[H]ardNews 9th Edition

THG Backpedaling on Lawsuit?

Omid just posted a very interesting "Hard News" blurb at the THG site that makes the statement below:

I am still a bit confused as how an email to me ends anything when the issue is AMDMB.com, but I do have to agree with his assessment of the situation as a “farce”. THG needs to be making nice with AMDMB to “end” this all instead of threatening lawsuits and trying to dilute the real issue.

Clearly I think the last paragraph above shows that THG is weighing their options. I would have to think that suing AMDMB for telling their story would be a PR nightmare for THG, not to mention a blow to the hardware community overall. This ugly situation is obviously not good for anyone involved. Throw into the equation that THG now knows Ryan at AMDMB is not going to roll over a play dead as legal counsel now represents him and that certainly might be a bump in the road that was not expected by THG.

Sadly THG still does not see the light. This is about AMDMB’s right to post the information they want to post and that is what needs to be focused on. It is not about [H], or even THG or media blackouts or MML. It is about the right that AMDMB has in the United States of America to post their version of the events that happened. Do not let the spin-meisters make you think it is about something else as Omid does above. I believe Ryan’s post to be a fair account of what Ryan experienced this weekend. It is time THG extended some of that “clear cut professional manner” they speak of to AMDMB.com and retract the legal threats. Will THG swallow their pride and arrogance and move back from what is now an obviously disadvantaged political and legal position, or will THG dive head first into a pool of muck so deep that there is no way to emerge from it untainted?

[H]ardNews 8th Edition

875P Goodness:

GamePyre burns though the Asus P4C800 Deluxe. Get it? Burns through? GamePyre? OK, nevermind it was funny when I typed it...

ASUS P4C800 Deluxe is a rock stable and a very fast board. There is no question about stability and performance, which are vital elements for an enthusiast motherboard. The combination of 800 MHz Bus and Dual channel DDR400 is obviously faster than 533 MHz bus solution. Performance Acceleration Technology, PAT gives %1-%2 more performance.

Our review is here for comparison.

Language & the Net:

It seems as though the Internet is having some big impacts on how we talk to each other according to Merriam-Webster. Thanks Peter Hopkins.

"Typically, it takes 10 to 20 years before a word moves out of usage by small groups into the larger populace," Morse said. But dot-commer - someone who works for an online outfit - made the cut in a scant five years.

9600 Pro Review:

This one is for our German fans, but as always, the graphs tell the tale no matter what language you speak..except "illiterate" of course.

Opteron Facts:

All you ever wanted to know about AMD Opterons but were afraid to ask.

AMDboard just published, in one single page, the complete Opteron OPN, ID and Specifications Tables that tell everything we need to know about Opteron's models, model numbers (OPN), and complete specifications for each Opteron serie (100, 200, 800).

Cooling:

DIY Temperature Display @ GideonTech - Multispeed Fan Controller @ Modders.org (Portuguese)

Modding:

Matrix LCD @ Gruntville - QuitePC Pyramid @ TwistedMods - Media Type Case @ Hexus - Antec Lanboy @ Enscape - Maxtop Case @ HardOCTech

Etc.:

Plextor DVD Review @ BensCustomCases - TDK DVD Writer @ Designtechnica - Nexus PSU @ MyGamer - Eumax HSF @ Ohls - Mousepad @ ExtenstionTech - USB Hard Drive @ UniqueHardware

[H]ardNews 7th Edition

THG to Sue AMDMB.com?

As mentioned earlier, this editorial posted at AMDMB, chronicles Ryan Shrout's experience at a rather large LAN party this weekend. Here in the USA, we understand it to be our right to openly speak about our experiences in life, but quite possibly others do not feel that way.

Omid Rahmat of Tom's Guides Publishing, a.k.a TomsHardware.com, verified in an email to me that he made the following statements in reply to a reader's email explaining that he would not visit THG any more due to their recent actions.

Then also in another email:

It seems as though that is exactly what they intend to do as Omid called Ryan Shrout this morning around 11:45AM CST and verbalized that Tom's Guide Publishing would be having their lawyers send Ryan a letter explaining that they would be suing them for libel. Ryan, being a "poor college student" working on his EE degree does not have the funds needed to defend an action of this sort, it is our opinion that this action is to force Ryan's hand and make him take down his page that chronicles the events.

I have committed to Ryan that I will personally help him with funding his legal council so he will not have to fold with the almighty dollar being the deciding factor. We have also put him in direct contact with our attorney we keep on retainer that specializes in Intellectual Property matters. I think Ryan is telling the truth and should not be stifled.

The fact of the matter is that Omid was not present at the event and does not know what happened first hand. I would guess that Omid might be getting his information from parties that are now concerned with keeping their jobs. Also worth mentioning is that Ryan has some recorded audio of THG and AMD representatives saying some very interesting things to him that would be terribly embarrassing, if not downright damaging, should they be released publicly.

We have tried to contact AMD about this, this morning, but have not been successful.

As of posting this, I have received another mail from Omid making the following statement:

We will deal with Mr. Shrout through the appropriate legal channels, and leave it at that.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

AIW 9000 Pro:

Do you want to watch TV on your computer and enjoy all of those "TIVO" features without spending an arm and a leg and still have some 3D gaming ability? ViperLair has a review of what may be the answer to your question.

TV capturing quality was the best out of our small test group by a fairly large margin, and as such TV will be clear for viewing and capturing at high resolutions. TV capturing through the SVHS port is also very nice on the AiW 9000 Pro, looking better than the reference image, taken straight from the video itself. One point is that everyone's favorite copy protection makes an appearance in this card, covering almost the entire video making capturing of many things, even home movies that much harder.

ATI Question:

Ethan Smith wrote in and asked why there are a lot of "newer products" on this ATI Discontinued Products list.

The simple fact of the matter is that all of these cards already have replacements being released at their price points. As new products roll out, the others will hit the graveyard almost as fast. That is of course one reasons we have urged many of you to buy that 9500 Pro before they "go away". It is of course being replaced with the 9600 Pro that in our opinion is not up to 9500 Pro performance overall.

Now while that might not seem to make any sense at all, these companies must have tight control on how they segment their products by scaling performance and features. Remember how we saw the GFTi 4400 cannibalize the 4600 market and then the subsequent 4200 doing the same thing? The product performance across the three cards was very close together but we saw huge difference in cost. I think this was a lesson to both ATI and NVIDIA to define their product scaling a bit more severely. Doing it this way can translate into more revenue for both companies. And at the end of the day, both of them are all about the Benjamins.

Got Hack?:

Joe Alpert points out that you possibly will soon know if the folks with all your information gave it up due to security issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Embarrassed businesses and government agencies would have to notify consumers under a proposed law if hackers break into computers and steal some types of personal information, including Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers and credit card information.

5900U Vs. 9800P:

It is all in German, but the graphs are all you guys look at anyway....admit it.

Divine Bird:

While no written reply was recorded, The Devine Maker of the Universe was recently captured in this photo by the Hubble Space Telescope. Earlier The Maker is reported as saying, "Those Hubble guys are nothing but trashy space Paparazzi." Fully blame Quentin Dement.

[H]ardNews 5th Edition

AutoHack:

ATLANTA, June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Internet Security Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISSX) (ISS) today announced the availability of its X-Force(TM) Catastrophic Risk Index (CRI), a list of the most serious, high-risk vulnerabilities and attacks currently affecting computer networks. Developed by the X-Force, ISS' world-renowned security intelligence group, the X-Force CRI acts as a best practices guide for customers applying Dynamic Threat Protection, ISS' multi-layered approach to security. Always up-to-date and publicly available on the ISS Web site, the Catastrophic Risk Index helps companies prioritize protection around threats and vulnerabilities posing the greatest risk to confidentiality, ntegrity and availability of essential business systems. ISS experts will conduct a live Webinar discussing the X-Force CRI on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT, and 6 p.m. GMT).

iSCSI Support:

REDMOND, Wash. -- June 30, 2003 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of its Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) software initiator package, including the Microsoft® iSCSI initiator service and the Microsoft iSCSI initiator software driver. Available now via Web download at no charge (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/), the software driver is for Microsoft Windows® 2000 client and server versions, Windows XP, and the recently launched Windows Server (TM) 2003 family of products.

Free Speech:

That's Fast:

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) have set a new Internet2 land speed record using the next-generation Internet protocol IPv6. The team sustained a single stream TCP rate of 983 megabits per second for more than one hour between the CERN facility in Geneva and Chicago, a distance of more than 7,000 kilometers. This is equivalent to transferring a full CD in 5.6 seconds.

[H]ardNews 4th Edition

Notes on AMD:

CNet pulls together much of the AMD rumor mill into one healthy article.

AMD's plans for the Thorton chip, an upcoming member of the Athlon XP family, suggest it will be the same size as the Barton chip, but half of the cache on the processor will be disabled. (It will also be paired with a slower bus, which connects the processor to the memory.) That way it can be made on the same wafer as Barton, meaning AMD could streamline its manufacturing processes.

64-bit Intel:

On the other side of the fence, Intel shines attention on Itanium 3.

The chip will be sold under the Itanium 2 name and come out Monday along with new versions of the Xeon processor for midrange servers. Madison offers roughly 50 percent better performance over its most recent predecessor, according to Intel, and is already rated highly against the best chips in the world in audited benchmark tests.

More Springdale Performance:

The guys over in the IntelForums.net site have posted their review of the ABIT IS7 based on the i865PE chipset. Yes, it really performs very well for very cheap. Our review is here for comparison. Thanks Yutz.

From our tests, you can see that the IS7 is truly an excellent mainboard. It has shown itself to combine great performance, a full compliment of features, and a really nice price tag.

Dallas IGDA:

We are proud to announce that HardOCP.com is now a sponsor of our local International Game Developers Association chapter here in Dallas, Texas.

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition

More Hardware Hubbub:

For those needing a daily dose of drama, read on. I returned home on Sunday to find that Steve has posted a link to this editorial at AMDMB.com. Ryan Shrout, owner of AMDMB, goes into some detail about his recent experiences at a LAN event in which he was denied access to some publicly displayed technology from AMD.

I was told by a representative of AMD that I was not going to be allowed to even enter the building because Tom’s Hardware (THG) had forced a media blackout for all other online press. That means that as a member of the press, I was not allowed to enter the building, take photos or write about the hardware events that would occur inside.

I had made my mind up to keep my yapper shut on this topic as some of the issues were worked out after Ryan went public with the situation, then I read this mail from Omid Rahmat of THG at the InqWell.

There really does not seem much sense having to deal with this sort of thing, although it has to be said that I am sick and tired of fanboy sites that do nothing but slam everyone for their own edification. Soapbox amateurs who just want to get a few rants up on a page, and paint themselves as gurus. What has it got to do with hardware and technology? Nothing. They're Tom wannabes, or Anand wannabes, or Kyle wannabes, or even Mike wannabes. I would hope they aspire to something greater, but the nature of society today dictates that we all have a grasp that exceeds our reach.

This would of course seem to be obviously aimed squarely at Ryan Shrout of AMDMB.com. I do know Ryan Shrout and have had many conversations with him and he simply does not deserve the above statements. I have shared dinner tables with him as well a cab ride or two. He is a very intelligent young man with a good head on his shoulders. He knows right from wrong, and is one of the few people in the industry that I will vouch for and have done so. I think that if Ryan posted his experiences, that is basically the way it happened, no matter how much mud gets slung his way. AMDMB.com is an asset to our community and I am proud to call them a peer.

"Soapbox amateurs" are very much in part what makes our hardware community such a great place. Keep fighting the good fight Ryan. I will put my own amateur soapbox up now and let you get back to a bit of tech news.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition

AMD Press Releases:

4-Way & 8-Way Action

SUNNYVALE, CA-JUNE 30, 2003-AMD [NYSE: AMD] today announced an expansion of its family of AMD Opteron(tm) processors with the new AMD Opteron processor 800 Series, for 4-way and 8-way servers and the 100 Series, for 1-way servers and workstations.

Validation, While You Wait

SUNNYVALE, CALIF.-JUNE 30, 2003-AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the Validated Server Program (VSP), offering immediate availability of complete AMD Opteron(tm) processor-based servers. System builders, system integrators and value-added resellers in North America will be the first to benefit from the VSP, which will provide AMD customers a single point of contact for server manufacturing, service, support and shipping. The program launched today with continued global rollout expected in the second half of 2003.

[H]ardNews 4th Edition

Corsair Dual Channel DDR:

There are a couple Corsair Dual Channel DDR memory reviews out there today, the Crucible looks at XMS3500C2 and the fellas at Tech Dreams check out some XMS3200. Here is a quote from the Tech Dreams review:

Memory is arguably the most important component to actually spend the money on to get the high quality stuff. Top companies like Corsair and Kingston have always stayed in good competition and have fueled the memory market, even in bad times. Dual channel DDR is now the latest and greatest in high-speed memory technology and with that speed comes the necessity to pay even closer attention to what you are buying for your system.

DFI LanParty NF2 Ultra Motherboard:

The ModFathers have the DFI LanParty NF2 Ultra on deck. This is the nForce2 version of the board, and it comes with a bunch of extras like a case sling too.

It is clear that the nForce 2 chipset really is as good as it is sold as. I have got to admit that I am very very impressed. The motherboard however, has to be the star of the show, and on this occasion it does shine. Though not cheap, it does come with so many extra's that in reality it is not an expensive option.

Mods & Ends:

Aluminum HD Rack @ Systemcooling - CoolerMaster Aero 7+ @ Tech Mods - Noise Isolator @ MTB - Vantec Iceberg 4 @ Computer Critics - Broadband Video Phone @ VH

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition

[H]ardWear Is Live:

For all of you who are looking at getting [H]ardOCP Hats, T-Shirts and Sweats, the site is online and ready to roll. The sweats aren’t showing up yet, but they will be added soon. We have a ladies T-Shirt this time around as well. Everything is high quality 100% cotton stuff, no el’ cheapo stuff here, so go have a look and see what we got. All the cool kids are doing it.

[H]ardNews - Blair's Sunday Ed.

Tech Buyers Are Stingy:

Technology buyers in the U.S. corporate heartland have been doing more with less and even a better economy is unlikely to break that habit. "If you can't prove the payback quickly, it's just not going to happen," said David Hogan, chief information officer for the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C., who once ran technology for a unit of clothing retailer The Limited.

Sheep Fat = Fuel:

One by-product of the country's meat industry is thousands of tons of animal fats, or tallow, every year. Now the country is experimenting with using the fat to create fuel for vehicles, and plans have been drawn up to create a bio-diesel refinery. A lot of the meat industry's annual output of 150,000 tons of tallow is currently exported for use in animal foods or chemicals manufacture. But New Zealand's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority has drawn up plans to use 120,000 tons of animal fat as a bio-diesel.

Ethernet + Auto Industry:

General Motors Corp.'s decision to use Ethernet on the floor of a new automotive engine plant opening next month (July) in Tonawanda, N.Y., points to the incremental progress of Ethernet in factory automation, but also to its shortcomings. The GM plant will be using FL-net, an Ethernet-based protocol that is more deterministic than Ethernet itself, and which has seen scant deployment in the United States.

Computerized Train Drivers:

Singapore has launched a fully automated underground commuter train system, replacing drivers with nearly 500 computer systems. The new 12.5-mile, North East transit line connects several of the city-state's main tourist destinations - including Chinatown, Little India and the Harborfront - to the existing subway system. Customer service representatives will be on board every train for at least the first three months to assist passengers, said SBS Transit, the line's operator.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition

MSI GeForceFX5900:

Hexus is taking a look at one of the best looking cards out there, the MSI GeForce FX5900. You have to agree that the copper cooler on that bad boy is something else. Now, good looks aside, how does the card perform? Let’s take a look.

For this reviewer, it's NVIDIA executing very well, getting back on the horse and competing properly. Forget the driver crap of recent weeks, it doesn't matter. So, it's 9800 Pro quick, there, I've said it. But...

SATA: Promise Vs. Highpoint:

SATA controller shootout with Promise being pitted against Highpoint at PCHardware. Highpoint has always been a favorite of mine for regular ATA RAID set ups, but it seems the fellas at PCHardware really like the Promise board better for SATA. Here’s a clip:

The winner of this review is Promise FastTrak S150 TX2plus, a card that fully deserves the Editors Choice award from PC Hardware. Although the differences between FastTrak S150 TX2plus and S150 TX2plus are minimal when the RAID features are not used, FastTrak deserves the extra bucks.

Cut To The Chase:

Go Australia! Reasearchers came up with a new search method that will allow people to cut to the chase and search for online video / audio. Thanks Iceman.

Australian researchers have developed a method for browsing and searching online video so internet users can cut to the chase. Whether it's a sequence from a movie or an educational video with a handy lesson - imagine being able to link exactly to the most important moment or find it with a simple online search. A CSIRO team has created web tools and an online language that could help integrate audio and video files with the web more closely than ever before.

Educational movies? I think the most common search will have titles like “Debby Does…” in them for sure. Quit laughing, you know it is true.