Take On The World at ACON5

Subject: Motherboards | March 7, 2005 - 09:21 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

March 7, 2005 - ABIT, along with Intel, ATI, LG, and Corsair, are pleased to announce the launch of the ACON5 Global Gaming Event. Held in over 20 countries and territories, ACON5 invites avid gamers from 150 cities across the globe to one of the world's largest, most exciting gaming tournaments.

"With thousands of gamers taking part last year, ACON4 was a major success," notes ABIT Gaming Brand Manager Lester Lau.

A case that knows the high notes & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 7, 2005 - 11:42 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Thermaltake has a nice looking case, called the Soprano.  Not only does it look good, but the incorportation of 120mm fans and toolless assembly really make this one shine.  Read all about it at Big Bruin.

"For those looking for a case to pay tribute to their favorite HBO show... "fuhget about it"! But... The Thermaltake Soprano is easily at the top of its class for looks. I would certainly not have any problem having this case sit in the family room, office, or professional studio.

Asetek's cool mid-range solution & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 4, 2005 - 11:27 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Asetek's VapoChill kit is famous, but a little too pricey for some.

AMD's Turion 64 Spotted at IDF??

Subject: Shows and Expos | March 2, 2005 - 04:20 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

Is it a bird?  A plane?  No, its AMD sticking its proverbial tongue out at Intel during IDF.  Yes, this is indeed a picture of sky writing over San Francisco with the words "Turion 64 Mobility," though we couldn't get the entire phrase in our lense to capture.  Who says AMD doesn't have a sense of humor?

Click to Enlarge

Roundups, well round cooling & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 2, 2005 - 12:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

X-bit looks at the best heatsinks out there, and makes a call for best of the bunch from a few different criteria.  Systemcooling put together the coolest PC equipment that came out of 2004, in their eyes.  There are more below, from quietingthe fiercest PC to cooling your OC'd videocard!

Nowadays computer users pay attention not only to performance of their PCs, but also to such characteristic as external design, high stability and silence.

Intel Spills Dual Core Information

Subject: Processors | March 1, 2005 - 02:46 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

While I don't have pictures to share with you yet, I will get them soon, but Intel has shared with the press their plans for the upcoming Q2 2005 introductin of dual core processors.  Here are the details I have now:

• Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition


• 3.2 GHz clock speed


• Dual Core


• Two threads per core


• 800 MHz FSB


• 2 MB L2 cache (1 MB for each core)


• EM64T


• Execute Disable Bit


• LGA775 Package


• Die size: 206mm^2


• 230 million transistors

For the

First Day of IDF

Subject: Editorial | February 28, 2005 - 07:01 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: blog

I am sitting in my hotel room in downtown San Francisco ready for the upcoming spring 2005 IDF show at the Moscone Center. Intel is planning on showing off their plans for multi-core processors (notice they are NOT calling it dual-core any more...) as well as their partnership with NVIDIA in the form of the nForce4 for Intel chipset that is going to be announced very soon. I'll post more on the show as I get it, keep a close watch on the front page for any breaking news I post from the floor!

Intel Developer Forum Spring 2005 - Early Notes

Subject: Shows and Expos | February 28, 2005 - 05:47 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

I just got back from registering for this springs Intel Developer Forum and as usual they handed out a bag with some information in it for the press.  After the short walk back to the hotel, I found two items of interest to me in the pack, which usually doesn't happen.

First up, Microsoft and Intel were partnering to hand out copies of the evaluation version of "Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition:"

The secon

ATI Announces X800 XL and X850 XT in AGP Form

Subject: Graphics Cards | February 28, 2005 - 04:28 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged:

This is quite a surprise announcement from ATI this morning -- they are now announcing that they have AGP parts based on the X800 XL and X800 XT GPUs.  These cards use an ATI bridge chip that converts the PCIe bus to the AGP bus.  Here's some more information in the official PR:

ATI Extends its Line of High-End Graphics Cards

RADEON® X800 XL and RADEON® X850 XT now available for AGP customers

MARKHAM, ON

— February 28, 2005 —

The Ultimate Graphics Card Kit?

Subject: Graphics Cards | February 28, 2005 - 02:24 PM | Sean Pelletier
Tagged:

If this new kit from Gainward isn't the ultimate graphics card upgrade kit, it has to be pretty damn close. The thought of two watercooled GeForce 6800 Ultras with 512MB of memory (each) in SLI should be enough to put a smile on any gamer's face. Can you image the benchmark scores from this SLI kit with 1GB of total VGA memory?

512MB NVIDIA Layout Changes?

Subject: Graphics Cards | February 28, 2005 - 02:17 PM | Sean Pelletier
Tagged:

A few images on an engineering sample 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra have been floating around online today. Although the additional 256MB is an obvious benefit, there are some rather drastic layout changes to the board which should certainly raise an eyebrow. Taking a glimpse at the image below, you'll see that the memory is not cooled in any way here and that the traditional passive heatsink assembly seen on 6800 Ultras will not fit.

AMD Announces Specification For Open Platform Management Architecture

Subject: General Tech | February 28, 2005 - 12:02 PM | Joe White
Tagged:

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. -- February 28, 2005 --AMD (AMD: NYSE) today announced the release of the Open Platform Management Architecture (OPMA) specification that defines a common hardware interface between the server platform and its server management subsystem. This specification will provide hardware vendors with a more flexible approach to system management when designing their commercial grade server products.

A case with some new tricks & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | February 28, 2005 - 12:01 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Check out the Thermaltake Armor Case at Overclocker Cafe.  It incorporates so many different features into a unique looking case,  you may toss out your old box for the upgrade ... make sure to pull out the motherboard first!

Also, I recieved a sales pitch for wooden cases outta the orient.  It isn't a review, nor have I been able to find them reviewed anywhere.  I know almost nothing about them, and am not backing them in any way, but I thought you all should get a chance

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum (a users experience)

Subject: Systems | February 27, 2005 - 09:49 PM | Joe White
Tagged:

A couple of our MSI users have just recently put together new systems based on MSI's new K8N Neo4 Platinum motherboard. They decided to do some benchmarks and tests to put together an article to compare their respective systems and to give users an idea of what to expect from some of the newest PC technology available. The article can be found in our MSI forums sticky section.

RAM Mod Review

Subject: Memory | February 27, 2005 - 03:16 AM | Mark McKee
Tagged:

For those of you who enjoy spicing up your computers, you might want to take a look at this mod for your RAM over at A True Review.

 "A relatively new SoCal company, Razotech, who specializes in high performance PC gaming cases, PC modification accessories, and much more has provided us with an interesting mod. Today, we take a look at their Ram Mod. "

Watercoolin' on a friday morn & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | February 25, 2005 - 11:32 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Why just get a plain-jane waterblock when you can have one with customizable nozzles.  That's the question Danger Den asked when they made the RBX, and OCMODSHOP got a chance to see how it performs.  If you are leaning more towards picking up a new radiator, keep reading, we got you covered.

"The accelerator nozzles on the RBX are a very interesting concept. They allow the end user to adjust the water flow through the block to best suit the rest of the cooling system.

Intel Announces Intent To Acquire Oplus Technologies, Inc.

Subject: General Tech | February 25, 2005 - 08:31 AM | Joe White
Tagged:

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 24, 2005 - Intel Corporation today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Oplus Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of video processing products and technologies for digital television and digital displays. The acquisition would provide Intel with access to valuable technology, expertise and products that complement the company's offerings of standards-based silicon and software for the growing consumer electronics market segment.

AMD To Help Make Bono's wish a reality

Subject: General Tech | February 25, 2005 - 08:30 AM | Joe White
Tagged:

SUNNYVALE, CA - Feb. 25, 2005 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced it will provide significant support to legendary musician Bono of U2 to make his wish of accelerating Internet connectivity to hundreds of thousands of Africans a reality. Bono's wish to connect every hospital, health clinic and school in Ethiopia to the Internet is one of three wishes granted to him by Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED) as part of the 2005 TED Prize.