Asrock Via-based AM2 motherboard attacks entry level

UK GAMESPOT offers some advices on how to buy a video card. From the not-so obvious Memory isn't everything to the more technically oriented GPU, pipelines, shaders and clock speeds, you will get more than you bargained for. Two more that could be added are always look out for second hand/end of line or refurbished video cards and also watch out for cards with integrated TV tuner. Perhaps the most important advice spelt out by the writer is to actually go out and buy it rather than procrastinate.

Meanwhile, Hardwarezone reports on the ASRock AM2V890-VSTA motherboard which uses the VIA K8T890 CF. Obviously, the motherboard is aimed at the entry level market and will certainly compete very well with the lower end of Nvidia's chipset spectrum. The board is an AM2 socket model, compatible with DualCore CPU, HD Audio support and many more features. There are some compatibility problems which were solved by Asrock's swift release of a new BIOS.

Another set of motherboards reviewed is the Duo of Crossfire Xpress 3200 chipset from Abit and DFI - the AT8 and the LanParty UT CFX3200-DR model. They both come with the M1575 chipset. Techreport says that there not are enough differences between those two to say it is worth spending $50 more for the DFI LanParty motherboard. The uGuru feature is one very interested Windows-based overclocking software. Apart from that, those two boards are great for overclockers and for enthusiasts.

Vr-zone tests the Asus U5F superior mobility notebook. It looks like an Apple iBook laptop dressed in white, except that it comes with the ugly stickers that come on the palmrest of most Taiwanese laptops. The U5F comers with a Core Duo T2400 processor with 512MBV memory, a 12.1-inch XGA LCD, 100GB Hard disk drive, a card reader and a DVD writer. Apart from the stickers, another criticism might be the lack of dedicated graphics solution. Asus throws in a few goodies though like a carry case and an optical mouse - and that's on top of a list of Asus software.

43g of pure pleasure. No it is not the latest kitkat, but the Creative Zen V Plus which is the latest MP3 player from Creative Labs. It even comes with a 1.5-inch LCD OLED screen capable of displaying 128x128 pixels, in a bid to topple the ever dominant Apple and its iPod - don't know whether it can play video though. HWUpgrade, an Italian website, gives you more info about that iPod which comes in 1GB to 4GB sizes. As for most recent Creative MP3 player, The Zen V Plus also bundles a FM radio.

ClubOC reports on the Antec Atlas Quiet Miniserver case. That's an old review but still useful for those looking to build a server. Personally, I don't feel that server cases need to be mini. To a certain extent, even a SFF case can be used as a server case. One let down is the fact that it does not accept eATX motherboards. For the price, you get a good if uninspiring casing. Good points for bundling removable hard drive caddies; others should follow that example. µ