Just when you thought your new upgrade would last you for awhile - copper wires, plastic, and salesmen come rushing to your wallet.

Ok, not quite ;) , but we have some new things evolving.

I'll list them here.


1. Serial ATA

Anyone getting tired of the big parallel ribbon cables (very wide, but very thin, 40 pin and 80 wire used for IDE)? Well we're in luck

Serial ATA will be out before 2003. Serial is generally superior to parallel (that was the idea behind RDRAM). The new connection wires and ports should be thin like USB.

The problem is, if we are left with 7200 RPM, there will not be that much of a transfer rate difference (as the example between ATA-100 and 133 proved to us).

There are current plans for serial ATA-133, and ATA-150

We need to move on to 10,000 RPM for IDE. We've got to put pressure on the HDD manfacturers, right guys? There is no excuse now that most SCSI is going to 15,000

Here's a link with a bit of info

http://hardocp.com/article2.html?article_id=298&pg_num=1


2. AGP 8x

We are arriving at AGP version 3.0 This is good news for gamers. The standard has been defined since around 2001, but was not implemented until recently (the only chipset I am aware of that carries an 8x slot is VIA's P4X333)

This is going to mean increased bandwidth, a bigger memory hole between your vid card and RAM, as well as the first time ever (that I am aware of anyway) we will be able to have 2 AGP slots on a motherboard

There are no cards currently running on this interface (no, not Nvidia's Quadro workstation cards, or the latest cards from 3D Labs), however they should be out before 2003.


3. Processors

AMD is working on its 64-bit processors (Hammer project), the higher class Opteron, and the Thoroughbred value processor. Intel is working on it's new 0.13 micron technology.

On top of that, a very rare thing, we are upping FSB. I can remember back in the days of 66, then going to 100. Right now we are 133 (DDR 266, QDR 533) Soon we will be moving to 166.

On the 64-bit instructions note, there are currently only 2 OS' that have 64-bit file systems - those being high quality versions of Linux, and Windows XP 64-bit edition.

Well as new moderator, I'd like to spark up some new conversation. That's only half the story. We now have almost 600 watt power supplies, DDR 400 RAM (200 x 2) is on its way, among other things... Questions, comments anyone?

As a public note, welcome to the ranks of the moderators. I think you will make a good one.

While I am all for new tech, this upgrade game just burns my chops. Before you can get it home and set it up it is obsolete. If it is on sale chances are good it is way behind the times.

This constant upgrade practice costs business literally billions per year to keep up. I know this is not the topic of your thread but I guess I needed a moment to stand on the soapbox and air.

*Steps off soap box*

I think the speed increase is great. Our demands for faster hard drives won't have as much effect as needing faster access to implement new improvements will.

On the note of 64-bit processors and computing, it's funny how some consoles (like Playstation 2, Dreamcast, etc...) have 128-bit buses.

As Patrick (a nerd) once told me, a digital signal is not the only (and sometimes true) testament of a system's power.

Or heck, is PS2 or X-Box 256? I forgot.

I don't pretend to understand all the hardware and/or software talk that flies back and forth on this site and others. What I do understand is that as the computers get faster/"smarter"/more powerful, those in my field of study, BioMedical research, are able to get the answers we need to cure or find the source of diseases like cancer, aids, etc.

For example, we are able to query the entire human genome for a match to the protein that we are analyzing in a matter of minutes. Ten years ago, the info for the human genome was a dream and the computers necessary to complete the query weren't on the drawing board yet.

Bigger, faster, better...yes, more expensive in some cases. But the technology does have uses other than games and porno sites which ultimately should benefit the quality of life for all of us.

SPIDER 189