A Few Big Announcements: Reviews, my update, etc.

[Omega]

First things first. SPAMThere have been a slew of new reviews posted over at HardwarePub (http://www.hardwarepub.com/), so go check them out. SPAMMost recently are the following reviews:
-Plextor PlexWriter 24/10/40a (http://www.hardwarepub.com/reviews/plextor24x/index.shtml)
-Enermax Whisper 431w PSU (http://www.hardwarepub.com/reviews/enermax431w/index.shtml)

Read them. SPAMNow.
-----------------
Well, now that I know you've all read at least those two reviews, I'll let you in on what's been happening with me lately, if any of you have been observant enough to notice my absence (or recognize me at all ;)).

SPAMWe all know that the holiday season is upon us, and that means everyone, everywhere is pushing to get things done. SPAMFor me that translates into hours and hours of seemingly endless work (not to be confused with a seemingly endless wok). SPAMI was able to manage a teriffic three hours of sleep Sunday night (well, more like Monday morning, if you want to get technical), so needless to say, I haven't had a whole lot of extra time to be posting in the forums.
SPAMI've missed the daily comfort of NetSmog, so once my slave drivers let up a bit on my work load (probably around next Sunday or Monday) I'll try to catch up. SPAMLast time I had to "catch up" on multiple missed days of NetSmog activity it took me over three hours, so I can't begin to imagine how long this will take. SPAMAnd the moral of the story? SPAMNever leave NetSmog! ;D

[Simo]

Amen....I went off netsmog for about 2 weeks awhile ago and it took me ages to get up to date.

[Hulaboy]

I can absolutely relate to that! SPAMI was pretty active when Netsmog first started and then school started back up for me. SPAMNeedless to say, I had to prioritize and get school work done. SPAMI was only able to read a couple of posts every now and then until winter break hit. SPAMThat was about two weeks ago and I am still trying to catch up!!! SPAMSo, don't feel so bad...hehehe. SPAM;)

With an added note...I just read your review on the Plextor 24X burner. SPAMVery nice. SPAMI currently own a Plextor 16X burner and was wondering if it would be worth the upgrade? SPAMI'm thinking not too much since burn times between the two drivers really aren't that much different? SPAMWould you upgrade from a 16X to a 24X?

One other thing, I was wondering if you will ever do a review on the MSI 645 Ultra? SPAMI haven't seen a lot of reviews on this board. SPAMThe reason I ask is because I just won this board at a tech seminar I attended. SPAMThe only worthwhile review I have seen is the one done at Tom's Hardware. SPAMI'd like to see another perspective to it. SPAMI have to admit though, with the board's support for DDR333 it sure does perform rather nicely. SPAM;D

[Simo]

I wouldnt bother with a 16x - 24x upgrade...apariently in the real world there is mear seconds diffference between them.

[Omega]

SPAM SPAMPersonally, I probably would never even really consider upgrading from 16x to 24x. SPAMPrior to this PlexWriter 24x, I had been using a 4x USB burner from HP. SPAMThat is a bit of an extreme case, but it illustrates my point. SPAMWith something like a CD burner, you can do the same thing with a 4x as you can with a 24x, it just takes a bit longer. SPAMI have patience like a sloth, after having to put up with slow-ass computer equipment and dial-up connection, so something like waiting 40 minutes to burn a CD is something I could deal with.
SPAM SPAMUnfortuantely, as I have many times discovered, others do not share my patience. SPAMI would suggest puting money into something like a graphics card, processor, or ram, rather than a faster CD burner. SPAMThen again, if you're rolling in money, sure, go for it. SPAMAnd send me your old one while you're at it ;).