[H]ardNews 7th Edition

Radeon 9600XT Review:

For the average gamer on a budget, the Radeon 9600XT reviewed here is one of the best choices in the sub $200 price range. The fellas at 3Dextreme have the write up, here is a clip from the review:

ATI’s real strength can be seen with Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering. Performance in Directx games showed very little hit when these options were enabled. This is plus for the gamer who wants the best visual quality in games without losing out too much on the performance of the card.

VIA EPIA CL10000:

You guys putting together a file server, MP3 box or HTPC should check out this VIA EPIA CL10000 board for sure. With everything built onto the board already, you need to add very little to get your MP3 box / file server up and running.

The Mini-ITX form factor not only provides something a little different in size and shape, but also many other advantages such as the low noise, power consumption and heat production making it great system for an office or demanding application, a car mp3 player for example. The size and efficiency of the board also provides scope for computer modders to get creative, we've seen these board in toasters, old VCR cases, robots, even teddy bears!

130-nm Still Good:

Is there still a lot of performance left in the 130-nm process? Some people seem to think so. So why all the big rush to get down to 90nm and smaller? Find out.

Contrary to current industry trends, there isn't always a need to migrate to the most advanced process technology. Why? Optimizing at the transistor level increases performance dramatically. A performance increase of more than 70 percent is possible at the 130-nanometer technology node. With the rapid race in the last few years to the most advanced technologies with smaller node sizes, many design teams are leaving significant performance on the table.