Hardware R Us

jwjb.geekspeak@gmail.com (GKSPK) — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:26:00 +0000

Hello all! Jedi Master Ben here, and I'm the hardware guru around here, and in this post I'm gonna cover a few new hardware releases, rumors, and such. If you read something that you don't understand, just let us know, as this is about to get a little technical!

The new ATI Radeon HD4770

It may not be the newest release, but it's surely the hardest hitting! For about $100 (Source: Newegg.com), the 4770 has unprecedented bang for your buck! This new graphics card boasts a brand new 40nm GPU (this determines the size, and ultimately the heat output of the card), and up to 1GB of GDDR5 memory. This blazing fast RAM, however is hindered by a smaller memory bus width of 128 bits. This bus is where is all of the data that the card processes goes to be sent out to the display, and therefore limits performanceby being so small (128 bits instead of 256 like the 4800 series). The reason behind it, however, is that it is already neck and neck with a high end card, the HD 4850. Checking the prices on this older card just now reveals that this new card has slashed the prices, falling from ~$150 to around $110. This saddens me a little, as I just recently purchased a shiny new 4830, and now the prices on it have fallen as well. :(

Anyone looking to game on a budget should definitely check out this card. In addition to being blazing fast at stock speeds, tests show it can also be overclocked by a significant margin to be able to completely surpass the 4850, except in the few titles that like to eat up more of the memory bus.

Next up is the next version of the iPhone!!

Who has seen one and hasn't been in awe? Well, the next generation is due out on June 17th, according to sources at Wired. It's got more storage space (32GB or 16GB), 1.5 times the battery life, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and the ability to send MMS messages (pictures, audio, or video). Also, the display is going to be OLED, which is brighter than the previous backlit display, plus uses much less power. Also rumored is a faster processor and more RAM, so maybe the annoying "Out of memory" messages will go away when surfing large webpages!

And finally, apparently the Vatican is embracing the Internet, deeming that "it is blessed." I wonder if they know how much porn you can find by just Googling it... ;)

Well, that about wraps it up for this post.

Live long, prosper, peace be to journey, and may the Force be with you.

Jedi Master Ben

We're back baby, and we're better than ever!

jwjb.geekspeak@gmail.com (GKSPK) — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Hey to all the nubs out there in cyberspace. Ok, sorry about that. Lets try that again. Hello everyone, my name is Jared. I am one of the co-hosts of GKSPK. I'm here to let everyone know that we're back. We had a short lived podcast back in the day that died a slow and painful death in the ethereal planes of Albion while battling the evil Lord....whoops, got a little carried away there. I meant to say that our podcast show fell apart due to lacking interest and educational obligations. However, two of the original four hosts are back with a vengeance. From now on myself and my trusty sidekick Ben will be answering your tech questions and filling you in on new tech news. Truly this blog and future podcast will cover anything techy, geeky, or just plain funny that the listeners/readers want to hear/read. So until we receive an email with a question or suggestion we will be posting blogs about new tech hardware and software. Ben and I look forward to hearing from you guys.

Live long and prosper,

Jared "Jeaves"