Gateway P-7808u: to Quad or Not to Quad?
Posted by goodspeed at 9:18 AM

Today over at Anandtech Jarred Walton checks out the latest from Gateway. Here's a snippet of what he had to say. "Following in the tradition of the P-6831 FX and the P-7811 FX, the P-7808u FX is the latest "affordable gaming" laptop from Gateway. Once again, we have upgrades to make this model more desirable than the previous releases. In this case, Gateway has moved from a 2.26 GHz dual-core CPU up to the latest 2.0 GHz quad-core Q9000 processor. That means tasks that don't leverage the extra cores may actually be slower than on the previous P-7811, but for those that need more multi-threaded computing power the Q9000 will be up to 33% faster than the fastest 3.0 GHz dual-core mobile processors. The P-7811 utilized a 2.26GHz P8400 CPU, so relative to that model you're only giving up 267 MHz of clock speed, making the newer P-7808u up to 75% faster than the P-7811 in CPU intensive tasks.

The overall appearance of the Gateway FX laptops hasn't changed at all. Love it or hate it, the P-7808u on the surface looks identical to the P-6831, P-7811, etc. We've covered this laptop design extensively in previous reviews, so we won't spend a lot of time rehashing that area. Below are images from the P-7808u, with internal images from the P-171XL (which looks the same as the P-7808u, despite some component changes)."

Paintballgirl and I have had excellent results with our Gateways. We highly recommend them.

GATEWAY LOVE!

E = 2 frikkin MILLION...
Posted by piratenews at 7:03 PM

Thats right...

Today The Pirate Fleet turned in its 2 millionth credit at Einstein@home...

congrats to all...

Are you ready for Conficker??
Posted by piratenews at 7:29 PM

The Conficker Worm is a nasty virus has infected millions of computers worldwide and is out there waiting.. for something... to set it free... on April 1, 2009... Are you ready??

Today's entry from the ConfickerWorkingGroup website:
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Conficker.C is Live and well
Sometime today the new version of Conficker will be awake and function. No one is sure its purpose or mission.

This virus blocks access to searches and websites with "conficker" in the name and to nearly all well know security websites... this can be your tip off that something is wrong...
Good luck...


heres a link to some Conficker Repair tools...

Team OcUK gets the boot.
Posted by goodspeed at 9:58 AM

In another Midnight raid The Pirate Fleet once again overtakes Team OcUK. The pirate fleet pillaged and plundered until they once again came away victorious. Captains Godcopp and Sneaky appropriated kegs upon kegs of Rum, and Cabin Boy Jopey was last seen with yet another Sheep to ad to his private herd. Admiral 1fast6 says, "They didna even see us comin'. We be all stealthy like in the dark of night and quiet too. 'Twas like we be Ghosts in the mist. Or PIRATES IN THE FOG! Arrghh."

PIRATES GIVE OcUK THE BOOT! READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

Another project passes the 2 Million credit milestone
Posted by piratenews at 10:22 AM

The Pirate Fleet added another project milestone to its growing list of accomplishments today by earning over 2 million cobblestone BOINC credits at Milkyway@home...

Congratulations to our team !!!

Join the NRA for FREE.
Posted by goodspeed at 1:02 PM

That's right folks, if you haven't already become a member due to financial reasons now there is no excuse not to join. Right now, your active membership support of the NRA has never been more important to the future of our right to keep and bear arms. Join the fight today! Act now and get:



* 24/7 Defense of your Firearm Freedoms.
* Your choice of NRA Magazines.
* $1,000 in Insurance for Your Guns.
* $5,000 in Accident Insurance for You.
* Your NRA Membership Card and Decal.



* Up to 60% off on Starkey® Hearing Products.
* Savings on Hotels, Rental Cars and More.
* Invitations to "Friends of NRA" Dinners and Celebration of American Values Special Events.
* FREE Admission to NRA's National Firearms Museum.

Plus...
* FREE Admission to NRA's Guns, Gear and Outfitter Show.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

The Internet Archive.
Posted by goodspeed at 7:34 AM

Have you been looking for that something special lately? Maybe you just don't know where to look. Why not head over and check out the Internet Archive? There are lots of neat and interesting things for everyone. The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format. Founded in 1996 and located in the Presidio of San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in our collections.

ARCHIVE THE WORLD.

Brits fight off deadly pirates!
Posted by goodspeed at 10:16 AM

According to the Sun: "A TEAM of hero Brits battled back deadly pirates four times in 24 hours armed only with Molotov cocktails and flare guns, The Sun can reveal.

Alex Little, 43, said: "We knew if we engaged them and they won we would be killed. It was a fight for our lives but we decided we were going to save this boat - it was emotional."

Grenades
Denied guns by law, the men were forced to used improvised weapons - including mini grenades made out of light bulbs and paint thinner.

A former Royal Marine was quoted as saying:

"We made the decision to fight and that is what we did. I suppose looking back it was pretty hairy but at the time you just get stuck in and do your job.

"Ian had made some Molotov cocktails out of light bulbs by taking out the element, filling it with paint thinner and plugging the top with toilet paper."

Despite the vicious onslaught the men hatched an audacious defense - pouring paint thinner straight into a pirate boat - before firing a flare gun into it.

"They really are heroes. This team performed above and beyond the call of duty.""

Read more here.

OcUK on the horizon.
Posted by goodspeed at 9:34 AM

That's right Pirates. Team OcUK is once again in sight. Will the Pirates overtake them again? Will Team OcUK rally their ships and pull away? Stay tuned right here for all the Pirate info. I had a chance to speak with Admiral 1fast6 of The Pirate Fleet and he assured me that us Pirates will remain victorious this time. There has been a noticeable increase in the size of The Pirate Fleet lately and I thought I'd see if I could get to the bottom of it. When asked about the recent increase in the size of his Fleet, Admiral 1fast6 replied: "You know what they say about Admirals with large Fleets."

If you'd like to help out the Pirates CLICK HERE!

To help out TEAM OcUK CLICK HERE!

500W to 550W: 12 Power Supplies Compared
Posted by goodspeed at 8:29 AM

The guys over at ANANDTECH have done all the hard work for us. Head on over and check out their latest Power Supply adventure.
"Last month, we reviewed 20 power supplies ranging from 300W to 450W. These are great for entry-level or even midrange systems, with optimal efficiency typically falling in the 100W to 200W range. Today, we have 12 more power supplies on our test bench, this time targeting a slightly higher range of 500W to 550W. This particular sector is where we really start to see higher quality designs and better technologies, in part because these tend to be more expensive PSUs.

Honestly, this roundup is more of a two-way shootout, with a few extras thrown in for spice. We have four units manufactured by Enhance, four more from Seasonic, two by Sirtec, one Enermax, and one Topower. Last year we saw a lot of power supplies manufactured by Channel Well Technologies (CWT), but they don't tend to compete in the lower wattage market segments. These days, one manufacturer brings out a new top-notch design, and brands from all over the world jump on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, that makes it hard to find real innovations from the various PSU brands. Before, everyone at least tried to be different, but now the primary differences are in the fans, case color, and/or cable lengths. They try to make a "unique" design, but the goal is to do this with as little effort as possible."

IT'S ELECTRIFYING.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Quad SLI.
Posted by goodspeed at 8:19 AM

If you have currency discharging from your Rectum on a regular basis then you might just want to throw some of it at a PAIR of GTX295s. You really won't get much better performance in any games available today, but at least all that money won't just be flushed down the toilet. Or will it? Head on over to the |H|ardness and see what all the poop is about. |H|ere's a snippet:
"Quad SLI currently has no value. The GeForce GTX 295’s are pricey; still at $499. That means Quad SLI will cost you no less than $1000. That extra $500 is not going to buy you a better gaming experience with today’s games. Even F.E.A.R. 2 which was just released last week can already be run at its highest possible settings at 2560x1600 with just one GTX 295 or one 4870 X2. There aren't any gaming reasons to invest in Quad SLI OR 4870 X2 CrossFireX currently. "

|H|ardwood.

.50 Glock review comming soon.
Posted by goodspeed at 2:51 PM

Hey all you loyal (TPF) readers. I just wanted to let you know that I spoke with Alex Zimmerman at Guncrafter Industries today and am in the process of getting one of their .50cal upper conversions for the Glock 21 series pistols. Expect a full review with pics and video to follow. Hopefully you are all as excited as I am. In the meantime, head on over to Guncrafter Industries and check out some of the goodies they have to offer.


BIG BADA-BOOM!

Windows 7 to Ship In Six Different Versions
Posted by goodspeed at 7:45 AM

If after "XP" you were a bit confused with all of the choices Microsoft had for you with Vista don't fret because it gets worse. Seven, count them S-E-E-V-E-E-N different versions of Windows-7 will be available for your confusion. Check out what Daniel Ionescu, of PC World has to say about it:
"If you thought that Microsoft learned all its lessons with Vista, you'll soon be disappointed. Despite the fact that the Windows 7 beta is getting mostly positive reviews, revelations that Microsoft plans to release six different flavors of Windows 7 left many in the tech world stupefied and wondering why.

Microsoft confirmed the multiversion release of Windows 7 to various sources including Gizomodo and Paul Thurrott of Windows Supersite. However, Microsoft has not released any official statement to the public regarding this decision.

Many have been critical of Microsoft's decision to release multiple versions of Windows Vista. The move created consumer confusion as to what version might be best to buy. It also created compatibility issues with both software and hardware when people wanted to upgrade from XP to Vista. Lastly, many saw the strategy of multiversions of Vista as a self-serving way for Microsoft to charge vastly different prices for different versions of Vista with little benefit to end users.

We don't know about pricing or availability (although some speculate Windows 7 will be available early next year), but here is a breakdown of what we do know and the differences between the versions of Windows 7. "

STATE OF CONFUSION.

GeForce GTX 295 In Quad-SLI : Meet The New "GX2"
Posted by goodspeed at 5:55 AM

As if 2 of them weren't enough, they had to put 4 of them in the same machine. Check out what TOM has to say about this.

"Given Nvidia’s propensity for recycling the names of former high-end parts, one might have expected the company to call its new product the “GTX 280 GX2” or “GTX 380 GX2”. Instead, it chose a middle road, removing the GX2 designation to title this product the GeForce GTX 295.

We saw excellent performance in our GeForce GTX 295 preview, but wondered what advancements improved drivers could bring. Also in the backs of our minds were SLI scaling issues that had plagued 7950 GX2 and 9800 GX2 Quad-SLI configurations, causing these to fall behind SLI pairs of single-GPU 7900 GTX and 8800 GTX cards at ultra-high graphics settings. With these questions in mind, we set about procuring a second GTX 295 unit and two HD 4870 X2 cards for comparing Quad SLI to CrossFireX performance, plus three GTX 280 cards to compare Nvidia’s highest-end 3-way SLI to its current Quad-SLI solution."

Gimme the QUAD.

Hawaii tries out online health care
Posted by goodspeed at 3:31 PM

Wouldn't it be kewl if we could just log on to the Net and visit the Dr.s office? Why yes it would. Check out what CNET has to say about the latest trial in Hawaii.

"For people in Hawaii, going to see the doctor just got as easy as booting up their PC.

The state is the first to offer online physician visits statewide, under a program that kicks off Thursday. Residents can chat with a doctor over a standard Web browser (IE 7 or Firefox 2) or carry out their visit over the telephone. Those with a Webcam can also use that to share video with the doctor. The service will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (with a few monthly maintenance outages during low-volume times).

Members of Hawaii's largest insurer, HSMA (which operates the state's Blue Cross and Blue Shield) pay $10 for the 10-minute consultation, while non-members pay $45.

The launch comes as the modernization of health care is taking center stage. A Senate working group is scheduled to hold hearings Thursday on the topic, with Microsoft Vice President Peter Neupert among those offering testimony. "

Dr. Who

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295: Leading the Pack
Posted by goodspeed at 6:27 PM

ATI had what was once the fastest single slot video card in existence, the 4870X2. No longer. Read about what Anandtech has to say.

"Comparing NVIDIA to AMD, it's clear that NVIDIA has recaptured the halo product at least in the majority of tests we ran in this snapshot of performance. We are noticing a trend that has some games heavily favoring one architecture or another, which makes general recommendations harder than usual. But the advantage this time around is certainly with NVIDIA. The Radeon HD 4870 1GB still hangs on competitively, but SLI wins out over CrossFire. "

Buh-Bye to AMD/ATI.

AMD back in the fight?
Posted by goodspeed at 11:00 AM

Blasphemy you say? Not according to what Anand has to say. They did some testing on AMDs latest 45nm CPUs and came away with surprising results. I have to say that even I'm impressed. Head on over and check it out. Here's a teaser:

"AMD is launching two new 45nm Phenom II CPUs today. There's the Phenom II X4 940 at 3.0GHz and the 920 at 2.8GHz. I'll go ahead and say that although it's a little long, I like the name. The II just works. I'm also feeling a bit chipper, so I'll go ahead and give you the conclusion now too.

Here's how it breaks down. The Phenom II X4 940 is usually the same speed or faster than Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9400, and priced similarly at $275. There are some areas where the Q9400 will be faster than the Phenom II X4 940, so if you happen to use an application that runs better on Intel hardware then you've got your choice made out for you. But for the most part, if you're buying a quad-core processor at around $275 today, Phenom II will tempt you.

Similarly, the Phenom II X4 920 is generally better than or equal to Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9300, and priced less (it's more of a competitor to the slower Q8300, but I didn't have one available for testing). The same stipulations detailed above exist here as well; there are some areas where Intel is going to be faster but for the most part our tests showed the Phenom II to be a better option."

INSERT THEME FROM ROCKY HERE

Warm wishes this holiday season.
Posted by goodspeed at 10:09 AM

We would like to take a moment to wish you all the very best during the holiday season this winter. May you all experience the true gift of giving this year. From all of us here at The Pirate Fleet: Happy Holidays.

NVIDIA's Ion Platform: Bringing High Def to Netbooks
Posted by goodspeed at 11:24 AM

OK. I have to say that this little bugger sure seems neat. And on top of that I WANT ONE! To see what all the hub bub is about head on over to ANANDTECH and read, read, read.

"Let me also point out that since this is the same 9400M chipset we’ve reviewed, Ion has full support for 8-channel LPCM over HDMI. That’s even more capable than most ATX HTPCs. If you tossed a 500GB 2.5” HDD in one of these things, you could carry your HTPC with you. That’s probably a silly usage model but it highlights the power and versatility of this platform. Ion is cool."

ION IS COOL.