OCC TECH NEWS
We are proud to announce that DIY-Street has merged with Overclockersclub. This dynamic moment offers us an opportunity to broaden our wealth of experience by combining two great and knowledgeable communities into a single, stronger community of enthusiasts. We would like to enjoin you to welcome the staff and members of DIY-Street in their transition to OverclockersClub. We look forward to a bright and positive future together in our joint quest to become the number one spot for technology enthusiasts.
Alright here we go up for grabs is 5 Gigabyte 8800GT's.
You can see the card and a review here
The rules are pretty simple and are as follows.
Send an email to contest@overclockersclub.com with a pic of your current video card, and in the message box your name and email address thats it.
Contest starts right now and ends June 1st.
If you have any questions let us know.
Good Luck everyone
It's time yet again for another OverclockersClub Contest! This contest is pretty simple, all you have to do is be a current forum member and send an email with "contest" in the subject line and your username in the message box to contest@overclockersclub.com and that's it! Of course, like any good contest, this one has a prize. Feel free to read the OverclockersClub review of the contest's prize: Rosewill RNA-7000W notebook cooler. Congrats to davidst for winning.
May 11, 2008
Mom has always had a pretty thankless job - we got annoyed when she wiped our face, fixed our tie, and insisted on telling us she loved us in front of our friends. We protested when she made us clean our rooms, help with the dishes, and give Grandma a kiss. As we grew into adults, we started to realize that all of that stupid stuff Mom made us do was her way of preparing us for the world. Seriously, what girl is going to tolerate a guy who doesn't wash behind his ears, won't help out around the house, and refuses to act like an adult for at least one hour out of every week? Mom, thanks for the love, the quiet guidance, and the patience - without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. I  you, Mom.
May 9, 2008
Not long ago, sound card maker Creative decided to punish some of its customers for upgrading to Windows Vista. You see, Vista processes audio differently than XP did, and Creative's...umm...creative brain trust decided that, in an attempt to recoup some of the money spent developing drivers for Vista users, they would charge SoundBlaster Audigy/Vista users $10 for the privilege of restored functionality via their ALchemy driver - but they would not charge X-Fi users at all. Audigy users were outraged, but many still paid up. Fast forward to now - Creative is still reeling from the incredible customer backlash caused by the danielk fiasco, and needs to do something that will generate good publicity and warm fuzzy feelings. The plan is to stop demanding money from users who just want their sound cards to work, provide the ALchemy software for free, and offer customers who had previously paid a refund. Customers have until June 30 to visit this webpage and request the refund. Seriously, Creative - way to go. That was a smart decision.
As the result of a far-reaching investigation dubbed "Operation Cisco Raider", the FBI has announced the detection of 3500 counterfeit Cisco products already installed in vital U.S. military and utility networks, prompting fears that the fraudulent gear may have been a vehicle allowing an attempt to infect those networks with Trojan Horses and other malware. These fears almost certainly were further fueled by a recent discovery by the University of Illinois which indicated that processors are susceptible to backdoor programming that would enable practically undetectable intrusion into effected systems. Cisco views the fake equipment differently, offering an explanation that the counterfeiters' most likely motivation was simply to make a quick cash score. Either way, this is an unacceptable and frightening revelation that carries potentially devastating consequences for Americans.
In response to lawsuits filed in Canadian courts - one of which was granted class-action status - Apple Canada has offered a total settlement in the amount of $3.45 million to as many as 80,000 customers, which works out to $44 per angered person. The offer has been extended to buyers of first- through third-gen iPods before June 24, 2004 who felt that the Fruit company's advertisements pertaining to iPod battery life were misleading - Apple claimed that a fully charged MP3 player had a battery life equal to 8 hours' playing time, while the suits contend that battery life was more in the neighborhood of 3 hours. There is, however, a catch - the settlement will be paid as an Apple Store credit, and no cash or checks will be sent out. While that detail probably won't thrill many, it's certainly better than nothing...
It's a classic case of "out with the old, in with the new" at Intel, who is planning to EOL several products in the near future. Among the most popular CPU's that are being forced into retirement are the Core 2 Extreme QX6850 and QX6800 - who will be done as of July 2008, the Core 2 Duo E6850 and E6750 in Q1 2009, and the budget Pentium dual-core E2140 in June of this year. Also, it appears as if Intel plans on discontinuing the ultra-successful P35 chipset in December '08 to make room for its replacement, the P45 - which will feature PCI-E 2.0 expansion slots, FSB speeds up to 1600 MHz, and DDR3 support up to DDR3-1333.
While the gaming universe is certainly calmer after GTA IV’s release, there’s no definitely no shortage of important info this week. BioWare made headlines earlier this week with an announcement that they intended to require a secondary online-only Mass Effect activation 10 days after installation, and then smartly reversed that decision. Also, we’ve got very preliminary COD 5 news, a Ninja Gaiden II trailer, and some unfortunate news that claims that retailers are actually carding gamers for 17+ and M rated games. Oh, and M.O.R.E. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. N.E.W.S.
PC Gaming
More S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Clear Sky Release Details @ Voodoo Extreme
Call of Duty 5 on Six Platforms, New Military Theater @ GameLife
Doom 4 Finally Under Development @ Voodoo Extreme
Far Cry 2 Trailer, Screenies @ Kombo
Mass Effect, Spore Will Not Require Automatic Secondary Online Activation @ Shacknews
WoW – Wrath of Lich King Vids @ Voodoo Extreme
Bond: Quantum of Solace to Use COD 4 Engine @ Kombo
Did Nvidia Demand DX 10.1 Removal from Assassin’s Creed? @ N4G
Consoles
Ninja Gaiden II Gameplay Videos and Screenies (360) @ Voodoo Extreme
Gears of War 2 Trailer Available From Xbox Marketplace (360) @ IGN
Fight Night 4 to Feature Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali (360, PS3) @ Voodoo Extreme
Miscellaneous
FTC: Minors Having Trouble Buying M-Rated Games, R-Rated Movies @ GameSpot
Pirates/Caribbean Director to Make BioShock Movie @ IGN
Scandalous – Nvidia Claims Only British are Interested in AMD/ATI @ N4G
A few years back everyone into electronics and gaming wanted to go to E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), it had everything a geek/nerd/gamer could desire. Now with E3s decision to close the expo to the public and make it press only many developers are wondering why they themselves even show up. After all, these products are for the consumers and if the consumers can't get a first hand look at these products at E3 then why bother showing up? Quite a few of those companies have done just that and decided to not attend E3 and make their own events showcasing all of their products. E3 seems as though they're gonna have to fill the spots with third-rate companies or shut down all together.
May 8, 2008
Recently, Comcast has been the center of attention in many news stories detailing its alleged throttling of legitimate BitTorrent traffic - Steam users, for example, have complained about interference, Comcast's subsequent "deal" with BitTorrent to prevent throttling, and the FCC's investigation into numerous allegations of P2P-related throttling. As we have learned, Comcast has been less than honest about its activities, and may face serious regulatory penalties. So, what's an honest BitTorrent user to do? You can start by finding out whether or not your ISP is throttling your connection by using a neat browser-based BitTorrent emulation app named Glasnost, which currently offers two tests to determine if you're among the affected. I tried out the "Simple" four minute test, and found out that Comcast is indeed interrupting uploads from my computer, but my download service is fine. I did not experience any inappropriate content while I was on the Glasnost site.
CONTENT WARNING from Hot Hardware - Several users have reported that links on the Glasnost pages result in popup windows with inappropriate content. Visit these pages at your own risk, and at the very least make sure a popup blocker is active.
Continuing its effort to catch up to Intel, AMD is expected to release its first ever CPU that supports DDR3 memory sometime in the second quarter of 2009. Besides DDR3 support, we can expect the quad-core "Suzuka" CPU to take advantage of HyperTransport 3.0 - enabling bus speeds up to 2.6 GHz, and a maximum 20.8 GB/s full-duplex bandwidth - and AMD-V's virtualization technology. Suzuka is slated to operate with the RS780 Northbridge and the SB700S Southbridge, and is rumored to be making the jump to the yet-unreleased Socket AM3. I hope that someone at Team Green will notice the incredible success and longevity of Intel's Socket 775, and suggest developing and sticking with a platform for a good period of time. Considering AMD's many recent woes, I would think that building and maintaining some semblance of stability would be more beneficial than introducing a new CPU socket every year...
New car shoppers looking at a Hyundai or Kia vehicles will soon find that Microsoft has further penetrated the automotive entertainment market, hoping to build on the success of its SYNC technology partnership with Ford. While details on the Hyundai or Kia systems are unavailable, industry insiders generally believe that many SYNC features will be incorporated - including across the board MP3 player compatibility, voice actuated music playback and Bluetooth-enabled cell phone functions, and "read free" text messaging support - which uses a female voice to read incoming text messages to the driver, a feature I fully endorse because it decreases the likelihood of accidents caused by motorists who just aren't paying attention to the road. Expect to see this technology totally integrated into the Korea-based automakers' vehicles by 2010.
Most are familiar with the concept of a black hole - usually formed when a star collapses, black holes exhibit an astonishing gravitational pull that literally sucks up all surrounding matter, including light, and makes it disappear. Pretty simple stuff, right? Now, scientists are seeing for the first time the merger of two massive black holes - and the results of that merger are both catastrophic and astounding. According to researchers, as the black holes fuse, an enormous gravitational wave will be emitted in one direction - at the same time kicking the combined black hole in the other, similar to the recoil of a rifle. The resulting kick would send it hurtling through space, swallowing up anything in its path until it finally comes to rest at the center of a new galaxy. One can only wonder what happens to the matter once it has passed the event horizon - does it just disappear, or can a black hole actually be a portal to another dimension? I truly hope we find the answer in my lifetime...
Every astronomer dreams of finding Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars in deep space - whether they're searching for signs of extraterrestrial life, or trying to find a habitable world that may someday serve as Earth 2. Over the years, vast improvements in planet finding tools have enabled researchers to probe space faster, and with a better degree of accuracy. Now, scientists have developed a dime-sized ultra-high speed laser designed to serve as a frequency comb, which will analyze variations in the color of light emitted by stars to determine if Earth-like planets orbit them. In addition to astrological applications, the new laser may also be adapted to serve as a precision control for optical communications, and can serve as a gas sensor in atmospheric and medical situations.
There have been several interesting announcements n the world of supercomputing lately and there seems to be no limit to the need for ever-increasing amounts of computing power. Intel and SGI inked an agreement to work with the folks at NASA's Ames Research Center to begin development on a new supercomputer that will reach 10 petaflops (that's 10 trillion) when completed in 2012. The project, known as Pleiades, will start out at a mere 1 petaflop machine ready next year with a second machine being constructed at the 10 petaflop level. Meanwhile, researchers at UC Berkeley have proposed a 20 million CPU beast capable of reaching the 200 petaflop level. The estimated power consumption for this monster machine is estimated at 4 megawatts - enough to power a city of 100,000. That alone is somewhat ironic as the machine would be used to study climate change and to develop much more power cloud modeling. No estimates on the effects this computer and its power requirements would have on global warming were mentioned. Moving on, Purdue University decided to build its own supercomputer consisting of 812 Dell servers. Construction began Monday morning and was operational in time for lunch - the same day! At 60 trillion operation per second, Purdue's machine, nicknamed 'Steele', lands in the current top 40 of the world's list of supercomputers.
Yesterday it was the Freezer 7 LP and today it is Arctic Cooling's new Arctic RC RAM Cooler. This is AC's first foray into RAM cooling and on the surface appears to be a relatively conservative attempt, with no signs of heatpipes or water cooling connectors. The Arctic RC does however feature large aluminium fins designed for optimal convection cooling. It can be used on both DDR2 and DDR3 modules (single or double sided) and Arctic Cooling is claiming significant temperature drops when compared with generic heatsinks. The pre-applied thermal tape and 'RAM mould' built into the blister packaging should speed up application, though those large fins look like they may be a potential compatibility problem when paired with large CPU coolers. Arctic RC should be available by mid-May and has an MSRP of $14.95 (for a four piece package).
If you live in Europe and hours of playing Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has got you convinced you'd make a pretty good real life race car driver, then this is the opportunity you've been waiting for. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan have got together to create GT Academy, a competition that will see two gamers win a four month training program with Nissan to earn their racing licenses and race for the Nissan team at a 24hr endurance race held in Dubai in January 2009. The competition will kick off with an online GT5 Prologue tournament hosted on the Playstation network. You should be able to register for the tournament via PSN at the end of May. It will be interesting to see how the eventual winners perform when given a real car to throw around a track.
File sharing portal TorrentSpy has been ordered to pay $110 million to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) for copyright infringement. The District Judge ruled that TorrentSpy should pay $30,000 for each of the 3,699 infringements shown and comes after the site was shut down on March 24th. The fact that the judgment is so large should send a strong message to other similar sites and highlight that what they do is illegal, at least that is what I imagine the MPAA is hoping. TorrentSpy's parent company and owners have filed for bankruptcy. This latest development cements the increasingly hostility that BitTorrent sites have been facing, though some notable examples (The Pirate Bay) still survive and have even re-opened after periods of downtime (Demonoid).
Rarely does one consider hacking to cause physical harm to another human being. Hacking often involves stealing data or taking control over computers or networks, but not in the recent attack on the Epilepsy Foundation's Web site. This time around, hackers weren't in it for the money. Instead they decided to post numerous pictures and links to pages with rapidly flashing images to a forum dedicated to epilepsy support, causing several forum members to experience migraines and even seizures. Has hacking finally reached a new low?
Comcast Corp. is looking at the idea of officially capping the monthly bandwidth used by customers and charge a fee for those who exceed the limit. This revelation comes on the heels of the announcement of Time Warner's plans to test out tiered service plans in Beaumont, Texas. Comcast has long had an unspoken limit on their 'unlimited service' plans and would caution customers who exceeded the limit, and sometimes terminate service for up to one year for those who abused the policy. The problem was this policy was never publicly disclosed and Comcast only vaguely defined it when pressed. This plan would make those limits official and public for the first time. One idea would be to cap usage at 250GB per month and dun users $15 for every 10GB over that limit. While users are used to unlimited service, the term 'unlimited' most often doesn't mean all-you-can eat. Other providers, such as Cox Communications, have limits in place for some time but those limits are generally clearly defined and communicated to subscribers.
May 7, 2008
Many, many people are into Microsoft's Halo video games, and most of them would LOVE to own one of the in-game vehicles called the "Warthog". A few chaps from New Zealand for the purpose of an announced Halo movie have built a fully functional Warthog (minus the guns). The vehicle is built completely to scale and looks incredible. It looks like they put an immense amount of effort into as it looks just like the in-game machine!
OCZ certainly appear to be trying to encourage you to take the plunge and upgrade to DDR3, as it further fleshed out its product lines today with the addition of two new memory kits. The new modules pop up in its 'Reaper' branded line and are available in PC3-14400 (1800MHz) and PC3-12800 (1600MHz) flavours. Available as single 2GB modules or 4GB kits, they come with timings of 8-8-8-27 and 7-7-7-24 respectively (both at 1.9v) as well as the Reaper heat pipe cooling system. With DDR2 still at rock bottom prices (which we may see starting to recover soon), DDR3 still has a tough job when pitched to consumers. At least OCZ are giving you plenty of choice if you do go down the cutting edge path.
We have reviewed a couple of smaller CPU coolers designed to fit into tight spaces here at OCC recently, and if those interested you then so will Arctic Cooling's latest release. The Freezer 7 LP (LP = low profile) is much like many other coolers from Arctic Cooling, aiming to provide better than stock cooling at low noise levels. Coming in at only 53mm in height (with fan installed) the Freezer 7 LP is clearly meant for cases where space it at a premium, such as your average HTPC. It makes use of 40 aluminium fins mated with two heatpipes, topped off with a quiet 80mm fan to cool your CPU (up to 90 Watts). Arctic Cooling are claiming a 15% performance increase over generic low profile coolers, while remaining 66% quieter than Intel's low profile solution. You should see the Freezer 7 LP at retailers around mid-May with an MSRP of $27.95.
McAfee is reporting a large uptick in the number of Trojan adware installs via bogus MP3 files on file sharing networks. Masquerading as audio files with real-sounding names, the Trojans install adware on users' PCs. Once someone tries to open the files, they are asked to sign an end-user agreement and then the program installs two Trojan files - NetNucleus and Mirar. Once installed, the infected machines start serving up popup ads. Over the last 24 hours, McAfee reports that nearly one third of all McAfee clients reporting results back to the company have detected these files.
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