eBay through Paypal has acquired fraud detection provider Fraud Sciences Ltd for $169 million.
Israel and Palo Alto based Fraud Sciences offers automated anti-fraud systems including SpotLight VFX and SpotLight T2T, merchant solutions the provide transaction verification with fraud prevention. In an October 2007 profile, Israelplug said that Fraud Sciences products “help online retailers verify the identity of buyers and accept orders that they would have seen as suspicious in the past - thus enabling them to increase their sales.”
eBay said the acquisition will assist them in significantly improving trust and safety across its sites in 2008. Fraud Sciences’ risk tools will be integrated with PayPal’s fraud management system.
Personnel from Fraud Sciences, including Yossi Barak, Fraud Sciences’ COO, and founders Shvat Shaked and Saar Wilf, will join PayPal’s technology and fraud management teams.
This acquisition is expected to be completed within 30 days.
source:Techcrunch
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Three low-cost Linux PCs
Wal-Mart sells this Everex gPC for $198. It's bundled with speakers, a mouse, and a keyboard, and it comes with 24-hour tech support. The operating system is called gOS, a version of Ubuntu 7.10. Despite the fact that many mainstream consumers have likely never even heard of Ubuntu, Wal-Mart is having trouble keeping the gPC in stock.
Mirus and Linspire collaborated on the Mirus Linux PC, which is now for sale at Sears.com. Its retail price is $299, but an included $100 rebate brings it to $199. It comes preloaded with Freespire 2.0, an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution.
At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, Shuttle introduced its KPC (shown here). It'll include an Intel Celeron processor, a 945GC chipset, 512MB of memory, and either a 60GB or 80GB hard drive. What it won't have: an optical drive or a PCI Express slot. It comes in red, blue, white, and black, each with a different icon stamped on the front. Shuttle also says there will also be a $99 bare-bones version of the KPC. That version will have the option of upgrading to a Core 2 Duo processor and 1GB of memory.
source:news.com
Monday, January 21, 2008
Robots Learn To Lie
Gizmodo reports that robots that have the ability to learn and can communicate information to their peers have learned to lie. "Three colonies of bots in the 50th generation learned to signal to other robots in the group when then found food or poison. But the fourth colony included lying cheats that signaled food when they found poison and then calmly rolled over to the real food while other robots went to their battery-death."
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Technorati Tags: robot, lie
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Technorati Tags: robot, lie
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Google and Facebook Join DataPortability.org
The group is working on a variety of projects to foster an era in which users can take their data from the websites they use to reuse elsewhere...
Good bye customer lock-in, hello to new privacy challenges.
If things go right, today could be a very important day in the history of the internet. The non-participation of Google and Facebook, two companies that hold more user data and do more with it than almost any other consumer service on the market, was the biggest stumbling block to the viability of the project. These are two of the most important companies in recent history — what's being decided now is whether they will be walled-garden, data-horders or truly open platforms tied into a larger ecosystem of innovation with respect for user rights and sensible policies about data.
Read More at Slashdot.
Good bye customer lock-in, hello to new privacy challenges.
If things go right, today could be a very important day in the history of the internet. The non-participation of Google and Facebook, two companies that hold more user data and do more with it than almost any other consumer service on the market, was the biggest stumbling block to the viability of the project. These are two of the most important companies in recent history — what's being decided now is whether they will be walled-garden, data-horders or truly open platforms tied into a larger ecosystem of innovation with respect for user rights and sensible policies about data.
Read More at Slashdot.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18
Barely half a year after the introduction of the DMC-FZ8, Panasonic added another model to its popular range of compact 'super zoom' Lumix cameras in the shape of the FZ18. Although obviously based on the FZ8 (they are externally almost identical), the FZ18 doesn't replace it; it's a sort of 'big brother' with a bigger zoom, more pixels and a smattering of new features.
The biggest news is the optically stabilized lens, which has 'grown' at both ends and now sports a whopping 18x (28-504mm equiv.) zoom, putting the FZ18 into direct competition with Olympus' SP-550UZ (now updated to the SP-560UZ) and Fujifilm's recently announced FinePix S8000fd.
Almost inevitably the FZ18 squeezes even more pixels onto its 1/2.5-inch sensor, although the increase has been fairly moderate from 7.3 to 8.3 megapixels. Other new features include a dedicated AF/AE button, Face Detection and a new Intelligent Auto mode which integrates Image Stabilization, Intelligent ISO, Face Detection and Scene Detection into a 'Super' Auto Mode.
Despite the usual noise issues you would expect from a tiny sensor/big zoom camera (and our dislike of Panasonic's approach to noise reduction), overall we were pretty impressed with the FZ8 when we reviewed it a few months ago. This was to a large degree due to the superb LEICA lens. So let's find out how Panasonic have tackled the noise challenge - and if the new lens, with it's much more ambitious zoom range, can match its predecessor, starting with a look at what's changed:
Major differences to DMC-FZ8
- 18x optical zoom (28-504mm equiv.) - FZ8 has 12x (36-432mm) zoom
- Smaller maximum aperture at long end of zoom (F4.2 vs F3.1)
- 8.3 megapixel sensor (vs 7.2 megapixel)
- Face Detection
- Intelligent Auto mode
- Manually selectable ISO 1600
- ISO 6400 High Sensitivity mode
- AF/AE lock button and dedicated AF/MF button
- 1cm macro (was 5cm)
- Custom mode and extra scene modes (plus 'advanced scene modes')
- Five level Noise reduction (was three level)
- Slower continuous shooting (burst)
- Heavier and slightly larger
| Street Price | • US: $360 • UK: £270 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Metal and plastic |
| Sensor | 1/2.5" Type CCD • 8.3 million pixels total • 8.1 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 3264 x 2448 • 2560 x 1920 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 1280 x 960 • 640 x 480 • 3264 x 2176 (3:2) • 2560 x 1712 (3:2) • 2048 x 1360 (3:2) • 3264 x 1840 (16:9) • 2560 x 1440 (16:9) • 1920 x 1080 (16:9) |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30 / 10fps • 320 x 240 @ 30 / 10fps • 848 x 480 @ 30 / 10fps (16:9) |
| File formats | • JPEG Exif v2.2 • DPOF • QuickTime Motion JPEG |
| Lens | • 18x optical zoom • 28 - 504 mm (35 mm equiv) • LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT • F2.8 - F4.2 |
| Image stabilization | MEGA O.I.S. (Mode1 / Mode2) |
| Conversion lenses | Yes |
| Digital zoom | up to 4x |
| Focus | AF-Macro On/Off, AF/MF Switchable, Manual Focus(Joystick), One Shot AF, Continuous AF On/Off |
| AF area modes | Face / 1-point / 1-point high speed / 3-point high speed / Multi-point / Spot |
| AF assist lamp | Yes |
| Focus distance | • Normal: 30 cm-infinity (wide) 200 cm - infinity (tele) • Macro: 1 cm-infinity (wide) 200 cm - infinity (tele 6-11x) • Tele Macro (at 12-18x) : 100cm - infinity |
| Metering | • Intelligent Multiple • Center-weighted • Spot |
| ISO sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1250 • ISO 1600 • High Sensitivity mode Auto (ISO 1600 - 6400) |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps |
| Exposure bracketing | +/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames |
| Shutter speed | • Program AE: 1-1/2000 sec • Aperture Priority AE / Shutter Priority AE: 8-1/2000 sec • Manual: 60-1/2000sec. • Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60sec |
| Aperture | F2.8 - 8 (wide) F4.8 - 8 (tele) |
| Modes | • Intelligent AUTO • Program AE • Aperture Priority AE • Shutter Priority AE • Manual • Custom • Portrait mode • Scenery mode • Sports mode • Night portrait mode • Scene • Motion picture • Playback |
| Scene modes | • Food • Party • Candle Light • Sunset • High Sensitivity • Baby1 • Baby2 • Pet • Panning • Starry Sky • Fireworks • Beach • Snow • Aerial photo |
| Advanced scene mode | • Portrait mode : Normal, Soft Skin, Outdoor, Indoor, Creative • Scenery mode : Normal, Nature, Architecture, Creative • Sports mode : Normal, Outdoor, Indoor, Creative • Night Portrait : Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Illuminations, Creative |
| White balance | • Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Shade • Halogen • Flash • White Set 1/2 |
| White balance fine tune | 2-axis adjustable, ±9steps each, Blue/Amber and Magenta/Green bias |
| Self timer | 2 or 10sec, 10sec / 3 images |
| Continuous shooting | Full-Resolution: 3 frames/sec or 2 frames/sec max. 7 images (Standard mode), Max. 5 images (Fine Mode) |
| Image parameters | • Contrast • Sharpness • Saturation • Noise Reduction • 5 levels (-2 to +2) |
| Flash | • Auto • Auto / Red-eye reduction • Forced On • Forced On / Red-eye Reduction • Slow Sync / Red-eye reduction • Forced Off • Flash output adjustment 1/3EV step, +/-2 EV • Range: 0.3 - 6.0 m (wide) 1.0 - 4.0 m (tele) |
| Viewfinder | 0.44" Color EVF (188K Pixels), Field of View : approx. 100% |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5-inch Polycrystalline TFT • 207,000 pixels • Auto Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode, High angle mode |
| Connectivity | • DC in • AV out • USB |
| Print compliance | PictBridge |
| Storage | • SD / SDHC / MMC • 27 MB built-in memory |
| Power | • Li-ion battery pack • Optional AC adapter |
| Weight (no batt) | 360 g (12.7 oz) |
| Dimensions | 117.6 x 75.3 x 88.2 mm (4.6 x 3.0 x 3.5 in) |
| source:dpreview.com | |
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Lenovo's IdeaPad notebooks
Lenovo is branching out into the consumer retail PC market, showing a flair for design with its new line of IdeaPad notebooks--just in time for next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The first model, available beginning in January, is the IdeaPad Y510, a 15.4-inch wide-screen notebook. It comes in black, with a linenlike textured lid. The screen lacks a bezel, giving it a wider area for viewing, and above the keyboard is a touch pad that has different multimedia controls, depending on which application is being used. Other features include an integrated camera with facial-recognition software, Dolby sound with four speakers and a subwoofer, and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
The IdeaPad U110, the 11-inch wide-screen version of the notebook, comes in metallic red, weighs 2.3 pounds, and is 0.7-inch thick. The notebook comes with an additional battery and a 160GB hard drive or an optional solid state drive that will come in either 64GB or 80GB, which will be decided closer to the model's debut in late March.
Lenovo's consumer-friendly line also has a 17-inch model, called the Y710. It's more entertainment-oriented, with gaming controls and a slider control so gamers can overclock the PC. There's also an embedded secondary display near the keypad that can display information like CPU usage and music equalization. It comes with an optional Blu-ray Disc drive. The Y710 will be available later in January.
Opera and Firefox Web Browsers Multiple Security Vulnerabilities
Opera Security Vulnerabilities:
Opera Web Browser is prone to multiple security vulnerabilities, including remote code-execution, information-disclosure, and cross-domain scripting issues.
Attackers can exploit these issues to execute remote code and obtain sensitive information in the context of the affected application. Attackers may be able to exploit some of the issues to carry out cross-domain scripting attacks.These issues affect versions prior to Opera 9.25.
Mozilla Firefox Security Vulnerabilities:
1. Mozilla Firefox Jar URI Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability :
Mozilla Firefox is prone to a cross-site scripting vulnerability because the application fails to sufficiently sanitize user-supplied input.
An attacker can exploit this issue to steal cookie-based authentication credentials and other sensitive data that may aid in further attacks.
2. Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey Windows.Location Property HTTP Referer Header Spoofing Weakness :
Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey are prone to a weakness that allows an attacker to spoof HTTP Referer headers. This issue stems from a race condition in the affected application. The weakness arises because of a small timing difference when using a modal 'alert()' dialog, which allows users to generate fake HTTP Referer headers.
An attacker can exploit this issue to spoof HTTP referer headers. This may cause other security mechanisms that rely on this data to fail or to return misleading information.This issue affects versions prior to Mozilla FireFox 2.0.0.10 and Mozilla SeaMonkey 1.1.7.
3. Mozilla Firefox Multiple Remote Unspecified Memory Corruption Vulnerabilities :
The Mozilla Foundation has released a security advisory disclosing three unspecified memory-corruption vulnerabilities.
Successfully exploiting these issues may allow attackers to execute code, facilitating the compromise of affected computers. Failed exploit attempts will likely crash the application.Versions prior to Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10 and Mozilla SeaMonkey 1.1.7 are vulnerable to these issues.
source:windows-center.blogspot.com
Opera Web Browser is prone to multiple security vulnerabilities, including remote code-execution, information-disclosure, and cross-domain scripting issues.
Attackers can exploit these issues to execute remote code and obtain sensitive information in the context of the affected application. Attackers may be able to exploit some of the issues to carry out cross-domain scripting attacks.These issues affect versions prior to Opera 9.25.
Mozilla Firefox Security Vulnerabilities:
1. Mozilla Firefox Jar URI Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability :
Mozilla Firefox is prone to a cross-site scripting vulnerability because the application fails to sufficiently sanitize user-supplied input.
An attacker can exploit this issue to steal cookie-based authentication credentials and other sensitive data that may aid in further attacks.
2. Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey Windows.Location Property HTTP Referer Header Spoofing Weakness :
Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey are prone to a weakness that allows an attacker to spoof HTTP Referer headers. This issue stems from a race condition in the affected application. The weakness arises because of a small timing difference when using a modal 'alert()' dialog, which allows users to generate fake HTTP Referer headers.
An attacker can exploit this issue to spoof HTTP referer headers. This may cause other security mechanisms that rely on this data to fail or to return misleading information.This issue affects versions prior to Mozilla FireFox 2.0.0.10 and Mozilla SeaMonkey 1.1.7.
3. Mozilla Firefox Multiple Remote Unspecified Memory Corruption Vulnerabilities :
The Mozilla Foundation has released a security advisory disclosing three unspecified memory-corruption vulnerabilities.
Successfully exploiting these issues may allow attackers to execute code, facilitating the compromise of affected computers. Failed exploit attempts will likely crash the application.Versions prior to Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10 and Mozilla SeaMonkey 1.1.7 are vulnerable to these issues.
source:windows-center.blogspot.com
Friday, January 4, 2008
New AMD Radeon 3400 HD Series
Both models have 256 MB of memory on a 64-bit bus, the Radeon 3470 HD will have 950 MHz GDDR3 memory, the Radeon 3450 HD will have DDR2 500 MHz memory manufactured by Hynix. This is not the only difference between these two cards: both the HD Radeon 3450 and 3470 are compatible with CrossFireX technology. However, only the 3470 has a CrossFire connector.
source: Tom's Hardware Taiwan Hardware Taiwan.
Nvidia Delays Shipments of DirectX 10, PCI Express 2.0 Supporting Chipsets
Nvidia Corp., a leading developer of system chipsets, has reportedly postponed shipments of its new code-named MCP72 and MCP78 core-logic sets for processors by Advanced Micro Devices. The reasons of the postponements are unclear, but they may be related to both lack of high-performance AMD Phenom processors as well as potential issues with those new core-logic sets.
The new code-named MCP72 core-logic series is projected to fully support new AMD Phenom processors based on AMD’s new micro-architecture that belong to the “Stars” family of chips. All versions of the Nvidia nForce 700a are expected to support HyperTransport 3.0 processor bus as well as PCI Express 2.0 interconnection, which will be the key-feature of the new array of chipsets that will directly compete against AMD’s own 790- and 780-series of chipsets.
Mass production of the new 7-series series nForce chipsets for AMD processors was expected to start in October with shipments beginning in November or December. However, according to a news-story by DigiTimes web-site, Nvidia decided to delay its shipments to January.
Nvidia’s MCP78 are also expected to feature Hyper-Transport 3.0 bus as well as PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot for add-in graphics cards. The new built-in graphics core will, apart from DirectX 10, sport third-generation PureVideo HD engine that accelerates H.264 and VC-1 as well as D-Sub, DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI and TV-out outputs. Like all Nvidia’s core-logic sets, the novelty is also projected to support up to six Serial ATA-300 connectors with RAID capabilities, two Parallel ATA connectors, Gigabit Ethernet controller, 12 USB 2.0 ports and so on. With the new chipset the company will add pressure on AMD's in-house designed IGPs.
Originally Nvidia wanted to initiate mass production of its code-named MCP78 products in October and ship it to customers before the year end. However, it is also reported that the new integrated graphics processor (IGP) by Nvidia will be unveiled sometimes in January if not later. The new core-logic will compete against AMD 780G chipsets that also sport DirectX 10 and advanced video engine functionality. AMD’s 780G is due out in January or February.
Nvidia did not comment on the news-story.
source:xbitlabs.com
The new code-named MCP72 core-logic series is projected to fully support new AMD Phenom processors based on AMD’s new micro-architecture that belong to the “Stars” family of chips. All versions of the Nvidia nForce 700a are expected to support HyperTransport 3.0 processor bus as well as PCI Express 2.0 interconnection, which will be the key-feature of the new array of chipsets that will directly compete against AMD’s own 790- and 780-series of chipsets.
Mass production of the new 7-series series nForce chipsets for AMD processors was expected to start in October with shipments beginning in November or December. However, according to a news-story by DigiTimes web-site, Nvidia decided to delay its shipments to January.
Nvidia’s MCP78 are also expected to feature Hyper-Transport 3.0 bus as well as PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot for add-in graphics cards. The new built-in graphics core will, apart from DirectX 10, sport third-generation PureVideo HD engine that accelerates H.264 and VC-1 as well as D-Sub, DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI and TV-out outputs. Like all Nvidia’s core-logic sets, the novelty is also projected to support up to six Serial ATA-300 connectors with RAID capabilities, two Parallel ATA connectors, Gigabit Ethernet controller, 12 USB 2.0 ports and so on. With the new chipset the company will add pressure on AMD's in-house designed IGPs.
Originally Nvidia wanted to initiate mass production of its code-named MCP78 products in October and ship it to customers before the year end. However, it is also reported that the new integrated graphics processor (IGP) by Nvidia will be unveiled sometimes in January if not later. The new core-logic will compete against AMD 780G chipsets that also sport DirectX 10 and advanced video engine functionality. AMD’s 780G is due out in January or February.
Nvidia did not comment on the news-story.
source:xbitlabs.com
Hitachi Unveils Half Terabyte Hard Disk Drive for Notebooks
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) on Thursday announced its new hard disk drive (HDD) for mobile computers. The new drive that features 500GB capacity is currently the largest storage solution for mobile computers and may also be used in small form-factor desktops.
Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 offers 400GB and 500GB capacities, features 5400rpm motor, 8MB of cache and Serial ATA-150/300. The manufacturer declares 5.5ms average latency as well as 12ms average seek time for the new hard disk drives. The unveiled Travelstar 5K500 HDDs feature three 166GB platters, which are currently the largest in the industry. The Travelstar 5K500 drives also feature optional Bulk Data Encryption (BDE) for hard drive level data security.
Since the new 2.5” hard drives utilize three 166GB platters, the new HDDs have 12.5mm height, while normally mobile hard disk drives use two platters and have 9.5mm height. As a result, not all notebook chassis are compatible with the new mobile HDDs by Hitachi. Still, considering that the new devices are mainly positioned for multimedia-oriented notebook systems that have plenty of space inside chassis, such limitation is unlikely to become a drawback.
“The Travelstar 5K500 was designed to address some important trends taking place in today’s notebook computing market. Consumers tend to think of their notebooks as less of a pure technology tool and more of a mobile entertainment device for taking large libraries of movies, music, games and pictures on the go. As a result, notebooks are now starting to ship with wide, high definition screens and large, high quality speakers for playing digital audio and video. Hitachi’s new Travelstar 5K500 responds to these dynamics with the features, design innovations and technologies that enhance the overall entertainment experience,” said Larry Swezey, director, consumer and commercial HDD, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.
Hitachi will also offer an enhanced-availability (EA) version, called the Travelstar E5K500 – also available in both 400GB and 500GB capacities – which is designed for applications requiring 24x7 operation in lower transaction environments, such as blade servers, network routers, point-of-sale terminals and video surveillance systems.
The Travelstar 5K500 will be available worldwide in February. The Travelstar E5K500 will be available by the end of the second quarter, 2008.
source:xbitlabs.com
Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 offers 400GB and 500GB capacities, features 5400rpm motor, 8MB of cache and Serial ATA-150/300. The manufacturer declares 5.5ms average latency as well as 12ms average seek time for the new hard disk drives. The unveiled Travelstar 5K500 HDDs feature three 166GB platters, which are currently the largest in the industry. The Travelstar 5K500 drives also feature optional Bulk Data Encryption (BDE) for hard drive level data security.
Since the new 2.5” hard drives utilize three 166GB platters, the new HDDs have 12.5mm height, while normally mobile hard disk drives use two platters and have 9.5mm height. As a result, not all notebook chassis are compatible with the new mobile HDDs by Hitachi. Still, considering that the new devices are mainly positioned for multimedia-oriented notebook systems that have plenty of space inside chassis, such limitation is unlikely to become a drawback.
“The Travelstar 5K500 was designed to address some important trends taking place in today’s notebook computing market. Consumers tend to think of their notebooks as less of a pure technology tool and more of a mobile entertainment device for taking large libraries of movies, music, games and pictures on the go. As a result, notebooks are now starting to ship with wide, high definition screens and large, high quality speakers for playing digital audio and video. Hitachi’s new Travelstar 5K500 responds to these dynamics with the features, design innovations and technologies that enhance the overall entertainment experience,” said Larry Swezey, director, consumer and commercial HDD, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.
Hitachi will also offer an enhanced-availability (EA) version, called the Travelstar E5K500 – also available in both 400GB and 500GB capacities – which is designed for applications requiring 24x7 operation in lower transaction environments, such as blade servers, network routers, point-of-sale terminals and video surveillance systems.
The Travelstar 5K500 will be available worldwide in February. The Travelstar E5K500 will be available by the end of the second quarter, 2008.
source:xbitlabs.com
Is Phenom Really Faster Than Athlon?
AMD removed the core count suffix X2, X3 and X4 from the logo and changed its nomenclature instead: 9000 models have four cores, while the upcoming triple cores have a 7000 model number.
In fact, AMD has a pretty significant advantage over Intel when it comes to upgrading existing systems with a quad core processor. While Intel has been quick with launching new platforms for each and every new processor generation due to modified requirements, AMD has not changed the specifications for Socket AM2 at all. As a consequence, it is technically possible to deploy a quad core Phenom processor into a Socket AM2 motherboard that has been running an Athlon 64 or Athlon 64 X2 - all you need is a BIOS update. This doesn't work in every case - some motherboards may not be able to handle the Phenoms' power requirements of 95 or 125 W - but most enthusiast motherboards can be upgraded from a single or dual core to a quad core processor easily.
The upgrade situation definitely requires some attention, as both AMD and Intel are roughly half a year away from the next significant technology update. AMD will introduce Socket AM3, which will bring with it DDR3 memory, while Intel's next-generation Nehalem will finally integrate the memory controller with the processor. Knowing this, even the upcoming Core 2 Duo E8000 or Core 2 Quad Q9000 series have to be seen as interim products on the way to the next generation, despite the certainty that these will outperform the existing Core 2 products by roughly 10%.
source:tomshardware.com
The Best Gaming Graphics: January 2008
Introduction
Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great - that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.
So if you don't have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don't feel confident enough in your ability to make the right decision, fear not. We at Tom's Hardware Guide have come to your aid, with a simple list of the best gaming cards available for the money.
December Review And January Updates
Since our last article, the most notable card to be released was the Geforce 8800 GTS 512MB. Based on the new G92 GPU in the 8800 GT, but with 128 stream processors enabled, the new GTS is a match for the older 8800 GTX. However, with street prices in the $350 range, it's a tough sell over the 8800 GT 512MB, which offers very similar performance for less.
A new 256MB version of the 8800 GT was also added to Nvidia's lineup to compete against the 512MB Radeon 3850 at the ~$210 price point. The memory deficit allows the 8800 GT to perform well against the 3850 at lower resolutions, but the 3850's 512MB can help it pull ahead at higher resolutions and texture detail levels.
Other than these card introductions, things have remained relatively stable with prices holding their ground. The biggest issue was availability of Radeon 3850/3870 and Geforce 8800 GT cards, but things are starting to settle down as we enter 2008.
The Best Gaming Graphics Cards For The Money
A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list include:
This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don't play games, the cards in this list are more expensive than you need.
Prices and availability changes on a daily basis. We can't offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won't regret buying at the price ranges we suggest.
The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or retail, your mileage will most certainly vary;.
These are new card prices. No used or open box cards are in the list; they might be a good deal, but that's outside the scope of what we're trying to do.
PCI-Express Interface
The 2600 PRO is one of those cards that receives very little press, but when you stop and have a hard look at it, you might see a diamond in the rough. While we were watching the prices of high-end cards, 2600 PRO prices dropped as low as $70 at online retailers. For that low price, you're essentially getting an underclocked 2600 XT, a solid baseline gaming card. If you do light gaming, or you can't afford any better, the 2600 PRO is a good choice.
This card's biggest competitor would be the better-performing 7600 GT. The 7600 GT is a good buy at the $90 price point, but that's so close to the $100 Radeon 2600 XT and Geforce 8600 GT that I find it difficult to recommend over the newer cards, which offer excellent HD video acceleration.
source:tomshardware.com
Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great - that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.
So if you don't have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don't feel confident enough in your ability to make the right decision, fear not. We at Tom's Hardware Guide have come to your aid, with a simple list of the best gaming cards available for the money.
December Review And January Updates
Since our last article, the most notable card to be released was the Geforce 8800 GTS 512MB. Based on the new G92 GPU in the 8800 GT, but with 128 stream processors enabled, the new GTS is a match for the older 8800 GTX. However, with street prices in the $350 range, it's a tough sell over the 8800 GT 512MB, which offers very similar performance for less.
A new 256MB version of the 8800 GT was also added to Nvidia's lineup to compete against the 512MB Radeon 3850 at the ~$210 price point. The memory deficit allows the 8800 GT to perform well against the 3850 at lower resolutions, but the 3850's 512MB can help it pull ahead at higher resolutions and texture detail levels.
Other than these card introductions, things have remained relatively stable with prices holding their ground. The biggest issue was availability of Radeon 3850/3870 and Geforce 8800 GT cards, but things are starting to settle down as we enter 2008.
The Best Gaming Graphics Cards For The Money
A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list include:
This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don't play games, the cards in this list are more expensive than you need.
Prices and availability changes on a daily basis. We can't offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won't regret buying at the price ranges we suggest.
The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or retail, your mileage will most certainly vary;.
These are new card prices. No used or open box cards are in the list; they might be a good deal, but that's outside the scope of what we're trying to do.
PCI-Express Interface
Best PCI-E Card For Under $100
| Radeon 2600 PRO | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV630 |
| Process: | 65nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 128 |
| Texture Units: | 8 |
| ROPs: | 4 |
| Memory Bus: | 128-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 600 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 500 (1000 effective) |
| DirectX / Shader Model | DX 10 / SM 4.0 |
The 2600 PRO is one of those cards that receives very little press, but when you stop and have a hard look at it, you might see a diamond in the rough. While we were watching the prices of high-end cards, 2600 PRO prices dropped as low as $70 at online retailers. For that low price, you're essentially getting an underclocked 2600 XT, a solid baseline gaming card. If you do light gaming, or you can't afford any better, the 2600 PRO is a good choice.
This card's biggest competitor would be the better-performing 7600 GT. The 7600 GT is a good buy at the $90 price point, but that's so close to the $100 Radeon 2600 XT and Geforce 8600 GT that I find it difficult to recommend over the newer cards, which offer excellent HD video acceleration.
source:tomshardware.com
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