Cruxiaer Invictus

First Malaysia Roccat Kave Review

2010-03-06T21:16:00.016+08:00

Roccat Kave

Outside the box:

Took off the Kave's plastic wrapping, you see it has the Roccat and its logo printed on it.

The back of the box, features briefly stated in 10 languages. Tech specs are also stated.

The left of the box, features explained with introduction.

The right of the box.

The top of the box. As you can see, the box is sealed with 2 stickers

Out of the box:

Kave smilling at you

Proper paddings within the box to prevent the Kave from getting scratched even before you use it.

The connectors. Green/Orange/Black/Pink. Green for front left/right, orange for center/sub, black for rear left/right while the pink's for the mic. The jacks are protected with rubber covers.

The overall items found within the box.

The miscellaneous, a Roccat member card included behind the booklet. A manual and a disc containing a demo and wallpapers of various resolutions.

The included EQ/volume unit.

Kave's power'd up

Official tech specs from Roccat

Why Roccat? Why Kave?
No real reason why I bought it but if you want one then its the real 5.1 it offers. Attracted me by 1st sight. So I asked 3 dealers(moderno, Cex and lingloong) for their price and simultaneously placed an order for 2 units, one for me another for a friend(raxeus). That's about 24 hours ago. So Cex informed me that stock's ready for my collection yesterday night but due to lack of transport, I collected them this evening. Unboxed it nice and slowly. Finally got them on my head and ears, the feeling was great as opposed to Piranha, it really causes pain. But after prolonged usage, you'll feel the headset pressing down onto your head(too heavy). I compared these 3 headsets side by side and found the Kave best amongst them, the bass and clarity is not as good as the Piranha but much better compared to Siberia. The Siberia somehow lacked the crisp supposingly present in some audio. For audio clarity, I guess the Piranha would take champion but its really hard to distinguish which is better comparing with the Kave unless you're looping the same audio again and again to catch every note. The Kave's rear speakers are not as distinct as the front so I suggest have the rear's volume higher than the front. However, the Kave weights quite a lot. Apparently, the Siberia is found to be the lightest amongst the three while the Kave's heaviest. For build quality, all 3 of them are very good. The texture, the paint, the box, everything in good order. There's a problem with my set though, my Roccat member ID is not working but bah... Doesn't matter much as long as the Kave works perfectly. A point to note, I really like that EQ/Volume control unit, much more handy when it comes to adjusting volume, more convenient than the shortcut keys on my keyboard which are unresponsive at times. As for the adjustable Game/Movie mode, I can't tell the difference between these 2. I can hear very slight difference but I can't tell what it is. Am I the first to own Kave in Malaysia?

Comfortness:
Razer Piranha || ★★★☆☆ || my head feels squashed
Roccat Kave || ★★★☆☆ || feels bit heavy eventhough there's cushion on top
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆ || cushion padding is not as thick as the other 2 but most comfy amongst these 3

Audio quality:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★☆ || clear, crisp with strong bass, least static when highest volume
Roccat Kave || ★★★★☆ || clear, crisp with moderate bass, lots of static when volume is high(I only need 30% so no static) but is much much louder than Piranha and Siberia
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★☆☆ || clear, less crisp with weak bass, moderate static

Bass quality:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★★ || very good bass but I think its too heavy
Roccat Kave || ★★★★☆ || moderate bass but I think its just the right amount of bass
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★☆☆ || weak bass

Design:
Razer Piranha || ★★★☆☆ || the mic's a bit too far out in my opinion, some might find it difficult to record properly and limitted mic rotation
Roccat Kave || ★★★★★ || the mic's 360° full adjustable, detachable mic and foldable
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆ || didn't really liked the sides but overall great looking with detachable mic

Mic quality:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★☆
Roccat Kave || ★★★★☆
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆

Noise cancelling:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★★
Roccat Kave || ★★★★★
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆

Cable length:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★★
Roccat Kave || ★★★★☆
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★★

Finishing quality:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★☆
Roccat Kave || ★★★★☆
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆

Packaging quality:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★☆
Roccat Kave || ★★★★★
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆

Portability:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★☆ || 2 3.5mm jack(Green/Pink), 1 USB for blings
Roccat Kave || ★★★☆☆ || 4 3.5mm jack(Green/Black/Orange/Pink), 1 USB for power(does not work without USB power)
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★☆ || 2 3.5mm jack(Green/Pink), 1 USB for equalizer/simulator

Speaker configuration:
Razer Piranha || Stereo 2.1
Roccat Kave || Real 5.1
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || Simulated 7.1

Price tags:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★☆ || RM249
Roccat Kave || ★★★☆☆ || RM339 || above average users' budget
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★☆☆ || RM359 || above average users' budget

Competitors' overall in terms of everything compared above:
Razer Piranha || ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ || Quick discomfort, best audio amongst the 3
Roccat Kave || ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ || Can't work without USB power and discomfort after moderate duration of use
SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset USB || ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ || Best comfort but worst audio amongst the 3

Tested on:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Napoleon: Total War
Mirror's Edge
DiRT 2
H.A.W.X.
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga || 261kbps
Crazy Dog by Big Bang || 192kbps
Assassin's Creed Cello Trailer Theme by Jesper Kyd || 320kbps
Spice and Wolf Opening Theme by Yoshino Yuuji || 320kbps
Hope's Theme by Masashi Hamauzu || 320kbps
Serah's Theme by Masashi Hamauzu || 320kbps
Snow's Theme by Masashi Hamauzu || 320kbps
Lightning's Theme by Masashi Hamauzu || 320kbps
New Divide by Linkin Park || 320kbps

P.S.
1st time doing a review, any advice will be most welcomed. Correct me if I'm wrong in anyway, methods, data and so on. Thanks!

Windows Live Writer

2010-01-22T03:01:00.001+08:00

Just downloaded it and am now using it to blog :D sort of a cool software.

Intel® Core™ i7

2010-01-22T02:17:00.006+08:00

Right… So after the long wait, I finally got my hands on Core i7. Totally suffered in 2009 for not having my own rig, but I saved enough to get Core i7. Thanks to Jun Bin I managed to spend RM200 or so less. Spent some 3 hours to assemble to rig. So… Pictures? I’ve got a few, hopefully the photos are of satisfying quality :D

Specifications:
Core i7 920
Asus P6T
Kingston VR DDR3 1333mhz C9 2gb x3
CM690 Pure
CM Silent Pro M600

Due to my very tight budget, I had to omit harddisk and graphics card from my purchase list.

But do you see the red MSI graphics card? It isn’t mine. To my delight, Wei Bo borrowed it to me for a couple of days. I wouldn’t have survived with just a 7600GS(borrowed it from my brother till I get enough money to buy my own graphics card) ><

Anyhow, I tried overclocking it little by little. The results proved to be surprising and, nonetheless, awesome!

Did you notice the low voltage setting used for vcore? At stock settings, it runs 1.6ghz at 0.95vcore when there’s no load. On the other hand, when Intel Turbo kicks in, it runs 2.8ghz at 1.25vcore(higher than my above settings!). With such voltage, the processor temperature and TDP tend to be very high, <80’C and <152W respectively.

Tagged by Dragexius

2009-10-15T22:12:00.004+08:00

Pass this tag to 10 people !

1. Grace Choo
2. Jun Bin
3. Kit Yann
4. Koos Noov
5. Lee Kai Chi
6. Sing Chun Leong
7. Lim Taw Wei
8. Tan Tee Ken
9. Yoon Wei Bo
10. Chai Boon Tek

1. Would you date number 5?
Not unless I'm gay.

2. Number 2 just got in a car crash. How do you react?
OMGWTFBBQ?

3. You see number 9 with your boy/girlfriend.
They are great friends.

4. You come home and your room has been ransacked by number 4.
Cheerleaders are good.

5. Number 1 is acting weird.
Due to the braces, I guess.

6. Numbers 3 and 8 decide to give 10 a haircut.
10 has got not enough hair.

7. Number 7 just got tickets for him/her and you to go to a concert.
So long as I'm able to reach there, I'll go.

8. Number 10 takes you to a bar.
The day he goes into the bar is the day I commit suicide.

9. Number 4 has to move to the other side of the world.
I'll buy her a bottle of strong disinfectant.

10.You and number 8 are being chased by the cops for an unknown reason.
We're too good-looking?

11. Number 7 and you are sitting on the couch watching a movie when he/her wrap his/her arm around you.
He does that some times.

12. Number 5 asks you out to dinner.
Depends what he wants for dinner, if its something I like, I would.

13. Number 9 and you are sitting on a bus.
We must be going to some strange place.

14. Number 6 calls you in the middle of the night because he/she can’t sleep.
I would hang it immediately.

15. Your walking with someone and number 6 runs up and tackles you to the ground from behind.
That impact will kill me!

16. Number 1 is crying one day and you ask him/her why and it seems their boy/girlfriend has dumped them.
Can't do much for her. Maybe I'd comment she's cute with braces, thats all.

17. Number 2 offers to bake you a meal. As you sit in the other room, the kitchen is suddenly aflame.
I know he sucks in cooking.

18. Number 5 comes to your door one day holding a koala.
How cute XD

19. Number 3 just got you an X-Box.
Is it a 360 Elite Jasper set?

20. Number 9 challenges you to a children’s card game.
I will lose, I'm not that childish.

21. Number 1 thinks he/she’s overweight.
Maybe she is, I will never know.

22. Number 7 looks lonely.
He is.

23. Number 2 asks you rudely to go leave her/him alone.
Finally realised he's gaying with me?

24. Numbers 5 and 3 decide to throw a surprise party for you.
Strange combination for 5 & 3.

25. Number 6 decide to dye their hair black. What do you say?
Whats 6 original hair colour?

26. Number 2 tells you he/she is going to go out for a while, and then later you hear about a shooting where 2 went.
Nais.

27. You catch number 9 by him/herself, crying.
He's happy he lost weight.

28. Numbers 1 , 3 , 5, and 6 all tackle you at once! Is it possible?
Possible, I'd die.

Movies

2009-10-07T00:31:00.001+08:00

Deep but true: UP

Crysis: G.I. JOE

Ninja Turtle?: G-Force

Another SG comedy with lots of Hokkien: Where Got Ghost?

Shooting, Gore, Violence & Sex: Gamer

Watch it, and laugh: Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (3D)

Too CG?: The Final Destination 4

I Don’t Want to Rest in Pieces like Final Destination

2009-08-24T11:09:00.003+08:00

I'm dying to watch Final Destination 4, it feels like my final destination...

Just a sidenote, this is not me XD

Another random shot

2009-08-04T20:48:00.001+08:00

Random shot

2009-07-26T17:39:00.000+08:00

Help search KOKO!!

2009-07-11T21:34:00.006+08:00

Name: Koko
Gender: Female
Breed: Mixed
Size: Small, about 25~30cm in length
Colour: Brown & White
Age: 6months
More: Koko is without his license tag

Lost on:
11th July 2009, 3:00PM~5:00PM
Lost at:
Jalan Budiman 19, Taman Mulia, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000, Kuala Lumpur.

If there's any information regarding Koko, please contact 012-6358163(Gan) immediately.

Koko is the puppy on the right

Koko is the puppy on the left

Koko is the small, brown puppy(click photo to enlarge)

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f=117&t=351757&st=400#entry27211817.

Another deviantart find

2009-07-07T17:41:00.002+08:00

Found this in deviant, forgotten the girl's name but she's a model.

Hot, ain't she?

This is...

2009-07-06T23:01:00.018+08:00

Really funny! Though I must say the thread starter was really having a bad day.

I really pity the TS -.-

Took it from Chong Yang's personal message.

Noob Tek's Birthday

2009-07-06T22:46:00.015+08:00

He's got these:

JB's seems to be missing...

and this:

Sticked on top of the present wrapper

and this:

One of his goals achieved

and look at his noob face XD

Noob betul :)

Happy Birthday, Boon Tek!

Last Thursday, that was 6th July 2009, LCH aka Fishy asked if I wanted to chip in to buy a birthday present for Boon Tek... Well... its public knowledge that Boon Tek only wants 2 things (let's leave out the 3rd, ok? XD)badly: Sunjar & Overflag from Gundam 00 series. LCH proposed to buy a Gundam so I told him why not get an Overflag for him? In just 2 hours time, we managed to gather 20 to 30 friends to chip in, more than enough to get the Flag.

After finishing our classes on Friday, me, Fishy, Water, LYY & Robert headed to LowYat Plaza to grab him his Overflag. After an hour or more of searching, we managed to find the damned shop(other shop owners say they don't know the existence of such shop selling models like Gundam and the same for the Information Counter, damn them!). We went straight right in and grabbed Darkon's to-be birthday present. Fishy then enquired about who to wrap the gift, I proposed that we should probably let Adeline to wrap it and at the same time, put it in a larger box to confuse Darkon.

I was sick on Darkon's Birthday, so his birthday cards missed out my name & signature T.T... To my surprise, Darkon & JB came to my house after their chinese class. Darkon looked really happy and excited about his birthday present, and I really hope he does ;)

New stance for my Unicorn Gundam

2009-07-05T01:30:00.007+08:00

Just a random shot with the focusing all wrong! Click to view full size!

New Stance

More RO 2 OST

2009-07-04T22:14:00.016+08:00

Church
Everland
Hold Your Life
Play Chess in the Air
Red Wolf
Sailing
Sara

Yoru Vo:

Yoru Vo
Yoru Vo NoWar

Title: Yoru Vo
Composer: Yoko Kanno
Album: Ragnarok Online 2 OST
Vocal: Ilaria Graziano

tsnaputyi
les tani a
mi chesla mie
pratsie pushkan

trapayon
ipatsamoun
la poshta ken
le stalion

zaktuwan
de anti
meshermite
shiterkamanie

astali isien ga non
kuwaie ma
el morti nan

kai na ru
lo tir ma ni
ya tur manie
ya tur la dan

shut lamai
si klo rel den
i mo ter shten
ien paren

merto fen
kari no ka
sala minou
ume tia

matspalyan
el cheste you
el mushuka
smai ushuka

Sony Bluetooth Headset BT-DR21G/B

2009-07-04T19:40:00.006+08:00

Unfolded

Folded, angle 1

Folded, angle 2

1st impression: Great audio quality & compact
2nd impression: Very expensive

But I bought it anyway ~.~

Ragnarok Online 2 Theme Song

2009-07-04T15:19:00.011+08:00

It's a great song. If you like it, download it!

Click to Download RO 2 Theme Song

Title: Intro Theme
Composer: Yoko Kanno
Album: Ragnarok Online 2 OST
Vocal: Yoon Hyeon Soo

nie bla nie je
nie zai pan ma nie
na pa gi nas ti ka to nami
les ta len yo
pis ta ni kul pra ze ilu dumina

shtur ka shtur ka
nash ti ka piensa
poz ni no il brah lo ti rali
i ban ma nie
i vush ka na nie ju da yu

leska nozna mie
ka na mi
leska nozna mie
ke do zhe

lalalala..

piennali piennali
ragnarok
poshtoke poshtoke
ragnarok

Momo - Chasing after food

2009-06-07T23:23:00.002+08:00

Cute eh? She's just a 6 month old puppy. Daughter to Cutecute & Yuki.

55th Anniversary

2009-06-07T02:18:00.014+08:00

Thanks to Taw Wei, we got such good places and tickets during the dinner. It was 1st KL BB's 55th Birthday. We managed to take dozens of photos and recorded most of the performance. 90% of the video by Darkon Garon aka Chai Boon Tek!

UV Performance, hosted by YouTube:

Junior BB Band Performance, hosted by YouTube:

Junior BB Performance, hosted by YouTube:

Junior GB Performance, hosted by YouTube:

BB Senior Band Performance, hosted by YouTube:

BB+GB Senior Band Performance, hosted by YouTube:

Group choir, hosted by YouTube:

Photo section:

Loads of photos and videos pending for editing, so please stay tuned for more!

NetLimiter 2 Pro

2009-06-07T01:00:00.007+08:00

Overview of NetLimiter 2 Pro

NetLimiter 2 Pro happens to be a very handy tool when it comes to tracking, blocking(Firewall), limiting(Limiter) the bandwidth/connection outbound/inbound to your computer. I personally uses it to block several applications and it works like a charm. The bandwidth Limiter is used whenever you want to share 1 internet connection between a few computers, also when you wish to let your torrent software upload less so you can play your online game with less lag. Not only that, NetLimiter 2 Pro(or less powerful versions) can view all outbound/inbound IP following their data transfer rate. Due to its capability to monitor connections and bandwidth usage, you will know if there is any unknown programme your internet. NetLimiter 2 Pro also comes with IP tracing, built-in Whois function and PING function.

By the way, you need to pay to use this version of the product. You can get NetLimiter 2 for free though.

Vic Firth

2009-06-05T22:22:00.004+08:00

Angle 1

Angle 2

Just some photos I took for Taw Wei. These sticks costs RM45.

Yuki & Koko

2009-05-30T23:25:00.004+08:00

Koko is uberly cute, just thought I'd share :)

Oh... By the way, Koko is also daughter to Cutecute & Yuki.

Photo taking training...

2009-05-30T23:07:00.005+08:00

Took more shots of my Unicorn Gundam. Hopefully, these photos look better.

Uh... Momo!

2009-05-30T00:34:00.006+08:00

Daughter to Cutecute

Gundam Showdown @ Sungai Wang

2009-05-30T00:19:00.010+08:00

Went to Sungai Wang yesterday because I heard there's a Gundam event going on there. So I went there, saw a bunch of Gunpla for sale, 1/60, 1/100, 1/144, MG, HG, SD, name it all. I don't have any money to buy anything, so I just went round and took some shots of those models contestants submitted for the competition... Damn those exhibists, block their models with 2 layers of very dirty and scratchy plastic, couldn't take proper shots with my nooby skill...

Gundam Exia 1/60

Gundam Exia 1/60 *strange colour scheme..?*

From left to right to top
Avalanche Exia, Dynames, Custom, Gundam Virtue

Custom Avalanche Exia

Custom Overflag

Avalanche Exia

And this, is what I think the best submit: Custom Exia ejecting from GN-Arms

Front

Back

Random shots:

My Room

2009-05-24T12:06:00.004+08:00

This is how my room currently looks like:

Real messy -.-

Just a footnote, click any image to enlarge... Even those from other posts!

HTC Touch HD

2009-05-24T11:59:00.006+08:00

Another new phone:

If I'm not much mistaken, this is the most expensive phone HTC's got to offer. 3.8" screen, I would like to see any other phones beating it. 528mhz processor with 512mb ROM, 288mb RAM and a graphics processing unit. I can't see anything wrong with it!

Sony Ericsson W595

2009-05-24T00:47:00.008+08:00

Got a new phone yesterday:

Supports quite a handful of features but pity it doesn't Wi-Fi. Great for small videos and musics! Anyhow, I think this suits my wallet and my daily requirements. So no complains.

Unicorn Gundam (discovery)

2009-05-21T16:16:00.009+08:00

OK! This is a real discovery to me... And I guess to many others too. I've read many reviews about Unicorn Gundam and no one seem to mention that the red-coloured parts are actually UV reactive!

I got my 'NuclearTec Blue UV Reactive Acrylic Panel with Celestial Being logo engraved' and 'NuclearTec UV CCFL' yesterday. Set them up with an extra PSU and after some adjustment, I see my Unicorn glowing!

Spoiler:

Uhhh... Click to enlarge!

And... This is how it works:

Unicorn Gundam (continued)

2009-05-16T22:25:00.005+08:00

Applied some stickers on the shield... Hope you guys like it!

Spotlight:

The Trio(from left, Avalanche Exia, Unicorn Gundam, Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu):

Beam saber:

Dual wield with shield on back:

Wallpapers by gucken

2009-05-12T23:49:00.006+08:00

I routinely check out deviantart for cool art works, and I found some wallpapers by gucken.

Here are some examples:

I've packed his most intriguing works in a 7zip archive, link to download:
http://www.fileden.com/getfile.php?file_path=http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/20/2193914/Wallpaper.7z. For more of gucken's his friends' work, please visit gtgraphics.

Unicorn Gundam (in progress)

2009-05-12T23:26:00.003+08:00

My unfinished work after 2 weeks, decals and stickers still missing...

The gunpla runners(more under the table's slide):

1st day's work:

2nd & 3rd day's work, Unicorn's torso & arms:

4th & 5th day's work, completed Model without decals and stickers:

More shots:

C&C are most welcomed.

Astray Gold Frame Amatsu

2009-05-02T20:07:00.008+08:00

Bought this at Time Machine, Times Square. Only box left. However, I found another kit at Lowyat, LG Floor, I've forgotten the shop's name. Its for sale for RM120.

Some of you have been asking me why the Gold Frame looks crappy, its because my fingerprint is all over it and extra obvious on the Gold Frames...

Avalanche Exia

2009-04-12T00:50:00.009+08:00

After being poisoned by JB & BT's frequent discussion of Mobile Suit Gundam 00, I urged JB to give me the anime. Finished both season in 2 days... Then something caught my eye, Avalanche Exia(or GN-001/hs-A01 to be proper and its scale is 1/100). Its really awesome and I had a sudden urge to own it! So in another 2 days, I bought that gunpla kit and I began assembling it.

The gunpla:

Torso (1st day):

Torso with arms & shoulders (2nd and 3rd day):

BEHOLD! Avalanche Exia (4th and 5th day):

Hard Disk

2009-03-23T23:38:00.003+08:00

Like I promised, I'm gonna show you guys some Hard Disk platter!

Before:

After some hours of hard work(can't find a fitting screwdriver):

A closer shot on the disk:

Perfect reflection, more distinct than glass mirror!

Samsung YP-S5

2009-03-06T22:54:00.003+08:00

To be continued...

Mirror...

2009-03-04T20:22:00.003+08:00

Recently dissected my ex-9800GTX+ before I sold it, hadn't had time to post it though... Took some shots of the G92-421-B1 core(55nm).

Looks like a perfect mirror huh? A harddisk plate is even better... Stay tuned :)

A focused shot.

Samsung YP-K5 & Razer Pro|Tone m250

2009-02-20T16:26:00.004+08:00

Received my YP-K5 on Tuesday. But I had had a bad time while searching for the Razer Pro|Tone m250 Black. Apparently, its an EOL product(though very hot selling), expecting Razer to continue its production later this year.

After 2 days of searching, I found a shop in Kuching selling it. Paid the shop owner and had him ship the item to me... Received it yesterday and its simply awesome!

The MP3 features a 4GB internal memory, touchscreen, slide-out speakers and an OLED display screen. On the other hand, Razer Pro|Tone m250 is a very ergonomic headphones, extremely comfortable and stylish while producing realistic musics and sounds into your ear!

Samsung YP-K5 & Razer Pro|Tone m250

2009-02-15T18:29:00.007+08:00

Will be arriving at my doorstep in 2 days :)

Cruxiaer is selling his 9800GTX+ SLI Rig

2009-01-30T23:38:00.006+08:00

Please proceed to http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/919829 for more info.

Meanwhile, here are some photos of the rig:

9800GTX+ SLI in action:

9800GTX+ SLI 3DMark Vantage result:

Actual rig:

Mirror's Edge

2009-01-24T13:34:00.010+08:00

Resolution: 1280x1024
Settings: Highest
Anti-Aliasing: 16xQ

Resolution: 1280x1024
Settings: Highest
Anti-Aliasing: 8xQ

Some lines still edgy huh? I guess the game just doesn't anti-alias all the lines there, just some of them. You can see from the picture with a the helicopter in it, the helicopter looks all nice but the mirrors seem aliased and totally not AA-ed.

Wondering what GPU I used for this awesome game? Just a single 9800GTX+ and these settings(16xQ AA) run like butter :)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit Beta 1

2009-01-13T14:44:00.003+08:00

9800GTX+ SLI

2009-01-10T14:33:00.010+08:00

Just got my 2nd piece Galaxy 9800GTX+ 512mb yesterday. Faced some problems booting it and after some checking, I found out my motherboard's BIOS has to be updated before it can work... LOL?

So I updated the BIOS and it worked! Did some tuning to the GPU BIOS with NiBiTor and flashed both cards with Galaxy's Xtreme Tuner. From 740/1100/1836 to 745/1250/1850 :) I guess having both GPUs' BIOS the same helps too...

3DMark06 doesn't show much improvements but 3DMark Vantage shows huge performance gap between SLI enabled and SLI disabled:

2009

2009-01-01T14:45:00.001+08:00

Cruxiaer wishes every reader Happy New Year!

Windows 7 Ultimate

2008-12-29T08:46:00.002+08:00

Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a copy of Windows 7 Beta 1 64bit while is rumoured to be obtainable around January... So, stay tuned!

Psssst, I got a copy of 32bit lying around, anyone wanna try it out?

Face music by pbhomepage

2008-12-20T06:10:00.002+08:00

Motherboard, how simple can it be?

2008-12-19T21:33:00.027+08:00

This guide is made specially by IT Brigade for IT Brigade

Picture order:
1 2
3 4
5 6

The overview of abit IP35P

Please ignore the blackish thing on the rear side of the motherboard, its just residue of some double-sided tape which I was unable to scrape off.

Misc accessories

Whatever is in Picture 1 is called the I/O Shield(I/O stands for Input/Output). It's placed behind the chassis/casing where the I/O connectors are located.

From Picture 2, 3 & 4, you can observe 2 screws, 1 probably metallic(non conductive) while the latter plastic. These nuts are screwed on the motherboard tray and the motherboard is mounted on top of it. They function as distance from the conductive motherboard tray so that no short circuit issue may happen.

LGA775 Intel processor socket

The most recent release from Intel is LGA1366 processors aka Intel Core i7. This, however, is a LGA775 motherboard. From Picture 2, you can see the socket's protector before it is removed.

Power Connectors

From Picture 1, you have the ATX 24pin power connector, which supplies the main power to the motherboard. Picture 2 shows you the 8pin power connector, dedicated for the processor. As for Picture 3, its the PWM(Pulse-width modulation, Google or Wiki it for more info) area.

You'll notice from Picture 3 that they are tube like objects. Those are capacitors, electrolytic capacitors and full solid capacitors. You can identify full solid ones with its shiny metallic look. Enthusiasts expect to see longer life span and better performance/stability from solid capacitors.

Misc connectors

Picture 1: Front panel USB(Universal Serial Bus) connector
Picture 2: SATA(Serial ATA) ports
Picture 3: Floppy drive connector
Picture 4: IDE connector
Picture 5: Front panel Switch/LED connectors(from the picture, you've probably noticed the positive & negative markings, it matters. You just have to remember black & white cables is always negative or ground)
Picture 6: Front panel audio connector

Northbridge

I used a ruler to measure the length/width for the base of the northbridge chip. It measures 3.3cm², which can tell us roughly that the naked core(refer Picture 4, its a P35 chip, mirror-like) is about 1cm². Imagine that! Something so small yet actually there's millions of transistors in it!

Picture 2 & 3 presents you the NB heat sink. Not really efficient but its enough for the job. Maybe you'd ask whats that white stuff below the NB heat sink, I will tell you what it is, its a layer of thermal sticker/thermal adhesive paper(performance differs) which conducts the heat from the chip to the sink to dissipate it passively(no fan).

Southbridge

Never measured this because the actual chip is below the IHS(integrated heat spreader), a cover over the chip. A similar IHS can be found on any processors, except this southbridge chip uses a plastic IHS(refer Picture 5 & 6)...

That white stuff that you see on top of the SB IHS & the SB heat sink is called thermal paste/thermal interface material(TIM, performance differs), which works the same way thermal stickers does but with better performance but more technique demanding compared to just applying a sticker. Look at Picture 6, that's how you reapply the TIM. You must apply equal pressure when reattaching the heat sink for the paste to spread equally to achieve better performance.

Expansion slots

Picture 1 & 2 shows PCI-E expansion slots, the orange features a x16 bandwidth while the black x1. Graphics cards nowadays run PCI-E 2.0(the bandwidth doubles of its predecessor) slots, while P35 only offers PCI-E 1.1. It wouldn't affect much, but for enthusiasts and performance seekers, its certainly a let down.

As for Picture 3, those are PCI expansion slots, which are for cards like wifi card, low-end audio card, LAN card and such.

*This guide is still in progress...

9800GTX+ & P5N32-E SLI

2008-12-19T14:22:00.010+08:00

+

=

Benchmark coming soon... Meanwhile, I will share a 3DMark06 result for my 9800GTX+ previously with IP35P.

OK! Finally I had the chance to benchmark it(sorry, was busy and lazy to benchmark with others, currently just have 3DMark06 on default)...

Testbed specifications:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 4ghz 421*9.5
Processor heat sink: Xigmatek Achilles with Crossbow
Motherboard: Asus P5N32-E SLi BIOS Rev. 1601
Graphics Card: Galaxy 9800GTX+
Graphics Cooler: Stock
RAM: 2x2GB Kingston Value PC2-6400 800mhz @ 790mhz 5-5-5-18
Power Supply Unit: Xigmatek NRP-MC751
Cooling: Fans

Default:

Overclocked:

Duck! Flying shoes vs George Bush!

2008-12-15T14:52:00.001+08:00

Xigmatek Achilles S1284C & Crossbow Kit ACK-I7753

2008-12-08T21:51:00.016+08:00

Bought this awesome heatsink and last week. Totally loved it! The installation of the heatsink is fairly easy, maybe except for the anti-vibration rubber fan grommets. As for the Crossbow Kit, I would recommend you to screw it to your back plate 1st before installing the fan as the fan will block 2 screws under it.

Because the Xigmatek Achilles S1284C is a HDT heatsink, I used 120~130% of TIM I normally would've used for normal heatsinks with flat copper/aluminium base. Squeezed out 70%(total 100%, not 120% or 130%) on the processor IHS and the other 30% on the HDT base, placed on top of IHS and screwed it firm.

The Xigmatek Achilles S1284C

The Crossbow Kit ACK-I7753

Interested to know what kind of cooling it does to my processor?

Testbed #1 as follows:
CPU - E8200 @ 3.2ghz 1.245vcore
MB - IP35P with stock NB heatsink
CPU heatsink - Xigmatek Achilles with Crossbow Kit
TIM - Tuniq TX-2
CHASSIS - CM690 with trans side panel, all fan sockets fitted with Xigmatek 120mm*120mm*25mm XLF-F1253 and rear of mobo tray fitted with Evercool 80mm*80mm*15mm EC8015M12EA fan

RealTemp readings
Lowest: 38'C (not mean)
Highest: 50'C (not mean)

Mean value would be
Lowest: 39.5'C
Highest: 49.5'C

*Tested in non-air conditioned room with the ambient temperature at around 29'C
*Added 5'C to readings due to wrongly set tjmax @ 95

Screenshot of RealTemp, Orthos & CPU-Z

The heatsink and IHS contact

Testbed #2 as follows:
CPU - E7300 @ 3.6ghz 1.300vcore
MB - IP35P with stock NB heatsink
CPU heatsink - Xigmatek Achilles with Crossbow Kit
TIM - Tuniq TX-2
CHASSIS - CM690 with trans side panel, all fan sockets fitted with Xigmatek 120mm*120mm*25mm XLF-F1253 and rear of mobo tray fitted with Evercool 80mm*80mm*15mm EC8015M12EA fan

RealTemp readings
Lowest: 33'C (not mean)
Highest: 54'C (not mean)

Mean value would be
Lowest: 35.0'C
Highest: 53.0'C

*Tested in non-air conditioned room with the ambient temperature at around 29'C
*Tjmax corrected to 100
*No HDT-IHS contact photos

Screenshot of RealTemp, Orthos & CPU-Z

Cruxiaer's Rig Revamped

2008-11-30T00:35:00.014+08:00

Bought a new heatsink, new PSU, new casing and added some blings:

Below is my comp specs:
Motherboard: abit IP35-P
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo E7300 M0 @ 3.8Ghz 400*9.5 @ 1.35vcore
CPU Heatsink: Xigmatek Achilles with Tuniq TX-2 and Crossbow ACK-I7753
RAM: Kingston® Value RAM PC2-6400 @ 800mhz 5-5-5-18 2x2GB @ 1.80vdimm
GPU: Chaintech 8800GT DDR3 512MB
PSU: Xigmatek NRP-MC751
Monitor: Samsung 19" LCD 932B+
Keyboard/Mouse: Microsoft® Wireless Laser Desktop 4000
Headset: Razer Piranha™
Casing: Cooler Master® CM 690 with Transparent Side Panel/Top I/O, 6 12cm fans (6 Xigmatek XLFs) & 1 8cm*8cm*1.5cm on rear of motherboard tray
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista™ Ultimate SP1 64bit

Adobe Master Collection CS4

2008-11-11T00:58:00.004+08:00

Nothing much to comment about it yet except the new UI and some graphical fix. Haven't really try it out yet, just finished downloading and installing it few hours ago.

Real VNC

2008-11-04T23:42:00.034+08:00

OK! Now I'm providing some Remote Assistance help via Real VNC. For more info you can visit its official website at http://www.realvnc.com/.

Brief intro to Real VNC: This is a software which can allow remote assist and many other functions, but remote assistant is one of its significant usage.

Brief intro to myself: Maybe most of you would be scared senseless(or shitless) at the fact that I can actually control your PC but that's really the point of getting Remote Assistant. I'm known as the 'Outsourced Tech Support' in the community of LastChaos - Malaysia as Silverfire von Altenhaus and also known as an average overclocker in Lowyat.NET as Silverfire. Fear not because you'll be able to see everything I do and intercept me if I've gone rogue.

To download this handy software, please proceed to http://www.realvnc.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi?product=enterprise4, click Proceed to Downloads and choose the version which suits your operating system. Before the installation ends, you'll be prompted to enter a CD-Key(please send me an e-mail @ cruxiaer-vance@live.com.my with the title of VNCE4 for a CD-Key). Enter the CD-Key and you're ready to go!

Install the Real VNC Enterprise(just use default settings, Next every screen), upon completion you'll be prompted to enter a CD-Key, ask 1 from me and if I hadn't replied you yet simply click Trial.

With those done, kindly follow my instructions below with care:
Now off all VNC programs which can be located at the bottom right of your notification area. Run VNC Server (User Mode) go to VNC Server's configuration window, under the tab Connections, set Authentication to 'None' and Encryption to 'Prefer off'.

After that, right click the tray icon of VNC Server (User Mode) and click 'Add New Client'(Windows XP) or click 'Connect to Listening Viewer'(Windows Vista).

Enter 'cruxiaer.no-ip.info' in the Viewer field without the quotes and if nothing's wrong, your computer will be controlled by me(you can see what I do and you CAN intercept me, so fear not).

NOTE: Please make sure I'm available when you do this. You can either e-mail me or add me on your IM. My active IM e-mail address would be cruxiaer-vance@live.com.my. My timezone is GMT+8.

My cute cute dog...

2008-11-04T17:14:00.003+08:00

Click to enlarge:

He's a Silky Terrier bred, anyone wanna try guessing its name?

Hardware Specifications

2008-11-03T02:36:00.012+08:00

For hardware specifications, you can try out CPU-Z which is obtainable at www.cpuid.com. As for graphics detail, get GPU-Z at http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/. Kindly post a screenshot of every tab and it will help loads. Please take note that CPU-Z is a handy tool to display details about your Processor & Random Access Memory; GPU-Z for graphics and even its temperature(if your card has a sensor built on it).

Originally Posted by Lorenza

...

5. If you suspect that your RAM (usually BSoD) is giving problems, download and run the RAM diagnostic tool (MemTest86+) overnight from www.memtest.org. More instructions will be found on the site.

*Update*

Q: How do I find my hardware specifications?

A: Click on "Start" button -> "Run" -> Type in "dxdiag" without the quotes (the " " ). DirectX diagnostic tool will display your basic specifications like Processor, RAM, graphics card and sound card. Any components (eg. PSU) beyond that requires either physical inspection or referral to your purchase reciept/boxes/manuals.

...

For your directX version, please use the instruction given by Lorenza above to check. It's on the 1st tab, which is System.

For XP, click Start ---> click Run ---> Type dxdiag ---> Press Enter or OK ---> If 1st time run, click OK on popup ---> Wait for it to load ---> Take a screenshot of required tab and post it here.

For Vista, click Vista Icon ---> Type dxdiag ---> Press Enter ---> If 1st time run, click OK on popup ---> Wait for it to load ---> Take a screenshot of required tab and post it here.

Click to enlarge:

Please be reminded that PC with working RAM will not encounter any error during Memtest even if it's running for a few months. And BSoD stands for Blue Screen of Death.

Originally Posted by §ilver£ire

You can get your graphics driver at NVIDIA or at ATI depending on what brand of graphic card you're using.

If you do not have a graphic card(means you're using onboard VGA, probably it doesn't support 3D rendering), go and get 1 quick and start playing Granado Espada!

You can always check your Graphic Card with DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Simply search for the driver online~

Examples of CPU-Z & GPU-Z:

My workplace...

2008-11-02T16:36:00.010+08:00

Does anyone know how my workplace looks like?

Tada!

Couldn't see a modem/router?

DRUMS

2008-11-02T03:13:00.005+08:00

Did anyone know I have a set of drums? After camera and lighting, thus:

x86 & x64

2008-11-01T19:52:00.005+08:00

x86 is an architecture name which are related to OSs. OSs are more commonly grouped into 2, known as 32bit operating systems and 64bit operating systems.

x86-64 is a superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. x86-64 processors can run existing 32-bit or 16-bit x86 programs at full speed, but also support new programs written with a 64-bit address space and other additional capabilities. The names x86-64 or x64 are often used as vendor-neutral terms to collectively refer to x86-64 processors from any company.

If I'm not much mistaken, since the Pentium D era, 64bit OSs are already supported. Many of you would wonder what the heck is 32bit and 64bit? Its actually very simple, 32bit OSs can only calculate 32bit at a time while 64bit OSs 64bit. Now you will be wondering how can processors which support 64bit calculate 32bit, its also very simple. The processor simply dump random memories into the other 32bit to fill it up.

There's a few significant differences in these 2 operating systems. 32bit OS can only support up to 2.75GB~3.50GB of physical memory a.k.a. RAM(Random Access Memory) even if you have SP1 or SP3 installed for Windows Vista or Windows XP respectively. I know it shows up as 4GB, but it can never really utilise them all. On the other hand, 64bit OS can support up to *I don't know how many terabytes*, but evidently an enormous improvement compared to its predecessor.

1 more thing, 64bit OS can run faster even if its used in an exact same computer you're using with 32bit OS as long as your processor can support 64bit OS~

Cooler Master® CM 690

2008-10-31T13:32:00.006+08:00

Just bought this awesome casing yesterday, extremely heavy though sturdy! Overall temperature of my hardware decreased, recommended for overclockers! Features plastic lockers for drive bay, harddisk bay & expansion slots. Supports up to 6 120mm case fans, 3 of which can be mounted with 140mm fans or otherwise 120mm if you think 140mm is unnecessary for you. If the side panel doesn't have a transparent acrylic, it will be able to support another 120mm case fan. If that's not enough to impress you, a 80mm*15mm case fan can be mounted behind the motherboard's processor socket area to cool it further!

With this casing, the most apparent changes are my temperatures for the PWM and my 8800GT. At least a 5'C drop for PWM and 15'C drop for my 8800GT.

Visit http://www.coolermaster.com/products/product.php?act=detail&id=2908 for more info ;)

Er... Source anonymous!

2008-10-28T18:38:00.004+08:00

New South Wales - ICAS

2008-10-22T21:12:00.005+08:00

I just saw the ICAS 2008 Computer Skills paper, it was exceedingly easy! I now hope so dearly I joined. The paper consisted only of 45 questions and I guess, not boasting, I could've easily scored 43 or 44 over 45. As I've said, it was extremely easy.

Are multiple 12-volt rails better than a single 12-volt rail?

2008-10-18T10:27:00.002+08:00

Quoted from: http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m8

With all the hype about multiple 12-volt rails (ads claim that two rails is better than one, five is better than four, etc.), you'd think it was a better design. Unfortunately, it's not!

Here are the facts: A large, single 12-volt rail (without a 240VA limit) can transfer 100% of the 12-volt output from the PSU to the computer, while a multi-rail 12-volt design has distribution losses of up to 30% of the power supply's rating. Those losses occur because power literally gets "trapped" on under-utilized rails. For example, if the 12-volt rail that powers the CPU is rated for 17 amps and the CPU only uses 7A, the remaining 10A is unusable, since it is isolated from the rest of the system.

Since the maximum current from any one 12-volt rail of a multiple-rail PSU is limited to 20 amps (240VA / 12 volts = 20 amps), PCs with high-performance components that draw over 20 amps from the same rail are subject to over-current shutdowns. With power requirements for multiple processors and graphics cards continuing to grow, the multiple-rail design, with its 240VA limit per rail, is basically obsolete.

PC Power and Cooling is once again leading the industry. All of our power supplies now feature a large, single 12-volt rail. The design is favored by major processor and graphics companies, complies with EPS12V specs (the 240VA limit is not a requirement) and is approved by all major safety agencies such as UL and TUV.3

Does a power supply upgrade means a higher electric bill?

2008-10-18T10:05:00.002+08:00

Quoted from: http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m1

This is the biggest myth of all. First, it's important to understand that a power supply only delivers the power that's needed by the system, nothing more. If your PC currently has a 400W supply and the system needs 350W, it will still need and use only 350W - if the only change is upgrading to a 500W power supply (the upgrade makes sense since there are many advantages to running a power supply at a lower percentage of its rated capacity). Whether the electric bill goes up or down is solely determined by the efficiency of the new power supply. Greater efficiency means a lower electric bill because more of the AC power is converted into DC for the computer, rather than wasted as heat. The savings can really add up over time. For example, when the money saved in electricity over the course of its 3-year warranty is taken into account, the purchase price of the efficient Silencer 750 is less than $0.00. Here's the math:

Model	Efficiency @ 550W	Input Power @ 550W
Silencer 750W	83%	662W
Standard 550W	73.8%	745W

For the same output power, the Silencer 750 uses 83W less input power.

3-year savings = .083KW x $0.10/KWH x 24 x 365 x 3 = $218.12

Teachers' Course

2008-10-12T00:47:00.003+08:00

On 8th of October 2008, the PC Maintenance & Assembling course was held again for the benefit of the teachers. I was told that it was quite an events for the teachers as they have never had such experiences... So, cheers to the teachers!

Crucial Ballistix™ Tracer PC2-8500 1066mhz

2008-10-07T19:17:00.006+08:00

Sold off my Dominators and I now I've myself some Tracers!

Hope you guys like the pictures...

Crucial™ Ballistix™ PC2-8500 1066mhz 2gb Kit

2008-10-01T19:34:00.005+08:00

This is the current pair of RAMs I'm using... Currently clocked @ 960mhz 4-4-4-10. From the shots, you can observe 16FD3 behind the batch numbers, this usually shows that the RAMs have double-sided D9GMH chips~

Corsair™ Dominator™ PC2-8500 1066mhz 2gb Kit

2008-09-30T22:30:00.007+08:00

Teaser teaser! Managed to snap a few pictures before I sell this baby~

Sorry for the low quality pictures, there just ain't enough light >.<

My new toy!

2008-09-29T21:40:00.007+08:00

Guess what guys... Recently my maid broke my RM15 headset, so I've been quite desperate to get a new one... So, what'd you think I've grab?

A Razer Piranha!

Congratulations to PC Assemling Competition Winners!!

2008-09-27T22:32:00.004+08:00

Congratulations to John Kow Wen Jun from 4K for getting the 1st place in the PC Assembling Competition! I'm sorry for not mentioning the other winners as the name list is not with me but John Kow's time was the most definite, enabling me to recall it so clearly. I don't recall the others, but to those who have made 13 minutes and 14 minutes, keep your hopes up!

MSN 9 Beta

2008-09-27T18:09:00.004+08:00

Have anyone tried using MSN 9 yet? Though its still in beta phase, I've to admit it looks quite cool with more customizing functions.

Download these files and install them according to the order:

Hall of Scammers - Malaysia LastChaos

2008-09-25T18:16:00.006+08:00

Last updated on 15th Sept 08 4:55PM.

Certified Scammers:
Guilds:
- SoFamily
Caution List:
1. D3VIL
2. kevin53

Adding more if anyone quotes any with certain vital informations: TIME & SCREENSHOT(S), the more the merrier!

P.S. CASE SENSITIVE!!

Anyone?

2008-09-24T17:40:00.003+08:00

Can anyone tell me what is this?

PC Assembling Competition

2008-09-22T23:07:00.004+08:00

Rumour has it that this particular competition will be held tomorrow, which is Tuesday, in the afternoon. However, that information is nothing but wrong >.< With further questioning and research, I've found out that the competition will be held on either this Wednesday or Thursday.

I stayed back today to listen to the PC Hardware & Assembling course as well... Whats your opinion to it? Was is poor? Personally I think its indeed very poor as the speaker only explained the sheer surface of hardware and its functionality.

P2P Softwares blocked?

2008-09-20T18:16:00.004+08:00

I've heard news of P2P Softwares like BitComet, BitTorrent, µTorrent and such had been blocked by our ISPs including several companies such as TMNet, WiMax & Celcom. I'm experiencing bandwidth lost when using BitComet & µTorrent for torrent tasks. Have you experienced them too?

PC Maintenance & Assembling Course Participators

2008-09-19T16:01:00.006+08:00

S. Saruintharan A/L N. Sivajothi from 3O
Wong Jian Ming from 3O
Teoh Kae Hua from U6A
Tan Jin Zhe from 4A
Tung Tze Tzing from 4M
Liew Kit Shen from 4A
Muhammad Afiq b Zainal Abidin from 3T
Muhammad Khairul Adlan b. Marni
Wong Shi Hao from 4C
Chan Weng Kit from 4C
Muhammad Hanif b Abdul Halim Leong
Yuvanagan A/L Subramaniam from 5W
Anthony Yew Wing Xiang from 4M
Chin Kok Siong from 4M
Ho Wing Yew from 4K
Leng Chiou Haur from 4C
Jonathan Chia from 4C
Siew Tat Hong from L6P
Lee Wen Shen from L6P
Peramethevan
John Kow Wen Jun from 4K
Muhammad Athoillah b Epie
Mohd Ishak b Abd Aziz

More to come, stay tuned!

Psst, if you need beforehand guides, why not visit: Video guides to: How to assemble a PC

Did you...?

2008-09-18T16:06:00.004+08:00

Around 7.40AM today, En, Yusri announced the registration for the PC Assembling competition... Sadly, its limited to 30 person only. Have you signed up?

40 Dog Tricks

2008-09-14T23:51:00.008+08:00

I seriously doubt dog haters will hate this >.<

Tung Lung Festival

2008-09-12T23:55:00.005+08:00

Our school, MBSSKL's Chinese Cultural Society Club has organized an Tung Lung Festival which was hosted tonight from 6pm~9pm+. Loads have turned up for the events, including more or less 130 students from other schools while around 100 more is from MBSSKL. The event was a non-profit event, more to experience and fun. I hope everyone who have attended this event had had fun!

My new RAM!!

2008-09-11T16:44:00.003+08:00

Just got myself a new pair of RAMs: Corsair Dominator ver5.1 PC2-8500 2gb Kit! After hours of shopping in Imbi and Lowyat Plaza, finally found a pair which is double-sided... I was so lucky!

Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 2gb Kit

2008-09-10T19:37:00.004+08:00

What the hell?! I just burnt one of those sticks... Have to send them back to Penang for warranty purpose. At the mean time, I've to grab myself a temporary kit -.-

So... Kingmax 1066 or Team Xtreme 800?

I.T. Courses

2008-09-08T22:06:00.006+08:00

Today, I have great pleasure at announcing that our school will be having a few IT related courses. Of these courses, includes:
Adobe Flash
Adobe Photoshop
Movie Making
Web Design
PC Maintenance/Assembling

I’m sure almost everyone of you have heard of Adobe Flash & Photoshop, but to those who are not so familiar in using them, this basic course will be perfect for you. Adobe Flash involves simple to advanced graphics rendering & animations, usually in 2D, with actionscript, a kind of programming language exclusively for Flash, making it more realistic. While Adobe Photoshop is a professional photo editing software.

On the other hand, many of you might own a blog or personal website, however, all these services comes with templates and wizards that guide you through the labyrinth of HTML/Javascript/phpBB codes and many other programming languages. What the Web Design course offered will be far handier than those wizards and templates as you will understand the foundation of those services, utilizing them to the fullest, and if in doubt of their functionalities you can always do it manually. Some of you may have composed your own movies and hosted them online with subtitles and animations, but for those who’ve never done it, why not join the Movie Making course and learn how?

Last but not least come the PC Maintenance course which includes of teaching you how to assemble your very own PC. Frightened that virus or other factors might affect your computer’s performance? Ever dreamt of assembling your own overclocking personal computer? Then this is the right course for you!

These courses are open for all students of MBS at the charge of RM2 for each course taken.
The IT Brigadiers will setup a booth during recess so that those who are interested will be able to get the application forms.
For any further enquiries, please see Tan Chia Way from 4 Clancy or Liew Jun Bin from 4 Kensett.

Windows Live Messenger & Google Chrome

2008-09-07T16:54:00.006+08:00

Anyone ever felt irritating to have to download their installers every time you wanna install them? Took me couple of minutes to spot them, nevertheless, I got them :)

Google Chrome:

Windows Live Messenger 8.5

Hopefully these installers can save your time in near future. Cheers~

Google Chrome Beta & Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2

2008-09-07T01:50:00.006+08:00

Just gave a go at Google Chrome, simple yet decent. Try it here: http://www.google.com/chrome. It supports only Windows XP SP2(maybe even Windows XP itself, never tried) and Windows Vista, doesn't state whether 32bit or 64bit.

It looks pretty much like Opera or Firefox, but much more simpler physically(virtually). I like the way it looks in Windows XP, its awesome...

Hmm, other than Google Chrome, we have Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2. How many of you are still using Internet Explorer 6 or 7? Was is awful or wonderful? Firefox is very popular amongst the US, but otherwise not really known in Asia. Personally I think IE6/7 and its predecessors were awful and at the same time dreadful. So I went for Firefox >.< Here is where you can get it. Minimum OS requirement will be Windows XP and it comes in 4 languages: English, German, Japanese & Simplified Chinese. Happy testing :)

Video guides to: How to assemble a PC

2008-09-03T23:36:00.006+08:00

Not exactly up to date, but its good.

Found another 1, its uploaded 1 month ago and the stuff the guy is using is perhaps more up to date.

Attn: To all I.T. Brigadiers!

2008-09-03T23:30:00.004+08:00

In conjunction with the upcoming event, all the I.T. Brigadiers also stand a chance to go to a trip, whether locally or overseas, I do not know. This trip will mainly consists of tour to certain facilities with excellent I.T. infrastructure...

This trip is dated to be in around December this year. If there's any changes at all, I will post up an update A.S.A.P!

Woohoo???

2008-09-03T20:25:00.008+08:00

Woooooooooot! Great news, MBSians! Pn. Muni just passed our idea of PC Assembling competition! So, ladies and gentlemen, please stay tuned for more!

The R & R for the event are not officially out yet, but I can tell you that whoever assembles a working new PC will take it away immediately! Interesting, huh?

So what are you waiting for? Go and learn how to assemble a PC in a fast and neat way!

... Too bad IT Brigadiers aren't allowed to join...

Addition: Many are confused what this event is all about. Let me be more specific... Whoever is going to join have to assemble parts of PC into a chassis, becoming a working CPU. Those who finishes assembling their PC within the requirements will win themselves a PC they've just assembled... It's a NEW PC!

Foxconn Mars + TR IFX14 + Corsair Dominator + C2D E66 = ???

2008-08-31T19:00:00.007+08:00

This is freaking awesome! Foxconn Mars, paired with C2D E6600, Thermalright IFX-14 and Corsair Dominator PC2-8500 2gb kit Rev1.2!

I've owned Foxconn Mars once, but sold it due to some financial troubles... Its a 1st tier P35 motherboard(the best record on it was 2.4k FSB) while the RAMs are based on 1st tier D9GMH Chips(able to achieve 1.2ghz cl5 tRD 5).

The Thermalright IFX-14 is a monstrous air cooling heatsink(able to fit 3 12cm fans), costing well over RM200, not many could afford or wanna own it.

My friend achieved 530*7 3.71ghz with E6600 with this setup. You can visit his blog @ http://a1098113.blogspot.com/

Even faster...

2008-08-31T18:50:00.004+08:00

Not showing off... But can anyone in MBSSKL beat my speed?

Bloody...

2008-08-31T18:22:00.001+08:00

Bloody mass of bodies >.<

Attn: To all non-I.T. Brigade

2008-08-31T18:06:00.003+08:00

Eh??? To non-ITBs? Strange huh?

Anyhow, there might be some daily, weekly to monthly activities for students, Librarians & Prefects to join... All of them IT related and great prizes are awaiting you, ranging from a stack of DVDs to a new PC.

Stay tuned for more info!

Did you...

2008-08-31T17:58:00.002+08:00

Did you ever wondered how does a processor, RAM and chip looks like?

Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160, LGA 775 processor:

My Crucial Ballistix PC-8500 DDR2 2gb Kit:

OCZ Gold Edition PC-6400 DDR2 2gb Kit:

Kingston DDR2 512mb featuring Hynix FP-Y5 chips:

Which cooler?

2008-08-31T17:48:00.004+08:00

If you're aiming for an air cooling heatsink, try the 1 below: Xigmatek S1283

This cooler features HDT (Heatpipe Direct Touch). Its quite straight forward actually, the heatpipes directly touches your processor surface. I've tried 2 budget cooler and this higher-end cooler... The other 2 were Asus Triton 70 and Arctic Freezer Pro 7. The Asus Triton 70 is a relatively small heatsink which can support up to 2 8/9cm fan while the Arctic Freezer Pro 7 has a fixed 9cm fan.

There's just 1 flaw with the Xigmatek S1283, its too big... Some motherboards with higher NB cooler will cause clearance problem. So make sure you get a compatible motherboard to pair with this awesome cooler.

Processor E2160, Tuniq TX-2 thermal paste, cooler: Xigmatek S1283, Asus Triton 70 (dual exhaust), Arctic Freezer Pro 7 respectively with its idle & full load temperature.
Idle: <30'C, <35'C, <39'C
Full load: <50'C, <60'C, <70'C

As you can see, the Xigmatek S1283 won the others by a big gap.

Old times...

2008-08-31T11:57:00.003+08:00

Lee Kok Weng's (him and his poor PC)

Joshua Ong's (another poor guy and PC)

Intel® Core™ i7

2008-08-31T11:36:00.002+08:00

Normal:

Extreme:

These new processors are codenamed "Nehalem" and rumoured to be using the 32nm fabricating technology and featuring Dual, Quad & Octo...

Who in MBSSKL will own this 1st?

3DMark06, anyone?

2008-08-31T11:18:00.001+08:00

My current best score for 3DMark06:

Currently playing...

2008-08-31T11:03:00.004+08:00

Hmm... Other than interests in overclocking, I'm abit of not-so-hardcore gamer...

For the last few months I've been grinding in Granado Espada SEA (its like the only MMO I'm playing), stopped due to the failure of my PSU (a ST56F!). I've sent it for warranty for like... 6 weeks ago, the technician called me informing that it was repaired 4 weeks ago, turned out to be a bluff -.- So another 4 weeks elapsed, I got myself back a brand new ST56F!

Hmm, currently in my PC, I have:
FFOW or Frontlines: Fuel of War
Crysis
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium War
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War: Soulstorm
Need for Speed Prostreet
Company of Heroes
Warrior Orochi
Medieval 2 Total War
Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 1 & 2
Half Life 2
Counter-Strike: Source
Call of Duty 4

After hearing many reviews for Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War: Soulstorm, I thought it was a wonderful and awesome game... But personally, I much prefer Company of Heroes as its more "war" realistic. The gameplay for Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War: Soulstorm is OK, not great, just so and so but the graphics truly sucked when you compare it to other games which have been released this year.

If you're searching for an action packed semi-FPS game, you should go for Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2 (the story line corresponds but the game itself is quite graphic demanding).

Another title I would like to recommend would be GRAW1 & 2 (Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter). You're Captain Mitchell, captain for the Ghost Squad which specialises in black ops, acting for the US government to clear off rivals & nuclear weapons, silently and "ghostly".

I'm also known as...

2008-08-31T10:58:00.004+08:00

I have several alias, including:
Cruxiaer
Vance
Silverfire

I think most of the Malaysians may have acquainted with LYN (www.lowyat.net or forum.lowyat.net). Silverfire is my nick there: http://forum.lowyat.net/user/Silverfire.

At the same time, I own this thread. (Intel® Core™2 Duo/Quad Overhauled Rev. 4)

As follows

2008-08-31T10:56:00.002+08:00

I've created this blog to contribute my readers about overclocking, technology & gaming guides...