CrossFire works on P35

Ξ May 25th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

The Beta drivers worked great with both X1650XTs and X1900XTs on a couple of mobos. Nice job, AMD.

CrossFire & P35: Fingers Pointing

Ξ May 24th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

In a classic case of industry bureaocracy, ATI’s Crossfire multi-GPU technology is broken on the new Intel Bearlake P35 chipsets. Intel is pointing the finger at AMD, and AMD is pointing the finger back at Intel. Of course, nobody is getting anywhere with this, because neither company is giving the other access to specifications of their products. After all, they are in competition.

CrossFire doesn’t work on Intel’s P35 chipset and motherboard manufacturers are being left in the dark as to when it’s going to get sorted out.

Two R600s do work in CrossFire because they have the necessary drivers, and we’ve replicated this in our own labs with a couple of HD2900XTs, the same Asus P5K Deluxe motherboard and BIOS. However, every other CrossFire model we’ve tried from the previous generation hasn’t work for us in a variety of P35 motherboards.

They may not be talking to each other but bit-tech has good relations with both and it seems like it’s AMD being behind with the drivers, but we don’t know what kind of position Intel put them in previous to this. From what I can gather though, both camps are doing the best they can however.
There is some internal beta drivers which we have and are due to test, but there’s no noise yet telling us when this will be publicly available.

ATI’s Catalyst 7.5 drivers will be out in the next few days, so hopefully that will be included there. Otherwise, it’s another month’s wait at least.

Did anyone else see this coming? Two competitors with forced grins and digitally shaking hands wasn’t too far from the optimists’ imagination, but instead it seems they’ll be dragged kicking and screaming down a path neither can avoid: Intel doesn’t have multi-GPU but it has the lion’s share of the market and needs AMD for the enthusiasts, whereas AMD just needs as much market as it can get.

We can only hope they sort it out properly before X38 arrives. Otherwise you’ll both be up shit creek without a paddle.

There is a winner in all of this though, and Nvidia must be laughing all the way to the bank.

28 Weeks Later Is Not As Good As The Original

Ξ May 14th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

*Possible loose SPOILERS*

It’s basically two hours of running. At least the first one had some substance and real character development, this one feels a superficial. They try to develop the relationship between Don (Carlyle), Alice (McCormack) and their kids Tammy (Poots) and Andy (Muggleton) but it’s all too quick and glossy, just like the camera work.

It’s tense, providing moments of great theatre but overall it’s not continually pushing you to the edge of your seat. They just seem to always find a way to get in or get away with a everyone else dying around them. It ends up like watching canon fodder drop while the kids inevitably get away. Scooberific.
There are good scenes and it’s an entertaining movie but you can’t help think that it should go somewhere but just, doesn’t. As a horror movie it works well if you enjoy people coughing up copious amounts of blood, continually, but filling the belly with the movie experience it leaves you a Twisted; yearning for seconds.

Computex with a Hong Kong Sandwich

Ξ May 14th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

I managed to score two days in Hong Kong either side of Computex in Taiwan next month, so if you’re in HK on 3rd or 9th of June let me know! I’m still trying to secure a place to stay at the moment, and with just 3 weeks to go this could end up with me sleeping on a bench somewhere.

I’m looking forward to Computex as well. It’s the trade show of trade shows, in the sense that it’s most native to the industry since the majority of the major manufacturers that bit looks at have their HQs in Taiwan. At the same time as a ton of new stuff, there’s also the inevitable long days and little sleep, but you’ve gotta take the rough with the smoooth Finally I’ll get to meet people I’ve already met, rather than be so green the grass outside is uprooting in jealousy.

New Site Features

Ξ May 12th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

I’ve added a contact page, and popularity plug-in to the site. I’ve also sorted out comments so you don’t have to login to post.

The “Who am I?” page will be completed at some point in time as well

Anything else to suggest?

Forza 2 Demo Looks Like Shit

Ξ May 12th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

Unfortunately, yes. Too long have we waited for it and it looks little better than a PS2 game.

I can’t quite fathom what people are used to when they say it looks good, then ask if I’m playing in high def. Yes, high def makes it look worse. Talk about jaggies everywhere, poor lighting, crap relfections and environment textures. I hope to god it’s an early build otherwise the 360 is gonna get it’s beaten with a stick when the next GT arrives on the PS3.

I’m currently out of games to play on the 360 as well. Ninety Nine Nights was good for about 10 hours, until it my patience waned and the extremely repetitive nature of the game just got too much. Also, not a SINGLE gamer point for all that play either!? What a crock of Korean developed ass. Never mind half of my levels were A or S level!

Next I attacked Call of Duty 3 and promptly put it down again. It just doesn’t work was a console FPS for me. I’ve played the same game before in numbers one and two, and the controls felt too unnatural and frustratingly unaccurate; as I expected from thumb twiddling, my aim was like I’d had a stroke.

I pine for another Lego Star wars co-op, Gears of War FPS or even a non iterative N3. Roll on Bioshock, please.

What Is Everyone’s Obsession With Face Book?

Ξ May 12th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

Seriously? Has MySpace become old already? Or do only the “cool kids” now do Face Book? Is it simply a sign of getting old and becoming a miserable sod that I thoroughly resent signing up to anything Web two point ow-a?

I see office mates on it at least once a day and for some reason I don’t want yet another thing to adsorb my time in the same way, but at the same time I want to see what the fuss is about. I’ve had a half dozen “c’mon join us, it’s fun to be connected” invites so I might just do that, however, I have to get past the fact I’ll be putting my mug on the net first (this time without it being a necessity to my job).

*Sometime Later*

On further inspection, it looks like a stones throw from being in school. Yet again there’s the whole school-social group “me, my friends and self expression through popularity”, and I find myself naturally anti-gravitating from it. *I am not a number*, and all that.
If I’m wrong, let me know but for now, my core fabric vibrates in an opposite direction.

Get Ready For A Release Heavy Month

Ξ May 5th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

Apart from the seemingly never ending stream of PSU testing I seem to be doing at the moment (700-850Ws are due next week, 900-1100W sometime soon), this month should be release heavy in addition to it.

Nvidia already has their 8800 Ultra out, but AMD and Intel are both due to release stuff in the coming weeks. This is in between all the other stuff that’s been waiting to be done whilst I’ve been away last month and things are getting a touch heavier on the testing front. It’s all good though, cause new stuff is always welcome after you’ve seen two of the same chipset motherboards in the last 6 months.

It’s hard to judge the pending “Wow” factor the public will have, because we’ve now seen and heard about this stuff for a while, so after playing with it in the labs for a few weeks our own interest has gone from novel to ordinary. It also doesn’t help that the internet fills with FUD and other sites who aren’t under NDA but that’s the double edged sword of the internets.

Prepare for More Podcasts

Ξ April 26th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

Yes, Bit-tech is doing more Podcasts in the future. The gearing is being put in place so that mechanisms can turn in order to get it rolling.

The only problem we had with NBS wasn’t enthusiasm it was finding an internet connection, recording equipment and the time everyone is around to do it when we weren’t working or busy with other things. Now those three should be alleviated things should fall into place nicely.

I’m Giving It All Away

Ξ April 25th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ |

All the free shit I get and never use is being given away here.

The condition is you have to enter the Bit-tech photo of the month competition. This months has closed, but next month starts in a few days and free stuff piles into the office semi-regularly so it should get more added to the winning pile choice each month