October 2003 News Archive


Friday, October 31, 2003 - 3:13PM

AMD Nears 50% Share In Poland

I saw this very interesting post at AMDZone about how AMD has reached 50% share in Poland. This is very interesting. I suppose the Polish has learned who is better.

Quote from report
Warsaw. (Interfax-Europe) - Poland's desktop and mobile computer sales grew by 6.8% to 269,327 units in the third quarter of 2003, with the U.S.-based HP increasing its leading grip on the market to 6.2% from 6% a year earlier, according to data from research firm Gartner.
HP boosted its second-quarter sales by 10.8% to 16,773 units versus the same quarter of 2002.

Poland's NTT Data was second on the market overall although the company sold 26.3% less computers in the third quarter than a year earlier. Its quarterly sales totaled 15,844, giving it 5.9% of the market.

In third place was Poland's Action (sales of 11,300) and in fourth was Dell Computers (sales up 16.1% to 10,861).

The largest growth was recorded by Vobis Poland, which saw its sales rise 41.9% to 5,730 computers in the third quarter from 4,037 a year earlier. But six of the top ten computer shippers saw sales fall, with Poland's JTT recording an 86% slump to 3,256 computers.
Click here to read more.


Thursday, October 30, 2003 - 4:13PM

Gator Change's its Name

I saw at ArsTechnica that Gator is chaning its name to Claria. My guess is that with such negative press that it has been getting, that they think this name change will take pressure of them because their ad software is considered Spyware.

Quote from report
Spyware is probably one of the most irritating if not ontologically evil things to hit the web to date. It's responsible for mountains of jacked-up computers, misled consumers, hijacked referrals to commerce sites, and invaded privacy. One company that's certainly used to being accused of producing spyware is Gator. The eponymous application they produce is considered by most to be nothing but spyware, but Gator is out to squash that impression. Earlier this month Gator started flexing its muscles, suing websites that were critical of of its software.
A Gator executive said the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, was part of a larger strategy to educate spyware-removers about the company's software--and to put an end to the practice of calling it "spyware." "If we find anyone publicly calling us spyware, we correct it and take action if necessary," said Scott Eagle, Gator's senior vice president of marketing.
Click here to read more.


Thursday, October 30, 2003 - 3:53PM

Dell doesn't see Opteron Adoption

According to AMDZone, a report at ZDNet has an interview with Dell, and Dell doesn't see the Opteron being adopted. Dell in general doesn't seem to pay attention to the market, or they are too afraid of Intel.

Quote from interview
In between sessions and keynotes at Gartner Symposium ITxpo 2003, ZDNet's editor-in-chief Dan Farber and executive editor David Berlind had a chance to catch up with Dell Americas senior vice president and general manager Joe Marengi. Marengi, formerly the president at networking solution provider Novell, was in the mood to discuss the industry at large. As is usual for Dell executives, Marengi reminded Farber and Berlind of the keys to Dell's success and how those keys enable him to deliver benefit to Dell's customers. Marengi also hinted at some things to look for from Dell in the near term, and took a shot or two at his competitors.

ZDNet: Dell has cleaned up on desktops, notebooks, and servers. What are the gating factors in your other lines of business?

Marengi: Dell is about standards. Absence of standards in any one category ultimately hurts customers and slows adoption. Blades are a good example. HP has its own kind of blade. IBM has another. Sun has its own. If I'm a switch vendor, I don't even know how what size switch to make because I don't know what size rack it will go in. At the very least we should have some uniformity. It would be great to know what we have to fit in, but ultimately, it would be better to standardize on the architecture as well.

ZDNet: Are you referring to the backplane and what the blades fit into?

Marengi: Yes. The only differentiation should be in the speeds and feeds. The industry has to ask itself, "What's the best thing in order for end-users to adopt this?" I like to compare this to the tires on your car. Imagine what it would be like if each tire manufacturer had its own way for getting air into our tires. Our industry has to start looking at this from the point of view of the customers and the problems they want solved. Blades are a perfect example of where standards can solve a major problem. They're a great concept. But if we continue on the current path, we will retard the acceleration of blade growth. They have to be interchangeable.

Click here to read more.


Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 4:53PM

New anime episodes from Sunday to today

Here are some more episodes available to download. Oh, and there are just 13 episodes of Ikkitousen. I noticed on my tracker that someone searched for episode 14 of Ikkitousen on Google. If you want to know about a particular anime, go to AnimeNFO
Ai Yori Aoshi - Original Soundtrack 2 (320cbr)
[A-E & A-Keep] Shingetsutan Tsukihime - Episode 03
[A-F & AF] Fullmetal Panic Fumoffu Part 08 - Episode 12
[A-M] Sakigake!! Cromartie High - Episode 04
[ANBU] Planetes - Episode 03
[AonE] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Episode 03
[AonE & L-E] Dear Boys - Episode 25
[AonE & HQA] Ikkitousen - Episode 11
[AonE] Peace Maker Kurogane - Episode 04
[AonE-Inf] Shinkon Gattai Godannar - Episode 01
[Aoshi] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Episode 02
[Aoshi] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Episode 03
[A-Keep] Avenger - Episode 03
[A-Keep] Peace Maker Kurogane - Episode 04
[Keep-ANBU] Full Metal Alchemist - Episode 04
[Lunar] Peace Maker Kurogane - Episode 04
[Miyuki] Gunslinger Girl - Episode 01 v2
[Miyuki] Gunslinger Girl - Episode 02
[Solar] Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 3 - Episode 01

Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 2:13PM

Asus K8V review

Sudhian has the Asus K8V Deluxe. This is Asus's new Athlon64 and FX51 monther.

Quote from review
In the month since AMD launched the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX-51 processors we've begun to see boards based on both the nForce3 150 and VIA K8T800 chipset appearing on the market.  While we've already looked at the nForce3 150 Professional in our original AMD64 review and again in our Micro Pro OEM review, this is our first look at a board based on VIA K8T800.  Given the less-then sterling reputation VIA's first-generation chipsets have acquired we're not sure what to expect, but if there's one company we'd trust to take a flaky chipset and build a stable board, its ASUS.

Here is a photo of the board:

Click here to read more.


Saturday, October 25, 2003 - 10:13PM

Anime releases from Thursday to today

Here are some more anime for you to watch
[Ani-Kraze] Hundred Stories - Episode 02
[Ani-Kraze&Popgo] Scrapped_Princess Trilingual Eng-Gb-Jp Episode 02.mkv
[Ani-Kraze] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Episode 02
Chocofansubs anime music video collection (650 MB)
[AonE-HQA] Ikkitousen - Episode 10
[AonE-HQA] Da Capo - Episode 14
[AonE-HQA] Da Capo - Episode 13
[AonE-ANBU] Naruto - Episode 55
[AonE] ROD TV - Episode 07
[AonE] ROD TV - Episode 08
[AonE] Shingetsutan Tsukihime - Episode 01v2
[AonE] Shingetsutan Tsukihime - Episode 02
[AonE] Peace Maker Kurogane - Episode 03
[AonE-Nandeyane] Green Green - Episode 09
[cG - S-Ai] Avenger - Episode 04
[A-E & L-E] PLANETES Phase-03

Friday, October 24, 2003 - 5:13PM

New Motherboard Monitor 5.3.5.0

Motherboard Monitor 5.3.5.1 has been released. Not much new other than some new boards added to the voltage.ini

Quote from report

Changes in Current Version:

  • Fixes errors reading VIA686 temp sensors
  • Winbond W83647HF
  • Increased support for the EPIA boards (VT1211)
  • Configuration wizard
  • Special dump on the system info tab used to add your board to the config wizard for other users
  • wm_pause and wm_resume message (see help file advanced - messages)
  • Priority function added to the starter.dll
  • SetPath function added to the starter.dll in case you plan on running it as a service and it has no access to HKEY_CURRENT_USER in the reg.
  • 2nd CPU temp on GA-7DPXDW+ which uses 1 LM90 for 2 CPU's
  • Other fixes and changes
  • Click here to get it.


    Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 5:13PM

    Intel, AMD to cut prices for holidays

    Over at TechSpot, they have a post up on an article at C|Net News about how AMD and Intel are going to reduce prices for the holidays

    Quote from report
    Intel and Advanced Micro Devices will cut desktop chip prices in the next few days to usher in the holiday PC-buying season.

    Intel will reduce the cost of its Pentium 4 desktop chips by between 7 percent and 35 percent on Oct. 26, with the most expensive chips receiving the biggest whack, according to sources close to the company. The 3.2GHz Pentium 4 will drop from $637 in volume quantities to $417, a 35 percent drop, while the 3.0GHz Pentium 4 with an 800MHz system bus will decline from $417 to $278, a 33 percent reduction.

    Typically, chip price cuts lead to lower PC prices in the subsequent weeks and, generally, help boost sales. This year, PC shipments are again showing double-digit growth and exceeding analysts' expectations. Both AMD and Intel reported better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter.

    Intel's discounts follow the pattern of a ziggurat, the step pyramid of the ancient Mesopotamians. When the company cuts prices, the highest-priced chip takes on the price of the second most powerful chip, and so on. The 2.8GHz Pentium 4 with an 800MHz bus, for example, is now priced at $278, the future price of the 3.0GHz, but will drop to $218, the price of the 2.6GHz chip with an 800MHz bus.
    Click here to read more.


    Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - 5:13PM

    New releases out from Oct 19 to the 22nd

    Here are new releases of anime from Oct 19-22. A new series called Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Ohki is actually a continuation of the first 13 episodes of the orgininal Tenchi Muyo!. I believe from what I read in NewType magazine, one episode will come out each month.
    [AonE] GunGrave - Episode 01
    [AonE] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Episode 01
    [AonE] Rod TV - Episode 06
    [Anime-Keep] Full Metal Panic Fumoffu - Episode 11
    [Keep-ANBU] Full Metal Alchemist - Episode 03
    [Anime-Keep] Ikkitousen - Episode 12
    [Inf-AonE] Onegai Twins - Episodes 1-12
    [L-E AonE] Dear Boys - Episode 23
    [FoT] Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki! OVA3 - Episode 01 [V2b]
    [FoT] Translator Notes For OVA3 Episode 1 - Download this in addition to the first episode of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
    [ANBU] Sakigake!! Cromartie High - Episode 03
    [ANBU] Sakigake!! Cromartie High - Episode 02

    Tuesday, October 21, 2003 - 3:27PM

    IBM Windows 64 Support

    The Inquirer has learned about IBM revealing support for Windows 64 for the Opteron chips from AMD. I feel that this is good for AMD too.

    Quote from report
    AN IBM commissioned white paper (PDF) by IDC - about its AMD Opteron-based eServer 325 - has revealed IBM plans to offer Windows 64 support for its AMD Opteron-based servers.

    IBM's Windows 64 Opteron reference (bottom of page 6) says:

    "Although IBM is targeting the eServer 325 specifically to HPC computing, which is predominately Linux and Unix today, IBM will also support Microsoft Windows for customers wishing to migrate to a processor with 64-bit memory access while maintaining the ability to run existing 32-bit Windows and new 64-bit Windows applications."

    Big Blue's Opteron-based eServer 325 is currently available in seven models. With an IBM Opteron-based workstation coming next year, its plans to offer Opteron support for its Cluster 1350 solution, and Windows 64 Opteron support, Big Blue's Opteron offerings will target a far wider audience than today.
    Click here to read more.


    Monday, October 20, 2003 - 5:31PM

    Athlon FX51 on Allocation?

    According to the Inquirer, the AMD Athlon FX51 is on allocation. This can possibly mean that AMD has not been able to produce enough, or that demand is outpacing supply.

    Quote from report
    SOURCES CLOSE to AMD's plans in the US tell us that its Athlon FX51 flagship chip is now on allocation, with supplies very limited for the next four weeks.

    This is either very good news or very bad news, depending on what the reason for the shortage is.

    If it's increased demand, then AMD had better crank up its manufacturing, to make hay while the sun shines. If it's a reflection of a shortage, as many separate firms were telling us at Computex recently, then AMD had better get its finger out, and quick.

    Click here to read more.


    Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 3:31PM

    Anime releases from Thursday to today

    Here are some more anime releases from October 16-18
    [AonE] Wonderful Days
    [Triad] Gunslinger Girl - Episode 02
    [KAA] Serial Experiments Lain DVD 1-13 (Complete)
    [ANBU] Gunslinger Girl - Episode 02
    [CG&SAi] Avenger - Episode 03
    [AC] Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Trailer
    [L-E&AonE] Dear Boys - Episode 22
    [A-O] Prince of Tennis Episode 95
    [Anime-Keep] Ikkitousen - Episode 11

    Friday, October 17, 2003 - 2:31PM

    Nexgen Electronics Interview with AMD

    AMDZone has a link to NexGen Electronics where they have an interview with AMD, where they interview AMD's marketing manager

    Quote from report
    Sean Gibson: I think the first question on a lot of upgraders' minds is, just why should we upgrade to an AMD 64 bit processor and motherboard when a 64bit operating system and applications/games have yet to exist? Is there a huge performance difference in a 32bit environment?

    John Crank: The real question is why would you NOT buy a technology that can do both, run today's software (32-bit software) AND run tomorrow's software (64-bit software) with exceptional performance, at the same time? You purposefully buy into obsolescence if you buy a 32-bit only machine today! Why knowingly do that?

    64-bit computing is here now, not the end of the decade or 5 years from now as some would have you believe, but now. With AMD64 processor-based systems, you can purchase with confidence that your system will provide unsurpassed performance, reliability and upgradeability into the future, regardless of the types of applications you wish to use.
    Click here to read more.


    Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 4:35PM

    AMD: K9 In Second Half Of 2005

    Over at AMDZone, they report that AMD is planning on producing the K9 core in the second half of 2005. It appears that this new core will be a multicore CPU

    Quote from report
    Chips based on the K9 architecture will likely be released--at least in sample quantities--by the second half of 2005, Weber said. AMD engineer Randy Allen is overseeing the project.

    Chip companies release new architectures every three to four years, but the process is becoming increasingly difficult because of power consumption and the shrinking size of transistors. The K8 architecture, the basis for the Opteron released in 2003, was unveiled in 1999 by Weber at the same conference. Chips based on the K8 design were originally due at the end of 2001.

    Although Weber declined to provide technical details about the K9, processors that are based on the architecture will likely be capable of containing multiple chip cores--the "brain" of the chip--and of running one or more application threads. Putting more than one core inside the processor boosts performance in a relatively efficient way, Weber and others at the conference said. Opteron, in fact, is designed in a way that enables a second core to be added, Weber noted
    Click here to read more.


    Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - 5:25PM

    More Anime Releases

    These are some more releases of anime since this saturday. As a friendly reminder, if you like the anime, go ahead and buy it when its available.
    [ANBU] Planetes - Phase 02
    Initial D Millennium Box Set (320cbr) [AOST]
    [ANBU-AonE] Naruto - Episode 53
    [ANBU-AonE] Naruto - Episode 52
    Scrapped Princess - OST Vol. 1 (#AnimeMP3) (320 Kbps CBR)
    [AonE] Daa! Daa! Daa! - Episode 32
    [ANBU] Planetes - Phase 01
    [Ani-Kraze] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Episode 01
    [AonE] ROD TV - Episode 06
    [AonE] ROD TV - Episode 05 v2

    Wenesday, October 15, 2003 - 4:15PM

    Prescott set for 90-100W power draw

    NeoWin has an post up about a report at The Inquirer about how the Prescott is set for 90-100W power draw. This is the highest ever for a desktop CPU.

    Quote from report
    'Prescott' will never exceed 100W of power dissipation, Intel said today, in a bid to keep the heated debate over the as-yet-unlaunched Pentium processor's thermal characteristics from bubbling over.

    "The Prescott thermal envelope will be between 90W and 100W," a spokesman told The Register. "This [will apply] throughout the entire life of the product, not just for the launch."

    That marks the first time the company has come clean and put a precise figure - well, a pair of figures - on the next-generation processor's heat-generating potential.

    Japanese web site PC Watch set light to Prescott's thermals during the summer when it claimed internal Intel documents it had seen said the chip operated at 100W - 15W more than today's top-end Pentium 4 processor.

    Since then, some sites have even claimed that the chip will consume up to 110W and even 120W.
    Click here to read more.


    Monday, October 13, 2003 - 2:35PM

    Perpendicular Recoding on Hard Drive

    ArsTechnica has a report up on the new planned method of storing data on a hard drive called perpendicular recording where the bits are placed vertically on a platter compared with longitudinal recording where the bits are horizontal. This increases space.

    Quote from report
    update Disk-drive maker Maxtor says it has reached a milestone in devising cost-effective platters for a next-generation technology called perpendicular recording.

    The company announced Monday that its subsidiary, MMC Technology, has demonstrated a method of making disk-drive media for the new technology at roughly the same cost as media used in today's drives. With the new media and perpendicular recording technology, Maxtor said it is possible to more than double the amount of data that can be crammed onto a typical disk, from the standard 80GB per 3.5-inch platter to 175GB.

    Ken Johnson, vice president of research and development at MMC Technology, said other companies may have ways of making perpendicular recording media, but not necessarily a means to do it cheaply. "As we know, in this industry, cost effectiveness is very important," he said.
    Click here to read more.


    Sunday, October 12, 2003 - 4:35PM

    Soyo Announces Two new Athlon 64 motherboards

    Over at AMDZone, they are reporting that Soyo is announcing that they are rolling out two new AMD Athlon 64 motherboards.

    Quote from report
    ONTARIO, CA (Oct 10, 2003)-- SOYO(R) Group, Inc. (OTCBB: SOYO), a manufacturer of award-winning motherboards, computer peripheral, barebones systems and wireless networking products, has rolled out a pair of motherboards for Athlon 64 processors with many embedded features, advanced technologies and overclocking capabilities.

    SOYO's SY-K8USA DRAGON Ultra and SY-CK8 DRAGON Plus optimize the AMD64 CPU architecture and deliver a complete solution for gaming, video/wireless networks and office environments. Both boards are capable of running 64-bit software as well as 32-bit X86 applications.

    SOYO motherboards based on AMD's 64-bit architecture enhance PC performance because they support larger amounts of memory than current AMD Athlon 32-bit chips. With added memory support, performance for memory-hungry applications such as 3D games, broadcast-quality video, and the transmission of high-bandwidth date are also boosted.
    Click here to read more.


    Saturday, October 11, 2003 - 6:35PM

    This weeks's Anime releases

    Here are releases since Wednesday. Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi has been licensed, however, its still possible to find the second season on mIRC as it comes out.
    [Keep-ANBU] Scrapped Princess Final Episode 24
    [Keep-ANBU] Scrapped Princess Episodes 1-24
    [Keep-ANBU] Full Metal Panic Fumoffu Episodes 08-09
    [Inf-AonE] Onegai Twins Episode 11
    [HQA&AonE] Ikkitousen Episode 09
    [AonE&HQA] Da Capo Episode 10
    [L-E&AonE] Dear Boys Episode 20
    [Triad] Gunslinger Girl Episode 01
    [A-Keep] Ultra Maniac Episode 21

    Friday, October 10, 2003 - 1:33PM

    CompUSA in Intel's Pocket

    I saw this at TheInquirer. They too are also being manipulated by Intel to sell Intel only machines like Dell and Best Buy. Also, included is a quote about this report at AMDZone.

    Quote from report
    MOLES CLOSE to big retail PC outfitter CompUSA tell me that Intel based machines have just about kicked AMD machines out of touch for the company's Christmas line-up.

    The sources say that although the folks at retail in CompUSA prefer AMD to Intel, money talks.

    Far as we can see, the fall/Christmas line up won't include any AXP 3200+, and no AMD for the new Compaq boxes either.

    But E-Machines has given AMD a bit of a bandaid because its T2865, at a stunning $719, seems to be a bit of a winner.

    Why has CompUSA ignored many of its customers and taken the Intel route? Er, go figure, it's to do with numbers....
    AMDZone's quote:
    I worked at CompUSA in the sales department for many years. I believe sometime last year I sent you an internal CompUSA document informing Merchandising Managers where to place paid Intel endcaps for their notebooks. Anyhow, wanted to let you know this sort of bribery has been going on for as long as I can remember. I began at CompUSA in 1998. Almost every year like clockwork Intel would hold a "training seminar" for their products at Dave and Busters, or somewhere like it. They would pay for dinner, pay for drinks, but you had to sit through about 2-3 hours of "training." The reason I say "training" is becuase it's basically brainwashing. Honestly. For the people at CompUSA that are maybe new or don't know much, this can be very influential. At the end of these training seminars you become eligable to buy hardware, usually a CPU/Motherboard combo for $200. It's always been $200. Strange thing is AMD has done this in the past as well, but not as frequently. The main difference between the two is AMD has never held a brainwashing session like Intel does. I guess they feel the product speaks for itself. I heartily agree. Always remember Intel has lots of money to throw around and they do! Don't even get me started on Intel secret shoppers program! Recommend Intel's products to the right "shopper" by repeating Intel's bullshit facts and salesmen can win cash and other prizes on the spot. Such bull****.
    Click here to read more.


    Thursday, October 9, 2003 - 4:33PM

    Dell Won't Use AMD Opteron Chips

    I saw this at Statesman.com. They report on the fact that Dell has no plans on using Opteron processors in thier computers. I guess they are really are Intel's pocket.

    Quote from report
    Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is getting good reviews and customer support so far for its new 64-bit Opteron server processor, but the company's chances of signing Dell Inc. as a customer remain bleak.

    On Wednesday, Dell President Kevin Rollins indicated that the company intends to remain an Intel-only shop. Dell offers servers based on Intel's 64-bit Itanium chips, but AMD's new processors handle both 32-bit and 64-bit software.

    "To go with an AMD solution becomes problematic for us from a cost and kind of an ice-breaking standpoint," Rollins said. "We believe 64-bit will be a technology customers will want and will migrate to it. It's a market that's emerging but not quite ripe yet."
    Click here to read more.


    Thursday, October 9, 2003 - 3:25PM

    Intel Offers Discounted Combo To Best Buy Employees

    I saw this at AMDZone, they report on a little story about Intel offering discounts to Best Buy employees.

    Quote from report
    I just thought I would pass this on to you. My friend works at Best Buy here in ************. It seems as if Intel is offering a new Intel Motherboard, 3.2 GHZ H/T capable P4 and a copy of XP Pro for $200.00 to all employees that sign up for there indoctrination, I mean informative Intel platform educational film. He is one of the PC techs there and he is an AMD fan through and through, he is gonna sign up get everything and place it on EBay so he can get an Athlon FX.
    Click here to read more.


    Wednesday, October 8, 2003 - 5:35PM

    More anime releases

    Here are some more episode releases from Sunday to Wednesday
    [Aone] Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi Promo
    [HQA & AonE] Ikkitousen Episode 08
    [Anime-Keep] Ikkitousen Episode 09
    [Anime-Keep] Ikkitousen Episode 10
    [A-E & L-E] PLANETES Phase-01.avi
    [Keep-ANBU] Full Metal Alchemist Episode 01
    [Keep-ANBU]Scrapped Princess Episode 23

    Tuesday, October 7, 2003 - 5:12PM

    AMD Had A Great Third Quarter'

    Over at TheInquirer, they are reporting that AMD had a great 3rd quarter, but of course that means that Intel did to.

    Quote from report
    SOURCES CLOSE to Advanced Micro Devices told the INQUIRER that although it's the "quiet period" for results, little Chimpzilla had a "great" third quarter.

    As AMD echoes the performance of Intel, that means the chip companies are firmly on the rebound, we reckon.

    Even the motherboard makers have stopped whinging as they attempt to keep up with orders - the Taiwanese mobo makers are a very cautious lot indeed. And also very slow payers, we know.

    Earlier today, the Taiwanese foundries proclaimed their capacity was chock a block, suggesting that perhaps it is time for reinvestment.

    Click here to read more.


    Monday, October 6, 2003 - 6:20PM

    Nintendo reports First Ever Loss

    A report at Reuters reports that Nintendo has reported its first loss ever due to forex. They lost 3 billion yen or $27 million dollars.

    Quote from report

    OSAKA, Japan, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Japanese videogame maker Nintendo Co Ltd 7974.OS warned on Friday it would post its first-ever interim loss for April-September due to massive foreign exchange losses and slack sales of its GameCube console.

    The maker of "Pokemon" games now forecasts a group net loss of three billion yen ($27 million) for the fiscal first half, against its May estimate of a net profit of 15 billion yen and a profit of 16.5 billion yen a year earlier.

    The videogame veteran attributed its first red ink since going public in 1962 to a 40 billion yen one-off loss on its $5 billion of dollar-denominated assets and weak demand for the GameCube.

    "Our GameCube sales fell short of our internal targets worldwide for the first half," Yoshihiro Mori, senior managing director, told a news conference.

    In a move to boost sales of the struggling GameCube, which faces stiff competition against Sony Corp's 6758.T PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Corp's MSFT.O Xbox, Nintendo said it would cut the console's price in Japan and Europe.

    The price will be cut by 29 percent to 14,000 yen ($126.3) in Japan and by 50 percent to 99 euros in Europe on October 17.

    The move followed a price reduction late last month in the United States to $99 from $149, which Nintendo said led GameCube sales to more than quadruple in the first week.

    Mori said the company expected global demand for GameCube to pick up after the price cuts and, therefore, it was sticking to its sales target of six million units in the year to March

    Click here to read more.


    Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 5:40AM

    Futuremark Doesn't Accept Athlon 64 Scores

    As seen at AMDZone. They have a report on a thread in their forums about a member running 3DMark2003 with a Athlon 64. As a result they got the highest score, but Futuremark refuses to accept it.

    Quote from report
    I just got a refurbished GeForceFX 5600 (non-Ultra) for $100 and threw it in my Athlon FX 51 system. The card was able to overclock from the stock 325/550 to 400/650 quite easily. The CPU was running at the stock 2.2GHz. I then ran 3DMark2003... used the online result browser... and found that I got the highest score ever recorded with a non-Ultra 5600. Unfortunately... Futuremark will not allow me to post my score because it doesn't recognize the CPU. All of the top scores are from P4 systems... but none of them match my score. It may just be a matter of an update that hasn't been done... or it may be that the P4 was "supposed" to win... and the Hammer results people are getting were a surprise to Futuremark, and they don't want them posted. I've heard stranger things
    Click here to read more.


    Saturday, October 4, 2003 - 6:20AM

    New anime episode releases

    Here are some of the newest releases from the fansub services. Take note, if a release is in OGM format, I am not listing it here, as it is a non-standard format.
    [Triad-AonE] Narutaru Episode 12
    [Triad-AonE] Narutaru Episode 13
    [AonE-Nandeyane] Green Green Episode 07
    [SaiyaMan] Naruto Episode 52
    [Inf-AonE] Onegai Twins Episode 10
    [Anime Otakus] Prince of Tennis Episode 94
    [Ani Kraze] Scrapped Princess Episode 23

    Friday, October 3, 2003 - 3:15PM

    Prescott Delayed Till Q1 2004?

    I saw this at AMD Zone. They report on a story at xBitlabs on how the Prescott might be delayed to Q4 2004 because of the problems with the 90nm process.

    Quote from report
    Sources among Taiwanese mainboard makers state that due to some major issues with Intel’s Strained Silicon 90nm fabrication technology commercial availability of Prescott processors is expected only in the first quarter next year. In December 2003 Intel is very likely to paper-launch its Prescott processors and supply only a handful of such chips to selected solution providers for systems intended for gaming, just like AMD did with its Athlon XP 2800+ processor last year, sources claim.

    Originally set to come in the second quarter of 2003, Intel’s code-named Prescott processor is based on the same NetBurst architecture as all Pentium 4 CPUs, but is made using 90nm technology. As a result of some problems with this fabrication process, Intel postponed the release of the chip till the Q4 this year, but, as we see now, the new CPUs will be de facto available in commercial quantities only next year.
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    Thursday, October 2, 2003 - 5:10PM

    Sun and IBM's ulterior AMD64 motives

    Over at the Inquirer, they have a report up about some stuff that Sun and IBM are doing about the new AMD 64 bit processors. What they are doing should help AMD some, from what I can see in the article.

    Quote from report
    WE'VE TALKED a fair amount at the INQ about Sun and that company's plans for adopting Opteron. And we've also talked a fair bit about IBM's renewed alliance with AMD and the degree to which Big Blue might or might not be getting involved with the day-to-day operations at One AMD Place.

    What's not been talked about so much is exactly why it makes so much sense for IBM and Sun to take chances on fully backing AMD's new 64-bit technology, especially given that they both have 64-bit products of their own.

    For years, both Sun and IBM have offered 32-bit servers built with Intel Xeon technology - though Sun did actually have an AMD K6-2 product line at one point. Given that each company's primary microprocessor market was in the big-iron 64-bit arena, selling Xeon chips was an additional revenue stream rather than money handed to a competitor. Selling through major business OEMs gave Intel a huge leg into the two way and four way server market and helped establish Xeon as a business product more rapidly than might otherwise have happened. Xeon-based products turned into very popular product lines, and everyone was happy—for a while...

    ...Properly wielded, AMD's Opteron is more than just a strong performer or a credible Intel alternative, it’s a weapon Intel's two biggest 64-bit competitors may be planning to use to stuff Santa Clara's 64-bit plans while simultaneously ensuring the success of their own product. Nor would allying with AMD and adopting Opteron be exchanging one devil for another—there are several reasons why AMD's new 64-bit processor, even if it had a strong server presence, is not the threat that Intel's would be. The market AMD is chasing at the moment is mainly occupied by Xeon, not Itanium, so transitioning customer's to AMD's architecture isn't cannibalising sales of its own 64-bit product lines.

    Click here to read more.


    Wednesday, October 1, 2003 - 4:50PM

    Higher core voltage dangerous?

    Over at AcesHardware, they have a report up on how higher core voltage might be dangerous to the processor, but determines what is considered dangerous, and the statistics based on that.

    Quote from report
    In general, the whole point of these devices is to move electrons around, and with a higher voltage, electrons may be accelerated to higher velocities, thus deliverying more energy to whatever it ends up colliding with.

    To make a long story short, the general trend is that increased supply voltage descreases silicon lifetime. But the relationship isn't a linear one, nor is it one that I have a back of the envelope formula for. Generally, semiconductor manufacturers does a lot of accelerated testing, i.e. testing chips at very high voltages and temperatures, then projecting the reliablity and MTBF failure time from the data collected from the accelerated testing.There are entire conferences devoted to reliability issues where topics about the accuracy of accelerated testing or long term trends are discussed.

    The last time I looked up some references was when flamewars flared up about whether or not Motorola was "overclocking" PPC7455's for Apple in pushing the 0.18um process to 1.4 GHz. In that case, the voltage was stepped up from the "normal" bins. Page 7 of the qual report shows that in cranking up the voltage from 1.3V to 1.55V, there is a difference of an order of magnitude in terms of failure rates. So the lifetime does decrease, but the users may not necessarily care.

    Click here to read more.


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