Content and news by Rob Williams

While the decrease is substantial across the board, the reductions may not be enough to enable AMD to claim an overall price-performance leadership. According to findings published by TG Daily last week and according to a price list we received from Israel today, especially the 4200+, 4600+ and FX-62 models do not achieve this goal.

Even if AMD didn’t drop the prices enough, they are still a relative bargain. Whether the drops are enough to help AMD gain back some of the market after Conroe hits, is yet to be seen.

Microsoft has recently announced estimative statistics on the performance of its Windows Validation Tool. According to the data, no less than 60 million machines running copies of WGA have failed the tool’s validation since its starting implementing the anti-piracy utility. The controversial tool that many regarded as spyware and that even attracted two class action suits, steered further controversy when the users whose operating system were deemed pirated claimed that they were actually running genuine versions of Windows.

If I had a penny for each installed pirated version of Windows… Yes, this is a crazy high number, but I have to wonder how many of those are not actually illegal copies. Still… a 1 in 5 ratio is ridiculously high!

Yesterday during AMD’s Q2’06 earnings conference call, AMD’s President and Chief Operating Officer Dirk Meyer recapped the long term plans for the company. Although the bulk of his comments were already stated in during the June AMD Analyst’s Day, Meyer also added the tidbit that the company plans “to demonstration our next-generation processor core, in a native quad-core implementation, before the end of the year.”

It’s too bad that we will not be able to touch these for ourselves until at least late 2007 though. Since Intels Quad Cores will see the light of day later this year, it would be interesting to see some benchmarks run on AMDs version to see how things compare. Either way, it’s too bad these will not be released closer to Intels date.

It was no rumor folks… the deal is done!

NEW YORK-July 24, 2006-AMD (NYSE: AMD) and ATI (TSX: ATY,
NASDAQ: ATYT) today announced plans to join forces in a transaction
valued at approximately $5.4 billion. The combination will create a
processing powerhouse by bringing AMD’s technology leadership in
microprocessors together with ATI’s strengths in graphics, chipsets and
consumer electronics. The result: A new and more formidable company,
determined to drive growth, innovation and choice for its customers,
particularly in the commercial and mobile computing segments and in the
rapidly-growing consumer electronics market. Combining technologies,
people, and complementary strengths, AMD plans to deliver in 2007
customer-centric platforms for the benefit of customers who want to
collaborate in the development of differentiated solutions.

You can read the rest of the press release right here. This is going to get interesting…

Cases & Enclosures
• Akasa Mirage-62 Case – Xtreme Computing
• Apevia X-Pleasure Blue Aluminum Case – Overclockers Club
• Cooler Master Mystique 631 – Phoronix

Cooling
• Corsair Nautilus 500 – Red & Blackness
• OCZ Tempest CPU Cooler – Pro-Clockers

Memory & Storage
• Verbatim 4GB Store ‘n’ Go USB Drive – Bjorn3D

Motherboards & Processors
• Abit AW8D – Motherboards.org
• Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition – XYZ Computing
• ASUS P5WD2-E Premium – techFEAR
• Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 Intel P965 – Hexus

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Altec Lansing VS2321 Powered Audio System – Think Computers
• Matrix Orbital MX630 – FastlaneHW

Displays & Video Cards
• ATI X550 XT 128 MB – BytePress
• Hauppauge MediaMVP Networked Media Player – Big Bruin
• New Catalyst 6.7 Drivers for ATI – MadBox PC
• NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT SLI Performance – TechSpot

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• Nike+iPod Sport Kit – Digital Trends
• NZXT Apollo Giveaway – ZeroPCReview
• OtterBox Rugged Laptop Case – techFEAR

Have you ever been tempted to give a pen tablet a try, but were worried about the cost or the fact of getting used to the new control? I am taking a fresh look at the Graphire4, which is easy to do since this is the first time I’ve used one.

Logitech today announced the results for the first fiscal quarter of the year. They reported that profits had increased from $22.4 million in Q1 2005 to $30.1 million in the same period this year, a 35% year-on-year increase. The company also noted that sales had increased 20 % during the quarter, with all sectors reporting growth.

How could a company not feel good about a 35% increase in profits? Logitech doesn’t plan to stop these increases though. The CEO of the company states that cool new products released later this year will accelerate the profits further.

Speaking of HOPE, a new secure AIM client was announced and distributed there.

ScatterChat is a HACKTIVIST WEAPON designed to allow non-technical human rights activists and political dissidents to communicate securely and anonymously while operating in hostile territory. It is also useful in corporate settings, or in other situations where privacy is desired.

If you are interested in a more secure AIM session in Windows or Linux, check Scatterchat out. It uses four different encryption schemes, including the ever popular 256-Bit AES.

Rambam was arrested this afternoon by FBI agents just moments before he was to lead a panel discussion on privacy here at the HOPE hacker conference in New York City. Rambam and three other panelists were to discuss how they dug up — in just 4.5 hours of searching private and public databases — more than 500 pages worth of data on HOPE attendee Rick Dakan, who agreed to be the guinea pig for the project.

This HOPE project was planned for a little while now, and it’s somewhat sad to see it disrupted like this. If the FBI was following Rambam for whatever he was up to (hacking likely), why would they wait until moments before his speech? Are the feds in that bad of shape that the need to pull a publicity stunt as such?

Microsoft will expand the Zune user experience by allowing users to share their content with the XBOX 360, Windows Media Center based PCs and Windows Mobile-based mobile phones. Microsoft is really looking to expand its portfolio of “Live” services and Zune is likely to be a big part of its strategy.

I have to admit that I am looking quite forward to the Zune. If it’s an all-in-one experience package for Xbox 360 and Windows users, it seems like a ‘win/win’ really. Let Apple users use the iPods, that’s what I say! On the other side of the coin, Cnet believes that the Zune could kill Microsofts partners.

Cases & Enclosures
• CoolerMaster CoolDrive Lite – OC Wizard
• Kingwin Supernova SN-213HTS Micro ATX Case – PC Apex
• VoyeurMods PrimoChill X-QPack H2O Case – ModTheBox

Cooling
• Evercool Turbo 2 VGA Cooler – MadBox PC (Spanish)
• Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX – PC Modding Malaysia
• Zalman CNPS8000 Low Profile CPU Cooler – Think Computers

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Brando USB Skype Phone with LCD Display – DragonSteelMods
• Cooler Master iGreen 430W PSU – GotFrag
• Cooler Master iGreen 430W PSU – XS Reviews
• Mouse Grips v2.0 – Think Computers
• Nimcard Mobile Scanner – Technic3D (German)
• NZXT Precise 650W PSU – 3D Gameman
• Ultra High-End PSU Shoot Out – ByteSizedReviews
• Zboard Fang Gamepad – nVNews

Displays & Video Cards
• HIS Radeon X1900XTX IceQ 3 Turbo – TweakTown
• XFX GeForce 7900 GT 550M Xtreme VIVO – HotHardware

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• NZXT Apollo Case Giveaway – Overclocker Cafe
• Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft Knot 1 – Phoronix

After detailed quality control testing Universal Abit found hardware issues with the boards that can cause overheating. This is due to improperly installed heatsinks that can get loose during shipping. Universal Abit has recalled products that were shipped to retailers. Consumers that received affected products can send the boards back to Universal Abit for repair, with shipping costs fully covered by Universal Abit.

If you happen to own one of these enthusiast boards, you will want to check out the recalled model numbers. Though, if it is a simple ‘loose’ chipset heatsink, chances are good that can be fixed with a screwdriver…

When you have a $200 higher price of entry than your next closest competitor that turns away customers, high licensing costs to offset the cost of development and Blu-ray drive technology that drives up the cost of the console without a 100% guarantee of wide-spread adoption, you know that you’re in for a bumpy ride.

Things just seem to be getting worse for Sony, and it’s really hard to feel sorry for a company with such arrogant execs. Either way, it looks like the PlayStation may lose it’s steam this time around. Sony tried to take too many leaps, and the competition is learning from their mistakes.

R580 features a robust memory controller capable of utilizing several different types of memory, including GDDR4 which was not even available when the Radeon X1900 was first announced. The new GDDR4 variants of R580-based Radeons are now called Radeon X1950. Radeon X1950 will retain all of the features of the Radeon X1900, and really only have the added benefit of a new cooler, GDDR4 memory and different frequency clocks.

Here comes GDDR4! I have to say, the best part of the X1950 may very well be the reference cooler. That aside, both cards will include 512MB of memory and higher clocks that previous offerings.

According to a report on the Globe and Mail, the board of directors at AMD has allegedly approved the take over of Canadian graphics firm ATI Technologies. The reports said that the information was released by an investment banker that was part of the discussions. According to other sources, AMD executives were also seen at ATI’s headquarters in Thornhill, Ontario. The report indicated that AMD is considering a $5.6 billion takeover bid for ATI.

Regardless of how many people tell me that this is a great idea, I can see it being sketchy if it ever happens. Because recent Intel roadmaps have not included motherboards with ATI chipsets, it almost appears that this very well could become a reality. Things are going to get interesting, to say the least.

If there was ever a merger to pay attention to, it should be this one. If the acquisition goes through, what does that mean for consumers and the PC hardware industry in general? Will things get better, or turn out for the worse?

A new, extended version of the Episode Two trailer is now available for download. Half-Life 2: Episode Two advances the 16-million unit selling franchise, as Valve’s trilogy of episodic single player releases continue the award-winning story of Half-Life 2. Armed with new weaponry and vehicles, Dr. Gordon Freeman must race through a countryside riddled with an increasingly feirce Combine threat. Episode Two is coming to PC, PS3, and 360, and will also include Portal and Team Fortress 2.

Wow, this trailer is making it hard to wait for the second installment. The graphics seemed to have been amped up in various ways.. check out the trees!

The trailer weighs in at 105MB, displays in 720p and is 1m 20s in duration.

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Google just announced a very strong quarter. The internet search engine said it had net income of $721m, or $2.33 per diluted share, up from $343m a year earlier. Wall Street had expected earnings of $1.94 per share. Earlier this week Yahoo had announced lower than expected earnings.

It’s noted in the article that 99% of Googles income is from advertising. AdSense and their other services have been around for quite a while now, so to see a spike like this is interesting. Since Checkout seems to be taking off, that 99% may sway a little bit in the next quarter.

Microsoft announced its Genuine Advantage software initiative in March 2006. It’s designed as part of the company’s wider assault on software piracy (another infamous part of this fight, Product Activation, won fame and fortune for Microsoft went XP was released in late 2001). The Genuine Advantage initiative is comprised of three parts: Education (customers should understand the risks of pirated software), Engineering (Microsoft’s ongoing investment in anti-counterfeiting technologies and product features), and Enforcement (Microsoft is helping law enforcement agencies go after the world’s worst software pirates).

Of course Paul is not using a pirated version of Windows, but it goes to show that WGA can affect -anybody-, regardless of whether you are legal or not. Paul takes a look through the history and aspects of WGA, and even includes some screenshots.

I believe that these architectural features will allow Kentsfield to succeed in the short term against both the 4×4 platform and AMD’s own quad-core architecture when it arrives later in the year. By that time though, I would hope that Intel’s architects were well on their way to completing a native quad-core version of Conroe with all four cores sharing the same cache.

After reading the article over at Bit-Tech, you may question your need for a Conroe right away. If Quad Cores are actually going to see the light of day in 5 – 6 months, it will certainly make current processor purchases seem like a waste of time.