Viewer Comments for Show 205:
• Chris wrote in to inform us about OpenECU page. A wikisite dedicated to providing information on turning, tweaking and reflashing automobile engine computers.
• Requiemnoise gave us a heads up on the Linksys NSLU2 network storage device. Using it with reflashed Debian Linux firmware, Requiemnoise says it should pay itself within 1.5 years on power savings alone over a repurposed PC running FreeNAS or similar application.
• Crysis: If you've been itching to play a game that shows off your multi-core DirectX 10 gaming monster look no further than Crysis. Games for Windows' Darren Gladstone is here to detail the finer points of this hardware stressing FPS.
• Robert provided his picks for HDTVs that are worth considering this holiday season. If you want the best HDTV period, look no further than the 60 inch Pioneer KURO PRO-150FD ($7,500 list) . Pioneer's flagship TV offers superior image contrast for excellent detail and color, and its 1080p resolution is a perfect match for today's best HD video sources. For a terrific 1080p plasma TV at a good price look no further than the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U. The 42PZ700U's 42 inch screen delivered good picture quality with standard and high definition video sources, and it has an SD card slot for easy viewing of digital images. For a big screen HDTV value, the 55 inch Sony KDS-55A2020 features a three chip light engine that delivers exceptional color and motion performance. The Toshiba REGZA 37HL67 is a compact LCD that handles HD video with ease, and it provides a trio of HDMI inputs for connecting your digital video devices. Robert also mentioned companies that specialize in good HDTVs at value prices - in particular, Vizio, ViewSonic, and Westinghouse have delivered consistently good performance in his challenging lab tests.
• GPS Picks:
• -Garmin Nuvi 760 is a great choice for those who need more features than a swiss army knife and don't mind paying for it.
• -Magellan Maestro 4250 is a good choice if you need a full featured GPS that doesn't break the bank.
• -Mio DigiWalker C220 an affordable GPS alternative that skips on the nice to haves, but still offers solid GPS performance.
• -The TeleNav GPS Navigator is a cellphone based GPS unit that uses the TeleNav service to offer maps, points of interest, and directions via their servers. The positives include a portable package, the latest map information and data, and traffic data. However, don't stray to far away from your phones network of cell towers or you'll find yourself without phone or GPS coverage.
• Mark wanted to know if it was worth building a Penryn based PC for his dad who likes playing MS Flight Simulator X. The short answer answer is, while Penryn does offer new features like SSE4, bigger cache, and smaller die size it's still a pretty expensive component. The top flight QX9650 Extreme Edition will set you back an even grand. On top of that is that the Penryn being released now is the first iteration of the platform. Newer revisions of the chip will feature faster bus speeds that will require new mobos plus an extra $200 for the chip itself. Your best bet is the Q6600 quad-core processor. In its stock form the Q6600 clocks in at 2.4GHz, however, if you pick up a G-stepping version of the Q6600 you can overclock the chip very comfortably to 3Ghz, with proper cooling.
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