102 MAXIMUMPC JUNE 2006
We tackle tough reader questions on...
PBoot Faster PZen Vision: M
PHyper 6+ POGG PTube Tips
BAD BOOT
Regarding the “Fastest Boot in the West” article in
the May issue, I applied all the techniques with-
out any problems and was very pleased with the
results, except one. Removing the XP splash screen
(/NOGUIBOOT) added several seconds to my boot
time. Is it just me, or is it Bill Gates’ way of sticking
it to the end user?
—Dave BuynaSENIOR EDITOR JOSH NOREM RESPONDS:
Windows XP’s boot sequence is a mysterious,
confounding process. Because the /noguiboot
switch removes the visual part of the boot
process, thereby reducing, albeit slightly, the
demands made upon your system, it should
result in a slightly faster boot. Indeed, it saved
us an extra two seconds. As for why you didn’t
get the same results, we don’t know. Perhaps
your Windows installation is more bloated than
the one we used for testing. Maybe you have
different hardware. Maybe you’ve been naughty
and Bill Gates found out. Our advice is to turn
the GUI back on if you want those seconds
returned. And then the next time you reinstall
Windows, try turning it off to see if you achieve
some gains with a fresh install.DON’T BE GREEN WITH ENVY!
I think you missed a VERY important feature of the
Creative Zen Vision: M review when comparing it
to the fifth-gen iPod (May 2006)—the number of
colors each screen renders. True, the iPod has the
kick-ass interface, more capacity, a smaller size,
all kinds of crazy third-party support for add-on
devices, the list goes on. But the iPod’s 65K color
screen pales in comparison to the Vision: M’s
262,144 colors.
When every portable media player that
comes out is compared to some flavor of iPod,
the other guys need a little help. I still agree with
the score you gave the Vision: M, considering thelackluster controls, but I know that screen would
sway some consumers.
—DefilerEXECUTIVE EDITOR MICHAEL BROWN
RESPONDS: When a product dominates itsmarket segment the way the iPod rules the
media-player market, we’d be remiss to not
compare it to every new challenger. But when
it comes to settling on a verdict, hands-on test-Easy to Install,
My Ass!
You must have been smoking something when
you gave the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ a Kick
Ass award and proclaimed it easy to install
(Sept. 2005).
First off, I had to remove the motherboard
and stock retention plate. Then the screws
on my Asus A8N-SLI Premium weren’t long
enough to reach through the motherboard,
so I had to bend the arms on the front reten-
tion plate. After getting the nuts attached and
tightened, I found that the rubber grommets
provided for the front retention plate don’t
tighten against the motherboard. Easy instal-
lation? I don’t think so.
Then I got it installed and found that only
a four-pin plug is provided, which will fit on
my three-pin Asus motherboard, but then the
fan will only run at the lowest speed. Cooler
Master’s installation instructions were awful.
Its tech support is almost nonexistent. I’m not
calling a 900 number for tech support, and
my emails haven’t been answered. I almost
forgot: The provided fan is 10cm—try finding
a replacement for that. Are you sure you really
tested this CPU cooler? I for one will never buy
another Cooler Master product.
—Tom SimonSENIOR EDITOR JOSH NOREM RESPONDS:
Sounds like you had a pretty bad experi-
ence. Tom; and that’s never good to hear.
We test products thoroughly and recom-
mend what we think is the best, in order tosave you time, energy, and money. Although
we’ve received a lot of letters from people
who love the Hyper 6+, it disturbs us to
hear that you didn’t get along with yours.
In our defense, the Hyper 6+ is easy
to install compared to some of the other
“big boned” CPU coolers on the market.
That said, if your motherboard has a
backplate that’s glued on, then yes, it’s a
more difficult process. As far as the arms
not reaching, you just need to push a bit
harder. We’ve installed our Hyper 6+ many
times, and though it’s a tough fit, the arms
have always reached all the way through
the board.
We’ll admit that we’re not fans of
motherboard removal though, especially
when coolers from Arctic Cooling and
Zalman perform just as well without
requiring you to rip any core components
from your case. If we reviewed the Hyper
6+ today, we might knock a point from its
score, but the cooler is still worthy of the
Kick Ass award. If you want to ditch yours
for good, go with Zalman’s CNPS9500 LED.
It fits a wide array of socket types, has
adjustable fan speed, and cools as well as
the Hyper 6+.in outYOU WRITE, WE RESPOND
CUTCOPYPASTE
In the May issue How2 department, we advised readers
to go to http://www.itv.com for downloadable TV content, but
the correct URL is actually http://wwitv.com.