[H]ardNews 10th Edition

More Dust Bitten:

Two in one day? It looks as though M3DZone has a few more tricks left up their sleeve though.

Now, after some very, very long thoughts we have decided to shutdown M3DZone! I know you all think I'm nuts, but believe me, it is better this way. The site isn't what it used to be and it is time that we move on.

Vantec First Look:

This is the first time I have gotten to see the new Vantec PSUs first hand and I have to say they look awesome. Of course, looks are not that important to many of us when it comes to PSUs. We don't do PSU reviews because we simply do not have the resources to do them properly, but what we will do it put this unit on our testbenchmark and see how it fares with a plethora of different mainboards. While you can certainly tell whether or not it is delivering proper power under a load easily, I think longevity is probably the number two reason to buy a PSU. Guess we will tell you next year if this one is up to snuff or not.

Ours happens to be the 520 watt model that will give you 620watts under a peak load for 60 seconds and comes with a three year warranty.

[H]ardNews 9th Edition

Crappy Parents:

It looks as if the 6th Circuit Court has found more parents that need to spend more time with their kids. Thanks Kriss Hougland.

I feel a headshot coming on that just needs a way out of me.

More Cluck Less Buck:

Computers could be getting a whole lot faster, thanks to chickens -- or, rather, their feathers, which turn out to make great conductors when they're pressed into circuit boards for computer chips. Tonight's "Tech Live" reports.

And to think I could have been Intel and all of these years we have just been chopping their heads off and feeding them to the dog. Blame Derek Kwan.

Dan Joneses Hard:

An apparent loss of hardware to review has caused Dan, of DansData, to steal toys from the children in his hood in order to have "hardware" to review. A funding drive is now trying to raise bail money.

If you like weird flingable flying toys - Aerobies, boomerangs and so forth - then the Burpco Turbo Tube is for you. It costs $US7, including shipping, for US customers; you can buy it online at the Burp Gun site. As you can see in this movie on the Burp Gun site, the thing flies. Just looking at it, you'd think it wouldn't, but it does - and it flies well, too, provided you give it a decent chuck and apply some spin as you release it.

Dude Your Gettin'...

A Dell, but did you know what actually happens when you grandmother buys one? And no, I am not talking about the obvious overcharging or use of substandard parts. (rim shot please) thanks Doc Paramecium...if that is your real name.

[H]ardNews 8th Edition

More Voltage Dammit!

Oh wait, I got that all wrong. I meant less voltage. Phlux has a current write up of this now-classic mod made famous by [H]'er, Christopher "Kupe" Kupperman back in early 1999.

I can definitely say that having a noisy PC is not a good thing, especially when sitting next to a couple of Delta monsters, the added noise isn't good. Trying to do anything with a constant whine in the background is unbearable when hearing the game or music is more important.

Black Ice Ice Baby:

It is not in English, but the guys at DarkTweaker cover the Black Ice radiator sold specifically for water cooling your box. Take your translator.

Up to Snuff!

Wasn't there some discussion about AMD and benchmarks last week? Anyway, I was sent this link directly from AMD PR as they thought it might be of interest to you. We will not be drawing any conclusions from their data.

180GB @ Circuit City?

Peter sent in this link to a link over at CC that shows off some new Western Digital action. It seems as though the 180GB box wound up on the 120GB page. Thanks Peter!

[H]ardNews 7th Edition - Blair's Tech Edition

Motorola Web Server:

Hauk and Uner, engineers used to reliable equipment, felt like they'd been dropped into an alien land once they got entangled in the World Wide Web. Vandalism attacks kept the pair busy installing software patches to thwart hackers. They constantly were restarting crashed computers.

Magnetic Fluid:

A grey blob oozes down the side of a laboratory beaker. It's heading for the table, but before it gets there a low hum fills the air. Someone just switched on an electromagnet. The goop stiffens, quivers, then carries on oozing only after the hum subsides.

PowerToys Found:

I noticed that there was high demand for the Powertoys that MS decided to remove from the FINAL release of the XP Powertoy Set. Even I myself was really dying to still use some of the older Powertoys that they cancelled (like the Shell Audio Player, and the Background Switcher, etc.) So I decided that I would go ahead and create setup files for each of the cancelled Powertoys that I could find and post them all in an easy to install package.

Aerobot:

The robot would be capable to fly autonomous, recognize and locate target object, and perform navigation. A model helicopter is used as the airframe of the robot, which has various flight modes such as hovering, forward/backward flight, sideward flight, vertical climb/descent, etc.

Gotta Like a Brew or Two:

He has now had his grave specially designed with two bottles of beer cemented into the headstone.

Nice Shot Man:

The hunter admitted that he had shot Kerry on Bathurst Island on July 22 had brought the goose back home with him," it said. "This explains why we saw Kerry's transmitter move from Bathurst Island to Cornwallis Island at the end of July.

48 bits = $2.50?

SAN FRANCISCO — Texas Instruments Inc. will announce this week a 48-bit, fixed-function audio DSP for high-end audio-video receivers, DVD players and audio component systems. The TAS3103 is among the first DSPs with a 48-bit word width for consumer audio applications.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

Wow:

I did not see this coming. Seems as if Van is throwing in the towel, and just after things were getting fun over there. I would have to guess there is a lot more to the story than what is on the front page. Thanks Chris Kozlowski.

We appreciate your support for making us one of the biggest and most influential websites in the world.

Spyware:

Are you being watched? Find out how to find out how. Thanks Travis Bailey.

If you need information on how to protect your privacy, remove an annoying piece of adware, restore your browser settings after being infected with a browser hijacker, or want to know whether that free software you just downloaded might have an adware module hidden inside, you've come to the right place.

Amped UP!

If crystal meth is not an option for you at your next LAN, how bout some highly caffeinated sugar-enhanced beverages? I am sure there will be laws against these too one day.

It's 2:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. You've been up all night, fragging away in a Quake3 clan match. Your early morning schedule wore you out and you never had time to take a nap. The server is resetting between games, and you're starting to get a little sleepy-eyed. Milk isn't going to do a bit of good. Regular Coke or Pepsi are too run of the mill, and the last thing that'll keep you awake and at the top of your game is some pansy sports drink. What do you reach for?

n00bs & OC:

Are you not yet wise to the ways of the Dark Side? Let BlargOC take you on a whimsical journey that will sweep you and your computer away on a magic carpet that only a properly tweaked out box can render. OK, OK, it is a Guide to OCing for n00bs. Sorry, I just got caught up in the moment.

The most common methods used to OC your computer include adjusting the, FSB (Front Side Bus), CPU clock multiplier, and memory adjustments. Before worrying about how to make these adjustments you need to understand what each does. The following should help a bit.

[H]ardNews 5th Edition

ANALyst Know All:

Associated Press ran a story this morning that covers tweaked out boxes and focuses on the recent QuakeCon event. Roger Kay, and industry analyst with technology research IDC, had the following to say at the close of the article about the gaming computers segment of the market.

"It's not going to grow," Kay said. "It's only for those fanatical and rich enough to indulge in keeping their systems at the cutting edge."

Funny is that I have had people, who are supposed to be in the know, tell me this for five years now and it is the one segment that continues to grow. In fact if you look at it, I would have to think that gaming is moving towards being one of the single most important factors pushing computer hardware along. Companies like VIA, ATi, AMD, and Intel spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on sponsorship for single LAN events certainly appreciate the niche market and the power of marketing through them and we thank them for that. Thanks TD3.

Aces Digs Deeper:

We made an amendment to the conclusion of our Pentium 4 2.8GHz review that referenced this (and the SL# CPUs you will want to buy) but the guys over at Aces have got proof to back up those statements. Great work over at Aces, as usual, and you will surely want to give this a read. AcesHardware continues to be a valuable hardware resource.

At Ace's we found out that the new 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 is not a mere speed grade, but actually a new stepping that has some architectural improvements, i.e. a better TLB architecture. We lowered the multiplier of the new 2.8 GHz P4 to 19 (2.53 GHz), and then compared this new stepping to the old 2.53 GHz P4.

MSI KT333 Reviewage:

Even though we are starting to see KT400 boards in the market place, the KT333 boards are still a very viable purchase as shown by MBReview.

The KT3 Ultra2 is clearly meant for the performance crowd and tweakers looking to get every last ounce of performance out of their system.

Vantec PSUs for Sale:

We have made mention of the new Vantec PSUs several times now and we have gotten mails asking where folks can buy them. Snowman puts us all in the know.

[H]ardNews 4th Edition

Wrapped Up 8-Balls:

Before you bondage guys get all excited, this is simply a quick look at how to make you own loom material for bundling wires and such.

There are many variations to how you can cut the tubing. You could simply forego the spiral cutting, and simply just cut straight down to tube, though that would make the tube less flexible in terms of holding together a bunch of wires. Experiment with the best style for yourself, as only you know what you like.

P4 2.8GHz Stragglers:

AMD 2600+ Straggler:

On a day reserved for the P4, we see AIElectronics debut their review of the 2600+.

Overclocking you should be able to get up to something like 145+MHz FSB easily with only a small increase in core voltage instead of the 133MHz FSB.

They don't actually show their own OC results though.

Gladiator Super Shielder:

I about deleted this from my mailbox because I thought I was once again being spammed by the Trojan Condom Company. That is not what it is all cracked up to be though, as it is simply a rounded SS cable for your IDE devices. They do seem to have a heavier shielding than most cables though.

As you can see I did achieve better performance using the Gladiator cables. I ran those tests many times with each cable and those were very close to the averages. From reading around the net others have achieved scores 1500-7000 points higher so that makes one believe results will vary from system to system.

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition

P4 2.8GHz Reviews:

The Pentium 4 2.8GHz CPU reviews are out in force. We have made an update to the end of ours as a reader brought it to our attention that the 2.8GHz will possibly have a new stepping in retail. While we are yet to have hard and fast facts about this, it would be a good bet that the newer stepping will be the one to get and of course you can ID them by SL# printed on the CPU or retail box. Here's all the reviews.

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition

3.06GHz Soon?

We got confirmation of a new pricing list being distributed in New Zealand today that shows the Intel Pentium 4 3.06GHz being up for sale on September 9, 2003. Surely this has to be wrong or we are simply very much in the dark on this one. All prices are in NZ currency.

UPDATE! Obviously I have screwed up my interpretation of the dates here at that would reflect September 1, 2002. Still seems to be wrong but it is funny that I am getting confirmations of this information now. Most likely just someone with a bad pricelist being published.

Got Hole?

We commented earlier that we were seeing some of the mainboards based on the VIA KT400 chipset showing up without the four mounting holes we are used to seeing. We reported some time ago that the holes had been removed from the spec. [H]'er, James Petrowicz, went out and did some investigation of this own and reports back this:

The Gigabyte does not have the holes so far as I can tell by checking manufacture's websites and reviews, the only ones that I have verified with holes are the boards from IWILL, EPOX, QDI, AND ASUS. Checking out Rage3D coverage of QUAKECON 2002 shows sample boards. Not 100% sure but I believe the following have holes. ABIT, SHUTTLE, SOYO, BIOSTAR, AND AOPEN.

Vantec PSU:

Big black and sexy. No it is not Nell Carter, but rather the new PSU from Vantec as seen in the eyes of IPKonfig. Maybe we will have some solid competition in the market now.

Everything Vantec set out to accomplish with this power supply has been done, above and beyond in my opinion. It's a true performer.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition

DX8 GPU Roundup:

Our buddies at 3DCenter have been burning the midnight oil in order to crank out a roundup that covers many a VidCard. Seems as though the 9700 Pro has been left out though. Still very showing of what kind of bang you can get for you bucks though. Look at that Parhelia go!

"DirectX8 graphics chips roundup", including the GeForce3, GeForce3, Ti200, GeForce3 Ti500, Radeon 8500, Radeon 8500 LE, Parhelia, GeForce4 Ti4200, GeForce4 Ti4400 and GeForce4 Ti4600 chips.

Ford on Ride Sharing:

Washington DC - William Ford Jr., CEO of the Ford Motor Company testified before Congress about the nationwide problem of ride sharing. Ford cited ride swapping as the number one reason for the the company's declining revenue. "These 'pool pirates are depriving Ford of rightful income. Three sometimes four people are sharing rides. Less wear and tear on the cars means fewer new car purchases. That's revenue that's being robbed from Ford."

What is truly funny is that this was reported as "real" news on a radio station here in Dallas last week.

Swifty Water Cooling:

Who would have thought that LiquidNinjas would be covering water cooling CPUs? Well they are and today they are showing off the Swiftech solution that uses a TEC for getting those temps down.

The system is now 100% turn-key and pretty much maintenance free. It is also completely self contained. I do keep my eyes out for condensation, but I've had no trouble with that at all so far. Perhaps my installation precautions will keep that problem at bay indefinitely.

More on VisionTek:

John Malley, once head PR and Marketing Guru at VisionTek, has officially resigned as of Friday afternoon. Still no word on whether the bank foreclosure will result in a breakup of VT into pieces or if it will be sold off as a whole. Either way, they are still in the middle of going, going, gone, as reported here accurately last week.

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition - 2.8GHz Up and Out

Pentium 4 2.8GHz Reviewage:

Our review and comparison using the newest Intel 2.8GHz Pentium 4 can be found here.

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition

Pentium 4 2.8GHz Marks:

HardwarePacers is slowly but surely posting their benchmarks they are getting with the soon-to-be-released Pentium 4 2.8GHz CPU. There are a couple of links on their front page.

The Golden Space Age:

I am not riding on a commercial Shuttle flight till they at least get Sabre handling their reservations. Thanks Blair.

All are signs of an aging infrastructure much of which dates back to the Apollo missions of the 1960s.

Junkyard Cooling:

A great challenge in watercooling a computer is finding a suitable radiator that wont break the bank yet still perform. A traditional solution is to pull a heatercore from a car, unfortunately this has been a hit and miss affair until now. With the range of cars available people dont know what to look for. Many heatercores are hidden behind acre's of plastic which takes hours to pull away from the car. The first requirement is to get yourself and your extensive toolkit to the nearest car breakers yard.

Watch out for snakes.