News

On Wednesday a sample program showed up on the internet that shows malicious coders how to exploit a flaw that effects how Windows processes JPEG files. For all of you who are worried about this vulnerability effecting your PC, have no fear. According to C|Net, multiple patches are availible to protect any vulnerable software. So head on over to Microsoft.com and get yourselves some patches.

If you've noticed the scarcity of PS2 systems lately, we finally have an answer why. Sony has announced a new design for the PS2 including integrated networking capabilities. The new unit should retail for $149, but will not be compatible with the current Multi-Tap, Vertical Stand, or FFXI HDD bundle.

Next Page »

Got some reviews for you this Thursday. Make sure you are checking ASEville: »http://www.aseville.com

Albatron PX915G Pro @ OCModshop.

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This motherboard has a lot of connections on the back of it. Aside from the PS/2, serial, parallel ports which are common to most motherboards there is also onboard video, 7.1 audio, gigabit NIC, 10/100 NIC, and four USB 2.0. Onboard video is nice for lower end systems which will save some people money on buying a separate video card. The socket is one of the biggest changes that comes with the new LGA775 standard. There are now shorter capacitors around the socket and four holes for mounting the heatsink.

Abit AG8 @ ClubOC.

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We've already had a taste of Intel's 815 chipset, the LGA 775 CPU and PCI Express video cards. As for the last brand we tested, I was excited to see the new technology working, but was left unimpressed. Now it's ABIT's turn. ABIT has sent over a couple motherboards and video cards promising me that ABIT can do better than the other guys. Now I'm excited about getting started once again! The first ABIT board we'll tear into is the AG8, LGA 775 motherboard based on the Intel 915P chipset.

There are a bunch of Radeon X700 Previews on the net. The X700 is nearly the X800 with a few less pipelines.
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD04NzI
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2214
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/videocards/article.php/3411451
http://techreport.com/reviews/2004q3/radeon-x700xt/index.x?pg=1

HIS' PR on the X700.

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Delivering a gaming experience that is anything but mainstream, the RADEON X700 visual processing units (VPUs) include the advanced, cutting-edge features previously introduced in ATI's RADEON X800 family of VPUs and a higher level of performance than even last year's high-end visual processors.

HIS X600 @ TN.

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HIS's X600XT proved to be an excellent choice if you looking at a more affordable PCI-E videocard option, but still want an excellent card with some excellent features. In this case, the software bundle was second to none and the additional perks like the ramsinks and large VPU cooler will allow the buyer to squeeze a little more free performance out of this videocard for the dollar. This card is all about the extra value for your hard earned dollar.

Abit AA8 @ Bjorn3d.

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ABIT is probably not a name that many of you are unfamiliar with. Always innovating and striving for top performance, ABIT has been an industry leader for over 15 years. When you think about the top enthusiast-oriented motherboard and video card manufacturers, ABIT will definitely make the list. The company produces many of the best performing products on the market.

MSI K8N @ VL.

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The Socket-939 is a step in the right direction for AMD, and the MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum would make a fine choice if that is the path you're looking to take. Whether the FX or non-FX version of the Athlon 64 is your cup of tea, this motherboard can swing both ways.

What is DirectX @ D-Silence, Visiontek USB2 Flash Drive @ TTZ, Cable something @ Phoronix, Vantec EZ Grip @ RBMods Steelpad S&S @ Gruntville, BSOD Recovery @ PCStats, Logitech Cordless Desktop MX @ TTZ, Spiral Coolforce @ OCIA.

This is good news for everyone. The US Senate will most likely vote for a bill that targets Spyware companies that do hijacking installs. You can stop spyware by not clicking yes to everything on the internet!!

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The bill approved by Barton's committee would require software makers to notify people before loading new programs on their machines that can collect information about them. Violators could face millions of dollars in fines.

Again, sorry for the lack of content. Here we go with some news.

Asus K8N-E @ AMDZone.

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Asus finally has a Socket 754 motherboard based on the Nvidia chipset, and it is a good one. They include the usual excellent features like the unique RAID 5 and 10 support, 8 channel audio, 6 SATA ports, and GigE. While we would like to see the wireless card included as it stands the K8N-E Deluxe is the top Socket 754 motherboard we have seen so far based on the nForce 3 250GB chipset.

Power Color Radeon 9800 Pro @ bjorn.

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Today we are looking at the PowerColor RADEON 9800 Platinum Edition. For those that don't know, Tul owns the PowerColor brand and is the third largest provider of ATI-based graphic cards. The company makes very competitive products that are known all over the world. Although the RADEON 9800 has been around for some time now, this card is something totally different -- and I do mean it.

OCZ PC3200 @ HCW.

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So you know you have the lowest timings available with these, but what about overclocking? Well if you plan on OCing, you're going to have to bump the timings up a bit. But once you do, you'd be amazed at the headroom you have with this memory!

And now some links:

http://reviews.pimprig.com/miscellaneous/seasonic_power_angel_monitor.php
http://www.lanaddict.com/rev/130/1/
http://modtown.co.uk/mt/review2.php?id=hiphono
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=1068
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=226
http://www.xyzcomputing.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=148&Itemid=2
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/prae/prae.shtml
http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/enermax-a3fatr2/
http://www.controlled-insanity.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=57
http://www.creativemods.com/content.php?article.109
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cooling/misc/ccfls/ultra/
http://thetechzone.com/?m=show&id=94
http://www.techfreaks.org/reviews/starck.shtml
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/super_cooling/aquagate/index.htm
http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review1808_main9048.html
http://www.3dxtreme.net/index.php?id=pioneerdvr-1081
http://www.gurureview.co.uk/content/view/327/
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index.php?page=articles&num=213
http://reviews.pimprig.com/cooling/polarflo_tt_series_2_port_block.php

Sorry about the lack of news posts. My time has been spent on school work and on tons of great games. Tonight the news will flow once again. Next month, the articles will flow again. School is making my schedule weird.

The team at Valve has sent their first release candidate for Half-Life 2 to VU Games for review. Does this mean that HL2 is coming soon? Let's not get our hopes up yet. I've been waiting for this game forever, so I'm not gonna be happy until it's playing on my PC bug-free. It's not like I am not busy enough playing Fable, The Sims 2, Doom 3, Halo 2 when that comes out, and the rest of the billion great games coming out soon.

The original article is available through Slashdot Games here.

As a result of Acclaims recent bankruptcy, their lineup of fall titles has been cancelled including upcoming titles Juiced, Worms, and the promising The Red Star. It could be some time before legal issues surrounding Acclaim's bankruptcy can be resolved, leaving these titles in publication limbo.

"Scheduled Server Maintenance

On Tuesday, September 14, beginning at 1:00 AM PDT, the EA and Pogo.Com sites, PS2 and Xbox-Live games will experience a scheduled interruption of service for a software upgrade. Duration is expected to be 45 minutes for PS2 and Xbox games, and 50 minutes for Pogo.com. Customers will be unable to login to the PS2 games, Xbox Live games, and EA websites or message boards during the full duration of this downtime. Burnout (Xbox) will be down an additional 15 minutes while they undergo a lobbyserver deployment."

It better have actually fixed something. We love this game, but the online was so broken it's maddening. I was looking forward to doing a scathing audio review about it, though.

On another note, FABLE comes out today. If you've got an XBox, it looks like a must-buy if you're an RPG fan. Stay tuned for audio reviews on these two games coming soon.

I'm tired, lazy and other emotions dealing with tiredness. So I'll link everything only. I'll update my journal after: »http://www.aseville.com

http://www.ocmodshop.com/default.aspx?a=203
http://www.gurureview.co.uk/content/view/318/
http://www.modthebox.com/review348_1.shtml
http://www.creativemods.com/content.php?article.107.0
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=688
http://www.hardextreme.org/?m=show&id=519
http://www.ipkonfig.com/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=29
http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review1805.html
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/controllers/Matrix/index.htm
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/drives/flash_drives/visiontek_extreme2go/index.htm
http://www.hardwarehounds.com/reviews/coolforce.shtml
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1545
http://www.rbmods.com/Articles/Vantec/Pcicover_fancard/1.php
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1643
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/amp/amp.shtml
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/game_gear/trackir/index.htm
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/cooling_devices/laptop_coolers/vantec/301_305/index.htm
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cases/coolermaster/cases/cavt01/
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/vm101/page1.shtml
http://www.futurelooks.com/display.php?i=269&p=1
http://www.techtastic.ca/reviews3/ml-2552w.html
http://www.gruntville.com/reviews/video/his_x800xt/
http://www.pdatoday.com/maximumpda_more/2052_0_2_0_C/
http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-239-1.htm
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=689
http://www.thetechzone.com/?m=show&id=90
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=1015
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD03Mzk
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1642
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1645

Hopefully none of you have to hear this firsthand, but according to C|Net, a talking computer worm has surfaced, known as the Amus worm. It seems to be spreading through an e-mail named "Listen and Smile", so this Turkish worm is quite easy to avoid.

You should make sure you're posting at »http://www.aseville.com and checking out the audio reviews at http://www.asegames.com More hardware reviews coming... tomorrow.

1GB Ultra PC3200.

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When you purchase RAM, you normally receive the sticks in a simple OEM anti-static bag or a plastic container. However, when purchasing Ultra Product’s high-end modules, you now receive them in a mahogany box. Does this RAM really deserve to be packaged in such a pristine container, and can it compete with big name manufacturers like Corsair, Mushkin, and OCZ? At Phoronix we will be checking out the Ultra Dual Channel 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory (2 x 512MB) - Premium Wood Box.

Albatron PCX5750 @ OO.

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The overclocking ability of this card is really what impressed me the most. Achieving more than a 20% gain in core and memory clock is nothing to sneeze at. I'd be very interested in finding out just how much higher these cards could go if given some more powerful cooling and something to cool the rear memory chips.

OCZ PC3200 @ 3DX.

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The OCZ PC3200 Revision 2 memory delivered slightly faster speeds than the Corsair XMS 3200XL at DDR400 (2-2-2-5) and costs significantly less (around $280 vs. $315). This difference in cost may be the single most determining factor for someone that is shopping for DDR400. Keep in mind that with slightly looser timings operation up to DDR500 should be easily possible making this memory the perfect compliment to any system from an AMD64 based rig to an overclocked Intel P4 based rig. We award the OCZ PC3200 Revision 2 Memory the 3DXtreme Editor’s Choice Award based on the performance and price of this product."

Corsair PC4000 @ HE.

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Today, RAM comes in many flavors varying in speed, bandwidth, and size. Finding the right RAM solution for one's needs can be a tedious process; with a vast number of companies barraging the public with proposed solutions and complicated jargon, one is often overwhelmed and uninformed regarding the best solution at the best price. Today we review of one of the most impressive high-end solutions available, namely Corsair's CMX512-4000PRO.

AMD FX 53 939 @ TT.

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Mike has checked in with a review of the AMD Athlon 64 FX-53 processor today which is based around the new Socket 939 platform. After taking a quick look at what the processor has to offer in terms of features we get down to the real issue and see how the expensive beast can really perform in today's current games such as Doom 3 against an older overclocked Athlon XP processor.

Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra-64 @ PCStats.

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In this review PCstats will be looking at the GA-8KNXP Ultra-64. Although this board is impressive across the scale, it does seem as though Gigabyte's engineers simply adapted the already successful GA-8KNXP Ultra motherboard for extra duty; tossing in two 64bit PCI slots and an Adaptec SCSI controller into the mix. Obviously based on the reliable and proven i875P chipset, the GA-8KNXP Ultra-64 motherboard supports the usual assortment of Socket 478 Pentium 4 processors from 533MHz to 800 MHz FSB...

One of the best GameCube-only game series is rolling its way onto the PS2 and XBox for a little monkey-lovin'.

Per Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/10/news_6107155.html

"Deluxe will feature 300 stages--114 from the original game, 140 from the sequel, and 46 brand-new boards--in which the player must roll a monkey, who's inside a giant hamster ball, around a precarious series of platforms while collecting bananas and reaching his goal without falling off any platforms. Additionally, the fan-favorite party modes, such as Monkey Fight and Monkey Target, will all be packed into Deluxe--which features 12 party modes in all."

Both games, plus extra levels, for 30 bucks. Not bad! A little online play would of been sweet, however...

By the way, if you've never played Super Monkey Ball and you own a GameCube, shame on you! It's one the best games on the system. Redeem yourself and buy it now, it's only 20 bucks! http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/212516.asp

News to me. According to: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews3/starwarstrilogy02.html

"It's also worth noting here that if you put this disc in your Xbox machine, you'll get to play a complete preview level of Star Wars Battlefront."

"Now that the greatest "Star Wars" battles are on DVD, video game players can live them like never before in the new video game "Star Wars: Battlefront" from LucasArts, available for PlayStation2, Xbox and PC-CD. The "Star Wars Trilogy" DVD will offer a trailer featuring an exciting look at the video game, along with a special demo for Xbox users that lets users fight the Battle of Endor as a Rebel or Imperial soldier and drive AT-STs, ride speeder bikes and use different weapons to lead their side to victory."

At the very least, Star Wars fans can finally watch the Original Trilogy on their DVD players, as opposed to torturing themselves with those lousy prequels. "Around the survivors, a perimeter create." - Huh? Yoda, what were you smoking?

I remember looking out from Hoboken at the World Trade Centers in flames, and their destruction. All I can say is that we better get these bastards that did it. Please say a prayer for all that were lost, and for the people they left behind.

We remember, always.

Check CNN for more on today's events.

We're playing Burnout 3. It's awesome, no doubt about that. The game could use some sprucing up with the online stuff. I blame EA with their garbage service.

Sapphire X600 Pro @ RBMods.

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Another PCI-express video card has arrived to our test bench. This is different from the others as its a ATI card. Sapphiretech were nice and sent us their latest X600 video card. We will compare it to the Nvidia PCI-E cards and see which one performs the best.

Ultra PC3200 @ OO.

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Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the performance of the ULT31022. For the price you would normally pay, this actually surpasses my expectations. This does not mean however that there isn't room for improvement!

BFG 6800 OC @ bjorn3d. bjorn's 8 yr giveaway.

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The war between the graphics giants will go on and on for eternity at this point, so the biggest news is always who has the biggest weapon at the time. There always seems to be someone with a bigger gun, but finding out just how much more heat the competitor is packing is becoming more and more of a challenge. Enter NVIDIA's big gun -- the 6800 series of video cards.

HIS X800XT @ OCPrives.
[/quote]We have already looked at a few X800 Pros here at OcPrices, and despite being extremely fast cards, they are not ATis flagship. Unless you have been living under a rock for several months, you will already know that the fastest card to come from the Canadian firm is the X800 XT Platinum Edition. The card we are looking at today is the HIS version, more specifically the HIS Excalibur X800 XT IceQ II. Despite its name, I should emphasise this is the full Platinum Edition chipset, not the slower XT version delivered to OEMs.[/quote]

And now some random links:
http://www.TweakGuides.com/BFV_1.html
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD04NTQ
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD04NTY
http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=574&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=0
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=973
http://www.controlled-insanity.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=1105
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD04NTg
http://www.thetechzone.com/?m=show&id=84
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD04NjE
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1640
http://www.techtastic.ca/reviews3/yepp-yp-55i.html
http://www.gurureview.co.uk/content/view/314/
http://www.hard-h2o.com/readreview/watercooling/dangerden-tdx.html
http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=576&Itemid=0
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cooling/liquid/polarflo/tt/
http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=261
http://www.thetechzone.com/?m=show&id=86
http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review1794.html
http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/altechead/

Looks like the tables have really turned when it comes to lawsuits over file sharing. First the RIAA begins suing every Peer-to-Peer file sharing organization it got in the crosshairs, now it seems that the RIAA is being sued over copyright infringements. C|Net covers this odd turn of events.

RudeMoody explains why Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto is both a dopehead and a genius...

http://www.asegames.com/articles.php?id=147

Find out why RudeMoody thinks Mr. Miyamoto is smoking some serious dope...Next Page »

More reviews today. I've got nothing else to say... yet.

Asus P5AD2 Wifi @ VL.

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The fact is, Intel changed a lot at the beginning of this Summer with the 915/925 release, and it required a lot of manufacturers to come up with compelling products that take advantage of all these new features, and at the same time, provide an enjoyable computing experience. We think ASUS did just that with the P5AD2 Premium.

Epox 8RDA6+ Pro @ AMDZone.

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Epox includes some great features with the 8RDA6+ Pro. You will rarely find an Athlon XP board featuring the Gigabit Ethernet and SATA RAID from Nvidia. You also won't often find 6 SATA ports on an Athlon XP board. Epox also includes Firewire, SPDIF audio output, and plenty of accessories like rounded cables, a screwdriver, and small heatsinks for components.

TwinHan VisionDTV Tuner @ Gurureview, Gigabyte 3D Rocket Pro Cooler, Logitech Z-3 Speakers @ TTZ, Logitech LX 501 @ Bjorn3D, Must have PDA Software, Logisys Xenix Keyboard @ Phoronix, Sound card article @ TT, InerX liquid @ Hexus, Razer mousepad @ SLcentral, Ultra 500W PSU @ Bigbruin, Personal something @ Futurelooks, Chenbro Server case @ Gruntville, Vantec Ion @ MTB, Windows SP2 performance @ HCW, Silverstone LC06 @ EPIACenter.

More reviews this weekend to share. I'm currently playing Tribes Vengeance. It's in open beta as of right now. That's awesome.

Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939 @ PCStats.

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In this review, PCstats is testing a brand new Socket 939 motherboard from Gigabyte which is priced at around $350 CDN ($240 US). The Gigabyte GA-K8NSNXP-939 is powered by the nForce3 Ultra chipset, and includes an onboard Serial ATA RAID controller, IEEE 1394b Firewire, Gigabit LAN, a 10/100 NIC, 7.1 channel audio, dual BIOS chips and Gigabyte's proprietory Dual Power System (DPS).

Gigabyte K8 Triton GA-K8NS Pro @ Hexus.

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The K8NS Pro felt every inch the solid Gigabyte mainboard that they're famous for. It didn't miss a beat during testing, BIOS operation was flawless and stability was excellent. After that, and given that the ASUS K8N-E is just as good at those things, it's the feature set that determines what you purchase for your Athlon 64 CPU these days, with performance being so derivative and tied to the CPU itself.

And now some random links:
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=220
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=931
http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/totalwattsviewer/
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/xpeaker/XSpeaker1.shtml
http://www.hard-h2o.com/readreview/hardware/datacastle-bt32.html
http://www.lostcircuits.com/cpu/panorama/
http://www.3dxtreme.net/index.php?id=liteonsohw832s1
http://www.d-silence.com/feature.php?id=259
http://xyzcomputing.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=128&Itemid=2
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/cases/chenming602a/index.htm
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/mouse/razor_viper/index.htm
http://www.modthebox.com/review345_1.shtml
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1588
http://accelenation.com/?ac.id.232.1
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index.php?page=articles&num=209
http://www.extensiontech.net/reviews/hj/jetart/np5000/
http://forums.ocwizard.com/index.php?showtopic=1152
http://www.ocwizard.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=2
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mcx6400/page1.shtml
http://www.lanaddict.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=10226#10226
http://www.bjorn3d.com/theforum/viewtopic.php?p=66202#66202
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=222
http://www.atruereview.com/morf/index.php

If you've ever told anyone that you’re “in the zone” while playing a video game, you may be more right than you know. British scientists are beginning to look into the mind of the gamer and their findings are quite interesting. Although playing Doom 3 is nothing compared to running a quarter of a mile, studies show that the brain waves of a gamer may be very similar to that of an athlete. Scientists even noted a possible altered state of consciousness. Check out BBC News for mo

Check out this gut-busting 3rd person shooter that you may have overlooked among last year's holiday releases.Next Page »

That's right, Acclaim has filed for Chapter 7 protection bankruptcy. The entire story is at Yahoo. Acclaim recently put out some loser titles and it looks like this time they are down for good.

Quote

The company, which filed for bankruptcy to liquidate its assets under Chapter 7 of U.S. Bankruptcy Code, has also faced lawsuits from some of its top licensees, including ones from teen superstars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and biking legend Dave Mirra. Acclaim is the second well-known company in the business to go bankrupt in recent times, after 3DO Co. in 2003. It was not immediately clear what would happen to Acclaim's properties, including upcoming games like "100 Bullets" as well as new entries in the "Worms" franchise.

Some review for you this fine Thursday. Make sure you are posting on ASEville: »http://www.aseville.com If you don't everyone else will. Get in on the fun.

There is a new control panel for ATI cards. You can read all about it at a few sites that I'll link to below. It requires .NET, so, needless to say, I won't be using it on any of my computers.
http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NjU4
http://www.driverheaven.net/articles/CCC/
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2188

ATI TV Wonder USB2 @ VL.

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What we've seen today is a very flexible TV tuner, that is both easy to use and offers excellent image quality. If you're a notebook user or an enthusiast with limited expansion port real estate, and you'd like some TV-In capabilities, the ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 is worthy of your consideration.

Albatron 915P @ OO.

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The Albatron PX915P proves a worthy solution that is both affordable and a solid performer for anyone looking to migrate to the new PCI Express/LGA 775 platform. The features provided in this solution are numerous and give the enthusiast options for improving the performance of their stock setup through added tweaking.

i-rocks mouse @ HiTR, Free stuff @ Futurelooks, Wafer Aircon PAC @ aTR, Sony DRU700A @ Designtechnica, Quiet PC Acoustipac @ Gurureview.

While scouting around the Internet, I've found out the Tribes: Vengeance is now in OPEN beta! You can download and try a demo of the game (in beta form). I used this link: http://www.filemirrors.com/search.src?type=begins&file=tribesv&action=Find

I also heard it will be released in October some time, which is perfect for me considering I'll probably fail school as it is.

Edit: I take that back, you need to subscribe to be in the 'Open Beta'. Give me a break.

Edit 2: It's OPEN!! Sign up at Fileplanet, free registration. Downloading now.

Some reviews for your reading pleasure this Wed. »http://www.aseville.com Check it out.

HIS X600XT @ VL.

Quote

Gaming performance is mid range which is what the card is designed for. Modern games will run at about 1024x768 very happily with mild AA and AF applied. Older games will have no trouble, but the latest games such as FarCry and Doom III will push the card to its limits. If you are serious about playing either of those two then you would be better served by looking at a higher specification card.

HIS X600XT @ Metku.

Quote

All of the eight memory modules are passively cooled with shiny aluminum heatsinks. With all this metal, HIS makes sure that you will be getting most out of your purchase and allow you to get some pretty impressive overclocking results in the process.

Intel P4 550 3.4GHz LGA775 @ bjorn3d.

Quote

Although its current processors are not quite outperforming the ability of these interfaces, Intel Corporation decided recently that it was time to introduce a new package for their flagship Pentium 4 line of processors in order to get ahead of the curve a little bit. The engineers at Intel chose a design that is quite different than any other mainstream CPU available today. The processor design itself has not changed; the packaging of the processor is what has changed. Intel is still using the recently released Prescott core (replaced Northwood) for their Pentium 4 line-up.

HIS X600XT @ TTZ.

Quote

The X600 XT has proven itself in our benchmarks and comes at a much cheaper price than the X800 Pro. The card turned out to be very overclockable which is great news for all of the tweakers out there. The X600 XT comes a with blue LED lit cooling system which makes the card look very sharp. The software included allows for great video editing and recording ability using the ATI Rage Theater. The Excalibur X600 XT is a very all around solid graphics card and is why I highly recommend it if you are looking to get a bang for your buck.

Rio Nitrus 1.5GB MP3 @ FS, USB Swiss Army knife @ TTZ, Hiatichi HDTV @ Designtechnica, Future Broadband @ HA, Mars Case @ 3DX, Inwin Cardreader @ Ninjalane, Laptop Desk @ Futurelooks, Power Monitor @ Bigbruin.

It appears that the Gateway 700GR will be the first desktop computer to feature one of Intel’s new BTX (Balanced Technology Extended) form factor motherboards, at least according to InternetNews.com. While this isn’t exactly a huge step forward, it’s a step in the right direction none-the-less. Intel also has plans for smaller versions of this new form factor, including the microBTX and the picoBTX. Alas, my faith in Gateway and Intel has been restor

I want to take the time to let you know what is happening in the world of ASE. First up, the new ASE Games has tons of content for you to listen to. http://www.asegames.com/ That's right, I said listen. Our ambitious new sound articles are something never done before and we are proud to feature them.

Second thing is ASEville. »http://www.aseville.com/ With journals (blogs), albums (free picture space), your own space to post your computer system with pics, and daily links, why aren't you posting there? Since the site is beta, I really want everyone to test it out and let me know what needs improvement or changing.

And there are many more reviews and articles to come from both sites. Stay tuned...

Back at school. Nothing else to say...

Asus X800-XT @ HA.

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Hardware Avenue have today reviewed ASUS’s high end ATi solution, the ASUS Radeon X800XT PE AGP Videocard. Naturally, the main selling point is the raw power of the X800XT, but does ASUS have the touch to make their implementation standout?

Powercolor 9250 @ FastlaneHW.

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While I recommend spending at least $150 or $200 on a video card if you want to really get into games, what about those of us who aren't into the gaming scene as much, and whose gaming endeavors may be limited to playing the occasional round of UT or Quake 3? What if you don't even care about games, and just want a video card with a few nice features for a cheap price? Why should those people spend $150-200 on a video card? That's why today we're looking at ATi's Radeon 9250, on a board made by our friends at PowerColor.

Chaintech SK8T800 @ ClubOC.

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Top notch stability is the thing that impresses me the most about the SK8T800 motherboard. While the "non-pro" release of the VIA K8T800 chipset isn't known for its overclocking ability, the chipset does have a very up-to-date feature list, which includes Serial-ATA 150 with RAID-0 and RAID-1 capability. Chaintech has adopted the chipset onto a solid workstation/entry-level home PC motherboard that is second to none in value. With an available market price of $64, it couldn't be more affordable to put a 64-bit processor on your desktop!

PQI PC3200 @ ClubOC.

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A new trend is forming, memory companies are starting to back away from ludicrous overclocking speeds, and starting to concentrate on making non overclocking memory that is better and faster. We've taken a looks at some incredible PC3200 in the last couple weeks from companies such as OCZ, Corsair and Crucial, now we take a look at what PQI (formerly PMI) has to offer!

PDP PC3200 @ Techfreaks.

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I was pleasantly surprised with the decent showing of PDP System's Patriot PC3200. Though not aimed towards the over-clocker, the Patriot PC3200 is quite a contender among value RAM. The Patriot PC3200 retails around ~$70 a 512MB stick, but is often on sale for ~$50, at which the memory is a steal. While not as solid a performer as the OCZ Premiere PC3200, for half the price, the Patriot PC3200 is a can't miss for builders on a budget. Not to mention a 165MHz over-clock isn't that bad for budget RAM. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this memory to someone on a budget or someone who doesn't need the best performing RAM on the market.

Sapphire X800XT @ TTZ.

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The design is much like ATI’s reference board, except they went with a blue PCB and a cool little thumb rest at the top of the card to assist in card insertion. The good thing about this design is that the entire card only takes up 1 slot. A cool feature that this card has is the thermal sensing fan on its heatsink. When the card is not in use the fan will slow down and you will not hear it. When the GPU gets hot, you can hear the fan getting louder.

925x Shootout @ HCW.

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Well it's been a long time coming, but over the last 70 days, we have finally collected enough motherboards to make up a "shootout" review! Okay, so we have a grand total of FOUR, but that pretty much represents the entire 925x market right now. We look at all the high-end boards from Abit, Gigabyte, and Foxconn. And we have also included the latest version of DFI's Lanparty! The 925x-T2! Our 'shootout' review is more like four separate motherboard reviews put together, so you won't miss out on anything! Check it out for 21 pages of high end motherboard goodness!

And now for some lazy links:
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?pageID=856&Submit=Go&cID=665
http://www.modthebox.com/review346_1.shtml
http://www.xyzcomputing.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=120&Itemid=2
http://www.lanaddict.com/rev/129/1/
http://www.atruereview.com/silverriver/index.php
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index.php?page=articles&num=207
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD03NjYmdXJsX3BhZ2U9MQ
http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD04MjY
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=898
http://www.gurureview.co.uk/content/view/299/
http://www.slcentral.com/samsung-213t-monitor/
http://www.fastlanehw.com/reviews.php?i=134
http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=548&Itemid=0
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=663
http://www.modsynergy.com/Review 141.htm
http://www.3dxtreme.net/index.php?id=nutech8xdvdrw1
http://www.futurelooks.com/display.php?i=265&p=1
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=903
http://www.lostcircuits.com/hdd/asus_scb2408d/
http://www.dvhardware.net/review67_sst-st30nf.html
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1636
http://hi-techreviews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1158
http://www.twistedmods.com/article.php?artid=276
[AURL=http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1635]http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1635[/AURL:109394921