Friday News part 2

Don't get me wrong, I like almost all cases based on the well known Chieftec/Chenming chassis, but Antec always goes a step (or two) further than the other manufacturers that use the same chassis. Antec cases have always had extra features that you could not find on any other case. Antec calls their top of the line cases "Performance Plus". So I present you what I think might be one of the greatest cases of the moment, the Antec Performance Plus 1080 AMG.

Those of you that are familiar with Antec products know what to expect, but those that never seen an a case of theirs will definitely be surprised by this one. I have spent hours searching the net and looking at pictures of the Performance Plus 1080AMG, and I was still surprised when I saw the actual case.

Xoxide has come up with an impressive product. They look good, don't cost a lot (USD 7.99 / RM 30+ each) and go very well with most casemod schemes. Xoxide provides only 80mm sizes, but there 3 colors available, blue, red and silver respectively. Unfortunately, Xoxide only makes them in mirrored style, so those looking for a fully transparent fan grill will have to look elsewhere.

It's annoying to have to wait extended amounts of time to burn a CD. I have an 8x speed burner and it takes nearly 10 minutes to burn a whole CD. CD Burners are getting faster and faster though. Today, I will be reviewing the Plextor PlexWriter 48/24/48A CD-RW. Plextor Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer in professional CD-related equipment and software. They are immediately known for their high quality products and reliability.

Abit Computer Corp. truly needs no introduction to the enthusiast community. They are well known throughout the industry for bringing incredible performance and overclocking options to their line of motherboards. Their SoftMenu Technology could easily be the one major item that Abit has been most widely known for. As we saw in our last review of an Abit motherboard, they are not well known for shelling out incredible packages full of extras. Instead, Abit focuses on their slogan, Speed, Performance, Power. Today, we’ll be taking a look at Abit’s Intel i845GE based BG7E. If you’re looking for a new motherboard and you’re on a budget, stay tuned to find out if the BG7E should be on your list. Let’s start off by first taking a good look at the official specifications for the Abit BG7E.

Intelligent Serial LCD display devices are commonplace for computer ethuiasts and add a level of sophistication for platform computing. The advantage of an Intelligent Serial LCD display is the ability to interactivity receive updated statistical information on a computer's operational state and performance level. The solution works two fold by taking the right piece of hardware and complimenting it with the right application software. The end result is a package that can provide vital statistics that can be read at a mere glance. For North American audiences two companies have been in the forefront of pre-made consumer based LCD display devices, Crystalfontz and Matrix Orbital. Recently, we've witnessed another company emerge to raise the competition level. Today in the MTB Labs, we will be evaluating VLSystem L.I.S Blue Platinum Kit; a new consumer based intelligent LCD display for the personal PC.

The DFI NB80-EA, to give it its full title, is a reassuring motherboard in many ways. There's no frilly extras, no signature features, but it does exactly what it says on the box. There were no installation problems, and no problems in the week or so that it was benchmarked and scrutinised. Dual-DDR, by its very nature, is a fast solution, and the DFI ties the previously tested MSI in the speed and stability stakes.

Vantec has yet another great product heading our way! This time Vantec is calling their new device the Nexus NXP-201 Fan Speed Controller. Similar to Vantec's previous "Nexus" product, this version is designed to control the RPMs of your cooling fans only. Tired of those "do-it-yourself" fan buses that break the bank and never look right once installed? Vantec's version will only cost around $29.00 USD and is far easier to install and looks much better than anything else in it's class.