Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 25157	2002-09-27 10:29:00	friday news	tweak'e (174)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
83776	2002-09-27 10:29:00	nVidia releases 40 . 71 detonator drivers nVidia has kept their word and released new Detonator drivers to address issues with the 40 . 41 drivers and to include Windows 9x/ME support . One the key features in this set is the inclusion of a refresh rate override feature which will negate the need for a third party program . The new drivers also offer superior image quality . The Windows 2000/XP set comes in at 14 . 4MB and the 9x/ME set is 12 . 8MB and the drivers are not yet WHQL certified . Here are some of the fetures: * Up to a 25% increase in performance * Second BETA Windows XP / 2000 driver (if you are experiencing any problems with this driver please install the latest WHQL Certified driver * nView™ 2 . 0 multi-display technology increases productivity and provides the necessary tools to control the way users access and view applications . * NVRotate™ enabling image rotation on today’s advanced flat panel displays . * NVKeystone™ allows for real-time image correction on portable projectors and heads-up displays . * Digital Vibrance Control™ allows users to adjust color controls to achieve accurate, bright colors under all conditions . * New control panel streamlines user interface and enables faster and easier access to all video settings * Robust Channels enables higher faster performance and better stability for all applications through fail-safe paths in the drivers * CineFX Simulator allows developers to use Cg-“C for graphics”-to write complex shaders in a high level language faster and more easily than before . * NVIDIA’s patented Unified Driver Architecture (UDA) - supports all products in a single driver binary Detonator 40 . 71 for Windows 2000/XP ( . nvidia . com/Windows/40 . 71/40 . 71_win2kxp . exe" target="_blank">download1 . nvidia . com) Detonator 40 . 71 for Windows 9x/ME ( . nvidia . com/Windows/40 . 71/40 . 71_win9x . exe" target="_blank">download1 . nvidia . com) Detonator 40 . 71 Windows XP Performance Evaluation To follow-up on the release of the new drivers Warp2 Search have posted a quick performance evaluation on the new drivers to see how they stack up against the 40 . 41's . One noticeable mark is that they are slower but any problems with the UT 2003 demo have been fixed . Here are the results: Test system: Pentium 4B 2 . 4Ghz @ 2484Mhz 512 MB RDRAM 1066 Visiontek GeForce 4 Ti4600 @ 100Hz Windows XP Home SP1 Detonator 40 . 71 Results: 3DMark 2001 SE: 12864 3DMarks ( . madonion . com/compare?2k1=4590328" target="_blank">service . madonion . com) - Compare your results . Note: Result with 40 . 52 not submitted to ORB: 13007 Unreal Tournament 2003 Benchmark 1024x768x32 Flyby: 154 . 966507 Botmatch: 63 . 996086 Unfortunately my 40 . 52 results were lost during a recent reinstallation . However 40 . 71 seems a tad bit slower which might be explained by further bugfixes or other code changes but there is no real proof of that . However on a subjective note the 40 . 71 provide the best image quality yet to be seen in a Detonator release . Radeon 9000 Review at Sharky Extreme Sharky Extreme has posted a reveiw ( . sharkyextreme . com/hardware/videocards/article . php/1470621" target="_blank">www . sharkyextreme . com) of the Radeon 9000 Pro just to see how well it stacks up . The card may not as super quick as the Ti's but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in quality and future proofness . Here's a clip from the article: The features gap between the low-cost cards and the higher-end products has been filled, and ATI has provided full DirectX 8 compatibility to even the entry-level buyer . This relates not only to the ATI Radeon 9000 Pro retail card reviewed here, but the very inexpensive OEM versions as well . The only potential fly in the ointment has been NVIDIA's consistently lower prices, which have brought many of the GeForce3 cards into direct competition with the Radeon 9000 Pro . Logitech MX500 Review IGN has posted up a review ( . ign . com/articles/371/371925p1 . html" target="_blank">gear . ign . com) of the cheaper sibling to Logitech's new MX700 eight button mouse that was released earlier this week . Seemingly the only difference between the two is the fact that one has a tail and the other is tail-less . Here's the short cut: The family includes three members: the cordless MX 700, the corded MX 500, and the corded and ambidextrous MX 300 . Today I'm tackling the MX 500, which would be the one to watch for any right thinking, and right-handed, gamer . Feel free to read the rest of the review, but you'll save yourself a few minutes if you simply take my word for it and run to your nearest store to buy an MX 500 . The Last Days of 3dfx Firing Squad has posted up a requiem of sorts , looking at the last days of 3DFX . Here's a bit of a snippet: It was sometime in between the Voodoo/Voodoo2 period that Greg Ballard came onto the scene as CEO . He was there for marketing, and he was good at it, though there was something missing when it came to technology . He pushed a variety of 3dfx marketing campaigns that helped bring 3dfx to the top . Problems apparently came from his lack of understanding how the graphics industry functioned . Ballard desired to deliver a single chip 2D/3D solution as the competition had thus far done the same . Check out the whole chronicle here ( . gamers . com/hardware/3dfxdemise/page2 . asp" target="_blank">firingsquad . gamers . com) . Microsoft's Windows upgrade for 2004 OSNews is reporting that Microsoft is contemplating a Windows 'Yukon' release sometime next year that will see XP through to the release of the much talked about Longhorn, making it the next major release of Windows, rather than an evolution of XP . Here's part of what Microsoft had to say: But developers working with the Windows team said they are hearing that Microsoft is giving serious consideration to issuing a minor Windows "Yukon" update by early 2004 . "They are starting to look at having some sort of interim version of Windows for early 2004-basically Windows XP + Service Pack 2," said one coder who requested anonymity . Another developer with Redmond ties said signs are pointing toward a Windows release that would hit during Microsoft's fiscal 2004 (July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004) . "Originally it was supposed to be Longhorn," said the developer, who asked not to be identified . "It will likely be an XP update to ship with the . Net Framework, more managed code used in Windows, and extensive updates to Windows Media technologies . I don't know what they're going to call it though . " Read the whole story here ( . eweek . com/article2/0,3959,557197,00 . asp" target="_blank">www . eweek . com) . Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo creates history The release of the UT2003 demo has created history on several fronts according to Atari the publisher . According to them the demand for the demo cut the speed of the Internet worldwide by half on it's way to setting a new record of 1 . 2 million downloads between September 13 and September 18, making it the most popular game download of all time . Here's part of the report over at PC Game World (http://www . pcgameworld . com/): According to statistics tracked by Web sites offering the demo, nearly 1 . 2 million users accessed the Unreal Tournament 2003 demo between Friday night and Wednesday morning . The global Internet 'Traffic Index,' which tracks how fast information is transferred through the Internet, took a sizeable hit when the demo was released on September 13 . As a result of so many people downloading the file, the average speed of the Internet worldwide was cut nearly in half . Check out the full story here ( . pcgameworld . com/story . php/id/566/l" target="_blank">www . pcgameworld . com) . WinDVD Tweaker 4 . 04 released A new version 4 . 04 of WinDVD Tweaker has been released for download with the following changes: Added ability to disable annoying dvd autorun programs like PCFriendly and all others . Fixed a bug which prevented Disc Manager from working in certain situations . Added more special settings (Settings that WinDVD does not allow to be saved) . Cleaned up the user interface somewhat . Fixed the Purchase WinDVD Button . Updated the file preset facility to save and load all of the latest settings . Some minor changes . WinDVD Tweaker gives you access to some of the hidden features of the popular DVD software player . WinDVD Tweaker ( . majorgeeks . com/article . php?sid=2331" target="_blank">www . majorgeeks . com) RealOne Player 2 . 0 Build 6 . 0 . 11 . 818 release Real . com has released version 2 . 0 build 6 . 0 . 11 . 818 of their RealOne Player, the program that features a media player, music jukebox, and a built-in media browser to play the widest variety of streaming media formats on the Web . The new version has the following changes: Incorporates Helix technology, which supports virtually any type of media format including DVD Also includes a new TurboPlay feature which greatly reduces buffering times with high-speed Internet connections RealOne Player 2 . 0 Build 6 . 0 . 11 . 818 ( . 188 . 7 . 150/27e27ba52cf552969f01/windows/RealOnePlayerV2GOLD . exe" target="_blank">207 . 188 . 7 . 150) WS_FTP Pro 7 . 6 out Ipswitch has released version 7 . 6 of it's FTP program WS_FTP Pro with the following changes: Secure Cross-Platform Reach: With support for SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) over SSH 2 . 0 (Secure Socket Shell), WS_FTP Pro 7 . 6 guarantees the confidentiality of sensitive business data during the access and remote management of files on legacy systems (running on UNIX as well as on Windows servers) . Streamlined Automation Control: WS_FTP Pro 7 . 6 boosts web management productivity via a series of improvements in the Synchronize utility: Easy configuration screen allows creation of simple or complex synchronization operations Increased flexibility with support for remote/remote synchronization Visually compare the sync operation before actually transferring with the ability to view the files that will be synchronized rather than viewing a log (in previous versions) Location configuration now allows synchronization between local-to-remote and remote-to-remote (previously supported local-to-remote only) Easily configure multiple upload or download exclusions You can read more here ( . ipswitch . com/Products/WS_FTP/whatsnew . html" target="_blank">www . ipswitch . com) and download from the link below . WS_FTP Pro 7 . 6 ( . ipswitch . com/cgi/download_eval . pl?product=WS-0000" target="_blank">www . ipswitch . com) Matrox Apptimizer released Maxtor have released a utility that will tweak your Matrox Parhelia surround gaming settings display . The Matrox Apptimizer utility provides surround triple head gaming optimisations for several popular game titles . With this utility, you can take full advantage of your Matrox graphics hardware to experience the world of surround gaming . This program is for Windows 2000 and XP only and it is recommended that the readme file is perused prior to installing and using the utility . Matrox Apptimizer (ftp://ftp . maxtor . com/pub/mga/utils/apptimizer/apptimizer_11012 . zip) How To Configure your Matrox Parhelia Surround gaming for UT2003 As a supplement to the utility above hear are the instructions for setting up the Parhelia for optimal surround gaming in the UT2003 demo: 1) Go to the installed directory 2) Go to the "system" subdirectory 3) Edit the file "ut2003 . ini" 4) Locate the section [WinDrv . WindowsClient] 5) Modify the "FullscreenViewportX=" line to read 2400 6) Modify the "FullscreenViewportY=" line to read 600 7) Add the line "ScaleHUDX=0 . 333333" to the end of this section 8) Save/exit the file 9) Run the game 10) Once in the game (actually playing) hit to bring up the command line 11) Type "FOV 138" and hit - this should adjust the world FOV to 138 degrees . Note: At this time, Surround Gaming resolutions and HUD Scaling are not available through the configuration menu . New Leadtek graphics cards announced Leadtek has announced their new range of GeForce4 video cards using the new nVidia NV25 and NV18 AGP 8x chipsets . The new cards are the WinFast A280 series and WinFast A180 series and they include AGP 8x support as well as a new, enhanced full-featured software support bundle including the latest Colour Matching Technology from Coloreal . Asus BIOS updates Asus have released some new beta BIOS files for the following motherboards: Asus Bios P4B533 - Serie 1010 - 01 Beta Asus Bios PR-DLSR 1008 Final (=1008 - 01 Beta) Asus Bios PR-DLS 1008 - 01 Beta Asus Bios P4T533 1005 - 03 Beta Asus Bios P4B-FX 1004 - 02 Beta Asus Bios P4B-MX 1006 - 03 Beta Asus Bios P4S333-M mit Onb . LAN 1007 Final (=1007 - 02 Beta) Asus Bios P4S333-M ohne Onb . LAN 1007 Final (=1007 - 02 Beta) Asus Bios P4S333-VM mit Onb . LAN 1007 Final (=1007 - 03 Beta) Asus Bios P4S333-VM ohne Onb . LAN 1007 Final (=1007 - 03 Beta) Asus Bios P4S333-VF mit Onb . LAN 1007 Final (=1007 - 02 Beta) Asus Bios TUSI-M mit Onb . LAN 1017 Final (=1016 - 03 Beta) Asus Bios TUSI-M ohne Onb . LAN 1017 Final (=1016 - 03 Beta) Asus BIOS updates ( . asuscom . de/support/techmain/technical . htm?ctn4" target="_blank">www . asuscom . de) XPTuneup 3 . 1 released XPTuneup, the program developed to help you apply many of the tips listed on xptuneup . com (http://www . xptuneup . com) via a simple interface, version 3 . 1 has been released for download with the following changes: Problem with Customizing recycle bin on some the PC have been corrected Now disabling MSN messenger would not slow down Outlook Express load time Now integrates process status, registry analyzer and admin options XPTuneup implements 50 tips listed on that web site . XPTuneup 3 . 1 ( . xptuneup . com/xptuneup_downloads . htm" target="_blank">www . xptuneup . com) Realtek version 3 . 30 Driver for AC'97 (ALC100/P) released Realtek have released a new sound drivers version 3 . 30 for motherboards equipped with the AC'97 (ALC100/P) sound chipset . No word on what's new in this release as yet . Realtek version 3 . 30 Driver for AC'97 ( . realtek . com . tw/downloads/downloads1-3 . aspx?software=True&compamodel=ALC100" target="_blank">www . realtek . com . tw) Microsoft to launch MSN 5 Messenger and Explorer 8 at a price News . com (http://news . com) is reporting that Microsoft is preparing to launch its new version of MSN Messenger (Bundled with XP) with new features that will be available only if you sign-up to become a paying subscriber of the MSN 8 online service . Here's part of what they said: MICROSOFT PLANS to offer two versions of MSN Messenger 5, one as part of MSN 8 and another as a separate, stand-alone product . But some of the best new features will only be available to MSN 8 customers, who must pay to subscribe to the service . An additional feature would be available exclusively to Windows XP users . For MSN 8 subscribed users :- enhanced parental controls . access to video conferencing (XP only) . and For MSN 5 with MSN 8 subscribtion :- improved address book with the capability of sharing Hotmail and MSN contacts . flagging buddies who are online using a mobile device such as a cell phone . able to run MSN Messenger 5 and be logged in as a separate Passport (Xp only) . Browse the Web together . You can read the rest of the story over at News . com ( . msnbc . com/news/813019 . asp" target="_blank">www . msnbc . com) . thx thy god monty ( . ozquake . com/montysdump/index . html" target="_blank">www . ozquake . com)	tweak'e (174)
83777	2002-09-27 22:28:00	14.5mb for Det drivers? Aren't these just getting bigger and bigger every time we get them??? Mike.	Mike (15)
83778	2002-09-27 23:10:00	but we get nview and a fancy control panel applet :p at least the pic quality appears to be far better.	tweak'e (174)
83779	2002-09-28 00:54:00	I'd only just downloaded the 40.52s. :( Oh well time to install these new one's I spose.	-=JM=- (16)
83780	2002-09-28 01:29:00	weren't they in the last one? and that was only about 8mb, wasn't it? Mike.	Mike (15)
1