With the release of every new generation of gigahertz pumping processors, the daunting task of keeping them cool has become quite a concern. This usually is not much of a problem for most PC users who run their PC for years with the same configuration they purchased it in.

But for the enthusiast PC users who tweak, over clock or simply tinker with the performance settings by cranking it higher in order to achieve maximum performance, cooling becomes a big issue.

Improper or inadequate cooling can shorten the life of PC components such as processors or graphics chipsets the risk increases when core PC components are over clocked. This brings us to something known as thermal paste or thermal grease.

This material is used to fill up the microscopic pores that would otherwise act as a catalyst in generating more heat in the gap between the processor and the heat sink.

There are several thermal grease brands available in the market, but one of them-Arctic Silver-has always been a top preference among over clockers and PC enthusiasts.

The exterior

On the outside, the XPC ZEN is pretty much fully loaded. On the front panel, there are two ports for connecting USB devices. You will also find ports for Mic, Line In and Line Out, so connecting devices and audio-video equipment won’t involve you groping about at the back of the Pc.

On the rear panel, you will find the regular audio ports, and ports to connect the mouse and keyboard. Also provided are two additional USB 2.0 ports, and two FireWire ports. Since this PC uses an external power supply, you will also find the DC In port on the rear panel. But the most interesting thing on the rear panel is a CMOS clear button -a delight for compulsive tweakers when things go slightly wrong. They can clear the CMOS and start afresh by just pushing this one teeny-weenie button.

The interior

Once you open up the PC, the first thing that strikes you is the absence of an AGP slot. So if you pain to upgrade to a better graphics card, it’s not going to happen. There’s one PCI slot and two DIMM slots for installing DDR memory modules. The layout of cables is clean -the IDE cables that connect the hard drive to the motherboard are a bit short and fit snugly on to the side of the frame.

The XPC ZEN ST62K sure is small-this PC takes up less than half the space most PCs do and is super silent. But does that mean it’s half the performance? Let’s find out.

Features

The XPC ZEN is based on the ATI9100 IGP chipset, an integrated solution by ATI that offers support for Pentium 4 processors running at 800 MHz FSB. The chipset also supports up to 4 GB of 128-bit dual­channel DDR memory, AGP 8x and DirectX 8.1 graphics. Packs quite a punch for gaming doesn’t it? For music lovers, there is S.l-channel audio onboard through the Realtek chipset. USB 2.0 and integrated LAN also make their way on to this chipset.

The system is powered by a 180 watts power supply. The best part about the power supply is that it’s external, which means better air cooling on the inside and more importantly, no noise.

Talking about cooling, the XPC ZEN features a heat pipe cooling system, with just one fan acting as a cooler for both the processor and the cabinet. Neat! The heat sink itself has a copper base which is very effective in keep your CPU cool.

So much for looks. As a smart buyer, you’ll want to look beyond the style issue. When one is buying a cabinet, one has to check its build quality. The construction of the frame holding the drive bays should be sturdy enough to hold the drives attached. The base of the cabinet should be even, so that it doesn’t list to one side when placed on a flat surface. So we checked for that.

While at it, we also checked the construction of the cabinet and the way the side panels fit on to the frame. In addition, we checked how easy it is to open the side panels of the cabinet, and looked for any USB and sound ports provided for connecting respective devices. We noted the number of air gaps provided for attaching extra cooling fans.

So how does the Saturn ATX measure up? First up, the side panels can be easily opened by undoing the screws-you don’t need a screw d river for that, as it’s pretty easy to unscrew with your fingers. Nevertheless, providing a screw less access would have been better, as it is much easier to work with -especially if you are a compulsive up grader and constantly plug in new hardware.

On the front panel you will find ports for connecting a maximum of two USB devices and Audio In/Out ports for speakers and microphone. You can connect up to five fans inside the cabinet, but there isn’t much space for air to escape from the lower front of the cabinet which would hold two of these five fa ns. That apart, the two openings on the back of the cabinet and on the left panel provide ample room for the air to escape.

On the inside, a 3S0 watt power supply is provided with ample power connectors. You can connect up to four 3.S-inch (hard disk) and four S.2S-inch (CD-ROM) drives on the drive bays.

Once you open the package, what you find inside is the sphere itself with a base and a docking pole which is 9 inches tall. You can also detach the camera from the docking pole and fix it directly on to the base.

The camera is USB 2.0 compatible, which means you need simply plug it There are two ways you can place the Logitech Quickcam Sphere-on top of the I 9-inch-long docking pole (shown at top) or directly on the base as shown above into your PC’s USB 2.0 port and start using it-goes without saying, of course, that the camera is of no use to you if your PC doesn’t provide a USB 2.0 port.

The Quickcam Sphere can capture images at a good 1280×960 resolution. In addition, it allows 3x digital zoom. Motion capture for video conferencing takes place at a resolution of 640×480.

Usage and image quality The image quality of the webcam is impressive. Even video image quality at 640×480 resolution is quite crisp. However, you must bear in mind that while holding a video conference through an instant messaging client such as MSN or Yahoo Messenger, your frame rate smoothness will depend on the connection.

Face-tracking is a cool sounding feature of this webcam. You can enable this feature through the drivers-it enables the camera to move 128 degrees side to side and 54 degrees top-down so it can track your face as you move your head while sitting in front of your Pc. While this sounds really cool, there is a catch.

It tracks your face for sure, but if you move your hand while conferencing or if someone passes behind you, the camera shifts focus to that object-this can be quite irritating at times. But what we found more irritating is the fact that whenever the system is rebooted, the camera reorients its position to the center rather than remembering its old position.

The futuristic looking picture on this page is of the Logitech Quickcam Sphere, also known as the Quickcam Orbit in the US and European markets. Its aim? To stand ta lion your desktop and track your face as and when you move it.

With the Internet continuing to spread its web to even some of the most remote places on God’s earth, videoconferencing, chatting, and staying in touch is passe. What’s cool now is to be able to see the person you are chatting with! Which explains the popularity of webcams.

The choice that manufacturers offer in this product category is interesting because here it’s not about how fast the device is, but rather, how good the image quality is and how the product looks-it’s about style and flaunt value. Speaking of visual appeal, it’s hard to beat the Logitech Quickcam Sphere in that department.