ADRIAN’S ROJAK POT HAS MOVED!

Hello everyone!

You are now in the old Adrian’s Rojak Pot! It will remain here @ http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/ as a repository of previous ARP articles, guides and reviews.

But if you are looking for new articles, new guides (i.e. the new BIOS Optimization Guide, the new Compressor Comparison Guide, etc..) as well as new definitive hardware and software reviews, please go to the new Adrian’s Rojak Pot @ http://www.rojakpot.com/!

We also have a new forum @ http://forums.rojakpot.com/. Please feel free to join our community for active discussions on all matters!

New BIOS Optimization Guide Interim Release 2
   
  

Here's the second part of the new BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 7! It has been completely revamped from ground up. I rewrote and beefed up the details of every BIOS feature covered in the old BIOS Optimization Guide and added the following new BIOS features :-

• Act Bank A to B CMD Delay
• AGP Clock/CPU FSB Clock
• AGPCLK/CPUCLK
• Anti-Virus Protection
• APIC Function
• DRAM Act to PreChrg CMD
• DRAM PreChrg to Act CMD
• Floppy 3 Mode Support
• In-Order Queue Depth
• ISA 14.318MHz Clock
• Level 2 Cache Latency
• PCI Clock/CPU FSB Clock
• Reset Configuration Data
• Speed Error Hold
• Super Bypass Mode
• Super Bypass Wait State
• Write Data In to Read Delay
• Write Recovery Time
• SDRAM Trc Timing Value
• SDRAM Trp Timing Value
• SDRAM Tras Timing Value
• SDRAM Trcd Timing Value

As this is really a massive revamp, the new revision will be released in several phases. Therefore, not all the BIOS options will be available right away. They will be released gradually as I write them up. Keep checking back for more updates! :)
   

RAID Optimization Guide
    
   

RAID has long been employed to provide data protection as well as greater performance. Until recently, RAID has mostly been relegated to large corporations with pockets deep enough to foot the incredible cost of a RAID array.

But today, cheap IDE RAID cards are flooding the market. Even some motherboards now have these IDE RAID controllers onboard. These IDE RAID solutions are very cheap, compared to the traditional SCSI RAID solutions.

Because of the much lower cost, RAID is now becoming quite the rage, especially for people on the lookout for better hard disk performance or data redundancy or both. Today, Ken Ng will take you on a journey of the various RAID levels and what the optimal settings are for different RAID arrays. What started off as a review of the Promise FastTrak100 ATA RAID card has now become the RAID Optimization Guide!
    

Battery Extender Guide Rev. 2.0

Those of you who regularly visit ARP would have already read the Battery Extender Guide in which I showed how you can create your own battery extender using common AA-sized rechargeable batteries. But the truth is unless you invest in really expensive high capacity (2000+mAh) batteries, such a battery extender usually don't last very long.

One solution would be to pack a few sets of fully charged batteries on your trips but that means more money and time (because recharging NiCad or NiMH batteries take hours!). In addition, it's not powerful enough to support more than one portable device for an appreciable amount of time. Is there a better solution? 

How about a 6V, 4,500mAh battery extender? Yes! You read it right - that's 4,500mAh of 6V power, people! This MegaPak battery extender is the solution for you if you want to run your Pocket PC as well as your digital camera or any other power hungry portable device for hours and hours. The instructions and more are now part of the Battery Extender Guide Rev. 2.0! This revision also comes with updates in other parts of the guide.
   

BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 6.50
    
   
   
   

Guess what? Yet another update of the BIOS Optimization Guide! Now at rev. 6.5, here are the list of updates :-

• Added the Read Wait State BIOS option.
• Added IBM's recommendation for the PNP OS Installed option.
• Added a note about disabling PNP OS Installed when using the ABIT BP6 with Windows 2000.
• Updated the Video BIOS Shadowing feature with reasons why the video BIOS should still be updated even if it's apparently only useful for DOS functions.
• Added a note on why Award recommends that SDRAM Bank Interleave be disabled for 16Mbit SDRAM DIMMs.

In addition, Tim Rutter is very graciously hosting the PDF version of the BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 6.2 for us! So, it's now available if you are interested in getting a copy.
   

Windows 2000 Hints & Tips Guide Rev. 3.9

I just posted rev. 3.9 of the Windows 2000 Hints & Tips Guide with the following updates :-

• Added a new tip on how to make the COM port settings permanent.
• Updated the Command Prompt In Any Directory tip (both Folder Option and Registry Fix methods) with the correct commands for the tip to work in both the Folders bar as well as the main Explorer window in LFN mode.

The Command Prompt In Any Directory tip has been a pricky one, leading to many revisions. However, this time, I think we have finally licked it. Check out the updated tip to get the proper commands for the tip to work in both the Folders bar as well as main Explorer window in long filenames mode! :)
    

Thermalright CB-6L CPU Cooler
   
  
  

Here's something new from Thermalright - a cooler that was designed to offer the famous SK-6's performance in a smaller, quieter package. That's quite a tall order. Did they succeed? That's what we intend to find out today.

In today's review, Chai will examine the new Thermalright CB-6L cooler and test its performance. Here's a clip of the review :-

"Although the SK-6 has great performance, it was really quite heavy. So, Thermalright decided to produce something lighter, while maintaining the great performance level of the original SK-6. SK-6 AB is one of the resulting variants - it uses an aluminium base to reduce weight. In addition, there's also the CB-6L which is a lower-end version of the SK-6 series, targeted at mid-end users."
  

Xigma EM-500 PDA Case
    

The standard cases that come with most PDAs leave much to be desired. This has created a lot of demand for quality PDA cases. Recently, I have been fortunate enough to receive one of these cases for review purposes.

It was a Xigma PDA case for the Casio EM-500 Pocket PC and today, I'll take you on a tour of the package as shipped by Xigma. In addition, you will also stand a chance to win this case. For the pictorial guide and more details about the contest, click here!
   

Arctic Silver Alumina Thermal Compound
   
   
   
   

While coolers may get most of the limelight, serious overclockers know that there are actually two parts to the equation. The cooler is one while the other is the thermal interface. Without a good thermal interface, not enough heat can be transferred to the heat sink to be dissipated.

Today, Chai takes a look at the new Arctic Alumina thermal compound from Arctic Silver. If you know of the famous Arctic Silver II thermal compound, well, then this is the new compound formulation that's based on ceramics, instead of silver. According to Arctic Silver, it offers the same performance as Arctic Silver II but without its drawbacks.

Now, that's some claim. Will it perform as well as they claim it would be? Or should you still stick to the Arctic Silver II? Find out in Chai's review of the new Arctic Alumina!
   

Dockers Mobile Pant
   

Pants? What does a pair of pants have anything to do with computers? More than you think ever since Dockers came up with their Mobile Pant concept. Designed for the connected generation, the Dockers Mobile Pant promises the ability to discreetly store our many portable devices and yet allow us to look fashionable. But does it really work as well as the hype suggests?

Marauder couldn't help trying out the new Dockers Mobile Pant and he certainly has some opinions of this pair of khakis! Check out this review before you rush to the stores! :)
   
   

256MB Crucial PC2100 DDR SDRAM DIMM
   

Double Data Rate SDRAM - the true successor to the ubiquitous SDRAM. Offering twice the bandwidth at a minimum additional cost, this DRAM technology is the one to go for when you are looking to build or buy a new system.

Today, we are going to take an in-depth look at one of the premium DDR SDRAM modules from the world's only factory-direct memory upgrade provider - Crucial Technology! The module in question is their top of the line 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM module.

If you are looking to buy DDR SDRAM modules, take a look at this review before you settle for third party modules. With DRAM prices so low, a premium DDR SDRAM module may well be worth the few extra dollars... as you shall see in this review.