Content and news by Rob Williams

Dungeons & Dragons is a pretty extensive license going back to its roots. There’s a ton of history there but it’s also a name that can be expanded on as Wizards of the Coast has been doing as of late. The newest addition to the lore is the world of Eberron which is being described as a more pulpy look at the series than has been seen in the past. High adventure and intrigue are the rules. Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach is the newest addition into the computer games section of the franchise that is much closer to the type of experience the Dungeons & Dragons pen and paper game provides than MMO out there right now.

Check out the full preview over at IGN.

Still, this baby is the new king of 3D world, so for $799 you get the following: “7800Ultra” is clocked at 550MHz for the GPU core and 900MHz DDR for the video memory (as written on a retail box). Result is fill-rate of gigantic 8.8 billion pixels per second (up from 6.88 on original 7800GTX) and 13.2 billion texels per second (up from 10.3 Gtexel), bundled with 57.6 GB/s of video bandwidth goodness.

No doubt, you’d be crazy to buy this card instead of two regular 7800GTX’s, unless you are filthy rich. They don’t mention which online e-tailer, but someone already has their card and it’s not even supposed to launch until Monday. Check it out at the INQ.

A BLIZZARD of lawsuits appears to be facing Sony in its different guises after Mark Russinovich revealed copy protection software installed rootkits on people’s machines. The US Electronic Frontier Foundation is also collecting information on the case.

I know nothing about the PSP infringments, but I still hope Sony get’s what they deserve about the rootkits. It should teach other companies a lesson before they consider doing the same thing. Check it out at The Inquirer.

Simply put Dangerous Waters is a naval strategy PC game using today’s ships, submarines, helicopters and aeroplanes. Hence the manual being as extensive as it is. There is so much to learn, play and enjoy.

Check out the full review at A1 Electronics.

Ever want to build your own laptop, but soemone tell you it’s not possible? Then you should check out out the review at Legit Reviews, where you can take a solid base and then buff it up. Of course, if you want to upgrade your computer, and don’t want to buy a new CPU, you may want to check out the Epox SLi review at PC Stats, which still uses socket 754.

If you are interested in tracking the power from an outlet, check out out the monitor over at Mod The Box. Finally, if you want to check out the next gen from NVIDIA, check out the exclusive pic over at Hexus.

Cases & Enclosures
• Antec Minuet II Micro ATX Case – Think Computers
• Evercool H.D.D Air Condition – Overclockers Online
• Shuttle SD11G5 XPC – SFF Tech

Cooling
• Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R120 – Overclockers Australia
• Cooljag JZC811C Heatsink – Paradise|OC
• Thermaltake Venus 12 Athlon64 Heatsink – Frosty Tech

Memory & Storage
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 500GB SATA 3 Gb/s Hard Drive – Big Bruin

Motherboards & CPU’s
• Epox 8NPA SLI Motherboard – PC Stats

Peripherals
• Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad – Xtreme Computing
• Jou Jye 480W SLi PSU – PC Modding Malaysia
• Nexus NX-5000 SLI 500 Watt Quiet Power Supply – 3D Gameman
• Razer Copperhead – Phoronix
• Seventeam ST-550EAG 550W PSU – Xtreme Computing
• VPC 2000 Multimedia Hub – Extensive Mods

Video Cards
• XFX Geforce 6600 DDR2 Videocard – Neo Seeker

Etcetera
• ASUS V6-V Notebook and Pakuma Akara K1 – Hexus
• ASUS Z63A Whitebook Laptop – Legit Reviews
• Evaluation: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-R1 Digital Camera – Design Technica
• Seasonic Power Angel Monitor – Mod The Box
• XFX’s Revo64 Serial ATA RAID Card – Tech Report
• World Exclusive picture from HEXUS of the forthcoming NVIDIA “TBA” – Hexus

Press Releases
• EMC POSITIONED IN “LEADERS” QUADRANT IN NEW ANALYST REPORT – Read PR

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – November 9, 2005 – AGEIA™ Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, today announced that its PhysX™ processor has been chosen to receive a prestigious “2005 Best of What’s New Award” from POPULAR SCIENCE in the Computing category. The AGEIA PhysX processor will be featured in December’s Best of What’s New issue on sale November 15th.

Check out the full press release here.

CHRIS SAWYER, the brains behind the unbelievably popular RollerCoaster Tycoon series, is to sue Atari for $4.8 million still due as royalties from the games. Current estimations indicate that Sawyer’s games account for $180 million, with $30 million of that going to the man himself already. This suit has been initiated thanks to findings by forensic accountants brought in by Sawyer which he alleges reveal that he was still due the princely sum of $4.8 million. He is also hoping to be reimbursed for his legal fees and interest.

Some may call him greedy, but it looks like it is his money. I certainly hope he wins then, because that’s one game I certainly didn’t consider to be a waste of money. Check out the posting at The Inquirer.

Controversial Miami-based attorney Jack Thompson has withdrawn from an Alabama lawsuit amid allegations that he violated legal ethics rules. The lawsuit, Strickland vs. Sony, was filed against retailers and publishers of the Grand Theft Auto series. Thompson had previously been representing the case’s plaintiffs — the families of a pair of police officers and a police dispatcher who were murdered by Devin Moore, who claimed that the GTA games helped “train” him to kill. Moore was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death.

This is one idiot that will not be missed. There could be some truth behind what he rants and raves about, but he certainly goes overboard very easily. Check out the full posting at IGN.

CPU-Z is a diagnostic tool that provides information on your CPU, including: processor name and vendor, core stepping and process, processor package, internal and external clocks, clock multiplier, partial overclock detection, processor features, supported instructions sets, L1 and L2 cache information, location, size, speed, and technology.

• Improved support for ATI RS480/482 chipsets.
• nVidia GeForce 6100/6150 (nForce 410/430) chipsets support.
• Intel E7520 chipset support.
• New CPUs support : AMD Opteron socket 939, Intel Pentium 4 Cedar Mill and Presler, Intel Xeon Paxville, Intel Pentium M Yonah SC & DC.
• Several bug fixed.

A couple friends have already pointed out a few bugs already, so no doubt some still reside. You can grab the newest version right here.

We think it’s time to spill the beans (or at least, show us the can label) for the next 3DMark? What snippets can you tell us – what shader model are you considering as the default option (SM2.0 again)? What kind of effects are you going to highlight this time – parallax bump mapping, tone mapping, soft shadow edges?

I don’t think it is a secret that we have been working very hard to bring out one more DirectX9 3D benchmark before we move over to the next big thing, Windows Vista. I don’t want to spill all the beans about the next 3DMark yet, since the benchmark is not done, and there are some things that may still change. The minimum required shader model will be 2.0, but we will also have a couple of graphics tests requiring SM3.0 with support for FP16 textures and blending of these.

Regardless of whether you love 3D Mark or think it is a nonsense benchmark, there’s no doubt that it’s fun to watch. Nothing like a nice tech demo to impress your family and friends! Check out the interesting continuation of the interview over at Beyond3D.

A week has quickly passed by and that means our current Cooler Master contest is nearing its end. Hurry and get in on the action
before it is too late. You have less than one week left! There are some great prizes to be won.

Check out the full details at InsaneTek.

The originally Icemat was hailed the world over my gamers and enthusiasts for its sleek looks, gaming prowess, and the all important part of aiding the experienced gamer in making fragging those noobs just that bit easier. Today I have with me the newer, sleeker and sexier looking Icemat 2nd Edition, let’s see how it does when put through its paces.

If you have the desk space for it, this seems to be a solid mousepad. Of course, how many times could you brag to your friends that your mousepad is made of glass? Head over to Pro-Clockers for the full review.

It’s been a busy week so far, reviews everywhere! Computer cases that resemble pleasure toys are not usually too common. However, Future Looks takes a look at the ASUS Vento 3600… and I really have no idea what was on ASUS’ minds when they threw that together. If you like spy pics, take a look at Overclockers Online today, as they show two gorgeous new HTPC cases from Silverstone.

2GB is all the rage now, and your decision should really revolve around which make to buy. techPowerUp! is taking a look at some very fast Mushkin Redline, which should satisfy your craving with a nice DDR500 clock. Of course, if you are Intel, then DDR2 may be more for you. Techniz takes a look at a nice Patriot kit, which is extremely fast but only 1GB.

If you are still on the lookout for a new GPU, you may want to consider the new 6800 GS which is being reviewed at X-Bit. This is an amazing card, and I highly recommend it to anyone on a budget. Of course, if you are willing to slap over double that amount, you can get a brand spanking new 7800GT, which Xtreme Computing reviews today.

Cases & Enclosures
• Asus Vento 3600 – Future Looks
• Bytexx Backup Star External Enclosure – Tweak Town
• Silverstone Temjin 7 Pictures – Overclockers Online

Cooling
• Aerocool HT-102 CPU Cooler – Mad Shrimps
• Ajigo MF043044 Athlon64 Heatsink – Frosty Tech
• LS Cable LSHS L500 & X500 CPU Coolers – PimpRig

Memory & Storage
• Mushkin Redline XP4000 2GB – techPowerUp!
• Patriot Memory 1GB DC DDR2 PC6400 – Techniz
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 HDD – GameBiz

Motherboards & CPU’s
• Biostar GeForce 6100-M9 TForce Motherboard – Tweak Town
• Foxconn WinFast 6150K8MA-8EKRS – T-Break
• Gigabyte K8N51GMF-9 Motherboard – Legion Hardware

Peripherals
• Enermax Liberty EL500AWT 500W – InsaneTek
• Enermax Liberty 620W Modular PSU – Viper Lair
• Logitech G5 Laser Mouse – CoolTechZone
• Sunbeamtech Theta TP-101 Fan Controller – Case Mod God
• SunbeamTech X-1300 Gaming Mouse – OCIA
• Super Flower Plug-N-Power PSU – Virtual-Hideout

Video Cards
• Club3D 7800GT 256mb – Xtreme Computing
• Diablotek nVidia GeForce 6600 256MB – Think Computers
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS – X-Bit Labs
• XFX GeForce 6600 256MB DDR2 – Hot Hardware
• XGI Technology Volari 8300 (XG47) – Phoronix

Etcetera
• Buying Guide: Chic Laptop Bags For Fall – Design Technica
• Func sUrface 1030 Archetype Competition Mouse Surface – Tech-Mods
• Matrox DualHead2Go Notebook Multi-display Breakout Box – PC Stats
• Samsung SyncMaster 204T 20″ Silver LCD Monitor – Bonafide

Is your laptop getting a little too hot around the collar? Sometimes doing even simple tasks on a notebook can heat it up in a hurry, making it uncomfortable to even use. Gaming can even be more frustrating, since the heat generated is making the entire laptop run like tar dripping from a roof. Today we are looking at Titan’s solution to the problem.

After the current AMD Athlon 64 Review overview there’s a final summary
of all AMD Socket A Motherboards which were tested so far on ocinside.de
There will surely still appear some Socket A Motherboard on the market,
but probably no new boards for exciting Reviews.
So there’s now the final summary with links to all AMD SocketA Motherboard Reviews
and links to numerous VCore solder tutorials.

If you are insane and want to build a Socket A system, then you will want to check out the full list of many motherboards OC Inside.

TeamGroup is not well known here in the States, but they do have reputation overseas. Their Samsung TCCD based Xtreem PC4800 is an
excellent introduction to the company’s potential.

Granted, this is a 1GB kit in a coming 2GB world, but the performance is amazing, especially for a name we haven’t likely seen before. InsaneTek sucessfully overclocked the modules to DDR630 speeds, which is extremely impressive, especially at 2.8v. Check out the full look over at InsaneTek.

With nine prizes to win, including a motherboard, a video card, 2GB
of memory and a SFF barebone system, this is definitely the contest to join!
Entering takes no more than 30 second so there’s no reason to wait!

If you like free stuff, and who doesn’t, head over and get your name in over at Overclockers Online. They have 9 killer prizes to win, including two cases and some Corsair memory. Check out all the details Overclockers Online.

The monitor rocks, pure and simple. It’s not perfect by any means, but then what current LCD display is right now? It’s close enough to perfection for me, though, and that’s all I can really say subjectively. A really nice piece of kit to complement any modern PC with a DVI port. Gamers should love it, and it’s an 8bpc panel with a provided sRGB profile for Windows and Mac, so Photoshop addicts should get along with it just nicely too.

If you are willing to slap over $1,000US on a monitor, you are going to get one that will give you a sore jaw, because it will never stop dropping. This is one of the more gorgeous LCD’s out there, and supports 1920×1200. It’s 12ms could be a tad better, but what more can you ask for really? Check out the full review over at Hexus.

It’s an incredibly busy day, so get your reading glasses. Both Overclockers Online and Tech-Mods are taking a look at the Corsair PC3500 LL Pro modules, which we reviewed last month, and still continue to impress. But if you are a diehard Micron fan, you may want to check out the Ballistix PC4000 reviews at Legit Reviews.

If you are buying motherboards aside from the popular, you may want to read techPowerUps review of the ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard. It lacks options for overclockers, but turns out to be an extremely stable board. Immersive headphones are all over the place, but not too many are like the eDimensional ones. One thing is for sure.. they look very comfortable. You can check out that review at Techware Labs.

Cases & Enclosures
• Nikao Dragonfire Case – Think Computers
• Vantec Nexstar GX HDD Enclosure – Virtual-Hideout
• Vantec SATA EZ-Swap MRK-200ST-BK – PC Stats

Cooling
• Gigabyte Neon Cooler 8-BL Athlon64 Heatsink – Frosty Tech
• SilverStone Nitrogen NT02 – Extensive Mods

Memory & Storage
• Corsair TWINX 2048-3500LLPRO – Overclockers Online
• Corsair TWINX 2048-3500LLPRO – Tech-Mods
• Crucial Ballistix PC4000 2GB Memory – Legit Reviews
• OCZ EB DDR PC-4000 2x1024MB 2GB Kit – MvkTech

Motherboards & CPU’s
• ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 – techPowerUp!
• Gigabyte 8VT880P Combo Motherboard – Viper Lair
• GigaByte GA-K8N PRO-SLI Mainboard – Big Bruin
• MSI K8NSLI Platinum nForce4 SLI Motherboard – Overclockers New Zealand

Peripherals
• eDimensional AudioFX Gaming Headset – Techware Labs
• Logitech Z-5500 Speakers – Xbox 2
• Razer Copperhead Mouse – Telefragged

Video Cards
• Gigabyte 6600GT Silent Pipe II – GamePyre
• Radeon X800XL and GeForce 6800GT Compared – Tech-Hounds

Etcetera
• Explanatory Guide: How To Record & Play Music From A DVD – Design Technica
• GoblinX Mini v1.2.1 (Linux) – Phoronix
• Sharkoon Xurface – A1 Electronics

Press Releases
• ATI Gets the Green Flag in the New NASCAR® PC by Cisnet – Read PR
• Intellisync to Provide Wireless Push Email for the Novell GroupWise Collaboration Platform – Read PR
• New EMC Solutions, Services and Software Support Help Customers Implement Microsoft – Read PR

It’s somewhat of an oddity to see a brand new 6* series card being released, after the 7* series have been out since late June. The 6800GS looks to be a direct competitor with the X1600XT, and has specifications a fair bit under a regular 6800GT.

As you can see, NVIDIA is doing two rather important things with the new 6800 GS. Firstly they made sure that the core frequency is clocked a good 20-25% faster over the standard 6800. Next to that they have armed the GS with more and faster high-end gDDR3 memory which now runs at a 500 MHz clock frequency (that’s effectively 1000 MHz). Can you smell the performance increase already ? Interestingly enough this product might swing towards and over GT performance here and there due to the high framebuffer bandwidth and the higher than GT core frequency, but we’ll have to check that out in our benchmark sessions where we’ll put performance to the test.

Is this card going to be worth throwing in your next build, or your mothers computer? Check out the full review at Guru3D and Hard|OCP and Tech Report and AnandTech!