nVidia have some new detonator for their Pro boards out... the 42.82 workd for other GF cards too so have a try if you like, you can get the Winxp/2k file here.
Before the below, HardTecs4U have posted a picture of Sapphire's passive cooled RadeOn 9700 Pro. Here're the pictures.
... without a fan and the noise the NV30 ref design is already known for? All made possible by Thermaltake... here's more info.
Just found some interesting mod for Unreal Tournament 2003 on Warp2Search.net:
"UnWheel is a driving modification for Unreal Tournament 2003. The idea behind UnWheel is not to create the ultimate racing game, or the 4x4 simulation with the best physics, or to specialise in any one area as other modifications and games do, but to simply create an assortment of gametypes and vehicles with the focus on fun driving, whether it be racing, rallying, or simply freestyle driving around."
It's not released yet but looks very nice. have a look here.
HardOCP.com have some picture up showing the graphic of a nForceFX dual Socket A motherboard. Take a look @ it here.
Should we finally get "cool" multi processor motherboards? Would be nice. :)
... who cannot switch off, take a nap and switch on later again here's a nice solution to at least avoid getting bad teeth... =) Enjoy! (Greetings to Nahoko and Sascha for this one! ;)
Elsa's newest PR concerning Cebit reveals that they're going to show some new produts based on the R350. Here's the link (german language).
"Auf der CeBIT 2003 wird ELSA, auf diesen Erfolgen aufbauend, Weiterentwicklungen vorstellen. Sie repräsentieren die nächsthöhere Technologiestufe und zeigen das derzeit Machbare."
What to expect: R350 hardware, thrilling demonstration of it's power! ;)
James (thanks! ;) just let us know the following concerning Command & conquer Generals:
"The good news is that this game will be playable in the next driver release."
A lot of us will be looking forward to this driver release... cool! :)
PC Watch have got two "roadmaps" up one showing desktop graphics cards wich will appear until the end of 2004 and the other one does mobile solutions of the same kind.
Let's see... =)
nVidia seem to have a new southbridge in the works which will offer an integrated SATA controller, 8 USB 2.0 ports and a Gigabit Ethernet solution. More's available here @ nforcershq.com.
Hexus.net have released a review of the VIA EPIA M9000 mini-ITX motherboard. Here's the link.
"It's pretty easy to sum things up performance wise. Avoid high bitrate video that isn't in MPEG-2 format and you'll be fine. It can do pretty much anything else without fuss. The only sticking point was high bitrate DivX playback, something it just couldn't manage due to lack of processing muscle."
Gta3mta.tk have released a first version of their unofficial GTAIII Vice City multiplayer patch. The site is a bit difficult to reach @ the moment but try it here anyways. :)
Accelenation have enhanced their graphicscard history report by adding year 2002 to it. It's a very comprehensive and nice read. Here's the link.
Just FYI :)
"My apologies for omitting the following companies (past & present), but I had to draw the line somewhere guys :
Tseng Labs
Gigapixel
Neomagic
Arklogic "
Some bad news... for now that is, here's some official word from EA concerning hardware requirements and not working graphics cards:
"Dear C&C Generals,
Many players have been asking about a variety of unsupported vid cards. Here is a list of cards we DON'T support. Many of the cards haven't had updated drivers available for a while - thus they don't reliably support DX8.1. There is nothing we can do about this. You should contact that particular manufacturer is see if driver updates are available.
- Intel(R) 82810E Graphics Controller
- 3D Prophet 4500 TV Out (Kyro or Kyro 2)
- NVIDIA GeForce 256 or 256 DDR
- voodoo5 5500 AGP
- NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64/Model 64 Pro
- S3 Graphics ProSavageDDR
We're sorry but the system specs are noted on the box and there's little we can do if a system is below spec...however unpleasant that is to hear.
--------------------
Harvard Bonin
Producer
Command & Conquer Generals
Electronic Arts"
Digit-Life have released their January 2003 3Digest.
Interested in the results of these: (?)
"NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 64MB DDR 5ns (270/400 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 460 64MB DDR 3.6ns (300/550 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8x 64MB DDR 3.6ns (275/513 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8x 128MB (280/520 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8x 64MB GS (300/600 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 64MB DDR 5ns (175/400 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 64MB DDR 4ns (250/513 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB DDR 4ns (250/444 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB DDR 3.3ns (250/550 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB DDR 4ns (250/500 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8x 128MB DDR 4ns (250/513 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8x 128MB DDR 2.8ns (275/600 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 128MB DDR 2.8ns (300/650 MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 GS 128MB DDR 2.8ns (310/680 MHz)
ATI RADEON 8500 128MB DDR 3.6ns HYNIX (275/550 MHz)
ATI RADEON 8500 64MB DDR 3.6ns (275/550 MHz)
ATI RADEON 8500LE 64MB DDR 3.6ns (250/500 MHz)
ATI RADEON 8500LE 128MB DDR 4ns (250/500 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9000 64MB DDR 4ns (250/400 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9000 128MB DDR 3.6ns (250/400 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9000 Pro 128MB DDR 3.6ns (275/550 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9000 Pro 64MB DDR 3.6ns (275/550 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9500 64MB 3.6ns (275/540 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9500 128MB 3.6ns (275/540 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9500 PRO 128MB 3.6ns (275/540 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9700 Pro 128MB DDR 2.8ns (325/620 MHz)
ATI RADEON 9700 128MB DDR 2.8ns (275/540 MHz)
SIS Xabre 400 64MB DDR 3.5ns (250/500 MHz)
SIS Xabre 400 128MB DDR 4ns (250/500 MHz)
SIS Xabre 600 64MB DDR 4ns (315/630 MHz)
Matrox Parhelia 128MB DDR 3.3ns (220/550 MHz) (Retail) "
... then check their article here
"Prospect rating" (previous rating is in parenthesis):
ATI RADEON 9700 Pro 128MB DDR (325/620 MHz) ( 1)
ATI RADEON 9700 128MB DDR (275/540 MHz) ( 2)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 GS 128MB DDR (310/680 MHz) ( 4)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 128MB DDR (300/650 MHz) ( 5)
ATI RADEON 9500 PRO 128MB (275/540 MHz) ( 3)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8x 128MB DDR (275/600 MHz) ( 6)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB DDR (250/550 MHz) ( 8)
ATI RADEON 9500 128MB (275/540 MHz) ( 7)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8x 128MB DDR (250/513 MHz) (10)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 64MB DDR (250/513 MHz) ( 9)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB DDR (250/500 MHz) (11)
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB DDR (250/444 MHz) (13)
ATI RADEON 9500 64MB (275/540 MHz) (12)
ATI RADEON 8500 128MB DDR Hynix (275/550 MHz) (15)
Matrox Parhelia 128MB DDR (220/550 MHz) (Retail) (14)
ATI RADEON 8500 64MB DDR (275/550 MHz) (16)
ATI RADEON 8500LE 128MB DDR (250/500 MHz) (17)
ATI RADEON 8500LE 64MB DDR (250/500 MHz) (19)
ATI RADEON 9000 Pro 128MB DDR (275/550 MHz) (18)
ATI RADEON 9000 Pro 64MB DDR (275/550 MHz) (20)
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti200 64MB DDR (175/400 MHz) (23)
ATI RADEON 9000 64MB DDR (250/400 MHz) (21)
ATI RADEON 9000 128MB DDR (250/400 MHz) (22)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8x 64MB GS (300/600 MHz) (24)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 460 64MB DDR (300/550 MHz) (25)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8x 128MB DDR (280/520 MHz) (26)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8x 64MB DDR (275/513 MHz) (27)
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 64MB DDR (270/400 MHz) (28)
SIS Xabre600 64MB DDR (315/630 MHz) (29)
SIS Xabre400 128MB DDR (250/500 MHz) (30)
SIS Xabre400 64MB DDR (250/500 MHz) (31) "
The ATI board, yes! ;) Now let's see what we get after Cebit and with the availability of GeForce FX and ATI R3500 boards.
Performance is nothing without control/ flexibility/ usability though so whatever you buy first make sure you know what for the product is used/ required!
AMD have some new logos ready... some for their soon to come CPUs... here's the link you need to find them.
Also on Warp2Search.net is some info about latest findigns in the recently released Catalyst 3.1 driver pack (get it here):
"The recently launched Catalyst 3.1 driver update now tells us what these code-name chips will likely to be called when the final products arrive. This is as follows:
RV280 is likely to be called Radeon 9200. This card will appear in both Pro and Non-Pro versions.
RV350 is likely to be called Radeon 9600, and there is no mention of Pro or Non-Pro versions in the drivers (at this time).
R350 is likely to be called Radeon 9800 (not 9900 as recent rumors suggest) and again there's no mention in the drivers at this time of Pro or Non-Pro versions of this chipset."
Warp 2 here.
According to rumours from and with Warp2Search.net we'll get GFX 5600 Ultra/ nonUltra & GFX 5200 Ultra/nonUltra... possible presentation date CeBit.
"First one, is a GeForce FX 5600 Ultra card. This will be aimed perhaps at the highest end of mainstream market. A GeForce FX 5600 non-ultra might also be introduced but that still remains unclear at this time. Second card, GeForce FX 5200 Ultra will be aimed at the higher end of low end market or middle / low part of mainstream market. Finally, the GeForce FX 5200 non-ultra model will be aimed at low/entry level of the market. "
More @ Warp2Search.net
Just received info from Julia about the Videologic ZXR-550 Surround Speaker System for which a press release is available.
"The perfect partner for any 6-channel soundcard, ZXR-550 is a powerful 5.1
channel speaker system, directly descended from the outstanding ZXR-500,
favoured by audio enthusiasts and system builders worldwide. The ZXR-550
provides improved usability and enhanced surround sound audio, whether
bringing DVD movies to life, blasting out the latest games or immersing the
listener in music. Using years of professional audio experience, gained
through the development of PURE's award winning DigiTheatre, Sirocco and
LiFE 4/10 ranges, this compact powerhouse has been engineered to outperform
systems costing twice as much."
Click for the press release... :)
VIDEOLOGIC ZXR-550 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKER SYSTEM
High Quality System Delivers 65W RMS Power for Surround Sound Games and
Movies
London, UK, 18th February 2003: PURE Digital - a division of Imagination
Technologies - announces its ZXR-550 5.1 channel surround sound speaker
system. The stylish silver ZXR-550 provides outstanding quality audio for
surround sound games and movies for just £79.99 (inc. VAT UK).
The perfect partner for any 6-channel soundcard, ZXR-550 is a powerful 5.1
channel speaker system, directly descended from the outstanding ZXR-500,
favoured by audio enthusiasts and system builders worldwide. The ZXR-550
provides improved usability and enhanced surround sound audio, whether
bringing DVD movies to life, blasting out the latest games or immersing the
listener in music. Using years of professional audio experience, gained
through the development of PURE's award winning DigiTheatre, Sirocco and
LiFE 4/10 ranges, this compact powerhouse has been engineered to outperform
systems costing twice as much.
ZXR-550 features dual flared subwoofer bass ports, improved amplifier
electronics and tuned satellite speakers, giving it a flatter, more accurate
response for class-leading musical fidelity. A master volume control
together with individual controls for centre, rear and sub ensure that its
impressive 65W of power is delivered where and how you want it. With five
powerful discrete satellite speakers and a 25W RMS subwoofer, ZXR-550 pumps
out some serious sound.
The comprehensive package includes everything you need to get up and running
quickly with connecting cables, detachable speaker stands for all
satellites, optional wall-mounting brackets for rear satellites and a clear,
concise user guide. Just connect up to your 6-channel soundcard or DVD
player and immerse yourself in sound.
From the same stable as the acclaimed DigiTheatre, Sirocco and LiFE 4/10
systems, ZXR-550 is based on the multi award-winning ZXR-500 - winner of
PCW's Highly Commended Award and PC Format's Buy It! Award. Like its
predecessor it offers a mixture of compact style and class-leading audio
performance, further enhanced by improved amplifier electronics and tuned
satellites for a flatter, more accurate response.
Says Kevin Dale, president, PURE Digital: "This 5.1 channel speaker system
with its powerful dual-ported subwoofer provides high quality at a price
that makes outstanding six-channel game and movie audio accessible to
everyone. ZXR-500 has taken this market segment by storm simply because it
is the best the money can buy. ZXR-550 is set to continue that success."
ZXR-550's powerful 25W RMS subwoofer features two tuned bass ports ensuring
distortion-free bass. Its integrated amplifier has individual front panel
volume controls and a built-in low-noise power supply.
ZXR-550's professional styling provides a stunning mix of form and function
with a stylish matt silver finish chosen to complement PC, video or hi-fi
kit and looks good in any room. As well as a master volume control
individual volume controls are provided for the Centre, Rear and Sub
channels, enabling fine-tuning of the system to suit the user's environment
and preferences.
The system is Dolby Digital, DTS and Pro Logic compatible with six separate
phono inputs and a carefully tuned amplifier to take full advantage of the
sound from a 5.1 enabled sound card or decoder. Increasing numbers of games,
DVD movies and music are recorded using these surround sound audio
technologies.
Five satellite speaker stands are included to provide stable speaker
positioning. The ZXR-550 retail kit also includes three dual phono to 3.5 mm
cables for easy PC connection and two wall-mounting brackets for rear
speakers. Plug-and-play speaker wiring (3m front and centre, 8m rear),
clearly labelled connectors and clear, concise instructions enable quick,
easy connection of all system components.
The system is fully Dolby Digital, DTS and Pro Logic compatible with the
huge library of
DVD movies and music that have been recorded using these surround sound
audio technologies. ZXR-550 provides six separate phono inputs and a
carefully tuned amplifier to take full advantage of the sound from your
Dolby Digital, DTS or Pro Logic capable 5.1 sound card, decoder or DVD
player. A separate decoder is required for multi-channel output.
ZXR-550 is supplied with an excellent support package including a two year
warranty backed up by a technical hotline and website support.
About Imagination Technologies
Imagination Technologies Group plc is an international IP licensing company
that develops, licenses and supplies market-leading graphics/video cores,
real-time DSP-enabled multithreaded processors, communication and broadcast
technologies for the consumer entertainment and PC markets. It supplies both
licensable IP (Intellectual Property) and related advanced development tools
to leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies worldwide.
Imagination Technologies Group plc has its corporate headquarters in the
United Kingdom and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange
(FTSE:IMG). See: www.imgtec.com
About PURE Digital
PURE Digital - a division of Imagination Technologies - produces a range of
innovative, award-winning products in the consumer entertainment and PC
markets. The product range today addresses areas including digital radio;
digital home audio; PC graphics / video and audio; and in the future will
extend to digital video for TV / DVD and wireless LAN for effective digital
media distribution in the home. PURE Digital also designs and licenses
advanced production-ready systems for consumer electronics, arcade, gaming
and hi-fi companies.
See: www.pure-digital.com
Contact:
David Harold/Julia Horne tel +44 (0)1923 260 511
PURE Digital fax +44 (0)1923 270 188
Home Park Estate email: david.harold@pure-digital.com
Kings Langley
Herts WD4 8LZ
Infogrames have released a patch for Unreal 2 fixing some sound issues with EAX support. Here's where you can grab the file.
"This replacement .DLL file addresses crashes related to EAX support. This file handles no other issues."
For those who did not yet see it, X-Bit Labs have the whole document online which nVidia put together critizising 3DMark 2003 for being taken as a benchmark tool for todays games. Here's the link.
"3DMark03 has combined some pretty artwork into a set of four nice demo scenes. But, these scenes are so distant from real game applications that 3DMark03 just doesn’t make it as a benchmark. Lacking any similarity to actual games, it misrepresents the gaming experience, and doesn’t arm the consumer with the right information to make a purchase decision. It also forces hardware vendors to waste valuable engineering resources focusing on artificially fabricated cases that will never benefit real games. In the end, the consumer loses."
Leadtek have some new micro ATX product sites online featuring the WinFast K7NCR18GM and the WinFast K7NCR18DM. They do have nForce power onboard and are ready for Barton. 3xPCI, 1xAGP and 4xUSB 2.0 + LAN.
Some nice boards, just right for a nice little barebone system. :)
Again on X-Bit Labs some additional info on the PC Graphics Shipments from Jon Peddie Research. Here's it, direct link to the posting.
"... NVIDIA is looking forward to bring another nForce series of core-logic products with its integrated graphics core with DirectX 9.0 support (maybe it is all about the code-name NV34 core?) and other cool features. ..."
Found that on X-Bit Labs here. Quite nice to see such effort going into AMD chipsets. I wish they'd do a dual board design too. :)
Futuremark once known as MadOnion and before that Futuremark again have released 3D Mark 2003 thier newest benchmarking tool. A list with mirror servers can be checked here.
There is a nice mirror here. It's one that is not in the list yet and was ound on warp2search.net in their comments! ;)
... pictures can be admired over here @ Rivastation. What a cool board... let's see if it'll be available like that soon.
Lostcircuits have another interesting piece online, it's the review of Tyan's Tachyon G9700 Pro which seems to have some neat o/c capabilities but have a look yourself... here's it.
"Overall the TACHYON G9700 delivered extremely impressive performance and overclocking capabilities and should be at the top of anybody's list for a high-end card that is available NOW! "
Lostcircuits have tested the Seagate Barracuda SATA V which comes as the name implies with a SATA interface.
"Within the next few weeks, Serial ATA will be introduced to the mainstream PC at an original peak transfer rate of 150 MB/sec and a roadmap leading to up to 600 MB/sec throughput in 2007. What are the reasons to turn the back on the established parallel interface and how is the industry addressing the challenge for faster mass storage media? We'll be dissecting the technology of the old, discuss possibilities for transition or migration between standards and show the advantages of the new, shall we?"
Here's it.
Looks quite nice so I thought it might be interesting to post it. :) Here's a new screenshot from Spellforce showing a new race and some fine game graphics.
Tom's HW have released a DVD burner test for us so in case you plan to get one of these but are not sure yet which one to take have a look, it won't hurt! ;)
Here's the link.
"However, if you are more interested in video, the DVD+RW format is still the best solution. It is much more flexible to use and, what's more, it is compatible with Philips home players. "
Blizzard have anew hero sheet up featuring the Crypt Lord. Here's more info.
Nothing official AFAIK but 3dcenter.de did have some speculations up about a possible Series 5 presentation date.
"Offenbar war seitens PowerVR/ImgTec eine Ankündigung oder Präsentation der "PowerVR Series 5" zur diesjährigen CeBIT sowieso nicht geplant. Nach den (zumeist eher leidvollen) Erfahrungen der Konkurrenz mit dem 130nm Fertigungsprozeß will man es mit Ankündigungen des neuen Chips nicht übereilen. Als Ziel scheint man bei PowerVR/ImgTec ausgegeben zu haben, vor oder spätens gleich zum nVidia NV35 herauszukommen, was als Präsentationstermin für die Series 5 die ECTS im August als möglich erscheinen läßt."
The most important part: Before or during the release of NV35 this leaves ECTS as possible time for presentation.
More from X-Bit Labs, they've got a news posting with information about the RADEON 9900. Though it should be taken with a grain of salt, it's quite interesting.
Here we go!
X-Bit Labs have released an article in which they're taking a look @ the nVidia Quadro FX and the ATI FireGL X1 performing with Discreet's 3DS Max 5.
Snippet from the conclusion:
"As we see from the test results, Quadro FX 2000 is simply destined to be used in 3ds max 5. High working frequencies and high quality drivers do not leave even a single chance to the competitors. And in fact, the seemingly low core efficiency per megahertz in case of heavy animation loaded with the whole bunch of effects (games) doesn't matter that much: the professionals work in wireframe mode or in primitive smooth + highlights mode. By the way, it looks as if NVIDIA marketing guys understood that their engineers occasionally created a not very powerful gaming solution and just an excellent professional accelerator. What we hear from our sources gives us every reason to suppose that a considerable part of NV30 based graphics cards will be professional ones."
... will never be available in the shops except for those already ordered. Within3d.ch do mention that Best Buy have confirmed it along with others who do not offer the Ultra anymore.
Just read on warp2search.net that gamespy do have a preview online of Nokia's upcoming N-Gage! handy-game-phone or is it game-handy-phone(?) anyway, it's 3 pages long so take some time and head over. Here's it.
"Nokia is very much aware that the name of the game is content. Initially, it plans to publish first-party games that showcase N-Gage's Bluetooth and GMS connectivity, while third-party publishers will serve up brands gamers will recognize. Confirmed third-party developers include Activision, Eidos, Sega, Taito, and THQ. There are heavy rumors that EA and Capcom are very close to committing to the platform as well. "
Ever wanted to command/ work in Windows with mouse gestures we've "recently" seen in Lionhead's Black&White? It's quite fun and working really quick and easy with StrokeIt which can be downloaded here. Enjoy!
It’s been coming for a long time and is almost here. The death of the floppy drive. I for one cannot wait as compared to new storage drives the floppy drive is old and slow with little space. Now that Dell's have stopped shipping floppy drives with new PC's it should not be long before others do the same.
NvWorld.ru can do... the RADEON 9x00 into FireGL Z1/X1 mod via Software and they show you ow in their related article. Here's the link.
"The comments here are not necessary. Performance of SoftFireGL X1 is fully identical to the performance of the original professional accelerator. We won’t make a discovery to anyone if we say that because of manufacturing process optimization the primal cost of ordinary accelerator based on R300 GPU has fallen below $100 mark quite a time ago. It is confirmed by the fact that these days at the price close to $150, under RADEON 9500 trade mark, you can buy 256-bit memory bus accelerator, which can be turned into fully featured RADEON 9700PRO by the scripts SoftR9x00 included in RivaTuner. Identical graphics processors, but at the price two times higher, are selling under RADEON 9700PRO trademark. Unfortunately, the very same GPUs different only in single resistor intended for programming PCI device revision and blocking “professional” driver, are being used on the professional FireGL X1 boards, selling for the astronomical sums of money."
Seems like ImgTec won't be attending this year's Cebit which is sad as it hints that we won't see any new thingy till after Cebit. BTW, information comes from Kyroworld.de.
In a recent .plan update JC has mentioned different things about the NV30 and the R300 as well as their render modes in Doom3.
Here's a snippet:
"At the moment, the NV30 is slightly faster on most scenes in Doom than the
R300, but I can still find some scenes where the R300 pulls a little bit
ahead. The issue is complicated because of the different ways the cards can
choose to run the game."
There's a lot more's available here.
Beyond3D have a Tech FAQ online here which seems like a nice read for everyone interested in a bit more info than given by the various (p)review articles. :)
