October 21 News from Around the Web

OCC has published a new review on the Diamond HD4870 1GB. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!

“The Diamond HD4870 video card with 1GB of GDDR5 RAM, has a great stock cooler installed on it, as it is able to keep it cool while under load as well as when it is idle. The card never went much over 85C, which is higher than some of the other cards out on the market, however there is more dense and hotter memory modules on the Diamond card than others that made the temperatures higher. The dual slot design of the Diamond HD4870 card is both a good thing as well as a con as it does allow for a thicker stock cooling device, however it does make the card bulkier than if it had a slim card. By being that thick, it does cut into the amount of room and depending on how the motherboard it is being installed on is setup, it may not allow you to have a second card installed. The 1GB of GDDR5 installed on the card is a great addition to the card, allowing it to have more even scores across the different resolutions, however with its increased power consumption, it did take a decrease in the overclockability of the card. The performance of the card was also fairly straight across the board; the results from the benchmark testing were pretty much even with each other, there was not any that were significantly higher than another one.”

New Sharkoon Stereo Headset (Not Just) 4 Gamers

Sharkoon “Rush” Headset: Versatile stereo-headset for use with analogue audio sourcesSharkoon is expanding its “Rush” product line designed specifically for gamers with a versatile stereo gaming headset. The Sharkoon Rush Headset has a stylish design and high-quality workmanship. In addition to the striking Rush-Logo on top of the headband, stylized silver flames adorn each earpiece — upholstered for maximum comfort. The Rush Headset connects via a 3.5mm jack to analogue sources such as a PC, notebook, TV or

Nvidia SLI for New Intel Bloomfield Platforms

World’s Leading Motherboard Manufacturers Turn to NVIDIA SLI for New Intel Bloomfield Platforms 3-Way SLI Will Deliver the Fastest Gaming Solution for Intel Bloomfield CPU Platforms SANTA CLARA, CA—OCTOBER 21, 2008—NVIDIA Corporation today announced that the world’s preeminent motherboard manufacturers, ASUS, EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte, and DFI, have all licensed NVIDIA® SLI® technology for their new lineup of motherboards designed to work with Intel Bloomfield CPUs and X58 chipsets. The addition of SLI to

Google Helps You Reduce Energy Costs and CO2

Many are familiar with Google’s “don’t be evil” philosophy of serving the best interests of it users and maintaining a moral-guided internal code of conduct. But not as many might be aware that Google often tries to go beyond just not doing evil, by activey trying to do good deeds. This is evident with Google’s philanthropic endeavors and its recent Project10100 worldwide call to arms for the betterment of humanity in areas such as energy, the environment, and health. Google’s latest effort to make a difference

Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Surround Sound Headset Review

Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Surround Sound Headset Review

The Saitek PH06 Cyborg 5.1 Headset is Surround-Sound designed to enhance the realism of PC games and improve performance. It offers the ultimate performance advantage. Precision Audio means you can tell exactly where enemies are while communicating more effectively with teammates. Combined with outstanding comfort, flexibility and portability, the Cyborg 5.1 Headset is the tool of choice for gamers who are hungry to win.

Hardware RoundUp

Video:XFX GeForce 9600 GSO XXX 384MB video card review @ Elite BastardsMotherboards and Chipsets:MSI DKA790GX Platinum Motherboard Review @ MotherboardsGigabyte EP45-EXTREME @ TechgageDFI Lanparty JR P45-T2RS mATX Motherboard Review @ Hardware CanucksASRock A780GXE/128M AMD 780G AM2+ Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.orgMemory and Storage:Eagle Technology L-Series 2.5-inch HDD Enclosure @ OCModShopSeagate’s Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB hard drive @ TheTechReportSamsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player Review @ Digital TrendsPower:FSP

Fennec Mobile FireFox, Closer to a Release

Mozilla’s mobile Firefox browser, dubbed Fennec, just got one step closer to launch. Last week, Mozilla formally released the alpha version of the mobile browser for developers. At release, the alpha version is only available to Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets, but it’s also available for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs so developers and other users without these Tablets can still experiment and build add-ons. It’s important to note, however, that the desktop version of Fennec is not a supported product. Early

Comcast to Launch New Speed Tiers, Prices

According to reports, Comcast is set to unveil new speed tiers and prices to go along with them. This will go well with the new metered use that went into effect on Oct. 1st: it will mean you can reach your 250 GB cap faster. At any rate, DSL Reports says they have exclusive info about the new tiers, which will be the following: Economy: Unchanged at $24.95 for 768 kbps down/384 kbps up.Performance: 6/1 Mbps will now get 12/2 Mbps for $42.95 a month.Performance: 8/2 Mbps will get 16/2 for $52.95 a month.Ultra:

Cell Phones Bring Families Closer Together

According to a new poll published by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, American families are just as, if not more, tight-knit than in previous generations. Part of the reason for this? Technology.Instead of weakening family ties as was feared, technology has brought us closer together by letting us chat, email, and text family even when we’re away from home.”There had been some fears that the Internet had been taking people away from each other,” said Barry Wellman, a sociology professor at the University

New Linksys by Cisco Powerline Product Portfolio

Cisco releases new Linksys by Cisco Powerline product portfolioNew Linksys by Cisco Powerline AV and Powerline Turbo products offer space saving design and enhanced connectivityIrvine, Calif. – October 20, 2008 – Cisco today revealed its renewed line-up of Linksys by Cisco Powerline adapters that are designed to allow consumers to extend their existing wired or wireless network throughout the home leveraging existing electrical wiring. With these Powerline adapters, any wall socket can be transformed into a