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Tenma 72-7712 dual channel temp probe, what happens with temperatures inside a PC. 4 Comments By Archer on June 1, 2010 The 72-7712 Digital Thermometer from Tenma Test Equipment is a dual thermocouple meter with internal logging capability, USB output for saving logged data and software up-link. This unit can become an integral part of a PC testing arsenal by allowing for isolation of case hot spots, heat sink testing and LN2/Dry Ice work. The limitations start to change and the performance bar can be raised when you know where it is hot and where it is not. Compatible with K-, J-, T- and E- thermocouples (oth...
[Guide] Converting your VHS collection to digital and a little more! 0 Comments By Archer on May 26, 2010 A lot of people have an old VHS collection gathering dust, or content that was purchased on their gaming device that must be kept on that device. What does it really take to get this content on to a DVD? Not much. Using a hardware video trans-coder, such as the ADS DVD-ExpressDX2 (does not work with Vista or later without software issues), a DVD+/-RW Drive and an external HDD for portability, converting a video collection as fast as you can play them (even direct to DivX) is pretty simple. So wh...
[Blog] Mac Steam: Really still a beta 0 Comments By _vi on May 24, 2010 Steam; it was always the one thing that made me stick to my Windows computer. The online service effectively tied me down to the Windows platform. Before you had to either attempt to run Steam via WINE if Linux or use a virtual machine or proprietary WINE-based Macintosh Windows library programs in order to get your dose of Steam, even then the operation of it was often flawed. Earlier this month we all saw the release of Steam for the Macintosh earlier last week coinciding with the conclusion o...
[Blog] Stress-testing the abilities of your mice and rhythm: Osu! Style 0 Comments By Krab on May 18, 2010 When we decide on what kind of gaming mouse to get, we look at a couple of factors. Namely, design, comfort, and price. Oftentimes, the price and comfort are the only key points of the deciding factor of the chosen mouse, as this is a peripheral you’re going to be using for quite some time. Any ordinary mouse can seem comfortable, but after gripping it for a while, will you feel the same way? Not only can awkward mice handling lead to sore wrists, ailments such as carpal tunnel can develop...
[Blog] A Casual Gamer’s 15 Minutes… 0 Comments By grajasekar on May 16, 2010 The title points to an existence of a rare species. Yes, we still exist. In this day and age of gaming being a pro sport, where DPI is of more importance to gaming mice than printers, where stats play a big role in one’s e-peen, there are those remnants who play games for what they were meant to offer – fun. Playing online versus a ton of folks has always been more fun than pitting your wits against a witless AI opponent. Though the novelty of being ‘head shot central’ (and I mean I...
[Blog] Nokia 5800 XM Firmware v50.0.005 0 Comments By Krab on May 12, 2010 The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a touchscreen phone that is still receiving regular updates despite being two years old. It’s being touted as a music player alternative, and with easy drag-and-drop clicking, along with 8GB internal memory, it serves quite well as a basic MP3 player. Unfortunately, for some people who aren’t blessed with non-branded phones, updates aren’t available with certain RM type models. This is up to the operator who decides to release the update for the sp...
[Blog] Android 2.1 update on the Moto Droid 2 Comments By Burn on April 4, 2010 Well as some might already know, Verizon and Motorola have been talking about an Android 2.1 update for the droid for weeks now, and it’s finally here. Verizon began pushing out the update on March 30th, and I was able to get a hold of the update file and install it on my phone manually. My first impression wasn’t all that great; it didn’t include the fancy launcher that the Nexus One has, it didn’t include the cool 2.1 clock app the Nexus One also has, and some other lit...
[Blog] Anti-Virus for Your PC at No Cost 6 Comments By cralor on March 5, 2010 Hello. This is my first Blog post! I hope to continue to write once in a while. NOTE: This is just Anti-Virus software. If you are looking for Anti-Spyware and Anti-Malware, two free solutions I recommend are SUPERAntiSpyware and MalwareBytes. Check them out! Today I will be looking at ways to help protect your computer without spending money for all different types of software. Currently, there are many free alternative software choices that do almost as good (in some cases as good) as ones t...
Epson Workforce 500 0 Comments By Archer on February 5, 2010 While visiting the Target closeout section, to look for electronics deals, I came across a good one. The Epson Workforce 500, though not top of the line in any one thing it does a good job at everything, best of all it was only $41.99 + tax! What you get is a small office level multifunction printer (document feed, copy, scan, fax and print). Scan and print quality: With everything at default and 2400DPI scan you can’t tell much difference, until you get up close and personal. Scan, prin...
Piecemeal Upgrades Pt 4 Data Protection 0 Comments By Neuromancer on December 21, 2009 The Piecemeal Upgrade pt4 Data Protection: Redundancy, backups, offline and online storage. With limited funds in a single PC household it is important to have a PC that is never down for too long. One of the key problems associated with piecemeal upgrades however is the need to occasionally reinstall the operating system. This can be a nightmare trying to back up documents, photos, settings, applications as well as operating system tweaks one may prefer. Learning how to properly maintain y...
Piece Meal Upgrades pt 3 0 Comments By Neuromancer on October 4, 2009 Piece Meal Upgrades pt 3 As already discussed, a piece meal upgrade is performed when a jump to an entirely new platform is not financially possible. A ground up all new part design is best and will give the best price performance ratio if properly setup. For those that cannot afford a complete rebuild though, designing a system with affordable parts that also support upgrading over an extended period of time is the only option. While more money will be spent over the life of the upgrade, re...
Piecemeal Upgrades Pt 2.2 – Components 0 Comments By Neuromancer on September 21, 2009 Components The longevity of your computer components varies wildly, with the most expensive pieces often being a top performer for the shortest period of time. In order from longest lasting to shortest Hard Disk Drive/ Optical Disk Drive, Power Supply Unit, Video card, Memory, Motherboard, CPU. This breakdown is purely subjective, and while easily could instigate discussion on what pieces do have the longest longevity citing specific models of components, for brevity’s sake we will continu...
Piecemeal upgrades pt2.1 – Peripherals 0 Comments By Neuromancer on September 21, 2009 The Peripherals Monitors, come in 2 distinct flavors, CRT (not manufactured anymore) and LCD. The difference between CRT and LCD is dramatic, with vivid colors and crisp geometries on LCD, higher resolution and better contrast on CRT. LCD’s can be upgraded very cheaply now, CRT has no upgrade path, it is only mentioned if the upgrade inventory currently has a high resolution or widescreen CRT monitor, it may be reused rather effectively until the size and power requirements effect the end ...
Piecemeal upgrades pt2 0 Comments By Neuromancer on September 21, 2009 Identifying your needs, wants and haves. The first step of upgrading a PC is identifying the specific functions that a PC is going to need to handle at the final build. This may change depending on your build upgrade timeline, as newer architecture is being released, and unanticipated price drops occur. Spending a few minutes a day reading about upcoming hardware releases helps to predict price drops on components as well as identifying features that you may want to add. OEM PCs make their...
The Antivirus Hysteria 2 Comments By OPFOR on May 8, 2009 I’m not going to tell you not to use antivirus (Though I don’t use any myself). I’m not going to present some kind of conspiracy theory about how the antivirus companies partner with the virus makers to create demand for their products (Though I’m nearly cynical enough to believe it). Ever heard of the” Conficker” virus? If you read the news, you have. And what does it do? How do you get it? Has that been clearly published in the news? Nope. Wh...

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