www.LLY.get.to: November 2008

30 November 2008

SITEX Special (photo)

"老板出国不在，价钱随便乱乱卖!"

translate: "Boss out of town, anyhow price & sell"

original thread here

GeForce 9600GSO vs 9600GT: Benchmark Scores

GeForce 9600GSO vs 9600GT: Benchmark Result

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

Test	Resolution	9600GSO 768MB	9600GT 512MB	% difference
3DMark06 v1.1.0	1024x768	11353	10910	4.1%
		fps (average)
Lost Planet DX10	1280x1024	32.2	30.3	6.3%
Crysis v1.1	1280x1024	31.1	29.8	4.4%
Call of Duty 4 DX10	1280x1024	87.6	80	9.5%
Call of Juarez	1280x1024	36	32.3	11.5%
UT3 demo	1280x1024	148	134	10.4%

The 9600GSO beats 9600GT in every benchmark, an average of 6.6%!

Highlight: How to Softmod 9600GSO into 8800GTS

Despite having the advantage of an optimized G94 core with higher clocks and memory bandwidth, the 9600GT with 32 shaders less lost to the re-branded 9600GSO.

Do note that the market is flooded different flavors, result would be very different between 9600GSO of 192MB vs 384MB vs 768MB (even 1536MB), on top of different factory overclocks. Its a pity that we cannot possibly test our every version out there. Prices varies widely as well, so do take clocks, memory size, output types, warranty duration, package contents into your purchase consideration.

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

Source: SanHaoStreet

Other popular posts:

GeForce 9600GSO vs 9600GT: Test Platform

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 @ 3.0Ghz
Motherboard: Asus Striker II Formula
Memory: Apacer 2x1GB DDR2-800 @ 5-5-5-15 2T
Storage: Seagate 7200.10 320GB SATA
Display: Dell 30" LCD
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate + DirectX 10
Driver: Forceware 174.88 beta

Graphics Card use in this review (Core/Shader/Memory):
Gainward 9600GSO 768MB (600/1500/1800)
Nvidia reference 9600GT 512MB (650/1650/1800)

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

GeForce 9600GSO vs 9600GT: Specifications Compared

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

Product	8800GS	9600GSO	9600GT
Core	G92	G92	G94
Transistors	754million	754million	505million
Core Clock	550Mhz	550Mhz	650Mhz
Shader	1375Mhz	1375Mhz	1625Mhz
Process	65nm	65nm	65nm
ROPS	16	16	16
Stream Processors	96	96	64
Memory Clock	800Mhz	800Mhz	900Mhz
Memory Bus Width	192-bit	192-bit	256-bit
Memory Size	384MB GDDR3	384MB GDDR3	512MB GDDR3

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

GeForce 9600GSO vs 9600GT: Introduction

GeForce 8800GS was an unpopular product when it was launched. Nvidia simply injected a doze of 9-series (marketing) magic into it and, *poof!* 8800GS evolves into 9600GSO overnight. What changed? Just the name, same G92 core with 96 shaders running on 192-bit memory interface remained unchanged. But this time round, card makers are given more freedom in designing their own custom PCB, the amount of memory, as well as the clocks.

The official clocks for GeForce 9600GSO is 550/1375/1600 (core/shader/memory), which is exactly the same as 8800GS, yet slightly lower than the announced reference clocks of 580/1450/1400 earlier on. I guess this move will encourage partners to come out with more profitable overclocked editions.

Do note that Forceware 174.14 WHQL can support GeForce 9 series products as well as MCP78 chipset. The only difference is that Forceware 174.88 added in support for the 9600 GSO.

Some Pictures

8800GS

9600GSO

9600GT

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications Compared
Page 3: Test Platform
Page 4: Benchmark Scores

25 November 2008

CrossfireX 4870X2 vs GTX 280 Tri-SLI: Power Consumption Test & Summary

Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossfireX vs GeForce GTX 280 Tri-SLI:
Power Consumption Test & Summary Chart

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

Readings taken using Seasonic's Power Monitor, figures include the entire test platform minus the LCD monitor.

Idle: Green/Load:Red, pretty obvious huh.

Summary Table

		GTX280 x3	GTX280 x2	GTX280 1GB	HD4870X2 CF-X	HD4870X2 2GB
3DMark06	25x16 4xAA 16xAF	18295	15494	9031	20247	14146
3DMark Vantage (Extreme)	19x12 4xAA 16xAF	13291	9287	4897	12779	7688
NFS: Undercover DX9.0c	19x12 4xAA 16xAF	52	62	39	53	56
	25x16 4xAA 16xAF	49	55	31	40	42
FarCry2 v1.01 DX10.1	19x12 4xAA 16xAF	104.06	68.02	39.71	76.49	63.17
	25x16 4xAA 16xAF	80.78	58.39	30.84	63.54	42.17
CoH:Opposing Fronts DX10	19x12 4xAA	159.3	135.3	77.5	110.5	87.8
	25x16 4xAA	126.8	92.6	50.9	86.8	61.9
Crysis Warhead DX10	19x12	52.61	40.44	22.1	37.66	31.13
	19x12 4xAA	43.78	33.07	18.1	35.97	27.97
	25x16	23.88	25.81	13.62	31.86	21
Lost Planet: Colonies	19x12 4xAA 16xAF	85.65	73.55	31.85	65	41.8
	25x16 4xAA 16xAF	55.7	43.5	23.65	39.35	29.25
World in Conflict DX10	19x12 4xAA 16xAF	77	68	43	61	56
	25x16 4xAA 16xAF	62	52	29	56	40
Bioshock DX10	19x12	165	134	83	152	114
	25x16	126	85	50	113	69
Power (Watt)	Idle	254	204	158	301	236
	Load	665	475	295	627	370

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

CrossfireX 4870X2 vs GTX 280 Tri-SLI: Lost Planet, World in Conflict & Bioshock

Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossfireX vs GeForce GTX 280 Tri-SLI:
Lost Planet, World in Conflict & Bioshock

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

Green for indoor; Yellow for outdoor

Scaling figures (green + yellow)/2

SLI x2: 2.31
SLI x3: 2.69
CFX x4: 1.56

Being optimized as a "Meant To Be Played" game, it naturally scales very well with Nvidia card. We can expect even better performance from the GT200 cards with the newly released Forceware drivers.

Scaling figures (green + yellow)/2

SLI x2: 1.84
SLI x3: 2.36
CFX x4: 1.35

Maximum quality (manual Very Long & 1024)

Scaling figures

SLI x2: 1.58
SLI x3: 1.79
CFX x4: 1.09

GTX280 does a pretty decent job on two card SLI, while the CrossFireX is caught in between SLI & Tri-SLI. Again, we can expect performance boost with the introduction of new drivers from both sides.

Scaling figures

SLI x2: 1.79
SLI x3: 2.14
CFX x4: 1.09

Anti-alising & anisotropic filtering isn't turned on for Bioshock as it will cause problems to some shadowing & DX10 effects.

Scaling figures

SLI x2: 1.61
SLI x3: 1.99
CFX x4: 1.33

Scaling figures

SLI x2: 1.7
SLI x3: 2.52
CFX x4: 1.64

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

CrossfireX 4870X2 vs GTX 280 Tri-SLI: Crysis Warhead & CoH

Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossfireX vs GeForce GTX 280 Tri-SLI:
Crysis Warhead & CoH

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

"Very High" for DX10 settings; "High" for DX9 settings

An unexpected outcome, HD4870X2 in CrossFireX almost achieved what we call "Free AA" in this game!

Lack of bandwidth for the GTX280s. But HD4870X2 in CrossFireX is still barely playable.

Nothing much to comment about, even single card is enough to support this game at insane resolution with anti-alising.

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

CrossfireX 4870X2 vs GTX 280 Tri-SLI: NFS12 & FarCry2

Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossfireX vs GeForce GTX 280 Tri-SLI:
Need For Speed: Undercover & FarCry2

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

Despite being a DX9 game, but Undercover demands great graphics power for its HDR lightings, smoke particles, damages etc. The benchmark is run on the East 1-20 Highway Battle.

Due to the lack of driver support for the new game, the only improvement using multi-card is GTX280 in SLI, anything more than 2 cores is just a waste of electricity.

Everything run at maximum quality. It scales very well with Nvidia cards, 1.71 for SLI & 2.62 for 3-way SLI; merely a 1.21 for CrossFireX.

CrossFireX scales better in this extreme HD resolution @ 1.51, SLI improved to 1.89 & 3-way SLI remained the same.

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

CrossfireX 4870X2 vs GTX 280 Tri-SLI: 3DMark06 & Vantage

Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossfireX vs GeForce GTX 280 Tri-SLI:
3DMark06 & 3DMark Vantage

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

The demand for bandwidth is extremely high @ 2560x1600 4xAA 16xAF.

Scaling in the case of GTX 280 is approximately 1.72 in SLI & a less than ideal 2.03 in 3-way SLI mode.

On the other hand, HD4870X2 scales merely at 1.43, but good enough to beat the three GTX280s.

Vantage, focuses more on the shading power of the graphics core & is less affected by bandwidth & texture capabilities.

This time round, the Green cards take the lead on the scoreboard, with the Reds closing in behind. The scaling is much better this time round, SLIx2: 1.9, SLIx3: 2.71, CFx4: 1.66.

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

CrossfireX 4870X2 vs GTX 280 Tri-SLI

Clash of The Titans:
Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossfireX
vs
GeForce GTX 280 Tri-SLI

The arrival of Intel X58 chipset marks a new era in multi-card gaming technology. The X58 chipset supports both Nvidia and ATI's multi-card platforms. Now gamers opting to build a high end gaming platform can choose ATI's Crossfire/CrossfireX or Nvidia's SLI/3-Way/Quad-SLI technologies.

In today's review, we are going to bench two Radeon HD4870X2 in CrossFireX against three GeForce GTX280 in 3-way SLI. The following review is an abstract of the original article. First, let's take a look at the specification chart of both graphics cards:

Product	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD4870X2
Core	GT200	2x RV770
Process	65nm	55nm
Transistor Count	1400million	2x 956million
Core Clock	602 Mhz	750 Mhz
Shader	1296 Mhz	750 Mhz
ROPS	32	2x 16
Stream Processors	240	2x 800
Memory Clock	1107 Mhz	900 Mhz
Memory Bus Width	512-bit	2x 256-bit
Memory Size/Type	1GB GDDR3	2x 1GB GDDR5
DirectX Support	DirectX 10	DirectX 10.1
PCI-E Interface	PCI-Express 2.0	PCI-Express 2.0

Test Platform

CPU: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 @ 3.2Ghz
Mainboard: ASUS Rampage II Extreme X58/ICH10R
Memory: Corsair TR3X3G1333C9 3GB @ 1333Mhz 9-9-9-20 1T
Storage: WD VelociRaptor 300G 10krpm 16MB
Power: Corsair HX 1kW
Graphics:

2x PowerColor Radeon HD 4870X2 2048MB (750/3600)
3x Galaxy GeForce GTX 280 1024MB (600/1300/2200)

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit SP1 + DirectX 10.1
Driver:

GeForce Forceware 180.48 WHQL
ATI Catalyst 8.11 WHQL

PCI Express 2.0 lanes configurations,

1-way: X16
2-way: X16+X16
3-way: X16+X8+X8

Radeon HD 4870X2 CrossFireX

GeForce GTX 280 3-way SLI

Part 1: Introduction & Test Platform
Part 2: 3DMark 06 & Vantage
Part 3: NFS12 & FarCry2
Part 4: Crysis Warhead & CoH
Part 5: LP, WiC & Bioshock
Part 6: Power Consumption & Summary

YOUTUBE GOES WIDESCREEN!

"Over the years we've heard a lot of feedback from you about what you'd like to change about YouTube, and the size of our video player is always top of mind. That's why today we're excited to announce a bigger YouTube player.

We're expanding the width of the page to 960 pixels to better reflect the quality of the videos you create and the screens that you use to watch them. This new, wider player is in a widescreen aspect ratio which we hope will provide you with a cleaner, more powerful viewing experience. And don't worry, your 4:3 aspect ratio videos will play just fine in this new player..."

23 November 2008

(VIDEO) FIGHTING ON BUS NO.88

2 aunties fighting at the back of bus 88 caught on video:

22 November 2008

Microsoft DirectX 11 Screenshots

Support for DirectX 11 will only be available through the introduction of Windows 7, which will not be available till 2H 2009. For now, just enjoy some screenshots:

DirectX 11: A look at what's coming

Microsoft Releases Direct3D 11 Technical Preview for Developers

Screenshot source

Teen Commits Suicide on Live Streaming TV

"Broward County (FL) - A 19-yr old named Abraham K. Biggs was urged to commit suicide on live streaming TV this past Wednesday. The viewers thought Biggs was joking after taking a bunch of pills and appearing to slowly go to sleep. After a few hours they began to realize he was serious and contacted the authorities. The Broward County medical examiner confirmed Biggs' death shortly thereafter..."

More at: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/40314/113/

16 November 2008

Major Internet Spam Firm Taken Down

"Located in a 30-story office tower in the heart of Silicon Valley, in downtown San Jose, a relatively small firm was involved in a full scale cyber crime network. The McColo Corporation operated the servers located within the building, and they were involved in hosting services for all types of firms that compromised computers to advertise counterfeit designer goods, pharmaceuticals, fake Internet security products and even child pornography by way of e-mail.

Viewing the company’s website is no longer possible, two Internet providers cut off McColo’s connectivity to the Internet. Almost instantaneously, security companies noticed a tremendous drop in the global volume of spam. E-mail security firm IronPort said that spam levels had fallen by almost 66% as of Tuesday evening.

Spam watchdog Spamcop.net stated that there was a decline of 10 - 40 spam emails per second.

At this time, it is not known whether McColo be legally responsible will be for the activities of their clients. At this time there is no confirmation that the company has been charged with a crime.

Private security researcher Jart Armin has been documenting the activity of McColo. She mentioned that currently McColo is hosted at a minimum 40 different child pornography websites, or sites that collect payment for the content. A traffic analysis of one of the sites proved that each one of these sites were generating between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors daily.

For several months, cyber criminals have been utilizing servers at McColo to manage websites that send out new versions of the “Torpig” or “Sinowal” Trojan horse program that is one of the most stealthy malware programs in existence currently.

This is just one more successful move in the government’s quest to go more seriously after spammers. Last month, the FTC seized the assets of Herbal King that was in the business of selling counterfeit prescription drugs. This network was deemed the largest “spam gang” in the world. The spammers utilized the Mega-D botnet, which reportedly was able to send 10 billion e-mail messages per day."

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-40195-118.html

Watch James Bond Quantum of Solace Full Movie

Quantum Of Solace (2008) full movie

Seeking revenge for the death of his love, secret agent James Bond sets out to stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country's water supply.

Warning: Click/Watch at your own risk

MegaVideo Link1

MegaVideo Link2

If you like it, please watch it at the cinema or buy the original DVD.

08 November 2008

Radeon HD3850 X2 + GeForce 8600GT

Working hand-in-hand:
Radeon HD3850 X2 + GeForce 8600GT

PhysX, the "in" thing in 3D PC gaming these days. Nvidia injected a boost of PhysX support to all GeForce 8 series & above cards. On the other hand, ATI has trouble coming up with similar features in the same field. So what can ATI fans do for now? One way is to add a mid-range GeForce card to the existing CrossFire platform, which will be covered here today. The following is an extract from the original article.

The test will be based on the Colorful C.A790GX X3. As the product name suggests, the board has 3 PCI-E 16x slots.

The PCI Express slots.

The blue one is a fully compatible PCI-E 2.0 16x slot. Under closer observation, you can see that the blacks' slots are missing half the pins, that is because they are in x8 configuration, providing x8 and x4 speed respectively.

The jumpers need to be changed to 2-3 configuration in order to enable a dual-card CrossFire mode. In CrossFire mode, the first two PCI-E slots (blue and black) will be run at x8 + x8 configuration.

Test System Specifications

CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9600 2.3Ghz
Mainboard: Colorful C.A790GX X3 (AMD 790GX + SB750)
Memory: OCZ DDR2-1150 2x1GB
Storage: Seagate 7200.10 160GB
Graphics:
Colorful Radeon HD3850-GD3 (x2)
Colorful GeForce 8600GT-GD3
Power: Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W

O/S: Windows XP Pro SP3
DirectX 9.0c 2008-3
AMD Chipset 8.9
ATI Catalyst 8.10
ForceWare 178.24 WHQL

Baseline Benchmark:

8660 for 3DMark06.

No miracle of a CrossFire-SLI here, the score matches the result for a pair of HD3850 X2 in x8 + x8. As the score suggests, the benchmark program gained no advantage from the additional 8600GT.

MKZ without PhysX acceleration

MKZ with PhysX acceleration from the 8600GT. The average framerate shows significant improvement of around 67%.

Nurien, without PhysX acceleration.

Nurien, with PhysX acceleration, received a big boost from the help of 8600GT.

02 November 2008

Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix 2008 - Saturday Qualifying Session Result

Massa takes a vital pole for his home Grand Prix! The current World Champion Raikkonen takes 3rd, separated by Jarno Trulli's surprising second place. Hamilton, whom silenced the Brazilian crowd with a first place in Q2, will only start from 4th place, behind the second placed Toyota. Below is the qualifying session table:

Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:11.830	1:11.875	1:12.368	17
2	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:12.226	1:12.107	1:12.737	15
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:12.083	1:11.950	1:12.825	19
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:12.213	1:11.856	1:12.830	14
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:12.366	1:11.768	1:12.917	17
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:12.214	1:12.090	1:12.967	18
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	1:12.390	1:11.845	1:13.082	20
8	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:12.371	1:12.026	1:13.297	18
9	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	1:12.498	1:12.075	1:14.105	16
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:12.223	1:11.909	1:14.230	24
11	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	1:12.348	1:12.137		13
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:12.409	1:12.289		13
13	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:12.381	1:12.300		13
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:12.690	1:12.717		16
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:12.548	1:13.139		14
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	1:12.800			9
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:12.810			9
18	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:13.002			8
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	1:13.426			9
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	1:13.508			9

May the best man wins!