Hardware Articles tag:www.games-fusion.net,2006:/hardware/articles//10 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Movable Type 3.2 SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash 1GB Review tag:www.games-fusion.net,2006:/hardware/articles//10.1230 2006-03-10T12:02:48Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z In this article, Fusion NET will be taking a look at the Extreme® III CompactFlash® 1GB card from SanDisk. The Extreme III series is SanDisk’s fastest range of high performance, compact memory cards, aimed at the professional photographer. Founded in... Fusion NET In this article, Fusion NET will be taking a look at the Extreme® III CompactFlash® 1GB card from SanDisk. The Extreme III series is SanDisk’s fastest range of high performance, compact memory cards, aimed at the professional photographer.

Founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari, SanDisk has grown to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of flash memory data storage products and devices. Their range of products are now sold worldwide in many photographic and computer retail stores. SanDisk’s ongoing ambition to produce new and compelling innovations ensure that they remain at the leading edge of memory card design.

Over the years, consumers have seen a breed of portable digital devices hit the electronics market, including MP3 players, digital cameras, PDA’s and multi-function mobile phones. It is apparent that there is a competitive market out there to develop smaller, higher-storage portable devices. CompactFlash technology has played an important role in providing reliable, higher-capacity compact storage solutions. CompactFlash technology has been most favorable in devices, such as mobile phones and digital cameras, since it offers a completely removable memory storage system, enabling consumers to upgrade their devices on the go.

SanDisk’s Extreme III CompactFlash 1GB card appears to be an ideal solution for professional photographers since its storage capacity alone enables photographers to store a large volume of uncompressed and compressed images. In approximate terms, the Extreme III can hold up to 130 RAW images and 265 high-quality JPG images on the Canon D10. The Extreme III also holds the title for the fastest CompactFlash card on the market, boasting a remarkable 20mbps minimum read and write transfer speed. Whilst this sort of transfer rate could never be achieved with older digital SLR cameras the Extreme III 1GB card, coupled with an external USB 2.0 card reader, would provide a valuable asset to efficient workflow on the move.

SanDisk’s included Data Recovery software enables users to recover accidental loss of data. This feature is particularly useful for professional photographers, where lost information is often too valuable to discard. Whilst the included Data Recovery feature may work well with accidental deletion of images a full format of the card will undoubtedly impair the true reliability of a successful recovery.

Unlike older forms of compact, high-capacity storage solutions, such as IBM’s MicroDrive technology, the Extreme III card uses no internal moving parts, making it a reliable platform for data storage, as well as for use within extreme environmental conditions.

Conclusion
From our use of the SanDisk Extreme III 1GB card it is safe to say that this is one of the most prestigious CompactFlash memory card solutions currently on the market. Its impressive transfer rates, capacity and reliability make it an ideal solution for the professional photographer. Its small, light weight design also makes it a practical device to carry around and work with on the go. Fusion NET are going to award the SanDisk Extreme III 1GB card with a score of 4.5/5.0 (90%).

]]> PLANTRONICS VOYAGER 510SL SYSTEM REVIEW tag:www.games-fusion.net,2006:/hardware/articles//10.1229 2006-03-10T11:39:58Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Manufacturer: Plantronics | Product Type: Telephone System | Price: $299 Back in April 2004 Hardware Fusion reviewed Plantronics CS60 headset unit. The CS60 was mainly marketed as an office based system that introduced secure wireless freedom to business landline calls.... Fusion NET Manufacturer: Plantronics | Product Type: Telephone System | Price: $299

Back in April 2004 Hardware Fusion reviewed Plantronics CS60 headset unit. The CS60 was mainly marketed as an office based system that introduced secure wireless freedom to business landline calls. The beneficial factors of wireless telephone communication has since enabled businesses to provide a more efficient solution for dealing with client and customer calls. However, the CS60 wasn’t entirely perfect and lacked a few fundamental components, which prevented it from being a fully compatible product. Its main purpose was to answer calls remotely, but with the lack of an included handset lifter it failed to do even that. It also lacked the ability to dial calls remotely and was ultimately limited to one device and one function. In comparison to today’s standards the product also lacked style and practicality.

Plantronics release of the Voyager 510SL system introduces a more complete product with multi-functional support, greater compatibility, practicality and style! As a more complete product the 510SL system includes out of the box support for almost all landline phones, Bluetooth devices and VOIP communication. Its smaller, sleeker design makes it more practical for use within the home, office and on the move. At its present price tag it hardly makes it an idealistic product for use within a large workforce and idealistically would be seen used by specialist agencies and the professional businessperson, such as in PR, advertising or design. Plantronics seem keen to market the 510SL as a business product, rather than a product suitable for the home user. This could have something to do with its price or perhaps lack of consumer demand for such technology in the home. We now see that the growing age of wireless technology, mainly thanks to the reduced costs of wireless appliances, has recently seen greater consumer demand for similar products, particularly with wireless mobile phone headsets. As a cheaper alternative to the Voyager system Plantronics have also marketed the 510S headset as a separate product, for use with Bluetooth enabled mobile phones.

The headset itself incorporates 6 hours of talk time, 100 hours of standby time and has a range of up to 33 feet (10 meters). The Voyager 510 headset is significantly smaller than the design of the CS60 headset and features a more practical, lightweight design for mobile use, which is greatly made possible by the tiny re-chargeable lithium polymer battery. The flexible design enables you to fold the headset easily in your pocket and can be converted to either left or right ear. Additionally the unit features noise cancelling technology inbuilt into the microphone, which makes it suitable for use in noisy offices or on the move in busy public areas. This technology appears to work variably well. In some cases the user at the other end of the line reported cutting out of sound and in other cases the quality was overall good.

The available controls include volume up and down settings, mute, call answer, call holding, voice dialling and on/off switching. The on/off button was frequently quite difficult to press, which is largely due to its tiny size. I also found that the volume up and down controls were at first a little inaccessible to use, at least until I got used to where they were located. The receiving sound quality is excellent. I found the user’s voice to come through loud and clear through the headsets earpiece.

]]> We tested the headset on a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone and standard home phone. With the handset lifter installed we found answering and switching calls between devices very easy to do and it greatly improved our efficiency within the workplace. Having the ability to switch the device between landline and mobile enabled us to seamlessly work from within the office and on the move. We do feel that the lack of remote dialling for landline phones is a downside and would like to see Plantronics introduce this feature into their next product line.

The included lifter significantly increases support for a greater percentage of landline phones. The motorized system is placed directly under the receiver and is connected to the base unit. When a call is activated from the remote headset a signal is sent to the base unit, which activates the motor and lifts the receiver off the hook, thus answering the call. Whilst the device works with a majority of handsets some users may come across phones with a design that may not facilitate the lifter.

The Voyager 510SL base unit features a smaller, sleeker design compared to the CS60 base unit. It also now comes with a blue LED indicator light based on the top that glows whenever you are engaged in a call. Similarly to the CS60 unit the 510SL base also comes with red and orange indicator lights located at the front, which provide constant information on the status of the system.

Conclusion

Plantronics Voyager 510SL system is a significant improvement over the CS60 product that we tested back in April 2004. It is clearly apparent that the company have come a long way in producing and utilizing technology that not only works but also is practical for wireless solutions. The 510SL system appears to be a more complete system for use within the business environment and boasts the features necessary to make on the move day-to-day tasks a more efficient practice. Whilst the price tag of the 510SL system may not make it an ideal appliance for the majority of home consumers it certainly has a place for the fanatical technology owner.

Fusion NET are going to award the Voyager 510SL system with an overall rating of 90%.

]]> PowerColor Introduces X1800 GTO tag:www.games-fusion.net,2006:/hardware/articles//10.1228 2006-03-10T09:34:08Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z PowerColor Extends the Mainstream Line-Up with the Very Upgradeable X1800 GTO The Most Affordable & Upgradeable Member of PowerColor X1800 family Taipei, Taiwan –March 9, 2006 – Tul Corporation, a world-renowned provider of VGA cards, today introduces the PowerColor X1800... Fusion NET PowerColor Extends the Mainstream Line-Up with the Very Upgradeable X1800 GTO

The Most Affordable & Upgradeable Member of PowerColor X1800 family

Taipei, Taiwan –March 9, 2006 – Tul Corporation, a world-renowned provider of VGA cards, today introduces the PowerColor X1800 GTO to fill the void between mainstream gamers and pure enthusiasts. It even operates flawlessly as a single card or expanded to a CrossFire™ platform without the need for a master card or extra cables.

PowerColor X1800 GTO comes with 12 pixel shader processors and 8 vertex shader processors for heart-stomping graphics. It clocks in at a potent 500MHz , with an effective 1GHz memory clock, 256MB of GDDR3 and an advanced 256-bit memory interface. It also features PowerColor X1800 GTO delivers intense 3D performance as a single slot card or as a part of CrossFire™ the ultimate gaming platform.

“PowerColor X1800 GTO injects your PC system with incredible graphics horsepower and is the most affordable model in PowerColor X1800 series.” said Ted Chen, CEO of Tul Corporation.

The PowerColor X1800 GTO will be available in stores on March 23, 2006. Please contact local distributor for pricing.

About TUL Corporation

Established in 1997, Tul has become one of the leading suppliers for graphics cards, powered by ATI's graphics processors. Tul employs more than 150 talents worldwide, and has offices in China and the Netherlands to support over 300 channel partners and distributors in 50 plus countries. Its customers include the tier-one OEMs, distributors, VARs and System Integrators. For further information, please visit www.powercolor.com.

]]> MEDIA PC ARTICLE FEATURING SILVERSTONES LC16M CASE tag:www.games-fusion.net,2006:/hardware/articles//10.1227 2006-03-10T08:56:56Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z In this article, Fusion NET will be looking at Media PC’s and providing an in-depth look at how to build a hi-spec machine at a lower cost. The article will compare pre-built, brand named products, to that of a custom... Fusion NET In this article, Fusion NET will be looking at Media PC’s and providing an in-depth look at how to build a hi-spec machine at a lower cost. The article will compare pre-built, brand named products, to that of a custom built solution. As a foundation for the article, we will be using SilverStone Technology’s LC16M case, as well as various products from their product range.

With today’s growing capacity for data storage, increased ISP downstream, and advances in multimedia PC technology, the demand for a single serving multimedia platform has increased significantly within the past few years. Many consumers are now aware that PC’s can do pretty much anything, whether that may be television, radio, music, film or communication. The expansion of content on the Internet and more affordable high-speed ISP solutions has significantly aided the growth and accessibility of entertainment within the home.

Consumers are unlikely to use their PC’s as part of their living room entertainment system, as most PC’s are unsightly and noisy. Therefore, buyers tend to opt for alternative products, such as Hard Drive Recorders, DVD Recorders and DVD Players. However, these products are often limited in functionality and built to perform specific tasks.

With the introduction of the Media PC, consumers are now able to enjoy the functionality of their PC, whilst introducing an aesthetically pleasing look and relatively quite solution to their living room. Media PC’s are essentially your standard PC but come with reduced specifications and are incorporated with IR remote hardware and a user-friendly software interface. Media PC’s can get away with lower specifications as their main purpose is to display multimedia content. This means that most Media PC’s can be incorporated with quieter cooling solutions, such as reduced airflow fans or even water cooling.

Most of the big named manufacturers have introduced their own pre-built versions of Media PC’s, which are available at a price tag of around £1000 (excluding display). This price will usually get you a P4 3.0Ghz machine with TV tuner, 250GB Hard Drive, CD Rom Drive and 512MB of RAM. In essence, this hardware configuration would be quite cheap to reproduce. However, manufactures tend to get away with charging high retail costs, which is partly due to the aesthetic looks of their product, as well as the software they use. In fact, most manufacturers tend to use Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Centre Edition, which is simply Windows XP Pro SP2 with a few additional add-ons.

In the next section of this article, we will be looking at how to build your own Media PC, whilst incorporating greater specifications, better looks and providing it all at a slightly cheaper price tag.

]]> SPECIFICATIONS

For the purpose of this article, we will be building a Media PC from scratch. The following price list and specifications include details for the base system only and are inclusive of display and input devices.

  • SilverStone LC16M Case (£181.85 Including VAT).
  • SilverStone NT02 CPU Heatsink and Fan (£34.65 Including VAT).
  • AMD Athlon 64 3500 / Asus A8N-SLI SE nForce 4 SLi / 1GB GeIL PC3200 Dual Channel Kit Bundle (£291.22 Including VAT).
  • XFX GeForce PCX6600 GT Extreme Gamers Edition 128MB DDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI PCI-Express (£105.69 Including VAT).
  • 2x Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 11 400GB ATA-133 16MB Cache (£314.78 Including VAT).
  • Sony 16x16 DVDRW Dual Layer ReWriter (£39.89 Including VAT).
  • Hauppauge WinTV NOVA-PCI-T – DVB (£79.49 Including VAT)
Total = £1047.57 (Including VAT).

At a total sum of £1047.57, the benefits of building your own Media PC are perhaps not apparent. In fact, you are getting a lot more for your money, particularly where disk space and computing power come in to the picture. A rough equivalent of a pre-built machine would get you a 250GB drive, 512 RAM and a P4 3.0 GHz CPU. For those who are trying to lower their costs could effectively save a few hundred by downgrading the Hard Disk space, RAM and CPU power.

THE CASE

The LC16M comes from SilverStone’s range of Lascala Home Theatre PC (HTPC) cases. SilverStone’s experience in design of HTPC desktop cases is clear through looking at their extensive product range. Starting from their first LC01 case, SilverStone has appeared to make steady progress in introducing a sense of style, as well as functionality, which make its cases an appealing product for use within a home entertainment environment. The sort of styling that SilverStone have introduced into their Lascala range has perhaps put pressure on other case manufacturers to come up with rival designs.

The LC16M is an elegantly designed case with subtle features. It introduces a non-complicated look with the sort of functionality, which makes this case compelling in its own way. The exterior of the case has a polished, brushed metal design, which is available in either silver or black. The front panel is comprised mostly of aluminium, with simplistic looking controls for multimedia and system functionality. SilverStone have tried to keep with a consistent design throughout the case by incorporating solid metal flaps at the front of the case, which hide the DVD drive bay and front panel inputs. After being fully loaded, from just lifting the case you can tell that SilverStone has left no expense spared in the materials used, as quite simply put, the case weighs a ton! Probably one of the most impressive features of the case design is the front panel LED display with inbuilt IR remote receiver. This allows you to get full use out of your multimedia PC and will display information direct from the OS, as well as provide full remote control to supported applications. We will obviously come back to this in more detail a little later in the article.

Interior

The interior of the case is made up of the same strong metal material, which is consistent throughout the design. Obviously, the internal metals do not consist of the same brushed metal effects as seen on the exterior. The interior features a sturdy design with all the drive bays screwed and locked into position. The hard drive bays are positioned to the left and right of the DVD drive slot and VFD/IR panel. These hard drive bays are removable and interchangeable between either side of the DVD drive slot. They can also hold up to three hard drives each, providing a massive storage capacity of six Hard Drives within the system.

SilverStone have given you the option to mount 120mm case fans to each of the drive bays at the front of the case, providing constant airflow to the hard drives. These front fans also allow you to provide airflow to the back of the case by drawing in cool air from the forward intake vents. These vents are based at the bottom of the unit. Four rubber base foot stands allow the unit to be raised about a centimetre from the surface, allowing for good airflow around the entire exterior of the case. The two 80mm rear fans expel hot air carried through from the front. SilverStone has also intelligently positioned a mesh vent near the CPU, which allows for increased expulsion of hot air.

Each of the drive bay units is fixed and screwed into place. We found removing and manoeuvring these bays around a little tricky, especially once all the core components were installed. The PSU, which is unconventionally placed at the opposite end of the system, causes great difficulty when removing a drive bay that has installed hard drives. The positioning of the PSU also made it difficult to connect certain motherboard cables, particularly the P4 power cable, which had to be stretched to the opposite side of the system. The DVD drive bay was also difficult to manoeuvre and came very close to the graphics card. In fact, the LC16M case does not support GeForce 6800/7800 and ATI x1800/x1900 graphics cards.

Once all our components were installed we found working in the case quite difficult. The amount of cables from the Power Supply Unit alone created some restriction and airflow problems. However, we found that through careful sorting and positioning of components, we were able to store many of the cables in the front compartments of the case. This allowed for more room around the mainboard and better circulation. Because of these restriction problems, we would advise users to use a maximum of three or four drives, as supposed to the advertised six.

Cooling

SilverStone have managed to keep noise levels within the case to a minimum by incorporating more fans, rather than opting for a single higher-powered fan. The two 80mm case fans at the rear provide a combined power of 2050rpm, allowing for a relatively silent noise level of 21dBA. The thick metal exterior also allows for greater sound absorption.

The two SilverStone FN91 120mm fans at the front of the case, which are not a standard feature of the package, provide cool airflow to the hard drive bays at a quite operational speed of 2100rpm. These fans provide an airflow of 36.89 CFM and run at a noise level of 26dBA.

The decision to go for a lower performance graphics card, the PCX6600 GT Extreme Gamers Edition, was made as part of a conscious effort to keep noise levels to a minimum. Most higher-spec graphics cards favour a dual-slot fan design, which are often noisier and expel greater amounts of heat. The 6600GT comes equipped with 128MB’s of DDR3 memory, dual DVI and TV-Out, making it the ideal choice for our Media PC. The 6600GT can even cope with a number of top PC game titles, as well as perform favourably well in Half-Life 2, CS: Source and Far Cry.

As part of our CPU cooling solution, we opted to use SilverStone’s NT02 CPU cooler. This is a large hybrid heatsink cooler that utilizes both copper and aluminium materials. The base of the cooler is made up of a flat copper surface, which rests on the top of the CPU. The first layer is constructed of a thick aluminium plate, which has protruding vertically positioned aluminium fins. An additional set of copper fins has then been placed on top of the aluminium structure. Finally, a thick black aluminium heatsink has been wrapping around 50% of the structure, allowing for a 92mm fan to be attached on either side of the heatsink.

The cooler includes bracket support for P4 Socket 478, LGA775, AMD Socket 754, 939 and 940 CPU’s. The heatsink itself is one of the largest CPU coolers on the market and weighing in at 880g’s it is also one of the heaviest. However, whilst those dull little Intel chips may not be able to cope with the weight of this mighty cooler, our AMD chip managed just fine. The installation of the NT02 on a socket 939 motherboard is a simple one and involves positioning the cooler over the CPU and fastening in two screws.


With the addition of the NT02’s 92mm fan, which operates at a maximum noise level of 40.4dBA, the NT02 happens to be the loudest thing in our Media PC. Thankfully, SilverStone has included a 3.5” aluminium fan controller, which enables you to set the fan speed down from 3800RPM to just 1800RPM, providing a much quieter operation level of just 17.0dBA.

During our hard drive tests the LC16M case managed to keep our two 400GB IDE hard drives at a cool 26 degrees Celsius. These temperatures were only slightly raised to 28 degrees Celsius during high load. Our CPU temperatures were equally impressive, giving an idle temperature of just 30 degrees Celsius, which rose to 35 degrees during high load. It is clear that the cooling performance of the NT02 CPU cooler, as well as the efficient airflow design of the LC16M case, performs well in keeping the HTPC system cool at all times. Overall, the SilverStone LC16M case provides a relatively quite and efficient cooling solution, which makes it more of an appealing product for home entertainment use.

Front Controls

The front controls consist of seven multimedia buttons and one function knob. The multimedia controls include, skip back, skip forward, stop, pause/play, mute, volume up and volume down. The function knob incorporates a turn and click function, which allows you to control various multimedia features, as well as volume control. These controls connect internally via the USB ports on your mainboard. The Asus A8N-SLi SE has ten USB 2.0 ports in total making it a perfect choice for this type of case.


Whilst the front panel controls are an excellent addition to this case, they only work after the correct software and drivers have been installed.

The front flap at the base of the VFD display opens to reveal connections for four USB 2.0 devices, as well as headphone jack, microphone jack and FireWire. Unfortunately, the Asus A8N-SLi SE version does not include a FireWire port. However, their Deluxe and Premium versions of this board do. Users may also want to consider using a Creative audio card with FireWire port built in, or perhaps an add-in FireWire PCI Card.

VFD/IR

The in-built VFD with IR receiver is probably the most substantial aspect of this case. The VFD unit, coupled with the iMedian software, can be set to show various information, including system usage statistics, live weather reports, news and multimedia information. The VFD unit also has inbuilt memory, which allows you to set your own custom message and have it displayed whilst the system is off. Additionally, you can also program a time for your system to shut down and boot, as well as an alarm setting.

At first, we had some trouble getting the VFD unit to work, but after the correct software and driver updates, we were soon able to enjoy the full functionality of this case.

The included IR remote control includes all the features of your standard Media PC control, including multimedia functions, system functions, mouse control and keyboard control. We found the mouse control to be somewhat slow and difficult to manoeuvre. The graphic on the media button was also quite ugly and did not seem to fit in with the aesthetics of the rest of the remote.

The VFD/IR module and iMedian software is not an exclusive product to SilverStone and can be found in many other Media PC cases. The package is also available for purchase as a 5.2” drive bay, which will fit in any standard PC case. However, SilverStone have appeared to do a good job at making the VFD/IR module their own and this is apparent at how seamlessly integrated the system fits in with their design.

SOFTWARE

SilverStones LC16M case comes included with the iMedian software package, which is a complete Media PC solution intended to provide an alternative to Microsoft’s Media Center Edition 2005. The software provides all the features you would expect to find in a Media PC software package, including support for TV viewing and recording, Internet browsing, network media access, picture viewer and video playback. The software does not require much setup and is relatively easy to navigate. Whilst iMedian does have all the functionality of Windows Media Center Edition, it lacks a certain panache. Its menu system has very basic animation and its folder structure closely resembles that of an operating system. Luckily, the iMedian software is supported under Windows Media Center Edition, enabling you to get the sort of styling that most users would come to expect from a home entertainment system. One positive aspect we did find about iMedian is it did not require installation of any third party codecs, such as XVID, DivX and AC3, whilst Windows Media Center Edition does!

CONCLUSION

SilverStone’s Lascala range of HTPC cases has introduced a new breed of styling to Media PC systems. The LC16M’s sense of styling manages to surpass that of most pre-built Media PC systems on the market, providing a true contender to the available brand named products in retail stores. Consumers are now aware that it is often cheaper to manufacturer their own Media PC and SilverStone have helped to provide an affordable and practical solution to do this. With the introduction of the LC16M, SilverStone have once again proven that PC systems deserve a place next to your home entertainment hi-fi system. Fusion NET is going to award the LC16M with a score of 4.5 out of 5.

PROS

  • Stylish looks.
  • Well-built sturdy design.
  • Good Cooling.
  • Quite Operation.
  • VFD/IR display.
  • Good functionality.
  • Good front input ports.
CONS
  • Lack of support for latest graphics cards.
  • Cramped interior.
  • Requires software update to get VFD/IR working.
  • Difficulty installing and uninstalling drive bay once PSU is installed.

]]> FUSION PACK SOURCE V1.0 RELEASED! tag:www.games-fusion.net,2005:/hardware/articles//10.1226 2005-01-08T03:49:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Fusion Pack Source is a free replacement pack for Counter-Strike: Source and will remain a free replacement. An installation password for Fusion Pack Source is no longer required. Please take the time to read the terms and conditions bellow.... Fusion NET

Fusion Pack Source is a free replacement pack for Counter-Strike: Source and will remain a free replacement. An installation password for Fusion Pack Source is no longer required. Please take the time to read the terms and conditions bellow. Thank you!

HARDWARE FUSION UNVEILS FIRST EVER FULLY FEATURED REPLACEMENT PACK FOR COUNTER-STRIKE: SOURCE, FUSION PACK: SOURCE V1.0

Hardware Fusion's highly successful replacement pack for Counter-Strike returns with another promising addition, this time for Valve Software's recently released title, Counter-Strike: Source. Fusion Pack: Source is the first fully featured replacement pack to be released by Hardware Fusion and incorporates many new additions to Counter-Strike: Source, including weapon models, player models, sound effects and interface graphics. Hardware Fusion's Fusion Pack for Counter-Strike 1.5 & 1.6 was one of the most highly received and downloaded replacement packs of all time. It received many recommendations, including those from world-wide gaming magazines and recognized sites. With Fusion Pack: Source we hope to achieve the same goal by providing a completely fresh and exciting experience to fans of the Counter-Strike genre.

Fusion Pack: Source v1.0 Features:

  • Added new console background.
  • Added new HUD text and colors.
  • Added new Counter-Terrorist Player Model.
  • Added new Terrorist Player Model.
  • Added new Weapon Sounds.
  • Added new Player Sounds.
  • Added new Radio Sounds.
  • Added new Item and Misc Sounds.
  • Added new Knife model.
  • Added new Desert Eagle Pistol Model.
  • Added new Berreta Elites Model.
  • Added new Fiveseven Pistol Model.
  • Added new Glock Pistol Model.
  • Added new P228 Pistol Model.
  • Added new USP45 Pistol Model.
  • Added new AK47 Rifle Model.
  • Added new FAMAS Rifle Model.
  • Added new M4A1 Rifle Model.
  • Added new SG552 Rifle Model.
  • Added new M3 Shotgun Model.
  • Added new XM1014 Shotgun Model.
  • Added new Mac10 SMG Model.
  • Added new MP5 SMG Model.
  • Added new P90 SMG Model.
  • Added new AWM Rifle Model.
  • Added new Dust and Dust 2 Sand Texture.
  • Added realistic weapon names.

Fusion Pack: Source Links:

  • VIEW MORE SCREENSHOTS
  • README AND CREDITS

    Due to legal complications with Valve Software involving the use of Valve Software hands and animations this pack may no longer be downloaded from this site.

    Installation Password: fpsource349

    HAVING TROUBLE INSTALLING?

    If you are having trouble installing the pack, or when you go into the game you find that nothing has changed please read the readme for instructions on how to get Fusion Pack to install to the correct location.

    ]]> AKASA COOLING REVIEW tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1225 2004-12-07T20:45:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Fusion NET takes a look at some of Akasas range of PC cooling products. The Akasa Company was founded in 1997 in Taipei and London and has since expanded to Rotterdam, Sao Paulo and Brazil. Their current focus is... Fusion NET

    Fusion NET takes a look at some of Akasas range of PC cooling products. The Akasa Company was founded in 1997 in Taipei and London and has since expanded to Rotterdam, Sao Paulo and Brazil. Their current focus is within the PC cooling market and currently distributes in Asia Pacific, Middle East, Northern and Southern Europe, USA and South America. Akasas range of products includes Cooling, Power Supplies, Cables, and Case Mods.

    Todays competitive expanding market of cooling components within the PC industry has meant lower prices and more choice for common pc users, pc enthusiasts and overclockers. As software applications and games have become increasingly demanding so have the cooling requirements of todays modern PC systems. Todays CPUs, Graphics Cards and Hard Drives all add immense heat to your PC system and pose a threat towards the functionality of your computers hardware. It is important if you are using your PC over long hours or overclocking your hardware to have sufficient air flow to cool down those components. Relying on the existing cooling hardware within your PC may not do the job as PC manufacturers often take other factors into consideration, such as noise levels, because of this companies are often deterred from incorporating higher performance cooling hardware. Akasa provide various easy-to-install cooling products to enable you to use your system with peace of mind and their range of LED products add style to your PC case.

    In this review we took a look at the following products from Akasa:

  • Blue Hard Disk Cooler (AK-HD-BL)
  • Crystal Blue Frame 80mm LED Fan (AK-170CB-4BLBSC)
  • Silver Floppy Drive Cable (FD-45-S)
  • Cable Management Kit (AK-TK-01)

    Features and Specifications

    To take full advantage of Akasas products we used a test system which outputs a lot of heat. Here is what we used:

  • Intel Pentium 4 560 3.6 GHz ( 800 MHz )
  • Gigabyte 3D Rocket Pro CPU Cooler
  • ASUS P5AD2 Premium Motherboard
  • Asus ATI Radeon X800 XT 256MB (PCI Express)
  • Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-5400 Pro
  • Audigy 2 ZS Player Sound Card
  • 2x 250GB SATA Drive
  • 2x 34.2GB SCSI Drive's
  • PCI SCSI Controller
  • DVD-R Drive
  • 600Watt PSU

    Blue Hard Disk Cooler (AK-HD-BL)
    Akasas hard disk cooler is a twin fan cooling device which mounts underneath 3 inch hard disk drives. The twin fans are designed to draw in cool air towards the hard drives circuitry and motor system. Operating at a speed of 5000 RPM the fans provide an air flow of 9.0 CFM (higher the better) and run at a sound level of 29.0 decibels (lower the better). The cooler incorporates a light weight metal design with a blue scratch texture finish.

    Crystal Blue Frame 80mm LED Fan (AK-170CB-4BLBSC)
    Akasas Crystal Blue Frame 80mm fan comes from their stylish range of high-performance fans for front, rear and side intake 80mm case fan slots. The fan operates at a speed of 2000 3800 RPM, which can be adjusted to fit noise level and performance requirements using the fans manual speed control. Akasas Crystal Blue Frame fan is one of the fastest 80mm LED fans available from Akasa and features an air flow of 25.6 46.1 CFM, running at a sound level of 22.06 38.86 decibels. The included 3 to 4-pin adapter enables you to connect the fan directly to a standard 4-pin PSU power connector.

    ]]>
    Silver Floppy Drive Cable (FD-45-S)
    Akasas Floppy Disk Drive cable is a 45cm rounded cable with a transparent silver design. Its short and rounded design enables increased air flow and less cable clutter within the case. Additionally the bendable design makes it easier to install the cable. Using the attached labels on each of the connector ends can also be useful for uninstalling the cable from the motherboard and floppy drive sockets.

    Cable Management Kit (AK-TK-01)
    Whilst not the most exciting product from Akasa the Akasa cable management kit may also be the most pertinent product for increasing airflow within your system. If you are a user of old-style floppy and IDE cables the cable management kit will help limit air flow restrictions and tidy up wires. Owners of side window panel cases will also benefit from this basic but essential product. The multi purpose tidy cable kit includes a transparent 1.5m cable wrap, as well as a shorter 1.0m cable wrap. Additionally the kit includes 10 200mm cable ties, 20 100mm cable ties and 10 self adhesive cable claps.

    Installation and Testing

    For this review we wanted to increase cooling efficiency to both of the SCSI drives. The two SATA drives were already housed within two Coolmaster Cooldrive 4 units, which are mounted in the CD-Rom bays. It is always a good idea to add some sort of cooling to any drive which exceeds 7,200RPM, has a large disk size or is in constant use. Smaller and slower drives may not require cooling due to lesser heat being created from the drive motor. Akasas drive cooler aims at cooling down the circuitry and drive motor on the under side of the hard drive by blowing cool air to the areas of the drive which create the most heat. Installation of the cooler was a bit tricky as it involved removing both SCSI drives without uninstalling the PCI cards. We also wanted to move one of the SCSI drives up one bay, not doing so would mean hot air from the drive bellow would be dispensed into the above drive. Fixing the cooler to the actual drive is relatively easy and requires four screws to be affixed to the underside of the drive. Once installed the 2-way power connector enables you to feed power to the twin fans, as well as the hard drive, without having to utilize another connector. Because of the low power demand of the fans a single connector should provide sufficient power to both components. In our tests the cooling performance of the Akasa hard drive cooler showed only a few degrees difference. This was expected as the casing of a hard disk drive is normally too thick for any sort of fan cooling to make a significant difference. When it comes to hard drive cooling a heat sink and fan enclosure method, such as Coolmasters Cooldrive will provide better cooling efficiency. Whilst Akasas drive cooling method is a good idea for those users who do not have sufficient CD-Rom bays they will have to incorporate much higher-spec fans with greater airflow to make any difference.

    For the installation of Akasas Crystal Blue Frame 80mm fan we wanted to increase air flow from the side of the case and have cool air pointing towards the CPU and graphics card, which are normally the hottest components of a PC. This particular fan from Akasa sports a 4-blue LED display, which is a useful feature for those with side-windowed cases. Not only does this fan look good but it also provides excellent air flow into the system with a rated speed of 3800 RPM and a air flow of 46.1 CFM. With this fan running we managed to accommodate Gigabytes 3DRocket Pro by providing cool air to the CPU cooler, which in turn provided cool air to the CPU.

    Akasas rounded floppy cable and cable management kit enabled us to provide increased airflow into our system. However, with rounded cables coming commonly equipped with latest hardware and the addition of the smaller, thinner SATA cables the cable management kit wasnt a great deal of use to us. Those still using the older style IDE cables will probably find this kit more essential.

    Conclusion

    Out of the four products we tested from Akasa the most beneficial for us was their Crystal Blue Frame 80mm LED Fan. It provided excellent air intake and had great looks! We found Akasas hard drive cooler to be an interesting idea but we feel more work needs to be done to the design before it can be considered as a beneficial hard disk cooler. For the time being we recommend those looking to cut degrees off their hard disk drives to look at thermal drive enclosures as they are more likely to dispense more heat. We found Akasas floppy drive cable to be a stylistic alternative to standard floppy drive cables and a great product to have if you own a side-windowed panel case. From the four products we looked at we decided to award Akasas Crystal Blue Frame 80mm LED Fan with a 5 Star Rating.


    ]]> StorCase Introduces Hot-swap Disk Backup Products tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1224 2004-10-12T17:32:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Data Express removable enclosures for 2.5" and 3.5" drives now provide a Secure and cost-effective back-up solution for PC, workstations and Servers. [23 August 2004] StorCase Technology, a world leader in data-protective hard drive storage solutions, today announced it... Fusion NET

    Data Express removable enclosures for 2.5" and 3.5" drives now provide a

    Secure and cost-effective back-up solution for PC, workstations and Servers.


    [23 August 2004] StorCase Technology, a world leader in data-protective hard drive storage solutions, today announced it is shipping two new products dedicated to backing-up primary data in PCs, workstations and entry-level Servers. Industry-proven StorCase Data Express DE50 and DE110 Parallel ATA (PATA) removable drive enclosures now support USB 2.0 host connections and include well-proven Retrospect backup software from Dantz.

    D2D backup solutions are rapidly becoming a preferred alternative to traditional tape backup. Compared to tape, the D2D backup technology offers higher transfer speeds, (performance improvements as high as 200%); lower costs (savings up to 50% over comparable tape solutions); greater ease of use and 100% accuracy for restored data.

    "Data Express disk-to-disk backup solutions are designed specifically with unique features intended for small to medium-sized companies who are considering an alternative to the limitations and hassles associated with tape backup technology," said Ajay Lukha, Director/General Manager EMEA at StorCase Technology Europe. "Our DE110 for 3.5" drives is a very costeffective internal solution, with the added advantage of providing enhanced security over other Disk based back-up products," added Lukha.

    The Data Express backup solution is the first product to market that supports an internal USB connection, providing the ability to back-up online with low cost, hot-swappable IDE media. In addition, with the drive locked in during the back-up cycle, the back-up data is secure at all times. These unique hardware elements combined with well-proven back-up software make it a very serious competitor to traditional tape.

    "The combination of Dantz Retrospect OEM Express software and the new StorCase Data Express removable backup units provides an outstanding option for IT managers attempting to select an excellent backup solution," stated Don Chouinard, Director of Product Marketing at Dantz Development Corp. "It is a great opportunity for both StorCase and Dantz to contribute to the growing D2D backup market," he added.

    Rugged and versatile, the new DE50 and DE110 offer the highest frame to carrier interface connector ratings (25K for DE110; 20K for DE50) and exceed operating specification guidelines defined by the industrys leading drive manufacturers. Built-in quality details ensure ongoing performance in continuous drive swapping applications and provide the ultimate protection for high-performance drives.

    ]]>     Adaptec SATA 2410SA Review tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1223 2004-06-14T16:45:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Adaptec for years have been producing high-end controller cards to cater for server and workstation environments. Adaptec previously focused their efforts towards higher-cost interface types, such as SCSI and RAID. With the recent addition of SATA technology businesses and... Fusion NET

    Adaptec for years have been producing high-end controller cards to cater for server and workstation environments. Adaptec previously focused their efforts towards higher-cost interface types, such as SCSI and RAID. With the recent addition of SATA technology businesses and even home consumers are able to enjoy higher speed transfer rates at a fraction of the cost. Whilst SATA is not yet considered an ideal technology for stable server environments it is steadily becoming common in both home-user and workstation environments.

    With the addition of Western Digitals Raptor SATA drive SATA owners are able to reach speeds of up to 10,000RPM and 1.5 Gbps (150 MB/sec) on each drive within a disk drive array. Whilst the SATA interface may still fall behind SCSI in terms of performance and stability it is still a significant step up from the traditional IDE interface technology. SATA technology uses smaller cables, which means its better for expandability reasons and air cooling efficiency. This is particularly useful for servers and workstations but, of course with todays modern graphics cards air cooling is also main priority for home consumers. The most promising feature of Serial ATA is that it works along side IDE and SCSI interfaces, including all major operating systems, providing true compatibility and ease-of-use.

    Features and Specifications

    The Adaptec SATA 2410SA RAID controller comes equipped with 4 Serial-ATA ports and supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 10 and JBOD configurations. Along with its onboard Intel 80302 microprocessor the card comes with 64 MBs of fixed ECC SDRAM cache memory, providing true performance and enhanced stability. Along with several configuration benefits, SATA technology improves data transmission through a point-to-point topology, which eliminates bus sharing, thereby delivering a full 1.5Gb/s bandwidth to each drive. The cards 48-bit LBA (Logical Block Addressing) enables support for larger drives. Logical Block addressing is a method used with SCSI, IDI and SATA drives to translate the cylinder, head and sector specifications of the drive into addresses that can be used by an enhanced BIOS. LBA is used with drives that are larger than 528MBs. Because all modern drives are built bigger than 528MBs LBA technology comes standard with all drives. The Adaptec 2410SA supports SATA 2 features including enclosure management and backplanes.

    Key Differentiators

    Optimized Disk Utilization
    RAID Level Migration
    Online capacity expansion
    Background initialization (for immediate RAID availability)
    Enclosure Management ready
    Hot-swap disk drive support for easy replacement
    Hot-spare disk support with automatic rebuild
    Supports bootable arrays

    Data Transfer Rate
    Up to 1.5 Gbits/sec

    Internal Connectors
    Four Serial ATA ports

    Bus Type
    64-bit/66MHz PCI

    System Requirements
    Available PCI slot meeting PCI 2.2 specification

    RAID Levels
    64 MByte (onboard)

    Key RAID Features

    Optimized disk utilization
    Online RAID Level Migration
    Online capacity expansion
    Immediate RAID availability (background initialization)
    S.M.A.R.T. support

    Supported Operating Systems
    Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
    Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
    Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
    Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    Microsoft Windows Server 2003
    RedHat Linux 7.3
    RedHat Linux 8.0
    SuSE Linux 8.0
    SuSE Linux 8.1
    SCO UnixWare 7.11
    Caldera Open Unix 8

    Conclusion

    The Adaptec SATA 2410SA RAID controller card is the ideal controller card for servers and workstations. The high price-tag will undoubtedly deter home consumers from buying this product and this is where Adaptecs more affordable SATA range comes in. Like so many home consumers, especially those with high-speed net connections, the problem of managing vast amounts of data is on the increase. Those home users who can afford to have turned to components, which are primarily aimed at server environments, to manage data within their systems. If you are a home user and you can afford the price tag then it would be well worth considering the upgrade. Because of its performance and expandability features we are going to award the Adaptec SATA 2410SA Raid controller with a 5 star rating.

    ]]>     RADEON X800 ANNOUNCED tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1222 2004-05-05T02:46:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z ATI revolutionizes PC gaming with introduction of RADEON X800, the worlds fastest visual processor. MARKHAM, ON To the delight of gamers everywhere, ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) today launched its RADEON X800 Visual Processing Unit (VPU)... Fusion NET

    ATI revolutionizes PC gaming with introduction of RADEON X800, the worlds fastest visual processor.

    MARKHAM, ON To the delight of gamers everywhere, ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) today launched its RADEON X800 Visual Processing Unit (VPU) which will deliver the industrys most awesome gaming experience possible on a PC. With the introduction of the RADEON X800, ATI continues its two year reign as the industry leader in high-end graphics for gaming and ushers in a new era, High Definition Gaming. Worldwide system integrators, original equipment manufacturers and board partners are excited to deliver RADEON X800 powered systems and boards beginning immediately.

    Gamers using computers powered by RADEON X800 will enjoy a higher performance, immersive gaming experience that looks better than ever before. This High Definition Gaming experience is the PC equivalent to watching a sporting event on an HDTV. This is made possible by the highly scalable and efficient architecture of the RADEON X800 that uses 16 parallel pixel pipes and 6 vertex pipes to process more than 8 billion pixels and almost 800 million vertices per second.

    The RADEON X800 builds on the great success of the RADEON 9700 and RADEON 9800, the most sought-after high-end visual processors in the world," said Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President Marketing, General Manager, Desktop, ATI Technologies Inc. With the RADEON X800, the design team has accomplished something that no one thought was possible. Not only have they developed the highest-performing and most efficient graphics architecture in the world, they have done so while maintaining high levels of stability, reliability and manufacturability.

    ATI has used the most advanced technologies available to design and manufacture its new RADEON X800 graphics chips. Using the successful low k .13 micron semiconductor process from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., ATI created a scalable, highly parallel and powerful visual processor that is twice as fast as todays performance leader, the RADEON 9800 XT. The advanced fabrication process and leading-edge GDDR3 memory have also enabled ATI and its board partners to deliver high-performance, user-friendly graphics card solutions which will work in customers existing PCs without requiring radical and costly power supply or cooling upgrades.

    RADEON X800 is awesome! The speed it can run shaders at high resolutions with all the features turned on allows us to bring Battlefield 2 to life like never before. ATI has done a great job again, said Torbjorn Laedre and Torbjorn Sderman, Lead Render Programmers, Digital Illusions CE.

    The RADEON X800 includes innovative new features that will enhance a gamers experience immediately and will help game developers deliver great games for the future. For example, ATIs new compression technology 3Dc, will easily allow game developers to create better-looking games by using high-resolution normal maps. Normal maps are used to give characters and scenes high levels of detail without the performance hit that would normally be associated with using high-polygon models. For gamers this means that their games will look better than ever without impacting performance, which is of utmost importance in high definition gaming.

    As soon as we began working with normal mapping in our games, we quickly realized that one of our biggest bottlenecks was going to be the memory usage of un-compressed normal map textures. Up until now, our only options have been to use some kind of low-quality compression, or to cut back on the number and size of normal mapped assets, said Rowan Wyborn, Irrational Games. With 3Dc, we finally have a high-quality compression solution that gives almost perfect results, with 4:1 savings in texture memory. This will allow us to put much finer detail into objects than we could previously and increase the number of normal mapped assets we can put in our games without blowing our texture budget.

    Ritual Entertainment will use ATIs new 3Dc normal map compression technology to double the detail in our next generation game environments, said Doug Service, Director of Technology Development, Ritual Entertainment. Thanks to ATI, we can now create normal maps with twice the amount of detail that use the same amount of memory as our original uncompressed normal maps. This will lead to an outstanding increase in visual fidelity for the characters and the entire scene. Ultimately, what ATIs 3Dc normal map compression technology means to gamers is more highly detailed game worlds and a more immersive game play experience.

    The RADEON X800 builds upon ATIs success delivering visual processors for the high-end gaming and computer enthusiast market. "Currently nearly 80% of high-performance DirectX 9 graphics cards shipping are powered by ATI's visual processors," said Dean McCarron, Mercury Research. "The new RADEON X800 series visual processors demonstrate ATIs continued focus on the high-end segment of the PC graphics market."

    ATI and its worldwide board partners will offer several configurations of graphics boards based on the RADEON X800 chips. Board partners that will be shipping RADEON X800 products include ABIT, ASUS, Celestica, Club 3D, Connect 3D, Creative, Diamond, Elsa, FIC, Gigabyte, Hightech Information Systems, Info-Tek, MSI, Sapphire, Tul, VisionTek, Xpertvision and Yuan.

    System Integrators including ABS, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Velocity Micro, VoodooPC and ZT Group will include the RADEON X800 in their systems for customers who want the ultimate gaming PC.

    ATI will offer two RADEON X800 products, the RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition and the RADEON X800 PRO through retail, system integrator and OEM partners.

    For the competitive gamers who demand the best performance bar-none, the RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition will be powered by a 16-pipe pixel processing engine clocked at 520MHz. To take advantage of the massive pixel processing power of the RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition the product has been paired with high-speed 1.12GHz data rate GDDR3 memory and a 256-bit memory interface. The RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition will ship later this month with a suggested retail price of $499.

    The RADEON X800 PRO, with a suggested retail price of $399, will be powered by a 12-pipe pixel processing engine clocked at 475MHz. A 256-bit memory interface and GDDR3 memory with a 900MHz data rate will deliver unmatched performance in its price category. The RADEON X800 PRO is shipping immediately and customers can purchase it online through major retailers in North America starting today. Customers can also purchase the RADEON X800 PRO at ATIs online store at www.ati.com.

    For more information on the RADEON X800 and its underlying features and technologies, please visit www.ati.com.

    ]]>     Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Review tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1221 2004-05-01T09:42:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Product Type: Sound Card | Manufacturer: Creative | Price 99.99 inc VAT Hardware Fusion gets to grips with the new Audigy 2 ZS audio card from Creative, their first 7.1 surround sound card to be released and with THX... Fusion NET

    Product Type: Sound Card | Manufacturer: Creative | Price 99.99 inc VAT

    Hardware Fusion gets to grips with the new Audigy 2 ZS audio card from Creative, their first 7.1 surround sound card to be released and with THX certification. Surround sound products are big business for companies like Creative, companies are always aspiring to bring the effect of cinema entertainment into the home and with Creatives entry of their 7.1 surround sound card the reality is becoming even more apparent. With every audio card release that rises above a new format, for example 6.1 to 7.1, comes an easily profitable opportunity in the form of new surround sound speaker systems that are able to support the new format. Creatives Inspire T7700, TD7700 and S750s are all products which are instant bread winners as they are marketed so closely to the Audigy 2 ZS sound card. Having said that Creative has been clear to note that their TD7700 and S750 products are able to support both 6.1 and 5.1 sound cards via their CMSS upmix option. However, CMSS upmix does not mean true 7.1 surround sound! The leap from the Audigy 2 to Audigy 2 ZS saw some noticeable but minimal improvements. Creatives idea to withdraw the Audigy 2 and replace it with the ZS was probably due to the small gap in advancement between the two products.

    Features and Specifications

    Creatives Audigy 2 ZS incorporates the addition of two significant new features over the Audigy 2, which are support for 7.1 surround and EAX 4.0. In terms of additional features the Audigy 2 ZS has improved very little. The Audigy 2 ZS is simply a revamp, or tweaked version of the Audigy 2 that adds a certain degree of necessary updates to cope with todays modern 7.1 speaker systems and lets not forget EAX 4.0, which Creative say is the next revolutionary technology to hit PC gaming.

    High Definition Audio Quality for Playback and Recording

    • 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion during playback with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz in 7.1 mode and up to 192kHz in stereo mode
    • 24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion during recording in 8, 16 or 24-bit at sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz
    • SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) input at up to 24-bit/ 96kHz quality
    • SPDIF output up to 24-bit at 48 or 96kHz
    • ASIO drivers for low latency (2ms) multi-track playback and recording at 16-bit/48kHz*
    * Latency performance may vary based on system configuration

    Advanced Audio and 3D Audio Technology

    • Hardware acceleration of EAX and EAX ADVANCED HD for games
    • 32-bit Professional Quality Effects Engine with support for real-time digital effects like reverb and chorus across any audio source
    Wave-Table Synthesis and MIDI Features

    • Creative Hardware synthesizer (2x16 Channels) with 64-voice polyphony featuring E-MUs patented 8-point interpolation technology for accurate sample reproduction
    • Creative Software synthesizer - multi timbral wave-table (16 Channels)
    FireWire (IEEE1394) Connectivity

    • FireWire (IEEE 1394) / i-Link compatible interface with up to 400Mbps transfer rate
    Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS On-Board Connectors

    • Line level out (Front / Side / Rear / Center / Subwoofer)
    • Digital Out for 5.1 support (6-channel SPDIF output to Creative digital speakers
    • Line in
    • Microphone in
    • FireWire (IEEE 1394)
    • Telephone Answering Device in
    • Analog / Digital CD Audio in
    • 15-pin MIDI / Joystick port extension header
    • AD_EXT extension header to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Internal I/O Drive (Upgrade Option)
    • Internal IEEE 1394 header to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Internal I/O Drive (Upgrade Option)
    Features & Specifications continued...

    ]]>

    DVD Entertainment
    Creatives Audigy 2 ZS provides home users with a solution to achieving cinema quality audio effects on the PC. The Audigy 2 ZS achieves this by providing extended surround format technologies, such as Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES. Dolby Digital EX, also known as THX Surround EX, is a jointly developed technology by Lucasfilm THX and Dolby Laboratories and is a trade name specifically marketed for home theatre entertainment products. Its actual origin derives from a technology named Digital Surround EX, which is commonly used by state-of-the-art movie theatres. DTS uses much higher data rates (1.5 Mbit/sec or 754 kbit/sec) over Dolby Digital (448 kbit/sec or 384 kbit/sec) which can be up to four times higher, this significant gap in encoding rates prompts many home theatre enthusiasts and industry experts to claim that DTS is superior to the Dolby Digital format. Because of the high capacity consumption of DTS soundtracks many film companies were deterred from using the technology on DVD releases. Those companies who did had to face sacrificing additional DVD features, such as Bonus footage and audio tracks, all in the effort to save space. Thanks to the lower DTS data rate of 754 kbit/sec certain film companies were able to add both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks to their DVDs, as seen in todays DVD releases. Needless to say the fact that the Audigy 2 ZS can support these technologies is an excellent addition to home PC entertainment.

    Gaming and Music
    In addition to catering for the consumer DVD market Creative have also ensured that the Audigy ZS delivers for music and gaming fanatics. Similarly to the Audigy 2 the ZS is able to provide high quality audio output of 24-bit-Digital-to-Analog conversion during playback with sampling rates of 96 KHz in 7.1 mode and an unprecedented 192kHz in stereo mode. This is more than enough for the DVD market as most DVDs play back at 96 kHz, which makes the 192 kHz format more of a luxury for music and gaming enthusiasts. Having said that most, if not all games developers are yet to adopt the 192 kHz format making it a technology essentially to be used by music listeners. Furthermore the Audigy 2 ZS manages to provide a SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) of 108dBs whilst the Audigy 2 managed 106dBs. Although the improvement gap might not be one of fundamental significance it still builds upon the existing achievement that Creative have managed to do with the sound quality of this product.

    Creative Sound Blaster products, particularly the Audigy series, have been well known in the past for its high performance values whilst running demanding 3D games. With the release of titles, such as Raven Shield (full game packaged with product), Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Far Cry and the forth coming release of Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 (We hope!) gamers are required to go even further in terms of preparing their system to handle such performance hogging releases. The Audigy 2 has shown some pretty impressive results when running CPU utilisation tests and the ZS manages to continue with the tradition, if not slightly exceed. Creative in the past has made pretty clear that their support for gamers is one of their top priorities. The imminent plans to change the name of their Audigy 2 ZS product to the Audigy 2 ZS Gamer only shows us how serious Creative has become about gaming. With the incorporation of EAX ADVANCED HD (seen also in the Audigy 2) and the new arrival of EAX 4.0 gamers now have even more to revel in whilst playing their favourite games. Creative say that EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD is the greatest leap forward for EAX since its inception and with the incorporation of its multi-environment engine it certainly looks impressive! Previous versions of EAX focused on reverberation effects, and now with EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD Creative have added in support for 11 new effects: Autowah, Chorus, Distortion, EAX Automatic Gain Control Compressor, EAX EQ, Echo, Flanger, Frequency Shifter, Pitch Shifter, Ring Modulator and Vocal Morpher. The multi-environment engine moves the reverberation effects away from just being the listener's reverb to being able to tie reverberation effects directly to the sounds themselves, which in practice allows a sound source to carry a reverb with it into the next environment of the game. This technology is highly useful for creating seamless transitions of environmental effects whilst moving from one environment to another, therefore greatly enhancing upon realism. Until now this has been something which has not been possible. With current games that do not support the EAX 4.0 technology the player would encounter a type of cut off effect when moving between environments. Creative say that Multi-Environment support is going to change the way that EAX is implemented in games. At present EAX 4.0 is still a technology to be adopted by a majority of games developers so it will be really interesting to see what EAX 4.0 will bring to future games releases.

    Firewire Support
    Since the first Audigy card Creative has continued to release its sound card products with 1394 (Firewire) connectivity support enabling PC users to seamlessly transfer data from a 1394 supported device or compatible computer at significantly higher transfer rates (up to 400Mbps) than standard LAN connection speeds (10/100Mbps). More specifically the incorporation of 1394 technology in Creatives products gave gamers a performance boost whilst playing in LAN games. However, the lack of ability to connect multiple machines to the connection caused gamers to favour the more traditional LAN connection. With the recent release of 1000Mbps LAN Firewire has somewhat lost its appeal to LAN gamers but still remains one of the fastest connection types for transferring data to other PC peripherals, although USB 2.0 manages to outperform Firewire by 80Mbps at a transfer rate of 480Mbps.

    Features continued & Conclusion...

    Board Design
    The design of the Audigy 2 ZS closely matches that of the Audigy 2 but with the exception of the Audigy 2 ZS logo in place of the older product name. The main on board chip has also had the Audigy 2 logo affixed to it but rather bizarrely without the ZS name. Maybe they ran out of letters?



    The colour of the board has been designed with a dark brown tint in place of the Audigy 2s black effect. Apart from that nothing much else has changed, all the connections are in the same place and aside from a few extra capacitors the design of the board remains very similar.

    The connections available on board consist of CD IN (for analogue CD audio input), CD SPDIF (for digital CD audio input), AUX IN (for auxiliary input devices), TAD (used in coincidence with internal modems for audio input and output), and the required connections for adding Creatives Drive Bay accessory (49.98 INC VAT), which is commonly found bundled with Platinum versions of Creatives Sound Card products.

    Software
    The Audigy 2 ZS comes with a series of new software additions and updates, including a new THX console for optimization of 7.1 surround and audio enhancement features that include:

    • Audio Cleanup: for removal of annoying pops and background hiss.
    • SVM: Used for equalising the playback volume across different tracks in albums or playlists.
    • Time Scaling: Enables users to speed-up or slow-down audio without altering its pitch.
    • Creative Karaoke Tool: Enables users to remove the main vocal line from common music formats.
    • EAX Effects: enables real-time ambience effects to be added during playback.
    • CMSS 3D: Allows users to up-mix stereo content to up to 7.1 channels.
    The product also comes bundled with the full version of UBI Softs Tom Clancy themed shooter, Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield and Eidos Interactives Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness.

    Conclusion

    The Creative Audigy 2 ZS is essentially a tweaked version of the Audigy 2. Feature wise there is very little in difference in terms of mass updates, although the updates which have been implemented have been somewhat revolutionary in context. With the addition of 7.1 surround and DTS technologys the ZS will bring PC users a step closer to cinema entertainment in the home, whilst the latest in environmental technology, EAX 4.0 will hugely benefit gamers and will most likely continue to for some time to come. Creatives assortment of aesthetically pleasing to look at software programs and bundled games make the ZS more of a complete product to buy. However, Creatives range of bundled media playing applications are not always the consumer choice for playing music or DVDs and many consumers opt for specialist software applications, such as Power DVD and Winamp. There have been some bugs known with Creatives applications in the past and some may say that was an understatement! So is the Audigy 2 ZS a worthy upgrade from the Audigy 2? The answer to that is no! There are simply too few improvements between the two products to make it worth the cost upgrading. If youre upgrading from the Audigy or older Sound Blaster product we would have to recommend it! Looking at the Audigy 2 ZS from a stand-alone product point of view we are going to award Creatives latest achievement a 5 Star Rating.

    Look out for Hardware Fusions Creative 7.1 Surround Sound feature later next week, which will include an in-depth look at 7.1 surround, an interview with Creative and an Audigy 2 ZS giveaway! Arent they nice people! :)

    More Product Photography...

    ]]>     Creative 7.1 Feature Interview tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1220 2004-05-01T09:40:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Hardware Fusion interviews Darragh OToole, European Brand Manager for Audio products at Creative Europe. Darragh OToole is involved in the full lifecycle of the audio product range at Creative, from product development through to sales and marketing. Q. Since... Fusion NET

    Hardware Fusion interviews Darragh OToole, European Brand Manager for Audio products at Creative Europe. Darragh OToole is involved in the full lifecycle of the audio product range at Creative, from product development through to sales and marketing.

    Q. Since the release of the Audigy card how have you built upon the surround sound format to achieve an effective 7.1 surround sound experience?

    A. Cinema technology has been an obvious leader in defining the channel standards moving from 5.1 to 6 .1 and now 7.1. 7.1 nicely fills the gap in the sound field where you can now hear sounds in pretty accurate 360 degrees without having to wait until they have moved fully to the rear before you realise they have passed you. For Movies, we have added support for Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS-ES with speaker replication to take full advantage of the 7.1 configuration for 5.1 titles without affecting the original mix.

    Q. The Audigy 2 ZS comes with the DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 surround format with the rear channel matrixed into a 7.1 format. Whilst gamers will be able to enjoy true surround sound via the cards DirectSound3D or OpenAL encoder how have you optimized the format to cater for film and music listeners?

    A. For Movies, the cards are certified by THX and we include the THX control panel for accurate configuration. Also, in addition to the standard surround decoding, we also allow you to replicate 5.1 rear channels to the sides so you can take advantage of a full 7.1 setup. For Music listening the CMSS algorithms have been in continuous development to make the surround upmix more effective and now we feel we offer a compelling alternative to any other third party upmix technology.

    Q. Until a few years ago the DTS-ES encoding format was rarely used by DVD manufacturers, due to the high capacity demands that the audio format required. With the arrival of the lower DTS bitrate DVD manufacturers were able to incorporate both DTS and Dolby Digital sound tracks into their DVDs. How long do you think it will be before film makers start encoding into true 7.1 surround sound?

    A. Large industries like film move pretty slowly but if DVD-Audio can be taken as a reference where full bandwidth 24/96 audio is being considered at the recording stage of studio albums, I think we can assume that as capacity and processing power become less of an issue that movie soundtracks will begin to transition to a non compressed format.

    Q. Correct me if I am wrong but as far as movies and music are concerned Creative do not appear to clearly specify that the 7.1 format is in fact a 6.1 discrete format matrixed into 7.1 surround. Why is this?

    ]]>
    Q. How will the new THX console benefit gamers and film watchers? And what modifications have you made to ensure it provides an even better surround sound experience?

    A. The THX console has been designed to optimise the movie watching experience by ensuring that the much overlooked task of speaker placement and calibration can be carried out effectively to ensure that your listening position is right in the sweet spot. It also ensures that your satellites are correctly placed and in phase. For gamers, this is of benefit when you fire up a game as it means that all of the positional cues are going to be transmitted more correctly to your ears. The latest web update now allows you to save your changes made in the THX Console.

    Q. The Audigy product range is well known by gamers for its FPS (Frames Per Second) advantages. How much further can we take audio processing technology to benefit gamers?

    A. The main benefits of the Audigy 2 ZS apart from the audio quality is the offloading of Direct X stream duties from the host and hardware processing of the EAX effects. Hence, the greater the DSP power, the more benefit to the gamer where they can happily activate all of the audio options with no CPU impact. As is the case with graphics cards, audio card technology can often be ahead of the content technology curve and several games that have taken graphics to the nth degree are now focussing more heavily on the audio dimension.

    Q. Could you perhaps give us a brief insight into what technologys for gamers we could expect to see in forth coming sound card products from Creative?

    A. I cant really give you any specifics here but the development team at the advanced technology centre (ATC) in California are some of the worlds leading audio gurus and with our recent acquisition of Sensaura the future is looking very bright for all of our customers.

    The recent release of extensive and easy to use cross platform in game audio programming tools like Game Coda 2 (developed in conjuction with Sensaura) and ISACT (which can be used stand alone for PC or plugged into Game Coda 2) means that the ease of integration leaves the audio developer freer to concentrate on conceiving novel audio content and effects rather than having to overcome implementation difficulties.

    See the Press release here.

    Q. The ZS is capable of playback at 24-bit/192kHz in stereo or 24-bit/96kHz in 5.1. Does Creative have any plans to add 24-bit/192kHz recording support to their next major audio card release?

    A. 24/192 is mostly used in the realm of pro audio and hence we have opted to provide this feature on the Creative Professional range of cards developed in conjunction with E-MU.

    Q. Word has it that you will be changing your Audigy 2 ZS card to the Audigy 2 ZS Gamer. We have already seen the change in the US. How long before we see it in Europe? And what significant changes will you be incorporating into the new edition?

    A. The Audigy 2 ZS Gamer product added 3 additional EAX titles to the standard Audigy 2 ZS bundle and was exclusively developed for the US market. There are currently no plans to release it in Europe.

    Q. What steps will Creative be taking in their next audio card release to take advantage of the bandwidth capabilities of the new PCI-Express platform?

    A. Currently we cant comment on the platforms for future releases but suffice to say that we will always opt for a bus architecture that provides the best bandwidth for the products target application.

    Q. The Audigy 2 ZS comes with the THX stamp of approval. What efforts did Creative have to make to achieve this and what importance has this been for the success of the Audigy 2 ZS product range?

    A. The THX certification is recognised worldwide by the cinema going population as a seal of approval initiated by the Star Wars master himself to ensure that the entire production chain from creation to playback preserved the original intention of the director without compromise. Having this has been an acknowledgement of the excellence of the Creative engineering team and makes a significant difference to customers looking for the best Movie playback device for the PC. As THX do not publish a target specification list or results for products that pass their certification standards all I can really point to is the fact that the engineers were able to hit a very respectable 108dB SNR on all surround channels and beyond the numbers, the listening experience speaks for itself.

    Q. How close do you think we are to bringing true cinema surround sound entertainment into the home?

    A. Ive been watching movies at home on my laptop with an Audigy 2 NX hooked up to a Gigaworks system and Im loving it! In my view, its better than the cinema as you get to pick the best seat in the house and a good cup of tea is never too far! Combine this with the decrease in price of projectors and a very respectable home cinema system is now within the reach of the most mere mortals without having to remortgage your house.

    Q. What evolutionary steps are you taking to improve surround sound even further on the next major sound card release from Creative?

    A. I cant really comment on this at present, youll just have to wait and see.. :)

    Q. Obviously the higher we go with the format (I.e. 5.1 6.1 & 6.1 7.1) the more speakers the user is required to have. How far do you think we can go before users will start to become discourage simply because of the amount of speakers they are required to have in the home?

    A. I think we are probably reaching the tolerance level when it comes to cabling and the next step up would most likely have to involve dealing with wires, the bane of most homeownersespecially when pets or children are added into the mix.

    Q. The Audigy 2 ZS comes with EAX 4.0 and Multi-Environment technology, which Creative say is the next revolutionary thing to hit PC Gaming. How have Creative worked with developers to ensure the technology is introduced with forth coming games releases? And do you know if it will be incorporated with Half-Life 2 and Doom 3?

    A. If you take Jedi Knight Academy and Colin McRae 4, developers from Creative have worked closely with the audio development team for the games to assist with the implementation and have been to hand every step of the way. Colin McRae, while sounding like an unlikely candidate for EAX 4 is an excellent example of how even we were blown away by how real it made the in-car experience. With distinct regions of the car representing a specific environment you really do get in touch with every nuance of the cars movement as youre hurtling around the tracks.

    You can check out interviews with the developers at www.soundblaster.com/gaming. Unfortunately I cant comment on 3rd party titles that are currently under development.

    Q. Do you think the audio market for gamers has become as big as the graphics card market? And would you agree that there may be a lack in awareness over the importance of audio technology in games?

    A. Yes, there has been a lack of awareness of how key audio is in gaming. Our Sounds Best on SoundBlaster programs and our co-marketing programs with games publishers have been raising the level of awareness of the importance of what has up to now been a vastly unexploited dimension.

    When you consider how much people are willing to spend on upgrading their graphics cards, for a fraction of the price, you can have a full surround sound system so the market is vast as the wider usage benefits of an audio card beyond gaming can easily justify the investment. Also, when you consider the trend in several games towards low level lighting scenarios, when youre creeping around in the dark trying to track or avoid enemies, a \$500 hi res graphics card is not going to save your skinbut and Audigy 2 ZS just might!

    Q. How does the idea of packaging audio and graphics cards together as a complete gaming solution grab you? Could we see this happening in future with Creatives products?

    A. Its feasible but the rate of change of graphics technology can often make this kind of retail packaging unwieldy, but thanks for the suggestion. :)

    Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions. I hope we kept it interesting enough for you? =)

    Thankfully, after several easter eggs, the chocolate overdose kept my brain ticking over just long enough to get thru all your questions, which kept my brain tickled the whole way through!

    ]]>     Creative 7.1 Surround Sound Feature tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1219 2004-05-01T09:37:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Hardware Fusions 7.1 feature looks at todays surround sound technology for the PC home user and receives input from Creatives European Brand Manager for audio products, Darragh OToole. Hardware Fusion also has an in-depth look at Creatives latest 7.1... Fusion NET

    Hardware Fusions 7.1 feature looks at todays surround sound technology for the PC home user and receives input from Creatives European Brand Manager for audio products, Darragh OToole. Hardware Fusion also has an in-depth look at Creatives latest 7.1 audio card, the Audigy 2 ZS, a full interview with Darragh OToole and a Audigy 2 ZS Giveaway!

    7.1 is the latest surround sound format to hit the home consumer PC market. For years sound experts have inspired to bring the full effect of cinema entertainment into the home. With the release of Creatives Audigy 2 ZS, Creatives first 7.1 THX certified sound card, the reality of home cinema entertainment has been taken a step further.

    The new 7.1 format introduces two additional channels, which have been given the placement of left and right side speakers. With the incorporation of two extra channels the user will be able to enjoy a 360 degree audio environment, which will further add to the immersive atmosphere that surround sound entertainment has to offer, and will bring home users a step closer to the reality of modern day cinema.

    Darragh OToole: Cinema technology has been an obvious leader in defining the channel standards moving from 5.1 to 6 .1 and now 7.1. 7.1 nicely fills the gap in the sound field where you can now hear sounds in pretty accurate 360 degrees without having to wait until they have moved fully to the rear before you realise they have passed you. For Movies, we have added support for Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS-ES with speaker replication to take full advantage of the 7.1 configuration for 5.1 titles without affecting the original mix.

    For gamers the 7.1 sound format means increased realism when it comes to playing todays games. Creatives Audigy 2 ZS incorporates the use of APIs, such as DirectSound3D and OpenAL, which are capable of rendering full bandwidth, 7.1 TRUE surround sound. Creatives Multi-Environment engine moves the reverberation effects away from just being the listener's reverb to being able to tie reverberation effects directly to the sounds themselves, which in practice allows a sound source to carry a reverb with it into the next environment of the game. This technology is highly useful for creating seamless transitions of environmental effects whilst moving from one environment to another, therefore greatly enhancing upon realism. With the addition of Creatives latest EAX 4.0 and Multi-Environment technology the harnessing power of 7.1 audio becomes clearly apparent, for it introduces a more realistic audio experience with smoother panning.

    Darragh OToole: If you take Jedi Knight Academy and Colin McRae 4, developers from Creative have worked closely with the audio development team for the games to assist with the implementation and have been to hand every step of the way. Colin McRae, while sounding like an unlikely candidate for EAX 4 is an excellent example of how even we were blown away by how real it made the in-car experience. With distinct regions of the car representing a specific environment you really do get in touch with every nuance of the cars movement as youre hurtling around the tracks.

    ]]>

    Todays DVD releases commonly use the Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES encoding formats for movie soundtracks. Dolby Digital EX, also known as THX Surround EX, is a jointly developed technology by Lucasfilm THX and Dolby Laboratories and is a trade name specifically marketed for home theatre entertainment products. Its actual origin derives from a technology named Digital Surround EX, which is commonly used by state-of-the-art movie theatres. DTS uses much higher data rates (1.5 Mbit/sec or 754 kbit/sec) over Dolby Digital (448 kbit/sec or 384 kbit/sec) which can be up to four times higher, this significant gap in encoding rates prompts many home theatre enthusiasts and industry experts to claim that DTS is superior to the Dolby Digital format. Because of the high capacity consumption of DTS soundtracks many film companies were deterred from using the technology on DVD releases. Those companies who did had to face sacrificing additional DVD features, such as Bonus footage and audio tracks, all in the effort to save space. Thanks to the lower DTS data rate of 754 kbit/sec certain film companies were able to add both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks to their DVDs, as seen in todays DVD releases. Creatives Audigy 2 ZS incorporates both the Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES encoding technologies. Whilst these technologies do not provide TRUE 7.1 surround sound, Creative has devised an up-mix technology to simulate 7.1 surround from any 6.1 audio source. This up-mix technology, which has been modified to provide smoother panning between channels, enables users to receive a more realistic 7.1 experience.

    Darragh OToole: The Audigy 2 ZS itself is a true 7.1 card with 8 discretely addressable channels for gaming, music playback and surround music mixing. For Movies, while we provide a 7.1 playback system, the Dolby Digital EX movie soundtrack format itself is 6.1 with the rear channel signal being duplicated across the two rear satellites.

    The Audigy 2 ZS is certified by THX and we include the THX control panel for accurate configuration. Also, in addition to the standard surround decoding, we also allow you to replicate 5.1 rear channels to the sides so you can take advantage of a full 7.1 setup.

    Whilst DVD makers have not yet incorporated TRUE 7.1 encoding into their DVD releases Creatives Audigy 2 ZS manages to bring you close enough to the real thing! But how long will it be before DVD manufacturers start encoding in TRUE 7.1 surround?

    Darragh OToole: Large industries like film move pretty slowly but if DVD-Audio can be taken as a reference where full bandwidth 24/96 audio is being considered at the recording stage of studio albums, I think we can assume that as capacity and processing power become less of an issue that movie soundtracks will begin to transition to a non compressed format.

    For Hardware Fusions full interview with Creatives Darragh OToole click here.

    Be sure to check out Hardware Fusions in-depth look at the Audigy 2 ZS here.

    ]]>     CREATIVE ANNOUNCES NEW MUVO SLIM MP3 PLAYER tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1218 2004-04-20T17:29:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z CREATIVE SLIMS DOWN FOR THE SUMMER WITH THE LAUNCH OF A NEW EDITION TO ITS POPULAR MUVO RANGE Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer and the Internet, today announces a new... Fusion NET

    CREATIVE SLIMS DOWN FOR THE SUMMER WITH THE LAUNCH OF A NEW EDITION TO ITS POPULAR MUVO RANGE

    Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer and the Internet, today announces a new achievement in size and substance with a major addition to its award-winning family of portable audio players. Catering for the individual who appreciates rich features combined with ultimate portability and style, the Creative MuVo Slim 256MB dresses for success at a slender 7.6mm (0.3in.) thick. Combining digital audio, FM radio and live voice recording in an ultra-compact design thats no bigger than a credit card, the MuVo Slim 256MB will be available in May at an SRP of 149.99inc VAT.

    The Creative MuVo Slim fits easily inside a shirt or suit pocket, briefcase or other personal accessory for business or social occasions. Equally versatile in the office and as a travelling companion, it comes with an elegant black folding case that protects its good looks while enhancing its stylish appearance. Featuring a built-in microphone, the Creative MuVo Slim complements the professional by capturing up to 16 hours of dictation, conversation and personal reminders, helping users to safeguard clever ideas before theyre forgotten. Supremely versatile as a business tool, the MuVo Slim is also capable of storing company slide presentations, digital images and voice or music files.

    As a super-sleek portable audio player, the MuVo Slim holds up to eight hours (120 tracks*) of WMA files or up to four hours (60 tracks*) of MP3 music on the 256MB of memory built into its durable, solid-state construction. With super-fast USB 2.0 connectivity and simple drag-and-drop transfer without software, Creatives MuVo Slim accepts music files as quickly as a song per second. Crystal-clear music playback can be customised via a five-band graphic equaliser which features four equalisation presets in addition to the included environmental settings; pop, rock, jazz or classical.

    The Creative MuVo Slim also features an FM radio with 32 presets, plus FM recording capabilities to record favourite radio shows or songs. The removable battery is rechargeable via the players USB connection, providing up to an incredible 17 hours of continuous playtime and the flexibility to carry additional batteries for extended use.

    With a brilliant blue backlit LCD to illustrate file information and enhance visibility, music and voice files are accessed by simply scrolling through folders, playlists or songs for enjoyment in Play, Shuffle or Resume mode. In addition the MuVo Slim features built-in support for Windows Media Player 9 Series and WMA to ensure ultra compatibility with most systems and legal music download providers.

    This outstanding player, recorder and radio establishes a new benchmark for features and compact scale, states Geraldine Lee, Creatives European business manager for digital audio players. Able to adapt to any home or business environment, the MuVo Slim combines the features people want from a portable music device today with a tiny design thats sure to impress even the most style-conscious of users.

    High-quality neodymium earphones are included with the MuVo Slim and although it does not require software to transfer files, the package also includes Creative MediaSource music management software. MediaSource is an easy-to-use application for ripping and burning CDs, organising entire digital music collections and easily transferring MP3 and WMA files.

    ENDS

    ]]>     Creative GigaWorks S750?s Review tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1217 2004-04-14T03:25:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Developer: Creative | Product Type: PC Speakers | Price: 329.90 inc VAT Creative first launched its Cambridge SoundWorks speaker range as the DeskTop Theatre 5.1 DTT2500 Digital back in October 1999, which provided home users with a powerful solution... Fusion NET

    Developer: Creative | Product Type: PC Speakers | Price: 329.90 inc VAT

    Creative first launched its Cambridge SoundWorks speaker range as the DeskTop Theatre 5.1 DTT2500 Digital back in October 1999, which provided home users with a powerful solution to 5.1 surround sound entertainment. With the arrival of the Audigy 2 ZS, Creatives first 7.1 sound card came the GigaWorks S750s, providing 7.1 support and to the revelation of users, even more power! In comparison to Creatives Inspire range the GigaWorks sound system manages to deliver both unprecedented power and quality to the demanding extremist user. Since the release of the MegaWorks 550s, the predecessor to the S750s it is clear that Creative has decided to market the new S750s without the Cambridge SoundWorks name, which Creative say is to identify between their more Hi-Fi oriented range and their extreme PC range. So just how much has the GigaWorks S750s grown from the MegaWorks 550s and is it worth the upgrade?

    Features and Specifications

    The Creative GigaWorks S750s provide up to 70 Watts RMS output per satellite channel (7 channels) and 210 Watts via the LFE (subwoofer). In total the S750s are capable of pumping out up to 700 Watts total burst power, giving gamers, music lovers and film watchers the extra power they need for an immersive surround sound experience. In comparison to Creatives 7.1 Inspire range speakers, which provide a total burst power of only 92 Watts the S750s are quite clearly the ultimate choice for the extremist entertainment enthusiast. With the addition of the Audigy 2 ZS sound card users will be able to enjoy the full benefits of Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES, which are both adaptations of surround sound technologys used by todays state-of-the-art cinemas. Additionally gamers will also be able to enjoy true 7.1 surround sound using the Audigy 2 ZSs OpenAL and DirectSound3D audio processors. The GigaWorks wireless remote gives users the ability to control the system from wherever they are in the room, as well as the freedom to relax in their environment, without having to get up to change volume settings. With the addition of an M-PORT connection the user can connect a compatible MP3 player for live audio playback. Finally Creatives CMSS up-mix feature gives users the ability to use the GigaWorks 750s on a 6.1 or even 5.1 sound card.

    Features:

      Use with Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound cards for breathtaking 7.1 results with Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES movies and EAX ADVANCED HD games.
      Titanium Super Tweeters in satellites offer high-frequency response for outstanding results with DVD-Audio.
      THX approval assures acoustic excellence and state-of-the-art technology.
      Creative CMSS function up-mixes 5.1 or 6.1 content to 7.1 surround.
      Wireless remote gives comprehensive control over volume, tone and surround settings.
    Speaker Specifications:
      70 Watts RMS per channel (7 channels)
      210 Watts RMS subwoofer
    Technical specifications
      70 Watts RMS per channel (7 channels)
      210 Watts RMS subwoofer
      Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 40kHz
      SNR: 99dB
    Package Contents
      Seven wall-mountable two-way satellite speakers
      One subwoofer
      One Audio Control Pod
      One wireless remote control (Batteries included)
      Six speaker desktop stands
      One monitor stand (Downward facing)
      Three 10ft / 3m cables for front speakers
      Two 16ft / 5m cables for side speakers
      Two 23ft / 7m cables for rear speakers
      7.1 audio cable
      User manual
      Warranty and Technical Support leaflet

    ]]>
    MegaWorks to GigaWorks

    Since the release of Creatives MegaWorks 550s the GigaWorks 750s has developed both in power, size and features. The GigaWorks S750s are capable of supporting up to 700Watts total burst power, which is 200 Watts extra power over the MegaWorks 550s. The frequency response has also made a big improvement since the 550s. Whilst the MegaWorks were only able to handle a Frequency Response of 25Hz to 20kHz the GigaWorks are capable of providing up to 20Hz to 40kHz, enabling the ability to play even lower and higher notes. Obviously with the extra power that the S750s provide the GigaWorks have also increased in size. The satellite speakers are double in size over the MegaWorks speakers. The subwoofer has also significantly increased in proportion making the S750s not something a user would want to house in a small room. The badge on the front of the speakers has also changed from being called the Cambridge SoundWorks | THX to just Creative, with the THX stamp of approval situated on the top of each speaker unit. Unalike the MegaWorks 550s the user can now remove the face plates from each of the satellite speakers, something which the more extremist sound fanatic may enjoy over the common user! Connectivity and functionality has also made a big step in evolution since the 550s. The 550s wired remote, which had little connectivity options aside from headphone in has now been replaced with a stylish control box with an M-PORT connection and a wireless remote option.


    Design Overview

    The design of the S750s is similar in style to that of the MegaWorks 550s system. In terms of appearance no major changes have been made and the speakers still conform to the pro-user look of the 550s. Whilst the S750s are certainly not unpleasing to look at they do lack a certain degree of finesse. The materials used on the product are very structurally sound and are sturdy enough to handle the powerful output that the system can produce. The subwoofer is made up of very strong wooden and metal materials, which enables the subwoofer to perform at its best! Cheaper speaker systems often have a subwoofer which is made out of reinforced plastic. For the professional user this is not a feature he or she would want as wooden made subwoofers tend to absorb sound better, therefore enabling the LFE (subwoofer) to produce greater sound output at lower frequencies. The satellite speakers are made out of reinforced plastic materials, which are each strong enough to handle a total power output of 70 Watts. Satellite speakers are not required to have a complete wooden structure as they do not have to handle very low frequency sounds like the LFE. The satellite speakers have also been built with titanium super tweeters which offer high frequency response output whilst playing DVD movies or audio tracks. The remote that comes included is the standard remote that Creative sends out with a majority of their speaker systems. Whilst it offers increased functionality its simplistic design approach lacks style for what is a main feature of the product, and an expensive product at that!


    Conclusion

    Creatives GigaWorks S750s have come a long way since the MegaWorks 550s. With the addition of extensive new features, including 7.1 surround sound, M-PORT connectivity and higher power output, the S750s manages to identify itself as a very marketable product, which owners of the 550s may want to consider upgrading to! The performance output is more than enough for the home user to revel in and is guaranteed to provide the ultimate 7.1 surround sound experience for gamers, film watchers and music listeners. With the incorporation of Creatives Audigy 2 users will be able to enjoy the full effect of Digital EX and DTS-ES supported movies, which until recently have only been available in todays state-of-the-art cinemas. The step up to the 7.1 surround sound format means the effect of cinema audio is coming even closer to the home, with gamers and movie watchers being able to experience greater realism whilst playing todays DVD films and games. Because of its superb power output and extensive list of features hardwarefusion.net are going to award the Creative S750s with a 5 Star Rating.

    More Product Photography...


    ]]>     Plantronics CS60 Wireless Review tag:www.games-fusion.net,2004:/hardware/articles//10.1216 2004-04-02T22:20:00Z 2006-10-10T13:23:39Z Chunkin Cheung Product Category: Wireless Communications | Manufacturer: Plantronics Inc. | Price: $470 / 250 / 375 The CS60 telephone headset system is the latest product in Plantronics Office range. Plantronics is one of the world market leaders in... Fusion NET

    Chunkin Cheung

    Product Category: Wireless Communications | Manufacturer: Plantronics Inc. | Price: $470 / 250 / 375

    The CS60 telephone headset system is the latest product in Plantronics Office range. Plantronics is one of the world market leaders in commercial telephony solutions, and their broad range of products include high-quality, ergonomically-designed headsets, amplifiers and telephone systems, all designed to enhance voice communications. Plantronics introduced the worlds first lightweight telephone headset in 1962, and their products were used in Neil Armstrongs historic One small step for man transmission from the moon in 1969.

    Their latest CS60 is a wireless headset system, and incorporates DECT technology Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication offering superior sound quality, essential for a wireless product. DECT was chosen over newer technologies, such as Bluetooth, since it has a greater range. The CS60 consists of a receiver base, with power adaptor, and a headset (Plantronics DuoPro Convertible Headset) which can be worn in one of several ways, behind the neck, over the ear or over the head, offering both flexibility and convenience. An optional accessory, sold separately, is the HL10 Handset Lifter which replicates the headsets position in the base unit to answer and end calls, when the headset is not present.

    DECT is a modern radio technology utilised for voice data, multimedia traffic and networking applications with range capabilities up to a few hundred metres. It is a digital radio standard for wireless communication in residential, corporate and public environments. It includes many forward-looking technical features that allow DECT-based wireless systems to play an important role in new developments such as internet access and other wired and wire-free services such as GSM (cellular technology) and ISDN. The DECT platform uses advanced digital radio to achieve an efficient use of the radio wave spectrum; and in doing so, delivers high-quality speech and data integrity. Another advantage with DECT technology is that it is a secure means of transmission (all data is encrypted, and in the case of the CS60, at a digital wavelength of 900MHz), with little radio interference from other sources and low power (radiation). Three main characteristics define DECT technology: TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) radio access provides high system capacity, due to its low interference rate, ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation) speech encoding analyses the digital radio waves, ensuring DECT cordless phones output high-quality audio, and DCS/A (Dynamic Channel Selection/Allocation) guarantees that the best, most secure radio channels are used. DCS/A is a regulation of TDMA and ADPCM. This capability ensures that DECT devices and application can co-exist together in the same radio spectrum, in the same frequency, with high-quality, secure communications for the end-users.

    During the setup of the CS60, we encountered few problems, the instructions provided were well-written and the installation straightforward. The receiver unit simply sits between the handset and base unit of your conventional telephone, and the power adaptor plugs into a wall outlet or power strip. However, we did find that the CS60 was not compatible with our new-style, cordless DECT-enabled phones, and a most, older conventional phones, with the problem that most DECT cordless phones use newer line socket attachments, and many older conventional telephones simply do not incorporate a feature for second handsets, or do not respond to other devices on the line. However, since most users are likely to have a modern, coded telephone, this is not a major problem.

    ]]>
    Once set up and fully charged, we found the functionality of the CS60 to be excellent. The CS60 includes all