Robert's PC Technical Opinion

GPU video card cooling

2008-05-25T21:49:00.002+02:00

This particular blog entry is directed at both ATI (AMD) and NVIDIA. For about two years now we've seen remarkable advancements in GPU technology. Despite this amazing accomplishment from both companies previously mentioned there is still not enough advancement in GPU cooling. Some of NVIDIA's partners have come up with different fan cooling solutions for some of NVIDIA's newer video cards. For the most part however, NVIDIA's cooling solution, for example on the 9800 GTX, is still far too loud when the fan speeds up beyond about 70 percent. ATI (AMD) could also improve their fan cooling technology as well. I think both companies really need to start making quieter cooling solutions for their video cards.

Why did NVIDIA miss it's target revenue?

2008-05-11T12:58:00.002+02:00

First of all I would like to apologize for not posting any recent entries to my blog. With that aside I'd like to say that in my personal opinion the reason NVIDIA missed its target revenue for the 1st quarter was simply because there was lack of stock, at least in Europe, during the early part of the quarter. If you recall in my earlier blogs I mentioned that some video cards were nearly impossible to find. Perhaps if supply had been abundant revenues would be higher for NVIDIA. However, we'll have to see this next fiscal quarter if NVIDIA can manage to keep stock in the channel in all parts of the world and not just the North American market

Is Intel slow getting dual cores into the channel?

2008-02-20T19:02:00.002+01:00

I've been waiting for weeks now for Intel to get some E8400 dual core processors shipped to a store close to me. Amazingly there are none to be found. Intel has normally been quite good about making sure there are enough of their fast selling CPUs into the sales channels but this time they are very slow in response to demand. Even in the USA if you look up a store such as www.newegg.com who is one of the best on line PC stores out there they are out of stock as well.

NVIDIA slowly getting stock into Europe

2008-02-12T18:48:00.000+01:00

Some G92 video cards are beginning to slowly come into European supply channels but many vendors still have no stock. Some 780 chipset motherboards are slowly making their way into the channel as well but still well short of demand.

It will be interesting indeed to see if NVIDIA responds to the ATI/AMD release of the 3870 x2 video card in the weeks to come.

NVIDIA G92 shortages may soon be over

2008-01-12T16:57:00.000+01:00

I've had the opportunity to talk to several video card manufacturers, either directly or indirectly, about shortages in 8800GT video cards in Europe. Many of the manufacturers that were kind enough to send me a response back indicate that many shortages should begin to see some relief sometime at the end of January. I'd like to point out that 8800GTS 512 meg cards are also affected by this shortage.

NVIDIA shortages still evident in Europe

2008-01-01T12:46:00.000+01:00

NVIDIA is a great company. Unfortunately there are shortages of their newest parts in Europe. Primarily the 8800 GT videocards and 780i motherboards. I contacted some retailers and they hope to have shipments in January but what I would like to know is what is causing the problems and how will NVIDIA rectify these shortages?

Shortages of these items will no doubt show some lost revenue for the 4th quarter of 2007.

NVIDIA and Intel are my personal best PC companies of the year!

2007-12-24T20:14:00.000+01:00

In looking over the tremendous contributions of all the major PC companies this year I have to say with all honestly that Intel and NVIDIA are my personal best favorites in the PC business in 2007. Intel continues their domination of AMD with dual and quad core CPUs that are of top notch quality. Although I certainly stress that I believe their quad core extreme CPUs are overpriced the pros of their outstanding work certainly outweighs the minor cons. NVIDIA continues to show that their 8XXX series of video cards are the best in the business although even their top line video cards can't seem to handle the game Crysis as well as everyone hoped.

Did NVIDIA read my posts?

2007-12-21T17:56:00.000+01:00

Apparently NVIDIA is in negotiations with TSMC, according to a rumor. Hopefully if the rumor is true NVIDIA can resolve the 8800GT shortage. I wonder if NVIDIA read my blog?

Did NVIDIA shoot themselves in the foot (Part Two)?

2007-12-09T19:36:00.000+01:00

NVIDIA through their partners have launched the 8800GT 256meg video card. Despite this action it is nearly impossible to find 8800GT 512meg models of this video card since the time of my last posting about this issue. Will NVIDIA be able to crank out enough of the 8800GT 512meg cards in time for Christmas?

There has been a long gap between release of the 680i chipset based motherboards and a chipset successor while INTEL continues to crank out new chipsets. Will NVIDIA rise to INTEL's challenge and put out a superior chipset?

Did NVIDIA shoot themselves in the foot?

2007-11-20T20:02:00.000+01:00

I am a staunch supporter of NVIDIA, and have been for many years. With the arrival of the 8800 GT NVIDIA has presented us with an outstanding product at a price point most people can afford. It's unfortunately that some retailers decided to sell these video cards at way beyond the M.S.R.P (manufacturer's suggested retail price). However that is not what this article is about. This article will simply ask why NVIDIA has not produced enough for these video cards for the sales channels plus OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for the Christmas season when this is the best time to sell? Some retailers in Europe are not anticipating shipments of these video cards until January. If there are great numbers of these retailers then NVIDIA will certainly see a loss in the fiscal 4th quarter for this year. (NOTE: NVIDIA will make a lot of money this fiscal 4th quarter only they could have made significantly more with ample supply of 8800 GTs) Perhaps it should behoove NVIDIA to hack some prices out of their 8800 GTX and 8800 Ultra lineup to keep sales running briskly. NVIDIA seems like they did not prepare for such an onslaught demand of the 8800 GT video cards. A video card that performs so well and is priced superbly.

Editor's Note: On rare occasions I receive video cards for testing and evaluation but no one has any in stock for me to test. I could not find an 8800 GT EVGA video card anywhere in stock.

EVGA Mods Rigs

2007-11-11T21:51:00.000+01:00

Do you have a PC you built or put together you'd like to show off? Well take a look at the EVGA mods rigs and see if you wish to post your system specs for all to see. More information is posted here:

http://www.evga.com/community/ModsRigs/

EVGA introduces SSC 8800GT

2007-11-03T14:01:00.000+01:00

EVGA has introduced a Super Super Clocked (SSC) 8800 GT with a clock speed of 700MHZ and 2000 MHZ memory speed. You can find information abou this new video card here:

http://www.evga.com/articles/378.asp

Crysis single player demo

2007-10-28T14:49:00.000+01:00

There has been significant hype when it comes to release of the Crysis demo. I have been evaluating the demo over the past 24 hours. The game is absolutely superior as far as graphics is concerned. Of that there is no question. However to really enjoy the game at it's highest setting in MS Vista 64 bit my 8800 GTS 640 meg card doesn't display enough framerates for the game to be enjoyable. I have an E6700 Intel Duo Core processor so that is not the problem. That means I would need an SLI configuration (my motherboard doesn't support it) or a much greater and far more expensive video card. To play the game at 1680 x 1050 I have to choose medium graphics settings. Even at medium settings the graphics are wonderful but I should be able to run the game at the highest settings. Please note that my processor speed is slightly overclocked as well as my video card. The newest beta video card driver from NVIDIA is also installed.

Another thing that didn't work well is that the demo did not install properly. After three uninstalls and three reinstalls the game never displayed in all programs in Vista 64 bit. I had to physically search for the Electronic Arts folder on my PC. That is not a good thing.

FEAR: Perseus Mandate Game Demo

2007-10-12T20:00:00.000+02:00

When fear was introduced about two years ago we saw top of the line graphics. The following year fear extraction point was developed with good first person combat action. Unfortunately the after sales service of extraction point was very poor. There never was any updates to allow for larger capacity viewing screens such as 1680 X 1050. (The original FEAR was updated to alllow for this). Here we are with Fear Perseus Mandate and the demo doesn't even support the higher screen resolutions. This is a very poor introduction to the game. In Vista colors are not displayed well in the fear engine because the engine wasn't built for it. You can still see terrible color banding in dark areas and I don't see an improvement in graphics but I suppose we'll have to wait for the 2008 fear sequel before that happens.

Cooler Master Mystique 631 review

2007-09-30T21:48:00.000+02:00

I finally said good-bye to my old Chieftec computer case and changed over to a Cooler Master Mystique 631 case. I'll give you my review of the case today:

The all aluminum case makes the case lightweight and keeps the inside cooler than a regular steel or plastic based case. The intake and outtake fans do a terrific job of taking in cool air and pushing hot air out of the case. I found the method to insert the DVD drives a little bit difficult but the locking mechanism works very well. The case handled the insertion of an NVIDIA 8800 GTS videocard with plenty of room to spare. I was able to fit my Cooler Master 850 watt PSU into this case but for large PSU users I recommend a larger Cooler Master case such as the Cosmos 1000. The side cover funnel works well with a stock Intel cooler but doesn't work well with many 3rd party CPU coolers but it is very easy and quick to remove. Overall this is an excellent experience and I'll rate the Cooler Mystique 631 as an excellent buy for your money.

My response to a Microsoft Vista blog posting

2007-09-26T22:45:00.000+02:00

Not many things get me upset but this blog did get me upset:

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9785337-7.html?tag=tb

Here is my response:

Vista may not be the greatest operating system ever built but I tell you that neither is the mac and especially not any form of Linux. I really don't want to tell you how many times we've had errors with Macs and an equal number of problems with all versions of Linux. Vista is the 21st century and there is more right than wrong with the system as built. SP1 not only fixes holes but provides operating system improvements as well. Apparently you're not very well versed in the law. Congress passed laws which state you're not allowed to copy any COPYRIGHTED digital media not even for a backup reason unless there is a specific license from the COPYRIGHT owner that says you can. Vista helps to protect industries from pirates and unfortunately there are more pirates than legit customers who want to do backups. Microsoft poured millions into its software and has a viable reason to protect it and license it. Just prior to release of Vista there was a big controversy about the licensing but Microsoft listened to its customers and made changes. Of course people like you are never satisfied. Most software companies have rebuilt there drivers and software to work on Vista. If they haven't they'll soon have to or fall behind in their business. I will agree with you on only one point and that is that Vista Ultimate is priced too high. This is a new century. It's time you started living in it. I am very satisfied with Vista stability and performance. It is true that you need very good system components and memory to run it at the optimum level. I run Vista 64 bit with 4GB of DDR2 ram. It's a very good system and with time Microsoft will make it a better and greater system.

Computer Case Technology

2007-09-23T21:32:00.000+02:00

I'd like to comment on the current trend of computer cases. There are still far too many computer cases being built that do not adhere to customer needs. There are two primary concerns:

1. Noise
2. Heat

More companies need to engineer their computer cases to resolve these two aforementioned problems. I recently saw a cooler master cosmos 1000 and I have to say that this seems to be the correct direction but at the same time computer case manufacturers need to find a way to lower costs.

Microsoft Vista nvlddmkm NVIDIA driver error

2007-09-16T21:19:00.000+02:00

I am still surprised that there are quite a few people still receiving the nvlddmkm error when using NVIDIA based video cards. What I'll try to do here is to see if I can help to solve this error. Are my methods going to fix this problem for all of you? Perhaps not but I hope that the actions below will help many of you:

1. Go into the control panel of your Vista PC and remove any NVIDIA drivers that are there.
2. Restart your PC and then download a driver removal program similar to this one:

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1672

3. After this has been run restart your PC again.
4. After rebooting your PC do a search for nvlddmkm and make sure you do a thorough search of your entire PC file system to include hidden and system files. Delete it if found.
5. Reload your PC and/or motherboard manufacturer's chipset drivers
6. Load the last NVIDIA WHQL driver posted on the NVIDIA website for your Microsoft Vista operating system.
****Added on October 13: If for any reason the above steps do not work and you have 2GB of ram try safely removing one stick of ram to see if the problem continues. Some people have reported that a faulty memory module may also cause this****

Microsoft Vista 64 bit

2007-09-16T21:10:00.000+02:00

Ever since the beginning of the year I have been working quite successfully with the Microsoft Vista 32 bit operating system. I needed to test a program written specifically for Microsoft Vista 64 bit so I took the plunge, bought a copy this weekend, and installed it. Having worked with XP Professional 64 bit, which left me with a rather bad feeling, this newest version of Microsoft's attempt at a 64 bit operating system caught my interest. The stability is wonderful, most everything I've tried actually seems to have software and/or driver support and perhaps more importantly it allows me to take full advantage of 4GB of DDR2 memory I've had installed for many weeks. The 32 bit version of Vista has a 2GB barrier so you can't use any amount of internal memory above hat amount. This 64 bit flavor of an operating system has my full support and I personally congratulate Microsoft on the work that has gone into the stability of this system.

New videocards to come in November?

2007-09-08T18:07:00.000+02:00

Christmas is coming and the smell of new videocard technology is in the air. Probably in November we'll see some new videocards from both ATI and NVIDIA just in time for the Christmas shopping season and in plenty of time for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to include the videocard hardware in their PCs for Christmas.

Microsoft fixes Windows Genuine Advantage problems

2007-08-26T18:11:00.000+02:00

From Friday until Saturday Microsoft had to repair a problem with the Window Genuine Advantage validation system. If you attempted to validate during that time and were refused or received a message that your software wasn't genuine please retry again. Microsoft worked around he clock until the problem was rectified.

Computeruniverse in Germany

2007-08-19T16:20:00.000+02:00

One of the questions I receive the most from English speaking people who reside in Europe (except for the UK) is for websites which offer a large number of computer products that ship to most E.U. countries. That includes items such as video cards, monitors, PC cases, etc. Computeruniverse in Germany is one such store and they offer good prices with excellent selection. At the top right of their webpage there is a small UK English flag. Click on this and you'll see the majority of their site in English. For future benefit I have added their link to the top left of my blog.

http://www.computeruniverse.net/?PID=446203

Google Including StarOffice in the Google Pack

2007-08-18T23:35:00.000+02:00

Google apparently has decided it wants to offer more competition against Microsoft this week when Google decided it would include StarOffice in their Google Pack. What a brillant move! Google gets to offer an MS Office alternative that hopefully more people will pick up and use. Sun (who makes StarOffice) might have the benefit of getting more exposure to their software.

Windows Vista and SP1

2007-08-13T19:00:00.000+02:00

No doubt many of you have seen Microsoft Vista SP1 (evaluation version) floating around the web. I suppose Microsoft will eventually try to get rid of these but I think they should hold off. With so many people installing this just to get a feel of SP1 it could be quite beneficial in a way.

1. Most of those people installing this already have Vista and they want to see if there is any improvement over the existing version.

2. Some people want to test stability of SP1 for themselves. For all intensive purposes I can tell you quite honestly that it is super stable. Of course I have friends who are beta testers, so I've seen this for myself.

3. It might give Microsoft an overall analysis of just how many people are interested in SP1. I think they will find more interest than they realize. With such a super smooth pre-beta release that seems to have a faultless install there is really NO reason NOT to have this ready by Christmas, so that OEMs can entice more customers to buy PCs for the holiday season.

4. Kudos to the Microsoft Vista team that developed this DVD pre-beta SP1 build. The Microsoft Vista development team has really pushed themselves into a whole new quality bracket. Congrats!

September 10th Barcelona Debut?

2007-08-11T10:37:00.000+02:00

I received a postcard in the mail inviting me to a special premiere on 10 September. Unfortunately I can not attend but this is probably an invitation to the official release of the AMD Barcelona CPU which is long overdue. If AMD can entice its customer base well enough and stir enough interest, then its consumer CPU line which should be released in the last quarter of this year should help the company ready itself for Christmas and hopefully some good profit earnings.