This is a WHQL driver for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, and 300-series desktop GPUs and ION desktop GPUs.

We have a discussion thread open on these drivers right here.

This driver resolves fan speed issues reported with version 196.75 drivers. NVIDIA asks that you remove 196.75 drivers and update to either 196.21 WHQL drivers or to this 197.13 WHQL-candidate driver.

If you currently have 196.75 installed, please first uninstall it before installing 197.13.

New in Version 197.13

This is a WHQL driver for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, and 300-series desktop GPUs and ION desktop GPUs.

This driver resolves fan speed issues reported with version 196.75 drivers. NVIDIA asks that you remove 196.75 drivers and update to this 197.13 WHQL driver.

New in Version 197.13

    * Adds support for Next Generation ION.
    * Adds support for GeForce GT 320, GeForce GT 330, and GeForce GT 340.
    * Upgrades PhysX System Software to version 9.10.0129.
    * Upgrades HD Audio driver to version 1.0.9.1 (for supported GPUs).
    * Increases performance in several PC games from v196.21 WHQL. The following are examples of measured improvements. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration:

          o Up to 13% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with a single GPU
          o Up to 30% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with SLI technology
          o Up to 13% performance increase in H.A.W.X with single GPU
          o Up to 15% performance increase in H.A.W.X with SLI technology
          o Up to 30% performance increase in Left 4 Dead with single GPU
          o Up to 28% performance increase in Left 4 Dead with SLI technology

    * Adds SLI and multi-GPU support for top new gaming titles including Assassin Creed II, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Command and Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight, Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City, Mass Effect 2, Napoleon: Total War, and Zombie Driver.
    * Enhanced SLI support for Metro 2033, Supreme Commander 2, Unigine, and World of Warcraft
    * Adds Ambient Occlusion support for Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Need for Speed: Shift, Resident Evil 5, RUSE, and Street Fighter IV.
    * Adds override anti-aliasing support for Mass Effect 2.
    * Includes numerous bug fixes. Refer to the release notes on the documentation tab for information about the key bug fixes in this release.
    * Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver here.

Existing Support:

    * Supports GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with the new Adobe Flash 10.1 beta. Learn more here.
    * Supports DirectCompute with Windows 7 and GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
    * Supports OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
    * Supports OpenGL 3.2 for GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.
    * Supports CUDA Toolkit 3.0 features and performance enhancements. See CUDA Zone for more details.
    * Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel X58-based motherboards.
    * Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on a dedicated GeForce graphics card. Use one card for graphics and dedicate a different card for PhysX processing for game-changing physical effects. Learn more here.
    * Download these FREE PhysX and CUDA applications now!
    * Supports GPU overclocking and temperature monitoring by installing NVIDIA System Tools software.

Download:

 Forceware 197.13 Windows 7 | Vista (64-bit)
 Forceware 197.13 Windows 7 | Vista (32-bit)
 Forceware 197.13 Windows XP (32-bit)

Okay one more news post, as it seems all details are now finalized. AMD's pending six-core process next to being clocked very nicely also are going to be downright affordable and comes with a nice phat 9MB L3 cache.

AMD's most high-end (and upcoming) six-core Thuban based processor will sell roughly 300 USD. AMD will launch an entire family of chips, including a pair of lower-clock versions, as well as a high-end model with frequencies to match the Gulftown. More recent rumors suggest that AMD's high-end offer, which will also have a great overclocking potential, will be the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition.

This specific model will get a core clock of 3.2GHz and a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 125W. Lastly, the chip's cache memory will be of 9MB in total, 3MB L2 cache and the remaining 6MB making up the L3 cache memory.

Sicne AMD wants the good media coverage they have pushed forward the 1090T and pushed back the 1075T to Q3 this tear. We compiled all data in a nice and easy to understand table go check it out:
 

A lot of photo's 'accidentally' leak from a lot of press-desks as it seems. This is MSI's GeForce GTX 480, the MSI N480GTX.

MSI is offering speaks of "Military-class" components, though it's likely that NVIDIA's own choice of components fit MSI's definition of military-class, and the MSI Afterburner software. The software is advertised to work with the card to provide voltage control, advertising up to 15% of performance gains using it. Usual features include DirectX 11 support, support for PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision Surround, 480 CUDA cores, 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory across a 384-bit memory interface, and connectivity which includes two DVI-D and a mini HDMI.

Information leaked onto the web regarding AMD's upcoming 12-core Opteron processors at the website of an online shop.

The Opteron X12 6164 runs at 1.7GHz and has 16MB of cache and it costs $797, while the 6136 is clocked at 2.4GHz, packs 18MB of cache and costs $808. The slower version runs on just 65W of power, while the 2.4GHz model consumes 105W, which sounds quite impressive.

The X12 6176 is clocked at 2.3GHz and it has 18MB of cache, but at $1,491 it's the priciest of the lot. The 2.2GHz 6174 costs $1,250, while the 2.1GHz 6172 is priced at $1,060.

The twelve cores will have reduced clock speeds but will not draw more power than 6-core versions. Even though the clock frequencies will fall, Magny-Cours chips will pack more performance compared to existing Opteron chips, Conway said. The larger cache and increased cores will make servers faster. The company's upcoming 12-core server chips, code-named Magny-Cours, put two six-core chips in one package. The same silicon is used in its six-core chips, code-named Istanbul, which are part of the Opteron line of server processors.

Finer details in the Magny-Cours chip. Two six-core chips are connected by four hyperthreaded interconnects and are targeted at two- and four-socket servers, Conway said. It includes a total of 12MB of L3 cache, with each core supporting 512KB of L2 cache. The chips will be manufactured by AMD's spinoff, GlobalFoundries, using existing 45-nanometer technology.

AMD is also working on a new x86 chip architecture code-named Bulldozer. The architecture will be used in chips manufactured using the 32-nm process in 2011. The company has scheduled a 16-core chip code-named Interlagos for release in 2011 [via computerworld].

Magny Cours = Many Cores :)

Corsair has introduced a new Flash Voyager Mini with a storage capacity of 32GB. These compact USB drives feature a cap-less retractable connector plug, and are available in capacities ranging of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB.
"USB flash drive users love the convenience and ruggedness of the Flash Voyager Mini form factor," stated John Beekley, VP of Technical Marketing at Corsair. "The increase in density to 32GB allows users to carry their digital world with them at all times on this compact drive."

The Flash Voyager Mini utilizes a cap-less retractable USB connector, which easily opens with the flick of the thumb, and its diminutive size makes it easy to carry virtually anywhere. The rubberized housing is also durable, making it an ideal flash drive for users with busy and active lifestyles.

The 32GB Flash Voyager Mini is available immediately from Corsair's authorized distributors and resellers worldwide. Complete customer support via telephone, email, forum and Tech Support Xpress is also available.

Our good friend Jon Peddie issued a paper that claims 46 percent of dollars spent in 2009 on gaming PC hardware were directed to toward the Enthusiast class. JPR reports expenditures on enthusiast-class gaming hardware were $9.5 billion last year, and expects this will grow to almost $12.5 billion in 2013. This includes all kinds of top-of-the line stuff, including boutique PCs, high-end processors and graphics cards, solid state disks, gaming mice/keyboards, watercooling, speakers, displays, etc.

While total expenditure will continue to increase, JPR estimates the enthusiast class will lose market share to the performance and mainstream classes from 46 percent to 35 percent of dollars spent. One of the reasons for this is that a lot of games are cross-platform, consoles are less powerful than current gaming hardware and cutting-edge is only necessary for the most demanding games.
Ted Pollak, Video Game Industry Analyst for JPR, cites a number of influences for this phenomenon. "PC hardware has caught up to most of the software and people are able to play computationally intensive games on Performance level systems. Performance systems now even support high resolution for all but the most demanding simulations and FPS's. The frequency of Direct X updates is also driving some people toward mid-range GPU's. Some gamers are buying Performance GPUs at a higher refresh rate to engage the latest Direct X version, instead of a longer term investment for Enthusiast GPU's."

Despite this phenomenon, the high end will always be a good market. There is a style element to the Enthusiast class as well as what we call a "muscle car element". Enthusiast level hardware purchasers will spend hundreds, sometimes thousands more, to maximize gaming performance, and have the cutting edge of engineering and technolgy such as S3D (stereovision) and HD 120 Hz monitors.

Jon Peddie, President of JPR, noted that for all levels of hardware "gamers are ordering, building, and modding their rigs with components that just a few years ago were simply not available with any economy of scale. SSD's, water cooling, gaming mice and keyboards and other components have come to the Performance class and gamers are starting to snap them up. "
The company also released a report about Do-It-Yourself (DIY) PC builds and PC upgrades, they estimate this market is worth about $10.4 billion in sales annually:
In addition to the PC Gaming Hardware Market Report, JPR has just released a Global Market Analysis for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) PC builds and PC upgrades. The market is significant with approximately $10.4 billion in sales annually. This total addressable market estimate goes beyond video games and includes all purchasing motivation, including business applications.

The analysis includes estimates of refresh rates for System Integrated PCs, Gamer System Integrated PCs, DIY builds, and Gamer DIY builds. The DIY/Upgrade Market Analysis also estimates the number of DIYers, the number of PC's upgraded annually, the System Integrated/DIY ratio, and a component ASP analysis for Mainstream, Performance, and Enthusiast DIY builds.

CatalystMaker, the man behind the Catalyst Development has just announced a couple of minutes ago that the new

Catalyst 10.3 Final drivers are out!

It seems AMD/ATI anticipated the release of the new Fermi based NVIDIA cards.

So here it is, the long awaited 10.3 with massive improvements on Crossfire Scaling and General Performance is out.

(on a personal note, even on my Tri-Crossfire 4870x2 I am experiencing HUGE improvements, more than 10 FPS improvement on framerate and much less micro-stuttering).

The download Links are as follows:

ATI Catalyst 10.3 Windows 7 | Vista (64-bit)

We have a discussion thread open on these drivers right here. You can also check the Official Website and the Release notes of this important Catalyst version.

• Heavier tessellation load
• Several major optimizations of the engine
• Added new elaborated objects in the world
• Physics-driven flags
• More dynamic lights
• Enhancements of some old assets
• Introduced "moderate" and "extreme" tessellation modes

Download

The latest download of Realtek's HD audio driver version available for Windows Vista, it runs under Windows 7 too.

The HD audio driver version for Realtek chips is available for download on our server. This download offers both the Windows XP and Vista binaries, the files contain drivers for the 32 Bit and 64 Bit versions. All Realtek HD audio chips, which are common on many motherboards and in notebooks, are supported.

History:
--------
Driver Package R2.45
    Realtek HD Audio Driver support all of Realtek HD Audio Codec .
    1. Vista/Windows 7 WHQL Supporting: ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC892, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC665, ALC260, ALC262,ALC267, ALC268, ALC269, ALC270, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887,ALC670, ALC275, ALC680
    2. Windows 2000/XP WHQL Supporting: ALC880, ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC892, ALC861VC, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC665, ALC260, ALC262, ALC267,ALC268, ALC269, ALC270, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887,ALC670, ALC275, ALC680
    3. HDMI Device WHQL Support: ATI HDMI Devices
    4. OS Supporting: Microsoft WindowsXP, Widnows2000, Windows Server 2003, Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows7 - x86/x64
    5. Pack with Microsoft High Definition Audio UAAV1.0a(5013)
    6. Add/Fix
        1.) Driver :
            1. Customizations.

Download

CPU-Z is a diagnostic tool that provides information on your CPU, including: processor name and vendor, core stepping and process, processor package, internal and external clocks, clock multiplier, partial overclock detection, processor features, supported instructions sets, L1 and L2 cache information, location, size, speed, and technology.

CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system.

CPU

* Name and number.
* Core stepping and process.
* Package.
* Core voltage.
* Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.
* Supported instructions sets.
* Cache information.
 

Mainboard

* Vendor, model and revision.
* BIOS model and date.
* Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.
* Graphic interface.

Memory

* Frequency and timings.
* Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

System

* Windows and DirectX version.

Changes:

• Intel Core i7-880, Core i5-680, Core i3-550 processors.
• Intel Xeon 5600 line (32nm) processors.
• AMD Phenom II X6, Sempron II, Turion II, Turion II Ultra and Athlon II Mobile "Caspian" processors.
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M chipset.
• AMD 870/880G/890GX + SB800/SB850 chipset.
• Introduction of validation rooms.

Download

Just Cause 2 has just being released again by Square-Enix team, this pretty game pretends to do what others do not.

Exagerate things! This is a game dedicated to all of those that believe to be "cool" to jump from high distances to an Helicopter in movement, explode things in the air, totally unrealistic and Hollywood-like, but, at the same time, give you a fun time with it.

The game is out for XBOX360, PC and PS3, you can also download the Demo from here for all platforms.

The basic plot of the game is as follows...

The orders are simple: hunt down and execute a rogue agent that has stolen top-secret intelligence and millions in Agency cash. For agent Rico Rodriguez, the mission is anything but routine. The target is Tom Sheldon, Rico

Cogage Arrow CPU Cooler review

The Cogage Arrow is a CPU heatpipe based cooler hints very much towards the IFX-14 but has been reshaped and modeled in the form of an arrow.

Next to that we see a clever mounting system and heaps and heaps of space to use any kind of fan on there, including 140mm fans, if you desire to do so of course. And before you get confused, Cogage is a daughter brand of Thermalright. Let's find out how well it performs.

Check out the article right here.

The chaps at Expreview report Inno3D has developed a watercooling solution for the NVIDIA Fermi. The waterblock is smaller than the company's GeForce GTX 295 waterblock, it measures 164mm x 104mm x 19.6mm and weighs 912g.

The block base is made of C1100 copper with nickel-plating, while the top cover is made of POM (Polyoxymethylene plastic). The model uses G1/4" thread and includes SLI adapters/fittings.

StoneGiant allows consumers to test the overall performance of their consumer-based GPUs. Based on the BitSquid Tech, StoneGiant has primarily been used to test the tools and technology in a real-world production environment with the talented artists of Fatshark. The public StoneGiant demo release is expectedin two weeks.

"With DX11 hardware becoming more readily available, we decided now would be a good time to highlight the advanced features of our engine, including DX11 and tessellation support", said Tobias Persson, Lead Engineer at BitSquid. "Tessellation adds an awful lot to the visual fidelity of the scene and is something that consumers can readily see for themselves. We are looking forward to seeing how games will take advantage of our engine."

BitSquid Tech is available for licensing soon for the PC, with PS3 and Xbox360 versions available by Q3 of 2010.

GeForce 200 series:
 GTX 260, GTX 295, G210, 205, GTX 275, GTX 280, GTS 240, GT 220, GTS 250, GT 240, GT 230, 210, GTX 285
 
 GeForce 100 series:
 GT 130, G 100, GT 140, GT 120
 
 GeForce 9 series:
 9600 GT, 9400, 9300 GE, 9200, 9600 GSO, 9400 GT, 9800 GT, 9500 GT, 9300, 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9500 GS, 9800 GX2, 9600 GS, 9300 GS
 
 GeForce 8 series:
 8800 Ultra, 8800 GTS, 8400 GS, 8300, 8800 GTS 512, 8500 GT, 8300 GS, 8600 GT, 8800 GT, 8100 / nForce 720a, 8200, 8600 GTS, 8800 GTX, 8400 SE, 8400, 8800 GS, 8600 GS
 
 GeForce 7 series:
 7300 LE, 7950 GT, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7550 LE, 7950 GX2, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7900 GS, 7500 LE, 7350 LE, 7900 GTX, 7800 SLI, 7600 GS, 7600 LE, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7800 GS, 7300 GS, 7900 GT/GTO, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7300 GT, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7800 GTX, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7100 GS, 7650 GS, 7600 GT, 7300 SE / 7200 GS
 
 GeForce 6 series:
 6600 VE, 6200SE TurboCache, 6500, 6100 nForce 420, 6600, 6800 XE, 6600 GT, 6800, 6100 nForce 405, 6800 Ultra, 6800 LE, 6150SE nForce 430, 6800 XT, 6150LE / Quadro NVS 210S, 6200 TurboCache, 6250, 6800 GT, 6200 A-LE, 6800 GS/XT, 6150 LE, 6200, 6600 LE, 6100, 6150, 6700 XL, 6610 XL, 6800 GS, 6200 LE, 6100 nForce 400
 
 ION series:
 ION LE, ION

Discuss here

 Forceware 197.25 Windows XP (32-bit)
 Forceware 197.25 Windows 7 | Vista (32-bit)
 Forceware 197.25 Windows 7 | Vista (64-bit)

Currently we are testing ATI's Radeon 5870 Eyefinity6 - in CrossfireX actually. Early next week we'll have a nice article ready for you where we'll show you how to build such a setup, what is needed. And then obviously we'll have a chat about performance but most of all we like to show you little video showcases with a lot of games.

The new Catalyst 10.3 drivers now also come with Bezel management, greatly helping out in games. Have a little preview of what's to to come:

Battlefield Bad Company 2

What a great title this is. Check out the video. We have totally nice framerates and the game is very playable. Bezel correction is active here as you can see.

More next week ...

Although Command & Conquer 4 was released more than a week ago, I felt the need to post this news because of the importance of this game.

Although I do not like what this game has given (or taken) to the saga, maybe someone probably like it.

But before you go ahead and buy it, beware, there are some things you need to know about this one.

The basic differences of C&C4 against all of the rest are as follows:

• Permanent connectivity to the internet required, even playing Skirmishes and Single Player Missions.
• The LAN mode has being eliminated 
• Base-Building is no more! (This one will be most shocking to fans of the saga)
• No more Tiberium Harvesting and resources in-fighting.
• Focus of Game is to control Domination Points ala-Battlefield.
• Graphics had been modified to fit the "Cartoonish-Style" of the latest Red Alert so the game looks less realistic than C&C3 and more Colorful and Kid-like.

This new one has a style similar to BattleField on RTS, you command troops to control Domination points, battle will not be what it used to be in the last one "Kane's Wrath", hell! game will not be anything similar to the previous one!

Although personally I do not like not even one feature (or taken feature) of the new one, someone probably will, still if you want to try it you can buy it from EA or your local store of choice, only for PC at the moment, you can check the official website here.

MSI, the world-leading manufacturer of mainboards and graphics cards, today launched the R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II, the latest in the Twin Frozr series of graphics display adaptors designed for outstanding cooling performance that have won praise from the media. In addition to the latest technologies such as ATI Stream, Eyefinity and DX11, which are supported by the standard ATI Radeon HD5870 and HD5850 GPUs, the new models have also inherited MSI's technical excellence in thermal design.

Not only are R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II equipped with military class components where it matters the most, the new models have also adopted a powerful cooling device designed for Twin Frozr II - dual 8-cm PWM fans and dual 8-mm SuperPipe technology for an even more outstanding thermal design, all the while maintaining low-noise performance during operation. These are products that should not be missed by consumers who value both performance and silence.

Super big 8-cm Dual Fans with PWM and Dual 8-mm SuperPipe Technology
Compared with ordinary single-fan designs, the all-new MSI R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II has adopted the huge 8-cm PWM fans to double the airflow during operation. It can also remove the generated heat more quickly while reducing the operational noise with its auto-load speed detection capability. In addition, Twin Frozr II's special super-dense fin and dual 8-mm SuperPipe technology are able to accelerate heat dispersion and to maintain the stability of the system. Therefore in an actual full-speed test, they can lower the temperature by up to 12

Nice move from Intel.

Upto this point RAID setups did not have support for the TRIM command features in the Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7 and Linux 2.6.33+ operating systems.

This made solid state drives rather unsuited for long-term configuration in any RAID setup. Seeing this as a serious limitation, Intel wrote a driver that is able to activate this function even in RAID, obviously the drives themselves need to support it.

This technology provides support for the following features:

• Intel
  

USB drives get more and more secure. Patriot will soon introduce Bolt, a new USB flash drive with 128-bit AES encryption support to keep your data safe. Intruders have only ten attempts to guess your password, afterwards the Bold automatically destroys all data.

The USB drive has an aluminium enclosure and offers read speeds of up to 27MB/s and write speeds of up to 13MB/s. It will be available in capacities from 6GB to 64GB, with prices ranging from 25.90EUR to 310EUR.

A shame that this had to happen really, but clever solve. After weeks of negotiations with Chinese authorities, Google has stopped censoring results on its Chinese search engine. Starting today, visitors of the Internet giant's Chinese website are redirected to the Google's Hong Kong site, which offers Chinese-language service with uncensored results.

Google announced in January that it had traced a sophisticated cyber-attack to China, and as a result would no longer filter results in its Chinese search service. Google acknowledged that the move could result in having to withdraw from direct competition in China, where Internet search sites are required to censor politically sensitive topics.

Since then, Google has sought to engage with Chinese authorities over how it could operate in the country without filtering results. Theoretically, China-based users could continue to connect to sites such as google.com or google.com.hk following the company's shuttering of google.cn, though their access could become unreliable.
A Chinese government official in charge of the Internet bureau under the State Council Information Office responds to Google, accusing the search engine has "violated its written promise" and is "totally wrong" by stopping censoring its Chinese search results and blaming the Chinese government for alleged hacker attacks:
"Google has violated its written promise it made when entering the Chinese market by stopping filtering its searching service and blaming China in insinuation for alleged hacker attacks," said the official.

"This is totally wrong. We're uncompromisingly opposed to the politicization of commercial issues, and express our discontent and indignation to Google for its unreasonable accusations and conducts," the official said.

It's a fact that PC Power & Cooling PSUs from OCZ already pulled out of the EU, indicating that OCZ is repositioning alot of things, yesterday it was reported that OCZ will be closing down Hypersonic-PC.

The official Hypersonic-PC website has officially been replaced with a simple page that states: "At this time Hypersonic-PC is not accepting any orders. We are honoring all warranties and will continue to support existing customers. All customers that currently own a Hypersonic branded PC or Notebook can contact the following numbers for direct product support.".

OCZ's Executive VP and CMO Alex Mei, confirmed this, "We are focusing all our resources on SSD, PSU and Memory and our SI business really didn

Well this will get them a lot of love. Gamasutra reports that Electronic Arts aims to monetize game demos. According to industry analyst Michael Patcher after an EA investor visit, the publisher will start selling 'premium downloadable content' prior to a game's release for $10-$15 that is essentially a longer-than-usual demo.

Patcher said, 'I think that the plan is to release PDLC at $15 that has 3-4 hours of gameplay, so [it has] a very high perceived value, then [EA will] take the feedback from the community (press and players) to tweak the follow-on full game that will be released at a normal packaged price point.' He also made reference to a comment from EA's CEO John Riccitiello that 'the line between packaged product sales and digital revenues would soon begin to blur.'