7950GX2 Overclocking with Intel Conroe
I have finished building the -30C Chiller for my 7950GX2s and X1900XTs.
Just tested overclocking the 7950GX2:
Tests done on Intel XBX Motherboard with X6800 Conroe. With -30C Ethanol running through the waterblocks, 3C reported on GPU by Rivatuner:
So what kind of performance did I get? I pushed the GX2 to around 766MHz Core and 912MHz Memory. With Conroe @ 4.5GHz Tests, a bit more than 13,000 3D Mark 06 was acheived.
A quick look at the P8Z77-V range from Asus
At the launch of the 7-series chipset Asus is expected to have three different P8Z77-V models ready, the P8Z77-V, P8Z77-V Pro and P8Z77-V Deluxe. The differences between the three models are fairly subtle, yet theres enough difference that any potential buyer will have to pick carefully to get the right board.
Starting with the P8Z77-V were looking at a fairly loaded board straight away with a pair of x16 PCI Express 3.0 slots – dual x8 mode when both are in use – a single x16 PCI Express x16 slot – in x4 mode – two x1 PCI Express 2.0 slots and two PCI slots. Add the standard Intel SATA ports and two additional SATA 6Gbps, a USB 3.0 header and four USB 2.0 headers for eight ports and youve pretty much covered all the features.
At the back we have a PS/2 port, two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports – of which two are via an ASMedia controller – a Gigabit Ethernet port, 7.1-channel audio with S/PDIF out and a DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and D-sub connector. Theres also a space for one of Asus proprietary pin headers for one of its Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo cards, although this may or may not come with the board depending on the SKU/market.
The P8Z77-V Pro has only had a few minor upgrades, such as an additional header for a pair of extra USB 3.0 ports and a different VRM design. Were not entirely sure why youd go for the P8Z77-V Pro over the P8Z77-V considering the small differences, but well have to wait and see what the price difference is to before we can draw any real conclusions.
Moving up to the P8Z77-V Deluxe Asus has done quite a few changes. Gone are the PCI slots in lieu of two additional x1 PCI Express slots. The two extra SATA 6Gbps ports gains SSD caching and some of the USB 2.0 pin headers are gone and in their place we find power and reset buttons and a POST80 debug LED.
Around the back Asus has done some serious overhauling as this time around were looking at four USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 ports – again using ASMedia host controllers – two eSATA ports, a pair of Gigabit Ethernet ports – one via an Intel controller and one via a Realtek controller – 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out, a DisplayPort and HDMI connector and a clear CMOS button.
Overall a pretty solid line-up of boards from Asus and well be hitting the company up at Cebit to see what else they have lined up for the 7-series chipset launch, as well as all the other motherboard makers of course.
Accelero XTREME 4870X2 VGA Cooler Coming In March
ARCTIC COOLING launchesthe Accelero XTREME 4870X2 for the Radeon HD4870X2. The cooler isequipped with three 92mm PWM fans running from 1,000 to 2,000 RPM, generating 81 CFM airflow. The eight-heatpipe design can achieve 320 Watts cooling capacity. This product will be available by end of March 2009. The MSRP is US$68.30 and 53.95€ (excluding VAT).
Press Release :
(Pfäffikon/Switzerland, 18 February 2009) The Swiss low noise cooling solution provider ARCTIC COOLING today announced the launch of the Accelero XTREME 4870X2. Especially designed for the ATI Radeon HD4870X2, the Accelero XTREME 4870X2 follows the sophisticated design of the Accelero XTREME series, offering the best cooling solution for this high-end VGA card.
Extreme cooling performance
Outstanding cooling comes from outstanding components. The Accelero XTREME 4870X2 is equipped with three 92mm PWM fans running from 1,000 to 2,000 RPM, generating 81 CFM airflow which allows the fans to remove the heat from the two GPUs efficiently. The eight-heatpipe design also improves heat dissipation and achieves 320 Watts cooling capacity. The result is significant – the GPU temperature is 50°C lower tha n with the stock cooler. This enhances not only the overclock performance, but also extends the service life of your valuable graphics card.
Quiet cooling guaranteed
By using the low noise impeller and patented fan holder, the three 92mm PWM fans are incredibly quiet. Also thanks to the PWM function, the fans run just at necessary speed while offering sufficient cooling at the lowest noise level. Even running at full speed 2,000 RPM, the Accelero XTREME 4870X2 operates almost in silent with only 0.5 Sone of sound, creating a much quieter gaming environment beyond anyone’s imagination. The Accelero XTREME 4870X2 comes with a 6-year limited warranty. This product will be available by end of March 2009. The MSRP is US$68.30 and 53.95€ (excluding VAT).
Specifications
Dimensions : 295 L x 96 W x 54 H mm
Fan : 92mm x 3 fans
Fan speed : 1000 - 2000 RPM (controlled by PWM)
Air flow: 81 CFM / 138m3/h
Max. Cooling Capacity: 320 Watts
Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Weight : 680g
Patents : DE 20307981, US 7101149
Aeocool Unleashes XPredator Full Tower Case
Question : what kind of a movie features Uschi Digard, Rene Bond, and Marsha Jordan — and doesn’t have any of them, as Joe Bob Briggs would say, git nekkid?
If you answer is “a dull one,” or “one that doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing,” you’d be correct. You’d also be correct if you simply answered Swingers Massacre.
To be sure, director Ron Garcia’s 1975 subpar (at least on a purely aesthic level) exploitation effort, filmed back-to-back with Don Jones’ superior Abduction and featuring much of the same “talent” both in front of and behind the camera (be on the lookout for Jones regular Gary Kent as one of the swingin’ husbands in this one, for example — and I probably shouldn’t have put those quote marks around the word talent in the dismissive way I did given that Jones himself was the cinematographer on this one, with Garcia assuming those responsibilities on Abducted, and both are pretty good, and certainly well-respected, talents-minus-scare-quotes-to-imply-derision, with Garcia continuing to work as a cinematographer on mainstream prime-time network TV dramas like the new Hawaii Five-O to this day and Jones going on to direct much more fondly-remembered films than this one such as The Forest) is plodding, drawn out (105 minutes!), and hopelessly predictable — but don’t hold all that against it, because depending on your sensibilities, it’s also one of the downright sickest and most repugnant pieces of business you’ll ever come across, and for that alone, it’s certainly worth watching.
But first, a little plot background — and believe me when I say a little is all that’s needed. Charlie Tishman (Mikel Angel, here working under the impenetrably weird pseudonym of “Eastman Price,” and best known for his directorial work in the exploitation biz himself on such “roughie” softcore fare as The Psycho Lover) is an (apparently) successful criminal defense attorney in the Los Angeles area. He’s got money, status (the cops seems to actually like the guy, which isn’t a common thing when it comes to law enforcement and defense lawyers) and a loving-and-none-too-shabby-in-the-looks-department wife at home, Amy (Joyanne Mitchell, working pseudonymously here as well under the handle of “Jan Mitchell”). So of course he’s bored out of his mind. In between swigging down VO-and-7s (I counted him drinking at least a dozen of them over the course of the flick), he convinces the Mrs. that maybe trying out the local swingers scene isn’t such a bad idea and might jazz things up a bit as far as their love life goes. At first she’s reluctant, but after a few scenes of him doing nothing but prodding her on the subject, and a “love scene” that shows him getting on top of her and getting his rocks off in, I shit you not, exactly eight seconds, she finally agrees. You would too.
They hit a local night spot for the swingin’ set called, again I shit you not, Filthy McNasty’s (a bar that apparently even has its own theme song as the lame-ass band on stage there is playing a number called “Filthy McNasty”), meet up with some other local fun-loving couples (cue the appearances of Digard, Jordan, and Bond mentioned earlier — and again, I stress that while there is certainly a fair, though hardly copious,? amount of nudity in this flick, none of these three extremely-popular-at-the-the-time-and-all-damn-nice-looking ladies ever sheds her clothes in front of the camera — surely some kind of bizarre record, because I don’t think I’ve seen a single other film these women were in, either separately or together (and they often appeared in the same large-cast softcore productions in different scenes) where even one of them, much less all three, kept their assets concealed) and find themselves invited to a little private party at one of the couple’s homes. And that’s where the troubles begin.
That’s because the party is a big hit — but not for Charlie. Ya see, even though this whole swinging thing was his idea, once called upon to perform (geez, how’s that for putting things in the cleanest terminology possible), our guy Charlie’s junior member just can’t rise to the occasion. Amy, meanwhile, is the belle of the ball, getting down and dirty with all the guys and having, as she so demurely puts it afterwards, “a lovely time.” Soon, the other couples — guys and gals both! — are calling the Tishman home and asking for more and more of that good stuff Amy was serving up. At subsequent soirees, though, Charlie always has the same — uhhhmmm — issue : he just plain can’t get it up, while his wife is off having one “lovely time” after another.
So what’s a guy to do, I ask you? Charlie’s answer is a simple one — time to assume the role of impotent superman and kill all the guys who’ve fucked his wife. Again, even though this whole thing was his idea in the first place.
It all sounds like pretty standard stuff, doesn’t it? A mid-70s exploitation flick with an inherently anti-sex, pro-traditional-values message, in this case on the “evils” of wipe-swapping, disguised as a titillating softcore skin parade would certainly be nothing new, after all. But wait — didn’t I say this was one of the “most repugnant pieces of business you’re ever likely to see”? Why’s that? Do things get unexpectedly bloody when the killing starts or something? Nope, in fact the?murders themselves are nothing particularly special or memorable (and thanks to Apprehensive Films’ recent DVD release of this film, the ones that occur at night can barely be seen at all due to the shitty, unremastered “quality” of their full-frame transfer that seriously must be a direct-from-VHS job — there are no extras on the disc to speak of apart from a few (quite hastily assembled, by the look of things) trailers for other Apprehensive titles) in the least. But the tone director Garcia takes here — well, dear readers, that’s another matter altogether, and that’s where this film really strikes sleazy gold.
From the moment Charlie can’t get his prick to pop up (for Marsha Jordan, no less), it’s pretty clear that Ron G. wants the audience to both empathize with, and frankly to assume, the limp-dicked lawyer’s point of view! In her very first tryst with another guy (on the floor, how’s that for classy?), we’re “treated” to the movie’s de facto theme song, a lazily oozing little number called “Who Knows What Goes On Inside Amy?” (the movie itself was also released under the title of Inside Amy, which at first sounds a lot less prurient and sensationalistic than Swingers Massacre until you take a moment to really consider how that moniker would sound to patrons of the still-hanging-on-for-dear-life-at-the-time softcore theatrical market — “Yeah, I’d like to get Inside Amy, too!”) , the lyrics for which tell her (and, by extension, us) that it’s Amy herself who’s headed down the road to ruin, that she’d better get home and start being a housewife again, that the nasty, filthy fantasies inside her head are going to tear her loving?marriage apart — as if all this shit were her fault! Hell, once Charlie starts killing, he’s just doing what any normal, red-blooded American guy who’s wife has had a fair number of strangers’ pricks in her would do, right?
Weird?as that may sound, especially given (and this is the last time I’ll bring this up, I promise!) that the whole idea of fucking around with other “good-time” couples was cooked up not “Inside Amy” but “Inside Charlie,” that’s exactly the editorial viewpoint that Garcia assumes with the rest of this flick.? It doesn’t take long for the cops investigating the case to realize the common thread that unites all the murder victims that have come their way in the last few days, and once they do it’s just a matter of doing a little more dot-connecting before the trail leads them right to the Tishman household, but this enitre time it’s pretty clear that the director’s sympathies lie with the killer, even when (stop right here if you don’t want the ending given away) Amy guns her husband down while he’s attacking her during the film’s climax (which is about as exciting as one of Charlie’s probably is to his wife given that the script telegraphs the fact that there are guns in the home via police radio a few minutes earlier) — she’s the one who wanted to step out on her old man, and he’s a martyr to her insatiable sexual desires. Or something like that. Who the hell wrote this script — Rick Santorum?
So what we’ve got here goes well beyond the simple anti-sex, puritanical messaging inherent in so many exploitation flicks that market themselves as being transgressive, footloose, and fancy-free. This crosses the line from being anti-pleasure into being straight-up, and muscularly, anti-women, in a way that even the most transparent slasher flick that kills all the girls who like sex while having the virgin save the day and be the sole survivor never could. You’d certainly never get away with anything this stridently patriarchal, not to mention openly afraid of female sexuality, today — which is probably for the best, I suppose. But seeing such retrograde attitudes displayed so openly and without pretense definitely makes Swingers Massacre an interesting viewing experience, even if it’s by no stretch of the imagaination, or definition of the term, a good one.
Get back in the kitchen, ladies — or it’ll all end in tears!
A few more details out on Alienware M17x R4 gaming notebook
More info is out on Alienwares next invasion of gaming notebooks, particularly pertaining to the upcoming M17x R4 this time thanks to a source tied in very closely with Dell.
The M17x R4 is a 17.4-inch sized laptop and is said to arrive with three display options available - HD+ (1600 x 900), Full HD (1920 x 1080) and Full HD with 3D capabilities. Further is the claim of eDP (embedded DisplayPort) being used for this gaming notebooks LCD communication.
The Alienware M17x R4 will be packed with an Ivy Bridge based processor and its discrete GPU options will comprise a Radeon HD 7970M and a couple of NVIDIA choices; the GeForce GTX 660M or GTX 675M. There was also a mention by the source of it launching with two color schemes - black and red.
Were still no closer to obtaining a definitive release date, only that it is most probable to arrive sometime during Q2.
Source: dell-lab.posterous.com
"Siri, start the car."
Apple iPhone 4S Siri represents an advancement of voice activated functionality with a human touch. With a bit of tweaking, however, it can do more than just reschedule your meetings and send text. A recent video footage reveals that it is possible to request Siri to process basic automobile functions such as unlocking the car, starting the engine, and opening the trunk after some major modification on the iPhone 4S.
A short quotation from the developer’s blog follows:
“The “Siri Proxy” plugin I wrote handles interaction with a PHP script that runs on my web server. The PHP script, which I developed months ago for personal use, allows me to send commands to my car which has a Viper SmartStart module installed … Current commands accepted are: “Vehicle Arm”, “Vehicle Disarm”, “Vehicle Start”, “Vehicle Stop”, “Vehicle Pop Trunk”, and “Vehicle Panic”.”
Evidence such as this simply shows that the remarkable envisioned potentials of Siri are already within reach, and it is merely a choice for Apple to officially implement them. However, those who are familiar with the ways of the Cupertino company may expect the typical reaction of closing the security gap that allows for such modifications instead.
For those who need to see to believe, here’s the video:
Source: The Next Web
