In This Issue...

.Athlon64 4000+ .64/32-bit Benchmarks .61" DLP Screen .Epox 5EGA+ .DFI 875P-T .Soltek QBIC .Gigabyte 8ANXP-D .Vantec ION2 .Guide to Registry .PCstats Weekly Tips

Hello,
Today's Newsletter comes right at you with benchmarks for AMD's newest 64-bit processor!

The AMD Athlon64 4000+ (2.4GHz) and FX-55 (2.6GHz) processors have hit the streets, and with 1MB of L2 Cache, they are certainly burning up the benchmarks. PCstats full review on the Athlon64 4000+ processor is right here.

Since we're on the topic of 64-bit processors, I recommend you also take a look at our Athlon64 64-bit vs. 32-bit head on comparison. The article will give you a good idea of the performance capabilities of this CPU, as we compare identical 32/64-bit benchmarks!

In other news, thanks to everyone who wrote in with their stories of fried computers. From the few hundred tales of damage and destruction a few key points emerged. 1) If you smell smoke, it's already too late. 2) Cheap powersupplies spontaneously burst into smoke and flame quite regularly. 3) Surge suppressors would have saved your network card or modem from melting by a lighting strike. 4) Unplug the power cord when you are working inside your PC. 5) CPU's cannot run without a working heatsink installed. Really, they can't.

Alongside the Athlon64 4000+ benchmarks is PCstats look at a jumbo 61" DLP home theatre screen from Samsung! On the motherboard front, the socket 775 Epox 5EGA+, DFI 875P-T and Gigabyte 8ANXP-D are fresh from the test bench. The DFI solution is especially interesting since it is a socket 775 board based on the i875P chipset. A nifty mirrored SFF PC makes its return this week, as we also take time to test a good powersupply from Vantec. Rounding out things is a Guide to the Registry, and backing it up. There's a Weekly Tech Tip waiting for you as well, so enjoy!

Oh.... I almost forgot. Nvidia released its nForce 4 chipset today. So, along with VIA's K8T890, there are now two chipsets on the market that support PCI Express videocards and Athlon64/FX CPUs! :-)

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ Socket 939 Processor Review

On October the 19th, AMD officially launched the latest version of its successful Athlon 64 processor line, the 2.4GHz Athlon 64 4000+. As you're undoubtedly already aware, the AMD Athlon 64 4000+ is the third Athlon 64 processor to be released for AMD's new socket 939 platform, following up on the successes of the Athlon64 3500+ and 3800+. Interestingly, the Athlon 64 4000+ is not clocked faster than its nearest predecessor (the Athlon64 3800+, also 2.4GHz) as you might expect, but that doesn't preclude it from obtaining a healthy boost in the benchmarks. Rather than a little bump up to 2.6GHz, the Athlon64 4000+ has had the benefit of some internal core changes to boost its performance. To be specific, the Athlon 64 4000+ contains twice as much Level 2 Cache memory of the Athlon64 3800+. Continue Here>>

AMD Athlon64 - 64-bit vs. 32-bit Head On Comparison

A new era of 64-bit computing is coming, and it got us to thinking... what does 64-bit, specifically the 64-bit support built into AMD's Athlon 64 and AthlonFX processors, have to offer the gamer and enthusiast markets? To find out we collected some benchmarks that work under both 64-bit and 32-bit operating systems, and did some tests. In this article PCstats will examine the performance of the AMD Athlon 64 processor using conventional Windows XP and 32-bit benchmarking software, and compare those results to the same tests using the 64-bit 'x64 edition' beta version of Windows XP. Continue Here>>

PCstats recently had an opportunity to look at Samsung's enormous 61" HLN617W DLP flat screen TV, and we jumped at it! DLP displays may be less familiar to some of you than the more conventional methods such as plasma, CRT, LCD or rear projection, but it may well be the future of big screen HDTV's. The HLN617W is sweet, so get ready to sell that extra kidney as we take a close look at this mother of all Home Theatre screens! Once we had this DLP screen set up, we began 'testing' Doom3 on it... ahhhh :-) Continue Here>>

Epox EP-5EGA+ 915G Motherboard Review

The Epox EP-5EGA+ is a next generation board which is based on the new Intel 915G and ICH6R chipsets. The standard flavour is the 915P, but as you guessed it, the 915G boasts its own Intel GMA900 integrated video package. It also comes with the high bandwidth PCI Express x16 slot for graphics cards, so there are couple options video-wise. Standard features on the Epox 5EGA+ include 7.1-channel Intel 'High Definition' audio, ATA-133 IDE RAID, four SATA headers, eight USB2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and of course the wonderful Port 80 diagnostics card. It's too soon to say if the 915G will support the upcoming 1066MHz FSB Pentium 4 processors however...Continue Here>>

DFI LANParty 875P-T Motherboard Review

DFI's LANParty 875P-T is a very interesting motherboard, and one of only a few in its class. It allows users to upgrade to a Socket 775 Intel Pentium4 processor, while at the same time allowing them to keep all of their old hardware since. This is possible because the DFI LanParty 875P-T is based on the Intel i875P chipset. Of course, this also means that there is no PCI Express x16 or DDR-2 RAM support. However, with the imminent replacement of the 925X by the 925XE, and little in the way of high end PCI Express videocards to choose from, the DFI 875P-T is a good alternative right now.Continue Here>>

	Soltek EQ340IM QBiC SFF PC Review In this review, PCstats is investigating what the Soltek QBIC miniPC has to offer. This is a bare bones SFF PC, based on the Intel i865G chipset and Pentium 4 800MHz FSB processor architecture. Soltek's EM340IM QBiC model supports any current Pentium 4 Northwood CPU, so if you don't need a lot of power simply get yourself an inexpensive chip and you're all set. The Soltek QBiC is as well equipped as any SFF PC on the market; with an 8X AGP and onboard video care of the i865G. Its two DDR DIMM slots support up to 2 GB of RAM. Continue Here>>	Gigabyte GA-8ANXP-D Motherboard Review In this review, PCstats.com is testing out Gigabyte's new Intel Pentium 4 flagship motherboard, the GA-8ANXP-D. Based on the 925X chipset, the Gigabyte GA-8ANXP-D supports the new Socket 775 Intel Pentium 4 processor formfactor, and can be run with up to 4GB of DDR-2 memory. This is a fully loaded ATX motherboard, with PCI Express videocard and peripheral support. It also has its very own heatpipe cooled 8-phase power supply, which we'll get to in a moment. Continue Here>>

Vantec iON2 350W Power Supply Review

Beginners Guides: The Registry: Backups, Repairs, and Protection

The Registry is crucial to Windows, but if you know how to edit it, you can customize your system in places you never thought possible.

The registry is a huge and complex structure which is absolutely crucial to the correct operation of Windows XP. As you can imagine, editing the registry opens up a Pandora's box. In this article, we will take a behind the scenes look at the Windows XP registry. The composition of the registry will be examined, as well as how to backup and protect and restore it. Once we have that out of the way, we will examine some of the things you can easily achieve by editing the registry yourself. Continue Here>>

PCstats Weekly Tech Tips: IE Debug Internet Explorer's Script Debugging is a neat feature when you're trying to figure out problems with your own website, but it becomes distracting as it prompts you about problems with other sites. To disable this feature, load up your Internet Options (via Control Panel or an IE Window) and then click on the Advanced tab. From there under the Browsing section find the Disable Script Debugging (Internet Explorer) box, check it then press the Ok button. From now on whenever you visit a website that has problems with its code, IE will no longer prompt you to debug. Have you checked out PCStats Forums Webdeals yet? If you're planning to upgrade your PC or buy electronics any time soon, makes sure you give that forum a spin first. Search Dealtime ABIT ASUS Gigabyte Intel Epox Aopen Shuttle More... AMD Intel More... SDRAM DDR-2 RAM DDR RAM More... Albatron ATI BFG Sapphire More... Join the PCstats Forums Today @ Forum.PCstats.com!

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