Summary: Zalman’s first hybrid cooler, the VF2000 LED is an interesting product to say the least, it can cool either a CPU or a GPU. In this review we will take a look at what it can do, both as a VGA and CPU cooler.

The great competition on the cooler market has greatly benefited consumers. We have seen VGA coolers on the market for quite some time now, but this is the first GPU/CPU hybrid cooler we have seen.

INTRODUCTION

The demands made by today’s powerful GFX cards sometimes require better cooling than what the reference coolers can offer, at least to users who want either a more quiet cooling solution or are looking to reduce heat development. Generally though, today’s reference video card coolers work well enough, but they often don’t dissipate heat as well as coolers from third party manufacturers, particularly those from Zalman. The Zalman VF2000 LED was first conceived as a VGA cooler, but this prestigious Korean manufacturer then sought to revolutionize the market with a new concept: a hybrid cooler, which also cools CPUs. The Zalman VF2000 LED is a low-profile cooler that is ideal for HTPCs, and that can be used with most of today’s graphics cards. It makes this cooler very versatile.

It will be interesting to see what effects this versatility has on performance, if any. Before going into details about the Zalman VF2000 LED, let’s take a look at its technical specifications:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Zalman VF2000 LED comes in a cardboard box that is mostly white on top and on one side. On the back and the other side, the colors are mostly black and blue. At the top, Zalman makes much of the “hybrid cooler” concept, using all caps to emphasize that the product works both for VGA cards and for CPUs. Further down, we can directly see this cooler’s most striking features. A hole in the package shows the fan and the finish of the fins.

The back of the package has a photo that shows an installation with two Zalman VF2000 LEDs — one for the CPU and the other for the VGA card. The product’s technical features and specs are listed next to the photo, in various languages. The back also has a smaller hole, which shows off Zalman’s good work on the base of the product.

One side of the package doesn’t say much. It has the same labeling as at the top of the front, but this time it’s displayed vertically. On the other side is a list of the graphics cards and processors with which the VF2000 LED is compatible.

When you open the box, you see the cooler enclosed between two pieces of high-impact plastic. They are held together by a button closure and completely protect the VF2000 LED from any problems that might arise in transport. Along with the cooler, there’s a white cardboard box that contains all the accessories needed to install it. The VF2000 LED comes with some common accessories, and with others that are specific to the task of installing it as either a VGA or CPU cooler. Among the common accessories are small tubes of single-use thermal paste, which keep the paste in perfect condition, and a fan controller called the FAN MATE 2. To install the VF2000 LED on a graphics card, there are memory coolers, plus the fasteners needed for them. There are also anchors for installing the VF2000 LED as a CPU cooler, for both the Intel and AMD platforms.

Although the compatibility list for the VF2000 LED is very long, you should make sure which graphics cards and processors can use it.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE ZALMAN VF2000 LED

The VF2000 LED was originally made as a VGA cooler, which allowed it to benefit from some of the features of that type of cooler. The low profile of the VF2000 LED lets it cool areas around the motherboard, through an airflow that is circulated from low areas to high by the action of the cooler’s built-in fan. But the fact that it was originally designed as a VGA cooler limits its size, producing a unit with less dissipation area than its competitors in the HTPC market. The hybrid concept behind the VF2000 LED may limit its efficiency when it comes to cooling a CPU.

The VF2000 LED has first-class finishing. The fans are made of aluminum with a thickness of 0.3 mm (0.01″). This improves the cooling of the component on which the unit is installed. The VF2000 LED has 4 heatpipes soldered to its base which are made of pure copper.

Looking at the top of the VF2000 LED, we can see the heatpipes that run across it, and its fan. The fan is 92 mm (3.6″) in diameter and includes a blue LED that adds an elegant modding effect. Unfortunately, those who don’t like the light will have to get used to it – it can’t be deactivated.

The fan is powered by a 3-pin connector that does not allow regulation of its rotation speed. However, for the VF2000 LED, as for many of its products, Zalman has included the FAN MATE 2. This is a controller that uses a potentiometer to adjust rotation speed as needed. When the adjustment wheel is turned completely counter-clockwise, the fan runs in Quiet Mode, at around 19 dBA. When turned clockwise, it runs in Performance Mode, at around 29 dBA. You can adjust the speed anywhere between these limits, to meet your needs.

There’s nothing important to mention about the sides of the VF2000 LED. There are two engraved inscriptions that highlight the unit’s versatility and make it clear that it’s a hybrid cooler.

The care with which the base of the VF2000 LED has been finished shows the high quality on which Zalman prides itself. The base has been polished to achieve an incredible mirror effect. This polishing is among the best we’ve ever seen.

The unit’s small size, and its use of materials such as aluminum, give it a weight of only 290 grams (10.2 ounces).

INSTALLATION AND TESTING

Installing the VF2000 LED as a VGA cooler is very simple. Place the memory heatsinks included with the accessories over the graphics card’s memory chips. Then, install the Nipples (A) on the unit’s Retention Kit and tighten them from behind with nuts, as shown in the manual (the manual warns you to tighten them only by hand, not with tools). Finally, connect the fan’s cable.

Follow the same guidelines to install the VF2000 LED on a CPU. Use the appropriate clip (A for Intel or B for AMD). Then install the Nipples (B) as shown in the manual, and tighten them from behind with nuts.

The last step is connecting the fan. This can be done in two different ways. You can connect it directly to a 3-pin connector on the motherboard (which keeps you from controlling the fan speed). Or you can use the FAN MATE 2. This unit uses a cable with two connectors on one end. One connects to the motherboard, and the other to the VF2000 LED’s fan. The other end of the cable has a 6-pin connector that connects directly to the FAN MATE 2.You can install inside the case, or on the outside, using double-sided tape.

To test the VF2000 LED’s performance, we used an AMD Phenom II X4 920 with a stock configuration. The Phenom II X4 920 is a 4-core processor that runs at 2.8 GHz. The voltage used in the test was 1.35 V.

To load the processor as much as possible, we used the OCCT 3.0.1 program, which keeps the processor load at around 99% for the 20 minutes that it takes to run the test.

We used the software to measure temperatures without load before starting the test, and without running any other application. We then measured the temperatures under load when the test completed. The results shown below were obtained with an environmental temperature of 22˚C (71.6˚F).

This test of the VF2000 LED was very demanding, since we were working with one of the most powerful AMD processors on the market. The unit certainly achieved good temperatures without load, but when the processer was working at maximum load, the cooler’s performance suffered. The AMD Phenom II X4 920 registered a maximum working temperature of 62˚C (143.6˚F). This isn’t outstanding at all — quite the contrary. Zalman recommends that the VF2000 LED not be used with processors with over 110 W of TDP (Thermal Design Power). In this case, the processor had 140 W.

To summarize, you should keep in mind that the Zalman VF2000 LED isn’t the best cooler for high-range processors, but if you respect the limits imposed by the TDP, it can be a very interesting cooler for mid-range processors. It goes without saying that this is not an appropriate cooler for extreme overclocking, especially when using high-range processors.

To test the VF2000 LED on cooling a GPU, we used an ATI Radeon HD 4850. We ran various tests with the GPU operating at different speeds. We used the Furmark 1.7 test while running the Xtreme Burning Mode for 30 minutes per testing period. The unit’s fan was running at maximum speed.

The results of the VGA tests were sensational. They clearly show that the VF2000 LED was designed from the start as a VGA cooler. The temperatures it achieved astonished us, especially since the VGA temperature never surpassed 50˚C (122˚F), even when running at full load. The VF2000 LED left plenty of room for overclocking our graphics card, letting us control the heat generated by the VGA card and therefore prolonging its life.

The fan noise produced in the various tests was minimal. Even when the fan was working at the highest speeds, the noise it generated was perfectly bearable, and not at all bothersome.

These tests showed the cooling efficiency of the Zalman VF2000 LED. As a CPU cooler it’s not among the best, especially with high-range processors. Still, when installed on a graphics card, it has above-average performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Zalman has continued to pleasantly surprise us by launching a hybrid cooler that can be installed on a CPU and a VGA card. Although this is a very risky concept, Zalman’s quality thinking shows throughout the VF2000 LED. The result is a product with a unique design, well manufactured by this Korean company, and with sensational features. It stands out above all as a VGA cooler. The Zalman VF2000 LED costs about 38 Euros ($55). This is an extraordinary price for one of the most versatile products in the marketplace, one that will please anyone looking for a VGA cooler that can also be installed as a CPU cooler (rather than the reverse).

The final score is 88 out of 100 owls and we give the “Zalman VF2000 LED Hybrid VGA/CPU Cooler” our Recommended Award.

Thanks to Zalman for providing the VF2000 LED.

See all expert reviews of the VF2000 LED at TestSeek.com.

Author: Noel Íñiguez Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Genius EasyPen i405: The pen is mightier than the mouse.

Genius never ceases to surprise us with efficient, high-quality products with competitive features and prices. This time we will take a look at a very effective product for lovers of digital imaging, the EasyPen i405.

Introduction

A drawing tablet is becoming every man’s gadget. We believe it’s a fun and useful product both for consumers and professionals. Genius now offers us a tool that lets us digitize our artwork in design programs, the EasyPen i405 graphics tablet.

A graphics tablet is a device that lets you create art and designs by using a pen in place of the usual mouse. This gives artists greater control of their artwork and lets them express their ideas as easily as on paper.

First Look

The modest packaging simply shows the product itself. All you see is the tablet and the pen, which functions as a mouse.

The back of the box shows some of the ways in which the Genius EasyPen i405 graphics tablet can be used, from creating and editing drawings, to editing text, notes, and handwriting by hand. You can even use the tablet in MSN Messenger. There are also lists of the product’s specs and of what Genius includes with it.

Once you open the package, you see that the additional content is limited to a pen with its battery, a Quick User Guide, a CD, and a pair of replacement tips for the pen (something we don’t think will be necessary). We think an accessory for holding the pen would also have been very useful.

Here’s the star of the show, the Genius EasyPen i405 graphics tablet. It looks like a solidly built, high quality unit. The workspace is about 50% of the tablet’s total area, which is a bit more than the size of a DVD movie box.

The tablet’s workspace has a series of ovals that provide a type of margin. Some of them let you access preset functions, such as New, Open, Print, etc. Others let you add and customize the functions that you need.

On the bottom of the tablet are four rubber feet that keep it from slipping when you press on it as you work.

The pen isn’t as well made as the tablet. The silver part is made of somewhat rigid plastic, which looks like it could break easily. The black area is better finished, with better materials. It includes the “Grip”, a rubber covering that keeps it from slipping in your hands. It also includes two buttons, which correspond to the left and right buttons of a mouse.

Specifications

Results

As mentioned earlier, a graphics tablet lets you create, edit, and personalize drawings. To show you, here are some examples from a light overclocking session. (“Ya ganamos!!” means “We won!!”).

Chuck’s energy drink (secret recipe)

Our next president, alias Versork

Conclusions

As with most peripherals, the results of using a graphics tablet are subjective, depending on the user’s tastes. According to our very personal way of evaluating, the Genius EasyPen i405 is an efficient product that definitely does its job. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer anything beyond that. Its one outstanding point is its low price, compared to similar products from other brands.

We’d like to see a larger work area, higher quality finishing on the pen, and additional accessories, such as a box or cover for transport, and a base to hold the pen.

The EasyPen’s sensitivity let you easily create drawings. But it can be a little hard to learn how to use it to navigate on the desktop.

The included software lets you customize the tablet’s functions. It includes a detailed interactive tutorial which helps you get used to the product.

Its cost should generally be around $60-$80. This makes it accessible for lovers of drawing and the digital arts.

The final score is 82.5 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Genius EasyPen i405” our Recommended Award.

Author: Jorge A. Corona

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: One of the most powerful graphics cards on the market has come to our test bench. The results were excellent.

We haven’t had the chance to review many video cards. So we really decided to buckle down on this one.

INTRODUCTION

The most recent card to reach us comes from Gigabyte. It’s one of today’s most powerful single-GPU graphics cards, the GV-N285OC-2GI, with its NVIDIA GTX285 GPU. The GPU itself is just the start of what Gigabyte has included with this card, which offers 2 GB of GDDR3 memory and factory overclocking. We can’t ask for more, so let’s look at its technical specs:

Perhaps the most important additions that Gigabyte has made to its reference GTX285 are the amount of memory and the overclocking, which increases operating speeds from 648/1242/1476 MHz for the GPU and the memories and shaders (respectively) to 660/1200/1504 MHz. This overclocking isn’t excessively high. The memory clock speed is less than the reference speed (as you’d expect with 2 GB of memory). But the speeds are close to the maximum that this card can reach.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Gigabyte sent us its GV-N285OC-2GI in a totally black box, without serigraphy of any kind. This suggests that it didn’t send us a commercial version. But as soon as we opened the box, we realized that it was the final version of the card, since inside the box were all the elements of the bundle that Gigabyte includes with it.

Although this is a high-range card, the accessories are nothing out of the ordinary: a manual, a CD with drivers and apps, DVI-HDMI and DVI-VGA adaptors, 2 Molex-to-6-pin power adaptors, and an S/PDIF digital audio cable. We feel that a high range product like this should include something extra, like a cutting-edge video game or software that specifically exploits the technologies that this card supports.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE GIGABYTE GV-N285OC-2GI

The Gigabyte GV-N285OC-2GI is a large card, with a length of 267 mm (10.5″). This means that it’s not compatible with small cases and probably won’t work SFF cases. Gigabyte has supplied a reference cooler, although it does the job, we’d like to see a design customized to the card, especially after seeing Gigabyte’s SilentCell solution. Active cooling is supplied by an 80 mm (3.1″) blower fan, which brings air in through the top and blows it out the back of the box.

Gigabyte’s use of adhesive for the cooler suggests that this graphics card has Ultra Durable VGA technology. New to Gigabyte’s products, it uses a 2-ounce copper layer (the layer is normally only 1 ounce), solid Japanese capacitors, iron oxide coils, and LowRDS(on) MOSFETS. By combining these elements, Gigabyte seeks to lower the card’s temperature while preventing power loss and achieving a higher overclock rate. Along with using Ultra Durable VGA technology, Gigabyte stands out for using the highest quality memory, from respected companies like Samsung or Hynix. This is an extra guarantee of good performance.

The GPU GTX285 cards can are the world’s most powerful single-card GPUs so it’s necessary to power them well. This requires 2 free PCI-E 6-pin connectors in the power supply. Along with the 75W supported by PCI-E ports, this supplies the maximum power that the card consumes, nothing less than 204W at full theoretical load.

Another element that caught our attention is the dedicated SLI connector, which you can see at first glance is double. We shouldn’t forget that this card supports 3-Way SLI. This means that the three cards must be consecutively connected, which requires a double connection. The small white connector alongside the power connectors is for digital audio output, and must be connected to the motherboard.

The last Gigabyte graphics card that we saw captivated us with its excellent connectivity. And we didn’t expect anything less for the GV-N285OC-2GI. There are VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs, so users should have no complaints.

INSTALLING THE TEST BENCH

To run tests, we used the most powerful components we had available. Even with all this power, we suspected that our test bench might not be enough for this card. Let’s look at the details:

The only change we made from our analysis of the Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 was including Tom Clancy´s Hawx in our test battery. We kept the same processor and memory configuration. Some screenshots will show the test configuration:

As always, we ran each test 3 times to avoid distorting the results. We used the maximum possible resolution for each game. We ran one test with filters, and one without, trying to cover all the possible configurations that a user might have.

SYNTHETIC TEST RESULTS

In principle, the synthetic tests can’t tell us much, although the 3D Mark 06 results give us a hint of the power that this card can develop. Looking at the Furmark and Lightsmark results, we can see that this card stands up well to increases in resolution and to filters. However, in both tests, we can see a noticeable drop in performance at 1920×1200 resolution.

REAL TESTS RESULTS 1

In this first videogame test battery, the GV-N285OC-2GI provided dazzling performance, without drops in FPS, reaching very high averages in every case. The only test that shows a performance drop with filters and higher resolution was Street Fighter IV. However, this didn’t cause us any problems.

REAL TESTS RESULTS 2

In the second battery of tests, we grouped the most demanding games. It’s here that you can see the card’s weaknesses. The most significant results were for Crysis Warhead and ARMA 2, the most demanding games in our test bench. They were only playable at lower resolutions and without filters. When we changed these conditions, performance didn’t suffer too much, but it was hard to enjoy playing these games. The 2GB of memory certainly plays a part when it comes to supporting filters and high resolutions. With less memory, things might have been different.

TEMPERATURES AND THE OVERCLOCKING CAPABILITY

It may be a vice, but we can never resist overclocking whatever component comes into our hands. So, when we received a graphics card from a company like Gigabyte, we couldn’t pass that chance by. Although Gigabyte offers a certain amount of overclocking with this card, we thought it might be pretty conservative. This led us to play a little with the card. We achieved stable performance at 690/1220/1551 MHz for the GPU, memory, and shaders, respectively.

We weren’t very pleased with the overclocking results for the GV-N285OC-2GI. They left us with the feeling that Gigabyte hasn’t been overly generous with the components that it used. But as everybody knows, this isn’t an exact science. This card simply isn’t very overclockable. We should also keep in mind that the card has 2 GB of memory, which definitely lowers its overclocking capabilities.

The temperatures that we measured were very good. Even with the fan in auto mode, they were only a problem from time to time, when the fan speed went over 35%.

TEST RESULTS WITH OVERCLOCKING

There’s nothing wrong with seeing how a graphics card performs with overclocking, but in this case, the effect is very small. We got almost the same results that we saw in the test without overclocking.

CONCLUSIONS

Without a doubt, the Gigabyte GV-N285OC-2GI is the most powerful graphics card we’ve tested. The results speak for themselves. The card is well made, although we’d still like to see customized cooling. But we felt that the implementation of Ultra Durable VGA made up for not having something better than a reference cooling system.

We can’t complain about this card’s performance. And that’s especially so if we keep in mind its price of about $495. Although this is higher than for other similar models, we have to praise its 2 GB of memory, which will delight lovers of filters and high resolution.

Our only quibble with this card is its overclocking performance, both under the factory-incorporated overclocking and what we achieved manually. But this card is so powerful that we’d have to overclock it a good deal to have good results compared to the reference clocks. In the final analysis, if your budget, chassis, power source, and the rest of your equipment can support it, this graphics card one of the most powerful in the market today and will be a great addition to your system.

The final score is 92 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Gigabyte GV-N285OC-2GI Graphics Card” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks to Gigabyte for letting us look at its GV-N285OC-2GI.

See all reviews of the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 285 OC 2GB GV-N285OC-2GI at testseek.com.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: We are taking a look at AeroCool’s new fan controller panels with LCD temperature monitors. Both include a great number of add-ons for desktop PCs and add a touch of distinction.

Most users hardly take notice of their PC’s front panel, except if it has great visual impact. But a front panel isn’t just an aesthetic component. It plays an essential part that often goes unnoticed.

INTRODUCTION

Front panels like the AeroCool V12 and the AeroCool Touch-2000 give you total control over cooling your PC. They also let you know the temperature of your PC’s various components. For a normal PC user, this may not seem of much value. But for advanced users, it’s very valuable, because it lets them adjust the fans as needed and avoid overly high temperatures that can damage components. Demanding users who are noise conscious can also use these panels to control the fan speed. This reduces noise considerably and produces a quieter environment.

AeroCool understands the needs of the most demanding users. To satisfy them, it provides the V12 and the Touch-2000. Although there are small differences between them, they both feature a very large LCD display, which you can manipulate by touch.

Before starting a detailed analysis, let’s see the panels’ specs and features:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Both panels come in small cardboard boxes of identical size. The front includes a large photo that shows the panel and highlights its touchscreen features with a logo that represents a finger. The only difference we saw here is that the V12 box has checkered bands reminiscent of auto racing, while the Touch-2000 box has the same colors and designs as AeroCool’s other products.

The back of each box has a drawing of the LCD, detailing each element that appears onscreen. The screens of the two panels are different, but they have much in common and are both very intuitive.

The sides of the V12 and Touch-2000 boxes list the products’ technical specs, in various languages.

When we opened the boxes, we saw that each panel was protected by two pieces of plastic. Although they do the job, they’re not as rigid, and don’t provide the same level of protection, as we’ve seen in other AeroCool products. Despite this, the protection is more than enough. When we took off the plastic and took out the two panels, we noticed that some of the accessories were the same and some were different. The AeroCool V12 includes two extra heat sensors with adhesives for mounting them, and a set of screws for installing the panel in 5.25″ bays. The Touch-2000 has the same main accessories as the V12, but it also includes a SATA cable for the e-SATA port, a USB cable for each of the panel’s 2 USB ports, and an AC’97 cable for the included microphone and headset connectors.

Both products have the same user manual, except for descriptions of their different LCDs. They’re brief and concise and perfectly cover any doubts you might have about installing and running either model.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE AEROCOOL PANELS

The AeroCool V12 and Touch-2000 are both quality products. The Touch-2000 is made of brushed aluminum and finished with diamond cutting. The back of the V12 is fashioned in plastic, but this doesn’t make it look careless. On the contrary, the finish of both panels is spectacular. The back of the panel is black, no matter what material it’s made of.

The sides include cutouts for attaching the V12 or Touch-2000 panel to a chassis. It’s important to remember that both the V12 and the Touch-2000 occupy two 5.25″ bays.

The back of each panel has a control board. Its PCB is blue and takes up the entire reverse side of the screen. As far as we could see, this plate is the same in both models, except for something you can see in the lower part of the left-hand image above—the Touch-2000, on the right, has a plate that includes 1e-Sata connector, 2 USB ports, and the mike-in and audio-out connectors. A number of cables come out from the plate. These include cables for the heat sensors and fan speed controllers.

Both the V12 and the Touch-2000 use a Molex connector for power. Aside from power, each one has 2 different sets of cables. On one side, each has 4 heat sensors, and on the other, four 3-pin connectors to control fan speed. Both panels individually control 4 temperature settings and the fan speed. Although the cabling may look chaotic, all the heat sensors and fan speed controllers are labeled for easy identification on the LCD. The heat sensors for both panels have different labels that tell you how to call up the temperature readings on the LCD. The heat probes on the left are from the Touch-2000 and those on the right from the V12.

INSTALLATION AND TESTING

We installed each panel in a Tacens Aluminum chassis. It’s a box that looks spectacular, with a style all its own. To install either panel, we simply connected its Molex to the power supply, connected the fan’s power cables to the panel’s connectors, and installed the heat sensors.

Once either panel’s cabling was connected, it showed us the RPM for each fan, and the temperature of each of the heat sensors. Although the LCD interface may look different between the V12 and the Touch-2000, the data shown, and way to access that data, are the same.

The most important thing about both models is that they operate by touch. Many of their competitors include large LCD screens, but you can’t access the LCD by touch. They use the classic solution of having buttons to move around the screen.

Although their interfaces are somewhat different, we’ll try to state the functions that are common to both the V12 and the Touch-2000, all of which you access from the screen. On both models, you press the AeroCool logo to turn the LCDs backlighting on or off (for a few seconds to turn it off, briefly to turn it on.

By pressing the lock icon inside the AeroCool logo, you can lock or unlock your settings, to make changes or to prevent accidental changes. Pressing a nearby onscreen button lets you switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. You can switch between viewing the current temperature and alarm temperature for each fan by pressing the digits that show that fan’s temperature. To set an alarm temperature, press its numbers for 3 seconds. You can then press “+” or “-” to adjust the temperature to anything from 25-90ºC (68-194º F). Finally, to change a fan’s speed, press the digits for that fan. You can then press “+” or “-” to adjust the speed in intervals of 100 RPM. The lowest possible speed for a fan is 50% — in other words, the possible speeds for a 2000 RPM fan are from 1000 to 2000 RPM.

The LCD screen looks fantastic, but its visibility goes down noticeably as the angle of vision increases or in bright light. The V12 and Touch-2000 really stand out in low light, allowing you to really appreciate the colorfulness of their screens.

The measurements made by the heat sensors are very reliable. They gave almost identical results to those we obtained measuring the temperature by software.

CONCLUSIONS

If AeroCool was trying to dazzle the most demanding users, they succeeded. They have created two high-quality panels with a large touchscreen that lets users control them in a very intuitive manner. The panels also give a unique style to any case in which you install them. More importantly than the style, they let you control your cooling system and adapt it to your circumstances. That’s something priceless. Even better, at a price of about $60, they won’t burn a hole in your pocket. The main difference between the two units is that the Touch-2000 has better connectivity, and that the visible part of it is finished in aluminum. But whichever one you choose, it will be one that surpassed our expectations.

The final score is 91 out of 100 owls, and we give the “AeroCool V12 Fan Controller Panel” our Editor’s Choice Award.

The final score is 93 out of 100 owls, and we give the “AeroCool Touch-2000 Fan Controller Panel” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks to BIOMAG and AeroCool for loaning us the V12 and Touch-2000 panels for this review.

Author: Noel Íñiquez Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: The NZXT BETA is an economical chassis with great possibilities when it comes time to install a system. It has good materials and very striking aesthetics.

We have the chance to present to you one of the latest launches by a manufacturer that is rather new to us, NZXT. This American company has been in the market for a long time, achieving great success with its products, above all in the market for PC chasses.

INTRODUCTION

Here, we’ll examine its BETA chassis, its most recent product, which it launched in the market along with its Panzerbox. Both concepts are very different, and in the BETA’s case, what interests us most right now is that it is a very economical mid tower, to which NZXT has given features usually reserved for advanced cases. Let’s take a look at the specs:

These specs may not stand out beyond what other similar cases offer, but there’s something that caught our attention: the weight of only about 16 pounds makes the BETA a light case, which is perfect if you move it often.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

NZXT has chosen simple packaging for the BETA: a cardboard carton whose serigraphy is limited to the NZXT logos and the BETA’s features. We’ve mentioned that this is an economical chassis. What better way is there to minimize costs from the start than this packaging? When you open the package, you see the front of the BETA, one of the product’s most eye-catching features. The packaging is perfect, protecting the contents with two pieces of Styrofoam and a plastic bag that keeps the chassis from being scratched.

The accessories that NZXT provides with the BETA are in a smaller box inside. It’s worth taking a look at them before examining the BETA in depth. They’re what you’d expect: mountings for 5.25″ and 3.5″ units, screws, a speaker, and a thank-you note from NZXT for its clients’ loyalty.

(The note says “Thanks for buying the NZXT BETA chassis. If you want more information on installation and specifications for this chassis, visit our Web page at www.nzxt.com. The direct link to the product is http://nzxt.com/products/beta. There, you can find the manual in various languages in the download section. Please don’t hesitate to send any question or doubt to the address service@nzxt.com.”)

It’s time to look more closely at the BETA, since it’s what interests us most, after all.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE NZXT BETA: THE EXTERIOR

At first glance, the NZXT BETA is a pretty standard chassis in terms of its configuration. The only thing that stands out is the front, which is striking and perhaps a bit aggressive, aimed at gamers. As emphasized in its specs, the BETA is built of steel, except for the front, with its molded plastic.

The BETA’s side panels are also made of steel, although they don’t seem very robust. The left side has two openings for 120 mm (4.7″) fans, to blow fresh air over the most sensitive components: the graphics card, chipset, and processor.

The back side of the case has a standard configuration, although there are some interesting details, such as outlets for liquid cooling tubes or the possibility of installing various sized fans, something that might seem obvious, but which not all cases have. You can also see that the power supply must be installed at the top, and that the inside of the case is finished in black. This seems a constant in NZXT’s cases, and it greatly improves the aesthetics of this one.

We’ve left the most striking thing about the BETA for last — it’s front. For us, it’s a very aggressive design. Although it may not please everyone, we liked it. The front is clearly divided into two areas. The lower one has a grid that brings in air for the case’s included 120 mm (4.7″) fan. At the top are four 5.25″ bays, with holes to maximize airflow to the inside of the case.

The ON/OFF and RESET buttons are located just below the 5.25″ bays. They perfectly compliment the aesthetics of this case. The NZXT logo appears in white at the upper right, contrasting greatly with the front side’s dominant black.

The last thing to mention is the external ports and connectors. They’re located on top of the unit, which may be the best possible place. They include 2 USB ports, an E-SATA port, and audio-out and mike-in connectors. We’d have liked to see a Firewire port, but we’ll leave that aside, since that standard isn’t widely used.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE NZXT BETA:THE INTERIOR

It’s time to delve deeper into the NZXT BETA, so let’s take off the side panels and look at the inside. As we mentioned with appreciation earlier, the chassis is completely finished in black. We like the great aesthetic improvement this gives to the case as a whole.

Looking at the expansion bay area, we see four 5.25″ bays with a standard configuration. In the case of the five 3.5″ bays, 1 of the cutouts is oriented in the same direction as those for readers, while 4 are in a separate rack and oriented perpendicular to the others. This makes it very easy to install hard disks, as well as providing more interior space. That’s something valuable if you plan to install a large graphics card.

NZXT has designed the BETA very well. This is reflected in the details, such as the cabling of the doors and front controls. The cables for the external ports come out at the top and don’t interfere with any other component. This also makes it easy to hide the cables. The front cabling is well hidden, and if you work at it a little, you can make it disappear completely.

NZXT has provided a stock front-mounted 120 mm (4.7″) fan. It consumes 2.4W and runs at 12V. Interestingly, it can be powered through a 4-pin Molex or 3-pin connector, as the user chooses. Maybe NZXT should also include a rear fan, but given the price of this case, we shouldn’t ask for too much.

The center of the case includes enough space to install the motherboard and power supply, along with the freedom to work with the cabling and install everything cleanly. The back has 7 expansion slots with perforated plates to maximize cooling.

In general, we think the BETA is well designed, roomy, and has many interesting features. Our only complaint is that it’s not very rigid.

INSTALLING EQUIPMENT

To install equipment in the NZXT BETA, you start by installing the clips for the 3.5″ units, which must be screwed onto the hard disk. For the 5.25″ units, they must be placed in their corresponding slots and their mountings installed. Both these anchoring methods are secure and can be performed quickly.

Installing the motherboard and power supply is extremely easy, thanks above all to the ample space that the BETA provides. When it came time to connect the power supply and data cables, it was easy to hide them, producing an impeccable system installation.

When we started up the system, we noticed the front-mounted blue LEDs. Along with other blue system lights, this creates a very pleasant look that will doubtless be attractive to many users. Another strong point is that the included fan draws hot air out through the rear of the case. By installing all the fans, we achieved great airflow and excellent cooling of our equipment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our first experience with a NZXT product made a good impression on us, even though it was a low-range case. The BETA is aesthetically attractive, above all for its front and interior finishing. The only thing we’re not convinced about is its robustness.

This case has great possibilities. There’s no problem with long graphics cards, which fit perfectly. Cable management is another of the BETA’s strong points, especially since this is an unusual feature for cases in this price range. Something else we liked was the cooling system. Although it only includes one fan, it provides direct ventilation for critical system components.

NZXT has convinced us with its BETA chassis. Keeping in mind its very low price of about $70, we feel it’s one of the models to keep in mind when you build a new system or want to replace a generic chassis. It’s a well-made case, which offers high quality and great options.

The final score is 90 out of 100 owls, and we give the “NZXT BETA Chassis” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks NZXT for supplying us with the BETA chassis.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: Logitech has given us a chance to take a look at one of its latest creations, the Logitech G13 gameboard. It’s a real jewel for game addicts like us.

Logitech’s G13 gameboard is a revolutionary peripheral, and well worth a look.

INTRODUCTION

Gamers spend a lot of time using keyboards specially designed for gameplay, called gameboards. Although Logitech entered this market only a couple of months ago, it has used all its experience and knowledge in the world of keyboards to give players what is possibly the best gameboard on the market.

The Logitech G13 is a small board that brings together a large number of keys, a small joystick, and a big LCD screen that gives you all the information you need about your game.

Let’s see exactly what Logitech says in its packaging for the G13:

Dig in. Get comfortable.

• Naturally contoured design: Follows the natural shape of your hand and fingers for increased comfort during long sessions.
• Large, concave buttons: Let you locate buttons by touch on the home row.
• Solid, stable design: Helps assure that your gameboard will keep up when your game gets intense. Strategically placed feet. Stable weight (650 grams).

Take command.

• Twenty-five programmable keys: Customize keys to suit your style of play.
• Quick macros: Assign complex actions to single keystrokes—on the fly.
• Programmable mini-joystick: Maneuver quickly and easily. The control you need is under your thumb.
• Backlit keys: Let you easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play. Plus, you can customize the keys with any backlight color that you want.

Go mobile.

• Onboard memory: Saves your profiles so you can take your personal preferences with you.
• Portable design: Keeps the game going wherever you go.

Stay informed.

• High-visibility GamePanel™ LCD: Gather tactical information, including live stats, system info, and communications from fellow players.
• Public software development kit (SDK): Upload the latest enhancements developed exclusively for GamePanel™ by the Logitech open-source community.

Logitech’s G13 can definitely be a special gameboard for the most interesting games on the market, with features that are clearly superior to the competition’s.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As soon as we saw the packaging of the Logitech G13, we thought, “this looks great!” The serigraphy is striking, with nicely contrasting colors. The back briefly lists the main features that Logitech has given the product: its ergonomic shape, keys with configurable LEDs, LCD screen, and many other features that we’ll cover, little by little.

The back of the box describes the G13 in six languages and explains some references included in the description.

The images on the package don’t show a lot, but they don’t need to, since you can see almost the entire product without taking it out. When you open the box, there’s not much to see: just the gameboard, user manuals, and a CD with G13 drivers and programs. That’s all you need, so we won’t say anything more here.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE LOGITECH G13

At first glance, the G13 is very impressive. Though you may not notice it at first, it’s pretty big. But even more than by its size, the G13 impressed us by its large number of keys, its built-in joystick, and the large LCD.

Logitech has worked hard on the G13. You can see it in its shape, which is designed to provide the greatest possible comfort. The wrist rest has a rubber base, which keeps your hand from slipping during long gameplay sessions.

The built-in joystick is to the right of the keyboard. It’s well located so you can use it with your thumb. But at first, it was somewhat hard to use the joystick and the two joystick buttons at the same time with the same thumb.

The most important thing is the keys, right? That’s what dominates most of the gameboard. There are 22. They’re large, and quite high. The main ones, which you would use to move around in most games, have a notch that lets you easily recognize them by touch.

The area below the LCD screen has four rectangular function keys. You can use the first 3 to load profiles that you’ve created. The round keys let you turn the LCD and the keyboard LEDs on and off, as well as navigate the various applications that you can use with the G13 and see on the LCD screen.

The screen may be the G13′s strongest point. As with Logitech’s G15 or its newer version, the G19, it can display lots of information, either from programs supplied by Logitech or by others. It displays 160×43 pixels. You can completely customize the lighting color for the LCD and the keys, within the RGB palette.

There’s nothing notable about the base of the G13, although Logitech has installed a fairly large metal plate with the model name on it. The gameboard is supported by 6 feet, of which 2 are on the upper part, 2 below the joystick, and 2 on the lower part. They all have a small rubber pad, which ensures that the G13 stays securely on the table, offering a perfect grip.

INSTALLING THE G13 SOFTWARE

As soon as we connected the Logitech G13 to our Windows PC, the system automatically recognized it. But to use it, you still have to configure many options. The installation process is pretty standard, but the interface is outstanding. We opted to install only the Logitech software.

After the installation is done, you are offered various options. These include two configuration screens. The right-hand picture is in Spanish, but English is of course available. The screen shown there thanks users for buying the product. It lets users see compatible software online, gives information on profiles and macros, offers info about the LCD screen and included applications, and lets users create profiles.

Before you do anything else, we recommend that you watch the Flash presentation that Logitech has created for G13 users. It explains all of the gameboard’s important features and shows some of the things you can do with it, like saving game profiles in the unit’s built-in memory.

The left-hand “Global Configuration” screen lets users configure what they see onscreen in various ways. The right-hand one lets users set how to switch between applications, and adjust the screen’s brightness and contrast.

Among other things, the screen show above lets users activate and deactivate various included Logitech programs, such as its LCD countdown program, a multimedia function, a performance monitor, an RSS reader, and an e-mail application. You can also configure programs that you install yourself.

The screen above shows the result of searching for user-configured profiles for various games. The first two lines are “Find new games…” and “The profiler has completed the search.”

The key configuration screen offers incredible customization power. You can configure the lighting for the LCDs and the keys, customize all of the programmable keys, and create time-saving macros. You can also save profiles here, using the G13′s built-in memory. This is very useful if you use the unit with more than one PC.

The screen above lets you configure profiles for various games.

PLAYING WITH THE LOGITECH G13

Logitech is noted for giving users practical, high-quality solutions. The G13 is no exception. When we started using it, it took us awhile to adapt, especially because of the lack of references for the various keys, and because it took awhile to learn to handle the joystick well. We suppose that’s normal, since it always takes some time to adapt to new peripherals, or at least it always takes us awhile.

The screen above shows the LCD countdown on the left and includes a chronometer on the right.

After over 3 weeks with the G13, we’ve become accustomed to its feel, and the location of its keys. Above all, we’ve learned to handle the joystick. The G13 offers so many keys and possible configurations that it’s almost not necessary to use the macros, or to change profiles during play.

It’s clear that you can use this gameboard in any type of game. But in our experience, its virtues are clearest when you play FPSs or strategy games, since in both genres you use many action keys and lots of motion, just what the G13 offers.

Logitech offers practically unlimited options with its G13, and we’ll surely use them all at some time, though not intensively. The LCD screen is tremendously useful when you need information about a game, such as the FPS rate or CPU memory use. It can also be very useful beyond games, for checking if you have new e-mail or seeing what time it is.

CONCLUSIONS

Logitech is always improving its products. Because it understands users’ needs, it released the G13, a special keyboard for gamers, with great materials quality and finishing.

The options are almost infinite, thanks to the 3 profiles that you can create for each game, along with customized macros, which give you complete control over any kind of game. However, our testing shows that it will give you the best performance in strategy games and FPSs.

The LCD screen is another of its great advantages. It lets you monitor a multitude of system options, from e-mail, to the use of system resources, to the FPS rates you get while you play.

Any videogame fan who wants to have the best tools and get extra performance should keep the Logitech G13 in mind. It’s the best gameboard on the market today.

The final score is 92 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Logitech G13 Gameboard” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks to Logitech for letting us try out its G13 gameboard.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: The Nexus TDD-9000 is a bold and innovative product that promises great advantages compared to traditional coolers for portable computers.

We’ve tested many cooling systems for laptops. In general, they all depend on active cooling from fans. Although they’re generally quiet, they also consume a large amount of electricity. Nexus has given us a very innovative cooler for portables. We’re sure it will impress you as much as it impressed us.

INTRODUCTION

The Nexus TDD-9000 is more than just a cooler. We’d call it an advanced cooling system, which uses gel to do its work.

Let’s start by looking at the TDD-9000′s features:

• Cools by using a patented liquid
• Finished in black velvet
• Completely silent: 0 dB!
• Doesn’t use electricity
• Universally compatible
• Light, foldable, and easy to carry, weighing only 500 grams (17.6 ounces)
• Dimensions: 400 x 290 mm (15.7 x 11.4″)

As a cooling system, the TDD-9000 is certainly a bit strange. But we also recognize that it’s truly innovative and is definitely worth a look.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Nexus TDD-9000 cooling pad comes in a large, but very practical bag, which lets you see the product. The packaging briefly describes the TDD-9000 and promises to lower your portable computer’s temperature by up to 17ºC (62.6ºF).

The back of the package explains some of the product’s features in detail. It includes two graphics with the results that an independent lab obtained in its performance testing. The graphics say it all — if we could get only half the promised improvement, we’d celebrate!

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE NEXUS TDD-9000

It’s time to take a close look at the TDD-9000, so we’ll take it out of its protective plastic shell. The first thing we noticed (you can’t help it!) is the very pleasant feel of the pad’s 100% velvet cover.

When we heard that the TDD-9000 was filled with gel, we thought it would be pretty rigid. But it’s totally moldable, as you’ll see in the images above and below, where we bend and fold it. If you’re short on space, no problem — you can fold it and put it in a small box, or even fold it into a ball.

The TDD-9000 is made of excellent material. You can see that in the Nexus logo in the lower left corner. We were afraid of tearing the pad, which could cause a serious problem if the gel leaked out. But the materials are very good, and the pad as a whole should be very resistant.

TESTING THE NEXUS TDD-9000

To test the TDD-9000 we used tools based on Intel’s Santa Rosa platform: a Core 2 Duo T7300 with a 965GM chipset, X3100 graphics, and a Toshiba MK1637GSX hard disk. Our laptop has a 15.4″ screen. When we put it on top of the TDD-9000, we saw that the pad is large enough to accommodate even larger laptops. I’d venture to say that you wouldn’t have problems even with a 17″ screen.

For our temperature tests, we used the CINEBENCH R10 benchmark, which let us simultaneously exercise the processor, chipset, and graphics card. Here are the results:

Our results were far from the improvements certified by the Taiwanese test lab. But they were appreciable. Even a reduction of 2ºC (3.6ºF) is welcome in a portable computer. We also noticed that we didn’t get any noise reduction benefit, as we did when we tested cooling units that used fans.

I was pleased that I had no problem keeping the computer on my lap when I used the TDD-9000, even for long periods of time. The bottom of the pad was always cold. It seems that by using the TDD-9000, we can finally use a laptop in bed to watch movies or to work in a relaxed state, with nothing to bother us.

CONCLUSIONS

The Nexus TDD-9000 is definitely a novel and impressive, even bold product. That’s the only way to make a name for itself in the market.

As a cooling pad, the TDD-9000 has many virtues, such as its excellent materials, good feel, lightness, and easy storage (even in pant pockets). At first, we had great hopes for its ability to lower temperatures. While those benefits ended up being much smaller, we think they may be adequate.

Something else that caught our attention was that the TDD-9000 doesn’t reduce a laptop’s fan noise, something that does improve with active coolers. But we also realized that when we used this pad, we could put the computer on our lap without being bothered by the heat.

In short, Nexus has done a good job with its TDD-9000. If it can somehow improve the pad’s performance, it will have an excellent product. It’s available at several places for as low as $25.

The final score is 75 out of 90 owls, which is 83.3 out of 100. We give the “Nexus TDD-9000 Laptop Cooling Pad” our Recommended Award.

Thanks to Nexus and ThunderIT Ibérica for letting us test the TDD-9000.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: AMD’s mid-range graphics cards are having great success. The AMD Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 is an example of this. It’s an excellent graphics card with a very inviting price.

It’s been awhile since we’ve had the chance to take a look at a graphics card. So, we thought it was time now to end that drought and examine one of the new models that have flooded the market in recent months.

INTRODUCTION

Sapphire looked favorably upon our request and sent us one of today’s mid-range models with the best price/performance ratio: the HD 4770. AMD is doing well with its powerful HD 4000 series. After launching high-range and mid-range cards, it has introduced various intermediate models, starting with the HD 4830 and then the HD 4770. This completes a well-populated range of cards and makes it harder for buyers to choose a particular model.

The main difference between the HD 4770 and other models just above and below it on the performance scale (the HD 4850, HD 4830, and HD 4670 respectively), is that this card uses GDDR5 (Graphics Double Data Rate 5) memory to provide better bandwidth. This should let the HD 4770 obtain excellent results without having a wider bus, which would make it much more expensive. It also doesn’t need to operate at stratospheric speeds, which allows for better temperature control. Here’s a summary of the card’s technical specs:

Admittedly, the HD 4770 doesn’t have any really new feature that we haven’t already seen in other cards in the HD 4000 range. Its most interesting point is something we pointed out earlier, its good price/performance ratio. But maybe we’ve gotten a little ahead of ourselves. So we’ll need to see what it can offer in our tests.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Sapphire sent us a Radeon HD 4770 in its retail configuration, just like you’d find it in a store. The box’s serigraphy is very striking. The front lists many of the card’s features, the most outstanding of which is its 512 MB of GDDR5 memory. Another item that stands out is that the card is accompanied by various Cyberlink programs for digital leisure.

On the back, Sapphire details what it feels are the Radeon’s outstanding features. It also gives a brief explanation of the advantages of each of its technologies. And it lists prizes that make it one of the industry’s biggest award winners.

The first thing you find on opening the box is the card itself, perfectly protected in an antistatic plastic bag. The accessories are in a separate compartment. They include 3 CDs with drivers and software, a manual, a CrossFireX bridge and several adaptors: DVI to HDMI, DVI to VGA, Molex to PCI 6-pin connector, and S-Video to RGB. We can’t complain about the bundle that Sapphire has given its Radeon HD 4770!

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE SAPPHIRE RADEON HD 4770

As we mentioned in the introduction, Sapphire has given the Radeon HD 4770 a customized cooling system. In this case, it’s dual slot, and made of aluminum. It also added an 80 mm (3.15″) fan, which should make it run quietly. To complete the cooling system, it put an aluminum plate in the in the power regulation system to get better heat dissipation without having the unit cover the entire PCB.

This graphics card requires external power. This is supplied by a 6-pin PCI-E connector. It consumes about 125W, receiving up to 75 of additional power. It’s not overly long — about 206 mm (8.1″) — so you shouldn’t have much trouble installing it any kind of box

The card has the usual video outs, 2 DVI and 1 S-Video. In case your monitor doesn’t have DVI or you’re interested in another type of connection, Sapphire includes all the necessary adaptors with the accessories. No matter what, you should be able to have your own way.

The only thing worth mentioning on the back of the card is the light heatsink adaptor, which only needs 4 screws to be properly anchored.

INSTALLING THE TEST SETUP

It’s time to get to the heart of the matter. So, here’s the equipment and software that we used in our tests:

Since the processor sometimes limits the ability to test a graphics card, we decided to overclock it to 3.5 GHz, while lowering the memory speed to 1 GHz. Our Phenom II X4 920 didn’t disappoint us. Here are some results for different components:

In all the games, we used the highest possible resolution, first without filters and then with them. In many cases, we saw low performance figures, but it’s important to remember that we were very demanding in picking such high resolutions.

SYNTHETIC TEST RESULTS

Note: This figure, and others after it, use commas as a decimal point, instead of a period. So, the first result is 341.4.

We limited our synthetic tests to the 3 that we thought were the most representative. We were very satisfied with the results, above all the excellent score in the 3D Mark. Some other cards are more powerful, but if we add in the price variable, the HD 4770 scores very well.

REAL TESTS I

For this analysis and the following ones, we introduced new benchmarks to better reflect the card’s performance with state-of-the art games.

The card performed very well in these game tests. But these aren’t the most demanding ones in our test bench. Frame rates were excellent in all cases, allowing us to enjoy excellent quality play, with no surprises.

REAL TESTS II

We reserved our most demanding tests for this section. Here’s where we must note that the HD 4770 is a mid-range card, which can produce minimal frame rates of over 30. From the data we collected, we believe that especially at lower resolutions, it can let users enjoy games with a high graphic quality, but that it doesn’t have much to boast about in terms of overall game performance.

OVERCLOCKING AND TEMPERATURE

The ability to overclock is one of the most interesting factors when it comes time to choose a specific graphics card, above all when we’re talking about the mid range and are looking for some extra performance. In our case, we used Catalyst for overclocking and got pretty good results:

To measure working temperatures, we used GPU-Z and Furmark. We measured the temperature when the system was at rest, after being in the Windows desktop for 30 minutes without doing anything. For our test under load, we ran a 30-minute Furmark 1.7 session. Here are the results:

The measured temperatures were very good. Leaving the fan in auto mode didn’t cause any problems except at brief moments when its rotational velocity was over 35%.

TEST RESULTS WITH OVERCLOCK

To see the performance gain from overclocking, we used just 3 tests, but the results are definitely representative. The gain didn’t turn out to be too large. The 3D Mark 06 results show that, but with Far Cry 2 we can see that the frame rates increased, making that game run much better. You can’t do much with Crysis, which continues to be the most demanding game. There’s no remedy other than sacrificing graphics quality to play it without jerkiness.

CONCLUSIONS

A mid-range product is always a safe investment. In this range, we usually find products with the best price/performance ratio. That’s what Sapphire has shown with its Radeon HD 4770. Its price ranges from about $125-$140. Given the card’s good performance, it’s a must-buy if your budget is tight and you don’t demand the ultimate in playability.

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 offers everything that any mid-range user needs, starting with its good included bundle and continuing with its cooling system. Its cooling is very effective, and except in extreme situations, is quiet. And we can’t forget its overclocking capability. Some of the frequencies it reached were more than acceptable, although we’re completely sure that simply installing some memory heatsinks could enable even higher frequencies.

To sum up, we can definitely recommend this card. As with us, it won’t leave you feeling cheated in any way.

The final score is 90 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 Video Card” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks to Sapphire for loaning us a Radeon HD 4770.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: The Tuniq 3 is an old chassis, but even today, it has features that could be interesting and attractive, as well as a very interesting price around 60 bucks.

Here’s another Tuniq product, which although it’s not new (it was launched about two years ago), struck us as worthy of a detailed look.

INTRODUCTION

The Tuniq 3 is a mid tower box with some very interesting features. The technical specs are as follows:

We’ve already noted that the Tuniq 3 isn’t a new design. That’s why it doesn’t include some add-ons that have become fashionable recently, like hookups for water cooling. But it does have a complete tool-less mounting system and an advanced cooling system.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Yes, the Tuniq 3 is a mid tower chassis, but its packaging is still pretty big. The cardboard box is all black, with attention-getting images of the product on front and back. On the back, Tuniq lists the features of the core fan assembly, as well as the parts of this tool-less system.

When you open the box, you see part of the front of the product. As usual, it’s well protected, by a plastic bag and Styrofoam panels.

The box also includes the necessary accessories. These include rails for 3.5″ units, all the fasteners needed for installation, and a complete user manual.

THE EXTERIOR OF THE TUNIQ 3

The Tuniq 3 is completely finished in silver, although the aluminum front stands out from the rest of the product. From the very first, several things catch your eye, such as the openings at the bottom and on the lower part of the front side. The former let you see the unit’s internal illumination, and the latter are intake vents for the front-mounted fan.

The front of the chassis is made of aluminum, as noted by the specs, and is very well finished. Just below the access door for the 5.25″ and 3.5″ units is Tuniq’s engraved logo. The door is large and closes with magnets. This avoids problems that can develop with time and makes sure that the door is always completely closed.

Although we’ve seen almost the entire outside of the box, we haven’t seen the ON/OFF and RESET buttons, or the usual LEDs that indicate the unit’s operations. Tuniq has put them on top, in the front, where they are easily accessible, although they don’t call attention to themselves.

Tuniq has placed 2 air intakes on the left-hand panel. One can accept an 80 mm (3.1″) fan, while the lower one is uniquely designed to let air flow naturally to the inside of the chassis. This side also includes two USB 2.0 ports, an audio out, and a microphone input.

The back of the box is pretty standard. It has an opening for mounting 120, 92, or 80 mm fans (4.7, 3.6, or 3.1″). The red switch in the lowest slot turns the unit’s bottom-based illumination on and off. We haven’t shown it yet, but it consists of 2 CCFL light tubes.

INSIDE THE TUNIQ 3

It’s time to open up the Tuniq 3. To do this, we’ll take off the left-hand panel. The first thing we notice, and that’s not surprising, since it’s out of the ordinary, is the central core fan assembly, which is anchored to the top and bottom of the chassis and includes 2 silent 120 mm (4.7″) 3D Core fans. When we took off the cover on the right side, we didn’t see anything to point out. But we definitely noticed that it doesn’t have a cutout for quickly installing a cooler.

The core fan assembly has many pre-drilled holes, which you can use to install fans, as you choose, to cool the unit. This cooling system is ingenious, but it may be more showy than anything else when it comes to actually installing fans.

The unit includes two racks for 3.5″ bays. The bottom one has room for 3 units, and the top one, which is for external bays, can only accommodate 2. You just need to use the sliders to install the units that you put in the lower rack.

The rack for 5.25″ bays has space for 5 units. To connect things, we didn’t need any type of fasteners beyond what came with each bay — we could forget tools completely.

Space for the power supply is at the upper back. It’s a traditional configuration, which has its pros and cons. The rear fan, which draws hot air out of the chassis, is also located here. There are two options for powering the fan: a 4-pin Molex or a 3-pin fan connector.

At the bottom are 7 expansion slots. Like the rest of the chassis, they’re tool-less, which makes installing things like video cards easier. Tuniq has placed the switch for the lighting system, which you activate from outside, in the last slot. Power for the lighting system uses a cable with a Molex connector. It uses a transformer, which is located inside.

INSTALLING EQUIPMENT IN THE TUNIQ 3

To mount units in the Tuniq 3, you first have to remove the central core fan assembly, which you can do by taking out 3 screws. To install 3.5″ units, you just need to insert 2 sliders. For 5.25″ units, simply put the unit to be installed in the most convenient slot and tighten the latches. This box is really tool-less: we didn’t have to use even a single screw.

While we were installing everything, we realized that we could have problems with the configuration of the fans in the core fan assembly, depending on the hardware that we installed. In our case, the biggest problem was the graphics card. But we finally found a place that didn’t interfere with the lower fan.

When we turned everything on, the illumination caught our attention. It’s very impressive and gives an eye-catching modding feel to the Tuniq 3, without being too garish. The fans were a true pleasure — extremely quiet, and with good airflow.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the design of the Tuniq 3 is somewhat outdated and lacks some features found in more recent boxes, this chassis is very interesting and has some unique features. If our memory doesn’t mislead us, it’s the only chassis that permits truly tool-less installation of all components.

Going back to the start, we’ll mention again that the Tuniq 3′s finishing is excellent. This is especially true on the front, where the aluminum adds a very elegant touch. The cooling system is also well designed, and although the core fan assembly may be incompatible with certain hardware, it’s an excellent solution for directly cooling the most important components.

The illumination at the bottom of the unit gives it an elegant modding touch. Even then, thanks to the included switch, you can turn the lighting on or off, as you desire.

The final score is 91 out of 100 owls and we give the “Tuniq 3 Chassis” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks to Fashion PCs and Tuniq for loaning us the Tuniq 3.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translated by: Ed Winograd

Summary: Hauppauge has introduced a very interesting multimedia player that integrates a TV receiver, video player, music player, and much more.

The multimedia player market has evolved greatly since it began. MP3 players emerged a long time ago. But since then, time has let other great ideas mature, leading to an endless number of features for multimedia players.

INTRODUCTION

Hauppauge is a world leader in making TV tuners for PCs. It now seeks to leverage its knowledge to take the portable player market by storm. The result is the company’s myTV Player, a portable unit that lets users see and hear Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT/DTV) and Digital Terrestrial Radio (HD Radio/DTR), and which can be used as a multimedia player for photos, music, and videos.

• The myTV player offers spectacular possibilities. Let’s look at its technical features and then examine them in detail:High Definition 3.6″ QVGA TFT-LCD screen
• DVB-T receiver for DTV and DTR, with a built-in telescoping antenna
• A slot for SD 2.0/SDHC/MMC 4.2 cards of up to 8 GB, so you can listen to your music and view your photos and videos, including MP3 music, JPEG photos, and MPEG videos (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4/ISO MP4, DivX 4.0/5.0, and XviD)
• Stereo audio with 2 built-in speakers
• Two free games
• Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
• Dimensions: 122 mm x 78 mm x 18.4 mm (4.8″ x 3.1″ x 0.7″)
• Weight: 200 grams (7.1 ounces)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The myTV Player’s box is very carefully designed. The predominant colors are black, red, and white. The front of the box shows a picture of the product. Hauppauge is aware of the myTV Player’s great virtues, including that it lets users see and hear DTV and DTR, and it tries to use this to differentiate it from the other multimedia players on the market. On the back of the box, it details all of the product’s virtues and high points, to win over buyers. The contents of the box’s sides are very simple. One side lists the included accessories, and the other gives the previously mentioned technical specs for the product.

When the box is opened, we see the myTV Player enclosed in a piece of cardboard and protected from possible scratches by a plastic sheet. In our opinion, this protection is good, but it could be better. When you remove the cardboard, you see the large number of accessories that Hauppauge has supplied. The box includes a strap and a protective bag, a wall plug adaptor for Europe and the United Kingdom, a portable DVT-B external antenna, a USB-to-mini-USB adaptor, an audio/video out cable, and an instruction manual. Although there are many accessories, it lacks headphones and even a low-capacity SD or MMC memory card, which would let buyers use the product better from the start. This means that if you want to have all the basic accessories to use the myTV Player’s television and multimedia capabilities, you must buy them separately.

DETAILS: EXTERIOR

Hauppauge has created an excellent portable TV that can also function as a multimedia player. The myTV Player has a 3.6″ QVGA TFT LCD that lets it perfectly display the multimedia content stored on SD/MMC memory cards of up to 8 GB, and show your favorite DTV programs.

The front of the myTV Player has a control pad that includes buttons to increase and decrease the volume and move up or down by one channel. These buttons also let you navigate the unit’s menus. The center “OK” button lets you make menu choices. The “HOME” and “MENU” buttons also help with navigation and menu choices. The front-mounted speaker above the control pad provides more direct sound than a side-mounted speaker would.

On top of the unit are the ON/OFF switch, a hold switch to prevent accidentally activating a control, three buttons for controlling multimedia playback, and a slot for SD/MMC memory cards of up to 8 GB. Finally, the built-in DVB-T antenna can be set to two different positions.

The back of the myTV Player has a small stand to keep the unit upright. The Lithium Ion battery is located on the back and is well protected by a screw that prevents accidental access.

The right side includes a hook for the unit’s carrying strap, which can help keep it safe from mishaps. There’s also a mini-jack for sound output, an analog video out, a battery status indicator, and a mini-USB connector. You can connect a USB memory drive or hard disk to the myTV player to copy multimedia content. This enormously increases your ability to load videos, images, and photos.

The lone connector on the left side lets you attach the external DVB-T antenna included with the unit’s accessories. This side also includes the left-hand speaker.

DETAILS: OPERATION

When you press the ON/OFF button, the myTV Player’s menu immediately appears. The portable TV and multimedia player start up very quickly. Also, there are no tedious pauses between one menu and another.

The opening menu includes various options: TV, Radio, Movie, Music, Photo, Game, and System.

The most common problem with this type of portable TV is that of tuning in to DTV channels. We tried many times to find TV and radio channels with the built-in antenna. We never succeeded, although we were in a zone that was supposed to have wide coverage. Hauppauge recommends that if you have access to a connector for the antenna of a building or hotel, that you use it, rather than the unit’s built-in telescoping antenna. If you don’t, and you don’t get a signal, you can use the included external antenna and locate the unit closer to outside, such as by a window. This will noticeably improve reception.

Because we couldn’t tune in to any TV or radio channel, we couldn’t evaluate this function. But we know that the myTV Player’s DTV receiver has Teletext and an electronic programming guide. We would have liked to see these functions at first hand, but it wasn’t possible.

The myTV Player can play various video formats, such as MPG, DAT, VOB, and AVI. The screen is very good and provides excellent definition, and videos are perfectly rendered. However, it’s missing certain capabilities, beyond its ability to pause and rewind video. It would have been better if Hauppauge had included more precise controls, so that you could jump forward or backward by a specific time interval, as you can with the PSP. They should also have included a menu for configuring the various screen modes, without having to go to the System configuration to set them. But it does provide subtitles in SRT format.

The Music function works equally as well as the Photos function. The myTV Player does what it promises to. But it only gets you halfway there, because it lacks features that make a difference in other multimedia players. In the Music function, the sound is spectacular. Having a front speaker along with the speaker on the left side provides more direct sound than with two side-mounted speakers. But the lack of features in the Music function keeps this unit from standing out. You can’t make playlists or tweak the sound on the fly. Still, the myTV Player supports MP3 and WAV files, so you can enjoy your favorite songs through earphones or through the built-in stereo speakers.

Of all the unit’s capabilities, Hauppauge has given the most care to the Photos functionality. It has all the basic functions, and more important ones, such as zooming photos and seeing them as a slide show by using the top-mounted multimedia buttons. It supports the JPEG, GIF, and BMP formats.

The myTV Player includes two famous videogames: Box Man and Tetris. These are useful when you want to take a break from all the available music and films.

It includes a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. One charge provides 4 hours of videos, music, and pictures, or 3 hours of watching TV.

Before we finish, you can click on the following link to see a short video of the myTV Player in operation. Enjoy!

CONCLUSIONS

Hauppauge has done a good job with the myTV Player. If you can get a good DTV signal, you can enjoy it at any place and time. Along with its TV function, it can also play multimedia content from many types of sources and is compatible with most storage media. But not everything is good. Outside of major urban areas (or even in them), DTV signals may not be available, or reception may be poor. This can make the unit your enemy, along the software’s lack of functionality. With its cost of about 150 Euros ($215) the myTV Player is a great option for TV enthusiasts, and it has the extra attraction of working as a multimedia player.

The final score is 75 out of 100 owls and we give the “Hauppauge myTV Player” our Recommended Award.

Thanks to Hauppauge for letting us test its myTV Player. It was a great pleasure.

Author: Noel Íñiguez Fernández

Translated by: Ed Winograd