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- Maxon Redshift With AMD Radeon GPU Rendering Support Now Available
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‘Destroyed’ Hard Drive Found At Flea Market
From Yahoo News comes this tidbit about a couple who got a very shocking phone call. Henry and Roma Gerbus received a phone call from a man named Ed claiming he had purchased their old hard drive at a flea market. They had previously taken their computer to Best Buy to have the hard drive replaced and were told that the store would destroy it. Now it has turned up at a flea market, still containing their personal information, such as bank account numbers and Social Security numbers. The Gerbus’ are a little perplexed and are very worried about identity theft.
How nice. First Best Buy uses Winternals without paying for it, and now they sell customers drives that they claim they destroyed. Check out the post at Slashdot.
Adobe Threatens Microsoft With Suit
Adobe has threatened an antitrust suit against Microsoft, over PDF writing in Office 2007. Adobe wants Microsoft to separate the feature and charge extra for it. Microsoft has agreed to remove PDF writing, but won’t charge extra. In February, Adobe Chief Executive Bruce Chizen told Reuters he considered Microsoft to be the company’s biggest concern.
Adobe has previously opened the spec for PDF, which is strange since they don’t want anyone to use it apparently. Check out the full post at Slashdot.
AMD Announces 4×4 Enthusiast Platform
AMD announced today during a conference call that a new platform will be created and focused on just for the enthusiast desktop market. AMD has long been driving high-performance features on its Athlon family of processors and according to a number of surveys, most gamers are swaying towards AMD systems rather than Intel systems for gaming, or other application intense applications. Called 4×4, AMD”s new platform brings along dual-socket motherboards.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, you may want to know that the motherboard is only designed for FX AM2 chips. At this point in time, only the FX-62 is released. $2,000 for the machines CPU”s? That”s not enthusiast, that”s hardcore enthusiast. Check out the full posting at DailyTech.
AMD Announced Initiatives to Elevate AMD64 as Platform For System and Industry-Wide Innovation
SUNNYVALE, CALIF. – June 1, 2006 – Building on its innovation
leadership, partner support and customer success, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today
announced a wide breadth of initiatives targeted at extending its
leadership across multiple facets of the computing ecosystem. AMD
released details around its next-generation microprocessor architecture;
system-level technology initiatives that are designed to enable greater
interoperability and value-added design opportunities for partners using
AMD platforms; and advances in AMD”s innovative manufacturing and
process technologies. Additionally, AMD announced its plans for a new
high-performance enthusiast platform. These announcements underscore
AMD”s track record of and focus on delivering the right technologies at
the right time for the market.
You can read the full press release here.
Mushkin Announces First DDR-2 REDLINE
Denver, CO, June 1, 2006– Mushkin Enhanced, a leading manufacturer in high-performance computer components, is proud to announce the addition of the XP2-8000 DDR-2 memory module into the legendary REDLINE class. REDLINE, synonymous with cutting-edge performance, is recognized globally as the best performing memory available today. “The addition of the XP2-8000 to Mushkin’s REDLINE class should excite enthusiasts worldwide, as only the best performing modules make it into this class,” said Lee Groninger, Director of Mushkin Sales and Marketing, “This XP2-8000 definitely upholds the reputation put forth by previous DDR-1 REDLINE modules.” The XP2-8000 REDLINE will be available in both 512MB and 1GB capacities and is rated 4-5-4-11 at 2.2V.
You can read the full press release here.
Hardware Roundup for June 2
- Antec P150 Quiet PC Case – Legit Reviews
- Thermaltake Armor Jr. Mid-Tower Case – PC Apex
- Thermaltake Mozart Media LAB – Overclockers Online
- Zalman HD160 HTPC Home Theater PC Case – TweakNews
Cases & Enclosures
- Evercool WC202 Water Cooler – Motherboards.org
- ThermalRight Ultra 90 Cooler – Overclocker Cafe
- Zalman CNPS9500-LED CPU Cooler – Virtual-Hideout
Cooling
- Seagate Momentus 5400.3 – TweakTown
Memory & Storage
- Akasa PaxPower 460W Power Supply – Extreme Overclocking
- CoolerMaster iGreen Power 430w Power Supply – OCIA
- OCZ Technology GameXStream 700W Power Supply Unit – Big Bruin
- Thermaltake PurePower 600 Watt PSU – Gruntville
- QPAD XT-R Mousepad – techPowerUp!
Peripherals & Power Supplies
- ATI Catalyst Technology brief – a paper about Vista’s graphics driver model (WDDM) – Bjorn3D
- BFG Technologies GeForce 7900 GT OC – PC Perspective
- Gigabyte NX76T – Toms Hardware
- HIS X1800GTO IceQ3 Turbo Video Card – XYZ Computing
- Palit 7600GS – T-Break
- Sapphire X1900 XT Card – Technic3D
- Workstation Graphics Card Comparison Guide Rev. 4.0 – Rojak Pot
Video Cards & Monitor
- Alienware Aurora m9700 17″ SLI Notebook – HotHardware
- Asus A7J 17-inch Core Duo Notebook Review – PC Perspective
- CoolerMaster & OCIA.net June Contest – OCIA
- Sony Vaio UX Micro PC – Digital Trends
Etcetera & Contests
Windows Live OneCare now for sale
We first learned of OneCare just over a year ago. After being tested internally, it went into a public beta. In March, Microsoft added Windows Defender to the OneCare arsenal while removing the beta tag. Windows Live OneCare is available for download with a free 90-day trial. One-year subscriptions are US$49.99 and cover up to three PCs, which should make it more attractive for households with more than one computer running Windows.
I don’t use protection software usually, but I may just check out this. At least the one-year subs cover three PC’s. That was a smart move on their part. Check out the article at Ars Technica.
Analyst Group Says Microsoft Portable Game Console Coming In 18 Months
Because they don’t have much in-house experience building portable gamer players or portable music devices, they’ve been looking at two different strategies. Licensing an Xbox OS to others to build portable hardware, or making its own player with its own designs.
If anything, you have to check out the post at Gizmodo for the sake of seeing a artists rendition of what their portable system would look like. Please.. I don’t want to see this happen.
Seagate to Cut Maxtor in Half
According to the brief during Seagate’s recent shareholder’s meeting, much was discussed about Seagate’s recent acquisition of its largest competitor, Maxtor. Seagate said that it plans to lay off more than 50% of existing Maxtor employees. While the company intends to keep the Maxtor brand name as well as some Maxtor services, it indicated that most of Maxtor’s North American employees would be let go.
China is hardly affected, but Seagate plans to lay-off over 12,000 workers in the US. Check out the story at DailyTech.
Nintendo DS Lite Now Available In the US
Although the Nintendo DS Lite handheld console isn’t supposed to be released in the United States until Friday, June 11, reports indicate that several stores, including Walmart and Target, have already placed the coveted handheld on store shelves. It is unknown whether or not the stores intended on selling the DS Lite early, or if it was a mistake.
The story would tell itself if it was only one store that sold them early, but it was multiple. The official release date was yesterday in Australia, and maybe they were jealous? Check out the story at DailyTech.
See Vista.. Run?
If you are one of those people who just can’t get enough Vista information, then this new website is for you. Microsoft launched a completely flash based website called http://www.seewindowsvista.com/. There, you can see what’s coming to Vista, and examples of projects you can accomplish with the OS. It may just help tide you over until it finally ships..
Ubuntu 6.06 ‘Dapper Drake’ Released
Ubuntu Dapper Drake has been finally been released. Run on over to the download site while it’s still hot. From the announcement: ‘Ubuntu 6.06 LTS introduces functionality that simplifies common Linux server deployment processes. For system administrators setting up large numbers of web, mail and related servers, Ubuntu 6.06 LTS offers the fastest and most consistent path to deployment, combined with the availability of global commercial support where needed.’
Check it out at Slashdot. In addition to Ubuntu, KDE 3.5.3 has also been released.
Adobe officially kills GoLive and Freehand-or do they?
After this story broke, Adobe denied that Freehand and GoLive were on the chopping block, telling Macworld that “Adobe plans to continue to support GoLive and Freehand and develop these products based on our customer’s needs.” However, the company also said that Dreamweaver and Illustrator are “market leading” applications and that it would “concentrate [its] development efforts around these two products with regards to future innovation and Creative Suite integration.”
I used to use Freehand back in the day, and wasn’t really aware it was still around. As long as they don’t take Dreamweaver.. Check out the full news at Ars Technica.
Symantec Names Genesis ‘Norton 360’
Symantec today announced that its upcoming consumer PC security service will be branded Norton 360. The security service will include online identity theft protection, backup and PC tune-up capabilities. Norton 360, previously codenamed Genesis, is part of Symantec’s broader vision for the next generation of online security, coined Security 2.0. 360 is Symantec’s response to Microsoft’s recently released Windows Live OneCare.
I can’t ever imagine what gave them the idea for that particular name. Regardless of the name, it will probably be still painful to use. Check out the full posting at Neowin.
Novell Reports Financial Results for Second Fiscal Quarter 2006
WALTHAM, Mass. – May 31, 2006 – Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2006. For the quarter, Novell reported revenue of US$278 million, compared to revenue of $297 million for the second fiscal quarter 2005. Net income available to common stockholders in the second fiscal quarter 2006 was $3 million or $0.01 per diluted common share. This compared to net loss available to common stockholders of $16 million, or $0.04 loss per diluted common share, for the second fiscal quarter 2005.
You can read the full press release here.
OCZ Technology Launches First Memory Series with Enhanced Performance Profiles
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the PC2-7200 Platinum Series—the introduction to OCZ’s memory line with Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP). The new PC2-7200 Platinum EPP modules are exclusively designed with advanced SPD settings to allow compatible motherboards to recognize and utilize the added operation data, ultimately increasing the performance potential of the entire platform.
You can read the full press release here.
Hardware Roundup for June 1
- iCute 0508 Case – GamePyre
- iStar D-200 2U Rackmount Chassis – Virtual-Hideout
- Shuttle XPC P 2500 G SFF System – Hexus
Cases & Enclosures
- Cooljag SFO-Q Socket AM2 / 939 Heatsink – FrostyTech
- Thermaltake Symphony Mini – techPowerUp!
- Thermalright Ultra-90 K8 CPU Cooler – ModTheBox
Cooling
- AMD DDR2 Performance – Phoronix
- ATP Petito 512MB USB Flash Drive – Think Computers
- Seagate 7200.10 750GB Hard Drive – Bjorn3D
Memory & Storage
- AMD socket 939 AMD Athlon motherboards guide – Al-Electronics
- ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wi-Fi Edition – Motherboards.org
Motherboards & CPU’s
- Cooler Master iGreen Power 600W PSU – 3D Gameman
- Levicom Master 450W PSU – Technic3D
- Vizo Master Panel – Think Computers
Peripherals & Power Supplies
- Connect3D X1600PRO 512Mb AGP – DNR Hardware
- Mobile GPU Comparison Guide Rev. 5.3 Posted – Rojak Pot
- Sapphire ATI Radeon X1900XTX 512Meg – TweakNews
Video Cards & Monitor
- AirTouch VoIP Ethernet Phone – CyberwizardPit
- AOpen miniPC MP915-B Super Multi System – PC Stats
- Podcast: E3, MacBooks, UMPCs, and the future of gaming! – Digital Trends
- Tom Bihn Brain Bag – Xtreme Computing
- Contest: XFX true-XXX edition competition – Hexus
Etcetera & Contests
Sin Episodes Progressive Report – Part 1: Emergence
The Steam distribution system has introduced some fantastic games since its introduction, including the very well-received Darwinia last year. Most recently, Ritual Entertainment has started releasing a series of first-person shooter episodes titled Sin Episodes. There are 9 episodes in total following an in-depth story of a security force commander John Blade. The game uses the Half-Life 2 engine on the back end but has been tweaked by the experts at Ritual to be an even better graphical system and add their own unique interactive environments.
Check out the full review at Think Gaming.
Allofmp3.com running out of time?
With Russian law enforcement taking a fresh look at the site and its operations, its days may finally be numbered. Russia is pressing to become a member of the World Trade Organization, and one of the obstacles in its path has been piracy of music, movies, and software. In comments made earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted his country needed to do a better job of enforcing IP laws.
Maybe this is a hint that normal online music stores charge too much? Of course, AOMP3 sold music for far cheaper than should be expected, but it’s clear that people out there want legal music. They just don’t want to completely empty their wallet for it. Check out the full article at Ars Technica.
Trial software trying PC users’ patience
Complaints about the “crapware,” as Geek Squad founder Robert Stephens put it, are prominent in discussion forums and blogs related to PCs. But last week’s deal between Dell and Google to install Google software on new Dell PCs shows that more and more of the real estate on the PC is for sale to application vendors, as PC vendors continue to look for new sources of revenue to boost their margins.
If you’ve ever bought a pre-built system from a large manufacturer, you know all about this. I remember how many icons were on my Dell laptop when it was new. It’s just not right that the first thing you need to do is hit up the Add/Remove panel! Check out the full article at News.com.
500 Hour Test of Tomorrow’s Windows “Vista”
Tom’s Hardware Guide has expended some serious effort in our review of Windows Vista, to let us dig beneath the surface. We spent about 500 hours with the most current version, putting this new Windows operating system through its paces. In this review we also include more than 130 screenshots, and provide an overview of all the many different programs, settings, and functions that this new Microsoft offering delivers.
Toms take the usual 40-page in-depth look at a product. This time Vista is on the testbench, and for the mostpart, they like what they see. Of course it’s still ‘ultimately’ buggy, but it is still a fair way from release. Check out the full article here.
Fluid XP+ Extreme Performance Coolant
What can I say? FluidXP really had nothing to prove, yet they improved an already outstanding product and dropped the price as well. While Fluid XP+ is still at a price point somewhat higher than the competition and the performance testing is extremely close, it would seem to have a slight edge that the extreme performance crowd will flock to. I also didn’t see any of the dye related problems that plagued the first batches of PCIce.
If you are looking for some great coolant that comes in various colors, this may be worth your attention. The bad? It costs near $40! Check out the full review at PC Apex.
Dell DTR Laptop Shootout – M1710 vs. E1705
Besides comparing the E1705 and the M1710, we will also take a closer look at the construction of both systems, and we will provide more information on the included components and overall system design. Naturally, both of these laptops are still in the desktop replacement (DTR) category, so if you’re looking for a thin and light notebook computer, you will want to look elsewhere.
If you are looking for a desktop replacement, then you’ll want to check out the in-depth review at AnandTech. Just because it’s a DTR, there’s no reason for it to weight 20lbs ;)
Alienware Aurora with 7900 GTX
The specification is obviously high end, but one thing strikes us – is it really high-end enough to justify the price tag? We’ve been staunch defenders of Alienware’s right to charge through the nose for quality in the past, but we can’t help but feel that in this case, those forking out the large amount of cash required will be a little disappointed. Most of the major boxes are checked – the FX-60 and the 7900 SLI are clearly big winners. However, the 2GB of RAM is on four 512MB sticks, which reduces the speed – this is a rookie system building mistake, and is an unnecessary bottleneck in what should be an explosive system.
As always, this Alienware is a very solid system. But for the $4,000 pricetag, is should be offering a lot more to the consumer. Check out the full review at Bit-Tech.
FX-62 and X2 5000+ Are Socket AM2 Only
Yesterday The Inquirer reported AMD was going to release Athlon 64 FX-62 and Athlon 64 X2 5000+ processors for socket 939. The source for the information was from the AMD processor price page where it listed the two models available for socket AM2 and Socket 939.
However, this is incorrect and it was only a misprint on the AMD website according to our AMD Public Relations representative, Damon Muzny. Muzny wrote to say, “While I was out on Thursday and Friday a number of you good folks noticed that there was a misprint on AMD’s website. Specifically, our pricing page incorrectly stated that the X2 5000+ and FX-62 would be available in a 939-pin flavor. That typo has been corrected and the pricing page now should read correctly.”
In the business side of things, it would be foolish for AMD to release 939 versions if they want to push AM2. So this is to be expected, really. Check out the full posting at DailyTech.