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Negative Sun

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*Hardcovers ! ugh. hyper inflated price and dimensions - never again

I couldn't agree more with this one though :p

 

More news:

Get it dun yer neck! HD3870 XFire Vs 8800GT Sli with benchmarks!!!

And surprisingly (or maybe not to some) AMD has done remarkably well in making XFire actually worthwhile, and it's more energy-efficient than Sli and not even that much more compared to a single HD3870!!!

I still would have liked to see some benchies of a single high-end solution (2900XT or 8800GTX) in there to see how these lower cost dual-card rigs would stack up against the hugely expensive single-card solutions...

 

And more Micro$oft news too lolz:

XP SP3 pwns Vista SP1

"Still it is not all bad. Microsoft's biggest competition is still, er, Microsoft."

^ Amen to that, all the Vista bashing aside, I don't think M$ is crying because people would rather buy one of their OSes over another one, point is: people are buying it, probably faster than their accountants can count the cash that's coming in[/cynical mode]

 

And some Sony news that's not a sick joke for once:

Blu-Ray pwns HD-DVDs atm

Maybe the first good news Sony's heard in a while? I hope the Blu-Ray disc makes it though as I'm convinced it's the more superior format (IMO) and the sooner a winner is picked the sooner shops can get rid of having two separate sections in the HD media aisle lolz

Plus that means Sony gets some monies to develop some more good stuff cause the last thing we need is M$ gaining another monopoly in modern technology :xp:

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And more Micro$oft news too lolz:

XP SP3 pwns Vista SP1

"Still it is not all bad. Microsoft's biggest competition is still, er, Microsoft."

^ Amen to that, all the Vista bashing aside, I don't think M$ is crying because people would rather buy one of their OSes over another one, point is: people are buying it, probably faster than their accountants can count the cash that's coming in[/cynical mode]

It's good to hear that Windows XP SP3 will help improve performance. I hope it's not just an improvement for MS Office though. In any case, it's about time MS put out another service pack for Windows XP. It just annoys me to no end when I think of having to install Windows XP, then SP 2, and then having to download all the stinkin' patches that have come out since SP 2's release. IMHO MS shouldn't go for more than a 12-15 months without a service pack when they are releasing a high number of patches for the OS.

 

As far as Vista goes, the only reason I have to upgrade is to play DX 10 games. And since not a lot of DX 10 games have come out (that I'm interested in anyway) I'm not in any hurry. And from the looks of things not a whole lot of other people are in a hurry to make the switch to Vista either. :D

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^ Couldn't agree more :)

 

Here's an interesting article on the whole AMD vs Intel situation and what it means to us (the consumer) and what it might bring in the future...

 

GeForce 9 on the way?

I wouldn't bother too much about this though, but it would be nice to see a card that is capable of running Crysis and Flight Sim X at full blast...

 

Phenom X3's in February?

Let's hope AMD take some feedback on board of the early Phenom reviews and do some tweaking before releasing this one to the hounds...Not that the Phenom 9600 is bad or anything, but if it prices the Triple-cores correctly it might be decent competition against Intel's dual-core solutions in the low/mid-range CPU battle...

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GeForce 9 on the way?

I wouldn't bother too much about this though, but it would be nice to see a card that is capable of running Crysis and Flight Sim X at full blast...

What do you mean? DigiTimes is the original source for this info and they're pretty reliable, aren't they? Actually I've been hoping the GeForce 9 is in the works and would get released sometime next year so I really hope this turns out to be true. I did notice DigiTimes referred to this as D9E so I see the new NVIDIA naming convention seems to be taking hold. I'll probably wait for the D9P to release before I decide which one to go with. I want a card that will be able to run games at 1080p with at least medium settings but also won't require me to install a new electrical circuit in my home. :p
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^^^

Oh, OK. But if the DigiTimes article is correct and NVIDIA will launch D9E, their top-of-the-line 9th generation GPU, in late February 2008 and the D9P, their midrange 9th generation GPU, in June 2008 then I personally think the 8800 only has a few months before it is eclipsed by NVIDIA's newest GPU. It's about time to retire my 7800 GTX but I'm going to wait until the D9P releases to see how it compares with the D9E, especially since it looks like D9P is supposed to drop down to a 55 nm process from D9P's 65 nm process. Of course this is all contingent on whether DigiTimes is accurately reporting this. ;)

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Mind you Digitimes is also the site that had a list of upcoming nVidia GPUs in the 8-series and listed ones like the 8900 etc...So it's all purely speculation I'd say, but nVidia might be jumping on Ati's bandwagon after they switched from HD2000 to HD3000 after all...

 

A drop to 55nm would be good news for those who want less power sucking and more pixel flying :)

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Mind you Digitimes is also the site that had a list of upcoming nVidia GPUs in the 8-series and listed ones like the 8900 etc...
Are you sure you aren't mistaking a report you read on CustomPC that cited The Inquirer as their source for a report from DigiTimes? I've never known DigiTimes to get something like this wrong and curiously enough the CustomPC article's link to The Inquirer's article doesn't work...

 

With respect to your comment about NVIDIA jumping on ATI's bandwagon, I guess that that is one way to look at it. Of course if one recalls that an 8800 GT was originally designated as G92 and G92 was given the designation D8P in NVIDIA's new GPU naming convention then it seems logical to conclude that when NVIDIA unveils D9E they'll go with something like GeForce 9800 GTX as the retail name, since it will be based on NVIDIA's 9th generation GPU. Personally I thought NVIDIA should have gone with 8900 GT for G92 but maybe that was one of those things that got messed up with the transition to their new GPU naming convention. :p

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Here's a wee update:

 

GDDR5 by Samsung, world's fastest memory

 

Very interesting, even though it won't be reality for a while, but it might take that long for hardware to catch up with Crysis lolz...I do wonder how the devs tested out the maxed settings on that since no PC on earth can seem to hold its own on it, unless it was at 800x600 :p

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The G92 version of the 8800 GTS debuted today. It's speced with a 256-bit bus like the 8800 GT but has bumped up timings for all three clocks and an additional 16 stream processors.

 

Anandtech's review of the 8800 GTS 512 says the 8800 GT is still the best bang for the buck though.

 

I still think NVIDIA should have named these cards 8900 GT and 8900 GTS. It seems a better fit to me since the die shrink has made such a performance difference from the 90 nm version of these GPU's.

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The G92 version of the 8800 GTS debuted today. It's speced with a 256-bit bus like the 8800 GT but has bumped up timings for all three clocks and an additional 16 stream processors.

 

Anandtech's review of the 8800 GTS 512 says the 8800 GT is still the best bang for the buck though.

 

I still think NVIDIA should have named these cards 8900 GT and 8900 GTS. It seems a better fit to me since the die shrink has made such a performance difference from the 90 nm version of these GPU's.

Interesting review, I agree that the market is at a high right now, between $200-400 you're spoiled for choice when it comes to bang-per-buck GPUs nowadays, with nVidia still ruling the high end, it looks like Ati is swooping in from below (maybe getting ready to take the top too?)

 

To keep it in the GPU section:

Tri-Sli 8800 Ultras pwn Crysis at 1920x1200 with everything maxed!!!

Surprisingly it's a bunch of Germans that's managed this feat lolz

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To keep it in the GPU section:

Tri-Sli 8800 Ultras pwn Crysis at 1920x1200 with everything maxed!!!

Surprisingly it's a bunch of Germans that's managed this feat lolz

 

thats definitely interesting for the likes of me - but also dismaying as theres no way im building such a juice sucking pc - Tri sli boards I imagine are strictly ATX only, so imagine the PSU(s) required to power 3 8800s !! :(

 

I am not surprised at all about the krauts doing this. Germany is the home of some the worlds most talented overclockers..

 

crysis uber alles !!

 

I think its fantastic that just *one game* has thrown the hardware world into chaos, and given "the big two" some focus as to what they should be achieving. Its more than just the nutty enthusiast who wants a juiced system now, its the casual and moderate gamer as well. Im sure it also pleases MS as DX10/gaming is a major part of what vista's future adoption is riding on.

 

>>until nvidia/ati create a single card that can pull such a feat off, then I will be able to refrain from throwing more $$$ into my little black box ;)

 

mtfbwya

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well, this latest bit of news was fairly interesting. it doesn't really affect me all that much, but for those on a tight budget, this is some good news. its called Hybrid Crossfire, and its a new technique that we'll eventually see with the Fusion CPU's from AMD. basically, it takes an integrated graphics chip and allows it to work with a discrete graphics card plugged into the mobo. the demo AMD was running also showed that their new integrated chipset is fairly capable (in terms of integrated graphics at any rate), but when combined with the new budget Radeons coming out, graphics performance was even better.

 

more info here

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Nice one stinger, I hadn't heard of that before it should definitely be quite interesting for the budget end of the market, which is where most of the sales are anyways...

 

@ Astro: I wonder what PSU they used for that lolz

 

On a more serious note, I think GPUs have hit the same wall CPUs have, where it's not the pure horsepower of one chip that counts, but the combined strength of multiple cores working together, which is why (IMO) nVidia and Ati keep pushing their multi-GPU platforms and make X2 GPUs etc...

The heat barrier is one that's not easily overcome, and though die-shrinks can help, having multiple GPUs devide the weight helps even more to achieve great results, if they can only sort their drivers out before they actually release the bloody things!

 

Edit: Some more news for y'all ;)

 

KDE 4 pwns GNOME and KDE 3.5

The fact that it looks sexier and uses less memory than a previous version and even GNOME is quite an amazing feat, we'll see what the verdict is when it gets released finally...

 

3-way Sli but only for 8800 GTX/Ultras

For those who have very deep pockets (1.1kW PSU, wtf?) and have a good deal with their electricity provider...At least it can handle Crysis though ;)

 

Phenom 9900 + Spider platform reviewed...

What can I say? Whether we like it or not, Intel rules the scene atm, and there's no stopping them is there...

Though I am pleased that this platform shows promise, promise just isn't enough...A horse can show promise but at the end of the day if it just isn't fast enough it won't win the race...

I really really hope AMD take some feedback on board and learn learn learn from their mistakes (and Intel!)...Hope is not lost though, the HD2000 series was a disappointment to say the least, but the HD3800 series was spot on, so here's hoping Phenoms can do the same...

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Some more Tri-Sli Madness

 

Triple 8800GTX Ultra - pwnz at HD and UHD, kills million trees in process :p

 

even though its a recent article - they omit using crysis in the benchies though :p

 

Also used a 1.1KW PSU - averaging at 750-800w at default settings

 

Just freakin ridiculous IMO. I love the idea of HD/UHD hi -performance gaming, but this is a *far from efficient* and *freakishly expensive* way of doing it. Most people would simply be better off getting 360/PS3 to experience HD gaming in the interim.

 

Hopefully the next gen of GPUs from the big 2 will at least achieve the same result from 'plain ole SLI' rather than teh excessive tr-sli. Ideally, we'd all liek that typ of performace from *one card*. It'll happen one day im sure - dont know when though... :(

 

Loved seeing the CPU ceiling effect on clear display in those snazzily presented benchies ;)

 

mtfbwya

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As far as Phenom is concerned...

 

Well, there's a problem. A bug in the level 3 cache that's keeping AMD from releasing higher-clocked versions. As CPU load increases, so does the possibility that the chip will hang. AMD has released a workaround but it degrades performance by about 10%. This WILL be fixed in the next revision (B3, I think), so it may be wise to hold off on the upgrade to Phenom until this revision is released. I just can't believe that this wasn't discovered earlier.

 

AMD can't seem to catch a break lately.

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I never knew that, thanks Q, so it definitely seems we haven't seen the Phenom's full potential yet, with maybe lower-clocked version able to OC to mad levels like the good 'ol days...

 

@ Astro: Yes Dual-Sli with a pair of Ultras is gonna be much easier on the wallet methinks :p

 

Thanks for that review though, looking at the benchies I really can't see what would justify the price of three cards compared to one though...

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Heres one for the 'mind boggling' category....

 

3D Surrounding Gate Transistor Technology could clock 50Ghz

 

Sure its just R&D phase, but the potential for such a thing.... incorporate that design into a fusion CnGPU type chip and the days of discrete video cards will be over.

 

One day, Im sure we'll look back and laugh, "do you remember when we used to get excited over those monstrously cumbersome graphics cards!" :p

 

mtfbwya

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Heres one for the 'mind boggling' category....

 

3D Surrounding Gate Transistor Technology could clock 50Ghz

 

Sure its just R&D phase, but the potential for such a thing.... incorporate that design into a fusion CnGPU type chip and the days of discrete video cards will be over.

 

One day, Im sure we'll look back and laugh, "do you remember when we used to get excited over those monstrously cumbersome graphics cards!" :p

 

mtfbwya

Very interesting stuff Astro, higher clocks would definitely be nice as it seems to be a hurdle for both CPUs and GPUs nowadays...With Intel focusing a bit more on Ray-Tracing and AMD looking into Fusion processors and such it does look like the days of "zomg this card doesn't fit my case" or "zomg my crappy PSU isn't good enough for this GPU" might be over...

 

Talking about the Fusion though:

AMD unveils a lot of their upcoming new technologies @ AMD analyst day

 

An extremely interesting read, and considering the slow year they've just had, if they can even pull off half of these in the next 12-18 months they might be back in the race, though I fear it could turn out to be another "AMD invents it, Intel perfects it" debacle if they don't start focusing on the immediate market as well...Demand is certainly out there, as Intel seems to be focusing on tweaks and die-shrinks mainly, AMD is going tabula rasa to bring us loads of new technologies...Will the gamble pay off? Is this just a temporary setback as the prepare to annihilate Intel a la P4 massacre?

I sure as hell hope so :)

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More news peeps:

 

16-page Phenom review including overclocking results!

Very interesting stuff, and I think the reviewer is spot on, AMD will have to focus more on the mid-range market and below, which is where the money is anyways, if the price is about 17% below the Q6600, then performance can be allowed that same margin can't it?

 

It certainly starts to look interesting when you see that Intel is struggling with their vaunted 45nm chips: Clicky

It might give AMD a chance to catch their breaths and catch up in the retail side of things whilst getting on with their own 45nm development...

 

And last up is nVidia's 1Gb 8800GT

Should be interesting to see it work on higher resolutions...just wait n see :)

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It certainly starts to look interesting when you see that Intel is struggling with their vaunted 45nm chips: Clicky

It might give AMD a chance to catch their breaths and catch up in the retail side of things whilst getting on with their own 45nm development...

Oi! That Inquirer article on the "issues" with Intel's 45 nm manufacturing was a rather annoying read.

:freakout: "Oh noez, something is going wrong with Intel's 45 nm process but we don't have anything to back this up other than one of their Penryn processors isn't really available for purchase anywhere!" Ridiculous reporting, even if it turns out that Intel is having significant problems with producing 45 nm chips in volume. I don't think I'll bother with reading any more articles from The Inquirer. Their reporting doesn't measure up to the standards I expect.

 

In other news, DailyTech has an article sourced from MadBoxPC, a Spanish-language website, detailing AMD's new entry-level and mid-range cards that are supposed to launch in January. Nothing in this news that gets me excited since I'm interested in upper end graphics cards but I guess it's a matter of wait-and-see how AMD's graphics strategy works out for them over the next year.

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Hmmm, looks like AMD took some advice and focused a bit more on the lower-end market, which is good for them cause those are the kind of GPUs they'd sell in cheap Dell or other branded systems, which isn't too bad for AMD if it proves to be good value for money...

 

Dunno if this needed its own thread or not, so I'll drop it here:

 

XP SP3 Release Candidate 1 is finally here!

 

Since I've only got this PC and I don't feel up to a great catastrophe, I'll wait a wee while to see how it's received, but at least we know it's coming soon-ish lolz

Anyone who's willing to give it a go, lemme know how it fares ;)

 

Here's a linky to a .pdf that explains everything that's included in SP3 (so far)

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lolz...getting rid of the requirement for product activation/key on installation is a good idea - too late for one of the chaps in the other threads though :D

 

maybe I didnt read it properly, looks like they didnt think it was appropriate to chuck in WMP11 ??

 

mtfbwya

Well, it's pointless in Europe anyways, since the EU would just chase them down like mad dogs lolz...

Though I think I read it was just to keep the weight of it down to a bare minimum of security/enhancement/stabilization/compatibility updates rather than fancy stuff.

 

Here's another wee update:

Asus to make PDA/Smartphone

The article is in French but it's got some sweet pics of it and I'm sure the specs don't need translated, and if they do, let me know ;)

I'm glad Asus is looking into this as I'm due to upgrade my contract phone in a couple of months and this one fits exactly into the category I'm interested in...The only thing that bugs me is that the screens looks quite small on both sides, which could be its downfall as there's stiff competition out there in this category of phones nowadays and some are just as powerful with like massive touch screens and such.

I'll wait and see what the verdict is :)

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