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February 2002

Thursday, February 28, 2002

Herculese Prophetview 720 TFT Nine11 @ 15:41 Comments

This bad boy will pump out 1024*768 at 75Hz. Finally, a TFT for the PC worthy of gaming. The $529 price isn't too bad either, and it's quite a looker!

Virtual Shoplifters Nine11 @ 15:28 Comments

Wired has an interesting article about how some teenager used an iPod to copy MS Office for Apple's OS X at CompUSA. The theft was as simple as connecting the iPod to the Apple's FireWire port and dragging the MS Office folder onto the iPod's pop-up icon. The whole folder was copied in about a minute including a self-repair mechanism that replaces critical files in the system folder, which is a user friendly feature on the Apple. The person watching the teenage virtual bandit watched him copy a couple of other applications, then tried to alert a CompUSA employee. "I went over and told a CompUSA guy, but he looked at me like I was clueless."

Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Do It, Ya Sissy! Nine11 @ 9:28 Comments

I've been stressing my upgrade like Bill Clinton at a Congressional Hearing. I can play the waiting game forever, but that won't get me a full-figured hard drive any sooner or get me any closer to my A/V office Nirvana. After talking to my buddys Blickety Blam and hitnrun, I decided to muster some stones and place my order with NewEgg.com.

My choices ebbed 'n flowed a little, but things are pretty close to what I had originally locked onto. The hard drive got knocked down to a 80G, but that's the best deal around right now. I also settled for a Athlon XP +1800 for the same reason; however, I splurged for some Crucial/Micron PC2100 DDR which should be good for a little OC action and the 128MB version of the Gainward "Golden Sample" GF3 Ti200. Here's the totals:

Shuttle AK31 $76
Athlon XP +1800 $141
Crucial/Micron 256MB CAS2 PC2100 DDR (two of 'em) $164
Thermal Integration TI-V77L HSF $22
Arctic Silver III thermal paste $6
Thermaltake copper CPU shim $5
Maxtor 5400RPM 80G hard drive $116
Gainward/Cardexpert GF3 Ti200 "Golden Sample" 128MB 4NS DDR $175

GRAND TOTAL W/ S/H & TAX: $773.04

Tuesday, February 26, 2002

HDTV Obsolete Nine11 @ 9:00 Comments

Cage sent me a blurb from VIA Hardware which sheds some light on the ugliness some early adopters of HDTV are gonna feel. Basically, the current standard... or lack of... is changing and today's HDTVs will be obsolete very soon and unable to display a HD signal. Honestly, people ask me about HD all the time because I'm the local tech geek and I've been very skeptical of the lack of a universal standard. Go to any A/V specialist and you'll be able to choose between 720p (progressive scan - good) or 1080i (interlaced - bad). Of course, the sales people always try to cram a 1080i down your throat because "bigger is better", but that's another story. I can't seem to find the direct link to the news blurb, so here's a cut 'n pastie:

HomeTheaterHiFi.com has an excellent article up on current HDTV standards, formats, and copy protection systems. According to the article, new copy protection standards will make all HDTV systems currently on the market (including TV's sold in the last few years) incompatible with future standards and obsolete. The reason? Copy protection.

Under the current system (DTCP), decoding of the digital signal takes place via a set-top box. Because of bandwidth limitations, current HDTV's are limited to a display quality equal to that of a DVD--480p.

Under the new system (HDCP), HDTV will be capable of a much higher display quality, but there's a catch: The new standard requires that all the signal decoding be done by the television itself--not by the set-top box. Because older HDTV's are limited to using a set-top box, by definition, they are unable to to use the new system or enjoy the higher quality display.

This is ridiculous. For years, HDTV has promised a much, much better visual experience and early adopters have paid through the nose for the technology. Now, these same adopters are being utterly screwed. Remember, their TV's themselves are perfectly capable of the higher resolutions. The problem is, the bandwidth hasn't been available to carry the higher signal.

Now the MPAA (a major backer of this system) has found a way to deliver higher bandwidth but, because of copy protection concerns, is unwilling to allow for set-top box decoding. This means that the brand-new HDTV sitting in Best Buy or Circuit City today is already obsolete--it won't be able to display true HDTV standards.

If I owned an HDTV I'd be on the phone with a lawyer already. While its a fact that being an early adopter carries an innate risk (adopters of LaserDisc technology paid high premiums for movies for years and suffered from some title selection without ever seeing the technology take off) the industry as a whole has been promising HDTV for years, selling the units, and now visciously welshing on its own promise. Buying into a technology that doesn't catch on is one thing--but buying into a technology and then being deliberately left behind because the MPAA is afraid that people might use the set-top box standard to steal movie content is quite another.

Intel's P4 2666MHz & 533MHz RDRAM Nine11 @ 8:41 Comments

Tom's Hardware got the skinny on Intel's next fire-breathing processor, the P4 2666MHz mated with 533MHz RDRAM. It's quick, efficient, and will cost a ball-sack skin graft donation. Also, I don't know if I'd debut a chip at 2666MHz. Maybe Microsoft had something to do with that...

Monday, February 25, 2002

Movin' On Up Nine11 @ 10:36 Comments

I should be getting my PC-30 case this week. So-Trick Computers didn't have any case handles and other online retailers are selling them for about $20 after S/H and tax, so I swung by Lowes and found a pair of brushed aluminum 4" handles for $4.80 out-the-door. So-Trick did the two 90mm blowhole mods for me, so I guess drilling 4 little holes for the handles won't be a big deal. Oh yea, gotta stealth that CD bay as well.

The rest of my upgrade list ended up looking like a whole new puter since I'll only be harvesting my CD-RW, KB, mouse, NIC, and monitor. The new parts will include an AthlonXP, Shuttle AK31, 512MB DDR, Gainward GF3 Ti200 128MB, and Maxtor 120G HD. The grand total is landing somewhere around $1100 including the case, which is more than I had bargained for. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a couplea years outta this upgrade like I did from my last one. I'll post comparison 3DMark 2001 SE benchies from my old and new systems.

Tuesday, February 19, 2002

AMD Says "Move Along People, There's Nothing To See Here" Nine11 @ 9:45 Comments

If you've been following the buzz around burned AthlonXP processors, you'd know these parts won't unlock the multiplier by filling in the bridges. That's a serious bummer for anyone wanting to drop the multiplier and increase the FSB frequency for X7R33M performance. The Inquirer got news from AMD that their stance on overclocking hasn't changed, but they are keen on stopping slower chips from being unlocked, OC'd, and sold at higher prices. Basically, that explains the burned XP chips floating around.

Monday, February 18, 2002

AMD Burns AthlonXP Nine11 @ 10:02 Comments

There's some buzz over at [H] about how AMD is burning off the contact points and traces on some AthlonXP processors. Basically, this means no more unlocking the multipliers on these "burned" chips. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Takin' The Plunge Nine11 @ 9:52 Comments

I decided to stop worrying about which case to get and ordered that Lian-Li PC-30 before I went to work last night. Got the order confirmation and receipt this AM via Email from So-Trick Computers. The Lian-Li has a black carbon fiber strip across the top of the front trim panel, so I decided to get some black anodized fan grilles for the 90mm blowhole on the top and matching one on the side. I'll also try to find some black anodized handles so I can have a pair of 'em on the top. As for cooling, it will be a "positive pressure" case with 2 80mm intake, 1 90mm intake, and 1 90mm exhaust along with the Enermax PS. The fan grilles and "positive pressure" design should keep the dust out, which is something I've been reading about lately. The whole thing set me back $215 with shipping, tax, and handling.

Friday, February 15, 2002

Warcraft III Impressions Nine11 @ 8:59 Comments

Firing Squad posted some impressions of the latest beta build of Warcraft III. Most of it's been covered before, but they did a good job of popping the multiplayer cherry. The GUI has taken quite a spitshine, and choosing games has become easier with auto-matchups between players of similar skill. It's also possible for players to control allied resources if a teammate drops from the game, so 2v2 games which suddenly turn into 2v1 aren't so predictable.

Unfortunately, the game hogs resources like Louie Anderson at a all-you-can-eat buffet. WC3 forced FS's fairly decent game rig to knock the graphic settings for acceptable gameplay. Here's a clip:

Right now the beta hasn�t been optimized for performance, and Blizzard claims that as the beta moves forward, lower end systems will eventually be able to play. As it stands right now, the game is somewhat of a resource hog. You�re allowed to tweak the resolutions from 640x480x16 on up to 1600x1200x32. Initially I tried playing at 1024x768x32 with unit detail, animation, lighting, and particles all turned up to max. This proved to be rather laggy in terms of performance on our test systems, even an Athlon 1.1GHz, 256MB RAM, GeForce 2 GTS. Knocking the color depth down to 16 bit improved performance greatly, with an unnoticeable decrease in image quality.

Power Hungry Nine11 @ 8:48 Comments

I decided to make a short list of the games I will be taking a serious look at this year, and I'll be using that list as a "benchmark" for the puter upgrades I've been planning on. Here's the list:

Those are some pretty heavy hitters, and I'm starting to think about how important a modded case is. That PC-30 I've been eyein' will set me back about $225, and that's pretty damn close to a GeForce4 Ti4200. I'm also turning my office into an A/V room with a TV and couch so the wife and I can snuggle up and watch downloaded movies. In the end, I'll hold off on buying anything and try to get the most bang-for-my-buck near the end of March... just in time for my B-day!

Thursday, February 7, 2002

GeForce3 Price Drops Nine11 @ 9:06 Comments

I dug through Price Watch and found GeForce3 Ti500s going for $188 and GeForce3 Ti200s going for $138. That's a pretty substantial drop for both of 'em, and they should get even cheaper over the next couple of weeks. Of course, the low prices are at smaller online stores, but AVLogic.com does have the MSI GeFoce3 Ti200 for $143.

Wednesday, February 6, 2002

GeForce4 Rocket Science Nine11 @ 12:07 Comments

Anandtech finally got past their NDA with Nvidia and posted a review of the new GeForce4 reference graphics boards. Honestly, reading it gives me a headache, so here's the Karen Carpenter version:

The GeForce4 is fast and comes in various flavors.
The GeForce4 MX has a different core and isn't DX8 compliant, but also comes in various flavors.
Nvidia held off selling the GeForce4 because the GeForce3 was selling so well... gotta love those marketing guys.
Speed freaks will regret buying that swank GeForce3 because the GeForce4 will spank it.

I seem to pay a lot of attention to 3DMark2001 scores, so here's a list of 'em including the ATI Radeon going from fastest to slowest:

NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 - 9814
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4400 - 9369
NVIDIA GeForce4 240/500 - 8733
ATI Radeon 8500 - 8526
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500 - 8095
ATI Radeon 8500LE - 8088
NVIDIA GeForce3 - 7139
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 - 6565
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 460 - 6091
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 - 5480
NVIDIA GeForce2 Ti 200 - 4941

Return To Castle Wolfenstein had a similar pecking order at 1024*768:

NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 - 150.5
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4400 - 149.6
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500 - 143.5
NVIDIA GeForce3 - 139.9
ATI Radeon 8500 - 138.4
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 460 - 133.8
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 - 133.0
ATI Radeon 8500LE - 132.6
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 - 116.9
NVIDIA GeForce2 Ti 200 - 100.8

Looking ahead, the latest build of the Unreal Performance test at 1024*768 revealed the following:

NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600 - 85.6
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4400 - 82.8
NVIDIA GeForce4 240/500 - 75.0
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500 - 65.3
NVIDIA GeForce3 - 62.8
ATI Radeon 8500 - 58.7
ATI Radeon 8500LE - 55.8
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 - 55.5
NVIDIA GeForce2 Ti 200 - 37.8
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 460 - 32.4
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 - 25.8

Here's the impression I got as I walked away from all this. The GeForce4 Ti4600 is the new King of the Hill, but most people willing shed the clams for this caliber of video card will nab the Ti4400 and overclock it. Honestly, any GeForce4 card is good... even the 240/500 listed above (I've seen it called the GeForce4 Ti4200). The GeForce3 Ti500 is still a fast card and is firmly placed in the upper half of the performance pecking order, and prices will drop making it pretty darn attractive. The GeForce3 Ti200 is looking pretty weak but certain cards, like the Gainward "Golden Sample", overclock to at least the same speed as the GeForce3 Ti500 for a street price of $188. Knock off another $30 - $50 when the GeForce4 cards hit the scene. For budget conscious gamers, that'll put some bling on da whip!

Urban Terror v2.4 This Friday, Baby! Nine11 @ 10:55 Comments

Cage tossed this dog a bone (the kind you eat... no, not that one, silly) and let me know the Q3A mod Urban Terror will be sportin' a new version this Friday. Here's a quick list of what's changed:

New non-laggy smoke grenades
Volumetric laser scope in water, fog and smoke
New laser sight dot effect
A new Instant arm mode for grenades
Decreased SPAS damage and effect range (thank goodness)
Increased M4 spread over distance (another good thing)
Fixed the 1.31 point release intermittent freezing bug
Improved knife hit detection
ARIES has improved accuracy and hit detection

The update sounds like it'll be a .pak file, so the install will be one notch up from a no-brainer. I'll be off this weekend and will try to log in a few hours of UT. You can send me some digital love on the Cowboy Carnage server, which is where I usually hang out.

Monday, February 4, 2002

Diggin' Da PC-30 Nine11 @ 10:00 Comments

As I've mentioned before, I'll be swingin' into an upgrade soon and have been looking at some parts. A new case, especially a foo-foo fancy one, adds some cost to the whole ordeal, but I'm really stuck on the Lian-Li PC-30. It's a real looker, compact, and is aluminum to boot. Virtual-Hideout.net posted one of the best reviews I've ever seen for any PC enclosure, and they tapped every aspect of the PC-30 and building a system around it. Of course, there are a few issues with it's small size and orientation of an installed PSU, but these things are much easier to work around with the heads-up. I'll grab a PC-30 in the next few weeks, pop a few blowholes in the top and side, cover 'em with some laser-cut grills, stealth the CD drive bay, and install a pair of aluminum handles on the top so I can cart the thing over to Cage's pad in style while lookin' bikini-wax clean. I figure the entire project will set me back two Bengies and some change, but I'll regret it if I don't take the plunge.

Friday, February 1, 2002

MoH:AA Yes, You can Share! Cage @ 6:24 Comments

Last night I had a friend come over to do some LAN'g. Our game of choice was Medal of Honor:Allied Assault. Unfortunately, as has happened in the past, we couldn't get more then one client pc to connect to the same Internet server.

This problem occurs with every Quake game that we have tried. Usually we end up having to add some extra commands to change the net_port when this happens.

Afer a lot of searching around I found a reference to setting up a server for MOH:AA using a Linksys router. Since that is the same type of router/switch that I use, I thought I'd give it a go.

The first thing I needed to do was upgrade the firmware for my Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with a 10/100 4-Port Switch. You can get the firmware upgrade from the Linksys web page. After downloading the file I printed off the instructions, fired up the included patch program, and uploaded the update to my router.

Next, you need to start up your favorite browser (probably IE), and plug in the address to your router's control panel.

Once logged in, you need to click on the "Advanced" tab. You should then see a tab titled "Dynamic Routing." After selecting the Dynamic Routing tab you will see a screen that looks like the one below.

Change the drop down menus so that the RIP2 protocol is selected, just like the screen shot below.

That's all there is to it. Now you can use your shared Internet cable connection with Medal of Honor:Allied Assault. I haven't tested out Return to Castle Wolfenstein or any other Quake games to see if it works for them. I've never had a problem with Unreal Tournament or Tribes 2, but those games don't create the same problems that Quake engine based games do.