TweakTown

"It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything from Leadtek, but they have graced us with their presence today bearing a 9600 GSO Extreme which carries with it 384MB of GDDR3 memory.

We’re not quite sure what makes this 9600 GSO so Extreme, but we intend to find out today. Not unlike its 8800 GS twin brother, the 9600 GSO hasn’t really had much attention due to AMD offering two new cards, the 9600GT already being excellent value and of course NVIDIA offering two new high-end models as well.

You have to wonder what the point of buying a 9600GT is? - Ultimately though, if you want a little bit more memory and you’re going to overclock, the performance it offers is better again than the 9600 GSO overclocked. At the moment the line-up looks like this. The 9600 GSO is the slowest, and by slowest we mean only 10% slower than a 9600GT. From there you can spend some more dollars and get an overclocked 9600 GSO or a stock clocked 9600GT, which for the most part perform the same. The fastest setup out of the lot is an overclocked 9600GT which is going to cost more money again."

LINK

I think my Orange contract runs out in October ... iPhone 3G, here I come :)

The INQ

Weekend Reviews from around the net ... original compilation supplied by TechReport.

1. Microsoft CEO backs web spending, "done" with Yahoo
2. Charts: how Microsoft spends its money online
3. Zune phone really in the works at Microsoft?
4. AnandTech and HardwareZone on Intel's SoC (System-on-Chip) designs
5. Fudzilla reports Bloomfield 3.2GHz has 130W TDP
6. NordicHardware speculates that Nvidia will announce something big in September
7. DigiTimes reports more graphics card makers to start selling IGP motherboards
8. HardwareZone reports new Panasonic camcorders and compacts unveiled
9. PC Perspective's hardware leaderboard update
10. Rbmods.com has Qpad giveaway

Software, gaming, and movie

1. Glimpse of big Vista campaign? Microsoft says no
2. Microsoft hints about new profile-centric Win Live wares
3. PCMech on downgrading from Vista to XP
4. TG Daily on Windows hacking for the iPhone 3G
5. Epic's Capps: Unreal Engine 4 due for 'next console generation'
6. Shacknews has The Borderlands E3 interview
   and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty preview
7. Video from World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King beta test
8. [OC]ModShop reviews X-Files: I Want to Believe (movie)

Systems, storage, and graphics

1. t-break reviews Asus Eee PC 901
2. Techgage reviews Asus M70Sa 17" notebook
3. Tech ARP updates Core 2 processor performance comparison guide to rev. 2.4
4. Overclockers Club reviews Asus P5QL-E
5. TechwareLabs review 8GB PQI Cool Drive U350H
6. Hardware Secrets reviews Sapphire Radeon HD 4870
7. Elite Bastards review Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 Toxic 512MB
8. Motherboards.org reviews XFX GeForce GTX 260 XXX Edition
9. BIOS reviews Sony HDR-TG3E HD handycam

Multimedia, power, and cooling

1. TweakTown on making a sound decision on speakers
2. DriverHeaven reviews Razer Lycosa gaming keyboard
3. I4U reviews Wolfking Trooper MVP gaming mouse
4. DragonSteelMods compare iPhone vs. iPhone 3G
5. [OC]ModShop reviews Otterbox Defender case for iPod nano
6. Tweaknews reviews 1200W Thermaltake Toughpower PSU
7. Tech ARP reviews be quiet! Dark Power Pro 850 PSU (in German)
8. FrostyTech's latest top 10 heatsink chart - July 2008
9. Mikhailtech reviews Tuniq Tower 120 CPU cooler
10. UpgraderGuides.com reviews Arctic Cooling Accelero S1

Enjoy ...

Associated Press

"BEIJING (AP) — China's booming Internet population has surpassed the United States to become the world's biggest, with 253 million people online despite government controls on Web use, according to government data reported Friday.

The latest figure on Web use at the end of June is a 56 percent increase over the same time last year, the China Internet Network Information Center said. It said the share of the Chinese public using the Internet is still just 19.1 percent, leaving more room for rapid growth.

The United States had an estimated 223.1 million Internet users in June, according to Nielsen Online, a research firm. The Pew Internet and American Life Project puts U.S. online penetration at 71 percent.

"This is the first time the number has drastically surpassed the United States, becoming the world's No. 1," a CNNIC statement said.

The communist government encourages Internet use for business and education but tries to block access to Web sites deemed pornographic or subversive. Web surfers have been jailed for posting or e-mailing material that criticizes communist rule or is deemed a violation of vague national security laws. "

LINK

BBC

"Attack code that exploits flaws in the net's addressing system are starting to circulate online, say security experts. The code could be a boon to phishing gangs who redirect web users to fake bank sites and steal login details. In light of the news net firms are being urged to apply a fix for the loop-hole before attacks by hi-tech criminals become widespread.

Net security groups say there is anecdotal evidence that small scale attacks are already happening. "We are in a lot of trouble," said security guru Dan Kaminsky who found the flaw in the net's Domain Name System (DNS) in March 2008.

"This attack is very good," he said. "This attack is being weaponised out in the field. Everyone needs to patch, please." The DNS acts as the net's address system and helps computers translate the website names people use, such as bbc.co.uk, into the numerical equivalents preferred by machines.

If exploited the flaw would allow malicious hackers to direct people to fake sites even if that user typed in the correct address for the place they wanted to visit. "

LINK

CPU3D Exclusive: Interview with Kul from YoYoTech - House of Technology

We went out on a day trip to London, capital of United Kingdom ... to experience the wonderful atmosphere and to enjoy some great sight seeing. Then a thought came to me ... why not check out London's most famous retail computer store ... YoYoTech. This store is a haven for enthusiasts, and it's definitely worth checking out next time you're in London.

YoYotech is located on 30 Windmill Street, which is situated just off Tottenham Court Road. It is a thriving retail computer store selling everything from PC systems to hardware components. They also have a online store with their complete catalogue range ... please visit http://www.yoyotech.co.uk. They cater for all types of customers from the hardcore enthusiasts to mainstream and budget users. YoYotech has approximately 10 members of staff, and the main head honcho is Kul Singh. We conducted a brief interviewed with Kul Singh ... and asked what he thought of CPU3D.

HardOCP

"In its typical fashion, ASUS’ latest Republic of Gamers branded motherboard looks to dominate the P45 market. The Maximus II Formula board performs as well as it looks, and seems to be shaping up to give the other Intel boards a run for their money. Did we mention it is themed in blood red and black? Our favorite.

... The ASUS Maximus II Formula motherboard is the latest release in their premium branded Republic of Gamers product line. The board is designed around the Intel P45 chipset, supporting the following technologies: all current Intel LGA 775 processors, DDR2 memory operating in Dual Channel mode up to 1066MHz officially, and dual card CrossFireX graphics mode using matched ATI graphics cards. ASUS created the Maximus II Formula board as a feature complete solution, with the board itself requiring a bare minimum of components to be made operational: an Intel LGA 775 processor, DDR2 memory, a video card, drives, and a PSU."

LINK

BBC

"Adult prisoners in England and Wales are to be banned by the Prison Service from playing computer games rated 18. Good behaviour will allow offenders to play other games, and those at risk of suicide will be also given access.

However, eligible inmates would have to buy consoles themselves as the new rules ban prisons from buying games or consoles with immediate effect. The Prison Reform Trust said games were "no substitute for purposeful activity like work or education classes". It said these were being cut back as a result of prison overcrowding.

Last year the government spent more than £10,000 on 80 PlayStations and 15 Xboxes for young offender institutions. All prisons have been told to remove 18-rated games - not suitable for people aged under 18 - by 30 September."

LINK

Digitimes

"Originally scheduled to launch in November or December this year, Intel's Nehalem-based Bloomfield processors will now launch in September along with X58 chipsets, sources at motherboard makers have revealed.

However, the sources pointed out that CPUs and motherboards will not officially appear in the channel until early October.

Since Bloomfield CPUs are not socket compatible with previous Intel platforms, the accelerated launch is not expected to cause competition between the company's own products, although the same cannot be said for AMD's scheduled AM3-based CPU launch, noted the sources."

LINK

Dailytech

Today HP announced that it is folding the Voodoo brand into its HP line. HP says that it will maintain Voodoo as a brand name. That statement frightens some Voodoo enthusiasts who fear that the Voodoo name will be just that -- a name slapped onto anything HP wants to market for more money to the gaming crowd.

PC World quotes HP spokeswoman Ann Finnie saying, “It is just the next step of integration into the business units that deliver Compaq Presario and [HP] Pavilion.” The good part about the folding of Voodoo completely into HP is that the gaming systems would be easier to get at retail locations and with the significantly larger staff of HP systems would be faster to build and deliver.

Voodoo’s Rahul Sood said in a blog post, “Ultimately it means that Voodoo and Voodoo-influenced products will be easier to buy, faster to get, they will feature local service, and they will have the full power of HP’s marketing and sales channel behind them. The bottom line is we have ignited the brand and sparked big excitement; so we are now integrating our organizations to fuel our growth.”

LINK