computer-reviews.net

Acer TravelMate TMC312XCi Intel Centrino 1.73GHz PC tablet

Saturday, December 17th, 2005 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews, Reviews | View Comments

The Acer TravelMate TMC312XCi with Intel Centrino 1.73GHz is a good PC tablet for those looking for the functionality of both a laptop and PC tablet. It looks just like a laptop, but when you open the screen you can open it up and flip it over so that the screen side faces out. Once flipped over it can operate just like a tablet and all the functions can be accessed using a small pen on the touch sensitive display.

I really do think that the comination of a tablet and notebook like this is a perfect concept, the two technologies by themselves are expensive enough, but now they are just combined and you can get both together. There are times when you really need a notepad of sorts and there are times when you really just need to use a computer, such as when typing documents or performing operations on the computer.

Features of this Acer PC tablet include…

• 1.73GHz Pentium M Processor
• Intel Centrino Technology
• 512MB of DDR2 533 memory
• LAN, wireless LAN and modem
• NVidia GeForce Go 6200 TurboCache graphics processor
• 14.1 inch XGA screen

Something which I did some research on recently was Intel Centrino technology. I often hear things about this and their adds are everywhere, but many people are not sure about what it really is. It is simply a combination of Intel parts which Intel market together, basically as a wireless networking package. There is a certain amount of predictablility and assurance knowing what you are getting in a package that has the Centrino markings on it. It pretty much guarantees that you should have very little hassles with wireless networking in most environments.

At the price this Acer PC tablet is sold at, it is not really intended to be a cheap computer. However, you do get a lot without stepping into the realms of the exorbitant business laptops. As mentioned you can’t really go wrong with an Intel Centrino package and so that is a good start for those looking for a fairly fast computer that can handle mobile computing and wireless networking.

Other extras that come with the computer include the standard Type 2 PC card slot for those extras you might have. All networking requirements are built-in, amongst those modem, LAN, wireless LAN and bluetooth.

The CD-RW / DVD combo drive is a little of a disappointment. I always like to get the most I can, and with the price of a DVD burner being not too much more expensive I would have like to have seen that option included, just to save on one further upgrade in the future.

The nVidia GeForce GO 6200 with Turbocache will boost the performance in gaming and provide crisp quality for general graphics. Always better to have more than less and the inclusion of this good graphics card makes it that much more suitable for different activities.

It has all the usual array of ports like audio, USB 2.0 and an Infrared port. It also has Firewire which is always a welcome extra even its mostly just cause its a cool thing rather than because they are used very often, but may be if you have an external DVD drive of hard drive.

Overall I find the features of this computer pleasing. It has a good mix of parts, offering nearly all the things you could want for a price that is not cheap, but reasonable for what you get.

Pros

• Intel Centrino combo, always reliable
• Fully featured
• Convertible PC tablet

Cons

• A little on the heavy side
• CD writer instead of DVD writer

Asus P5P800 Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard AGP 8X/4X

Saturday, December 17th, 2005 | Motherboard Reviews, Reviews | View Comments

The Asus P5P800 could be an unsung hero when it comes to value for money and extreme features for a very good price. This board has the priviledge of having all the features you could need from a motherboard with all the things you could need to do anything you really want with your computer.

Overclocking a Pentium 530 to over 6GHz and over 5.4GHz stable are among some of the great things the ASUS P5P800 can do. Although not all people want to go into overclocking a boards ability to go way beyond what its specs say is a sure sign that a lot of quality is what you are gettting.

Feature list…

• Socket 775 for Intel Pentiums and Celerons
• Intel 865PE northbridge chipset
• AGP 4X/8X graphics slot
• Gigabit LAN and built-in audio
• DDR dual channel memory slots (2 dual-channel pairs)
• SATA headers

The ASUS P5P800 offers all the features of a modern board without the exorbitant cost associated with getting a high range motherboard with all the features you need. Being capable of supporting all of Intels Pentium 4 and Celeron processors makes it a good bet for those looking to put together a mid-range computer for less than a thousand bucks with everything included.

Dual channel memory is a good feature, though make sure to get the memory in pairs as your DDR modules have to be a dual-channel pair to get the approximate 10% increase in performance that they generally manage to offer. The motherboard can support up to 4GB of memory by installing 4 sticks of 1GB DDR.

The Intel northbridge and southbridge provide enough performance and features and are a reliable pair.

Although the board is on its way out in terms of the latest technology there is still a lot of room for people who are still buying Pentiums that came out more than a year ago and upgrading systems that have these already. The biggest plus is that it has all the peripheral devices that are needed for the other parts that have come out.

SATA provides ability to use the latest and fastest hard drives around, and if you have ATA drives then they are still supported as usual. USB 2.0 is a standard feature for modern motherboards, although this board does not have a Firewire port, but not surprising as this really is often seen as a high end add-on.

AGP 4X/8X graphics slot can be seen two ways. If you have a cool older card that happens to use AGP you can still keep it and upgrade your motherboard, however AGP will be phased out sooner or later, so if you want to keep upgrading graphics cards, you would have to upgrade the board again.

Overall this board is an absolute monster in terms of performance and value. The ASUS P5P800 has everything you could need at a great price of only a hundred bucks or so. I would recommend it to anyone who needs to newer features of motherboard like SATA but does not want to do away with the rest of their system, or for those looking for a great value computer with a little bit of kick.

Pros

• Great price
• Absolutely awesome performance in terms of speed
• Fully featured
• Best choice for upgrading a slightly older system

Cons

• No Firewire
• No PCIe

Thermaltake Tai Chi Aluminum Full Tower Case

Friday, December 16th, 2005 | Computer Case Reviews, Reviews | View Comments

Most of the time I get to look at budget range cases, and as cool as they can be at times they are always just budget cases. They all follow a similar mold and most often just alter some of the looks for what people want to see.

But not with the Thermaltake Tai-Chi

Thermaltake have taken a massive leap in the right direction in producing a case of exceptional quality. It’s not just good, its excellent. There is something special about coming across a product that is truly solid and great. Just like I feel about a audiophile sound system, this case oozes coolness.

Features…

• All aluminum
• Really solid
• Spacious interior
• Easy to upgrade to liquid cooling

Well, enough of the praise. The case is an all aluminum deal with cooling fins running down both sides of the case. The front has a split door and there is a grill at the bottom of the case to bring new air in when warm air is expelled.

The massive case design (it really is massive) is a wonder to work on as there is always enough space to do things inside it. It is designed, with pre-cut holes, to take a water cooling system, most likely their own if you were to ask them. There is another model available that combines the Thermaltake Tai Chi with one of their water cooling solutions.

The case is solid and includes all the usual extras that we have come to expect from cases, like Firewire, USB and audio ports. There is a 120mm fan which is joined to a 3 hard drive rack that goes in the case. There are enough DVD drive size bays for anything you would want to install too.

The Thermaltake Tai-Chi is heavy, at around 17kg it really needs to handles that are included to carry it around.

I could not recommend this case to the average computer user. It’s price just makes no sense for someone who doesn’t really love their computer. But with that said the case really is a wonder. It has everything you could need, looks to match and solid build. It is futureproof enough that it could last a decade or more. It really is just gorgeous.

Pros

• Good looks
• Solid build
• Spacious interior
• Nearly tool-less design

Cons

• Expensive (but worth it)
• Cheapy PCI card retaining clips

Plextor px716uf DVD±RW Dual-layer DVD writer (red)

Thursday, December 15th, 2005 | DVD and CD Drive Reviews, Reviews | View Comments

Back in April I had a look at this model, just in blue. At that time I was concerned about the price of the DVD writer. I was also worried about the complexity of portability. After having a look again and having another look at the features on offer and the new, cheaper price I have some more thoughts about it.

The price of the Plextor px716uf is just over 200 dollars. This is still fairly expensive, but not too exhorbitant. At this price its still way over that of an internal unit, but puts it much more in the view of those who would like something portable.

Plextor are a very well known name in the optical drive business. They have been around for years and have had their share of top-performing drives. The Plextor DVD±RW dual-layer DVD writer adds to that by bringing internal speed writing to an external drive. It really can match the speed of internal drives, which makes it even more appealing as a portable.

Basic features include…

• 16x write speed for DVD±R media
• 8x for DVD+RW and 4x for DVD-RW
• 4x DVD+R Dual layer writing speed
• USB 2.0 and Firewire connection
• Portable, of course

With flash memory sticks making such a big impact in the portable media segment, its easy to try and compare them, but of course they are intended for different purposes. Although memory sticks can offer large space, they are limited to what they have onboard, they are very small and can be transported with ease. This drive is not so small, and would probably need a small bag, or space in your laptop bag to carry it and it’s power adapter.

It does offer the ability to change disks. You can just carry a few DVDs and have a nearly unlimited amount of space for data. That is the real plus of the drive.

Any drive from Plextor is worth a look at and there is a certain cool factor to having a super-fast portable DVD writer. I don’t know if that really does it for most people, but hey.

The drive excels if you want to transport a large amount of information. It does not beat a memory stick for day to day transport of a few files and data. But if you want a great drive that can be used in a few locations or you want to transport large data quantities, the Plextor PX716 dvd±rw dual-layer dvd writer is certainly worth a look.

Iomega 750 MB External USB 2.0 Zip Drive

Wednesday, December 14th, 2005 | Reviews, USB Removable Drives | View Comments

The Iomega 750 drive sets a new size spec for their Zip drives. With the popularity of other portable devices like memory sticks and rewritable CDs and DVDs Zip drives have lost their place as the formidable movable mass storage device.

They have not completely lost their usefulness however. As with most other “new” products which are just more advanced reworks of older technology, Iomega have released a drive that can handle 750MB disks.

Main features include…

• Support for 750MB zip disks
• Backward compatibility with their older disks
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• Install guides and useful software applications

The drive is very slim, which gives a lot to it in the looks department, and with its metal gray color its good looking. The slim profile doesn’t do much for the fact that you actually need to carry a power supply for it. That’s not too bad seeing as its not small enough to fit in your pocket anyway.

It has plenty of instructions for easy install with all operating systems including Macs. You do need to install software and will probably not be supported with the standard driver package that comes with Windows. No hassles install though.

Seeing as Iomega have been around now in the mass storage arena the Iomega 750 drive comes with an impressive array of software. This is extremely useful as they have truly added everything that someone looking this kind of drive would need.

I’m always impressed when a manufacturer has obviously done its homework to backup its product. There is automatic backup software which allows you to specify what to backup and how frequently, you can also choose how many of the older copies to keep before starting to delete them. Sync software allows you to sync files between your Iomega 750 drive and your computer and other computers. You would have to install the software on each, but it would work well for example between work and home. A special utility lets you run applications from the disk without installing which is really cool.

Compatiblity with old disks is alright and will read most, but not all, if you’re upgrading, save the data to hard disk or elsewhere first and then transfer to your new disks.

Speed is similar to a CDR or slower, not impressive, but alright.

Overall this drive is a good buy for big backups, and its security features and software package make it very useful. It doesn’t do as well in terms of portability as a USB flash memory stick, but does have its place.

Pros

• Security features
• Fully-featured software package
• Good looks
• Decent speed

Cons

• Needs power supply
• Not complete backward compatibility