2012: Coming to Power - SimHQ's PC Sim Racing Preview Update 1

"As the year progresses, themes emerging are many: venerable sims like Simbin’s Race Series being enhanced with updates and add-on packs, as well as the Race Room experience continuing; prolonging the life of the original product while we wait for the studio’s first all-new sim in years. GTR 3 — learning that Henrik Roos has left the position as CEO of Simbin is puzzling at best, and that World of Mass Development / Slightly Mad Studios are currently rewriting their business model and forewarning the community that access to the paid alpha versions of their Project CARS, the Community Assisted Race Simulation may soon be closed, hinting that development funds might soon be flowing freely through the company being integrated into something bigger, better, and with ISI facing increasing community pressure to overhaul their mind-bending mod system it seems the road to glory never runs smooth."

Read the full preview & commentary on SimHQ.

Well, you're reading this - so motor racing is your thing! You should take a moment to check out Mittoni's range of Playseat racing cockpits and the super popular Logitech G27 racing wheel, pedals and shifter. If that gets your oil pressure rising, the following video will have you red lined!
F1 2012 - Games vs Reality

The Coveted 9GHz CPU Overclocking Barrier Will Fall Soon!

"There's a new CPU overclocking record to report and, surprise-surprise (not really), AMD's spunky FX-8150 chip is the one breaking new ground. This time a Taiwanese overclocker who goes by "ksin" was able to push AMD's record setting processor to 8,805MHz (8.8GHz), inching ever closer to the coveted 9GHz mark."

Paul Lilly - MaximumPC

Interested in overclocking? Read the full article on MaximumPC.

Here's a video of the previous attempt at 9Ghz, reaching a stunning 8.4Ghz....

Survey Exposes Australians As Selfish & Impatient Online Shoppers

The results of Rackspace Hosting’s latest online shopping survey, conducted by Roy Morgan Research, reveals interesting insights into the behaviours of Australia’s connected consumers.

"Of the respondents, 83.2 percent listed convenience as one of the key benefits, closely followed by price (71.1 percent), price comparison (60.8 percent) and a wider variety of products and services (47.4 percent)."

Campbell Phillips - PowerRetail

Read the full article on PowerRetail.

"Hey Ghosts - Pick Up Your Gunnar's And Follow Me!"

New game Ghost Recon Future Soldier is all about immersion. Immersion into the digital world is what Mittoni is all about!


Upgrade your vision with Gunnars. Not convinced? Check out what users are saying about their G's.

From The Memory PM - 8GB vs. 4GB DDR3 1333 & 1600

JJ, our memory PM (AND YOURS!), writes:

You've probably noticed that G.Skill 1333MHz and 1600MHz 8GB single modules are now the same price or slight cheaper than 4GB based dual channel packs.

Examples:

GS-F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL vs. GS-F3-10666CL9S-8GBXL
GS-F3-10666CL9Q-16GBXL vs. GS-F3-10666CL9D-16GBXL
GS-F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL vs. GS-F3-12800CL10S-8GBXL
GS-F3-1600C9Q-16GAO vs. GS-F3-1600C10D-16GAO
GS-F3-12800CL9Q-16GBXL(RL) vs. GS-F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL

Whilst this situation may change over the next few weeks with the current and ongoing memory pricing fluctuations, we have a clear indication that 8GB modules will dominate sales into the future.

Another factor driving this sea change in the memory market is the mainboards themselves, with 2 DIMM slot boards being far cheaper to produce than 4 & 8 DIMM boards. Considering consumers are opting for 16GB as the standard memory configuration for Windows 7 64-bit versions, we see both a desire to reduce mainboard costs while increasing RAM it the same time!

Jilei - jilei@mittoni.com.au

Thermaltake Overseer RX-I Full Tower Case On LegitReviews

"One of the major things that separates the Overseer RX-1 is the amount of internal room of this chassis. Granted, I am using an older but still fairly large AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 video card with an Arctic Cooling Accelero GPU cooler on it, but trying to find a chassis that can easily handle this large video card configuration is darn near impossible. The Thermaltake Overseer RX-1 chassis not only handles this large card with ease, it makes this large video card look tiny once installed into this chassis."

LegitReviews

Thermaltake Overseer RX-1 chassis review by LegitReviews - Introduction & Conclusion.

Thermaltake 850w Toughpower Grand Cable Management PSU Review On RBmods

"Deviation on all rails stayed within .1 volt under the simulated, and real world loads. While we are not able to really overwhelm this PSU with the test rig thrown at it, it instills confidence that we couldnt even register a >.1 deviation while spinning up 4 drives and throwing the GPU load at it. I would say outside of a space heater, you are just not going to saturate this.Overall give this device serious consideration. It’s a contender, and quick forum looks indicate some users stretching this thing reliably closer to 1KW. Pair that with a 7 year OEM warranty on a high failure rate device and you’ve got an absolute prize."

Adam Montoya - RBmods

Thermaltake 850w Toughpower Grand PSU review by RBmods - Introduction & Conclusion.

StarTrack (Prev Known As AAE) Surcharge For PO Box Destinations

As you may be aware, recently Australian Air Express and Star Track Express merged to form “StarTrack”. For the most part, this merger has been fairly smooth, however we've now encountered our first major change in this service:

“As part of our new suite of products, StarTrack will continue to provide customers with the option of sending consignments directly to Post Office Box addresses in line with the service previously provided by AaE Retail. However, it is necessary to introduce a charge for this service to ensure it remains commercially viable for the future.”

Mittoni has no choice but to pass these fees (totalling $9ex) across to resellers continuing to use PO box addresses for either their own deliveries, or to their end users for DROP-SHIPs. You'll need to obtain a street address for any air satchel sized order in future to avoid having this surcharge imposed on your invoice (or invoiced separately if missed initially by your account manager).

Any questions you may have, please contact your account manager soonest.

Looking For CHEAP DDR3 Memory? MUSHKIN To The Rescue!

With the current price rises on DDR3 memory in particular, you'll find our Mushkin Enhanced DDR3 hasn't changed in price at all..... NICE!

Snap up a bargain on the following SKUs:

MK-998768-D313336T9SL Mushkin DDR3-1333 6GB Tri Channel [Silverline] 998768

MK-998946-D316006T9SL Mushkin DDR3-1600 6GB Tri Channel [Silverline] 998946

MK-998947-D316006T7SL Mushkin DDR3-1600 6GB Tri Channel [Silverline] 998947

MK-996947-D316004D7SL Mushkin DDR3-1600 4GB Dual Channel [Silverline] 996947

MK-998696-D320006T9BL Mushkin DDR3-2000 6GB Tri Channel [Blackline] 998696

MK-991735-S313332S9PL Mushkin DDR3-1333 2GB ECC Registered [Proline] 991735

MK-991736-S313334S9PL Mushkin DDR3-1333 4GB ECC Registered [Proline] 991736

G.Skill DDR3-2400 TridentX F3-2400C10D-8GTX Memory Kit Review On Neoseeker

"G.Skill has always been dedicated to creating exceptional memory for enthusiasts, and the Trident-X series is no exception. This is due to all the kits in the series being designed to take advantage of the improved memory controller in the Ivy Bridge processors, allowing them to run at incredibly high speeds... The G.Skill Trident-X memory modules also have a sleek modular heatspreader. This design allows the upper portion of the heatsink to be removed from the base, which will come in very handy for users with larger CPU heatsinks. The heatspreader also uses high-quality materials and is thicker than your standard memory heatspreader. The size of this thermal solution helps ensure the ICs are optimally cooled, regardless of whether or not the top fins remain attached."

Chris Ledenican - Neoseeker

G.Skill F3-2400C10D-8GTX DDR3-2400 8GB review by Neoseeker - Introduction & Conclusion.

Enthusiast Level Memory Users Swarm To G.Skill DDR3!

"During the 1st quarter of 2012, figures showed more than 1/3 of users within the community have chosen G.SKILL DDR3 kits as their memory solution"

As Bill Wang, VP at G.SKILL, stated “G.SKILL memory is widely known for its superior quality and unlimited overclocking headroom. We are excited and thankful that our products are highly recognized by overclocking community and we will continue to strive for ultimate customer satisfaction in the years to come.”

G.Skill DDR3 memory user analysis by HWBot.

BenchmarkReviews Check Out G.Skill's [ARES] F3-1866C10D-16GAB Memory Kit

"As RAM prices have steadily fallen over the years RAM sizes consequently have increased. The G.Skill Ares 1866MHz 16GB kit is a testament to this by providing users with massive amounts of memory for a very reasonable price... when you look at the high density of the kit, low profile design, and lifetime warranty the G.Skill Ares kit still comes out on top... The construction quality of the G.Skill Ares kit is superb, the PCB doesn't flex, the heat sinks just fit together, and overall the quality of Ares is as one would expect from a major producer like G.Skill."

Austin Downing - BenchmarkReviews

G.Skill [ARES] F3-1866C10D-16GAB memory kit review by BenchmarkReviews - Introduction & Conclusion.

Thermaltake Chaser MK-I Full Tower Chassis Review On BigBruin

"I have been a fan of Thermaltake for a long time, and cases like the Chaser MK-1 will keep me coming back. It is extremely well built, and the design of the case flows really well. Including dual USB 3.0 ports is great, and something that should become a standard feature. The other features of this case provide everything I need. I could rehash every feature and explain why I like them, however what you really need to know is that this case does its job extremely well. It will keep your components cool, and will be nearly silent while doing it. The construction is of the highest quality, which is what I expect from Thermaltake."

Steven Kean - BigBruin

Thermaltake Chaser MK-I chassis review by BigBruin - Introduction & Conclusion.

I thought my gaming setup was impressive..... I've been pwned!

"Some modern households are blessed with the addition of a game room. Call them what you will – man caves, bro dens, jock retreats. Most of them are organised in a way that emphasises utility – a place for drinks, a place for gaming, a place to chill. However, some game rooms are made to be showcases....."

Gosh, I thought my setup was impressive, but Pete's Gaming Room pwns mine! Pete has now made a video to answer questions about his setup:


Gaming is important at Mittoni. We're self confessed addicts of many genres, from simulation to RTS and beyond. Stocking just about every type of tool to build a complete kit, you'll find all the right stuff @ Mittoni!

Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition Mid Tower Chassis - Feature Rich!

"The V9 BlacX is a very feature rich case. The bay and expansion slots have one of the better tool-less installation designs we have seen in a case. It certainly feels more thought out than the common cheap plastic solutions, which usually break. The dual hard drive dock on top of the case is a very nice feature and will help save desk space since we don’t need our external drive enclosure anymore. The large exhaust fan helps promote the cooling capabilities of this case and the blue LED intake fan gives off a ton of light which makes the case look awesome in the dark. The USB 3.0 port is also a nice addition to the case"

Austin Thorne - Bjorn3d

Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition review by Bjorn3d - Introduction & Conclusion.