Lian Li PC-P80 GTX 295 H2O build pictures are up!

Uploaded some "showcase" pictures of a build made in a beautiful Lian Li PC-P80 Full Tower Case. The CPU and GPUs are watercooled.
Enjoy!
Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/Danielee.linux/LianLiPCP80GTX295H2OBuild#

Hwbot medals from Q9650 overclocking

I have been working really hard on overclocking my Q9650 CPU lately... and earned 3 medals with it on Hwbot!
I got 2nd place for wPrime 32m, 3rd place in wPrime 1024m, and forth place in CPU-Z running it at over 4.9ghz!
#2 Core 2 Q9650 (3Ghz) in wPrime 32m with 8sec 29ms - 9.7 points
#3 Core 2 Q9650 (3Ghz) in wPrime 1024m with 4min 21sec 380ms - 4.8 points
#4 Core 2 Q9650 (3Ghz) in CPU-Z with 4959.48 mhz - 6.3 points
My hwbot profile is Linuxfan2000
I'm going to be testing out a core i7 system with 3 GTX 280s in SLI next to get points for them on Hwbot next week...

Don't know what hwbot is?

Hwbot is a website dedicated to gathering specifications and benchmarks of computer hardware. You can use hwbot to compare processors or videocards with each other, or to compare your own computer to ten thousands of other people, to see whether it performs well. Hwbot is not limited to one benchmark application, but a whole suite of the most popular benchmark applications available.

Hwbot is unique in several ways. In contrary to other hardware sites, the performance of the hardware is not based on one user experience, but based on a community of thousands of users. This is especially usefull when inspecting the overclockability of a processor or videocard. One reviewer being able to overclock a certain processor 20% over stock speed means very little, but if hundreds of users manage to overclock it by 20% on average, you know a whole lot more.

Using hwbot encourages your forum vistors. You can configure our botservice to scan a specific forum topic to monitor for benchmark results. If a forum visitor posts a benchmark result in the topic, it will automatically be added to the team ranking once scanned by a bot.

Due to the excellent set of features and active crew, hwbot has grown to be the favorite place for overclockers (people who run there system faster than factory settings) to compete. Check out the team, member and result hall of fame.

www.hwbot.org

Judge Rules Microsoft Word Can No Longer Be Sold

Thought this was an interesting piece of news...
From HotHardWare.com article here: http://hothardware.com/News/Judge-Rules-Microsoft-Word-Can-No-Longer-Be-Sold/

Judge Leonard Davis, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, ruled Tuesday that Microsoft can no longer sell Microsoft Word in the United States due to patent infringement.

One can imagine Bill Gates having to pick himself off the floor after reading that ruling. Indeed, the ubiquitous software that you probably use every day infringes a patent, according to Davis.

To be perfectly honest, Davis' ruling simply upheld a $200M verdict issued in May of this year, when jurors found that Microsoft willfully infringed an i4i patent, (No. 5,787,449) on a method for reading XML.

According to the press release announcing the judgment, the injunction prohibits Microsoft from selling or importing to the United States any Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX or DOCM files (XML files) containing custom XML. Microsoft has 60 days to comply.

The injunction reads:

Microsoft Corporation is hereby permanently enjoined from performing the following actions with Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Word 2007, and Microsoft Word products not more than colorably different from Microsoft Word 2003 or Microsoft Word 2007 (collectively “Infringing and Future Word Products”) during the term of U.S. Patent No. 5,787,449:

1. selling, offering to sell, and/or importing in or into the United States any Infringing and Future Word Products that have the capability of opening a .XML, .DOCX, or .DOCM file (“an XML file”) containing custom XML;

2. using any Infringing and Future Word Products to open an XML file containing custom XML;

3. instructing or encouraging anyone to use any Infringing and Future Word Products to open an XML file containing custom XML;

4. providing support or assistance to anyone that describes how to use any infringing and Future Word Products to open an XML file containing custom XML;

and

5. testing, demonstrating, or marketing the ability of the Infringing and Future Word Products to open an XML file containing custom XML.

This injunction does not apply to any of the above actions wherein the Infringing and Future Word Products open an XML file as plain text.

This injunction also does not apply to any of the above actions wherein any of the Infringing and Future Word Products, upon opening an XML file, applies a custom tranform that removes all custom XML elements.

This injunction further does not apply to Microsoft providing support or assistance to anyone that describes how to use any of the infringing products to open an XML file containing custom XML if that product was licensed or sold before the date this injunction takes effect.

Naturally, since Microsoft has 60 days to comply, you can expect that during those 60 days, some sort of appeal will be filed to allow Microsoft to continue selling the product. Either that, or Microsoft and i4i will come to some sort of an agreement (or will in the future).

Pictures from BSA trip and PCC Computer Science Camp

Pictures from our troop's recent orienteering trip are now on Picasa Web Albums here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Danielee.linux/BSAOrienteeringMBTripJune2009#
It was a short overnight trip to complete requirements for the Orienteering Merit Badge.

Also on Picasa I have uploaded the pictures from PCC's Computer Science camp, they are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Danielee.linux/PCCComputerScienceCamp2009#

Unloading the grand piano

Grabbed a few shots when this grand piano was being delivered... :)

Its a 1988 Kawai GS-50 6'8" Grand Piano.

Some more pictures of flowers, played with the lighting and colors, used a handheld tripod for some of the shots too... no flash, evening with medium-low sunlight.

A healthy lunch!

Sparkling car

Just cleaned and shined Toyota Prius!

Wood on a bench... you can see the thin line of focus, I thought it was interesting...

Just a leaf... Everyday objects can make interesting pictures can't they? :)

SpeedTest.Net test

Seems like my ping speed is pretty good today, last time I tested it it was 32ms... :)

Hit 5ghz on an E8400

Finally got 5ghz on a CPU, an E8400 on my watercooling setup... the voltages were really dangerous, but the temperature was pretty safe staying under 30*C on both cores.
CPU-Z hasn't been validating my submissions lately for some reason, too bad...
Here is the validation page: http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=578155

Z-5500 review

This is a great speaker set as everyone else says, it can get fairly loud without any special settings, and looks great. The bass is huge, some people say its as big as an ottoman, you get the idea. :)
The smaller speakers are very heavy for their size, so they are harder to knock over and such, and the bass probably weighs 30-40lbs, which makes it something to move around...
The control pod it also nice and hefty, and is a little taller than the side and rear speakers. The buttons and adjuster is very nice on the control pod, it is pretty well laid out.
Has plenty of connection options, you can hook up your HDTV via the digital connection, thats a nice option.

I was a little disappointed at first at this system, as it didn't seem to be able to get "that much" louder than my previous G51 150w Logitech 5.1 system. I had them both connected to a great Asus Xonar sound card, and boosted everything and fine tuned it in the Xonar control panel in Windows. It just didn't get much louder at max volume than the G51, and I was especially disappointed at the subwoofer, it wasn't too much louder than the G51s, the G51s' sub can really be loud!
I finally figured out that it has some special boost settings built into the control pod!
There are two different boost settings, each go to 11, so put together you get a boost of 22db over the regular maximum volume. Each boost is a sound increase of 1db.
To get the first boost you keep turning the volume control knob, it takes about a half-turn then you see the screen display the boost numbers.
Once you have boosted that, you can further boost the system by holding the mute button and turning the volume knob about a half-turn, then you will see the other 11 boosts being added to the volume you had.
So you can use a little boost with the mute button all the time if you wanted, I find that useful if you are using a laptop or an CD player input where you don't have a control panel to boost the speakers, it keeps them as loud as if they were plugged into a professional PC setup...
There are some more interesting little features that the control pod has that you might not know about, just google it!
I'm really enjoying the speakers now, the little speakers are ear-splittingly impressive, they can get really really high pitched sounds very loud, and the bass is well matched to them.
The bass in my experienced cannot be boosted too far above the center, side, and surround speakers, so to get a lot of volume out of the bass everything has to be turned up a lot, and the little speakers are extremely loud.
Great system, it'll take a lot of beating, and has enough power with the boost for anybody that isn't totally deaf. It will shake your walls and play the tunes clearly while doing so.
The bass's cooling fins get really hot after being used for a while, be careful when turning it up a lot, I would probably put a fan on it to keep the heat off...
Great system, definitely recommend it to anybody that has room, wants clarity and power for about $200-$300.
I understand that the Z-2300s are basically the same system with the same bass(actually an 8" version of this bass, same wattage) so for about $150, that'd be a great system for a lot of power, and the bass would definitely be very powerful with the two little speakers.
The bass really can get nice and loud, you just have to tweak it a bit to get the bass going... :)

Thoughts on a Samsung T260

This monitor is outstanding! The TOC series's red coloring and glassy looking frame is awesome, really looks nice. It looks just like a Samsung TV, and can be hooked up to any blu-ray player via HDMI, which is very useful. It supports 1080P HD and has an extra 120 pixels tall(so the resolution is 1920 by 1200) when you use it on a PC.
The color is great, can't say I miss anything from any of the professional monitors I have had previously!
It feels a lot bigger than a 24inch LCD, and looks a lot bigger, I was surprised. The resolution is the same on a 24" and a 26 or 28" computer monitor like this one, but I really like everything a little easier to see, it doesn't look stretched or grainy at all. It makes a great TV, to watch movies on your computer or as a standalone TV.
The contrast is great too, unlike some of the older cheaper Samsung LCDs I have had(like the samsung 216BW).
I really enjoy using this monitor, and will probably keep it for years.
It is a great price, and IMO just can't be beat!
A++ for Samsung!

Watercooled computer picture

From My CM690 build modded

This is my current computer configuration with the custom watercooling all over the CM690 mid tower with the new Gigabyte EP45-UD3R motherboard and the Q9650 CPU...

Very interesting news! Asus is making a REAL poweful GTX 295, modified version with two GTX 285s on a single card, the normal GTX 295 that is out now is actually two GTX 275s... can't wait to see the awful price and the benchmarks! Going to be a monster of a single card... probably will compare really well with the upcoming 4890 X2... :D
News here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asus-nvidia-geforce-gtx,7926.html

Messed with some lights and objects.... I thought these were interesting.

Its been raining a whole lot this past month, we have plenty of water in our pond now! Its been about every other day, raining for a few hours, and usually getting pretty hard.

4.815mhz Q9650 CPU-Z validated!

I was able to get my Q9650 CPU up to 4.815GHZ and validated it on CPU-Z! I hope to push the volts and get 4.9ghz sometime later...
Here's the validation page: http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=565376

Thinking it would be cool to get 5ghz on an E8400...
Running at idle of 40*C on water cooling. :)

Computer parts

Been changing my personal system a bit lately, ordered a nice little Gigabyte P45 motherboard and changed my QX6850 CPU with a Q9650, benchmarking it on the custom watercooling I built a few weeks back...

Catalyst 9.4 helps 3dm03 scores!

Here's a quote from hwbot's news page:
"Just a very, very small newspost to inform all our members that the recent Ati Catalyst 9.4 drivers give a very nice boost in the GT4 - Nature subtest of 3DMark03. We are talking about increases of 120+ FPS, so don’t forget to update for you next benchmark session."
Exciting! :) Maybe the 4890 will kill the 295s by a good margin in '03! :D

Scenery pictures after rain

Been taking some nice pictures around the house... I really like the way the leaves with rain on them turned out!

Picture resizing program for Windows Vista

Found a great resizing program that works in Windows Vista 32 and 64bit(has two versions) for JPEG images. Once you install it you can just right-click on the image and the resizing option is there. Its a great program, and very handy, I don't see why its not built into windows yet... :)
Here's the download: http://prishcom.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!6A6A204ABDF15411!128.entry

Z-5500 review coming

Going to be reviewing the Z-5500 5.1 surround sound system and comparing it to the Logitech X-540 and G51 systems... stay tuned!
Also will be posting a review on the Samsung T260 screen, I have lots of pictures!

I now have Windows XP on my hard drive too, so I have Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit, and Windows XP Media Center Ed. 32bit on the hard drive.

Main reason is for benching and compatibility... :)

GTX 275 and 4890 released

Yes, the 4890 was finally released today, and the GTX 275 by Nvidia along with it!
review by guru3d here: http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4890-review-test/
and the GTX 275 here: http://hothardware.com/articles/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-275-Unveiled/

Got the T260!

First thought on the T260, I love it! It has the resolution(I'm very glad, don't want anything less!) and it is MUCH bigger than the 24inch dell. Makes the dell look dwarfed, no joke! I'll have to post a picture, this thing is just beautiful! The darker colors are RIGHT too, its awesome! Gotta look at all of my photos and play some games now...
Its a TV screen, great size and awesome!
Sorry for the rant. :) I'll post a review and pictures later.

How to check an eBay seller's recently sold items

Just use this URL
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewListedItems&since=30&userid=electricengineer03&include=0&rows=50&sort=3&completed=1
and change the "electricengineer03" after userid= and before the &include to the eBay member's name.

Here's a nice guide by an eBay member talking about windows 7:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Windows-7-Beta-A-Decent-OS-for-a-Change_W0QQugidZ10000000011153626

Sold the Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP... going to trade it out for a Samsung Touch of Color T260, it is coming today! :)
Another review and pictures to follow.
Been benching on HWBot a lot, hope to get 60+ ponts and some more trophies once I get the screen in!
Joined ClubNBOC(No Boarders OverClocking), great website for experienced overclockers! check it out@ www.clubnboc.com and look to the forums!

Catalyst 9.3

About to install Catalyst 9.3 for windows 7 64bit... Its the first driver by AMD that officially supports windows 7 and is supposed to make good performance improvements...

A working model of a flying car

Pretty interesting news on an airplane that uses regular fuel and that can also drive on the road!
There's a movie of it taking off too, their first test.
http://hothardware.com/News/Dont-Call-It-a-Flying-Car-But-It-Does-Fly/

Windows 7 RC

I like the new themes and user pictures in the RC of windows 7! The logon screen and new effect for the start menu are also better. :)

Windows 7 RC

Downloading Windows 7 RC1 build 7057 now...
I'll post the results...

Interesting Gaming news

Article from Tomshardware.com

CryENGINE 3 Announced
Earlier this evening, Crytek GmbH said that CryENGINE 3 will make an appearance at this year's GDC Expo held in San Francisco on March 25-27. Crytek said that the new engine features scalable computation and graphics for all major upcoming platforms as well as current platforms including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MMO, and DX9/DX10. Additionally, the complete engine package contains the CryENGINE 3 Sandbox level editor and a WYSIWYP (what you see is what you play) tool. “CryENGINE 3 is a revolutionary change from our previous PC-only engines – and we’re applying a similar revolution to the service we provide to developers using the software to create extraordinary games. CryENGINE 3 will set the benchmark for complete game engine solutions in performance, and services to game engine licensees and their players. We’ve been preparing a long time for CryENGINE on consoles and we’re confident that Crytek will again amaze developers at GDC.” said Carl Jones, Director of Business Development CryENGINE.

ZoomDisney Changes Track with Split/Second
This morning Disney Interactive Studios dished out a nice surprise for PC gamers: an intense action racing game entitled Split/Second. The premises may sound remotely familiar, throwing gamers into the world of a hyper-competitive reality television show. The ultimate goal is to become the season champion, however the game offers more than the thrills and spills of most racing titles. According to developer Black rock Studio, player actions can alter the dynamics of the race by triggering explosive events, thus providing a strategic element. “Split/Second elevates action racing to a new level by enabling players to strategically take out their opponents by dynamically altering the course in real time,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Split/Second further showcases Black Rock Studio’s ability to innovate and deliver a compelling experience that has wide appeal beyond the traditional racing genre.” Split/Second is scheduled to hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in early 2010.

Meridian4's Obulis Heads to Steam
Game publisher Meridian4 said that its physics-based hardcore casual game Obulis will soon appear on Steam March 19th for $9.99. Based on IonFX’s mobile game of the same name, Obulis fuses highly compelling gameplay with outstanding graphics, music and "state of the art" physics effects. The game's object is to drop all of the colored spheres into their like-colored pots.

Men of War Invade GamersGate
Looks as though 1C Company's Men of War in now an exclusive title over on GamersGate for $39.99, available today to purchase and download. Men of War takes place in Europe and North Africa during the height of World War II, offering three campaigns (Soviet, Allied and German) that feature individual scenarios and structured timelines. Gamerankings currently scores Men of War with a 83 percent rating.

ZoomEVE Online Expanded... Again
The tenth free expansion for Eve Online, entitled Apocrypha, has now gone live. According to the developers, unstable wormholes have mysteriously appeared, offering gamers pathways to "dangerous and rewarding, hereto unexplored regions of space." The expansion also implements a new level of technology for ship production and a re-imagined introduction for rookie starship pilots. Apocrypha also brings to the table a huge list of improvements including full Russian support, a Premium Graphics Client for Mac gamers, a newly designed skill queue and more.

New FUEL Video Showcases Weather Effects
As the heading states, the new "Extreme Weather" video is up over on the official FUEL website, showcasing the game's powerful weather effects including snowstorms, thunderstorms and tornados. "The new video demonstrates the game-changing effect of just some of the game’s extreme weather: lightning strikes illuminate the sky, torrential rain destroys surface grip and blizzards create treacherous racing conditions. The video culminates with the awesome destructive power of the tornado, as an immense twister obliterates homes and throws a truck into the path of racers as they battle against each other and the elements." FUEL hits Games for Windows LIVE, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this May.

F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin DLC Soon
WBIE and Monolith said that new downloadable content for F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin will be available beginning mid-April. Not only will the DLC offer gamers a premium theme and picture pack, the new content will also include a "Toy Soldiers" multiplayer map that "will allow players to experience multiplayer from a new perspective." Does this mean players will take on the size of action figures and play on giant maps? Oh SiN how we miss thee... As for specific platforms, WBIE did not offer details, however given that Project Origin is a Games for Windows title, it's highly likely that PC gamers will be included. Of course, that assumption may be incorrect.

The Path Launch Trailer
A new video is now live over on the official The Path website, a "launch" trailer as Tale of Tales puts it. "At first we were going to make a traditional launch trailer." Explain creators Auriea Harvey & Michael Samyn, "You know, a little movie that explains the narrative premise of the game, shows some gameplay and then serves some kind of challenge. And our first sketches were just fine. But then we started cutting things up and working with the recordings of [composer] Jarboe reading the original fairy tale. The end result much more clearly reflects the experience of the game: strange, disjointed and completely open for interpretation while simultaneously feeling very comfortable and intimate."

Harpoon 3: Advanced Naval Warfare Patched
Matrix Games released a patch for its naval warfare simulator, Harpoon 3: Advanced Naval Warfare, updating the retail version to v3.9.4. According to the company, the update includes over 50 fixes and several additions an tweaks to overall gameplay. In addition, both the publisher and the developer -Advanced Gaming Systems- the x3.9.x updates are aimed at "improving game stability and increasing responsiveness to customer feedback." Fans are encouraged to visit the official forums and become a part of the process.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate Pre-Order Comic
Thanks to Gamestop, fans of the Wanted franchise can pick up one of three versions of Wanted Comic Issue #1 -each featuring a different and unique cover- by preordering the upcoming game, Wanted: Weapons of Fate. These special edition comics, each packaged in a "Blind" black polybag, include original cover art from comic-artist JG Jones with a select number personally signed by JG Jones himself. The game is slated to hit the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 24.