TVR_Fan's All related PC news and alerts! [Archive] - Sports Car Forum

TVR_Fan

05-31-2004, 08:59 AM

TVR_Fan's All related PC news and alerts!.

OK I start of with alert of the first 64bit Windows Virus.

First Known 64-bit Virus Threat Found!

Threat not deemed serious yet, however

According to CNET, security technology company Symantec has discovered what could possibly be the first known virus threat to 64-bit Windows systems. The company notes however that the virus, called W64.Rugrat.3344, is only a "proof-of-concept" worm that was created to show the vulnerabilities present in a particular type of system, in this case 64-bit ones. As a result, it is currently not deemed a major threat; in fact it is considered the lowest threat of its kind over at Symantec. However, it does show how 64-bit Microsoft Windows files can be attacked.

""We always see early adopters trying to find a way to attack new technology right away, as we did with 32-bit, so it's not surprising to see this," Friedrichs said. "But we do expect to see more of these, as 64-bit technology becomes more prominent."

Symantec said it was not expecting widespread copycats of W64.Rugrat.3344, since the affected assembly code requires fairly advanced technical knowledge. Symantec said W64.Rugrat.3344 was created in IA64 (Intel Architecture) assembly code and infects IA64 executable files, excluding .dll files. The security specialists reported that W64.Rugrat.3344 also infects files that are in the same folder as the virus, as well as all files within related subfolders."

Naturally, Symantec is already updating their anti-virus measures in order to defeat the worm as it is. The vast majority of 32-bit Windows systems don't have anything to worry about for the time being, as W64.Rugrat.3344 will not even execute on them. Although they still get the dubious honor of having to deal with all the other viruses out there that are tailor made just for them.

TVR_Fan

05-31-2004, 10:25 AM

Your crazy saying you cannot wait for a virus any way here is some Hardware news.

Intel Slammed with $500M Lawsuit

Canadian firm alleges Pentium II infringed on its circuit design

InfoWorld writes that Canadian firm All Computers has filed a patent lawsuit against chipmaking giant Intel yesterday, claiming that the Pentium II CPU infringed upon a circuit design patented by All Computers a few years back. The patent in question can be found here.

This patent essentially lays out a circuit design that allows the core clock of a CPU to run at fractional multiples of the system clock, and it is this design that All Computers believes Intel used in their PII without a license. All Computers is currently investigating whether or not the same can be said of Intel's Pentium III and more recent Pentium 4.

The lawyer representing All Computers, Ed O'Connor, reveals that their lawsuit seeks over US$500 million in damages, as well as a permanent injunction against Intel. It's certainly a little strange that All Computers would take such a drastic action against Intel after all this time, especially when they have not released a product of their own in a decade. According to O'Connor the firm only "recently realized" what they believe to be infringment on Intel's part.

Nvidia PCI-E Bridge Works Both Ways

Converts AGP to PCI Express, and vice versa

A few months back Nvidia announced their initial lineup of PCI Express ready GPUs (news). These GPUs are in fact based on existing solutions, but are able to support the PCI Express interface thanks to the use of a bridge chip that converts AGP 8x signals to the PCI Express 16x equivalent.

The Inquirer confirms today that this bridge, called the "High-Speed Interconnect" (HIS) chip, can also convert PCI Express signals to AGP. It's likely that this is the same bridge chip that previously went under the code-name "BR2" (news). In any case, this allows those Nvidia PCI Express cards utilizing the HIS bridge chip to be backwards compatible with AGP:

"This means that the NV40, Geforce 6800 generation of cards, does not have to be the last of the AGP cards from Nvidia. If Nvidia sees any demand for AGP cards sometimes later this year it can make new PCB and launch a new AGP card. This one would be a native PCI Express part turned into AGP one."

"Pure" PCI Express GPUs are still on the horizon from both Nvidia and ATI, of course, and these may include the NV50 and R500.

DDR2 Problems and Concerns

DRAMeXchange lays out the potential pitfalls for DDR2 in the market today

DRAMeXchange notes that supply problems with DDR will become a bigger problem in the second half of this year. Yikes. The piece over at DigiTimes highlights some of the problems that DDR2 is faced with.

-DRAM makers [...] are optimistic about DDR 500MHz’s market position before DDR2 becoming the mainstream. However, Intel does not approve DDR 500MHz.
-The timing to introduce DDR2-compatible motherboards is difficult to plan, as the transition from DDR to DDR2 remains unclear.

-DRAMeXchange expects the current testing capacity in Taiwan is insufficient to meet demand. Generally, testing of DDR2 requires 400-450 seconds and takes 30% longer than DDR. In addition, DDR2 uses FBGA package rather than TSOP for DDR, increasing its backend cost by 20-30%.

There are several other issues that are highlighted. This does not bode well for DDR2 and optimism regarding wide adoptation this year may be a little too overzealous. Personally I will have to see enough of a performance jump from DDR1 to DDR2 to make the transition. With latency in DDR2 being significantly higher than DDR1, the increased clockspeed does not translate into vastly increased performance especially for the asking price.

X800 Series to Bundle Counter Strike 2?

Another blockbuster of a bundling deal in the making for ATI

The Inq is reporting that ATI will be offering Counter Strike 2 vouchers to add-in board partners for 10$, kind of like the deal that sunk HL2 for the 9600 series.

Counter Strike 2 will cost ATI partners $10, the normal practice is not to pay more than a few bucks. So you can expect to see some variety in ATI card partner marketing strategies.
The Half Life 2 deal will remain but it will cost you $10, just as much as it used to cost when it was bundled with the Radeon 9800XT and 9600XT.

If you had Radeon 9800 or 9600 series of ATI and now you want X800PRO or XT you have to choose the right AIB (Add In Board) partner who will offer this piece of paper.

This is contrary to what we heard regarding a pack-in; it was whispered that it would be just Counter Strike: Condition Zero. Obviously, Counter-Strike 2 would have a lot bigger marketing clout but timeliness and Valve are a bit mutually exclusive so it would be a bit of a gambit. With Half-Life 2 looking as if it is finally appearing on the horizon it would seem to make a lot more sense to continue with Half-Life 2 coupons, unless Counter Strike is that close also. It may be the case that I will have to get my butt back into my five year old Team Fortress 2 team again.