Of course, we know there's a difference between grilling, barbecuing, and smoking, but we're using "grill" as the catch-all for backyard cooking appliances. Most of you picked up on that, and when the votes all tallied up, it was the Weber One Touch Kettle Series that took the top spot, with close to 40% of the overall vote. It may be iconic, but those of you who voted for it explained it's so well known for good reason. In second place was the pricey but extremely well loved Big Green Egg, with close to 25% of the votes cast. This kamado-style cooker will set you back a pretty penny, but it's so well loved that regional clubs and groups have sprung up around it, and there are enthusiast forums all over the web dedicated to them. In third place with 23% of the vote was the Weber Genesis Series of professional-grade gas grills. Falling back in fourth are the more portable and budget-friendly Weber Q Series with over 11% of the vote, and bringing up the rear was the affordable Char-Griller Akorn Kooker kamado-style cooker with 2% of the vote.The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!Photo by Vasile Cotovanu.
What to do if your keyboard on the screen. And if there are dozens of screens: At CES, the Russian design Art Lebedev, the company shows upcoming Optimus Aux Optimus popularis keyboard with a mini and a series of six unique keyboard for data input devices on the key to the home screen.
Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Most Popular Grill: Weber One Touch Kettle Series
If you're planning a cookout this summer, you'll need the right outdoor cooking appliance to get the job done. Last week, we asked you which grills you thought were the best, and then we took a look at the five best grills based on your nominations. Now we're back to highlight the winner. Of course, we know there's a difference between grilling, barbecuing, and smoking, but we're using "grill" as the catch-all for backyard cooking appliances. Most of you picked up on that, and when the votes all tallied up, it was the Weber One Touch Kettle Series that took the top spot, with close to 40% of the overall vote. It may be iconic, but those of you who voted for it explained it's so well known for good reason. In second place was the pricey but extremely well loved Big Green Egg, with close to 25% of the votes cast. This kamado-style cooker will set you back a pretty penny, but it's so well loved that regional clubs and groups have sprung up around it, and there are enthusiast forums all over the web dedicated to them. In third place with 23% of the vote was the Weber Genesis Series of professional-grade gas grills. Falling back in fourth are the more portable and budget-friendly Weber Q Series with over 11% of the vote, and bringing up the rear was the affordable Char-Griller Akorn Kooker kamado-style cooker with 2% of the vote.The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!Photo by Vasile Cotovanu.
Of course, we know there's a difference between grilling, barbecuing, and smoking, but we're using "grill" as the catch-all for backyard cooking appliances. Most of you picked up on that, and when the votes all tallied up, it was the Weber One Touch Kettle Series that took the top spot, with close to 40% of the overall vote. It may be iconic, but those of you who voted for it explained it's so well known for good reason. In second place was the pricey but extremely well loved Big Green Egg, with close to 25% of the votes cast. This kamado-style cooker will set you back a pretty penny, but it's so well loved that regional clubs and groups have sprung up around it, and there are enthusiast forums all over the web dedicated to them. In third place with 23% of the vote was the Weber Genesis Series of professional-grade gas grills. Falling back in fourth are the more portable and budget-friendly Weber Q Series with over 11% of the vote, and bringing up the rear was the affordable Char-Griller Akorn Kooker kamado-style cooker with 2% of the vote.The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!Photo by Vasile Cotovanu.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
SanDisk Extreme II Series 120GB, 240GB and 480GB SSD Review
Legit Storage Reviews
Marvell 88SS9187 SSD processorSATA 6 Gb/s compliant: Backwards compliant to SATA 3 Gb/s & SATA 1.5 Gb/sATA Command Set ACS-2NCQ support up to queue depth = 32Support for TRIMS.M.A.R.T. feature supportedAdvanced Flash Management:nCache™ – Non Volatile Write CacheDynamic and Static Wear-levelingBad Block ManagementBackground Garbage CollectionAdvanced features:Tiered caching – Volatile and non-volatile cacheSupports multi stream – improves user experience in multitasking systemsMinimal write amplification – increases endurance and performanceSupport for Thermal throttling:Performance will be throttled in the event junction temperature of critical components is measured to be exceeding the maximum allowable for the product
It was June of last year when we had a look at the first edition of the SanDisk Extreme SSDs which was powered by what was at the time, the hottest SSD controller on the planet - the SandForce SF-2281. Times have definitely changed and while the SF-2281 controller is still very much a popular controller, there are a number compelling options available now. With that, SanDisk has decided to change things up a bit with their high performance Extreme II drives and go with the latest Marvell 88SS9187 controller which we first saw on the Crucial M500 review. It puts out some really nice numbers and in fact SanDisk has even stated that the Extreme II drives are the fastest retail drives they've outed to date.
We were fortunate enough to get our hands on all three available capacities SanDisk is offering 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB. All of them see an overall performance increase over the first generation Extreme drives with the increases most pronounced on data that's incompressible which we'll see in our benchmarks. They are all also covered with a robust 5-year warranty which equals the best on the market that we could find and have a MTBF of 2,000,000 hours.
Marvell 88SS9187 SSD processorSATA 6 Gb/s compliant: Backwards compliant to SATA 3 Gb/s & SATA 1.5 Gb/sATA Command Set ACS-2NCQ support up to queue depth = 32Support for TRIMS.M.A.R.T. feature supportedAdvanced Flash Management:nCache™ – Non Volatile Write CacheDynamic and Static Wear-levelingBad Block ManagementBackground Garbage CollectionAdvanced features:Tiered caching – Volatile and non-volatile cacheSupports multi stream – improves user experience in multitasking systemsMinimal write amplification – increases endurance and performanceSupport for Thermal throttling:Performance will be throttled in the event junction temperature of critical components is measured to be exceeding the maximum allowable for the product
The notebook bundle comes with a spacer shim for more fitment options in a variety of equipment, changing the drive height from 7mm to 9.5mm.
The desktop bundle comes with a SATA 6Gbps data cable and a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter plate as well as the necessary screws for affixing to the plate. We'll have a look inside each drive now.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Most Popular External Battery Pack: Anker Astro Series (3E/E4/Pro)
If you need to keep your gadgets powered up on the go, you'll need batteries—or better yet, an external battery pack. There are tons to choose from, but last week we asked you for the best. Then we looked at the five best external battery packs based on your nominations. Now we're back to highlight your favorite.The Anker Astro Series were your clear favorite, and they took the top spot with over 40% of the overall vote. The affordable, slim, and power-packed 3E, E4, and Astro Pro were just a few of your favorites, and a number of you called out other Astro models in the call for contenders that were just as powerful and just as portable. In second place with 22% of the vote was the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation, a metal-bodied, sturdy power pack with a ton of juice for its size. Right behind it in third were MonoPrice's external battery packs, which brought in close to 16% of the vote and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their universal qualifier however is that they're generally cheap and get the job done. In fourth place were the New Trent iCarrier and iGeek external battery packs, both of which are affordable, portable, and offer easy-to-read displays to show you how much juice is left. Bringing up the rear in fifth place was a big name in battery technology: Energizer's XP Series brought home just shy of 8% of the votes cast, and offer a wide array of battery packs from the super-affordable and portable (but low on power) to the power-packed and pricey models that can power netbooks and laptops if need be. The bright spot here is that any of these external battery packs will serve you well on the go, and they're all portable enough to fit into either your pocket or a small laptop bag or backpack, so you can't really go wrong here. There were some other nominations in the call for contenders thread and the full post, so if these don't strike your fancy, make sure to check there for more suggestions. The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!
The Anker Astro Series were your clear favorite, and they took the top spot with over 40% of the overall vote. The affordable, slim, and power-packed 3E, E4, and Astro Pro were just a few of your favorites, and a number of you called out other Astro models in the call for contenders that were just as powerful and just as portable. In second place with 22% of the vote was the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation, a metal-bodied, sturdy power pack with a ton of juice for its size. Right behind it in third were MonoPrice's external battery packs, which brought in close to 16% of the vote and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their universal qualifier however is that they're generally cheap and get the job done. In fourth place were the New Trent iCarrier and iGeek external battery packs, both of which are affordable, portable, and offer easy-to-read displays to show you how much juice is left. Bringing up the rear in fifth place was a big name in battery technology: Energizer's XP Series brought home just shy of 8% of the votes cast, and offer a wide array of battery packs from the super-affordable and portable (but low on power) to the power-packed and pricey models that can power netbooks and laptops if need be. The bright spot here is that any of these external battery packs will serve you well on the go, and they're all portable enough to fit into either your pocket or a small laptop bag or backpack, so you can't really go wrong here. There were some other nominations in the call for contenders thread and the full post, so if these don't strike your fancy, make sure to check there for more suggestions. The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!Friday, June 7, 2013
MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming Series Motherboard Review
Legit Motherboard Reviews
Micro Star International, more commonly known as MSI recently sent us over one of their recently released Intel Z77 Gaming motherboards. What they sent over isn't your average mom and pop motherboard. The MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard is a beast of a motherboard and geared for those looking only for the best. Although there are several others in the MSI Gaming Series, the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming is the top dog of the series. The MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming is available for as little as $169.99. The Z77A-G45 Gaming and Z77A-G43 are available for $139.00 and $109.99. Each of the boards has its respective place, but we are going to focus on the flagship board of the gaming series the Z77A-GD65 Gaming.
The MSI Z77 series of motherboards are built with the intent of giving gamers the top features and technology so that the can be at their best and not have to worry about their hardware. According to MSI the Gaming boards have 'The best weapons at hand'.
The highest frag and the lowest lag with Killer E2200Game networkingMilitary Class III componentsGaming device portOptimized for multiple graphics cardsBoosting performance thanks to OC Genie IITop quality audio solution with Sound Blaster CinemaSupports DDR3 3000 memory for super fast loadingEach of the above features adds to the performance of the Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard and would make a great addition to any gamers arsenal.
The Killer E2200 Intelligent Networking Platform is built for maximum networking performance for online games and high-quality streaming media. Featuring Advanced Stream Detect, Killer E2200 automatically detects and accelerates game traffic ahead of other network traffic for smoother, stutter-free in-game performance and the competitive edge. With this exclusive, automatic traffic prioritization, games and real-time chat get priority over low-level system chatter, giving you the lowest latency for game data on the most controllable network hardware available. Through the detection and prioritization of gaming traffic you can finally fully utilize your network without fear of being kicked from an on-line game because of high ping. This enables true multi-tasking without manually enabling or disabling applications, updates and installations. Killer networking actually allows you to use your PC 24 hours a day.
You want more FPS, lower ping, but why use a pro-gaming mouse with old-fashioned standards? MSI Gaming Device Port is optimized for high polling rate mice (500 to 1000 Hz) which lowers your mouse's response time from 8 milliseconds to 1 millisecond! This gives a much smoother mouse response in games. The additional gold plating on the ports enhances the durability drastically and ensures your PS/2 and USB ports are always working when you ship out to a LAN party.
Gaming Benefits
More ResponsiveSmoother GameplayFaster ReactionsTechnical Benefits
3x More Gold than regular connectors10x longer lifetime when plugging and unpluggingPrevents OxidationThe onboard audio performance of a motherboard is almost always questionable for some and good enough for others. Lately though each motherboard manufacturer has found ways to try and set themselves aside from the crowd. Some have replaced the typical Realtek audio codec with another, others have had the Realtek audio codec set up to use third party software. In the case of the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming, MSI is utilizing Creative Sound Blaster Cinema software to hopefully boost the sound quality quality and performance of the onboard Realtek ALC898 Hi Definition audio Codec. I would have liked to see MSI step it up a notch and use an actual Creative Audio chip, after all, MSI is going after the die-hard gamers out there that are likely using dedicated sound cards.
Many of the remaining features are the same technologies that we have seen on MSI motherboard in recent times. All the components on the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard are Military Class III Components. The Military Class III Components consist of DrMOS II, Hi-c Cap, Solid CAPS, and Super Ferrite Chokes. Below is the explanation of each of these components from MSI
DrMOS II
DrMOS is the next-gen Mosfet which is used to deliver the power for the CPU. MSI DrMOS does not waste much power, stays cool and is more power efficient than other powersaving solutions. Because DrMOS is a 3-in-1 chip it delivers much more power with less components needed. This solution gives you the power to break world records.Hi-C CAP
A Hi-c CAP is a very small, but super-efficient capacitor. Besides ensuring enough spacing around a CPU socket to install large coolers, it also allows for 93% energy efficiency. Thanks to Hi-c CAP's MSI mainboards are the most energy efficient in the market.Solid CAP
With their aluminum core design, Solid CAP's have been a staple in high-end design mainboard designs and provides lower Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) as well as its over-10-year lifespan.Super Ferrite Choke
Super Ferrite Chokes use a Ferrite core that is Super-Permeable. This allows the Super Ferrite Chokes to run at a 35 degree Celsius lower temperature, have a 30% higher current capacity, a 20% improvement in power efficiency and better overclocking power stability.Beyond the Military Class III technologies, we have features such as Super Charger, Click BIOS II, Total Fan Control, and the ever so important Dragon Heat-Sink... Each of these features plays an important roll in the performance of the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard (yes even the Dragon Heat-sink that is over-sized to aid in heat dissipation).
Supports 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Pentium / Celeron processors for LGA 1155 socketSupport four DDR3 DIMMs 1066/1333/1600*/1866*/2000*/2133*/2200*/2400*/2600*/2667*/2800*/3000*(OC) DRAM (32GB Max)Supports Dual-Channel mode3 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots4 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slotsSATAIII controller integrated in Intel Z77 chipset
Up to 6Gb/s transfer speed.Supports two SATA ports (SATA1~2) by Z77SATAIII controller integrated in ASMedia ASM 1061 chipset
Up to 6Gb/s transfer speed.Supports two SATA ports (SATA7~8) by ASM 1061SATAII controller integrated in Intel Z77 chipset
Up to 3Gb/s transfer speed.Supports four SATA ports (SATA3~6)RAID
SATA1~6 ports support Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (AHCI / RAID 0/1/5/10) by Intel Z772 USB 3.0 rear I/O ports by Intel Z771 USB 3.0 onboard connector by Intel Z77Chipset integrated by Realtek ALC898Supports Sound Blaster CinemaSupports one PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Killer E2205 GigabitSupports ATI CrossFire TechnologySupports NVIDIA SLI TechnologySupports Lucid Virtu Universal MVPATX 24-Pin power connector8-pin ATX 12V power connectorCPU x 1 / System x 4 FAN connectors3 x USB 2.0 connectors1 x USB 3.0 connector1 x IEEE 1394 connecto1 x Multi BIOS Switch1 x TPM Module connector1 x Front Panel connector1 x Front Panel Audio connector1 x Chassis Intrusion connector1 x Debug LED panel1 x Voice Genie connector (optional)1 x MultiConnect Panel connector (optional)1 x V-Check Points Set1 x Power button1 x OC Genie button1 x Reset button1 x Clear CMOS jumper1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port1 x Clear CMOS button1 x Coaxial S/PDIF-out port1 x Optical S/PDIF-out port4 x USB 2.0 ports2 x USB 3.0 ports1 x RJ45 LAN jack1 x 6 in 1 audio jack1 x HDMI port with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @60Hz1 x DVI-D port with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @60Hz1 x VGA port with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @75HzThe motherboard BIOS provides "Plug & Play" BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and expansion cards of the board automatically.The motherboard provides a Desktop Management Interface(DMI) function which records your motherboard specifications.30.5cm(L) x 24.5cm(W) ATX Form Factor
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