First NewEgg poke by a competitor

A few days ago, popular tech site HardOCP posted an article that showcased an issue where a forum member received a "fake" Intel Core i7 920 processor (same one I have here).

Obviously this really set a media firestorm due to perhaps some (possible) quick conclusions\confusion that eventually led to some ceast and desist orders (which are now understandable - since most of the facts have been brought to light).

NewEgg (as expected) has stepped up and seems to have done their very best to both fix things with their customers (aka they didn't pull a Toyota), and it seems is cooperating with an investigation (and termination) of its (former) supplier.

All's well ends well right?

Well you know it's all good when your competitors have a little fun at your expense.

Wanted to share what I got in my email inbox today... ;)

SuperBiiz is a pretty good site (I've bought my hdds and a few graphics cards from them - they usually have killer deals on GPUs!). It is awesome that the industry knows how to have fun. Though let's just hope that another company won't get a new egg in the face (Duh Dum Dish!). :)

Microsoft Sidewinder X8: First impressions

Sidewinder X8 mouse

So far, I can say that I really like this mouse. It is nice and big (which is good for my somewhat larger hands). I have to say that I am somewhat partial to the vertically oriented back and forward buttons, but to be honest, I am so happy to have a forward button once more! (Logitech G5/7 didn't have one - stupidly).

Software was painless to install and no real tacky interface like Logitech's SetPoint software. Very integrated with Windows mouse properties (surprise surprise?).

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mouse pretty much worked real well in Ubuntu Linux. Even the on the fly sensitivity buttons below the scroll wheel worked really well (wonder if it is stored in the mouse).

Battery life has been amazing. I haven't had to charge it since I first fully charged it on Wednesday afternoon (it is now Saturday afternoon).

I'll probably whip up a proper review on TechARP and give a link back for my readers.

Time for a new mouse

Input devices.

What are they you ask?

They are the gateway to the wondrous machine before you. (I mean how else are you pondering upon this humble nook in the internets?) Keyboards and mice (commonly, though not limited to it). Basically anything that you, um, well input into the computer (biometric devices, light pens and tablets, et al). Until they invent something that you can hook up to your brain to use your computer, then everything else you use to interface could be classified as an input device (technically speaking, when they day does arrive, the thinga-ma-bob that hooks up to your noggin would still technically be an input device).

Again, since everyone uses it, I find it surprising that a lot of people do not really pay all too much attention to it. I mean really. Even for the most hardcore pc upgraders, there still are a few 'constants' (by constants, I mean things that don't get cycled out every 6-12 months - hey that's ages in our world).

I personally invest a great deal of time, effort, and cash on my input devices. Of them, I have long since been a devout Logitech user. Infact, I have never used anything but Logitech (they should so <3 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logitech_G15">Logitech G15 keyboard and my G7 mouse has been in service for quite a few years. Alas my G7 has started to become finicky (it apparently has developed a hobby of not responding - believe me when I tell you that it is super frustrating regardless on desktop or in game). When that happens, I have to start turning the mouse off, ejecting the battery, and disconnecting the dongle (in no particular order) until it starts working. If I am on desktop, then I will have to navigate (via keyboard) to the Logitech connection utility (which sometimes works). For more severe bouts, a restart usually takes care of it. All remedies are annoying (surprise surprise?).

So alas I have given up and was in search of a source of pointing device dpi heavenly goodness. My first obvious choice was of course the Logitech G9. However, the looks really didn't jive that well with me. I loved the kidney shape of the old Logitech mice (MX5xx/G5/G7). So instead, I settled for a Microsoft Sidewinder x8 (HERESY I know). It seemed to have exactly what I needed (large sized mouse, wireless, convenient charging, a forward and backwards scroll button and DPI adjustment). Can't wait for it to arrive and start tinkering with it. And maybe *gasp* I will write a review on it (haven't really written an 'actual' article for a while).

We'll see.

Stay tuned for this Wednesday!

CNBC's quality of tech reporting?

I happened to stroll around the internet (as I tend to do with my free time - which I have had a lot of lately) and I ran across this.

All I can say is ZOMG.

CNBC would get a way better deal if they hired me as a 'Bureau Chief' (at least I know my stuff - ESPECIALLY before presenting it to people).

I have a long exhibited stance to 'fanboys' (I generally pity them for their inability to really see things they way they are and instead choose to grovel around in misinformation like they stand to gain something - lol what do you gain exactly apart from being annoying to those around you). Apple/Mac Addicts are by far the most extreme version of this (if you lumped all of the Intel/AMD, NVIDIA/ATI, Xbox/Playstation fanboys together in one boat, you wouldn't even be close to the disciples of Apple). Now I don't generalize. I know a lot of people who love Apple but don't force it down everyone's throat and from my personal observation, these people also possess a strong technical knowledge (aka have solid reasons instead of the FUD). And personally, I don't mind them. Heck, I actually like hanging around people who know their stuff regardless what it is.

But then you have the other 98% of Mac Addicts who don't know squat and act like they are the Scientologists of the tech world.

Some facts I would just like to put out there.

1) I can right click.
2) Contrary to popular belief, Macs now USE PC PARTS (Welcome to Intel and the x86 world people - it only took you guys how long? sick of PowerPC?).
3) I can run Excel Macros... :p
4) I can run Photoshop x64 (and no silly, it DOES NOT come with MACs - stupid doofus CNBC)
5) I use something that ~90% of the people who use computers are familliar with (file extensions, formats, layouts)

Now let's dissect some of the 'tidbits' of umm err 'info' that Jim Goldman provided us with.

Norton Anti-Virus: $50/year
Multimedia Software: $80-$104
Photoshop: $140
Video Editing: $100
Music Software: $100
Geek Squad Visit: $129

Let's take this line by line.

Anti-Virus: There are other GOOD and FREE AV software out there. Avast! (they have a Mac version too) and AVG (no Mac versions) are two that come immediately to mind. Given that some people don't really know about free software (but hey, that's why I hope they read this blog huh).
Multimedia Software: Like what? Windows Live? These things are expected of OS'. Heck even Ubuntu Linux has some bundled in.
Photoshop: Since when did Mac's come with Photoshop?
Video Editing: Tons of free stuff out there. Heck Movie Maker comes bundled.
Music Software: I just so happen to be a big Audio enthusiast. I use Exact Audio Copy to rip my music to FLAC and user Foobar2000 to play it in Windows. BMPx in Linux. Mac people can keep their iTunes. Hmm oh yeah, they were free and not available on Macs.
Geek Squad: Geek Squad sucks. No sugar coating it. Plus we have this thing called a warranty. Who the hell builds in a price variable as part of this anyways? I have an ancient laptop (~6 year old Banias core Pentium M) on my desk that runs Ubuntu like a champ. NEVER needed squat. Wasn't even from that good of a laptop builder too.

Jim also mentioned 'Intangibles' (apart from his lack of tech knowledge I guess):

Laptop Weight
Battery Life
Faster Chip
High-Res Screen

Now anyone who knows even a little incy-wincy shred of PC knowledge will know that this is all a big generalization. Weight and Life varies with the Laptop and hardware. Your Mileage May Vary. YMMV. Faster Chip? Oh you mean Intels which PCs have been running from the start (Apple finally wisened up and ditched PowerPC). So in other words, Macs HAVE BECOME PCS. Revelation!? Yes Apple folks, you now use what PC people use. The only thing different is, you pay way more for it! So essentially, Macs have become PCs. And no, Apple does NOT manufacture anything. They outsource it to OEM builders (Asus, Foxconn, et al) which... builds PCs (and their parts)! So you really can't talk too much about build quality as its all Taiwanese. High-Res Screen? Puh-leez. Everyone knows they can custom pic what screen they want when customize their laptop build (hmm foreign idea?) If you don't like the resolution, move on to the next PC laptop. Waste of everybody's time (well ~90% of us anyways).

Disgusting video that is full of retardation below (warning: may cause dizzyness, upset stomachs, diarrhea, migranes, ED, Herpes, +/-40 IQ (depends on invididual - hey stupid people can make other people feel smarter), compulsive urge to spill coffee over individuals using laptops that has a certain fruit on the lid at your local Starbucks/Coffee Shop, and various other small issues.



UPDATE:
More research on this 'Jim Goldman, Silicon Valley Bureau Chief' (aka Sad Epic Apple Fail Guy) sucks period. LINKAGE for teh PWNage.

This also brings up why I personally dislike Apple as a company. Sure their products can be pretty at times, but the company as a whole is abusive. Abusive policies, forcing formats down people's throats, and loyal zealots that follow them. Heck, they aren't even a green company (consistently ranked amongst the worst - makes me wonder if there are any Apple environmentalists out there :) ). I am proud to be 100% Apple clean (none of their extra shiny hardware, none of their retarded software). :)

One more thing. Before people start calling me a 'Windows' fan boy, I am not (I am actually typing this on my Ubuntu Laptop - Aha!). Though being a Microsoft Fan Boy would be infinitely better than being a Mac-addict/zealot, I would actually rephrase that. I am merely a humble Anti-Mac (and *gasp* I have actual valid reasons - no Mac people, 'just cuz' isn't a real reason). (I have a wider cone of interest). :)

5.1 Audio on X-Fi via SPDIF out to A/V Receiver

Fairly recently, I had a reasonably good Sony A/V Receiver passed down to me (a perk of having a somewhat tech savvy dad haha). With that, I was happy that I could finally move on to a full digital output (as well as hook up my misc other stuff like my HD Satellite decoder, PS3, and Xbox 360) and use my HDTV as a monitor only.

However, I was dismayed that the way SPDIF out works on all Soundblasters is that if the source of the audio isn't encoded in Dolby/DTS (and their many types), then I would only get Stereo audio only. Needless to say, I found this somewhat disappointing as not all games have audio in that format. After a lot of tweaking, I at least managed to get Foobar2000 to playback to my satisfaction (I am INSANELY picky on audio lol). But still, it didn't solve my gaming experience.

So after a while, I found out that there was this thing called Dobly Digital Live / DTS Connect. DDL/DTS Connect pretty much encodes audio on the fly over a single SPDIF connection (ZOMG YAY). However, it is only enabled by default for the latest X-Fi card (Titanium) and the Auzentech Prelude cards (ultra high end X-Fis). I further found out that there was someone who managed to hack that feature (aka re-enabling). Though it seems that I am a bit too late as the drivers have been pretty much removed. Plus I read that there are some bugs for the X-Fi implementations (pfft). Fortunately (well semi fortunately), I found that Creative offered 'unlocks' for this feature for most of the 'normal full' X-Fi cards (I bet people were PISSED that they knowlingly disabled a feature of the card). It's called the Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect Pack. It pretty much allows you to encode all audio into DDL or DTS to a digital output so you can enjoy 5.1 audio. Now the keyword is DIGITAL. If you are just using the three analog outputs at the back fo the card, save your $4.72 as you won't be needing this.

Encoder window

So how was it? Well rather surprisingly, it actually works. Kinda surprising for something that came from Creative. I am using DTS Interactive (I personally prefer DTS over DD) and it sounds awesome! The audio in game is soooo awesome. One thing is that it gets pretty loud (had to turn down the volume). But hey, 5.1 is 5.1. At least I see all six speakers detected on my A/V Receiver now instead of 3. Supposedly, it uses CPU power for the encoding but I didn't see any abnormal CPU usage in game (then again, my CPU is overclocked quite a bit).

5 bucks well spent.

Random Linux HDD Benchie

Hmm.

So, on a tech forum that I frequent, I had someone post a question regarding his HDD performace. He interestingly gave two results. On via HD Tach (no workie on Vista), and the second one using 'hdparm' on Linux (TADAA).

Well since I was teh bored amongst other things, I decided, why not give it a whirl (using my embedded snazzy Ubuntu Command Line of course!)...

RAID 0 with 3ware 9650SE-2LP & 2 WD 250GB RE3 drives (RAID Edition):
Timing cached reads: 20318 MB in 2.00 seconds = 10172.08 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 576 MB in 3.00 seconds = 191.74 MB/sec

Raptor X:
Timing cached reads: 20224 MB in 2.00 seconds = 10125.37 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 248 MB in 3.00 seconds = 82.62 MB/sec

I think its kinda impressive, especially considering the fact that the Raptors run at a brisk 10k RPM while the RE3s run at 7200 RPM.

Though I question the accuracy of this utility (hard to replicate results - then again, I am not completely versed in setting up my Ubuntu for a benchmarking environment. :p ).

Well enjoy it as is I guess... :p

To widescreen or not to

*Note this is ported over from an article I wrote for my gaming clan. FYI!

This topic is one that can sometimes be hotly debated amongst gamers. It is hotly debated for productivity, usability, etc etc but for the purposes of this article, I will steer this article to the realm of gaming. Why should wide screen matter/not to you.

Infamy is a dominantly FPS oriented clan. But the scope/appeal/benefits of wide screen gaming is almost universal. First, lets learn some terminology.

Resolution: Wikipedia defined as "The display resolution of a digital television or computer display typically refers to the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed."
Nicely confusing pic of various resolutions

Aspect Ratio: Basically the width divided by height (ZOMG MATH!).
It should be noted that wide screen monitors for computers are typically 16:10 and wide screen TVs are 16:9 (we computer users REALLY appreciate the extra height). Full screen computer and TV monitors are 4:3.

Field of View: The angular extent of the 'world' that you see. (its ok, you can read it again slowly :p ).

Ok, back to gaming.

Now I have to point out that how wide screen is implemented is DEPENDENT on the game. There is no uniform/standardized way in which it is implemented.

Oh noes?

Well here are the basic screen implementations:

Horizontal Plus: Basically they take the image displayed on a 4:3 and tack on the sides. This results in an INCREASED field of view. The Source Engine's implementation of wide screen is Horizontal Plus (which means you can see MORE horizontally than the people using 4:3 - a distinct advantage). I think CoD4's implementation is like this too. See pics below

CSS Full Screen (4:3)
CSS Wide Screen (16:10)

CoD 4 Full Screen (4:3)
CoD 4 Wide Screen (16:10)

Vertical Minus: This is the opposite of Horizontal Plus. As far as gamers go, this sucks. Basically they take the image displayed on 4:3 and crop it down to 16:10. So you see LESS then people with full screen. :

A quick example of this that I remember is BioShock.

BioShock FOV 4:3 vs 16:10

The image is obviously a 4:3 full screen image but the 'red' area is chopped off for wide screen users. 2K games finally wised up and fixed it to Horizontal Plus after a patch.

Pixel Based: This basically holds true regardless of what aspect ratio you use. It will display an image based on your resolution (higher resolutions see more regardless if 4:3 or 16:10). 2D games are usually like this.

Stretch: This implementation is basically stretching the image from 4:3 to 16:10. So things will appear 'fat' on the screen and basically will look like crap.

*Above pictures from WideScreenGamingForums

Now if the CoD4/CSS pics didn't show you and you need written reinforcement, Wide Screen monitors (again dependent on implementation) can give you a visual advantage. You have a wider field of view and therefore can see/cover more in game. Think of it this way, you can see a guy who's on 4:3 before they can see you.

-PsYkHoTiK

On a side note, WSGF is a GREAT resource for wide screen gaming (big surprise huh?). You can pretty much find a hack for games that doesn't properly/support wide screen gaming (they can help you turn the stupid Vertical Minus to a Horizontal Plus). If there is a way, it is posted there.

Also, there are some monitors that you can rotate and that just opens up a whole new can on stuff you can do.
My Dual Wide Screen setup tilted

Proposed/Revised Testing Methodology

This is really the first time that I am testing a Hard Drive / Controller. Before that it was just a simple run of HD Tach (which doesn't work in Vista - I have a BSOD to prove it too LOL) to see my godly RAID 0 speeds. My forte still probably remains in CPU/GPU/Cooling though.

In the process of researching what type of controller would be ideal for me, I have significantly read up a LOT on the intricacies of the workings of storage.

Initially, I set out to run some simple tests (low level tests using Winbench99, HD Tune, and a tad fancier IOmeter - of which I have never used).

Though I had to ditch some things (again, in the previous post), I think it is time to revise my methodology. Primarily this has to do with the (to me) uncharted domains of IOmeter.

I initially set to test out some results using both Sequential and Random Read and Writes (take a minute to digest - public service announcement) of two Transfer sizes which are 4KB and 512KB sizes. This is mainly to find some congruence with the currently established TechARP testing methodology (if I can have a better understanding and conjure a more 'thorough' test - I will - still a WIP) but at the same time, I threw in a different mix. I chose to use two levels by manipulating the number of Outstanding I/Os. Low level benchmarks (such as HD Tune and HD Tach) utilize a single I/O request and that doesn't really show all too much load. So I decided to run two versions of the test. One with 1 outstanding I/O and the second with the max number of outstanding I/O per second - 256 (which simulates a heavy load situation - the 3ware hardware RAID controller should shine very well in this regard).

Some explanations of the jargon (mumbo jumbo):
http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200003/20000313OSandBM_5.html

So as is, I will run some tiers tomorrow (hopefully my younger brother will forgive me as I totally dominate his PC again for the better part of the day).

Tentitively, the tiers are as below (# of Outstanding I/Os):
1 -done?
4
16
32
64
128
256 - done?

I will double check my results tomorrow as well as test various things (if the length of testing has a difference or not).

Now if there are any of my audience out there (imaginary or otherwise) who would like to chime in, I am all ears/eyes. :)

MIA, Gaming, RAID, and WTF ASUS....

Yeah I know. I've been missing for quite a while.

Truth be told, I blame the games. :p


Other than that, I am getting a lot more guitar play time (as I nurse my re-emergent thumb injury - timing I know!).

Other than that, my PC is finally getting some loving in the sense of new hardware. I have long wanted to replace my somewhat old Raptor X (and its 10,000 RPM SATA 150 fury). Main reason being that I am simply running out of space (it has 150GB unformatted). The obvious solution would be to simply get a 300GB VelociRaptor. Truth be told, I almost jumped on it thanks to Newegg's smashing deal (with the VR being priced at 220USD plus a nice Mail-In-Rebate to sweeten it some more).

But I posed a question. SSDs are fast maturing and with the capacity increasing and the price per Gigabyte steadily dropping (as well as the Godly performance of Intel's SSDs that they are championing and pushing heavily), would spending that much on a VR be worth it in say 6-12 months? My long standing position on SSDs is that I would migrate to them once Cost/GB matched that of a VR and that time may come pretty soon.

So as such, I decided to look for cheaper alternatives. I started looking around the various offerings and I pretty much decided on a WD Caviar Black or a Samsung SpinPoint F1 series drive. I didn't really need too big of a size (2TB+ on the Server) and they are pretty much the best at 7200 rpm consumer drives.

Or were they?

I decided to expand it a bit and wanted to see what viable RAID options are there out there? Specifically, RAID 0. I am not worried about redundancy as I have WHS to save me in my time of need (backups are done daily and the last 3 day, week, and month interval are kept on the server). I just want raw performance. So I tried looking at the WD Caviar Black and SpinPoint F1s in RAID 0. From there, I found my gem. The Western Digital RE3 SATA 3Gbs Enterprise drives. RE stands for 'RAID Edition' and this is WD's third iteration for this series of Enterprise class drives (thats server/workstation usage for you normal people). Simply put, the RE3s are basically Caviar Blacks (and their dual processor goodness) that have been extra tested for reliability (warrantied for 5 years at 100 duty cycle - aka full load for 5 years) and has been given some optimizations. Optimizations you say? What optimizations? Well, since they are RAID Edition drives, they have been optimized for Mult-Disk usage (aka RAID Arrays!). And my do they fly...

So coolness. I got them (well more like asked for them) for my B-Day (T-minus 10 days as of writing). When they arrived, I was so excited, I tore out my drive cage, dumped the Raptor X (though never wiped it - you never know!) and installed my new two RAID gems. Made some necessary changes in the BIOS and started up the Intel Matrix RAID screen to build my RAID 0 Array. Then when I tried to install Windows Vista x64 (was waiting for new hard drives), I started getting RAID errors and BSODs. WTF? Apparently, my lovely motherboard has a well known issue when it comes to SATA II drives when used in AHCI or RAID. Asus support was abysmal as always (wanted me to do an RMA but even I know the revisions do nothing and I have tried everything already). So here I am, 2 B-Day present RAID hard drives that won't run RAID (can't tell which is worse - a b-day present you can't use or hardware that you can't use).

Just great. WTF ASUS! SERIOUSLY! Strike two for this mobo (it has already murdered 6 sets of 2x1GB OCZ Reaper PC 1066 ram previously). Good thing I haven't nuked the contents on the Raptor X.

The only choices I have at this point is 1) Buy a new mobo or 2) Buy a RAID Controller card. Door numero uno is a no no (puns puns) as I know full well that I will be upgrading to Core i7 in a few months (or finding employment - whichever comes first - yeah still jobless - pewpy economy). So a RAID controller looked a lot nicer and I went with it. I made it a point, if I was going to get a RAID solution (and spend money), I might as well get a 'true' Hardware RAID Controller.

Why a Hardware RAID? The ones that are included on the motherboard (usually via the Southbridge chip) are not 'true' hardware RAID. Why? Well they utilize the system's CPU cycles and use the system's RAM. Hardware RAID will have its own dedicated CPU and cache to minimize the dependency from the host system's resources. Therefore, there is usually a difference in performance with Hardware Controllers. Also they aren't reliant on software on getting stuff done (software gets corrupted, hardware doesn't - they just break haha). Also system migration will be a lot easier. I won't have to do a full reformat (at least in theory) when I migrate to Core i7 as the HDDs are on an isolated system. Probably just need to reinstall drivers and everything will be dandy. The fact that the drives are on an isolated system has quite a few benefits. Any instability (*cough* Overclocking *cough*) from my system will have a reduced chance of corrupting my hard drives, any system slow downs won't impact the drives, etc. I will fully explore these as time goes by.

So what did I get?

Meet the 3ware 9650SE-2LP. It has a 500MHz PowerPC processor and 128mb DDR2 ECC RAM on board and uses a PCI Express x1 connection (way more than enough for 2 drives). I didn't really see the need to get more than 2 ports as I just need some RAID 0 action and I don't need huge amounts of space (or else the storage I will need on my WHS will increase as well... :| ). Once I get the bad boy, I will slap it on and get my Array and Vista x64 installed. It will be fun to play and experiment.

Rest assured, I will update on this on Monday as that is when my RAID controller arrives. Fully expect some benchmarking (HD Tune, Winbench, IOmeter) between my Raptor X and the 9650SE-2LP + WD RE3 combo to see just how much 'objective' performance I will be able to squeeze out of this.

Stay tuned my gracious readers (if you guys exist that is). You may now collect the melted brain that has been undoubtedly oozing out of your ears in the due course of this blog post.

PS: Looking back at this post, I think it's safe to say I made up for some lost time huh? :p Typed non-stop in one sitting (didn't really take too long - my 80wpm typing FTW!).

Dual Monitors!

Yes!

I am back on two screens!

One of my 19s died a while back so I was relegated to a meager single screen. For those on single screens who can't comprehend having two, all I can say is you will not know until you have two, and once you have two, you can never go back. ;) Multi-tasking made easy pretty much.

I finally made the jump to some bigger (and higher quality panels).

Behold! The dual HP w2207s (thats right bishes, 22 inches!). Do pardon the clutter (haha my guitar slide is still there btw).


Muahahaha!

And what would new dual monitors be without a new wallpaper? :o


That picture is the Epiphone Prophecy Futura FX (basically a Gibson Explorer with a Floyd Rose Tremolo and EMG active pickups) of which I fully intend to utilize my second tax rebate (the $600 'stimulus' one) on. Should be 'injected' into my account on May 9 (based off SSN). Guitar comes out this month so it should all be good. And no, I didn't finish my first rebate (all of it has been put towards "PsY's Evo X MR & Education fund").