NVIDIA Forceware 191.07 WHQL Vista (Windows Vista, Freeware, 99.9MB) [alt DL] unleashes the full power and features in NVIDIA's desktop, gaming, platform, workstation, laptop, multimedia, and mobile products. Changes: Adds support for OpenGL 3.2 for GeForce 8, 9, 100, and 200-series GPUs and ION GPUs. Accelerates performance in several gaming applications. The following are examples of improvements measured with version 191.07 drivers vs. version 190.62 drivers (results will vary depending on your GPU, system configuration, and game settings): Up to 12% performance increase in ARMA 2 Up to 8% performance increase in Batman: Arkham Asylum with GPU PhysX enabled Up to 50% performance increase in Call of Juarez: Blood in Bound with SLI enabled Up to 14% performance increase in Fallout 3 (indoor scenes) with antialiasing enabled Up to 10% performance increase in Far Cry 2 (DX9 version) with antialiasing enabled Up to 34% performance increase in Prototype with antialiasing enabled Adds SLI support for Aion, Darkfall, Dawn of Magic 2: Time of Shadows, Dreamkiller, Fuel, Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, Need for Speed: Shift and more. Includes numerous bug fixes, including the following key fix (additional bug fixes can be found in the release notes on the documentation tab): For graphics cards supporting multiple clock states, 3D clocks correctly return to 2D clocks after exiting a 3D application. Users without US English operating systems can select their language and download the International driver IceRocket Tags: nvidia, forceware, driver, vista, windows freeware, whql

GPU-Z 0.3.5 (Windows, Freeware, 436KB) [alt DL] is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU. Changes: ATI Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress) fully supported (includes voltage monitoring) Added or improved support for NVIDIA FX5500, 9400 GT, G73, GTS 240, GT 140, FX 1800, GT 120 (Apple), FX 380, FX 350, GTX 295 Single PCB, Quadro CX, FX 5800, FX 4800, FX 3800, GTX 180M, GTX 260M, FX 2700M, G 110M, GT 120M, GT 220M, FX 1700M, G 105M, MCP79MX Added or improved support for ATI HD 4730, HD 4650 AGP, M92, M96, M98 Added clock reading for Intel i910, i915, i945, 946 Added support for DDR3 detection on G9x Added monitoring support for RV7xx based mobile chips Voltage controller "slaves" are now called "phases" Added Intel Havendale detection Fixed BIOS parsing on some newer HD 4870 cards Added voltage monitoring support for MSI N275GTX Lightning IceRocket Tags: gpu-z, video, graphics, hardware, windows freeware

NVIDIA Forceware 190.62 WHQL XP (Windows XP, Freeware, 78.5MB) [alt DL] unleashes the full power and features in NVIDIA's desktop, gaming, platform, workstation, laptop, multimedia, and mobile products. Also available for Vista. Changes: Optimized for the latest PhysX gaming titles: Batman: Arkham Asylum and Darkest of Days. Installs PhysX System Software version 9.09.0814. Includes several bug fixes. IceRocket Tags: nvidia, forceware, windows freeware

SpeedFan 4.39 (Windows, Freeware, 1.79MB) [alt DL] monitors fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitor chips. It can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures too, if supported. It can even change the FSB on some hardware. Changes: Added full support for Fintek F71889F, even at unusual addresses Added support for a new method to access SMART data Added support for SCSI and SAT hard disk SMART access Added full support for SuperMicro PWS-865-PQ PSU Added full support for Winbond W83795G Added full support for SMSC EMC1402 Added SHORT and EXTENDED OFF-LINE SMART TEST in SMART tab. This feature works on a number of supported interfaces and not on all of them Added voltage readings for Winbond W83793G Properly read Tjmax on Core i7 based Xeons Relabeled IT8512F to IT8512E The tray hint is no longer updated if ShowStaticIcon is true The tray icon tooltip layout is now vertical Added Fintek F72569DG detection I always install this on every Windows box that I setup. Great hardware monitoring software. IceRocket Tags: speedfan, harware, monitor, cpu, temp, windows freeware

Nero Free 9.4.12.3 (Windows, Freeware, 54.5MB) [alt DL] is the easy-to-use yet powerful multimedia suite, gives you the freedom to create, rip, copy, burn, edit, share, and upload online. Changes: "Continue multisession" projects are displayed in the correct size. Volume is correct when using the "Save Tracks" option (MP3 only). IceRocket Tags: nero 9, free, windows freeware

Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.1.1.1014 (Windows, Freeware, 2.7MB) [alt DL] installs the Windows INF files. The INF files inform the operating system how to properly configure the chipset for specific functionality, such as AGP, USB, Core PCI, and ISAPNP services. IceRocket Tags: intel, chipset, installation, windows freeware

Tom’s Hardware released their June 2009 choices for best gaming video cards for the money. [Source: Tom's Hardware] Recommended PCI Express Cards:

Radeon HD 4650 DDR3 (around US$50) GeForce 9500 GT DDR3 (around US$50) [review] Radeon HD 4670 (around US$70) [review] GeForce 9600 GSO (around US$70) Radeon HD 4850 512 MB (around US$105) [review] Radeon HD 4850 1GB (around US$130) [review] GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) (around US$170) Radeon HD 4870 (around US$170) [review] Radeon HD 4850 X2 1 GB (around US$220) 2 x Radeon HD 4850 512 MB in CrossFire (around US$220) 2 x GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) cards in SLI Configuration (around US$340) 2 x Radeon HD 4870 in CrossFire Configuration (around US$340) 2 x Radeon HD 4890 in CrossFire Configuration (around US$455) 2 x GeForce GTX 275 in SLI Configuration (around US$455) GeForce GTX 295 (around US$520)

For value cards that start around $50, your best bet is either the Radeon HD 4650 DDR3 or the GeForce 9500 GT DDR3. Take note that these are the variants that sport DDR3 memory. (Cards with DDR2 will be generally be much slower.) If you’ve got money to burn, the king of the hill in the list is the GeForce GTX 295, which can be purchased for around $520. Two GTX 295 cards in SLI, you say? Why not. Just be ready to explain to your spouse why on earth you are spending a thousand dollars or so for your PC “gaming experience”. (And yes, you should also pick up a really beefy Power Supply Unit while you’re at the store.) The midrange choices would be the GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) and/or Radeon HD 4870 cards. Both of these would be SLI or Crossfire ready, paving the way for your next upgrade.

Technorati Tags: best bang per buck, gaming, graphics, card

CPU-Z 1.51 (Windows, Freeware, 1.97MB) [alt DL] is a freeware utility that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system. Changes: New version with installer. NVIDIA ION platform. Intel "Clarkdale" processor preliminary support. IceRocket: cpu-z processor info utility, windows freeware

GPU-Z 0.3.4 (Windows, Freeware, 434KB) [alt DL] is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU. Changes: Fixed RV740 Bugs: ROP count, shader count, real-time core clock, BIOS dump size Fixed number of transistors on RV790 Fixed BIOS reading on RV790 NVIDIA driver version is returned correctly on Windows 7 GPU-Z should work again on Windows 2000 without PSAPI.DLL Added voltage reading support for HD 4890 Fixed default clock reading on ATI cards that have default clock < boot clock Fixed GM45 to be 65 nm and DX 10.0 Added release date for GTX 275 Fixed GT 130M to be 55 nm and added its release date IceRocket: gpu-z graphics card utility, windows freeware

SpeedFan 4.38 (Windows, Freeware, 1.78MB) [alt DL] monitors fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitor chips. It can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures too, if supported. Changes: Added full support for AMCC/3ware SMART readings Added full support for Intel QST Added full support for ADT7470 Added full support for ADT7462 Added full support for nVidia MCP79 SMBus Added full support for SiS968 SMBus Added full support for Intel i7 internal core temperature reading Improved ITE IT8720F identification Added Fintek F71858 temperature readings PC87360, PC87362, PC87363, PC87364, PC87366 do hide unavailable readings now ProbeGL5xxSM now checks some more registers to try to avoid false detections Improved CPU identification routines Improved FB-DIMM support on some Intel chipsets The exotics tab now shows the fitness of the hard disks connected to ARECA RAID controllers too ARECA and AMCC/3WARE connected hard disks are now searched before the standard channels, trying to avoid aliased, merged or fake reported SMART data Added identification of Fintek F75125R Removed two debug messages related to UGURU3 Added some debug code to try to support VIA CX700/VX700 SMBus DELL SUPPORT is now checked on ATI SBx00, Intel 631xESB, ICH8, ICH9 and ICH10 too Disabled DELL support on 64 bit systems Added /NODELLSCAN command line parameter Fixed daylight saving time handling in event emails Added full support for Windows 7 32 and 64 bit Fixed a minor bug that caused the main window to be minimized when clicked CONFIGURATION / SPEEDS SpinBoxes now allow manual edit Added some scan exceptions for Asus M2N-E and for Dell 0G841G INSTALLER: improved OS identification INSTALLER: fixed the ADMIN identification issue IceRocket: speedfan pc hardware monitor, windows freeware

VIA Hyperion Pro Driver Package 5.23A (Windows, Freeware, 12.7MB) [alt DL] includes the following components: INF V3.10A (from 3.00A) AGP V4.60A V-RAID V5.80F (from V5.80C) and RAID Tools v5.85 (from v5.81) VIA IDE Falcon Storage Device driver v2.70A VIA Hyperion Pro drivers are suitable for ANY VIA chipset - but they are particularly recommended for KT4## series, P4X4## series and newer: K7 chipsets: KT400, KT400A, KT600, KT880, KM400, KN400 K8 chipsets: K8T800, K8T800Pro, K8M800, K8M890, K8N800, K8N890, K8T890, K8T890Pro, K8T900 P4 chipsets: P4X400, P4X400A, PT800, PT880, PM800, PN800, PM880, PN880, PT880Pro, PT894, P4M800/Pro/CE, P4M900, PT890 C Series Chipsets: CN700, CN400, CLE266, CX700,CX700M, CX700M2, CN800, CN896 V Series Chipsets: VN800, VN896, VX700, VX800 IceRocket: via hyperion pro chipset driver, windows freeware

Tom’s Hardware released their February 2009 choices for best gaming video cards for the money. [Source: Tom's Hardware]

  Recomended PCI Express Cards:

Radeon HD 4670 (US$70) [review] GeForce 9600 GT ($85) [review] Radeon HD 4830 ($100) [review] GeForce 8800 GT / 9800 GT ($100) GeForce 9800 GTX+ / GeForce GTS 250 ($130) Radeon HD 4850 ($130) Radeon HD 4870 1 GB ($180) GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) ($180) Radeon HD 4850 X2 1 GB or 2x Radeon 4850 in Crossfire Configuration ($260) 2x GeForce 9800 GTX+ / GeForce GTS 250 in SLI configuration ($260) Two Radeon HD 4870 512 MB in CrossFire Configuration ($330) Two Radeon HD 4870 1 GB in CrossFire Configuration or Radeon HD 4870 X2 ($360) Two GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) cards in SLI Configuration ($360) GeForce GTX 295 ($500)

The HD 4670 is the new ‘budget gaming card’ this time. It unseated the previous HD 4650 that was the gaming card to get when on a budget. The GTX 295 is still the priciest, but still the fastest single graphics card you can buy. The midrange choice is either the HD 4870 1GB, or the GTX 260, both priced at around $180. These can be further upgraded by adding another card in Crossfire (ATI) or SLI (Nvidia) configuration. If $180 is a little steep, you can settle for the 9800 GTX+, GTS 250, or HD 4850. Any of the three are currently in the $130 price range. IceRocket: best bang per buck gaming graphics card

VIA Hyperion Pro Driver Package 5.22a (Windows, Freeware, 12.6MB) includes the following components: INF V3.00A AGP V4.60A V-RAID V5.80C and RAID Tools v5.81 VIA IDE Falcon Storage Device driver v2.70A VIA Hyperion Pro drivers are suitable for ANY VIA chipset - but they are particularly recommended for KT4## series, P4X4## series and newer: K7 chipsets: KT400, KT400A, KT600, KT880, KM400, KN400 K8 chipsets: K8T800, K8T800Pro, K8M800, K8M890, K8N800, K8N890, K8T890, K8T890Pro, K8T900 P4 chipsets: P4X400, P4X400A, PT800, PT880, PM800, PN800, PM880, PN880, PT880Pro, PT894, P4M800/Pro/CE, P4M900, PT890 C Series Chipsets: CN700, CN400, CLE266, CX700,CX700M, CX700M2, CN800, CN896 V Series Chipsets: VN800, VN896, VX700, VX800 IceRocket: via hyperion pro chipset driver, windows freeware

NVIDIA ForceWare 182.08 WHQL XP (Windows XP, Freeware, 77.01MB) [alt DL] software unleashes the full power and features in NVIDIA's desktop, gaming, platform, workstation, laptop, multimedia, and mobile products. It ensures the best experience with your NVIDIA hardware. Also available for Vista. Fixes: NVIDIA Control Panel: The user cannot create custom resolutions. GeForce 200 Series: Need for Speed Undercover and Dead Space–the applications cannot be run using a Gateway XHD3000H 30” HD monitor at 2560x1600 resolution. GeForce 200 Series: Photoshop CS4–OpenGL settings are grayed out and cannot be set for the application. Note: This release no longer supports GeForce 5-series cards, and older. If you have one of these older cards, Nvidia Forceware 175.19 WHQL is probably the last driver available. IceRocket: nvidia forceware whql graphics driver, windows freeware

Gateway gives us four models on their FX Series desktops. Prices start at US$1,200.

The desktops feature an Intel Core 2 Quad or Core i7 processor, 64-bit Microsoft Vista operating system (Home Premium, Ultimate), and 3 to 6 GB RAM, 750GB to 1TB HDD. These are great for the gaming enthusiast that doesn’t want to be bothered with building his/her own gaming rig. (For guys and gals interested in building their own Intel-based desktop, see Best Bang Per Buck Core i7 Build at Ced’s PC.) Personally, I’d prefer the FX6800-01e model which features the Core i7 processor and X58 motherboard. (Thanks to Joel Suplido for the tip.) IceRocket: gateway fx series desktop, intel core i7, intel core 2 quad

Tom’s Hardware released their February 2009 choices for best gaming video cards for the money. [Source: Tom's Hardware]

The list for AGP cards have been dropped, most probably because of the low demand and supply of these previous generation cards. If you are interested in these cards, you can view the January 2009 List. Recommended PCI Express Cards:

Radeon HD 4650 (US$60) Radeon HD 4830 ($90) [review] Radeon HD 4850 512 MB ($150) [review] GeForce 9800 GTX+ ($150) Radeon HD 4870 512 MB ($190) [review] Radeon HD 4850 X2 1 GB ($260) 2 x GeForce 9800 GTX+ in SLI Configuration ($310) Radeon HD 4850 X2 2 GB ($310) Two Radeon HD 4870s in CrossFire Configuration ($380) GeForce GTX 295 ($500)

The Hd 4650 is still going strong, being the ‘budget gaming card’ of choice for a good price of around $60. At the opposite end of the scale is the GTX 295, a card that is probably reserved for people who need the fastest card, or someone with lots of money to spare (usually both). This time, my choice midrange card is from Nvidia - the GeForce 9800 GTX+ - which retails for about $150. It could later be upgraded to an SLI configuration by just adding another 9800 GTX+ card. ATI fans, however, could opt for the HD 4870 512 MB, and later upgrade to a Crossfire configuration. IceRocket: best bang per buck gaming graphics card

GPU-Z 0.3.2 (Windows, Freeware, 372KB) [alt DL] is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU. Changes: Clock reading on ATI cards fixed GT200b is now detected as 55 nm Added detection for GeForce GT 120, GT 130, GT 130M, FX 5200, 9400 GT, 9600 GSO 512, FX 2700M, 9500 GS, Quadro FX 540M, Quadro FX 3700M, 9650M GT, Quadro FX 370M, 9400 IGP, 9300 IGP, 8200M G Added support for S3 Chrome 500 Series Added new ATI logo Fixed screen corruption during screenshot of sensors tab Added support to show lowest, highest and average reading on sensors tab (click on sensor value to switch) Fixed number of texture units on RV730 Fixed Catalyst version reading IceRocket: gpu-z video card gpu info, windows freeware

f.lux (Windows, Freeware, 538KB) makes your computer monitor's lighting adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day. It makes your computer screen look like the room you're in, all the time. When the sun sets, it makes your computer look like your indoor lights. In the morning, it makes things look like sunlight again. You just need to set the correct latitude of your current area in the world, and f.lux will set your monitor’s lighting automatically. At first, this software will feel a bit weird as it approaches night time, giving your display a yellowish tone. I do a lot of computing during night, so f.lux will definitely minimize the stress to my eyes that the brightness of the monitor gives. Nice app! IceRocket: f.lux, flux, display monitor light, windows freeware

CPU-Z 1.50 (Windows, Freeware, 595KB) [alt DL] is a freeware utility that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system. Changes: Improved support for AMD Phenom II processor. New Intel Core i7 models. Support for NVIDIA 740i chipset. Several bug fixes. IceRocket: cpu-z cpu processor info

Double Driver 2.1 (Windows, Freeware, 1.79MB) is a very simple and useful tool which not only allows you to view all the drivers installed on your system but also allows you to backup, restore, save and print all chosen drivers simply and reliably. This is a portable app (unzip and run), so it’s easy to use it for backing up a client’s hardware drivers without installing any software. IceRocket: double driver, backup driver, windows freeware