iMAC

Today I had the pleasure of dissecting an iMAC. My relative was complaining about flickering graphics issues, along with a sudden crash (freeze). That’s a classic case of over heating folks. So I opened it up and swapped out the thermal paste. I’ll admit, apple had designed that machine to be very user friendly on upgrading the memory; but not opening it. The screws were torx based (instead of the classic flat or Philips head) and I the entire time I felt as if I were opening a laptop.

Unfortunately, there’s no option to upgrade the graphics chip. Unless you were to purchase an all new motherboard that has one built in. The power supply, hard disk, blue tooth adapter, wireless adapter, screen, dvd drive and speakers are upgradeable. It appears you could remove and re socket a new intel chip, but I didn’t try to remove the old one. I was only removing the old thermal paste and dust bunnies. One thing is definite, I did notice poor air circulation within the case. Apple relies on having the heat rise out of the top. There are 3 fans within the iMac, but based on what my relative is suffering through, it is not a good long term design for reliability. One way to improve on the units performance, is to add a case fan in the back by the IMAC words. That is where the CPU and GPU heat-sinks are. The iMac utilizes a heat pipe design, but no direct air flow on the fins. This is terrible. So I’ll run it by her and if she’s ok with it, I’ll do it and post pics. The down side to a mod of such stature, the sleep design in the back will be thrown our the door.

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CRYSIS WARS

What’s the best way to try and get more gamers into your product? Offer it for free, for a limited time only! Another way is to lower the price, but the limited time freeware along with a lot of map packs is a good way to get people to buy in. The CRYTEK team is offering Crysis WARS, the multiplayer internet version of Crysis WARHEAD for FREE from December 19th, 2009 to December 29th, 2009. Here are the details of the AD:

Introduction
We’re pleased to be able to invite you to the Crysis Wars Holiday Trial period taking place from Saturday, December 19th to Tuesday, December 29! All you need to do is be a registered member of MyCrysis in order to receive all the information you’ll need to take part, there’s still plenty of time to sign up so make sure you don’t miss out!

• If you already own and play Crysis Wars, this period will be a fantastic opportunity for you to meet new players and make new friends.
• If you don’t own Crysis Wars, this is a unique occasion for you to download the FULL game with its 3 game modes and 21 maps. As soon as your download is over, you will be able to play on LAN with your friends for free. Once the trial period commences, you will receive a unique CDKey so that you can play online for free until December 29th!

Where to download:
You simply go to one of these download sites and download Crysis Wars:
http://www.bigdownload.com
http://www.fileshack.com
http://www.fileplanet.com
http://www.filefront.com

How does it Work?
You will be able to download the complete Crysis Wars game, and install it on your computer for free. From then on, you will be able to play on LAN with your friends, without any time limitation. This is the best opportunity to check the gameplay, adjust the settings to your fitting (from best performance to best visuals), and train with your friends on LAN, in preparation for the online weekend.
You will not be able to connect online during this time.

On Saturday December 19th, a new mail will be sent to you with the link to a MyCrysis page where you will be able to retrieve your unique demo CDKey for the trial period. This demo CDKey will only be valid for your MyCrysis account, and will allow you to play online for the whole ten days. By the end of the trial, your demo CDKey will be deactivated and you will have to purchase the game to keep playing online.

The whole Crysis Wars team hopes that you will enjoy this experience, and we are at your disposal at MyCrysis.com to answer your questions and react to your feedback.

F.A.Q.
Q: When does the Holiday Trial period take place?
A: You can start downloading the game now! You are able to play online from Saturday, December 19th to Sunday, December 29th.

Q: Who can participate?
A: Everyone can participate. There is no limitation.

Q: How can I participate?
A: Just register to http://www.mycrysis.com. Every member of MyCrysis will have a demo CDKey prior to the trial.

Q: Will I have to pay anything?
A: No, this entire operation is completely free.

Q: When will I receive my demo CDKey?
A: A mail will be sent to all MyCrysis members on Saturday, December 19th. This mail will contain a link to the page where you can get a demo CDKey.

Q: If I lost my key, how can I get it back?
A: Your demo CDKey will be available in your MyCrysis profile.

Q: How many demo CDKeys can I have?
A: There is only 1 demo CDKey per MyCrysis user.

Q: If I already bought the game, what’s the interest?
A: You will see more people online during this period, and will be able to make new friends.

Q: If I already bought the game, can I give my demo CDKey to a friend?
A: Yes, if you don’t need a demo CDKey to play the game, you can share it with a friend of yours.

Q: Can I download the game in advance?
A: Yes, you you can download the trial client now in preparation for this event.

Q: Can I really play LAN for free?
A: Yes, you are allowed to install the game on as many machines as you want. As soon as you have enabled the online activation, you are able to play on LAN for as long as you wish.

Q: Can I play online without a CDKey?
A: No, you can’t play online without a CDKey.

Q: How can I get a CDKey?
A: Either you can use the demo CDKey sent to you to play online during the Holiday Trial period, or you need to purchase Crysis: Warhead in order to have a key and play online.

Q: Can my computer run Crysis Wars?
A: If your computer meets the minimum requirements as follow, yes:

All the best!

- Crysis Wars Team

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