Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robert b furman who wrote (62618)	4/3/2002 11:47:06 AM
From: Return to Sender	Respond to of 70976

AMAT new higher price target from Pru to 70 from 59. From Briefing.com: 10:40AM Pru raises price targets on select semi equipment stocks : Prudential raises their price targets on a number of Buy-rated semi equipment stocks: raises AMAT to $70 from $59, KLAC to $87 from $70, KLIC to $27 from $25, LRCX to $37 from $32, NVLS to $67 from $55, RTEC to $53 from $47, and TER to $48 from $41. 10:35AM Nasdaq Composite Intraday : -- Technical -- Index has edged under notable support at 1800. Look for subsequent downside support at 1791 followed by an additional floor at 1777/1782. To the upside watch for initial resistance at 1809/1812 followed by additional resistance at 1818/1822. 9:39AM Soundview comments on slowing PDA mkt : Soundview in a pre-open note says that a Dataquest report indicates that the worldwide handheld computer market is slowing down, with shipments of handheld devices in 2002 growing by 18%, down from Dataquest's prior est of 30% growth. Firm sees RIMM as "somewhat isolated" from this lowered growth est, unlike consumer co's like PALM and HAND. 9:16AM RF Micro Device: positive comments from Soundview (RFMD) 17.50: We are hearing from sources that Soundview is positive on RFMD; checks indicate increasing GaAs wafer orders and rising module assembly throughput in Taiwan, and firm believes co is gaining significant mkt share in handsets and should benefit from WLAN,PDAs, and Bluetooth; believes design wins and pipeline are better than ever in RFMD's history, and firm would buy stock at current level. 9:12AM Broadcom: CFRA note on company today (BRCM) 34.49: We're hearing that the Center for Financial Research and Analysis (CFRA) issued a note on Broadcom today; the primary accounting issue raised in the note is apparently a concern regarding a two-way transaction noted in BRCM's 10K in which BRCM invested $20 mln in a private company in Oct 2001 and will receive $10 mln in additional equity for providing services to that company. CFRA notes concerns both with the related party nature of the transaction and the recording of equity compensation as revenue. We would note, however, that $10 mln would represent roughly 1% of BRCM's sales. finance.yahoo.com Hey computer guy! Mine only crashes occasionally. Guess I will worry about it later. RtS

To: robert b furman who wrote (62618)	4/3/2002 11:49:21 AM
From: mitch-c	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 70976

OT - computer stuff, video cards, tech advice Although this might belong better on Gottfried's favorite Computer Learning thread <g>, this is my day job. I've recently been investigating video cards for CAD systems, and the consensus (among reviewers and knowledgeable kibitzers around me) seems to be that NVIDIA-based cards and drivers are the most stable. (Note that NVIDIA only makes the chips; third parties make the cards based on the chips.) ATI has a reputation for implementing leading-edge features, but their drivers tend to be much less stable (more crash-prone). The Radeon family of cards from ATI, especially, has a spotty reputation among my (anecdotal) sources. The Matrox cards use an NVIDIA chipset. Bob, I think you came out way ahead on that trade. (Joke: What's the difference between a used-car salesman and a computer salesman? A: The used-car guy knows when he's lying. <g>) RTS, if you are having crash problems with an NVIDIA-based laptop, AND you know that the video subsystem (chip/card/drivers) is the cause, I suggest changing the drivers. Three possible sources: 1) the laptop maker's website; 2) the chip maker's website; 3) the OS maker's website. Other possible actions may include updating the BIOS on the laptop. NB: A "driver" is the piece of software that translates display commands from programs and sends them to the chip - roughly analogous to the transmission in a car. Often, this is the most difficult piece of a display subsystem to make and test - the chips are easier. Most video chip makers produce a "reference" set of drivers, which are the most stable. Then, the video card (or system) manufacturers may tweak those drivers to squeeze better performance (and possible instability) from them. Given a choice, I prefer slower but stable drivers. Systems integration for this kind of stuff can be a pain - it's why we no longer build our own PC's, but buy them from a major (local, four-letter-name ... <g>) retailer. Cheaper than killing the obscure bugs ourselves. - Mitch