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Intel's Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 overclocked to 5.5GHz
Right, so Intel's 3.73GHz Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 is fast enough for the vast majority of PC users across the globe, but not for Japanese overclocking enthusiast duck. Oh no -- duck decided to pair the chip up with ASUS' ROG Rampage II Extreme motherboard, which facilitates hardware-based OC'ing, in order to reach a top speed of 5510.09MHz. The point of the exercise? Just to say he could, not to mention set the bar for OC Team Italy to try and demolish.
Thomson's ViBE encoders enable 50% faster HD channel changing
Look, 1.9 seconds to change the channel is way, way too long people -- we all know that. Thankfully, the bright engineers at Thomson realize it too, and that's why they've cranked out some seriously awesome advances to their ViBE encoders. The new "fast zapping solutions" enable 50% faster high-definition channel changing, and the secret is in the fancy simultaneous compression that most users won't even notice. In essence, it allows the STB to "quickly decode and display a low resolution version of the channel and transition to displaying the full HD resolution version without disrupting viewing," and if all goes well, we could see this become the de facto way of channel surfing by 2009. Gnarly, dudes.
Winterblink on EVE Online's Quantum Rise expansion
Longtime players of EVE Online will be very familiar with the name 'Winterblink', or Michael Lastucka. He's the man behind years worth of contributions and commentaries linked to EVE, through the Warp Drive Active comic, the WDA podcast, and now he's a columnist at Massive Gamer Magazine as well.His latest column, "Quantum of Polish" looks at the recent EVE expansion deployment and how it's changed the game. Lastucka points out some of the user interface changes that he finds beneficial. Visual representation of module cycles provide greater understanding of what's happening and weapon grouping allows players to switch between ammo types, and have a single 'fire' icon as well. But there's clearly more work to be done in terms of weapon/turret effects and some aspects of the UI, in order to reduce lag and improve performance.
MSI Wind v1.09 BIOS update makes overclocking easy
We've long since known that MSI was a fan of overclocking. After all, just about every last one of its gaming notebooks come with one-button OC'ing courtesy of the Turbo Drive Engine technology. Now, it seems that the company is giving the spoils once reserved for the Crysis crowd to those with netbooks, or more specifically, the Wind. The freshly released (and absolutely official) v1.09 BIOS update enables simple overclocking by mashing Fn+F10, giving users the ability to push things 8%, 15% or 24% beyond their normally specified limits. Electric Feel over at ElectricVagabond has found that the update provides up to a 30% boost in performance, which he claims is quite noticeable in processor-intensive apps like Photoshop. You know you're dying to give your Wind a little lift, so hit the via below for the step-by-step of getting this installed.
Comcast gets serious about DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts
Alright Minneapolis, you've had your fun. Now it's time for another swath of Comcast markets to indulge in the lavish joys that only DOCSIS 3.0 can provide. For those unaware, the aforesaid technology enables 50Mbps internet to be delivered over the cable company's infrastructure, which brings it up to speed (ahem) with offerings by fiber-based carriers Verizon and AT&T. In the next few weeks, the DOCSIS 3.0-based "Extreme 50" option will bring 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up to subscribers in parts of New England, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Better still, the company announced its intentions to bring the $139.95 per month service to ten other big markets where it will reach "about 10 million homes and businesses in the next few months." Oh, and if that's just too much intarwebz for you to handle, an "Ultra" 22Mbps downstream service will be available for $62.95 per month.[Via Reuters, image courtesy of TheRedWoodMotel]
15 Minutes of Fame: PvE players on a speeding frenzy
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about. This subject of this week's 15 Minutes of Fame officially rates a mere five minutes of fame – they just blast by that fast. Not that you'd have time to notice. Fusion-H of Turalyon (US) has zipped onto the record charts for speed runs of PvE instances, along with a growing number of U.S. and European guilds that are bored with taking things at the same old pace. Karazhan 11/11 53 minutes, 17 seconds -- Slashcry, EU Kazzak Zul'Aman 6/6 29 minutes, 27 seconds -- Pugnas Rache, EU Alleria Mount Hyjal 5/5 1 hour, 7 minutes, 20 seconds -- Showdown, EU Kazzak Black Temple 9/9 1 hour, 48 minutes, 15 seconds -- Clarity, EU Ravencrest Gruul's Lair 2/2 5 minutes, 57 seconds -- Fusion, US Turalyon Sunwell Plateau 6/6 2 hours, 15 minutes, 52 seconds -- Pugnas Rache, EU Alleria Heroic 16 5 hours, 21 minutes, 52 seconds -- Equinox Prophecy, EU Al´Akir It all started with a speed-run thread on the EU forums, where players devised set rules for 10-man, 25-man and all-heroic content. Then the speeding frenzy spread to the US servers. We caught up with Bazz, GM of Fusion, which holds the current record for clearing Gruul's Lair in a ridiculously brief 5 minutes and 57 seconds, for peek at how one of WoW's top speed-demon guilds makes short work of PvE instances.
Analogy explains PvP basics in EVE Online
PvP in EVE Online can take a while to become effective at, and there are a number of factors a player must consider -- both in terms of ship fittings and tactics used -- when engaging opponents. Speed, range, damage types, active tanking vs. passive tanking, when to engage and when to evade, are but a few things that need to be taken into account. Given this complexity, there are players in the game who've recognized that there's a real need for PvP instruction in the game and offer services to that end. Agony Unleashed stands as EVE's premier PvP school, regularly offering courses that show players how to use a given type of ship to its deadliest potential. Baka Lakadaka, of Agony Unleashed, has written a piece for EVE Tribune called "A Tale of Three Waterpistols" that could be useful to a newer player trying to get a handle on PvP in EVE. Check out his article for a look at how tracking, speed, and optimal range are interrelated in EVE, through the easily-understood analogy between children (of different sizes) shooting waterpistols at one another, and the relative strengths and limitations of different ship types.
XOHM roundup: WiMAX-enabled Aspire One, speed testing
Yesterday was a pretty big day for Sprint (along with a number of laptop manufacturers), as America's had its first major glimpse at widespread WiMAX. A few other tidbits lingering from the mayhem were the obligatory speed tests -- which were decidedly average -- and what's believed to be a prototype Aspire One with inbuilt WiMAX capabilities. Said netbook was residing within an Intel-branded van, and while it wasn't made clear if Acer had any plans of bringing such a beast to the commercial realm, the folks at Laptop found the WiMAX surfing to be respectable, but not mind-blowing, as the New York Times homepage took around 15 seconds to load completely. Mr. Dave Zatz was able to pull down around 4,600kbps (and 1,519kbps up) in an impromptu speed test, while Kevin over at jkOnTheRun only managed 3,435kbps down / 1,555kbps up. As always, YMMV.Read - Hands-on with WiMAX-enabled Aspire One Read - XOHM Speed Test IRead - XOHM Speed Test II
EVE Online live dev blog on speed balancing, Wednesday Oct. 8
CCP Games is bringing back live dev blogs for EVE Online, this week's will deal with speed balancing. Developers Greyscale and Fendahl will be on-hand this Wednesday, October 8th at 20:00 GMT to address player questions about these changes. The dev blog will last roughly an hour, and will take place in EVE, in the "Live Dev Blog" channel. If you're interested in getting your questions answered, you'll need to post in the thread linked to this live dev blog to get your questions on their list. Players are already firing away, asking if the speed changes are limited to the nano-nerf and adjustments of stasis webifiers/warp scramblers, or if more sweeping changes to game mechanics are on the horizon. If you want answers about the speed balancing, this is probably your best chance for the time being, unless CCP opts to come out with an updated dev blog following this event.
Comcast adding FX HD and SPEED HD to lineups
Apparently working out the details on the Big Ten Network squabble was just the beginning, since Comcast and Fox Cable Networks recently worked out a deal to add FX HD and SPEED HD. Already live in Chicago and in Pennsylvania, Multichannel News says the rollout should pick up momentum in the fourth quarter, with both 720p channels sliding onto HD basic tiers, so there shouldn't be much question whether you'll have it or not. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Wrecked and daily motorsports action in high definition will surely find a welcome place in many TV watching schedules.
SATA Revision 3.0 specification to double transfer speeds to 6Gbps
While not the most mesmerizing news to flow from 2008's Intel Developer Forum, this is a welcome piece for anyone who appreciates hasty transfers. The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) has announced that the partially complete SATA Revision 3.0 specification will eventually double data transfer rates to 6Gbps. This week's release gives the green light to developers to begin designing products based on said tech, though the finalized paperwork won't be ready until later this year. On a related note, the same consortium has announced the formal launch of its certified logo program, which will enable consumers to easily recognize when a product has passed SATA-IO interoperability testing and is a bona fide SATA 6Gb/sec-enabled device. Enough chatter -- wares, please?[Via SmallNetBuilder]Read - SATA 3.0 specificationRead - SATA-IO certification logo
Indilinx and Mosaid aim to squeeze 600MB/s out of SSDs
Indilinx just recently caught eyes with its Barefoot solid state drive controller, which has reportedly shown a read speed of 230MB/sec. Merely days later, it's already talking about the next best thing. Said firm, along with Mosaid, is preparing for a third-generation of the controller for the SATA 3 interface, which will provide a mind-boggling 600MB/sec. Unfortunately, no other details were provided, but just in case you were terrified that the internal drive you purchase in 2013 wouldn't transfer files any faster than the one you're using now, at least you've one less worry on your mind.[Thanks, Johnny]
Phat Loot Phriday: Torch of the Damned
We've been a little husky the past few weeks here at Phat Loot Phriday, so this week we're aiming to fix that, and get back to what this column is all about: gigantic spiky, glowy things that you can kill with.Name: Torch of the Damned (Wowhead, Thottbot, Retribution)Type: Epic Two-hand MaceDamage/Speed: 396-595 / 3.80 (130.4 DPS)Abilities: +51 Strength, +45 Stamina Improves crit strike rating by 38, improves haste rating by 50. Great for Paladins, and any other class that uses weapon damage for certain abilities. Warning: this gets into some deep math, and you guys know I'm bad at that, so expect to see some more number crunching in the comments. Basically, Seal of Command, a Ret Pally talent, gives a chance to add 70% of the weapon's damage to any normal attacks, and since most weapons trade off speed for damage (as in, the slower the weapon, the higher the damage), slow weapons are better -- you'll get more damage output when SoC procs. And since this weapon is very slow and very powerful, you'll get more damage overall out of Seal of Command. The Haste rating is also good for Paladins, not because it will help with Seal of Command (SoC is a procs-per-minute talent, so no matter how many times you hit, you can't get it to proc more often), but because it'll let you hit more often, which means more white damage. Any class that benefits from big swing damage (Windfury is awesome when it procs with a huge weapon like this) will love this mace. Oh, and anytime we mention a two-handed weapon, Matthew Rossi's eyebrow twitches until we mention Titan's Grip. Imagine seeing a Warrior wielding this baby... and something else at the same time. Yeah. How to Get It: Drops from the Essence of Anger, which is part of the Reliquary of Souls in the Black Temple (which, trivia for you, was influenced heavily by Sinistar, an old arcade game). Essence of Anger is the third phase, so get your 25 man raid up to that point, be one of those silly Ret Paladins (silly Paladins -- DPSing is for Hunters, Locks, Mages, and Rogues!), and spend your DKP or win the roll, whatever you need to do. Then you too can haul around this big purple spiky Mace, swinging it at will and bringing your enemies to their knees with just one proc.Getting Rid of It: You probably won't, for a while. But it does disenchant into a Void Crystal, and vendors will buy it back for 18g 43s 86c
Indilinx trumpets SSD controller with 230MB/sec read speed
With SSDs, there really is no "fast enough." In the never-ending quest for more speed, Indilinx has just introduced its Barefoot solid state drive controller with 90-nanometer process technology. Said device has reportedly shown the "fastest read speed (230MB/sec) of all the products currently available in the market and supports the capacity up to 512GB with multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash." Additionally, it plays nice with SATA 2.0 and flash memory from Samsung, Toshiba, Hynix and Intel / Micron. Sadly, mass production isn't scheduled until Q4 of this year, so now you can sit on that vanilla HDD even longer as you wait for the future to arrive. Ugh, what a tease.
EVE Evolved: Is EVE Online going soft?
EVE Online has always been regarded as one of the harshest MMOs on the market, with solid death penalties and a steep learning curve to its PvP. After five successful years, many players now fear that EVE's development has shifted in the opposite direction. It all started when the minutes of CCP's recent meetings with the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) were published on the official EVE forums. These notes showed CCP's position on the 27 separate issues the CSM brought to their attention. Discussion on the issues, ranging from Black Ops battleships to PvP aggression timers, was opened to the public exactly one month ago and CCP's position on them has been a topic of hot debate ever since.Controversy:Among the most controversy-laden issues on the table are two recent devblogs covering important balance changes slated for EVE's near future. The first major announcement was the infamous "nano nerf" that sparked off over 130 pages of highly charged debate. This was followed later by another devblog announcing major nerfs to suicide ganking. Combined with CCP Noah's recent comment suggesting that war declarations amount to griefing, many players are beginning to question the direction EVE's development is headed in.Is EVE Online starting to go soft? In this article, I ask whether the development direction of EVE has changed and examine what it means for the game's future.
Player and developer interaction in EVE Online
MMOs are constantly evolving games, from their earliest days as they're conceptualized to their final days when the servers shut down, forever. They evolve throughout their lifespan because they must. Players naturally pick up on ways to use the ever-changing game mechanics to best suit them, prompting the devs to either brand these tactics as an exploit or targeting them for rebalancing in a future patch. A case in point is the impending speed nerf in EVE Online, which is one of the biggest issues currently debated by EVE pilots. But do players have the right to be this angry when the developers change the game? Jim Rossignol argues this point in "EVE Online and the Big Nerf": "EVE is basically a ongoing symbiotic process... perhaps this means the developer has to make some unpopular decisions for the good of the process as a whole. The relationship between player and developer is not one of equals, nor is it always at its best when it is entirely amiable." Do you agree with Rossignol on this -- and does paying that $15 a month entitle MMO players to pressure devs to change the game to fit their playstyle, or should MMO developers keep the game balanced as they see fit?
The Daily Grind: How long should it take to reach the level cap?
Yesterday Blizzard revealed that World of Warcraft's recruit-a-friend program will undergo some big changes. One of those changes: if you group with a friend whose account was signed up because you invited him or her to play, you'll both receive experience at 300% the normal rate.Blizzard has already decreased the amount of XP needed to reach level 60. When Wrath of the Lich King launches, word has it that an even bigger slash will occur in the 60 - 70 range. How long will it take to 60, 70, or 80 now, we wonder? That probably depends on your personal playstyle. But the question of how long it ought to take to reach the endgame in an EverQuest/World of Warcraft-style MMO has been on our minds ever since Funcom made a statement about how many hours it wants people to invest to reach level 80 in Age of Conan.What's the sweet spot for you? Do you want to get there as fast as possible, or is the journey to the top the real attraction?
A look at EVE Online's combat basics
Jim Rossignol has become well-known in the game journalism scene, more recently as a regular contributor at RockPaperShotgun and the author of This Gaming Life. Along the way, he's become a veteran EVE Online player, and he's passing along some of that combat know-how to readers in a series of articles at Eurogamer. Rossignol is starting out slow with the first installment, easing readers into "the basic principles of killing people," but he'll progress to more advanced aspects of combat and conflict in EVE. Ultimately, he hopes to introduce players to the ambitions and tactics of New Eden's alliances, which can number well into the thousands of players.In 'combat basics', Rossignol relates the basic principles of combat in EVE Online to the standard groupings of damage, tank, crowd-control, and healer that most MMO gamers are familiar with from other titles. He notes that these combat roles are quite different in EVE, as a given ship's module fittings give players a great deal of flexibility, but of course makes for a more complex PvP system. Rossignol touches on the idea that speed is king in EVE, and he's correct. Just keep in mind that the nano-era's days are numbered, a fact which Rossignol stresses as well. Have a look at Rossignol's combat basics, and his take on the ever-changing state of PvP in EVE Online. [Via CrazyKinux]
Speed kills
EVE Online has evolved into a game where being fast and agile allows you to choose your fights, dictate range and thus control the course of the battle, disengage whenever you choose, and often move so quickly that you're largely unassailable. However, the era of the nano craze will soon be coming to a close, according to EVE Online developer CCP Nozh. His latest dev blog addresses the insane velocities achievable, even by previously lumbering battleships, with combinations of speed modules, rigs, pirate implants and performance-boosting drugs. (For those less familiar with EVE or its more deviant aspects, you can in fact use and sell drugs in the game.) CCP Nozh outlined the dev team's design goals in stemming the speed crisis:
Texas Memory breaks records, budgets with blisteringly fast RamSan-440 storage device
Texas Memory has been around longer than most of you readers have been alive (or so we're told by our resident omniscient overlord), but it's been quite awhile since it was talked about freely in the same breath as WD, Fujitsu, Samsung, et al. Now, however, the company is making the rounds once more thanks to its "record setting" RamSan-440, which provides between 256GB and 512GB of RAM-based SSD storage, 600,000 IOPS, 4,500MB/sec random sustained external throughput and latency under 15-microseconds. The entire rig arrives in a 90-pound 4U rack-mount enclosure and claims to be "the first SSD to use RAIDed NAND flash memory modules for data backup." Chances are, you were already bracing to hear a pretty ludicrous figure when it comes to pricing, but $150,000 for the 256GB edition and $275,000 for the 512GB iteration? Please -- we'll take a Lightning GT, thanks.[Via DailyTech]
