Items tagged with arc
NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 Architecture Now Available Top-to-Bottom Powerful GPU Architecture Enables Breakthrough Capabilities from Ultra-High-End 3D to Professional 2D Segments SANTA CLARA, CA—September 12, 2007—Earlier this year, NVIDIA unveiled its record-setting NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 and Quadro FX 4600 professional graphics boards based on an industry-changing unified architecture that delivers high-performance processing, support for Shader Model 4.0, NVIDIA GPU computing, and other breakthrough features. Today, the company extended the family, with the launch of new mid-range and entry-level 2D...
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In June Microsoft agreed to modify the built-in desktop search feature in Vista, in hopes of staving off another Justice Department battle, as well as to assuage Google. On Wednesday Microsoft outlined the upcoming changes, which will appear in Vista Service Pack 1.The primary impact of the change is giving Vista users who choose a non-Microsoft option for desktop search more outlets to see those search results, as opposed to the results generated by Vista's built in desktop search engine. The changes are coming with the first service pack to Windows Vista. Microsoft is launching a beta version of the update in the next couple of weeks, with a final version expected early next...
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It has been quite a while since AMD launched a truly new CPU core architecture. It was way back in September of 2003 that the first "K8" based desktop processors arrived in the form of the single-core Athlon 64 and Athlon 64-FX. And while the company has launched a slew of new desktop, server, and mobile processors since then, there haven’t been any major changes made to the base CPU architecture. AMD did make some modifications to the execution core as they introduced processors for different sockets or with different L2 cache sizes, but overall the architecture remained largely unchanged. Today’s Athlon 64 X2 processors have quite a lot in common with those initial Athlon 64s....
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AMD has officially taken the wraps off their new series of Opteron processors today and have released their first native quad-core processor to the wild. Welcome to the jungle Barcelona. We cover specific architecture details, processor model numbering, speeds and feeds of the new Barcelona core Opertons and even offer a glimpse of what's on the horizon with AMD’s Shanghai and Sandtiger cores. Here's a snip from the piece... "In a move reminiscent of their campaign from long ago to debunk the "megahertz myth" with processor performance rating-type model numbers, AMD is announcing a new power consumption metric called "ACP" or "Average CPU Power". AMD claims historically that they took a...
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If it's not the best, it's one of the best, spyware removers available - and it's got the best price possible - free. SpyBot Search & Destroy 1.5 has been released, after a few delays. We have to admit, it was delayed a few times, mostly because we always had some new feature we wanted to implement in mind, but now it's finally here: we're proud to announce the availability of Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.5. This new version features a lot of improved detection mechanisms (which in parts were already made available through the regular 1.4 updates in the past months), improved Operating System support (Windows Vista integration, restored support for Windows 95, more compatibility...
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Researchers at SecureWorks have found a massive cache of sensitive data from over 46,000 victims of a Prg Trojan variant. What's odd about this particular case is that not only did they find lots of private data, but where the data came from. “Experts at the Atlanta-based security company said the information includes bank and credit card account numbers, social security numbers and passwords. The victims were infected—and in numerous cases re-infected—by ads on popular, online job sites, including Monster.com during the past three months.” The fact that the virus was getting around via a top-tier job hunting site, such as Monster.com, is quite disturbing. What's even more disturbing is...
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In what can only be termed "incredibly ironic" due to the way China and Chinese firms are usually portrayed with regards to intellectual property (IP), a Chinese firm has sued Blizzard over alleged use of its fonts in World of Warcraft. Founder Electronics is asking for compensation of 100 million yuan for the alleged infringement - the largest amount claimed by a Chinese company in a copyright case.It alleges its fonts were illegally used in Blizzard's popular online game World of Warcraft. Founder Electronics is one of China's oldest computer companies, and is a major developer of Chinese fonts. Meanwhile, Chinese players account for approximately 40% of WoW players. Since joining...
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Why do we buy HotHardware? The answer is always to play games. You don't need to overclock and cool to use Microsoft Word. We want to go places and kill things. But as the worlds we wander through with our weapons have gravitated online, and involve thousands of other players worldwide, cheating at gaming has morphed from a harmless personal vice to a sort of crime. Slate has an interesting look at how this cheating at video games has turned from silly fun into a lucrative business. So, where does gameplay end and cheating begin? Given that virtual property now has real-world value, it's no longer just an idle question for gaming geeks. These days, there's enough nerdy talk about social...
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It seems that we are learning a little more about AMD’s upcoming Barcelona cores week after week as the launch date nears. A couple of days ago we learned that Barcelona will be launched on September 10. Today we learned that Barcelona’s full power-saving features will not function unless users get a new BIOS update and a supported motherboard. It might mean buying a whole new mobo for those who want to take full advantage of Barcelona’s features. “It seems the CPU itself is capable of engaging in CoolCore operations, but not Dual Dynamic Power Management (formerly “Split Plane,” which allowed each core to operate independently with different voltages and clock speeds). It won’t be able to...
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The nominations for the 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, to be held on Sept. 16 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, were announced yesterday. The South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" was nominated in the Outstanding Animated Program (for programming less than one hour) category, along with other hit shows like SpongeBob, The Simpsons, Robot Chicken and Avatar. "Make Love, Not Warcraft" is episode 147 (Season 10) of Comedy Central's animated series South Park which originally aired on October 4, 2006. The episode is a parody of World Of Warcraft and the gamers who play it. The episode was created in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment, who provided character...
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Aimbot, aimhack, cheats, or what have you is what we’re talking about today. We’ve probably all been victims of cheating at least once during the many hours we have spent playing games in front of the screen. And we all know that cheating usually spoils the fun for everyone. That might be why Intel has embarked on anti-cheat crusade, so to speak, with its research on a new anti-cheating system that would make cheating much more difficult for cheating cheaters. Known as the Fair Online Gaming System, it is unlike contemporary software-based anti-cheating technologies in that it would be built into a user’s computer and would combine software, hardware, and firmware. “Anti-cheating software can...
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Just about everyone has at least heard some tale of neglect with video games and/or the internet to blame. It seems that the American Medical Association (AMA), even after declining to call gaming an addiction (at this time), wants to study the subject further: “The call to examine gaming and Internet addiction may spawn from the widely reported, but isolated incidents of health issues – and even death – surrounding massively multiplayer online games, such as the World of Warcraft.Aside from addiction, the AMA may also look at the emotional effects of video games dealing with extreme content. Currently under intense scrutiny is Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2, which has been temporarily suspended...
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The gang at The Inquirer has aquired some new information regarding AMD's upcoming native, Quad-Core processor, dubbed Barcelona. They've got a number of synthetic benchmark results that paint a very good picture of Barcelona's performance, should they turn out to be correct... "These performance numbers were based on systems using the Opteron 2356, or known to the world of us regular folks as AMD Quad Core at 2.3GHz. The price of this processor is currently set at $796 USD in quantities of 1000, so we'll see what can Clovertown at 2.66 GHz (Xeon 5355) do about it… So, what will Barcelona deliver? For starters, SPECint_rate2006 and SPECfp_rate2006 speak the voice of...
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AMD to Ship Industry's First Native x86 Quad-Core Processors In August AMD's Stable Infrastructure Strategy Enables Availability of Systems from Platform Partners in September SUNNYVALE, Calif. - June 29, 2007 - Continuing to lead the shift of mainstream enterprise computing to energy-efficient processors, AMD (NYSE:AMD) announced today that Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors, code-named "Barcelona," are planned for shipment in both standard and low power versions at launch later this summer. This would be the first time AMD has made both standard and low power parts immediately available as part of a...
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There have been recent reports that the American Medical Association (AMA) will have an upcoming vote on the subject of video game addiction and whether or not it should be considered a formal mental disorder. If the vote favors the notion that video game addiction is indeed a mental disorder, the AMA could recommend to the APA (American Psychiatric Association) that the disorder goes into the books. For your information, the APA is the organization that compiles the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders) and is probably the highest authority in deciding what is normal and what is a mental disorder. "If the science warrants it, this proposed disorder will be considered for...
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Google saves too much information about you, and keeps it too long. At least that's the general consensus among privacy watchdogs and various governmental agencies. But Marissa Mayer, VP of Search for Google, said Google is trying to find a way for Google to allow you to explicitly consent to archiving your search data for longer than the current standard 18 months, in an effort to more finely tune search results to the user and return them faster. Speaking at a press event in Paris, Ms Mayer said: "Personalised search tracks and shows you in your search history the clicks and trends of your searches. "Based on what we see as your searching pattern it ultimately can enhance...
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Haptic technology refers to technology that allows a user to communicate by means of the sense of touch via a computer interface. It seems complicated, but such feats as vibrating phones and video-game controllers are a few examples of haptics at work. In fact, the most famous haptic device is the PHANToM, which allows users to feel what they see. Users can identify an object’s form, shape, weight, and texture. The main applications of such devices are in the fields of medicine, education, industrial design, and accessibility; helping the blind. Researchers are looking to use the technology in the industrial field. “Currently, physical prototypes are replaced by virtual or digital prototypes/models...
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Google just won an argument with Microsoft before their lawyers even got to deliver an opening statement; Microsoft decided to take the high road and allow users to decide which desktop search program to use. If you select Google for all your desktop searching needs, then the Vista seach engine will be disabled, thus no longer causing the performance hit that was irritating Google in the first place. "In a filing made jointly with the Justice Department on Tuesday night, Microsoft said it would change the search feature as part of the first service pack to Windows Vista. In the filing, Microsoft talked for the first time about when that service pack would arrive, saying a beta version will...
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Just about everyone throughout history has made at least a couple of bad choices when they were growing up. There might have been a period of shame (especially if friends and family knew) but eventually the shame and the event were behind them.The major difference for people growing up in the digital age is that they have to contend with the internet acting as a living history book that might record some of these mistakes in the form of a blog, or on an entry on a site such as MySpace. Generations prior to this could be reasonably assured that a drunken streak would not be something a potential employer might find out about even the next week, whereas the youth of today might even find it humorous...
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What's the slowest component in your PC today? Think about - your hard drive. You can spin them at 15K RPM and still they're the slowest device, with access times measured in milliseconds, versus nanoseconds for virtually everthing else in your machine. Also, what's the most unreliable component in your machine? You guessed it... But Germany might have an answer. "It involves a relatively long nanowire that has three sections: a stored magnetic zones and domain walls area; a read area with a read/write sensor to read/write magnetised areas; and a termination area where the magnetic zones and walls are stored after reading or writing. A memory chip using this technology...
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In a lengthy interview in Fortune magazine, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith outlined Microsoft's contention that they can prove 235 patent violations by open source software. And they'd like to be paid royalties, please. Smith broke down the alleged patent violations during the Fortune interview, saying the Linux kernel violates 42 patents and the operating system's user interface violates a further 65. He went on to claim that the Open Office application suite violates 45 patents and open-source e-mail applications infringe on 15 more. Other open-source software applications infringe on 68 patents, Smith said. The short answer here is Microsoft owns a lot of patents now,...
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Jon Peddie Research Reports First-Quarter PC Graphics Shipments: Nvidia leaps to first place in desktop graphics chips displacing Intel Overall market down 5.5% quarter-to-quarter; laptops soar 24.6% year-to-year TIBURON, CA - May 2, 2007- Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's leading research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, today announced estimated graphics shipments and supplier market share for the first calendar quarter of 2007. Detailed First-Quarter results are available in the Q1 2007 edition of Jon Peddie's First Look,...
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