Eric Garay

I call it the “93X” because of what’s inside. This is built upon Zotac’s newest little 9300 ITX WiFi Motherboard. It offers all the features needed to play the latest game titles which include:

1. Intel LGA 775 Desktop Processor Support
2. 2 x DDR2 DIMM Memory Slots (Max 4GB Memory)
3. PCI-Express x16 Graphics Slot
4. Integrated HD Audio
5. Full USB 2.0 Support
6. Integrated Wi-Fi

The resolution of your video games really depends on the grpahics card installed. Assuming you pick an ITX chassis large enough with an equally capable power supply, you can pretty much play any game title available. This particular chassis offered the following specs:

1. Intel Q9550 Core 2 Quad Processor
2. Zotac 9300 ITX Wi-Fi Motherboard
3. 2 x 2GB Patriot Viper Memory
4. Zotac 9800 GT 512MB Synergy Video Card
5. FSP Group 300 Watt ITX Power Supply

It played Mirror’s Edge without any issues what so ever at 1680 x 1050 and 1900 x 1200 resolutions. As far as I’m concerned, this is the official new, compact, portable level of gaming. It’s the most powerful ITX gaming system seen to date.

All it needs is an LED fan, maybe some sweet Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 memory, or mini-CCFL to show off the window. And you can build this one for as little as $400 if you down size to a Core 2 Duo rather than Quad.

I visited Tritton a couple months ago at CES and played some video games at their booth which were using their newest, elite, head phones. They have some useful hardware that can connect many different forms of video and media. Sure, does help simplify the desk space and clean up clutter.

Their $59 head phones seen here come with integrated 5.1 channel audio. What set this head set apart was the rich, deep bass produced by the drivers. It was actually quite nice and just about perfect for something like playing Call of Duty 4 where the gun play makes all the difference. They also did a good job of picking up in game sounds usually not heard on cheap headsets.

One particular headset that was sweet, was their new Pro series. These are going to come with graphics destined to draw attention. And yes, the audio quality is easily another couple notches up on the frag meter. Any game of the gaming systems scaled really well with the upper echelon headset. These are going to cost about $90 to $150 depending on the set you buy due to the accessories.

How do they fit? They were surprisingly comfortable. They encompass the ear nicely without causing fatigue or soar “lobes”. And the weight is pretty balanced across your head thanks to the wider, padded bands. Despite the amenities, the headsets felt very well made. They should take a decent amount of fit throwing. However, you shouldn’t have those since you’ll have much better hearing.

So, if you thought the “other guy” just had to be cheating when he beat you by doubling your score, chances are he had a nicer head set. It’s amazing what head sets can do just for your game experience alone. Couple that with a new quality audio card and you’d be even more lethal. I’ll let you know when I get some more head sets in to play with! :p