Microsoft Sues 129 Phishers

Microsoft, at a European Union conference on identity theft, announced that it has launched 129 lawsuits against phishers and is doing everything it can to aid law enforcement’s efforts to capture these crooks.

"Sometimes we initiate our own legal action, but more importantly we work with law enforcement agencies," said Nancy Anderson, deputy general counsel at the software company. Of the 129 lawsuits that have been initiated, 97 are criminal procedures in which Microsoft and other technology companies have provided information.

AMD Buys 700 Blades

According to eWeek, Hewlett-Packard is filling an order for more than 700 blade servers for AMD’s silicon design team. Before anyone panics and starts jumping to conclusions, you can all relax, the servers are all dual-core Opteron based machines.

This is the first time that AMD is deploying blades within its engineering design unit. AMD officials said the blades will offer an increased performance-by-watt of up to 30 percent compared to standard rack-mounted servers. HP, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif., was one of the first OEMs to begin offering Opteron dual-core processors in its servers and its blades.

Bigfoot Announces First Linux-based FNApp

The folks at Bigfoot Networks, creators of the Killer NIC, have released the first Flexible Network Architecture application for the Killer NIC to help make online gaming safer and more secure. Not only that, they have a unique FNA bounty program for embedded Linux developers, gamers, game developers, or anybody who wants the challenge of developing new FNApps. Prize money ranges from $2,500 to $5,000. For more information on the Killer NIC, I recommend you give this a look.

“We like to think of FNA Firewall as enabling gamers with a Killer NIC to play online games without sacrificing performance or security. Using FNA Firewall is like putting armor on your computer; you can game safely and with confidence,” said Harlan Beverly, co-founder and CEO of Bigfoot Networks.

Thermaltake Mozart

If you are tired of cramped cases, small form factor systems or you just need a case with a little “extra” room? Well then, the Thermaltake Mozart reviewed by the crew at PCPerspective today is definitely what you need.

Most Home Theater PC and entertainment center enclosures are relatively compact in design and frequently model traditional audio gear in appearance. Not the Mozart Tx. It stands over 28” (72cm) high, has four internal compartments, and can accommodate two separate computer systems.

Small Companies Ignorant Of Security?

When it comes to security, businesses need to know that no company is too small, hackers and other undesirables will go anywhere they think there is easy money.

"SMEs (small and midsized enterprises) are not aware of being a potential victim--spending 40 pounds per year on antivirus is not a high priority," he said at the event, organized by managed services specialist Claranet. "SMEs have to realize that just because they are small, it doesn't mean they won't be targeted. Bad guys target wherever they can get money."

Tips For Safe Online Shopping

Now, I know most of you guys are pretty savvy when it comes to shopping online and such BUT we all know someone that isn’t so hip to the ways of the web. This PCWorld article outlining tips for online shopping has some pretty good info in it, pass it on to those that might need it.

Perry says people let their defenses down during the rush to buy gifts. He cautions against having too much holiday "good will" when shopping online, and notes that there tends to be an uptick in scams, spam, and malware attacks during the holiday season.

ECS PX1 Extreme

The ECS PX1 Extreme is strapped to the test bench at [H] Enthusiast today. Head on over and see how the ECS PX1 performs, how well it overclocks and if it is indeed, truly an “extreme” motherboard.

Overclocking the PX1 Extreme wasn’t an easy task. Well, actually it was, but only because there are no real options in the BIOS to speak of.

Shuttle P2 3700 XPC

Our guys at [H] Consumer put the Shuttle P2 3700 XPC to the test and, although it clearly had potential, tech support and stability issues drug this SFF down rather quickly. Hit the link for all the info.

The build of the machine, the aesthetic, and the innovation "underneath the hood" are all really rather impressive. But the time-consuming technical support process that resulted in the even more frustrating still-defective machine makes all the flash and bang rather pointless.

Demand For G80 Chips Weak?

According to anonymous sources at Taiwanese graphics card makers, the new NVIDIA GeForce 8800 has failed to stir up demand for high-end graphics cards. For more information on the GF 8800, I recommend that you read our evaluation of the BFG Tech GeForce 8800 GTX and GTS right here.

Since the G80 is preliminarily targeting the high-end sector, the sources pointed out that Nvidia's forthcoming G84 and G86 GPUs for the entry-level and mid-range segments are likely to play a key role in the GPU market, with the two new GPUs expected to debut in the first quarter of 2007.

SFF Shuttle Issues

Head over to [H] Consumer and check out their evaluation of Shuttle's P2 3700 XPC. With more BSOD's than can be counted and all sorts of support problems, you won't want to miss it.

Intel May Slash Prices In January

DigiTimes is reporting that, according to Chinese PC OEMs, Intel may cut prices in January by as much as 60% on some processors.

The China-based media said Intel will lower prices for P4 series 651, 650, 641, 640, 631, 630, 541 and 531 CPUs on January 21, with those for 650 processors to be reduced by 69% from US$272 to US$84 and the 531 processor, currently priced at US$74, to be cut by 6%, the paper reported.

[H]ardware Round-Up II

Video

Generic x1600Pro Crossfire @ 3DGameMan

Motherboards

ASUS P5W64WS Professional @ Bjorn3D

Cases

Zalman Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 @ Virtual-Hideout