Content and news by Rob Williams

What else is left to say? I think this is seriously the best Intel
motherboard I’ve used in years now. I think a lot of the benefit comes from
nVidia’s nForce4 chipset, but if you’ve ever used any variant of nVidia’s
chipsets you’ll feel very comfortable knowing that the same quality and
direction towards the enthusiast is still there.

Check out the full review at Overclockers Online.

For many years now Kingston have been market leaders in the computer memory sector. But now with more and more overclockers and speed-freaks than ever before, there is a serious demand for super fast, high performance quality memory. Today, I’ll be looking at Kingston’s Hyper-X PC4300 (DDR533) 1GB Dual channel kit, which is currently the fastest kit they offer.

Check out the full review at Cache-Community.

PC Partner is a relative new comer to Phoronix but they have
over 20 years experience in the industry with ISO9001 certification. PC
Partner’s focus is on providing graphics and motherboard solutions to
the PC industry as well as offering OEM/ODM products. Hitting the bench
today is PC Partner’s RC410MS7-A82C, which is based upon the ATI RC410 +
SB450 Chipset. However, do not put this item on your shopping list, as
we share in the article, the retail motherboard will NOT be available
for purchase by the general public due to recent corporate changes.

Check out the full review at Phoronix.

DDR2 Memory has been on the market now for some time now and manufacturers like OCZ are tightening the memory timings. With a memory timing of 4-4-4-12 at 533MHz DDR2 it does perform very well. It even has some headroom in the overclocking department if you lower the memory timings and increase memory voltage. Remember though, there is much faster but pricy memory on the market…

Check out the full review over at 3D Gameman.

Ideazon make one product; the Zboard. It’s a gaming keyboard aimed at FPS players looking for the best way to interface their fingers to their PC. Zboard pioneered the remapped keyboard design, but how well does it actually perform?

Check out the full review at Pro-Clockers.

With everything connected and powered up, the Bach walks that thin line between being conservative and being gaudy very well. The blue LED effects are visible but not overpowering. The VFD with the software installed allows the VFD to cycle through world news, weather, system usage, e-mail alerts and quite a bit more.

Check out the full review at Overclockers Cafe.

NVIDIA 6800GS cards are retailing for under $200 online. At this price point the card is an excellent buy, as it has similar performance to the 6800GT which was so popular at $399 last year. In fact this has forced ATI partners to lower the MSRP of their competing product, the X1600 Pro to $199 even before that card was released to the public. The 6800GS outperforms the X1600 Pro in every respect, meaning the 6800GS is a better buy.

Check out the full review over at Motherboard.org.

Shader effects on water surfaces become astounding with DirectX 8. One of the earliest graphics cards to attempt to make use of them were the Geforce 4 and Radeon 9600 in the game Morrowind. For the first time, the water realistically reflected the 3D landscapes in the waves. Even better, the effects on the water were there to admire throughout the entire game. Running or swimming through water even created displacement, causing waves on the reflective surface.

This is a fantastic article, especially if you want to catch up on your graphic lingo. They have many side-by-side comparison images so you can see the difference between certain effects. Check it out at Toms.

Tech journos far and wide have been quick to jump on the story that while Apple says it isn’t doing anything to specifically prevent people from installing Windows on an Intel-based Mac, the new Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) that Apple is using on the new Macs won’t work with current generations of Windows.

Now this is quite intriguing. Imagine triple booting Mac OS/Linux/Windows… you have the ultimate solution right there. Of course, if you are to buy a Mac, chances are you are trying to veer away from Windows, but this is still a cool thought. Read the full article at APC Mag.

Symantec is denying the assertion made earlier in the week that its Norton SystemWorks product installs a rootkit. Although the company acknowledged its existence, it denies it’s a rootkit, calling it instead a “hidden folder”. F-Secure, whose software picked up the rootkit hidden folder, says that the difference between what Symantec is doing and the Sony BMG rootkit is “ideological”, and isn’t anywhere as malicious since it can be turned off or uninstalled by the user. Symantec now says it’s working with some trade bodies to try to develop a definition of rootkit, and that the changing nature of malware makes hiding files no longer a viable option. All this talk still clouds the fact that the hidden folder could be used to cloak malicious files on someone’s PC — the exact sort of thing security software is supposed to prevent.

I personally have no real issue with ‘rootkits’ by companies that protect us from virii. It’s another thing to have those rootkits give crackers and trojan writers an advantage. I hope to see they can fix these ‘holes’ to make sure that infiltration is impossible. Either way, I recommend McAfee or F-Secure if you want a solid Virus Scanner. Source: TechDirt.

What would you get if you were to combine good graphic programs such as the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), Inkscape, and CinePaint with other open source biggies such as Scribus and Nvu? The answer: Grafpup Linux, a live CD heaven for all graphic designers.

This is a small review, but the Live Distro supposedly offered enough to score itself a perfect 10. It’s based on Puppy Linux, an already stable distro, and rolls in at 75MB. Check out the full review at Linux.

According to News.com, Microsoft has had no plans to update or improve Windows Media Player and has instead thrown its weight behind a third party plugin to fill the void. Adam Anderson, Microsoft public relations manager, told News.com, ‘It’s basically a business decision for Microsoft. Like any other company, we have business priorities. Our focus really is in delivering the best experience to Windows customers.

I’ve known many people who have used WMP on the Mac, and it’s apparently nothing but a buggy mess. I don’t see an issue with a plugin, as long as it works with your favorite player. Check out the posting at Slashdot.

The weekends almost here… so close. No better way to pass the time than to read some good reviews, so check out this roundup. OCC has taken a look at the Bigwater 745 from TT, which supports all current motherboard sockets. The kit turns out to be a good choice, but your motherboard must have mounting holes in order to use it.

If you are an Intel diehard, but want the luxury of SLi also, then check out Hot Hardwares review of the MSI P4N Diamond. It ends up being a great choice due to it being a great overclocker. It even includes a Soundblaster Live! as the audio of choice. Houston Vehicles takes the Cyborg Evo Wireless joystick for a spin, and this thing looks packed! Since it’s wireless, you could route your favorite flight sim to your big screen TV and really have a blast :)

Cases & Enclosures
• Sunbeamtech Silent Storm – Big Bruin

Cooling
• Tt Bigwater 745 H2O Kit – Overclocker Cafe

Memory & Storage
• Crucial Value PC3200 1GB Memory Kit – 3Dxtreme

Motherboards & CPU’s
• ASRock 775XFIRE-ESATA2 – PyroCPU
• MSI P4N Diamond nForce4-SLI – Hot Hardware
• Sapphire Pure Innovation Mainboard – Technic3D

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• BlueGears HDA X-Mystique 7.1 – PenStarSys
• Saitek Cyborg Evo Wireless Joystick – Houston Vehicles
• Xitel HiFi-Link for iPod – A True Review

Video Cards & Monitor
• Sapphire Radeon Line-Up – Digit-Life
• X1800 is extremely overclocking friendly – NGOHQ

Etcetera & Contests
• ASUSTeK A6JA ‘Napa’ Notebook – Hexus
• Gaming Notebook Roundup – Trusted Reviews
• Grisoft Introduces AVG Linux – PyroCPU
• KickButtComputers.com Preview – Extensive Mods
• XSPC LCD Display – Pro-Clockers

For those who haven’t been following Nintendo’s new platform, the concept of the “virtual console” describes Revolution’s game download service. The Big N’s highest-ranking executives have publicly stated that Revolution will not only be able to wirelessly connect online, but that players will also be able to directly download some of their favorite NES, S-NES and N64 classics.

IGN even has screenshots for the new system, but it’s doubtful that they are final. I am really concerned about the price of the old skool games, because I can see it adding up quickly. I am also not too impressed by the intial line-up, if it holds true also. I see that a lot of my favorites are not even listed, along with some massive hits for each system. Hopefully we’ll see some decent updates in the near future. Source: IGN.

What’s new in this version?

• Automated update to streamline product upgrades. Notification of an update is more prominent,
  and updates to Thunderbird may now be half a megabyte or smaller. Updating extensions has also improved.
• Sort address autocomplete results by how often you send e-mail to each recipient.
• Spell check as you type.
• Saved Search Folders can now search across multiple accounts.
• Built in phishing detector to help protect users against email scams.
• Podcasting and other RSS Improvements.
• Deleting attachments from messages.
• Integration with server side spam filtering.
• Reply and forward actions for message filters.
• Kerberos Authentication.
• Auto save as draft for mail composition.
• Message aging.
• Filters for Global Inbox.
• Improvements to product usability including redesigned options interface, and SMTP server management.
• Many security enhancements.

I hope to see some of my favorite extensions finally updated to work in the new version, such as the Calender. Grab the latest version right here.

eWeek reports a rootkit-like ‘feature’ in Symantec’s Norton Systemworks, discovered by the Mark Russinovich, who was also responsible for blowing the whistle on Sony’s DRM rootkit. The cloaked directory is intended to prevent users from accidentally deleting important files, but could compromise a system by serving as a hiding place for malware, as was the case with Sony’s rootkit. Russinovich says Symantec had good intentions, but they were right to post an update to fix this hole.

Not so surprising since any Norton product is crap, but it’s good to know if it’s installed on your system. Check out the posting at Slashdot.

The saga continues; NCsoft launches newest chapter for original Lineage game

Latest free content expansion provides one of largest updates to the game world to date, plus significant enhancements to the new player experience

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 11, 2006—NCsoft® North America today announced the release of Episode IV: “History and Memory™,” the latest content expansion for North American subscribers to the original Lineage® massively multiplayer online (MMO) PC game. This expansion provides subscribers with 230 megabytes of new geographical locations to explore, an enhanced new player experience, plus additional mage and elven magic spells.  Episode IV is free to all current Lineage subscribers.

One of the key new areas added in Episode IV is Pirate Island.  Accessed from a hidden dock, players will explore a tropical island in search of treasure and adventure, battling skeletal pirates, giant parrots, and trying to find and tame a rare raccoon with magical powers.  Players may also hunt beneath the waves of the formidable Abyss Lake, a dangerous yet profitable new zone that promises a higher difficulty level of play over existing underwater zones.  Both Pirate Island and Abyss Lake lead to another new zone, the Elemental Ruins, where players will face various ghost-like monsters and other bizarre creatures.

In addition to new locations, monsters, items and spells, Episode IV brings significant enhancements to the new player experience. New players now begin with a Talking Scroll in their inventory. Clicking it will give players key information about the game that was previously more difficult to come by. Those who turn this special beginner’s scroll to the correct non-player character in a new player zone will receive enough armor, weaponry and money to jump directly into combat instead of training to level 5 before adventuring outside of town.

Lineage is currently available via free download at http://www.lineage.com. Lineage comes with a 7-day free trial period. After that, a subscription of US$15 per month is required to continue playing. Customers can save money by purchasing four months in a single transaction at a rate of US$11.25 per month.

About NCsoft
NCsoft North America is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company launched two massively multiplayer titles on the same day in 2004, Lineage® II and City of Heroes®. In April and October of 2005 the company launched hit games Guild Wars® and City of Villains™, respectively. NCsoft also expects to launch another massively multiplayer title, Auto Assault®, in the spring of 2006. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.PlayNC.com.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Lineage, Guild Wars, Auto Assault, “History and Memory” and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes, City of Villain and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. NetDevil is a trademark of NetDevil, LLC. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The Armari Pantheon FX system is a decidedly niche product. It’s designed to appeal to those of you with a large wedge of cash to spend on a PC, yet don’t want to splash it on some run-of-the-mill affair. Armari has taken the step of engineering a gaming machine with some of the tastiest components available at the start of 2006 and amalgamated them into a sexy-looking small form-factor unit sourced from the folks at SilverStone. It’s clear from the choice of components that performance is of foremost concern

This is quite the PC in a SFF package, including an FX60 and 7800GTX. Sounds like a great lan party system! Check out the full review at Hexus.

How much additional time and effort, above that put into the normal driver development regime, is/has been put into making sure ATi products “fit” into Vista’s DRM? Would I get an honest answer if we asked whether you’re in favour of the whole DRM thing?

“the entire DRM strategy, but users shouldn’t think of it as taking resources away from working on more “useful” features. DRM is something that the whole industry is moving towards and something we need to support. And no you wouldn’t get an honest answer from me ;-)”

Check out the full interview over at UK Gamer.

Still on air cooling and want nothing but? If you are looking for a great looking new CPU cooler, check out Overclockers Online for their look at the TT Blue Orb. It turns out to not only be a superb cooler, but one at a wicked price. Viper Lair is taking the new 3500LL PRO modules from Corsair for a spin. These are some of my personal favorite sticks as well, extremely solid memory. They don’t really overclock that well, but the stock performance and quality is amazing.

Cases & Enclosures
• Enermax Laureate Optical Drive Enclosure – PimpRig

Cooling
• Thermaltake Blue Orb II – Overclockers Online

Memory & Storage
• Corsair TWINX-2048 3500LL PRO – Viper Lair

Motherboards & CPU’s
• Asus A8R-MVP CrossFire – Trusted Reviews
• BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 8.7.3 – Rojak Pot
• DFI NF4 SLI Infinity – Pro-Clockers

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• LG GSA-2166D 16x External Dual Layer DVD/CD Writer – PC Hardware
• Logitech mm50 Speaker System for Apple iPod – Bona Fide Reviews
• Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit – Xtreme Computing
• Sennheiser PC 160 Gaming Headset – Design Technica
• Thermaltake ToughPower 550W – techPowerUp!

Video Cards & Monitor
• Gigabyte Radeon X1600XT Silent-Pipe II – Legion Hardware
• Gigabyte X1800 XL – AMD Zone
• HIS X1800XT OC DL-DVI VIVO 512MB PCIe – 3D Gameman

Etcetera & Contests
• $100 Newegg.com Gift Certificate Contest – techFEAR
• CES 2006 – Tech Report
• CES 2006 – CoolerMaster, MSI, and Zalman – XYZ Computing
• IndLinux Rangoli v1.0 BETA – Phoronix
• Microsoft’s CES Keynote – A High-Definition Future – Think Computers