Recent Tech News
July 6
Microsoft against antispam law (by Zoltan Orc)
SACRAMENTO - Urged on by Microsoft, the Assembly Business & Professions Committee today unceremoniously killed SB 12 (Bowen), a measure to create the country's toughest anti-spam law by requiring advertisers to get permission from computer users before sending them unsolicited ads, on a 5-2 vote (the bill needed 7 votes to pass out of committee).
"Does anyone other than the eight members of this committee who either voted 'no' or took a walk on the bill really believe Microsoft has any interest in getting rid of spam?," wondered California State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach), the author of SB 12, following the bill's defeat. "Trusting Microsoft to protect computer users from spam is like putting telemarketers in charge of the do-not-call list. Microsoft uses a megaphone to tell everyone how much it hates spam at the same time it's working overtime to kill truly tough anti-spam laws. Why? Microsoft doesn't want to ban spam, it wants to decide what's 'legitimate' or 'acceptable' unsolicited commercial advertising so it can turn around and license those e-mail messages and charge those advertisers a fee to wheel their spam into your e-mail inbox without your permission."
http://static.samspade.org/bowen.html
June 20
ATI and NVIDIA are designing cutting-edge video cards to power the next-generation of PC games. Wrapped in DX9 technology and 256 MB of RAM, each card can easily drive them, but one comes out on top. Which one?
When ATI released the Radeon 9700 Pro last fall, NVIDIA was caught with its pants down. The release of what would become the GeForceFX chipset was delayed multiple times, and eventually showed up just in time for ATI to release the Radeon 9800 high-end cards. The GeForceFX 5800 was, by most accounts, an underachiever that was louder than a jet engine. In fact, rumor has it that NVIDIA produced enough of the 5800 series to fulfill preorders and little more.
Never one to sit on its hands, though, NVIDIA has turned around and released the 5900 series of cards, a slightly redesigned and quieter card. Oh, and the "Ultra" version of the 5900 card has 256 MB. ATI quickly came out with a 256 MB version of the 9800 series of cards. Together, these are the 900-pound gorillas of the consumer video-card market. Both offer about the same feature set (with different terminology used for each), including full DirectX 9 support, slightly optimized antialiasing (AA) and anisotropic filtering (AF) capabilities, minor Z-buffer upgrades, and blistering fast performance. So how do they compete with each other?
http://www.gamespy.com/hardware/june03/videocardshootout/
June 19
Is there life for the venerable Athlon XP once Athlon 64 hits the streets? My sources say yes. Think about it for just a minute - Athlon 64, anticipated as it may be, will be a costly upgrade when its time comes. Don't believe me? Look at the tremendous price differential between the top-end Athlon MP and flagship Opteron processors. Not only will enthusiasts need to buy a new processor, but a compliant motherboard will also be in order, complete with a Socket 754 interface. Then, if you haven't invested in DDR400 memory yet, you'll want that, too.
So what will happen once Athlon 64 is released, reportedly only three months from now? It's too early to tell, my source reminds me, because the marketplace itself dictates demand. But it wouldn't be far fetched to guess that the Athlon XP 3200+ won't be the last "Barton"-based chip to see the light of day, despite what we've heard from AMD. In fact, my own testing confirms that even while the fastest Athlon XP is clocked at 2.2GHz, the same chip can be stable at speeds of up to 2.4GHz. AMD's yields may not accommodate such a lofty frequency, but the Athlon XP should remain a viable solution, at least through the beginning of 2004.
Chris Angelini
http://www.pcstats.com/
May 16
Technology is a beautiful thing, if you can understand it. Unfortunately, a lot of today's graphics technology is so advanced that it becomes difficult for mainstream users to distinguish the capabilities of a given video card. A product with DirectX 9 compliance is automatically assumed to be better than a DirectX 8 card. But beware, especially if you already own a RADEON 9500 or GeForce4 Ti 4200; buying either NVIDIA's GeForce FX 5600 or 5200 cards won't give you much more than a higher score in 3D Mark 2003. NVIDIA is first to be commended for bringing DirectX 9 support to the mainstream space. Unfortunately, performance numbers from today's games reveal that the 5200, in particular, is unable to compete with some of NVIDIA's older cards. The 5600 definitely fares better, but again, is outperformed by NVIDIA cards from a previous generation. When DirectX 9 applications begin appearing with advanced pixel shading, will these same cards even deliver playable frame rates, or will they bog under the computationally intensive instructions? That remains to be seen - for the time being, if you've got a GeForce4 Ti4200 or better, hold on to it until prices fall further. NVIDIA's spring refresh is coming soon to drive prices down further, but you probably already knew that.
An article by Chris Angelini
http://www.pcstats.com
April 28
ATI's RADEON 9800 Pro is beginning to see availability, as is the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra (the latter at ridiculously high prices) and yet we're already hearing rumors of the next generation products from both NVIDIA and ATI.
Understandably, NVIDIA is in more of a hurry, as its FX 5200, 5600, and 5800 cards are all rare commodities. The second generation of DX9 cards will be based on a graphics processor codenamed NV35. Rather than utilizing DDR-II memory on a 128-bit bus, NVIDIA looks to be following ATI by incorporating a 256-bit bus and DDR-I, which is less expensive and more available. It will also sport a feature set eerily reminiscent of the GeForce FX we know today, though initial claims are that it is significantly faster.
On the other hand, ATI is already showing its RADEON 9600 hardware, based on a .13-micron process. It would make sense that at some point, late in '03, ATI could transition its flagship line to the smaller manufacturing process, concurrently increasing the chip's operating frequency. There has also been some speculation that the next-generation R400 won't be launched until next year, in which case NVIDIA may regain the performance crown through the end of 2003.
http://www.pccstats.com
April 24
While NVIDIA has always been a big supporter of PC games, the graphics chip maker have been making even more inroads in getting developers to support their GeForce products and marketing games using their logo to consumers. HomeLAN got a chance to chat with NVIDIA's director of developer relations Bill Rehbock to find out more about why NVIDIA has stepped up their promotion and marketing of games to developers and consumers.
HomeLAN- With the GeForce FX line of graphics chips now finally beginning to ship to stores and OEMs how does NVIDIA feel about the reactions they are getting from reviewers as well as game developers?
Bill Rehbock - The GeForce FX family of graphics processors is the only top-to-bottom product line of Direct X 9-class hardware on the market today and developers are excited about the prospect of creating features in their titles that will be able to be leveraged by the mass-market consumer, as well as the hard-core gamer.
http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=13702
April 20
"I've got a case of what can only be called the paper launch-blues. The much-anticipated Intel 875P chipset launched recently, bringing with it support for an 800MHz front side bus and native Serial ATA RAID. My own tests revealed the setup to be up to nine percent faster than a comparably clocked processor running on a 533MHz bus, making it the quickest platform money can buy. But unfortunately, money can't buy it. Shortly after announcing the chipset, an Intel representative contacted me with news that 3GHz chips were being delayed due to an "anomaly found at the last minute."
The idea of announcing an unfinished product isn't new. AMD did it with the Athlon XP 2800+, BitBoys repeatedly announced new technology without an accompanying product, and of course, it took NVIDIA months to get its GeForce FX 5800 Ultra out of the door. Even if delaying the 3GHz Pentium 4 wasn't a marketing move, the fact remains that the processor will be unavailable until further notice. Why are launches of this sort useless to consumers? A paper launch can effectively prevent someone from purchasing a solid product today, in the hopes of something better within a month or so. Those who fell into this trap with the GeForce FX held on for months on end, only to find a competing card was faster when pre-ordered FX's eventually surfaced. It's a damn shame, indeed."
An article by Chris Angelini
http://www.pcstats.com
Red Hat Linux 9 combines the latest Linux technology from the Open Source community in one easy to use operating system. No other operating system offers so much control in an easy to use package. Combining the latest Red Hat Linux technology and stunning Bluecurve interface, Red Hat Linux 9 is the ideal OS for home computing and technology enthusiasts.
http://www.redhat.com/
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/110000/119463.shtml
April 1
The NVIDIA Detonator XP Unified Driver Architecture (UDA) delivers new performance optimizations and features in both DirectX and OpenGL. The industry's best Microsoft DirectX 9 support GeForce FX and Quadro FX support for cinematic computing Ultimate "The Way Itās Meant to be Played" experience NVIDIA's patented Unified Driver Architecture ā supports all products in a single driver binary nView 2.0 multi-display technology increases productivity and provides the necessary tools to control the way users access and view applications.
NVRotate enabling image rotation on todayās advanced flat panel displays. NVKeystone allows for real-time image correction on portable projectors and heads-up displays. Digital Vibrance Control allows users to adjust color controls to achieve accurate, bright colors under all conditions.
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/60000/63657.shtml
March 24
Technology marches ever onward as do requirements for the latest, greatest, award-winning games. Consequently, staying current when it comes to PC gaming is not as simple a matter as it is in the console realm. For instance, replacing an aging video card can cost as much -- or more -- than a brand-new, next-generation console system with a controller and a game or two included. Yikes! What's a dedicated computer gamer to do? Well, if price is no detriment to fulfilling your gaming fantasies, I suggest reading A Builder's Guide to the Ultimate Game Machine. It will guide you through the process of building your very own über game rig. However, if your financial means are geared more toward a Mazda Miata lifestyle than a Lamborghini, you're in the right place.
For those electing the more adventurous, do-it-yourself approach -- albeit on limited financial resources -- this feature's designed with you in mind. A five-part series for those intrepid souls willing to roll up their sleeves, strap on an antistatic wristband, and scrape up their knuckles, A Builder's Guide to a Budget Game Machine will step you through the process from start to finish. "Congratulations!" You're about to enter a brave new world.
http://www.gamespy.com/hardware/march03/bgm/
March 3
CeBIT 2003: New Technology from ATI and Intel (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
CeBIT is a huge week-long trade show that takes place in Hannover, Germany. Aside from it being a yearly event, CeBIT serves as a natural platform for companies such as Intel and ATI to demo new technologies. This year CeBIT starts on March 13th, a day when you can expect to hear about a few things currently cloaked under tight secrecy. We'd tell you, but then you know... 007 and all that. What we do know so far is that motherboard manufacturers should be showing off quite a lot For starters, there will be Intel i865PE "Springdale" chipsets tag-teamed with the new ICH5 southbridge. The i865PE chipset supports the upcoming 800MHz FSB 3.2GHz "Prescott" core Pentium 4 processors along with DDR400 memory among other things. The i865G chipset will also be shown, and this chipset offers similar features as that of the i865PE with the inclusion of onboard graphics. The chipset to avoid however will be the i865P because it is limited to the (aging) 400MHz and (current) 533MHz FSB Pentium 4 processors. Intel's i875P "Canterwood" supports both 533MHz and 800MHz FSB Pentium 4's, and various motherboards are expected to be displayed by the major mainboard manufacturers. FIC for example, have already released the specs on their i875P VW11 mainboard and it does look appealing.
http://www.pcstats.com/
February 14
In the latter half of 2002, all AMD could talk about was about their 64-bit processor code named "Hammer." Hammer this, Hammer that. You'd think the Hammer line of processors was the next best thing after sliced bread! Unfortunately for AMD, things did not pan out as they had hoped and Hammer... well let's just say we're still waiting for it.
Today though, we're testing out AMD's AthlonXP 3000+ processor which is based on the core code named "Barton." The Barton core is the last core of the fan favorite K7 Athlon, and a holdover before the K8 Athlon is realized.
Unlike the transition from the Palomino core (0.18 micron process) to the Thoroughbred core (0.13 micron process) which was simply a die shrink, AMD have added something new to the Barton core! AMD have incorporated an extra 256KB of L2 cache on the core, thus giving it a grand total of 512 KB L2 cache.
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1340
February 7
Interview with John Carmack on NV30 vs R300 performance controversy (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
Q-Your .plan indicates that the NV30-path that you use implements only 16-bits floating-point (FP), i.e. half precision FP, for most computation, which should be sufficient for most pixel shading. The ARB2-path does not have 16-bits FP, and so all computation are done with 32-bits FP on the NV30. With regards to the R300, there shouldn't be a difference since it is always 24-bits FP on the R300. According to your .plan, NV30 is twice as slow on 32-bits FP - that is why the NV30 is slower than the R300 on the ARB2-path, but faster on the NV30-path. The question is what sort of quality difference are we talking about (in DOOM3) for such a difference between FP formats?
A-There is no discernable quality difference, because everything is going into an 8 bit per component framebuffer. Few graphics calculations really need 32 bit accuracy. I would have been happy to have just 16 bit, but some texture calculations have already been done in 24 bit, so it would have been sort of a step back in some cases. Going to full 32 bit will allow sharing the functional units between the vertex and pixel hardware in future generations, which will be a good thing.
Q-Why is the ARB2 path so slow on NV30? Just the higher precision alone doesn't seem to account for NV30's performance given that it runs at a much higher clock speed versus the R300 and 96-bit vs 128-bit is but a 33% difference.
A-Apparently, the R300 architecture is a better target for a straightforward assembler / compiler, while the NV30 is twitchy enough to require more serious analysis and scheduling, which is why they expect significant improvements with later drivers.
http://www.beyond3d.com/interviews/jcnv30r300/index.php?p=2
February 5
"If you follow game news with a passion, you've no doubt heard rumors about a new high-performance game console bearing the name Phantom. Reportedly scheduled for stateside release in November or December (both dates are mentioned), this system is being designed to outperform all current consoles. At least, that's the claim of the system's creator, Infinium Labs Corporation, a technology company based in the Tampa Bay area.
Interestingly, some folks believe the whole thing is a hoax. Given the product's name and lack of any specific details, I can certainly understand why. However, I'm not subscribing to that notion ... just yet.
So, what is this device and how will it stomp the Xbox, GameCube, and PS2? Well, it's not going to be your traditional game console as it won't support "hard" media (there will be no disc tray or cartridge slot). The plan is to provide "a robust, fault tolerant delivery system that supports games on demand, game rentals, game demos, seamless upgrades, and patch management." In fact, it will be an "always on broadband device" catering to hardcore gamers and high-end electronics consumers."
http://www.gamespy.com/hardware/february03/pv1/
January 31
ATI or Nvidia to run Doom III? John Carmack answers! (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
"At the moment, the NV30 is slightly faster on most scenes in Doom than the R300, but I can still find some scenes where the R300 pulls a little bit ahead. The issue is complicated because of the different ways the cards can choose to run the game.
The R300 can run Doom in three different modes: ARB (minimum extensions, no specular highlights, no vertex programs), R200 (full featured, almost always single pass interaction rendering), ARB2 (floating point fragment shaders, minor quality improvements, always single pass).
The NV30 can run DOOM in five different modes: ARB, NV10 (full featured, five rendering passes, no vertex programs), NV20 (full featured, two or three rendering passes), NV30 ( full featured, single pass), and ARB2.
The R200 path has a slight speed advantage over the ARB2 path on the R300, but only by a small margin, so it defaults to using the ARB2 path for the quality improvements. The NV30 runs the ARB2 path MUCH slower than the NV30 path. Half the speed at the moment. This is unfortunate, because when you do an exact, apples-to-apples comparison using exactly the same API, the R300 looks twice as fast, but when you use the vendor-specific paths, the NV30 wins.
The reason for this is that ATI does everything at high precision all the time, while Nvidia internally supports three different precisions with different performances. To make it even more complicated, the exact precision that ATI uses is in between the floating point precisions offered by Nvidia, so when Nvidia runs fragment programs, they are at a higher precision than ATI's, which is some justification for the slower speed. Nvidia assures me that there is a lot of room for improving the fragment program performance with improved driver compiler technology.
The current NV30 cards do have some other disadvantages: They take up two slots, and when the cooling fan fires up they are VERY LOUD. I'm not usually one to care about fan noise, but the NV30 does annoy me. I am using an NV30 in my primary work system now, largely so I can test more of the rendering paths on one system, and because I feel Nvidia still has somewhat better driver quality (ATI continues to improve, though). For a typical consumer, I don't think the decision is at all clear cut at the moment."
http://finger.planetquake.com/qfplan.asp?userid=johnc&id=16151
January 28
When ATI announced their R300 core back in July, they were the first to introduce a fully capable DirectX 9 VPU with the Radeon 9700 Pro. The R300 is the successor to the R250, the chip the Radeon 8500 is based on. The Radeon 8500 itself is of the previous generation which compares with the GeForce3 and GeForce4 Ti (NV20 and NV25) cards. Of course, one does recognize the difference that the R250 officially supports DirectX 8.1 with its Pixel Shader 1.4 support, while the GeForce3 and GeForce4 Ti support DirectX 8.0 Pixel Shader 1.3.
Todays introduction of the NV30 core marks the beginning of NVIDIAs next generation DirectX 9 product. The NV30 is the successor to the NV25 core, the chip running today's GeForce4 Ti cards. For comparison's sake, the R300 and the NV30 can be considered as part of the same generation, although the R300 got its foot out the door much sooner than the NV30. Until now, the Radeon 9700 Pro has had no competitor. The delays of getting the NV30 part to production have set NVIDIA back pretty far. In fact, NVIDIA has basically missed a product cycle. Today, NVIDIA is finally announcing their next generation card, one based on the NV30, the GeForce FX. We will take a look into the GeForce FX here, but please keep in mind that this is a preview of the technology. The cards themselves are not quite ready for retail shelves and we will likely not see retail product until February of 2003.
http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=Mzkw
January 26
The servers are in Denmark. The software is in Estonia. The domain is registered Down Under, the corporation on a tiny island in the South Pacific. The users - 60 million of them - are everywhere around the world. The next Napster? Think bigger. And pity the poor copyright cops trying to pull the plug.
On October 2, 2001, the weight of the global entertainment industry came crashing down on Niklas Zennström, cofounder of Kazaa, the wildly popular file-sharing service. That was the day every major American music label and movie studio filed suit against his company. Their goal was to shutter the service and shut down the tens of millions of people sharing billions of copyrighted music, video, and software files. Only problem: Stopping Napster, which indexed songs on its servers, was easy - the recording industry took the company to court for copyright infringement, and a judge pulled the plug. With Kazaa, users trade files through thousands of anonymous "supernodes." There is no plug to pull.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.02/kazaa.html
January 20
For more advanced users of Win2k/XP, you can dictate to the OS what you exactly you want your OS to run. First you must enabled Administrative Tools. To do that, right click on the status bar and select properties. For Win2k, click on the Advanced Tab and under StartMenu Settings you should see a bunch of check boxes and there check Display Administrative Tools.
For WinXP click the Start Menu tab. If the radio button is next to "Start Menu" click it's Customize button. Once you're inside go to the Advanced tab and under Start menu items, scroll down to the bottom till you reach System Administrative Tools and select Display on the All Program Menu. If the radio button is next to the "Classic Start menu", follow the directions for the Win2k settings. After go into the Administrative Tools folder and select Services. Here you can disable whatever services you don't use.
Be warned though, if you disable the wrong services you can kill your OS! Only disable services you don't use! eg. IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service for WinXP if you don't have a CD-RW or don't use XP's burning software. Reboot once you're done and you should notice quite a big speed boost from your computer, services that you don't use are no longer being loaded so you have more resources for everything. If your OS will not boot, restart and go into safe mode. Then go back to the services program, enable everything and you'll be back to square one.
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1320&page=3
January 15
If you happen to be a SoundBlaster card owner you are of luck today. Thomas has updated all the content from his soundcard tweaking guide that is related to Creative Labs soundcards, that is, SB Live! & Audigy cards and a new section covering Audigy 2 stuff (expect a full review soon).
This is definitely a great start-up guide for configuring and getting the best audio possible from your PC.
And just in case you haven't checked the complete soundcard tweaking guide, you are definitely missing something, so far it has covered some of the most popular gaming cards from Hercules (except latest 7.1 releases), Philips, Turtle Beach and Videologic, plus some general tips on speakers positioning and more.
http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/soundcard/
http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/soundcard/sound11.shtml
http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/soundcard/sound15.shtml
January 14
While it has been supplanted by the Electronic Entertainment Expo as "the" gaming event, the Consumer Electronics Show has grown more important to gamers in the last few years. As consumer electronics strive for convergence and the video game business continuous its enormous growth, more and more products displayed at CES are targeted towards the gaming market. GameSpy is scouring the show floor to bring you coverage of these latest products. Over the next few days you'll see familiar names like nVidia and Creative, but you'll also see many well-known television, mobile phone, and home audio manufacturers. Plus we'll throw in a few up-and-coming companies and obscure vendors that might have the next big thing.
http://gamespy.com/ces2003/
January 10
Technology moves faster than most of us can keep up with. In just the past year, we've seen Intel's processors gain over a 50% speed increase (from 2.0 GHz to 3.06 GHz) and we've seen AMD aggressively market and sell it's very competitive XP line of chips. We've seen bus speeds go from 400 MHz to 533 MHz on the Intel platform with RDRAM, and 266 MHz to 333 MHz on AMD platform with DDR-RAM. (Yes, Intel makes a DDR-RAM board and 400 MHz DDR-RAM speeds are just now cropping up.) We've seen ATI surprise everyone with its amazing Radeon 9700, and we've seen NVIDIA play catch-up for the first time in two years.
However, most of these are just speed increases. While the video cards have provided some new technology, the chips, the RAM, and the FSB have just become increasingly quicker. Intel is first out of the gate with a new technology for its latest line of motherboards, called Hyper-Threading (HT). Released late last year and only available on the latest motherboards with at least a 3.06 GHz chip, this technology is an actual change in the architecture of the P4 chip itself. (Note that there are rumors that new motherboards will become available shortly that allow HT on slower chips.) So just what is HT? First, you have to understand a little bit about how a processor works.
http://www.gamespy.com/hardware/january03/hyperthreading/
January 9
NVIDIA Teams With Aspyr to Launch Logo Program for Macintosh Gamers (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
The worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today announced that it has teamed up with Aspyr, the industry-leading publisher of games for the Macintosh, to expand NVIDIA®s The Way Its Meant to Be Played program. Successfully introduced for PC games earlier this year, the NVIDIA logo program singles out those games that play best on NVIDIA hardware, making it easier for consumers to recognize products designed to deliver mind-blowing gaming experiences.
Aspyr and NVIDIA are working closely together to bring state-of-the-art graphics and the best game titles available to the Macintosh platform, said Michael Rogers, President at Aspyr. The combination of our games and NVIDIA graphics technology is tough to beat. By featuring The Way Its Meant to Be Played logo on selected retail packaging in the future, were letting gamers easily locate where the best gaming experiences for the Mac can be found.
http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?IO=IO_20030108_4161
January 7
A Builder's Guide to the Ultimate Game Machine Part V -- Running the Benchmarks (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
When it comes time to replace that aging, prehistoric hunk of silicon that was once a cutting-edge piece of gaming hardware, many take the "easy route" and order a new rig from Dell, Gateway, or a game-specific PC builder like Alienware, Falcon, or Hypersonic. That's fine. It's a legitimate, and especially for the technologically challenged, safe way to upgrade.
For the tinkerers, perfectionists, and the more adventurous, we have an alternate gameplan, the do-it-yourself approach. That's our reason for launching "A Builder's Guide to the Ultimate Game Machine," a five-part series designed for those souls brave (or foolhardy) enough to roll up their sleeves, don an antistatic wristband and get "inside the machine" to build their own high-performance gaming rig. To you we tip our Unreal Tournament caps and say, "Bravo!"
http://www.gamespy.com/perfectpc/perfect1/
January 4
Another year has come and gone and Mac Gamers have a lot to be thankful for. On the heels of 2001, which was the year Apple started considering the importance of gaming, 2002 turned into the year of implementation. Mac gaming at last shed its dismal reputation of lagging way behind the PC in porting top games. In years past, PC games took at least a couple of years to make it to the Mac, if at all. All that has changed. In most cases, PC games make it over to the Mac in less than a few months, sometimes sooner. 2002 was also the year that the Mac GPU fell in sync with the PC. From hardware to software, Mac has finally arrived as a viable gaming platform...
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/january03/macgaming3/
January 2
This Driver Pack is available for Sound Blaster Audigy owners operating on Windows 2000 or XP operating systems only. The driver contains optimized support for these two operating systems and is designed for use with all current models of Sound Blaster Audigy audio cards (all existing Sound Blaster Audigy Card to SB023x models).
This package supports English, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish.
Features includes:
* Drivers are WHQL Certified
* Provides Dolby Digital decoding from external SPDIF Input.
* Speaker settings in Creative Audio Mixer are synchronized with Windows Multimedia setting.
* New presets and effects added
Fixes:
* Reduces excess reverb in MIDI while using software synthesizer
* Removes glitches when playing MIDI using SoundFonts®
* Removes distortion during AC-3 playback
* Performs recording without playback
* Improves multi channel wave file playback
* Hardware acceleration of Open AL.
* Fixed audio distortion and slow start up when resume from standby
* Fixed elevation bug causing muffled sound in some games
http://asia.creative.com/support/drivers/
December 30
HyperThreading allows multithreaded software code to run on a single Pentium 4 as if there were two Pentium 4s running simultaneously. Only when there are multiple threads running in parallel and competing for the processor's resources - as is often the case with games - can the added performance be felt. An overused car engine example illustrates how this works: a Porsche 911's turbo-charge only kicks in after the engine reaches a certain RPM level: the turbo kicks in when accelerating to 60 MPH in less than six seconds, but normally doesn't between traffic light stops in a 35 MPH speed limit zone.
If, for example, you play Quake III with its numerous multithreads on a system powered by the latest graphics card from ATI or Nvidia and an over-clocked Pentium 4, Intel claims HT can allow you to get an additional 20% FPS performance.
http://www.tomshardware.com/game/20021228/index.html
December 23
A watchdog group warned Thursday that video games are featuring increased violence against women and called on retailers to do a better job of keeping such games out of the hands of children. The video game trade association called the report by the National Institute on Media and the Family "illogical and grotesquely unfair." The Minneapolis-based National Institute on Media and the Family in its annual review of the video game industry singled out several games - most notably Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Players in that game ramp up their score by having sex with a prostitute and gain additional points by beating her to death. The game is rated "M" for players over 17 years of age - but the report said children have no trouble buying it. The institute gave the industry an overall grade of F.
http://www.avault.com/news/displaynews.asp?story=12202002-94147
December 21
Microsoft DirectX® is an advanced suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs) built into Microsoft Windows® operating systems. DirectX provides a standard development platform for Windows-based PCs by enabling software developers to access specialized hardware features without having to write hardware-specific code. This technology was first introduced in 1995 and is a recognized standard for multimedia application development on the Windows platform.
Simply put, DirectX is a Windows technology that enables higher performance in graphics and sound when youre playing games or watching video on your PC.
At the core of DirectX are its application programming interfaces, or APIs. The APIs act as a kind of bridge for the hardware and the software to "talk" to each other. The DirectX APIs give multimedia applications access to the advanced features of high-performance hardware such as three-dimensional (3-D) graphics acceleration chips and sound cards. They control low-level functions, including two-dimensional (2-D) graphics acceleration; support for input devices such as joysticks, keyboards, and mice; and control of sound mixing and sound output. Because of DirectX, what you experience with your computer is better 3-D graphics and immersive music and audio effects.
You can get the new DirectX 9 in here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/downloads/default.asp
December 17
"Although all efforts have been made to make sure all the information in this guide (and others as well) are 100% accurate, it could still be inaccurate for any number of reasons. Some manufacturers may implement certain BIOS options differently from others. I may have misinterpreted the descriptions given by the manufacturers. As you know, most manufacturers provide rather cryptic descriptions that could really mean anything!
Therefore, if you spot any mistakes in this guide, please don't hesitate in e-mailing me or posting your observations in the forums. I appreciate any help you can give in making this guide the ultimate resource for BIOS optimization!
Plagiarism has been a major problem for us. The BIOS Optimization Guide has been ripped off so many times that I have really lost count of the number of plagiarized guides out there. Many plagiarizers are so daring (or lazy) that they just copy the entire guide - lock, stock and barrel. Or translate it into their native language. Other plagiarizers are smarter. They modify the guide a little or just trim it down so that it has the appearance of an entirely different guide. But they all have one thing in common - they pass this guide off as their own work. :(
Remember - although I have spent countless hours and sleepless nights working on this guide, all the information in this guide and the rest of the site has been, still is and will always be provided to everyone absolutely free of any cost or obligation! Plagiarism isn't about money or freedom of information. Plagiarism is about theft of credit. It's a major problem for writers all over the world because they deny the author the right to be recognized for his/her work."
http://www.rojakpot.com/default.aspx?location=1
December 8
Game "engines" are software suites that provide the technological underwiring for games. Everything you see on the screen and interact with in the game world is powered by the game engine. Buy into id Software's Quake III engine or the Epic Games Unreal engine, for instance, and you're guaranteed a certain amount of graphics power, lighting effects, and the ability to create drone enemies who move and shoot with lightning speed. If one wants to look toward the future of game development, one need only to look at the direction game engines are heading. Some companies build their own game engines, but many more are buying or licensing engines from other companies.
"The future of computer games is not about reinventing the wheel; it's about improving the engine."
http://www.gamespy.com/futureofgaming/engines/
December 2
In those days, His Billness used to come cap in hand to people trying to persuade them to use his crappy software rather than the perfectly functional Lotus 1-2-3 or the enigmatic dBase.
But Microsoft showed far more cunning than its competitors. The very pretty Excel was received enthusiastically by distributors and corporate dealers because it sold more monitors, it sold more memory, and it sold more everything.
Whether that's a good thing or not, I'll leave it to the Zoroastrians to decide.
But Microsoft won not only on the operating interface front but especially on the application software front. Egan suggests I try this OpenOffice stuff and I will, when I get round to installing Linux on a machine here.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=6484
Ok the layout for this guide is simple we have to start at the very heart of your PC and work our way outwards from there. That means starting with the hardware, then moving on to the BIOS and ultimately the software such as operating system and drivers. If you really want a tight, fast, stable rig then you will need to shore up each department. The latest drivers won't do anything if the problem lies with a faulty graphics card, poor overclocking or incorrect BIOS settings.
Remember this is only a guide, and a simple central resource at that. If something is not mentioned here, be proactive! If you follow the links provided you'll see that there's a wealth of greater detail awaiting you if you want to know more about a particular item. If all else fails and you still have a thirst for knowledge, use trusty ol' Google to search for more information. That's what I do.
If you're already thinking "Why should I bother going through this guide, I just want my game to run faster man!" then you've missed the point. A lot of gaming problems are actually nothing to do with the game itself. In most cases it's a general system optimization issue of some sort. Do yourself a favour, take a few minutes of your life and read the following and I promise you'll find something of use which should have you gaming at full speed ASAP.
http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=guide&dId=411&dPage=2
November 27
A Builder's Guide to the Ultimate Game Machine (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
When it comes time to replace that aging, prehistoric hunk of silicon that was once a cutting-edge piece of gaming hardware, many take the "easy route" and order a new rig from Dell, Gateway, or a game-specific PC builder like Alienware, Falcon, or Hypersonic. That's fine. It's a legitimate, and especially for the technologically challenged, safe way to upgrade.
However, it's also a path filled with compromises. While the specialty vendors can build exactly what you want, it's going to cost an arm, and nowadays, both legs. Those who choose to go the more affordable route with a mainline PC merchant will be severely limited in how their system comes configured. Nonetheless, that may be the only feasible route for some folks to follow.
http://www.gamespy.com/perfectpc/perfect1/
November 21
Websites on Television: An Introduction to WebTV (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
Web designers have long bemoaned the difficulties in creating pages that look equally good in different browsers. Most people use Internet Explorer but designers cannot afford to ignore the roughly 20% that use Netscape Navigator or other browsers - and those browsers all present their pages in different ways.
With the increasing popularity of broadcast media such as WebTV, designers are confronted with a whole new set of rules altogether.
In September 1996, Sony and Phillips introduced the first WebTV set-top boxes from WebTV Networks, Inc. They became known as WebTV Classic, sometimes called the WebTV Internet Terminal. In December 1997, a second generation of set-top box known as the WebTV Plus was introduced, a unit which includes a TV tuner and integrates the TV and web worlds. Other network computer (NC) devices are to follow.
http://www.romulus2.com/articles/guides/webtv/webtv.shtml
November 19
Nvidia releases details on its fast next-generation graphics chip, though cards featuring the chip won't be out until early next year
Nvidia hasn't tried hard to conceal the general features and release schedule for its upcoming NV30 graphics chip, but until today few specific details were public. Well, the wraps are now off, and Nvidia is promoting the chip--officially called the GeForce FX--at the ongoing Comdex trade show in Las Vegas.
In brief, the GeForce FX promises to be fast and have plenty of forward-looking features. The chip is clocked at 500MHz, as is the 128-bit DDR2 memory, which has an effective speed of 1GHz. While the chip won't quite match the raw memory bandwidth of ATI's Radeon 9700 Pro, Nvidia's new lossless color compression should help to save a lot of bandwidth. The GeForce FX supports DirectX 9, and it goes beyond the base DX9 specifications.
http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/nvidiageforcefx/index.html
November 16
Gainward GeForce4 PowerPack ! Ultra/650XP Golden Sample (by Joćo Pedro Alves de Sousa)
Despite much of the computer hardware press focusing on the Radeon 9700 and the upcoming Nvidia NV30, the fact remains that out in the real world most users aren't willing or able to spend $400 on a new video card. Those cards are for high end gaming enthusiasts with the resources to snag them when they first come out. For the rest of us, we're left to find that video card sweet spot that gives us the most performance for the best price. The GeForce4 Ti4200 is one of the cards filling that sweet spot now. They're rock solid cards with great performance and generally sell in the $150-$175 range. That's a range that's reasonable and reachable for a good many gamers so it's no wonder it's one of the graphics industries more popular marketing niches.
Gainward's latest Golden Sample vid card fits into that niche nicely and is probably one of the nicer packages you'll find too. Bjorn3d actually recieved this test card for our Halloween inspired Hack-O-Lantern contest, and I have to say that it's not without some regret that I'll pass this on to one of our winners! The Gainward GeForce4 PowerPack! Ultra/650XP Golden Sample is one of the more appealing vid cards that I've reviewed and would be high up on my list of choices if I were in the market for a new card right now. Let's take a look at what it has to offer and what sets Gainward's card out from the masses of other GeForce4's out there.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/_preview.php?articleID=73
November 15
"The current console wars can be likened to the wide divides separating each generation. For example, Nintendo would be the granddaddy of the gaming world. Theyve been around for a long time, have a lot of experience and wisdom in the gaming market, and are rather conservative, taking relatively few risks with the titles they release. Sony, conversely, acts like a parent, providing some thrills while establishing most of the standards that most people follow unconditionally for games. With their dominance of the market for the past few years, everyone is gunning for their title. Finally, Xbox appears to be the teenager of the industry, entering the ring with a lot of attitude and a ton of high-tech toys. They may be new to the console side of gaming, but theyve got the technical savvy and hardware to back up the strength of their platform (...)"
http://www.game-over.net/reviews.php?page=features&id=121
Recently NVIDIA gave the green light to certain companies to produce SE, S and Ultra editions of the GeForce4 Ti 4200 chipset. Basically the manufacturer has a free hand in what PCB design they can use and what memory the can equip that card with.
Now Albatron took that rather serious. Picture a GeForce4 Ti 4200 A3 silicon on a 8 layer GeForce4 Ti 4600 PCB with with a copper cooler and 3.3ns memory covered with ramsinks. Satisfaction guaranteed right people ...
http://www.guru3d.com/review/albatron/ti4200p-turbo/
Desktop processors reached another milestone today with the release of Intel's 3.06GHz Pentium 4. Surpassing the 3GHz mark is significant--Intel's is the first chip to do so--but the new P4 represents more than just a jump in raw processing speed. The 3.06GHz P4 is also the first desktop chip to include Intel's new Hyper-Threading technology. Available in Xeon-based servers and workstations for more than a year now, Hyper-Threading allows a processor to take advantage of idle CPU resources by working on more than one task simultaneously, resulting in a boost to CPU performance.
Believe it or not, Intel's decision to debut Hyper-Threading technology with the 3GHz P4 should be firmly planted in the "it's not about the gigahertz" camp.
http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-8079207-8-20657161-1.html?tag=txt
Intel released its new 2.8GHz Pentium 4 CPU and it was the fastest P4 to hit the retail market. Now with rumours of Celeron CPU's being made on the Pentium 4 core with 400MHz FSB, and now with the 0.13um die, Intel needs something to push its flagship Pentium 4 to the top. Rumours and information coming from Intel themselves indicated that the new Pentium 4 above 3GHz would prove itself anew with its latest technology update, this being named Hyper Threading. Today we take a look at the new 3.06GHz Pentium 4 processor using this new and anticipated technology for the mainstream market.
http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=401
November 14
OpenGL has been a primary component of three dimensional rendering technology since its inception in 1991. OpenGL is implemented in a wide variety of applications, ranging from professional design software to multimedia presentations to interactive games. Currently available as version 1.4, OpenGL has proven to adapt with the evolution of graphics hardware, though it's age is becoming starkly apparent as compared to Microsoft's latest DirectX D3D technology. In hopes of revitalizing the decade old standard, 3Dlabs recently offers a new approach outlining the features of a possible OpenGL 2.0 revision.
The concept of a proposal as compared to a standard needs to be clearly defined for the purposes of this preview article. The OpenGL 2.0 topicalities presented here are based upon a discussion text and early developmental engineering from 3Dlabs. Many vendors usually submit discussion texts and/or proposals during the OpenGL ratification process, then an appointed governing committee will analyze the various aspects of the given information before reaching an agreement about the final published standard. Since the OpenGL 2.0 development process is still in finalization stages, the information presented within this text will likely undergo multiple changes before a final OpenGL 2.0 specification is adopted for widespread industry use.
http://www.romulus2.com/articles/guides/opengl2/ogl1.shtml
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