Aug 17 - 24, 1999
Archive

• ASUS V3800 TNT2 Driver (Win9X - v2.09h - 1.9 MB)
  
  
  

Those features are just what you get with the Maxi Gamer Xentor 32 from Guillemot. This video card has it all; TNT2 Ultra chipset running at a blistering 175Mhz, 32 megs of SDRAM running at 183Mhz, TV out, a great game bundle and a price of just $199.99 after a $30 mail in rebate.

• ASUS Tweak Utility (Win9X - v2.03 - 975 KB)
  
  
  

• Download Voodoo 3 2000 INF
• Download Voodoo 3 2000 ICD INF
• Download Voodoo 3 3000 INF
• Download Voodoo 3 3000 ICD INF
  
  
  

G400Tweak version .004 has been released. New to this version is a help file for context help and a systray icon for quick access. G400Tweak will allow you to set some of the PD 5x registry settings and can also be installed as a Display Properties panel as well as a control panel.

• G400 Tweak (Win9X - v.004 - 100 KB)
  
  
  

• Download SB Live! Gameport Fix for Windows 2000
  
  
  

Under Quake3, the ActionLink Phone line network performed just as well as the Intel 100Mbps network. Ping times were between 10 and 20 ms for both configurations. This shows that network games require relatively little bandwidth. The super-efficient Quake3 networking code provided by the programming wizards at id Software also helped, no doubt. Under Internet sharing, the client PC showed no difference in download speeds or browsing speed from that of the server machine. This demonstrates that my cable modem as well as the Internet servers themselves is the limiting factors here.

All in all, the SD11 is a solid piece of hardware that still needs a bit of fine tuning of the BIOS or else the option of flashing it to an alternative version, similar as on the CP11Z that can be run with either AMI or Award BIOS. In terms of performance, all current mainboards built around the AMD 751 North Bridge are almost identical and, thus, performance cannot be used as an argument for which board to chose from the current selection. In terms of system performance the SD11 is flawless, a similar statement can be made about the accessibility of all components and connectors. Given the choice between an Athlon system or sticking with the established BX chipset, even if performance is not the most important criterion, the hitherto never achieved stability of the Athlon systems does not leave many options. In other words, if you come across the SD11, go and grab it, even if you have to wait for the next BIOS.

Intel will lower its 550MHz Pentium III from $658 to $487, a price cut of about 26 percent, sources said.

The 500MHz Pentium III will receive the largest price cut, a whopping 41 percent from $423 to $251, sources said.

The 450MHz Pentium III will be reduced by about 21 percent from $230 to $183, sources said.

Q1: Ken: Would you tell us when will Elsa put graphics card based on nVidia NV10 chip to the market?
A1: Alex: Maybe in the middle of Oct. The final date depends on when nVidia provide the chips.

• Stealth III S500 Series Driver (Win9X - v0301 - 5 MB)
• Stealth III S500 Series Driver (WinNT - v5061 - 5 MB)
  
  
  

• Support for AMD's 3DNow! features
• Improved control for memory clock setting and allows optimal refresh rate to be set when running at 800x600 resolution in Windows 98
• Allow proper installation with plug & play monitor
  
  
  
• CL 3D Blaster Banshee Driver (Win9X - 3 MB)
• CL 3D Blaster Banshee Driver (WinNT4 - 1.5 MB)

• Hardware Pros Layout Prototype
  
  
  

• ASUS V3800 Driver (Win9X - v2.09e - 1.9 MB)

• ECS P6BXT-A+ Rev 1.3B ATX Slot-1 Motherboard
• Microstar MS-6905 Dual CPU Slocket converter card
  
  
  

The Santa Clara, Calif., chip maker will move Celeron from the Pentium II processor core to the Pentium III core based on its Coppermine technology, sources said. Coppermine is the code-name for Pentium III chips manufactured using Intel's 0.18 micron manufacturing process. The first chips to use Coppermine, Pentium IIIs of 600MHz and greater, due in late October, sources said.

...

With this transition, Celeron will receive a performance increase thanks to a number of features that are now reserved for high-end Pentium III processors. The list includes Streaming SIMD Extensions, a set of instructions for processing multimedia, along with support for a 100MHz system bus, sources said.

Celeron will also adopt a new packaging design, called "flip chip," pin grid array for the 370 pin Socket 370. Flip chip packaging moves the pins that attach the chip to the motherboard from its edges to its center, making for a shorter electrical path and a shorter thermal path, and increasing performance and heat dissipation, sources said.

1. Support to get video from Sony Playstation through Video-Input port.
2. Support to scan TV-channels from 450MHz to 850MHz by increasing 0.25MHz stepping.
3. Fix misdetection of IDE DMA mode.
4. Add new format size 640*480, 320*240, 160*120 in capture driver.
5. Let driver do capture 176*144, 88*72 in PAL system (Restore the missing bottom line).

• ASUS V3800 Live (Win9X/NT - version 3.4R - 1.4 MB)
  
  
  

• PC Accelerator 2000 Deluxe (Win9X - 1.2 MB)
  
  
  

Powertweak is an hardware optimization software, it configures the processor and chipsets internal registers in the most efficient way, enabling you to obtain the best performance out of your system. Most processors and chipsets are supported, including AMD, Cyrix and Intel processors. What's new:

• Cyrix/IBM 5x86,6x86,6x86MX & MII optimization
• Fixed bug in K6 and K6-2 without CXT core optimization
• Added Win2K compatibility.
  
  
  
• Powertweak 2 (Win9X - Beta 0.1.1 - 165 KB)
  
  

In conclusion, we would strongly recommend nVidia Riva TNT and TNT2 based graphics cards owners to purchase these glasses since they are almost three times cheaper than Wicked3D eyeSCREAM, are very comfortable and provide beautiful stereo-effect. But you should bear in mind that some people don't perceive any graphic stereo effects at all. That's why we would advise you to obligatory try the glasses in use for your eyes no matter which model it is - ELSA 3D REVELATOR, or anything else.

What do you get when you take a P3-600 and combine that with the new Guillemot Xentor SE TNT2 Ultra? A really fast system of course. Now imagine that P3-600 running at 800Mhz and the Xentor SE running at 200/250! Want to see the benchmarks? Click right here.

• Hardware Pros New Layout Prototype

PLEASE email us and tell us what you think!

The S1598 isn't a bad board at all, in fact, it is one of the best Super7 boards you can possibly lay your hands on.  However, the board isn't worth a penny of your time unless it features the most up-to-date VT82C598MVP North Bridge, why should you settle for a buggy chipset?  Epox is just around the corner...

Don't buy a system that's ahead of the curve. Expensive cutting edge systems are sweet, but they only stay cutting edge for a couple months. You should just concentrate on staying with the curve. It's cheaper, and you get to buy new hardware more often. Pass on that $650 P3-600, and go with the $200 P3-450. You can put that extra $450 into a nice monitor or save it for the next upgrade. Leave the flagship processors to businesses that don't have the manpower to keep their computers with the curve.

In computer memory format, the system has a capacity per sq cm in excess of 86 Giga Bytes of re-writeable RAM data - this equates to a memory capacity of 3400 Giga Bytes(3.4 Tb) within the surface area of a credit card! Data access time is around 100 Mb/sec. A single unit with this capacity, but using the computer's processor, has a physical size of about 3 cm x 3 cm x 1.5 cms (high). An additional advantage over existing data storage systems is that only 20% of gross capacity needs to be allocated for error correction, which is significantly less than the 40% for hard disks and 30% for optical storage. Production costs are anticipated to be less than £30 for such a unit.

• TweakAll (Win9X - version 1.2 - 1.7 MB)
• Wintune 98 (Win9X - version 1.4  - 1.7 MB)
• G400 Tweak (Win9X - 12 KB)
  
  
  

... the 3D Revelator Specs undoubtedly offers a virtual sense of 3D feel and simulation. However, by dawning on the “shades” you’ll be inevitably sacrificing vibrant colours for it and getting weaker contrasts. Even by turning up the settings via the monitor doesn’t aid much, as it’s just like putting on a screen-filter whilst playing games. So don’t expect beautiful, glorious and dazzling 32-bit colour to accompany the stereoscopic images you see.

While everyone was eating dinner I decided to go up and take another look. Checking through the list of programs I noticed that Quake 2 was installed! Being my ever nosey self I fired up the game and decided to run a quick timedemo while no one was looking. What I didn't count on was the computer being hooked up to some very BIG speakers. I think I made some people spilled drinks on themselves.

• Abit HPT366 Win2k Beta Driver

Note, if it doesn't work, keep trying because they're ftp server has a limit of 10 connections at a time.

• Overclockers.com P3D-5030 Review
• Thresh's Firing Squad P3D-5030 Review
  
  
  

• ASUS V3800 Driver (Win9X - v2.09c Beta 3 - 1.9 MB)
  
  
  

This is one of the best coolers I have seen for the P3. Most of the previous coolers have used the same chassis, and merely tinkered with fan placement or connectors. Vantec have taken a different approach and by providing a flat surface for the cooler, more heat is draw away from the "naked" P3 as a whole, and not just from the more obvious hot spots.

Now at the end of the Summer of 1999, several board makers have released new motherboards to wrest the crown away from Epox, and Epox has come back at them with an updated version of the MVP3G-M that supports ATA-66, the MVP3G2. This board is almost exactly the same as the MVP3G-M, but it now uses the updated Mobile Southbridge, the 596b (as compared to the 596a). The 596b promises fast ATA-66 performance while keeping costs down by not supporting such features as 4 USB ports or the AMR (Audio Modem Riser, such as the Super Southbridge 686a from VIA does). Epox did not feel it necessary to use the more expensive and expansive 686a Southie, so stuck with the 596 series.

As for the scanner's technical peculiarities, it proved really cool in all respects so that we have every right to announce the beginning of the XXI century. You may move the device along the newspaper, for instance, in any direction you like, zigzag or forward-backward, and it will store a real newspaper page and not some kaleidoscope tracery, which could be produced by a mechanic hand-held scanner in its place. Although CapShare 910 is a black-n-white scanner and stores bit images, the image rotating and combining it allows implies that this device is equipped with a very powerful processor. However, the practical use of this scanner is still not so evident.

According to Abit, HPT366 (the chip powering the BP6's UDMA66 features) doesn't work with all UDMA33 hd or cd drives. For most people, there are usually some compatibility problems. Abit said only UDMA66 hard drives are guaranteed to work with HPT366.

What does this mean? It means that you won't get the "support for up to 8 devices" that many people promise with the HPT366 controller working in tandem with the normal IDE ports. If you are having problems with a CD-ROM, Zip Drive or anything else that is plugged into the BP6, BE6, or Hot Rod 66's HPT366 ports, you should transfer them to the old IDE ports.

This is strange because UDMA66 is supposedly completely backward compatible but Abit says that you're lucky if you can have a CDROM and DVD on the HPT366 controller without screwups! UDMA33 is completely backward compatible... Hmm I wonder what's going on?

Just to clear things up there is no significant performance improvement (for those who thought otherwise) from using a UDMA66 port from a UDMA33 port with only a UDMA33 compliant device. So it shouldn't be a problem unless you're juggling 8 devices already.

HPT366 Drivers for Windows 2000 are available but you have to request them from Abit support. An Abit engineer said just toss them an e-mail requesting the driver, and they'll send it your way.

• ASUS V3100 Driver (Win9X - version 1.02 beta - 1.1 MB)