W.I.L. Hardware Tech-News Highlights for March 2005

Top gadgets as voted by readers of the Inquirer – link.

Toshiba shows a working fuel cell, but delays introduction of the technology – link. Extreme Fuel Cells is a Web site which covers this technology.

Toshiba develops fast-charging batteries, which could be powering cell phones, laptops within 3 years – link.

CeBIT, the world’s largest technology trade show, turns 20 – link. The Inquirer’s partial CeBIT news summary here. PC World’s CeBIT 2005 news page here. X-bit labs CeBIT 2005 coverage – Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7.

Systems

“Trusted Computing” sneaks into PCs – link.

The Inquirer guide to silencing a PC – link.

AnandTech’s March buyer’s guide for entry level to mid-range machines – link.

Build a super system for less than $550 – link.

Advanced system building tips – link.

The ExtremeTech “Killer Gaming Rig” 2005 version will set you back $6500 – link. Building the ExtremeTech Killer Gaming Rig – link.

Intel claims the industry is ready for transition to 64-bit code computing, with forthcoming 64-bit Windows XP as a big catalyst – link.

Asus claims thinnest, lightest 15” laptop – link.

Analysts forecast Apple’s share in desktop to soar – link.

Building your home theater around the PC – link.

ASUS’s W3000 series notebook draws its inspiration from the traditional Chinese bamboo scroll: the battery is incorporated into the notebook’s hinge! – overview.

Sony’s Vaio FS90 A Spec is a great desktop replacement notebook, although the XBlack screen could bother some people – link.

Low-cost laptops shedding weight – link.

-- Small Form Factor machines

The XPC SN95G5 is Shuttle’s first Athlon64 Socket 939 SFF system. It packs a lot of performance in a very small, elegant package, and runs fairly quietly, at least when using the newer 90nm AMD processors – review. Shuttle’s XPC SN25P is a great design, albeit slightly larger than standard SFF machines and not cheap – review.

Mac Mini dissected – link.

Apple’s Mac mini compared with a VIA Mini-ITX PC. Pentium-M’s need to get cheaper to make later competitive – link.

Soltek’s Qbic EQ3901-300P Mania SFF PC cultivates the retro look. Be wary of any CPU that runs at a higher clock rate than the AMD-64 3500’s until the 90nm processors come in, or the CPU fan mount is redesigned – review.

AOpen Pentium-M-based EY855 proves that all SFF PCs do not need to be noisy, but gamers need not apply – review.

The PC-Club semi-SFF Silencer is pretty expensive for what it offers, although it speaks well of PC-Club as a system builder – review.

CPUs, motherboards, chipsets

AnandTech’s CPU price guides for March – link.

Big four motherboard manufacturers sound out Dolby systems – link.

Understanding the cell microprocessor – link.

System integrators weigh up Opteron vs. Xeon costs, to the advantage of the former – link.

Intel planning to release 65nm technology early – link. AMD said it is planning to be right on Intel’s heels with 65nm chips, but will it? – link.

Teaching silicon new photonic tricks promises a huge boost in getting data out of a computer – link.

-- AMD

AMD’s model system has outlived its usefulness and needs to go – link.

AMD will have to work hard to take up the gauntlet Intel threw down at its Forum – link.

AMD Sempron 2600+ for Socket 754 brings the K8 architecture to budget PCs, spelling the death knell for the Socket A processor line – review.

AMD says it will stick with DDR memory in 2005 – link.

AMD cranks up speed of low power Opterons – link. AMD could grab 15% of server market share this year – link.

AMD confirms obligatory BIOS support for new Athlon 64, says current mainboards will support new chips with new BIOS – link.

AMD promotes Turion’s performance vs. Pentium-M, neglects to mention battery life – link.

AMD Athlon 64 processors on new 90nm cores to start shipping in April – link. AMD’s future 90nm A-64 Revision E may face compatibility issues with mainboards, require BIOS upgrade – link.

AMD official roadmap revised – link.

AMD announces Pacifica virtualization hardware assist specifications, which will allow AMD’s 64-bit processors to host multiple OS’s, or many instances of the same OS, simultaneously – link 1, link 2.

nVidia nForce4 is the platform of choice for AMD64, says enthusiast poll – link.

ABIT’s Fatal1ty AN8 is a great enthusiast A-64 motherboard, if you do not care about overclocking – review. X-bit labs gives the board its best PCI Express Socket 939 platform for enthusiasts recommendation – review.

The Foxconn WinFast NF4UK8AA is the least-expensive ($110) motherboard ever seen to utilize the nForce 4 Ultra chipset, and is a great value for those who do not plan to overclock, but its design is marred by the poor SATA-II port locations – review. For those who simply want a motherboard that is reasonably priced, stable and just plain works, this is a great choice – review.

ASrock’s 939A8X-M motherboard has more than enough for users wanting to build a small entertainment PC, and is definitely a cheap way to get high performance – review.

Soltek’s K8T890 Pro-939 motherboard provides nForce4 Ultra-comparable performance, hopefully at a considerably lower price – link.

-- Intel

Intel’s Spring 2005 Developer Forum had many interesting announcements and presentations, including roadmaps for dual-core CPUs and 65nm (and smaller) process technology, and Pentium M desktop plans – link 1, link 2.

AnandTech has a series of reports from the Spring 2005 IDF – here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
ExtremeTech “chips” in with their reports – here, X-bit Labs with their’s here and here. Finally, Silent PC Review reports from the IDF ... and AMD’s competing forum nearby – link.

Intel’s monopolistic practices in Japan explored – link.

Intel’s 65nm desktop-destined single-core processor, “Cedar Mill”, will consume 43.5% less power than today’s Pentium 4 chips – link.

Pentium-M roadmap updated – link. Intel desktop chip roadmap updated – link. More hard choices face Centrino notebook buyers – link. Intel desktop crib sheet guide arrives – link.

Intel’s 64-bit desktop Pentium 4’s are fast, but the Athlon 64 FX retains the speed crown – link.

Pentium-M 735 + DFI 855GME motherboard pitted against Pentium 4 and Athlon 64, and does not come away looking bad at all – link.

Aopen Pentium-M micro-ATX motherboard supports PCIe LAN and graphics cards – link.

Pentium-M on a Socket 478 motherboard using the ASUS CT-479 upgrade kit is one of the most cost-effective ways to bring the power and the silence of a Pentium-M processor to your desktop – Part 1, Part 2. AnandTech says that with the CT-479, ASUS has “effectively demolished” all other desktop Pentium-M solutions. However, the Pentium M continues to fall behind in content creation, workstation and media encoding applications – review.

-- Other

VIA comes out with low power dual CPU mini-ITX server motherboard, the DP-310, powered by a pair of Eden-N chips running at 1GHz – link 1, link 2.

VIA unveils ultra-compact media chip – link.

Graphics

Graphics cards with passive cooling a new trend – link.

How much graphics power does a PC really need? – link.

TurboCache and HyperMemory sound fast, but can they compete with cards that use “real” memory? No: integrated graphics still stink – link.

Second supplier of GDDR3 arrives on the scene – link.

Age of physics processing units (FPUs) dawns – link 1, link 2, link 3.

3D raytracing chip shown at CeBIT – link.

Array Technology Inc., the company better known as ATI, closes in on 20th birthday. With $2 billion+ in sales and over 2200 employees the company stands dedicated to continue its eternal fight with nVidia – link.

ATI to price Radeon 9600 Pro at $90, as it steps up battle against nVidia – link.

-- Card reviews

Adrian Rojak’s latest desktop graphics card comparison guide covers 210 desktop cards – link.

3D graphics price-performance shootout (the best deals almost invariably come from the middle) – link.

GeCube’s Radeon X700 PRO SilenCool (aka the RX700XTG) appears to be the highest-performance totally silent graphics card on the market today – review.

ATI Radeon X700 PRO card shootout ... looking for the midrange sweet spot – link.

ATI’s All-in-Wonder X800 XT’s speed, functionalities, and stability makes it an ideal choice for those looking for an all rounder card – review. This generation All-in-Wonder flagging – link.

ATI’s FireGL V5000 has much to offer as an entry-level mid-range professional graphic card – review.

ATI’s Radeon X800 XL 0.11nm “performance-mainstream” GPU offers the performance of the nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, but is smaller, quieter and cooler, requires no additional power, and costs $100 less – review.

PowerColor’s X850 XT graphics card is high performance and quiet, but pricey, while the X800 XL is too noisy – reviews.

Sapphire Radeon X800 PCIe is a good lower-budget alternative to a Radeon X800 XL, and a sensible alternative to nVidia’s SLI route – review.

Albatron’s PC6600U flies under nVidia’s radar, offers cheapest SLI graphics card yet. Test card was very quiet, key will be pricing – review.

Leadtek’s WinFast PX6600 GT TDH midrange graphics card can boast excellent performance, precise 2D image quality, a high-quality cooling solution, and a nice accessories bundle – review.

S3 Graphics (VIA subsidiary) GammaChromeS18 GPU preview shows it to be a very interesting chip with a number of truly unique features – link.

XGI plans and announcements analyzed for reality and viability – link.

Memory, storage

AnandTech’s March storage price guide is out – link. DRAM oversupply widens – link.

Memory market overview for March – link.

OCZ VX Memory + DFI nForce4 motherboard = DDR533 at 2-2-2, which should set the hearts of the extreme overclocking set aflutter – link.

Scientists at Philips have developed a material for non-volatile memory chips that is better than Flash in almost every respect, and gets better the smaller you shrink the memory cells – link.

Rambus XDR memory achieves 4.80GB/s, 6.40GB/s transfer rates per device – link.

Samsung to speak on DDR3 design considerations, timetable. IDC predicts DDR3 will start to arrive in 2006 – link.

The inner world of the Hard Drive – link.

Seagate and NetCell demonstrate a storage system that employed external Serial ATA (eSATA) interface, a technology is expected to make external hard disk drives faster and more reliable vs. USB 2.0 or FireWire connections – link.

Hitachi’s Deskstar 7K500 first desktop HDD to reach 500GB, and first to use SATA II interface, and is stretching limits of current recording technology – link.

Seagate’s 3.5” 400GB 7,200 RPM Barracuda 7200.8 internal or external HDD combines the highest transfer rates with minimal noise, low waste heat, and acceptable pricing. The external version could use a faster connection than USB 2.0 or FireWire, such as FireWire/1394b or eSATA, which will soon be available – review.

Seagate’s USB 2.0 100GB portable HDD impresses – review.

Seagate’s 5GB USB 2.0 Pocket HDD is a great little device – review.

Iomega unveils new external HDDs ranging in capacity from 40GB to 250GB – link.

Toshiba’s MK3006GAL delivers 30 GB in a 1.8” Form Factor – review.

Buffalo’s TeraStation offers a big serving of networked storage at a price well suited to small businesses and individuals on a tight budget – review.

Sony’s DRU-720A allows the 16x DVD+R burning capability with higher write speeds for all of the other formats, and demonstrates good ability to write dual-layer media successfully. Wait to see competitors’ responses before biting – review.

Higher speed DVD writers will start showing up in Q2, and face challeges from next generation disc formats later in the decade – link 1, link 2.

Sony May opens door to uniting Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD – link. The Chronicles of a futile battle: Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD – link.

Nero introduces Linux version of Nero, which lets you burn your CDs and DVDs – link. NeroLinux compared with free and feature-filled K3b – link.

Cases, power supplies, cooling

Foxconn system cases all have nice exteriors and chassis, good interior designs, and high-quality power supplies from Foxconn itself – roundup.

SilverStone’s Temjin TJ06 full tower case stands the ATX design on its head, and is priced well considering its features – review.

Silverstone’s LC-11 media PC case is slick and sleek, pretty and small, but takes only Micro-ATX boards. It works great with a low-powered CPU and video card ... fine for a Home Theater PC – review.

The Be Quiet! Blackline BQT P5-470W-S1.3 470W PSU is truly silent and has “quality” written all over it – review.

The SPX500 PSU from Census PC promises “super cool & ultra quietness” ... and delivers, but has some design deficiencies – review.

Revoltec’s Star Serie Chromus II RPS-450V2 PSU is top notch, but not as quiet as it should be – review.

Seasonic’s S12-430 ATX PSU is the quietest fan-cooled PSU tested to date, by a small margin, is quite powerful enough for most systems, and very efficient – review.

Performance fan comparison on Thermalright’s impressive XP-90 heatsink – link.

Thermaltake’s K450 Heatsink is design to work with AMD-64 processors, and features a high powered fan and heat pipe technology. It performs quite well, although it it does get noisy at higher temperatures – review.

Sound, display, input devices

Creative’s Audigy Sound Blaster 4 Pro software + hardware bundle turns your PC into a pretty good sound and entertainment system – review.

A raft of sharp, bright, and power-thrifty displays for new small devices arrive – link.

Understanding modern flat-panel TV technologies – link.

Shuttle’s XP17 17” LCD monitor is portable, durable, a performer ... and expensive – review.

19” LCD monitor roundup: low cost/low response time TN+Film models compared against the older (but superior) technologies – link.

The ergonomic-friendly RollerMousePRO is one-of-a-kind in providing the market with an alternative to the mouse, is a salve to those who have physical ailments related to mouse use, and is a healthy serving to those curious about improving their working conditions a bit. It does take some getting used to – review.

Apple invents two button mouse – link.

Micro Innovations’ USB repeater provides a good solution for when you want to place a device further from your PC than the USB cable-length specs allow – review.

Miscellaneous components and periferals

Epson’s big, beautiful, expensive photo printer, the Stylus Photo R1800, is worth its premium price if you want to produce your own high-quality photo prints – link.

Belkin’s Wireless Pre-N router is one of the fastest access points ever tested. Wireless range is far superior to standard 802.11g products, although you will need proprietary Belkin components to achieve this – review.

New Wi-Fi products use smart antennas to boost the range of 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks, even if you upgrade only your router. It will cost you – link.

Some of the best ways to transfer digital music from your PC or player into your living room – link.

A tour of the media-networking landscape and what are, and will be, the key technologies to make digital media and data play nice on your home network – link.

HomePlug networking charges up, technology promises faster video access – link.

Leadtek’s WinFast TV USB II Deluxe is an external device that enables you to have TV or radio on your PC or laptop – review.

Coolpix 4100 is a 4 megapixel entry-level Nikon for under $200, and will do a good job on smaller prints or for web use – review.

Olympus Camedia C-370 Zoom is about as easy to use as a digital camera can be without taking the shots for you, and is very cheap for a 3 megapixel camera, although picture quality is reasonable at best – review.

Nintendo DS handheld games console shows the company has not lost its magic, just taken it in a weird new direction – review.

Sony’s impressive PlayStation Portable looks like a serious challenge to Nintendo’s handheld dominance – link, review 1, review 2. ExtremeTech’s PSP Media Guide – link. How long until the PSP runs Linux? – link. Take your porn on the road – link.