Intel's HDxPRT Grades Your PC on its Multi-Media Capabilities

As I was cleaning up around my desk last night, I unsurfaced a disc I almost forgot about... one that Intel included with all the Lynnfield reviewer's kits that were sent out. The software is called "Intel High Definition Experience & Performance Ratings Test", or HDxPRT for short. The disc immediately reminded me of software we were given a while ago, called "Intel Digital Home Capabilities Assessment Test", and I believe HDxPRT is, for the most part, a follow-up.

So what is it? Similar to tests designed by BAPCO (SYSmark 2007 Preview), HDxPRT's goal is to test your PC for its overall media capabilities, from HD video playback to handling of your content. That's what makes this test better than SYSmark, though, because here, the scenarios are relevant to the majority of people who use their computer (SYSmark focuses more on workstation scenarios).

Within HDxPRT, there are two main categories, Create and Play. The latter will award a 0 - 5 star rating depending on how well the machine handles HD video, and according to the guide included on the disc, most computers today should have no issue running that, which is only a good thing for those looking to build a new HTPC on the cheap (it's more possible now than ever).

Under the Create category are three tests. The first takes an HD camcorder video and converts it to both a format suitable for uploading to a website, like YouTube, and also to a Blu-ray format. The second takes files from a digital camera and edits them accordingly, while the third prepares music and videos for copying to your iPod. I'm sure few would argue that each one of these scenarios is actually relevant to most consumers today.

Since the software requires a clean installation of Windows (7 is also supported), I haven't yet had the chance to give it a spin, but I'm hoping to prior to our Lynnfield launch article. If it proves to deliver useful metrics, we may consider using it in our future CPU and possibly motherboard content. At least, once we know for certain that some of the tests don't favor one company over another.

For those interested in giving the software a go, it's completely free, so you're able to go to the URL below and register on the site to gain access. Just be warned, you'll need to also download a trial of Adobe's Photoshop Elements 7, unless you happen to own it already.

Mainstream consumers are confronted with many choices and decisions, and not enough straightforward performance tools to guide those decisions. But what would that better guide look like? It would focus its attention on what you care about most, and tell you how well a PC did those things, in plain English. It would tell you about quality of experience, because media playback isn’t really about "faster is better." But more than anything, this guide should help you make an informed decision about the right PC for what you want to do.

8-Bit: The Story as Told by Lego

What will 1,500 hours, a lot of Lego blocks and excellent video skills get you? This video answers that question. I recommend clicking play and then clicking again anywhere in the video to go straight to YouTube to watch in HD... it's well-worth the extra bandwidth (60MB).

World of Warcraft Still the Dominant MMORPG, Can Aion Make it Budge?

Last week, site faithful madstork91 and I were talking and got on the topic of MMORPG's. To be more precise, we were talking about what games are popular now, which were popular then, and which game out there has the potential to grow fast upon release. So, that got me interested in checking out some updated information regarding MMO subscriptions and the like, and for that, I turned to MMOData.net as per stork's recommendation.

This is a site that aggregates a wide-range of information based on various sources to put together graphs that show the current trends in MMO gaming, and it makes it easy for us to get the information quick without putting too much thought into things. Can you guess the current top MMORPG on the market in term of active subscriptions? Of course I'm kidding... even my grandmother would be able to tell me that it's World of Warcraft.

With a current subscriber-base of ~11.5 million though, I can't help but notice that the number over the past eight months or so hasn't moved, up or down. Proof of this can be seen in a press release Blizzard shot out to the wire last December, which stated their new achievement of, you guessed it, 11.5 million subscribers. Either people are leaving the game on a regular basis and new players move on in, or nobody is interested in leaving.

What might be most interesting about the current top 10 is that #2 is Aion... a game from NCsoft that's currently only in closed beta. To say that we might finally have some competition to WoW when the game gets released is an understatement. Taking the third spot is Dofus, a game I've never heard of until now, with fourth place belonging to RuneScape. Number five is Lineage II, an MMORPG I currently play, with the original Lineage taking sixth.

If you are a fan of MMORPG's, I recommend checking this site out... there's a lot of fun information to be had. For example, did you know that the Asian MMO Zhengtu Online at one point reached 2.1 million concurrent users? The only MMO to come anywhere close on these shores is of course WoW, which once managed to hit almost exactly 1 million. Whew, just think of the poor servers!

The purpose of this site is to track and compare subscriptions, active players and peak concurrent users from MMOG's and to give you my opinion on various events in the MMOG scene.

Tech Roundup - August 25, 2009

Motherboards & Processors
• MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 - TweakPC

Displays & Video Cards
• ASUS Matrix GTX 285 - Motherboards.org
• Sapphire HD 4650 AGP - Hi Tech Legion
• Warpia Wireless USB Display Adapter - Legit Reviews

Memory & Storage
• Patriot 64GB Torqx SSD - Overclockers Club
• Seagate BlackArmor NAS 220 2TB - TestFreaks

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Logitech Anywhere MX Mouse - i4u
• Steelseries Siberia Gaming Headset - ocaholic

Cooling
• Cooler Master Hyper N620 CPU Cooler - Hi Tech Legion
• NZXT Sentry 2 LCD Touchscreen Fan Controller - Benchmark Reviews
• Scythe Zipang 2 SCZP-2000 CPU Cooler - PCSTATS
• Tuniq TX-3 Thermal Compound - Overclockers Online

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Seagate BlackArmor NAS 220 - Hardware Logic
• Thermaltake Element T Chassis - Overclockers Club
• Thermaltake ToughPower XT 750W Power Supply - Overclockers HQ
• Vantec NexStar Dual Bay Hard Drive Dock - techPowerUp

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Acer Aspire Timeline 13.3-inch Ultraportable Notebook - The Tech Report
• HTC Touch Pro2 Cell Phone - Digital Trends