More P4 VS Athlon 64 FX

Oct 31 2003 @ 07:16AM by MikeC

Digit-Life has an interesting article comparing the P4 EE and the Athlon FX.

"Well, it definitely looks superior :), otherwise it didn't make sense for AMD to release such processor. I think that the decision to release it was based on the test results of this couple. But the price is too high: server boards (or at least, workstation boards), registered DDR400 which is hard to find... The victory is not that impressive, and the competitor turned out to be different - they were going to fight against the plain Pentium 4, but Intel quickly baked the extreme edition."

Read the article

 

Shuttle?s P-BIOS

Oct 31 2003 @ 07:11AM by MikeC

Found this over on HardOCP. Apparently this new BIOS from Shuttle is supposed to boost performance by up to 30%.

"Shuttle Inc, a leading provider of small form-factor (SFF) computers and mainboards, has posted P-BIOS with Turbo Mode. Design to improve performance on Shuttle's SB61G2, SB62G2 and SB65G2 XPC's by up to 30 percent (individual user results may vary). "P-BIOS gives user?s as much as 30 percent performance increases," said Stan Cheng, vice president, research and development, Shuttle Inc. "This directly relates to better game play, faster frame rates and increased overall performances.""

Link to Shuttle

 

Opteron Kicking Xeon Butt

Oct 31 2003 @ 07:07AM by MikeC

The Inquirer reports on a review of several workstation systems, in which an Opteron based system took to prize.

"The overall performance winner was @Xi Computer's Xi MTower 2P64 workstation, which was Opteron-based. Its lead over the second placed Polywell Xeon system was almost 7%. The other Opteron-based workstation, which was supplied by Monarch, came in a close third. After fourth place, the rest of the field were also-rans. The Athlon MP system came in a very poor last, but it was the only system that didn't support AGP 8x graphics. What that last result shows though is the huge performance improvement that Opteron brings to the table."

Read the article

 

Albatron PX865PE Lite Pro i848P Motherboard Review

Oct 30 2003 @ 07:55PM by MikeC

PCStats reviews this Intel based motherboard from Albatron.

"Let's be frank about this, who wouldn't want to have the best equipment in their PC? I'm going to be buying a new car soon and I'd love to get a Porsche... but my budget doesn't allow that. For the average consumer, most view buying a PC hardware in much the same way - they want the fastest gear, but then reality sets in. So what are the options? Well for one, a motherboard based on the newly introduced Intel i848P chipset could work. The i848P's feature set is almost identical to that of the i865PE except for one thing, there is only one 64 bit memory controller instead of two. That means the i848P has half the bandwidth of the i865PE at any given time, and is more suitably targeted towards value conscious consumers. Other than that, the feature set of the i848P and i865PE are virtually the same; both have 8x AGP, CSA support, etc. Though i848P's silicon is physically larger than that of the i845PE, it is the same size as the i865PE chipset."

Read the review

 

Cooler Master Centurion Review

Oct 30 2003 @ 07:54PM by MikeC

ViperLair takes a look at this enclosure from Cooler Master.

"Cooler Master has taken their first step into the budget case market with a bold step. Their case is sleek and flashy, sure to catch the eye of many people. And for those of you who put your components into this case once, shut it up and leave it alone (except to clean the front filter every few years, this case is a good budget solution to a mid-tower."

Read the review

 

Leadtek K8NW Pro Review

Oct 30 2003 @ 11:39AM by MikeC

AMDZone takes a look at this nForce 3 Pro 150 motherboard from Leadtek.

"The K8NW Pro is definitely the big brother of the K8N Pro with the addition of another PCI slot, AGP Pro, and 4 DIMMs. This board is poised to be a good choice for workstations and for enthusiasts that want the extra performance from dual channel DDR400 support. If you are looking for a serious Athlon 64 FX/Opteron motherboard for work or play the Leadtek K8NW Pro should definitely peak your interest."

Read the review

 

Nexus PHT-3600 HSF Review

Oct 30 2003 @ 11:36AM by MikeC

GruntvillE.com reviews this cooler from Nexus Technologies.

"Well, I guess the final interpretation of these results really depends on what you are looking for in cooling. If you live by the motto, ?Damn the torpedoes man, full steam ahead!? then you will probably care that the Nexus doesn?t cool quite as well as some of its current ear splitting brethren. However, the Nexus does stay very close to them in performance. The results are so close in fact, that you really have to ask yourself why not go with the quiet option? If you are not trying to squeeze out the last MHz of OCing ability from your CPU, then the Nexus should be an awesome choice."

Read the review

 

Corsair TwinX1024 PRO DDR500 Review

Oct 30 2003 @ 11:33AM by MikeC

SubZeroTech.com reviews this pair of memory modules.

" The packaging found containing these modules is the same as always: Corsair uses a 2 piece clear plastic sleeve with small notches to hold the memory in. OCZ Technology uses a similar packaging, and in fact the only company to do anything really different from this is GEIL with some really over-the-top designs. In any case the Corsair packaging does the trick and three out of three tests have proven that the memory arrives safe, sound and perfect. The unspoiled memory is suspended above a small (3 page) leaflet outlining installation and the other basic facts that you need to know before an install (especially if you are new). In any case, once I popped open the plastic and laid the modules down for their photo-shoot I was finding myself rushing already towards the install?"

Read the review

 

SiS 655FX Chipset Review

Oct 28 2003 @ 05:48PM by MikeC

MBReview brings us a review on the 655FX chipset from SiS for Intel platforms.

"Given that this chipset will likely end up in the budget performance arena, I?d say that it will suit the needs of users looking for some serious performance, while not having to shell out the premiums for an Intel i865PE or i875P motherboard. If the motherboard manufacturers can put out products based off of the 655FX chipset that put to use all of the available features, and allow for the maximum tweaking and overclocking capabilities, then the 655FX chipset could turn out to be a choice those upgrading will certainly want to look into with great interest."

Read the review

 

nVidia ForceWare is out

Oct 27 2003 @ 11:43AM by MikeC

For those of you with nForce motherboards, specifically:

NVIDIA nForce2:
- ASUS A7N8X-E
- Biostar M7NCG
- Epox EP-8RDA+
- Epox EP-8RDA3+
- ABIT NF7-S
VIDIA nForce 3:
- Gigabyte K8NNXP
- Shuttle AN50

you might find this little system utility released by nVidia quite useful. Click here to see more details and download.

 

ASUS K8V Deluxe Review

Oct 27 2003 @ 11:35AM by MikeC

The Asus K8V Deluxe is reviewed by the guys over at HardOCP

"The K8V Deluxe is ASUS latest motherboard, heading up their line based around the Athlon64 CPU. Built upon the VIA K8T800 chipset, the board boasts full support for AMD¡¯s Athlon64 line of processors as well as PC3200 DDR RAM operating in Single Channel mode. As is the current style among motherboard manufacturers, this board is an all in one solution, requiring only processor, RAM, video card, and drives to get your system up and running. ASUS selected the following components to build in to the board: 3 ATA-133 ports; 4 SATA-150 ports; 8 USB 2.0 capable ports (4 in rear panel, and 2 onboard headers supporting 2 ports each); 2 IEEEE 1394a capable ports (1 in rear panel, and 1 onboard header supporting 1 port); 3Com Gigabit Ethernet; ADI 6 channel audio featuring RCA and S/PDIF output ports; integrated WIFI capable header with card and antennae included; and serial, parallel, and PS/2 port support."

Read the review

 

Intel falling behind

Oct 27 2003 @ 05:11AM by MikeC

According to this article from The Inquirer Intel is slowing losing the lead in performance due to delays, price cuts, etc.

"At IDF this fall, between the time that we pre-announced the P4EE and the time Mr. Burns post-us announced it, I had a meeting with AMD. One of the first things out of my mouth was "Guess what Intel just did?", and told them about the P4EE. The AMD engineer just shrugged and nonchalantly said "We expect to have the performance lead on Tuesday". He was grinning, he knew what AMD had."

Read the article

 

ABIT OTES, SECUREIDE Athlon64 board - KV8 MAX 3 review

Oct 26 2003 @ 06:17PM by MikeC

OCWorkbench reviews the KV8 MAX 3 from Abit.

"Nowadays, a mainboard is no longer just a mainboard with overclocking features. ABIT, being one of the most innovative manufacturers has again deliver something that is extraordinary. Do you still remember OTES (Outside Thermal Exhaust System) ? It first appeared on the ABIT Ti4200 graphics card and DiGiDice. Now it is on the KV8-MAX3. With the O.T.E.S, the MOSFETs and capacitors are cooled down during extreme overclocking as that portion of the board is one of the hottest spots."

Read the review

 

Triple Athlon64 review

Oct 26 2003 @ 06:14PM by MikeC

HotHardware.com reviews 3 motherboards for the Althon64.

"Today we have put together an Athlon 64 Triple Threat that lines up 3 new motherboards from MSI, ASUS and Shuttle, each offering its own flavor of 64-Bit computing. The focus of this article is not necessarily to be an Athlon 64 "Shootout" but rather one that covers the spectrum of features and performance. Each package has its own niche, aiming to satisfy the full range of customers from the budget minded to the enthusiast with money to burn. So, let's get started and see what each manufacturer brings to the party."

Read the review

 

ThermalTake Volcano 12 AMD Cooler Review

Oct 24 2003 @ 07:47PM by MikeC

3DXtreme reviews the new cooler from Thermaltake.

"Before I get to the nitty gritty on the TT Extreme Volcano 12 I would like to explain that I really wanted to attempt to push this product by overclocking my Barton 2500+ on a BioStar M7NCD Pro Motherboard to AMD 3200+ speeds using a 200mhz front side bus and a multiplier of 11. This resulted in an overall CPU speed of 2.2Ghz and an overclock of just under 400 Mhz. Seeing that Thermaltake claims to be one of the best air cooling solutions for overclockers, lets see how well this cooler performs...."

Read the review

 

Intel Pentium4 3.2GHz C Processor Review

Oct 24 2003 @ 07:46PM by MikeC

PCStats reviews the 3.2GHz P4.

"The last two years has been a roller coaster ride for the Pentium 4 processor. From the relatively weak Williamette 1.5 GHz P4 was released, to the powerhouse Northwood P4 3.2 GHz processor, it has been quite an adventure. With the "Prescott" core just around the corner, with potentially the "Pentium 5" name attached, but not quite ready to be released, there could be no better time to release the new Intel Pentium 4 3.2C - a 3.2GHz microprocessor. This was done for several reasons, but mainly to take over top pricing spot from the 3.0C which has been around since May. Keeping pressure on AMD is always just a side benefit. The P4 3.2C, like the other 'C-class' processors, runs on a 800 MHz FSB Northword core. Architecturally it's identical to the P4 3.0C PCstats reviewed previously, and even the lowly P4 1.6A!"

Read the review

 

Nvidia releases Athlon 64 driver

Oct 24 2003 @ 05:09AM by MikeC

Nvidia is the first to release a 64-bit Windows driver for WinXP. This little tidbit of info is thanks to The Inquirer

"What's interesting here is that we reckon this is a precursor to some 64-bit Athlon games. Also, workstations that use the AMD chip no doubt will benefit from the driver."

Read the article

Download the driver

 

Abit NF7-S Rev. 2.0 review

Oct 24 2003 @ 04:57AM by MikeC

OCModshop reviews Abit's nForce2 motherboard.

"The 5-bit FID Override technology is great and will save you a lot of time and effort from physically unlocking your CPU. After increasing the FSB slowly I finally maxed out at 215MHz which is amazing. I love how I was able to change the CPU FSB/DRAM ratio and AGP frequency, if these options were not available the overclock would have been a lot lower because my RAM and video card would have maxed out."

Read the review

 

GameBOXX goes FX

Oct 23 2003 @ 07:38PM by MikeC

That's Athlon FX51 that is. The system from BOXX will either be using the Atlon FX51 or a P4/3.2 according to The Inquirer

"The specs on the system are high end, nothing less. There are no CPU options, just an AthlonFX 51 or a P4/3.2, with an EE on the way when they ship. The lowest memory size you can get is 512MB on the P4, going up to 4GB on the AthlonFX. Drives tell a similar story, no PATA, just SATA, 10K RPM being the defaults. Sound, video and optical drives have similar choices, high end or nothing."

Read the article

 

MSI vs. Chaintech showdown

Oct 23 2003 @ 06:41AM by MikeC

Tweaktown.com puts MSI and Chaintech head to head in a i865PE competition.

"For most of us, MSI and Chaintech are no strangers. Both in the past have produced some very popular motherboards. Both companies have been on the cutting edge of technology and offering great cost, hardcore motherboards for their positions in the motherboard ranks."

Read the h2h showdown

 

Gigabyte K8VNXP review

Oct 23 2003 @ 06:38AM by MikeC

Legion Hardware reviews this Gigabyte K8T800 motherboard for the Athlon 64 processor.

"The roll which motherboards play is slowly changing. While they are still the backbone of every computer connecting all the parts, their individuality is dying. With the arrival of processors such as the Athlon64 with a built in memory controller, there is little pressure placed on the Northbridge to perform. For this reason I don?t suspect we will see much variance in performance from one K8T800 board to the next. Therefore the competition will depend heavily on integrated features, and of course value, to be prominent from the crowd. In considering this I feel it is important that we place a large emphasis on the performance of these integrated components."

Read the review

 

AMD secret meetings

Oct 23 2003 @ 06:34AM by MikeC

AMD seems to be holding a secret conference over in Barcelona according to The Inquirer

"But AMD was being uncharacteristically secretive this time round ¨C usually they're happy for hacks to hop in. Nevertheless, this time, polite requests to attend were greeted with a grim-faced "no"."

Read the short article

 

Crucial PC3200 DDR400 review

Oct 21 2003 @ 07:56PM by MikeC

Viper Lair reviews Crucials PC3200 RAM.

"Everything was running well so we will go up 1 MHZ at a time until we reached our maximum over clock. As we approached the higher speeds, we had freezing issue, and we had to increase the memory voltage to 2.8v to maintain stability. At 3-4-4-10, I managed a maximum over clock of 236MHz (472MHz DDR), but the ram fails the Memtest86 tests."

Read the review

 

Intel lagging behind?

Oct 21 2003 @ 03:15PM by MikeC

More from The Inquirer. This time they're reporting that Intel is falling behind AMD in the processor race.

"THE ONLY PLACE Intel is going great guns is in Asia, an analyst has claimed. And adds Bill Fleckenstein at MSN Money, Intel?s share price is wildly overvalued, underestimates AMD?s 64-bit chip plus there ain?t much growth in the personal computer market, he thinks."

Read the article

 

Memory shortages up ahead?

Oct 21 2003 @ 03:11PM by MikeC

The Inquirer reports that there might be a possible shortage in memory in the years ahead. Time to stock up.

"According to Norwood, from the second quarter of 2004 through most of 2005, the DRAM industry will be in a state of shortage. That, he claimed, is because DRAM demand will outstrip supply during 2004 and 2005, and there will be shortages."

Read the article