Fan grill review. LED monthly. Tech bits in for a look-see.
80mm UV Reactive Fan GrillSupplier: PC Case GearWebsite: www.pccasegear.com.auPhone: (03) 9568 0932Price: $6.50
Fan grills don't protect wandering digits any more. It's all about looks, and this eye tantalising grill fits the bill. Offered in UV reactive colours of blue, green and yellow, there are five designs to choose from -- Quake III, Unreal Tournament, Flame, Blade, and Girl (we naturally chose the chick). With these sexy designs, you'll have control over everyone with the hypnotic glow these curvy grills emit (with the aid of a UV light) - and they're hot damn cheap.
Vantec Nexus NXP-301Supplier: EYO TechnologiesWebsite: www.eyo.com.auPhone: (02) 9822 2550Price: $75
In a metallic styled chassis, Nexus controls three fans and two cold cathodes -- providing up to 18W per channel. Cathodes can be set to sound sensitive, on or off. Fan speed ranges from off to touching on full speed (without other connected devices). Behind each dial is an LED shone through green acrylic, giving off a purrdy glow. Kudos to the informative layout of the manual. Extremely easy to set-up and use, you should certainly check this out.
Everglide mouse padsSupplier: GamerzStuff AustraliaWebsite: www.gamerzstuff.com.auPhone: (03) 9888 3188Price: Giganta Optical Smoke V3 $45; Attack Pad Optical V3 $35
Self-respecting gamers require a perfect mousing surface. The two we tested left us half impressed. Falling in lurv with one but melting the other in a fit of rage. The Giganta Optical Smoke V3 was a dream, providing a nicely textured surface. However the aptly named Attack Pad Optical V3, felt like a textured sheet of rubber, almost ripping our de-sexed optical mouse a new one. If you enjoy playing unstick-the-mouse then buy the Attack Pad, otherwise the Giganta comes recommended, albeit at its mammoth size.
Nanotherm PCM+Supplier: GameVisionWebsite: www.gamevision.com.auPhone: (02) 9345 0033Price: $15
The Nanotherm arrives in a mini 2mL dropper bottle with a mini spatula. Originally being watery, it fills the tiny pits -- later thickening to a more solid state after it's seven day burn-in period. Simulating an 'under stress' P4 environment, we set Chernobyl to 80W for several days. With ambient room temperature 22°C, it stabilised at 40°C, compared to our test with no goop of 48°C. Not cheap at $15 it beats the Shin Etsu by a degree. Worth it? Let your wallet decide.
Shin Etsu thermal pasteSupplier: Desmond LiuWebsite: desmondliu@optusnet.com.auPhone: 0404 088 056Price: $15
Not quite as hard as some constipated pastes, it has the consistency somewhat similar to half-hour-old seagull poop, with firm yet moist spreading properties. It's contained in a thermal goop syringe with a few small doses inside -- no bonus spreading tool. Testing in the same ambient room temperature using the same settings as the Nanotherm, it hit 41°C. Even though it may only be a degree lower, the Nanotherm is the exact same price as this and seemingly slightly more worthy of your cash, to a certain degree.
IOSS RD3XP-A#-K Single Drive IDE CablesSupplier: PC RangeWebsite: http://www.pcrange.biz/Phone: (08) 8322 9544Price: $22-29
Looking for short, single-device, rounded-cables, rated at ATA133 and crafted with perfection. Well, you need search no further! These cables are not only technically superior, and visually stunning, they are also available in perfect lengths for cases crowded with multiple HDD's - 20, 30 and 50cm. Now there is no excuse for excess metres of airflow-destroying beige ribbon at the bottom of your HotBox ... and you will probably experience a performance increase as well!
KableflagsSupplier: KableflagsWebsite: www.kableflags.com.auPhone: 1800 889 426Price: $11.95
It's annoying when someone pops out a power cord as it's usually powered on when that happens -- respect thy Murphy's Law. To prevent this evil, you need to properly identify each cord. Bar masking tape and the wonderful glue it leaves behind, pre-labelled Kableflags do the job perfectly. With these pre-labelled kits, there are also two blank flags, though you might be after the DIY ten-flag kit. Available for many purposes, these small tags would be handy to have around.
PS2-Eye ToySupplier: Sony Computer EntertainmentWebsite: http://au.playstation.comPhone: (02) 9324 9500Price: $99.95
Round up a group of friends and cancel any plans because the Eye Toy is the coolest add on for the PS2. Plug the USB camera into your PlayStation and you're ready to go -- on your TV screen -- as the next Kung Fu master, World Boxing champ or even the best damn window washer in the country. Twelve easy to play games will have you and your friends laughing and jumping around for hours, not to mention it'll give you a full body workout!
Issue: 133 | February, 2012