Windows XP SP2 - Download

Microsoft released it's Windows XP Service Pack 2 finally. The thing is, right now you have to get it on CD or simply hit the Automatic/Windows update. A few sites have mirrored the file and it's 266 MB ! REDMOND, Wash. - Aug. 6, 2004 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the release to manufacturing of Windows® XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies. This free service pack delivers the latest security updates and innovations from Microsoft, establishes strong default security settings, and adds new proactive protection features that will help better safeguard computers from hackers, viruses and other security risks. "Service Pack 2 is a significant step in delivering on our goal to help customers make their PCs better isolated and more resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks," said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft. "It is the result of sustained investments in innovation and extensive industry collaboration. It also reflects a broad recognition that as the security environment changes, the industry needs to work together to respond." Service Pack 2 Provides Proactive Protection for Windows XP Customers Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies was designed by Microsoft explicitly to provide proactive protection for Windows XP. The updates and enhancements in Service Pack 2 focus on three main areas: * Stronger security settings. Service Pack 2 establishes stronger default security settings and includes updates with new features and tools designed to help customers better defend their systems and information from hackers, viruses and other security threats. This means safer browsing and communications for consumers plus an improved security infrastructure for businesses. * Increased manageability and control. Service Pack 2 makes it easier to configure and manage security resources with new functionality, more accessible and intuitive security tools, and the new Windows Security Center. * Improved and more-secure experiences. Service Pack 2 includes updates for key drivers, updated support for new technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® - especially around security - and security updates for other key features, all of which provide a safer end-user experience and thus enable more productive and enjoyable computing. Downloads: The MD5 you should get for the exe is : 59a98f181fe383907e520a391d75b5a7

Posted: August. 11, 2004 @ 07:58PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Enabling 16 Pipelines On GeForce 6800

Alexey Nikolaychuk, the author of RivaTuner, has found the mechanism, which NVIDIA cards use to set 12 or 16 pipelines on GeForce 6800 and 6800GT/Ultra, respectively. Of course, if a card has 4 offline pipelines defective, it will produce artefacts and we can't guarantee that any GeForce 6800 can be remade into a 6800GT. Read more Source:Warp2search

Posted: August. 08, 2004 @ 12:53AM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Thermaltake Fanless 103 Review

Teschke.de has reviewed a sample of the Thermaltake Fanless 103 cooler. Here´s a blurb: The computer runs without any problem. The air design case offers all the passiv cooled components a good natural convection. But without a the case it wasn´t possible , because during Performance Benchmarks the CPU and the graphic card showed here and there a few instabillitys. The Noiseblocker S2 Fan caused in Idleuse between 11 and 19 dB, because of the very efficient MSI CorelCell Technology and you could call this system “silent”. Read the whole review over here Source:Warp2search

Posted: August. 08, 2004 @ 12:52AM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Dell Dimension XPS - Gaming PC

Dell has launched it first PCI Express system and TrustedReviews has got hold of one of the first review units. With a 3.6GHz P4, a Radeon X800XT and no less than 800GB of storage space this is one mutta of a PC. Check it out!

Posted: August. 08, 2004 @ 12:49AM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Doom 3 Exploit

This was spotted over at Guru 3D's Forum posted by Tidus. I run #doom3 on the IRC network Gamesurge and something occured yesterday that I thought I'd alert you all of so it doesn't happen to you. A user, posted a link that showed how to play co-op mode. I didn't think anything of it. I went afk for a while to do some work and I came back to a channel going nuts. Apparently this link led to website that claimed you needed to have a special .pak in order to play co-op. People downloaded it and joined this server this kid pasted. Upon joining, their game crashed and when they tried to log back in they got "CD key in use". Source:Warp2search

Posted: August. 08, 2004 @ 12:47AM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Official Unattended XP CD Guide XP SP2 @

Have you ever wanted a Windows XP CD that would install Windows XP by automatically putting in your name, product key, timezone and regional settings? Followed by silently installing all your favourite applications along with DirectX 9, .Net Framework and then all the Pre-SP2 hotfixes, updated drivers, registry tweaks, and a readily patched UXTheme.dll without any user interaction whatsoever? Then this guide will show you how you can do just that! http://unattended.msfn.org/

Posted: August. 08, 2004 @ 12:44AM GMT +10 by S.T.x

nVidia 0wnz DOOM 3 Benchmarks!

As ST posted earlier: The bro's from HardOCP posted a bunch of benchmarks done with the final version of DOOM 3. One thing is a sure fact, NVIDIA's GeForce 6800 series has a serious advantage over the x800 series from ATi. Even the 300 USD GeForce 6800 GT seems to be a quite a bit faster than a 500 USD x800 XT. Then again, when you place a GeForce 5950 Ultra against a Radeon 9800 XT, the XT wins. Interesting read for sure: As John Carmack said of DOOM 3 in our introduction, "all of the modern cards play the game very well." The NVIDIA 6800Ultra and 6800GT video cards along with the Radeon X800XT-PE are going to be stellar DOOM 3 performers probably giving the gamer better Image Quality and framerate performance than we ever thought would be possible at the launch of DOOM 3. These three GPUs are simply going to deliver a level of visual gameplay immersion in DOOM 3 that will likely blow away even the most hardened game player or hardware enthusiast. That said, it looks as if ATI's decision to scale their current line of flagship video cards by crippling the Radeon X800Pro's graphics pipelines to 12 pipes, instead of the 16 pipes of the Radeon X800XT-PE might have been a bad move, at least in terms of satisfying DOOM 3 players. NVIDIA on the other hand chose to scale from their Ultra to GT models by only decreasing the clock speed of the GPUs. The NVIDIA 6800GT certainly stood out among the crowd as its DOOM 3 framerates continually outpaced the Radeon X800XT-PE that currently has a list price that is $100 more than the GeForce 6800GT. NVIDIA has told us more than once that the 6800 series was "designed to play DOOM 3," and the truth of that statement is now glaringly obvious. The older GeForceFX 5950 and Radeon 9800XT cards have also shown that they are going to deliver great performance in DOOM 3. Having a last-generation video card and playing DOOM 3 is simply going to provide a great gaming experience with all features turned on that make DOOM 3 what it is. So hardly think that you are going to be left behind. In fact if you are playing on a bit older hardware, you might be the envy of your block as you are probably coming away with more money left over to spend on games than your neighbor. What good is a $500 video card if you don't have money left over to purchase DOOM 3? For those of you that think you are not going to have the hardware that you need to play DOOM 3, the fact of the matter is that many of you will be just fine, although an upgrade may still be in your future. As of this afternoon we were playing DOOM 3 on a 1.5GHz Pentium 4 box with a GeForce 4 MX440 video card and having a surprisingly good gaming experience. Even a subtle jump to an AMD 2500+ with a GeForce 3 video card that is two years old will deliver a solid gaming experience that will let you enjoy the game the way id Software designed it to be. That fact alone should let many of you know that you will not be left behind in experiencing DOOM 3. On a similar note, while Activision revealed recently that Doom 3 would begin shipping to retailers around the world from 2 August, they failed to confirm an actual on-sale date for the game. But, via a carefully worded statement, they have today revealed that the official UK release date for the PC version of the gruesome first-person shooter is set to be ... Friday the 13th of August. I just love it how they picked that date for this particular game ..Well i wonder when its going to be released in Australia! Source:hardocp

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 05:00PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

16 Days to Half Life 2 Completion ?

An HL2World forum member(JB55) took the took the time to email Gabe about HL2’s Release date. Here is the info he got back: jb55The super-intelligent over at hl2central are saying hl2 is being delayed once again. Please give me a quote of some kind so I can prove them wrong and get the news corrected. Just give me a simple yes or no, is it delayed again? Thank you for your time. Gabe Right now we are looking at our bug numbers. Each day you fix some bugs and you find some new bugs. The net number tells you how quickly you will get to zero. At our current rate of find/fix bugs, we'll be down to zero bugs in 16 days. I'm betting it'll be the end of Aug. before a gold copy is even out. Source:halflife world

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:51PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Call of Duty 2 and True Crime 2 confirme

It was rumored already last week, Activison, CEO Ron Doornink revealed a massive slate of titles for the following 12 months adn indeed we can expect COD II, yippeeeh!: For fiscal year 2006 (April 2005 to March 2006), Doornink said Activision will release "sequels to True Crime, Call of Duty, Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, Shrek, and Quake." Doornink did not mention what platforms these sequels would appear on, sparking speculation that the titles could be released on next-generation consoles. However, Doornik only obliquely mentioned that Activision will be "committed at launch to next-generation consoles." In addition to its formidable assortment of sequels, Activision will have several new titles in its fiscal-year-2006 arsenal. Games based on the comic-book-inspired Fantastic Four and Iron Man films are planned, as is a tie-in with DreamWorks' computer-animated film Madagascar. All three films are scheduled for release in 2005. Source:Gamespot

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:49PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Hot Web Downloads!

Guru3d has posted a list of the latest web downloads !!! [Here]

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:47PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Autumn's the time for 512MB grap

ATI and Nvidia will deliver whatever it thinks the market demands and now it thinks that's cards with more memory. It's called marketing, designed to encourage consumers to buy more, more and yet more, and takes advantage of human nature. nature. We just can't help ourselves. An Nvidia and ATI Autumn refresh will bring you 512MB of memory and we remember that ATI actually said something about delivering 512MB cards by the end of this year. More graphics memory means larger textures but then again our beloved game developers cannot resist the pressure of the source of their money, the publishers and have to optimise for more standard cards with a smaller amount of frame buffer memory. It’s sad that even years after people learned that the graphic chip is the heart of the graphic card responsible for performance, people still measure cards by the quantity of memory. The majority of people seem to want a slower card with 256MB than a faster card with 128MB. So, after years with 256MB cards it's time for 512MB and ultimately to 1024MB in about a year, I expect. The Nvidia NV48 and the ATI R480 are very likely candidates for 512MB but it all depends on availability at the time of launch. Source: The Inquirer

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:36PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Drivers: ForceWare 62.20

Neowin send news that they've snagged a new set of Forceware Drivers in the shape of 62.20 for Windows 2000/XP! All Cards Supported: Nvidia released their highly anticipated WHQL drivers(61.76) on Tuesday. We're expecting a 62.xx or 63.xx driver in WHQL form to be released in early September ready for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Since the WHQL drivers released on Tuesday simply aren't unstable enough and fun to play with we've decided to share some more with the world. Files are dated 07/15/2004 and will work with all ranges of Nvidia cards. Remember these drivers aren't WHQL and are beta. Have fun and play safe ForceWare 62.20

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:29PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Nvidia Custom Resolutions

Just spotted this bit of Info posted over at Nvnews.net!: I've created a sticky thread on creating custom resolutions using NVIDIA's ForceWare drivers. Not only can you increase your desktop real estate, but you will find that some games will allow the custom resolutions to be offered as a selection.

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:24PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

id Software talks DOOM 3 and Beyond

GameSpy have thrown up their chat with id Software's Tim Willits, Todd Hollenshead and Marty Stratton as they talk about their highly anticipated return to Mars and what's next on the horizon: GameSpy: When did you actually wrap up development? Tim Willits: We code released about 45 minutes before Todd (Hollenshead) told the rest of the world. GameSpy: How many CDs is the game shipping on? Todd Hollenshead: Three. GameSpy: Can you give us any idea how much hard drive space everyone will need? Todd Hollenshead: About 2 GB. Also, tell people to defrag their hard drive before they install! Read More

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:19PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Pics of Half Life 2

This article was posted over at Beta Connect!: Today Chris and I visited Valve's offices in Bellevue. We got some interesting pictures, and learned some new information. # VAC 2 will be released with HL2. It will be created for general use among mods and HL2. # Collectors Edition will be available over steam as a "Special Version" # There are some new Bink videos they showed us. They were trailers with collections of all footage from the E3's, etc, and a new promotional trailer. They all looked awesome. These will be released prior to HL2 and will be in publications at first, then will be available for download. # The SDK will be released the same time the game is released. We also saw a demo that highlighted HL2's HDR technology. Trust us, this is going to be awesome. Read More Source:Warp2Search

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:18PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Halo 2 Theatrical Trailer Download Avail

The small-yet-epic Halo 2 theatrical trailer is now available to watch online here Source:Warp2search

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 04:14PM GMT +10 by S.T.x

Gainward's CoolFX Ultra/2600

Things arguably begin to get out of hand once the graphics card costs as much as an average midrange PC - this is the case with Gainward's new top-of-the-line model with the long-winded name Gainward PowerPack! CoolFX Ultra/2600 TV-DVI-DVI Golden Sample. The name stands for a GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card equipped with NVIDIA's latest graphics processor and an Innovatek water-cooling system read more

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 12:44PM GMT +10 by Perc

NV Silencer & ATI Silencer Preview

Hardcore gamers and overclockers often own high end graphics cards. These high end graphic cards usually run at high temperatures. Proper VGA cooling is a must to cool down these hot graphic cards, with noise level, performance and cost in mind. Today, we are going to take a Preview some of the best VGA coolers that you might ever want to get. read more

Posted: July. 23, 2004 @ 12:23PM GMT +10 by Perc

DooM3 benchmarks @ Hardocp

"Today we are sharing with you framerate data that was collected at the id Software offices in Mesquite, Texas. Both ATI and NVIDIA were present for the testing and brought their latest driver sets. While an extensive amount of data was taken, what we want to focus on is the high end video cards that are currently making their way to market. That means we will be showing you frames per second rates taken using the DOOM 3 timedemo "demo1" that will be included in your boxed copy of DOOM 3. The version of the game used to test is the same version you will be loading onto your own computer." A must read, check it out Here

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 09:03AM GMT +10 by ST

Enermax Noisetake 425 Watt powersupply.

Enermax have always made awesome powersupplies and the Nosietaker series is no exception. Phoronix has only good things to say about it. "Over the years, I have owned several power supplies from Thermaltake, Orion, SilenX, CoolMax, and Antec, but none of their features or performance compare to the power supply that we will be examining today. This power supply is the Noisetaker EG425P-VE SFMA from Enermax Maxpoint." You can read the review here

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 09:01AM GMT +10 by ST

iPod Revision 4

Apple has released its latest generation of the iPod digial music player. The new version has improved battery life of 12 hours, a new scroll wheel that is the same as the one found on the mini iPod, and has lowered the prices on the 20GB and 40GB by $100 and phased out the 15GB. You can go here for more information.

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 08:57AM GMT +10 by ST

Far Cry 1.2 Patch released!

After being delayed for almost a MONTH the Far Cry 1.2 patch has been released. Weighing in at 65MB its quite big, but worth it because it has PS 3.0 support and quicksaving in single player! You can download it Here

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 08:53AM GMT +10 by ST

Busting the Biggest PC Myths

We expose the bad advice that wastes your time and money. read more here

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 05:12AM GMT +10 by Perc

Ars Technica review: AirPort Express

Posted July 20, 2004 @ 11:21PM, by Eric Bangeman Apple's new AirPort Express is an ambitious device. When it was first announced in June, we knew that we needed to get one for the Orbiting HQ and put it through its paces.

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 05:09AM GMT +10 by Perc

The Ars Guide to PCI Express

PCI Express has generated a lot of excitement in the PC enthusiast scene in a short amount of time. And with good reason, since it promises to rid the PC of its bandwidth woes and enable a new class of applications. more

Posted: July. 22, 2004 @ 05:08AM GMT +10 by Perc

Cooler Master Real Power 450

This is one sweet Power Supply with some little cool features For the Full Review check out VR-Zone

Posted: July. 20, 2004 @ 11:12AM GMT +10 by Northy

DOOM III Video

Well if you want a sneak peak of whats to come in the long awaited Doom III then have a look at this, Quote: A direct-feed Doom 3 movie from a G4/TechTV show is now available for download, offering almost three minutes of in-game footage Clicky

Posted: July. 20, 2004 @ 10:52AM GMT +10 by Northy

VoyeurMods Frostbyte H20

Well if you are after all the goodies that come with a watercooled case but dont have the know how/time to do it then this is for you. Quote: The Chenming 602 case is a nice enough case before VoyeurMods gets their hands on it. However, once they are done installing a complete Danger Den water cooling setup it just makes for an amazing case. Read More

Posted: July. 20, 2004 @ 08:45AM GMT +10 by Northy

LGA775: New CPUs and Chipsets

Today we would like to offer you a detailed review of the new Intel platforms based on i915 Express and i925X Express chipsets. New LGA775 processor form-factor, PCI Express x16 graphics interface, DDR2 SDRAM and of course a bunch of new processors in the Pentium 4 and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition family. Wow, you can’t miss this! read more

Posted: July. 20, 2004 @ 03:37AM GMT +10 by Perc

[NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra Voltage Mod]

Any 6800Ultra owner's out there? wanna volt mod your video card? check out the latest guide for volt modding your 6800Ultra. read more

Posted: July. 19, 2004 @ 11:25AM GMT +10 by Perc

[Bowman's Vapochill LS vs Nventiv M

The great Bowman of Xtreme Resources has finished a very thorough and informative shootout between the Vapochill LS and the Mach 2 GT. Although the Mach 2 GT is no longer available commercially, it is still a very interesting read. Read the shootout here! get more

Posted: July. 19, 2004 @ 11:22AM GMT +10 by Perc

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Review

Today we bring you a review of AMD's new Athlon 64 3800+ Processor. Using a brand new socket with dual channel memory, the 3800+ is an extremely fast CPU. Is it worth its $700 price tag? Come take a look read more

Posted: July. 19, 2004 @ 11:20AM GMT +10 by Perc

[ATi Headquarters Tour]

Roughly two years ago ATI unleashed their most revolutionary graphics core to date, the R300, also known as the Radeon 9700. It took the graphics scene by storm and since then has changed the way most of us looked at ATI. Since then, the successors to the R300 have all been top in graphics performance and image quality. Take the ATI Headquarters Tour

Posted: July. 19, 2004 @ 09:11AM GMT +10 by Perc

The DeltaChrome S4 Pro: S3 Graphics'

S3 Graphics has finally uncovered its graphics processor for entry-level market segment that will be opposed to integrated chipsets along with low-end graphics cards. The DeltaChrome S4 Pro inherited all the capabilities found in the more advanced S8 chip, but is it enough to become the king of the entry-level market? read more

Posted: July. 16, 2004 @ 01:36PM GMT +10 by Perc

Power Color's X800pro: Modification

The first question an overclocker may ask about the RADEON X800 Pro is if it’s possible to turn its disabled pipelines back on and then overclock it to the level of the RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition? Then, will the X800 Pro be able to beat its immediate rival from NVIDIA, the GeForce 6800 GT, which is a cheapened version of a top-end model, too? Read our review to find all these answers now! read more

Posted: July. 16, 2004 @ 01:33PM GMT +10 by Perc