PC Hardware - LanOC Reviews

OCZ Platinum 1600Mhz Ram Triple Channel

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Thursday, 10 December 2009 00:00

In the ram market there isn't any one manufacture who is top dog, but there are a few that stand out. One of the few manufactures that targets enthusiasts and benchmarkers is OCZ. They entered the memory market in August of 2000 hoping to make the best high performance memory; over nine years later they have grown to be one of the most successful enthusiast ram manufactures on the market. Recently they have been known for their SSD's but their memory is what started it all. Today I have the chance to take a look at one of their 1600Mhz Triple channel kits for the i7 platform. Read on to see how it performed.

SilverStone MFP51 Multi-Media LCD Display

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Wednesday, 01 July 2009 05:01

Desktop computers have an inherent flaw in that, short of custom modding jobs, most PCs end up looking fairly similar. Most cases are black and nondescript, with only a portion of people opting for case windows to show off their hardware. And if you have a store bought rig, forget creativity - there are thousands of people with the same exact computer. So the question is, what makes a specific build unique? What it boils down too are all the little features and touches that the end consumer may opt for over one another. Accessories play a large part of this picture. One person might decide they need a fan controller, whereas another might have a use for an all in one memory card reader. In the end these people are able to claim difference from one another in form and function. VFDs are one of the more interesting computer accessories, providing visual information via a small screen. This is not unlike having a small monitor attached to your computer at all times. Its worthy to note that the term VFD actually is an acronym for the technology used in older devices, and has become a catch-all term for them in general. Most newer VFDs actually utilize LCD technology for a crisper viewing experience. Many case manufacturers include mediocre old VFDs with their htpc cases but quality new ones usually have to be purchased separately. SilverStone makes such a VFD, the MFP51 LCD Media Display, which they kindly sent to us to try out...

Crucial Ballistix Tracer Blue 3x2Gb DDR3

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Friday, 06 March 2009 05:01

img_3276-lanoc-reviews-lanoc-reviews-small With it being tax time and computer upgrade season we have been seeing a lot of our members upgrading to new i7 setups. I was even lucky enough to win a setup while in Vegas thanks to our friends at Coolermaster. With DDR3 ram becoming more prevalent, especially when run in Tri Channel with the new i7 setups its no surprise that every ram manufacture is bringing out their new kits. While at CES we did get to take a look at Crucial's new Ballistix Tracer color series. Well knows for their led lighting that flashes to the speed of ram access, I was really happy to see they are producing a line using only one color to help match today's high end rigs. Today I will be taking a look at a Blue set of TriChannel 3 x 2 GB RAM from Crucial with a color matched LED, heatspreader, and PCB running at 1600Mhz.

Cosmos S Mods Part 2 - Fan upgrade

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Thursday, 19 February 2009 02:31

img_3329-lanoc-reviews-lanoc-reviews-small This past December I walked everyone through a few small mods that I did to our Cosmos S to help it stand out. The window and lighting really made the case look amazing. I did have some issues with the fans with vibration and overall noise. Infact it got so bad that I had to unplug most of them. Because of that I was on the market for replacement fans. I have reviewed a few fans in the past so my decision was hard, adding to that was the problem of my favorite fans running $20+. When you’re looking at 5 or 6 fans that adds up quickly. In the end, I decided to go with Noctua fans considering the amazing performance of them in the past. After working out a deal with Noctua, the next thing I know I had a box full of fans on my doorstep. Will they be an improvement?

Antec Veris Multimedia Station Basic

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Monday, 02 February 2009 13:04

High-end PC gaming can be considered a niche market without too much of a stretch. Its expensive and doesn't always translate well in the price to performance ratio department. Home theater PCs, on the other hand, are a niche within a niche, due largely to the pain and expense necessary to maintain a separate computer simply to watch television. Furthermore, you can't use just any hardware in an htpc. If you want one that can decode high-def movies and television or even lightly game you can't just slap the oldest stuff you have lying around the house into a case - the tech has to be somewhat competent. Antec has recently come out with the Veris product line to help blur these lines a bit. Whether you're looking to turn your main rig into a pseudo-htpc, or trying to spice up an already assembled home theater solution, read on for our experience with the Veris Basic.

A-Data G-Series DDR2 Memory

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Thursday, 11 September 2008 04:15

A-Data, relatively new company, has been around for 7 years. Starting with twenty employees, A-Data has grown into Asia’s biggest Ram provider. They have recently been popping up in the US market. Their commitment to the US market is proven by their opening of the Miami, FL branch of A-Data on July 17^th 2008. With Microsoft getting the bugs worked out of Vista and ram prices dropping unbelievably low you couldn’t ask for a better time to invest in more ram for your computer. Ram is one of those things that you can’t have too much, but you can have too little. We have the chance to take a closer look at A-Data’s G (Gaming) branded DDR2 memory. Specifically their DDR2-800G 2GBx2 with a Latency of 5-5-5-12. Check out how it performed

Asus G1S

Details: Category: Pc-hardware; Published: Thursday, 27 March 2008 03:03

The Asus G1S series came out around late 06 early 07. Back then it was billed as a " Budget gaming notebook". So how does that claim hold up 1 year later? It seems the term "gaming laptop" has been reserved for only the most über overpowered machines , because this laptop still kicks ass in my opinion. Later on I will give my impressions on how it handles games and the pros and cons of the notebook.