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Tid-bits
11/8 - All was comparatively quiet on the hardware front yesterday, possibly because of the release of MS SQL Server 2005. Maybe no one wanted to steal Microsoft's thunder, since hardware and software go together.
Most of ATI's graphics cards either are still not shipping yet or in short supply due to "an IC substrate shortage".
nVidia meanwhile is attempting to strengthen its lead in the price / performance category of graphics chips with the release of "a reference card" for a new GeForce 6 series GPU, the GeForce 6800 GS. Product raises the bar for the competition, whose analagous offering should appear at the end of the month. The nVidia cards are to carry a suggested retail tag of approximately $250.
In addition to the traditional hard drive (HD), we also have the solid-state drive (SSD), which is based on flash memory. The chief advantages of these drive are "performance and durability". However, they also cost more (per gigabyte).
MS SQL Server 2005 is important, if for no other reason, because it is to reach levels of "reliability, scalability and availability" formerly available only on proprietary servers. SQL Server 2005 on the other hand is intended for open platforms based on industry standard hardware. This will affect price.