“Exclusively Distributed by Fine Upgrades Computer and Gadgets Distribution”

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 magazine
EDITORIAL Christian Uybengkee BUSINESS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
STAFF Editor-in-Chief ALEX AMADEO

Abs Abando
Assistant Editor TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
JESUS DOMINGO
RJAY GREGORIO
Rod Bier TELLE GREGORIO
DIY Section Editor
LEGAL
JayDee / Rjay JASON MIGRIÑO
Programming / Software Section Editor
ADMINISTRATION
Jonas Martinez ROSEL AMADEO
Games Editor CHRISTIAN MANINGDING

Contributing TPC Writers MARKETING

HERMANN THOMAS CALERO
Abs Abando, Christian Uybengkee, Jonas Martinez, Michael Angelo ZES MARTINEZ
Factor, Omar Mandawe, Rod Bier, Rogel Naval, Ross Flores Del
Rosario, Allan Sabado, Willy Palacios, Nonoy Ativo, Ronaldo Bejarin,
Ritz Marcelino, Albert Two Ingreso

Layout and Design

Christian Uybengkee, Marlon Abril, Franco Sibal,
Catherine Villanueva, Rea Diwata Mendoza
Patrick Anthoy Abando

Production Officers
Jun Cosme, Philip Fetalvero

Research Assistant
Allaine Zagala, Tina Soriano

PUBLISHER TipidPC.com, Inc.. COPYRIGHT All rights reserved by TipidPC.com, Inc.

#132 Amorsolo Street, Alexander House Building
Room 502, Legaspi Village, Makati City TipidPC designs and layouts are Copyright and
registered Trademarks of TipidPC.Com, Inc.

Tel. # Articles, opinions and views submitted by the au-

Landline : (632) 569.41.21 thors and contributors do not reflect those of the
(632) 569.41-22 editors and publisher.
(632) 489.8115
(632) 847.7819 - Tele/fax Reproduction in whole or in part without written
permission from the Publisher is strictly prohibited.

Website: www.tipidpc.com TipidPC Magazine is published quarterly and can

also be downloaded at http://www.tipidpc.com
Publisher: alex.amadeo@tipidpc.com

Editor-in-chief: christian.uybengkee@tipidpc.com

Web Ads: adsweb@tipidpc.com

Print Ads: adsmag@tipidpc.com

Article: article@tipidpc.com

4 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC.COM 5
 CONTENTS
FEATURE
14 Show Us Your Rig
12 TipidPC Events
20 Building from Scratch
22 Clarkdale Overclocking Guide

PREVIEW
24 Multi-Media Player to the Xtreme!

EXCLUSIVE
30 HDSLR : The Future of Cinematography
28 The Ipad Experience
29 Ipad as a Business Tool
32 Do Filipinos Need Facebook on their Mobile Phones?
34 LanShop: Generation í
42 A Member’s Call Center Life
46 Digital DJ’s Dream Dillema
48 Mobile Phone Vs. SmartPhone

SPOTLIGHT
51 The Man Behind SoftBox Solutions
52 Opening the Doors of Open Pinoy
54 Team Nikon Bullies

TECH GUIDES
56 Battery-Saving Tips for DSLR
62 High Dynamic Range Photography
58 Photography and Digicam
64 Photoshop Enhancement
66 Photographic Composition

DO-IT-YOURSELF
71 Carbon Fiber Sticker Mod ON THE COVER
68 Making an Ipad Concealment Case The D.I.Y Gurus
76 PSU Acrylic Conversion headed by Rod Bier a.k.a. Cham_e_
78 PSU Wire Sleeving lyon, Rogel Naval a.k.a Hertzblaster
80 Home-made Projector and Omar Mandawe a.k.a sledge
84 Mouse IR Led Replacement
88 Making an Aquarium PC Digital Artwork by:
92 The Xtreamer Case Modification Patrick Abando a.k.a Fibz

GAME CENTRAL
96 Tron 2011
98 Medal of Honor 2010
100 PS3 Game Reviews
102 Mafia II

COMMUNITY GUIDE
104 Identity Theft
105 Phishing

6 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC.COM 7
ALEX AMADEO a.k.a. ReB
Managing Director
TipidPC.com Inc.
 PUBLISHER’S NOTE Alex Amadeo a.k.a. ReB

MESSAGE FROM THE CORE TEAM

Sweet. Our very own magazine. After several years of yearning
and hard work, one of our visions is coming to fruition. I can still
remember back in 2003 as we were mapping out TipidPC’s plan
for the next five years over a dinner meeting at my house. Ideas
were running in different directions at the same time as eight guys
were speaking their minds out. It was a bit surreal. In those twenty-
two minutes of verbal chaos, goimon suggested that we should also
publish our own magazine, to complement the website. At that time,
the magazine’s concept was not yet clear, but nonetheless, we had
it staked as one of the site’s direction in the future. A couple of years
have passed and the idea still remained just a vision.
Our first big chance came in 2005 when Ayokis_stuff and I explored
on the possibility of doing collaborations for the magazine. Ayokis_
stuff was already publishing his own magazine, Airsoft Extreme,
back then.
We approached Ayokis_stuff again and this time around we are
adamant that we wanted to come out with our own magazine. We
are proud of our members – their expertise, creativity, resourcefulness
and their ability to innovate and improvise is second to none, and the
magazine was our way of to showcase the community. 2 months later,
‘TipidPC Magazine’ was born. We would like to thank everyone who
contributed and helped us in making this issue a reality - you’re now
part of TPC history.
In succeeding issues we will venture in using Taglish format to preserve
the Pinoy flavor and the TipidPC culture, just as we have envisioned
for the magazine. I am confident that this magazine will open a
treasure chest brimming with talent and unleash the true potential of
the TipidPC Community.
Enjoy!

First thing that we needed to establish was the magazine’s concept.

We wanted a concept that would go hand-in-hand with the site’s
vision.

We always get praises that our forum is a great source of

information, even for things beyond technology. It was evident in
the forums that we have a lot of highly skilled, expert, talented
and unselfish TipidPC members, willingly sharing their knowledge
to fellow members who needed help, without expecting anything in
return. We wanted to highlight this in our upcoming project and we
decided it was the perfect concept for the magazine.

Though even with a clear direction, we still held back. With all the
cost involved for the project, doubts started to cloud our thoughts - if
we could really sustain the project. We then had a realization, we
were not yet ready.

Fast forward to 2011, our community will be celebrating it’s 10th

year this July and we gave the idea of the magazine a second look.
TIPIDPC
We were moving to our new corporate office in Alexander House
along Amorsolo St. in Makati and everything seems to be in place., COMMUNITY
I thought, at long last the ball was finally rolling. I knew then that it
was time. We were ready. UNLEASHED
 CONTRIBUTORS
1. ABS ABANDO a.k.a Sunryzr is a freelance writer 1 2 3
and television director for both local and international
media with over 20-years experience in both photography
and videography. His work includes critically-acclaimed
documentaries which aired on the History Channel, a short
film which won the Best Picture award in 2009 and several tv
shows and indie films. He is currently a segment director for
a local television network where he puts all his knowledge
and experience to practical use.

2. CHRISTIAN UYBENGKEE a.k.a Ayokis_stuff

Has been a member of TPC since 2003. He conducted
special events for tpc and now assigned to spearhead TPC
magazine and the current Editor-in-Chief. A Publisher of
AirsoftXtreme International Magazine and Airsoft Buyers 4 5 6
guide magazine which circulates from 9 countries here and
abroad. He has been in the I.T. Industry for the past 18 years
and has served in various International companies like:
International School Colombo, Asian Devevelopment Bank,
Cybernet, Sivat Koma Korea etc..

3. JONAS MARTINEZ a.k.a Redwing001 He

holds an Associate degree majoring in Cobol Programming
from Systems Technology Institute batch 1993, finished
an electronic technician vocational course in 1991. First
started working as a call center agent way back in 2004
and presently working as a freelance online writer. Hobbies
7 8 9
include computer hardware repair and performance
optimization, automotive mechanic, electronics design and
DIY manufacturing. Became a tipidpc member in 2003. An
avid PC gamer and overclocker, electronic circuit designer
and DIY (Do-It-Yourself) expert.

4. MICHAEL ANGELO FACTOR a.k.a. Mixmasta

is one of the DJs behind Pump Mixers International, an
international group of Pinoy DJs that give away mixes like
The Weekly Top 7, The 10 Minute Madness and Partee
Mixes.Check them out at TipidPC.com under The Remix
thread
10 11 12

5. OMAR MANDAWE a.k.a sledge attended

BSECE at the Technological University of the Philippines
Manila. Presently working as Maintenance Engineer from
a company specializing in telecom power generation and
maintenance . A hobbyist with interest in electronics related
to audio-video, personal computer hardware, peripherals
and CCTV imaging and telescope making.Started out as
TPC member in 2005. “I spend most of my time designing/
redesigning different things I use every day. I really like
customizing my stuff”.

6. ROD BIER a.k.a Cham_e_lyon is a TipidPC

member since 2002. Some of his contributions to the
community includes the forming of the United Modders
Philippines. Together with it’s Core Team, they have helped
a lot of TipidPC members troublehoot their motherboard
BIOS problems thru the Forum thread titled “Boot Block
recovery for free” which he posted.
7. ROGEL NAVAL a.k.a Hertzblaster holds a degree
in Electrical Engineering from UST batch 1986. Presently
working as Business Unit Manager at an American-based
company specializing in process chemicals and equipment
in an industrial set-up. A hobbyist with interest in electronics
related to audio-video, personal computer hardware,
peripherals and also software. Started out as TPC member
in 2002 . Became an overclocker fan for some time until
2003 when he became interested with DIY projector.
8. ROSS FLORES DEL ROSARIO a.k.a.
extracool holds a degree in Electronics and
Communications Engineering from Mapua Institute of
Technology. He was formerly the ICT Officer of the United
Nations World Food Programme. Presently a businessman
managing several businesses, including an Internet Cafe.
One of his colleagues introduced him to the forums at TPC
last 2004, he got the idea of turning the workshop into a
LAN or Gaming Shop opened initially to his neighbors during
weekends and holidays.
9. ALLAN D. SABADO a.k.a. Adsventure
is an engineering manager in an electronic safety
systems company
10. WILLY PALACIOS a.k.a wheelee has
been a member of TPC earlier than 2004 & have been
tinkering with PC’s since the 386 era and when the
Pentiums came out Overclocking has become a hobby
ever since. His new found hobby, photography, started
in the late 90’s & ever since have been learning the
tricks of the trade. Currently using a Pentax system &
is fond of those manual lens. Graduated from HAU in
Pampanga in ‘86 & now currently working in China as
a PCB designer.
11. NONOY ATIVO a.k.a. nonoy_1969 is a
social activist who believes that technology rightfully
belongs to the masses and they should have every
possible opportunity to learn how to use it in their
daily lives. He works in a manufacturing company
doing events and promotions all over the country. He
graduated from U.P. Diliman with a degree in B.S.
Geography. He can construct a map of a place just
by walking around but this was before GPS became
mainstream. A photography enthusiast by day and an
avid PC gamer by night he finds it hard to find hours to
squeeze in sleep. He loves to read and yearns to have
an iPad to view his collection of downloaded PDFs.
12. RONALDO BEJARIN a.k.a. bartman1973
is currently working in one semiconductor company in
Gen Trias Cavite as a technical supervisor. A computer
enthusiast who loves to push the computer to the
limit. Became an overclocker after a few guys in tpc
named dm and ral teached him how to overclock his
s478 processor. Have represented our country in
3 overclocking competition (Irontech and MOA c/o
MSI and GOOC2010 c/o Gigabyte)in Asia and one
overclocker’s summit in Taiwan. Been a TPC member
since April 01, 2004 .
13. RITZ MARCELINO a.k.a rsa1 is an
Electronics and Communication Engineering graduate
from Don Bosco Technical College batch 2003. Worked
for a consulting company and in one of the world’s
leading financial service providers as SAP BW IT
consultant for 5 years now. An amateur photographer,
musician, sports-minded, online gamer and certified
TPC addict. Joined TPC in 2006 and loves hanging in
The Lounge.
14. ALBERT TWO INGRESO a.k.a
alberttwomi holds a bachelor’s degree in Avionics
Technology from AirLink International Aviation College,
Batch 2010. Presently attending SIA Engineering
Philippines’ Aircraft Maintenance Training Program in
Clark, Pampanga. A TPC/TCP member since 2006,
with interest in computer hardware and software,
as well as games on various platforms. Currently an
active member on the MSI Gaming Laptops thread,
with contributions such as various D-I-Y projects for
effective system cooling.

10 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 TIPIDPC.COM 11
"Exclusively Distributed by Fine Upgrades Computer and Gadgets Distribution"
 FEATURE
TIPIDPC EVENTS
NVIDIA GAME TOURNAMENT
Nvidia sent an exclusive invitation to TipidPC
members to participate in a NVDIA LAN
Game attended in by 20 hand-picked TipidPC
gamers. Gamers, professionals and students
converged at the SM Megamall where the
event was held.
The TipidPC editorial staff was there
spearheaded by Chris and Rod.
TIPIDPC & TIPIDCP COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING PARTY
12 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC COVERED EVENTS, SEMINARS,
PRODUCT PROMOTIONS AND LAUNCHING
Also present were TipidPC President, Alex
Amadeo and Western Digital representatives.
From among the 20 participants, only 2 TPC
members remained for the elimination round
with the winner taking home a US$200 cash
prize.
SILVERSTONE DINNER MEETING
TipidPC Editorial Board meet up with SilverStone
representatives from Taiwan together with guys
from Fine Upgrades Philippines, distributor of
Silverstone products.
The most awaited community event of the year is
the TipidPC Thanksgiving Party where members
of both TipidPC and TipidCP meet face to face.
The party was held in Libis last December 2010
and attended by members from TPC veterans,
admins, owners, and premium members.
The hosts, Taba, Goimon and Ayokis brought the
house down with their wit and humor. Members
and sponsors provided fantastic prizes.
Notebook, airsoft guns and NZXT casing were
among the top giveaways of the night.
TipidPC is always grateful for the support and
attendance of members. Everyone enjoyed--
even those who were not lucky enough to bring
home prizes!
Aside from the food, TipidPC members took
home TipidPC umbrella which were made
available only for that event. See you on the next
TipidPC EVENT.
THANKSGIVING
PARTY 2010
Dec. 11, 2010
AMBERBASE
EASTWOOD

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 13
14 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 Show us your rig

Computer Specs:
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955BE
Motherboard: MSI 890FXA-GD70
Memory: G. Skill Trident 1600MHz (2Gbx2)
Videocard: Inno3D GTX 260 Gold Edition 216SP
Souncard: Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro
HDD: Western Digital 1TB Green Edition
ODD: LG DVD-RW w/ Lightscribe
PSU: Corsair HX650
Casing: Coolermaster 690 II+
HSF: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. B
Auxiliary: Coolermaster 120mm 90cfm (6Pcs)
Others: Coolermaster 4-in-3 Device Module

CODENAME:
AMD ROIDS
FAUST

Glenn M. Pantay a.k.a k3itaro_mpg

I’m a TPC member since March 19, 2005. I’m a Switching Engineer of a telecom
company. I’m fond of building pc because I would like to showcase my crafts and give ideas to
those who want to start building an inexpensive but eye-catching pc’s. This is also my way of giv-
ing credit to those guys who influenced and taught me the perfect way to build a rig.

I am not into much modification right now because I don’t have a place to do it. But if given a chance, I would like to
start a career in PC-building here in my province.
I just change the fan blade of the auxiliaries to color blue, change red LED to blue and put some sleeve on the wire to
compensate the theme of my rig.

Show us your rig

The “Time Wasting Machine”

Gilbert N. Arbuis a.k.a. Monyuka

I’m a TPC member since December of 2007. I am IT professional. I’m fond of building
PC’s because I just like to keep up with the latest hardware. Building custom pc/modding
is like a hobby to me. Computer Specs:
proc: Intel I7 920
mobo: Asus P6TD Deluxe
One main reason why I build/mod my pc is to get what I really need at a cheaper price ram: 3GB G.Skill Trident
and gain that extra performance and aesthetics. vc: Sapphire Raden HD5550 Ultimate
case: Thermaltake Level 10
cooling: CoolerMaster V8
monitor: 3x Acer 17” LCD (for Eyefinity setup)

Modifications done:
extra case fans, wire sleeving, cable management
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 15
 Show us your rig

Computer Specs:
Intel Q6600 QuadCore 2.4ghz
DFI Lanparty P45 t2rs Plus
Gskill Trident 4GB
Inno3D 9500GT
1TB Western Digital HDD
Corsair H50 CPU LCS
Corsair TX750watts
CoolerMaster Cosmos RC1000k
Thermaltake Turbo fan
Corsair H50 Fans

Modifications done:
Car Paint K92 Orange
Daniel Anthony Nopueto a.k.a Frontosa06
2k Urethane For TopCoat
PowderCoated Inside I am employed at a pharmaceutical company in Quezon City. I am interested in Computer
Acrylic Cuts And Bend For exhaust Fans By: TantricModz assembly and modifying parts of computer case. I love to change the original paint of
CarbonFiber stickers By: Chezzowicked computer case to a custom color paint so it will look different from others, Im a Facebook
Cable sleeves for great and clean looks of cables addict.
Cable Management for better Ventilation I’m a member of rignoobies, a group of computer enthusiast here in TipidPC.com

Show us your rig

Computer Specs:
Intel Core i7 920 2.66ghz stock,3.6ghz at OC
Asus Rampage II Extreme
Corsair H50 Hybrid Cooler
Corsair Dominator 6gb Triple Channel Kit 1600mhz at 1600mhz
2 Palit GTX 480 Stock speed, in SLI
Joseph Malixi a.k.a Jomal Corsair AX 1200W PSU
Two Seagate Barracuda 500gb 7200rpm
One Seagate Barracuda 1tb 7200rpm
Jomal and his “ Black Minimalist Rig” Asus 22x Combo Drive
Corsair 800D Full Tower Chassis (All Stock Corsair Fans)
I’m a practicing government physician in our province in Bataan. I started building my Acer P241w Monitor
own computer 2 years ago, got inspired from rigs posted in TipidPC, then started to Razer Lycosa Mirror Edition
upgrade my PC. Razer Salmosa gaming mouse
Razer Kabuto gaming surface
Altec Lansing VS3251
I started to modify my PC with spray painting. Got addicted to cable sleeving and then APC Smart Ups 1500VA 980Watts
everything follows. Then I ventured in selling in TPC. The further upgrades led me to
finish building my present gaming/workstation rig. This year I started to realize that I want Mods Done:
my current rig to be very simple, clean looking, yet elegant and robust. Spray painted red motherboard components with flat black
Cable sleeved all Chassis and fan cables black
Spray painted monitor base flat black
Cable management
Blue laminating sheet covering on ROG motherboard logo

16 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 Show us your rig
Mitchelle S. Aquino
a.k.a. Vanguardwars

I’m a TPC member since April

01, 2009. I’m an ECE graduate
from UE-Caloocan. Right now
I’m a Senior Mainframe Devel-
oper in Makati.

I’m an electronics enthusiast.

Computer Specs:
Processor: AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz (over- I always enjoy tinkering elec-
clocked to 3.3GHz using OC Genie Lite) tronic stuff. But when I got my
Motherboard: MSI 880GMA-E45 first rig last March 2009, that’s
RAM: 2 x 2GB Team Elite DDR3 1066MHz (CL9)
Video Card: XFX ATi Radeon HD5770 (Model: when I started thinking on how
HD577X-ZNFC) I could make my rig look nice
HDD: 1 x 320GB Western Digital Caviar Blue and efficient at the same time.
ODD: Lite-On DVD-RW DL
Power Supply: CoolerMaster 750W GX Series My case at that time is a Mid-
CPU Cooler: DeepCool IceEdge 400 XT Tower m-ATX Neutron Case.
Case Fans: 1 x 120mm Everflow Fan
1 x 92mm Delta Fan
5.25” Drive Bay HDD Cooler Then I found TPC. To my sur-
prise, modding is like a big
Modifications done: thing around TPC, and I start-
Chasis (Exterior as a whole): Painted with Glossy Black, and manually buffed to mirror-finish.
Chasis (Interior): Painted with Glossy Black, un-buffed to mirror-finish. ed hopping into forums until I
Painted the Motherboard tray and the HDD/ODD cage to Glossy Yellow-Orange. stumbled upon the “United Modders Philippine Thread”. That’s when I started my first,
Sleeved most of the wires using Flexo PET. and current, project (I coined it as Neutron-Reborn) with the help of the guys in the thread,
Top Panel: Installed 2mm-thick Acrylic window
Left Side Panel: N/A specially Cham_E_Lyon. The current project took me a year to finish because modding
Right Side Panel: Installed 2mm-thick Acrylic window demands a lot of time, and I only had weekends to do it. Up to now it is continuously
Back Panel: Removed the mesh cover for the 80mm fan and installed an Acrylic adapter modded by applying carbon fiber vinyl stickers to some parts. My rig isn’t that perfect or
(with grills) to accommodate an 80mm or 92mm fan.
Installed Silverstone Aero Slots. flawless, but for me, it is and I love it.
Bottom Panel: Drilled a 120mm blow-hole (from 80mm)
Installed Silverstone 120mm Fan Filter The theme I used in my project is inspired by a rig from a member of TPC. I really liked
Front Panel: Re-designed the aesthetics.
Re-arranged the buttons, LEDs, and USB ports. the yellow stripes and glossy black combination. The one that took most of my time is the
Installed a Front Mesh for Air Intake. painting process because I only have spray paint cans and it took forever to dry. And the
Installed a DIY 3-channel Fan Controller (max of 1A per channel) using LM317. gruesome part is the manual wet sanding and buffing.
Replaced the power and reset buttons with Vandal push buttons (no LEDs).
Replaced the Power and HDD LED indicators with BLUE LEDs.
Installed a 2mm Acrylic bumpers/guard I’m planning to start a new project but I have yet to finalize the concept and design and
Modified the 120mm Everflow fan to BLUE fan hopefully it won’t take me a year to finish it.
Modified the 92mm Delta Fan to BLUE fan
Modified the 5.25” Drive Bay HDD Cooler

Show us your rig

Computer Specs:

Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Motherboard - Emaxx P45 Pro
Memory - 2*2gb Team Xtreem Dark CL4 800mhz
Video Card - Inno3d GTX 460 768mb OC Edition
Hard Disk - Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black
Cooler - Corsair H50 Liquid Cooling
Power Supply - Cougar CM Power 700w
Accessories - Xigmatek fans, Deep Cool Rockman fan controller
Case - Modified Exodus Case

Modifications done:
Exterior
Powdercoated (White)
Customized window design for top and side panel with acrylic
Body filled front panel, customized 120mm blowhole,
Replaced power and reset button
Manuel Florenz E. De Guzman a.k.a. Renzdg Customized 2x1in. Aluminum Case Foot
I’m a TPC member since July 18, 2009. I graduated from University of Santo Tomas Deep Cool Rockman fan controller led changed from blue to orange
in 2009 and started to work as a graphic artist. Art and design is one of my specialty.
Interior
I decided to apply it to my hobby thats why I got into modifying computer cases . I love Powdercoated base (white), ODD and FDD bay (flat black)
playing games and I’m into graphic design. By joining and being friends with UMP made 90mm rear exhaust mount modified to 120mm (for H50)
me more motivated, gain new knowledge and learn more skills. Winning the Silverstone ODD bay mesh cover for cab
“The Rave” Case Modification Contest is one of my greatest achievement in the field of
modding with Team Kublai composed of biglou, bluepuz, redburn, zer09, vanguardwars,
hanich and specially kharr who lead us to win the contest.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 17
 Paolo Getueza a.k.a. Pao88GTSLi Show us your rig
I’m a TPC member since April 2008. I’m a student at
St. Paul University – Quezon City, taking up Bach-
elor of Science in Information Technology. I’m fond
of assembling system units because it feels like as-
sembling real cars when I crank them up. Also, it’s
been a decade since I hooked myself to PC building
and PC gaming,

I learned a lot from online material or through my mis-

takes such as burning rams and disk (lol). Since I’m
not a fan of other things, I spend a lot of time playing
and building system units thus making it my primary hobby.

The first modification I’ve done with the Raven

was to change its stock bay. I had several revi-
sions. The first was to replicate Mr. Medina’s
Raven (of course, with permission) and then
I decided to design my own. It came out to be
like armor with blade in the final version. The
clear acrylic behind the armor-like acrylic is
lit up by red L.E.D. to have that luminous ef-
fect. It even looked like a zealot in StarCraft 2.
Master Cham painted the case with an auto-
mobile paint and I decided that the secondary
color such as the mesh and PSU guard to be
colored as red.
I chose black and red color combination since
my hardware dominated that color combina-
tion, my custom water-cooling kit too. Master
Cham also created a custom side panel which
I revised. The cables in the interior are sleeved
with white and red too. Some lights such as
CCFL and KAMA-METER Multifunctional Con-
troller for the Bay.
Computer Specs:
Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.8Ghz – Water-cooled / ASUS Rampage III Formula / Inno3D GTX 580
OCZ Triple Channel Memory Kit PC 12800 @ 1866Mhz
Creative X-Fi Elite Pro / 2x 1TB WD Caviar Black SATA3 in RAID0
1X 2TB WD Caviar Green SATA3
Corsair HX620 620W
Modified Silverstone RV-02

Show us your rig

Computer Specs:
Mother Board: MSI X58 Pro-E socket 1366 for i7
Processor: Intel i7 920 @ 2.67 ghz. socket 1366
Memory: Corsair Dominator Triple Channel DDR1600 3*1gb
Video Card: Nvidia GTX460 1gb DDR5
Hard Drive: 1x640gb Western Digital Caviar Black and 1x500gb Seagate Barracuda
Power Supply: Corsair HX 750watts Modular Cable Power Supply
Case: Silverstone RV-01bw

Modifications done:
* Set-up the 240mm Radiator at the top of the Power Supply to Accomodate my Water
Cooling Loop inside the CPU.

* I put a Sound Activated Module + 2pcs. Strip Led (color blue) at the Top portion of my
Side Panel Window and say (Party Life ^_^)

* Cable Management using a p-clip and Akasa Zip Tie

* I place Cooler Master Aerogate II and Cooler Master Musketeer Led at the Front Panel
Bay to Add Some Flavor on my Raven-01 Simple Panel.

Ricardo Omaña Mangundayao a.k.a

LiljHoN_05

I’m a tpc member since May 18, 2009. I’m a 22-year old father
of a 1-year old baby girl and I have a small business of trading
computer accessories. I really love it and this is for life.

18 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC.COM 19
 FEATURE
BUILDING FROM SCRATCH
By: Ariz Cabiaz a.k.a Incubus_boy08
or high definition graphics and a great
F
gameplay experience, a powerful gam-
ing rig with style is what every gamer
needs. Since I am a gamer myself, a
number of rigs have already come my way. Let
me share my experiences from my first com-
puter all the way to my soon-to-be rig.
I got my first so-called “rig” back in 2002. It was
Acer Aspire 6000 desktop series which was a
gift from my dad when I was in high school. I
was surprised since I was not expecting that
my dad will buy a computer for us back then. It
includes an Acer scanner and an Epson print-
er. It was one of the first models in the Acer As-
pire desktop lineup. The specs of it were, well,
I can say in the midrange level of those years.
The fastest processor available back then was
Intel’s Pentium III clocked at 800 MHz. It’s too
bad I don’t have it anymore since it was “scav-
enged” as was already broken and we don’t
know then how to fix it. Worse, it was hard to
find a computer technician back then.
So, as far as the specs are concerned, I know
it’s not capable to play the modern games of
today, but hey, it served me well back then.
One of the games I used to play with my As-
pire computer was Counter-Strike Beta 6.5
up to version 1, the very first FPS shooter
that I played and still playing until this day. Of
course, Half-Life was also on my list. My first
real-time strategy, Command and Conquer: Ti-
20 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
berian Sun and Red Alert 2. I was torn between
the Playstation console and the computer. At
first I was an avid Playstation guy but when I
started enjoying the PC, I spent more time on
the PC than on the consoles.
The Aspire PC broke after 2-3 years. It was
kind of hard for me back then since I have to
play outside or else I’ll stick with Playstation
once again. Fortunately, we got a budget to
build a replacement for the broken Aspire. The
build was not hardcore. It was a budget rig.
No discrete graphics but it could still play the
games that I wanted to play. We just replaced
the CPU with a new one since the monitor,
speakers and other peripherals were still work-
ing. Also it was my first AMD build since AMD is
known for their affordable desktop processors.
It was a clock speed war back then since AMD
first broke the Gigahertz speed barrier which
means serious competition with Intel.
So that’s the build. As you can see, I just re-
placed some parts to beef up my aging com-
puter and still used what I can carry-on from
the Aspire desktop since I’m on a budget build.
Well at least it can still play most of the games
that I’ve been playing. Not much to share about
this one since I was busy playing with friends
on a Local Network setting rather than by my-
self.
There was also a period of time when I was in-
The 4th genaration rig
terested in PC racing games. I got hooked up
with Need for Speed which was also one of my
top games on the PS console. Unfortunately,
my computer wasn’t able to handle the graph-
ics demand of that game so I felt the need to
upgrade the setup that I had. That time I got a
pretty sweet deal from a friend who sold me his
LGA 775 Pentium 4 processor together with the
board so I decided to start from there.
1 ST
ACER ASPIRE 6000 series desktop G
EN
• Processor: Intel Celeron 667 MHz, 128KB L2
cache, 66Mhz FSB, Socket 370
• Motherboard: OEM Board with SIS 620 chipset
mATX form factor
• Memory: 64 MB PC133 SDRAM
• Storage: 10 GB Seagate 5400 RPM Ultra ATA
• Graphics: Integrated 2D/ 3D Graphics with 8
MB system memory share
• Power Supply: OEM PSU
• Casing: Acer Aspire series micro-ATX Casing
• Keyboard and mouse: Acer Aspire Mouse and
Keyboard w/ Volume control, Web and Sleep
buttons
• Monitor: 15” Acer Aspire monitor
• Speakers: Acer Aspire USB Powered speakers

I used my P4 rig throughout my college days.
I played different games and I’m not limited to
Counterstrike and Red Alert anymore. It was
the dawn of Warcraft mod “DOTA” back then so
I gave it a try. I also played some of the games
from the Need for Speed and Medal of Honor
franchise.
After graduating from college, I was very eager
to find a job so that I can buy the things that
I wanted. One of them is my very own gam-
ing rig. Luckily, I landed a job eventually and
started saving money to buy my very first gam-
ing rig. I can say that it’s not easy since I need
to consider other personal expenses.
Finally, The time came when I had enough
money to buy one. I can’t say that it’s a hard-
core gaming rig but rather a casual one since
I didn’t have much money to spend on a very
pricey computer. Since I was on a budget, my
focus was on the graphics card which is the #1
priority when building a gaming rig. I used Nvid-
ia’s GTX 260
then later
“ At first I was an avid Playstation guy but there since I’m
upgraded to
when I started enjoying the PC, I spent on a tight budget
GTX 295. And
more time on the PC than on the consoles. ” and this is how
when thinking
of a bang-for-
the-buck processor, I looked at AMD’s Phenom
II lineup. I can only afford dual cores that time
and when I heard the unlocking capabilities of
some AMD Phenoms partnered with a good un-
locking board, I can have a quad core proces-
sor on a dual core price. So I gambled. I bought
a Gigabyte 770 motherboard. Gigabyte is wide-
ly known for their high quality boards and they
never fail to live up to their label. I’ve been us- in Crossfire or Nvidia’s GTX 500 series in SLI.
ing this motherboard until now given that I have
a quad core which was overclocked to 3.8GHz
(default was dual core 3.1 GHz). For the RAMs
I chose TEAM’s Elite DDR3 series. Maybe
some of you haven’t heard about the company to power, I am ready. I already have my Ener-
but they produce very great RAMs. They have max Revolution 1050w for it. I’m just waiting for
a lifetime warranty all of their RAMs plus each Nvidia and AMD’s final lineup of graphic cards
RAM contains an aluminum heat speaker. Re- so that I can decide on which path to choose. If
ally not bad for its price. Also, I did not forget I can complete the build before the next issue,
the power supply, since it was the one that will then I will be glad to share it to you guys! See
make all of the hardwares run. I chose the you soon!
HEC Cougar 700 because HEC are the mak-
ers of some OEM PSU on desktops, which I
knew were always on 24/7. I later upgraded to
an 850w Xigmatek PSU because of my GTX
295. I also used an aftermarket heatsink on the
processor, specifically Deep Cool’s Ice Blade
Pro. I used two fans to get a push-pull setup
so that it can dissipate the heat faster and give
me lower temps (provided that I am running an
unlocked quad core AMD Phenom 3.8GHz).
I was able to play the latest games with it on a
1680x1050 resolution LG 22” LCD. I believed
that it can take whatever game I threw at it
and still give me a playable frame per second
count.
Well there you have it. I know it’s not the best
gaming rig out
far I can go with
my savings.
Nonetheless, it can still play any game on high-
est settings possible and can generate play-
able FPS count.
I’m now planning on my next build. This time I
want to try multi-monitor gaming, which I know,
needs more money and processing power.
I’m eyeing on AMD’s six core processor to-
gether with either AMD Radeons 6900 series
Also, I’m probably getting a decent full tower
case since the parts that I’ll be getting will gen-
erate a lot of heat and will eat up 600 watts of
power at least when in full load. When it comes The 1st genaration rig

2 ND 3 RD 4 TH
AMD build (Upgrade from Aspire desktop) G 3rd upgrade G Latest Gaming Rig Setup G
EN EN EN

• Processor: AMD Athlon XP 1800+ 1.5 GHz, 256
KB L2 Cache, 266 MT/s FSB, Socket A (462)
• Motherboard: ECS L7VMM2 VIA KM266 &
VT8235 Chipset
• Memory: Generic 256 MB RAM
• Storage: Seagate 40GB 5400 RPM Ultra ATA
• Graphics: Integrated S3 ProSavage8 2D/3D
Graphics
• Power Supply: Generic 400 watt ATX Power
Supply
• Casing: Standard ATX casing with Window
side-panel
• Keyboard and mouse: Acer Aspire Mouse and
Keyboard w/ Volume control, Web and Sleep
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz, Socket
LGA 775
• Motherboard: ECS P4M800PRO-M
• Memory: 2x512 MB Apacer DDR 400 RAM
• Storage: Seagate 80GB 7200 RPM Ultra ATA
• Graphics: 128MB Gigabyte Radeon 9250
then upgraded later to 256 MB Inno3D Geforce
FX5500
• Power Supply: Generic 550 watt ATX Power
Supply
• Casing: Duke ATX Casing
• Keyboard and mouse: A4tech KB28G keyboard
and mouse
• Monitor: 17” Samsung monitor
• Processor: AMD Phenom II x2 550 Black Edi-
tion 3.1 GHz, Socket AM3 (Unlocked to x4 B50
3.8 GHz)
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P
• Memory: 2GB Team Elite RAM
• Storage: Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
• Graphics: Zotac Geforce GTX 295
• Power Supply: Xigmatek NRP 850W
• Casing: Modded Epraizer Hummer ATX case
• Keyboard and mouse: A4Tech x7 G800 and
Logitech Wireless mouse
• Monitor: LG W2252TQ 22” LCD
• Speakers: Devant DV-2000 2.1 Speakers

buttons • Speakers: Eacan 2.1 speakers later upgraded

• Monitor: 15” Acer Aspire monitor to Creative SBS 350

• Speakers: Acer Aspire USB Powered

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 21
speakers
 FEATURE
CLARKDALE OVERCLOCKING GUIDE
Ronaldo Bejarin a.k.a. By: Bartman1973
T
here are so many users these
days still researching the web on
how to speed-up their systems by
overclocking. However, most of
them don’t know where to start. I
am also receiving a lot of private
messages about how they can overclock and
stabilize their system. With the launching of
Tipid PC magazine, I have decided to make
a small contribution by writing a step by step
guide on overclocking your Clarkdale proces-
sors.
One critical thing to know before jumping into
overclocking is your motherboard’s BIOS.
Please do not be afraid to look at what’s in-
side your BIOS as well as the settings. If you
think that you have messed up something, just
load the system defaults or sometimes press-
ing the “Clear CMOS” will do the trick. Most
motherboard manufacturers now have a built
in “Clear CMOS“ switch or if your motherboard
doesn’t have one, just look for the CMOS re-
set jumper.
The next item we need to understand is the
Base Clock or you can always see it in the
BIOS as “Bclk “. Base clock and ratios are the
two most important things that we need to un-
derstand in order for us to determine how fast
our system is. The default base clock for all
P55/H55/H57 is 133, while the ratio, or better
known as the multiplier, varies from one proc-
essor to another. CPU frequency is actually
the base clock multiplied by the ratio/multiplier.
Example : 133 – Base clock default x 21
CPU clock ratio = 2793 CPU Speed
22 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
What about those DDR3s in the market? Some
people get confused between the memory
clock speed and the DDR speed. To simplify
things, we will use DDR3 1600 as example.
DDR3 1600 is actually running at 800Mhz but
with the DDR (Dual Data Rate) technology, it is
actually allowing the memory to process twice
per clock cycle .
Before going into the actual overclocking steps, lets
us first look at some of the important voltages to know
when overclocking.
- First and foremost is the CPU core voltage or better
known as Vcore. This is directly related to the over-
clocking that we will be doing. The more frequency
we want our processor to run on, the more voltage we
need to add. If you ask me what the safe overclocking
voltage is, the answer is there is no actual or fixed
value. I have read somewhere that the max voltage
we can apply to an Intel processor is 1.55v on the
Vcore BUT we must always check the temperature of
the system when applying any overclocking and volt-
age change. You can just download a free program in
the net called REAL temp or CORE Temp to monitor
the temperature of the system while on LOAD. Intel
says 100C – 105C is the max operating temperature
of the processor. Believe me, your system can reach
that temperature if you are stressing the system with
IBT (Intel Burn Test) or Wprime with all cores enabled.
- The next on my list will be the QPI/VTT voltages.
This is also a critical one since it supplies the mem-
ory controller and PCIe of the system. I have been
overclocking for quite sometime and my recommen-
dation is not to go above 1.4V. Adjusting this voltage
will have a direct impact on the blck frequency and
the QPI link frequency.
- DRAM voltage is another key ingredient in over-
cloking your system. Adding more voltage to the ram
will allow you to increase its operating speed as well.
Intel published a rule that the stock VTT and DRAM
voltage should not differ by 0.5v. Since I recommend
1.4V for the QPI/VTT, that means that you can go up
to maybe 1.85V on the Dram voltage which is more
than enough for a Clarkdale system.
- Most Clarkdale systems come with built in graphics.
Most motherboards also have ports ready like VGA,
DVI and HDMi if in case you want to utilize the built it
graphics. My recommendation for this one is also not
to go beyond 1.4v.
Now it’s time to get to the real action. I usually
go to the BIOS first and select load optimized
defaults, then the next thing that I usually do is
to disable the “unnecessary stuff” or the things
that I really don’t need. Examples are the
1394, COM ports, extra SATA/PATA control-
ler from Jmicron controller. I also disable the
power saving features like EIST, C1E and the
C states. Once done, reboot the system and
see if your setup will go to windows.
After that restart, go again to the BIOS setup.
In order to achieve high bclock frequency, we
need to adjust the QPI/VTT voltage. Setting
the multiplier to a lower value is also a key for
us to attain high bclck. Correct VTT can give
you high bclock which also equates to a good
overclocked system. The default voltage of
the QPI is 1.15 V.

For testing purposes below will be the initial
setup:
- Core i3 530 – set the multiplier to 15 lets use 1.36V as the example stable vtt )
instead of the default 22.
- Set the QPI / VTT to 1.2 VS the 1.15 i3 530, 150 bclk is a walk in the park )
stock
- Bclock set to 150 Mhz VS the stock
133Mhz
That setup above will give us 2250 MHZ VS,
the stock 2926 Mhz of the core i3 530. Af-
ter doing the settings above, reboot the
system and let it go to windows and
load the free temp monitoring soft-
ware. Load the stress testing tool
like Intel Burn Test. Let it run 5 times
to test the stability of your system.
If no error is encountered, again go
to the BIOS and adjust the bclock
by 5 MHZ. Reboot the system and
follow the procedure above until
you reach your desired bclk. 200
is already a good number for
the core i3 530.
If the test fails, go to the
BIOS again and increase
your QPI / VTT. Usually
boards set the adjust-
ments to 0.025V (250mv)
per step. Repeat again until
it passes the stress testing. Take
note that the recommended QPI/VTT is 1.4V
only.
Now that we have the stable and high bclock,
the next thing to do is to find the stable CPU
frequency. What we will do is play again with
bclock and the core voltage.
For us to find a good CPU frequency lets do the
to continue to repeat this until you reach your
setup below:
desired overclock state.
- Core i3 530 – set the multiplier back to 22
Memory overclocking is another thing. It can be
- QPI / VTT – Leave your stable QPI voltage (
a bit tricky and I will not be discussing it here.
During the testing phase just be sure to adjust
- Set your bclock to 150 ( Most often on a core
your RAM to the correct ratio and to the nearest
rated frequency. You can see that in the BIOS
setting as well.
The built in graphics controller for Clark-
dale processors are overclockable. In
most cases they are just good for
probably 900Mhz or just a bit
more. There is also a sepa-
rate frequency for this in the
BIOS along with voltage
adjustments. If you want
to overclock this, you can
increase 5MHz per step
and again 0.025 increase
in the GPU voltage also
in the BIOS. Instead of
running IBT, I usually use
futuremark or sometimes
3D Mark vantage and will
only click the GPU test. I
don’t recommend built in
graphics overclocking but
i f you want to experiment
with your system you can
do the procedure above.
I usually run IBT for 30
minutes to one hour to check
system stability. IBT can really stress
your system. I have never seen any other pro-
The setup above will give us 3300 Mhz VS the
gram that generates a lot of heat like IBT.
stock 2926 MHZ. We will use the same proce-
dure above wherein we need to load windows,
That’s about it for my quick Clarkdale over-
real temp and run stress testing. If the test runs
clocking guide. There are tons of information
without error, then you can go back to the BIOS
in the web and there are still so many settings
and add 5Hmz and run the test again. If the
in the bios to play with. I have written this guide
system fails to boot, raise the core voltage by 1
for us to help TPC community or probably the
step at a time which is again 0.025V. You need
soon to be readers of this magazine.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 23
PREVIEW
MULTI-MEDIA PLAYER TO THE XTREME!
“Introducing the xtreamer pro: Your all in one multi-media player!”
INTRODUCTION
I’m really fascinated in the different kinds of multi-media
players: whatever the make or model as long as it plays
my favorite movies and music at the end of a long, tiring
day. I always thought all multi-media players were cre-
ated equal and I didn’t care much. That was until I found
the Xtreamer...
I was wondering what the fuss was all about seeing
that the Xtreamer caused quite a stir in the forums. The
Xtreamer was a hot topic in the TPC forums. It was then
that I started to do some research but the experience
was not complete until I had the chance to handle the
extreamer itself and saw its capabilities.
INSIDE THE BOX
On the box is the “X” for the Xtreamer and the packaging
is quite nice. Before opening it, I read through the fea-
tures and functions indicated at the back; High-resolution
multimedia library supporting many formats, HDD to USB
file copying, diverse music file supported, digital photo al-
bum, NAS (Network Attached Storage) capabilities, sup-
ports USB devices, UPNP, HDMI output and 7.1 audio
channel output. I was overwhelmed by all these features!
Once I opened its box, I honestly wasn’t so impressed
by the physical appearance of the Xtreamer. It simply
looked like an AVR colored in black and stamped with
the “Xtreamer” logo. There was nothing unusual with the
accessories included. Just the usual; USB wireless LAN
with dock, HDMI cable, USB slave cable, RCA analog
cable and remote control unit. There was no instruction
manual though there was a “quick start guide”. I was in-
terested in the technical details but there was no reading
material included. I found these quite surprising.
24 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
XTREAMER UNIT
The Xtreamer is encased in hard aluminum and plas-
tic. It’s so light and it doesn’t feel like any media player
I’ve seen. It’s quite deceiving. Maybe future versions
of the Xtreamer will be more flashy and attractive but
what really matters is what’s inside rather than the
looks.
All the connections and ports are located at the back
of the unit: RCA ports, LAN port, USB host, Optical
7.1 port, HDMI port and power port. At the front are
the HDMI, USB ports and LED indicators for power, “The first time I saw the
HDDA (hard disk A) and HDDB (hard disk B), NAS Xtreamer pro, I found it
mode and network indicator. difficult to believe that
this AVR like device will
A small exhaust fan cools the unit and there is also perform as advertised...
a small switch which I thought was for powering on. Until I personally tried
This was actually a selector for which drive you would it. “
want to run whether it be hard drive A or hard drive B. I
found this arrangement quite odd. Another significant
flaw of the Xtreamer is the lack of external controls
making the unit totally reliant on the remote. Without
the remote, the unit is entirely useless.
A CLOSER LOOK RECOMMENDED
Inside the Xtreamer are slots for two (2) hard disks.
Each slot contains a maximum capacity of 2TB (ter- EDITORS
abyte) totalling a whole unit of 4TB. (Hard disk not CHOICE
included when purchasing Xtreamer). The USB slots
allow you to use external flash or hard disk.
Note: You can only use Sata drives. IDE drives will not
work with the Xtreamer.
Sata drives slide easily into the slots. The only difficult

part was opening the plastic body cover. I was
thinking since this was made of plastic, it may
be susceptible to breakage although it takes
some getting used to.
STORAGE
We tried out the Xtreamer using a Western
Digital Caviar green 1TB sata hard disk with a
64mb cache for fast response. We started out
with a 1TB drive just to see how many movie
files can actually be stored. A full length movie
coming from an orginal Blue-ray then convert-
ed, can take up anywhere from 2GB to 16GB
per movie. Since the Xtreamer can play video
at 1080p, we decided to go full-resolution from
720p to 1080p. We found that we could only
pack 140 high-resolution movies into the 1TB
drive. That was good enough considering that
these movies will all be viewed in full-HD. With
a 2TB drive, 280-300 movies can be stored
while a 4TB can save up to almost 600. Imag-
ine all those hours of entertainment contained
in a tiny box!
REMOTE CONTROL
This is actually the “life” of the Xtreamer. With-
out it, there’s no way to manually operate the
many functions it offers. The remote control is
powered by 2-AAA batteries. It is very respon-
sive and is essential in powering the unit. The
keypad arrangement is the same as any ordinary
remote with the addition of several special keys
specifically for the Xtreamer like; Home, add,
eject, select, delete, page up, page down, subti-
tle, audio and “sync subtitle”.
The remote also has another function: with the
addition of a cellphone and wifi. Like the illustra-
tion shows, all you need is a wifi-enabled phone
with browser. It will work with the iPhone or any
android phone. On your phone; select the brows-
er and type the following: http://192.168.2.102/
rc, the Xtreamer icon will soon appear along with
your phone’s browser. Always make sure that the
Xtreamer is connected to the wifi or LAN to pair
up both devices.
One apparent disadvantage is that you cannot
use the phone to remotely turn on the Xtreamer.
For this, you will need the dedicated remote unit
supplied.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SCREEN
HDMI: To get the most out of your HD movies, an
HDMI screen offers the best possible resolution
in full 1080p HD since the Xtreamer is capable
of full-HD video output. The rich, crisp and sharp
images will only be enjoyed by using an HDMI
screen provided that your movie files have been
ripped from blue-ray and encoded and transfered
in “.mkv” format.
The Xtreamer is package with
its own remote control. Theres
no way for you to turn on the
xtreamer but thru this Xtreamer
remote controller. So, be careful
not to lose it.
RCA: This is the most basic audio/video output for
analog screen. Most ordinary tv sets work on this
signal. RCA monitors are not as clear or as well-
defined. A few of the RCA monitor’s advantages
are it’s lack of fancy cables and attachments, and
that it’s low cost.
Note: the RCA connection must first be configured
when using an RCA monitor for the first time.
USING THE XTREAMER
I had difficulty finding the “power-on” button for
the Xtreamer. Little did I realize that the unit did
not have a power button at all! It was only when I
referred the user’s guide that I realized how vital
the remote was--only the remote can power up the
unit!
The screen interface is very straightforward and
it’s easy to recall how to navigate using the remote
to access your files. I tried viewing “.mkv” 1080p
HD movie files ripped from blue ray disks. The vid-
eo takes up most of the screen of an HDMI moni-
tor. When I used the same movie files on an RCA
monitor, the quality is equal to that of an ordinary
dvd player.
Xtreamer Provided by: PCTrends
Xtreamer is available @
Softbox Solutions:
(632) 738.29.54 Loc 802
Hard discs ( WD Caviar Green ) Provided
by Western Digital
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 25
Next, I tried playing MP4 files. They worked well
with acceptable resolution. AVI and MOV files
worked equally well.
MUSIC GALORE
Aside from playing blue ray-ripped movie files
and MP4, I also tried playing MP3 music and the
sound quality was quite acceptable. One will ap-
preciate sound quality more when the optical 7.1
speaker system is used. Otherwise, 5.1 or 2.1
would be just about right for your listening pleas-
ure.
INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
One amazing feature of the Xtreamer is internet
connectivity. On the main menu you will find the
“Xtreaming” item. You can use UTP or WiFi con-
nection which needs to be hooked up to a router. I
first tried internet radio and I was surprised at the
variety of radio stations already set as “default”
on the Xtreamer. Radio stations around the world
as classified according to music genre; 70’s, 80’s,
pop, jazz and everything else are just a touch of
a button away. I also tried searching for my fa-
vorite videos on YouTube but just like a regular
computer, you’ll need to wait for the video to load.
26 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
But if you have a fast internet connection,
streaming video files is a breeze with the
Xtreamer. One powerful feature of the
Xtreamer are the default internet chan-
nels. One doesn’t need to browse the net
just to search for news, upcoming mov-
ies, events, etc. The nice thing about the
Xtreamer is since there are default chan-
nels, you go straight to where you want to;
CNN. Fox, Yahoo, Discovery, etc.
You can also view online photos via Flickr
or upload photos to your favorite social
networking sites.
SCORE Scoring system: 1 lowest / 10 highest
Aesthetics: 7
Internet: 9
Functionality: 7
User friendliness: 7
Ease of use: 8
We would highly recommend the Xtream-
er for movie buffs who like to watch in
high-def. As a multimedia player, nothing beats
the Xtreamer’s 4TB storage capacity which can
be further beefed up by its provision for external
storage.
TIPIDPC.COM 27
 EXCLUSIVE
The IPad Experience
By: Christian Uybengkee a.k.a Ayokis_stuff
t first, I was skeptical about the new
A iPad because I thought it was all
but an oversized iPhone and I saw
no practical use for it since I already had a
laptop. I was wrong!
So, I did some research on this new gadget
hoping to find out how this tablet would fit
my personal needs. From all the information
I gathered, all I found was high-definition
graphics and games which had no practical
use but then again, I was wrong the 2nd time
around.
The more I saw the features of the iPad, the
more I wanted to get one! When I finally got
it, I was so excited about the item inside the
box and I couldn’t believe I was getting my
hands on something I could only watch on
YouTube! Yes, externally it does look like an
oversized iPhone but there was more than
meets the eye. This tablet was loaded with
very useful features!
SCREEN
The 9.7 screen isn’t that big nor is it too
small. I found these dimensions just right
and it doesn’t cause eye strain. The pop-up
keyboard is very responsive and easy to
use whether in portrait or landscape mode.
It is arranged in “QWERTY” fashion and
special characters are readily available via
the “SHIFT” key. Setting the brightness mode
in the middle, I find that I can look at the
screen and not feel any discomfort although I
wish they had incorporated the retina display
similar to that used on the iPhone. I’m sure
this will become standard feature on future
28 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
versions of the iPad.
BATTERY
I found that the iPad could go 6-8 hours
straight with all the functions but I mostly
write and use the internet. Though the
manufacturer claims a 10-hour battery life,
it may not always be possible especially
when using the WiFi function which eats
up a lot of power. Realistically speaking,
8-hours isn’t so bad considering that an
average laptop would run for a maximum of
only 2-3 hours and maybe less when using
wireless connection. My only disappoint-
ment in this department is charging time
which can take up to 5-hours from1% to
100%. I would like to see Apple make a fast
needs. Instead of the traditional downloadable
charger for iPads.
PDF magazine, the Early Edition application
allows you to update an article in real time
“I like the fact that I don’t according to your time zone. It doesn’t matter
waste time booting up” where you are as long as you’re connected,
the application feeds the info and updates
previous news items. It can also play videos,
APPLICATIONS
audio and interactive programs. There are
The iPad comes with built-in applications
tons of applications available online through
that would be just fine if all you’ll do is
the Apple store and iTunes store.
surf the net and check your email, watch
movies, play games or listen to music.
GAMES
When I installed applications like Face-
I was already impressed with iPhone games
book for iPad, Office HD(word and excel
and when I thought things couldn’t get any
files), NIV Bible, wordbook dictionary,
better, I was wrong again for the third time! I
sketchpad, voice recorder, early edition,
had the chance to play with the following iPad
Popular Mechanics, retouch for iPad, and
HD games. When they said “HD”, they really
FM radio(internet radio for iPad), I saw this
meant HD!
tablet in a whole new light! I can edit down-
loaded word and excel files and transfer
I tried out Angry Birds and Angry Birds Hal-
them to either MacBook or PC. Of course I
loween edition. Just like Plants vs. Zombies,
can do that on my iPhone but it’s really just
it surely was a cure for boring moments when
too small to type on. But this one fits my
I just needed to pass the time but I was really
blown away with Asphalt 5 and
Splinter Cell, Badminton HD
and Hockey HD. Clarity of the
graphics and responsiveness
are amazing! You’re gaming ex-
perience will never be the same
until you try your hand at any
one of these—they are a must!
WIFI AND INTERNET
I take advantage of WiFi wherever and whenever I could to check my
emails. Much of my outgoing emails get sent through this iPad more
than my desktop. I like the fact that I don’t waste time booting up. I no-
ticed though that you need to refresh the wifi connection often because
there are times when the signal goes flat. I don’t experience this kind
of trouble when using a notebook but nothing beats an iPad’s speed
since you don’t need to set up anything to get connected to the web.
PEFORMANCE
I’m really satisfied with the performance of the iPad and it outperforms
a netbook in certain aspects like wifi connectivity and startup time but
an iPad will not be able to render high-quality videos or PDF files for
publishing. Applications like Retouch serve almost the same purpose
as Photoshop but it does have limitations although it’s much more
simplified and easy to use.
EXCLUSIVE
Ipad as a Business tool
Allan D. Sabado a.k.a. Adsventure
Working as an engineering manager in an electronic security and
safety systems company enables me to use technology devices in my
everyday work. One of my functions is to provide technical support
to our Sales, Projects and Maintenance Departments; thus, having
a handy source of technical references is an advantage. This is the
main reason why I invested in a 32GB iPad. Although I use a laptop
computer as a primary computing device, most of the time I use my
iPad as a tool in providing technical assistance at the project site. With
the GoodReader application in my iPad, I’m able to take the technical
library along with me. My iPad
contains equipment manuals,
“Although I use a laptop computer as a pri-
datasheets, and other technical
mary computing device, most of the time
documents that I use as refer- I use my iPad as a tool in providing tech-
ence during system program- nical assistance at the project site.”
ming and troubleshooting.
Being a Professional Electronics Engineer and the Lead Auditor of our
company’s ISO 9001:2008 Internal Quality Audit, I have to read techni-
cal books in order to keep up with technology and enhance my knowl-
edge in the industry standards. Having the industry standards in my
iPad as a ready reference is a big help in the practice of my profession.
Stored in my iPad are the ISO 9001:2008 Philippine National Stand-
ards, NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code, RA 6541 National Building
Code of the Philippines, RA9292 Electronics Engineering Law of the
Philippines, and other electronic system design guidelines used as my
“standard and codes” reference. Accessing these reference documents
through iPad is very much faster than accessing them through my lap-
top computer. Any reference document could be accessed in less than
CONCLUSION
I would highly recommend the iPad to anyone looking for a multi-pur-
pose gadget with an exceptionally long battery life, instant connectivity,
recreational value because of the awesome HD games available and
productivity for basic office tasks which you can do on the fly. The iPad
is also a must for professional photographers or enthusiasts. It has a
camera connection kit which allows instant previews straight from the
camera plus the large LCD screen allows one to see which files are
good or bad and best of all, the iPad also reads RAW files.
I’m definitely happy with the iPad and for a working professional like
myself who’s out on the road a lot, my iPad is like a virtual office I can
take with me anywhere and I’m never out of touch. If an improved ver-
sion is in the works, I’m certainly saving up to get one!
a minute and this could not be done with my laptop coming from an
“off” status. Ease of access, battery life that lasts at least 8 hours and
portability of the iPad makes it an indispensable tool in my profession.
With the very simple user interface of the iPad, even my 5-year old
kid, who is still a beginner at reading, learned how to access and
use the iPad just by watching his older siblings. My three other kids
enjoy playing iPad games and they usually visit the iTunes Apps
Store to download free games and entertainment apps. My kids do
the customization in my iPad and they take pride in finding apps
that are shared within the family.
The installation of applications
is something that differentiates
an iPad from a laptop or desktop
computer as iPad applications
can be disposed of quickly and easily. My wife, who is fond of reading
pocketbooks and non-fiction books, enjoys the iBooks application for
its 600+ e-books content and also for the way the pages are flipped
like a real book. It has also been our habit to watch high-definition
movies at home during weekend afternoons as a sort of family-bond-
ing and the iPad serves as a useful tool in screening movie contents
through the IMDb apps. Through it, we are able to determine the rat-
ing of movies and check for scenes that are not suitable for kids.
Apple iPad is expensive, but as my whole family uses this device and
each member gets something from it, it provides more bang for the
buck.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 29
 EXCLUSIVE

Abs Abando is a writer/director/photographer with over 20-years experience in both

“HDSLR’s and the Future of Cinematography” print and video. He is currently involved in a number of documentaries for international

T
release and a weekly television show in a local tv network
By: ABS ABANDO a.k.a Sunryzr

here was a growing debate about incorporating HD

video in the latest DSLR’S in the market starting with the Nikon D90.
Admittedly, I was among those who hinted out the possible flaws and
handling issues that were to be experienced by cinematographers
who wanted to transition from the traditional to what seemed, at the
time, as a “growing fad”.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Having been in the television production business for almost 2-dec-
ades, I’ve seen technology progress from U-matic to Betacam and
eventually, digital video—DVC Pro, DV Cam and the like. Camera
makers have taken advantage of “miniaturization”, and over the
years, the recording medium, i.e. tape has indeed shrunk from the
Bible-sized U-matics to the pocket-sized, mini-DV. Film crews now
had the option of carrying recording mediums that could capture
more footage in lighter packages. The KC-20’s of the U-matic age
lasted only up to 20-minutes while the mini-DV’s could give you
almost an hour of footage.

“One major advantage of the

HDSLR is size, something we
filmmakers exploit to the hilt!”
2-years ago, I was part of a team that won the “Best Short Film”
award in Thailand. We were one of the first filmmakers who shot
entirely on the Canon 5D Mark2. Having been involved in such a
production as assistant director and focus puller, I have now become
a true believer in the HDSLR! As a professional cinematographer
and segment director for television, I have seen the merits of having
a compact-sized camera capable of shooting at angles that were
thought of as impossible in the not-so-distant past. I’ve personally
handled most shoulder-mounted video cameras, and my current
issue for tv is the Panasanic HPX500, P2HD.

HANDLING
Nikon had the right idea, it seems when it intro-
duced the D90 back in 2008. One of the major
drawbacks of the D90 is that it can only shoot
at 720 aspect ratio. It overheats and as a result
has—at its worst, 30-seconds of roll time, no
manual exposure override and no audio input or
output jacks! At best, the D90 was a good point-
and-shoot video camera with a marginally good
image quality. Canon, having been at the forefront
of video technology since the days of the XL-1 had
simply shrunk the innards and installed them in
the 5D Mark2.
One of the things we filmmakers love about
HDSLR’s is the fact that we virtually use any lens
available to normal, photo-only SLR cameras.
The ability to throw the background almost totally
off-focus, manually zoom and focus are just some
of the attributes that make the 5D and others like
it the darling of upcoming filmmakers and profes-
sionals alike. HDSLR’s have a distinct “look” that
30 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
is difficult to achieve with any other video platform.
The only apparent disadvantage of HDSLR’s is
ergonomics; SLR’s were meant to be held in the
palm of the hand, vertically-oriented specifically for
stills. Video and cinema cameras are held with the
palm of the hand leveled against the horizon—a
design that allows for long roll times and minimal
camera shake.
Another fault of the HDSLR regardless of brand
is the orientation of the “record/roll” button which
in some cases is the same activator for the “live-
view” feature. Personally, I find this as an over-
sight for manufacturers and designers since the
thumb will definitely tilt the camera as it presses
the “roll” button to make the exposure resulting in
visible camera shakes as one starts and stops roll-
ing. This may be a minor problem but as a working
professional, I find this quite annoying.
It is this same feature that also makes hand-held
shooting difficult considering that the cinematogra-
pher needs to stretch his arms out to see the LCD
monitor which, by the very posture alone, makes
the camera very shaky. I find it difficult shooting
“freehand” this way and the fixed LCD placement of
the HDSLR makes it very difficult to make high or low
angle shots without the use of an external monitor.
ALTERNATIVE CAMERA ANGLES
One major advantage of the HDSLR is size,
something we filmmakers exploit to the hilt! I’ve shot
sequences which were impossible to do on a regular
HD camera such as a “point-of-view” or POV shot of
a shooter engaging targets a la “Counter Strike”. This
was done using a Canon 500D with a customized
shoulder mount. It has also been easier to shoot at
“worm’s eye view” provided an external monitor is
used.
I was with a German production crew recently and
we shot a lot of “guerilla-style” footage; going to
places within Metro Manila which required permits
to film sequences. Since we were shooting with
an HDSLR, it made the Germans look like tourists
enjoying the sights where we would otherwise
be accosted by authorities for shooting without a
permit.
Not only does the HDSLR give you a different
camera perspective, it also allows for everything
to be shrunk; equipment and costs included! No
longer will a full-sized rail or crane system be
required. All that is needed these days is a good
“slider” and “mini-jib” to get fantastic tracking and
crane shots. Aerial footage is also now possible
by using specially-modified RC helicopters which
entails a small portion of the cost considering that This is not to say that full-sized HD video camera
you don’t need to pay thousands of pesos for fuel, systems have become modern dinosaurs in the film
pilot’s fee and cost of insurance. and television industry. The HDSLR has earned its
rightful place in a world where size matters and the
THE FUTURE final image is king!
HDSLR’s have indeed revolutionized the filmmak-
ing and television industry. Most tv series, short
films and documentaries are now being shot using
this medium. The “look”, the unusual camera
angles and movements, low cost implications
and other technical advantages are just a few of
the reasons that make the director of photogra-
phy or cameraman and his HDSLR absolutely
inseparable!
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 31
 EXCLUSIVE
Do Filipinos need Facebook on their mobile phone?
By: Abs Abando a.k.a. Sunryzr
P
erhaps the
greatest internet phenomenon this last
decade has been the proliferation of
social networking sites. Never before
have people all over the globe been
connected on such a personal level.
Thanks to “Friendster”, “MySpace” and
“Facebook”.
I remember friends telling me how
32 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
amazing it was to just type a friend’s
name and find out who that person is
connected to. Personally, I’ve found
long lost friends on my Facebook
account as well. And in my spare
time, I find myself uploading photos or
writing about the day that was.
I signed up for a Facebook account
as far back as late 2007. I had only
one friend for at least a few months
until my other friends started opening
their own accounts my personal net-
work grew and I found myself either
searching for other acquaintances or
updating my personal page. At least
now I found a social networking site
where I know 98% of those on my
friends list. And although I still have
Friendster, Multiply and MySpace accounts, I film and analog technology, I’ve come to appre-
hardly ever login. I guess I never really found ciate the advantages that the high-megapixel
a need to maintain more than one-social DSLR and HD-video has to offer. Almost on a
network site. daily basis, I carry my laptop and a digital voice
This brings to mind why or what was it that recorder as part of my peripherals. I have a
made Facebook “THE” social networking site “survival kit” with USB cables, iPod charger,
it is today. Try walking into any internet shop flash disk, card reader and portable broadband.
at any given time of the day and it will not be Ironically, I have yet to acquire a 3G or 4G
surprising to find at least half of the custom- mobile phone.
ers logged in to their “FB” accounts. This may prompt people to think that I’m stuck
Maybe it’s for the “chat” function, maybe in the 19th century But in all honesty, it’s all a
it’s tagging photos or playing “Farmville” or matter of practicality. Since I do have my laptop
“Mafia Wars”. and broadband—let
Mind you, these alone the conven-
“ Try walking into any internet shop at
features aren’t any given time of the day and it will not be ience of a WiFi-
exclusive to surprising to find at least half of the cus- ready coffee shop—I
Facebook but tomers logged in to their “FB” accounts “ find it superfluous to
this site remains have another gadget
the most which functions in
popular choice! much the same way but is small enough to fit
The Philippines has been online since the in my pocket. Portability might be a good idea
mid-90’s. That’s a few years earlier than the if I was just lazing around and taking a break in
proliferation of pre-paid phones and Short between assignments. Unfortunately, I do keep
Message Sending(SMS) or simply, “texting.” a full calendar and there are scripts that needs
Even with the availability of portable “net getting done, and photos and videos for editing
books” and broadband, much of the popula- or preview. At the end of the day, one simply
tion still relies on mobile phones for commu- needs to ask himself, “how long do I expect to
nication. This may be the reason behind the be online?” or “how important is it that I update
popularity of QWERTY-keypad, WiFi-ready my Facebook page or chat with my friends?”
mobile phones. Technology is truly a wonderful thing. Each and
But do we really need Facebook on our every one of us has a wish list of gadgets and
mobile phones? This might be a rhetorical gizmos we’d like to have and some that will sim-
question but think about this for a moment. ply make us drool. Maybe the simpler question
As a media professional, since the days of to ask is; “Can I afford to get the iPhone 4?”

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 33
 EXCLUSIVE

LANSHOP: GENERATION í
By: Ross Flores Del Rosario a.k.a extracool

“ Kuya, Pa-extend
ng 15 minutes !”
howls a few of my customers who were
nearing the end of a vicious match with
a rival clan online. They were playing a
popular online game, and their team was
ahead by only a few points. There were
several spectators in the shop. Some
were cheering with enthusiasm and an-
ticipating success. Some were just si-
lently awaiting the outcome... And finally,
after a few more minutes, the crowd
suddenly goes wild! Sure enough, the
group announced their win with fervor...
the spectators were patting the players
on the back, and everyone on the team
were seemingly on cloud nine. possible by the Internet. The things that one
can do in an Internet Cafe are countless.
This is just one of those typical days That is why the things that could happen are
inside an Internet Cafe. Sometimes it countless as well.
would be just people from all walks of
life either chatting with their friends or As proprietors or owners of an Internet Cafe
relatives abroad, updating their social or LAN Shop, we definitely have plenty of
networking sites status, levelling up their interesting stories to tell. A lot of things are
online game characters, jobhunting on- worth mentioning, but let me begin from the
line, researching for a report, watching grass roots by giving you some insights on
streaming videos, adding an entry in their how the business usually starts, some of its
blog, and a myriad of other things made positive and negative aspects , the variety of
complementing side-businesses, and how we
see the business several years from now.

34 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
“Kuya, pa-rent...
open time !”
Nowadays, the business has become
one of the most popular choices among
starting entrepreneurs or businessmen.
There is now an Internet Cafe in almost
every street, and quite a number of them
near schools and commercial areas.
There is also a big chance that there is
already one in your neighborhood, situ-
ated at one portion of the house, usually
at the garage or a part of the living room.
It’s availability is competing to that of the
common “sari-sari” or variety store. The
business really seems lucrative enough
to people’s perspective, probably be-
cause of the crowd that it draws, the
The market may be better when near the col-
choice of reasonably-priced computer
leges and universities, but expect a greater
hardware available, Internet Service Pro-
number of similar businesses existing within
viders with affordable Internet connec-
said areas. Thus, its our choice whether to
tion, and easy access to a wide array of
compete with many or take a pioneering spirit
programs and utilities.
somewhere not yet saturated.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 35
 “ Kuya, laagggggg!”
Choosing the right hardware and soft-
ware, and the appropriate Internet con-
nection is critical in our operation. If our
target market is only the Internet crowd
like surfers, chatters, bloggers, etc, then
a computer with moderate specifications
would be enough, But if our market caters
to the hardcore gamers, then it would be a
necessity to provide better specifications
like dedicated video cards, more memory,
and a fast processor, all installed with the
popular and new online games, with a few
units installed with the latest offline games
out in the market like NBA 2k11, Darksid-
ers, or Deadrising 2. Most of us would
prefer assembling computer units that
would cater to both markets. beyond our control. There would be down-
times and intermittent connection speeds that
That is why we make sure we provide would sometimes last for several days, plus
high-end specifications if budget permits, the added tension caused by the difficulty in
or make upgrades on one or two com- calling for their technical support to quickly re-
puter at a time. To further compete, es- solve the problem.
pecially with newly opened shops, some
of us would need to constantly upgrade My customers would be yelling “Kuya, lag!”
our computers to keep up with the system or “Kuya, walang Internet!”, causing us fur-
requirements of the new games and the ther headaches and stress. While most of us
multi-tasking demand of the new genera- are knowledgeable in doing our own trouble-
tion of customers. Both target markets shooting and repair of hardware and software,
would require the most suitable inter- a lot of us prefers securing the services of a
net connection based on the number of technician to setup and maintain our Internet
computer units in our shop. Most of the Cafe. It usually is more convenient to have
time, the problems encountered are with an IT background, but with computers becom-
our ISPs because their performance is ing more and more user-friendly, it only takes
very little time until one becomes accustomed
to the ins and outs of our computer setup.

36 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 “Kuya, may wall hack
kayo?”
Getting the required permits or licenses is nec-
essary if we want to go legit, and avoid the has-
sle of sudden inspections from the OMB, the
Business Licensing Office of our city, or even
the baranggay. We usually begin by registering
a business name at the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI), then get a Baranggay
clearance, and then a Business permit from
the Mayor’s office. Registering our busi-
ness at the Bureau of Internal Revenue
(BIR) would make our legal obligation com-
plete.
Most software require us to pay for a license
to legally use their intellectual property. We
start by procuring operating systems like
Windows XP or Windows 7, Some of us
has the option to use open source alterna-
tives like the different flavor of Linux. The
Microsoft operating systems is still the most
popular since the best games are functional
only on Windows.
Likewise, Office Automation programs
like MS Office, full versions of Anti-Virus
programs like Symantec Anti-Virus, Photo-
Editing softwares like Adobe Photoshop,
and even the ever popular network games
like Warcraft 3 (DOTA) or Counterstrike, re-
quire us to pay for the license per computer.
However, there are alternative open source
counterparts and Online games available to
us for free.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 37
 “Kuya, pa-print !” We offer printing, scanning, and fax
services. Some of us have photocopy-
ing, laminating, and binding machines
as well. Some also have expanded to
printing photos and personalized designs
on invitations, flyers, brochures, t-shirts,
mugs, pins, keychains, etc. Many of us
could easily offer Audio/Video and Music
Remix editing services, aside from CD
or DVD duplication or burning. The more
technically-inclined owners accept PC
repair, tutorials, network installation, and
even setting up an Internet Cafe for other
entrepreneurs interested in running the
same business.

Some of us even sell snacks and drinks

There are also other services that we offer
that would complement our computer rental
services.
inside the shop or outside in a separate
food cart. However, selling food has a lot
of issues to consider. It’s going to cause
problems with cleanliness, potential dam-
age to machines, extra space required
and even the potential cluttering of your
shop with non-Internet customers.

38 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE

“Kuya, pa-stop time!”
Competition would suddenly come out of no-
where and catch us by surprise that some-
times we take time off to contemplate and ask
ourselves if its time to raise the white flag. I
woke up one day realizing every street corner
in our neighborhood already has an Internet
Cafe.
To retain our customers and to attract new
ones, some of us would use pricing as a tool to
have an edge over others. We lower our rates
believing it would keep our business afloat.
Some of us would resort to offering promos,
freebies, discounts, giveaways and/or mem-
bership perks. Some would offer contests or
competitions for our gamer clients to win
prizes and recognition as top gamers of
the shop. Still some of us would rather im-
prove and expand our services or facilities
rather than sacrifice our daily income by
lowering our rates. Some customers re-
main loyal to our shop especially the ones
who value the friendship and camaraderie
we shared already. Yet some will still go
for the lowest rates, or would try out the
recently opened shop with the latest com-
puter specifications.
We would also take time out to maintain
our shops aesthetics and cleanliness. The
convenience and looks of our shop also
adds as an additional factor to attract cus-
tomers. We sometimes use posters that
Online game providers giveaway for free
to brighten up the place. Some of us have
uniquely designed computer tables and
counters. While some of us make use of
dimmed lights to create a warm and cozy
ambience. We take an extra effort to make
our shop stand out from the rest. Some
customers do prefer to rent at a clean,
well maintained and airconditioned shop.
Yet, there are quite a number as well
who would ignore the lack of comfort and
cleanliness just as long as the rates are
low, the computers are tolerable, and the
Internet connection is acceptable. Its actu-
ally turning out to be a fight for the best
services at the lowest price which some-
times makes us lose our profit-generating
goal. Our overhead costs goes high while
our sales goes down. The Return of In-
vestment (ROI)now usually takes longer
as compared to how it was several years
ago.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 39
 “Kuya, Game Over
na?”

Do we see ourselves still running the

same business a few years from now?
Why not?... The trend reveals the future
generation would be more advanced in
terms of acceptance and usage of new
technology. Almost everyone now needs
access to the Internet, in order to make
use of the potential of their gadgets.

Although many can now afford to have

their own Internet subscription at the
comforts of their own homes, a lot of
people still go to Internet Cafes to di-
rectly mingle with friends and have fun
playing a competitive network or online
game. There is a virtual world out there,
but the personal, in-the-flesh interaction
with their peers, friends, and colleagues
remains priceless. The laughter, the
cheers, and sometimes taunting of their
barkadas, add a youthful spirit in them.
People on the go would also have an
easy and immediate access to the In-
ternet everywhere. It is always great to
access our email on our own time and
place. Similarly, it is equally rewarding when
we see our customers having a splendid time
inside our shop.
On a final note, our business may not be the
best business around. But if it brings us joy
and happiness everytime we see a customer
pleased with our services, plus a little bit of
adrenaline rush and excitement when we’re
suddenly caught in the middle of fixing a
faulty PC or two during peak hours then we
should definitely keep our shops open.

40 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 41
 EXCLUSIVE
A members call center life
By: Jonas Martinez a.k.a. redwing000
“I submitted my resume to someone who posted an ads in
TipidPC for TSR of a gaming account, I knew the ad gener-
ated a lot of responses and if I remember correctly it went to
20 odd pages for people who applied. Only 2 of us were hired.”
For most people, the typical call center
agent is someone you can figure out eas-
ily. For one thing they work at night, sleep
in the daytime, drink too much and they
just look different from the rest.
I should know, I was one of them. I am
known as redwing0001 in Tipidpc.com.
I have been a member for the better of
the past seven years, starting from way
back in 2003 when I joined a then small
community of computer enthusiasts
who just wanted to be a part of a larger
community. Back then I was unemployed
and just wanted to spend time looking for
computer parts, or join the forums to see
what other people have to say.
In 2004 I got my big break as I was
employed. It was December and I started
out as a Technical Support Level 1 agent
for Telus, then known as Ambergris solu-
tions. The account that I worked for was
EA Games. EA as in Electronic Arts. And
yes, I am and will always be a gamer.
I submitted my resume to someone who
posted an ads in Tipidpc for TSR for a
gaming account. I knew the ad generated
a lot of responses, and if I remember cor-
rectly it went to 20 odd pages for people
who applied. Only 2 of us were hired.
I did not know if it was fate or destiny
that got me there. All I know is that I was
given a primary interview, which I passed
and then a final interview. After that I was
employed and I signed the contract. I did
not even have any formal documents to
42 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
give them and yet, for some odd reason
they accepted me.
For a month I was given language and
corporate training before we were given
account specific training in Market Market.
I really could not remember much of what
was said, because I was either still in
shock from being hired or culture shocked
due to the change in environment. You
have to remember that prior to December
2004, I had not worked a day in my life
in a corporate environment, You can just
imagine what a change in environment
does to you.
When I got into EA Games, they were just
starting, and I was a member of batch
2. There were 24 of us newbies in the
account and there were mainly 2 lines of
business for EA Games; the phone queue
and the email support, which was just be-
ing started. I was first placed on the phone
queue but since I really had no prior expe-
rience with handling phone calls, I sort of
froze. I could not remember anything from
our training and I just could not handle it.
It was then that I was assigned to the
email support (thank God) for me to be
able to train properly. I was even luckier
to be seated beside a veteran agent from
batch 1 named Noel (sorry, I forgot his
surname). There, I was able to slowly train
and get better with handling email support
queries and if needed (although at the time
we in the email group really did not want
to), handle phone queues if it was queue-
ing. Being in email support of EA Games is
probably what made me what I am today.
The defining moment in my career was
when we in the email support became so
efficient, we did not (or the clients could
 Martinez
Name: Jonas
dwing0001
Username: Re
e: 2003
Member Sinc
TPC Groups:
hanics
TPC Car Mec
as a
rrently working
Redwing is cu gs
blo
writer, writing
home based
les.
and web artic

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 43
not) add extra agents. The account for EA
Games was small by comparison so we tend
to be quite close to each other. You have to
remember I was just one of the agents who
were also gamers, and there were more
than 120 of us there.
Each month specially if EA would release
a new game, we need to play it. This is to
be able to know how it runst or discover any
bugs that EA is not aware of and be able
to answer questions regarding the game.
Those are just excuses in order to be able to
play a new game.
At first, all of us in the account were in
night shift But soon after the first year, the
clients decided that the
email group would be
transferred to the day shift.
“ Dressing properly is a dead give-
To me, nothing else could away to your personality. If you
even come close. I am in
the call center, in the email are an emo or a punkista, don’t
account, playing games,
working in the daytime, in-
show it. This is a corporation”
side a Mall.
Everything seems perfect.
I mean to those who know how a call center
agent works, you know that you are con-
trolled by time. We in the email support
aren’t. We could eat anytime we wanted to,
go to bathroom or smoke breaks, eat and
surf the internet while working.
To know how the IT department in a call
center works, you have to remember that all
access to the internet is shut off, depending
on the account rules.
The clients said that would wreak havoc
with their online web application and since
we play games as well, we cannot play
online, like the Battlefield series, Medal of
Honor, Need for Speed, The Sims, etc. But
all these game have an online capability and
we needed to be able to connect to know
how this work, so that we can answer any
question the customers may have regarding
the online part of the game.
I can’t even remember our team even hav-
ing a team building in a resort somewhere,
We just went down to one of the bars in Mar-
ket Market and had our team building there.
It was so surreal to me that I still cannot
44 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
believe it even up to now. I still feel that
the email support contributed so much to
the development of the Technical Support
of EA Games that when they decided to
pack up and move back the US mainland
in 2008, they thought there was enough
development in the Philippines to be able
to train people in the US.
After I left EA games in April 2008, I then
applied for a Technical Support for Dell
and was placed in the XPS support. I also
had luck there. At the time when I was
hired by Dell, they had a company outing
and all new hirees were included.
The account was different and for the first
time since 2004, I was to accept phone
calls. This was the time that I had to ac-
cept the change and I was no longer able
to work in my own time. This was real, and
fortunately I came prepared.
I just had to remember how I did email
support to work my way through the
phone calls.
The experience with Dell taught me that
you never really change how you work,
you just change what you work on. This
was the time I had to polish my English
speaking and listening skills. Since my
email days, my time management was
awful. I almost was not able to keep up
with the AHT that Dell set for all XPS
agents.
Still, the experience with Dell taught me
that you cannot just work on the same
thing for years on end. There has to be
an improvement in what you do, and how
you do it. I really wanted to do emails all
my life but it was hard to find non voice
accounts.
I resigned from Dell after 5 months, one
month shy for me to be regularized.
Even if I did not finish my term with Dell,
I knew my performance was more than
enough for regularization
It was painful for me to resign but it was
a decision that I had to make. I had fam-
ily problems back then, that required me
to be in the house. Two years passed
by before I was able to finally find work
again, but this time as an online writer.
I did not want to leave the house so I
chose a home based job.
For those who are new to the call center
industry, I just have to say that it is im-
portant that you
present yourself in
a formal manner.
Your speaking and
listening skills can
be improved with
training but if you
want to make a de-
finitive impact with
your interviewer,
you have to speak
the way an English newscaster would
speak.
Dressing properly is a dead giveaway to
your personality. If you are an emo or a
punkista, don’t show it. This is a corpo-
ration. You are applying in a corporation
that is why you need to dress in a busi-
ness or formal attire when you apply for
call center position.
No t-shirts with loud messages. No torn
jeans or cargo pants. No loafers. Long
sleeved polo shirt with matching slacks
and leather shoes, a necktie is not nec-
essary but you will look better in the in-
terview with it.
Look formal as well by cutting your hair,
shaving your beard or moustache (for
men) and dressing correctly for women.
Sometimes, the most unexpected thing
comes your way and you can only de-
cide if you really want it or not. You have
to decide right then and there. There is
no second chance with that. If you want
it, it will come.
Where the Filipino Mobile Phone Enthusiasts Converge

TRADING SWAPPING FORUM COMMUNITY

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 45
 EXCLUSIVE

Michael Angelo Factor a.k.a. DJ Mixmasta Mykl or mixmasta of TipidPC.com is one of the DJs behind Pump Mixers International, an

DIGITAL DJ’S DREAM DILLEMA international group of Pinoy DJs that give away mixes like The Weekly Top 7, The 10 Minute Madness and Partee Mixes.Check them
out at TipidPC.com under The Remix thread

By: Michael Angelo Factor a.k.a Mixmasta

-M X
cu l es 4
Her

to take you to new heights but not taking away the

T he days when your friendly DJ uses a ton of gadg-
ets and miles of wires are on the endangered list old time favorite vinyls. Almost perfection right?
So, let’s get it on. These two up and coming DJ
already. Most club DJs nowadays are seen with laptops
while hosting parties. You can do the same thing in your controllers are the Hercules 4-MX and the Traktor
own bedroom or backyard. This is where the DJ in all Kontrol S4. Let’s start with the former and what it
of us is discovered. Now let me show you what the next brings to the table
level of DJ-ing is.
Key features
Type : 4-deck professional digital DJ controller
You are about to face a world filled with lots of D-Word.
Sound card : built-in sound interface
4 D’s to be exact. That is because the age of 4 Deck DJ Built : rugged metal
Controllers are here, and will stay for quite a long while. Ports : 4 RCA connectors, 4 mono connectors,
You may be a Club goer, Bedroom DJ, Semi-Pro, Con- Input : 1 microphone ¼’’ jack mono input
trollerist, Hobbyist, Mobile DJ, Pro DJ, Amateur DJ or Output : 1 headphones ¼’’ jack stereo output,
simply wants to start learning on how to be a DJ. You’re Jogwheel type : 2 large (12cm) jog wheels with touch
in for a treat as this is for the music enthusiasts. Having detection
Total Key Commands : 89 commands on 2 decks and
four decks mean you can play and control 4 different
165 commands on 4 decks
audio or songs all the same time. That’s a huge room to Bundled Software : VIRTUAL DJ 7 LE
unleash unimaginable possibilities.
Minimum configuration
The two controllers that are being talked about can run PC minimum requirements
with just a laptop and the controller itself plus a USB Windows® XP/Vista/7 (32-/64-bit)
cable. Of course, a banging speaker set will help and a 1.5GHz CPU or higher
1GB of RAM or more
knowledge on DJ software is an advantage.
USB port with USB bus power
Stereo speakers &/or headphones
If you’re the kind of DJ who still has turntables and/or
CDs but wants to seriously embrace and experience Mac minimum requirements
digital, these beasts are good choices for you because Mac OS® 10.5/10.6
it allows you to plug through your current setup and use 1.5GHz CPU or higher
one mixer to integrate the lot so you can still cure the 1GB RAM or more
USB port with USB bus power
itch for scratching. These powerful 4 Deckers are here
Stereo speakers &/or headphones

THE OVERALL : This gear is for both amateur and advanced DJ’s as the settings are very flexible to one’s mixing knowledge.
Provided of course you know what the PLAY button is for. I even plan to purchase this baby sometime around 2011 as one of
my favorite DJs is promoting this, DJ Dow Jones of South Rakkas.

Just this baby and a laptop will be enough to bring the party place to its roof when given to a skilled DJ. The size and weight of
this gear would be just right for the mobile DJ.

So if you have some cash stored under you kitchen sink, you can have this for $449.99 or £399.99. Not so cheap right? But
look at what it offers and its possibilities. I can surely see this baby still rocking clubs in 2 to 4 years time. Not a bad investment
I should say

46 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 Trak
t or K
ontr
ol S
4
Key features
Type : premium-quality 4 channel DJ mixer
Sound card : built-in 24 bit/96 kHz soundcard Mac System Requirements:
Built : Wood with aluminum casing and inner felt padding Mac OS X 10.5 or higher, Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz,
Ports : 4 RCA connectors, 4 mono connectors, MIDI 2 GB RAM
passthrough USB 2.0 port, DVD drive, 6 GB free disk space for
Input : RCA stereo inputs, footswitch jack, two analog complete installation
input channels (switchable line and phono)
Output : TRS and RCA outputs, headphone, microphone
Jogwheel type : high-quality electromagnetic jog wheels In the package
Total Key Commands : 101 commands on basic mode S4 hardware controller with built-in audio interface
Bundled Software : TRAKTOR PRO S4 software TRAKTOR PRO S4 software
USB cable
Minimum configuration Power supply
PC System Requirements Manual
Windows XP (latest Service Pack, 32 Bit), Vista®/Win- Keyboard function mapping
dows 7 (latest Service Pack, 32/64 Bit), Pentium/Athlon *Optional flight case & bag
XP 1.8 GHz OR Core2/AMD Athlon X2, 2 GB RAM
USB 2.0 port, DVD drive, 6 GB free disk space for
complete installation

OVERALL - This one’s a soldier in full battle gear with the latest weaponry that can start a new revolution in the club scene.
It boasts of 10 years of workmanship and dedication. I’d say this one’s the Numark’s NS7 killer, if it is not dead yet. Sorry
Numark and Serato fans but the NS7 isn’t mobile enough and is not as powerful as this baby. This defines the modern edge of
software and hardware harmony. Check the videos and all the presentations by DJ Shiftee and see what this gear is capable
of.

There is no official release date yet but rumors say this will be out before March of 2011 But you can pre-order it now. That
may not be enough time to save up for most of us though as the price of this bully is a hefty $999 or 899 EUR. You can buy a
moped bike or an old modeled car with that kind of money.

But for a dedicated DJ, that price is all worth it as this gear brings priceless happiness to people attending his or her party. With
the Traktor DJ Software offerring chained effects and an additional Loop Rocorder that acts like a 5th Deck which brings this
controller would bring a whole new dimension.

THE MIXDOWN. You’ve just met two of the top controllers that will soon takeover the DJ market.
So which one would you choose? I’d say, if you have the unmountable passion to be a great DJ and
of course the extra moolah stashed somewhere, go for Native Instrument’s Traktor Kontrol S4. But if
you have the passion and want to be a mainstay on a club or just a mixing enthusiast with much love
for the music and the mixing like me, then go for the Hercules 4-MX. Whichever you choose, you still
win as these two are not really that different if given to a skilled DJ.

Remember, music is life. No place or moment is complete without music. These controllers just brings
you to a different level that you seldom find even after the sun goes down. Music is still loved even
without these controller but without these controllers, modern DJs would be limited. So, let’s enjoy
what each brings. Music is life and life is a party! So Pump it UP!

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 47
 EXCLUSIVE
MOBILE PHONE VS SMARTPHONE
“It may have sounded like science-fiction a few years back but we are now living the life-imitates-
art manifestation with the debut of the iPhone and Android. Touch-screen phones and QWERTY
phones are now becoming the norm. The future has indeed arrived and we are living it now”
elecommunications technolo-
T
gy has come a long way since
the days of the “ice scraper”
phones. I remember how ex-
orbitant retail prices were for
mobile phones in the past.
What you got was a dinosaur
of a device which was cumber-
some and not quite useful given the inherent
disadvantages of analog technology.
In the last few years, mobile phone features
have become more and more sophisticated
but the most popular these days is multi-
media messaging; using both image and au-
dio to communicate. Hardly any new mobile
phone nowadays does not come with—at the
very least—a VGA camera.
This unique capability has now turned the
lowly mobile phone into what is now known
as, the “smart phone”.
CONVENTIONAL COMMUNICATION
The mobile phone has 2-basic functions: call
and short-message sending. For calls, one
gets the basic “taking” and “making” the
calls, barring, forwarding and most of these
features may actually be dictated by the net-
work provider.
For messaging, the only thing that would
distinguish one phone brand from the other
will be the display options for the LCD moni-
tor which most of the time, is not capable of
handling graphics or photos. The most it will
do might be to function as music player for
48 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
those who need to de-pressurize in between
calls.
BEYOND BASIC
Fast-forward to today: phone manufacturers
and designers have determined that the lowly
mobile phone needs to be able to handle more
than just basic phone functions. Several years
back, “polyphonic” ring tones became the
norm and pretty soon, music storage was in-
corporated into the on-board memory. Shortly
after that came digital photography and soon,
everyone was a mobile photographer!
“ No longer will you need a
full-sized laptop to check your
e-mail, all you need is the
smartphone you would nor-
mally carry in your pocket ”
But what else can a smartphone do?
Smart phones are basically designed to func-
tion in much the same way as a laptop. It has
its own beefed up memory capacity by way of
micro-SD cards. You can also manage files
loaded into these memory cards; photos, mu-
sic and video. Subsequently, the same files
can be shared in a number of ways; Bluetooth,
USB and MMS just to name a few.
Some phone models include proprietary ap-
plications that allow them to edit photos, mu-
sic and sometimes even video. You can make
your own ringtones or copy music files onto
the memory card and use your phone as your
own personal entertainment system.
Wireless application protocol or WAP revolu-
tionized the 3G phones in recent years but
with the development of WiFi technology,
smart phones have since been built with their
own wireless capabilities. No longer will you
need a full-sized laptop to check your e-mail,
all you need is the smartphone you would nor-
mally carry in your pocket.
WiFi and Sci-Fi
It may have sounded like science-fiction a few
years back but we are now seeing the life-im-
itates-art manifestation with the debut of the
iPhone and Android. Touch-screen phones
and QWERTY phones are now becoming the
norm.
The future has indeed arrived and we are liv-
ing it now. I can’t help but think how some sci-fi
movies overlooked this—that we may actually
be communicating with someone who doesn’t
need to be tied down to a landline or that a
phone may be carried around in one’s pocket
or that you actually see who you’re talking to,
kind of like the “Beam-me-up-Scottie” reality
we’re already living now.
More than just a mere multi-media device,
the smartphone is a pocket-sized computer
you can take with you anywhere and you will
never be out of touch!
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 49
 Balualua
Name: Rodel
not
Username: An
: So ftb ox Solutions
Company
e: 2003
Member Sinc
TP C Gr ou ps :

Airsoft Group
Technowarrior
Night Boys
/ TPC Friday

50 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 SPOTLIGHT
FEATURED MEMBER
“Sometimes there are customers who order in the morning and expect
delivery by lunch time.We’ve been known to deliver that fast. People
give us feedback that say we’re like a pizza delivery service!”
TPC: How long have you been a TPC member?
ANNOT: I signed up in 2004 so that’s about 7-years.
TPC: In those 7-years, how long have you been sell-
ing?
ANNOT: I started selling in 2005 with PC parts, USB/
Hard disk enclosures and such…
TPC: Did that start your career with Softbox?
ANNOT: Not yet, at that time we only catered to cor-
porate clients. I already had a corporate retail busi-
ness then.We sell consumables and doing IT serv-
ices. We also had software solutions and a team of
programmers.
TPC: So how did you end up at TipidPC?
ANNOT: A member named, Caloy told me about
TPC. I asked him to sell a computer for me. He post-
ed it on the site then he told me about it. I signed up
but I wasn’t so active back then. I was more into the
forums and just lurking around
TPC: Did TPC help you in terms of sales? in what
way?
ANNOT: Yes, TPC helped my business prosper.I
would you say that at least 75% of my business
comes from TPC.
I used to generate more business in corporate ac-
counts, but now, I do more trading in the website and
I get to meet a lot of corportate clients there.
THE MAN
BEHIND
SOFTBOX
SOLUTIONS
TPC: What is Softbox Solutions known for?
ANNOT: We have a delivery team of motorcycle riders
who cover most of the business districts, Makati,
Ortigas and The Fort.
TPC: How does that work?papano ang proseso nya?
ANNOT: We post our items on TPC, customers inquire
and when they like an item, they have it delivered.
We usually deliver on the same day and if we can’t we
try our best to deliver as soon as humanly
possible.
TPC: So you deliver on time and via motorcycle. Have
you ever been swindled by a buyer?
ANNOT: Thank God we haven’t had that yet.
TPC: What’s the warranty period for your items?
ANNOT: We give a 1-year warranty for hard disks and
PC parts. The hard disks come with a 3-year manu-
facturer’s warranty. If for example a hard disk breaks
down after 1-year, they can avail of the manufacturer’s
warranty through us but at extra cost. The warranty
covers just the unit and not the data stored. I want to
make that clear because some customers insist that
we also replace files lost in the hard disks.
TPC: How many days does it take to replace an item?
ANNOT: It really depends on the item. For hard disks,
depending on availability it takes 2-3 days up to a
week. If it takes more than 15-days and we still get
no time frame from a distributor, we give the buyer the
option of replacing an item of equal value or simply
Annot has been known as one of the
pioneers in TPC. We have had sever-
al transactions with him and we know
for a fact that he gives good deals to
his clients.
The TPC editorial board sought out
legitimate premium members for an
up-close and personal look. In this
maiden issue, we chose the man be-
hind Softbox Solutions. We were inter-
ested in learning about the beginnings
of Softbox Solutions and where they
are now.
a refund.
ANNOT: Sometimes there are customers who order
in the morning and expect delivery by lunch time.
We’ve been known to deliver that fast. People give
us feedback that say we’re like a pizza delivery
service!
TPC: So you want Softbox to be known for fast re-
sponse delivery?
ANNOT: Yes and we target those who don’t want to
go out and shop for items.
TPC: What’s the most salable item you are selling?
ANNOT: External hard disks. It’s been our best sell-
ing item since we started out in 2005. We also have
media players.
ANNOT: Those in the province and those who are
not familiar with us, I can assure you that I will not
ruin my reputation for just a small amount of money.
I won’t allow it. Also, our hard disks are carefully
packed in bubble plastic, shell and box so there is
no danger of damage while shipping. So far, none
of our provincial customers have returned our prod-
ucts.
If you would like to deal with Annot, just look at his
items and you will not regret the pleasant experi-
ence with him or your purchase!
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 51
 SPOTLIGHT

Opening
the Doors
of Open
Pinoy
FEATURED PREMIUM STORE

Open pinoy fairly sells cheap computer items at an affordable

prices. The prices of their products are well executed and
neatly arranged. Buyers can check out open pinoy website
@ www.openpinoy.com
Open Pinoy opens a wide range of Filipino Affordable
PC Products

T
he first time I went to the
Open Pinoy branch in Manda-
luyong, my first impression on
the place was that of a ware-
house selling second-hand
and scrap computer parts. I
actually thought that all Open
Pinoy branches were the same until I
was able to visit their store in Greenhills
seven years after. The Greenhills branch
was strategically located between large
IT shops- considered as the IT capital of
Manila.
As we entered, we were greeted by a very
accommodating manager. The shop was
entertaining a handful of customers con-
sidering it was 3pm in the afternoon at
that time. But amidst the store’s crowd, the
sales staff were very friendly on attending
to their needs.
The store has a collection
of PC parts, surveillance
monitors, brand new and
refurbished units which ap-
pear to be from out of the
box. In other words, they
got everything electronics.
It’s very rare that you would
find Open Pinoy staff walk-
ing around and handing out flyers to rake
in customers because they don’t need to
force anyone to come over. Since its prod-
ucts and services are needed, customers
just keep coming. This shop is perfect for
techies.
I sat down with Open Pinoy and tried to find
out what makes this store tick!
TPC: Why the name Open Pinoy?
OP: Open Pinoy came to be in the hope of
serving Filipinos with high-quality products
and devices at affordable prices meaning--
it’s OPEN to all Pinoys!
TPC: How long has OP been around?
OP : We’ve been in the business for 9-years.
TPC: Is the Mandaluyong branch the first
one?
OP : Yes, this is where we started and
opened to the public but we have 2-other
branches, one in Greenhills and one in
Makati. We still concentrate on trading on-
line.
TPC: How does TPC help Open Pinoy?
OP : TPC provides an attractive and popular
website for IT device users and purchasers.
So, while we use the OP banner, we have
many visitors who come to our website
through TPC. We benefit from the online
trading board and we do most negotiations
through the TPC website.
TPC: How long have you been a supporter
of TPC?
OP: Why not ask Alex (TPC’s Managing Di-
rector)? (laughs)
TPC: What are the top selling products here
at OP?
OP : We are direct importers of laptops and
surveillance systems and as such, we offer

52 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
them at the lowest prices. vicing. OP guarantees we know
what we’re selling so we know
TPC: How is the relationship of customers, buyers and sellers with exactly how to serve the client
the TPC guys? and attend to their needs. That’s
OP : In our posts, we always explain what the item is all about, why one of our strongest points.
they might need it and comparative specs. Let’s say you have a friend
who needs a laptop but isn’t so techie. We talk to them not in technical Since we do business online,
terms but in a language that they can understand. We post pictures there are no limits. A provincial
of the items showing the actual physical condition of each product. client can shop 24/7 from our
This is what makes us different from others--that they just show one website and they can place or-
picture plus the specs and cost. We focus more on the needs of the ders even at midnight. We pro-
clients. cess their orders the morning
after.
TPC: How about warranties?
OP : For some parts, we offer a 2-year warranty, for brand new units, TPC: How long does it take to
a 1-year warranty and 3-6 months on used items. place an order after it is placed
online? What’s your turnaround
TPC: How do you support customers online? time?
OP : If anyone has a problem with their units, regardless if they’re OP : We deliver within 24-hours but it also depends on the courier ser-
customers or not, they can post their questions and we answer them vice.
right away. We also have our care center and call managers to at-
tend to customers’ querries from 10am-7pm, Monday to Saturday. We TPC: What are the future plans of OP?
strive our best to reply ASAP! OP: We expect many people to avail of our product because we know
we offer high-quality products at reasonable prices. We don’t want our
TPC: What assurance can we get after purchasing from OP? customers to spend on something they can’t use.
OP : We give the best after-sales service, our website assures all OP
clients that they can contact us anytime if they encounter any prob- We also would like our name as a computer brand here in the Philippines
lems. We also deliver our items on-time through courier services. The and it will be proudly Filipino, the Open Pinoy computer.
OP name is their guarantee!
For those who may be interested with what Open Pinoy offers, you can
TPC: What does OP offer that others don’t? visit their website www.openpinoy.com for more details.
OP : Frankly speaking, all stores are the same. We have the same
items and roughly the same prices. We make good on after-sales ser-

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 53
DIGITAL ARTWORK & PHOTOGRAPHY

54 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 FEATURED TPC SUB-GROUP

Team Nikon

Original photos taken and submitted by: Team Nikon Bullies

Bullies
TNB or Team Nikon Bullies is a group of pho-
tography enthusiasts, all owning and utilizing
Nikon branded cameras. However, we are not
officially affiliated with Nikon. We meet regu-
larly to attend events, photography gather-
ings, photowalks, or to simply chill out, that
includes bullying each other out. LOL.
Seriously....

We started in the D40 thread of TipidPC. Reg-

ular eyeballers of the said thread soon real-
ized the need for an organization, primarily for
event and eyeball (EB) organizing. On March
2009, TNB or Team Nikon Bullies was born.
The founding members were Noel Gonong,
Jay Guillermo, Julie Buenaobra, Yohan dela
Cruz, Dennis Tingle, Blade Orlanes, Sean
Ilgauson, and Meann Legarda. To date, we
have more than 50 members. We come from
different walks of life, but we share the same
passion – photography.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 55
 TECH GUIDES
“BATTERY-SAVING TIPS FOR YOUR DSLR”
By: Abs Abando a.k.a. Sunryzr
hotography and video technology has
P come a long way since I first picked
up my Dad’s 35mm, all-mechanical,
single-lens reflex camera. As a novice
photographer, the most I had to worry about
was how I was going to take a shot since all
the camera functions at the time didn’t need
for any type of power source. Most of the
shots I took required only the existing light
source so I barely needed flash. At the time, it
was the only accessory that need-
ed batteries.
More than 30-years since then,
I now have to constantly check
the camera’s LCD monitor which
showed me readouts for ex-
posure, frame count, metering
mode, AF mode, drive mode and
the all-important, “battery life
indicator”. For me, that’s a little
too much information to absorb
in a single glance! Despite the
convenience of automation, the
photographer also has to keep
up with how his equipment per-
forms; something which was to-
tally unheard of in the past. Back
then, all we needed to do was
feel and listen to the sound of the
shutter clicking.
So, why not just carry spare batteries on a
shoot? True, but then again how many of us
can afford the high cost of lithium ion batteries
which are standard-issue in today’s cameras?
Ok, carrying spares might just be the solution
but not all of us are working professionals who
have the luxury of not only having spare bat-
teries but also extra camera bodies!
Having been a photographer most of my
natural life, it’s the decisive moment that truly
mattered. Simply put, what if that shot-of-a-
lifetime pops up in front of your lens and the
batteries run flat? There are no albums for
missed shots!
56 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
Missing a shot is a photographer’s worst
nightmare. I remember devising a way to re-
load film as fast as possible or planning my
shots ahead so I would have the opportunity
to reload without taking a break from the ac-
tion. Plus, with today’s high-capacity memory
cards, there is hardly an excuse for photo-
graphers to reload in the middle of an event.
With a good selection of wide-telezooms in
the market, a photographer can keep his eye
on the viewfinder almost indefinitely.
FOR DSLRS and Video cameras:
1. Use the viewfinder more often. The LCD
monitor uses up a lot of power and heats up
the camera. The only exception to this rule
is when taking HD videos with your DSLR.
Another reason why it’s good to use the view-
finder is that it allows you to take steadier
shots and you will hardly over or underex-
pose images.
2. Turn off the autofocus(AF) function. Unless
you’re using high-end and pricey “ultrasonic”
lenses, autofocus just takes up a lot of the
camera’s juice.
3. Turn off the camera’s “Record Review”
function; just like tip #1, playing back im-
ages requires the use of the LCD monitor
which drains the batteries considerably.
One advantage of turning off playback is
that you get to shoot faster sequential shots
because the camera isn’t taking the time to
write the image on the card and presenting it
for playback on the monitor. If you’re shoot-
ing on “continuous” drive mode, this is defi-
nitely a plus! Besides, today’s DSLRs are
meant to take near-perfect shots so
unless you’re really hopeless as
a photographer, you’ll get good
exposures 90% of the time.
FOR Point-and-shoot cam-
eras:
1. More advanced P&S cameras
are equipped with an optical
viewfinder. Just like the DSLR,
use it more often than the “live
view” monitor.
2. Turn off the “record review”
function.
3. Play back the images only af-
ter you’ve completed the shoot.
With P&S, these cameras are
designed to give near-perfect
shots automatically so there’s
really no need to worry.
4. Plan your shots ahead; try to
break the habit of turning the camera on
and off periodically. You might think you’re
saving battery power but you’re not. The
“start-up” process of a digital camera uses
up more juice every time it’s turned on.
Technology may seem to do a lot for you but
sometimes, it’s “old school” common sense
that can turn you into a good photographer
or videographer. Happy shooting!
 MORE THAN ...

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For Advertising : adsmag@tipidpc.com

 TECH GUIDES

Photography & Digicam

By: Willy Palacios a.k.a. wheelee

I started making photography a hobby back in the 90s with my

first digicam, a 1 mega pixel Kodak DCS120. From there, I’ve
been trying to learn the tricks of the trade ever since. And
through the course of time I’ve managed to pick up tips and tricks
from books, online forums and pro’s out there and it’s time to pay it
forward.

There are literally a lot of tricks on what you can do with you camera
and your photo but as with most we’ll start with the basics. Know your
camera and read the manual even in one fast sweep. We don’t want
to be sorry when the time arises. New digicams nowadays have more
features than we could ever use. Here are some of the most com-
monly used ones on either a Point and shoot (P&S) or digital single
lens reflex (DSLR) camera.
Camera Modes:
Until now, you could’ve just been shooting in “Auto” mode. But now
you want to up the ante with your photography skills going all the way
to full manual mode - Learn the Tools, Hone the Skills. Most cameras
nowadays have a dial mode switch on either the left or right top side
of the body, well unless your camera is an Auto mode only camera.
Labels are P, S, A, M for Programmed, Shutter (sometimes Tv), Ap-
erture (Av), Manual mode. Also the Full Auto mode and subject mode
(the ones with different pictures) are on the same dial. although I’m
guessing no one uses these modes ;)
A typical Mode Dial
Program Mode (P)
P mode is similar to Auto mode. The camera will do most of the
setup but it allows the user to manually override some settings like
flash, ISO, white balance, focus or other settings depending on the
camera brand being used. Use P mode if you want minimal adjust-
ment and the rest is up to the camera.
Shutter Priority Mode (S or Tv- Time Value)
In the S or Tv mode, you set the shutter speed and the camera sets
the aperture. With high shutter speeds, you can freeze fast action
shots. If slow shutter speed is used, you can blur the motion or have
the feeling of movement. Ever wondered how they made that flowing
water silky smooth? In low light shotsyou might also use a slow shut-
ter but a tripod might be needed.

Some Shooting Tips:

1. When shooting against a very bright back-
ground or against the sun, use fill-in flash
so that the subject will be exposed properly,
unless you’re doing a silhouette shot. Avoid
taking pictures of people with the sun in their
face since they will tend to squint or have
funny facial expression because of the blind-
ing brightness. Also the picture could be over
exposed.
2. If you don’t have time to set the camera,
use P-mode and Auto ISO. The Auto ISO
level can be pre-set in the order you desire.
In P mode (programmed) most of the settings
are being done by the camera to get a prop-
erly exposed shot. Although you could still
change certain settings in the camera, check
your user manual.
3. Always keep filters ready, like Neutral
Density (ND), if you’re going to shoot in
daylight. ND filters help to cut the light
going in your camera, like when you want
to shoot flowing water showing motion in
broad daylight. Also keep UV (ultra violet)
filters handy. They help protect your lens
specially the front element from scratches.
But choose ones that don’t create a lot of
flare, otherwise you might ruin that priced
shot.
4. Remember to always keep your batter-
ies charged. I learned that the hard way. I
went out for a photo shoot then just after
a few clicks – kaput! - wasted chance and
time. So, remember to fully charge your
batteries and if possible get an extra bat-
tery. You won’t regret it. The same goes for
your flash gun.
**Be very careful when charging your bat-
teries and make sure the contacts don’t
short when placed in bags or pockets**
5. Memory cards - buy the fastest and big-
gest one you can afford especially now that
modern digital cameras have the ability to
record 1080p mode. Slower cards buffering
can be a problem. Remember to label them
because the chance of overwriting a card
full of your just taken baby pictures could
happen. Buy multiple cards for backup and
future use.
6. Make sure to check the settings of your
camera when shooting in different modes

58 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 and when changing locations. Case in
point, I did a CWB (custom white balance)
in one shoot then moved on to a differ-
ent place. Pictures came out with a hue
of blue :( also forgetting to lower the ISO
when shooting outdoors after coming from
an indoor shoot.
7. Never ever point you camera directly to
the sun especially when you are looking
through the viewfinder. There have been
cases also when some lasers or laser
lights damaged the CCD/ CMOS of the
camera.
8. Make your own quickie stabilizer like a
tension string or a bean bag. Fill a small
cloth pouch with mongo beans or rice to
about ¾ full and use that to sit your camera
when needed. For the tension string, tie a
knot around a metal screw that fits in the
tripod mount of your camera. Cut a good
length that you can step on and use the
tension to stabilize your cam. As they say, a
cheap tripod is better than no tripod at all.
9. Invest in a good dry box to keep your
equipment in. In places where humidity
is high, the possibility of mold or fungus
growth is most likely. So it’s best to keep
your valuable lens and bodies in a secure
cabinet. There are electronic dry cabinets
wherein the RL (relative humidity) can be
kept at a certain level to keep those nasty
fungus out. A setting of 45~55% RH is usu-
ally recommended.
10. Always bring your camera! You’ll never
know when that once in a lifetime shot will
come your way.

Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av- Aperture Value) Rule of Thirds

In the A or Av mode you set the desired aperture or lens opening
and the camera sets the proper shutter speed to expose the scene
properly. With a large f-stops (small aperture or lens opening) you
will need more light and will have a large depth of field. With a
small f-stop (large aperture or lens opening) you will need less light
and will have a small or shallow depth of field.
Manual Mode (M)
In M mode you have full control of the camera settings. You set the
shutter speed, aperture, ISO, WB etc. depending on how you want
your picture to come out, either under exposed or over exposed.
Although cumbersome for others, the need to use M mode might
arise like in tricky lighting situations or if you want to be creative in
your own way.
I guess this is one of the most used rule that you’ll hear or read about.
If you noticed, some cameras, even P&S, have some sort of a grid on
the LCD screen or view finder and most can be turned on or off. If your
camera doesn’t have one, imagine your LCD screen or view finder is
split into nine equal sections with two horizontal and two vertical lines
running across your screen. By placing your main subject near where
the lines cross you tend to pull the viewers eye towards that area
almost instantly. Try doing some experiments wherein the main subject
is dead center and one that’s placed in any of the thirds and see which
is more pleasing to view.

Subject Mode
This is where you see those pictures drawn on the Mode Dial like
a face (portrait), flower (macro), mountain (landscape), running
man (sports) and the one that looks like a video camera, obviously
for taking videos. Most of these modes are rarely used unless you
want to experiment or compare settings. Try them out but don’t be
limited by these modes. Try to experiment and make shooting a fun
experience. This

I myself shoot mostly in Aperture (A) mode or in Programmed (P)

but switches to Manual (M) mode when certain effects are needed
or when doing a setup shot. Once you’ve learned these methods,
try to use them and take off from just being a Point and Shoot
person.

Composition Rules
Well actually, there are no rules in photography as different people
will interpret or look at the same picture differently. But here are
some general rules that you may follow to make your photo more
pleasing to the viewer. To This
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 59
 Motion

Give the viewers a sense of move-

ment by using a slow shutter speed
to capture flowing water or people’s
movement.

photographs taken by willy

60 TIPIDPC.COM
Leading Lines
When the viewer sees this kind of photos, his eyes
are being drawn to the lines as if he is having his own
journey & is being pulled towards a central point.

Symmetry & Pattern

Symmetrical balance or sometimes called mirror image,
two halves of the picture should look the same.

Perspective
Show depth & magnitude

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 61
 High Dynamic
Range
Photography

TECH GUIDES

HDR Photography
By: Nonoy Ativo a.k.a. nonoy_1969

I
t’s All about Light!
How do you now capture a wider dynamic range if
your medium cannot record or map the whole range? Baking the Cake
Photographs and images are all about light,
the amount of light and the intensity of the In digital photography, we can create the
The old world solution by painters was to add contrast
light. With too much or too little light you end same effect using high dynamic range
to their scenes. Contrast, which is used interchange-
up with images that are either too dark and difficult to imaging techniques. To begin, you will
ably with dynamic range, was the application of satu-
perceive or too bright and washed out. Light used to
rated colors of opposing hues and putting black or need the following:
produce images is expressed as luminance. It is de-
white colors at the edge of the objects in the painting.
fined as the state or quality of reflecting light and the
This created sharper and more intense colors in the
intensity of light emitted from a surface per unit area in 1. A digital camera, preferably a DSLR
painting. This high contrast technique created the il-
a given direction. Dynamic ranges, therefore, are the
lusion of brighter and livelier paintings like El Greco’s but a good point and shoot will do the job.
spectrum from dark to light in scenes that you would
La Agoria en el Jardin: But you will need to change the shut-
want to photograph. Dynamic range is the measured
ratio between high and low extremes in a set of val- ter speed to achieve different exposure
ues.
levels. A P&S with manual setting is
The problem is real world scenes contain light ranges preferred
that exceed 50,000:1 dynamic range while media has
been limited to recording 300:1 dynamic range. 2. A tripod; you need to have a stable
camera when taking several exposures
You end up with images like this
of the same scene, you also do not want
motion flow

3. An HDR software like Photomatix

4. An image-editing software like Adobe

Lightroom

62 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE

This is how the fused images of the 3 images with different exposures look like
1. Choose your scene.
For starters, it is best to select landscapes or
non-moving objects.
2. Adjust your camera settings and turn on
exposure bracketing. Set it to differ by 2 stops.
3. Mount your camera on the tripod and
compose the scene. To minimize shakes and
blurry images, you may want to turn off your
lens’ AF mode.
4. Set it to a timed shutter release or use a
remote or cable shutter release. This is espe-
cially critical if the scene you are shooting has
naturally low light. Shoot around 3-6 images of
the scene.
5. After the shoot, download the images to
your computer and use the HDR software to
merge the images. Most HDR software are
easy to use and you can use it intuitively. The
software will generate an image that merges
all your shots.
However, this is an unfinished image. Using
your eye, creativity and style, you can further
edit the image by adjusting elements. Adobe
Lightroom can help you do this easily.
Other photographers are able to create HDR-
like effects directly from their cameras by
simply shooting the scene and without having
to edit the images. This is done by using long
exposures and aided by filters to manage the
entry of light into the camera sensor. Infra-red
photography is also another form of HDR pho-
tography that uses opposing black and white
hues to create an image.
Here is a comparison of a fused image that was tone-mapped (left) and the same image that had
some artistic editing done (right):
Good to Know
HDR photography is high involvement in the
sense that you need to know how to use
image-editing software to create an outstand-
ing image. You will need to use the merged
luminance in your photo and further enhance
it. This means that you need to develop the
eye for good (and bad) use of contrast and
color.
First, most CRT and LCD monitors are es-
sentially low dynamic range. You need to
configure your monitor to render your images
according to its capability. Calibrate it so that
what you see onscreen is also what comes
out on print later. Reduce the contrast of the
screen and bring it close to zero so that you
will see the actual contrast of your images
instead of the screen’s rendering.
Next, LDR devices, like your monitor, repre-
sent HDR images by cropping the dynamic
range. The darkest and brightest portions
are removed while leaving the middle values
untouched.
Lastly, learn to do tone mapping. Tone map-
Here are
samples of
the same
shot with a
difference
of 2 stops:
ping is the process of reducing contrast ratios
in selected portions of the image. Usually,
pixels attached to each other are altered such
that they have similar contrast ratios. This will
allow you to create different effects with your
images.
If you want to output an HDR image on paper
or on a display, you must somehow convert
the wide-intensity range in the image to the
lower range supported by the display. One old
tone-mapping method is the manual dodge-
and-burn technique familiar to photographers
– where you manually select different tonal
ranges for different regions of the image, using
a dodging or a burning tool. HDR software will
of course support manual dodge and burn.
Another solution is to use an automated tone
mapping filter to reduce the dynamic range of
an HDR image.
Overall, HDR photography can be very excit-
ing because of the prospect of creating a
scene that will look very different because of
the play of light or the merging of luminance
values in the scene. And the best part – even
beginners with a P&S can do it effortlessly.
The next time you shoot a scene try to get
several exposures of the same shot and do
your very own HDR impression on the scene.
Happy shooting!
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 63
 TECH GUIDES

PHOTOSHOP ENHANCEMENT
By: Ritzel Marcelino a.k.a. rsa1

Building the Perfect Exposure

Some people would call it as butchery on the art of photography while others coin it as the modern day darkroom. This argument I believe is an end-
less debate between the norms and the diverse. In my opinion, digital photography with no digital editing can be compared to film photography with
no darkroom. Just imagine how pictures would look like undeveloped and resting in film cans.

Thousands of photoshop techniques can be obtained in the web today. I have reviewed them as well and only a few coincide to what I call as es-
sential and at the same time effortless.

In this article, I will be sharing some of my commonly used photoshop enhancement and image manipulation techniques and as a bonus, I will also
be sharing low-light HDR technique.

BACKGROUND EXPOSURE

1) Open the picture file that you want to edit in Adobe

Camera Raw editor. Check the background light if over or
underexposed. There are four settings you can toggle to suit
your mood-, Exposure, Recovery, Vibrance and Saturation.
Once you’re satisfied with your settings, select Open Image.
Save it as bground.psd.

FOREGROUND EXPOSURE

2) Re-open the original picture in Adobe Camera Raw editor

but this time change the setting for the Foreground subject.
Using this time the Exposure, Contrast and Blacks, change
the settings to the desired specification. Save it as fground.
psd afterwards.

SPLITTING EXPOSURE

3) Open bground.psd in Adobe Photoshop Elements and

select Image > Magic Extractor. Choose Foreground Brush
Tool (B) and change Brush Size to your discretion. Doodle
on the background. You can remove unwanted images
using the Background Brush Tool (P). Select Preview any-
time to see your selection. Press OK once completed.

64 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
COMBINING EXPOSURE

4) Choose Select All (Ctrl+A) then Copy (Ctrl+C) then Paste

(Ctrl+V) it in the fground.psd. Select Move (V) to align the
bground above the fground. Create new layer by select-
ing Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels to adjust the
Shadow and the Highlights.

Comparing End Results

This is the first image taken in raw format without any image
manipulation

Final Image

After the simple image manipulation, the end result is as-

toundingly rich in color and picture perfect.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 65
 TECH GUIDES

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION
By: Raymund Daquioag a.k.a. aresdi

I
t’s the pleasing arrangement of sub- Good or correct composition is impossible
ject matter elements within the picture to define precisely. There are no hard-and-
area. Creative photography depends fast rules to follow that ensure good compo-
foremost on the photographer’s ability sition in every photograph. There are only
to see as the camera sees because the principles and elements that provide
a photograph does not reproduce a a means of achieving pleasing composi-
scene quite the way we see it. The tion when applied properly. Some of these
camera sees and records only a small principles and elements are as follows:
isolated part of the larger scene, reduces it to
only two dimensions, frames it, and freezes it. It 1. Center of interest
does not discriminate as we do. When we look at 2. Subject placement
a scene we selectively see only the important el- 3. Simplicity
ements and more or less ignore the rest. A cam- 4. Viewpoint and camera angle
era, on the other hand, sees all the details within 5. Balance
the field of view. This is the reason some of our 6. Shapes and lines
pictures are often disappointing. Backgrounds 7. Pattern
may be cluttered with objects we do not remem- 8. Volume
ber, our subjects are smaller in the frame or less 9. Lighting
striking than we recall, or the entire scene may 10. Texture
lack significance and life. 11. Tone
12. Contrast
With experience and knowledge of your equip- 13. Framing
Good pictures are seldom created by chance.
ment, you begin to “think through your camera” 14. Foreground
so you are free to concentrate on composition. 15. Background
Devote serious study to the principles of good 16. Perspective
composition. Study books and magazine arti-
cles on composition. You should analyze vari- As you study these principles of composi-
ous media: motion pictures, TV, magazines, tion, you should soon come to a realization
books and newspapers, and evaluate what you that some are very similar and overlap one
see. What is good about this picture or that TV another a great deal.
image? What is bad about it? What principles
of good composition could you apply in a differ- Because all or most of these principles must
ent way to make the picture better. be considered and applied each time you
take a picture, it may all seem quite confus-
ing at first. With experience you can develop
To make the most of any subject, you must un- a sense of composition, and your consid-
derstand the basic principles of composition. eration and application of the principles will
The way you arrange the elements of a scene become almost second nature. This is not
within a picture, catch the viewer’s attention, to suggest that you can allow yourself to be-
please the eye, or make a clear statement are come complacent or careless in the applica-
all qualities of good composition. By developing tion of the principles of composition. Doing
photographic composition skills, you can pro- so will be immediately obvious because the
duce photographs that suggest movement, life, results you produce will be snapshots, not
depth, shape, and form, recreating the impact of professional photographs.
the original scene.

How are photographic composition skills devel- Next Issue:

oped? You look, you study, you practice. Every Discussion of the Principles and Elements
time you take a picture, look all around within
the viewfinder. Consider the way each element
will be recorded and how it relates to the overall
composition. You must become thoroughly famil-
iar with the camera and learn how the operation
of each control alters the image.

Experiment with the camera and look at the re- PHOTOGRAPHY & MULTIMEDIA
sults carefully to see if they meet your expecta- in.vision.09@gmail.com
tions. +639236660471

66 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 11. Vernier Caliper -
1. Power Drill - is one is a precision instrument
tool a DIY’er must not live
without. It is very useful commonly used for determining
for boring small holes the diameter of objects and to
with drill bit attachments measure gaps.
to large holes with the
holesaw attachments.
There are dedicated types
of attachments for each
kind of material.

12. Acrylic Cutter-

only used for cutting straight
through acrylic sheets.
2. Rotary Tool - a
versatile tool, it can
do almost anything 1 4 5
from grinding, routing,
sanding and cutting off
any material be it wood, 13.Wire Cutter/ Stripper - it
plastic or metal. grips and removes the wire
3
6 7 insulator to expose the copper
wire.
3. Crimper - is a handy
tool for network cabling.
2
It presses the pins of the
connector to make full
contact with the wires. 14. Solder Sucker-
helps make the job easier by
removing excess solder from
the circuit.
4. Allen Wrench set - the tool
to use to tighten and loosen
Allen-type bolts.

15. Soldering Lead -is

the main element that
5. Hammer - for a DIY’er it’s bonds two electrical/
main purpose is for center
marking pilot-holes for drilling electronic contacts.
and making bends or repairing 8 9 10
dents on sheet metals.

16. Metric Tape -

used fo measuring long
6. Philips Screwdriver - as
it’s name implies it’s basic pieces of material and a
function is to drive Philips very handy tool
type screws/bolts.

1 7 . P r e c i s i o n
7. Flathead Screwdriver - Screwdriver Set -
mainly used for Flat type bolt basically used to manage
or screws. small screws/bolts.
14

15
13
8. Rotary Tool accessories - 18. Soldering Iron.- it
composed of sanding drums, melts the Solder Lead
router bits, grinding/buffing to form a sturdy contact
attachments and cutting between two points in a
wheels. 12 circuit.

9. Flatnose Pliers - have 11

endless uses for a DIY’er. They
grip, bend, turn things and 18 19.MultiPurpose Cutter
straighten things out. 17 - used for cutting or
trimming soft and thin
materials like paper,
plastic sheets or plywood.
10. Needlenose Pliers - are
most commonly used for
bending angles in wire or 16
narrow metal strips. They have
a sharp wire cutter near the 20. Staright-Edge Rule-
pivot.
19 is another precision
20
instrument for drawing
straight lines.

D.I.Y TOOLS OF TRADE

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 67
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

Making an Ipad Concealment Case

TPC EXCLUSIVE ARTICLE

Ipad Inside a used Authorware bookcase

T here are a number of products out there for

the iPad but these are mostly to protect the
precious unit.
But what if you were on the MRT or
any public place and you needed to
check your mail or get online?

This is clearly a security issue and

you wouldn’t want anyone to steal
your precious iPad. Hold-up and
snatching cases are on the rise
since the age of the notebook
and other portable smart devices.
Some of these criminals go as far as hurting their
victims. One way to avoid this problem is to find
a less conspicuous way of transporting your iPad
to avoid the prying eyes of criminal elements.

Here’s one unique way that we would like to

share with you. Here’s how…

Master cham_e_lyons
personal coffee mug

1 Start by cleaning the edges of the

pages of the book you intend to use.
A fine-grade sandpaper is best for
2 Apply the white glue evenly on the
entire surface of the pages. Let this
dry for at least 2-hours. Repeat the
3 Trace the iPad on the front page and
etch the pages using a cutter

this. Once the pages are sanded, we process until you get the desired
can now apply white glue hardness of the pages

68 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 D.I.Y MAKING AN IPAD CONCEALMENT CASE

4 Measure the depth of the cut out using

the iPad as a basis 5 Once the desired depth is achieved,
apply white glue to the base of the hole
using a brush until the pages harden
6 Measure the hole and the amount of
felt paper needed

7 Cut the felt paper according to the

measurements. Use a straight edge
and cutter to make precise cuts
8 Attach the felt paper on the interior of
the hole. Make sure to apply the glue
evenly so as not to make lumps on
9 Trace out the iPad on the felt paper.
Make sure there is no excess felt
paper
the felt paper

Cut out the iPad pattern on the

10 felt paper. You may use a pair of
scissors for this
11 Round off the edges to conform
to the iPad 12 Apply white glue evenly to the
hole

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 69
 D.I.Y MAKING AN IPAD CONCEALMENT CASE
13 Attach the iPad-cut felt paper
16 Compare the cut out with the
actual size of the page. Make
sure these are the same
19 Cut out a portion of felt paper in
the same size of the book cover.
Apply white glue to the cover
70 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
14 Using the paint brush handle, iron
out the edges to make sure the
glue spreads evenly
15 Measure the page size of the book
and cut out the same amount of
felt paper
Cut out the middle portion of
17 Apply enough white glue to the felt
paper. Iron out the edges so that it
sticks completely
18 the felt paper and use the “dug
out” portion of the book as
measurement
Attach Velcro pads to the
20 Attach the felt paper with white
glue 21 corners. This will serve as the
concealment case closure and
secure the iPad inside
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

SilverStone Case is exclusively provided by:

Carbon Fiber Sticker Mod Silverstone Technology Col , LTD thru Fine Upgrades Philippines

Transforming an
Ordinary SilverStone
casing to a modded
Carbon Fiber Case
Carbon Fiber is one of the hottest topics in the TipidPC
forums. Silverstone was so gracious to give us an original
casing for us to DIY. TipidPC editors were challenged as to
how to make the Silverstone better looking than it already
was. We planned out a “mod” that would not in any way alter
the structure of the Silverstone case, so we thought about
“carbon-fiber” adhesive covers.

This was a good way to add excitement and color to a casing

instead of the usual black or silver trim. Here’s how to properly
do it:

The Original
SilverStone
Casing

1 Take out all the parts that will not be

covered; USB/Audio ports, buttons 2 This is the front cover of the
Silverstone precision PS-05 series.
It will be a little difficult to apply the
3 These are the bay covers for the
drives. We will apply carbon fiber
adhesive on them to give it that “two-
and LED lights
sticker along the edges so we will tone” look
avoid covering them

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 71
 D.I.Y CASE MODDING WITH CARBON FIBER STICKER
4 This is the side panel where the
motherboard tray is located. This is
a good surface to cover because it is
5 The windowed panel is one of the
flat
7 Start by measuring the amount of
sticker base to be used on each
component of the casing. Let’s cover
8 Leave an allowance of at least ¼-inch
the flat side panel first
10 Before applying the sticker, spray
the adhesive surface with diluted
shampoo. In case you make a
11
mistake in positioning, the slick
surface prevents the sticker
from completely attaching to the
panel and will allow you to make
corrections easier
72 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
more difficult areas to cover because
of the cut middle section and rounded
6 The top panel has the most
complicated surface area so it is best
to avoid covering the contours like the
corners segmented sides
Carefully peel off the carbon fiber
on the edges of the sticker base
to ensure that all surfaces will be
9 sticker by using a cutter until the
adhesive side is completely separated
covered from the wax backing
Start applying the sticker on one
edge to make sure it is squared
onto the panel
12 Carefully stick on the carbon
fiber adhesive using a squeegee
or an old credit card to make
sure that no shampoo and air is
trapped between the sticker and
the panel and no bubbles will
form on the surface
 D.I.Y CASE MODDING WITH CARBON FIBER STICKER
13 Use the tip of a brush to iron out
the edges and conform to the
shape of the panel
16 For the side panel, make sure
there is allowance at the edges
to completely cover the window
cut
19 Use a stencil knife to cut out
intricately shaped parts of the
panel
Use your fingers for the shaped
14 edges 15 Use a hair blower to shape the
sticker and follow the form of the
edges. Be careful to use only
medium heat. Do this for all the
corners of the panel
After cutting, press down gently
17 Cover the front panel completely
and cut away excess sticker
especially for the ports and bay
18 and evenly on the sticker so that it
will not come off easily
covers
20 Measure and cut enough sticker
material for the bay covers but
leave some allowance. This
21 Re-attach the bay covers and all
the other parts to reassemble the
case - Done! Kick-azz Carbon
should be the easiest part to apply Fiber Case
because it is small and flat
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 73
74 TIPIDPC.COM
TIPIDPC.COM 75
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

SilverStone Power Supply is exclusively provided by:

PSU Acrylic Conversion Silverstone Technology Col , LTD thru Fine Upgrades Philippines

Converting a regular
Silverstone PSU to
Acrylic PSU

B
y using a Silverstone power supply unit, we
transformed an ordinary looking power sup-
ply to a more pleasing piece of equipment by
encasing it in acrylic. It is important to note,
though that doing such a modification may actually
void the warranty that comes with the unit if modded
within the warranty period so be careful. You should
also understand whether this type of modification is for
you because once it’s done, the changes are perma-
nent.

Silverstone gave TPC special permission for us to be

able to tinker around with their PSU for the benefit of
our readers’ enjoyment. Here’s how to turn that drab,
old PSU into an acrylic Silverstone PSU

1 The power supply fresh from the

box. 2 The side with the warranty seal to re-
mind us the warranty will be void as
soon as we remove the original cover.
3 The part with the brand label and
specifications

4 Comparing the acrylic material to

the original metal cover which it will 5 We now loosen the four screws
around the edges of the cover 6 We then remove the fan with the grill
and transfer it to the acrylic cover.
replace.

76 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 D.I.Y PSU ACRYLIC CONVERSION
7 With the new acrylic cover ready, we
compare it to the metal cover.
After cutting the hole, a little fil-
10 ing and sanding would make the
edges smooth.Then with the use
of the power drill with the 6mm
bolt we bore the holes for the
fanscrews.And the acrylic cover
screws.
13 Check the fanscrew area for
cracks.
8 Since the fan location is a little bit off-
center we made sure it is in its proper
place. Then we traced the fanhole
9 Now its time to cut the hole. We can
use either a rotary tool with router at-
tachments or diamond cutting disk or
to the acrylic cover. We then make a jigsaw with fine-tooth blade.
used of the grill as template using the
traced pattern as refference.
11 Assemble the cover and fan in
this sequence: Fangrill acrylic
cover then fan. Place the fan
12 Secure 2 pieces of narrow -cut
strips of double adhesive tape
long enough to reach both ends
screws on each of the fangrills of each sides of the acrylic cover.
screw holes then tighten.
Then put the cover to its
14 proper orientation.Stick the
double adhesive to the met-
The Finish Silverstone
PSU ACRYLIC
al frame and put the four
mounting screws of the
acrylic cover.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 77
 DO-IT-YOURSELF
PSU Wire Sleeving
1 The Silverstone 500W without the
sleeve and the sleeving kit from Fine
Upgrades
4
The wires are composed of; 1-24pin
ATX, dual 6-pin PCI connectors,
1-8pin EPS 12 connector, 2- triple
SATA connector, 2-triple 4-pin IDE
connector and single floppy connec-
tors which we will bundle by using
sleeves.
78 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
SilverStone Power Supply is exclusively provided by:
Silverstone Technology Col , LTD thru Fine Upgrades Philippines
Proper wire sleeving of
Silverstone PSU
Here we illustrate using a Silverstone brand power sup-
ply unit how to properly “sleeve” wires. It’s not enough
that you have a fancy looking rig, it also pays to bun-
dle your wires neatly for that extra sleek look! For PC-
modders who want to make their wiring look neat when
looking into the PC casing, Here’s how it’s done:
Tools we use:
4 Pin Molex Removal Tool.
A special improvised tool
used mainly for removing
pins of both female and
male IDE Power connectors
Precision Flat Screw Driver.
This is used for removing
pins of ATX Connectors
2 Upon opening the package, this is
how the Silverstone 500W looks like 3 The actual appearance of the Power
supply when taken out of the packag-
ing
5 First, we sleeve the 5-pin SATA
cable. 6 Make a sketch of all the connectors
and take note of the color of the wiring
so as not to get confused when the
bundle is assembled and sleeved.
 D.I.Y PSU WIRE SLEEVING

Measure the wires to get the exact

7 Start removing the cover of the SATA
connector and take out the wires one
by one.
8 size of the sleeve needed. 9 Cut just the right length of sleeve
needed for the wires.

10 Expand the sleeves and insert the

wires until they reach the other
end.
11 Prepare the shrink tube to be
used to secure the sleeves. 12 Cut just the right length of shrink-
able tube for both ends of the
sleeve.

Attach the connectors according

13 Insert the sleeve into the shrink-
able tube and position it on both
ends of the sleeves.
14 to the sketch made at the begin-
ning of the process.
15 Make sure that all the connec-
tors are attached properly.

Heat the shrinkable tubes using

17 Neatly arrange the sleeves and
shrinkable tube. 18 a lighter or blower to secure the
sleeves in position.
19 Repeat the process for every
piece of wiring of the power
supply until all are covered
in sleeves.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 79
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

HOME MADE PROJECTOR
By: Rogel Naval a.k.a. Hertzblaster
Holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from UST batch 1986. Presently working as business unit manager at an
American based company specializing in process chemicals and equipments in an industrial set-up.
A Hobbyist with interest in electronics related to audio-video ,personal computer hardware, peripherals and also
software mostly related to audio-video editing. Started out as TPC member on 2002 . Became an overclocker fan for
some time until 2003 when I became interested with diy projector.

LCD PROJECTOR
FOR HOME
VIEWING AND
GAMING WITH
100 INCH SCREEN
SIZE
Led Projector Inside Complete Led Projector

How it works?

I t all started out using a phased out

projection panel which originally cost
more than 100,000 pesos in the late 90’s.
These projectors were mainly used for pre-
sentation or non-moving image and usu-
ally used by large and rich companies only.
It is LCD in an enclosure and put on top
of the overhead projector, power it up and
you will see a large projected image using
pc as the image source. The quality of LCD
or projection panel is very poor for movie
Led 100w 7 inches LCD Led 100w 7 inches LCD
or moving images . Early 2000 came the
proliferation of 15 inch high quality xga lcd
which cost around 15t-20t pesos then.

It was the golden years for people involved

in diy projector globally and all builders
are crazily buying new 15 inch lcd like
myself to be used as projector using the
Overhead projector set-up as the starting
point. It was easy. Just strip down the diy
compatible LCD monitor and put it on top
of the overhead projector and replace the
bulb with high wattage metal halide bulb.
You will experience a big screen format
that you have never experienced before
in the comfort of your own home. It didn’t 15 inch xga LCD 250w bulb HD 15.4 inch LCD 250w bulb
hurt as well that it earned you a lot of “pogi”
points from your friends and relatives alike.

Sample of projection panel 15 inch xga LCD 250w bulb 15 inch xga LCD 250w bulb

80 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
With the price of commercial projectors going down,
the number of DIY builders started moving away
slowly from building their own projectors.
I also stopped this hobby when last 2007, my 8.4
inch lcd broke. I then bought a used Infocus X1 pro-
jector worth 15k php and was contented with it, but
not for long. The bulb’s cost and repair scared me.
I have to consciously watch the hour usage of the
projector every time I use it. I got fed up with this sys-
tem. I wasn’t comfortable with worrying the number
of running hours left for the bulb
I sold it for 12k pesos after less than 3 months.
Then I started to make serious effort to improve the
diy projector. Successfully found a supplier for small
bulb arc and lenses in China at a reasonable price..
Then, I finally found a good source of 7 inch wi-
descreen lcds. I completed all the parts sourcing
last Oct 2008. Now, the diy projector brightness
is comparable to commercial projector brightness.
Sounds like an easy task right? Well it isn’t. In fact,
I got scammed over so many times it wasn’t funny
anymore. However, my determination to learn the
trade, and improve my projector still got the best of
me. Year 2009, I guess more than 100 people suc-
cessfully built a diy projector.
Here comes the issue of high electricity cost here in
the Philippines in the early parts of 2010. DIY projec-
tor bulb uses 250w generic HSD bulbs.
My first home made projector – Year 2004 using AUO 8.4 inch lcd 800x600
I myself started to become aware of the electric
ity bills I paid every month. I spend less and less
hours watching in my projector. I tried to find a
lesser wattage high lumens bulb but to no avail.
Some people still continued to visit and post in
my thread at tipidpc and they are posting about
the advancement in LED technology, specially the
pocket size LED projector.
I became interested again and search for high lu-
mens LED. I found them in China, one consumes
100watts and emits 7000-10,000 lumens which
are mainly used for street lighting in rich countries.
My first led projector came about last July 2010
and I am happy
Still, as the big LED emitting area is not optimum
for DIY projector. I am now doing some research
and searching for suppliers for customized LED
design including its driver ,. As of now, the LED
commercial projector that can project 100 inch
image with good brightness can cost more than
100t pesos.
Major parts especially the led and lens are not lo-
cally available. I found Fresnel lens at Rialto Ave-
nida but at a very stiff price and are intended for
overhead projectors only. Condenser lens can be
found at Hidalgo Quiapo but then again at a very
high price. Old ohp parts can be used for 15 -10
inch lcd but need to replace the light source. Used
OHP can be source at different surplus stores like
HMR in Mandaluyong.
DIY-Projector-
Advance Mode
Builders enjoyed the benefits of low cost
build and cheap bulb while enjoying
high definition moving images in large
screen. But as builders knowledge in
diy projector progress, we became
aware of the major limitation of diy pro-
jector
1.Brightness is not comparable to com-
mercial projector.Main problem was the
big bulb arc that we used compared
to commercial projector bulb. Basis of
comparison then was the famous Info-
cus x1 which are both good for mov-
ies and presentation and cost $1000
in year 2004 while diy projector budget
was $500.
2. Diy projector size becomes annoying-
Small size lcd, at least with svga resolu-
tion was hard to come by.
3. Heat and noise is becoming annoying
also- We are using 250-400w bulb HQI-
Bulb. A very strong fan is needed to dis-
sipate the heat in the box to protect the
lcd thus creating a lot of noise.
4. Very difficult to source correct lens
for optimum projector design. Lens are
mostly available from used overhead
projector.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 81
 Improved box design Sizing it up

As of Oct 2010, WORK IN PROGRESS – LED emitting area redesign

with China Supplier. And for those of you who are interested, here is the
simple guide and parts needed to successfully build your own projector.

Requirements
1. Knowledge in basic /elementary electricity and electronics is
important.
2. A good skill in carpentry is very important as well. I guess a high
school student can build this project.
3. Correct tools- lessen the time to build
4. Safety awareness – self -explanatory. Avoid shortcuts.
5. Patience- everybody has this but needs to be practiced.

BUILDING YOUR OWN PROJECTOR

A. PARTS NEEDED
1. PROJECTION Triplet LENS – Magnify the image from the lcd.
2. Field Fresnel lens- Converge the lighted image from the lcd to the
projection lens
3. LCD- recommended size is 4-15 inches. DIy compatible. At least
640x480 resolution. At least with vga input.
4. Collimating Fresnel lens- Collect s the light from the light source and
create light rays perpendicular to the lcd.
5.Condenser lens- gathers light from the source and concentrate the
light effectively to collimating Fresnel.
6. Bulb/led- light source of very high lumen output, high color tempera-
ture
7. Reflector ( for bulb only) - makes useful wasted light from the bulb.
8. Fans- cools down the lcd and the enclosure
9. Ballast, capacitor and ignitor for bulb controls power delivered to
the bulb
10. LED driver- Constant current. Controls power delivered to the led
11. 12volts DC power supply for LCD and fan
A. BUILDING GUIDE
The idea is to install all parts in an enclosure with correct spacing and
alignment ( perfectly straight ,center to center and at right angles .) Your
basis for the spacing would be the lens’ focal length. There is no specific
formula, so you would need to do with a trial-and-error test to get the
optimal spacing.
The biggest challenge for the builder is how to mount all the parts together.
This where the builders’ common sense, creativity, resourcefulness and
patience will be tested.
One other important thing you would need to know is how to take care of
each parts. These are very fragile and being careful would save you time
and money from the damages.

PARTS SPACING
1. Projection Triplet lens has a specified focal length. It
focuses on the LCD. If the focal length is 265mm, then the
distance between the lcd and projection lens is 265mm.
2. Field Fresnel lens or front Fresnel lens has a specified
focal length. This focuses on the projection lens. If the field
Fresnel lens has a focal length of 220mm, then the distance
between the projection lens and the field Fresnel is also
220mm.
3. LCD to front Fresnel distances should be at least ¼ inch or

82 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 Advantages of LED over bulb
1. Low power cost
2. Less heat .Less fan power, less fan noise and prolongs
lcd life.
3. Lightweight. No more heavy ballast
4. Projector size became smaller
5. Better color temperature and improve image contrast
and color 6.50,000 hours at least LED life. No more
worries on bulb life……………
7. Safer to build as no worry of bulb exploding.
You can also visit my website and
check out the step by step guide. I’m
still trying hard to document the step
by step build process in a very de-
tailed and well- presented manner for
newbies to easily follow. Check out
other builder’s work and creativity.
Happy building!

Disadvantages
Links and reference
1. Bigger arc than HSD bulb and hence image sharpness
www.alinbox.com
it is too close, you will see the groove rings of the and brightness is not as good as using HSD bulb
www.lumenlab.com
Fresnel lens in the projected image. Fresnel lens is a 2. Higher initial cost.
http://z6.invisionfree.com/diyprojec-
thin flat acrylic with concentric grooved rings. torphils/index.php?act=idx
4. LCD to Collimating Fresnel lens distance is 1 inch. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/diy-
Distance is standard just to allow for cooling purposes. 2. Bulb life- with the advent of led, led in DIY projec projectors/
tor has much longer life. http://diyprojectorkits.com/
5. Collimating lens to light source distance is dictated by 3. Electricty cost- you can use as low as 80w led
the focal length of collimating lens. If the focal length of compared to 150-200w bulb from commercial projector
collimating lens is 120mm, then the distance between the 4. Total cost- diy is cheaper.About 16t for DIY and
light source and the collimating lens is 120mm. 23t for commercial branded projector
5. Image quality- debatable. Depends on quality
This is a simple guide. Know the focal length of the lens and of LCD for diy
you will know the spacing between the parts. Install all the 6. Brightness- commercial projector is brighter.
parts in the correct position (straight, at right angles and all 7. Repairs and maintenance - 100% in favour DIY
parts are aligned from center to center ), power the light 8. Portability- commercial still smaller
source and you will see very good results . 9. Noise – favors DIY using led
10. Heat- favors DIY Projector using led
Present day comparison between DIY LED projector and 11. Electricity cost- in favour of DIY led projector
commercial projector using bulb (commercial projector 12. Zoom lens -100% favors commercial projector.
using LED as of now is better.beyond the reach of many No zoom lens for DIY Projector
people) 13. Evenness of light distribution- commercial
Projector is better.
1. Bulb cost- diy is cheaper for the bulb or LED

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 83
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

Mouse IR LED Replacement

By: Omar Mandawe a.k.a sledge

n optical mouse is one of the most

A important components of a good

gaming rig. Some of us spend lots of
cash trying to get the best one for gaming. An
expensive gaming rig is nothing more than a
brick without a mouse! It’s simple as that…
So here’s the catch!

Scenario number 1. While enjoying your

game your mouse suddenly goes crazy! (Cur-
sor is moving like a wild dog, out of control or
may not move at all). Most probably there is
something wrong with the LED emitter.

1 2

Step 1:
Open up the mouse by removing screws from the
bottom and remove the screw holding its circuit board
from its casing using the precision screw drivers.
Step 3:
Get your donor remote control and put some bat-
teries on it. Using the multi-meter tester set to DC
mode. Check if the batteries are still working.
Step 2:
Look for the LED transmitter on the board. Usually
it’s a 3mm clear white transparent LED type. Then,
use the soldering iron to remove the LED from its
circuit board. Be careful not to damage any other
components from the circuit board. Usually they are
very small and can be damaged very easily.
3.3

Scenario number 2: So you have a mouse 3.1

that is working perfectly but the light coming

from the bottom is bothering you, and you
want to get rid of the light without throwing
away the mouse!

Here’s what you need to fix the problem for both

scenarios: Now, get your mobile phone and set it to camera mode. Point
the emitter side of the remote control towards your mobile
1. The mouse
phone’s camera while pressing a button from the remote
2. Donor IR remote control unit (damaged/broken 3.2 control to confirm if the IR emitter is working.

remote controls with working LED transmitter

Mobile phones with cameras are good in detecting IR
from old household appliances). Or, purchase an light imitations. If the IR emitter is still working you will observe
a blinking light emitted from the transmitter end of the remote
IR LED emitter from electronics store.
control.
3. Soldering iron and soldering led.
If the donor remote control emitter fails to work, try finding oth-
4. Precision screw drivers. er donor remote controls or purchase an IR LED emitter. Open
5. Mobile white camera! up the donor remote control and locate the IR LED transmitter.
Trust me on this one, it’s probably the only LED component
6. Multi-meter tester (Optional) sticking out of the circuit board. Again, using the soldering iron
carefully remove the IR transmitter from its circuit board.

84 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 4.1 4.3

4.2

Step 4: Step 5:
Get the IR LED and try your best to mimic the orientation of the original LED to have the proper alignment and The moment of truth! Connect the mouse to the rig.
the proper polarity for the IR LED to work. Now, carefully solder the terminals of the IR LED to the circuit board. Again, using your mobile phone’s camera confirm if
Alignment is important because it affects the sensitivity of the sensor. the IR LED is working.

Note: In the event that you don’t observe the IR
LED to be working at all using the mobile phone,
need not to worry, try removing the IR LED and
change its terminal orientation to correct its polar-
ity!
Now, using your mobile phone check again if the IR LED is working! Put the mouse back together again! Check if the cursor is
working as intended! If it does, Congratulations! You’ve just pimped your mouse IR system!
A myth from gamers say that modding the mouse to IR system gives a feeling of improved sensitivity, reflex and response time for
intense gaming experience! My seven-year old son says the modified mouse reacts faster and is more sensitive compared to the
standard mouse he is using. He is a first person shooter gamer slash addict. He is currently playing Call of Duty BLACK OPS…
Too bad he can’t do a review… Enjoy playing with your newly pimped IR system mouse!

TIPIDPC INVITATION

CONCEPT PC CASE
1. Name and TPC User Name

2. Name of Entry

3. Entry concept rationale

4. Drawing / Sketch / Blue Print

Chosen entries will be published in the succeeding issues of TipidPC magazine

Submit your articles and entries at articles@tipidpc.com

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 85
 er
Name: Rod Bi
m e: Ch am_e_lyon
Userna
2theMax
Company: Mod
e: 2003
Member Sinc
e in- ho use modder of
He was th
de” Spin off TV
a “Pimp my Ri
aired
FAB My PC”
Show called “
ble ch an ne l from
in Hero TV Ca
2007-2008

86 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 87
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

Make your own Aquarium PC

E
By: Rod Bier aka Cham_e_lyon

ver since the renovation in our Makati Office started, I can’t seem to
figure out what design we would use for the counter at the reception
area. Definitely, a simple counter will not cut it. We need
something to impress visitors just in case we cannot af-
ford to hire a pretty, intelligent, always smiling lady to staff
the front desk. I’m currently in the job site and trying to
compose myself - took a deep breath, exhaled and enter plane of clarity...
uh-hmmm. Nah, didn’t work. It’s really hard to concentrate and pull out any
creative thoughts if you’re in a work place and the only time people would
open their mouth is when to ask you have to buy and spend for this and
that. Expenses are getting out of hand and if I probably paste all the receipts
that has been piling up, I bet it would be enough to cover 2 king size beds.

Is our desire for a regal reception counter now dashed by financial con-
straint? I refuse. Maybe in the process we may have overreached way
beyond our limitation. Maybe instead of impressing all we need is just to
get visitors or onlookers curious. I think I might just have the answer and
crossed my fingers that Master cham_e_lyon (cham) would be up for the
task. I asked cham if he can make an Aquarium PC, he said yes without bat-
ting an eyelash and like some mad scientist, quickly scribbled a list of things
we would need. After an hour he came back and presented the concept
aquarium pc. Today, the Aquarium PC isn’t as novel back then. I’ve seen
one in the internet back in early 2000’s, but never actually got to see one
up close. I guess so too for many of our members. Let the magic hands of
master cham show how its done. - ReB

Case Construction
The Design Template

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3:

First we had to determine how big the aquarium
should be. All the plans were put on paper until we After receiving the laser cut parts, we tested the fit We assembled the rear panel and PCI panels,
came up with a final design. Initially we thought about and saw that it needed some sanding because the Then the bottom panel with the motherboard tray
doing it entirely by hand but we decide that would be fit was tight attached
time consuming and agreed to have the case laser
cut. The design was laid out in Corel then emailed
to the supplier

Step 4: Step 5: Step 6:

The front panel was also a tight fit and required
some sanding for a better fit
The case is nearly complete…wait, that’s not right?
The placement of the PCI plate is all wrong so we
had to take it apart and put it back together again!
This is the critical part—making sure that the joints are
secure and structurally sound. We had to use MC so-
lution which is strong, and easily bonds, and vaporiz-
es quickly. The next adhesive was Plexi Bond cement
for its sealant and viscosity. Lastly, silicone sealant for
leak-proofing.

88 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
 Parts Testing

Step 7: Step 8: Step 9:

Using the power supply tester, we checked for de- We checked the conductivity of the oil and the Next, we checked for a reaction between the ca-
fects. We needed the power supply to work and to LED indicator did not light up. This was because pacitor and plastic connectors, and the oil used.
test the conductivity of the oil the oil did not have direct contact with the posi- After a week, there was no change
tive line of the power supply unit

Assembling the Aquarium PC

Step 10: Step 11: Step 12:

The PC parts were attached to the acrylic mother In the middle of the process, we decided to alter The wires of the power supply unit were encased
board tray the design and agreed to put a motherboard port in black split loom to avoid clutter.
plate to give the illusion that the motherboard was
afloat in the liquid

Step 13: Step 14: Step 15:

A new top panel was also made for the attachment We tried to insert the motherboard tray but it did We tried aligning the motherboard rear plate and
of extension cables. This was also encased in split not fit so we had to trim it. After trimming, we had the top plate to ensure a proper fit
loom for the USB, power switches at power supply. to make sure the edges were sanded clean so as
This allowed for a more convenient way to connect not to contaminate the oil with acrylic dust
external peripherals. It’s just too bad that VGA male
to female extension cables are no longer available
in the market

Step 16: Step 17: Step 18:

After another attempt at inserting the motherboard We opened the top cover again and neatly arranged More oil was added and we replaced ordinary
tray, we turned on the pc and gradually filled the the cables to make it more pleasing fans with LED fans to make it more attractive
aquarium with oil

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 89
 502 Alexander House #132 Amorsolo Street Legazpi Village, Makati

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90 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 91
 DO-IT-YOURSELF

Xtreme Modding
By: Rod Bier aka Cham_e_lyon

THE XTREAMER
CASE MODIFICATION
The Xtreamer is one good product with fantastic
capabilities but it has one downside--overheating.
This became apparent after using the Xtreamer for
an hour or longer. You can feel the casing heat up
caused by the 2-hard disks inside. In the forum,
there are varying opinions on how to cool the
Xtreamer.

We at the TPC LAB engineered a simple solution

and found a way to tackle this problem and here is
our version:

A Modded Xtreamer

Fig 1: Regular temp before turning it on

Fig 2: Temperature of 2 WD HDD on normal
modded after using it for 2hrs.
Fig 3: Temperature of 2 WD HDD when
we modded the item

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Xtreamer Construction and Modification Materials used for modifications: CDR-king 3.5 hard disc drive cooler,
wire mesh, strip of wire,
bosny flat black spray paint

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3:

MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE JUST TO BE The Xtreamer case is made of thick, 2.5mm alumi- We use a rotary tool to complete the cutting of the
SURE! We planned to make a cut above the logo num which is why we drilled a series of holes the aluminum case
on one side going towards the other to make cutting easier with a rotary tool

Step 4: Step 5: Step 6:

Until the drilled case is finally cut, we can see the We smoothed out the cut edges using a metal file We found a suitable mesh from a scrap PC to comple-
railings inside which help ease the insertion of the and sand paper ment the Xtreamer case
hard disk which comes in contact with the SATA
connectors

92 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
Step 7: Step 8: Step 9:
No special tools were used to bend the scrap mesh After bending the mesh, we had to find a way to A “tin-snip” was used to cut away both ends of the
into shape. At first it did not fit well so we repeated trim off the excess mesh so as not to cover the Xtreamer logo
the process until it was perfect

Step 10: Step 11: Step 12:

The mesh was colored with flat black paint. Sand Using the insulation from an old mouse cable, the Holes were also drilled at the bottom of the case
paper and water were used to remove the old edges of the mesh were covered for safety where there was no conflict with the internal
paint on the scrap mesh to allow the new paint to and aesthetics parts
evenly coat the surface

Step 13: Step 14: Step 15:

Because of the thickness of the aluminum, we had We purchased a hard disk cooler and a laptop The hard disk cooler fan was removed
difficulty cutting the middle portion. The edges were cooler
then sanded and filed

Step 16: Step 17:

The cooler bracket was also painted in flat black to The laptop cooler fan was replaced so that the
match the Xtreamer USB would be the power source and the entire A Finished Modded Xtreamer Product
assembly was attached to the bottom of the
Xtreamer for effective cooling.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 93
94 TIPIDPC.COM
 ACTIVE GAME
THREADS AT THE
FORUM

STARCRAFT 2
DEFENCE OF THE ANCIENTS
BATTLE FIELD BAD COMPANY
ALLIANCE OF VALIANT ARMS
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
GRAN TURISMO 5
HEROES OF NEWEARTH
GTA IV
NBA 2K11
MEDAL OF HONOR 2010
WORLD OF WARCRAFT
DEVIL MAY CRY 4
DRAGON AGE UNIVERSE
CROSSFIRE
CABAL ONLINE
COMPANY OF HEROES
CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS
NEED FOR SPEED SHIFT

TIPIDPC.COM 95
 GAME CENTRAL

TRON 2011
By: Jonas Martinez a.k.a redwing000

I
t has been a number of years since TRON gamepad compatibility list of the game. Most of

had a game built out of the franchise, us that have experienced TRON previously will

TRON: Evolution was just released and it not be happy with the current game. It feels like

would seem to be the game that would continue it was not done properly, although their intentions

that TRON tradition. Unfortunately, the chang- to use the principles of parkour, capoeira for the

es that were instituted on this game makes it combat and the TRON 2.0 graphics just does not

a bit too platformy for everyone’s taste. TRON make up for how the game was done.

2.0 game was built from the monolith engine

and was a first person shooter. Don’t get me wrong, TRON: EVOLUTION are for

those who have experience with button mashing

TRON: EVOLUTION is a third person game and experience in playing Prince of Persia for

similar to Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia, the consoles, it is that confusing and for those

that combines wall walking (yes, you heard who were expecting something like the old TRON

me right, wall walking), grappling and a very game, nada. It is not for you.

confusing camera view when in the fighting Besides, the entire game itself is pretty linear,

scenes. At least Tomb Raider and Prince of with no optional objectives for extra things or side

Persia had a more polished game engine to adventures for extra experience, just follow the

go with it. TRON: EVOLUTION was designed arrow to get to the next level and button mash

as a prequel to the movie TRON: LEGACY, your way there.

and stars mostly the same characters that you It is that simple. One other thought, though, there

would find in the movie. You play as a face- are certain ways to do things to replenish your

less program affectionately called ‘Anon’ that life and replenish your disc powers. You need to

Kevin Flynn, the main character in the game find how it is done correctly otherwise, you can-

and the movie, sends to investigate a potential not use your special attack more than four times.

conspiracy in the world of TRON.

In retrospect, TRON:EVOLUTION was a badly

For the console version of the game, you use created game but the planning was done cor-

the game controller to control your character. rectly. It felt like this game was not made as a se-

A number of button combinations enable your quel but a re-introduction to a new TRON game.

character to do special attacks using four types If you are a hard core TRON fan, you will love this

of identity discs, the heavy disc, the bomb game, if not, you may see this game as a haphaz-

disc, the stasis disc and the corruption disc. ard collection of moves and gameplay that seems

to have come from other games.

While it is a good game by itself, the problem

is that it is not a good TRON game. Even for It is bad though because the neon coloring of

the PC game, you would need to use a game this TRON world was like made by someone who

pad just to be able to do certain things to ad- was color blind, with black and neon colors being

vance to the next objective. Another problem is used in majority of the scenes.

that most game pads will not work with TRON The light cycle parts of the game was good, but

and you may still need to do some research on short and personally, it did not make me smile, I

how to enable game pads that are not on the still found the TRON 2.0 light cycle parts much

96 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
better planned than this. The tank scenes were
horrible controller wise. It seems that just want-
ing to turn left or right on the game pad confuses
the tank when you are shooting.
When controlling Anon, the camera would not fol-
low the character, or at least where the character
would face. This would seem like a decision not
done in the best of judgement.
This makes for a potentially frustrating gaming
experience when you have 6 enemies going at
you from all directions and you cannot immedi-
ately turn to who is shooting at you or see where
Anon is facing, specially in scenes where Anon
need to solve a problem of going from where he
is, to go to another level upwards and the only
thing that is telling you this is an arrow pointing
upwards. As
soon as you do “ It is bad though because the neon color-
the move that ing of this TRON world was like made by some-
you believe is one who was color blind, with black and neon
correct, Anon colors being used in majority of the scenes.”
is already fly-
ing through the air, the camera would then im-
mediately change views and more often than not,
you miss the landing point and has to start over
the puzzle again.
Another thing that I am quite annoyed in TRON is
that the camera seems to move when he is stand-
ing still. It is like the camera has a mind of its own
and you tend to keep on trying to move it back
to the position where you want it to be specially
if you need to take a look at where you are sup-
posed to jump so that you are aligned with the
landing point.
When Anon fights the orange colored kernels and
the yellow colored infected, you need to manu-
ally aim to where you want to shoot the disc even
when you are facing another way. Although this
makes for an entertaining way to do combat, it
is hardly entertaining to fire a special attack to
your front and you forget that the enemy is to
your left.
There are good things about TRON that merit
attention. The sad part is, they are so few that
you barely notice them compared to its’ bad
points. One of the things I liked about it is that
it’s the prequel to TRON: Legacy. You get to
know what happens to Kevin Flynn at the start
of the film. This makes up for the utterly plain
color theme of black with neon (What’s up with
that?)
I have to admit that I was disappointed big time
with TRON:EVOLUTION. At the start I was ex-
cited to play a TRON game again until I started
playing extensively. After that it became more
of a chore playing this game than anything
else.
In the
end I
give this
g a m e
a low to fair rating. The gameplay was bad
enough. Throw in the puzzles, the grappling
and the wall walking, and you get something
that was designed for another game, maybe
Assasin’s Creed or Prince of Persia,but defi-
nitely not TRON. The disc battles were good,
however, the camera angles and the way they
used the light cycle in the single player game
really lame. In fact, you can complete the light
cycle scenes half asleep. The tank scenes are
just horrible, and they still haunt me till now
Just imagine shooting down a cargo plane with
the tank cannon. How unimaginative. The con-
trols of the tank make me cringe.
All in all, it was a badly done game. If only it
was not a TRON game with multiplayer gaming
capabilities, then I would never buy this. TRON
2.0 was absolutely better, gameplay wise, than
this one
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 97
 GAME CENTRAL
MEDAL OF HONOR 2010
By: Ariz Cabiaz a.k.a Incubus_boy08
A
t last, after 3 years of waiting, a reboot of
the franchise was released. Let’s see if
the new Medal of Honor 2010 is worth the
years of waiting
INTRODUCTION
Gamers who are fans of first person shooter games
wouldn’t forget Electronic Arts’ Medal of Honor series.
It’s a multi-platform game which originally debuted
on the Playstation back in the year 1999. As far as
the Medal of Honor franchise is concerned, I have
played the Playstation releases (Medal of Honor and
Medal of Honor: Underground) and the ones released
on PC (Allied Assault, Spearhead, Breakthrough, Pa-
cific Assault and Airborne). All of them took place in
the World War II era. I was surprised when Electronic
Arts decided to give the franchise a reboot and make
it fall on a modern day setting.
The game’s developer Danger Close and DICE prob-
ably felt the impact made by fellow FPS franchise
Call of Duty and decided to call it a modern day FPS
competition. The last MOH release was MOH: Air-
borne back in 2007. I thought EA has left this game
in the dark and chose its other game Battlefield: Bad
Company 2 as their entry to the modern day FPS
battle. But my thoughts were wrong and here is the
game, alive and kicking. I felt the excitement to play
this game after years of being clueless if this game
will be resurrected. Let’s get straight into the game
itself. Hua..! Hua..!
A little trivia: Did you know that the first Medal of Honor
storyline was created by the legend producer/director
Steven Spielberg. Also, when Medal of Honor 2010 was
released, a book of the same title was released written by
famous gulf war survivor turned novelist Chris Ryan. It
covers the back story of the game.
THE GAME
The game is developed by Danger Close (EA Los
Angeles) and DICE (EA Digital Illusions CE) and pub-
lished by Electronic Arts. Looking at the picture used
for the disc cover, this one is not like our ordinary
Medal of Honor game.
There are two game engines used in the game. The
single player campaign used a modified version of
Unreal Engine 3 and the multiplayer mode uses the
Frostbite game engine. The Frostbite (used also on
Battlefield: Bad Company 2) game engine requires
more powerful hardware than the Unreal game
engine. So if you’re planning to go multiplayer online,
you might want to consider first the recommended
system requirements in order to play the game at its
optimal performance. A system with a dual-core CPU,
2GB of RAM and at least an Nvidia 9800GT graphics
card will give you good frames at 1280x1024 resolu-
tions.
The single player campaign gave me the experience
of what an elite Tier1 Ops job is. The game focuses
on teamwork and team play. For more than half of
the campaign, I am switching roles between two ops
codenamed “Rabbit” and “Deuce.” For the rest of the
game, I’m also switching characters namely Dante
Adams, an army Ranger and Apache pilot Capt. Brad
Hawkins. Most of the story happens on the Afghan
mountains.
98 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
On all of the missions you either have a buddy or a
team. You get different assistance from your buddies
aside killing Taliban forces. One is the buddy boost
in which your teammate helps you to reach a certain
area.
Another one is that you can request ammo from any
of your team members as long as the weapon you
want to request ammo for is from your team. You can
pick-up the rifles of the enemy but you can’t request
ammo for it.
The realism that you will feel on this game was very
good as far as other shooters are concerned. Com-
munication with your team mate is also excellent. I
never played a shooter like this before wherein the
clues on getting on your next move will always be
showed right in your face. I mean, you must use your
listening comprehension to follow an order which
again adds up to promoting team work and makes
you feel that you and your team were on a real
military mission. This campaign is not for those who
wanted to go always on solo like Rambo would.
I commend EA for creating such an interest-
ing storyline such as they did on Battlefield: Bad
Company 2. While playing the game, you will have
the feeling that you are playing more of a true to life
story rather than fiction based. Well that is because
this campaign is based on real-life military Operation
Anaconda back in 2002 in Afghanistan. Towards the
end of the campaign, you will feel the value of broth-
erhood that military men always show to each other.
The disappointing thing is the campaign is short. You
can finish it in about 4-6 hours depending on the dif-
ficulty and your experience with shooters. I hope EA
made it a little longer.
Graphics and effects were also good on this one
given that it uses two of the very remarkable game
engines. Lighting and textures were also great.
Realistic settings makes the character able to shatter
glasses, break woods, heck even shoot and destroy
walls. Well, not all walls, but at least there are some
that you could tear down if you want to.
Weapons were nice. There are lots of weapons used
depending on the mission. My personal favorite was
The multiplayer mode is where Medal of Honor
the Dusty and Deuce’s sniper mission on the moun-
shines. It borrows it’s sister game’s Frostbite engine.
tains. Altough violent, I love how the enemies’ heads
I wonder why EA did that but whatever the reason of
pop off when you have a headshot. We also got
using different game engines on single and multiplay-
nightvision goggles for dark areas, optical markers
er mode,they still did a good job. At first, multiplayer
for support strike and many more arsenal of modern
felt that it was a Call of Duty clone but it wasn’t.
weaponry. One thing that bothers me is the pistol
ammo. It was infinite! How in the world can you carry
There are only 3 classes namely rifleman, special
infinite ammunition?
ops and sniper. Each class has it’s own set of weap-
ons. You can choose between two teams, OPFOR
Cinematics were nothing new but it makes the whole
and Coalition. OPFOR being the Taliban like team
campaign much appealing to the player.
and Coalition for the Tier1 Ops. Currently there are 8
maps and 4 multiplayer modes to choose from. Apart
When you finish the single player campaign, Tier
from the great graphics, this time almost all things in
1 mode will be unlocked. Well to sum it up, Tier 1
the environment are destructible too.
mode is just a replay of the campaign mode with a
little twist. It’s much more difficult and there are no
The gun and environment sounds were never com-
checkpoints. When you die, you will start over again
promised as they sounded almost real you will feel
on the level that you are in. The goal of the mode is
like that you are in a real warzone. Explosions sound
to finish the level as fast as possible
big. You can also hear other player’s characters
speak as they play along.
One of the main difference of this game and COD
is it’s way of rewarding players on their way up to
the rank. As players rank up, they can have more
customization on their weapons and skins but no ad-
ditional rewards that can alter their physical combat
aspects such as longer life, more armor, faster
running and the like. Personally, I find that way much
better since in the end, it will all be pure skills rather
than relying on the invincibility of your character.
Once again, that adds up to the realism of the game.
Thank god they chose not to produce bionic soldiers
playing on the game.
CONCLUSION
Well I was surprised with this Medal of Honor reboot.
It was bundled with a short but very great storyline.
Not bad at all. Getting experience from its sister
game Bad Company 2, I think it’s not a copycat of the
game nor Call of Duty Modern Warfare series clone.
It has it’s own identity which makes tha game unique
compared to other shooters, brotherhood and team-
work that reaches even with strangers. Multiplayer
is awesome. Realism is second to none. I just hope
that on the next MOH franchise, EA will put more at-
tention to realistic events such as destructible things,
finite pistol ammo, etc. I love playing the multiplayer
mode since it all boils down to the skills. At first, I had
a hard time getting used to the game but after playing
several hours, I really enjoyed it. I just hope that EA
will pay attention to cheaters and hackers that can
spoil the game and also for future expansions and
maps. This way, Medal of Honor can continue on to
be played worldwide.
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 99
 PS3 GAME REVIEWS
DEVELOPER: Santa Monica Studio/Sony Computer
Entertainment
GAMEPLAY: [9.5]
Ever-challenging gameplay ensures the game is never
boring even after 10 tries on a boss fight
STORYLINE: [10.0]
Greek Mythology applied in GOW is award-winning
GRAPHICS: [9.5]
Robust yet still elegant
SOUND: [9.0]
Immersive in almost every part of the game
REVIEWED AND
SUBMITTED BY:
Albert two Ingreso
a.k.a. alberttwomi
RED DEAD REDEMPTION
O pen-world games that allow free-roaming on
a highly interactive world are always among
the best game investments as they equal to hun-
dreds of hours of fun. The genre blurs the comple-
tion point as there is enjoyably none, and where
missions can be completed a little later if exploring
the vast world is your idea to break the boredom
brought about by the storyline tasks.
Red Dead Redemption from known developer,
Rockstar Games, brings the open-world platform
to a higher level. From the streets of Grand Theft
Auto’s Liberty City, Rockstar takes us to a highly-
interactive western setting where horses are the
only known mode of convenient transportation, and
where boots and spurs do cowboys justice.
Building on the success of what seemed to be a
solid sandbox game, Rockstar made Red Dead Re-
demption a game that keeps on giving.
The story of Red Dead Redemption revolves
around a deeply flawed protagonist, John Marston.
In search for a man, Marston travels to the lawless,
savage yet awe-inspiring town of Armadillo. During
the train ride, Marston eavesdrops on fellow pas-
sengers for a little background of the town, then
finally explores Armadillo in the middle of the vast
desert right after setting off the train.
The western setting of the game offers eye-candy
everywhere you pan the camera at - cactus-filled
plains, smooth-sweeping sand dunes, and moun-
tain-peaks just a little below a good afternoon
sunset. And what awaits you in every area of the
vast sandbox is not just the relaxing and somewhat
100 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
R emember the rusty-but-trusty Blades of
Chaos? After the defeat of Ares, it was re-
placed with a nearly identical pair, the glow-
ing-red-when-fully-upgraded Blades of Athena.
Now that he’s on the third and last installment on
the PlayStation platform, revenge would not be any
sweeter without the newly designed yet still familiar
blades, the Blades of Exile.
“In the end, there will be only chaos.” - Kratos
Yes. Kratos is back still as the God of War in SCE
Santa Monica’s God of War III. This time, he carries
with him the rage of revenge.
Just like the previous God of War games released
for the PlayStation 2, challenging mini games (but-
ton-executions) during boss fights are still present,
and mind-boggling puzzles and complex contrap-
tions to advance to levels that are brilliantly jaw-
dropping are still a challenge to complete. Throw in
goddesses in bikinis if not at all nude and you can
break away from all the action-packed chaos. And
what made the series a smash hit is its storyline,
written almost as exactly as history books state with
Kratos as one of the exceptions.
A new set of weapons is introduced,
though some were retained, like the
ones collected from God of War II like
the Icarus Wings and Bow of Apollo.
New weapons are acquired after finish-
ing off a god, or a demigod in Hercu-
les’ case. Though this time, weapons
have their strengths and weaknesses
against specific enemies so mastering
interesting scenery, but random events that make the
game feel alive and real, like duels just at sundown,
bandits robbing a carriage or terrorizing a townsfolk,
or just a wild bear encounter. These activities may help
break the boredom from the main storyline missions,
which I doubt would occur.
Fun mini games are also squeezed in the game aside
from Marston’s quest, which include a chance to play
poker. In some cases break wild horses and herd
stampeding cattle, and tear down wanted posters in
town and hunt down outlaws – all of which are only
a few things available to keep you busy while horse-
galloping around the western wild.
Red Dead Redemption, like the previous GTA games,
offers fun and entertainment by the bucketload. It is
an almost complete game in every sense. Its open
world setting will immerse you for hours, plus the at-
tention to detail to every element makes it come to life.
Online multiplayer even multiplies the experience by
a hundred laughs and smiles. Red Dead Redemption
is a must-have PS3 game, be it for the curious kids at
home, or for the adventurous elderly.
GOD OF WAR III
each is a must to efficiently defeat them.
If you have created a combo for the Blades of Cha-
os, or even the Blades of Athena early on, you’ll
have to recreate them from scratch as God of War
III lets Kratos use the Blades of Exile in conjunction
with other blade-chain-forearm orientated weap-
ons. to add more fury to what seems to be more
than enough blood and gore, thanks to the switch-
on-demand system. The D-pad contains all four pri-
mary slaughter tools ready for disposal on a single
press. To add more action, each has its own magic.
Overall, the weapon system caters to new levels of
the hack-and-slash genre. Need I say more?
Throughout the game, Kratos will pass awe-inspir-
ing locations, including the heart of Gaia, the Pit
of Tartarus, and the Realm of Hades. In his quest
to kill his father, Zeus, he will cross various gods,
goddesses, and famous Greek people. Stunning
cinematics in between cut scenes will help explain
the story behind what drives the Spartan god.
Playtime is short, but every minute played is well
worth the cost. And besides, once the game is fin-
ished, the very hard mode will be available and the
Challenge mode will be more than inviting. There,
you can test whatever you have mastered and see
if you are up to the challenge.
If you are seeking for a fast-paced hack-and-slash
that packs action and gore, join Kratos as he
quenches his thirst for revenge and be blown by
the mythology behind the story. God of War III is
definitely a must-have for your PlayStation 3.
DEVELOPER: Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar North/
Rockstar Games
GAMEPLAY: [10.0]
Excellent in the sense that every element in the
game contributes to something that equates to fun
STORYLINE: [9.0]
There’s not much to the plot, but side missions make
it interesting nonetheless
GRAPHICS: [9.0]
Graphics may not be the best, but the detail in a vast
open world setting is enough compensation
SOUND: [8.5]
Soundtrack is good overall, sound effects are better
(like the pianist in the opening of the game)
MULTIPLAYER: [10.0]
Online play allows a lot to do for players, endless
technically
 NBA 2K11
Y ear after improvements make an incredible
sports game. Rosters are traded here and
there, and some coach switch teams in a year.
Annually, roster and team updates are a must. Well,
a must maybe some years ago.
The staggering amount of work put in the NBA 2K
series made it the best multi-platform basketball
game in the past 3 years. Updates were not limited
to only the rosters and teams, but added features
make its yearly release quite interesting includ-
ing graphical tweaks, better player controls, and a
whole lot more. And as expected, 2K11 packs new
DEVELOPER: Visual Concepts/2K Sports features on its release: The Michael Jordan game
mode (as the front cover suggests).
GAMEPLAY: [9.5] Relive the epic rivalry with the Chicago Bulls-led
With a lot of game modes to choose from, 2K11 is not Michael Jordan against the powerhouse LA Lakers,
your average basketball game feel The Wade-James-Bosh courtside-like hype,
or take command of the veteran-filled Celtics from
GRAPHICS: [9.5] your PlayStation 3. With stunning graphics, im-
Refined compared to last year’s 2K10, with better light- proved physics, and that oh-so-cool depth of field
ing and contrast effect make you either an audience along the side-
line, or roll the replay and feel like watching a ball
SOUND: [9.0] game in HD. Strategic Plays, realism-influenced
OST is superb, with tracks varying from mellow booze player movements including facial expressions,
to noisy hip-hop raps
and total ball control that lets you do all your ball
dreams of being an NBA star, be it a one-handed
MULTIPLAYER: [10.0]
Online play lets you challenge NBA fans from around crossover, or a mid-air double-clutch just an inch
the world with their favorite team before your shoes hit the floor, elevate the basket-
ball gaming experience to higher levels of fun.
Improvements from 2K10 are seen on various as-
pects of the game: player models receive more
contrast, light details, and more fit jerseys (yes,
no floating jerseys and black spaces in-between);
seamless transition on the dribbling system thanks
to the new Iso-Motion Dribbling Control and Dy-
namic Shot Control for all the shot-types imagin-
able for the creative shooter.
The cover tells us what’s more in store for us in the
game The highlight of 2K11 is the added Jordan
Challenge - reenacting the legendary MJ winning
moves in 10 different scenarios, and the MJ: Creat-
ing a Legend mode - crafting Jordan from a newly-
drafted rookie to your own version of the icon; and
the historic Chicago Bulls at their prime, available
to fare out against any NBA team.
Still present is The Association mode which takes
you inside the league where you have to deal with
all the problems as the team GM, and also as the
team coach.
Online play let’s you challenge other players, and
gives you access to download content via 2K
Share.
2K11 is a must have for NBA fans. A truly enjoyable
basketball experience awaits those who have not
tried the NBA 2K series. Jump ball!

TIPIDPC INVITE

ASSEMBLE THE BEST GAMING

RIG SETUP
This invitation is very simple, all you need to do is to submit us the best as-
sembled gaming rig setup that you have. Assembled gaming rig must be
unique and currently being used as your primary gaming rig. We also would
like to require for your picture together with your assembled gaming rig.

Submit your entry with the following details:

1. Name of the rig you are submitting
2. Specifications of the rigs and brands
3. FPS and gaming test tool results
4. Hi-quality pictures of your gaming rig
5. List of games that are currently installed in your system
5. TipidPC member name/handle

Deadline for submission is March 10, 2011.

Chosen entries will be published in the succeeding issues of TipidPC magazine

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 101

 MAFIA II
The Story
The main character of the game is Vito Scalleta. He
was born in Sicily in 1925 to a very poor family. Their
family immigrated to America a few years later hop-
ing for a better life. As Vito grew up, he got involved
with a criminal named Joe. They became best
friends and they robbed shops together. However,
Vito got caught in one of their robbery session. He
was given a choice - rot in jail or serve the country
by enlisting in the army. He ended up in Sicily in
World War II. He got injured in the war and was sent
home for a leave. Joe welcomed him home and, by
the help of Mafia connection, he was discharged
from the army. Vito discovers that their family is in a
big debt because of his dead father. With no other
DEVELOPER: 2K Czech
means, Vito went with Joe for a job. Joe introduced
him to Henry Tomasino, a hitman of the Clement
Mafia family.
Mafia II is not really a sequel to the first game but
it is somehow related. In the second to the last chap-
ter, it will be revealed who killed Tommy Angelo, the
main character of the first game.
The Gameplay
The gunfight, like in most 3rd person shooters, is
based on cover-and-shoot gameplay. You won’t last
for 10 seconds in a gunfight if you don’t use cover.
Almost everything in the game can be used for cover
- drums, crates, pile of boxes, cars, walls, and etc.
But unlike other 3rd person shooters, you cannot
blind fire from a cover. Also, there is no maneuver
for switching from cover to another cover. This is a
big let down coz games like Army of Two, Uncharted
2, Vanquish, and Gears of War allows you to switch
to an adjacent cover. In my opinion, the cover-and-
shoot gameplay lacks depth. You cannot even blind
throw a grenade when in cover. The enemy AI is
average but enemies do not flank you even if you
stay too long in the same cover. On some parts of
the game, you will be forced to fight using melee
combat. The melee combat is improved compared to
the first game but there are no other melee weapon
except for your fists. You have two basic attacks -
light hit and heavy hit. Combo using the light hit is
fast and will leave your opponent staggered for a
bit. The heavy hit combo is slower but can knock
your enemy to the ground, leaving him open for a
finishing attack. The game does not have a health
bar. The game gets darker gray as you get shot.
Take cover and stop taking damage to replenish
your health.
Weapons featured in this game are realistic and, of
course, from the 1950’s. These include the Magnum,
pump-action shotgun, Tommy Gun, .38 re-
volver, Colt 1911, and many others. For thrown
weapons, you only have MkII grenade and
molotov cocktail. There are gun shops scat-
tered around the city but I didn’t even buy one
weapon. All the weapons I used to finish the
REVIEWED AND
SUBMITTED BY: game are only pick ups from dead enemies.
NYLMAR GARCIA
a.k.a. nrg500
102 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
Except for the first chapter, the entire game takes
place on a fictional city called Empire Bay. It’s a very
large city but don’t be fooled - Mafia II is not an open-
world sandbox type of game. It is very linear and not
like Grand Theft Auto where you can choose the next
mission you will take. After each chapter, you jump
right into the next mission or you are required to go to
a specific location for the next mission. There are no
side missions or mini games.
Yes, you can rob banks and steal cars but money is
insignificant especially in the latter parts of the game.
But in stealing cars, you are now required to pick the
locks which make things a bit realistic. Cruising in
the city is also realistic - cops will chase you if you go
above the speed limit. Your infraction aggravates if
you resist arrest or try to run away. Hit-and-run infrac-
tions will make the police use lethal force - they will
shoot you on sight. The wanted system in this game
is improved compared to other games. The plate
number of your car is recognized by the police and
they recognize your appearance, too. There are two
ways to make the wanted status go away. You can
change the car or the plate number and change your
clothes. The easier way is to find a phone booth, call
the police and bribe them if you have enough cash.
Graphics and Visual Effects
2K Czech has done an excellent job in the graphics
department of this game. The game is very detailed -
realistic shadows, mirror reflections, dynamic ligthing,
and other eye candy. Shooting glass, wood, and
concrete gives realistic debris. In gunfights, you will
see debris flying everywhere - chunks and tidbits of
concrete fly away when you shoot columns, post, and
walls. The game also use PhysX which makes the
visual effects look better. But even without PhysX, the
game still looks great.
The game does not have very high system require-
ments if PhysX is diabled. I only used a GeForce
9800GT and I can run the game at 1920 x 1080
resoltion with high graphic detail but no Anti-aliasing.
Average framerate was 40fps. Enabling PhysX on
1920 x 1080 resolution will at least require a very
powerful nVIDIA graphics card like the GeForce GTX
480. But you can use an entry-level nvIDIA graphics
like the GTS 250 or GTS 450 as a dedicated card for
running PhysX.
Verdict
If you are a big fan of the first game, then you will be
pleased with Mafia II. For those who want a sandbox,
open world style of game, then you might want to look
for another game.
The Good
• Excellent graphic detail
• Uses PhysX
• Features realistic guns from the 1950’s
• Gunfights are brutal and satisfying
• Melee combat is simple but fun and engaging
• Great story narration
• Cutscenes makes you feel like watching movies
The Bad
• Cover-and-shoot gameplay lacks depth
• Has little or no replay value
• Money is insignificant especially in the latter parts of
the game
• Very linear
 Sit back and We’ll do the rest......

I.T. EVENTS TRAINING WORKSHOP SEMINAR

502 Alexander House Building, 132 Amorsolo St., Legazpi Village, Makati City
TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 103
 COMMUNITY GUIDE
EXPERTS ADVISE
TIPIDPC EDITORIAL BOARD
SECURITY ALERT
“Identity theft” is when someone makes use of your name and other personal
information for unauthorized online purchases or to malign another person in an
internet forum or other forms of mischief. It is a common problem for anyone who
uses the internet.
A
s a member of various forums, I experi-
enced Identity Theft firsthand. I was called
by an admin to see about a person who
was in jail in Novaliches. Apparently, the
police arrested a man who was in possession
of multiple SIM cards. According to the investi-
gators, the SIM cards contained text messages
sent to this person’s victims. Most of the victims
of the malicious text messages turned out to be
members of different trading sites locally. One
of the victims sought help which then led to the
apprehension of the criminal.
Identity theft starts when you give out personal
information; full name, birthdate, contact infor-
mation, etc, etc...One way where personal in-
formation is extracted is when you submit re-
sume’s online. Identity thieves use this sort of
information to open fake bank accounts.
After fabricating an identity, they will purchase
SIM cards and advertise bogus items on trad-
ing sites. They will generate their own positive
feedback to fool prospects into some sense of
credibility but in reality, the feedback comes
from only one or two people who have created
multiple accounts.
This should serve as a warning to those who
submit resume’s online. Beware of “identity
thieves”.
104 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
IDEN
THE TITY
FT
Two female members accompanied us to No-
valiches to confront the alleged scammer and
file the necessary complaints.
The perpetrator was caught when he was ar-
rested for molesting a passenger in a jeepney.
At the precint, it was discovered that the man
has several ID cards which included a Police
ID and a whole bunch of SIM cards. When
the SIM cards were inserted into a cellphone,
it revealed text messages from irate victims.
We hope that we have unmasked a possible
modus operandi for scammers and this should
serve as a warning for those looking for bar-
gains and paying through bank deposit.
Another disturbing fact is that some unscrupu-
lous individuals use or name drop reputable or Tips to avoid scammers
known members. If these scammers get hold
1. Carefully check a person’s profile
of vital information, they can post items and
make online transactions. They will claim that 2. If the person is not a legitimate member of any forum
trading site, always give in to doubt
they are < @#$@ > and they are having dif-
ficulty logging in so the customer should trans- 3. If an item is “too cheap”, better think twice about it
act business using their bogus account. 4. Check the legitimate feedbacks of a seller
5. Avoid sending resumes online and do not give
When we finally saw the suspect detained in away vital personal information especially to strange
Novaliches, he name dropped a legitimate companies or users
member who’s identity he assumed. It was ob- 6. Research on an item before you buy
vious that the thief used this member’s name
7. Never make a bank deposit unless you are
to gain credibility. We feel sorry for the victims absolutely sure who owns the account
of this criminal.
8. Meet up in a public place, visible to other people
9. Avoid dealing with unknown members
10. Be vigilant
 Phis
hing
SECURITY ALERT
This is one form of internet fraud wherein unscrupulous individuals extract personal
information and use them for illegal transactions.

meet-ups, and you can’t

fathom how they
could afford such a
luxury item.
Some tips to avoid Phishing
This is how card-
ers operate and 1. When in doubt, DON’T!
this has a lot to
2. Make sure a website is legitimate before
do with phishing. giving away credit card details and personal
They create information.
fake websites
3. Avoid submitting resumes when you doubt
and make it
the legitimacy of an agency.
attractive
to surfers. 4. If someone sends a private message asking
Anyone for personal information, Do not give it unless
you know the person.
who wants to
buy the items 5. Be careful when signing in to your email
displayed account.
there will
surely in-
put their
credit card
details and

I n some se-
lected trading websites, Phishing is
commonly done in order to swindle other
members of the site. The best example
of phishing sites are adult-content websites.
These sites are easy to create and they gen-
erate lots of internet traffic. This is the perfect
place to get information. Former members of
our community (who has been banned) commit
this type of offense. They are called “carders”,
people who use other people’s info for their own
benefit. To this day, there are countless number
of carders in the world wide web as we know it,
and this should serve as a warning to all.
Doesn’t it make you wonder that a seller, who
apparaently isn’t well-off, can sell items val-
ued at almost P100,000 at half the price? At
close scrutiny, you will discover that this person
doesn’t have their own car, commutes to do
other personal Any personal information they collect will be
information which will then used to open up fake credit card accounts in
b e used to make fake credit which they determine the credit limit. These
cards. These fake cards will then be used accounts will be used again to make purchas-
to purchase merchandise from legitimate es in your name without your knowledge.
websites like Amazon.com, Newegg, etc.
After 2-3 weeks after they’ve received their Emails are also prone to phishing. Phishers
items, you’ll be surprised that your credit will create a fake Gmail or Yahoo which claims
card statement will reflect purchases you to have lost their database and needs you to
did not make! This is a classic “phishing” re-enter your login and password. Do not fall
technique. prey to this sort of charade. The information
they gather from you will be used to access
Another form of information extraction is by your email accounts.
establishing a fake company and asking
for resumes online. We have received nu-
merous reports of incidents like this so be
careful about sharing personal information.
Even within the other known website/s,
“phishers” are lurking so be very vigilant.

TIPIDPC MAGAZINE 105

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106 TIPIDPC MAGAZINE