Tested: Vantec Iceberq5

I've had the Vantec Iceberq5 in my computer for a while now and thought I'd post about how it's going. This isn't really a review, it's just my thoughts on what I have experienced. The installation was as easy as it could have been, with the only major hassle being the removal of the old heat sink from my Leadtek Ti4600. After that it was just a matter of adding thermal paste to the GPU, thermal pads to the heat sinks and putting it all together. I was a bit worried at first about the pressure that the retaining clip was applying to my video card when I was putting it on, but all seems well now and nothing snapped. The last thing left to do was plug the fan in. I didn't have the option of using the fan connectors on the video card (they were 2 pin) so I could have either use a 3-4 pin converter (one came with it) or run it from my fan controller. In the end it was easier for me to use my fan controller because my power supply (Enermax) doesn't have many leads. I've noticed that my video card now runs a lot cooler than it did before, even when it's under very heavy load. Also when the computer is running I can't hear the fan on the Iceberq5, but that could be because the other fans in my case make a fair bit of noise. I think the Iceberq5 was a great buy and it will let me get a little bit more life out of my old video card (through overclocking).

Panasonic's new digital camera

Just found news on the Digital Camera Resource Page that Panasonic will be adding a new camera to the FZ series in September called the Lumix DMC-FZ30. Going by the specs it should be a great camera... I just wish my Olympus C-770 had an AF-assist lamp, optical image stabilizer and manual zoom/focus rings, then I wouldn't even be thinking about upgrading (not that I can afford to).

Rally SA, August 6-7

That's right it's almost time for Rally SA again, so be sure you don't have anything else planned for that weekend.