AC @Nvmax.com has posted a Sneak Preview of nvidia's upcoming NV30!

This sneak preview of the NVIDIA NV30 focuses on the architecture behind the chipset and some, but not all of the new features that it will bring. Because we signed an NDA to get this information we wont be giving away performance figures, as mind boggling as we know them to be. Instead we shall focus on "CineFX", NVIDIA's new cinema engine that promises to render animation such as Toy Story; in real time. Since we can't share benchmark figures we will leave you with some thought. NVIDIA says Cinematic quality requires five key points:

Western Digital today, as they unveil their monstrous triple ~67 GB-platter A/V cap dream catcher. Other box stats include a 2MB buffer, 8.9ms read / 10.9ms write seek times (avg.), and liquid bearings for that silky smooth spin. The price also includes a Promise FastTrack Ultra ATA controller card so that those of us who can't support drives beyond 137GB can break through the chains of meagerdom. Or something. Press Read More for further info!!

Just saw this @Xabregamers

SiS has updated their Xabre roadmap recently, revealing their upcoming Xabre II GPU. They recently released a Powerpoint slideshow presentation on their website with some info on the Xabre II. As expected, the Xabre II will feature DirectX 9.0 as well as AGP 8X support. The Xabre II will debut in February 2003.

To see the Powerpoint slideshow presentation! Hit Read More.

Remember the good old days of 3DFX, the Voodoos 1-5, how big they grown, how suddenly they fell? Every heard of the rare Voodoo 5 6000, the last card 3DFX ever produced? If yes, you might be interested in this post, spotted by Derek2k. This post shows how the card was developed, the specifications and what bench marks it achived in Quake 3. Voodoo5 6000 video card will never be available in the retail channel. No websites and magazines have ever received a Voodoo5 6000 card from 3dfx to preview and publish benchmarking results. In this page, we would like to shed some sidelights on this somewhat undissected card. Press Read More for further info!! Thanks Derek2k for this one one ;-)

Big Thanks to Hahahayeah in our forums for spotting this.

SERVER ROADMAPS seen by the INQUIRER in now famous London hostelry The Porcupine reveal that Intel is firming its plans up for Nocona, the next generation Xeon processor set to debut in the second half of next year, like its desktop 90 nanometer equivalent, John Prescott.

Nocona will first be available on the E7501 chipset and have a 533MHz front side bus, but in the early part of 2004 that will change with the introduction of the "Lindenhurst" chipset, which will have a 666MHz front side bus, come with Dual Northway and fit into the Dobson chassis.

Just saw this @ Rage3D:

Having attended ATI's media day event last week, I was a little confused because none of the Radeon 9000/9000 Pro brochures or reviews mentioned support for Truform on the 9000 or 9000 Pro. Since none of the Truform games I've tried worked with Truform enabled on the 9000 Pro I'm currently reviewing, I asked a friend at ATI whether they will support it on this card. Here's his response:

Just got word that I am not a Geek.com have reviewed GeIL's 256MB PC3500 DDR Memory. I bet your saying what's so special about GeIL's 256MB PC3500 DDR memory? Well this DDR Memory can hit speeds of 433Mhz without breaking a sweat. Here's a byte from their article.

For testing I used a system provided by GeIL this is because I don't have any systems capable of running a memory bus that high. It takes two important factors to hit those speeds, first a board that can handle it and second if your using a P4 its going to have to be one that can overclock really well. The 1.6GHz they included with the system could clock to 2.6GHz.

According to the screenshot, the memory is really functioning at 400MHz. But note that there's no mention of the system bus frequency in the second screenshot as well as in the Albatron one. And this is where the secret lies:

X-bitlabs reports according to their sources in Taiwan, KT400 is nearly ready and all the leading mainboard manufacturers have almost completed the work on their boards based on it.

VIA KT400 will boast more up-to-date features than all its predecessors, which implies that the solutions based on it will be pretty popular. Besides the support of DDR400 SDRAM, which will be implemented in the new KT400, the chipset will also feature AGP 8x bus and use faster V-Link with 533MB/sec bandwidth. For the South Bridge to be shipped with the new chipset VIA decided on VT8235 supporting new V-Link, ATA/133 and USB 2.0.

Our colleagues in ASUS shared with us a picture of the new VIA KT400 based mainboard aka ASUS A7V8X.

ATI's new professional video card based on Radeon 9700 architecture (R300): ATI FIREGL X1. With revolutionary new architecture and 256MB of memory, FIRE GL? X1 delivers groundbreaking performance to power leading DCC and CAD software applications. With the addition of photo-realistic visualization and 3D asset management tools, FIRE GL? X1, enables the collaborative workflow and accelerates the production pipeline, providing digital content creators, engineers and game developers with the power to generate stunning 3D animation, real-life visual effects and design work in real-time.

Revolutionary graphics architecture
Groundbreaking performance
Real-time photo-realistic rendering and animation
Stable and reliable Windows¢ç and Linux¢ç support
Optimized for leading CAD and DCC software applications
Enabling collaborative workflow with 3D asset management

Read more...

Taiwan-based graphics card maker Leadtek has acquired the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell workstation-use graphics cards based on Nvidia?s Quadro4 chips in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the company, it will start volume production in August and its monthly shipments should reach 5,000 units by year-end.

The NV30 pre-hype has already started, however. Nvidia is already briefing journalists on what they can expect in products based on this technology, under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), and there's even some info available up on the Nvidia web site in the form of this eleven page PDF.

Creative Technology Ltd. today introduced the Creative 3D Blaster 5 RX9000 Pro, which ships this week at an estimated street price of US$129. Creative 3D Blaster 5 RX9000 Pro drives hours of intensive 3D gaming by coupling ATI's new RADEON 9000 PRO Graphics Processing Unit - featuring 4 parallel rendering pipelines running at 275MHz core clock - with 64MB of ultra-fast 3.3ns DDR memory.

Just got word that Ascully.com have just posted their Thermaltake Geforce 4 Powerbooster Copper VGA Cooler review. Here's a screenshot of the bad boy:

The Jadetec MicroPC is the world's smallest PC, it's the size of a CD-ROM with full working functionality of a desktop computer. Specifications cater for Intel Pentium III CPU, 256 Mb RAM, 30Gb Hard Drive, CD/DVD/ CDRW it features onboard 56k V90 Fax/Modem &,10/100 Base-T Ethernet, 2 USB Ports, Serial & Parallel connections and it's IrDA compliant. It's ready to run Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP or Linux.

Philips has demonstrated the world's first fully functional miniature optical disc drive using blue laser technology. Up to 1 Gbyte of data can be stored on a single-sided optical disc of just 3 cm in diameter, matching the size constraints of portable devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs and portable Internet devices. This prototype illustrates Philips' leadership in optical storage technology, which is driven by superb media robustness and the low cost per Mbyte of the storage medium, making it optimally suited for large-scale distribution of pre-recorded content.

Here are some pictures and early first impressions about the EzGo Mini PC, the smallest PC in the world.
You can expect the full review by the end of next week. Hit read more to see the first detailed pictures and first impressions. German translation available at Planet-XP.

I just posted our first impressions on ATI's newly announced special VPU the Radeon 9700. This is just a technology overview to deliver at a glance what the new graphics card is all about. Special Feature: 4 high-res renderings performed on Radeon 9700 (according to ATI in real-time). Radeon 9700 Impressions

Creative Technology Ltd. today introduced the Creative 3D Blaster 5 RX9000 Pro, which ships this week at an estimated street price of US$129.

Creative 3D Blaster 5 RX9000 Pro drives hours of intensive 3D gaming by coupling ATI?s new RADEON 9000 Pro Graphics Processing Unit ? featuring 4 parallel rendering pipelines running at 275MHz core clock ? with 64MB of ultra-fast 3.3ns DDR memory. Beyond speed performance, advanced technologies like SMARTSHADER and SMOOTHVISION enable photo-realistic details and visually-enhanced smooth 3D images for a totally life-like gaming experience.