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Friday, Apr 28, 2000

H4ck3d by =N30=
Posted by N30 @ 11:22 - 2 Comments

Y0ur fuck'in N3ws h4s b33n h4ck3d hahaha.. p4ssw0rd s3curity m4y n33d a bit 0f a l00k?? mayb3??

ch33rs Admin f0r n0t g3tt'in piss3d 0ff!!

Shoutz to: Zillion, Sabu, EHW, Artech, P4tera, Domz and da Rootworm Cr3w, AcidKlown and Ultr4 F34r....

=L8t3r d00ds=
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Tips on Linux and XFree 4.0 Nvidia drivers
Posted by SwedBear @ 9:13 - 0 Comments

If you are having problems with the isntallation of the XFree4 Nvidia drivers recently released then check out this newspost over at Linux Gamers:

Nick Triantos from NVIDIA wrote in with some information regarding installation problems with the recently released video drivers. First off, they are trying to help people out with installation problems via IRC. To take advantage of this, join #nvidia on irc.openprojects.net. On top of that, Nick reports that there are about three main problems that users are commonly running in to:

* If you see X errors when you run quake, remove the last piece of MesaGL from your system:
mv /usr/X11R6/lib/libGL.so.1.2 /usr/lib/libMesaGL.so.1.2
ln -s /usr/lib/libGL.so /usr/X11R6/lib/libGL.so.1.2
* If you are having compile problems building our kernel module, add the following to the DEFINES= line:
-D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES
* The last problem is people who see 0kb of video memory. Either it's people who didn't read the readme, or a problem that they are still debugging (via IRC).



In their comment section to the post there are some more discussions/tips from people who have tried this so I suggest you head over there now and check it out.
Link:Linux Games
Source:http://www.voodooextreme.com/

Thursday, Apr 27, 2000

Elsa Gladiac GeForce2 GTS This Sunday!!
Posted by Avogadro @ 19:29 - 0 Comments

Riva 3D received word from Elsa that their GeForce 2 is coming VERY soon to Fry's and Electronics Boutique! Here is the post:

We are proud to announce that the "Elsa Gladiac GeForce2 GTS" will be available at Fry's Electronics on Sunday April 30th.
Also, Electronics Boutique will have the Gladiac on their shelves on Tuesday May 2nd in 540 locations nationwide. The retail price for these boards will be $349 with a custom software bundle. The boards will also feature 32MB DDR SGRAM and video in/out module upgradeablity.

Also, Riva 3D now has their GeForce 2 GTS preview up. They benchmark on an Athlon 650 and a Celeron 572.
Link:Riva 3D
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GeForce 2 GTS vs. Voodoo 5 : Fight!
Posted by Avogadro @ 18:24 - 0 Comments

Extreme Hardware has posted an interesting debate on the GeForce 2 GTS and the Voodoo 5. There's some nice speculation on the different FSAA methods between the cards and also the wide range of benchmark results we're seeing. Here's a part of the FSAA debate:

Now unless you’ve been living in a hole, you’ve probably heard quite a bit of rhetoric thrown around from 3dfx on the benefits of FSAA, and exactly what certain other card manufacturers would have to do to equal 4X FSAA. Here’s the second hand account, straight from 3dfx:

"To get 3dfx quality 4X FSAA, Nvidia needs a 16x supersample. They only do 4x supersample now... Their FSAA is closer to 3dfx's 2X FSAA. That is why the benchmarks show Nvidia FSAA vs. 3dfx 2X FSAA. Nothing touches 3dfx 4X FSAA in image quality." - Bubba Wolford, 3dfx Interactive, Inc.

And a rebut:

"...I downloaded the 3dfx 2 taps FSAA TGA shots of Ritual's SIN, which still showed tons of jaggies. I fired up the game on my GeForce, and it was comparable to the 4x taps AA shots you put out..." - JvG
Link:Debate
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AMD Duron Announced
Posted by Avogadro @ 18:09 - 0 Comments

AMD has announced their Duron line of processors, which will compete at the low end against the Intel Celeron. It's going to run at 200 MHz front side bus! Here's a part of their press release:

About the AMD Duron(TM) Processor Family Name

Derived from the Latin roots ``durare,'' meaning ``to last,'' and ``-on'', meaning ``unit,'' the AMD Duron processor name was selected because it conveys the attributes embodied by a product designed to prolong the life of a buyer's investment.

About the AMD Duron Processor

The AMD Duron processor is derived from the AMD Athlon(TM) processor core and features full-speed, on-chip L2 cache memory, a 200MHz front side system bus, and enhanced 3DNow!(TM) technology. AMD plans to begin shipping AMD Duron processors in June.

Link:Press Release
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The Isle of Morg Shots
Posted by Avogadro @ 18:05 - 0 Comments

Remember the Dragoth Moor Zoological Gardens tech demo for the GeForce? Well now there is another demo made by the same company for the GeForce 2 GTS called "The Isle of Morg". Apparently it will only be shipping with GeForce 2 cards, so don't expect to download it. In the meantime though, wxp3d.com has some screenshots of it!
Link:Screenshots
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NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer Videos
Posted by Avogadro @ 1:17 - 0 Comments

Nvidia has posted videos to its website showing off their Nvidia Shading Rasterizer (NSR) videos. These are just demonstrations of how developers can use the NSR to create nice effects. I'm still downloading them right now but they look like they're going to be very cool!
Link:Videos
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Wednesday, Apr 26, 2000

Here Come the Previews
Posted by Avogadro @ 20:37 - 2 Comments

Tweak 3D has a preview up with the usual benchmarks and also a nice explanation of the Nvidia Shading Rasterizer!

nVNews benchmarked the GeForce 2 GTS and a regular GeForce DDR on a variety of games, including Soldier of Fortune, in their preview!

Sharky Extreme has their preview up comparing the GeForce 2 GTS to the GeForce and Voodoo5 5500.

Firing Squad posted their preview of the GeForce 2 GTS. Go here to compare their results with their Voodoo5 5500 preview from a few days ago.

Planet GeForce put up their preview. They have a good deal of screenshots, including shots taken from the lightning tech demo.

Anandtech has a comprehensive preview up. They bench the GeForce GTS against a great deal of other cards including V5 5500, GeForce DDR & SDR, G400, ATI Rage and TNT2 Voodoo 3. Also they have some benchmarks and screenshots of the hardware FSAA!

Riva3d is still working on theirs and I will post as soon as they're ready.

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Hercules Brings us a New GeForce 2 GTS
Posted by Scooter @ 19:27 - 0 Comments

HERCULES EXPANDS ITS AWARD-WINNING FAMILY WITH NEW 3D PROPHET II GTS

New GeForce2 GTS-based Board Delivers Blazing Performance and Per-Pixel
Shading to Gaming Enthusiasts

MONTREAL, April 26, 2000 - Hercules is excited to introduce its latest in
their range of cutting-edge graphics boards: the 3D Prophet II GTS. The
exciting new 3D Prophet II GTS boards, which will be available in 32MB and
64MB versions and include TV-out, are based on NVIDIA's latest GPU - the
GeForce2 GTS(tm).
"The new Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS graphics boards have been carefully
crafted with hardcore gamers in mind to offer all the latest technological
innovations," says Alain Pakiry, Executive Vice President. " Hercules
guarantees no compromise with it's cards - once again we offer the best and
hottest features - providing unsurpassed quality in 3D graphics."
Hercules is using the latest in groundbreaking technologies for this new
line of graphics cards. These specific designs were developed to take
advantage of the new 3D graphics features programmed into the current and
upcoming games. 3D Prophet II GTS cards will provide features including a
2nd generation hardware transform and lighting engine, 100% hardware
triangle setup, four dual-texturing pipelines mapping, eight texels per
clock cycle and the NVIDIATM Shading Rasterizer (NSR) which offers
per-pixel shading features for rich, lifelike and cinematic effects. The
cards also feature DDR-RAM (200 MHz core clock / 333 MHz DDR RAM clock)
resulting in intense speed and a dazzling 1.6 GigaTexels per second and
amazingly fast clock speeds which means unbeatable refresh rates for
top-quality visuals.
The 3D Prophet II GTS will provide advanced High Definition Video Processor
(HDPV), which delivers the highest quality playback for DVD and HDTV.
Availability
The 3D Prophet II GTS will be available at Babbages Etc, Best Buy, CompUSA,
Electronics Boutique, Fry's Electronics and Future Shop.
Hercules Division
Hercules is a division of Guillemot Corporation has become a pre-eminent
worldwide player in the interactive hardware and accessories market. Founded
in 1984, the group develops, manufactures and distributes PC and console
peripherals, providing the highest quality products for gamers and music
enthusiasts worldwide. Guillemot is also proud to provide Ferrari and NASCAR
officially licensed products as part of their accessories line. Guillemot
Corporation is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, Sicovam code 6672, and is
currently present in 10 countries, distributing its products in a total of
35 countries.
-30-

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Announced OEM Design Wins for GeForce 2 GTS
Posted by Scooter @ 15:47 - 0 Comments

NVIDIA Secures Top PC OEM Design Wins for New GeForce2 GTS GPU


WINHEC 2000, NEW ORLEANS, LA. — April 26, 2000 —NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) today announced that it has secured key spring-design wins with the top PC OEMs for its new GeForce2 GTS™ GPU (graphics processing unit). Sweeping these critical designs reinforces NVIDIA's position as the technology leader in PC graphics for yet another season. In addition, the top five independent graphics add-in card manufacturers have selected the GeForce2 GTS for their product lines. This rapid adoption is unprecedented and will immediately bring the blazing performance and per-pixel shading effects to millions of PC users.

The following PC OEMs and add-in card manufacturers will be offering products based on the GeForce2 GTS in the coming weeks:

PC OEMS
Dell Computer
Gateway
Micronpc.com
Compaq
Hewlett-Packard

Add-in Card Manufacturers
ASUSTek
Creative Labs
ELSA
Guillemot
Leadtek· Quantex



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Official GeForce 2 GTS Press Release
Posted by Scooter @ 15:44 - 0 Comments

NVIDIA Introduces New Ground-Breaking GPU
New GeForce2 GTS Delivers First Major Step Toward Real-time Cinematic Experience

WINHEC 2000, NEW ORLEANS, LA. — April 26, 2000 — Taking a giant leap on the quest for truly interactive, cinematic-quality real-time graphics, NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) today introduced the GeForce2 GTS™, the first per-pixel shading graphics processor unit (GPU) for the desktop PC market. The combination of blazingly fast graphics processing and powerful new features, such as sophisticated per-pixel shading, provides unprecedented interactive realism never before available on the PC platform. The GeForce2 GTS will be available from a wide variety of PC OEMs and add-in-card manufacturers over the next few weeks.

Both the desktop graphics and animated film industries are striving to create spectacular, lifelike worlds. Film quality realism requires complicated per-pixel operations, previously impractical for desktop graphics which must render frames as fast as 60 times per second. The GeForce2 GTS is the first GPU with the 3D performance and enhanced feature set necessary to approach this distinct level of realism.

"Achieving Pixar-level animation in real-time has been an industry dream for years," explains Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at NVIDIA. "With twice the performance of the GeForce 256 and per-pixel shading technology, the GeForce2 GTS is a major step toward achieving that goal."

The GeForce2 GTS includes the NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer (NSR), a radical new technology that enables advanced per-pixel shading capabilities. This breakthrough technology has the ability to process seven pixel operations in a single pass on each of four pixel pipelines, simultaneously.

The NSR allows per-pixel control of color, shadow, light, reflectivity, emissivity, specularity, gloss, dirt, and other visual and material components used to create amazingly realistic objects and environments. Per-pixel shading delivers the next-generation of visual realism by going beyond the limited texture mapping techniques of previous graphics processors.

John Carmack, id Software stated, "Per-pixel shading, utilizing cube environment mapping and normalized dot product bump maps look incredibly good across an entire world. Everyone at id is way psyched about developing new content with the GeForce2 GTS."
A Discontinuity in the Desktop Graphics Industry
The GeForce2 GTS achieves an astounding four pixels per clock (dual-textured) or eight texels per clock and delivers 1.6-billion texels (or 1.6 GigaTexels) per second -- more than twice the performance of the award-winning GeForce 256™ and more than three times the texture processing power of any competitive consumer graphics product. GeForce2 GTS drives the most extreme resolutions and color depths of up to 2048 x 1536 x 32 at 75 MHz.

Another key feature of GeForce2 GTS is its High-Definition Video Processor (HDVP), which enables a variety of crystal-clear HDTV solutions when combined with a mainstream CPU and a low-cost DTV receiver. The HDVP allows mainstream high-performance processors to support all 18 Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) formats with a simple, cost-effective DTV receiver card.

Major 3D features of the GeForce2 GTS include:
§ Second generation transform and lighting engines
§ Hardware full-scene anti-aliasing (FSAA)
§ NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer (NSR) – multi-operation per-pixel rendering engine
§ Integrated TMDS transmitter supporting flat panels up to 1280 x 1024
§ Up to 128MB of high-speed double data rate frame buffer memory
§ AGP 4X and PCI support
§ Full support for Microsoft® DirectX® and SGI OpenGL®
§ Optimal performance for current and future CPUs from Intel and AMD

"GeForce2 GTS' support for the DirectX 7 API gives developers the capability to incorporate transform, lighting and per-pixel shading, and deliver a new era of real-time, cinematic 3D effects in Windows-based gaming", said Jason White, lead technical evangelist for DirectX at Microsoft Corporation.

"AMD is excited that NVIDIA is bringing cutting edge features to desktop graphics and AMD processor platforms, such as their new NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer in the GeForce2 GTS" said Richard Heye, vice president and general manager of the AMD Athlon™ Product Division. "We are working closely with NVIDIA to help ensure that platforms based on AMD processors maintain and advance our performance leadership. We believe end users implementing NVIDIA's GeForce2 GTS are fully optimized to harness the raw power of an AMD Athlon processor will be thrilled with the tremendous level of performance delivered to their desktops."

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GeForce 2 GTS preview is UP!
Posted by SwedBear @ 15:07 - 2 Comments

Finally the clock has struck 15.00 pm (which should be 9.00 am EST) and our NDA is lifted.

Scott visited NVidia this last weekend and brought home a piece of silicon that I would happily have flown over to get. But since NVidia hasn't moved their HQ to Sweden yet Scott took my place and he's the one who has had the pleasure to play around with the card.

This is the first part of our preview of the card. We've managed to get some benchmarks done in Q3A and 3D Mark 2000. This coming weekend Scott and Das will do a lot more.

In the preview we also have 30 screenshots from games like Giants, a special Q3A level and Sacrifice. Some of the screens are stunning!

Oh well. What are you waiting for? Go read the rpeview and then discuss the GeForce 2 GTS on the forums.
Link:Go read the preview!!
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Accelerated Linux drivers!
Posted by SwedBear @ 10:37 - 2 Comments

Scott told me that we should expect this this week and here they are - Nvidia has released beta XFree86 4.0 drivers that contain OpenGL acceleration. As I don't have any Linux distro installed I can't test it. Anyone care to write a mini-review of it?
Link:Get them from here
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Christmas is coming!
Posted by Avogadro @ 1:28 - 0 Comments

... and maybe you should ask your parents for one of these puppies! It's called the CAVE. It's a virtual reality room that surrounds you on all sides with screens including the floor, totally immersing you in the virtual surrounding. What's great is that they actually have Quake 2 running on it!! Check out those pictures! That could be you in your living room!
Link:Article
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Tuesday, Apr 25, 2000

Radeon Discussed
Posted by Avogadro @ 18:56 - 0 Comments

HotHardware has an article up that takes a closer look at the recently announced ATI Radeon graphics chip. They seem to think that ATI will have the chip out in August. Who know's though. Those product "launches" can be a little ambiguous sometimes. Here's an interesting comment regarding the possibility of a dual chip configuration:

"There are some VERY interesting points that caught my eye; there are also some others that really impressed me. Here are some of the points that I was particularly intrigued by, I’m sure some of you will also be impressed when you read this. The Radeon 256 also includes support for ATI’s patented MAXX multi-ASIC technology, enabling twin Radeon 256 chips on a single graphics card. A dual chip Radeon 256 board should be an EXTREMELY powerful product, a definite performance and feature leader "on paper”. "
Link:Article
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ATI Launches RADEON 256
Posted by Avogadro @ 18:45 - 0 Comments

ATI Technologies has announced their Radeon 256 graphics chip. Looks pretty good on paper. Hopefully they can nail down the drivers this time!!

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