Het gedonder met de Intel IDs bereikt z'n climax: alle 0,25micron Intel chips blijken een serial number te hebben! Die dingen zitten er dus al maanden op. Zie deze info uit een nieuwsbericht bij The Register:

An architect who currently works for Intel US has now confirmed what we were beginning to suspect all along -- every .25 micron Intel chip has the personal serial number (PSN).

The chip designer, who revealed the news under strict conditions of anyonymity, said: "Any .25 micron core including the PII, all Celerons and all current Xeons have had serialisation ever since .25 micron technology started."

This means that Intel is and was shipping products with the serialisation number switched off.

Eric van Fastgraphics heeft z'n hand weten te leggen op de spec sheets van de Diamond Viper V770 (Riva TNT2), Stealth III S520 en Stealth III S540 (beide S3 Savage4). Hier wat info:

The good thing about the internet, or the bad, depending where you come from, is the fact that nearly all confidential information leaks out on it. I just recently got an email with three attachments: The specs of Diamonds new consumer level products, the Stealth III S520, the Stealth III S540 and the flagship, the Viper V770. The specsheets had the word "confidential" written all over them, and I must also emphasize that the (preliminary) sheets were dated Feb 27 1999. I'm pretty confident however that these specs are reliable and that they represent the final products (can't tell exactly why I'm confident about it). I've spoken with Diamond's European marketing director Andy Brannan last Thursday and unfortunately he couldn't answer all my questions on the record, so there are still a few things we have to guess about.

These specs still talk about a 180 Million pixel/sec fill-rate on the Viper V770, this would mean a clockspeed of 90 MHz. This is for the standard V770. Shipping clockspeeds might be higher though)

De specs vind je hier.

Entech heeft een nieuwe versie van Powerstrip (om je videoplank mee over te klokken) gereleased:

If you work under NT4 with a pair of Matrox cards, the current PowerStrip 2.40.01 build now provides power management and color calibration to both your monitors. Also included is validated Trident Blade3D support and the TNT OpenGL vsync switch is back.

Designed to compliment the native Windows Display Properties sheet under Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT, the PowerStrip combines advanced, multi-monitor API support with extensive programmable hardware support. A simple toolbar and menu that pops up from the system tray provides configuration and fast access to your favorite display settings, incremental enlargement and reduction of desktop size, comprehensive color calibration controls with gamma hotheys, the ability to associate specific applications with custom display settings, graphics system diagnostics, flexible font controls, extensive hotkey and screen saver support, a database of over 1000 monitors, and on-the-fly color depth, resolution and refresh rate switching. Additionally, the PowerStrip includes direct hardware support for many chips, permitting an unprecedented degree of control over your display sub-system, particularly under Windows NT.

Je kunt de file van 643Kb downloaden bij AGN3D Files.

Alweer een review van de Monstersound MX300. Hier een stuk:

he second way in which 3D sound cards can affect gameplay and realism is through the use of reverberation to model a sound environment. The reason that reverberation is important in determining a sound environment is because acoustics can vary greatly depending on the environment (or room) size and the surface textures (smooth versus flat, etc.). A simple example of the environmental effects of reverberation is found in a cave, where a large amount of echo is often heard (defining the environment) due to the high reflectivity of the cave walls and due to the fact that the sound is traveling in a confined space. When implemented correctly, the Monster Sound MX300’s reverberation engine does an excellent job of creating a great sound environment. An excellent implementation of this is found in Half-Life, where the changes between the tight hallways and open, echoing silos can be easily noticed. Furthermore, the transition between sound environments is very smooth, keeping the overall realism high.

Zie Extreme Hardware voor de review.

MacWeek.com heeft nieuws over de Playstation emulator van Connectix, waarvan een Windoos versie zal worden ontwikkeld (eerder werd al een versie voor de Mac gereleased):

Connectix Corp. says it will continue developing a Windows version of Virtual Game Station despite a temporary restraining order granted Thursday to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., maker of the Sony PlayStation. Meanwhile, Sony said the ruling will give it an opening to prove that Connectix violated its copyrights when creating both Mac and Windows versions of the PlayStation emulation software.

In other news, Connectix on Friday announced Version 1.2 of Virtual Game Station for the Mac.

AGN 3D heeft een interview gepost met de makers van Mortyr, de nieuwe game waar je je weer lekker kan uitleven op de nazi's. Hier is een stukje:

4. In the Beta I did not come across any "bosses". Also there were not many different enemy types and those cool looking vehicles were few and far between. Do your plans include the addition of "bosses" (say a big fat Hermann Goering, a mystical Rudolph Hess calling upon the powers of zodiac or Hitler's German shepherd)? Will their be more enemy types and vehicles added to the game (like going one on one with a squad of Tiger tanks?

The first boss is actually a Tiger tank - in fact all of the game bosses are mainly mechanized vehicles and the like. The developer felt these kinds of bosses were more imposing than a human opponent, but you will see other enemies like guard dogs and futuristic robots, plus other types of enemies in the final game.

JC heeft wat info over de prijzen van de AMD K7. Er gaan wat geruchten die zeggen dat de K7 op een prijs van 2000 dollar geïntroduceerd zal gaan worden, en da's uiteraard een beetje errug veel:

If there is a $2,000 K7 product, it will not be the 5xxMHz 512K 1/3x L2 version. I don't expect that version to be more expensive than $1,000, though I do expect it to be higher priced than the Pentium III at like clock. There is some exceptions that I can list: If the K7 performs optimally, as well as on paper and according to unfounded rumours (with K7-500 == P3-750), then AMD will be able to charge $2k, even for the 500MHz version. Otherwise (welcome to reality, where K7-500 == P3-700 only for specialized applications but K7 otherwise is only a couple clock bins higher in performance in most things), if the $2k rumour is true, it is referring to the "higher end" versions of the K7 (I use quotes because no matter which configuration the K7 is given, it will be a high end part). If there is no P3-600 this Summer but the K7's highest yield sees that clock, then such a K7 is permitted to be sold at so high a price. More likely is the possibility that AMD will sell a higher MHz L2 version of the K7 (if you recall, changing the MHz of off-die L2 barely affects performance in typical user areas, but can add droves of specish high-end server/workstation crunching power). So, a $2k K7 would be, let's guess, a 550MHz part with 550MHz external L2 cache (not sure whether it'd be 512K or 1MB, AMD has been more aggressive on pricing lately so this $2000 part may still be 512K).

Zie JC's News'n'Links Page voor meer info.

Ik zag via AMD Zone een artikel bij EBN over multiprocessor chipset voor de K7 waarmee je tot 8 K-zevens aan elkaar kunt knopen:

Poseidon Technology Inc. plans to introduce a memory interface that could put Advanced Micro Devices Inc. into the PC-server market.

Poseidon, a former maker of Intel chipsets, is developing a “simultaneous switched-matrix” chipset to connect up to eight of AMD's forthcoming K7 processors. The chipset, which is expected to reach the market later this year, would allow AMD to take on archrival Intel Corp. in the server market.

Rick Shriner, chief executive of Poseidon, claimed the chipset would enable AMD to offer higher PC-server performance than Intel's upgraded Pentium III Xeon. The new Xeon, in a faster Carmel chipset, is also expected to be introduced later this year. “The timing couldn't be better,” Shriner said.

Overclockers.com heeft een review gepost van de Net-n-Dude Glacier 4500C Arctic Cap (Anand had er twee dagen geleden een review van). De "Arctic Cap" is in feite een uitbreiding op de Glacier 4500 tripple fan heatsink en moet op de achterkant van de (Slot1) Celeron PCB bevestigd wordt (een sandwich dus). De performance is matig:

No question it will add addition cooling to a Slot 1 CPU; no question it will make little or no difference in getting a stubborn 300a to 504. The Net-N Dude press release states "The Glacier Arctic Cap allows most 300 MHz CPU's to run at 500 MHz." This bit of puffery is OK as far as it goes, but it does not say "all" and you can drive a truck through the "most" qualifier.

I tested the Arctic Cap and found it to be a so-so Socket 7 performer - the PC Power and Cooling Z1, for example, outperforms the Arctic Cap by about ten degrees in my peltier test rig. The Z1 scored 71.6% compared to the Arctic Cap 59.1%; this compares to a generic Socket 7 cooler at 35.0% (NEVER use a generic cooler).

Hier had je dus op kunnen wachten: Bill wil weer wat bestaande standaarden om zeep helpen en komt met een eigen alternatief voor MP3, waar ze daaro in Redmond de bijzonder creatieve naam 'MS Audio 4.0' bij bedacht hebben. Het nieuws van The Register:

he new format, MS Audio 4.0, is believed to offer better sound quality than MP3's near-CD reproduction and twice the MPEG-based format's level of compression.

According to sources cited by MP3 distributor MP3.com, Microsoft's entry into the downloadable music business will contain the anti-piracy features that MP3 is usually criticised for lacking.

...en uiteraard werkt het alleen met Windoos.

Adrenaline Vault heeft een late review van SC3000. Valt niet veel meer over te zeggen lijkt me. Hier maar wat stuff van Avault:

he economic system in SimCity 3000 has also been overhauled and no longer will mayors have to rely on taxes alone to fund their budgets. You may now initiate trade with other cities by selling off your excess water/power supply or by importing another city's garbage for a profit. Links to other cities also have a benefit to your industrial and commercial sectors as well, based on road, highway, and rail connections. Plus, as your city grows you will be offered special deals that can be quite lucrative such as hosting prisons, casinos, malls, military bases, biological weapons disposal plants and more. Deals made with other cities and special deals pay off monthly and can tip the scale between being in the red or not.

Maxis heeft een demo van Simcity 3000 gereleased. Het ding is maar liefst 127Meg groot (leuk voor de kabelaars) en kan gedownload worden bij 3DFiles:

Discover what awaits you in SimCity ...

With SimCity 3000TM, you have more power than ever before to build and control your city!

Recreate your version of the world's greatest cities using landscapes such as San Francisco or Berlin and landmark buildings like the Empire State Building or Big Ben. To put your stamp on your city, create your own unique buildings using the SimCityTM Building Architect Tool. Then zoom in close to your metropolis as it comes to life with people and traffic in living color and full 3D sound. All new missions and cool disasters test your abilities to run your city or even destroy it. For more challenge, negotiate and barter with neighboring cities to strengthen your metropolis.

SimCity 3000, the city is yours.

Zie 3DFiles voor download locaties.

Hardware Upgrade heeft een big ass Socket 370 motherboard comparison gepost. Het deelnemers veld bestaat uit een Abit BM6, Abit ZM6, Epox LX370B, Epox V370B, Freetech P6F100 en Supermicro 370SBA. Hier wat info over de overklokbaarheid van de PPGA Celerons:

Different testers state that the Socket version has an overclockability limit higher than the Slot one; I think the this isn’t true due to different reasons at related to overclocking in general:

The CPU core is the same from a technical point of view (Core Deshutes of Mendocino type);

The overclock isn’t a perfect science; many factors affect the results of the overclock (independent form the gain rate of the clock frequency);

Every CPUs is different from others with overclock, even if the processors are made during the same working day by the same production line; it is true that the behaviour with overclocking of some CPUs made in a specific production period is, statistically, similar, but it is also true that the behaviour of each is different and in some case very different.

I think that Socket 370 version isn’t simpler to cool than Slot 1 one; you can use bigger waster, but you can’t act to cool the posterior part of the CPU, which can be done with the Slot 1 version.

Thresh's Firingsquad heeft een preview van Descent 3. Hier wat info:

So does the latest installment in the series push the envelope at all? Most definitely. In fact, the most amazing technical feat of Descent 3 is one that many users will take for granted and never even notice. What is it? Descent 3 will be the first 3D FPS action game to utilize two entirely different graphics engines. One is used to render the outdoor levels and one will render the indoor scenes. In the first Descent, you were restricted to the insides of the various mines, for close quarters fighting. A recent Descent game, called Freespace, was set in outer space for completely free movement. Descent 3 will meld two engines together in a seamless fashion. Fly from inside to outside, or outside to inside and you won't notice a thing. No hesitation, hiccups, or lag.

ZDnet berichtte gisteren dat M$, geloof het of niet, bezig zou zijn om het hele Office pakket te porten naar Linux. Dit omdat het OS steeds populairder wordt en verwacht wordt dat het dit jaar de grote doorbraak als workstationOS gaat maken. M$ wil hiervan blijkbaar toch een graantje meepikken:

developers outside of Microsoft claim that Microsoft has gone beyond the contemplation stage. Last week, Unix expert and technical author Simson Garfinkle mentioned on a radio talk show broadcast in the Boston area that he had corresponded with developers with inside knowledge of Microsoft's Office Linux porting efforts. Garfinkle declined to comment beyond what he said during the radio show. Microsoft also will need to create a viable business model, via which the company and its partners can make money from Office running on an open-source platform. While Corel and Star Divison GmbH have made public their intentions to offer desktop suites on Linux, Microsoft's main rival, Lotus Development Corp., has not announced any intentions to move SmartSuite to Linux.

Het ziet er uit alsof er heel wat staat te gebeuren als deze geruchten waar blijken te zijn. Microschoft's concurrenten zullen ongetwijfeld volgen.

opvolger van Civ2 is dit het niewe spel van Sid Meier. als je into Civilization was, dan zou je hier best gave dingne in kunnen zien...

The story begins with the launch of a colony ship from Earth to the planet near Alpha Centauri. The ship, ironically called Unity, breaks up into seven philosophical factions after the ship's captain is mysteriously killed. Each faction gets its own colony pod and is isolated from one another as they land on the Alpha Centauri surface. With just one city and one scout unit, each faction starts off on the same foot, searching for domination in the alien world

de review vind je hier

Southpark is misschine wel de botste tekenfilm die er bestaat. In nederland vooralsnog alleen op Canal + te zien. nog wel... maar nu is er in ieder geval een game... hier zie je er het een en ander over.

What do you get when you merge South Park's warped wit and Turok's first person 3D engine? No you don't get a profanity spouting Eric Cartman inside of a very thick fog. Well, then again, you do see that, but what you really get is South Park the video game. Acclaim and Iguana Software have teamed up to package the wacky characters of South Park and their downright psychotic personas into a 3D first person shooter. Players will have to use some decidedly unconventional weaponry to blast their way through a signature South Park plot, one that redefines the words "campy" and "zany."

humor als je het mij vraagt...

Iomega, bekent van haar Jaz, en vooral van haar ZIP drives krijgteen kleine tegenvaller.

Iomega Corp. announced the recall of approximately 60,000 power supply units for Jaz drives. The power supplies, made by Cortech Systems, were included with certain Iomega external 2GB Jaz drives, remanufactured 1GB Jaz drives, or purchased as a replacement or supplemental power supplies, on or after September 1, 1998. Approximately 13,500 of the units were purchased in the United States, while the majority were sold in Europe and a small number in Asia. Iomega said the power supply cases were "not constructed of plastic originally specified by Iomega," and while the company is unaware of any injuries that have resulted from the defective products, it urged customers to protect their safety by participating in the recall. Affected customers should visit www.iomega.com. Iomega will provide a replacement power supply at no charge.

heb je er een, zou ik het gewoon ff nakijken...

Als je had gedacht dat het gelazerbij de PII zou ophouden heb je het fout, Intels omstreden CPU Identificatie nummer blijkt ook te zij toegepast op een reeks mobiele PII's

01:06 EST [Dolph] Intel admits some PIIs have ID codes, too Intel Corp. has admitted that its controversial processor serial number was inadvertently included in some mobile Pentium II processors. The chip maker claims a customer tipped them to the manufacturing snafu. According to spokesman, the serial number circuitry was included on the mobile Pentium II as a way to test the manufacturing process for creation of the Pentium III. On most factory lines, the circuit was switched off before it left the factory. However, one line failed to disable the controversial feature. "We had no intention to turn this on for the Pentium II. The processor serial number is only a Pentium III feature," the spokesman said. Intel is working on a BIOS update patch that it says will turn off the serial number.

vind het volledige verhaal op: http://www.zdnn.com