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    CFI-S768 E-Cube Micro PC 


    CFI "e-cube" S768 Barebones

    Reviewer : TechSupport
    Manufacturer : Chyangfun Group (CFI)
    Price : '209.00 inc VAT

    Introduction

    In the last couple of years, PC hardware manufacturers have wised up to the end user's need for style, as well as functionality in their systems, and produced a bewildering array of colour co-ordinated, stylish (and not so stylish) cases, monitors and peripherals. Computer systems are now produced to satisfy many roles, from office workstation, to games machine, to media centre. As the end user's expectations rise,
    ...
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    Changing Fan Speeds 


    Author: FromBadTraverse
    May 23rd 2002

    Changing Fan Speeds


    Computer Cooling

    We all know that we need fans, as our computers would self-destruct without them. CPU manufacturers are shrinking die sizes and cutting core power. This makes a cooler running CPU. But, they are also increasing speed, which increases temperature. As the main power dissipated is caused by dynamic switching current. CPU's are approaching W/cm temperatures that are rivaling space vehicle re-entry (paraphrased from an article
    ...
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    Fan Switching Experimenting made Easy 


    Author: Floppybootstomp
    July 11th 2002

    Fan Switching experimenting made Easy


    The first in an upcoming series of "Mini Mods" by floppybootstomp

    Have you ever wished you had a means of controlling which fans in your
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    Motherboard Tray Mod 


    Author: James
    June 29th 2002

    A must Mod, if you own or are thinking of getting a bolt through heat sink, like the Alpha 8045.

    My first mistake was to use the nylon nuts, supplied by Alpha,for fastening the standoff's through the MB. My second mistake was not doing the mod the first time I had my tower disconnected
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    Synjynns' Koolance Build and Benchmarks 


    Author: Synjynn
    February 28th 2003

    Synjynns' Koolance Build and Benchmarks


    First, I'd like to thank BitBender and the great folks at BitBendertech.com for their guidance and support. And also to Newegg.com and Coolerguys.com for their quick handling and service. What I'm putting together is:

    ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe, Corsair 256MB 32MX8 PC-3200C2, AMD 2600+ /333 ATHLON XP TBRED, ARCTIC SILVER 3, and a Copper Shim
    Note: Using a Sapphire 9700Pro from my last system

    Now, let's start off with the day of arrival. The following pic is of all the hardware and the packaging


    Though the cardboard was dinged a little, no damage due to the inside packaging.


    NewEgg did a great job making sure nothing got damaged during shipment.

    OK, now lets get down to business. First let's start with the motherboard ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe. This thing came with EVERYTHING,
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    TweakMonster EL Window Applique 


    TweakMonster EL Window Appliques


    Reviewer: ImaginAsian
    Manufacturer: TweakMonster
    Source: Jab-Tech
    Price: $21.99
    April 12th 2003

    Introduction
    TweakMonster's EL (Electro-Luminescent) Window Applique is next on our reviews of the "What will they think of Next" mods. These guys have brought you popular products like RAM sinks and EL light strips. The natural evolution of the EL revolution is window ...
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    Antec PSU Tester 


    Author: Techsupport
    October 27th 2003


    Anyone out there who builds machines regularly will know what a pain in the ass it is when a machine refuses to boot, or behaves strangely for no obvious reason. Often, the fault is difficult to diagnose, especially if there's a possibility of a faulty PSU or motherboard. Without specialist testing equipment, you often will have to RMA the board, and/or replace the PSU if it's reliability is in question.

    I was recently browsing through my local hardware vendor's store, and happened across the Antec PSU Tester. It's a simple device that acts as an ATX switch, and gives the user the facility to test the 12v, 5v & 3.3v lines of a PSU with nothing more than a simple multimeter. Additionally, it will also place a 25w load on the PSU simulating actual use.

    The unit comes as a heatproof shrink wrapped box with a female atx motherboard connector attached via flylead. The connector has open pins giving you the three output voltage lines as well as a ground, and a small green led to test basic operation. In use, the unit can become quite hot so it's advisable to avoid prolonged contact if you value your fingertips. The power coupler can also be fiddly to unplug after use. I think Antec could have gone one stage further perhaps and enclosed the entire unit in a vented casing which would certainly make it more user friendly.

    Bugbears aside, this little unit is incredibly useful for tracking down PSU related problems. So far i've tested 3 suspect PSU's and found them all to be faulty in one way or another, from a very low 12v line to total output failure.

    Pros

    • Output voltage testing
    • Load testing
    • Small and easy to carry around.
    • Cheap ('15 UK)


    Cons

    • Fiddly to use.
    • Can get hot.
    • Somewhat fragile.


    Available from Maplin Electronics - www.maplin.co.uk
    2003 Techsupport For Bitbendertech