Recession, financial crisis .. around the globe there's a lot happening. But apparantly it does not effect GPU sales at at all, in fact .. there was a slight increase in overall sales. Jon Peddie Research announced estimated graphics shipments and supplier market share for the third calendar quarter of 2008.

GPUs are used in industrial and medical systems, point of sale terminals, kiosks, digital signs, and PCs. More than one GPU is being used in over one third of all PCs being shipped today. In Q3'08 over a 111 million GPUs were shipped. During the same quarter last year, only 91 million GPUs shipped, and 94 million units shipped in the previous quarter.

 That's an annual increase of 22.5 percent and a quarter-to-quarter increase of almost 18 percent, as shown in Table 1.

It's the largest increase in quarter to quarter shipments in six years.

	7 year Average	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
% Growth from Q2 to Q3	12.30%	-0.48%	18.62%	16.07%	16.20%	11.59%	12.52%	11.58%	17.84%

Table 1: Growth rates from Q2 to Q3 from 2001 to 2008

Market shares shifted for the big three, AMD, Intel and NVIDIA, and put pressure on the smaller three, Matrix SiS and VIA/S3, and still almost everyone showed an increase in shipments as indicated in Table 2.

Vendor	This quarter	Market share	Last quarter	Market share	Growth Qtr-Qtr	A year ago	Market share	Growth Yr-Yr
AMD	22.90	20.6%	17.11	18.1%	33.8%	18.66	20.5%	22.8%
Intel	54.95	49.4%	44.67	47.3%	23.0%	30.30	33.4%	81.4%
Nvidia	30.93	27.8%	29.63	31.4%	4.4%	33.04	36.4%	-6.4%
Matrox	0.10	0.1%	0.10	0.1%	0.0%	0.12	0.1%	-16.7%
SiS	1.35	1.2%	1.90	2.0%	-28.9%	2.10	2.3%	-35.7%
VIA/S3	1.02	0.9%	1.00	1.1%	2.1%	6.63	7.3%	-84.6%
Total	111.26	100.0%	94.42	100.0%	17.8%	90.85	100.0%	22.5%

Table 2: Total Graphics Chip Market shares for Q3'08

DESKTOP
For desktop GPUs Intel increased its first place position to 43.9% share while Nvidia's position slipped to 32.6% and AMD climbed up to 20.3%. Desktop GPUs saw an increase of 4.7% this quarter to 61.9 million units. if we focus on NVIDIA for a second we see that they had more volume, yet did loose market share to AMD.

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If you are somehow bothered by a reported widescreen FOV issue recently identified in Far Cry 2. Far Cry 2 is actually a cropped version of the 4:3 video, reminiscent of a similar problem, or design decision, from BioShock. Good news, a fix was created by Racer_S over at Widescreen Gaming Forum, who also created a homebrew fix for similar problems in BioShock.

Note: The fix only works with Far Cry 2 v1.00.

1) Run Trainer/Hack
2) Edit options if needed
3) Start Far Cry 2
4) Press Numpad * to enable new FOV settings
5) You can safely Alt-Tab from Far Cry and change settings at any time (defaults are X FOV = 1, Y FOV = 1.333)

Download: Click here.

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AMD has identified that, in addition to reference samples of the ATI Radeon HD 4830 boards sent to media with a pre-production BIOS potentially impacting the card's performance, a very limited number of ATI Radeon HD 4830 boards were released to market with the same pre-production BIOS. This is in no way hardware related, and an updated BIOS fully resolves the performance limitation.

Through consultations with AMD board partners, it has been determined with a high degree of certainty that fewer than 400 ATI Radeon HD 4830 boards from one AMD board partner, HIS, have reached the market with the pre-production BIOS incorrectly provided by AMD. As only a small number of HIS-branded ATI Radeon HD 4830 cards are impacted, we ask any customers that purchased an HIS-branded ATI Radeon HD 4830 to test the board using the GPU-Z utility (available at http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz. If the GPU-Z utility reports fewer than 640 shaders, please visit the HIS website for information on how to update the card BIOS via a downloadable install utility.

Watcher
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The PC version of Grand Theft Auto 4 is due to be released on November 18th and 21st in North America and Europe, respectively. We have the launch trailer to show you today.

 

 

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You just sometimes have to wonder what is going on in the brain structure of Google executives. Google has their own fighter jet now. I know it sounds crazy but apparently it

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Sometimes you stumble into one of these thigns from which you know, it's useless .. yet still remains cool. And even though I know that

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Again a new driver from NVIDIA was released moments ago, it's as beta though. The drivers have some very cool new options for PhysX, and multi-monitor GPU gaming. Obviously this driver has new Far Cry 2 optimizations harboured in them as well. Also this driver includes the PhysX 8.10.13 System Software.

NVIDIA released this small driver update rel 180.43 (up from 180.42) as to fix a small issue some of you had with DX9-only compatibility issues with Far Cry 2. The driver should sort out any issues without you having to go into setting files to request resolutions for it start in.

Beta driver for GeForce 200-series, 9-series, and 8800-series desktop GPUs. We have a discussion thread open on these drives right here.

Supported products:
GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 260
GeForce 9800 GX2
GeForce 9800 GTX+
GeForce 9800 GTX
GeForce 9800 GT
GeForce 9600 GT
GeForce 9600 GSO
GeForce 9500 GT
GeForce 9500 GS
GeForce 9400 GT
GeForce 9400
GeForce 9300
GeForce 9200
GeForce 8800 Ultra
GeForce 8800 GTX
GeForce 8800 GTS 512
GeForce 8800 GTS
GeForce 8800 GT
GeForce 8800 GS

Download:

GeForce Forceware 180.43 XP 64-bit
GeForce Forceware 180.43 Vista 64-bit
GeForce Forceware 180.43 Vista 32-bit
GeForce Forceware 180.43 XP 32-bit

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An Intresting move from Intel today, everything always starts in their server segment, typically a couple of months later followed by the consumer products.

Intel claims it's already shipping more 45nm processors than 65nm ones. Yesterday the chip giant phased out 31 different boxed versions of 65nm dual- and quad-core Xeon processors. Intel expects about 60 percent of the CPUs it manufactures in Q4 2008 will be 45nm.

The PCN lists six dual-core Xeon processors with Woodcrest core (5120, 5150, LV5148, 5110, 5130, 5140, 5160) as well as nine quad-core versions with Clovertown core (E5310, E5320, L5320, E5335, L5335, E5345, X5365, X5355) as well as variations of these CPUs for a total of 31 processors being phased out.

Intel told customers that orders for these processors will not be cancelable after January 23, 2009 and final orders can be submitted until April 23, 2009. Intel plans the final shipment of these processors for July 23, 2009.

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According to a press release EVGA and now BFG also will start bundling Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 with their GeForce GTX 200 range of graphics cards. BFG will also throw in a 3D Mark advantage key by the way, which apparantly Futuremark can't sell that well. It's bundled everywhere.

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BFG GTX 200 Series Far Cry 2 Bundle:

For a limited time, and while supplies last only, customers who buy ANY BFG GeForce GTX 200 Series graphics card October 22, 2008 or later will get

• a free full copy of Far Cry 2 (DVD) a $50 value,
• a free full copy of 3DMark
  

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I'm not a big BenQ fan, but this one looks cool enough for a news post.

As multimedia playback becomes a standard feature for PC user, more and more monitors has started to equip with a native resolution of 16:9 LCD panel. Movie lovers will love it as it gets full estate of horizontal pixels widescreen display without the top and bottom bars (for a 16:9 aspect ratio movie). It is BenQ's turn with M2400HD - a 24-inch LCD monitor with 1920

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Who doesn

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NEC has unveiled the first display in its MultiSync P Series of LCD monitors, the 22 inch P221W. The new LCD monitor offers 1680 by 1050 pixel native resolution, while presenting 96 percent of the AdobeRGB color gamut for image or video editing that requires color precision. The integrated 10-bit color look-up tables are programmable if corrections are needed. The P221W offers a slightly wider viewing angle of 178 degrees from the S-PVA LCD panel.

The relatively long response time of 16ms is a compromise for the wide-gamut of colors, making the device less attractive for gaming use. The reported contrast ratio is 1000:1, with 300cd per square meter brightness. A wide range of adjustments are afforded by the stand, including height, tilt, swivel, and pivot.

The P221W will be available in December, with an estimated price of $640. An optional SpectraView color calibration kit will also be available later this year for $375.

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Next to Far Cry, I'm looking out for Call of Duty WAW and .. with less than a week to go until the game is available, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. EA released a new trailer to show off some of the new units:

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Looks like they will be doing a prequel, the sands forming into a city is a sign. Apparently, Take-Two wants to release a new BioShock game every two years. That sounds ambitious to me! We also learned the game will be developed by the new 2K Marin Studio, created by BioShock developers last year.The trailer features a smartly dressed Little Sister carrying a Big Daddy toy; and we hear the game will now be set on the Atlantic coast. The fact that this trailer was included in the PlayStation 3 version of the original game would suggest that BioShock 2 is being readied for a multi-platform release. The original was 360 and PC exclusive for over a year.

No platforms have been announced for the sequel, which arrives between August and October of 2009, though it is expected to hit PC, PS3 and Xbox 360--the same systems as the narrative-driven underwater original.

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Yesterday's Far Cry 2 VGA performance article was quite a success and very well appreciated by you guys. The game really is extremely popular. I've done some minor updates to this article.

First off, the 9800 GX2 performance is really nasty and we've received some questions about it. We know for sure that the performance will be much beter, yet this is simply a driver issue. We retested with the final Public Beta driver from NVIDIA, and did notice a slightly better performance. Yet it remains rather horrible.

Word our in our forums is that dropping AA or go towards the DX9 codepath can solve the issue. Dropping back to the older 178.24 driver might work as well, at the least an acceptable framerate is in sight that way. Check out more info in our forum thread.

A second and quite massively requested question was, if it would be possible for us to include the results for the Radeon HD 4870 with 1024MB memory.

Our article clearly states that with our opted image quality settings (DX10|4xAA|High IQ), any card with a framebuffer greater than 512MB will have a positive effect in performance, especially at the higher resolutions. So that's a very fair question from you guys. I hunted down that card and just finished the benchmark sessions with it. So the 1024 MB model 4870 card along with the Radeon HD 4830 results are included as well, bringing the VGA charts towards a massive 18 tested graphics cards.

Check it out.

** Update: At request added GeForce GTX 260 SLI results as well.

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Oooh, is something new imminent ?, typically that drives prices down. Three new price-cuts have been spotted on some of Intel's more popular quad-core processors.

There are price cuts for entry-level quad-core processors, the addition of a brand-new Core 2 Duo E7400, and minor tweaks to low-end Pentium pricing. More specifically, the 2.33GHz Core 2 Quad Q8200 has dropped from $224 to $193 in 1,000-unit quantities, while the old Core 2 Quad Q6600 has slipped a tad from $193 to $183. Intel has quietly introduced the 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo E7400 at $133, as well, which has brought down the 2.66GHz E7300 model to $113. Finally, the chipmaker has shaved $10 off the price of both its 2.4GHz Pentium E2220 and 2.2GHz Pentium E2200, bringing them to $74 and $64, respectively.

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First off my congratulations to BFG. Today they are celebrating thair six year anniversary. A great company, with great products and some very good people. We enjoyed working with them for a long time now.

Since thay are in a pretty happy celebration mood, they are throwing away some discounts through their BFG store, check em out:

All BFG graphics cards on the BFG Store are at least 10% off, and all BFG power supplies (including Scratch and Dent!) are 30% off!

On top of the instant savings, there is an additional $20 off via mail in rebate on the GTX 280 OC, GTX 260 OC MAXCORE, and the GTX 260 OC - so be sure to view the product page to download the rebate form.

Og and if you'd ever wanted to go SLI and catch truly a lot of value, may I suggest 2x BFG's GeForce GTX 260 OC, after the rebate that's 199 USD a pop, it is nearly sick how cheap that really is. Get them while you can. Click here to go to their website.

(Please note for this special promotion, limit 3 of each sku per household may be ordered, no backorders will be accepted, and while supplies last only.)

Product	Store price	Instant Savings	Mail-in rebate	Sale Price
BFG GeForce

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AMD ATI today launches a sub-$150 HD 4000 series video card that will take on NVIDIA, in the shape of the Radeon HD 4830, which really is a 4850 but slightly neutered.

We expect its price to settle at 119-129 USD. This card will have 640 stream processors, a 256-bit memory interface and GDDR3 memory, and slot in-between the Radeon HD 4850 and HD 4670. What is The HD 4830 targeted against ? Well, considering the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT and 9800 GT retail for around $130, it seems likely AMD would continue the pressure by also aiming for those products.

We have both the reference sample yet also a retail sample in house. The retail sample comes from HIS technology, and that thing just is really cool ...

Please read our full review here.

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I think the X58 mainboard series has to be Intel's worst kept secrect ever in the history of technology :) On that note, after a lot of other manufacturers showed of 'theirs', eVGA decided to show some e-peen as well, here's their upcoming X58 mainboard. It is an early prototype though.

* Supports Intel Core i7 Processors
* Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset
* EVGA VDroop Control
* 100% Solid State Capacitors
* 6 DIMM triple-channel DDR3
* Enthusiast layout supporting 2-way, 3-way SLI and CrossFireX
* 10 SATA II 3.0GB/s ports (1 e-SATA)
* EVGA E-LEET Tuning Utility

Click here to see the image.

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What we'll do today is what you can expect from a site like Guru3D.com, we take all modern GeForce and Radeon graphics cards, seek a nice image quality setting and report back to you what you can expect performance and quality wise from this bitching title.

Nineteen cards versus 4 resolutions versus 3 runs per resolution. Yeah, that's 228 benchmark runs ...

You can check out (and you really should) this article right here. And then run off to the stores of course.

* Article update: new GX2 results, added 4830 results, added 4870 1024MB results.
** Article update: Added GeForce GTX 260 SLI results as well.
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