[H]ard|OCP Week in Reviews

Today is Friday and you know what that means! It is time once again for the [H]ard|OCP Week in Reviews! For anyone that might have missed them, we like to take a quick look back on the hardware evaluations and articles we posted earlier in the week. We kicked the week off with our evaluation of the Thermaltake Toughpower 1500W PSU, followed by our AMD Radeon HD 7950 video card review. Finally, we wrapped things up with our coverage of the AMD [H]ard|OCP FX GamExperience.

Corsair Force Series 3 and Force Series GT SSD

PC Perspective has thrown a little review action on Corsair's Force Series 3 and Force Series GT SSDs. So what's the verdict? Hit the link and see for yourself. Here's a quote to get you started:

Corsair has met a good mark with their Force Series 3 and Force Series GT offerings. While the performance is inline with other models sporting the stock SandForce firmware, where they win folks over is with the aggressive pricing and broad range of capacity available across both product lines. Cost/GB figures approaching the $1/GB mark is definitely something we want to see for SSD adoption to improve, and Corsair is absolutely delivering in that respect.

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[H]ardware Round-Up II

Kim Dotcom Complains About Women Inmates' Letters

Kim Dotcom is complaining of unwanted attention from....wait for it...wait....the FEMALE inmates? "Your honor, you have to allow bail, these chicks are all over me! I don't know how much more of this I can take!" I've heard it all now.

The jailed founder of the file-sharing website Megaupload is complaining that women inmates are giving him unwanted attention. In a New Zealand courtroom to appeal a decision denying him bail, Kim Dotcom said he's gotten unwanted letters from female prisoners and a phone call from a man posing as a prosecutor, according to reports by media outlets.

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Apple Hires Former Xbox Live Marketing Head

First they hired Nintendo's PR guy now they have the former head of Xbox Live marketing working for them? Hmmm, kinda makes you wonder what Apple has in the works, doesn't it?

Burrowes is Apple’s new head of App Store Marketing for iTunes Europe. Prior to that, he worked at Microsoft for seven years, leading product, business, and marketing management of Xbox Live across the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. And as MVC notes, Burrowes was one of the main people promoting Microsoft’s recent Xbox dashboard update, which brought more social integration and premium content to the Xbox platform.

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StarTech Announces New HDMI Over IP Extender

We get press releases all the time but this HDMI Over IP Extender actually looks like something you guys would be interested in. There is a VGA version as well but the HDMI unit is really what caught my eye. Here's a bit of info from the product page:

The IPUSB2HD2 HDMI over IP Extender delivers a versatile HDMI-IP link between PCs on your network and an HDMI monitor/projector, at full high definition (1080p, 1920x1080) video resolution. Accompanying audio signals are transmitted directly through the HDMI output, or separately through the built-on 3.5mm stereo output port. An ideal solution for sharing a display or projector over an Ethernet network so that even PCs lacking digital video output can still connect, the IP/HDMI adapter can communicate through a network router at transmission distances up to 100m (300ft). Plus, it offers 2 USB 2.0 ports on the display side, to connect and share peripherals such as USB storage or keyboard/mouse input with the connected PC.

Features of HDMI over IP Extender (IPUSB2HD2) include:

• HDMI over IP conversion for shared access over a network

• Supports resolutions up to 1920x1080 (1080p)

• Audio over HDMI

• Support for Windows Aero®

• 2 USB ports for peripheral connections (display side)

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Micron CEO Steve Killed In Plane Crash

Micron CEO Steve Appleton was killed in a plane crash this morning in Boise. Appleton was the pilot and only person on board. Micron has released the following statement:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Appleton, Micron Chairman and CEO, passed away this morning in a small plane accident in Boise. He was 51. Our hearts go out to his wife, Dalynn, his children and his family during this tragic time. Steve's passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large. The company expects to provide additional information later today

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No Women on Facebook Board Shows Disconnect

Is this really a mystery to anyone? Did we all the sudden forget who we were talking about here? These guys are unlikely to ever get a date, let alone a female interested in being on the board.

Most of Facebook's more than 800 million users are women. You wouldn’t know it from looking at the board, whose seven directors are all men. The disconnect puts the social-media company at odds with others in the industry that have at least one female director, including LinkedIn Corp. and Google Inc., and from most big public companies in the U.S. Just 11.3 percent of the Fortune 500 had male-only boards last year, according to Catalyst, a New York-based nonprofit that researches women and business issues.

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Gaming [H]eadlines

43,000+ Gamers Call For Communication From Valve

Are you wondering where the hell Half-Life 2 Episode 3 went? You are not alone, there are tens of thousands of people just like you planning a protest of sorts in hope of getting Valve to at least comment on the situation. Thanks to Ray Wilson for the heads up!

Waiting patiently for over four years can be challenging as a fan, especially when E3 comes and goes without any sign of the Half-Life series and its continuation. Valve had stated that information was scheduled to be released towards the end of 2008, and we believe that if they have chosen to change those plans, fans should be acknowledged, regardless of developmental plans for the next Half-Life project.

The entire trilogy of episodes was scheduled to be completed and released by 2007, and if Valve have decided to do other things for the time being, that is fine; all that we ask for is a basic response on the matter, and to let fans know whether or not the current story arc is scheduled to conclude at another point in time.

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[H]ardware Round-Up

[H] Reader's Rigs

The weekend is almost here and, as you all know, that is the best time to finish a mod project, clean your computer or just tidy up your computer room / area. When you are done, post some pictures in the forums so I can show them off like this:

Xigmatek Prime SD1484

The crew at Overclockers Club have just put the finishing touches on their review of the Xigmatek Prime SD1484 heatpipe HSF today. Overall they seemed to really like the unit, hit the link to see why.

Out of the box, the Xigmatek Prime SD1484 is a cooler that offers very good performance at a pretty good price point. In a 2-fan configuration, the performance from this cooler came close to the Noctua NH-D14 which is and will be a good benchmark for quite a long time. Of course, adding an additional fan will cost some extra money but it will help the performance even more.

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Sheriff's Department Has "Creep of the Week" Facebook Page

So much for innocent until proven guilty in Jefferson County Alabama. Not only does the Sheriff's Department post pictures of alleged criminals on its "creep of the week" Facebook page, the sheriff actually gets into debates with the suspects in his spare time.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Donates $100M to Charity

It has to be a tough job trying to fill Steve Jobs' shoes but I think this guy is doing a hell of a job. I certainly like his willingness to donate to charity, match employee donations and offer big discounts to employees.

Cook said $50 million had been donated to Stanford's hospitals, with $25 million for a new main building and $25 million for a new children's hospital. Another $50 million has been donated to Product RED, which is a charity that combats diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

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EU Probes New Google Privacy Policy

Wow, the European Union sure put the brakes on that pretty quick, now didn't they?

The European Union's data protection authorities have asked Google to delay the rollout of its new privacy policy until they have verified that it doesn't break the bloc's data protection laws.

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[H]ot Deals

If you are looking for a bargain on computer hardware, we have some good deals for you today in this [H]ot Deals forum thread. The added bonus is all of today's deals come with free shipping on all ECONOSHIP orders over $50! The coupon codes for the items listed below won't last forever and are limited to stock on hand so you'd better hurry!

Start Folding With The [H] Today!

This is your end of the week reminder that joining the best folding team on the planet (Team #33) is now easier than ever. We don't give you money to join and we can't promise you prizes or other incentives, we do this simply because it is our passion and that is why we've had the best folding community around...for years. So, if you want to make a difference with a group of people that honestly care about what they are doing, join team Team #33 today.

Folding is a wonderful way to help your fellow man using your spare CPU cycles and now, thanks to the new FAH GPU Tracker v2, it is easier than ever to get started. Remember to put the number 33 in the "team" field and you’ll be folding with the [H]orde in no time! Thanks to all our team members for the wonderful job they are doing.

AMD Details A New "Ambidextrous" Strategy

At its annual Financial Analyst Day, AMD detailed a new "ambidextrous" strategy that builds on the company’s long history of x86 and graphics innovation while embracing other technologies and intellectual property to deliver differentiated products. AMD is adopting an SoC-centric roadmap designed to speed time-to-market, drive sustained execution, and enable the development of more tailored customer solutions. SoC design methodology is advantageous because it is a modular approach to processor design, leveraging best practice tools and microprocessor design flows with the ability to easily re-use IP and design blocks across a range of products.

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Intel Lands Top Spot On New EPA Rankings

This week, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked Intel first on its Green Power Partnership Rankings list, which showcases the annual green power purchases of leading organizations in the United States and across individual industry sectors. Previously, Intel was named the EPA Partner of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2011, and received the EPA Green Power Leadership Award in 2010.

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Viacom: "Mob Mentality" Doomed SOPA and PIPA

Viacom's CEO Philippe Dauman thinks that "mob mentality" doomed SOPA and PIPA. Of course he wasn't saying that about YOU, it was those other people that opposed SOPA that he was talking about. He even went as far as to say "It became almost religious dogma."

The "mob mentality" and "unfortunate rhetoric" around the protest of SOPA and PIPA earlier this month unnecessarily polarized the copyright debate between the technology and entertainment industries, said Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman, speaking today at D: Dive Into Media.

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Cool Video of the Day

Alright, which one of you guys is messing with the lights at CenturyLink Field?

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Top Scams of 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the list of the Top Scams of 2011 (PDF). At first glance, the list is surprising because Nigerian scams are so low on the list. That is until you realize that the Nigerians are also behind most of the other scams on the list.

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[H]ardware Round-Up II

Dev Says Piracy Prevents PC Exclusives

Ever wonder why we are seeing fewer and fewer PC exclusive games? Well, according to this developer, piracy is to blame, not the allure of big $$ on the console.

The PC, with piracy being as rampant as it is, is really hard to make money from. My first game was Titan Quest, a hack ‘n’ slash RPG, which was PC only but the amount that it was pirated was the difference between us staying in business and going out of business," he tells them. "It’s really, really hard to be profitable by concentrating only on PC. Unless you’re an MMO."

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Google Adding A New Layer to Android Security

Google has just announced a security feature codenamed Bouncer. I guess this means that if you try anything funny in the Android market place and you'll be out on your ear.

The service performs a set of analyses on new applications, applications already in Android Market, and developer accounts. Here’s how it works: once an application is uploaded, the service immediately starts analyzing it for known malware, spyware and trojans. It also looks for behaviors that indicate an application might be misbehaving, and compares it against previously analyzed apps to detect possible red flags.

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[H]ot Deals II

Attention bargain shoppers! We have more great deals for you in this [H]ot Deals forum thread...and they all come with free shipping! The coupon codes for the items listed below won't last forever and are limited to stock on hand so you'd better get in on these deals while the getting is good.

VeriSign Was Repeatedly Hit by Hackers in 2010

Dear [insert hacked company]:

No one believes any statement you make two years after the fact. Stating that company execs "do not believe" the attacks breached servers with critical information tells us they simply have no clue as to the extent of the damage.

Sincerely, The General Public

"Oh my God," said Stewart Baker, former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and before that the top lawyer at the National Security Agency. "That could allow people to imitate almost any company on the Net." The VeriSign attacks were revealed in a quarterly U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing in October that followed new guidelines on reporting security breaches to investors.

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Feds Arrest Streaming Sports Site Operator for Copyright Infringement

While most people caught streaming copyrighted content usually operate one or two websites, this guy operated nine of the sixteen seized by the Department of Justice this week. Thanks to Eviltone for the link!

A 28-year old man from Comstock Park, Michigan, has been arrested and charged with criminal copyright infringement. Yonjo Quiroa is the alleged operator of nine of the sixteen streaming related domain names that were seized a few hours ago as part of ‘Operation Fake Sweep’.

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Gaming [H]eadlines