News

Duke Nukem Manhattan Project for the PC: Gaming's king of action returns in an all new adventure, this time in New York City. Duke battles his way across towering skyscraper rooftops and through gritty subway stations on the hunt for power-hungry villain, Mech Morphix. Mutants of every kind are thrown at Duke as he chases down Morphix through eight huge environments and avoids the green slime called GLOPP that is causing all the chaos.

Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter for the X-Box: Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter immerses players in a universe of huge corporations and futuristic gun-slingers as Mace seamlessly travels from the ground, to the air, to space tracking quarry and unraveling a deep, and very dangerous mystery. Against a backdrop of corporate, political and religious intrigue, Mace is framed for being involved in the deaths of his comrades. After a stretch in prison he becomes a Bounty Hunter, a vocation which gives him access to classified information and a means to aggressively pursue his search for the people who framed him.

Karma: Immortality for the PC:Karma: Immortality is a multiplayer 3D military action RPG set in both World War II and a futuristic Immortal War. It will include a single-player campaign and multiplayer mode that will feature Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and cooperative team play.
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Duke Nukem Manhattan Project
Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter
Karma: Immortality.wmv - Trailer - 2.2 MB
Karma: Immortality Gameplay footage 1 - 26 MB mpg
Karma: Immortality Gameplay footage 2 - 32 MB mpg

Want to get some info on which stick of shiny new DDR to get before you plunk some hard earned cash on it? VR Zone has a review of 6 brands of DDR to look over.

Search for the best pricing on new memory

What to know more about overburning on your CDRW drive? Check out some info on the subject over at Tom's Hardware.

Get the best prices on CDRW media and drives

Get the best prices on the Pentium 4

Look like Intel has another round of price cuts up.

The biggest price drop in the Pentium 4 family is the 2.20GHz/512K chip, which falls by 25 per cent to $423 from $562. The $562 remains the price of the 2.40GHz/512K Pentium 4.
The 2.0A drops 22 per cent from $364 to $284, the 2GHz/256 from $342 to $262 (23%), and the 1.90GHz P4 drops seven per cent to $225 from $241. - The Inquirer

This is from Warp2Search. Seems like a newcomer in the case field but the case looks nice. I wonder how much it'll cost. Get the best prices on cases

The AL-555 from GSM-International is a very special high-end case. The case is build for design focused customers, as well as for the geek who needs a good case for overclocking reasons. The case looks similar to products from Lian Li, but it has nice additional features which make the case unique. The case is made of an aluminium-magnesium alloy which guarantees a very good thermal dissipation. - Warp2Search

IIS Lockdown Tool Version 2.1
IIS Lockdown Wizard version 2.1 works by turning off unnecessary features, thus reducing attack surface available to attackers. To provide multiple layers of protection against attackers, URLscan, with customized templates for each supported server role, is integrated into the IIS Lockdown Wizard.

Serious Sam: SE source code
The public source code for Serious Sam: the Second Encounter is now available, offering everything budding mod coders need to get tinkering with Croteam's fast-paced first-person shooter sequel. The SDK contains header files, templates, libraries, debug binaries, .ini files, and more.

Wolfenstien source code
Activision sends along the public source code for Return to Castle Wolfenstein, offering mod authors everything needed to create new variations on the first-person shooter by Gray Matter and Nerve Software. Included is the source code to both the single- and multi-player sides of the game.

I probably missed a bunch of stuff. I'm working on an easy way to send in news also.

Get the best prices on games

I'll put this in one big news post.

Mikailtech, Epox 8k3A+ Get the Best Prices on the 8K3A+
The KT333 has been one of the most controversial chipsets ever, and this is mainly VIA's fault for not disclosing any information about the chip and for allowing the rumors to spread. Initially, the plain KT333 was supposed to be only a KT266A with DDR333 support, as it is in its current version. The KT333A, an improved version of the KT333 was to follow shortly, featuring AGP 8X, a new southbridge, VT8235 with V-Link 533MHz and USB 2.0 support, and, of course, improved performance. Later on, this year, the KT400 were to be the final chipset for AMD Athlon series, with support for DDR400 memory and AMD Thoroughbred (that's AMD Athlon XP manufactured in 0.13 micron technology). Before the actual launch, KT333A was renamed to KT333CE but the features didn't change.

AMD3D, Shuttle AK35GTR 2.2 Get the Best Prices on the AK35GTR
Following it's predcessor's footsteps, the AK35GTR revision 2.2 from Shuttle is a great performing board. If you own the original AK35GTR ... I wouldn't rush ahead and buy this board. As I've already said in my other KT333 reviews, the performance between the KT266A and KT333 is only marginal ... not enough to warrant an upgrade. However, if you're on a tight budget and thinking of upgrading from the older KT133/133A, and want to use an Athlon XP with DDR ram ... then this is the board to go for.

AMDWorld.co.uk, Corsair and Crucial PC2700 and PC3000 Memory Get the Best Prices on PC3000 memory
Drawing a conclusion for these two modules falls into two categories, firstly the PC2700 modules from both manufacturers offer the best performance in memory terms widely available what may dictate your choice is availability and reasons.

AMDZone, Falcon NW Mach V Athlon XP 2000+ Get the best prices on computers
Falcon NW started building high end gaming systems way back in 1992 that are custom made to order. Today Falcon is one of the top computer makers focused on the gamer market. So what is the secret to the success of Falcon? They build the fastest PCs based on the latest technology without the use of assembly lines. Yes, actual computer technicians build every box that comes down the line instead of temp or inexpensive overseas labor. Falcon has provided us with one of their Mach V custom systems for testing. This system is based on the Asus A7V266-E and the Athlon XP2000+. Don't fret however as the Asus A7V333 with the Athlon XP 2100+ is already available from them.

Gideontech, EL Custom Shop Lightstrip

EL Custom Shop adds in a lot of features that you don't typically see, like customized labels for the retailer, or in this case GideonTech. A fold out brochure with package contents, specs, installation instructions, and a few location suggestions.

Planet Savage, Chaintech 7VJDA VIA KT266A Get the Best Prices on the 7VJDA
The variety of KT266A boards really gave AMD a nice opportunity to popularize themselves in the market. The various Socket A chipsets gave users more options but in the end, VIA would again take the crown for the best performing chipset. Like the KT133A is to the KT133, so is the KT266A to the KT266 which is basically an improvement from the previous chipset. The KT333 is out but the performance gains are not that big yet since the FSB of AMD CPU's is still at the most, only at 133MHz DDR. As it stands right now, the KT266A is still a very good option to go for and now that the KT333 is out, expect prices of KT266A boards to become more affordable.

Tweaker's Asylum, Epox 8K3A+ Get the Best Prices on the 8K3A+
After looking at the diagram above, it's probably fair to say the "new" KT333 chipset is just a "tweaked" KT266A chipset. As a matter of fact, quite a few VIA KT266A based motherboards were able to hit 333 MHz and come back to tell about it. Luckily for VIA, the KT333 chipset doesn't appear to suffer from any major bugs, but then again performance could (and probAbly will) be better.

Overclocker's Online, P4 Nothwood architecture Get the Best Prices on the Pentium 4

I already told you that a Northwood P4 doesn't show that much of a difference compared to an older Willamette CPU, but then again, there are some major differences that we would like to discuss in this review. We'll also have a look at how the Northwood stacks up in our benchmarks. And what do you think about having a look at the architecture?

There is a small comparison review over at Tweakers Australia comparing the latest ATI drivers on a few of the standard benchmarking platforms.

Mike @ Silent PC Review has emailed me about an article that has been posted on his site.

Dan Quinlan of Lucent Technologies predicted in January 1999 that hotter chips and the accompanying need for forced air cooling would increase noise in electronic equipment by "10-20 dB in the next 5-10 years." - Link.

Looks like the launch date for AMD's next core launch is starting to solidify to around a mid May-June date according to The Inquirer. This horse will start to gallop at a pace of 1.8Ghz (2200+) with a core drop to 1.65 volts. Take note overclocking fans, this could shape up to be a good candidate for ramping up those speeds.

Hardcoreware has a review of Abit's AT7 motherboard, which is one of thier MAX series of motherboards. It comes with a plethora of onboard connectors, such as ethernet, firewire, 5.1 sound, etc. thereby eliminating the need for a full spread of PCI slots.

Found this tidbit over in the Van's Hardware forum about a new Amiga system. Check out the linky's there and decide for yourself.

The long awaited and many times reworked Duke Nukem is about to be launched. The Duke site has a lot of screen shots, wallpaper and put up just recently a trailer for download.

ASE Labs would like to create a better setup for Hardware News classification, and we're turning to anyone interested in participating. Break it down the way you think is easiest for everyone, but it must include consideration for platfrom, vendor and individual equipment, plus anything not already considered (ie "other").

We welcome you to participate in a decision that will affect the purpose of the entire site.

Just a reminder, software is splitting off, so, please do not include software in your suggestions.

Post either in Site Stuff (Site Stuff>>News Classification) or in the News forum (click discuss).

Mods4ME shows you how to turn a car/boat battery into a UPS. The concept is quite simple really, get a battery put an inverter on it and away you go. It is very interesting and I may have to build on of these for myself. I can think of a few ways to improve the design, like to always run off the battery and inverter (and have a clean line of power also). You wouldn't have to even worry about the power going off because your always on batteries.

How about 10 hours or more of power for around $200? or even $250? Yes, you heard me right... 10 HOURS of power for the same amount of money. Well, I suppose right now you'll be going crazy and asking me to explain how to get this done, no?

I emailed Mark Rein about UPT 2002 and he basically said that there will not be a general public release of UPT2002.

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He did say that they 'plan [to] put the performance-gathering code from the UPT into Unreal Tournament 2003 demo.'

We'll have to wait and see, but this will make a reviewer's life much easier to benchmark.

I'll just make this a big news post. Here is all the stuff I found floating across the net.

The Inquirer, VIA CPU roadmaps
The C3 in Socket 370 form factors at produced at .13 micron goes from speeds ranging between 800MHz to 1.1GHz, while its EBGA package, aimed at low cost notebooks, scales from 666MHz to 800MHz.

I believe VIA is sending me some stuff on its new Eden platform, wait and see.

The Inquirer, SiS and VIA vs Intel on the 533mhz Bus
As far as we are aware, Via does not have a licence for the 533MHz front side bus, but we do know that it is involved in bitter litigation with Intel over Pentium 4 patents.

Via Hardware, Looking at OSX--from the x86 side
One of the topics that's been continually discussed ever since Apple launched OSX is whether or not the company would ever port an x86 version of it. Even a year after its launch, there remains definite interest from the technical community in an x86-compatible version, but unfortunately, discussions on the topic are rarely complete or unbiased. We've analyzed the current positioning of OSX and looked at both the potential positive and negative impacts a successful OSX port could have on Apple.

SocketA, Asus A7V333 Review

AMDZone
Back in January we broke the news about the following AMD trademarks.
AMD FORTON
AMD METARON
AMD MULTEON
AMD VANTON
AMD OPTERON

Now Mark let me know that AMD had also trademarked these names.

METARON
OPTERON

Legion Hardware, KT266A roundup
A few weeks back now I published a KT266A roundup based on boards from Abit, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI. In my conclusion of this article it said goodbye to the KT266A chipset, stating that there will be no more KT266A reviews seen on Legion Hardware. Well I was wrong, today the KT266A makes a quick comeback in the form of Acorp, DFI, Shuttle and SOYO. If you wondering why I have decided to reopen the KT266A chapter? Well it’s because I was forced to, I had no choice. There were upset manufacturers who missed out on the first roundup and there were the fans of these manufacturere who wanted to see there favorite boards compete. So here we are once again for what I imagine will be the last time we review four more KT266A boards.

P4 1.6a GHZ overclocking
To many hardware enthusiasts, overclocking is an art form – a science, if you will. To the uninitiated, overclocking is a mystery – a seemingly dangerous pastime with the potential for disaster. To me, overclocking is a hobby – a way to ensure every last bit of reasonably accessible processing power is fully exploited. I’ve taken the Celeron 300A above 450MHz, the Pentium II 400 above 533MHz, and the Pentium 4 1.5GHz to 1.8GHz within a week of the processor’s launch. I don’t use nitrogen, I don’t use water, and I rarely use Peltier coolers. Instead, I tackle overclocking with layman’s tools – a good motherboard, a good processor, a heatsink, and some thermal grease.

There is probably more, but I have chem lab in 25 minutes.

Rumors are speading fast about this notebook featuring 512K cache. What? A notebook? Yes, remember that AMD doesn't really have a mobile division like Intel has. So basically this means that the T-Bred might have 512K of cache, or it may just be a misprint.

AMD® Mobile Athlon 4 1600+ with QuantiSpeed™ Architecture - 1.4 GHz
512KB L2 On-Chip cache

Compare Prices of Intel and AMD. Get the best deal on Compaq computers

I told you it would happen, my partnership with Deal-Time has allowed me to move this process quicker than I thought. Yes, it all boils down to the money that I didn't have. Remember also, the more you click on the dealtime links, the more you support the site.

Anyway, the new domain will be http://www.asetools.com. It will go live in the coming weeks. All software things will be brought over to the new site, with a new look as well. We may need some help with the new site also.

I'm glad that this site is moving on to different areas. It really makes me happy to see the site successful. I would really like to thank a few people (In no order): AA, Niscenus, and cjones. So pick up that beer and chug it down! Let's Party!

Okay everyone, I just wanted to remind you that our forum contest is still on going. We need you to register and post in the forums. Complete rules are here.

For those 510 registered users: Don't by shy, just Hit the forums once and awhile. You could win a new Dragon Orb 3 heatsink.

The Inquirer wants ATI to fix its DVD problems for use with Power DVD 4. Personally, I just use the ATI DVD Player and it works fine for me. I don't see a problem with DVD playback at all.

Found this interesting tidbit about Viewsonics new wireless monitor. Have a look over at 3DZone

The Inquirer has some details on new Intel CPUs.

Later this quarter, Intel will qualify 845G platforms for the 533MHz front side bus, and in the second half of this year will position the 2.26GHz, 2.53GHz and 2.40GHz Pentium 5s with 533MHz FSBs as offering the best price/performance and longevity. The 2.26GHz will be an entry point for the 533MHz front side bus machines.

Saw this at Warp2Search that linked to Max Reboot.

A new ATi Radeon driver for Windows 2000 (this time ) has appeared on the net.

Its dated 03/31/2002, and its version is 5.13.01.6058.

Early reports show noticable performance increase over the last set at the expense of some image quality.

The following cards are listed as being supported by the driver:

Radeon Mobility 7500 GL
Radeon Mobility
Radeon 8500 / 8500LE
Radeon 7000 / Radeon VE
Radeon 7500
Radeon 8500
Radeon 7200 / Radeon
Radeon 8500 DV Edition
Radeon Mobility 7500
R8500

May I remind you that this is an unofficial beta driver and should only be installed at users own risk!

What? IQ sacrifice???? I'll have to check this after class.

Read More for the download link...
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Download it here

Mike over at Silent PC Review emailed me about a new article he put up. Read about the sandwhich technique and how to quiet your drive. Thanks Mike!

I saw this at Warp2Search.

Microsoft Personal Security Advisor (MPSA) is being replaced by the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), released in April 2002. MBSA is a standalone application that scans Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP systems for common security misconfigurations. MBSA includes the same security checks as MPSA, but adds value by scanning local and remote machines, as well as both Windows servers and workstations.
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Get the download page here

Taken from this Inquirer post

Duron 1000 OEM – EOL
Duron 1000 BOX - EOL
Duron 1100 OEM - $66
Duron 1100 BOX - $72
Duron 1200 OEM - $75
Duron 1200 BOX - $72
Duron 1300 BOX - $82

XP 1700 OEM - $125
XP 1700 BOX - $122
XP 1800 OEM - $152.50
XP 1800 BOX - $130
XP 1900 OEM - $210
XP 1900 BOX - $158

XP 2000 OEM - $254
XP 2000 BOX - $216
XP 2100 OEM - $295
XP 2100 BOX - $261

EOL means end of line, so no more Duron 1Ghz. If you can't tell by the numbers, you really should by boxed CPUs as they are cheaper than OEM (how about that!)

I'm redesigning the software section. Also, I'm preparing it to move to the other site soon. Comments or suggestions should be sent here.

Eidos wants to raise some money for charity, and they are selling Lara Croft's clothes to raise money. This stuff was originally worn by Nell McAndrew (which I think will attract a few weirdos to the auction).

• Lara's 'trademark' circular Sunglasses
• Green rubber all-in-one vest
• Open-backed leather gloves
• Military-style shorts
• Twin leather holsters with large buckle belt
• Twin Smith and Wesson automatic replica pistols
• Thick woollen calf-length socks

I've uploaded 1.6.0 build 3 for your enjoyment!