Shuriken- schrijft dat Signal Ground een paar foto's en wat info heeft over een nieuwe Intel heatsink/fan combo die misschien standaard op alle Coppermines terecht gaat komen die een snelheid boven de 750 MHz hebben. Hieronder een kwoote over de heatsink finnetjes die nogal in het oog springen :

Skive Technology is a process of shaping materials to produce a lightweight, "high-fin-density" thermal solutions at high-volume with relatively low-costs as compared to performance-comparable high-fin-density thermal technologies. In general, high-fin-density technologies such as skive, provide optimal thermal performance when coupled with by-pass air control featues such as a shroud or system duct. The Intel-enabled thermal design is an active (fan) solution with an acoustic level not to exceed 30 dB at a fan speed of 40,000 RPM.

This plastic, mechanical level clip has been designed to provide a tighter thermal bond-line than traditional metal clips and better thermal conductivity between the microprocessor, thermal interface, and heatsink. The Intel-enabled heatsink-attach clip is designed to meet a board level, 50 G trapezoidal, 11mS duration, 170 in/sec minimum velocity change shock.

In dit artikel van WinInformant wordt verteld dat de final van Windows Me is vertraagd vanwege troubles met Media Player 7 die bij het nieuwe consumer OS wordt geleverd. Verder lees je er dat Steve Ballmer wil dat z'n werknemers hard door blijven werken aan NGWS (Next Generation Windows Services) in plaats van zorgen te maken over de anti-trust rechtszaak: 'het bedrijf gaat toch niet splitsen.' Thanks DrZeuss voor de tip.

In a company-wide memo sent out earlier this week, Microsoft president and CEO Steve Ballmer urged his employees to continue working furiously on the company's Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS) initiative and ignore the antitrust case as it take its course through the appeals process. Ballmer, who noted that the appeal could take years to complete, told Microsoft employees that the company would ultimately win its battle with the federal government and 19 states. But most important, he said, was that the company meet its internal product deadlines so that it can release NGWS on schedule. The company has already slipped with at least one major release, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), which should have gone gold earlier this week. But Windows Me is waiting on the release of Windows Media Player 7, a massive update to Microsoft's streaming media client that was introduced into the Windows Me build process fairly late in the OS' product development cycle.

"I simply do not believe that a breakup will ever occur," Ballmer wrote in the memo. "The order to dismantle this company simply isn't justified by the court's findings of facts and conclusions of law, even if they were to be upheld by the appellate courts. I understand [that the final] ruling isn't pleasant. No one wants to operate under a cloud. We cannot lose sight of the importance of our work--with respect to both products now under development and to our next generation of software and services."

In het derde deel van Anand's Computex verslag zijn meer foto's te vinden van wat moederborden, ditmaal o.a. van Gigabyte, Iwill, Soyo en Microstar. Hieronder heb je er vast een paar:

[break]Gigabyte DFP2-T i815E[/break]
[break]Gigabyte 7IXE4 AMD-750 Socket A[/break]
[break]Iwill KV200-R KT133[/break]
[break]Microstar i815E[/break]
[break]Soyo SY-7ISA i815E[/break]

WebWereld schrijft dat een commissie van het Amerikaanse Huis van Afgevaardigden een overeenstemming heeft bereikt over een wet tegen spam. Natuurlijk een erg goed initiatief dat hopelijk ook snel in Europa wordt ingevoerd.

Het wordt illegaal om nog mail te sturen als de consument heeft aangegeven van de mailinglijst gehaald te willen worden. Welke straf er dan zal gelden, is niet bekend.

Wellicht een belangrijkere voorwaarde is dat spam herkenbaar moet zijn en een antwoordadres verplicht is. Consumenten kunnen dan filters instellen om de berichten automatisch te verwijderen. Eerder werd al een dergelijke regel ingevoerd in Californië. Commerciële e-mail moet daar in het onderwerpveld de aankondiging 'ADV' dragen, voor advertentie.

[...] Europese internetaanbieders strijden al langer tegen spam. De Europese Unie werkt ook aan regelgeving tegen de ongevraagde e-mail. Het volledige Huis van Afgevaardigden zal nu stemmen over het wetsvoorstel van de House Commerce Commission.

CDRInfo maakt ons blij met een review van de Sanyo CRD-BP900P, een 12x4x32 IDE CD-ReWriter met Burn-Proof technology wat ervoor zorgt dat je CD niet naar het CD-kerkhof hoeft als de writer er even geen data op kan wegschrijven. De drive bleek verder goed te presteren alhoewel je beter even kan wachten met kopen aangezien binnenkort de (Plextor) 12x10x32 versies al komen.

Sanyo has moved its BURN-Proof technology to the IDE platform and improved their drive's mechanism since some minor problems found on the Sanyo CRD-BP2 model are not present. Most users find the SCSI solutions more reliable than the IDE ones, because they're worried about high CPU usage and possibly buffer underrun problems. Sanyo solution seems the antidote to their fears and can really make your burning life smoother.

Back to the drive's capabilities, no big surprises here since the drive performed very good to all the tests we did. The drive seems to be improved in the DAE ripping speeds since it can now rips wavs with 12x reading speed whereas Sanyo CRD-BP2 (SCSI model) had some problem (which still don't have been fixed even with latest firmware version v2.21.)

[...] Finally ,I would like to comment that Sanyo CRD-BP900P may not have many chances to survive in market since Sanyo next models (CRD-BP3 and CRD-BP1300P) supports HS RW recording speeds (4-10x) and Plextor's HS RW recording (PleXWriter PX-W1210A) solution will start selling possibly end of this month... I think the drive should have at least been released one month ago. Who will buy the 12/4/32 IDE solution since he could get the new 12/10/32 IDE model in few weeks?

Bij NeoSeeker hebben ze de Internet Tikplank® van Microsoft en Logitech eens met elkaar vergeleken. De reviewer gaf de voorkeur aan het Logitech bordje die nét even wat fijner aanvoelde . Hier een hap uit de conclusie, lees hier het hele verhaal.

It seems like Microsoft spent more time on the actual physical R&D of their product, while Logitech spent more time determining what users would actually use. The Microsoft Internet Keyboard is no slouch… it is a quality keyboard with some nice additional functionality, but the Logitech Internet Keyboard licks it easy in a head to head comparison – those multimedia keys are a definite must have on any serious computer junky’s keyboard. Microsoft’s Internet Keyboard PRO also has multimedia keys, but that puppy retails at $20 more than either of the two keyboards reviewed here, so it’s not much of a contender…

It’s not hard from my perspective to recommend the Logitech Internet Keyboard over the Microsoft offering, but keep in mind that the MS keyboard does have merit, especially for those who are newer to the computer or who feel comfortable with more direct surfing buttons. I just felt that the Logitech’s multimedia keys were simply too good to resist, and that overall, the iTouch package was quite impressive. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to shell out for a Logitech Internet Keyboard at home now, if only to have easy access to some smooth listening while I work away at whatever I’m doing on the computer.

Het volk van Storage Review heeft de kwaliteiten van de Seagate U10 harddisk eens onderzocht, da's een low-end 5400rpm model met platters van 10,2GB,een seektime van 8,9ms en een buffer van 512kB. De drive is dus niet supersnel maar heeft wel het voordeel dat hij niet veel herrie maakt:

Overall, like most other value-class drives, the Seagate U10 doesn't offer the speed that performance-oriented users are looking for. Such readers would be better served with competing drives... even in the 5400rpm arena, one would be better served by the Maxtor DiamondMax 60 if one needed capacity or the Quantum Fireball lct10 if performance was the goal. The U10's combination of low heat, noise, and cost seem to have endeared it to OEMs, propelling sales to impressive heights.

We should also take a moment to note that the value-class hierarchy is about to go through a shakeup. Take the two players contrasted here, for example. Seagate will continue on its course, skipping the 15 GB/platter plateau in favor of releasing a 5400rpm drive that packs an incredible 20 gigs of data on one platter. Quantum, on the other hand, is charting a different path. The speedy lct10's sucessor, the lct15, features a 4400rpm spindle speed, in an effort to further minimize the "big three" issues: heat, noise, and cost. It will be interesting to see which tactic prevails as this new generation of drives hits the market.

Vipertje schrijft dat ze bij Thresh's FiringSquad (alweer) hebben gekeken naar de snelheid van Quake III en Counterstrike met FSAA enabled op een 1GHz Thunderbird systeem met een Voodoo5 en een GeForce2. Hier een hap uit de conclusie:

If you haven't figured it out by now, FSAA is here to stay, and we welcome it with open arms. You'll immediately notice the difference in bright, open games like Counterstrike, and while it probably won't help you line up your shot any better, it sure looks pretty.
Keep in mind that the performance of the graphics core plays a key role in the framerate of a given game with FSAA enabled - that's why the Voodoo4 4500 won't have an option to enable 4X FSAA, it simply lacks the horsepower necessary for a decent framerate.

Of course, we've discussed this in the past with our fillrate vs. CPU article. The main goal of our latest FSAA comparison is to give Athlon users (or those interested in purchasing one) an idea of just what they can expect with a GeForce 2 or Voodoo5 5500. We're sure over time these numbers will change, and when they do we'll do our best to keep you updated.

In the meantime, enjoy the pretty screenshots and dream of your favorite game in all its FSAA glory!

Archer schrijft: "Cisco, maker van IP-based netwerkapparatuur en Brocade , maker van Fiberchannel netwerk apparatuur gaan samenwerken. Cisco, is de eerste organisatie die IP-based is, die zich richt op de fiber-cahnnel markt. Ze proberen alvast een voordeel te behalen op een groeiende markt die de komende jaren volgens verwachtingen vertienvoudigt.":

Cisco Systems, the computer-networking equipment giant, and Brocade Communications Systems said they're teaming to connect their switches to form larger data-storage networks.

Brocade is the biggest maker of switches that use the so-called fiber channel standard, which links storage devices that hold large databases for companies and Web sites but can only connect devices up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) apart. Cisco makes equipment based on the rival Internet Protocol standard, which runs much larger networks like the Internet.

It's one of the first moves by a company focused on Internet Protocol gear, such as Cisco, to join with a fiber channel company like Brocade. Cisco is trying to take advantage of a market for fiber channel switching products that's forecast to rise 10-fold to $2 billion in 2003, according to Dataquest.

Lees verder bij C|NET.

ain.Bramage@masselink.net" rel="external">Dain Bramage schrijft dat 3D Power een artikel heeft over het vervangen van je gammele Voodoo5 5500 heatsinks met een wat bruter model. Dankzij deze twee jongens draaide het kaartje aanzienlijk koeler en kon de core speed ge-upt worden van 166MHz naar 185MHz:

To keep the new heatsink on, I placed a drop of glue in each corner. Just a tiny little dab of superglue will go a long way, and its thinner than the thermal paste so it wont cause any problems as far as insulating goes. You may wish for something less permanant, and a bit of thermal tape will do just fine.



As you can see, it looks much meaner now, and is ready for love. The default clock speed on this bad boy is 166mhz, pretty slow and it was running hot. Where is it now? How does 185 with no lockups and no crashes sound? Pretty sweet I think, and its not hot anymore! w00t!

Chris Angelini van Sharky Extreme heeft een review geschreven van de Hercules 3D Prophet II GeForce2 GTS-kaart. Zij testten de 32MB versie. Pagina's lang benchmarken zij de nieuwe Hercules, om dan tot de conclusie te komen dat deze even snel is als de ELSA Gladiac (wow!). Het overclocken was niet zo'n groot succes als zij gehoopt hadden, maar we hebben al vaker gehoord dat Guillemot's heatsinks niet helemaal doen waarvoor ze bedoeld zijn.

As one of the first manufacturers to release a GeForce2-based card, Hercules has reaped the same benefits as ELSA. With a unique design, TV-out standard, and the Hercules brand name, the 3D Prophet II GTS is sure to sell with high-performance gaming systems.

It's always important to remember what your mother taught you when you were a child. "Never judge a book by its cover," right? We had high hopes for the 3D Prophet II GTS in terms of overclocking, but this time it just didn't pan out. For what it's worth though, the card sure looks good!

We expected similar performance between GeForce2 boards, and that is exactly what we were served. It's obvious that there won't be any purchasing decisions based on speed, since the differences are negligible. Simply put, any of the GeForce2-based cards will deliver the highest performance available. The TV-out on the 3D Prophet II GTS gives Guillemot the edge as far as value is concerned, as does an excellent DVD decoder to take advantage of the GeForce2's motion compensation feature.

DrZeuss schrijft: "Milestone 16 is weer een klein stapje dichter bij de uiteindelijke Netscape 6. Nieuw zijn skin switching capabilities, session history, and autocomplete features ":

These are the links to download packages and notes for Milestone Releases of the Seamonkey Project. Not all milestone builds are released at the same time so if the build you're looking for isn't here yet, DON'T PANIC. Check back later. If the source hasn't been released yet, check the README file for instructions on how to pull from CVS.

Full Circle Enabled builds allow transmission of crash data back to Netscape, improved crash analysis, and posting of crash related information to the netscape.public.mozilla.crash-data news group.

Milestone 16 - Completed June 13, 2000

Release Notes

Windows users, please get a Talkback build. These builds help engineers debug crash bugs.

Win32

• Zipfile with Fullcircle (5.7 MB) (Crypto)
• Installer .exe (5.1 MB)
• Zipfile (5.4 MB)

MacOS 8.5 - 9.0

all MacBinary files -- require Stuffit expander 4.5 or better
• Installer (7.3 MB)
• .bin (7.8 MB)

Linux

• i386 tar.gz format (6.3 MB) (Crypto)
• i386 tar.gz format (6.3 MB)

Ik lees bij Matrox Users dat Matrox de Millennium G450 en Millennium G450 DVI nu ook officieel heeft aangekondigd (de press release van gisteren was een uitgelekt, niet officieel documentje). De Millennium G450 wordt zoals je ziet in twee versies op de markt gebracht. De kale G450 zonder DVI interface verschijnt in het derde kwartaal, later in het vierde kwartaal gevolgd door de G450 DVI met flat panel connector. In tegenstelling tot de officieuze press release van gisteren wordt er in het onderstaande persbericht nog geen prijs genoemd voor de G450:

Matrox Millennium G450 Series with DVI and next-generation DualHead is set to revolutionize the corporate desktop

New Matrox graphics card will standardize DualHead across more markets than ever

Montreal, Canada, June 14, 2000--Matrox Graphics Inc. today announced the Matrox Millennium G450 Series, based on the Matrox G450 chip which integrates DualHead, DVI, and TV output. This new series of graphics cards consists of the Millennium G450, a powerful dual-VGA, 2D, 3D, DualHead, and DVD graphics card, and the Millennium G450 DVI, which adds DVI support.

As the company that pioneered DualHead technology, Matrox is now taking its award-winning dual-display feature set to a new level. The Millennium G450 Series brings DVI and next-generation DualHead features to the corporate desktop market at a time when the competition is just beginning to implement introductory-level dual-display support. In addition to highly advanced technologies like DualHead, the Millennium G450 Series’ leading-edge image quality, driver stability, and all-around performance have readied this card to blaze trails in the world of corporate productivity and multitasking. In addition, the Millennium G450 Series doubles as a well-rounded entertainment solution for home users with 2D, 3D, DVD, TV output, DualHead gaming, and more.

The Millennium G450 Series Equipped with up to 32 MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory, the Millennium G450 Series is designed around the highly integrated Matrox G450 2D, 3D, and DVD graphics chip. As the Millennium G450’s power source, the Matrox G450 chip builds on the Matrox G400’s award-winning technology. Plus, it integrates a digital flat panel transmitter, TV output encoder, secondary RAMDAC, and 64-bit DDR memory interface. Hosting all of these components onboard the Millennium G450 has allowed Matrox to introduce a more feature-rich product series that is set to standardize DualHead across more markets than ever before. The Millennium G450 Series’ DualHead technology provides immediate and valuable benefits by letting users double their display real estate by connecting two displays to a single graphics card. In fact, the Millennium G450 supports as many as six different configurations of VGA monitor, analog flat panel, and TV via two VGA connectors and one adapter cable. The Millennium G450 DVI supports an additional three display configurations.

Merging business and entertainment

The Millennium G450 AGP 4X/2X Series features an impressive array of productivity-boosting hardware and software. The cards’ powerful 2D engine, 256-bit DualBus architecture, and 360 MHz primary UltraSharp RAMDAC pump out super crisp 2D image quality at resolutions up to 2048 x 1536, at the highest color depths and refresh rates. Users in the mainstream and high-end corporate desktop markets, as well as in the 2D and entry-level 3D workstation markets, will benefit from the Millennium G450 Series’ DualHead feature. Business people and professionals can now enhance the way they use everyday applications with a selection of DualHead operational modes and next-generation software utilities. Finally, the Millennium G450 Series is equipped with Matrox’s high-quality unified drivers, making it easy for users to install, manage, and update their graphics capabilities when needed.

But even serious business types such as the Millennium G450 Series have to kick back and have fun. Because these cards build on the Matrox G400’s 3D and video core, they also double as a well-rounded entertainment solution. Value-conscious home users and mainstream gamers will find the Millennium G450 Series flexible enough to power educational applications, home finance applications, Web browsing, email access, DVD playback, and 3D gaming including DualHead-enhanced head-to-head gaming and Environment-Mapped Bump Mapping (EMBM) enabled games. EMBM title support is growing steadily, with more than 25 currently-shipping games taking the visual reality of 3D gaming to unprecedented levels with never-before-seen special effects and intricate visual details. These easy-to-install cards also pack unique features like Matrox’s DualHead DVDMax and TV Output, both of which will leave users pleasantly surprised. With DualHead DVDMax, people can output high quality video full-screen to a TV while simultaneously using the desktop displayed on their monitor. For someone surfing the Web for a music video, for example, this means never losing sight of the Web page on the monitor while streaming video directly out to TV.

Well timed to respond to trends

The Millennium G450 Series is well positioned to respond to trends that are currently changing the worlds of business and entertainment. Digital content creation is booming, with professionals and home users alike designing their own Web sites. The convergence of PC and TV offers home users more entertainment options than ever before. The Internet is feeding new, unique content into homes, content that isn’t available on TV. These trends make the combination of the Millennium G450 Series’ graphics and DualHead capabilities even more appealing since they introduce new and enhanced ways of getting more out of the PC for these and other applications.

Pricing and availability

The Millennium G450 will be available via traditional distribution channels in Q3 ’00, while the Millennium G450 DVI will follow in Q4 ’00. Retail pricing will be announced as the Millennium G450 cards begin shipping.

Drivers and OS support

Matrox offers support for Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows 98, and Windows 95; Windows NT 4.0; Linux; OS/2; and the upcoming Windows Millennium Edition.

Software bundle

The Millennium G450 Series bundles Micrografx Picture Publisher 8, Micrografx Simply 3D™ 3, the Matrox Software DVD Player, and a handful of the latest playable game demos enhanced by DualHead and EMBM.

About the Matrox G450

The 0.18-micron Matrox G450 2D, 3D, and DVD graphics chip leverages a die shrink of Matrox G400 chip technology to become the most highly integrated discrete graphics chip on the market. In addition to the components and capabilities that made the Matrox G400 such a successful productivity and entertainment accelerator, the new Matrox G450 integrates a Transmission-Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) digital flat panel transmitter, TV output encoder, second RAMDAC, and 64-bit DDR memory interface. The chip also hosts two CRTCs, which form the support base for Matrox’s DualHead feature. DualHead allows a single chip to simultaneously support independent output to two physically separate displays, including a VGA monitor, analog or DVI-based digital flat panel, or TV. Fully OpenGL and DirectX compliant, the Matrox G450 supports hardware-accelerated Environment-Mapped Bump Mapping for real-time special effects and stunning visual detail in 3D games. Furthering image quality, Matrox’s Vibrant Color Quality2 (VCQ2) rendering architecture preserves trademark true-to-life color quality for cutting-edge, 32-bit color in single- and multi-textured software applications.

biobak schrijft: "In de nieuwsgroep alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia kwam ik behoorlijk wat mensen tegen die problemen hebben met de Hercules 3DProphet II 64MB. De kaarten zijn te hoog geclocked en er ontstaan daardoor veel problemen. In de nieuwsgroep wordt aangeraden om op dit moment geen 64MB 3D Prophet II te kopen, maar de 32MB uitvoering. Hieronder volgt een posting van een medewerker van Guillemot/Hercules over dit probleem":

"The correct clock speeds for the 3D Prophet II GTS are 200MHz core & 333MHz RAM. Some systems appear to be causing the clock speeds to run fast causing instability in 3D applications. This is currently under investigation. To remedy this situation, users should go to the hardware options and manually set the clock speeds to the default."

Daps Dapo Bellos
Guillemot Tech Support[UK]

HardwareCentral heeft een review gemaakt van de Desktop Theatre DTT2500 Digital speakers van Creative. De geluidskwaliteit die de speakers leverden was prima, een conclusie die overeenkomt met die uit andere reviews :

Overall, we’re rather pleased with the DeskTop Theatre 2500. The system has left us with an impression of a solid, high-quality, introductory to mid-range DVD system.

From an ease-of-use perspective, the system earns top honors. The range of input and positioning options makes the system one of the most compatible we’ve seen--not only from a hardware but from a room compatibility perspective. Furthermore, the system does look quite good, and while we don’t promote purchase of a system purely for looks, it’s a definite plus.

In terms of sound, the system performed quite reasonably. Trebles and mids are handled well by the satellites, although bass is somewhat lacking. Overall volume levels are sufficient for small areas, but won’t be suitable for very large rooms. All in all, fairly well-rounded, good-quality sound. Not earth-shaking, teeth-rattling, neighbor-disturbing sound, but the DTT2500s do stay fairly clean and clear up to reasonable volumes. For mild DVD or gaming use, we have no problem recommending this system, although we still feel high-end 2-channel systems are best for music purposes.

Venator schrijft: "Aanstaande vrijdag verschijnt er een wetvoorstel voor de Amerikaanse senaat waardoor het mogelijk wordt (bij goedkeuring) dat een electronische handtekening net zo rechtsgeldig wordt als de geschreven variant.":

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Business executives will be able to close major deals without going to the office and consumers should be able to buy a car without ever facing a salesman under legislation on ``electronic signatures'' moving through Congress.

The legislation makes one's name typed into a computer as legally binding as that scribbled on a piece of paper.

The bill would also allow businesses, with the consent of consumers, to provide contracts and other legal documents to their customers electronically, rather than on paper through the mail.

The legislation passed the House Wednesday by 426-4, and could come up in the Senate on Friday. It is strongly backed by President Clinton, who said in a written statement that ``it will encourage the information technology revolution that has helped lower inflation, raise productivity and spur new research and development.''

Zoiah schrijft dat hij de aller nieuwste detonator drivers op zijn site heeft staan: versie 5.30 voor Win9x .

Als jij denkt hoe hoger het versie nummer hoe beter, kan je hier de drivers downloaden.

Glorix Jim schrijft: "Praktisch weinig verschil tussen de 32mb versie. Alleen in de hogere resoluties is ie een stuk sneller maar ja, we hadden natuurlijk niets anders verwacht ":

The RAM sinks on the 64 Meg Prophet are not the same ones used on the 32 meg Prophet. These sinks are bigger and taller and they seem to be better attached to the RAM itself. As stated in my review of the 32 Meg Prophet, the RAM sinks were in fact trapping heat instead of removing it. With these new RAM sinks, it looks like Hercules has addressed that problem. The plastic clips that hold the heatsink/fan in place also seems stronger.

I have called Hercules about the higher than stock core and memory speed and the only thing they will say is; "While the box says 200Mhz core and 333Mhz memory, the 64 Meg cards are in fact running stock at 220Mhz core and 360Mhz memory. " This would seem to mean Hercules is putting in high grade GTS chips and memory for their 64 Meg Prophet and giving the lesser grade stuff to the 32 Meg unit. I somewhat confirmed this by over clocking the 64 Meg card to a mind-blowing 250Mhz core and 400Mhz memory

Over de clockspeed: De clockspeed van 220 MHz schijnt problemen te geven en daarom heeft Herculus een beta Bios geproduceerd waarmee het geheugen weer op 200 MHz. komt te draaien, het geheugen blijft staan op 366 MHz. .

Anandtech heeft een stuk of 5 network switches vergeleken. Ze komen tot de conclusie dat alle getest exemplaren een vergelijkbare performance en prijs hebben en dat het dus niet echt heel veel uitmaakt welke switch je koopt :

So, which switch is the best? Well, the fastest is separated from the slowest by about 1.72 Mbps, which means it would be about 2.4 seconds slower to copy a Gigabyte of data across the network. In other words: no significant difference. OK, let's try it another way. The switch that took the worst beating in performance while under load dropped in speed by 0.92 Mbps. That means it would take just under 1.3 seconds more time to copy a Gigabyte of data when loaded. Once again, no significant difference. How about price? Nope, foiled again. These switches all sit within a $35.00 price range. You could choose one by which has the best warranty: The D-Link and SMC have lifetime warranties, while the switches from Linksys and Netgear only have 5 years (only 5 years…yeah, right). The simple fact is, these products are all so close together that you might better pick one by which color you like best or whether the ports are in the back or the front.

At this point you might be thinking "Gee, there's no clear winner here." But there is: You, the consumer. The price to performance ratio of any of these switches means that for about 3 times the price of a 10 MB hub, you are going to get anywhere from 10 to 30 times the speed. The happy truth is that no matter which of these switches you buy, you are going to get awesome performance for your money.

Naast een vergelijking tussen netwerk switches hebben ze op de eerste 2 pagina's een korte uitleg staan wat een switch is en hoe verschillende typen werken - altijd leuk om te lezen als je het nog niet weet.

Planet 3DNow! meldt dat Gigabyte een Socket A plank met de oude AMD 750 chipset in voorbereiding heeft. Het bord heeft 3 DIMM slots, 5xPCI en 2 middeleeuwse ISA gleuven. Door gebruikmaking van de 750 chipset kan Gigabyte snel een Socket A bord op de markt brengen voor het geval er leveringsproblemen zijn met de VIA KT133. Volgens JC werkt ook Biostar een dergelijk Socket A plankje:

Es geht, wie das Topic schon verrät um Gigabyte, also wieder mal vielen Dank an Ghanja für seine "Spionagearbeit" . Gigabyte hat heimlich, still und leise ein auf dem AMD-750 Chipsatz basierendes Sockel-A Mainboard veröffentlicht, wobei das Verb "veröffentlichen" hier eigentlich nicht so richtig zutrifft. Denn Infos zum Board habe ich bis jetzt nur in der aktuellen Ausgabe (12/2000) der c't gefunden (Anzeige auf S.243), und auf der japanischen Gigabyte Website - nur auf der japanischen ! - habe ich den Link zum Datenblatt (PDF Format) gefunden, welches leider auch nur in einer japanischen Version vorliegt. Glücklicherweise kann man dem Datenblatt trotzdem ein paar Spezifikationen entnehmen:

Sockel-A (462pin)751 Northbridge / 756 Southbridge

3 DIMM Sockel für PC100 SDRAM (max. 768 MB)

1 AGP 2x Slot, 5 PCI Slots, 2 ISA Slots

2 ATA 66 IDE Ports

2 USB Ports

ATX Formfaktor

Photo vom GA-7IXE4

Laut Gigabyte Taiwan liegt das Board in der PCB Rev. 1.0 vor, ist also bereit, an den Mann bzw. die Frau gebracht zu werden. Leider íst mir bis jetzt kein Händler bekannt, der das Board anbietet, was sehr schade ist, schliesslich wären AMD-750 bzw. AMD-751 Sockel-A Boards doch eine erfreuliche Alternative zu Mobos mit dem anscheinend noch relativ unausgereiften KT133 Chipsatz von VIA. Können wir nur hoffen, dass Gigabyte das 7IXE4 Board etwas bekannter macht, und darüber hinaus nicht der einzige Mainboard Fabrikant bleibt, der ein Sockel-A Mobo mit der AMD-751 Northbridge bzw. dem AMD-750 Chipsatz herstellt.

De Duitse hardwaresite Tec Channel heeft een review gepost van de VIA Cyrix III processor met WinChip 4 core. De WinChip processors hebben altijd al bekend gestaan voor hun simplistische ontwerp en daarmee samenhangende lage performance. De resultaten die de Cyrix III laat zien zijn dermate triest dat je er eigenlijk alleen heel hard om kunt lachen... Op 667MHz is de Cyrix III niet sneller dan een 450MHz K6-2. I repeat: zelfs op 667MHz is de Cyrix III nog trager dan een 450MHz K6-2...

Oftewel: deze processor is ideaal om het ego van de tiepmiep te strelen. Geef haar een 'supersnelle' 667MHz processor, met de performance van een ouwe K6-2 400.

Ik zie 't in ieder geval niet gebeuren dat VIA met dit brakke produkt het beoogde 10% marktaandeel gaat halen. Op zich is er wel wat te zeggen voor een simpel design met kleine die-size, maar als zelfs de L2 cache (die compleet ontbreekt bij deze processor) wordt wegbezuinigd dan krijg ik toch het gevoel dat VIA iets te hard van stapel loopt in hun streven om de low-budget processor markt te beheersen. Als de K6-2 CPU's al vrijwel niets kosten kan ik me niet voorstellen dat VIA serieus geld kan verdienen met deze ultra low-end CPU's.

Volgens Tec Channel wordt het 667MHz 'topmodel' overigens pas in november op de markt gebracht. De prijs is 160 dollar, wat natuurlijk veel te veel is voor een proc met dergelijke magere prestaties. De 500 en 533MHz versies zijn per direct leverbaar en kosten respectievelijk 50 en 75 dollar ( thanks downtime voor de tip).

AnandTech heeft gisteren aardig geflusht, maar DPC stond toch weer op nummer 1, met krap 90k blokjes meer!

DPC kreeg er gisteren weer 11 nieuwe leden bij, wat de totaalstand op 2249 bracht. Als je ook mee wilt doen, (of meer wilt weten over wat DPC nou eigenlijk is) klik dan onmiddellijk hier!

De DPC hitparade top 10 van 14 juni

1. 129.542 [Dutch Power Cows] Team Dunghill (178, Totaal: 140.082)
2. 57.705 [Dutch Power Cows] Interior Lulu (2, Totaal: 5.575.704)
3. 40.729 [Dutch Power Cows] wiho (1, Totaal: 9.991.359)
4. 19.587 [Dutch Power Cows] Tuur (40, Totaal: 537.405)
5. 17.576 Grote Smoeldriaan (615, Totaal: 25.703)
6. 16.818 [Dutch Power Cows] MH2212 (392, Totaal: 52.471)
7. 16.545 [Dutch Power Cows] Sub-Team Hack BV (21, Totaal: 758.864)
8. 15.305 [DPC] Quakers United | Cewle Coown' Cadavers (14, Totaal: 851.421)
9. 14.438 2fast4u [Dutch Power Cows] (9, Totaal: 1.142.583)
10. 13.161 [Dutch Power Cows] JDK (593, Totaal: 27.174)

En de nummers 11 tot en met 30

11. 13.025 [Dutch Power Cows]\-Killemall eats cows for lunch- (62, Totaal: 391.752)
12. 12.863 [Dutch Power Cows] Cowards (241, Totaal: 104.574)
13. 12.710 Crash (DPC 2 the MaXX!) (448, Totaal: 44.805)
14. 11.502 [Dutch Power Cows] BaDMaN (18, Totaal: 772.520)
15. 11.354 [Dutch Power Cows] The LawnMooh'er Men (5, Totaal: 1.650.587)
16. 11.011 [Dutch Power Cows] Roamer (819, Totaal: 15.658)
17. 10.309 WebAct (308, Totaal: 73.005)
18. 10.082 [Dutch Power Cows] Collin de Grazer! (186, Totaal: 133.625)
19. 10.048 [Dutch Power Cows] Sterk (276, Totaal: 83.777)
20. 9.020 [Dutch Power Cows] BeeSmart (75, Totaal: 316.722)
21. 8.634 [Dutch Power Cows] RTo (87, Totaal: 267.595)
22. 8.537 [Dutch Power Cows] Jan Bos (198, Totaal: 125.190)
23. 8.286 [Dutch Power Cows] Team |>Just dU It!<| (34, Totaal: 649.855)
24. 7.639 [Dutch Power Cows] BaDo (44, Totaal: 498.496)
25. 7.608 Evert Jan de Groot (1.009, Totaal: 10.222)
26. 7.404 [Dutch Power Cows] TechISG / max.nl (406, Totaal: 51.332)
27. 7.328 [DPC] Cyber Cows Unlimited (27, Totaal: 719.880)
28. 6.729 [Dutch Power Cows] - GRiMLoCK (53, Totaal: 414.384)
29. 6.726 Flagg (135, Totaal: 174.085)
30. 6.514 [Dutch Power Cows] Pinball (43, Totaal: 499.841)

De Top 15 teams

1. (0) 1.139.717 Dutch Power Cows
2. (2) 1.049.986 AnandTech
3. (0) 915.801 HackZone Team -- Combined power of Russia and exUSSR countries
4. (2) 910.063 Russian Team
5. (0) 775.444 Slashdot.org
6. (0) 478.296 The Amiga RC5 Team effort
7. (1) 434.865 Team Warped (OS/2)
8. (1) 409.408 Team EvangeLista (Macs Rule! :-)
9. (3) 380.077 Japan FreeBSD Users Group
10. (1) 372.755 Libertarians for Privacy (1-800-ELECT-US)
11. (2) 334.902 Japan Windows NT Users Group
12. (5) 296.926 Team Hungary STB+
13. (1) 268.842 Team Slacker <oow umop episdn>
14. (1) 260.826 @stake L0pht Labs
15. (9) 259.956 SysOpt.com/Tweakit.com

Teams om ons heen (total stats)

9. () Libertarians for Privacy (1-800-ELECT-US) (Tot: 151.658.409, Gis: 372.755)
10. () @stake L0pht Labs (Tot: 145.891.553, Gis: 260.826)
11. () Japan Linux Users Group (Tot: 145.543.514, Gis: 222.898)
12. () Japan Windows NT Users Group (Tot: 132.328.695, Gis: 334.902)
13. () Dutch Power Cows (Tot: 122.462.705, Gis: 1.139.717)
14. () Team Hungary STB+ (Tot: 118.406.368, Gis: 296.926)
15. () Team Win32 (Windows) (Tot: 112.445.680, Gis: 240.997)
16. () Czech RC5 Team (Tot: 108.109.598, Gis: 215.934)
17. () CCC.de (Tot: 102.485.273, Gis: 219.145)
(Teams waarvan de score van gisteren ontbreekt, hadden geen score in de top 100!)

Wanneer halen we ze in

Libertarians for Privacy (1-800-ELECT-US): 39 dagen
@stake L0pht Labs: 27 dagen
Japan Linux Users Group: 26 dagen
Japan Windows NT Users Group: 13 dagen

Mijlpalen

MegaFlush 6 stats

Gisteren: 97.475
Totaal: 1.007.063

Dutch Power Cows is vandaag 1e en heeft een kans van één op 40 om de sleutel te vinden!

Patrick Schmid, huurling van Doktor Tom, heeft zijn VIA Apollo Pro 133A mobo roundup geupdate met resultaten van de Asus CUV4X, Epox EP-3VCA, FIC KA11 en Iwill VD133 Pro. Het nieuwe Asus plankje kon vanwege tegenvallende prestaties niet aan de hoge verwachtingen voldoen, maar mag samen met de Abit VT6X4, AOpen AX64 Pro, Asus P3V4X en FIC KA11 wel de aanbeveling voor goede overklokbaarheid delen:

Abit and Asus are very famous overclocking boards due to their comfortable soft setups and various options. Both feature lots of FSB speeds and several Vcore options, with the Abit board being a bit more comforatable than its competitor from Asus. In conjunction with their excellent performance and stability, you will get all overclocking possibilities.

The FIC KA11 is not among the fastest, but comes with great overclocking options as well. It's maybe the cheapest overclocking solution. AOpen also comes with nice features, but being an average performer, most speed freaks will likely get another one. Nevertheless it runs very stable and offers all interesting overclocking options.

Thanks Coen Rijkaart voor de link.