In a bit of an unusual move memory vendor Mushkin is about to launch a complete new line of NVIDIA GeForce-based graphics cards, providing end-users with yet another alternative to the crowded market of GeForce graphics cards. All of the new models will be based on the latest NVIDIA GT200 GPU architecture and will be available in both standard and custom form factors, featuring increased clocked speeds and memory capacity.

Mushkin has announced its entry in the graphics card market with the launch of a complete series of GT200-based graphics cards. This new line will be part of the company’s ultimateFX family of graphics processing units, which will apparently be comprised of GeForce-based solutions.

As part of the new series, Mushkin has debuted a couple of new products, namely the ultimateFX GeForce GTX260, GTX260 (1792MB), GTX260 OC, GTX260 OC2, GTX275, GTX275 OC, GTX275 OC2, GTX285 and GTX285 (2048MB). As you can see, there are a number of new models waiting to make themselves useful in your high-end desktop PC.

The new cards will be delivered in special little wooden boxes that the company has trademarked as the “WoodBox.” This will certainly give computer users a sense of uniqueness and provide the cards with an upmarket packaging.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on the pricing of any of these cards.

via. Guru3D

via. TJ Harlow

Inno3d has announced their entry into the line of single-PCB GTX 295 cards. Unlike most companies, Inno3D has changed the cooler up a little bit.

The GTX 295 Platinum Edition deviates from NVIDIA’s reference cooler design and moves the fan to the middle of the card, venting heat out the back of the case and back into the case. While this is sure to negatively affect the internal temps of your case, it shouldn’t be much and might just add some overclocking potential for the card.

It is a shame that Inno3D is shipping the card with the reference clock speeds of 576/1242/2000MHz. This would really help the card stand out amongst the rest of GTX 295 options consumers have to choose from.

via. TweakTown.com

ECS is said to be working on a new GTS 250 card and when it hits the shelves it will be the fastest GTS 250 on the market.

The card in question is the ECS GTS 250 Black Edition and it will be available in both 1GB and 2GB flavors. As of right now the shader clock is unknown on the card but the core will be clocked at 815MHz and the memory will run at 2200MHz.

The pictures show the two cards coming with different cooling solutions and the 2GB model will feature the dual fans. ECS has done away with the dual 6-pin power connectors that most overclocked GTS 250s utilize in favor of a single 8-pin. Rumor has it that ECS will also be swapping out the blue PCB for a black one once the card goes into production and it would make a lot of sense to do so.

via. TweakTown.com

Earlier this week pictures were floating around the web of ASUS’s upcomming Maximus III Formula motherboard. These are a little more exclusive and we assure you that they are very, very fresh. Specifications for the board still aren’t finalized but we will bring you that information as soon as we can.

via. TweakTown.com

via. TJ Harlow

Users may be “shocked” to see how powerful the iPhone 3G S is for 3D graphics, according to an UberGizmo report.

When released the iPhone 3G S will feature a faster CPU, more RAM, and a Power-VR SGX GPU which supports OpenGL ES 2.0. According to UberGizmo this GPU is faster than the old one in two fundamental graphics metrics:

- Triangle setup: This defines how many triangles can be processed per second
- Fillrate: a measure of how many pixels can be modified per second.

Both metrics are key to increase graphics realism. But that’s not it: the iPhone 3GS does not just use sheer brute force to make games look better. Thanks to the more programmable architecture of the Power-VR SGX, developers can now use techniques found on PS3 and Xbox 360 games.

The article likens the difference in graphics to the improvements made from Half Life to Half Life 2. Look at the screenshots below to get a visual idea of the enhancements.

Its been suggested that the difference in graphics between iPhone models will cause a split in the App Store.

Read More

[Half Life = iPhone 3G]

[Half Life 2 = iPhone 3G S]

via. iClarified

The few people here who defend the decision to make L4D2 seem to not understand what everyone is upset about. I’ve tried to summarize the most common issues I’ve heard people having in hopes that it clears things up:

* Significant content for L4D1 was promised, and never delivered
* Valve put little faith in L4D1 since they almost certainly started working on L4D2 right after release
* The fact that L4D2 is nearly identical to L4D1 will decimate the community for both games
* The announced date is not nearly enough time to polish content or make significant gameplay changes
* The new character designs seem bland and unappealing so far
* L4D2 is too bright to fit in with L4D1’s visual aesthetic
* The fiddle-based horde music is extremely disliked, though the differently orchestrated music is otherwise welcome
* L4D2’s release will result in a drop in quality and frequency for L4D1 content, even compared to before
* The community has lost faith in Valve’s former reputation for commitment to their games post-release

Want to contact the team? Write us at — l4d2boycott@gmail.com

Valve’s False Promises
L4D2 Boycott Forum + Chat Room
Past Valve interviews about L4D1 post-release plans (by Andy013)

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