[H]ardNews 3rd Edition

Compro Poladyne Ti4200:

Overclockers New Zealand have reviewed the Compro Poladyne Ti4200 8X AGP. This will be the first time I have seen one of these cards reviewed, so I am just as interested as you to see what was said.

Considering its price, Compro Poladyne is a fine choice for the average users. Poladyne offers Ti-4400 level of performance at Ti-4200 price. However, from our own testing and user feedbacks, Poladyne does not seem to be a great overclocker, a maximum of 3% increase for GPU and memory clock from the default setting.

Another Compro Poladyne Ti4200:

Déjà vu…here is another review of the Compro Poladyne Ti4200 this time from myWorld Hardware. It looks like these guys got a little better overclocking results out of their card, though they didn’t actually say what their core / memory speeds were.

After running the all the benchmark and some of my personal favourite games, I might say that it is worth it. Plus, you are paying for the price of Ti4200-8X clocked and performed at the same speed as the one found on more expensive Ti4400 model. VIVO? No problem at all, cause the card can handle it by adding as little as USD30 for the VIVO adaptor. For die hard overclockers, this card really overclocks well.

MSI 655 Max:

Hardware Zone reviews the MSI 655 Max, obviously based on the new SiS655 chipset. The gang seemed to like this board, though they had some stability issues when they loaded up all six PCI slots plus the onboard peripherals. Holy cow, with onboard sound and LAN, SATA, Firewire, USB 2.0…what did they use to populate all six PCI slots?

If you are looking for a board with a good set of on-board features, then the MSI 655 Max will not disappoint you. With all the standard high-end features like Serial ATA, Gigabit LAN and FireWire, there's simply no reason why you shouldn't consider this board. Packing a lot of devices and options in a relatively small PCB area, MSI once again showed us their strength and expertise in PCB design and layout.

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition - Fam Money Shot

Misleading Domain = Jail?

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal that would criminalize using misleading domain names to lure unsuspecting people to sex sites. Under the proposal, a last-minute amendment to an unrelated child abduction bill, people who knowingly use an innocent-sounding domain name to drive traffic to a sexually explicit Web site could be fined and imprisoned for two to four years.

MS Ad Pulled:

The Advertising Standards Authority of SA (ASA) has ordered that a Microsoft ad implying that its software will bring about the extinction of the hacker is to be pulled for being "unsubstantiated and misleading. An objection was lodged by freelance journalist Richard Clarke, in his personal capacity, who complained that the advert was untrue. He claimed Microsoft software is littered with vulnerabilities. The advert depicts a dodo, a woolly mammoth, a sabre tooth tiger and a hacker.

Stopping DDOS Attacks:

Technical means are available to prevent such attacks. Smurf and fraggle can be stopped by not allowing broadcast addresses to pass through your firewall. Additionally, do not allow packets that should be coming from inside actually come from outside. TCP SYN flood attacks can be stopped with SYN Cookies, a bit of cryptological magic on the TCP packet sequence number that is built into most IP stacks, including most default Linux kernels. Full-out connection requests can be rate-limited, either with mod_throttle in Apache or with iptables in the IP stack.

Cable Gouging:

U.S. consumer groups on Wednesday charged that cable companies were gouging customers who subscribe only to high-speed Internet service but not to cable television, and asked antitrust enforcers to investigate. The nation's biggest cable provider, Comcast, recently acquired AT&T's cable assets. It then raised prices for those customers who sign up only for high-speed Internet service to $56.95 (Comcast's monthly going rate), a rise of 33 percent on the previous $42.95 charge. Customers will receive the $42.95 price for Internet service if they also sign up for cable television service.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition

Photon Deceleration:

Although this is very cool stuff, I wonder who actually has a stopwatch out and is timing this whole project? I mean really…c’mon, it is not like we have a radar gun pointed at a beam of light to test this. Thanks Wicker Bill.

Researchers in New York state have slowed light down to the speed of a train using a ruby at room temperature1. Robert Boyd and colleagues at the University of Rochester cut the speed of light in a vacuum from 300,000 kilometres per second to a sluggish 57 metres per second.

Palladium Sneak Peak:

Security done by Microsoft usually sends shivers down your spine…and I’m not talking about “good” shivers either. I am talking more along the line of “Hey man, someone stole everything I have, right down to my boxer shorts” kinda shivers. Never the less, MS plans to offer early Palladium prototypes in May. Interesting.

Microsoft Corp. in May plans to show early prototypes of computers using its Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) technology, a combination of new hardware and software that Microsoft says will boost PC security but that critics fear could be a scourge for user freedom. At its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in New Orleans, Microsoft also plans to share more technical details of the nascent NGSCB technology, formerly known by its Palladium code name.

Work Time Waster:

My man Matt aka AskedRelic hooked me up with this link to a game called gridlock. Even though the premise is simple, move some blocks to free up another block…the damn thing is addictive. Check it out.

Funny Hypocrites:

You think that musicians would get smart after the Dixie Chicks screw up and Madonna being boycotted…..DO NOT join the “Rock The Vote” campaign if you haven’t voted in 11yrs. Heh…damn celebrities.

Rock the Vote, which recruits celebrities to try and convince young people to register to vote and get involved in the political process, announced yesterday that singer Lenny Kravitz has recorded an anti-war song that's now available exclusively on the group's web site. But when it comes to Kravitz's own voting history, the 38-year-old singer--like many previous Rock the Vote celebrity spokespersons--is hardly a role model. As the below records show, Kravitz registered to vote in New York City in October 1992, but hasn't been seen since in a Gotham polling place.

[H]ardNews 8th Edition

MSI 5800FX:

More MSI 5800FX coverage from across the pond, this time around the gang at UKGamer gives it a go with the latest and greatest from NVIDIA and MSI. The fellas put a lot of work into their review, so let’s just see what the UKGamer crowd thought of the card.

If NVIDIA managed to get the 5800 Ultra to market late last year there would be even greater pressure on ATI to ramp up their product line. But it's the end of March and still we don't see any on the shelves and that is a real concern. Some will question NVIDIA's decision to go with such a complex GPU as their first 0.13 micron part, since ATI seemed to make their transition to this manufacturing process relatively smoothly with the RV350 found in the Radeon 9600/9600 PRO.

Gigabyte GA-8PE667 Review:

Better grab a translator for this one, because the latest review from ATi-News isn’t in English. The pretty pictures and graphs are universal, as always though, so all is good.

Angesichts der guten Stabilität in Verbindung mit der guten Performance sowie dem zahlreichem Zubehör verleihen wir dem Gigabyte GA-8PE667 Ultra II unseren ATI-News Gold Award.

That says “something, something, stability, something, performance…Gold Award.” …well, rough translation of course.

[H]ardNews 7th Edition

CeBit 2003:

This coverage of CeBit 2003 not only has pictures of all the cool stuff you can’t buy yet…but also an interview with NVIDIA on the third page of the coverage and an interview with Abit on page five and Gainward on page eight. Here is a clip from the NVIDIA Interview that suggests the Xbox II is 3 years away:

Dear Dan Letters:

“Dear Dan, I need fast relief from burning and itching…tell me what to do”…I actually sent that one in to Dan, but he never reads my mail anymore. Here is a sample of the questions you will see answered:

I've noticed that some PSUs have the words "Pentium 4 power connector" in their description. Do Pentium 4 motherboards require a special power connector?

How E-Bombs Work:

Here is some cool tech related stuff that is even more interesting considering the current state of military affairs. How about a rundown on how E-Bombs work, that is just what is covered in this article, here is a clip:

An electromagnetic bomb, or e-bomb, is a weapon designed to take advantage of this dependency. But instead of simply cutting off power in an area, an e-bomb would actually destroy most machines that use electricity. Generators would be useless, cars wouldn't run, and there would be no chance of making a phone call. In a matter of seconds, a big enough e-bomb could thrust an entire city back 200 years or cripple a military unit.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

Albatron PX845PEV-800:

Albatron has been getting a lot of press today, the fellas at PCStats have reviewed the Albatron PX845PEV-800 i845PE motherboard. Looks like these “800MHz” FSB boards might actually turn out to be good OC boards after all….time will tell.

Some very bold claims have been made with the PX845PEV-800; the manufacturer says the board will have no problems running an 800 MHz FSB Pentium 4 and that it supports PC3200 DDR memory. While we could not run any of our locked Pentium 4's that fast, we were able to hit 175 MHz FSB with a lowly Pentium4 1.6A while maintaining 100% stability. Performance of the motherboard was what we have come to expect from an i845PE based motherboard

Super Troopers:

We didn’t mention this story last week because frankly, some yo-yo in the National Guard changing his name to Optimus Prime is pretty st00pid. But, this week we found out that Duke Newcomb has shown up to fight in this conflict with Iraq….I am literally scared to see who will pop up next. Ol’ Duke baby was in full form though…check the quote:

So intense was the fighting that at one stage the 3rd Squadron commander's driver, Private First Class Randall Duke Newcomb, was forced to steer his Humvee with one hand while firing out of the window with the other.

Mods & Ends:

Vibrating Headphones @ 3DGameman - Samsung 17” LCD @ EnvyNews - X-Sonic ATX Case @ OCModShop - Radial Fin HSF @ FrostyTech - SamSung 17” LCD @ Monkey Review

[H]ardNews 5th Edition

Tyan Trinity KT400:

Accelenation put together a small review of the Tyan Trinity KT400. Looks like a decent board for under a c-note, people looking for stability and features for under a hundred bucks will want to check out this board.

Tyan has a solid board on their hands, albeit it doesn’t stack up to the nForce 2 in terms of performance. While the performance isn’t up to par with the nForce 2, the Trinity KT400 still has a lot going for it, mainly in terms of features. Featuring onboard SATA/RAID, ATA133/RAID, Ethernet, 6 Channel Audio, diagnostic LED readout, and carrying a sub-$100 price tag, the Trinity KT400 is an overall good board for those looking for features and stability.

MX700 Vs. MX500:

The MX700 and its sibling the MX500 are being reviewed at Ownt.com. They seem to like the corded version over the cordless, but the only difference is the cord. So people that want the ultimate cordless mouse will like the MX700, people that don’t mind a cord will likely chose the MX500.

The MX 700 has the wireless feature, but if you aren't computing or gaming away from your desk and you don't have your system setup with your TV, where you are sitting on the couch, then I highly recommend the MX 500 with a PS2 adapter so that you are running at 195 hz. The MX 500 has the sleek feel and comes in at a cheaper price. Overall, you can't go wrong with MX 500. It has all the features the MX 700 has except being wireless.

Modular Windows Server:

Windows looking to go modular on us with their next OS release. There are certainly a lot of advantages to this approach, but some might not see it that way. I guess we will all see soon enough, now won’t we.

When Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003 next month, many additional pieces to the operating system will be works in progress. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is taking a more modular approach to shipping the OS compared with earlier Windows Server versions. That could translate into greater flexibility delivering additional components over a longer period of time. The strategy will also let Microsoft release technologies that simply won't be ready in time for Windows Server 2003's April 24 launch

[H]ardNews 4th Edition - Blair Tech Ed

E-Mail Snooping:

“The admin staff have a good laugh about some of the things we see". I am a mail server admin and where I work, in the Health Service, Exchange journaling and a random sample of emails are taken and read to ensure that staff are not abusing the system. The admin staff have a good laugh about some of the things we see, but it stays internal to the dept and gets deleted once finished with.

Small Tech News:

A new device, structured like a square Oreo cookie, balances the power of laser beams shining through an optical fiber. But the partnership between NanoOpto Inc. and SpectraSwitch Inc. that produced their new variable optical attenuator (VOA) has a "you've-got-chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter" quality to it. The two young companies came together through a mixture of chance, opportunity and timing. Moreover, their collaboration suggests that to survive, small tech startups must be willing to work with each other in new ways.

Wireless Network Security:

It is no secret that wireless local area networks, or WLANs , can be probed by anyone within range of their radio signal, leaving them vulnerable to eavesdropping, unauthorized access and even viruses. In short, most WLANs have security loopholes large enough to drive a truck through. WEP (wired equivalent privacy), is the security mechanism that comes standard with 802.11 products, but its days are short-lived. That is because a new standard -- Wi-Fi protected access, or WPA -- is on the way.

Founder Downplays Google IPO:

Search-tool company Google has no plans to sell its shares to the public any time soon, co-founder Sergey Brin said Tuesday. Brin discussed the reasons for not rushing an IPO during an on-stage interview with technology guru Esther Dyson at the PC Forum technology conference. That Google is not eager to go public is understandable given that many technology stocks are trading near all-time lows and investors are distracted by the war in Iraq.

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition

Albatron Ti4680 Turbo:

Solid Mercury reviewed the Albatron Ti4680 Turbo today. These 8X AGP Ti4200 cards are actually in a precarious situation now because they are targeted as budget boards, but better and cheaper boards can now be had from the competition as well as from NVIDIA themselves... making it hard to recommend a Ti4200 card anymore unless the price is so low, you can’t pass it up.

So there we go a low end card that performs well with a great software package. and if you insist on more performance its a great over clocker with the capability to run at Ti4600 speed and put out similar performance. I would recommend this card if you haven’t yet moved up to the GF4 range as it is a great mile stone to sit on while you wait for GFFX prices to drop.

ATi Radeon Review:

I say ATi Radeon review, but I guess that should have been plural because the people at TechSpot are looking two Radeon cards today, a 9700Pro and a 9500Pro from different manufacturers in the same review.

Without a doubt, ATI has been dominating the enthusiast graphics market ever since they unveiled the Radeon 9000 family. While NVIDIA, its only main competitor, kept trying to resuscitate aging old GeForce 4 boards until a successor arrived.

Soyo Dragon KT400:

Soyo Dragon mainboard action coming your way courtesy of the OcPrices gang. The Soyo Dragon KT400 board is put through a handful of tests and didn’t blow up or catch on fire even once. I think that should be standard in reviews today… a fire and explosives test on each piece of hardware…nevermind, just thinking out loud again.

The Soyo KT400 is an excellent motherboard, and with a manufacturer as highly regarded as Soyo we have come to expect nothing less. With a superb feature set, great performance and the proven reliability of the VIA chipsets, the KT400 Dragon is a solid continuation of this now legendary line of boards.

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition

NVIDIA & IBM Follow-Up:

TSMC and NVIDIA reaffirm their love for one another, making public statements that didn’t really address the IBM / NVIDIA partnership, but instead praised the ongoing relationship they have with each other. In other words, whether TSMC likes it or not, IBM now has a chunk of NVIDIA’s business.

Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reaffirmed their close cooperation following reports that IBM won a multiyear contract to build new computer-graphics chips for Nvidia. IBM said on Wednesday that it will make new graphics chip for Nvidia, winning business that would have otherwise gone to TSMC, Reuters reported. Nvidia contracts TSMC to produce its graphics and core logic chipsets used in personal computers, laptops, workstations and Microsoft’s Xbox game console. TSMC declined to comment directly but said in a joint statement with Nvidia that it remained the primary manufacturing partner for the chip design house. “Partnership with TSMC has been one of the key reasons for Nvidia’s success today. TSMC remains a vital partner of Nvidia’s and an integral part of our long-term strategy and success,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO and president of Nvidia, in the statement.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition

Get Your ZZZs:

This week, ZZZ online releases their 164th issue jam packed full of the usual stuff like bionic eyes, all terrain wheelchairs and underwater aircraft. Don’t miss the weekly bizarre bazaar we affectionately call ZZZ Online.

The all terrain wheelchair keeps the standard big wheels, but add a pair of arms to assist in dealing with uneven terrain. To climb stairs, the arms are driven forward by electric motors and push down on the step, while the rear wheels drive the chair forward. This places the smaller front wheels on top of the step, at which point the arms swing back and push the rear up and onto the step.

NVIDIA Chat:

The transcript from Bjorn3D’s chat with NVIDIA is online. So those of you who didn’t get a chance to participate can now read what happened.

MSI GeForceFX 5800:

T-Break has a MSI FX5800 Ultra on the bench today, putting the card through various tests. While the performance was good on this board, it did fail to blow the gangs skirt up during testing. Here is a clip from the review:

The other problem with the FX card has nothing to do with the hardware or the drivers- instead its something called expectations. In the past, nVidia has always delivered a product that has made us go WOW at its time of release. The FX fails to do so, even though its the fastest card available at the moment at quite a few things.

[H]ardNews 10th Edition

NVIDIA & IBM Bed Down:

I bet TSMC is glad to hear about that! Ouch. Surely this is a good move on NVIDIA's part as I can see little downside. Good move guys! Maybe this will not leave NVIDIA with a non-producable top end product on the next cycle. Thanks Donny.