Bose QuietComfort 2 Noise Canceling Headphone Review
Laptop Gamers :: Monday, January 30, 2006
NVIDIA Quadro FX3400 Graphics Card Review
CoolTechZone :: Monday, January 30, 2006
“We’ve have always wondered whether a professional card, such as the NVIDIA Quadro FX series, can let us play games with as much ease as its GeForce counterparts. The reason is that most of the games are designed for consumer-end cards, so it makes sense that if the very cards that design the games should be able to play those games as well.”
Altec Lansing XT1 Laptop Speaker Review
Laptop Gamers :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
ATI Imageon Graphics Technology Overview
CoolTechZone :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
“ATI’s Imageon mobile graphics technology was on display at the company’s booth this year. Both ATI and NVIDIA are working on entering the mobile segment (read: cell phones) aggressively with 3D graphics technology to encourage advancements in graphics on cell phones and other such mobile devices. Imageon is ATI’s way of entering that mobile segment and competing against its archrival NVIDIA.”
NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver v1.8310
NGOHQ :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Quote: “The NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver is a tweaked version of the NVIDIA ForceWare driver. The main purpose is to satisfy the users with better performance and image quality. The Driver has support for all Geforce cards.”
News: Radeon X1900 hits image quality snag in 3DMark06
The Tech Report :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
During the preparation of my Radeon X1900 review, I discovered a problem with Radeon X1900 cards in 3DMark06. I meant to mention it in the review itself, but things came down to the wire and I just ran out of time. Here’s the deal…
ATI EverLAN Winter 2006 @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
XFX NVTV TV Tuner Review
AMD Review :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Quote: “AMDReview has been reviewing a lot of TV tuners lately and today we have another. The XFX NVTV TV tuner. If you have ever wanted a TV tuner for your PC and didn’t want to spend a fortune, this card is for you. Check out this article to see what our reviewer had to say about this NVIDIA chipset based TV tuner.“
Powercolor X1300Pro Bravo Edition @ Bytesector
Bytesector :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
“Today we’re going to be taking a look at the Powercolor’s X1300 Pro Bravo, a card set out to rival NVIDIA’s popular 6600. While the preference of pure speed over quality has been the biggest knock on ATI-based cards in the past, the X1300 comes with full SM3.0 support, High Dynamic Range, adaptive anti-aliasing and Avivo—features which can bring an image to life. Now we’re going to find out if they’ve managed to find the right mix of image quality and raw speed to produce a top quality video card.”
Gateway FPD2185 21-inch Monitor
Designtechnica :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
“The line between the computer monitor and LCD TV has once again been blurred with the introduction of Gateway’s latest 21-inch monitor, the FPD2185. While the FPD2185 isn’t exactly a full-blown television, it fortunately carries some of the best qualities you will find in a high-end LCD TV like component video inputs, picture-in-picture and HDTV support.
ASUS EAX1300PRO Preview @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Summary: “Even with ATI’s X1900 series launch this week, there continues to remain no official support for the X1000 series under Linux. Although the support should be appended in the near future, today we have a preview of the ASUS EAX1300PRO as well as some exclusive Linux information pertaining to the most recent Radeon offerings.”
Sapphire Radeon X1800XT 512MB @ HardwareZoom
Hardware Zoom :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Quote – Your graphic card will never be the bottleneck again with Sapphire’s top-of-the-line X1800XT. Using the same R520 GPU as the X1800XL, the Sapphire Radeon X1800XT has a core speed of 625Mhz, which is 25% faster than X1800XL. In addition, the ultra fast 1.2ns GDDR3 boost the memory speed to 1.5Ghz, which is 50% faster than X1800XL! We manage to achieve 15-25% improvement over the X1800XL in most of our benchmarks. This is the most significant in more demanding benchmarks at high resolution and FSAA.
ATI R580 Architecture Interview
Beyond3D :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
In our recent “R580: ATI Radeon X1900 XTX and Crossfire” article we took a look at the architecture of this new ATI chip and the performance it brings with its interesting configuration. With R580 scaling up the number of pixel shader processors fairly drastically, and yet not similarly scaling either the number of texture inputs or ROP outputs, some may still have the impression that R580 is a fairly imbalanced part.
In an effort to dig further into ATI’s thinking behind the design of R580 and gain a greater understanding of the decisions that have lead to this process we decided to put some questions to them. In reply we have answers from Eric Demers, from ATI’s Desktop Graphics Engineering group, as well as a few comments from Richard Huddy, who brings in the perspective from their ISV relations group, which has a front line role to play with developers and who plays an important part in shaping future hardware.
News – nVidia 7800GTX 256MB REBORN
TekBunker :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
I immediately raised GPU clocks to 525MHz/1350MHz , and ran 3dmark05 firefly forest to test, with a very minor increase in voltage I was able to bump the core up to 562MHz and not worry about artifacting, temps never passed 73C while at those speeds. Here is the big increase in performance I have gained since the Voltage modification.
Neoseeker ATI X1900XT Preview
Neoseeker :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
“There is no Radeon CrossFire X1900 XTX card but ATI asserts that the X1900 XTX will not clock down to match a CrossFire X1900XT Card. Note that this does not necessarily mean that the CrossFire card will automatically overclock. Both ATI and NVIDIA seem to have worked something out with regards to their dual card solutions that allow for asynchronous clockspeeds on the two different cards (NVIDIA enabled this a few driver revisions ago). The X1900 CrossFire will allow for resolutions up to 2560×1600 @ 72Hz.”
ATi Radeon X1900 Preview @ NGOHQ
NGOHQ :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Quote: “X1900 comes in three flavors – the XTX (MSRP $649), XT (MSRP $549), and Crossfire (MSRP $599) editions. Architecturally the X1900XTX and XT are the same; the only difference between these two cards is the speed of both core and memory. The flagship X1900XTX is clocked at 650 MHz for the core and 1.55 GHz for the memory, while the X1900XT is clocked just slightly slower at 625 MHz for the core and 1.45 GHz for the memory.”
DH Review: X1900 Crossfire and X1900XTX
Driver Heaven :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
“The front of the X1900 Crossfire Edition is very similar to the X1800XT Crossfire Edition, you have ATI’s now standard Dual Slot cooler featuring a Ruby graphic. The PCIe power connector is also featured as normal and the passive heatsink running down the right side of the card remains.
Specification wise the X1900 Crossfire Edition uses a R580 core (featuring 48 pixel shader units) clocked at 621mhz Core and 720mhz Memory ( 512mb GDDR3). To allow you to compare the X1800’s Crossfire Master used a R520 core clocked at 625mhz coupled with 512mb of GDDR3 running at 720mhz (16 pixel shader units).”
ATI’s Radeon X1900 Video Card Series @ Legit Reviews
Legit Reviews :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
“Single card performance of the X1900XTX and X1900XT is for the most part on par with the 7800GTX. Performance of the X1900XT has to be the single solution card with best bang for the buck in our testing. It provides nearly all of the performance that the X1900XTX does for $100 less…”
SilverStone SG01
Overclockers Online :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Quote: In our latest review, we get a chance to sample the only chassis in SilverStone’s new SUGO series. This soon to be expanding family will carry the small form factor enclosures without being bundled with a motherboard. This allows you to purchase the motherboard you want to put inside. So, let’s see what the SUGO SG01 has in store for us!
News: ATI’s Radeon X1900 series graphics cards
The Tech Report :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
If you really wanted to make a splash, perhaps you’d hook two of them together into a CrossFire configuration for a total of 96 pixel shaders churning out eye candy by the bucketload. That oughta show ’em. And then you’d price ’em nice and high, but make sure that cards were widely available on their launch day, with thousands of those puppies lined up at online retailers, ready to sell.
Sounds like a plan to me. In fact, that is very much ATI’s plan for the Radeon X1900 series, and your favorite website has benchmarked the stuffing out of the high-end lineups from ATI and NVIDIA in order to see how these new entries fit into the picture. With 96 pixel shaders tearing through F.E.A.R. like Michael Moore through a loaf of cheese bread, does NVIDIA stand a chance?
ATI Radeon X1900 Series Preview
The Tech Lounge :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
“While we were in Vegas for CES we had the opportunity to meet privately with some of our friends at ATI. Unfortunately, our meeting was to be under NDA until Tuesday, January 24th at 8am CST. That would be why you didn’t see any mention of ATI in our CES coverage this year, all of the good stuff was under embargo.
Now that the embargo has lifted, I can finally tell you all about what’s new from ATI. The 4 cards that are being launched today are part of ATI’s new X1900 series. From top to bottom, there is the Radeon X1900 XTX, Radeon X1900 Crossfire, Radeon X1900 XT, and All-In-Wonder X1900. It would be nice if ATI and NVIDIA would pick a naming convention and stick with it, but I guess that’s just marketing for you – they want to keep it fresh. ATI is promising quantity shipping at launch, with emphasis on the X1900 XTX and X1900 XT. The Crossfire and All-In-Wonder cards will also be available, but perhaps less so since there isn’t expected to be as much demand for those products. That said, even if some retailers don’t have all of the new X1900 cards, they will be available on ATI.com.”
ATI X1900XTX
t-break :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Looking exactly like the X1800XT, the X1900XTX is based on 90nm process technology and packing a whopping 380 million transistors and is the first graphics card to feature 48 pixel shader processors- triple of what the X1800XT offered. Now this is a good thing considering almost all games released of late use Pixel Shaders
Altec Lansing iM616 Headphones @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
ATI X1800XT Crossfire @ t-break
t-break :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
The X1800 CrossFire card looks identical to the X1800XT card although ATI has changed the cable for connecting the two cards compared to the older X850 setup. This is probably because the X1800 cards support dual link DVI ports for higher resolutions and refresh rates- an annoyance hat seriously plagued the X850 CrossFire setup.
HIS X1600XT IceQ Turbo DL-DVI, DVI 256MB
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
While we have followed, and still are following, the battle for the high-end between NVIDIA and ATI sometimes it seems we forget the real important battle ‘below’, the fight about the mid-end. When the X1600XT was announced there were some concerns that it wasn’t priced correctly when you compared it to similar NVIDIA cards. ATI responded by lowering the price and today the X1600XT is a chipset that offers a lot of features and performance for its price.
SilverStone LC09B HTPC Mini-ITX Chassis Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Quote: “So no more ugly boxes next to your TV — just sleek looking cases from Silverstone’s Lascala series. This little case will be the perfect addition to anyone wanting to build a true 21st century HTPC”
Logitech Z-5450 Wireless Speaker Review
Laptop Gamers :: Monday, January 23, 2006
Leave it to Logitech to once again raise the bar for computer speaker systems. The Logitech Z-5450 provides high performance sound with the innovation of wireless rear surround satellite speakers. The introduction of dual wireless rear speakers finally solves the common headache of having to run those long unsightly wires that run to your rear surround speakers. I’ve run into this problem myself and in the past it has caused me to either string cables all over the place or sacrifice a true surround experience by placing the rear surrounds closer to the front speakers.
ATI Radeon X1800XL All-in-Wonder @ Bytesector
Bytesector :: Monday, January 23, 2006
“ATI has been working hard to put some well needed space between its X1000 series graphics cards and the NVIDIA’s competing GeForce 7 line. When everyone got to see the eagerly anticipated X1800XT, it felt like we had been let down as the expectations from ATI were much higher. Thankfully, they didn’t take as long to launch an All-in-Wonder version of the X1800, and the additional functionality of the All-in-Wonder side of the card makes it much more attractive-possibly making it the ultimate gaming and multimedia card of its day. Today, I will be taking a close look at the performance of the ATI Radeon X1800XL All-in-Wonder graphics and multimedia card to see if it is worthy of playing today’s hottest games and if its multimedia aspect is enough to further the attraction for this card.”
HEXUS.reviews :: ATI Radeon X1300 PRO and X1600 XT
Hexus :: Sunday, January 22, 2006
The best offerings in the X1300 and X1600 range are what we look at today, as the markers for their sub markets, so join us as we analyse RV515 and RV530 in a modicum of depth internally, before looking at the physical specifics and performance levels of X1300 PRO and X1600 XT.
HD-DVD players available for preorder
Home Theater Blog :: Saturday, January 21, 2006
Its seems like I’ve been talking about the launch of high definition DVD for years not months, but now we can do more than talk as Best Buy is taking preorders for the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player.
Without getting into a big long why I support either format type of post, I’ll just say with a list price of $499 this player is at a price point that with any further discounting and or software incentives, early adopters just might go ahead and take the plunge on the HD-A1, which is of course good news for Toshiba.
However I’m still uncertain enough as to either formats real supremacy (technical attributes not withstanding) to commit to either one. As I’ve said many times this isn’t so much about gigabytes as titles, even if I could own both formats players for under a grand I wouldn’t buy either, as software titles easily surpass hardware as your biggest expenditure.
Some point to Blu-rays (arguably) greater number of announced titles as reason to go with that format, but as long as there’s one movie I can’t enjoy on either format, that’s enough reason in my mind to stick it out. In closing, if anyone tells you “xyz format will win” ask them if that guarantee includes them purchasing your obsolete move titles.
MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E 512MB-version 7800GTX Videocard Review
PCStats :: Saturday, January 21, 2006
“The GeForce 7800GTX 512MB versions are here, and you’d better believe that 35 FPS from a single videocard in FEAR with 4x AA and 16x AF enabled, at 1600×1200, is a breeze with one of these bad boys! All this performance packed into a videocard that takes up an extra PCI slot, but is also quieter than the original GeForce 7800GTX’s. Shocking performance capabilities, and shockingly quiet at that. MSI Computer is once such vendor with a 512MB version Geforce 7800GTX videocard out in time for X-mas, and it has put together a good package that includes a full copy of the game “Colin Mcrae Rally 2005.” Luckily for you, PCSTATS has managed to bring this monster 512MB card into the labs so you can see first hand what to expect!”
EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB Video Card Review
The Tech Zone :: Saturday, January 21, 2006
SilverStone LC16M HTPC Case Review @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Saturday, January 21, 2006
With HTPC users in mind, SilverStone continually adds to and refines its Lascala series cases in an attempt to create perfect HTPC cases. SilverStone has had quite a bit of success so far, especially considering the company is not even three years old yet. When creating its latest cases, the LC16M, LC17 and LC18, SilverStone used feedback from actual users to come up with designs to meet the various and unique needs that HTPC users have. In this review, I’ll cover the LC16M, which is an attractively styled HTPC case that comes in both black and silver.
HD-DVD ups the ante
Home Theater Blog :: Saturday, January 21, 2006
Well 2006 is here and most home theater enthusiasts know what that means, high definition DVD is months, not years away. Ok we all know the basic story here, a format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is inevitable. HD-DVD’s release has been pushed back to the spring, while Blu-ray is slated for a mid to late summer launch, but something surprising was announce this week at CES in Las Vegas…
Toshiba America Consumer Products announced it’s first two HD-DVD players will ship in March for $500 and $800 respectively, which is much lower than the previously announced $800-$1200. With a announced price as low as $500, it’s conceivable street prices could come in even lower making HD-DVD players a must have item to go along with new HDTV’s. Sony (Blu-ray) on the other hand still expects their players to retail in the neighborhood of $1000 USD.
I’d have to say this was a smart move on Toshibas part, after all in a format war price surely has to play into things even if it’s not the predominate deciding factor. Obviously with the players themselves yet to hit the streets it’s too early to call any winners, but in my opinion Toshiba has pulled out another ace in the hi-def DVD poker game.
Turtle Beach Ear Force AXT Xbox / Xbox 360 Live Headset Review @ Tweaknews.net
Tweaknews :: Friday, January 20, 2006
ATI Catalyst 6.1 Performance Analysis
TweakTown :: Friday, January 20, 2006
QUOTE: “As we enter 2006 we see the first Catalyst driver set for the New Year labeled as the 6.1s. These come out just in time for the release of the latest FutureMark benchmark application labeled 3DMark06 funnily enough.”
NVIDIA Jan’06 Updates Posted!
Tech ARP :: Friday, January 20, 2006
In-Depth Look: Futuremark 3D Mark 06
Techgage :: Thursday, January 19, 2006
Quote: We take the latest version of the popular benchmark for a test-drive to see what’s new, what’s changed and what you need for a good score. To put it simply, 06 is like 05, but on steroids. Let’s take a look..
HEXUS.gaming :: Streaming DivX through the Xbox 360
Hexus :: Thursday, January 19, 2006
This is not a mod solution or an Xbox 360 hack. This works purely using the extensibility points of Media Center and freely available tools from MS. i.e. no warranties will be voided and, when Vista MCE comes out, we’ll be able to radically improve this. Aren’t APIs wonderful?
HD DVD and Blu-Ray Expected to Merge in the End @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Thursday, January 19, 2006
“With many Blu-Ray and HD DVD supporters agreeing to support both formats as opposed to one, this news shouldn’t come as a surprise. What’s interesting is that founders of the aforementioned standards believe that both formats will end up merging to create a unified format.”
