News

The Inquirer has a story that they found a PS2 emulator. But it is buggy and won't work right now. I still want GTA3 for my PC!

DigiTimes has a news posts about some new Nforce chipsets. Now, I don't know why they would make a SDRAM board...

The nForce 220 series comprises two chipsets, the nForce 220 and the nForce 220-D, supporting SDRAM and DDR266 architectures, respectively.

ECS has announced support for the 645DX chipset, new boards should be coming soon. I'll ask ECS about getting one, just need to finish the other stuff first!

AMDZone has the new creation from BOXX. This one pairs dual Athlon MPs with the Thunder K7.

BOXX has harnessed the power of the new Athlon MP and put together a powerful workstation suitable for many different digital content creation tasks. If you need a serious dual CPU workstation then the 3DBOXX is up to the task. - AMDZone

Got an email from PCStats. This time they review a new USB 2.0 Hub. USB 2.0 was created to battle IEEE 1394 (Firewire).

One such USB2.0 comes from the folks at Belkin, and besides adding four backwards compatible USB 2.0 ports to a computer, also attempts to breach the design limits with a funky spaceship like look. The Belkin 2.0 USB Hub runs for about $70CDN. Of course if you already have the Belkin USB 2.0 Hi-Speed PCI card you will be set. But in any case, if you have been looking around the market place it may be wise decision to spend a little extra at this time and set yourself up with a USB2.0 compatible hub instead of a simple USB1.1 hub. - PCStats

I finished testing them both, but I left some of the numbers at home and now I'm at school GRR. I'll be heading home for Passover on Wed, so I'll have everything ready by Thursday. This is your chance to get any last minute questions in!

Got an email from Max.

To spice things up even further, a copper plate has been embedded into the aluminum base. Taisol call this an "impact forged CopperBase." Unlike some OEM manufacturers which just bolt on a copper plate with a little thermal compound the copper plate which is part of the CGK760092 is not removeable. Cold forging is a process by which metal is shaped within a closed die with continuous impact or pressure. - FrostyTech

ActiveWin has a long list of fixes that SP3 will contain.

One that I really like: 260233 Support for ATA 100 (Mode 5 ) in Windows 2000

AMDZone has a news post that gives some details from an anonymous source about future chips of AMD.

Thoroughbred-initial release at 1800+ to 2200+
Barton-released only if demand is there.
SOI-gain in MHz of 10-15%
Athlon-demand dictates product life
Clawhammer-release and availability in October
Hammer chipsets-AMD will be sole manufacturer for some time after release
Clawhammer pricing-similar to Athlon pricing
Athlon/Duron SMP-non MP versions SMP capability to be removed
Hammer performance-P4 has no chance to come close in 32bit

Wired news: Anti-Copy Bill Slams Coders .

Now, this you may just shrug off. I urge you to read the article. This will have a strong effect on all devices, not just computers. We are talking about cell phones, PDAs, word processors, digital cameras, MP3 players and more. This also will affect ALL software. Mind you, the people that support this bill are all 'Big Business' in the computer industry.

But the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (CBDTPA) would also wreak havoc on programmers and software companies -- both those distributing code for free and those selling it.

That's right. You thought open source was safe? Not if it is illegal.

No more than two years and seven months after the bill becomes law, the only code programmers and software firms will be able to distribute must have embedded copy-protection schemes approved by the federal government.

Let us say some lobbyist doesn't want a particular piece of software to passthrough the house. They pressure the house to stop it. Were is the freedom to code?

Legal experts said on Friday that the CBDTPA regulates nearly any program, in source or object code, that runs on a PC or anything else with a microprocessor.

Nothing is safe. Be prepared to buy all new equipement and sites like mine will go down the drain.

There is a loophole: Programmers could still create unapproved code on one computer. But they couldn't give it to anyone else or transmit it on a network.

Some loophole.

It could become unlawful for U.S. programmers to distribute any newly developed non-compliant code after the CBDTPA takes effect. Because the CBDTPA also regulates importing software, it could be illegal to download non-compliant code from overseas.

This reminds me somewhat of a tarrif. But, information isn't like goods, it's all zeros and ones, it isn't tangible.

Anyone violating the CBDTPA would be subject to statutory damages ranging from $200 to $25,000 per violation. An irked content owner would have a quiver of legal arrows to aim at a violator: Search warrants, impounding or destruction of equipment used in the illegal activity, plus attorney's fees, reimbursement for lost profits and actual damages.

It's all about the profits right? I recommend that everyone goes and rights to their congress people. Tell them to NOT pass this bill. America will go backwards, what are we thinking??!?

VR-Zone has a DDR333 roundup. New chipsets will increasingly use this and faster types of memory.

Most of you know about all the types of heatsinks out there, made from aluminum and copper, or a mix. Copper has the second highest heat transfer coefficient of any metal, with silver being the best. This makes heatsink technology seem to be at a standstill, but madex, is moving to new grounds it seems. Carbon heatsinks, yes, carbon. Carbon fibres have heat transfer coefficients far beyond that of any metal, the only problem is it only works with the length of the fibre, not across the fibre (unidirectional). If they can get a good process to produce these, they might be affordable, but the manufacturering is the hardest part. Anandtech has a pic of some early prototypes.

This gets me all excited.

This marks the 1 year birthday of The Inquirer. Happy Birthday! Mike has done a great job with the site in a years time.

This patch fixes a great deal of bugs and other things.

What's New:
Stand-alone game server that runs without CD, mohaa_server.exe.
Fixed bug in pak file search order
Fix for spaces in rcon commands, fix for rcon data transmission
Fix for rcon status command
Fix for the dial-up networking problem when playing single-player.
Fix for in-game server browser always auto-refreshing
In-game browser shows version information on incompatible servers, and sorts incompatible servers to the bottom
Fix for running servers from machines with multiple IPs
After reaching an error screen from the in-game browser the game goes back to the browser, rather than main menu
Fixed lag when a bomb was planted and the entire planting team was killed net_ip reflects what ip is actually used for the game gamespy uses the ip set with net_ip, if any
Can follow players from the other team when your entire team is killed
The multiplayer dial-up connection fix. sv_privatePassword and sv_privateClients work to reserve spots for admins
Added proper disconnect and error screen display for when game refuses client connection
Muzzle flashes stick to weapons.
Localization code rolled in (and new localization file to work with altered system)
Removed old Q3 skin code to save memory
Fixed rare visibility glitch with lean
Fixed rare instance when AI would suicide with grenades
Fixed rare instance when an effect would flicker
When a server drops below sv_fps clients get a "slow server" message. This shows up in single-player developer mode. Disable message by setting cg_drawsvlag to 0.
Dynamic light fix for better spotlights
Added protection against malicious names in multi-player
Spectators can no longer telefrag players
Fixed bug with forcemodel and spectator
Strings are now localized as entire sentences, using &&& as a non-localizing wildcard match
Fixed some memory leaks

Get the patch!

Microsoft's Dungeon Siege a very promising title which has just gone gold should hit the stores April 4th. The game is a mix of RPG and action in the medieval settings. Judging from screenshots I would say Diablo has gotten a big upgrade. Yet it is still to be seen what the RPG part has to offer. Interested to see more visit Microsoft's page.

Nvidia posted new detonator drivers with kits that contain the NVIDIA control panels. If you can't wait to install new Detonator XP v. 28.32 visit the links below:

• Windows 9x/ME
• Windows NT
• Windows 2000/XP

Got an email from Frosty, looks like they reviewed a cool new heatsink made from a Korean company.

Spring is officially here, and with it are coming a fresh crop of prototype heatsinks at the FrostyTech Labs. The first such prototype to surface is the Tocools Crown. The Tocools Crown is largely machined from a block of aluminum, but this may change with the production models. Tocools are a Korean Company which have yet to break into the North American heatsink markets - however given what we have been seeing in their heatsinks thus far, this may quickly change.

I'll be doing a driver comparison between many drivers of ATI. Let me know which ones to include. Click, 'Discuss this topic'.

I still don't know what the problem was. But, whatever it was, Chris fixed it. Thanks Chris! (By the way, check out his hosting company, Think Computing, for great host.)

This Inquirer post, which contradicts one earlier, says that Dram prices are in freefall again.

This, coupled with a report from Taiwan yesterday that CeBIT brought no big PC orders for the mobo makers. Those comments were echoed by a Bear Sterns' analyst who said he further expected prices to fall both here and in the forthcoming quarter.

It seems that the Inquirer learned that ATI will no longer preannounce a product. Instead, they will come to market as soon as the announce it. Good move on ATI's part.

VIA released its new 4-in-1 driver pack for motherboards based on VIA chipsets. This pack features ATA 133 support for Win XP and contains other minor fixes, it also features updated AGP driver.

Download VIA 4-in-1 pack / read release notes.

This utility finds updates for Symantec products. If you are an owner and want to stay up to date get it here.

That according to this Inquirer post.

Duron parts
Duron1000 $51.7 Duron1000BOX $51.7
Duron1100 $65.4 Duron1100BOX $61.7
Duron1200 $75.4 Duron1200BOX $71.7
Duron1300BOX $81.6

Athlon XP parts
XP1700 $124.6 XP1700BOX $121.5
XP1800 $152.6 XP1800BOX $130.2
XP1900 $210.6 XP1900BOX $158.3
XP2000+ $254.8 XP2000+BOX $215.6
XP2100 $293.5 XP2100BOX $259.2

Athlon MP parts
MP1600 $165.7 MP1600BOX $165.7
MP1800 $202.5 MP1800BOX $180.1
MP1900 $260.4 MP1900BOX $207.5
MP2000+ $302.2 MP2000+BOX $265.4

Win2k - 5.13.01.6037

Win9x - 4.13.9016

WinXP - 6.13.10.6037

Of course new beta WinXP drivers came out a few days ago. Look for the other OSes to follow as well.

Here is the PCI-SIG Press Release for the newest version of PCI bus and interface.

The new PCI v2.3 specification is the first major upgrade to "Conventional PCI" since PCI v2.2 was released in December 1998. It is an evolutionary change that makes a significant step in migrating the PCI bus from the original 5 volt signaling to 3.3 volt signaling. Like PCI v2.2, the new specification supports two system board add-in card connectors for both the 3.3 volt and 5 volt signaling environments. However, PCI v2.3 does not support 5 volt-keyed add-in cards, which are now "non-compliant" with the PCI v2.3 specification. PCI v2.3 continues to support the Universal-keyed and 3.3 volt-keyed add-in cards. The Universal card is capable of detecting the signaling environment in use and adapting itself to that environment. By always using 3.3 volt output signals and having 5 volt-tolerant inputs, the Universal card can be plugged into both types of PCI slots (including PCI-X slots). This change is particularly important to adapter card vendors who must adopt PCI v2.3 to remain compliant and compatible with the most current version of the PCI local bus specification.

ViaHardware has finish their review of the SS50. The major differences between the SS50 and the SV24 are the CPU and graphics. I want one!

I saw this at Maxreboot. It will be arriving on the 22nd of April.

Key Features:
High Security
3-steps Installation
KDE 3 And KOffice
Multimedia: CD-writing and Games
Power for Professionals

SuSE Linux announces SuSE Linux 8.0, the company's latest Linux operating system and applications package highlighting increased security, KDE 3 desktop, seamless installation and expanded multimedia capabilities for professional and private desktop and workstation users.

Microsoft .NET Framework Service Pack 1 provides the latest updates to the .NET Framework. Service Pack 1 is highly recommended for all users of the .NET Framework, including customers of Visual Studio .NET.

More information here

It seems that Lara doesn't want to play nice with the PC anymore. Lara will remain strickly on the PS2. I doubt this will last as the game designers can win some more money from the PC people.