Legit Reviews News History

New VIA PT Series Chipsets Launched!

Today VIA allows us to talk openly about their new chipsets and what the offer for consumers.  The new chipsets are the PT 880 Pro, PT 894 and PT 894 Pro chipsets for the Pentium 4 processor. The new chipsets will produce a new generation of motherboards featuring unique PCI Express and AGP Graphics support and flexible memory controller technologies The PT series will also support DDR1 & DDR2 on the same board.  This is by far the best chipset design for those looking to transition to the socket 775 Intel processors.

Our article on the PT880 Pro will be up tomorrow!

"Taipei, Taiwan, 31 January 2005 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions today announced the VIA PT Series of chipsets for the Intel® Pentium® 4 platform, providing a smooth transition for motherboard manufacturers and their customers to new technologies such as PCI Express and DDR2 memory. The new chipsets, which include the VIA PT880 Pro and PT894 chipsets, targeted at the performance mainstream market, and the PT894 Pro, a solution optimized for the workstation and power user segments, all support the latest Intel® Pentium® 4 and Celeron(TM) processors up to 1066MHz FSB."

VIA Arena

Posted by | Mon, Jan 31, 2005 - 09:17 AM

Security company pokes hole in WinXP SP2

Patch is available, but some experts advise against installing it.

"Russian security company Positive Technologies has released a patch to a security hole it said it discovered in Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 last year.

"We found two small flaws that a programmer could use to go around the SP2 mechanism Data Execution Protection [DEP]," says Positive Technologies Chief Technology Officer Yury Maximov.

As Microsoft explains on its Web site, DEP is a set of hardware and software technologies that perform additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running on a system. According to Maximov, Positive Technologies informed the Redmond, Washington, software maker on December 22 about a problem with DEP and was told to wait for a response from the company.

"It has been over one month and we have not heard from Microsoft, so we decided to issue our own patch," Maximov says. "We understand that Microsoft wants to protect its product, but we feel it is more important for people to know about the problem and to know there is a tool to protect them."

Maximov adds that it was his understanding that hacker groups were already working on ways to exploit the holes in DEP so as to insert rogue code into a PC's memory.

Representatives from Microsoft could not immediately be reached for comment."

PCWORLD.com

Posted by | Mon, Jan 31, 2005 - 06:24 AM

Chip sales hit by high gas prices

"THE SEMICONDUCTOR Industry Association (SIA) reported that global chip sales amounted to $213 billion, fuelled by high demand.

But George Scalise, who is head of the trade association, said that high gas prices could damage sales this year.

PCs, wireless chips and DRAM were the major contributors to the massive figure of chip sales. China and Taiwan, said Scalise, led the way.

Most analysts believe that 2005 will be less than rosy for the industry than the year before. Petroleum prices might be something to do with it, but we suspect oversupply and overcapacity are the real reasons.

Still, interesting what the SIA says about high sales of PCs. Most vendors we talk to continue to complain that things ain't what they used to be."

The Inquirer

Posted by | Mon, Jan 31, 2005 - 06:14 AM

Why Tivo will thrash HP, Microsoft

" HP HAS been trying to launch an "entertainment center" platform since 2000. Someone call Carly and tell her it's time to shoot the dog.

Its first attempt launched in 2001 was a Linux-based device dedicated to playing music, hooked into an HP-proprietary "walled garden" for content and listed out at $1000 for a Celeron-based boxed with a 40 GB drive. Compaq had a competing device around the same price, but nobody in their right minds was going to burn $1000 for a castrated PC stuffed into a stereo box.

Round two was launched in December 2004, with HP's Digital Entertainment Center. The new version is now built around Windows Media Center, rolls in a digital video recorder and up to two TV tuners, 802.11g, a wireless keyboard, lots of slots for flash media, a Pentium 4 processor, and a DVD-burner. List price on the entry-level box is $1500 and includes a 160GB drive.

Now compare this to the humble $199 ($99 with rebate) TiVo. The $99 TiVo only has one onboard TV tuner, 40 GB drive, a nicely designed remote, and is built around Linux. As a dedicated appliance that can be expanded through software, the baseline TiVo can play music and display pictures off of other PCs through one's TV, record video at all hours of the day, and just works. If you want a wireless connection, you have to shell out around $40 for a USB frob, but that's no big deal because after the smoke clears, you still have a device is around $1300 less than the HP Digital Entertainment Center to record video."

The Inquirer

Posted by | Mon, Jan 31, 2005 - 12:31 AM

Socket 939 Has a Good Lifespan Ahead

"While Advanced Micro Devices is reportedly preparing a new socket for 2006 introduction, the company?s current 939-pin infrastructure is likely to live a long life, the company says. But it is unclear how long processors in current form-factor continue to evolve.

?We strive to provide our customers with a stable computing platform for as long as possible. Current AMD64 sockets will serve our customers well into the future. Eventually, technology takes strides that require revisiting the way components interact within a PC to improve performance, stability and value,? an AMD spokesperson told X-bit labs.

On Wednesday X-bit labs reported about the Socket M2 that is set to be introduced across the range of AMD desktop microprocessors, including performance, mainstream and value chips, in the first half of 2006. The chips that will be intended for the Socket M2 infrastructure are currently known under Windsor, Orleans and Manila code-names. Thermal and other specifications for the Socket M2 products are unknown, but it is known that all of such central processing units are to be produced using 90nm silicon-on-insulator fabrication process."

X-Bit Labs

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 11:00 PM

Firefox 1.1 to be delayed

"THE LEAD developer on Firefox, Ben Goodger, has told fans that the next version of Firefox is going to be a bit late.

Version 1.1 was set for a March release, however on Goodger?s blog, here, he says this is a bit unrealistic.

There is apparently too much needs to be done and he has just started a new job working for Google.

One of the major fixes expected in Firefox 1.1 was repairing the bug that causes the browser not to retain the scroll position when going back and forward through Web pages."

The Inquirer

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 10:53 PM

Steam comes out of Half Life 2 players' ears

"Recent downtime on Valve's Steam Subscriber service has caused aggravation for Counter Strike players and increased calls for a change in the way Half Life 2 authenticates its single-player mode.

Currently, players of Half-Life 2 must log in to the Steam service when playing single player. If the service is down, Half-Life goes with it.

The downtime is just another episode in the ongoing soap opera that accompanies the game management system. Accounts bought with stolen credit cards have been hocked on eBay, and the auction house won't offer purchase protection because no physical goods have changed hands. The Steam forums are littered with tales of account hacking, and once your account it gone, it's very difficult indeed to get back. Various email scams along the lines of bank phishing schemes attempt to get players to disclose their account details, and if you fall foul to one of these, you're screwed too."

The Inquirer

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 10:50 PM

Sunday Night Reviews

Today's Must Read Review:

Looking for a new game? Bored with HL2, Far Cry, and Doom3?  Bytesector.com  has a trio of reviews covering Prince of Persia : Warrior Within, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, and Mario Power Tennis.

 "Prince of Persia : Sands of Time marked a tremendously successful and
equally surprising rebirth of an age-old franchise long thought to have
drawn its last breath in the 20 th century. As it is these days in the
biz, every triumph spawns another, and it should come as no surprise to
gamers that Ubisoft had this game, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
waiting in the wings. It may come as a shock to the system, but for better
or worse, this game feels much unlike its predecessor. The darker and more
mature tale of Warrior Within makes its predecessor seem like a much
fluffier adventure."

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within @ Bytesector

Lord of the Rings: The Third Age @ Bytesector  

Mario Power Tennis @ Bytesector

Other Reviews Today:

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 06:11 PM

World's First PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller Makes It to Retail

"Leading graphics chip companies ATI Technologies and NVIDIA Corp. adopted the PCI Express x16 interconnection type rapidly and were able to ship their products for Intel?s latest PCI Express platforms immediately after the giant chipmaker formally lifted the wraps off the i915- and i925X-series chipsets nearly half a year ago. However, designers of other add-in components, such as network and audio controllers, are beginning to adopt the new PCI Express bus only now."

X-Bit Labs

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 05:35 AM

Intel Corp. Says Vanderpool Can be Enabled on Single-Core Chips

"While dual-core and eventually multi-core processors can do a lot in terms of making multitasking and virtualization more-efficient, dual-core chips are not required for Intel?s forthcoming desktop virtualization technology called Vanderpool."

X-Bit Labs

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 05:33 AM

ASRock to start marketing graphics cards in June

"Motherboard maker ASRock plans to venture into the production of graphics cards in June, aiming to ramp up output to 100,000 units a month in the second half of 2005, said company president Sterling Wu.

However, details of the plan, including the exact amount to be rolled out per month, will be realized after a consultation with the parent company, Asustek Computer, Wu said.

ASRock will manufacture graphics cards using chips from both ATI Technologies and Nvidia, Wu noted.

ASRock also aims to ship 12 million motherboards this year, up 50% on-year from the eight million units it shipped in 2004, Wu stated."

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 05:29 AM

Google introduces video search service

"Now users can use video.google.com to search for transcripts and screenshots of a particular show and find the information in a simplistic format. Users will have the ability to search using a keyword or a key phrase, which will fetch the relevant search results"

Cool Tech Zone

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 05:26 AM

New Ad Attacks

"Think you're downloading a new song or video? Watch out--that file may be stuffed with pop-ups and adware.

PC World has learned that some Windows Media files on peer-to-peer networks such as Kazaa contain code that can spawn a string of pop-up ads and install adware. They look just like regular songs or short videos in Windows Media format, but launch ads instead of media clips. When we ran the files, we noted over half a dozen pop-ups, some attempts to download adware onto our test PC, and an attempt to hijack our browser's home page."

PCWORLD.com

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 05:23 AM

Yet more weekend reviews....

Today's Must Read Review:

Danger Den, the standard bearer for high end water cooling, has introduced something that should interest anyone who wants W/C but is afraid of mixing water and electricity. Non-conductive cooling fluid? And it's even fluorescent?

"Danger Den has partnered with Midwest Cooling Technologies to bring
two non-conductive cooling liquids for the H20 Enthusiast: MCT-5 and MCT-40
are premixed, non-conductive, and with significantly lower freeze points
then water. They even fluoresce under black light." 

 Danger Den MCT-5 and MCT-40 Liquid @ Madshrimps

Other Reviews Today:

 

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 05:19 AM

Woman sells advertising on cleavage

"A GREENOCK QUINE is touting the skin above her cleavage as a swell way for people to advertise their wares.

She will host the advertising for 15 days and is willing to display company logos, slogans or web sites, using a supplied temporary tattoo. You can find the advertising offer, here. "

The Inquirer

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 04:51 AM

AOpen 915-chipset Pentium-M motherboard

AOpen, always willing to go where no other mobo maker has gone before such as they did in 2002 with their 845-chipset based AX4B-533Tube motherboard which featured vaccum tube on-board sound with audiophile grade wiring and cap's. Then in 2004 AOpen was the first to introduce a desktop board capable of supporting Intel's Pentium-M CPU, coveted by overclocking enthusiast's.

Originally made for Notebooks the processor based on Intel's Dothan core was arguably a better design execution then Intel's recent offering's. AOpen's 1st Socket-479 i855GEm-LFS was well recieved yet had limited overclocking (BIOS) options. AOpen went back to the board (no pun intended) and released the 915GM Alviso which was first spotted at MyCOM PCWEB. Although the 915 chipset leaves much to be desired, the board supports both DDR/DDR2 and PCI-ex 16x. Good news for Pentium (Dothan) devotees.

 

Posted by | Sun, Jan 30, 2005 - 02:00 AM

NForce 3 Ultra cancelled

"WE HAVE BEEN hearing rumours in the watery channel about NForce 3 for a while now, and they seem to whisper in our ear that the NForce 3 Ultra part is going to be unavailable from the beginning of March. The chip is currently in short supply, the voices tell us, because of alleged yield problems - and is soon to disappear off the (road) map.

We've had reliable sources telling us that the Ultra is no more, although partners will still be able to buy NForce 3 250GB parts. However, we've had reports from some partners that they haven't been told anything by Nvidia, and are still shifting decent numbers of the Ultra part. Not everyone wants to move to PCI Express just yet, they say."

The Inquirer

Posted by | Sat, Jan 29, 2005 - 02:23 AM

MSI Denies Rumors Floating Around the Web

Leading mainboard maker Microstar International said Wednesday it commenced significant shipments of its mainboards based on ATI RADEON XPRESS 200-series chipsets two weeks back, a bit later than expected, and denied rumours about product recall. Sources close to the company added that they suspected rivals to be behind the buzz.

X-Bit Labs

Posted by | Sat, Jan 29, 2005 - 02:19 AM

Weekend reviews from around the web

Today's Must Read Review:

More memory reviews from around the web. The guys over at Neoseeker take a look at OCZ's latest DDR1 release. Judging by some of the reviews out there, there is quite a selection of high quality DDR 1 on the market.....just what you need for that socket 939 NF4 Board.

"In short, if you are purchasing memory for your Athlon 64 system, your
purchasing decision should come down to whether or not that memory can run
at 1T at your target memory clock. OCZ's PC4200 EL PE didn't break a sweat
running at 1T at 263 MHz."

OCZ PC4200 EL Platinum Edition Memory @ Neoseeker

Other Reviews Today:

 

Posted by | Fri, Jan 28, 2005 - 03:03 AM

First BTX Motherboards Hit Shelves

"Though Intel has been promoting the spec for a while, the company only recently rolled out its first retail BTX boards. It expects to offer three variants (all 10.5 inches long): standard BTX, with seven or fewer PCI Express slots (up to 12.8 inches wide each); MicroBTX (pictured, up to 10.3 inches wide), with four or fewer slots; and PicoBTX, with one slot (up to 7.9 inches wide).

Intel's first two boards are both MicroBTX models; the chip maker has begun shipping CPUs with the Type I BTX Thermal Module (which replaces the traditional heat sink and fan combination; see picture), too. Companies such as AOpen have begun to offer BTX-based chassis, since you can't place a BTX motherboard and Thermal Module in an ATX case. Expect standard BTX and PicoBTX boards to emerge sometime this year.

Intel insists the new spec will benefit the PC industry as a whole. Certainly most people want a quieter PC. Microprocessor Report editor-in-chief Kevin Krewell notes, though, that one of Intel's motives for creating BTX was to deal with the Pentium 4's heat problems. "The Pentium 4 is hotter than the Athlon 64," he says. "Intel has to contend with that chip's greater power requirements."

PCWORLD.com

Posted by | Fri, Jan 28, 2005 - 02:43 AM

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