Hardware News

Getting Hisense 43R7 43" 4K TV to Work at 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 Chroma & HDR as PC Monitor

Posted by: david on Friday/May 17/2019 - 08:15 PM
Hardware

I have been using a 32" 4K Monitor (HP Specter 32 Studio Display) for some time now, but have never been 100% happy with it because I had to set the scaling of text size to 125% in Windows 10 to make them readable. A 40 inch or larger screen would be much better since I would be able to set text at 100%. PC monitors of that size are usually at least $450 or more, but I've seen many 43 inch 4K TV's for less than half that price, and that many PC users have been very....

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NVIDIA Shield Tablet Battery Bulge - Great Service by NVIDIA

Posted by: david on Monday/November 06/2017 - 11:16 PM
Hardware

I bought the NVIDIA Shield Tablet K1 back in late December of 2015. Frankly I have not used it as often as I wanted to. This was mainly because my iPad Mini 2 has always been smoother and gets the job done quick. The Shield Tablet, even when upgraded to Android 7.0, always had issues slowing down & stuttering (sometimes for over 10 seconds). Recently I powered it up after not using it for a couple of weeks, and noticed that the back cover in the bottom middle of the tablet, had popped open. Right away I....

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Fix for Logitech G Keys Not working in Windows 10 & Logitech Gaming Software

Posted by: david on Monday/August 21/2017 - 05:03 PM
Hardware

I have an older Logitech G11 keyboard plus a G13 Advanced Gameboard, and actually rely on the macros/shortcuts assigned to the G-Keys daily. Recently they all of a sudden stopped working, and it was a real pain to try and work around it, so I decided to try and solve the problem. The problem seemed to manifest itself after Windows 10 (with Creative Update) froze the other day and I had to restart without a proper shutdown. Looking around the web for solutions, I tried the common ones: Unplug/re-plug the USB keyboard & gamepad Update to the latest Logitech Gaming Software....

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HP 15-f004wm Laptop Replace Hard Drive with SSD Upgrade Guide

Posted by: david on Sunday/January 04/2015 - 01:33 AM
Hardware

There was a special deal during Black Friday on the HP 15 budget laptop on Walmart.com, specifically the model HP 15-f004wm, so I jumped on it as we were looking for an extra, budget notebook computer. The specs were kind of basic, but it was overall a terrific deal considering the $160 price without coupon. It is powered by a dual-core Intel Celeron N2830 CPU which sips only a measly 7.5 watts maximum, 4GB of RAM (nice since many budget laptops recently sport only 2GB), and a 500GB hard drive. The screen is 15.6" though the resolution....

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Lost Fitbit Syncs Through Another Person, Leads to Recovery

Posted by: david on Sunday/November 30/2014 - 01:29 AM
Hardware

A little more than a week ago, on a Saturday, I lost my Fitbit One fitness tracker device. I have had it for well a year, and used it quite religiously, so it was a real disappointment. My family and myself had gone out to play tennis, went to a restaurant (5:30 PM), and then to shop at Target (6:30 PM). It was at Target when my wife asked how many steps I had thus that I discovered that I didn't have the Fitbit any longer. I simply assumed that it was left at home, but....

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Asus ZenBook UX31A Should be Recalled Due to ADATA SSD Defect

Posted by: david on Wednesday/November 19/2014 - 04:25 PM
Hardware

I bought my Asus ZenBook UX31A a little more than a year ago. Recently the sleek ultrabook started to act up on me- I would get the blue screen of death and intermittent freezing. The signs were indicative of the non-user-upgradable, non-replaceable 128GB ADATA Sandforce-based XM11 SSD. I tried to use the windows command (the OS is Windows 7) SFC /scannow, but it would never complete further 41% before failing. Windows is still usable, but whenever I try to Right Click to create a new file, the computer would freeze. Same thing happens if I....

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Microsoft Surface RT 2013 Review

Posted by: david on Monday/September 09/2013 - 03:05 PM
Hardware

I received my Microsoft Surface RT recently, and wanted to give some of my thoughts on the device. I ordered the 32GB refurbished flavor which was also bundled with the Touch Cover. The packaging looked like a black monolith- pretty fancy. I immediately attached the touch keyboard cover which connected with a loud "crunch". I also appreciate the fact that it came with a kickstand built in. I suppose that I need to keep in mind to always open the kickstand from the left side (where there is a notch), since it takes using a fingernail....

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Lian Li PC-U6 Cowry Special Edition Mid-Tower Case Unveiled

Posted by: david on Tuesday/May 10/2011 - 01:32 PM
Hardware

Talk about an funky cool looking computer chassis- the new Lian Li PC-U6 Cowry Special Edition would be it, looking like a jet engine/snail shell from the side and a furnace from the front. The red LED kit adds the red glow. Too bad the case only comes in black because silver might look pretty nice as well. The made-in-Taiwan Lian Li PC-U6 Cowry Special Edition mid-tower aluminum case comes with the following specifications and features: (W) 219mm x (H) 500mm x (D) 410mm, weighs 4 1/2 KG 3 3.5" and 2 2.5" HDD drive bays and one 5.25" external bay....

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BenQ SH960 1080P DLP Projector Unveiled

Posted by: david on Thursday/May 05/2011 - 01:44 AM
Hardware

BenQ today launched the high-end BenQ SH960 1080P DLP Projector. Capable of an ultra-bright 5500 lumens, the new BenQ projector can deliver a bright image without the need for darkness in the room. Contrast ratio for the BenQ SH960 is rated at 3000:1, and the projector also offers a setting for you to prolong the SH960 lamp with a reduced brightness setting. Another nice feature is the ability of the SH960 to automatically adjust for non-white walls to still project a natural image. Look for the BenQ SH960 projector to hit the market next month with a high-end....

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IOGEAR GUC2025H USB to HDMI Adapter Unveiled

Posted by: david on Tuesday/April 12/2011 - 02:09 PM
Hardware

IOGEAR today introduced an innovative product in the IOGEAR GUC2025H USB to HDMI adapter. With the IOGEAR GUC2025H you can take advantage of multiple monitors by simply using this adapter to connect to an existing HDTV via HDMI. No USB 3.0 required either- just an available USB 2.0 port on your laptop or desktop PC will do. Full HD resolution at 1920x1080 is support provided that your TV/monitor supports 1080P. What is interesting is that the GUC2025H also supports audio, so sound can also sent to the big screen. No word though on whether Dolby....

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Athena AP-TFX35 80 Plus 350W Power Supply Unveiled

Posted by: david on Friday/April 08/2011 - 01:13 PM
Hardware

Athena Computer Power today powered up (pun intended!) the Athena AP-TFX35 80 Plus 350W Power Supply. At 350 Watts the Athena AP-TFX35 is not exactly designed for systems with power-hungry dedicated graphics cards, but for HTPCs and computers with integrated graphics or video cards that don't require dedicated power, this PSU should work just fine. Connectors of the AP-TFX35 include the 24 pin connection, P4-12V 4 pin along with SATA II 15 pin + Molex 4 pin, and FDD 4 pin (who uses floppies any more though?). The PSU has a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)....

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SuperTalent ST3U32E2CK, ST3U16E2CK and ST3U8E2CK USB 3.0 Dual Channel Flash Drives Unveiled

Posted by: david on Monday/March 21/2011 - 07:47 PM
Hardware

Super Talent today introduced the SuperTalent Express Duo 2-CH ST3U32E2CK, ST3U16E2CK and ST3U8E2CK USB 3.0 Flash Drives in 32GB, 16GB and 8GB capacities, respectively. The new drives are dual channel capable offering max transfer speeds of above 65 Megabytes/sec which certain rivals and exceeds the real-world transfer speed you see in today's 7200 RPM SATA 2.0 hard drives. The drives come bundled with Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software, though we would imagine you would download the latest version from the web (if that's the free AV you use anyways). Cool thing is that the SuperTalent Express Duo 2-CH USB 3.0 drives....

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Sharp MX-3610N, MX-3110N and MX-2610N Business Multi-Function Printers Unveiled

Posted by: david on Tuesday/March 15/2011 - 03:05 PM
Hardware

Sharp today took the wraps off of the Sharp MX-3610N, MX-3110N and MX-2610N Business Multi-Function Printers (MFP). The model numbers denote their speed in PPM- 36, 31 and 26, respectively. What's interesting about these new MFPs is a huge 10 inch touch screen LCD that supports gestures which presumably is faster and easier to do than to pick out buttons to press. Another cool feature of the MX-3610N, MX-3110N and MX-2610N is what Sharp is calling "virtual proofing". This lets you see the document to be printed/copied on the LCD first before the actual printing. ....

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ASUS EAH6990/3DI4S/4GD5 HD 6990 Video Card Unveiled

Posted by: david on Tuesday/March 08/2011 - 12:18 AM
Hardware

Not to be outdone by PowerColor, ASUS today also introduced its AMD HD 6990 card in the ASUS HD 6990. Asus also added its own version of overclocking for the HD 6990 via its own "Voltage Tweak" technology, pushing the board to 1.245 GHz, which is just slightly lower than the PowerColor board. By default the ASUS EAH6990/3DI4S/4GD5 churns at 830 MHz, which is the same as the PowerColor card. And like Powercolor, the Asus board comes with 4 GB of video memory and quad mini-DisplayPort connections. One DVI port is also provided. Check out....

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PowerColor HD6990 Video Card Unveiled

Posted by: david on Monday/March 07/2011 - 11:21 PM
Hardware

TUL today launched the PowerColor HD6990 graphics board with 4GB of GDDR5 graphics memory and can be overclocked to a whopping 1.25 GHz. This card is high end indeed sporting four DisplayPort connections or 2 DVI connections. You will need at least a 750 watt power supply to support the DX11 PowerColor HD6990. Pricing wasn't announced, but you can expect an average street price of at least $500 for it.

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VIA VT6421 SATA Card Review

Posted by: david on Friday/March 04/2011 - 11:58 PM
Hardware

So I had a nightmarish time getting the Silicon Image SIL3114 card to work with just one SATA drive. The opposite happened when I received the VIA VT6421 SATA card (2 SATA, 1 eSATA, & 1 IDE port), also purchased from eBay. After booting into XP and installing the latest drives from viaarena.com, the drive was immediately recognized and works. I guess the moral of the story is to avoid the SIL3114 and go with the VT6421 if you just want extra SATA ports and don't need RAID. The VT6421 card does RAID 0 and RAID 1, but I have....

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Epson 455Wi 3LCD Wall Table Convertible Projector Unveiled

Posted by: david on Wednesday/March 02/2011 - 01:43 PM
Hardware

Epson today launched the Epson 455Wi 3LCD educational projector that can project to walls or table tops. Anther cool feature is you that you can mount it to just 3 inches away from the wall so it doesn't stick out too much. The Epson 455Wi will support XGA (1024x768) and up to WXGA (1280x768) resolutions. Nevermind teachers- we want the 455Wi in our office for meetings! It won't exactly be cheap at $2200 but if you are in Epson's Bright Futures program you can get it for a $500 off discount.....

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VIA Eden X2 CPUs Unveiled

Posted by: david on Tuesday/March 01/2011 - 04:27 AM
Hardware

VIA today powered up the VIA Eden X2 dual core CPU that is 64 bit and manufactured with the 40 nm process. VIA touts the new chip as fanless capable and has features such as virtualization and being socket compatible with the previous gen VIA processors such as the Eden and the C7. VIA didn't disclose any performance metrics or benchmarks of the Eden X2. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the current crop of Intel ATOM dual core chips. From the looks of it the Eden X2 will be more....

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Matrox Extio F2208 KVM Extender Unveiled

Posted by: david on Monday/February 28/2011 - 01:16 PM
Hardware

Matrox has launched the Matrox Extio F2208 KVM extender which lets you use two monitors (displayport or DVI) and provides 5 USB ports to control a computer up to 1 KM away. It comes with its own fiber optic PCIe interface card and supports resolutions of up to 2560x1600 and it can still do dual monitors.

This is a demo video of the Extio KVM:

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LaCie Little Big Disk External Hard Drive with Thunderbolt Interface Unveiled

Posted by: david on Thursday/February 24/2011 - 03:08 PM
Hardware

LaCie has powered up the first external Thunderbolt hard drive in the LaCie Little Big Disk. Designed to store large audio and video files, the LaCie Little Big Disk will bring a new level of performance to creative workflows with ultra-fast data transfer, complete system backup in minutes, and faster content editing than ever before. Here is a video review of the Thunderbolt Little Big Disk with comments on noise level from the drive, plus benchmark: Here is an unboxing of the SSD version (240GB) + taking it apart: ....

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