Wednesday, October 5, 2011

AnandTech - AVADirect Compact Gaming PC: Small Case, Big System

Introducing the AVADirect Compact Gaming PC

It's easy to build a powerful desktop if you take a big, beefy enclosure like SilverStone's FT-02 or the Thermaltake Level 10 GT and just fill it with the highest performance parts on the market, overclock them, and call it a day?and certainly we've seen our share of those. Taking all of that raw performance and shrinking it into a MicroATX case can be a little more difficult, though, especially when you're dissipating a cumulative TDP of at least 730 watts. Yet when we saw that AVADirect had produced another compact but incredibly high performance gaming desktop, we had to take a look. Gulftown may be on its way to bed soon with the advent of Sandy Bridge-E, but let's see if we can't give it one last hurrah in the process.

While this custom build isn't super compact, it's certainly a fair sight smaller than many of the gaming systems we've reviewed. It sure doesn't feel smaller when you carry it, though, and that may have something to do with the configuration.

AVADirect Compact Gaming PC Specifications
Chassis Lian Li PC-V354 Red
Processor Intel Core i7-990X overclocked to 4.4GHz
(spec: 6x3.46GHz, 32nm, 12MB L3, Turbo to 3.73GHz, 130W)
Motherboard ASUS Rampage III Gene Motherboard with X58 and ICH10R chipset
Memory 3x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 (expandable to 48GB)
Graphics 2x AMD Radeon HD 6990 4GB GDDR5
(GIGABYTE GV-R699D5-4GD-B, Radeon HD 6990)
(2x1536 stream processors, 830MHz/5GHz Core/RAM, 256-bit memory bus)
Hard Drive(s) Intel 510 250GB SATA 6Gbps SSD
Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB SATA 6Gbps HDD
Optical Drive(s) HL-DT-ST BD-RE
Networking Intel 82567V-2 Gigabit Ethernet
Audio VIA VT2020 HD Audio
Speaker, mic, line-in, and surround jacks for 7.1 sound
Optical out
Front Side 2x USB 2.0 (3.0 connected to 2.0 header)
Mic and headphone jacks
SD card reader
Optical drive
Top -
Back Side 1x PS/2
7x USB 2.0
Optical out
6-pin FireWire
Gigabit ethernet
2x USB 3.0
Speaker, mic, line-in, and surround jacks for 7.1 sound
2x DVI-D
8x Mini-DisplayPort
Fan controllers
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Dimensions 9.65" x 13.6" x 16.54"
Weight 9.2 lbs (case only)
Extras Custom air cooling design
BD-RE
Overclocked CPU
Warranty 3-year limited parts and labor
Pricing Starts at $1,334
Priced as configured: $4,983

These days one of the big questions for boutiques, at least as far as I've heard, has really been this: "Gulftown or Sandy Bridge?" AnandTech readers are a fairly informed lot, so for them it's (almost) a no brainer: Sandy Bridge. So why is the AVADirect system we have in house Gulftown-based??The answer turns out to be a bit complicated.

I don't presume to speak for AVADirect or really any of the boutiques, but this is a question that I've fielded a couple of times, because it boils down to the two extra cores on Gulftown plus the X58's dual full 16x PCI Express 2.0 lanes. In print, both of these just look better to the average consumer than the "limitations" Sandy Bridge poses. You may be able to get an NF-200-equipped motherboard to at least checkbox the PCI Express limitation, but Sandy Bridge doesn't presently offer six executable cores. Even though virtually no games will take advantage of them (and in fact, generally speaking Sandy Bridge is the superior gaming CPU), it's still an important checkbox for the more-money-than-sense market.

As an aside, I do want to point out that while the Intel Core i7-2600K is preferable to the i7-990X in 90% of cases, there are the 10% of us that do video editing on our PCs. In those instances, the i7-990X's two additional cores can make a tremendous difference that Sandy Bridge needs a heavy overclock to make up.

For the rest of the system, I'll just say that I saw AVADirect sending a similar build out to other sites and had to bring the tiny monster in house for a review, if only to satisfy my own curiosity. In the process they gave me some options for how to configure it, and the only request I made was the CrossFired AMD Radeon HD 6990s. This is a configuration I just haven't had the opportunity to test yet, something I've rectified here.

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4864/avadirect-compact-gaming-pc-small-case-big-system

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Why Internet Marketing Can Boost Business and Increase Profits ...

Choose Income. Few would argue that the internet has radically transformed how marketing is done.

The traditional ways of promoting products are not at all the same as the way they are promoted online. Over the last decade or so, the World Wide Web has become more and more of a presence in the world economy, and has created new opportunities for many people. If we need proof of how big online marketing has become, we only need to look at how much effort the largest companies in the world are putting into this new marketing paradigm. Online marketing is really nothing more than promoting what you have to offer to the many people who are on the internet.

The internet provides a very interactive type of environment, which is one of the reasons that online marketing works so well. The fact is, you can get much more impressive results from internet marketing than more traditional ways of marketing. In the short history of the internet, many millions have been made by people who have learned the nuts and bolts of marketing online. It has so much potential that if someone truly harnessed it, they would be rich. It is indeed possible to go from nothing to becoming an online millionaire; there is nothing to stop you once you?ve made up your mind to succeed.

We will now explore some of the ways you can profit from an online business, and why it?s possible to start one at any time.

When someone thinks of starting any kind of business, something they have to figure out beforehand is the profit margin. Whatever it is that you are marketing, you are always trying to raise your profit margin. One type of business that offers one of the highest possible profit margins is internet marketing. Since the costs involved are low, you are able to keep most of the money you make from your online sales.

There is not much to ?deduct? from your overall returns, making online business highly lucrative. When it comes to many internet marketing products, which are sold in digital format, there are no expenses once it?s created, aside from anything you spend on marketing. Think of all the normal business expenses you don?t have to worry about with internet marketing: storage facilities, the cost of mailing or shipping products, having a warehouse to store inventory, etc. With an online business, all the time and money you?d be spending on these traditional hassles can be redirected in more creative and profitable ways.

Internet marketing allows you to build your own level of job security, which is a term quickly becoming obsolete in many other industries. If you?re working in a job as an employee you could find yourself in a lot of bother financially if you lose that job. But you can build your own job security by building a solid foundation for your own internet business. Even if you build your business slowly in your spare time, you?re still way ahead of those uncertain, worried employees, waiting around for their next promotion.

All in all, if you want to try out Internet marketing for your business, then go ahead without having any doubts in your mind. There is no better business to get into nowadays. Choose Income Review.

Source: http://www.bssc2007.org/2011/10/why-internet-marketing-can-boost-business-and-increase-profits/

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Are non-profit debt consolidation companies really non-profit?

Non-profit
Image by Hyunseok Michael Knight

Article by Jason Holmes

The IRS or the Internal Revenue Service grants certain debt consolidation companies the status of non profit. This means that the company will negotiate your debts with the creditor but again this does not at all mean that these companies offer debt consolidation services for free. They only help you by negotiating with the credit companies if there are payments that you cannot afford to pay.

The responsibility of a debt consolidation non-profit company and a for-profit company is just the same - help you consolidate your debt. With a debt consolidation program you can get your monthly payments lowered. You debt consolidator will negotiate with your creditor to lower the interest rate that he charges and also to do away with or lessen any late fees fine that he might charge.

A great advantage of these debt management companies is that they ask you to make a single monthly payment and then that money gets disbursed among the creditors. If you want to find out whether a debt settlement company is non profit or not, you may check their 'about us' page. Such a company will try to negotiate with your creditor to reduce or do away with any late payment charges.

Consumers make donations to these debt settlement companies and these funds are used for the functioning of such companies. However, it is absolutely up to you to decide whether you want to trust a particular company. You must be aware that a portion of the money that you pay to these companies goes to the company itself. Many individuals are not aware of this. However, if you have made a payment to the debt consolidation company, you must also cross check with your creditor if he has received payments.

Experts point out that very well do without the services of these debt consolidation companies. You can consolidate your own loan, after all it all about your negotiation skills. If you are a good negotiator you can convince your creditor for a good deal. But remember not paying is a bad option. There are no magic potions to eliminate your debt quickly. It will take time and remember nothing is available for free. So, hold on to your patience while you get your debt settled.

About the Author

Jason Holmes is a reputed author and she has been writing articles on debt consolidation. She has also written for the Debt Consolidation Care community. Some of the articles written by her include Debt free, Debt negotiation, Bill consolidation, debt consolidation non-profit and Legacy Visa. Her write ups are very informative and have proved to be very helpful those in debt.

Short URL: http://www.typerion.com/?p=48651

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Typerioncom/~3/Dy55UxaBw9A/

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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Wood Shutters Versus MDF Shutters ? Prudent Articles

For a significant amount of time all Plantation shutters were made out of only wood and nothing else. Then one day along came the MDF Shutters. MDF shutters were made out of a combination of either wood fibre board with a plastic durable covering. The MDF shutters look just like wood shutters nevertheless , they also carry with them the properties that experts claim make them more resistive to the climate conditions. In many ways the MDF shutter is an improved shutter, though there are still many eventualities where solid wooden shutters are the best option.

Appearance

If you take a brand new set of MDF shutters and a new set of solid wooden shutters, the two sets will be basically indistinguishable for the most part. Even if a MDF shutter is stained with a wood finish, you would need to closely look in order to tell that the MDF shutter actually isn?t a solid wooden shutter. Unlike wooden shutters, MDF shutters don?t get painted, which makes it so there?s none of the peeling paint to deal with down the road nonetheless , you also have a limitation of colour choice with that. Solid wooden shutters can be painted in any conceivable and desired colour.

Toughness

Generally, MDF shutters are going to be heavier than the solid wooden shutters, though one is not necessarily more durable than the other. The solid wooden shutters, once one or two years have passed, will start to look more weathered than a MDF shutter. The cause of this is that long-term elemental exposure is going to begin to take its affect. Immune to UV rays and moisture, MDF shutters are going to weather much slower than their wooden counterparts. You may find that your MDF shutters are yellowing over the passage of time but unlike their wood shutter counterparts; you can?t repaint/refinish like you can with wood.

Convenience

Wooden shutters, for the main part, have a far higher level of flexibility than the MDF shutters. The cause of this is that wooden shutters can be fit into odd-sized and/or large windows and, if it's required, have a custom produced shutter for the odd-shaped windows. A MDF shutter is only engineered to fit oblong or square windows in only the standard sizes. Unfortunately, MDF shutters aren't able to be changed and even the standard-size wooden shutters can be fit custom with some woodworking tools. There are a limited number of MDF shutter finishes. For the main part they are stained in either shades of white or a wood-like tone.

Price

Solid wooden shutters that are unpainted will quite often be noticeably more affordable than getting new MDF shutters. It can be as much as half of the fiberglass top of the line composite shutters pricing. Even though cheaper than plain wooden shutters, the more affordable MDF shutters will not call for, to be painted.

Thru factoring in all your expenses, in terms of the time it takes to colour wooden shutters, the particular end cost of wooden shutters and the majority of MDF shutters are fairly equal. Factoring in those solid wooden shutters will, much more likely than not, need replacing or refinishing within only one or two years of time and your MDF shutters would not. The MDF shutter will more than likely save you money long term. Either way, you can not actually go bad.

Jim Jefferies is a Master Craftsman Skilled in Solid Wooden Shutters and MDF Shutters

Source: http://prudentarticles.com/home-family/wood-shutters-versus-mdf-shutters

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Monday, October 3, 2011

Indonesia arrests a most-wanted Muslim militant (AP)

PADANG, Indonesia ? Indonesia's anti-terrorism squad has arrested one of the country's most wanted Muslim militants for allegedly plotting suicide attacks.

Local police chief Lt. Col. Lufti Martadian said Sunday that Beni Asri was captured without a fight on Friday near his parents' house in Solok of West Sumatra province.

He says that Asri was flown to Jakarta hours after he was arrested for allegedly helping plot a suicide bombing in a church in the Central Java town of Solo on Sept. 25 that injured 22 worshippers.

The 26-year-old was one of five men wanted for allegedly plotting an April suicide bombing that injured 30 police officers praying in a mosque in the West Java town of Cirebon.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111002/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_terror_arrest

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Japan Reopens Areas Near Fukushima Daiichi Plant

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Radiation levels in Japan were stable enough to warrant lifting evacuation advisories, which affected about 59,000 people, officials said.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=72583f8bfbf36dbe74510b62ba00a6a1

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Quote of the Day: Obama Goes Gaga (Michellemalkin)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/143222675?client_source=feed&format=rss

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