[H]ardNews 1st Edition

New Opera:

The newest version of the popular web browser, Opera, is out. Go pick up your copy today and see what all the talk is about. If you are completely happy with Internet Explorer or Netscape, forget I even said anything and move on to the next news item.

Download Opera 7 today to see why our users are calling this the fastest, smallest, most full-featured desktop browser on the market. If you enjoyed the famous classic Opera innovations such as mouse gestures, integrated search, and multiple document interface, you'll love the new features in Opera 7.

ATi Likes Gamers:

ATi is sponsoring the largest LAN on the west coast by kicking in goods to the fellas running GDLan this year. If the name sounds familiar, it is because this is the same crew from Gamer Depot putting this 500+ man LAN together. Here is a little more info from the PR:

ATI Technologies Inc. today announced that it is the title sponsor of GDFest, one of the largest LAN party events held on the West Coast. In addition to its sponsorship, ATI will be giving away 10 RADEON™ 9700 PRO graphics boards to gamers at GDFest. “ATI’s RADEON 9700 PRO is the card of choice for gamers” said Paul Ayscough, Director, Corporate Marketing, ATI Technologies Inc. “Our continuing support and involvement in gaming events like GDFest allows us to put the world’s best graphics into the hands of more gaming enthusiasts.” “It makes perfect sense for one of the biggest and best gaming events to be sponsored by ATI —the king of the graphics industry,” said Duane Pemberton, Publisher, Gamer’s Depot. “ATI’s RADEON 9700 PRO is by far the best graphics board on the market, and we’re thrilled to have ATI as the title sponsor for GDFest 2003.”

Soap Wired:

OCIA has reviewed a bar of soap. You heard me…soap. Of course this is caffeinated soap, but it still taste like soap when you eat it.

My first reaction was "What the Hell!!"

Mods & Ends:

Adding a Pocket PC to a WiFi Network @ ExtremeMHz - Case Modding @ OCHardware - Logitech Z-640’s @ Designtechnica - Glowing Keyboard @ ClubOC - Keyboard Cleaning @ SubZero Tech - Wearable USB Drive @ MOT - Terratec Soundcard @ BOPC - Disk-On-A-Key @ PCExtreme - Guaitar Port @ VNRoundup - Dual UV Cathodes @ AseLabs

[H]ardNews 8th Edition

nForce2 Soundstorm:

With the nForce2 platform being as popular as it is, knowing how the sound subsystem performs could mean a lot to you audiophiles out there. Certainly worth a look.

The latest AMD platform chipset to hit the shelves is the much anticipated nForce2. While its performance currently has a slight edge over offerings from rival VIA, the extra features that are packed in as well are what make this package such a gem. One of the most overlooked features is the SoundStorm audio technology. Also found in the Xbox, Soundstorm offers the unique ability to output an AC3 or Dolby Digital 5.1 digital signal which can then be decoded using an appropriate receiver.

SiS “Giga Speed”:

Well, I don’t see this listed on the SiS press page just yet, so I will post the bulk of the PR here.

Flying Fat:

Small commuter flights might start weighing passengers before they can fly. For some reason the airlines actually “guess-timate” that male passengers ( including clothing and carry-on baggage ) weigh 180lbs, but they don’t take into considerations that big ol’ bastards like me weigh 250lbs on a good day. I might be too fat to fly. Blame Mr. Burns.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the temporary weigh-in policy Monday for planes with 10 to 19 seats as part of a monthlong survey to determine whether current weight estimates are accurate. It's a question of safety for the smaller planes, and passengers who refuse to go along with the request could be barred from a flight. The FAA lets airlines estimate that an adult passenger flying in winter averages 185 pounds, including clothing and carry-ons.

[H]ardNews 7th Edition

Quantum Computing:

For people like me whom have had a MRI recently, and understand how a MRI works, this article makes far more sense to us than to people whom haven’t had one. This article talks about a new concept concerning spin resonance and the ability to control electron spins using electric fields and the application it has in the field of quantum computing. Good reading for sure, thanks WickerBill.

Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara and at the University of Pittsburgh have provided "proof of concept that quantum spin information can be locally manipulated using high-speed electrical circuits," according to the abstract of their paper being published Jan. 23 on the "Science Express" website, Science Magazine's rapid portal for publication of significant research findings to appear subsequently in print in Science.

Bad Move:

No surprise here, this guy actually offered the service of downloading music and burning it to a disc in his Internet Café’ for a fee….holy hell, how stupid can you get. The owner of the Café is appealing the decision, but I doubt he’ll have much luck. Blame Tim for the linkage on that one.

The Easyinternet cafe chain has been found guilty of copyright infringement for allowing customers to download music from the internet and copy it onto to CDs. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) launched the legal action after learning the company permitted music copies to be made for a fee of £5.

GFFX Funnies:

I have received a ton of these pictures since yesterday. People having a little fun with the cooling apparatus on the new GFFX. People are having waaayy too much fun with the noise level of the new cooler…coming up with clever stuff like these ( hey, isn’t that the GFFX from our review? ). Thanks to Atomic for the pics.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

GeForce FX Reviews Wrong?

While we are still looking into this, it seems that the in-game screen shots posted on the Net yesterday showing off IQ produced by the GeForceFX 5800 Ultra are "wrong".

There is no doubt that we criticized the GFFX for its AntiAliasing, and now it seems that we may have not had the proper evidence to base our conclusions on. To quote ourselves from this page:

With NoAA you can see the aliasing is quite predominant. 2X AA and Quincunx don’t seem to do much on the GeForceFX visually, but the FPS are affected comparing the shots to the original with no AA enabled.

Of course all of this left us a bit puzzled, and wondering about the AA abilities of the drivers, but the "facts" are the fact correct?

We have been working with NVIDIA on this to get an answer and it seems that now we have the preliminary information to give us a bit more insight on the question.

The GeForceFX's technology applies filters that effect AntiAliasing and Anisotropic filtering before the frame buffer and after the frame has left the frame buffer. In short, this means that all of our screenshots do not accurately represent the true in-game visual quality that the GFFX can and will produce, as the screen shots were pulled from the frame buffer (in the "middle" of the AA process). We have come to conclusions about the GFFX IQ (Image Quality) that may be simply wrong.

While we cannot answer for other reviews of the GeForceFX it is very possible this is an issue with those articles as well, if they were in fact thorough enough to cover IQ.

We are currently working on a way to capture the images properly and will be revisiting the GeForceFX 5800 Preview by covering the IQ portion of our preview with proper screen shot comparison or further information addressing the truth surrounding this situation.

Certainly this is a huge issue it seems that NVIDIA was not even aware of when they issued us the review units. Having 48 hours to preview the card over Superbowl weekend compounded this, and while that is no excuse for improper evaluation on our part, it did certainly impact our ability to do a better evaluation. We are sorry for any incorrect evaluations we have made and are working now to remedy the situation. Any new information will be posted here on our news page.

To answer a popular email, we are currently evaluating in-game play with the screen shots and we will certainly report further on our findings when we have a better handle on the situation.

[H]ardNews - AMD Rumor Mill

Bartons for All?

We have all seen the rumored mid-February launch of AMD Barton core CPUs talked about. After the last two AMD launches I am sure many of your are shaking your heads thinking, "Another paper launch, whoopteee whoop."

We have it on very good authority that the Barton launch will not be just another paper launch for AMD. Distributors are telling us to expect AMD Barton PIBs (Processor in a Box) carrying 2800+ and 3000+ ratings to be available and in stock in quantity by the middle of February.

Of course I know many of you OCers are wanting to know about the less robust Bartons carrying the 2500+ designations. It seems as if these will be hot OCers that will reach the 3000+ MHz levels, or that is what we are hearing, but is yet to be seen. We are still unsure of initial stocking levels or dates for these slower Barton CPUs, but of course we have our ears to the Ether. Anyone? Anyone?

All in all, AMD seems to be listening to you guys out there and is stepping up to the plate when launching new CPUs. I am sure this is something we are all happy to see.

[H]ardNews 4th Edition - Blair Tech Ed.

MS To Linux:

Mike Petitjean has been a dedicated Microsoft user for more than a decade, but now the software developer says he's so fed up with the high prices and unreliable systems that he's switching to Linux. Linux's popularity with programmers has already managed to make a huge dent on the market share of rival software Unix and now it's gradually threatening to do the same with Microsoft's dominance of the business software market. And giants such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell Computer are lending a helping hand.

Media Hype:

New products that will transform industries from energy and electronics to transportation. Emerging markets with vast potential and a swirl of media attention. "Sound familiar?" asked Keith Blakely, chief executive of NanoDynamics Inc., a new nanomaterials company in Buffalo, N.Y. Blakely, speaking at a recent conference, wasn't talking about nanotechnology – he was reciting the promise that surrounded engineered ceramics in the 1980s.

Linux Bugs?

Fred Langa contends that some Linux proponents harm their cause by hiding from the facts--it's just as buggy as Windows XP. I made a private bet with myself when I ran an item in my newsletter called "Linux Hacks On The Rise". It cited a study of software problems reported by CERT--the Computer Emergency Response Team that impartially tracks computing security threats. (CERT is part of a federally funded research and development center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.)

(Editor's Note: If you are sysadmin or someone responsible for server infrastructure, read this one news story about operating systems today. It might give you a new perspective on things. Just for the record, we are linux guys around here.)

Fruit Tech:

Recent trends in Microbiological Safety of fruits and vegetables. When we hear about food safety problems resulting from the contamination of foods by organisms such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, or Listeria, most of us think about improperly cooked hamburger or sanitation irregularities at chicken processing plants.

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition

MS Not Patched:

This is a tad bit ironic, now isn’t it? Microsoft’s very own network fell victim to the latest “slammer” worm cause they hadn’t patched some of their own severs. Ouch.

Microsoft's policy of relying on software patches to fix major security flaws was questioned Monday after a series of internal e-mails revealed that the software giant's own network wasn't immune from a worm that struck the Internet last weekend.

DDR3 News:

Worlds fastest SRAM? Samsung says so, and from the looks of things, it is not only fast, but efficient too ( low power consumption ).

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the development of what the company calls the world's fastest SRAM, based on double-data-rate 3 (DDR3) SRAM technology. Targeted for high-end servers and workstations, the new DDR3 SRAM operates at speeds of 1.5-gigabits-per-second and requires only 1.2-Volts for low-power consumption. Based on a “breakthrough” cell technology, the chip measures 0.79-micron square, the company.

Hacker Insurance:

Hacker Insurance? I didn’t even know you could get such a thing.

Hacker insurance, also known as "network risk insurance," has been on the market for about three years, but is expected to explode from a $100 million sideshow into a $2.5 billion behemoth by 2005, according to insurance industry projections.

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition

Vantec Fanbus:

The Vantec Fanbus is reviewed today at PCReviewSpot ( insert your “sleep in the pcreviewspot…” joke here ). For those of you who want to have a way to control all the fans in their system, but do not want to go through the hassle of building something themselves…this is for you.

If you're a PC enthusiast, chances are good that you have 4+ fans in your case at any given time. Fans are great, but when you have the computer in the same room that you sleep in, or want to listen to music without waking the neighbors, fans can pose a problem - noise!

GoingWireless:

Bjorn does it, you can too. Get that wireless desktop you’ve always wanted and free yourself up to walk around nude and surf the net at the same time…that’s what we do.

"I hate computer cables. Not enough to buy an i-Mac, of course, but I still hate the inevitable spaghetti that gathers around one's PC and desk. Most of all I hate mouse and keyboard cables. PS/2 keyboard cables are typically pretty thick and love to snag on any and all objects."

SK-7 Against The SLK-800:

Big and bad cooler against the bigger and badder cooler. FrozenTech take two big copper coolers and face them off against each other. Truth be told, both of these bad boys are good coolers that would make you happy.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition

Getting Your ZZZ’s:

Got your ZZZ’s?? Well then get some!! This week the fellas have the usual bizarre bazaar of all that is odd in the industry. I personally like the quasi-spud gun that uses 60% propane and 40% butane to get things going. Heh..whoa.

Kazaa Strikes Back:

Kazaa is striking back at the entertainment industry. While I am sure Kazaa is going to be pummeled mercilessly by the industry ( ala Napster ), I have to agree with this statement:

Sharman Networks, owner of the popular Kazaa file-swapping software, has launched a legal counterstrike against the major record labels and Hollywood studios, asserting they have “obscenely” abused their copyright powers.

Good & Bad News:

TSMC has good news, they have posted a minor profit this quarter. The bad news? The company expects things to worsen in the near future.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) here on Tuesday posted sales of $1.18 billion for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, up 3% over the previous quarter and 24% in the like period a year ago. The Hsinchu-based silicon foundry giant also reported a profit of $73 million in the quarter, down 19.2% sequentially and a 43.2% decline from a year ago.

[H]ardNews 7th Edition

mOdds & Ends:

Evercool CUD-715 @ OcPricesHardware - Sunbeam Rheobus @ ModTown - Must See Monitor Makeover @ TwistedMods - SysFX Watercooling @ ModAsylum - We own a couple of this that editors use on test unit and they rock. The Belkin KVM @ BitTech - Flashing Sound Activated Lights @ ExtenstionTech - Budget Gaming Box How To @ RipNet

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

Cool VidCards:

I would think that some of you are debating getting that GeForceFX but are wondering if the dustbuster on it will be the cause of a divorce of some sort in your household. Well have no fear, BurnOutPC is here with the Swiftech cure. Of course you might want to consider a TEC system as well.

Overall a perfect product. I couldn't pimp it any more then this. This is a great product for cooling down that videocard of yours, and oc it.

Fun Athlon Pics:

I would not expect the coming Bartons or any other AthlonXPs to show up in retail with heatspreaders attached, but you can bet the Hammers will have them. Thanks Tim Dowdall.

i845PE Review:

If you are going to build a Pentium 4 system, we highly advise checking out boards from MSI, Asus, and ABIT based on the i845PE that supports single channel DDR333. NexusHardware reviews the ABIT It7-MAX2 v.2

Throughout the benchmarking section I used the It7 Max 2 V.2 at a very high system overclock. I raised the fsb to 170mhz, and improved performance dramatically.

Our review on this board is on the way as well.

9500 Pro Review:

Gigabyte's Maya line of VidCards take center stage at R&BMods. No doubt in my mind that the 9500 Pro VPU represents the Bang for the Buck Sweetspot currently.

Can you say CLOCK LOCKED? We put them in the know, now it is up to you to get around ATI's OC prevention.

Virus Theories:

The worm could have been timed for release during the Asian day and cropped up in Hong Kong when people began using their computers on Saturday, but that does not mean it was launched from Hong Kong, said Tom Ohlsson, a vice president at Matrix NetSystems of Austin, Texas.

[H]ardNews 5th Edition

Another GFFX Review:

Hexus has their review posted now as well on the GeForceFX 5800 Ultra. Their review seems to be of a bit different color.

There can be no question that the GeForce FX out performs the Radeon and produces higher image quality as well. We did not get a chance to run all of the extensive tests which NVIDIA have enabled the card to be able to run, we saw the demos of the Ogre, Dawn and the truck - these are incredible. We will have these on the media archive on the end of this review. There is more to the FX than just gaming, and benchmarks. We believe that this card will be the future of games - with the CineFX engine, High-Precision Graphics, Intellisample Technology all needing to have support from the developers to take full advantage of this card.

I have to ask myself if they were using actual games for their image quality statements made above. In our experience it was quite clear that the 9700 Pro delivered a better quality image in the games we experienced. Demos mean jack when it comes to real world performance. And, 3D cards are about nothing more than gaming, at least to us they are.

Dog Fights...Back:

WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) -- A man trying to beat his dog to death with a gun was fatally wounded when it apparently went off accidentally, police said.

Blame Thomas Davis.

9700 Pro Review:

The guys over at Speedy3D have some love for the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro.

ATI's newest part is a direct result of this cut-throat competition. The Radeon 9700 Pro was created to challenge Nvidia's top part (the GeForce4 Ti4600), and we were allowed to spend quite a bit of time with it putting it toe-to-toe against the GeForce4 with ATI’s latest Catalyst 3.0 drivers and Microsoft’s DirectX 9.0 final release.

Looks as though the 9700 Pro will be challenging more than just the "old" GF4 Ti4600.

Which OS Are You:

You might be surprised to find out just what OS your personality identifies with. Just remember, don't be mad at us or BBSpot when you find out the truth that could haunt you a lifetime.

Take this quiz to find out which OS most matches your personality. You need to answer all the questions to get an accurate result.

Granite Bay Review:

Our Ruskie buddies at DigitalDaily have the Asus Granite Bay board on the grill and give us their thoughts on it here. You can read our thoughts here for comparison.