AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+ Processor Review

The integrated heatspreader protects the two physical processor cores in the Athlon64 X2 4800+ which both run at a default speed of 2.4 GHz. Both cores individually have 128KB of L1 cache and 1MB of L2 cache, so essentially what we have here are the equivalents of two Athlon64 4000+ CPUs. Both cores share a single 128 bit DDR memory controller. This potentially means that the individual cores will be starved for bandwidth during high load times. The Athlon64 X2 4800+ processor connects to the motherboard Northbridge chipset via a single 2 GHz Hypertransport link.Continue Here>>

OCZ Technology EL-DDR PC3500 Gold GX Memory Review

For those of you who like to run your computers overclocked moderately, you'd probably be better off with lower latency memory modules. By the looks of OCZ's PC3500 EL Gold Edition GX memory, and more specifically each 512MB module's CAS 2-2-2-5 timings, we're right on the money with that assessment. By default the OCZ PC3500 EL Gold Edition GX DDR memory is rated to run at up to 216 MHz. A memory capacity of 1GB seems like the sweet spot for everyday computing, and the two 512MB OCZ PC3500 EL Gold Edition GX DIMMs are also "optimized" for dual channel configuration. Continue Here>>

Foxconn 945P7AA-8EKRS2 Motherboard Review

With both Intel and AMD firmly devoted to dual core processors in the foreseeable future, one would expect a flurry of dual core capable software should be hitting the market... yet at the moment this aspect of the dream being marketed is sadly overlooked. Still, future-proofing is always a good route to take, and if you are scouting out new Intel socket 775 systems, there is no reason not to look at motherboards which support dual core CPUs. Take for example the Foxconn 945P7AA-8EKRS2 motherboard which is based on the Intel 945P chipset that PCSTATS is testing today.Continue Here>>

CompactFlash Card Roundup: 1GB Models

Buying the right CF card for your digital camera can be difficult, well mostly confusing since there are size, type and speed considerations to wrap your head around first. In some cases, buying the fastest CompactFlash card won't help because the digital camera becomes the limiting factor... so it can pay to do a little digging into your manual to know the limits of your digital camera.Continue Here>>

Zalman CNPS9500 LED Heatsink Review

The Zalman CNPS9500 LED heatsink is compatible with all current AMD and Intel socket formfactors, and weighs in at roughly 530grams. The heatsink is voluminous, but designed to operate quietly and cool under low noise, low fan-speed conditions. At full speed, its translucent 92mm diameter fan spins at conservative 2600RPM, but turn down the dial on the FanMate 2 and that speed drops to 1350RPM. Continue Here>>

PCstats Weekly Tech Tips: Control the Downloads One of my jobs in the PCstats Labs is administrating a bunch of the PCs; keeping them healthy, quick and of course totally tweaked out! My biggest concern is basically people downloading malicious apps and spyware by mistake that can spread from PC to PC, or cause network and system reliability issues... This is a pretty common concern for most IT guys & gals I suspect. Luckily with a few clicks of the mouse that feature can be disabled all together. To disable file downloads in IE altogether, first load up the 'Internet Options' menu from the 'Control Panel' then click on the 'Security tab' and then the 'Custom Level' button which will open up the 'Security Settings' window. From there scroll down to the 'Downloads' section and select the disable radio box in the 'File Download' section. Next, click the ok button twice and you’re all set. After that's done, users will not be able to download files through IE anymore. Of course, you'll need to have administrator privileges to do all of this. All of the PCstats Weekly Tech Tips have been archived in the Forums for your reference.

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