Daily Reviews Summary 11/12/07

The NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT is the lite version of the NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS. Designed to succeed the GeForce 7600 GT, it not only offers better performance but also support for DirectX 10.

For many gamers on a budget, the DirectX 10 support was the biggest reason to upgrade to the GeForce 8600 GT. Unfortunately, this graphics card falls short of expectations.

We all perceive color differently. When you go over to the next cubical or office, you might notice the color display of your peers look different than yours. Which one of the monitors produces the more accurate colors? Maybe Pantone huey can help.

The major selling points of the CNPS8700 NT are its noise levels and its size, making it the ultimate HTPC companion. With these two features at Zalman's focus, will the performance take a hit or stay true to the Zalman name? Continue as we find out.

Network-Attached Storage (NAS) servers are finally making headway in the consumer market. Enthusiasts with multiple computers have been doing network backups for years, but the expertise and/or time required to setup a NAS operating system has been quite prohibitive for the everyday user. Now, intelligent companies such as QNAP are at the forefront of the home NAS server revolution. ThinkComputers takes a look at the TS109 NAS server, a SATA hard drive enclosure with a network port, two USB host ports, and even an eSATA host port. This little guy runs Linux, too.

Today, while ATI/AMD still doesn't have a "GeForce killer", it does have a number of competent and competitive low, mid and high-end cards that often score high marks for those evaluating performance from a dollar-for-dollar perspective. One such model is the Radeon HD 2600 XT. In this article, we will assess another 2600 XT class card in the form of the MSI RX2600XT Diamond Plus, an aggressively clocked Radeon HD 2600 XT backed with 512MB of high-speed GDDR4.

If huge improvements in cooling are what you are looking for, a non-powered device would not be the way to go. On the other hand, if a low or no noise solution is a requirement, this device fits the bill. Add in the fact that you don't have any moving parts to fail or an external power supply, and the device becomes a little more attractive. One or two degrees may not seem like a lot of improvement in cooling but every bit helps. In addition, everyone has seen the newer keyboards on the market with a slight amount of rise to the rear to help reduce arm and shoulder strain. This device puts the notebook on a slight incline and helps reduce some of the strain, which should allow for longer use of the notebook, without putting your body at risk of things like Carpal Tunnel.

'Installing' the thermal compound is easy enough, depositing the required amount onto the top of the CPU and then spreading it. Indeed, from our experiences, spreading an even layer of this paste was simplicity itself, and a lot easier to do thanks to its consistency than a number of other pastes I've used in the past.

The S20 shows that SSL VPNs are the way forward for providing secure access to the LAN for remote workers. For the price, it offers a lot of useful feature for smaller businesses and the optional OTP solution makes it even more versatile.

It’s Microsoft, so you can have some assurance that the build quality will be among the best in the business. Based on my experience with the provided Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000 and the Microsoft Lifecam NX-6000 webcam, I’m quite impressed with this mobile communications solution. It’s all so easy to set up and to use.

20.1inch TFT Display with 1600x1200 resolution for less than $190, the H20 provides both DVI and VGA connectors, built in power and 3-watt speaker. High resolutions LCD display in traditional/classic format is aimed at more serious users. Let's see how this inexpensive unit stands up to the trusted Samsung 204B.

With the introduction of the Z-Machine GT1000 chassis, Zalman has produced a worthy successor to their earlier Fatal1ty offering. I liked the Fatal1ty a lot; I like the Z-Machine a lot more. The GT1000 is better looking, easier to work in, has more hard drive space and comes in two color options. Cooling performance is just as good, if not better, than the original and the drive mounting solutions are both simple and elegantly executed.