Insiders are saying the Core 2 Duo will undergo massive price cuts in Q2 2007. Most notably, the E6700 price will be cut 40%. For those looking for the biggest bang for the buck, a possible upgrade strategy would be to pick up the E6300 now, run it stock then sell it around April for a E4400 (10X multiplier) and overclock the hell out of it. Hell, you may even have some money left after selling the E6300. Intel really has AMD's balls in their hands this year... We'll see how AMD responds with the Barcelona, Agena and Kuma cores.



Source: http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/itnews.php?tid=714230&starttime=0&endtime=0

So I took the plunge...

'tis the Christmas break! Time to relax and start thinking about upgrading my computer!!! This is what I have now:

CPU: AthlonXP Thoroughbred 'B' 1700+ @ 2600+
RAM: 512MB PC3200 DDR
MOBO: ASUS A7V266-C
VIDEO: All-In-Wonder X800XL AGP
PSU: Zalman 300W(ZM300A-APF)
Heatsink: Zalman CNPS-7000AlCu

Upgrade:
CPU: Core2 Duo E6300 Retail (~$215)
MOBO: ASROCK 775DUAL-VSTA (~$80)
RAM: Add another stick of 512MB PC3200 (~$70)
PSU: el-cheapo Nspire ISO-500D 450W (~$40)
Total: $462 incl. tax

The motherboard is pretty crappy for overclocking though. On average, it hits a wall around 300FSB (from default of 266FSB). That means with the E6300's 7X multiplier, it can barely make E6400 speeds (7x300=2100MHz). Now, Intel is going to be releasing the E4300 sometime in Q1 2007 - I heard Jan 21 from several sources. Because it runs 200FSB native, the E4300 has a 9X multiplier meaning with even the crap ASROCK board, it can run 9x300 = 2700MHz or about E6700 speeds!!! Still don't know what the effect of the reduced cache will be though... So wait for January 21 or buy now? Hmm....

Anchorman in the hot seat:
Guilty or not?

Sorry, I couldn't resist lol:

Caught with porno gag:

Most amazing stop-motion I have ever seen :eek:

Another funny video from the shopping channel:

Hilarious clip from the Shop at Home Network channel:

So I am watching the White and Nerdy parody video in the blog entry below and then it suddenly struck me a great portion of what it was rhyming off sounded familiar. Here's a list of similarities between the video and me:

- I understood the MC Escher reference
- my favourite tea is Earl Grey
- I thought about buying a Toyota Prius
- yes, I consider calculus fun... sometimes
- I don't know Klingon, fluently... alright, I only know a few words - this one doesn't count
- I was on the chess team...
- Jean-Luc Picard! My hero!
- I know a guy who has seen the Star Wars holiday special - this by itself is scary

Bwahaha:

Weird Al's parody music videos. Nerds, unite!

It's All About the Pentium


White and Nerdy

This is freakishly groovy:

Upcoming title for EA's popular FIFA series: FIFA Fighter!

Sierra has released the multiplayer portion of F.E.A.R. for free. You will be able to play online with people who own the full retail version. Warning: this game requires a very beefy machine to run. Radeon 9800 or better recommended.

Click here for official site.

Direct download locations (1.76GB):

• Fast mirror, no lineup
• Sierra official FTP

Two funny japanese pranks:

• Video 1
• Video 2

What's faster than a Porsche Carrera GT, but costs the same as a family sedan? Say hello to the Ariel Atom.

• Click here for video

Parts ready to assemble.

My boss found out I was sort of a minor computer geek so he asked me to build him a new computer. He wanted the computer for mainly video capture/editing and PVR functionalities. I chose the following parts for him:

• CPU: Athlon 64 X2 +3800 S939 (dual core)


• Heatsink: Zalman 7000B Al-Cu


• RAM: 2 x 512MB (1GB) PC3200 DDR RAM


• Motherboard: ASUS A8N-VM CSM (integrated video, LAN, audio)


• Hard Drives:
  1. 36GB Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM
  2. 320GB Seagate 7200.10 7,200RPM


• Case: Antec Sonata II with 450W PSU


• Tuner/Capture Card: Sapphire Theatrix (ATI Theater 550 chipset)


• OS: Windows XP Professional Media Center Edition 2005

The new computer (on the left) beside my own older Sonata I computer.

Because of school and work, I haven't followed the computer scene for the last couple months. As the result, I made a few bad choice of parts. I warned my boss this would happen, but he was persistent in having his computer built as soon as possible.

My first mistake was choosing the S939 socket. This socket is getting phased out and being replaced by the AM2. They are equally priced but the AM2 is more future-proof as newer CPUs will use the AM2 socket.

Choosing the Raptor hard drive was worst though. I believed all Raptors dominated the single non-SCSI drive category. Some Raptor models still do, but the 36GB model I chose - the smallest in the line, has since fallen from its throne. When I benchmarked the drives, I found the Raptor's 62MB/sec transfer rate totally obliterated by the Seagate 7200.10's blazing fast 78MB/sec. Superior spindle speed, it seems, is no longer an accurate gauge of raw performance.

To be fair, the Raptor still sports enterprise-class ruggedness and reliability, and it has low seek latencies, which interrelates to increased responsiveness in certain applications, that no 7200RPM drives can match, but in light of this new information, the premium for this drive is simply too high.

All in all, it's still a decent computer. It's extremely quiet - practically silent when the hard drives are idle, and it's definitely fast enough for whatever my boss needs to do. And judging by his response, he is certainly happy with the computer, which is ultimately all that matters.

Uber micro can also be applied to everyday activities, such as flipping burgers. (Photo by Dan)

Guybrush Threepwood and Herman Toothrot on Dinky Island

Herman: "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, what color is the tree?"
Guybrush (after exhausting all colors): "All colors?"
Herman: "Exactly. Now, what has this experience taught you?"
Guybrush: "That philosophy isn't worth my time."
Herman: "I'm very impressed. It takes most people years to reach this point."

-- Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge