Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by X.E.D

AMD shows off world's first DirectX 11 GPU

X.E.D — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:36:22 +0800

See bottom of post for DIRT 2 info.

COMPUTEX 2009, Taipei -- June 3, 2009 --At a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan today, AMD (NYSE: AMD) publicly demonstrated the world’s first Microsoft DirectX® 11 graphics processor. The series of demonstrations shed new light on the significantly improved computing experience set to debut at the end of 2009.

More info at
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=724

Should be releasing near Windows 7 release to retail (October 22 09)?

Waiting for the big fatty chip from the other green company.
You know, the one that they faked 2 tapeout rumors on.

DIRT 2

QUOTE

Codemasters has decided to delay Colin McRae DiRT 2 for PC in order to take advantage of DirectX 11 technologies.

DiRT 2's PC release is to take advantage of DirectX 11's multi-threading, hardware tessellation and Shader Model 5.0 - technology that's to reach home computers by the end of October. This means that the game will now be scheduled for release this December, in order to take advantage of the new technology.

http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/game-types/...036;1309367.htm

DIRT 2 releases in December 2009. Whoever buys a graphics card over RM500 now, happy being angry later this year.

DARE

X.E.D — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:49:09 +0800

Tried playing with a toon style and faux-isometric perspective with an end product that resembles a vector

Comments and critique appreciated, as I worked rather hard on this!

http://the-negative.deviantart.com/art/DARE-121311623

Core i5 Desktop, Mobile prices revealed

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 07:30:00 +0800

Core i5 Desktop, Mobile prices revealed

X.E.D — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:14:01 +0800

Taken from http://www.hkepc.com/2765

Core i5 Desktop (Lynnfield), coming 2009 Q3.

2.66Ghz - 196USD (without Hyperthreading)
2.8Ghz - 284USD (About the same price as LGA1366 Core i7 920)
2.93Ghz - 562USD (For the same price when it launches, you have the Core i7 950 which is faster)

All 3 are bad buys considering LGA1366 has solid motherboards and SLI. It's a very far cry from what the majority of us expected (something like a real i7 at 200USD and slower clocked versions even cheaper, but there's none of it)

Core i5 Mobile (Clarksfield), coming 2009 Q3.

1.6Ghz - 364USD
1.73Ghz - 546USD
2.0G XE - 1054USD

More reasonable prices for quad cores in mobile, but clock speed is quite low for what high priced notebook CPUs target (gaming).

The Malaysian UT3 Funserver [UPDATED]

X.E.D — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:57:30 +0800

(pronounced "mute"):

A fun, non-competitive server for Unreal Tournament III that hopefully encourages b****ing, time-wasting and good fun allround.

SERVER ADDRESS: 202.71.104.167:7777.

STEAM GROUP: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/MUT3

WE ARE TESTING NOW. PLAY, HAVE FUN AND FORNICATE.

Server has not been configured yet, but we are aiming for a polished MUT3 experience latest by the first of May.

Currently it's hard to get people to play, so why don't we set a specific time for mass games?

If I were to buy HD4650 or 4670, will my proc bottleneck the graphic card much?

X.E.D — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:47:30 +0800

EDIT: Oops, my bad.

@xcen

Bottleneck yes, kinda major for 4670 too (current games definitely nothing at high/max if you don't change your CPU). You have a 900 series Pentium D, check your chipset. If it's 965 you should grab a Core 2 Duo along with it too.

Flash/Shockwave Porftolio Display?

X.E.D — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:52:02 +0800

Guys I'm applying for NTU's ADM and figured that I'd get extra points by managing my art portfolio with say, a Flash based app (since I get to add my comments and the whole thing looks more professional)

Any idea where to get something that can categorize, display images with comments, and is customizable (font, graphic elements etc.)?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Dreamscenes] Warp, Motion

X.E.D — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:14:48 +0800

I made two Dreams (Animated Wallpapers) for the GUI championships, and I'd really appreciate if you'd vote for me.

Vote Here! (Need to register first)

Why should you vote?
As far as I know this is the first time that Malaysians have finalists in the GUI Champs. It would look nice if there we got a Gold/Silver medal, no? (I know this sounds cheezy, but Malaysia Boleh! )
Besides that, my graphics card is kaput, so I really need your help here. I made these Dreams all on 780G graphics, barely hanging on.
Also, I'll make these 2 dreams OPEN for every XP/Vista user! I'll be uploading the original video file, so you can convert it into HTML for XP, or use it in Vista *AHEM *

MPEG2 Dreams are here!

How to use in XP
1. Download the MPEG2 version of the Dreamscene (Use Teleglobe Server on Rapidshare, much faster). Make sure you can play it in Windows Media Player first.
2. Use XPScene from http://www.dreamscene.org/download.php to make a HTML video file.
3. In XP desktop settings, select the HTML file like you would select a normal JPG picture. It will use Active Desktop to drive the video player.

Warp

The colors of the rainbow in an infinity warp.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4w0IkJDX-4&fmt=18
Download: http://www.guichamps.com/skin/81
Download (MPEG2): http://rapidshare.com/files/168451950/Warp_Open.mpg

Motion

A very subtle journey through color, light, flow and ebb.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW8aq3wGSLY&fmt=18
Download: http://www.guichamps.com/skin/80
Download (MPEG2): http://rapidshare.com/files/168439479/Motion_Open.mpg

Enjoy, and thanks in advance.

The Phenom II Official Thread

X.E.D — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:28:42 +0800

Post #762 has the dirty details of the upcoming AM3 CPUs.
Post #1493 has the first look of the upcoming 2 budget value dual cores, Phenom/Athlon II X2 550/250 by Xbit.

[Wallpaper] RGB Wars!

X.E.D — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:01:40 +0800

I was playing with so many ideas for Dreams for this year's GUI Championships, and this one was my first try at learning Trapcode Form (a plugin)
I named the project file "WARS" (helps me remember ) So there goes the name.

Coming in video, soon.

http://the-negative.deviantart.com/art/RGB-Wars-103461073

Sigma DP2.

X.E.D — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:21:29 +0800

Okay, I admit that the new SD15 DSLR is pretty much annoying (unless the speed is back to DSLR standards) because it discontinued the $500USD SD14 that I was aiming for.

Well, I then aimed for the DP1, but this was announced today.

All hail the Sigma DP2. A return to normalcy with a general purpose lens.

Second verse, looks the same as first.

Well, the 24.2mm (41mm) lens is less wider than before, more suited for general stuff and portraits, and hopefully even better optical quality.
I've seen what the DP1 can do, it's in a totally different class compared to any compact camera, and even beats amateur DSLRs. It had a lens too slow for general photography, though. So bad Sigma, bad. Now it's F/2.8, very competitive and in-line with the sensor chops.

There's a reason why the sensor didn't improve. It doesn't need to. The original DP1, when used in proper conditions, has even better quality than a Canon 5D (Mk I). As for noise in ISO800/1600, it should be improved with the new image processing chip, which should help RAW shooting (another reason I didn't grab the DP1 was the speed. Atrocious.)

Waiting for more specs, and user shots!

The "Phenomthlon" 6500 Black Edition.

X.E.D — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:39:31 +0800

Exp Chinese Review
http://www.expreview.com/review/2008-09-19...7775d10042.html

1. It runs much better in games. At this stage it's expected to beat a 3Ghz Athlon 6000+, might even win the 6400+.
2. It uses 20W more compared to K8. Mostly because AMD's 65nm Phenoms had some problems scaling down. Undervolt for less power use though.
3. It OCs to 3.3Ghz with SB750. On air.
4. ~RM350 I think.

Clock for clock compared to the old Athlons:
Normal Apps: 5-10%
Special cases (Excel, TMPEnc): ~50%
Games: 20+%

Comments? This is one of the more decent CPUs AMD has made this year (compared to a ****ton of undervalued crap). It's still meant for OCers who are gamers, who use AM2+ and are looking for a cheap upgrade. I'll wait for Deneb (need quad core) but for the RM300-400 range, this is the new AMD CPU to get. Not for sissies though.

So much for the people who said that Phenoms are bad for gaming, get a dual core instead, ey?

Remember this is 2.3Ghz

HTC Touch Diamond HD Official Discussion

X.E.D — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:49:23 +0800

http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-pr...e-htc-touch-hd/

Rumors started!

Now, this seems even better than the Blackberry Thunder which looks like this. The touchscreen should be better, and WinMo 6.1 is still more flexible.

Official launch is next Monday, it seems.

The Lowyat.Net and IE8 wars!

X.E.D — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:44:51 +0800

Using IE8 Beta 2 in "Standards" mode, on LYN gives me a strange symptom.

Occasionally pressing "Enter" submits the whole post. I suspect this has to do with Webslices, but none of the other forums I lurk with have this problem. At all.

Can you reproduce this problem, and see if you can resolve it? I'm sure IE8's rendering engine will have only marginal changes, so the site has to change.

(And no, IE8 is a stayer. It's been extremely good to me. And LYN looks nicer.)

Phenom 45nm: A Sneek Peek + Benchmarks!

X.E.D — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:57:26 +0800

http://www.hardspell.com/doc/hard/79571.htm

Only in Chinese now, but I have to speak up on a little stuff:

This revision of Deneb (Phenom 45nm) is suspected to be spun out before the current Phenom 65nm processors you can buy (The 9X50 versions). Thus, it is suspected that these chips have the TLB Errata bug. Do not take any performance numbers too seriously in this review, as they should improve with C1 (still sample chip) and C2 (production, if no big problems, the one you will see in stores) steppings.

However there's one very interesting aspect that probably will not change:

First one is idle, second one is load. Half the power shaved. (ikanayam? )

Any idea where I can get

X.E.D — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:42:48 +0800

As title noted. Most shops sell only watercolor/postercolor (yikes)

Or at least, if not available online, sold in Melaka?

Had my first try with Acrylics and I have to say I'm impressed.

AMD 790FX/GX + SB750

X.E.D — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:49:15 +0800

First 790FX + SB750 by Foxconn, not too good looking but sure as hell great featured for HTPC and also enthusiasts.

http://www.tweaktown.com/news/9526/foxconn...fe_790fx_board/

4 PCIes maxxed, not so good colors, but best news out of this is the AMD Overdrive Extreme (Overdrive v3) compared to the current Overdrive v2. More tricks for better Phenom overclocking?

Prices should be in between RM500-700. Even the Foxconn MARS isn't expensive, and the most feature filled 790FX (SB600) MSI K9A2 Platinum just costs RM5XX nowadays.

This IS the board (or rather more broadly, chipset) you want if you're using an Athlon X2 right now and will be switching to a 45nm cheap Phenom.
I'd expect we'd see a LOT more manufacturers use SB750 and 790FX/GX and showcase them at Computex 2008 so stay tuned.

----

QUOTE

While the AMD OverDrive (AOD) software still needs work, we were told, the overclocking support is much improved and is now claimed (by vendors, we didn't speak to AMD) to be better than that of Nvidia chipsets.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/06/06/am...b750-pictured/1

The Slip [Halo 27]

X.E.D — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:36:58 +0800

Tried finding here, but to no real avail.

http://theslip.nin.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slip_(album)

Unlike Ghosts, The Slip is a much better representation of Trent's "newer" sound and the direction he's going. Nothing is absolutely loud like the days of The Fragile, PHM or Downward Spiral, and Slip seems to take on a more melodic, ambient, and sometimes discotheque-friendly soundspaces.

In other words, Trent Reznor might has no moar emo. Download (very fast) and listen for yourself.

T-shirt urgent help!

X.E.D — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:38:12 +0800

Actually it isn't me, but a pal who's asking for help.

A design given to her was terrible in practical consideration- it was painted using markers, with multiple strokes, there is NO WAY you can actually get it to print in the traditional method with "plastisol" inks (the plastic, several colour printing ones).

Because the design is darn personal (and quite good I might say), we're considering other methods.

1. How about direct to garment?
2. Dye sub printing?
3. Any other tries?

I need to know about average costs, time needed and availability. The service has to be in Melaka though...

Thx in advance.

[R3D] Assassin's Creed - First DirectX 10.1 title?

X.E.D — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:03:31 +0800

http://www.rage3d.com/articles/assassinscreed/

If you're lazy:

Better AA, faster AA for DX10.1 cards on Vista SP1, which means all Radeon 3XXX series cards.

It's incredibly surprising to see this come from Ubisoft (Montreal), as Splinter Cell Double Agent (which used an earlier version of this engine) and Rainbow Six: Vegas 1 (Unreal 3) were bad PC ports.