why the S1284 was on sale, and what should be done. Should they spring for the Achilles being sold at Newegg, or should they wait under advisement of Xigmatek for a finalized model? After making another plea to Xigmatek as to why the S1284 was on sale, I was told that Newegg made the decision to sell the product, not Xigmatek, and that the new version was still scheduled for release in June. Well its almost July now, and there is still no activity in online computer stores in regards to the Achilles and its new version, and this mystery begs for answers.

Unfortunately for some of you, you may have already purchased the Achilles S1284 from Newegg, and I know some of you have. However my dedication to the overclocking and enthusiast community remains endless, and in anticipation of this review I purchased the Achilles S1284 that Newegg started selling prior to the revised version, and will be comparing them both for you today.

- Next Page - “The First Achilles” >>

Tuniq TX-2 Preview

IKIKUINTHENUTZ — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:42:16 +0000

Tuniq is a sub division of a well known manufacture of modification accessories named Sunbeamtech. Tuniq considers themselves as “fashion” designers of unique computer components of the computing industry with their product selection stretching from computer cases, CPU coolers, and power supplies. Tuniq strives to provide quality components at reasonable costs to all ranges of clients. Expanding their Cooling line up, they have recently released a brand new thermal paste called TX-2. We shall briefly see if this thermal paste is noteworthy to consider in our upcoming Thermal compound review.

TX-2 is Tuniq’s brand new formula to improve on their last paste called TX-1 with hoping of being able to achieve better results than other competitors in the recent rising thermal paste market such as the ever growing popularity of MX-2 or the innovative IC diamond. With impressive specification claims by the manufacture with aggressive MSRP this product is worth a look and see if such claims and attractive price holds true.

As you can see, Tuniq provides the product in a simple plastic bag with no documentation what so ever. While not bad nor good, it just means the product is provided as is without any added extras. The cutting of extras can pass the savings off to the consumers. However with the lack of documentation the product is difficult to use for those who are not familiar to applying paste to any type of computer component.

On the backside of the packaging and on the tube, the specifications are listed. Impressive claims are bestowed to any one who reads it.

When I removed the tube from the bag and inspected it for a while, the tube itself have a striking resemblance with 2 other well known thermal paste that I am familiar with. Even though similar, similar tubes do not account for what is inside.

The bottle provides 3.5grams worth of the paste which is the most common amount thermal paste manufactures provide to all customers. Grey in color, characteristics of “watery”, and no smell sums up the description of the paste.

Another noteworthy feature of this thermal paste is the fact that it is non-conductive and non-captive which makes it very safe for GPUs, Chipsets, and open die processors.

The left picture shows how much came out when tapped 2mm

The right picture is just a more clear detail of the paste

TESTING

Testing system consist of a AM2 4400+ X2 Brisbane @ 2.3GHZ, EVGA 590sli, Powercolor X1050, 1 X 2GB 667mhz Mushkin ram, 250gb Seagate Hard drive, ASUS SATA burner, 600W XG Magnum External Power supply, Windows XP home, all on an open tech station custom made by a fellow from an other forum.

The paste will be tested with the AMD stock heatsink and compared with Arctic Cooling MX-2 on load only for reference because this is only a preview for a planned thermal paste round up. The thermal paste round up will be using a different testing station however more details of that will be disclosed in the future.

The application I am going to use for the TX-2 will be exactly the same with the MX-2. I will be using Core temp to record results and using Orthos to stress out the CPU. I also used Speed fan to keep the CPU fan running at 50 percent at 1500rpm.

Since there are no instructions provided on Tuniq’s website, Ive decided to let the AMD heatsink to do all the spreading by pressure.

Some of you may think that this is too little, let me remind some of you that contact between the actual die under the IHS and the heatsink is really all you need, nothing more.

Click to Enlarge.

Here is a bar chart comparing the both paste under LOAD. I got these results by recording 10mins with core temp, summing up both numbers of both dies then divide which finds the average tempature.

Comments/Suggestions

Honestly I cannot fully comment on the paste until after the planned thermal paste round up. However I can say it’s almost like MX-2 and it’s neck to neck with it which usually means that it can fare with the top preforming thermal pastes in the market. Offers great performance with a low price tag, this is a great product to consider. Though the packing is not flashy, this product is worth a try out.

Pros

Offers performance similar to the popular MX-2
great bargain for almost half the price compared to the majority of thermal paste in the market
paste spreads well with pressure
non conductive/captive

Cons

no documentation
a bit “watery” which can be difficult for some people to apply
Hard to find in retail stores
I thank Tuniq for providing the sample. Stay tuned for a Thermal Compound round up!

Discuss the Tuniq TX-2 Preview more in the forums by clicking here!