GEFORCE 7800 GTX REVIEWED
`Does nVidia’s latest videocard
`spank the Radeon X850?
`
`TESTED: ATHLON FX-57!
`Monarch’s AMD-powered rig
`dominates the competition
`
`CPU HEATSINK SHOWDOWNCPU HEATSINK SHOWDOWN
`
`
`We torture-test and rate 10 We torture-test and rate 10
`super-premium CPU coolers
`super-premium CPU coolers
`
`BUILD
`YOUR OWN
`WITH OUR
`PART-BY-PART
`BUYERS
`GUIDE
`
`
`
`MINIMUM BS • SEPTEMBER 2005MINIMUM BS • SEPTEMBER 2005
`
`Dual-
`Everything!
`
` Dream Machine ‘05
`
` TWO DUAL-CORE CPUS!
` DUAL VIDEOCARDS!
`
`TWO TERABYTES OF STORAGE!
`
`How we hand-built
`the ultimate desktop
`computer!
`
`EXCLUSIVE
`CREATIVE’S TOP-SECRET
`SOUNDCARD!
`
`SOUNDCARD!SOUNDCARD!
`The New X-Fi
`
`The New X-Fi The New X-Fi
`Ain’t No Audigy
`
`Ain’t No AudigyAin’t No Audigy
`Hands-On
`Preview
`Page 34
`
`QUIET, PLEASE! HOW TO REFIT YOUR RIG FOR SILENT RUNNING
`
`Page 1 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`Ed Word
`
`Introducing:
`The All-New
`Maximum PC!
`
`Send emails and large valuable
`gifts to will@maximumpc.com.
`
`Welcome to the new and improved Maximum
`
`PC. When we began planning the magazine’s
`redesign, I had only one goal: to make an already
`kick-ass magazine even better—to do a better job
`informing, entertaining, and delighting you. We’ve
`rejiggered a few sections, moved some bits and
`pieces around, and added a whole new department.
`It was an ambitious redesign, but after six long
`months of prototyping and fi nessing, the new
`Maximum PC has surpassed all my expectations.
`The fi rst thing you’ll notice is our new regular
`department: R&D (it’s on page 62). R&D takes
`an up-close look at technology, both current and
`future. We’ll open every month with a technical
`white paper (this month we explain how OLED
`displays work), and then follow up with a Hardware
`Autopsy, in which we take apart a different piece
`of hardware, photograph its innards, and show you
`exactly how it all works. The fi nal piece of the R&D
`puzzle is our new Preview section. In Previews, we’ll
`take an up-close look at an upcoming product or
`technology that promises to have an impact on your
`PC experience. I’m really excited about this latest
`addition to Maximum PC. I hope you are as well.
`You’ll also notice a few other changes; the most
`drastic is in our QuickStart department. Our new
`QuickStart design accommodates more articles, so
`
`Contents
`
`we won’t ever again be forced to choose between
`a story on geeks’ sex lives or Microsoft’s rumored
`P2P app (both stories are on page 14). We also
`applied some space-saving changes to every other
`section in the magazine. The upshot? We now
`have more room for text, and we can run larger
`images in every section of the mag, from the how-to
`department to our hard-hitting reviews.
`That’s it! That’s all we’ve changed. We’re not
`changing the focus or the direction of Maximum
`PC one whit. You can expect the same hard-hitting
`reviews, exciting feature stories, and hands-on
`how-to content you’ve come to love in Maximum
`PC. We still worship at the altar of Pure PC Power.
`But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just turn
`to page 22 and take a look at the hardware inside
`this year’s Dream Machine. Inside the brushed
`aluminum case is the most powerful rig we’ve ever
`built. DMX sports two dual-core Opterons, two
`GeForce 7800 GTX videocards, and two terabytes
`of hard drive space. The fi rst time I saw DMX
`encode a full-length DVD to MPEG4 in less than 10
`minutes, I was in love. This is a machine I want to
`wrap up and take home. I know you will too.
`
`09/05 MAXIMUMPC
`
`22
`Dream
`Machine ‘05
`
`In our annual no-holds-
`barred celebration of pure
`PC power, this year’s dream
`rig offers twice the normal
`level of audacity!
`
`48 CPU
`
`Coolers
`Coolers
`We crank up the
`heat on 10 of the
`baddest heatsink/fan
`baddest heatsink/fan
`combos around. See
`how they fare.
`
`41
`
`5 Ideas for
`Longhorn
`Listen up, Microsoft!
`You could learn
`a thing or two
`from your OS
`competitors.
`
`SEPTEMBER 2005 MAXIMUMPC 5
`
`Page 2 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`MAXIMUMPC
`
`EDITORIAL
`EDITOR IN CHIEF Will Smith
`MANAGING EDITOR Katherine Stevenson
`EXECUTIVE EDITOR Michael Brown
`SENIOR EDITOR Gordon Mah Ung
`FEATURES EDITOR Logan Decker
`ASSOCIATE EDITOR Josh Norem
`SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Steve Klett
`EDITOR EMERITUS Andrew Sanchez
`CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mark Behnken, Mike DeLucia, Tom
`Halfhill, Tae K. Kim, Thomas McDonald, Robert Strohmeyer
`
`ART
`ART DIRECTOR Natalie Jeday
`ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Boni Uzilevsky
`PHOTO EDITOR Mark Madeo
`ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHER Samantha Berg
`CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Morgan McDermott
`
`BUSINESS
`PUBLISHER Bernard Lanigan
`646-723-5405, blanigan@futurenetworkusa.com
`WESTERN AD DIRECTOR Dave Lynn
`949-360-4443, dlynn@futurenetworkusa.com
`WESTERN AD MANAGER Stacey Levy
`925-964-1205, slevy@futurenetworkusa.com
`EASTERN AD MANAGER Anthony Danzi
`646-723-5453, adanzi@futurenetworkusa.com
`NATIONAL SALES MANAGER, ENTERTAINMENT Nate Hunt
`415-656-8536, nhunt@futurenetworkusa.com
`ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Jose Urrutia
`415-656-8313, jurrutia@futurenetworkusa.com
`MARKETING MANAGER Kathleen Reilly
`MARKETING COORDINATOR Tara Wong
`
`PRODUCTION
`PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Richie Lesovoy
`PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Dan Mallory
`
`CIRCULATION
`CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Tina K. Rogers
`FULFILLMENT MANAGER Angela Martinez
`DIRECT MARKETING SPECIALIST Janet Amistoso
`ASSISTANT BILLING RENEWAL SPECIALIST Siara Nazir
`NEWSSTAND COORDINATOR Alex Guzman
`
`FUTURE NETWORK USA
`150 North Hill Drive, Suite 40, Brisbane, CA 94005
`www.futurenetworkusa.com
`
`PRESIDENT Jonathan Simpson-Bint
`VICE PRESIDENT/CFO Tom Valentino
`VICE PRESIDENT/CIRCULATION Holly Klingel
`GENERAL COUNSEL Charles Schug
`PUBLISHING DIRECTOR/GAMES Simon Whitcombe
`PUBLISHING DIRECTOR/TECHNOLOGY Chris Coelho
`PUBLISHING DIRECTOR/MUSIC Steve Aaron
`PUBLISHING DIRECTOR/BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Dave Barrow
`EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/TECHNOLOGY Jon Phillips
`EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/MUSIC Brad Tolinski
`DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL SERVICES Nancy Durlester
`PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Richie Lesovoy
`
`Future Network USA is part of
`Future PLC
`Future produces carefully targeted
`special-interest magazines for
`people who share a passion. We
`aim to satisfy that passion by
`creating titles offering value for
`money, reliable information, smart
`buying advice and which are a
`pleasure to read. Today we publish
`more than 100 magazines in the US, UK, France and Italy. Over 100
`international editions of our magazines are also published in 31
`other countries across the world.
`
`The Future Network plc is a public company quoted on the London
`Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR).
`
`FUTURE PLC
`30 Monmouth St., Bath, Avon, BA1 2BW, England
`www.futureplc.com
`Tel +44 1225 442244
`
`CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Greg Ingham
`GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR: John Bowman
`
`REPRINTS: For reprints, contact Ryan Derfl er, Reprint Operations
`Specialist, 717.399.1900 ext. 167
`or email: futurenetworkusa@reprintbuyer.com
`
`SUBSCRIPTION QUERIES: Please email mcdcustserv@cdsfulfi llme
`nt.com or call customer service tol-free at 888-771-6222.
`
`Contents
`
`Departments
` Quick Start How Divx 6 changes
`the video-compression landscape ......10
`
` Head2Head Which is the better
`projector technology: DLP or LCD? .....16
`
`R&D OLED explained. It could
`very well be the technology
`driving your next PC monitor ...........62
`
`In the Lab Behind the scenes
`of this year’s Dream Machine ............66
`
` WatchDog Consumer advocacy—
`Maximum PC-style ...............................18
`
` In/Out You write, we respond .......102
`
`How To Identify and eliminate all
`the sources of noise in your PC ...........55
`
`Rig of the Month Steve
`Wright says, “Game on!” .................104
`
`Ask the Doctor Diagnosing
`and curing your PC problems ..............57
`
`Reviews
`
`70
`
`Desktop PC Monarch Nemesis .... 68
`
`Videocard XFX GeForce
`7800 GTX ............................................. 70
`
`24-inch widescreen LCDs
`Samsung 243T; Dell 2405FPW ............... 72
`
`250GB hard drives
`Western Digital WD2500KS; Hitachi
`Deskstar T7K250 .................................. 74
`
`MP3 player speakers
`Cambridge Soundworks PlayDock ...... 75
`
`Noice-reducing
`headphones AKG K 28 ................ 76
`
`MP3 player sunglasses
`Oakley Thump ......................................... 76
`
`72
`
`Image-management
`software ACDSee PowerPack 7;
`Firegraphic 8 ........................................... 78
`
`Gaming
`
`Gizmondo handheld
`gaming system and
`games ..................................................80
`
`Battlefield 2 .....................................82
`
`The Matrix Online .......................84
`
`Grand Theft Auto:
`San Andreas ....................................84
`
`84
`22
`
`SEPTEMBER 2005 MAXIMUMPC
`
`7
`
`Page 3 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`quickstart
`
`THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
`
`Divx 6 to the Rescue
`
`Divx transforms itself from
`a rogue video-compression
`codec into a full-fledged
`media format for encoding,
`distributing, and playing back
`video content
`
`While manufacturers squabble over
`
`high-defi nition DVD formats, Divx
`has delivered an unexpected twist to high-
`def video recording and storage with the
`sixth version of its eponymous codec. The
`crazy cats at Divx pulled out all the stops
`this time—Divx 6 includes an easy-to-use
`video converter, a highly polished codec,
`and even support for high-defi nition
`resolution (720p at 4Mb/s).
`The biggest improvement in the latest
`version is that compressing video to Divx
`has gotten much easier. Come to think
`of it, encoding was never easy, but the
`creaky, unstable Dr. Divx encoder has been
`replaced by the effortless Divx Converter.
`You simply drag fi les you want Divx-ized
`onto the converter, select a profi le (there
`are confi gurable presets optimized for
`different devices, such as a PC monitor or
`PDA), and click Convert.
`
`This DVD menu is an impressive example of what the Divx Media Format is capable
`of, once implemented in a third-party authoring application.
`
`Third-party software developers will
`get their bellies rubbed by the Divx Media
`Format, an extension of the codec that
`supports interactive, animated menus,
`chapters, subtitles, and alternate audio
`tracks. When developers integrate the
`Divx Media Format into third-party video-
`editing software, end-
`users (that’s us) will have
`the option to create
`a single Divx fi le that
`behaves exactly like a
`commercial DVD-Video
`disc when played.
`Divx Converter is
`the fi rst app to support
`Divx Media Format. If
`you drag multiple fi les
`of the same resolution
`and frame rate onto
`the converter, Divx will
`automatically generate a
`handsome menu based
`on the movie titles, and
`then it will combine
`the menu and all the
`movies into a single fi le
`
`with the .divx extension. The Divx Media
`Format “virtual DVD” fi le is playable with
`the company’s free Divx Player, and by
`some consumer electronics devices. Many
`hardware manufacturers already offer Divx
`5 support, and it might be possible to add
`Divx 6 support via a fi rmware upgrade.
`With enhanced compression ratios and
`the nifty Divx Media Format, you can pack
`tons of high-def content onto current-
`generation DVDs. That’s where Divx 6
`could fi nd its groove. With two competing
`standards for high-defi nition video discs
`on the horizon—Blu-ray and HD-DVD—
`and very expensive hardware behind them
`that will take years to drop in price, why
`not use the red-laser DVD burner you
`already have in combination with Divx 6 to
`record and store high-defi nition video?
`You can download the Divx Player
`and codec bundle for free at www.divx.
`com, or purchase the Divx Create bundle
`for $20. In the meantime, we’re currently
`punishing the new codec in the Lab; check
`back soon for a comparison of Divx 6
`performance and that of other MPEG-4-
`compliant codecs.
`
`With Divx 6 you can roll up several videos into a single .divx
`file, and you don’t even have to be terminally lazy to appreci-
`ate its automatic menu generation.
`
`10 MAXIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2005
`
`Page 4 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`Pentium D—a Trojan Horse?
`
`Intel quashes rumors about DRM hidden in its newest CPU
`
`Not long after the
`
`release of
`Intel’s new dual-
`core CPU, Intel’s
`Australian technical
`manager Graham
`Tucker revealed
`to Computerworld
`Today that the new
`dual-core chipsets—
`named 945 and
`955—include embedded digital-rights
`management (DRM) capability. “[The]
`945g [chipset] supports DRM, it helps
`
`implement Microsoft’s DRM...,”
`Tucker said. This seemed odd,
`because Intel never mentioned it
`at product launch.
`As it turns out, Intel didn’t
`mention it because there is
`no DRM in its new chipsets.
`Maximum PC spoke with
`Intel PR Manager Dan
`Snyder about the rumors, and he
`fl atly denied them. “We don’t have any
`of that [DRM] wired into our chipset or
`processors,” said Snyder. “The reports
`are false,” he added.
`
`Lawsuit
`
`AMD Releases a New Weapon
`in War against Intel: Lawyers!
`
`Flurry of antitrust suits filed in U.S. and Japan
`
`Ñ Compaq’s ex-CEO said the
`pressure put on his company by
`Intel to not buy AMD products was
`the equivalent of having “a gun to
`his head.”
`
`Naturally, Intel says it “strongly
`disagree[s] with AMD's complaints,”
`stating it would “respond
`appropriately.” As of press time,
`only nine companies out of 38 had
`agreed to turn over
`agreed to turn over
`records of relations
`records of relations
`with Intel.
`with Intel.
`
`This is the big one, Elizabeth.
`
`The whole chihuahua. Or
`whatever it’s called when a small,
`feisty company drags its much-
`larger arch-rival into court via a
`smattering of lawsuits designed
`to level the playing field once
`and for all. In suits filed in both
`U.S. Federal Court and overseas,
`AMD alleges that Intel engages in
`antitrust activities to limit AMD’s
`market share and increase its
`own. Some of the more startling
`own. Some of the more startling
`allegations from the suits are:
`allegations from the suits are:
`
`Ñ Intel paid large sums of cash to
` Intel paid large sums of cash to
`big OEMs such as Dell and
`big OEMs such as Dell and
`Toshiba to not buy AMD
`products.
`
`Ñ Intel threatened
`Acer with “severe
`consequences” for
`supporting the Athlon
`64 launch.
`
`xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
`xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
`xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx
`
`FAST FORWARD
`
`TOM
`HALFHILL
`
`Apple’s x86
`Gamble
`
`Apple had reasons for ditching PowerPC in favor
`
`of Intel’s x86. But Apple is taking a big chance
`with the future of the Macintosh and might be
`giving up more than it’s gaining.
`The main reason Apple switched was to acquire
`faster processors. In particular, Apple is hurting for a
`low-power processor competitive with Intel’s Pentium
`M, at a time when about half of all computers
`sold are notebooks. Apple probably won’t save
`money by switching, and Macs probably won’t get
`cheaper. My sources say Apple pays about $100 per
`PowerPC chip. Intel’s average price is closer to $200.
`Theoretically, Apple can make up the difference
`by leveraging commodity-priced x86 chipsets and
`motherboards—or can it? Apple says x86 Macs will
`continue to be proprietary, which could mean some
`components won’t be commodity products.
`Understand that when Apple releases the x86
`version of Mac OS X, you won’t be able to buy a
`copy and install it on your Wintel PC. Apple says
`Mac OS will run only on x86 systems from Apple. To
`keep hackers from subverting this strategy, Apple
`must rig Mac OS with super-strong protection,
`which almost certainly requires a hardware-
`software security solution—the equivalent of a
`built-in dongle. Will x86 Macs have special chipsets
`or motherboards? Maybe, but I think Apple will use
`Intel’s LaGrande security technology to keep the
`Mac proprietary.
`If Apple is using LaGrande, it might explain
`why the first x86 Macs won’t arrive for a year,
`and the full transition will take even longer. Apple
`is probably waiting for LaGrande to ship and also
`needs time to cripple Mac OS so it won’t run on
`other x86 PCs.
`Meanwhile, sales of obsolete PowerPC Macs
`are sure to decline, and some software developers
`will balk at porting their programs to x86. Many
`developers just finished porting to OS X from OS 9.
`Although millions of Mac users still use OS 9 to run
`legacy software, Apple says the x86 Macs won’t run
`the older operating systems or any software written
`for the original 68000-based Macs, so the new
`platform will leave a great deal of software behind.
`Most people resist buying Macs because they’re
`more expensive and run less software, not because
`they fear Macs have slower processors. Apple’s
`switch to x86 won’t remove either obstacle.
`
`Tom Halfhill was formerly a senior editor for Byte magazine
`and is now an analyst for Microprocessor Report.
`
`SEPTEMBER 2005 MAXIMUMPC
`
`11
`
`Page 5 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`quickstart
`
`THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
`
`GAME THEORY
`
`THOMAS
`MCDONALD
`
`The Return of
`Funny
`
`It’s been said that if you wait long enough,
`
`everything comes around again. While clever,
`dialog-driven platform/puzzle adventures with
`quirky characters never really go away, they
`seem to have gone on an extended vacation as
`of late, only to return after most people have
`forgotten how much fun they are. This makes
`them feel spring clean and daisy fresh.
`And in fact, that’s what Psychonauts is: a
`daisy on the scarred battlefield that represents
`the excess of combat games currently hogging
`shelf space at the local PC game retailer. We’re
`awash in combat games these days, but there
`used to be another dominant tone in gaming, of
`which Tim Schafer’s clever dialog was a key part.
`The early Lucas Arts adventures were the gold
`standard of PC gaming: clever, light, fun, and
`quotable. They brought a joy to gaming that has
`since been replaced with grim determination and
`gritty violence. There’s nothing wrong with blood,
`bullets, and muscle, but it’s been too long since
`a game has made me laugh, which might explain
`why a children’s game (Lego Star Wars) appealed
`to me so much last month, and why this
`month Psychonauts is getting such a vigorous
`workout. (In the interest of full disclosure, I
`should point out that, sin of sins, I’m finding the
`game more fun to play on Xbox than on the PC.
`The keyboard-mouse control combo is a little
`clunky, and unless you have a PC gamepad, you
`might find it hard to adapt to. Plus, my couch is
`more comfortable than my desk. In the contest
`between my butt and my loyalty to the PC, my
`butt will always win.)
`Psychonauts is dazzlingly clever, with levels
`that take place inside the frequently twisted
`mindscapes of some truly warped characters. It
`has an almost bottomless well of clever dialog
`and funny situations, all of it driven by strong
`jumping/puzzle-solving elements. And while the
`gameplay is very, very good, that’s not why you
`come to a game like this. If you do, then you’ll
`pass through too quickly, and Psychonauts is
`a game that rewards lingering, exploring, and
`wandering with the kind of laughs found too
`rarely these days.
`
`Tom McDonald has been covering games for countless maga-
`zines and newspapers for 11 years. He lives in the New
`Jersey Pine Barrens.
`
`12 MAXIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2005
`
`Thermaltake
`Mobilefan II+
`
`We originally ordered a couple of these
`USB-powered fans to sit on our Lab
`benches and cool components we had
`sitting out in the open. But these days,
`instead of cooling hardware, they sit
`on our desks, cooling us, which makes
`us feel pampered. The fan speed is
`adjustable, and each unit has three blue
`
`LEDs, a retractable cable, and a cute
`little stand. $15, www.thermaltake.com
`
`ATI’s Next-Gen R520 GPU Delayed
`
`Perhaps it’s just caught in the crossfire
`
`Now that nVidia has launched its
`
`heavily revamped 7800-series
`GPU, all eyes have turned to the frosty
`Canadian northlands to see how ATI’s
`long-awaited R520 GPU compares.
`Unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to
`be a long, DMV-style wait, as the R520
`is nowhere in sight despite the fact that
`ATI had a board up and running at E3
`in May.
`
`In its defense, an ATI spokesperson
`declined to characterize the R520 as
`being “delayed,” but did tell us that “ATI
`would have liked to have had the part
`available by now, but we’re currently
`targeting a late-summer launch.” The
`only offi cial information about the R520
`available at press time is that it will
`feature a 90 nanometer process and will
`support DirectX Shader Model 3.0.
`This delay is the latest chunk of bad
`news from the graphics company. While
`nVidia was announcing worldwide
`
`ATI’s delayed R520 card will look
`similar to this X850 card, or not.
`
`availability of its GeForce 7800 GTX, ATI
`was reporting a third-quarter net loss of
`$400,000. ATI is also forecasting reduced
`earnings in the upcoming quarter,
`specifi cally because it doesn’t have its
`new graphics card on store shelves.
`
`Supreme Court Rules on File Sharing
`
`Decision against Grokster spells trouble for P2P networks
`
`In a highly publicized ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that fi le-sharing
`
`networks can be held liable for damages if the companies intend their software to be
`used primarily for illegally obtaining copyrighted material. The ruling strikes a major blow
`against P2P apps such as Grokster and Morpheus. The makers of those apps have
`always argued they can’t be held liable for what their clients do with their software.
`
`In the decision, Justice Souter wrote, “We hold that one who distributes a device
`with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright is liable for the resulting acts
`of infringement by third parties.”
` The ruling certainly put a smile on the faces of executives at record labels and
`movie studios, but how it will affect end users is uncertain.
`
`&
`
`Page 6 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL quickstart
`
`FUNSIZENEWS
`
`READY TO ROCK
`If you’re enamored of the offerings from PC
`cooling and case-maker Thermaltake, but
`think some of its stuff is a bit too—how do
`we say this?—gaudy, for your tastes, we
`have some good news for you.
`No, Thermaltake has not
`adopted a zero-toler-
`ance policy on
`bling, but it has
`spawned a
`new subdivi-
`sion named
`Thermalrock
`that will offer
`similar products to
`Thermaltake’s, though
`with fewer flashing LEDs, light-up
`checkerboards, and 30 percent less orange.
`Check out the small selection yourself at
`www.thermalrock.com.
`
`DUAL BORE
`The PC upgrading crowd is taking a wait-
`and-see approach to Intel’s new dual-core
`CPU, according to Taiwanese motherboard
`makers, who are reporting soft demand for
`the new 945G dual-core chipset. Sources
`say Intel’s goal was to have dual-core CPUs
`account for five percent of all its LGA775
`processor sales in the second quarter, but
`it didn’t meet that goal. Our take? It’s pretty
`clear Intel might have received a warmer
`reception to its dual-core procs if it hadn’t
`forced customers to upgrade their mother-
`boards at the same time.
`
`GEEKS ARE GOOD IN BED
`Obviously, we’ve known this to be true for
`some time now, but a recent study pub-
`lished by the New York Daily News confirms
`that technology enthusiasts are as hot as
`an overclocked LGA775 3.6GHz CPU with
`a 1066MHz FSB. “A nerd is an excellent
`provider and a guy who puts you first,”
`says Elle magazine’s love and sex columnist
`in the report. “He’ll turn out to be a great
`father and a great husband.” Damn straight!
`
`Microsoft Enters
`P2P Fray
`Microsoft has announced its
`intention to offer its very own
`P2P file-sharing client that will
`solve the problems currently
`associated with the popular
`BitTorrent protocol. Researchers
`at Microsoft’s Cambridge lab
`are developing the new system,
`code-named Avalanche, and
`they claim that download times
`are at least 20-30 percent faster
`and in some cases 200 percent
`faster than BitTorrent.
`Microsoft is attempting to
`solve the biggest problem facing
`BitTorrent users, which is that
`seeders—machines that have
`the complete file—are required
`to complete a download. If
`you download 99.9 percent of
`a file and the last seeder with
`the 0.1 percent of the file you
`need disconnects, you cannot
`complete the download. It’s
`frustrating, to say the least.
`Microsoft claims to have
`bypassed this situation by
`encoding all the pieces of the
`file with information about the
`entire file (using a technique
`similar to that used by RAID
`arrays with parity). BitTorrent
`treats each chunk as a stand-
`alone piece with no information
`about the other pieces.
`Avalanche, on the other hand,
`inserts data about the whole file
`in each chunk, so if you collect
`enough chunks the application
`can recreate missing data,
`spontaneously regenerating
`the missing chunks so you can
`complete the file.
`It’s a novel approach, but
`BitTorrent’s creator—Bram
`Cohen—is dismissive. His main
`complaint is that at this stage,
`Avalanche is “vaporware,” in
`that it’s not a running system
`but merely a research paper
`based on simulations. “I
`think that paper is complete
`garbage,” says Cohen. As
`of press time, there was no
`indication Microsoft would
`release a beta of Avalanche
`for testing purposes.
`
`Toshiba’s flash
`drive delivers
`read speeds
`equivalent to
`a 10,000rpm
`Raptor.
`
`Notebook Drives Go Solid State
`Toshiba has developed the world’s first solid-
`
`state hard drives using NAND flash memory,
`with plans to slot them into Tablet PCs and sub-
`notebooks in the near future. Compared with
`traditional platter-based drives, the flash drives run
`faster, quieter, and sip only 5 percent of the power
`required by a mechanical drive. Unfortunately, at
`this time capacity is limited to 16GB.
`
`PCI Express Goes Outside the Box
`New cable could allow videocards to run from
`external enclosures
`
`If you’re keen to keep your heat-generating videocard(s)
`
`away from your heat-generating CPU, a new external
`PCI Express cable spec being considered might be just
`the ticket. The fledgling spec offers so much bandwidth it
`could let you run an external videocard, soundcard, and
`other PCI-E devices.
` The spec is being developed by the PCI Special
`Interest Group (SIG), whose goal is to use PCI-E for
`external storage purposes. But with 5Gb/s per wire of
`bandwidth—more than twice what’s available over current
`PCI-E implementations—the spec would be more than
`able to handle graphics card data and storage duties.
`Read all about it at www.pcisig.com.
`
`That little box
`on the desktop
`is a drawing of
`a videocard
`enclosure.
`Yes way!
`
`14 MAXIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2005
`
`Page 7 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`head2head
`
`TWO TECHNOLOGIES ENTER. ONE TECHNOLOGY LEAVES
`
`Projectors: LCD vs. DLP
`When it comes to games and movies, nothing delivers more
`
`visual excitement than a large display. And when it comes
`to large displays, nothing can beat a video projector. Eyeing one of
`those 24-inch LCD monitors for your desktop computer, or a 60-inch
`plasma behemoth for the media center PC in your family room? Bah!
`Hook up a video projector and you can beam a 300-inch picture right
`into your living room!
`Imagine playing your favorite games and watching movies in which
`the characters are literally larger than life. That’s what 25 feet of display
`area (measured diagonally) can do for you. Don’t have the space for
`
`such a large image? No problem. Unlike a flat-panel monitor, a good
`video projector can easily scale the size of its image and its aspect
`ratio without exhibiting any visible distortion.
`Two dominant projection technologies are battling for supremacy
`today: LCD (liquid crystal diode) and DLP (digital light processing).
`DLP is a proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments and
`licensed to a number of projector manufacturers. We pitted higher-end
`models of each type of technology against each other to see which is
`superior for computer applications.
`
`BY MICHAEL BROWN
`
`LCD video projector:
`Epson PowerLite
`Cinema 500, $5,000,
`www.epson.com
`
`PC PROGRAMS
`round 2
`DLP technology derives
`its name from the way it creates a pixel:
`Light from the projector’s lamp reflects off
`thousands of tiny mirrors on the surface
`of a silicon chip. Light directed into the
`lens path turns the pixel on, while light
`directed away from it turns the pixel off.
`In the process, the light passes through
`a spinning wheel with red, green, and
`blue segments (Viewsonic’s PJ755D’s
`color wheel has a fourth segment—
`transparent—in order to increase its
`brightness). Because the DLP projector’s
`pixels are produced by mirrors, they tend
`to have fuzzier edges. This becomes most
`apparent when viewing text on screen,
`and it gives LCD technology the edge
`when viewing word-processing documents
`and spreadsheets. WINNER: LCD
`
`GAMES
`round 3
`Neither projection technology
`had any trouble keeping up with Need for
`Speed: Underground 2. The game looked
`spectacular on both projectors. The DLP
`projector’s fuzzy-edged pixels, however,
`make its video images look smoother, and
`this phenomenon carries over to games.
`On the other hand, some DLP projectors
`are known to suffer from a “rainbow” effect:
`As the spinning wheel modulates colors,
`distinct red, green, and blue elements
`separate out. We thought this problem
`might surface with games, but it didn’t;
`perhaps because the PJ755D’s wheel spins
`twice as fast as other projectors (120Hz) to
`suppress the problem. If it weren’t for DLP’s
`superior contrast performance, we’d call this
`one a tie; as it stands, we give DLP the edge
`in this category. WINNER: DLP
`
`MOVIES
`round 1
`As we watched the opening
`scenes from Terrence Malick’s WWII
`masterpiece The Thin Red Line on Epson’s
`PowerLite Cinema 500, we immediately
`knew that LCD projector technology
`was going to have trouble on this score.
`LCD projectors don’t produce as much
`contrast as DLP projectors, and this was
`readily apparent in our semi-darkened
`room. Much of the detail in the film’s jungle
`scenes was lost in the shadows. The
`contrast issue became less of a problem
`at night, when we could fully darken our
`viewing room. LCDs can also have trouble
`with vertical banding, caused by gaps
`between the LCD’s pixels (commonly
`referred to as the “screen door” effect). The
`Epson exhibited this flaw in several scenes,
`although it was visible only when viewed at
`very close range. WINNER: DLP
`
`16 MAXIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2005
`
`Page 8 of 58
`
`FKA 1012
`
`

`
`NOISE LEVEL
`round 4
`PC noise levels have long
`passed the point of being ridiculous, so
`we can hardly be pleased with a display
`device that adds to the cacophony.
`Unless you’re fortunate enough to be able
`to stash your projector in a ventilated,
`sound-proof booth—or you can darken
`your room well enough that you won’t
`need to run a projector at its high-
`brightness settings—you’ll want to go
`with a cooler-running DLP model. Epson’s
`PowerLite Cinema 500 is rated lower
`than Viewsonic’s PJ755D in quiet mode
`(27dB versus 30dB), but the LCD’s much
`brighter “Dynamic” and “Living Room”
`modes are considerably noisier than the
`DLP projector’s brighter modes: 36dB for
`the Epson, compared with the Viewsonic’s
`33dB. We’ll let you make the call on this
`one. WINNER: TIE
`
`FOOTPRINT/WEIGHT
`round 5
`Let’s face it, most people’s
`living quarters aren’t getting any bigger.
`And if you’re the take-it-with-you type
`(whether it be to a LAN party across town
`or a block party right outside your door),
`you’ll appreciate the compact dimensions
`that DLP projectors can boast. Whereas
`projectors like Epson’s PowerLite Cinema
`500 use three LCD panels, DLP projectors
`like Viewsonic’s PJ755D require only
`a single silicon chip. This translates to
`footprint dimensions of 13.6-inches deep,
`17.7-inches wide, and 5.8-inches high for
`the Epson. Although the Viewsonic is only
`slightly smaller—measuring 13.0-by-3.9-
`by-10.6 inches—it tips the scales at just
`7.5 pounds, compared with the Epson’s
`13.8 pounds. And the Viewsonic comes
`with a carrying case. WINNER: DLP
`
`COST OF OWNERSHIP
`round 6
`If you’re seriously
`considering the purchase of a video
`projector, don’t forget to take the cost of
`ownership into account. Epson rates the
`useful life of its bulbs at 3,000 hours, but
`only when its dimmer display modes are
`used. Use the projector exclusively in its
`brightest mode