- Qualcomm Launches Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Mobile Platform
- AMD Launches Ryzen PRO 7000 Series Mobile & Desktop Platform
- Intel Launches Sleek Single-Slot Arc Pro A60 Workstation Graphics Card
- NVIDIA Announces Latest Ada Lovelace Additions: GeForce RTX 4060 Ti & RTX 4060
- Maxon Redshift With AMD Radeon GPU Rendering Support Now Available
Social & RSS Feeds
Latest Videos
Latest News
Tech News
Tycoon City: New York Review
There’s just no parallel to the satisfaction that running another tycoon into the ground by taking each and every single business they own. With that sadistic statement being said, this game is really and truly addictive one you get down to the threads and fabrics which line its frame. The simple business mechanics leave people to manage their own stores while you sit back, cigar in one hand, cognac in the other (or pizza and a cup of joe if you so please), zipping around the city making things happen, deciding who’ll make and break those new districts.
This game looks *really* good; the graphics are exactly what I like to see in a sim game! It turns out that the game is also quite good according to GamePyre. Check out the complete review at GamePyre.
Video Card Memory Analysis: 256MB vs. 512MB
I don’t believe anyone reading this would disagree that 512MB cards will become a firm requirement of high end gaming very soon, but the key question here is do 512MB framebuffers offer anything to us now, other than future proofing?
This debate has been going on for quite a while, but we are close to a point where 512MB will be what you want. Pure Overclock puts two 7800GT’s through a lot of testing, and some of the results are quite interesting! You can read the full article right here.
NVIDIA Graphics Power Windows Vista Kiosks at Intel Developer Forum
SANTA CLARA, CA – March 13, 2006—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) reported today that NVIDIA GPUs enabled users to get a sneak peek of the new Microsoft® Windows Vistaâ„¢ Aero interface during Intel’s Developer Forum 2006 in San Francisco last week. Early preview versions of the new operating system were running on Dellâ„¢ XPSâ„¢ notebooks powered by NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs) used on all of the 24 IDF Connect Internet kiosks. NVIDIA graphics solutions were also exclusively featured in more than a dozen desktop PCs running Windows Vista at the Microsoft booth.
You can read the full press release here.
Hostility between ATi and NVIDIA staff starts to become physical
The ‘Munchner Halle’, which is a large beer house within the CeBIT Messe, is where NVIDIA traditionally holds its good natured ‘partner’ and press parties, and for as long back as I can remember, a really good time is had by all, and in the main without ugly incident. But late last night eyewitnesses saw months of increasingly ill blood between core personnel from ATi and NVIDIA, erupt into what seemed set to become a physical confrontation.
This is somewhat humorous, but could have ended up worse. I guess the moral of the story is, don’t mix NVIDIA with alcohol and top it off with ATI. Read all about it at Hexus.
EMC Named Leader In Storage Software Market
HOPKINTON, Mass. – March 13, 2006 – EMC Corporation, the world leader in information management and storage, was the #1 provider of storage software for the sixth consecutive year in 2005, according to a report released today by IDC [a, b]. During the fourth quarter, EMC led the worldwide storage software market in total revenue for the 12th consecutive quarter.
You can read the full press release here.
Hardware Roundup for Mar. 13
Happy Monday everyone. Hexus has had great CeBit coverage up to now, but it’s not stopping yet! There were a few postings there that stood out to me, such as the 71″ LG Plasma TV. As if size wasn’t enough, the tv is plated in 24 Karat Gold! Sapphire apparently doesn’t think that the stock X1900XTX speeds are enough, because they are planning to release a similar model for £50 more that’s liquid cooled. It’s all in one, and will only take up the PCI slot it’s next to. The product was co-designed with Thermaltake, so it’s got good experience behind it. Is NVIDIA going to burry the ULi name like they did with 3DFX? Check out the posting, also at Hexus, to see the speculation.
If you are a gamer with a standard mouse, you don’t know what you are missing! Think Gaming has posted a new review of the Razer Copperhead mouse which they loved. The main downside is that some of the buttons are hard to reach… which can really affect whether you live or die. Of course, maybe you are just looking for a cool mouse for your laptop. Hardware-Pacers takes the new MS Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 for a spin, and it looks sweet! I think it’s the best laptop mouse I have ever seen, and it’s apparently a great performer also, earning a 9.8/10 on the HP scale.
- Cooler Master Centurion 532 Case – Big Bruin
- Gigabyte 3D Aurora Gaming Case – Extreme MHz
- Silverstone SG-01 Evolution SFF – PC Perspective
Cases & Enclosures
- CeBit: Corsair cool 7900 GTX SLI in silence in system with new DDR – Hexus
Cooling
- Corsair TwinX2048-3500LLPro – techFEAR
Memory & Storage
- CeBit: Xcute show off their new range of mobiles – Hexus
- Logitech G7 – Hardware Logic
- MERC Gaming Keyboard – Bjorn3D
- Microsoft Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 – Hardware-Pacers
- Plantronics Discovery 640 Bluetooth Headset – Think Computers
- Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse – Think Gaming
Peripherals & Power Supplies
- ASUS EN7800GT TOP Silent – Beyond3D
- CeBit: Club3D show off retrofit watercooling for X1800 and X1900 – Hexus
- CeBit: G4 Apple Macs set to be accelerated by XFX GeForce graphics – Hexus
- CeBit: LG’s 71-inch gold-plated 1080p plasma screen. You know you want one – Hexus
- Matrox DualHead2Go – XYZ Computing
- NVIDIA 7900GT + NVClock – Phoronix
- CeBit: NVIDIA set to kill off ULI brand name? – Hexus
- CeBit: SAPPHIRE BLIZZARD Radeon X1900 XTX – Liquid-cooled – Hexus
- XFX 7600 GT XXX Edition Video Card – Legit Reviews
Video Cards & Monitor
- CeBit: “And the award for best company name at CeBit 2006 goes to…” – Hexus
- Contest: Announcing the ARP-Zalman Survey Contest Winners – Rojak Pot
- CeBit: CeBIT 2006 Germany – Guru 3D
- CeBIT 2006 Report with PC-Hardware main focus – OC Inside
- Contest: Cooler Master Centurion 532 Case – Big Bruin
- devolo HomePlug 85Mbps mains-networking kit – Hexus
- Contest: Griffin PowerMate Giveaway – Virtual-Hideout
- Linux: Ubuntu v6.04 Dapper Drake Flight 5 – Phoronix
Etcetera & Contests
Mushkin 2GB XP2-5300 Extreme Performance DDR2 Review
If you are looking for the biggest and baddest low-latency DDR2 memory kit for your dual-channel system, this is it! Introducing the new Mushkin 2GB XP2-5300 Extreme Performance DDR2 Dual Pack! Join Adrian as he takes a look at the new Mushkin modules and why they might just be the best modules for your DDR2 system!
Check out the full review at Rojak Pot.
Corepad Victory Mousepad Review
Woohoo, mouse pad reviews mean play time for me! Up on my review block today is the Corepad Victory, a hard surface professional mouse pad. If you know mouse pads, then you know Corepad, they are makers of quite a few different styles of pads and accessories for gamers and non-gamers alike. Enough, let’s check this pad out…
Check out the full review over at Think Computers.
Scythe KATANA 775 (SCKTN-775) Heatsink Review
Keeping an Intel processor is a task within its self. So, finding the right heatsink cooler can also be a task as well. And then finding one that is not so noisy is definitely a job for the patient. Scythe has flown a new cooler to us, which they say will take care of both. The Katana 775 is here for reviewing.
Head on over to Pro-Clockers for the full review.
Asetek WaterChill KT12A-12VX Review
Asetek is a leader in high-end cooling with a reputation of
outstanding performance from their products and kits. The WaterChill
KT12A-12VX certainly didn’t disappoint with performance that kept one of
the hottest processors I have worked with around the 40C mark. The
ability to cool the chipset and video card were impressive to say the
least again lowering the operating temperature of my X800GTO to
temperatures I thought impossible.
Check out the full review at Overclockers Online.
Kanotix 2006 CeBIT Preview
With CeBIT taking place this week, the German-based Kanotix
has released a 2006 preview of this Linux distribution to display at
this exhibition. We have obtained this Kanotix preview release and have
a few shots of it here today. Kanotix 2006 CeBIT preview includes the
Linux 2.6.15.6 kernel, NVIDIA LiveCD support, and the new Kanotix
Control Center.
Check out the full pictorial at Phoronix.
Vizo Luxon IDE & SATA 3.5" External HDDEnclosure Review
Installing the drive of your choice into the Luxon is a very straightforward
process that can be completed in 15 minutes. The first thing you will need to
do is to set the jumpers according to the hard disk’s interface, either IDE or
SATA. There is a sticker located in the enclosure where the hard drive mounts,
or you can find this information in the owner’s manual as well.
Check out the full review over at Mod The Box.
Richard Garriott to Be Celebrated With a Lifetime Achievement Award
Creator of ‘Ultima’ Series Richard Garriott to Be Celebrated by Peers With a Lifetime Achievement Award During the 6th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards
SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 /PRNewswire/ — Richard Allen Garriott, executive producer, NCsoft® North America, will be honored with this year’s Game Developers Choice Award for Lifetime Achievement. A respected pioneer of the computer gaming world and best known for his monumental game series Ultima, Garriott will be recognized for fueling the presence of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) in the mass market. The iconic game maker, known in the industry as Lord British, is credited with being a giant force within the gaming community. Produced and hosted by the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and presented by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the 6th annual Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, March 22 at the San Jose Civic Auditorium.
“It is a high honor to be counted among the legends who are previous recipients of this award, such as Will Wright and Eugene Jarvis,” said Garriott.
During his 20+ years as a programmer and video game designer, Garriott has received numerous awards including Computer Gaming World’s “15 Most Influential Industry Players,” Next Generation’s “America’s Elite,” PC Gamer’s “Game Gods,” and PC Games’ “Designer of the Year.” Garriott, along with his brother, Robert, was also named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Inc. magazine. Garriott was also recently chosen as the ninth inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame.
“Garriott almost single-handedly brought the role-playing game experience to glowing life,” remarked Jamil Moledina, director of the Game Developers Conference. “Given his ongoing role in evolving the form to its current massively multiplayer online incarnation, we are proud to honor him for his lifetime achievement.”
Son of Skylab and Spacelab astronaut Owen K. Garriott, Richard took an interest in computers at a young age. He began programming games in high school and produced his first published game, Akalabeth, at the age of 19. While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Garriott began developing one of the most successful, longest-running game series of all time: Ultima. Garriott and his brother formed Origin Systems, Inc. to begin publishing their own games, and the company was acquired by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1992. By 1999, Garriott resigned and in the following year, he returned to the industry with his new startup Destination Games in partnership with his brother and Starr Long, producer of Ultima Online. In 2001, Destination merged with NCsoft where Garriott currently acts as producer and designer of MMORPGs. His long-awaited current project, Tabula Rasa, is expected to launch sometime this year, and he will share his experiences creating the game at this year’s GDC.
“Garriott’s creative vision and ability to push questions of morality via his game designs has paved the way for other game creators to explore all aspects of the human condition,” Jason Della Rocca, executive director, IGDA, said.
Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement award are selected by the Choice Awards Advisory Board, comprised of a diverse set of developers from across the globe. Past recipients of this award include: Eugene Jarvis, Mark Cerny, Gunpei Yokoi (posthumous), Yuji Naka and Will Wright.
About the International Game Developers Association (IGDA)
The International Game Developers Association is a non-profit membership organization that advocates globally on issues related to digital game creation. The IGDA’s mission is to strengthen the international game development community and effect change to benefit that community. For more information on the IGDA, please visit www.igda.org or e-mail [email protected].
About the CMP Game Group (www.cmpgame.com)
A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through the Game Developers Conference, GDC Europe, the Serious Games Summit D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Asia, Game Developer magazine, Gamasutra.com, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and GDCTV. For more information, please visit www.cmpgame.com.
About CMP Media (www.cmp.com)
Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare and lifestyles industries, CMP Media has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.
Guild Wars Factions on April 28
ARENANET AND NCSOFT ANNOUNCE APRIL 28 AS GLOBAL RELEASE DATE FOR GUILD WARS FACTIONS
March 10, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA): ArenaNet® , developer of the award-winning online roleplaying game Guild Wars®, and NCsoft® Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announce today the release date of Guild Wars Factions™, the hotly anticipated second game release from the critically acclaimed studio. Guild Wars Factions will be available in stores worldwide April 28, 2006.
Guild Wars Factions takes place on the Asian-inspired continent of Cantha, where new and existing Guild Wars players join an epic quest to defeat an ancient evil and save a war-torn empire. Roleplaying and competitive player-versus-player gamers alike will be able to join together in guild alliances to take control of territory and determine the fate of Cantha. New scored challenge missions and strategic competitive missions allow players to test their roleplaying prowess and earn the right for their alliance to take control of cities, towns and outposts. Large-scale alliance battles pit teams from opposing factions against each other in a struggle to conquer new territory and redraw the battle lines across the continent of Cantha. New elite missions allow the most skilled players exclusive access to areas designed to be the ultimate cooperative challenge.
“Guild Wars Factions is an exceptional game that invites players to immerse themselves in a truly epic adventure unlike any they have seen,†says Patrick Wyatt, a co-founder of ArenaNet. “The four new mission types create a unique experience that will engage both the roleplaying and competitive gamer in cooperative conquest of territories and strategic battles. Set against the landscapes of the visually stunning, Asian-themed continent of Cantha, and with two new characters to choose from – Assassin and Ritualist – Guild Wars Factions will redefine the online RPG experience.â€
New players will join the more than one million gamers already playing Guild Wars worldwide, and existing players will have a new continent and storyline to explore within the universe of Guild Wars, the ground-breaking online roleplaying game that took the gaming world by storm in 2005 with its innovative design, depth of play and no-subscription-fee model. While Guild Wars Factions is a standalone product that does not require Guild Wars to play, gamers with Guild Wars accounts who purchase Guild Wars Factions will be able to play in both campaigns with their existing characters and even gain extra character slots.
For gamers who can’t wait until April 28 to get their hands on a copy of Guild Wars Factions, ArenaNet is hosting a massive beta test event in which all existing Guild Wars players and their friends are invited to delve into the experiences awaiting them in Cantha. For those who want to be the first to enjoy all that Guild Wars Factions has to offer, a limited edition pre-order package is currently available at retail stores throughout North America. This pre-order pack includes an access key to the Factions Preview Event (FPE) on March 24, and also provides access to Guild Wars Factions twenty-four hours before the street date, exclusive in-game items for each of the game’s new professions, a “friend-key†that gives access to the FPE for friends without an existing Guild Wars account, a limited trial of Guild Wars (original Prophecies campaign) for a friend, a tactical guide, a quick reference card, and a CD that includes concept art, wallpapers, and in-game trailers.
For more information, please visit www.guildwars.com.
About ArenaNet
ArenaNet, located in Bellevue, Washington, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft Corporation. ArenaNet has built a state-of-the-art, interactive game network and develops premier multiplayer online games for dedicated game players. ArenaNet’s first title, Guild Wars, is a global online roleplaying game that allows gamers to play with anyone, anytime and anywhere in the world. Its highly-anticipated follow up, Guild Wars Factions, will be released spring 2006. More information about ArenaNet can be found at www.arena.net.
About NCsoft Corporation
Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, NCsoft Corporation is the world’s leading developer and publisher of online games. Founded in 1997, NCsoft is home to Lineage®, the world’s most successful online roleplaying game. NCsoft has joint venture offices located in Japan, Taiwan, and China, as well as branches in North America and the United Kingdom. In fiscal year 2005, NCsoft posted revenues of KRW (Korean Won) 338 billion or approximately US$346 million. More information about NCsoft can be found at www.plaync.com.
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Factions, ArenaNet, Lineage and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Thermaltake AquaBay HDD Water Block Review
As expected, we achieved a significant drop in temperatures. Not only is this a good thing for the drive but it helps keep case temperature down by transferring heat so that it is blown out of the system by your water cooling set up. Installation and quality of the components was first rate. I especially like to emphasize the long extra lengths of both 1/2″ and 3/8″ hose that were both UV reactive. It also needs to be pointed out again that Thermaltake gives you two pairs of connectors; one pair fitting 3/8″ H2O kits and the other fitting 1/2″ jobs. Versatile, well made and very practical.
Check out the full review at Overclocker Cafe.
VIZO Master Panel IDE & SATA Interface Review
The item lined up for this review is the Master Panel IDE & SATA High-Speed Interface. Coming in 3 colors – White, Black, and Silver – and fitting in a standard 5.25″ bay, the VIZO Master Panel provides an easy way to access the SATA and IDE connections on the motherboard. This is done by providing a gateway from the motherboard to the front of the case, keeping the end user from opening up the system case to install an external or extra drive.
You can check out the full review at Virtual-Hideout.
Akasa Evo 120 Cooler Review
I’m not particularly surprised that the Akasa Evo performed quite well. The Idle temperature dropped noticeably from the stock cooler, as did the Load temperatures. One of the biggest improvements was the noise level. The testing was done with the fan running just about in the middle of it’s available settings. The only noise that I can hear coming out of my case is the Power Supply fan.
Head over to Overclocker Cafe for the full review.
EVGA e-GeForce 7900GT CO SC 256MB PCI-E Video Card Video Review
The EVGA e-GeForce 7900GT CO SC 256MB PCI-E Video Card is a fantastic product that performs brilliantly. To make the best of it, the video card is well priced. Considering the performance vs. price, it has exceptional bang for the buck. The only video card faster is the GTX series of cards, but they are expensive. This product is loaded with features and is even SLI ready for the hardcore gamer. The time to upgrade is now! Watch the Video to find out more…
Check out the full video review at 3D Gameman.
HIS IceQ X1600 Pro Review
HIS is rapidly becoming one of if not the most active manufacturer when it comes to tweaking ATI reference video cards, with things like their IceQ cooling that reduces heat by an additional 20 degrees down to the more glitzy things like adding ram sinks to all of the memory modules on each of their cards. The card we are reviewing today is right square in ATI mid-price range and aimed at the casual gamer who wants to play a game now and then and perhaps watch video with it the rest of time. So come on along with us as we check out the HIS IceQ X1600 Pro.
You can read the full review over at Hi-Tech Reviews.
Speeze RockeTeer 600W Power Supply Review
Speeze introduced the RockeTeer 600W (EE-ATX-600W) power supply some months ago as a quiet 600W power supply supporting Intel and AMD based systems. We have gotten the opportunity check out this new powerful power supply which meets the latest ATX power standards. Next to the 600W model, Speeze also within the same product lineup has a 400W and 500W version. So without spending too much time we will take a closer look at the Speeze RockeTeer 600W power supply.
Check out the full review at MVKTech.
TerraTec Aureon 7.1 PCI Sound Card Review
Terratec’s Aureon 7.1 PCI is a low-cost soundcard that features Dolby
Digital Live encoding. So if you can look past its £39.99 price ticket you
can snap up a relatively powerful audio solution for equipping a general
desktop computer with top-end surround sound technology. Having said that,
you should note that the maximum number of channels that Dolby Digital Live
can output is actually 5.1 – the 7.1 refers to the Aureon’s number of
analogue outputs.
Check out the full review at BIOS Magazine.
Gigabyte Radeon X1600 Pro Review
Overall, the Gigabyte GV-RX16P256D-RH should be one of the entry level mid-range graphic cards to buy. There are few great features that really interesting for Radeon X1600Pro are the SM3.0, HDR, Avivo and others. The Silent-Pipe technology is used on the GV-RX16P256D-RH which is definitely good for those are hunting for silent PC operation. It was said that Radeon X1600 and X1300 series cards will not need a master card to run CrossFire but we have yet to confirm on that matter. The retail price for the Gigabyte GV-RX16P256D-RH is 160USD/ RM599, which is about the price of a NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT.
Head on over to PC Modding Malaysia for the full review.
NVIDIA GeForce 7 Phase 2 Roundup
For the money and performance I think the 7900GT series is a good all around gaming solution, and EVGA’s SuperClocked version is almost clocked as high as a reference GTX so do the numbers there. Priced at around $329.00 before any rebates or deals this is still a good $170.00 less than any current entry level GTX. The XFX 7900GTX is definitely the bad ass card of the group, I mean its overclocked right out of the box and faster than anything else in the single card solution arena, but if you want to play, you have to pay. I think the card will be priced in the $529.00 range and is top of the line performance, but at a top of the hill price as well. The 7600 is what it is, and that is a better performing entry level game card than its predecessor.
Check out the full read at GamePyre.
ATI Radeon X1800 GTO Video Card Review
Though most of our testing showed the X1800 GTO ahead of the overclocked 7600GT, we would only expect that since the ATI card is $50 more expensive. With specifications so close to the X1800XL the GTO performed nearly as well, which is to say it is very fast for a mid-range product. When it comes to Anti-Aliasing results the X1800 GTO will almost always show better performance and scaling due to the 256-bit bus vs. 128-bit on the NVIDIA card…
Check out the full review over at Legit Reviews.
OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 1024MB Platinum Enhanced Latency XTC Review
The OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 1024MB Platinum Enhanced Latency XTC memory kit was stable during our testing and we had no issues. OCZ delivered another stellar product and just one more notch in an ever growing line of products for users of every level of experience and price.
You can read the full review right at 3D Xtreme.