Nvidia Geforce 6600/6600GT Videocard Roundup

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 19, 2005 - 09:16 AM | Chuck Smith
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Mike Dowler has put together a nine card Nvidia Geforce 6600/6600GT Roundup at PCStats. This roundup tests both AGP and PCI Express versions of the 6600/6600GT cards.

The Geforce 6600/6600GT GPU, like its opposite the ATI X700/X700 PRO, offers considerably more for the money than the mainstream cards of previous generations did. PCstats is testing out nine Geforce 6600 and Geforce 6600 GT based videocards, in both AGP and PCI Express versions.

Compucase gets Compu-reviewed

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 18, 2005 - 10:57 PM | Dave Phelps
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This Prescott Compliant budget case gets put in the hot seat over at 3DVelocity.

Off to E3

Subject: Editorial | May 17, 2005 - 11:42 PM | Ryan Shrout
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Well, in about 6 hours I'll be on a plane to LA for this years Electronics Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as the mecha of the gaming world.  While the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Revolution announcements have all already been shown, now its time to get the nose on the floor and hunt out information on the hardware behind these beasts!

Look for updates in my weblog and on the main site during the show!

A Whole Lot of Ageia PhysX News

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 07:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
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A whole lot of press releases from Ageia, the pioneers of the PhysX physics processing unit, hit my inbox a bit ago. 

First up, it looks like the Playstation 3 is going to have some Ageia Physics middleware to aid in development of games on the new console.  Fans of City of Hereos and those looking forward to City of Villians will be interested to know that the Ageia NovodeX physics software is going to be used in the engine for the g

AOpen to introduce Pentium M motherboard using desktop 915G chipset

Subject: Motherboards | May 17, 2005 - 11:40 AM | Ryan Shrout
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I have yet to see the first AOpen 915-based motherboard that was "released" but the company is already planning a second one. 

The i915GA-HFS will support a number of improved features over the recently released 915Mm-HFS motherboard, which is based on the mobile Intel 915GM Express chipset.

Ride in the NV RV?

Subject: General Tech | May 17, 2005 - 11:17 AM | Ryan Shrout
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If you happen to be in LA this week during E3, keep an eye out for the "NV RV"!  I'll try to wiggle my way in and see what kind of luxuries I can partake in.  ;)

ATI and Microsoft Usher in the HD Era of Gaming

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 10:40 AM | Ryan Shrout
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ATI just sent this PR out over the wire. 

ATI and Microsoft Usher in the HD Era of Gaming

Xbox 360 redefines the visual experience: unparalleled performance drives new levels of realism and immersion

E3 - LOS ANGELES, CA

— May 17, 2005 — The era of HD gaming is in full effect at E3 2005 with ATI Technologies Inc.

ATI Mobility X700 Reviewed

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 10:36 AM | Ryan Shrout
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Beyond3D.com has taken a look at a notebook featuring the ATI X700 Mobility part to see how it stacks up as a gaming machine. 

As well as comparing the performance of the Mobility Radeon X700 with relatively freshly taken scores from the desktop X700 PRO and X600 XT we'll also compare it against the previous performances of the Mobility Radeon 9800 and X800, where we can.

BFG 6800 Ultra OC 512 MB Review

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 17, 2005 - 10:34 AM | Ryan Shrout
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Chris Angelini has written up a review of the BFG 6800 Ultra 512 MB card for Firingsquad today.  If you feel a need to spend $1000+ on a graphics card, you're in luck!  ;)

This is a tough one to call, and it took collaboration between a couple of FS staffers to determine if spending one grand on a graphics card represents the epitome of hardcore or the depths of foolishness. In the end, we fell right about in the middle.

Gigabyte 955X Royal Motherboard Review

Subject: Motherboards | May 17, 2005 - 10:31 AM | Ryan Shrout
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HardwareZone has a review up of the Gigabyte 955X motherboard, dubbed the "Royal". 

Performance-wise, the GA-8I955X Royal was able to perform as well and in some cases outperform the Intel 925XE Express reference board, meeting our expectations for the new chipset. It also showed some exceptional performance in the hard drive subsystem testing.

Athlon 64 Venice 3800+ Review

Subject: Processors | May 17, 2005 - 10:16 AM | Ryan Shrout
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The gang at Tech Report have a review up of the 3800+ Athlon 64 Venice core processor. 

Perhaps we saw relatively lackluster results because we used Prime95's stringent torture test with small FFTs, which will cause a shaky CPU to throw an error even when it will run other programs with no apparent problems. We also used Windows XP x64 Edition for testing, which make uses of transistors that would be dormant in a 32-bit OS, potentially exposing a problem. Or maybe our chip was just a dog.

High-Def E3 Movies at Shack

Subject: General Tech | May 17, 2005 - 10:07 AM | Ryan Shrout
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You have got to

NVIDIA Has Breakthrough GPU at Playstation 3 Conference

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 16, 2005 - 08:37 PM | Ryan Shrout
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You can get the whole PR at the NVIDIA site.

NVIDIA PRESENTS BREAKTHROUGH NEXT-GENERATION GRAPHICS AT SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT'S PLAYSTATION®3 PRESS CONFERENCE

SONY PICTURES STUDIOS

—CULVER CITY, CA—MAY 16, 2005—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) a worldwide leader in graphics and digital media processors, provided a first look at the power

Playstation 3 Launch!

Subject: General Tech | May 16, 2005 - 08:34 PM | Ryan Shrout
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Gamespot has some good coverage of what has happened in the Sony Playstation 3 launch thus far.  The specs for this piece of console hardware look just as impressive as the Xbox 360!  3.2 GHz Cell processor, Blu-Ray Disc support, 256 MB of XDR system memory running at 3.2 GHz (4 x 800 MHz) and 256 MB of GDDR3 at 700 MHz. 

Update: Here are some photos of the system! 

Intel Opens 100th Computer Clubhouse

Subject: General Tech | May 16, 2005 - 05:48 PM | Joe White
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WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2005 — Intel Corporation today opened the 100^th Computer Clubhouse, a milestone for the unique, technology-based learning program which has served more than 50,000 youth since it began in 1993. Fueled by a $32 million investment by Intel in 2000, the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network has continued to grow to 100 around the world. 'The Intel Computer Clubhouse Network offers youth access to computers, but its uniqueness lies in its learning model,' said Intel CEO Craig Barrett.

Fighting With Dual Core

Subject: Editorial | May 16, 2005 - 04:35 PM | Ryan Shrout
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I happen to come across an Athlon 64 X2 4400+ processor in my mail box today and am currently engrossed in attempting to test it.  I say attempting because the motherboard I am using and the one I have an updated BIOS for is giving me fits.  Somehow, when using the X2 processor, any use of the USB bus locks the system, but with the same board, bios, bios settings, etc and an FX-55 or a 3700+, the system is just fine with USB usage.  I have no idea what is going on, but I am pretty sure we have a BIOS issue not a processor issue.

In other news, I found out that my clos

Albatron Release AGP to PCI Express Adaptor?

Subject: Graphics Cards | May 16, 2005 - 01:40 PM | Ryan Shrout
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I saw this thread in our forums this morning and tried to dig up some more info on it, but came up empty thus far.  Albatron has apparently released something called the "ATOP" that allows current AGP video card users to upgrade to a PCIe motherboard without buying a new video card.  Based on the photo I see on the Albatron website, this is not giong to be a universal option for AGP cards at all.  The AGP video card that is shown is very

Slow News Day - Venice for Sale

Subject: Processors | May 16, 2005 - 01:24 PM | Ryan Shrout
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Its an oddly slow news day from a hardware review perspective.  Maybe everyone is recovering from all the Xbox 360 crap that went on last week?  In any event, until something crosses my wire, I only have an update on finding some Venice core Athlon 64 processors for sale in our Pricegrabber engine.

• Athlon 64 3000+ Venice - from $149


• Athlon 64 3200+ Venice -