More GAPI 2.0 Results!      03:15 AM MYT     Adrian Wong

I just updated the GAPI 2.0 results page with more benchmarks, including scores from a Casio EM505I (Italian version with 32MB of RAM) Pocket PC! Check them out! And if you have scores using our GAPI 2.0 benchmark, please do submit them! Thanks! :)

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Forum Registration      02:50 AM MYT     Adrian Wong

Just a note to everyone about the registration for users of the ARP forums. Please use the correct e-mail address during the registration process. That's because the script needs it to send you your password.

Don't worry about other people getting hold of your e-mail address. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can choose to withhold your e-mail address during the registration process. Lately, I've been getting many returned registrations due to incorrect e-mail addresses. If you have registered using an incorrect e-mail address, please e-mail me and I'll delete your previous registration so that you can register a new account using the same nickname.

Thanks! :)

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Price Update      02:35 AM MYT     Adrian Wong

Just a minor update to the Lite-On CD-Rewriter review. The recommended retail price of this neat drive just dropped to RM 499 or USD 131.30!!! 

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Hacked!      01:45 AM MYT     Adrian Wong

Adrian's Rojak Pot got hacked again! Only this time, it isn't because we pissed someone off. It appears that a group of Chinese hackers went after us because they thought ARP was an American site. Anyway, no major damage done although this page wasn't accessible for several hours.

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News From The Net

ComputerChaos threw a Delta fan on top of the Volcano II and took another look at the cooler's performance!  

VoidYourWarranty posted a review of Philip's high-end sound card - the Acoustic Edge! Here's a quote - "So can a sound card retailing for only $99.00 actually outperform Creative's $199.00 Platinum Series? A year ago, the answer would have clearly been no. However, with the advent of the Hercules XP Gamer, we have seen excellent sound quality and performance for much less than the cost of Creative's Live! Platinum. Since I have tested the two other high end gaming cards available, the Hercules XP Gamer, and the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1, I thought it would be interesting to see how the Philips Acoustic Edge compares."

BlueSmoke reviewed the AOpen AK73 Pro motherboard!

Pika Computes! reviewed the Arctic Silver Epoxy!

Rizenet posted their review of the Addtronics 7896A case!

OCAddiction reviewed the SideWinderComputers Itra ATA/100 rounded cables!

Hacked Again!       09:05 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Can you believe this??? ARP just got hacked by Chinese hackers again. Same replacement of the news page with another with two choice slogans on it. Luckily I was here to correct the damage.

Man... can't these people understand that ARP is not an American site??? We are a Malaysian hardware site and we are all Chinese! This is so childish...

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Removal Tips Posted!       04:45 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Remember the Command Prompt In Any Directory tip? Well, I have just added removal tips for both the Registry Fix method as well as the Folder Option method. This will enable you to play with both methods without fear of being stuck with either one. So, check them out!

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News From The Net

VoidYourWarranty posted their review of the 2CoolTek Radeon cooling kit! Here's a snip - "It managed to lower core temperatures by a few C, and I got an extra 5 MHz out of the card with it.  Not an incredible difference, but I could also get rid of the card cooler in my case and still keep the temperatures low.  And of course those little Alpha heatsinks look cool"

Jsi Hardware just posted a review of the DFI AK75-EC KT133A motherboard!

BlueSmoke took a look at Wicked3D's eyeSCREAM Light, a software stereoscopic solution!

Extreme Overclocking just posted a Copper Heatsink Comparison! Here's an excerpt - "Some of the new copper heatsinks out on the market that were examined are the GlobalWin CAK38, Thermaltake Mini Copper Orb (actually it's only part copper), and OCZ Gladiator. The Thermoengine & WBK38 were also included as a comparison against these hefty copper coolers."

Pika Computes! posted their review of the Saitek P8000 Command Pad! Here's a quote - "What's got 35 programmable buttons, shift and fire buttons, an 8-way hat switch, and has legs? Any guesses? Saitek's P8000 Command Pad has all those and more!"

The Casio E-125 Pocket PC      03:25 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Ever wondered why so many people go for the Casio Cassiopeia E-125 Pocket PC when the Compaq iPAQ is far more famous? Well, I just completed an exhaustive review of what's arguably the best Pocket PC in the market that will show you why. Here's a clip of the review :-

"One thing every E-125 user will appreciate is the experience Casio has with Pocket PC design. This reflects in the quality of the E-125's design and construction. There are no hardware issues, as far as I know. You will never need to worry about things like dust under the screen, stuck stylus or buttons that won't work properly!"

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News From The Net

Jsi Hardware took a look at the OCZ Glacier 2 and Monster 2 heatsinks! Here's a clip - "One other thing to mention is that the bases of the heatsinks have been lapped and polished before shipping which is something you don't see anyone else do as far as i am aware, very nice touch, not only does it make the bases very shiny it also provides a flatter surface which means a better contact with the Cpu."

Rizenet posted a 6-way heatsink roundup, featuring heatsinks from GlobalWin, Overclockerz and Thermaltake!

More BIOS Functions Explained!       01:25 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Yep! The BIOS Optimization Guide just got boosted to rev. 5.9 with the following new BIOS functions :-

• CPU Drive Strength
• Force 4-Way Interleave

In addition, the EPP Mode Select BIOS function was rewritten with new details. So, check out the updates! :)

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News From The Net

Overclocker Cafe just finished their review of the new GlobalWin CAK38 cooler!

BlueSmoke posted the second installment of their article on the history of Final Fantasy! 

Rizenet posted two articles :-

• a review of the ABIT KT7A-RAID motherboard!
• a comparison between the IBM 75GXP and the Western Digital 300BB hard disks!

Pika Computes! reviewed the Zalman ZM17CU copper video card cooler!

Another Update Coming Up!      03:45 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

I'm now working on another update of the BIOS Optimization Guide. It should be posted by tomorrow if the server is not attacked again. Heheh...

In the meantime, please keep the list of wanted BIOS options coming in! :)  

The Ratpadz!      02:05 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Is your new expensive gaming mouse not performing as well as you expected? Perhaps you forgot to provide it with an appropriate surface to work on. So, today, we take a quick look at one of the best mouse pads that money can buy - the Ratpadz!

Check out a clip of the review! :-

"Created by Kyle from HardOCP, the Ratpadz Mousing Surface is a large, black, hard plastic board. The secret behind this mouse pad is the Ultraslick™ polymer surface, which allows much smoother mouse movements, even with badly worn feet on your mouse."

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News From The Net

Chillblast posted their review of the Thermalright SK-06 copper heatsink! Here's a clip - "The heatsink is made entirely from copper and each of its numerous fins are soldered onto the base to ensure effective contact. The fins themselves are extremely fine and therefore prone to being bent by any simpleton trying to force a Delta on top"

Overclocker Cafe just finished up a review of the Cooler Guys Cool Shims!

Another Attack?       02:25 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Was about to post the new revision of the BIOS Optimization Guide when I noticed that I can't even access ARP most of the time! Could be another attack... so I'm holding off the upload until things settle down a little. Check back in a little while! :) 

News From The Net

Envy News posted the following reviews :-

• the Arctic Silver Thermal adhesive!
• the Enermax EG651P-VE 650W power supply!
• the Non-Conductive CPU Spacer for Socket A!

Rizenet posted up their take on CoolerGuys WindTunnel II "Gamer" Case. Here's a clip - "The actual holes for the fans on the Wind Tunnel II are laser-cut. The end result is a finely cut hole with no burrs, sharp edges, or anything to result in physical damage to yourself or others. The two large 92mm fans are Sanyo Denki's, like previously mentioned. They are fitted inside with dust filters and fan shims - the filters clean out the dust to keep it out of your case, and the fan shims keep the fans flush with the case sidepanel."

More BIOS Functions Explained!       02:15 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Just posted revision 6.0 of the BIOS Optimization Guide! Here are the changes in the new version :-

Added the following new BIOS options :-

• PCI Latency Timer

Rewritten the following BIOS options with new details :-

• AGP Aperture Size
• Spread Spectrum
• SDRAM CAS Latency Time
• SDRAM Cycle Time Tras/Trc
• SDRAM Cycle Length

Check out the updates! :)

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News From The Net

ComputerChaos took a look at the GlobalWin CAK38 cooler! Here's a clip - "Well gang here it is, GlobalWin's beast of a copper heatsink, the CAK38. It comes with a pre-installed Delta 6800 RPM ± 15% fan, so you know it's going to perform. The maximum air delivery of these babies is 37.6 CFM ± 15%. When it comes to installing this monster I would remove your motherboard from your case to get much better access to the CPU socket, and pray that you don't suffer from fat finger syndrome; because if you dropped it on your CPU I would reckon she'd be toast"

More Plagiarism!       05:20 PM IDT     Adrian Wong

Thanks to the honesty and help of a certain ARP visitor, I just discovered that the BIOS Optimization Guide has just been ripped off again...

The BIOS Optimization Guide had been ripped off many times in the past. Most of the time, the sites involved were small sites, who merely wanted an article that will quickly boost their number of unique visitors. However, recently, larger sites have taken it into their minds to plagiarize as well! The last time, it was Hardware.no. And now, can you guess which is the latest site to plagiarize our BIOS Optimization Guide?

Believe it or not, it's NTCompatible! Check out their "guide" (which I have copied over to this site). It was written by a Michael Sievers (Vespers). I'm very sure you will instantly note the stark similarity between the two guides. Most of the explanations were ripped word for word from our guide while others were slightly modified or just rearranged!

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Sneek Peek       04:10 PM IDT     Adrian Wong

Guys,

Guess what, I've manage to get Zalman to send me a review sample of the CNPS3100. Oh yeah, the fully copper 'Flower Heat Sink'

I'll send you guys a pic of it when I do get it. In the meantime, You guys will have to wait while before it comes. :)

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News From The Net

Win2K SP2       07:40 PM IDT     Adrian Wong

Just in case you didn't know, Microsoft already released Service Pack 2 for Windows 2000. I kinda forgot to mention it here earlier. Heheh... Well, if you haven't updated your Win2K installation, click here!

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Plagiarism Issue Resolved...       07:15 PM IDT     Adrian Wong

Just received a short e-mail from Philipp Esselbach of NTCompatible. It appears that he immediately removed the "guide" from his site upon receiving my note. Kudos to him! Unfortunately, NTCompatible still appears to be hosting other articles by the same author - Michael Sievers. I wonder if they are all his work...

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News From The Net

Jsi Hardware took a look at some cool looking round IDE cables from Kustom PC!

Overclock That E-125!       03:25 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Finally, here's my guide on overclocking the Casio E-125 Pocket PC! By following the guide, you can turn the Casio E-125 Pocket PC into a speed demon which will rival even the Compaq iPAQ in performance! Here's a clip of the guide :-

"It's a tough choice that many have had to make. The E-125's excellent HAST touch screen may be really enticing but so is the iPAQ's powerful processor. This has led many to settle for the iPAQ's poorer display just to get the speed advantage. Luckily for Cassiopeia fans however, recent developments may now alleviate the E-125's performance issues and make it a more attractive option than it currently is. How?"

As usual, you can expect detailed instructions with lots of photos so you don't have to worry about messing up your expensive E-125. Happy overclocking! :)

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While We Wait...       02:40 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

By a miracle of miracles, my phone line which inexplicably but not unexpectedly died again, suddenly revived! So, I'm now uploading my latest guide... What is it? Heheh... you will find out soon enough...

In the meantime, I just read a very interesting e-mail. It will make a great read while we wait for the guide to be uploaded. Here's the letter :-

I am sorry but your an idiot. If you took the time to read anything you would see that I specifically said I did not write the tips in the guide, the guide was only a compilation of the best tips and tweaks from around the net. Look up compilation if you don't understand that term.... better yet here let me help:

From Microsoft's Encarta Dictionary:
1. gathering: the activity of gathering things together from various places

BTW speaking of Plagiarism you should really check out your own tips and tweaks listed on your site, I know I did......interesting

and those are only 2 examples, they all can be found on the Microsoft pages; and I am very sure Microsoft posted them before you did.....and I noticed you didn't give them any reference or credit....so get a grip....

I do a lot of reading through microsofts tech pages, where 99% of all the tweaks come from; even the ones I gather from there I don't slap my name on; they are directly from microsoft I just happened to read about them. My tweak guide is and has been only for the community to make it easier to get all your tweaks in one place. Most people don't care to wade through pages and pages of technical manuals, since I am housebound most of the time it has become a hobby for me. Post this in yout forums if you want; though I doubt you that you would......

Well, as you can see, it's from the latest author to plagiarize the BIOS Optimization Guide - Michael Sievers @ Vespers. Do let me know what you think of his letter! :)

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News From The Net

The Overclocker Cafe just finished their review of two heatsinks from Kingwin - the KP-08 and KP-09TCTS!

BlueSmoke posted a sneak peek of Sierra's upcoming release - Arcanum!

GideonTech posted their review of the OCZ Gladiator Copper Socket A cooler! Here's a snip! - "The Gladiator uses a thin fin design which maximizes air flow. It comes in measured at 60mm X 65mm, big enough to cool and small enough to fit on most motherboards. Although the heatsink is all copper, this unit did not feel that heavy. The heatsink itself is not as large as some of the units we have come accustom to. But don't let the size fool ya! As usual, OCZ has partnered this heatsink with a Dyaneon 36CFM Fan."

Extreme Overclocking just posted a review on some non-conductive shims from CrazyPC!

More On Michael Sievers       06:20 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Got another flame from Michael Sievers yesterday. But I'm still too busy to answer any of his e-mails. The backlog is piling up but when I get a chance, I will be doing a write up on this, together with my reply.

BTW, although he says he sent me an apology, I didn't receive it. All I got were two flame letters, both of which have been posted here. Anyway, for those of you who are interested, here's his latest flame :-

"I notice you didn't print my first email, apologizing for the error. Only when I pointed out flaws in your site did you print anything. That's alright, I already said I'd take the hit for the bios guide, it was a mistake and quickly rectified. What I got pissed about was you intoning that and I quote "I wonder if they are all his work...", hmm I wonder if everything on your site is all your work, a bit of checking proves its not so......so if you want to gig me for using your bios guide, fine but don't try and impugn my integrity when your own is in question. Example #3: You seem to love the command prompt in any directory tip, well you should be more careful who you credit with the work, it was originally published on Microsoft's site in June of 1999 by Dan Green. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/win2000/opcom.asp Simply put before you accuse you had better have your own house in order....I don't care to fight with you Adrian, your simply not worth it; my tweaks guide will be published, with links back to the Microsoft pages that they came from, keep your bios guide, I'll write my own.... It will be interesting to see what your readers think...if you publish this....if not no matter...."

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Casio E-125 Overclocking Guide Updated!       05:00 PM IDT     Adrian Wong

You must all have been wondering why the performance boost in % for the 180MHz Casio E-125 was so low, compared to the 200MHz E-125. Well, it was all my fault. I mistakenly used the wrong formula in Excel so the numbers came back wrong. But thanks to jimH, that's been corrected now.

In addition, N924JW sent me a clearer picture of the area of interest in addition to two pictures comparing a bad pencil trace with a good one. I have also included them in the new update, so check out the newly updated Casio E-125 Overclocking Guide!

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USS Lincoln Vs. Canadian Lighthouse       04:20 PM IDT     Adrian Wong

I just received this rather hilarious story from my good friend, Raymond. I can't verify the authenticity of the story but it makes a good laugh whether it's true or not. Here, check it out! :-

This is the transcript of the ACTUAL radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations, 10-10-1995.

Canadians: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

Canadians: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT'S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

LOL! Is that hilarious or what??? :D

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News From The Net

GideonTech posted a chat they had with the two founders of PCmods.com! 

BlueSmoke just added 40 more case mods to their gallery!

The LTD-122 DVD-ROM       03:15 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

In the market for a DVD-ROM drive? Then today's your lucky day because Chai recently took a look at the 12X Lite-On LTD-122 DVD-ROM and his report has just been posted! Here's a clip of the review :-

"Just like other drives in the market, when the disc starts to spin, there is some weird spindle sound. Even my old 24X LG CD-ROM drive creates some noise when spinning up. You can control the whining noise by using Nero Drive Speed to adjust the maximum spinning speed."

For more details on this drive, check out the entire review!

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News From The Net

Jsi Hardware whipped up a review of the Enermax EG365P-VE power supply unit!

Envy News just posted a review of the GlobalWin CAK38 Socket A cooler!

Overclocker Cafe just finished up a review of ThermalTake's DDR SDRAM!

Triple Function Stylus       01:20 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

Ken and I just finished up another review. Well, it's Ken's review while I just chipped in with my comments. Anyway, it's about a triple function stylus with a really unique tip selection mechanism. It would be a sure winner with the babes or so we thought... Here's a clip of the review :-

"Using the PDA Panache Trio-1 Triple Function Stylus may be a little confusing at first. But once you know the trick, it's as easy as drinking water. And it's a nice way to impress chicks because the way the pen functions is almost magical. :D

If you notice, there's only one top button where you press upon to engage a tip and one side 'button' which releases an engaged tip. So, if there's only ONE button to engage the tip, how do you choose which of the THREE tips you to engage? How can one button select three tips? Are the engineers who invented this stylus dumb or something?"

For the entire review and lots of great pictures of this stylus, click here!

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Bad Luck!       00:10 AM IDT     Adrian Wong

The monsoon season is starting over here in Manipal, bringing with it relief from the hot weather and lots of rain. Unfortunately, the phones have also become more and more unreliable. In the last week alone, my phone line died three times! And on Monday, it died again. And with typical efficiency, Karnataka Telecom only managed to fix the problem Tuesday afternoon.

And now, my main ISP has gone down, leaving me with the slower "backup" ISP... Arrggghhhh!!!!

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News From The Net

The Overclocker Cafe just finished their review of some vinyl covered rounded IDE cables!

Voodooextreme just reviewed the ATI Radeon VE graphics card!

Chillblast wrote an article on processor core preparation. Here's a snip - "For the new among us, it can be very confusing when people refer to parts of the PC that you know nothing about. These guides are meant to act as a rough outline as to what you should be doing. Today's installment is devoted to the core of the processor and preparing it for use"

Extreme Overclocking just posted a review of the ABIT VP6 motherboard! Here's a clip of that review - "This board is very user friendly and has excellent overclocking ability & system stability. Also the board earned the "Extreme Overclocking Editor's Top Pick" award!"