Links below for its brochures as usual:
From bootstrike:
From Hardwarezone:
Monday 21 November 2011
Sitex show 2011
The last major IT show of the year. The Sitex show 2011, will there be any good bargains this time round?
Links below for its brochures as usual:
From bootstrike:
Links below for its brochures as usual:
From bootstrike:
Wednesday 16 November 2011
HTPC build 2011 part 2/3
Next up, I am going to choose the storage device and PSU. All the while, I had been using HDD although SSD has been available for couple of years now. However, due to the steep price when it was first released.
I wouldn't think of buying it until recently where the price dropped to a reasonable level I guess. If you buy it online, it seems to be cheaper than buying locally but the warranty will be an issue since it needs to be send back in an event of RMA. Therefore, I rather pay a bit more for the local warranty to save the hassle.
As for the advantage and disadvantages, there is plenty of websites explaining the differences between SSD and HDD. One of the major advantages is the access speed and therefore, I decided to buy one as a boot drive since it is said to be much much faster compared to HDD.
I choose Crucial M4 64GB after reading the reviews and it is manufactured locally (they have a production plant here), it may not be the fastest SSD but it is pretty stable according to reviews. Moreover, it is a SATA3 interface and seems to be the least costly compared to other brands.
My unboxing video below:
The picture:
Well, I do feel Crucial is a bit stingy in way that not even the the mounting screws is provided. Only the manual is given and nothing else. It will be good to have a couple of screws or maybe a 3.5" to 2.5" bay converter since it is much more expensive compared to HDD. At least it will let the user have a "feel good" factor.
For the PSU, FSP Aurum 500W Gold seems to be a good choice. It is shorter by 2cm compared to its modular counterpart and other PSU. Moreover, it has a Gold efficiency rating and so in the long run, it should save some electricity bills.
My unboxing video:
The picture:
I wouldn't think of buying it until recently where the price dropped to a reasonable level I guess. If you buy it online, it seems to be cheaper than buying locally but the warranty will be an issue since it needs to be send back in an event of RMA. Therefore, I rather pay a bit more for the local warranty to save the hassle.
As for the advantage and disadvantages, there is plenty of websites explaining the differences between SSD and HDD. One of the major advantages is the access speed and therefore, I decided to buy one as a boot drive since it is said to be much much faster compared to HDD.
I choose Crucial M4 64GB after reading the reviews and it is manufactured locally (they have a production plant here), it may not be the fastest SSD but it is pretty stable according to reviews. Moreover, it is a SATA3 interface and seems to be the least costly compared to other brands.
My unboxing video below:
Crucial M4 64GB SATA3 SSD unboxing
The package
Well, I do feel Crucial is a bit stingy in way that not even the the mounting screws is provided. Only the manual is given and nothing else. It will be good to have a couple of screws or maybe a 3.5" to 2.5" bay converter since it is much more expensive compared to HDD. At least it will let the user have a "feel good" factor.
For the PSU, FSP Aurum 500W Gold seems to be a good choice. It is shorter by 2cm compared to its modular counterpart and other PSU. Moreover, it has a Gold efficiency rating and so in the long run, it should save some electricity bills.
My unboxing video:
The picture:
The package
Wednesday 9 November 2011
HTPC build 2011 part 1/3
The day came earlier than expected to upgrade my PC. As mentioned before, I am going for a smaller PC rather than ATX form factor. So I decided on mATX rather than mini ITX as mATX still have some expansion slots if I need it but not as much slot as ATX board.
For the case, I had been researching online for different type of mATX available locally. As most of the case seems to be those typical tower type mATX casing, which is the ones I want to avoid. And also I prefer the board to be sitting down rather than mounted sideways. So there isn't a lot of choice available for SFF case. And Silverstone seems to fit the bill as it is available locally.
The link for the case: Silverstone SG-02F
As you all may already know, Silverstone makes interesting and unique cases. This particular shoebox type case caught my eye which is the SG-02F, they are in the SFF(small form factor) category. Small but has almost everything. It is only half the height of my current NXZT alpha gaming case and it is shorter in length too but slightly wider.
Do take note it is not a new model, it is couple of years old so no USB 3.0 front port for it. It has a full aluminium version and a steel version, the steel version is the one I am looking for since it cost lower but has the same design other than lesser front USB 2.0 ports.
Also the cable management might be a issue too since the room is really limited. But I guess there has to be some sacrifices made somewhere for its small form. It cost around 92-95 SGD for the steel version and the aluminium type cost around 155 SGD locally.
My unboxing video:
The pictures:
Also, if you wish to use the crossflow fan, you need the default heatsink or some other brands low profile CPU cooler like Scythe Kozuti. Otherwise, you will not be able to mount it.
For the case, I had been researching online for different type of mATX available locally. As most of the case seems to be those typical tower type mATX casing, which is the ones I want to avoid. And also I prefer the board to be sitting down rather than mounted sideways. So there isn't a lot of choice available for SFF case. And Silverstone seems to fit the bill as it is available locally.
The link for the case: Silverstone SG-02F
As you all may already know, Silverstone makes interesting and unique cases. This particular shoebox type case caught my eye which is the SG-02F, they are in the SFF(small form factor) category. Small but has almost everything. It is only half the height of my current NXZT alpha gaming case and it is shorter in length too but slightly wider.
Do take note it is not a new model, it is couple of years old so no USB 3.0 front port for it. It has a full aluminium version and a steel version, the steel version is the one I am looking for since it cost lower but has the same design other than lesser front USB 2.0 ports.
Also the cable management might be a issue too since the room is really limited. But I guess there has to be some sacrifices made somewhere for its small form. It cost around 92-95 SGD for the steel version and the aluminium type cost around 155 SGD locally.
My unboxing video:
Silverstone SG-02F
The pictures:
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
Pic 6
Pic 7
Pic 8
Pic 9
Wednesday 2 November 2011
CPU Heatsink for impending HTPC build
For my coming PC replacement, I decided to build a HTPC which is capable of gaming. So I will be using a SFF (small form factor) casing, as I started to feel that for my current ATX board seems to have too much unused slots and the ATX size casing seems to be too big.
Maybe as I grow older, I prefer a smaller board that can do most of the things and a smaller case for space saving which is more practical in a sense. Now talking about CPU cooler, the Intel default heatsink seems to be pretty small and it cools well but I prefer something that is nicer and better heat dissipation.
And so my hunt for a HTPC CPU heatsink begins! I was looking through some CPU heatsink review and came across this nice little product from Scythe. I believe the height of the heatsink is one of lowest (4cm) among all the low profile heatsink products out there and it looks pretty nice too.
Below is the link of its specifications at its official website:
Maybe as I grow older, I prefer a smaller board that can do most of the things and a smaller case for space saving which is more practical in a sense. Now talking about CPU cooler, the Intel default heatsink seems to be pretty small and it cools well but I prefer something that is nicer and better heat dissipation.
And so my hunt for a HTPC CPU heatsink begins! I was looking through some CPU heatsink review and came across this nice little product from Scythe. I believe the height of the heatsink is one of lowest (4cm) among all the low profile heatsink products out there and it looks pretty nice too.
Below is the link of its specifications at its official website:
However, it is not easy to find Scythe over here although it has a distributor and price is slightly more expensive than getting it online. Therefore, I decided to get it online since this online shopping website was recommended by the forum users that I frequents. For those who are interested, the website is as below:
After visiting it, they do have a quite a variety of computer products and I managed to find the product I wanted. The shipping took slightly more than a week to reach my doorsteps for my case since it is in stock.
Unboxing video:
Also, in my soon to be HTPC post, will put a few pictures in comparing its height between the Intel default heatsink and Kozuti.
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