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Latest News | | |  |
|  | Massive Dual Core Roundup
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thinking of going dual core? Xbit Labs have tested an impressive 11 processors from AMD and Intel to ask the question: "what solution is the best choice from the consumer standpoint basing on their price, performance and power consumption." There testing includes general, 3D, media content encoding, final rendering and power consumption, which provides a lot of facts and figures to consider. |   |
| | | Talking of Vista ...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The speed of Windows Vista seems to be a hot talking point at the moment. While John is arguing that it's speed is just fine in his blog, I stopped using it and reverted to WinXP a couple of weeks ago. Maybe I jumped ship too soon, with Service Pack 1 now released, and tips and tweaks for the OS are also getting more mature. PCStats has put together a whopping 99 Vista performance notes. I would still argue that you shouldn't need to tweak a system that much! Maybe Service Pack 2 will incorporate this type of feedback, because after all that's what these guides are essentially - useful information to end users on the one hand, and feedback to Microsoft on the other. 
"Windows Vista was supposed to revolutionize computing. Microsoft's new operating system was going to accomplish the difficult task of succeeding Windows XP (by far the most popular and successful Windows operating system to date) by introducing a raft of new features. We were going to have a new file system to replace the aging NTFS, unprecedented levels of both interactivity and security provided by a new 3D interface and the 'Palladium' secure encryption system, all coupled with a rock solid platform based on Windows XP. A funny thing happened on the way to the CD press though, as features started to disappear. Away went the Microsoft File System, away too went many of the new security options. In the end, Microsoft Windows Vista launched, yet instead of the promised software miracle we were left with an operating system that didn't significantly improve on its predecessor." | |
| Trialling Ubuntu
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Here's a great guide for what could be a weekend project - installing Ubuntu Linux inside Windows. Ubuntu is the most talked about and popular first-time Linux choice at the moment. Years ago, to try Linux you'd have to set up a second PC. Then came dual-boot. And now you can try it out within Windows: 
"Have you ever wanted to actually try Ubuntu Linux (Live CD’s don’t count) without having to worry about partitioning or installing another hard drive or setting up a dual boot? This step by step guide will walk you through the exact steps to run Ubuntu totally inside of Windows utilizing a virtual machine." Full guide on PC Mechanic. | |
| | Security in IE7
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
If you have ever had a relative who completely fried their PC because they downloaded and accepted some dodgy application then, putting the negative comments about Vista aside - the warnings and pop-ups that Vista can provide can be a real relief. They sort of nag like an old house-wife to check if you really want to do that?! So point your relative to this guide on the basics of security with Windows Vista and IE7. | |
| AMD Radeon HD 3870 X2 Launch
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The AMD Radeon HD 3870 X2 has been reviewed by all and sundry and by most accounts it heralds the beginning of a year in which Nvidia might finally have some real competition again. I won't reveal all the detials. For that you'll have to pick a review and get reading. Here are some suggestions: OC Cafe, Tweaktown, Tech Report, PC Per, HardOcp. | |
| Chips and Bits
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
First up, some specific news from Bit-tech, who are reporting that MSI's K9A2 CF motherboard no longer supports 125W CPUs. Video cards:
ECS N8800GT-512MX DT @ t-break
First in DirectX 10.1: ATI Radeon HD 3850/3870 @ XBit Labs
ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 @ Legit Reviews
Sparkle 8800GTS 512MB @ MadShrimps
Motherboards and chipsets:
GIGABYTE X38T-DQ6 Motherboard @ Tweaktown
Intel X38 Motherboards & A How-To Guide @ PC Stats
Systems and Notebooks:
Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 Fully-Rugged Notebook @ Digit-Life
Gateway FX7020 @ Digital Trends Processors
All Celeron Models Explained @ Hardware Secrets
Storage:
Thermaltake Max 4 Hard Drive Enclosure @ TechwareLabs
Vantec NexStar MX Dual Hard Drive Enclosure @ Futurelooks | |
| Does the Tech Industry Ignore Women?
Monday, January 28, 2008
Some gadget magazines show models in bikinis holding a UMPC or wearing a bluetooth headset, with asinine smiles on their faces as though they are pleased to be in contact with such technical brilliance. Where are the magazines featuring rippling muscles of male models as backdrops to the latest laptop or mobile phone? And why is it that products get targeted at women with bling and pink packaging and no mention of actual features? OCModShop set out to analyze if the tech industry is ignoring half of their customer base and what could be done to improve the connection to it. "We’ve done a good job of profiling and targeting the early adopters. Looking at our kids list of “gotta have” stuff, they’ve nailed the teens, tweens and Gen Yers. Watching the Wii commercials with old dudes bowling, they’ve tapped into the boomers+.Problem is we’ve only given lip service to half of the global population…women, even lady geeks." | |
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