This is sucky news for the workers at Dell factories still here in the U.S.

Michael Dell and his namesake computer firm blazed new trails in PC distribution early on by selling direct to customers, rather than selling through retail. This system allowed Dell to reap more profit that competitors at the time.

As the computer industry changed, Dell's once strong sales method began to flounder and eventually Dell had to go to retail channels to increase its market share. While selling through retail outlets helped Dell crawl out of the hole its direct sales methods were digging -- it wasn't enough.

Dell has announced that it is trying to sell its computer building factories around the world in an attempt to cut its manufacturing costs. The Wall Street Journal reports that Dell hopes to sell its factories in the next 18 months. Dell could also close other factories, as it already did in Texas.

Source: DailyTech

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our General Hardware forum!

Free download of Red Alert 1, and free Red Alert 2 with Pre-order Red Alert 3; Far Cry free with Pre-order of Far Cry 2:

EA has announced that the original version of Command & Conquer: Red Alert is now available for free download, partly in celebration of the game’s thirteenth anniversary but mainly to promote the upcoming Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – a title that many fans across the globe have been waiting to play for seven years.

You can head over to EA’s official page to download both the Allies and Soviets discs. Additionally, those who pre-order Red Alert 3 (due out next month) can download Red Alert 2 for free along with some other exclusive content. That means you can get all three PC games for about $50, so why not go back to where it all began before taking Red Alert 3 for a spin?

Both Red Alert 1 and 2 run only on Windows versions from 95 to XP, but the company says that you can find tips on getting them to work with Vista on various sites. In somewhat related news, Ubisoft is also offering a classic from their back catalog as a pre-order incentive, with the original Far Cry going for free to those who pre-order Far Cry 2 from its online store.

Source - Techspot.COM

Discuss in the PC Gaming forum HERE

Gravitron 2 is a retro arcade shooter with Thrust-like controls, where the objective is to destroy enemy reactors while saving as many scientists as you can before blasting off into space to complete a level. Keyboard, gamepad and mouse controls are all supported and can be reconfigured by accessing the options menu with the escape key while a game is in progress.

Source : blackened-interactive

A quick look through Intel’s updated price list (which was released over the weekend), shows a few bargain bucket additions to the list, reports ZDnet:

The first is the quad core Q8200 which comes in at $224. This is a 2.33GHz, 1,333MHz FSB piece which is based on 45nm architecture and comes fitted with 4MB of L2 cache (all the other Core 2 Quad processors are fitted with 6, 8 or 12MB of L2). The price puts the new Q8200 between two 65nm pieces - the Q6600 (2.4GHz, 8MB L2, 1,066MHz FSB, $193) and the Q6700 (2.66GHz, 8MB L2, 1,066MHz FSB, $266).

Another addition is a dual core piece - the E5200. This is a 2.5GHz, 2MB L2, 800MHz FSB processor based on 65nm technology. At $84 this is the cheapest Core 2 Duo offering.

Also released is a new Celeron D. The Celeron D 450 is a 2.2GHz piece. This is prices at $53 and is the fastest Celeron D in the Intel lineup.

Source ZDNet Blogs

Discuss in our General Hardware forum HERE

More competition in this market segment is a win win situation for the consumer.

News of Dell's first foray into the netbook market has been floating around for months now, and it looks like the wait is finally coming to an end. According to InformationWeek, Dell says the Inspiron 910 will see the light of day this week.

The PC maker has fallen short of revealing details, but seeing as it already published official photos way back in May, we'll forgive the recent silence. Besides, a specification sheet that popped onto gadget sites last month tells us much of what we need to know.

Source: The Tech Report

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our General Hardware forum!

AMD definitely seems to be getting back on track once the 45nm processors are released.

Advanced Micro Devices plans to dramatically expand the family of processors with more than two processing engines next year, when it ramps up production of chips using 45nm process technology. In fact, the company has no plans to develop more single-core processors for desktops.

Apart from code-named Deneb and Deneb FX processors for high-end and premium class processors, AMD plans to release code-named Propus, Heka, Rana and Regor chips for mainstream and entry-level processors. All the chips are intended for AMD’s new socket AM3 platforms, therefore, have some advantages over predecessors in addition to 45nm process technology as well as micro-architectural improvements.

AMD’s Propus is a quad-core processor with dual-channel DDR2/DDR3 memory controller and without L3 cache, Heka is a triple-core chip with shared L3 cache and DDR2/DDR3 memory support, Rana is a triple-core central processing unit with DDR2/DDR3 memory controller without L3 cache, whereas Regor is a dual-core processor with 1MB L2 cache per core and DDR2/DDR3 support.

Source: X-bit Labs

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Processors & Overclocking forum!

I won't be jumping to get a $1000 processor, but it should hopefully bode well for those enthusiasts who are interested.

Advanced Micro Devices plans to return its premium class FX-series processors to the market sometime in the middle of next year. The question is whether the new central processing units (CPUs) will truly be capable of successfully competing against rivals.

AMD Athlon 64 FX processors were first release back in 2003 to address the market of computer enthusiasts and gamers, however, when Advanced Micro Devices lost its performance crown on the x86 chip market in 2006, the firm had to cease production of “FX” parts since they were not competitive against Intel Corp.’s products. There were no new “FX” chips in 2007 and in 2008, but AMD hopes that in mid-2009 the “FX” will return.

The code-named Deneb FX microprocessors that are projected to be launched sometime in the middle of next year will feature four processing engines, shared level-three cache, dual-channel DDR2 (up to PC2-8500, 1066MHz) and DDR3 (up to PC3-10666, 1333MHz) memory controller, according to sources with knowledge of AMD’s plans. The new chips are projected to utilize AM3 form-factor, which means better system flexibility.

Source: X-bit Labs

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Processors & Overclocking forum!

Iji is an action-packed platform shooter that features a detailed story, large levels with multiple paths, powerful bosses, and lots of secrets. There are alternate gameplay events, dialogues, and scenes that change depending on your actions. Iji, the protagonist, has superhuman strength and abilities which she can upgrade. She can fight with Nanotechnology, crack systems, and even use her enemies' most devastating weapons against them.

Source : tigsource

After years of talk about a web browser, Google's finally gone ahead and made one.

Yes, you read that correctly. Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is taking a major swipe at its competitors with the imminent launch of Chrome, a new Web browser based on Webkit. Thus marks the beginning of a new phase in the browser wars.

Source: Information Weekly

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our General Software forum!

New price drops for AMD processors:

A press-release just entered my mailbox from AMD, they have lowered priced on their most popular processors. Quite significant price drops I might add and involves the AMD Athlon X2, AMD Phenom X3 and AMD Phenom X4 desktop CPUs:

(This listing reflects pricing for direct AMD customers in 1000-unit quantities, in US dollars, without local taxes)

AMD: With these price reductions AMD has taken steps to significantly enhance the price/performance of our CPU portfolio and make high-performance AMD Phenom Quad-Core and Triple-Core processors accessible to a wider audience of mainstream PC users.

With this aggressive move, AMD is putting lead-edge microprocessors in hands or more users than ever before and providing an optimal foundation for a balanced platform experience when combined with the AMD 790 FX/GX chipset and ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics processors. In addition, with the recent addition of the SB 750 Southbridge to AMD 790 series chipsets users can enjoy an enhanced overclocking experience with AMD’s Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) capabilities. The ACC feature enables increased headroom and stability when overclocking AMD Phenom CPUs and allows users to further exploit the performance potential of these tremendous products.

With these price reductions AMD is giving users more flexibility than ever before to design platforms with the optimal balance and spend their hard-earned money in the areas that best benefit their PC experience – whether it be gaming, HD multimedia, multi-tasking or a balance of all of the above.

Source - Guru3D

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Processors & Overclocking forum!

Security fixes for the Host OS based VMware products:

VMware just released a minor update for a number of products:

• Server 1.0.7 (build 108231) - Free Download
• Workstation 6.0.5 (build 109488) - Trial
• Player 2.0.5 (build 109488) - Free download
• ACE 2.0.5 (build 109488) - Trial

The reason behind this update is fixing four security vulnerabilities.

It’s unclear how severe these vulnerabilities are as the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database doesn’t provide yet extensive details about them, but three of them allow attackers to run arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Update the products as soon as possible.

Update: It seems that also the new Server 1.0.7 build is still vulnerable to CVE-2008-3697.
This flaw in the VMware ISAPI extension for Microsoft IIS allows remote denial of service, so avoid to expose the Server web console outside the corporate LAN until a new fix is available.

Source - Virtualization.Info

Discuss in out Operating System forum HERE

Its full release may still be some time away, but the overall design decisions and feature set for the latest iteration of Microsoft's DirectX API are now set in stone, and the company have recently been evangelising the benefits of DirectX 11 to developers at a number of events. But what will DirectX 11 bring to the table for the average gamer or graphics enthusiast? In this article, Elite Bastards take a high-level look at just what new and improved functionality DirectX 11 should have to offer over its predecessors.

So, with DirectX 10 and 10.1 improving so much in Microsoft's eyes, where do they head next with the API?

In short, by building upon DirectX 10 by making DirectX 11 a superset of its functionality, adding in some new features (which we'll be looking at in this article) while improving scalability, performance, and the ease of development for the platform. Perhaps most important of all (considering the controversy of DirectX 10 being Windows Vista only) is the news that DirectX 11 will be available on both Windows Vista and any next-generation version of Windows, and will run quite happily on DirectX 9 and 10 hardware - Indeed, DirectX 10 graphics board owners might even gain some benefits from the move to DirectX 11, as we'll discuss later.

Read the full article at Elite Bastards.

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our General Software forum!

You have one month to find another broadband provider.

Starting October 1st customers of Comcast's residential data services will have an invisible barrier on their monthly data usage. Under the new guidelines of Comcast's Acceptable Use Policy that cap is now set at 250 GB per month, per account.

Users who go over the limit will get a courtesy call from Comcast's customer service for the first instance. However, under the new policy a second time offense means their service is immediately terminated and suspended for an entire calendar year.

This story is from CNET.

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Networking forum!

If this released date is true I'm slightly bummed out, because I was really hoping for a Q4 release.

Advanced Micro Devices plans to announce its first desktop microprocessors produced using 45nm process technology on the 8th of January, 2009, the first day of Consumer Electronics Show. The code-named Deneb chips will not get truly high clock-speed boost, but will be able to offer substantially higher performance thanks to larger cache and architectural improvements.

Source: X-bit Labs

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Processors & Overclocking forums!

I know this news has been out there for a while, but I still think it is important to point out especially now that Nvidia has given a few more details on how SLI will be supported. These X58 chipset motherboards which get Nvidia certified for SLI will be a win win situation for enthusiasts as they will support both Crossfire and SLI.

NVISION — If you want to combine a pair of GeForce graphics cards with a new Core i7 processor from Intel later this year, you're in luck. Just after the grand finale for its Nvision conference, Nvidia gathered reporters to inform them of a somewhat surprising and apparently very recent decision: the firm plans to enable its SLI multi-GPU scheme to work with Intel's X58 chipset—without the need for an nForce 200 PCI Express bridge chip on the motherboard.

The fate of SLI support on the X58 chipset—intended for Core i7 processors, which are code-named "Nehalem"—has been a question mark for some time now. Nvidia has said that it won't be making chipsets that work with the Core i7's QuickPath Interconnect (QPI), and it had instead proposed that motherboard makers use its nForce 200 chip on their boards. The presence of that bit of Nvidia hardware would then make the mobo kosher for SLI support. However, the company said today that it realized such a silicon solution would limit SLI to a small number of very high end motherboards, effectively roping off SLI from the mainstream of the enthusiast PC market. Rather than be forced into that situation, Nvidia has elected to allow SLI on the X58 chipset—under certain circumstances.

Motherboard makers who wish to have their X58 boards certified for SLI will have to submit their products for testing in Nvidia's Santa Clara certification lab, and those boards must pass basic testing for functionality, slot placement, and the like. Certification will not be free, either. Board makers will have to select from a menu of licensing options available to them. Certified boards will also be required to display an "SLI Certified" logo on their boxes and other marketing materials.

Once a board is certified, Nvidia will provide the board maker with an approval key (called a "cookie") that it must embed in the system BIOS. The combination of this approval key and an X58 chipset will then unlock SLI support in Nvidia's ForceWare driver software. Nvidia acknowledged to us up front that users would more than likely hack the BIOSes of non-certified X58 boards and add "cookies" to them, but said it won't get in the way of such things. The certification program is intended for motherboard and PC makers, and end-users' actions don't appear to be a big source of concern.

Source: The Tech Report

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our General Hardware forums!

Download the new IE 8 Beta 2 while its hot. Click the link to download it.

Yesterday afternoon, a blogger at Microsoft-Watch put up a post asking readers whether they cared about Internet Explorer 8. That pretty much highlights the disinterest surrounding Microsoft's upcoming browser. Lack of excitement or not, though, Microsoft has just released the second IE8 beta.

You can grab IE8 beta 2 for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. Although the download only weighs in at 13-23MB depending on the version, Microsoft has packed in a surprising number of features, including the new "standards-compliant" rendering engine that debuted in IE8 beta 1.

In the features department, Microsoft touts new privacy functionality, a search box that shows suggestions and pictures, a dynamic "Suggested Sites" bookmark for users who don't know where they want to go today, "Web Slices" that let you subscribe to content within a page, and "Accelerators," which can serve up maps, translations, or dictionary definitions when you highlight a piece of text. There are many more smaller features, some of which look like they've come straight from Firefox 3—check out the IE8 tour for all the details.

Source: The Tech Report

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our General Software forum!

As part of our quest for speed in every aspect of PC use, we've seen the performance of modern hard disk drives ramp up over time alongside their increasing capacities. As with so many other components, these increases have also brought with them more pressing concerns over heat - Although most modern chassis offer good airflow over any hard disks as a priority, this isn't always the case with some older systems. If you're worried about cooling or airflow for your own 3.5" drives, then you might want to check out the pair of offerings under the spotlight at Elite Bastards today, in the form of Vizo's Orbiter and Voyager hard disk drive coolers.

Removing the Orbiter from its packaging, we can see the actual cooler itself properly. It's a pretty simple affair, consisting of that 60mm fan coupled with a mounting bracket to allow it to be screwed to the underside of any 3.5" hard drive, and a four-pin Molex connector to provide power to the cooler. Four screws are also provided to attach the cooler to the drive.

Installing the Orbiter is simplicity itself - Simply line it up over the top of the motor which drives the hard disk's platters (which is the part of the device which generates the most heat for obvious reasons), line up the screw holes on the Orbiter with those on the drive, and screw it in. Attach the Molex connector to a spare plug on your power supply, and you're done!

Read the full review at Elite Bastards.

I'm more disappointed on having the Bluetooth API being chopped out then Google Talk.

Google's new phone OS, Android OS, is backed by some of the industry's biggest players. While some carriers are reticent to the prospect of switching from their proprietary software, in which they have invested millions, Google brings much to the table with Android.

First Android is free. Secondly it provides a broad array of APIs to connect users to the internet and to perform graphical functions. Lastly, the OS comes with numerous Google programs, all free, such as Google Maps, GMail, and Google Docs.

However, with the release of the 0.9 beta SDK, an updated version of the OS's previewed SDK, Google unfortunately decided to cut out a couple of desirable features. Google acknowledged that both Google Talk, its popular IM program, and its Bluetooth API were on the chopping block.

Source: DailyTech

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Operating Systems forum!

Hopefully, the sell-off of the DTV business will help AMD out in the long run.

AMD and Broadcom have entered into an agreement that would net Broadcom AMD's Digital TV business. The deal will cost Broadcom $192.8 million in cash. Broadcom says that the acquisition still needs to get AMD shareholder approval and it hopes that the deal will be complete in Q4 2008.

For its $192 million, Broadcom will get AMD's full DTV product line including the Xilleon integrated DTV processor, complete turnkey reference designs, NXT receiver ICs, and the Theater 300 DTV processor. Broadcom will also get other processors that improve video playback performance with motion compensation, frame rate conversion, and scaling.

DTV processors and other intellectual property are not all the acquisition will get Broadcom. Broadcom will also be inviting all 530 of the AMD dedicated DTV personnel to join it as well as key managers and marketing personnel for AMD's DTV business.

Source: DailyTech

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our Multimedia Discussion and Technical Support forum!

Alex Kochis, a Microsoft senior product manager, spelled out the changes to WGA Notifications, the anti-piracy component that provides the messages and other on-screen prompts when the other half of the package, WGA Validations, detects a pirated operating system:

The update brings XP Professional's WGA experience in line with that of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), said Kochis. Specifically, pirated copies of the OS will display a black desktop that reverts to black after an hour if the user changes the background. Counterfeit copies will also show a permanent nag notice in the bottom right corner of the screen, and additional notices will appear regularly in the system tray.

Also changed is how WGA handles future updates.

"For new Notifications installations in Windows XP Pro, customers will also have a simple EULA to accept rather than an installation wizard," said a company spokeswoman in a follow-up e-mail. "This EULA has been modified to allow the anti-piracy validation control to auto-update itself for future releases."

The EULA, in fact, contains new language. "The updates or downloads are required for the proper functioning of this supplement and may be downloaded and installed without further notice to you," it reads.

The new no-notification also applies to any new install of future versions of WGA Notifications.

Windows XP Home, meanwhile, will retain the older WGA scheme.

Source - ComputerWorld

Discussion theread in Operating Systems Forum HERE

Well, a two week longer wait to kill zombies is not the end of the world or is it?

Remember when Valve said its zombie shooter Left 4 Dead was supposed to come out on November 4? Well, apparently there's been a little setback. Shacknews reports that Valve now intends to release the title on November 18 in North America.

News came from Valve's marketing chief Doug Lombardi, who pointed out that the release will coincide with the tenth anniversary of the original Half-Life. However, Lombardi clarified that Valve delayed the launch for "fine tuning" rather than mere pomp. Also, gamers in Europe will have to wait until November 21 to get their hands on the title.

Source: The Tech Report

Click HERE to discuss this topic in our PC Gaming forum!

Building your own PC system can be a very rewarding experience but, quite simply, it isn't for everyone. Whether it's down to a lack of time, not enough knowledge of the latest hardware to buy the best components, or simply a fear of having to put the whole thing together yourself, the reasons for picking up a pre-built system are numerous. Add to that the trials, tribulations, pitfalls and perils of overclocking your system, and you have yourself something else that you may well want to leave to someone else to worry about, leaving you to simply enjoy the finished product.

With these points in mind, Elite Bastards embark upon the review of a full system that answers all of these concerns, courtesy of UK-based reseller YOYOtech. As well as hand-picking and building a system using their knowledge of the latest hardware on the market, it also sports a substantial pre-configured BIOS-level overclock to increase performance some way beyond otherwise similarly specified systems, all for just £799.

Right from the off, you can pick out plenty to salivate about in these base specifications, from the use of Sapphire's Radeon HD 4870 graphics board through to a hefty overclock provided to Intel's quad-core Core 2 Q9300 CPU to boost performance, all enclosed within Antec's latest high-end Twelve Hundred chassis. Also offered up is an LG Blu-Ray drive (which also supports the now-defunct HD-DVD standard incidentally), meaning that you won't have any troubles playing the latest High Definition movie releases either.

One item worthy of note is that this system, priced as it is at £799 including VAT, features only what you see above, meaning that no keyboard, monitor, mouse or Operating System are provided, so you'll need to source all of these yourself. If you're looking to replace your current system with something new in one fell swoop (which is clearly the aim of this particular system) then none of these items should be an issue however.

Read the full review at Elite Bastards.

Treasures of the Ancient Cavern is a tale of fantasy, adventure and ancient magic

Solve tricky tile-matching puzzles as you travel through 90 increasingly challenging levels in many stunning locations! There are unique magic runes and power-ups to help you reach your goals!

Source + Demo : CasualGameplay

Inspired by the film, Righteous Kill follows the events surrounding a series of murders in New York City

Step into the shoes of Officer Erica Dean as she investigates crime scenes in the hunt for a vigilante who has taken to killing criminals known for perpetrating crimes against women. The initial evidence leads to the arrest of the primary suspect, Terry Collins. But more murders begin to take place after he is held in custody. Is someone committing copy-cat murders, or was the wrong man arrested?

Source + Demo : ClasualGameplay

A puzzle platformer that utilizes multi-character block/button puzzles

Visit 2 pulls together some surprisingly interesting stages that keep you clamoring for more. It's a surprisingly difficult game once you get a few levels under your belt.