ATI X800 XT All-In-Wonder Review

Subject: Graphics Cards | March 9, 2005 - 03:31 PM | Ryan Shrout
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The 'blokes' at Hexus.net are serving up a review of the ATI X800 XT-based All-In-Wonder card today.

Otherwise, and I'll ignore my issues with MMC's interface, since I'm assured it's being worked on, it's a standout multimedia product. It's the definitive, best-of-breed combination 3D and video product for AGP systems, by quite some margin.

AMD Processors and DDR2/3 Memory

Subject: Processors | March 9, 2005 - 03:29 PM | Ryan Shrout
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I don't think we hear often enough from the likes of Penstarsys, but I found this little bit of an editorial on their site that discusses their thoughts on what direction AMD is going to take on memory specs on their future processors.

So, I would expect an official PC4000 spec for DDR before we see AMD support DDR-2.  If you remember back in the day when Intel was all over RAMBUS and AMD was the driving force for DDR.  Many scoffed at AMD, but in the end they were proven right.  DDR was the right technology at t

AMD Embedded Performance: Geode GX vs. VIA's C3

Subject: Processors | March 9, 2005 - 03:27 PM | Ryan Shrout
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Sudhian today is taking a look at what makes AMD's Geode processors tick and compares them to VIA's current offerings in the embedded system field.

Ask a computer enthusiast or industry follower to name an AMD product and chances are you'll hear about the Athlon 64 or AthlonXP.  Those who've followed Sunnyvale for an extended period of time may rattle off the K6, K6-2, or even the K5 as examples of earlier products, but one microprocessor line you aren't likely to hear much about is Geode.  The AMD Geode is Sunny

Intel Matrix RAID Tested

Subject: Storage | March 9, 2005 - 03:23 PM | Ryan Shrout
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The fine folks over at The Tech Report have written an article that shows the benefits to Intel's new Matrix RAID technology, currently available only on the ICH6R south bridge chip.  Is the technology that makes moving to RAID cheap enough for all of us?

Based on the results of our testing, Matrix RAID volumes appear to be every bit as fast as their traditional RAID counterparts.

Clean your old heatsink, buy a new one & More

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 9, 2005 - 11:33 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Over in our tech talk forum, a common topic is how to go about removing leftover thermal goop from a heatsink.  Arctic Silver is a common brand to use, and they now have their own cleaning solution.  Mikhailtech reviews it, and you should read it if you are wondering just how to remove that old paste from your heatsink.

"Given the minor time investment in cleaning the heatsink, I was pleasantly surprised by ArctiClean's ability to get rid of the leftover compound.

Ageia PhysX Chip - Interview

Subject: Graphics Cards | March 8, 2005 - 01:06 PM | Ryan Shrout
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Duane from Gamers Depot let me know that he has posted an interview with the CEO and COO of Ageia, the compnay responsible for all the hype around physics processing units. 

The PPU is different from but complementary to the CPU/GPU as follows: It is dependent on the nature of application for which the processor has been optimized.

Astak Team Research PC4800 DDR-600 High Speed Memory

Subject: Memory | March 8, 2005 - 12:00 PM | Chris Wiles
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Astak Team Research who? Never heard of them? Well neither had I, but I have now! It makes you realise that there are a lot of really good, well established manufacturers out there, besides the usual ones we all know and 'love'.

Take On The World at ACON5

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