NVIDIA Releases PhysX Power Pack

Last week, we posted an in-depth look at NVIDIA's latest PhysX pack, which they referred to as 'PhysX Pack #1'. That pack is now released, and has been renamed to a more appropriate 'GeForce Power Pack'. Instead of releasing follow-ups that will take on a new naming scheme, it would almost seem likely that the pack itself will simply be upgraded from time to time, while retaining the 'GeForce Power Pack' moniker.

As a reminder, the pack focuses mostly on PhysX, so there are numerous tech demos to illustrate what the technology is capable of. Interestingly, this pack even includes items were were not originally told about, such as the Folding@Home client, which is a brand-new release, and also Badaboom, a video transcoder that utilizes the GPU with the help of CUDA, rather than the CPU.

Also new is the graphics driver, which is version 177.83. This is even newer than the driver we were given for our articles, but it seems the only difference is that this one is WHQL'd, so there will be no nag screens during the installation. This driver will automatically install the PhysX support, but can be turned off if so desired, post-install.

If you somehow still don't know what PhysX is or what makes it worth your time, be sure to check out our article, which attempts to leave no question unanswered.

Starting today, any owner of a GeForce 8 Series or higher GPU can immediately discover the immersive playability that NVIDIA PhysX technology brings to PC gaming. This first of many planned "GeForce Power Packs" is a fascinating showcase of how PhysX technology is fundamentally changing video games and interactive entertainment.

Source: NVIDIA's PhysX Power Pack Download

AMD Strikes Back with their HD 4870 X2

For those of you who either stick to our news RSS or skip down the front page too fast, be sure not to skip over our look at AMD's latest GPU offering. It not only becomes the fastest graphics card the world has ever seen, but it even greatly surpasses the previous champion, NVIDIA's GTX 280, by a rather healthy margin in every-single game we tested.

The worst performance gain we saw was with our lone time demo, for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, which was still a healthy 27% boost over the GTX 280. The DX 10-heavy Call of Juarez saw an even more healthy gain, of 77.8%. No need to wipe your eyes, I really said 77.8%.

The downsides are in the price, but given the performance boost over the GTX 280, it's actually justified. It's not often I'd ever say a $549 GPU could be justified, either, but this one can be. The card also happens to be a massive power-sucker, but that's not much of a surprise given that two literal GPU cores are slammed onto the same PCB.

So if you are on the lookout for a new graphics card, or just want to make sure your drool mechanisms are all in check, read on.

Pricing-wise, the HD 4870 X2 costs $100 more than the GTX 280, and as I mentioned in the intro, that increase is actually justified, especially if you run ultra-high resolutions. That's not to say that $550, or even $450 isn't a lot of cash, but comparatively speaking, it's actually well-priced. The current price for a single-GPU HD 4870 is around $270, so that makes the X2 cheaper than going the Crossfire route.

Source: Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 1GB - AMD Reclaims GPU Supremacy

AMD to Bundle Blizzard Games with Radeon GPUs

For more proof that we will be unable to avoid seeing anything 'World of Warcraft' no matter where we go, look no further than the latest AMD / Blizzard joint press release. Their agreement outlines plans to allow AMD to bundle Blizzard games with their ATI graphics cards, although no exact titles are mentioned. It seems unlikely that it'd be WoW, given the already large player-base, but I wouldn't rule it out yet.

Blizzard's current arsenal of games, aside from WoW, in no way would push a new GPU anywhere near its limit, so this partnership intrigues me. Just what will be bundled? Looking into the future, games like Starcraft II and Diablo III could be bundled, just as ATI did with Half-Life 2 at that game's launch.

We'll have to wait and see, I guess. For those who are planning to make BlizzCon, you'll see a whole lotta AMD there, who will be showing off their killer HD 4000-series line-up, hopefully with games that will actually push them a little bit...

AMD is committed to helping PC gamers around the world enjoy The Ultimate Visual Experience. The collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment underscores the mission of its recently announced AMD GAME! initiative, which is dedicated to providing consumers the information they need to help them better understand gaming technology and thus purchase the right systems and components they need to best meet their high-definition gaming needs.

Source: AMD Press Release

'Extreme' Gamers Padding Industry's Bottom-Line?

I'm sure we all have a certain 'addiction' that must be fed... something that forces us to open our wallets from time to time. With me, it's music, and I usually purchase around ten CDs a month, but the great thing with those is I can usually get new CDs that are overstock for a great price, and even the brand-new releases tend to be priced-right. But even then, I know I'm not 'extreme'. What if you were extreme though, and knew you were part of the 3% that pads the game industry's bottom-line?

According to NPD Group's research, extreme gamers are those who game it up for over 45 hours a week, and purchase a staggering 24 titles every three months! Let's consider that each game at a minimum is $50... that's $1,200 every three months, or $4,800 for the year. Sure, I'd consider that extreme, by all accounts.

In total, NPD says there are over 174 million gamers out there, so the 3% make up a mere 5.22 million of that. But how could they actually 'pad' an industry? Well, if you do the simple math and take $1,200 and multiply by the 3%, that'd be over $6.264 billion each quarter. If that's at all accurate, then it's one incredible statistic.

The NPD report identified seven different segments of gamers, including our extreme friends. The others include 9 percent who are "avid PC gamers," 17 percent who are console gamers, 14 percent who are online PC gamers, 15 percent who are offline PC gamers, 22 percent who are "young heavy gamers" and 20 percent who are "secondary" gamers.

Source: Gaming and Culture Blog

Dell Releases New Mobile Workstations

It looks like Dell's catering to all you people who just "WANT MORE." Today, Dell announced a trio of new notebooks that will push the envelope. The M6400 is Dell's new 17" concept notebook, which features 16GB RAM, 1TB of total storage, a dedicated graphics card with 1GB of video memory, and a 100% Adobe RGB color gamut display. Dell's 15" M4400 can use 8GB of RAM, and the smaller 14" M2400 will weigh 4.77 pounds.

These notebooks make use of a "jog shuttle" to provide more accurate control of applications. Beyond that, we only know that these behemoths will debut in Fall of 2008. Until then, where does the line start?

We heard you. Welcome to our slick new concept for the ultimate Dell Precision mobile workstation, destined to be one of the first of its kind and the envy of all those who thought they had a powerful and cool notebook.

Source: Dell, Via: Engadget

August 12th Tech Roundup

• Biostar TPower I45 - PCSTATS
• MSI P45 Platinum - Viper Lair

• MSI R4850 - Overclockers Club
• Sapphire HD 4870 512 MB - Bjorn3D

• Kingston HyperX PC3-14400 2GB - ASE Labs
• QNAP TS-409U NAS - ThinkComputers

• Razer Piranha Headset - BurnOutPC
• OCZ Alchemy Elixir Keyboard - Phoronix
  

• Thermalright IFX-14 CPU Cooler - Pro-Clockers

• Moneual MonCaso 972S - Bigbruin
• Zalman ZM750-HP 750W - Virtual-Hideout
• Thermaltake Toughpower 1500W - PC Perspective
• Seasonic M12 700W - ModSynergy

• Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Notebook - Digital Trends