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With a famous quote, "By the second generation products will see the system benefits", by Melissa Johnson, a product manager at Seagate. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2188425,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532 http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=9195

For Hybrid Hard Drives to live up to promises. After a bit more digging - There is still a lack of results from this drive, although boot time and power savings are starting to show up. RAM caches have been around for years, and getting even 1 GB of flash memory is getting down to pretty reasonable levels. Why is this commanding a 30% premium and delivering unspectacular benefits? Unless there's a solid standard behind addressing for HHD's exists, there's no point in blaming BIOS or Vista for a problem that could also be addressed in on-drive logic.
Meh.

Statement from hothardware.com looks correct; parent post is mistaken:

"It made more business sense to design a quad-core architecture where one of the cores could be turned off versus a discrete tri-core product design, Brewer said."

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2184275,00.asp

"Essentially, the Phenom triple-core processors are quad-core variants with one core disabled. This allows AMD to simply disable one core on quad-core dies for maximum use of a single wafer. "

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8916

Though you can't play Super Mario on a PlayStation, games for one platform do have counterparts on another. For example, if you like GameCube-exclusive platformers but you have a PS2, there exist substitutes: Crash, Jak, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, etc. Likewise, if you like Zelda, PS2 has two Dark Cloud games. Which genre for Windows did you find lacking on Linux?

But if you want a specific title for Xbox 360, buy an Xbox 360 console. Likewise, if you want a specific title for Windows, buy or build a Windows console. Even PCs running Windows 9x, Windows XP, and Windows Vista are almost as different as the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 consoles.

That's actually a very competitive price point for AMD. A Core 2 Duo clocked at 2.67 Ghz is $559 (reference)

Personally, I'd love one of these processors - especially for a datacenter that I manage. I noticed a huge increase in throughput when we switched over our datacenter from Windows Server to Red Hat Enterprise (x86_64), and I'm not sure the memory starved Intel chips can keep up with the AMD HyperTransport architecture.

(Until Intel leap-frogs AMD, then AMD leap-frogs Intel, and we all benefit!)

Something tells me that the hard drive wasn't DOA, but Dead After Opening.

Having seen this screen shot I had to ask, what is a Windows Experience Index? It seems this machine has a score of 5.6. Great, what's that out of Microsoft? 10? That's pretty crappy. Maybe it's out of six?

So I googled for a bit and eventually found this page. Which says "The base scores currently range from 1 to 5.9." WTF? So it's out of 4.9 and you just add 1 for fun, is that it? I wonder if it's a linear scale or what.. maybe it's logarithmic.

If this is how broken the business rules of their software are, I can only imagine how broken the implementation must be.

Microsoft, you're a disgrace.

http://www.extremetech.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205 ,l=&s=25680&a=212921&po=13,00.asp

Definitely. Other than selling 60 million licenses up to this point, Vista is a complete failure.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2158619 ,00.asp

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article2/0,1217,a =211091,00.asp?hidPrint=true

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article2/0,1217,a =211091,00.asp

Soap goes one step further: It works in midair. With this new-age pointing device, now under development at Microsoft Research, you can navigate your PC using nothing but a bare hand. You can lose the end table and the lap desk. You can even lose the couch and the bed, driving your machine while walking across the room. It's a bit like the Wii remote--only more accurate and far easier to use.

right here.

They seemed to like it as well.

Indeed, the technical quality of the slide show is really low.

I personally had a good laugh at the picture at:

http://www.extremetech.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205 ,l=&s=1670&a=209248&po=9,00.asp

which says "Motherboards are made from printed circuit boards (PCBs), which, as the name suggests, need to be printed or etched. Here's where that happens.", and an unknown machine is shown. No, that's not where the PCB's are made. The PCB construction is a very complex and accurate chemical process that involves laminates, copper foil, plotters, photo resist layers, etching, stripping, build up layers, optical inspection, repair, etc. That production is usually outsourced and the motherboard producer is then doing the final assembly step, which is partly depicted in the slide show.

http://www.extremetech.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205 ,l=&s=1670&a=209248&po=41,00.asp

I want to sniff then I want sniff this lady's sandaled feet, then lay down under this one's feet and jack off over her soles.

captcha: intimacy

I want to sniff then I want sniff this lady's sandaled feet, then lay down under this one's feet and jack off over her soles.

captcha: intimacy

Yes, the article is inconsistent and stupid. See the table at the bottom of the last page of the article.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2142654 ,00.asp article shows a screen shot from XP so I dont see where it says that....

ad free, single page version

...as noted in the article but not in the summary, the "client to beat" is the excellent free, open source, GPL-licensed, and highly customizable Adium (more info).

(The summary does mention the other five of the six clients reviewed in the article.)

Or that WHQL isn't worth that much? The latest ATI drivers for DX10 seem to have a fair number of issues at least with this Demo http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2134729 ,00.asp
It could be a software issue but the Nvidia card works fine with it.

Can these things just be stuck strait into USB slots?

I don't know that Slash is really to blame here. The initial article had the same text verabtim, also without any superscripts. See the bottom of this page: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2131553 ,00.asp

Right, because no other vendor has ever been accused of that!

Obligatory print version. No pictures, but who needs those?

That said, while I'm not sure how these cards will perform, I have been using their big brother for a while. I've had a Leadtek 8800GTS (640mb) for a few months now, and it runs great. It would probably run better if I was using WinXP instead of Vista, but I'm happy with it.

I agree. On a 42" TV, HDMI vs Component may not be noticeable at all. But I sure as heck could tell the difference on my 1080p projector on a 90" image. Feeding a 1080p signal over VGA vs DVI->HDMI did have a big difference, not only in sharpness but there were artifacts in the VGA as well. It was a 6 ft normal VGA cable. So, you can buy an expensive $100 monster VGA cable or component cable, or use digital (HDMI) and use a cheap cable for the same clarity.

Another thing I've been wondering about . . . the rumors say this Elite version uses a new scaling chip. Does this new chip also offer better scaling overall, on component and HDMI? Its been said that the XBox 360 has crappy standard def DVD upscaling.

The 'arstechnica ambulance chasers' are a day late and a dollar short, like usual, per your link, writertype (good catch by the way):

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2040734 ,00.asp

Arstechnica news style = just spit back what others put out, mere 2nd hand day old bread, practically posting their copy online, plagiarized, or variations of the original idea and theme to cover their asses generally. As usual, they are not very original or creative. What does one want from a pack of nitwits like the arstechnica forums board has? The only person with any real smarts and accomplishments in this field that are even somewhat known from their forums members is a guy named J. E. Hanrihan, a noted driver developer! Mind you, he does not hang out there much to begin with or even at all for years now. He's too far above their mindless drivel of most of their forums membership. As far as the rest? Nobodies and nothings in this field or life, as to a good 90% of them. The worst of their lot is that stooge Jeremy Reimer, who has no professional experience in the computer science field, nor even a degree or certification in it, for example. Jeremy Reimer, who made an utter fool out of himself at Windows it pro magazine forums with his friend Jay Little. Both of them had to leave out of shame. Just an indicator of the character of the type that flocks to arstechnica - the greatest pack of underachievers there is online imho and those of others who call them this and are utterly correct.

Story is here.

Yeah, the 360 is awesome at playing regular DVDs. (You were kidding, right?)

Or just skip right to the final page...

Now isn't this link much better?. Why is it so difficult to submit these links instead? Sigh...

I would love to have a desk-based solution.

Ah, then you want one of these. And don't even tell me that's not practical. Because it totally is. And by practical, I mean awesome.

For better try: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3118_7-6695272-1.html ?tag=cnetfd.mt/

Or for gamers: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2096940 ,00.asp/

They at least don't sound like they just dropped the M$ pom-poms to type their articles.

First of all, you don't even understand the terms:

TDP = Thermal Design Power. Not "total". Get your facts right.

You are totally wrong about TDP: TDP is entirely a marketing construct. It is based on a typical scenario. They choose a point arbitrarily that doesn't cause too much perf. loss from PowerNow!, but still reduces thermal solution cost. It's market pressure.

Second: RTFA.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2068252 ,00.asp

"AMD's argument goes like this: Modern desktop and notebook processors constantly scale up and down between full speed and an idle state, which AMD has branded "Cool 'n' Quiet". At a given time, pushed to full load by an application, AMD's chips run hotter and consume more power. But across a typical computing day--where a user might check his email or surf the Web--the processor idles more often then not. At idle, AMD's 90nm Athlon 64 X2 consumes 7.5 watts. A 35-watt, 65-nm chip will idle at 3.8 watts, AMD said. By comparison, the 65nm Core 2 Duo idles at 14.3 watts."

Marketing drones on the prowl. AMD took Intel's spec, changed what is considered a "typical" day, and said, "Hey look, we win!!!" I'm sure Intel will respond in kind.

AMD does not give MAX, if they did, they wouldn't be able to sell their products to any platform vendor. No one has spec'd MAX since pre 1GHz days.

Repeat after me: AMD DOES NOT SPEC MAX POWER. AMD DOES NOT SPEC MAX POWER. AMD DOES NOT SPEC MAX POWER>

Don't believe me? Here is their POWER THERMAL DATA SHEET, and it only specs TDP.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white _papers_and_tech_docs/30430.pdf

PowerNow! defines TDP as the max power of the CPU under TDP conditions. There's the rib. TDP conditions (see page 83 of aforementioned documents) are not explained, "please see your FAE for details." But we already know the answer to that.

Intel and AMD both spec to their own versions of what TDP means. Been that way since the 100W+ CPU appeared on the market.

Parent is lifted from extremetech.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2094291 ,00.asp

Spare your eyeballs with the ad free, one page print version.

huh?fud?troll?

oblivion with 1600x1200 HDR enabled

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2090576 ,00.asp/

...except that CPUs use more power when loaded (see here for instance).

Huh?? Ive installed my entire array of FPS games, and even rts games. everything works like a charm, and actually runs faster. I do no have a dx10 card- x800xtpe, actually an x800xt, just added the pe with the pipelines.

VISTA IS BEAUTIFUL- AND I HATE MS.

Before you speak- stfu and listen!

by the way- this ran on slashdot last week- http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2090571 ,00.asp

Everything works on Vista- tried and true. Except Gametap- and thats their fault.

There are two primary reasons for games not working perfectly on Vista:

1.) Crappy video drivers. (Especially nVidia drivers.)

2.) The game needs admin privs.

If you're a victim of crappy drivers, well, that's the price you pay for being on the bleeding edge, I guess. ATI's drivers are fairly good. They had WHQL certified drivers released before Vista's consumer launch. nVidia, on the other hand, is dragging their ass. They've had a long time to get these drivers done. If you want to blame somebody, blame them.

If the game doesn't run without admin privs, then blame the game manufacturer. How do you know ahead of time? Well, if it has the "Designed for Windows XP" logo on the box, you should be good to go. These games were certified by Microsoft, and as part of that certification, they couldn't do stupid crap like write to c:\Program Files. If your game doesn't have that logo, then who knows.

Luckily, games that require admin privs can still be run on Vista without too much trouble. Just right click the game icon and select "Run as Administrator". Even better, right click it, go to properties, select Compatibility, and check the "Run as Administrator" option so that it always runs as admin. This will solve 99% of most people's gaming issues.

But games that don't run on Vista have nothing to do with Vista's "complexity" (it's a freaking modern OS, of course it's complex...), and it has nothing to do with some DirectX 9 incompatibility (the Dx9 bits ship with Vista).

Not to mention the fact that other sites mention pretty good luck with running games on Vista.

As usual, compatibility issues have more to do with 3rd party incompetence than with the quality of Microsoft's OS.

The GMA950 is a crap 3D card. Even the most basic google research shows that it is NOT a return of Intel to 3D and no reviewer worth a dam has said the graphics "scream". Poor performance and incomplete 3d support are the hallmarks of the GMA950. If you play nothing but Quake II than yea, the GMA950 is for you.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1821814 ,00.asp
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2427 &p=3
http://everythingapple.blogspot.com/2006/03/intel- gma-950-terrible-opengl.html

There's an interesting artical at Extreem tech about the wave of spam that hit us last year:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2060277 ,00.asp

Most admins were able to find ways to eliminate that eventually: http://blog.fastmail.fm/?p=580

but now I notice a new trend. Some spammers are actually putting news headlines in the subject field.

On top of that the black hats are now finding ways to spam emule search results.

Every search you make in Emule will return a fake hit... something like *_using_emule_multimedia_toolbar.exe. If you exectute that program your machine will be infected with a virus.

That and Fable and Fable II. I'd love to play a Wii version of those.

With the move to HD, one of the proposed solutions was HAVi over Firewire. Basically, each device would have a firewire port (well, two so you daisy chain), you run the daisy chain between the devices, and they provide their interface via Java.

The studios HATED it, because it meant their content was moving around the network digitally (in MPEG-2), which was the point. Want to record something to D-VHS or AVHDD, just choose to record it. The devices tell everyone that they record. No more PVR, or if you got a PVR, it's just software, and can dump to an AVHDD system. The whole thing was encrypted for DRM purposes, but the studios hated it. They loved Component/DVI because nobody could make a direct digital copy (too much space needed, would need to compress). The consumer electronics companies hated it, because it meant you'd have a single MPEG-2 decoder in your television (or receiver, then run Component/DVI to the monitor which would have no knowledge), and everyone else made cheap stuff. There is no room for a "better" DVD player if all the DVD player does is read the MPEG-2 stream and send it over firewire.

So instead, we are in a digital domain, we have lots of codecs, and everyone needs to do D/A conversions (to support components). The problems people have with HDMI are short-term (hopefully), but the CE companies know that if all they do is serve the bits off the disc, and don't do anything to make the picture better (quality digital/analog conversions mattering in DVD/component land, but not in DVD/HDMI land), there is no room for higher end models. Moving digital bits around is unimpressive, and there are only two parts of the system that convert to "analog," the receiver (for audio to go out to speakers), and the monitor... and now most of the high end monitors are "digital" devices, so no D/A to upgrade, but how they process the signal matters, because eventually YOU are looking at the analog (light wave) output of your digital set.

Part of the reason that we're seeing a massive drop in CE prices is that there is a decreasing benefit to quality systems. If you look at projectors, Panasonic is playing with smoothing technologies to gain an edge, because the convention edge is somewhat neutralized when digital data comes in and then powers an LCD (or DLP) system. Regarding the devices talking, Firewire was the correct technology. What's PATHETIC is that we carry SO MUCH data on the HDMI cable (up to 1080p video, up to 8 channels of 24-bit audio), but no control information. If you want automation, you're stuck with IR blasters (retarded), macro'ing remotes (slow and annoying), or a central automation control that runs RS-232 cables for serial control. The other option is a DC "trigger" where we have the fancy, high tech solution of sending a small amount of energy from device A to B, and B does "something."

On the plus side with HDMI, and cheaper analog to digital converters, we're seeing more receivers that can "upconvert" old RCA Video, S-Video, and Component signals into digital easily. While videophiles may not want their receiver doing video conversion (on the believe that the monitor should... and high end display devices probably do a better job of handling the signal), we're AT LEAST at the point that if you set the receiver to the right input, the "television" is truly a monitor only needing one input, and the trigger to turn it on and off can work. If you want to avoid the receiver based solution, there are plenty of component video switchers (that also switch digital audio, coax or toslink), that autosense what device is on. My dad used to use a receiver with multiple sourcing because he could record a DVD to audio cassette for the car, while running a VCR through the system for the television/stereo, but I don't know of anyone that does that any more, few people convert to analog sources, and they normally do their copying on the computer, not in the AV cabinet with the asinine inter

the degradation discussed is a requirement for non-encrypted content streams. My understanding is that if you connect your new Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player via their analog outputs, or to a non-encrypted digital channel, the output is downgraded to a lower resolution

Parent replied:

Thats incorrect. Degradation is recommended by the HD standards only if the content provider has opted-in for content protection but the hardware used doesn't provide a complete protection path to the display.

So non-opted content will display with full fidelity regardless of whether a non-secured or secured mechanism is used to display the content.

That's incorrect if you're using digital connections (e.g. DVI, HDMI) and commercial BluRay/HD DVD discs (almost all of which use AACS). If you try to play almost any commercial disc using a digital connection and you don't have HDCP protecting every step of the playback process, then it probably won't play at all. However, it probably will play back in full resolution over analog connections (e.g. VGA, component) because most commercial discs have not implemented ICT yet. When ICT is implemented, then the image (over analog connection) will be degredated to a lower resolution. Did that make sense?

To clarify, the rules are different for digital and analog connections. The rules are also different for AACS and ICT.

AACS (Advanced Access Content System) is the encryption system that's currently used by almost all commercial BluRay/HD DVD discs and requires HDCP everywhere (video ouput/input, driver, playback software) to playback (at any resolution) over digital outputs (e.g. DVI, HDMI). The disc probably won't playback at all over a digital connection that isn't fully protected by HDCP. Here's a link with a good explanation: The Authoritative BD FAQ: VIII. Device Connections

ICT (Image Constraint Token) is the DRM system that currently is not used by commercial discs but, when it is implemented, will degrade the resolution if analog connections are used.

You're much more likely to run into DRM problems on a computer/LCD than on a set top box/digital television. All BluRay/HD DVD set top boxes (except XBox 360) have all the DRM requirements built-in and all digital televisions have (at minimum) high-def analog inputs. On the other hand, most high-end computer/LCD setups today are connected with a DVI connection that doesn't have HDCP in either the video card or LCD. These computers (with incomplete HDCP implementations) won't play the movie at all using a digital connection (it will just display an error message). These same computers can playback HD content over a VGA connection (if ICT hasn't been implemented), but that would require changing the LCD connection from good digital to inferior analog. Who would want to do that just for watching HD movies?

More AACS/ICT/HDCP explanations:
HD Video Playback: H.264 Blu-ray on the PC
Review: Sony BWU-100A Blu-ray Recordable Drive