CPU February

February | Vol. 15 Iss. 02

Complimentary Copy

PERFECT PAINT: BRANDYWINE

P. 10

http://event.msicomputer.com/gt80titan

53An In-Depth Guide To Intel CPUs

FEBRUARY 2015 | VOL 15 ISSUE 02

FRONTSIDE — P. 3News, product release information, and stats from the tech industry.

HEAVY GEAR — P. 13The latest PC hardware is here: reviews, product profiles, and category roundups.

HARD HAT AREA — P. 39CPU’s Mad Reader Mod winner, LAN party coverage, and in-depth looks at the latest and greatest hardware and technology.

LOADING ZONE — P. 60Software projects, betas, updates, and more.

DIGITAL LIVING — P. 69Trends and leisure, news from around the web, tech company interviews, and more.

DID YOU FIND THE HIDDEN CPU LOGO ON OUR COVER?

Gotcha. Here it is.

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39Mad Reader Mod: Brandywine

Credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology

Here is the pricing information for various AMD and Intel CPUs.

* As of January 2015** Manufacturer’s estimated price per 1,000

CPU Released Original Price Last Month’s Price Online Retail Price*AMD FX-9590 Eight-Core 6/11/2013 N/A $244.99 $239.99AMD FX-9370 Eight-Core 6/11/2013 $375 $219.99 $204.99AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core 10/23/2012 $195 $169.99 $179.99AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core 10/23/2012 $169 $149.99 $149.99AMD FX-6350 Six-Core 4/30/2013 $132 $124.99 $124.99AMD A10-7850K Quad-Core 1/14/2014 $173 $159.99 $159.99AMD A10-7800 Quad-Core 7/2/2014 $153 $158.99 $141.99AMD A10-7700K Quad-Core 1/14/2014 $152 $129.99 $129.99AMD A10-6800K Quad-Core 6/4/2013 $142** $129.99 $129.99AMD A10-6700 Quad-Core 6/4/2013 $142** $129.99 $129.99Intel Core i7- 5960X Eight-Core 8/29/2014 $999** $1,049.99 $1,049.99Intel Core i7- 4960X Six-Core 9/3/2013 $990** $1,025.99 $1,025.99Intel Core i7- 5930K Six-Core 8/29/2014 $583** $579.99 $579.99Intel Core i7- 4930K Six-Core 9/3/2013 $583** $579.99 $579.99Intel Core i7- 5820K Six-Core 8/29/2014 $389** $389.99 $389.99Intel Core i7-4790K Quad-Core 6/25/2014 $339** $339.99 $339.99Intel Core i7-4770K Quad-Core 6/2/2013 $339** $339.99 $344.99Intel Core i7-4820K Quad-Core 9/3/2013 $323** $322.99 $322.99Intel Core i7-4790 Quad-Core 5/11/2014 $303** $309.99 $309.99Intel Core i5-4690K Quad-Core 6/3/2014 $242** $239.99 $239.99

25 Billion “Things” To Be Part Of Internet Of Things In Next Five YearsThe rush to put networkable sensors into all types of objects (clothes, cars, drones, packing containers, security cameras, medical devices, kitchen appliances, and on and on) is building momentum. Tech research firm Gartner Group says that while there were about 3.75 billion devices connected to the Internet during 2014, we can expect to see more than a billion more added this year. The growth is accelerating rapidly as companies discover new revenue potential in the developing IoT, or Internet Of Things. Gartner says more than 25 billion “things” will be connected by the year 2020, which means fewer and fewer devices used in everyday life will not be communicating with each other. Some privacy advocates are starting to raise the alarm about the potential this creates for companies to track where people are and what they are doing, at any time. The bigger the IoT becomes, the likelier we are to hear more discussion about privacy concerns.

First, The White House Lawn, Next Thing You Know, They’re On MarsAerial drones were all over the place at CES this year, and they’re starting to turn up everywhere else, too. An errant drone landed on the White House lawn at the end of January, and now NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology has started testing drones that may eventually find their way to the planet Mars. NASA scientists have proposed developing drone “scouts” that can fly ahead of unmanned ground-based rovers to check out proposed travel routes and help avoid dangerous obstacles. The scouts could also perform other tasks, such as carrying payload samples of materials to locations where they could be picked up later by other rovers. Researchers are currently testing models of the drones to make sure they can not only operate autonomously, but also survive the conditions found on Mars or any other extra-terrestrial location where they would be used.

WATCHING THE CHIPS FALL

CPU / February 2015 3

Thermaltake’s Core X1 Is A Stackable Option For Mini-ITXThe new Core X series of cases from Thermaltake all carry the LCS (Liquid Cooling Supported)-certified badge to indicate they’re ready to handle the latest cooling system components. The Core X1 is the smallest model in the series and is designed for Mini-ITX systems, but it still has plenty of room inside. It can handle dual systems as well as CPU coolers up to 200mm tall and graphics cards up to 400mm long. The base unit comes with a side panel window, three expansion slots, two external 5.25-inch drive bays, and four internal drive bays (3 x 3.5-inch and 1 x 2.5-inch). MSRP is $99.99.

Cougar Brings Out Compact New Keyboard For Gamers: The 200K There’s an inexpensive keyboard option out for gamers who want features that enhance the look of their system as well as improve their skills. Cougar’s new 200K has a scissor-switch key mechanism that the company says offers a quiet and faster response. The arrow and WASD keys can be switched to accommodate left-handers, and there are 19 keys that feature anti-ghosting technology. The repeat rate is adjustable, and a single key controls the backlight effect (with seven color options and a “breathing” effect) on the keyboard. The 200K retails for around $30.

Samsung Expands Storage SKUs With T1 Line Of External SSDsExternal storage just got a lot cooler (as well as faster and smaller) with the launch of Samsung’s new T1 line of external solid-state drives. The new line includes models at three capacities: 250GB at $179.99, 500GB at $299.99, and 1TB at $599.99. The drives connect via USB 3.0 and are all small enough to fit in a pocket. They also feature AES 256-bit hardware encryption that is activated with a user-set password. The drives have sequential read/write speeds up to 450MBps, random read speeds up to 8K IOPS, and random write speeds up to 21K IOPS.

Intel Wants To Crank Up The Wearables Movement With Curie One of the announcements Intel made at CES in January was that it had created a new hardware module called “Curie” for the wearables market. Curie is a small, button-sized SoC package that combines 32-bit low-power Quark processing with a multipurpose accelerometer/gyroscope motion sensor, Bluetooth Low Energy, and battery-charging circuitry. Intel is encouraging manufacturers to incorporate Curie into all types of wearables, such as jewelry (pendants, rings, and bracelets) and buttons for clothes. Curie will ship later this year.

4 February 2015 / www.computerpoweruser.com

SteelSeries Sentry Eye Tracker May Help You Up Your GameEver wonder what professional gamers look at when they play a game? Tools like the Sentry Eye Tracker from SteelSeries can show you. The Sentry Eye Tracker attaches to your monitor and uses infrared microprojectors to passively track and record where your eyes go when you are playing a game. Gamers can use the data provided by the Tracker’s Game Analyzer software to compare their gaming peformance later with friends and other gamers (even pros) and determine such things as whether they are ignoring areas onscreen or looking at mini maps often enough. The Sentry Eye Tracker retails for $199.99.

Crucial Announces Update To MX SSD Line With New MX200 Crucial is updating its performance SSD line with the MX200, which features sequential reads up to 555MBps and writes up to 500MBps; random reads and writes are up to 100K and 87K IOPS, respectively. The MX200 comes with Dynamic Write Acceleration technology to speed file saves and transfers, and is also built to last, as Crucial says the drive delivers “up to five times more endurance than a typical client SSD.” The MX200 will be available in 250GB ($139.99), 500GB ($249.99), and 1TB ($469.99) capacities and in 2.5-inch, mSATA, and M.2 form factors.

NZXT DOKO Brings Your PC To The Living Room (Or Other Places)The DOKO from NZXT is a device that streams the content of your computer to a TV set. It’s aimed primarily at gamers who want to play in the living room or TV room instead of in the “computer room” at their house. You load the DOKO software on your PC, connect DOKO to your TV and home network, and then plug your favorite input devices (mouse, keyboard, joystick, etc.) directly into the DOKO. With DOKO, you can stream games or any other content on the computer to your television, including Netflix. DOKO handles full 1080p output at 30fps.

Mushkin Revamps The Ridgeback Heatsink For Its New DDR4 KitsMemory and SSD maker Mushkin has created a striking new look for its Ridgeback heatsink. The heatsink is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and features a distinctive series of graduated cuts that form cooling fins along the top. Mushkin says the new Ridgeback design will adorn its newest high-performance DDR4 memory kits, Redline and Blackline, that are scheduled for release this quarter. Having a good heatsink will be welcome, as the new DDR4 models are designed for overclocking with enthusiast platforms using Intel X99 chipsets and the latest Core i7 processors.


2015 Samsung TVs To Carry TizenTizen is an open-source OS that Samsung helped develop; there already are Tizen-based cameras and phones, and last year the company’s CEO said that he envisioned Tizen running on all kinds of devices. The company is making good on that vision as it has announced it intends to put Tizen on all of its smart TVs starting this year. The move not only means millions of consumers will be introduced to Tizen for the first time, but it also opens up the possibility of new types of applications as the Samsung ecosystem of products—including appliances, TVs, phones, cameras, tablets, and computers—begins embracing a common operating system.

OWC’s Transwarp Software Brings SSD Performance To Mac HDDsOther World Computing, home to everything Mac (and quite a bit for PCs), has developed a new software product called Transwarp that lets hard drives use any available SSD as cache. The company says the software works with any file system supported by OS X. It combines the SSD and the HDD into one volume, maintaining the data on the hard drive but creating a cache of frequently accessed data on the SSD. In effect, using Transwarp gives you the speed and responsiveness of your SSD and the (usually) higher capacity of your hard drive. Transwarp will be available later in 2015.

Microsoft Updates Its Next Lock Screen App For Android UsersMicrosoft’s Next Lock Screen is a free screensaver app for Android devices that’s available for download at Google’s app store. The app, created as a Microsoft Garage project, has been updated with a variety of location-based services and other features. For example, now there is a quick launch for apps that shows the apps you have used the most at your current location so you can quickly get access to them, and a calendar that lets you check your daily appointments and their locations at a glance. The background is now dynamic, too, and will change as you travel from place to place.

Sling Television Wants You To Get Their App & Cut The CordDish Network has a new weapon coming that may cause a ruckus with cable networks. The company’s Sling Television is a service and app combo that lets you watch a select group of TV channels from any mobile device. You just sign up for the $20 monthly service, download the app into your tablet, phone, or notebook, and as long as you have Internet access, you’re good to go. The app wowed the tech crowd at CES with its ease of use. Channels include HGTV, The Food Network, TNT, CNN, Disney Channel, and ESPN. Some channels even have a free “start over” feature for shows.


OneWeb & SpaceX Start A Space Race To Bring The ’Net To Everyone Two companies, both headed by techies, are in a race to launch satellite networks that will make the Internet accessible worldwide. The first company, OneWeb, recently revealed that it has secured funding from QualComm and Virgin Galactic. OneWeb, backed by tech entrepreneur Greg Wyler, plans to launch some 650 satellites in low-earth orbit. The second company reaching for the sky is SpaceX, headed by celebrity tech CEO Elon Musk. SpaceX has announced it intends to launch some 4,000 satellites, also in low orbit. Both services plan to be operational in about five years.

Microsoft’s World Survey Shows Countries View Internet Differently Microsoft revealed the results of its second annual global survey of Internet users at January’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Company executives said the survey showed people from developing and developed economies view the Internet differently. While only 36% of people in developed countries thought the Internet had a “positive impact on social bonds,” nearly 60% of people in developing countries felt it had a positive impact. A much higher percentage of people in developing countries also felt that new “sharing economy” services were better than existing traditional services.

Blizzard Rewards Loyal WoW Players With Personal Orc Statues World of Warcraft is probably the most successful MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) in history. The game has millions of subscribers and recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. As a way of thanking its most dedicated fans, game publisher Blizzard recently announced it was sending people who had started playing the game within 60 days of its founding (Nov. 21, 2004 in the U.S. region), and who had continuously subscribed since then, a special gift. As revealed later by recipients, that gift is a miniature version of the 12-foot Orc statue that stands on the grounds of the company’s headquarters in Irvine, Calif.

Photo: Battle.net forum user “Smitty”

Sony Launches PlayStation Music, A New Partnership With Spotify Sony is creating a new service called PlayStation Music that will give PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners, as well as owners of Experia tablets and phones, access to Spotify. Sony says the new service will let PS4 gamers, for example, create favorite soundtracks for their gaming sessions from Spotify’s 30 million tracks or use the service’s playlists. In conjunction with rolling out the new service, Sony announced it would be shutting down its existing service, Music Unlimited, on March 29. For more information, visit www.playstationmusic.com.


Job Of The MonthTwitter, the company that started an entire industry of real-time social trend watching via 140-character messages, wants to beef up its staffing in mobile. The company is looking for engineers who are well-versed in Android to “make Twitter for Android one of the best mobile experiences out there.” People in the Audio/Video - Software Engineer, Android position will create new video capabilities and other features for Twitter for Android, and also help build Android expertise throughout Twitter. You’ll need a BS or MS in computer science (or equivalent work experience), and you have to possess some ninja coding skills in object-oriented languages such as C++ or Java. You need to be a team player, too, as Twitter emphasizes a collaborative work environment. If you have development experience in mobile apps and experience with Twitter, that helps. These Android-related spots are for the Boston office, but if you’re more of an Apple fan, fear not: the company has similar openings in the same office for iOS gurus.

Source: www.twitter.com

We’re Betting Zuck Won’t Be Too Happy ’Bout ThatFacebook may be the world’s most popular social site, and cell phones may outsell desktop computers 6 to 1, but when it comes to which communications tool office workers value the most in their daily lives, it’s email. A study by Pew Research on what today’s office workers value the most is revealing. Only two items merited more than a 50% response: email and the Internet (participants in the survey all had online access). Next up in terms of popularity is that symbol of the cutting-edge office, the landline phone. Suprisingly, landline communications were significantly preferred over cell phones. Bringing up the rear in this short survey were the Social Networking sites. Evidently office workers don’t see a huge benefit in using social sites when they are at the office.Source: Pew Research

By “Connected,” Do You Mean With A Tow Truck? Mercedes may have wowed the CES crowd with its autonomous concept car of the future, but that doesn’t mean the public at large is up to speed on the latest developments in auto technology. Take the idea of connecting cars to the Internet, for example. Harris Interactive asked people how much they know about the idea of connected cars and related tech features. Turns out most people will need more information before they form an opinion.

Source: Harris Interactive

What’s The Most Important Tool For Online Workers?

Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61% Internet . . . . . . . . . . . 54% Landline Phone . . . . . 35% Cell/Smartphone . . . .24% Social Network Sites . .4%

_______How Familiar Are You With “Connected Cars”? ____

I have heard of them and am familiar with what they are/can do. 14%

I have heard of them, but I am not familiar with what they are/can do. 42%

I have never heard of them. 44%

14Number of countries that have more than 100 million cell phone subscriptions. In first place on the list is China, with 1.2 billion cell subscriptions. The U.S. holds the third spot, coming in after India. The final spot on the list is held by Mexico, with just under 103 million cell phone subs.

mobiForge.com

80%Percentage of people in a nationwide telecommunications survey by Pivot Group who said they did not know what the term “gigabit” meant.

Pivot Group

$1 billionThe amount IBM invested over the last five years in its newest mainframe, the z13. The company says its z13 computer is one of the most advanced computing systems ever built, and that it can process 2.5 billion transactions daily, roughly equivalent to the processing demands of 100 Cyber Mondays.

IBM

$223.2 billionAmount consumers in the U.S. are expected to spend on electronics during 2015, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. This is an increase of about 3% over 2014.

Consumer Electronics Association


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MSI GT80 Titan SLI Maxwell On The Move

With two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M graphics cards in SLI, the MSI GT80 Titan SLI lets you max out game settings.

the future.” Now, we don’t expect you’ll be updating the GTX 980M graphics cards in this notebook anytime soon, but it’s nice to know that you’ll be able to do so when the time comes.

For processing power, DTRs don’t come much more powerful than what MSI includes here. The GT80 Titan SLI uses either an Intel Core i7-4980HQ (2.8GHz base clock, 4GHz Turbo) or an Intel Core i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz base, 3.6GHz Turbo). Both chips come with four cores and Hyper-Threading to simultaneously handle eight threads of code instruction. Multitasking should be no problem, especially when you combine these Haswell mobile processors with 16GB of DDR3L-1600 (or the 24GB of memory on the GT80 Titan SLI-009).

We all know that high-end hardware, even energy-efficient mobile chips, generate large amounts of heat. MSI optimizes the GT80 Titan SLI to combat high temperatures with an 8-heatpipe

When it comes to gaming, desktop replacement notebooks don’t always live up to their name.

Sure, a lot of DTRs come with a high-end mobile processor and discrete graphics, but it’s rare a notebook matches the amount of raw horsepower you can get from a desktop gaming PC. With the GT80 Titan SLI, MSI aims to reach the rarefied status of a notebook that’s a true DTR. This powerhouse has two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M graphics cards in SLI, Intel’s latest Haswell mobile processors (up to the Core i7-4980HQ), and at least 16GB of DDR3L-1600 memory.

And similar to a traditional desktop system, you’re able to upgrade most of the laptop’s core components. “You can upgrade everything from the storage, memory, and even the graphics cards,” says Vincent Chen, MSI associate marketing manager. MSI has also partnered with SteelSeries to endow the GT80 Titan SLI with a full-sized mechanical keyboard that boasts Cherry MX Brown switches for tactile feedback and quiet keystrokes. In an effort to reproduce the feel of a desktop gaming PC, MSI placed the GT80 Titan SLI’s trackpad to the right of its keyboard, which Chen claims is a first for gaming laptops. These innovations certainly required some impressive engineering, so let’s take a deeper look how MSI developed the GT80 Titan SLI.

Great PerformancePowerful graphics cards are a necessity

for any gaming rig, and the GT80 Titan SLI won’t let you down. “Dual 980Ms in SLI offer the same, if not slightly better, performance than a single GTX 980 desktop GPU,” says Chen, “and since they are MXM (Mobile PCI Express Module) cards, they can be upgraded in

cooling setup featuring dedicated pipes for each graphics card. “The bottom of the system was also designed with open vents to increase incoming cool air, while dual rear fans dissipate the hot air,” says Chen. “Dual fans were a must to keep this system at a constant cool temperature and maximize heat dissipation and airflow.” MSI’s custom cooling helps ensure that the notebook provides stable performance during all-day gaming sessions.

The Cherry On TopFor many gamers, the chiclet-style

keys on most laptops make for a less than ideal gaming experience. Lacking satisfactory tactile feedback on their laptop keyboards, some gamers opt to use an external mechanical keyboard. You’ll need no such add-ons with the GT80 Titan SLI. “The Titan is the first laptop in the world that has integrated a full-sized mechanical gaming keyboard, built on Cherry MX Brown switches to offer a


http://event.msicomputer.com/gt80titan

required some creative thinking. “We created a trackpad with the capability to switch to a number pad at the push of a button,” says Chen. To switch between modes, just press the Num Lock key. The virtual numeric keypad looks slick, too. The red LED outline of the virtual keys perfectly matches red LED color on the backlit mechanical keys.

MSI also carefully considered the type of keyswitches used in the GT80 Titan

tactile and accurate gaming experience,” says Chen.

MSI also wanted ensure that the typing experience would feel like a traditional external keyboard. Chen says, “We’ve managed to keep to the true size and design of a desktop mechanical keyboard that gamers have grown to know and love.”

Integrating a full-sized mechanical keyboard into the laptop wasn’t an easy task, either, because a traditional laptop layout wouldn’t fit the mechanical keyboard. Chen says, “There was no space underneath it to allow any components, other than the keyboard, which is why we redesigned the layout.” MSI moves all of the hardware and components into the top area of the system, and this arrangement provides you with the extra benefit of easy access to key hardware. Just remove the top plate, and you can switch out the hard drive, memory, M.2 storage, and optical drive. A one-piece bottom plate provides easy access to MXM graphics cards.

Besides implementing a backlit mech-anical keyboard, MSI also moves the trackpad from under the Spacebar to right side—where the numeric keypad usually resides. Still, MSI wanted to provide a laptop with full 10-key capabilities, which

SLI. “We specifically decided to choose Brown switches for balance in tactile feedback, accuracy, and sound (not too loud to be distracting),” Chen says. It took a complete redesign of the laptop to make the mechanical switches work, but the effort was worth it.

Super StorageThe GT80 Titan SLI comes pre-

configured with two 128GB M.2 SATA SSDs in RAID 0. You’ll get transfer rates at up to 1,000MBps, which is exceptionally fast. But if you’re greedy for more speed, the notebook can handle much more. According to Chen, “The GT80 Titan SLI can support up to four M.2 SATA SSD’s in RAID 0, which is the fastest storage configuration available in a notebook system, providing over 1,600MBps write speeds.”

Because the GT80 Titan SLI is a desktop replacement, MSI knows that you’ll also need a place to store your media collection and other files, so the default configuration also comes with a 1TB hard drive. Similar to the SSDs, you’ll be able to upgrade the hard drive if you crave more capacity.

No Tinny Audio HereMSI worked with Dynaudio to install

a speaker setup in the GT80 Titan SLI that rivals the sound you’d hear from a set of standalone speakers. “Dynaudio

MSI opted to use Cherry MX Brown switches for tactile feedback and low noise.

The extreme hardware in the GT80 Titan SLI requires some serious cooling, so MSI engineered a cooler with eight heatpipes and two rear fans.


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to allow for the smoothest and most optimal gameplay,” says Chen. The large screen creates a more immersive gaming experience and is great for watching Blu-ray movies from the GT80 Titan SLI’s Blu-ray burner.

If you’re interesting in using the GT80 Titan SLI with a triple-monitor setup at home, you’ll like that this laptop supports NVIDIA Surround though the HDMI 1.4 output and two Mini DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. All three outputs support 4K resolutions.

Ports GaloreA DTR should offer plenty of

connectivity, as you’ll likely want to connect an external mouse, printer, smartphone, headset, and any number of other peripherals. The GT80 Titan SLI has five USB 3.0 ports, as well as an SD (XC/HC) card reader. For audio, there are mic and headphone jacks, plus an S/PDIF output. The latter is ideal for connecting the GT80 Titan SLI to an A/V receiver or sound bar.

A True TitanIn one stroke, MSI has created a

system that’s both more powerful than

fine-tunes and designs the speaker system to re-create a surround sound experience,” says Chen. “It offers four speakers and a subwoofer to deliver an audio experience that not only fills the room, but produces an immersive experience that brings games and movies to life.”

The GT80 Titan SLI also borrows some of the audio technology found on MSI’s motherboards. For instance, Audio Boost 2 is a collection of audio components that produces incredible audio fidelity. Creative’s Sound Blaster Cinema 2 software is also present to let you customize surround sound effects and add punch to in-game effects. Finally, the GT80 Titan SLI uses dedicated amplifier chips for audio that’s loud and clear.

Killer NetworkingLatency spikes can ruin your multi-

player games. No one wants to lose because a shot misses the mark due to lag. For the GT80 Titan SLI, MSI called on the networking expertise of Qualcomm Atheros. “We’ve included both a Killer E2200 game networking LAN chip and a Killer Wireless AC chip to ensure maximum bandwidth allocation for the game that you are currently playing,” says Chen.

The inc lus ion of 802.11ac i s particularly notable. Chen says, “We’re one of the few manufacturers that have worked with Qualcomm to include Killer Wireless AC in our laptops. Whether you’re connected by LAN or WLAN, you have the best networking available for low latency gaming and streaming.” For example, Killer’s DoubleShot Pro use Smart Teaming to prioritize network connections for optimal bandwidth. Any game bandwidth could be directed to the wired connection, while the wireless could be set up to handle your voice client or streaming music.

Big DisplayThe GT80 Titan SLI features an 18.4-

inch display with a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. “We’re utilizing a 1080p, wide-view angle, anti-reflective panel

virtually any notebook and more portable than any desktop PC. And although some other laptops might eventually come close to the GT80 Titan SLI’s performance, what really sets this unit apart is its full-sized mechanical keyboard and the innovative design that lets you access most of the internal components.

“We wanted to capture the main characteristics of a desktop PC, which are upgradeability, performance, and accuracy,” says Chen. Goals all met, in our opinion.

If you want to upgrade the GT80 Titan SLI’s key hardware down the line, you’ll be able to do so without any hassle. That’s a big advantage, considering most laptops are designed with very limited access to components, and even in these s ituations, the components might be so t ight ly packed together (and soldered on) that swapping out parts could prove extremely difficult. The use of MXM graphics cards is particularly appealing for gamers that want the ability to upgrade the notebook’s dual GPUs in the future. The GT80 Titan SLI is the desktop replacement notebook we’ve been waiting for. ■

You can remove the top panel for easy access to system storage, memory, and the optical drive.


Z97 Revisited A Trio Of The Latest Motherboards, Up Close & Personal

that, as we received MSI’s Z97 GAMING 9 ACK and GIGABYTE’s GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 and Z97MX-Gaming 5. The gaming focus is more than just marketing

Gaming, in general, has become a huge focus for motherboard manufacturers in recent years. One look at the motherboards in our roundup reflects

I nte l de s igned the Z97 ch ipse t with more than its 4th Generation

Haswell and Devil’s Canyon chips in mind. The company’s 5th Generation Core CPUs, code-named “Broadwell,” will be compatible with the chipset, too. At CES this year, Intel unveiled its Broadwell-U (ultra-low power) lineup, which are 5th Generation chips designed for use in mobile devices, ultra-compact PCs (such as the NUC), and Ultrabooks. When Broadwell chips are released for desktop PC, there will be plenty of great motherboards ready to support the new processors. Now’s as good a time as any to take a look at a few new Z97 motherboards and see how the platform has matured since its May 2014 release.

When the Z97 chipset init ia l ly launched, the f i r s t generat ion of Haswell chips were your only option. A year l a ter, Inte l re f re shed the Haswell lineup with Devil’s Canyon processors. The top of the l ine is Intel’s Core i7-4790K, the first Intel processor to break the 4GHz barrier without using Turbo Boost. When Turbo Boost kicks in, this powerful processor reaches 4.4GHz. The Core i7-4790K also provides you with four cores and Hyper-Threading to handle up to eight threads simultaneously.

The first wave of Z97 motherboards we saw often had either a SATA Express or M.2 port. Many of latest Z97 motherboards now come with both, although the SATA Express and M.2 port regularly share bandwidth, so you can only use one or the other at a given time. We’re also starting to see 802.11ac come of age, so many Z97 motherboards with built-in wireless now support for the fastest wireless standard consumers can get their hands on.

Z97 GAMING 9 ACK$289.99 | MSI | us.msi.com


Audio DAC, which has an incredible 120dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) and 32-bit/192kHz audio quality. The Xtreme Audio DAC has its own processor, as well. The C-Media CM6631A is a high-definition audio processor that’s extremely popular with audiophiles, according to MSI. A big benefit of the C-Media processor is that it’s controlled by a driver that supports variable bit depth, sample rate, multichannel operation, and synchronization.

The C-Media audio processor is supported by audio hardware that can decrease distortion and improve dynamic range. A Wolfson WM8741 DAC helps to reduce out-of-band noise. It also features advanced digital filters. MSI also

but sometimes your own programs running in the background are responsible for latency spikes. MSI’s Z97 GAMING 9 ACK boasts Killer’s DoubleShot Pro, which can combine your wired and wireless connection (via Smart Teaming) and decide which applications to run on which connection in order to optimize traffic. For example, you could have all game traffic run over the wired connection, while your voice client uses the wireless connection. The onboard wireless is fast, too, thanks to the Wireless AC Killer module that offers 3.5 times lower latency than conventional Wi-Fi modules.

We’ve never seen onboard sound quite like what’s built into the Z97 GAMING 9 ACK. MSI integrates its Xtreme

hype. These boards feature some incredible onboard hardware for audio, networking, and input devices.

We put these the motherboards through the ringer with our bevy of benchmarks. Our test bench included Intel’s Core i7-4790K, PNY’s GeForce GTX 780 XLR8 Overclocked Series, and 8GB of ADATA’s XPG V3 DDR3-2400. Windows 8.1 Enterprise served as the operating system.

MSI Z97 GAMING 9 ACKHigh ping is a problem that all gamers

have experienced at one time or another, and it flat out ruins the gaming experience. It’d be great if you could just blame the problem on your ISP or the game server,

Specs: Max memory: 32GB (DDR3-1600; DDR3-3200 max OC); Slots: 3 PCI-E 3.0 x16, 3 PCI-E 2.0 x1; Storage: 1 M.2, 8 6Gbps SATA; Rear I/O: 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Optical S/PDIF, audio I/O, 8 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, 1 PS/2, 1 Clear CMOS button; Form Factor: ATX; Warranty: 3 years


port. It supports both M.2 6Gbps SATA modules and 10Gbps PCI-E modules, as well as SATA Express drives (via an optional M.2 to SATA Express adapter). You can install 4.2cm, 6cm, and 8cm M.2 modules. There are also eight conventional 6Gbps SATA ports, six of which support RAID 0/1/5/10 configurations. For external storage and peripherals, MSI provides 12 USB 3.0 ports (eight rear, four internal) and six USB 2.0 ports (two rear, four internal).

The MSI Z97 GAMING 9 ACK charged through our benchmarks without issue. It delivered excellent performance in our CPU- and GPU-intensive tests, highlighted by 1830.53 pixels per second in POV-Ray 3.7 and an overall 3DMark Professional score of 4665 in the Fire Strike Extreme test. The motherboard also took full advantage of our DDR3,

better overall stability. MSI also installs its GUARD-PRO technology to protect against, humidity, high temperature, ESD, and EMI.

If you’re an overclocker who uses a multimeter to measure critical system voltages, you’ll like that MSI includes both voltage check points and V-Check cables to easily attach leads. There are check points for the CPU’s core, ring, VCCIN, and system agent voltage, as well as graphics and DDR voltage. We also like that the motherboard’s BIOS includes an OC Profile section where you can save multiple OC configurations. The Z97 GAMING 9 ACK has a pair of BIOSes (MSI’s MultiBIOS II), one for work and one for play. There’s an onboard switch that lets you toggle between the two.

Storage buffs will like the flexibility of the Z97 GAMING 9 ACK’s M.2

installs Texas Instruments’ TPA6120A2 dedicated headphone amplifier and a pair of TI OPA1652 amps (one per channel) for great dynamic range. Like many dedicated amps found on today’s high-end motherboards, the TI TPA6120A2 supports 600-ohm professional headphones. For clear communication via microphone, MSI uses a Cirrus Logic CS5346 ADC (analog-to-digital converter). Combine these audio components and you can expect great sound when using the Z97 GAMING 9 ACK.

You’ll also find high-quality power components on this motherboard. The Z97 GAMING 9 ACK uses MSI’s Military Class 4 hardware, which includes superior Hi-C capacitors, Super Ferrite Chokes, and Dark CAPs. It all boils down to more overclocking headroom and

GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 | $159.99 | GIGABYTE | www.gigabyte.us


three PCI-E x1 expansions slots, and a legacy PCI slot. The board supports 2-way SLI (x8/x8) and 3-way CrossFire (x8/x4/x4). We like the slot layout, too. There’s a PCI-E x1 slot above the top PCI-E x16 slot, so you’ll always have at least one x1 slot regardless of what graphics card you install. The other two PCI-E x1 slots are both below the top PCI-E x16 slot. This is handy for 2-way SLI or CrossFire setups, because there’s one slot’s worth of space between the

surround sound over a stereo headset. X-Fi MB3 supports a host of Creative’s tools that gamers can put to use in their multiplayer skirmishes. For example, Scout Mode is designed to give you a competitive edge by amplifying in-game cues, such as footsteps, to better hear enemies. X-Fi MB3 also supports EAX Advanced HD 5 and VoiceFX.

When it comes to expansion cards, the GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 provides lots of flexibility. There are three PCI-E x16,

posting scores of 26.3GBps (Integer) and 26.52GBps (Floating) in SiSoftware Sandra 2015’s Memory Bandwidth tests.

The highlights of the Z97 GAMING 9 ACK are its outstanding onboard networking and audio components. MSI clearly knows that gamers require a complete package when it comes to the gaming experience. Best of all, at the time of this writing, MSI is hooking enthusiasts up with a $20 mail-in rebate on the Z97 GAMING 9 ACK.

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-Gaming 5The GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 is part of

GIGABYTE’s impressive G1 GAMING series, so you can be sure there are plenty of enhancements to the Z97 chipset. Key upgrades found on this mainboard include high-fidelity audio, network prioritization, and support for high-speed storage. The GA-Z97X-Gaming 5, though, doesn’t come with all the goodies you might find on other G1 GAMING motherboards, such as 4-way CrossFire and 3-/4-way SLI, built-in Wi-Fi, or onboard overclocking goodies. Its midrange price of $159.99 is r ight what we’d expect from a motherboard of its pedigree.

Crisp, realistic sound is almost a given on G1 GAMING motherboards, thanks to GIGABYTE’s AMP-UP Audio. Realtek’s ALC1150 codec is the brains behind the AMP-UP Audio on the GA-Z97X-Gaming 5. The ALC1150 supports up 115dB SNR for minimal background noise. The codec’s advanced microphone technology provide an assist when you’re issuing commands on the battlefield, as there are two stereo ADCs featuring acoustic echo cancellation, beam forming, and noise suppression capabilities. You’ll be able to use high-end headsets, too, because GIGABYTE also includes a rear amplifier that can drive up to 600-ohm loads.

Creat ive’s Sound Blas te r X-Fi MB3 software suite complements the GA-Z97X-Gaming 5’s audio compo-nents. Here, you can customize surround sound effects and even set up virtual

Specs: Max memory: 32GB (DDR3-1600; DDR3-3200 max OC); Slots: 3 PCI-E 3.0 x16, 3 PCI-E x1, PCI; Storage: 1 SATA Express, 1 M.2, 6 6Gbps SATA; Rear I/O: 1 HDMI, 1 DVI-D, 1 VGA, 1 Optical S/PDIF, audio I/O, 4 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, 2 PS/2; Form Factor: ATX; Warranty: 3 years


3DMark Professional (4686 overall score in the Fire Strike Extreme test), PCMark 8 (4738 score in the Creative test), and Cinebench 15 (891 points). That’s an impressive variety of tests, which shows off the motherboard’s all-around capabilities. It also kept pace in our game tests, with 51.45fps in Metro: Last Light and 52.4fps in Aliens vs. Predator.

We know that there are a lot of Z97 motherboards to choose from. The GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 is a good fit for builders won’t don’t want a budget board but also aren’t designing a gaming system that will break the bank.

GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5We complete our tour with the

mAT X form fac tor GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5. Despite the shrunken size, GIGABYTE still manages to fit many

for games and streaming media, or you can manually assign network priority via the Qualcomm Atheros Killer Network Manager. For example, you can setup custom priorities for individual applications to increase or decrease bandwidth access as you see fit.

To improve keyboard and mouse functionality, GIGABYTE includes its Game Controller software. Game Controller lets you create and store macro commands, so you can use any keyboard to run macros for your most critical in-game actions. For better accuracy in FPS games, you can set up a Sniper key that temporarily changes mouse sensitivity when the key is pressed. We created a keybind to quickly lower mouse sensitivity for more precise aiming.

The GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 produced the highest benchmark numbers in

GPUs, reducing the chance for hot air to be trapped between the cards.

For compatibility with current and future storage, GIGABYTE provides a SATA Express port, an M.2 port, and six 6Gbps SATA ports. The M.2 port supports both SATA- and PCI-E-based modules, and you can install type 2242, 2260, or 2280 modules. The SATA Express and M.2 ports share bandwidth, so you can only use one or the other. Besides fast storage, you’ll also be able to use system memory that breaks speed limits. You can install up to 32GB of DDR3-3200. We had no trouble running our 8GB ADATA XPG V3 DDR3-2400 kit at its rated speed.

The GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 uses Killer’s E2200 network controller to enhance network performance. It can automatically prioritize network traffic

GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 | $134.99 | GIGABYTE | www.gigabyte.us


of the top features of its ATX sibling. For instance, the GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 still provides a SATA Express port, an M.2 port, and six 6Gbps SATA ports. AMP-UP Audio and the Killer E2200 network controller is part of the package, too. Not surprisingly, the biggest difference between the two Gaming 5 motherboards is the number of expansion slots. The mATX form factor limits the GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 to three PCI-E x16 slots and a PCI-E x1 slot.

One thing you’ll find on the GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 that’s not available on its bigger sibling is GIGABYTE’s upgradable OP-AMP (operat ional amplif ier). It’s a great feature for audiophiles and gamers that want to personalize their system sound, because the onboard OP-AMP socket lets you switch out the current amplifier for many of the other OP-AMPs on the market. A TI Burr Brown OPA2134 comes with the GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5. If you want to try out other OP-AMPs , ch e ck ou t GIGABY TE’s OP-AMP Premium Upgrade Ki t , w h i c h i n c l u d e s t h e f o l l o w i n g three ampli f iers : the Burr-Brown OPA2111KP, L inea r Techno logy LT1358CN8, and Analog Devices AD827JNZ. An IC Ext rac tor i s provided with the kit to let you easily switch out OP-AMPs.

The GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 also includes a set of onboard Gain Boost switches that let you to change the motherboard’s audio from the standard 2.5x gain to a 6x high-amplification mode. You’ll want to use the latter with a high-impedance headset or speakers. Like the GA-Z97X-Gaming 5, a Realtek ALC1150 drives the onboard audio. GIGABYTE also includes Creative’s Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3.

Red LED lighting along the left side of the motherboard illuminates the separation between the audio and main PCB layers. The color complements the anodized red found on the VRM and PCH heatsinks. The slick design makes the GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 a

Benchmark Results MSI Z97 GAMING 9 ACK

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-Gaming 5

GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5

3DMark Professional (Fire Strike Extreme)

Score 4665 4686 4634

Graphics Score 4782 4802 4751

Physics Score 12557 12530 12478

Combined Test 10.21 10.27 10.15

PCMark 8

Creative Score 4517 4738 4690

SiSoftware Sandra 2015

Processor Arithmetic

Dhrystone AVX2 (GIPS) 191.89 191 191.58

Whetstone AVX (GFLOPS) 118.38 117 117.3

Processor Multi-Media

x32 Multi-Media Integer AVX2 (Mpixels per second) 325 331 328.4

x16 Multi-Media Long-int AVX2 144 144.2 144.1

x1 Multi-Media Quad ALU 2.13 2.23 2.21

x16 Multi-Media Single-float FMA 317.87 330.91 321.5

Memory Bandwidth

Integer Memory Bandwidth B/F AVX/128 (GBps) 26.3 26.16 26

Floating Memory Bandwidth B/F AVX/128 (GBps) 26.52 26.24 26.1

Cinebench 15

CPU score 885 891 889

POV-Ray 3.7

Pixels per second 1830.53 1830.5 1831.4

Unigine Heaven (8XAA, 1,920 x 1,200)

FPS 56.5 56.6 56.4

Score 1423 1426 1421

Games (2,560 x 1,600)

Metro: Last Light (16XAF; SSAO off) 51.67 51.45 51.3

Aliens Vs. Predator (4XAA, 16XAF) 52.5 52.4 52.4


space for expansion cards. The GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 is about as packed as mainboards come, when it comes to onboard audio, flexible storage, and overall connectivity. Gamers particular about their audio should really like the customizability of GIGABYTE’s OP-AMP and Creative’s Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3.

The Z97 BuffetThe three motherboards found here

are quite different in terms of price and features. Gamers that want to overclock their rig, as well as enjoy the latest amenities, such as 802.11ac wireless, are likely to prefer MSI’s Z97 GAMING 9 ACK. If budget is a concern, GIGABYTE’s GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 might be more appealing. And of course, small form factor builders would be best served by the GA-Z97MX Gaming 5’s mATX form factor. The Z97 chipset is no longer a rookie, and these motherboards show off just how many extras Z97 motherboards routinely offer. ■

speakers. GIGABYTE adds an isolated power source to minimize power fluctuations that can increase audio background noise.

High-speed memory is no problem for the GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 , a s GIGABYTE lists support for DDR3 module s running a t 3 ,100MHz. You’ l l b e ab l e to in s t a l l up to 32GB of memory into the four DIMM slots, and GIGABYTE supports Intel XMP configurations.

This little motherboard was able to muscle through our benchmark t e s t ing , and i t d id we l l in our processor-intensive tests. It registered a mark ok 889 points in Cinebench 15 and produced a score of 1831.4 pixels per second POV-Ray 3.7. It also posted a strong showing PCMark 8, with a score of 4690 in the Creative t e s t . Overa l l , the numbers were all close to the ATX motherboards’ benchmark results.

In a SFF build, you’l l want a motherboard with as many great onboard features as possible, because there’s little

good option for SFF builders using a windowed side panel.

We brief ly mentioned the GA-Z 9 7 M X - G a m i n g 5 ’s e x p a n s i o n slots, but it’s worth going into more detail. GIGABYTE provides support for 2-way SLI and CrossFire setups running at x8/x8. You’ll want to install your graphics cards into the top two slots, as the third slot only runs at x4. If you’re planning to use on-processor graphics, you’ll like the variety of video outputs on this motherboard. You can choose from among VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI. The HDMI port supports a maximum resolution of 4,096 x 2,160 at 24Hz or 2,560 x 1,600 at 60Hz.

Despite the motherboard’s small form factor, GIGABYTE provides surprisingly robust connectivity on the rear panel. There’s both a PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse port, as well as four USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports. GIGABYTE has also enhanced the USB 2.0 ports with i t s USB DAC-UP technology that’s designed to reduce noise over USB headsets and

Specs: Max memory: 32GB (DDR3-1600; DDR3-3100 max OC); Slots: 3 PCI-E x16, 1 PCI-E x1; Storage: 1 SATA Express, 1 M.2, 6 6Gbps SATA; Rear I/O: 1 HDMI, 1 DVI-D, 1 VGA, 1 Optical S/PDIF, audio I/O, 4 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, 2 PS/2; Form Factor: mATX; Warranty: 3 years


http://www.computerpoweruser.com

Intel Core i7-5930Kwhere the future is heading. As DDR4 becomes faster and cheaper, Haswell-E CPUs will leave their Ivy Bridge-E counterparts in the dust. Considering the 4960X was the $1,000 flagship a little over a year ago, the $594 5930K looks like a steal.

And depending on what you’re planning to do with your system, the 5930K is a great alternative to the 5960X. There’s no question that the 5960X’s two additional physical cores (and with Hyper-Threading, the 5960X can tackle 16 instructions simultaneously, as opposed to the 5930K’s 12) give it a considerable advantage any time we were able to keep it fed with a multithreaded workload. In POV-Ray and Cinebench, for example, the 5960X is definitely the faster of the two. Neither of these CPUs is likely going to be the bottleneck in any game, though, so you might not notice much difference if you primarily use your system for gaming.

W henever a new processor family launches, the flagship chip steals all

the headlines. Sure, everyone wants see what the biggest and baddest new CPU is capable of doing, but not everyone will actually buy one of these chips. After all, $1,000 and change for the latest Core i7 Extreme Edition processor, the 5960X, is a lot of cheese. If you want to get behind the wheel of a Haswell-E CPU but don’t quite have the bankroll for a Core i7-5960X, here’s a compelling option: the six-core Core i7-5930K.

As it turns out, the 5930K compares favorably to Intel’s last-gen Extreme Edition CPU, the Core i7-4960X, from a speeds and feeds standpoint at least. Both have six physical cores and Hyper-Threading, letting them handle 12 threads at any one time. The 4960X has slightly higher clocks—3.6GHz/4GHz (base/Turbo) vs. 3.5GHz/3.7GHz. Both CPUs have quad-channel memory controllers, but the 5930K’s support DDR4 is clearly

Don’t forget about that unlocked multi-plier, either. With the right cooler and minimal tweaking, there’s more perfomance waiting. Not bad for not being a flagship. ■

BY VINCE COGLEY

Specs: Clock speed: 3.5GHz (base), 3.7GHz (turbo); 6 cores; Unlocked multiplier; Socket LGA2011-v3; Quad-channel memory; 15MB Intel Smart Cache; Hyper-Threading; Turbo Boost; 22nm; 140W Max TDPTest system specs: Motherboard: Supermicro C7X99-OCE-F; Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0; RAM: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR4-2400; Storage: 240GB OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS; OS: Windows 8.1 Enterprise (64-bit)

Core i7-5930K$594Intelwww.intel.com

Benchmark ResultsIntel Core i7-5930K

3DMark Professional (Fire Strike Extreme)

5395

Graphics Score 5619

Physics Score 14321

PCMark 8

Creative Score 4767

SiSoftware Sandra 2014 Lite SP1

Dhrystone AVX2 (GIPS)

245.07

Whetstone AVX (GFLOPS)

146.18

Multi-Media Integer AVX2 x32 (Mpixels/s)

382.26

Multi-Media Long-int Native x16 (Mpixels/s)

157.85

Multi-Media Quad ALU x1 (Mpixels/s)

2.73

Integer B/F AVX/128 (GBps, mem bandwidth)

40

Floating B/F AVX/128 (GBps, mem bandwidth)

40.67

POV-Ray 3.7 Beta* 2213.77

Cinebench 15** 1065

Games (2,560 x 1,600)

Metro: Last Light (16XAF)

50

Aliens vs. Predator (4XAA, 16XAF)

49.9

* pixels per second

** points


Aerocool GT-RSinto tight spaces. The GT-RS’ dimensions make it highly luggable, which should please the LAN party crowd; only a carrying handle would increase its portability.

We like the GT-RS’ style. The front and top panels are a mix of glossy and matte plastic, the latter sporting a look that’s reminiscent of brushed aluminum, with a flourish of metal mesh thrown in for good measure. The right-side panel

As far as its physical height goes, Aerocool’s GT-RS is rather short in stature, standing

just over 16 inches tall. When it comes to features and design, though, the case is a giant. Inside and out, the GT-RS presents ample evidence that with the right amount of ingenuity, a little case can be a big deal.

Technically, the GT-RS is classified as a mid-tower, but measuring 16.1 x 10.7 x 14.4 inches (HxWxD), it’s a case that will fit

has a tinted acrylic window that puts your system’s components on display.

That’s right, the right-side panel. Aerocool flips the GT-RS’ motherboard tray and points it out the right side of the case instead of left side, as most cases do. This ends up inverting your motherboard and all of its attached components, too, placing the graphics cards near the top of the chassis while the CPU and system memory hang out near the bottom. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a case do this and it won’t be the last, but we still dig the look. Graphics cards up to 11.8 inches long will fit inside the GT-RS, provided you don’t install a second 120mm front panel fan. If you do decide to install a second fan or instead drop in a 240mm radiator, be sure to take the thickness of either into account to determine the resulting clearance for your graphics card(s). The GT-RS accepts CPU coolers up to 4.76 inches high.

The motherboard tray effectively parti-tions the GT-RS’ interior into two chambers. We’ve discussed the roomier right chamber, which houses the motherboard, CPU, and graphics cards. The left chamber holds the PSU and most of the storage drives (the left chamber has mounting holes for one 2.5-inch drive). The 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch external bays also hang out on this side. There are plenty of cable management holes to route power and data cables to the right chamber, clearly crucial in keeping a case this small from becoming a nightmare of unruly wires. The dual-chamber design also helps isolate any heat the PSU generates—always a nice bonus.

There isn’t a cubic inch that goes to waste in this case. If you like pint-sized cases that are brilliantly executed, the GT-RS is just the ticket. ■

BY VINCE COGLEY

GT-RS$79.99

Aerocoolwww.aerocool.us

Specs: Dimensions: 16.1 x 10.7 x 14.4 inches (HxWxD); Materials: Steel, plastic; Motherboard support: Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX; Drive bays: 1 5.25-inch external, 1 3.5-inch external, 2 3.5-inch internal, 3 2.5-inch internal; Fans (included): 1 120mm LED front; Fans (optional): 1 120mm front, 1 120mm top, 1 80mm rear, 1 120mm bottom; Ports: 2 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, audio I/O


Thermaltake Core X9The possibilities are intoxicating. You

could fill one Core X9 with all of your components, and then load up a second with a preposterous amount of liquid-cooling hardware. You could create an insane gaming PC in the bottom Core X9 and build a game server in the top Core X9, making you an instant LAN party legend. Feel free to come up with your own insane build.

Now, if you’re more of a one-and-done kind of builder, the Core X9 is perfectly suitable as a single case, too. It supports Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX, and E-ATX motherboards. As far as supported graphics cards go, “all of them” is a sufficient answer. (Though if you must know, the Core X9 supports cards up to 15.7 inches with the optical drive cage installed or 23.2 inches long with it removed.) You can install gigantic 420mm/480mm radiators everywhere—two on the top panel, one on the bottom panel, and another on the side panel. You can mount a 360mm radiator

Power users are a demanding bunch. The hardware we want has to be faster,

stronger, and better—everything must be awesome. We want as much of said hardware as we can afford, so we need a case that can hold it all. Then, when a brave manufacturer produces this mythical case, we want more. So manufacturers oblige, and a chassis that used to support one quad rad evolves to support two, and the dance continues.

Thermaltake’s Core X9 is the case for the enthusiast who never has enough. As if the company heard our plaintive cries for a chassis without boundaries and said, “One gigantic case isn’t big enough for you? Fine, buy another. Heck, buy as many as you need and stack ’em until your ceiling tells you to stop.” One Core X9 alone is a behemoth: It can easily swallow whole some of the smaller cases we’ve recently reviewed. But aside from its cavernous interior, the case’s biggest draw has to be its infinite expandability. The Core X9 is designed to stack one on top of the other. It is the n + 1 of PC cases.

along the front panel. The Core X9 will of course easily accommodate smaller radiators, too. If you prefer air to water, the Core X9 can hold many, many fans.

A case this big is builder-friendly by design, but Thermaltake goes the extra mile by making all of the Core X9’s components easy to work with. A pair of knurled thumbscrews holds down the horizontal motherboard tray, making it a breeze to install your motherboard, CPU, graphics cards, and so forth. The case is full of modular drive cages, so you can clear out what you don’t need. Grommeted cable management holes are right where they need to be on the motherboard tray.

Other nice touches, such as magnetic dust filters, show that Thermaltake intends to deliver a case that’s far more than a mass of metal. For builders and modders with lofty aspirations, the Core X9 is ready to do work. ■

BY VINCE COGLEY

Specs: Dimensions: 19.8 x 15 x 25.2 inches (HxWxD); Materials: Steel; Motherboard support: Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX, E-ATX; Drive bays: 3 5.25-inch external, 6 3.5/2.5-inch internal (cage), 1 3.5-inch internal (motherboard tray), 2 2.5-inch internal (motherboard tray); Fans (included): 1 200mm front, 1 120mm rear; Fans (optional): 3 120mm or 2 140mm or 2 200mm front, 8 120mm or 6 140mm or 2 200mm top, 2 120mm or 2 140mm rear, 3 120mm bottom, 4 120mm or 3 140mm side panel; Ports: 4 USB 3.0, audio I/O

Core X9$169.99Thermaltakewww.thermaltakeusa.com


PDXLAN Hits 25 CPU Celebrates By Giving Away Free Stuff

W e love PDXLAN. It has the feel a garage

LAN party with your close, personal friends—except the event is 550 of our friends and there are way more contests, competitive tournaments, and free stuff. From February 20th through the 23rd, PDXLAN is celebrating its 25th mega-LAN party event, and CPU will be there for the festivities. One of the events we’re always excited for is the mod contest, which CPU will once again be sponsoring. PDXLAN has long been a premier event in the modding community, and it’s often tough to pick a winner from the wide selection of jaw-dropping mods. Here’s a quick look at some of the finalists from previous years.

A 25th anniversary is traditionally celebrated with a gift of silver, but we just thought it’d be better to bring along some great hardware to giveaway. We’ll give you a little preview of the components PDX attendees will have a chance to win from CPU’s booth.

Keep It CoolAll-day gaming sessions

at PDXLAN (or anywhere else) can be tough on a PC, as heat build-up can cause components to behave erratically or outright fail.


Aerocool is sending along a high-airflow case and some fans to help ensure your system can withstand the rigors of all-day (and all-night) gaming. The case is Aerocool’s GT-RS, which features two chambers to split up your components for ideal cooling efficiency. This ATX case can also house up to five fans to quickly move hot air away from your system internals. The GT-RS also supports liquid-cooling, as you’ll be able to fit either a 120mm or 240mm radiator. Besides great cooling, you’ll enjoy support for high-end GPUs, because you can install expansion cards up to 11.8 inches long.

If you’re looking to improve system ventilation, you’ll definitely want to drop by the booth and checkout the slew of Aerocool fans. The Bgears b-PWM fans automatically adjust speed based on the control signal from your motherboard, and Aerocool sent along several 120mm and 140mm models. The 120mm fans provide a PWM range between 500rpm and 2,000rpm, while the 140mm fans run between 500rpm and 1,800rpm. We’re even giving away one of every color option (black/blue/red). The red and blue models sport LEDs that match the red or blue color on the fan frame, while the more subdued black fan has no LED. PDXLAN attendees will also be able to win Aerocool’s 80mm Centaurus case fans. These bad boys spin at 2,000rpm and move 26.8cfm. Best of all, the unique fan frame really draws the eye. Aerocool GT-RS (above), and Bgears b-PWM fans in red and blue (below).


Silent PowerIf you hadn’t heard, FirePower

Technology has taken over PC Power & Cooling, as well as the power supply division of OCZ Technology Group. PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer MkIII lineup have long been a favorite of power users, and we’ll be giving away two models at PDXLAN 25: the Silencer MkIII 750 and MkIII 500.

We’ve t e s t ed out the S i l ence r MkIII units in the past , and the PSUs have always lived up to their name with nearly noiseless operation. The key to the quiet operation is the variable-RPM fan that only ramps up speed when necessary. Both models are semi-modular power supplies, so only the essential cables are wired to the unit. And any power user knows it’s easier to create a clean system interior when you don’t have to hide cables in every nook and cranny.

A single +12V rail powers all the models the Silencer MkIII lineup. On the 500W model, the +12V rail can handle up to 38A, while the 750W model features an ample 62A maximum output. These power supplies are tested to deliver the rated wattage at 50 degrees Celsius, so continuous operation at PDXLAN should be no problem. Power efficiency is a little better on the Silencer MkIII 750, as it’s certified for 80 PLUS Gold with a typical efficiency of 90%. The Silencer MkIII 500 is still quite proficient though, with an 85% typical power efficiency that lets it meet the 80 PLUS Bronze certification.

The Silencer MkIII models are backed by impressively long warranties. The Silencer MkIII 500 has a five-year warranty, while the Silencer MkIII 750 comes with a seven-year warranty. You can be sure that any connected components are safe, too, thanks to the power supply’s over-voltage, under-voltage, over-power, and short-circuit protection. Clearly, there’s a lot to like about the Silencer MkIII lineup. Maybe we’ll just have to keep one for ourselves.

FirePower’s Silencer MkIII 750 (shown above) and Silencer MkIII 500 (below).


you can install up to 32GB of DDR3 memory that runs at 2,000MHz.

The GA-H97M-HD3 is a mATX motherboard that also features some of GIGABYTE’s Ultra Durable technology. For example, GIGABYTE uses all solid capacitors and MOSFETs rated to work at hot temperatures. The durable components help to lengthen the motherboard’s lifespan. We also like the electrostatic discharge protection on the Ethernet and USB ports. GIGABTYE protects the ports with a dedicated protection filter designed to withstand high electrostatic discharges, such as power surges and lightning strikes. Similar to the GA-970A-DCP, there’s also an anti-surge integrated circuit to protect against irregular power delivery.

GIGBYATE includes several useful software applications with the GA-H97M-HD3. For instance, the Cloud Station provides a host of tools for sharing files with your mobile devices, as well as remote-control capabilities. The HomeCloud app can be used to wirelessly back up the files from your smartphone or tablet to your PC. To manage network traffic, take advantage of GIGAGBYTE’s LAN Optimizer utility that lets you prioritize certain types of web traffic, such as HD media or online gaming. ■

and digital grounds. Besides great audio, you can also enjoy CrossFire gaming per formance. The GA-970A-D3P features two PCI-E x16 slots that will run at x16 and x4 speeds in a 2-way CrossFire setup. For multitasking power,

GIGABYTE GiveawaysYou’ll want to be sure to visit our booth

for the chance to win the Intel-based GA-H97M-HD3 or AMD-based GA-970A-D3P. Both are great platforms for an everyday PC. Let’s see what GIGABYTE added to these chipsets.

The GA-970A-D3P (revision 2.0) has been enhanced with International Rectifier’s digital CPU power design, so you can be sure that AMD’s latest processors are being pumped with reliable power. GIGABYTE also uses Ultra Durable parts that offer humidity, electrostatic, power failure, and high-temperature protection. The entire motherboard is also protected against power surges via anti-surge integrated circuits. To help protect the motherboard from BIOS failures, GIGABYTE installs its DualBIOS that provides you with both a main and backup BIOS.

With the 2 .0 rev i s ion o f the GA-970A-D3P, GIGABYTE adds professional Nippon Chemi-Con audio capacitors to deliver high-fidelity sound. To eliminate sound interference between the main PCB and sensitive audio components, GIGABYTE separates the audio PCB layer, as well as the analog

GIGABYTE’s GA-970A-D3P

GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3



State-Of-The-ArtStandardsNFC

location tracking; peripheral and accessory pairing; wireless charging; hands-free operation; anywhere Internet access and sharing; and media streaming. Do we really need another wireless technology? Given the explosive popularity of many of NFC’s fledgling applications, the answer is a resounding “Yes.”

These days, for a technology (especially a wireless one) to make waves, it has to be able to do things current technologies can’t already do (or at least offer a more compelling way to do those things), and

your smartphone establish connections over distances of a just few inches. This latest advancement aims to fully untether our smartphones and further simplify our lives.

Another Wireless Protocol, Really?Between our smartphones’ Wi-Fi,

cellular, Qi, GPS, and Bluetooth radios, we’ve got wireless technologies capable of handling long-, medium-, and short-range connectivity; large to tiny data transmissions; low-power syncing; precise

NFC, or near field communication, is yet another wireless protocol

that has started making its way into smartphones and devices over the last couple of years. In the hierarchy of data-transmiss ion technologies crammed into your pocket, Wi-Fi handles the largest payloads, 4G LTE cellular offers voice and data at the longest ranges, Bluetooth simplifies communication between two devices in the same room or nearby, and as the new kid on the block, NFC lets

NFC is the short-range, low-power wireless protocol your smartphone has been waiting for.


initiator is a powered device, like your smartphone, and the target is an unpowered device that consists of little more than a coil and a chip that stores a small amount of data. Passive-mode targets are usually read-only, but some can be written to. As with RFID, these “tags” can be extremely inexpensive, for instance, less than a dime per unit. The alternate active operating mode lets communication occur between two powered devices that take turns generating electromagnetic fields and pausing for a response. Even though both devices can act as an initiator (such as two NFC-capable smartphones exchanging data with one another), one of the devices becomes the initiator and the other remains the target for as long as the connection persists. Active NFC devices, if authorized, can also perform limited write functions on some passive and active targets.

all, the protocol operates at the 13.56MHz frequency on ISO/IEC 18000-3 air interface, which is the same frequency band that was originally used for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) applications. The popular (read: over-used) 2.4 to 2.5GHz band, even with adequate shielding, tends to be both the biggest contributor of and most prone to EMI. Because it uses a higher frequency band, one that no other wireless technologies use, NFC avoids EMI to a large degree.

Another core advantage of NFC comes from the type of network it relies on. Communicating NFC devices use a point-to-point network type that relies on a message and reply scheme. Every NFC connection involves at least one initiator device, or the device that sends the first message, and one target device, or the device that sends the reply. Target devices are incapable of sending data to an initiator without receiving an initiator’s message first.

For example, one of the most pop-ular NFC applications, Apple Pay, lets you pay for goods and services at various Apple Pay-compatible vendors using your iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or Apple Watch. To complete a transaction using NFC-enabled Apple Pay, you simply approach the point-of-sale terminal and move your Apple Pay device to within a few inches of the contactless reader. At this point, the device becomes an initiator, you activate the payment functionality, and it transmits your payment card information to the contactless reader, or target. (In this example, Apple Pay substitutes your banking account information for a digital account number for an added layer of security.) When complete, you get a notification that the transaction is complete.

One of the primary ways in which NFC differs from other wireless technologies is its extremely short-range operation. In order for the initiator to read from the target, its coil antenna must be within 10 centimeters or less of the target’s antenna. When electromagnetic induction occurs between the antennas as they come near one another, the resulting air-core transformer delivers power to the target, typically less than 15mA (for read applications).

NFC-based devices have two operating modes. The first is passive, in which the

it has to solve the problems those other technologies suffer from. NFC manages to pull off all of the above and more.

If you’ve been reading “State-Of-The-Art Standards” regularly, you’ve no doubt noticed that anytime we talk about a wireless protocol, there’s always some discussion about EMF (electromagnetic interference). Every device that uses radio frequencies to transmit data or generate an electromagnetic field will contribute some amount of interference with every other device that does the same. Numerous organizations have emissions recommendations, including the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), ANSI (the American National Standards Institute), the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.), and the NCRP (National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements), to try to prevent problems. Adding one more wireless wave to the mix will only worsen the problem, right?

NFC is not your typical wireless protocol for a number of reasons. First of

The Google Nexus 7 was one of the first tablets to support NFC technology.

As one of the founding members of the NFC Forum, it comes as no surprise that Nokia’s phones were some of the first to support the technology.


And NFC doesn’t compete with existing wireless protocols, but rather works with them, for instance, to automate pairing. For bandwidth-heavy applications such as calendar and email sync and even large file transfers, once the connection is established, NFC can pass the data transmission duties onto Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Under Bluetooth, pairing a wireless headset requires manual input, but with NFC, this connection can be made the instant the two come in contact. We appreciated this simplified pairing when we were testing Creative’s Sound Blaster X7 last month, which let us tap the side of the X7 with our smartphone to pair the two.

If you’re thinking of getting your hands on NFC right now, you can, thanks to ASUS. The ASUS NFC Express 2 box, which includes a Qi wireless charger and was available online for less than $100 as we went to press, connects to one of the USB 3.0 ports on your system to enable it to communicate with the included NFC tag as well as NFC-enabled smartphones and tablets. The device lets you log in to Windows 8 with a simple tap, use multiple tags to log in multiple users, launch several of your most commonly used applications and web pages at once, automatically upload photos from your mobile device to your PC, and even perform remote PC functions using your smartphone or tablet. The unit can also be used to quickly pair devices without having to hassle with the typical Bluetooth pairing procedure. The unique Video-To-Go functionality lets you pause movies and TV shows on your PC and then resume the streams using your

tapping their smartphones together. With NFC-enabled printers, you can hold an NFC-capable digital camera or smartphone nearby to quickly send photo and document print jobs to it. Any consumer product could store the user guide on an embedded NFC chip to save in printing and manufacturing costs. A hotel or coffee shop could pass secured Wi-Fi hotspot connection details, such as the SSID and WPA2 passcodes, directly to the device to initiate a connection. In larger cities, public transportation has already seen the benefits of contactless payments for ticketing. In addition to the convenience of not having to keep track of a physical ticket, riders can also use their devices to quickly purchase new tickets when the old one expires.

The NFC standard supports data trans-mission rates of between 106Kbps and 424Kbps, and passive NFC tags often store between 96 and 512 bytes of data. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough to do some pretty interesting things.

Applications GaloreWe’ve already covered the mobile

wallet angle, but NFC has many more applications. For instance, passive NFC tags can be embedded in a movie poster, letting users instantly view current show times on their phones, view the associated movie’s trailer, purchase tickets, leave a review, or visit the movie’s official website. Using NFC-enabled apps, two users can quickly trade electronic business cards by

If you see this symbol, your device supports NFC.

MasterCard’s PayPass system is used for making contactless payments using NFC-enabled devices.


generated by the initiator and target, the characteristics of the attacker’s antenna, quality of the receiver, quality of the RF signal decoder, proximity to the victim, environmental conditions, and the amount of power emitted by the NFC devices. According to security researchers, active-mode NFC eavesdropping may occur at distances of up to 10 meters, but when communicating in passive mode, a potential NFC eavesdropper must be within one meter of the victim.

Aside from proximity, NFC enforces security through more traditional means, as well. When transmitting sensitive data, active NFC devices can enable a secure connection and automatically encrypt the data. Apple and other smartphone vendors recommend that users prevent potential thieves from making purchases using their NFC-capable devices by installing and running antivirus software and enabling a passcode.

The NFC-specific data, such as your account information used for making contactless payments, is secured to prevent thieves from simply copying it over. And just like you’d cancel your credit card if it becomes lost or stolen, you can do the same with your contactless payment data should your phone go missing.

those signals intercepted, and that’s true of NFC. Unlike most other radio frequency communication technologies, however, NFC’s extremely low-power signal only lets it travel very short distances. There are several factors that determine the data thief ’s ability to nab data as it’s being transmitted, including the characteristics of the RF field

mobile device, right where you left off. This feature can also stream video from your PC to your TV. NFC Express 2 works with ASUS’ Z97-DELUXE, Z97-PRO, Z97-A, SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1, and SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 motherboards.

Console gaming is also getting in on the NFC excitement. The Nintendo Wii U was the first console with built-in NFC, and the more recently launched New Nintendo 3DS can act as an active NFC device. Both devices use NFC to communicate with the company’s amiibo figurines, which contain passive NFC tags that let users load the figurines’ associated game characters into a handful of compatible games. As we went to press, Japan-based Nintendo gamers could use their devices for contactless payments in the game store. In a similar vein, Skylanders and Disney Infinity (Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo 2DS, and 3DS) are two console games that let players interact with virtual characters by placing NFC-embedded figurines on NFC peripherals. Disney Infinity also works with the PC.

Keep Your Enemies CloserAny device that communicates via

radio frequencies is vulnerable to having

The first NFC-equipped phone, the Nokia 6131, came out in 2006.

Passive NFC tags can cost as little as $0.10 per unit.


that represents binary data as variations in the amplitude of a carrier wave. Advantages of ASK are low power requirements, low bandwidth demands, and low cost of implementation. Depending on the data rate used, NFC has two coding schemes it can use to transmit the data.

A modified Miller coding scheme with 100% modulation is used when NFC initiators and targets communicate at 106Kbps. Manchester coding is used with a 10% modulation ratio when 212Kbps or 424Kbps data rates are targeted. Both coding schemes send each data bit in a fixed time frame divided into two halves, called half bits. In Miller coding, a zero is represented as a pause in the first half bit and no pause in the second half bit. A Miller encoded one is represented as no pause in the first half bit and a pause in the second half bit. The modified Miller coding applies a handful of additional rules for zeroes, but you get the idea. In Manchester coding, ones and zeroes are represented as either a pause or modulated per half bit. Regarding modulation, the 106Kbps transmissions are delivered as a break in the RF signal. For 212Kbps and 424Kbps, the 10% modulation comes across as a drop in the modulation rate. NFC devices can send and receive data at the same time. If the sending/receiving signal frequency does not match, the connection can determine that a collision has occurred.

We’re Almost ThereAlthough there are numerous examples

of NFC in the wild today, the technology is still relatively young. Apple Pay, for example, only launched with the firm’s latest iPhone in the last few months of 2014. Although a handful of Android-based phones have had built-in NFC for years, contactless payment systems are only really catching on in major cities, with Europe and Asia leading the way. Over the course of this year, we expect to see more and more NFC applications to crop up, especially as wearables, home automation, and the IoT (Internet of Things) gather steam. Today, NFC is an elite smartphone feature, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it became a standard feature in every smartphone very soon. ■

Nexus S became the first Android-based NFC smartphone. Between 2010 and 2012, various contactless payment pilot programs launched in Europe, Asia, and North America. In 2011, Research In Motion (now BlackBerry) was the first company to be certified by MasterCard to use its NFC-based PayPass system. In 2013, Samsung and Visa partnered to develop and promote contactless mobile payment systems. The same year, Zurich-based scientists created a new mobile security technology based on NFC that enables a kind of dual-factor authentication. Last year, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile launched Softcard (formally ISIS mobile wallet) contactless payment technology that lets Android and iOS phone users enjoy the benefits of NFC using a specially equipped phone case.

Coding SchemesIn an active-mode NFC transmission,

the data is sent using ASK (amplitude-shift keying), which is a modulation technique

Although less damaging, NFC may be vulnerable to a kind of denial of service attack in which attackers are able to transmit a signal at the right frequency at the right moment to confuse the target or initiator.

Passive NFC tags, or devices that always act as the target in an NFC exchange, can be read by a malicious user with a sufficiently capable active device. In the case of NFC-equipped passports, however, a mesh of metal woven into the cover prevents such reading unless the passport booklet is open. Similar types of shielding can help prevent these sorts of attacks.

Generally speaking, making sure your NFC sessions remain safe is all about using common sense. If an NFC prompt looks suspicious, comes unprompted, or asks for unnecessary access or information, deny the connection or walk away. Don’t bump phones to exchange data with people you don’t know and trust, and be aware of people near you when performing NFC functions.

NFC’s RootsNFC as we know it today actually

started out as a much simpler RFID protocol which made for cheap passive tags to transmit information when activated by a powered reader. It was in 1983 that Charles Walton was granted a patent for RFID. But it wasn’t until March 25, 2002, that the initial developers of NFC, Sony and Philips (now NXP Semiconductors), set about to create a wireless protocol that could fill the short-range void left by existing wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. On December 8, 2003, NFC was approved as an ISO/IEC standard and later as an ECMA standard. In 2004, Nokia joined the team and the NFC Forum was born. Today, the NFC Forum is sponsored by hundreds of the top tech, telecom, and financial companies.

In 2006, the first specification for NFC tags, “SmartPosters,” and the first NFC-enabled phone, the Nokia 6131, were released. A peer-to-peer scheme was added to the specification in January 2009 to enable the transmission of contact data, URLs, and pair Bluetooth devices. In 2010, The

Apple Pay is one of the most widely used forms of NFC-enabled contactless payment in use today.


http://www.enermaxusa.com

GIGABYTE CES 2015 OC Event Cold LN2, Hot Benchmark Scores

propane torches, thermocouple ther-mometers, heat guns (there was also a 1,600W industrial-strength hair drier), and some components that don’t mind getting pushed to their limits.

On that note, GIGABYTE held a press conference and launched a handful of exciting new products. First on the list was the new king of the OC motherboards, the X99-SOC Champion, which f ea ture s SMT (surface mount technology) DIMM slots with shorter trace paths for

the press with the promise of free cookies and beer.

CPU showed up early and chatted wi th a f ew of the overc locker s , including Hicookie, Sofos1990, and Dinos22, as they began prepping for their run at the current world records (many of which were held by GIGABYTE’s previous X99 over-clocking motherboards). A popular moisture barrier was Gardner Bender’s Liquid Electrical Tape. Other tools of the trade scattered about included

I f you paid any attention at all to the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show,

you probably thought it was all about drones, 3D printers, and wearables. But if you knew where to look, there were actually quite a few interesting PC enthusiast announcements break-ing at the show. Thanks to our friends at GIGABYTE, we knew. The company lured a cadre of professional overclockers with a pallet of liquid ni trogen tanks and a spi f fy new overclocking motherboard, and lured

According to GIGABYTE, overclocking is hot right now.


improved s igna l qua l i ty, an a l l -digital CPU power subsystem from International Rectifier, a Turbo M.2 port for 20Gbps transfer speeds on M.2 devices, a SATA Express connector, and 40 lanes of PCI Express for 3- or 4-Way graphics configurations. Overclockers h a v e w e l c o m e d t h e X 9 9 - S O C Champion with open arms; between its launch at CES and this issue going to press, the board managed to post high scores on more than 20 benchmarks.

GIGABYTE also launched its new Fifth Gen Intel Core (Broadwell-U)-based BRIX compact barebones PCs at the event. These new systems come with your choice of the Intel Core i3-5010U, Core i5-5200U, or i7-5500U, which are dual-core processors that run at 2.1GHz, 2.1GHz, and 2.4GHz, respectively. All three are paired with Intel HD 5500 Graphics, which can outpace previous BRIX models by up to 20%. The Core i7 versions of the new BRIX and BRIX S (with extra room for an additional 2.5-inch storage device) also have built-in NFC (near field communication) technology.

Overclockers were trying to smash world records with GIGABYTE’s latest motherboards and graphics cards.

This overclocker was particularly fond of liquid electrical tape’s easy cleanup.

The X99-SOC Champion is an overclocker’s dream made silicon.

GIGABYTE had plenty of liquid nitrogen on hand.


GIGABYTE’s latest P Series laptops also broke cover at the press conference. There are models available in 14-inch, 15.6-inch, and 17.3-inch sizes that are sure to hit the sweet spot for any road warrior looking for a solid gaming system. The 17.3-inch P37X, for instance, features a GTX 980M and measures just 0.88 inches thick, making it surprisingly compact yet powerful. We also dig the system’s built-in macro hub, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, hot-swappable quad-drive storage bay, and full-sized auto-adjusting backlit keyboard.

Another jaw-dropper we encountered at the event was GIGABYTE’s GTX 980 WATERFORCE 3-way SLI kit (GV-N980X3WA-4GD), which consists of three liquid-cooled overclocked GeForce GTX 980s and an external radia tor enc losure that tops the case. This impressive system comes with everything you need packed into a briefcase, a built-in fan and pump controller, and easy-to-follow installation instructions that let even novice builders really kick their gaming experience up a notch. All told, this thing will set you back a cool $3,000.

We also got a close look at a number of gorgeous boutique builds from CyberPowerPC, iBuyPower, Origin PC, Maingear, XOTIC PC, Falcon Northwest, and Digital Storm. Several eye-popping mods were also on display from ace modders including Larry Andersen, Richard Surroz, and Bob Stewart. Bob’s ENERMAX tribute mod for Elaine Su, our ENERMAX contact who passed away last June, was a particularly touching creation. Bob painted the case Jet Black, clear-coated it with two sizes of chrome flake and a purple flake to make it sparkle, and painted “Elaine Su Edition” on both sides in gold lettering. Rod Rosenberg lent a hand by installing the parts.

This year’s CES was a great place for PC gamers and enthusiasts—maybe even the best yet. We’d like to extend thanks to the people from GIGABYTE, Intel, ENERMAX, and all the others at this event who showed us just how cool 2015 is going to be. ■

The GTX 980 WATERFORCE 3-way SLI kit is for those who are deadly serious about gaming.

Larry Andersen’s Digital Storm mod was finalist for our 2014 LANFest Mod contest, and you can see why.

The Elaine Su Edition mod from Bob Stewart was one of the more eye-catching systems we saw at CES.




Brandywinemakes sense as House of Kolor’s paints are developed primarily for use on custom vehicles. Sunlight lights the paint up and makes the metallic flakes really pop. It also accentuates the flame and traditional Japanese Hannya mask graphics Fryer painted onto the front and top panels with a multi-layer technique and AirSick airbrush stencils.

It’s Where I Keep All My StuffFryer says he began working on Brandywine out of necessity.“I needed a case to house storage drives,” he says. “At first, I

looked at NAS, but after seeing the price of some of the larger-capacity units, I thought to myself, ‘Why not get a mid-tower and make my own network storage?’”

With that goal in mind, Fryer chose the Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 as his canvas. He disassembled the chassis by drilling out the factory rivets, stripped the factory finish with a dunk in an acid tank, and went to work.

“I sprayed all the bare metal with primer from House of Kolor,” Fryer says. “Then I applied House of Kolor’s Galaxy Gray metallic base coat. Next came the Brandywine Kandy paint. I followed that with a final coat of House of Kolor Kosmic Urethane Show Klear.”

Fryer also painted all the case fans and put a dragon on each one. Then he disassembled the PSU and painted it (gray, along with the motherboard tray and drive cages), stripped the factory sleeving, and re-sleeved all PSU cables using DazMode DarkSide HD Lava Red Sleeve. He sleeved all of the mod’s

When we last checked in with Mark “Hanoverfist” Fryer (Mad Reader Mod winner for the June 2014 issue), he told us that he had realized fairly early on that taking his mods

to the next level required professional-grade paint, so he built his own paint booth in his basement. Electric Orange was the stunning result of the time and effort Fryer put in to learn how to use his three HVLP (high volume low pressure) spray guns, two Iwata airbrushes, and the 20-gallon air compressor that drives them. What’s even more impressive is that it was his first mod; this suggested that with more experience his paint work would be flat-out amazing.

It’s Drenched In PaintThis month’s Mad Reader Mod confirms that. Brandywine

has lots of nice touches, including a custom-engraved logo/name plate, outstanding cable sleeving and management, custom feet that mesh well with the overall look, and more. But the thing that makes this mod really special is its paint, which primarily consists of House of Kolor’s Brandywine paint. (Hence the name.)

“After finishing the Electric Orange build, I felt the need to push myself further into painting,” Fryer says. “I was inspired by House of Kolor’s Kandy paint. Obviously, Brandywine was the clear winner. It has major built-in wow factor.”

Indeed. Brandywine’s paint is a rich, gorgeous color, and Fryer did an expert job of applying it. As great as it looks indoors, though, it looks even better outside, which admittedly isn’t a setting where you’ll see lots of gaming PCs, but that


SATA cables in DarkSide Graphite Metallic. (Fryer notes that DazMode graciously contributed the sleeving for the build, and thanks them.)

Fryer’s friend FannBlade, who machined some parts for Electric Orange, helped out again: He machined the Brandywine name plate, a Lamptron name plate (Fryer also thanks Lamptron for contributing two fan controllers for the project), and the super-cool case feet you see beneath Brandywine.

It’s The Storage, StupidBrandywine’s tech specs are somewhat modest compared

to some of the screaming-fast gamer builds we feature in this space, but keep in mind it’s built for use solely as a (ridiculously good-looking) storage appliance. Inside you’ll find an AMD A8-5600K Trinity quad-core 3.6GHz APU in a GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XM-D3H motherboard, 8GB of G.SKILL RipjawsX DDR3-2133, a SilverStone Strider Plus 600W power supply, two Lamptron fan controllers (CW611 and CM615), a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler, two Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSDs in RAID 0, and of course the Fractal Design Arc Mini R2.

And, because it’s a storage box, Brandywine also packs in two Western Digital WD Black 2TB drives, two Western Digital Red 2TB drives, and two Western Digital Red 4TB drives. For those of you playing along at home, that’s 16TB of storage, which is one heck of an iTunes collection.

Fryer says he worked on Brandywine for seven months.

We Want Your ModHave a computer mod that will bring tears to our eyes? Email photos and a description to [email protected]. If we choose your system

as our “Mad Reader Mod,” we’ll send you a cash prize and a one-year subscription to CPU. (U.S. residents only, please.)

Drop Us A Line Today!

“I had no idea what I was getting into with Kandy paints,” he says. “I knew that the pictures I’d seen of cars painted with them looked amazing, and I had seen some motorcycles painted in Kandy paints that also looked stunning. The plan was spray the Kandy and hope for the best.”

We’d say the best showed up, and Fryer agrees.“After shooting the chassis first, I knew right away that I had

something wonderful going with the project. It was a real ‘A-ha!’ moment, the kind of feeling you get when you take a risk and win big.” ■



http://us.msi.com

LANWAR 56

At War In The Land Of CardinalsWe recently had the privilege of attending LANWAR 56, which began at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16 and ran through 1 p.m. on

Sunday, Jan. 18. The LAN took place in the Student Activities Center at the University of Louisville, in beautiful Louisville, Ky., and was the biggest LANWAR event in more than five years, with 300 folks registered for the BYOC.

The event included Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, DOTA 2, Hearthstone, and Trackmania tournaments, as well as some pretty cool side events, such as LANWAR’s traditional Duct Tape Wars, in which teams of five are given one roll

of duct tape and tasked with using it to reach a specific goal. Past DTW tasks have included creating a flying disk and seeing which team’s stayed in the air the longest, seeing which team’s duct tape creation could travel the farthest when released down

a ramp, determining which team’s foot-powered duct tape rocket could go the highest, and more.

Photos courtesy of Jonathon Wyza, Mike Eubank, and Rebecca Raymer


LANWAR also has a console area and holds a retro-gaming Iron Man contest, as well as available table games, including Risk, Settlers of Catan, Magic: The Gathering, Cards Against Humanity, and Texas Hold ’Em.

The environment at the LAN was pretty chill, something staffer Mike Eubanks says is a LANWAR trademark. “You can walk up to any gamer and ask them about the game they are playing and what it’s like, and you can easily spend hours talking to someone you’ve never met before,” he says.

Eubanks also wanted to tip his hat to LANWAR’s sponsors: Plantronics, Bawls Guarana, Sapphire Technology, and TrendNet. He says the next event on the schedule is MillionManLan 14, which is currently scheduled to start around noon on July 9 and run through the same time on the 12th. Registration will open soon, so keep your eyes open!


Mod ContestWe had a fantastic mod contest at LANWAR 56, including several mods that would have been contenders at any event we cover. Custom cooling loops, excellent cable management, acrylic windows, and effective use of case lighting were in evidence throughout our group of finalists. As you’ll see, our winner went a step further and installed custom acoustic foam panels to make the rig extra-quiet.

Andre Tsai came heavy with his old-school Danger Den Double Wide packed with high-powered parts. “I built the computer of my dreams, and it’s a work in progress,” Tsai tells us. He says he’ll rebuild once NVIDIA launches its second-generation GTX TITANs.

Ryan Lester’s NZXT H440 mod has an interior so clean you could eat out of it, with a hardline liquid-cooling loop, individually sleeved power cables, and great purple lighting.

Christopher Waraxa’s Corsair Air 540 contains a powerful X79 rig with three EVGA GeForce GTX TITANs in SLI.


Our winner, Alex Ferrara, brought a rig called “Project Liquid Death” to the LAN. Ferrara says he started with a Danger Den Double Wide, as well, but decided to get something a little sleeker after lugging the 150-pound system to a few LAN parties. PLD’s current case is a CaseLabs Merlin SM8, and it contains another triple-TITAN SLI configs, 64GB of Corsair Dominator memory, and an Intel 3960X Extreme Edition, all plugged into an ASUS RAMPAGE IV EXTREME. And as you can see, this rig is as beautiful as it is deadly.



http://www.aerocool.us

Frag In The New Year

Intel LANFest 2015 Hits The Ground Running

Here we are, barely a full month into 2015, and Intel’s LANFest series of LAN parties is already well under way. There have been three events already (counting the BYOC LAN at PAX South; tune in next month for more info on that), and

the schedule ahead looks packed.

LANFest Laclede’s LAN 14The first event on the 2015 LANFest schedule, LANFest Laclede’s LAN 14, was a 120-seat BYOC LAN held at the Il Monastero Banquet Center at Saint Louis University, in Saint Louis, Mo. The LAN kicked off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, and went until 3 p.m. the next day. Although it’s been a way for a while (since 2008, according to its organizers), Laclede’s LAN has been around for a long time and started out like many LANs do, with a group of dedicated gamers who aspired to pulling together 50 or so people and having a great time. The Laclede’s LAN site says, “. . . at its heart, Laclede’s LAN will always be the same; a group of people who love games enough to sacrifice an entire weekend, lug a 50-pound computer hundreds of miles, and subsist on caffeine and sugar alone. Laclede’s LAN is our finest tribute to everything that PC gaming can be.”


Laclede’s LAN 14 included a variety of PC gaming tournaments, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Team Fortress 2. The event also had custom servers for a number of games and a game matching service for attendees playing outside of the tournaments.


LANFest MLP’015 WinterMassiveLAN was back in action at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY, starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, January 16. The event ran through the weekend, and included Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Star Wars Battlefront tournaments, as well as console tourneys and other contests, including (of course) the CPU case mod contest.

We’ve seen some great gaming rigs at MassiveLAN events in the past, and this year’s winter LAN was no exception. The third-place system, owned by Brodie Krazemien, was a big white Rosewill Thor full-tower packing liquid-cooling and a custom acrylic side panel window to show off his work. Second place went to Jeffery Zygaj, whose black rig was packed with bright blue LED lighting, blue RAM, blue-sleeved power cables, and a blue cooling loop to match. The top honors went to Eric Primosch, however, and it’s easy to see why. The custom side panel is all window, a pane of low-iron glass that beautifully shows off an immaculate interior complete with a liquid-cooled CPU, a tidy SLI setup, soft green lighting, and a main power cable that’s individually sleeved in paracord and bundled for maximum tidiness.

First place: Eric Primosch (above right and left). Second place: Jeffery Zygaj (below left). Third place: Brodie Krazemien (below).


Blue Chips How To Purchase The Perfect Intel Processor

If you try this approach when shop-ping for a new CPU, don’t be surprised if mind-blowing deals are few and far between. Often, when a chipmaker releases a new family of processors based on its latest microarchitecture, the previous generation is quickly cleared

constantly roll out better bells and wilder whistles to keep customers coming back. As long as you don’t mind being a habitual middle adopter, buying last year’s model is a great way to upgrade to a sweet 4K TV or a solid smartphone at bargain-basement prices.

S how of hands: Who’s described a computer’s central processing unit

as its brain? How about its engine? It’s an easy analogy to make, especially because it’s one that just about any-one can understand. And, to a certain extent, the comparison is still valid. Despite the fact that other components (GPUs come to mind) have taken some responsibilities away from the CPU, the processor still does plenty of heavy lifting in a PC. Having a weaksauce CPU can definitely put a damper on your performance.

The danger of saying the CPU is the brains of the operation is that it places undue importance on upgrading the CPU in order to improve overall performance. Depending on the task, a newer, faster CPU might end up being a huge waste of money if it’s nowhere near being the performance bottleneck. Sticking with the physiology analogy, extra brainpower could help you be a better chess player or solve Candy Crush puzzles faster, but it’s not going to add extra distance to your javelin throws.

That being said, every new processor architecture improves upon its ancestors, so a new CPU can still give your system a new lease on life. Circumstances matter, though, and realistically assessing your own system’s needs and uses will help you end up with the right CPU for the job.

Buy NewWhen buying certain electronics, a

tried-and-true tactic of many bargain hunters is to stalk their prey until a new generation is about to be, or has already been, released. It makes sense, obviously. Retailers want to move the old off shelves and out of warehouses to make room for the new. The practice is especially predictable with items like smartphones and HDTVs, where manufacturers must

When you have to have the best of the best, it’s impossible to beat Intel’s latest Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs. The Core i7-5960X, the flagship EE processor, has an arsenal that includes eight processing cores, DDR4 support, and an unlocked multiplier.


Suffice it to say that overclocking is kind of a big deal ’round these parts.

We’ll spare you the complete history of overclocking and instead focus on recent developments. Prior to the advent of overclocking via multiplier adjustments, enthusiasts overclocked by increasing the system’s front-side bus. A higher FSB clock produced a higher CPU clock. That changed roughly five years ago when Intel began tying a whole host of system clocks to the processor’s base clock, or BCLK. As a consequence, boosting a processor’s BCLK in order to increase its operating frequencies yields very limited results, because there are many other frequencies (QPI/DMI, PCI-E, RAM, etc.) that take their cue from the BCLK. These other frequencies aren’t designed to be overclocked, which in turn puts a very low ceiling on BCLK overclocking.

Although Intel has moved from the relatively overclockable FSB to the relatively un-overclockable BCLK, the company has never left overclockers out in the cold. The primary method of overclocking now is CPU multiplier manipulation. The CPU’s multiplier is more or less self-explanatory: It multiplies the BCLK in order to produce the CPU’s operating frequency. For example, the Core i7-4790K’s uses a 40X multiplier with a 100MHz BCLK to achieve the processor’s 4GHz default frequency. Processors with unlocked multipliers allow enthusiasts to increase the multi-plier, and the processor’s operating frequency with it.

“[Overclocking] sure has come a long way,” says Alejandro Hoyos, Intel product marketing engineer. “It has transitioned from something being done by the ‘brave and the bold’ just for fun in their basements, to a full worldwide sport/competition, with thousands of dollars in prizes.”

It’s easy to determine which CPUs have unlocked multipliers. As we’ve mentioned, Intel chips with an “X” or “K” suffix are unlocked; these are the processors you’ll want if you’re aiming for a monster overclock. Every processor

“K” suffixes are designated for power users who are interested in punching in frequencies and voltages beyond their factory defaults, but the wear and tear on these chips is inherently much higher when they’re overclocked. As a buyer, be aware that there’s no accurate test to determine the life span of a previously overclocked CPU. These hot rods don’t include odometers.

Whether buying old or used, there are diamonds in the rough, but be prepared to search through a lot of coal to find them. As long as your rig doesn’t have both feet in the grave, we recommend saving up for a CPU that’s fresh out of the fab.

Solve For X (& K)You don’t need to be a longtime CPU

reader to know that we’re rather keen on overclocking. It’s appealing for a variety of reasons. Some want the extra performance. Others are born tinkerers. And of course, there’s that small group of zany, hardcore overclockers who are in it for the glory . . . and the bragging rights.

from shelves in order to make way for new silicon. In these instances, if you can find a last-gen processor at all, it might be a mom-and-pop store (selling through a larger retailer, like Amazon, marketplace) selling one for a higher price than the current model. When you can find older CPUs coexisting at major retailers with their newer counterparts, you’ll find that the markdown usually isn’t enough to make buying last-gen an enticing proposition. Bottom line: Retail is not the road to travel if you’re looking to score a new CPU for a song.

Stalking popular used-goods bazaars, such as eBay and Craigslist, can occasionally turn up a new or used processor at a sweet price, provided you maintain the appropriate level of vigilance in dealing with a variety of sellers. It doesn’t take a power user to spot a scammer using these sites, but buying a used processor from a legitimate seller could be a bust under certain conditions. This is especially true of CPUs that have unlocked multipliers for the purpose of overclocking (more on that later). Processors with “X” or

Intel processors with “X” or “K” suffixes have an unlocked multiplier, which is vital for overclocking and letting these fercious CPUs reach their full potential. In order to maximize overclocks, though, using a closed-loop liquid-cooler, like Intel’s own TS13X cooler, is a smart move.


processors. Typically, the processors that Intel designs to sip power, rather than drink it, pull back on the GHz throttle in order to drive down their TDP (thermal design power, or the maximum amount of heat a processor can be expected to generate running real-world workloads). You can identify low-watt desktop processors by the “S” and “T” suffixes.

The quartet of Core i5-4690s illustrates the key differences between K, non-K, S, and T processors. The 4690 and 4690K are the most power-hungry of the bunch, with TDPs of 84W and 88W, respectively. The 4690S slashes its TDP to 65W, while the 4690T is even more miserly, boasting a TDP of 45W, effectively half of the 4690K. With such significant energy savings, why are builders with no intention of overclocking bothering with anything else?

When we compare the 4690s’ fre-quencies, it becomes clear how Intel pays the piper. The 4690K consumes the most power of the bunch but it’s also the fastest, sporting base/Turbo clocks of 3.5GHz/3.9GHz. The 4690’s frequencies are identical, but again, it lacks the unlocked multiplier that lets enthusiasts push the 4690K to new heights. The 4690S is still capable of hammering the gas pedal in Turbo mode, also hitting 3.9GHz, but its base frequency is a more modest 3.2GHz. The 45W 4690T trades Turbo and base frequency in order to maintain its minimal TDP, clocking in at a 3.5GHz Turbo and 2.5GHz base frequency.

Make the diminished power require-ments of Intel’s S and T processors work for you. If you’re planning a Mini-ITX or HTPC build, for example, using a 4690S or 4690T lets you use a smaller, quieter cooler, a difference you’ll be able to hear. Pint-sized cases make much more sense, too, because the reduced heat that Intel’s energy-efficient processors generate mean lower ambient temps, which can help case fans spin slower, too.

Initially, the litany of letters that appear at the end of Intel’s various processor models can be daunting to power users still trying to earn their stripes, but there’s a method to the madness. Once

watercoolers has exploded. As you become more serious about overclocking and/or moving to Intel’s Extreme Edition CPUs, we strongly recommend at least saddling up with a closed-loop liquid-cooler. Intel’s own TS13X closed-loop cooler is one such example.

More Alphabet SoupIntel’s “X” and “K” processors get the

lion’s share of attention among power users. After all, most of us want to go fast and worry about the rest later. We love speed and performance as much as any enthusiast, but a narrow focus on these two aspects of a processor ignores the other innovations Intel has introduced to its processor architectures.

Of all the areas in which Intel’s CPUs have evolved over the last few years, perhaps the most impressive is power efficiency. In addition to tremendously powerful processors, Intel also produces energy-efficient models that sip power. Like its CPUs with unlocked multipliers, Intel has designations for its low-watt

family with the exception of Intel’s Core i3 chips has at least one CPU with an unlocked multiplier, so you don’t need to earmark $1,000 for a CPU if you want to embark on an overclocking adventure.

If you’ve never overclocked before and want to get your feet wet, there is another option: Intel’s Pentium Anniversary Edition CPU, the Pentium G3258. Priced at a humble $72 at press time, the Pentium G3258 is a virtually no-risk processor to help budding power users learn and understand the intricacies of overclocking. Harking back to the wild days of Celeron overclocking, the Pentium G3258 can also be a fun CPU for experienced overclockers, letting them experiment with record-breaking frequencies and play with exotic cooling techniques (such as liquid nitrogen) without putting their prized Extreme Edition processors in danger.

For those with no overclocking aspi-rations, Intel frequently sells counterparts to its “K” CPUs. These are colloquially known as “non-K” versions. So, for instance, you can purchase the Core i7-4790 instead of the i7-4790K. The non-K chips can also be clocked slightly below their “K” brethren, but not so much that stock performance is dramatically better on a “K” CPU. The real advantage to buying a non-K is the price break: At the time of this writing, the i7-4790 retails for $312, while the i7-4790K costs $350. That’s not exactly chump change if you intend to stick with stock clocks.

Intel’s current trio of high-end pro-cessors (the aforementioned i7-5960X, i7-5930K, and i7-5820K) don’t have corresponding non-K models. These processors are the cream of the crop, so it makes sense that they’re going to include the goodies that power users demand, such as that unlocked multiplier.

Having a high-end, overclockable CPU is only half the battle, though. For real success, you also need an equally capable cooler. Air cooling is, of course, an acceptable route to take, but over the last few years the number of user-friendly yet high-performance

No one doubts the awesome might of Intel’s Xeon processors, but these CPUs are designed for workstations and servers for a reason. Features that are crucial in the enterprise, such as ECC memory support, are far less vital for desktop users.


v3 all rely on the company’s Haswell microarchitecture. Now, you could break out your trusty electron microscope and examine these processors at the transistor level, and they should look similar. The reality is that these CPUs are entirely different beasts.

A better comparison is the Core i7-5960X ($1,059) and the Xeon E5-2697 v3 ($2,706), two high-end Haswell-based processors that perform very different roles. The simple fact that the E5-2697 v3 has nearly twice as many cores/threads as the 5960X (14/28 vs. 8/16) puts it on a different level, but there are other reasons this CPU costs close to three large.

To begin with, the processors’ memory support tells a very different story. Both support quad-channel DDR4, but that’s where the similarities end. The 5960X can address a maximum of 64GB of memory, a substantial amount in its own right, but the E5-2697 v3 puts that to shame, with its integrated memory controller handling up to 768GB. This massive amount of memory lets the E5-2697 v3 handle common enterprise tasks, such as running busy web servers, high-performance databases, and lots of virtual machines. The E5-2697 v3 also works with ECC memory, which is arguably more important for server use than simply having large quantities of RAM. In a nutshell, ECC memory is designed to prevent data errors from occurring in memory, something that enterprises simply cannot tolerate. It’s a feature that businesses are more than happy to pay for but something that everyday end users can do without.

“The reason for using a Xeon processor is that you are running applications that are heavily multithreaded and that are

and its LGA2011-v3 socket, there’s no confusion over what kind of system memory is needed.

At the point where Intel’s Extreme Edition CPUs and its 4th Generation Core i7 processors nearly intersect, DDR4 support is a good reason to opt for Haswell-E. The latest DRAM standard, which debuted last year, started out fast and will only get faster. Manufacturers are already releasing DDR4-3400 kits, for example. DDR4 also has a lower operating voltage than DDR3. So, compare the Core i7-5820K ($396 at the time of this writing) and the 4790K ($350). In addition to having two extra cores, the 5820K opens the door to DDR4 for less than $50 more than the 4790K. If you’re building a new system from scratch, that’s a small price to pay for the benefits of DDR4 and more cores.

Will A Workstation CPU Work?In the pursuit of more and more

performance, some enthusiasts turn to processors that are designed and intended for use in workstations and servers. In Intel’s case, for example, Xeon CPUs are the enterprise counterpart to the company’s line of Core processors. Several Xeon processors are more expensive than the company’s flagship desktop CPU, the Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition, which might leave deep-pocketed newbies with the impression that MAXXTREME performance lies with the pricier Xeons. That’s a dangerous assumption to make.

It’s true that processor manufacturers regularly use the same microarchitecture across an incredibly wide range of chips. Case in point: CPUs from Intel’s Core i3-4160 to the mighty Xeon E5-2697

you understand what each suffix means, you can buy a CPU that perfectly accomplishes what you want it to.

Socket ScienceVeteran builders know that buying

a CPU isn’t as simple as just buying a CPU. First-time builders need to know this, too. Rather than finding the CPU of your dreams and your ideal motherboard independently from one another, you must ensure that your processor and motherboard are physically compatible, which depends on the motherboard’s processor socket.

Thankfully, matching a motherboard’s processor socket to a compatible processor isn’t terribly difficult. For all but three of Intel’s current desktop processors, the only compatible socket is the LGA1150. Establish that, and you can move on to find a processor and motherboard combination that delivers the performance you need. For example, Intel’s Haswell-based K series processors require a Z97-based motherboard to fully tap into the power that the CPUs offer.

The trio of Intel desktop processors that are too big and burly for the LGA1150 socket consist of the Core i7-5960X, i7-5930K, and i7-5820K. Harnessing the power of one of the Haswell-E CPUs requires an LGA2011-v3 processor socket, which you’ll find on X99-based boards. Previous-generation X79 motherboards use the LGA2011 socket, which isn’t compatible with Haswell-E processors. The primary reason for the new socket is that Haswell-E CPUs’ integrated memory controller uses DDR4, while X79-based motherboards require DDR3. By requiring an X99-based motherboard

“If you are thinking of building a gaming rig, then I would suggest a Core i5 as a starting point . . . .” -Alejandro Hoyos, Intel product marketing engineer


cards; with some current games that don’t have exacting requirements, that’ll get you in the door.

“Games and game genres are not created equal, and some are more graphics-intensive than others,” Hoyos says. “For the game genres of real-time strategy, turn-based strategy, and sports games, Intel’s processor graphics should be able to provide a good gaming experience for the player. For example, you can play games such as DOTA 2, League of Legends, FIFA, NBA2K15, Civilization 5, Tropico 5, and many others with a configuration of mid to high settings depending on the game and the screen resolution. As we move to first-person shooter games, the average graphic intensity is quite high. The playability will depend on title and screen resolution. Examples of first-person shooter games that you can play on processor graphics are ARMA III, CS:GO, Company of Heroes, and Titanfall, among others.” Intel maintains a list of games its HD 4600 processor graphics chip can handle at intel.ly/1CMn7lD.

Otherwise, CPUs with integrated GPUs (which, as an aside, are most of them now) are useful for another task: video editing and encoding. Thanks

hours a day—as in, it’s literally your job—slamming your CPU with intense workloads, such as 4K video rendering, you’ll be better off with a desktop CPU.

Act Now & We’ll Throw InA Free GPU!

For a long time, integrated graphics options were seen as laughingstocks among the power user community, and for good reason. Although we wouldn’t go so far as to call them afterthoughts, integrated GPUs, which were initially included with motherboard chipsets, have never been world beaters. Motherboards with integrated graphics were a suitable choice only for builders who wanted to forgo a discrete graphics card and only needed their systems for 2D graphics.

To be perfectly honest, you’ll still need that discrete graphics card for any kind of gaming at high resolutions and/or quality settings, but the landscape of integrated graphics has changed enough that a processor’s on-die GPU can be sufficient muscle in the right situation. As we discussed in “Game Changer” (see page 45 in the December 2014 issue), modern processors’ built-in GPUs have enough horsepower to hang with $100 discrete

memory-intensive,” Hoyos says. “Such applications are CAD engineering tools, professional video rendering, Internet servers, and backend telecommunications servers, among many others.”

Ironclad reliability is a given with workstation/server processors like Intel’s Xeon line. These processors are also sold with the understanding that they will be impressed into 24-7 service in tight, crowded server racks. Despite having 14 physical cores at its disposal, the E5-2697 v3’s TDP maxes out at 145W, only 5 watts more than the 5960X.

When one processor isn’t enough, Xeon processors are often designed to work side by side with another Xeon on the same board. Think of it like SLI for CPUs. Naturally, you’ll need a specialized motherboard equipped to handle a pair (or quartet, for that matter) of processors, called dual-socket or 2P motherboards. These motherboards come with a particularly important caveat: They’re rarely built for desktop PCs, so if you have a burning desire to build a dual-processor gaming rig, you may be limiting your options to one or two boards.

Speaking of motherboards, pairing a workstation/server processor with an enthusiast motherboard is a risky proposition. Although desktop and workstat ion/server processors are frequently compatible with the same processor socket from a physical standpoint, each manufacturer must determine a given motherboard’s processor support. If you want to drop a Xeon into a desktop motherboard, for example, you need to double-check that it’s compatible with that motherboard.

Although it’s hard to argue with the performance of high-end workstation/server CPUs in heavily multithreaded workloads that can utilize these chips’ many cores, these are not wonder processors that magically make everything your system does better. For example, most videogames, which aren’t heavily multithreaded, benefit more from a CPU with fewer, higher-clocked cores than one with an abundance of lower-clocked cores. Unless you find yourself spending

On-die graphics processing units, such as the Intel HD 4600 GPU found in many of Intel’s 4th Generation Core processors, have come a long way. Although a discrete graphics card or two is necessary for really serious gaming, you might be surprised by which games you can play with a CPU’s GPU.


largely dependent on the performance of your PC’s graphics card(s), we’ve noticed that the latest AAA titles have become increasingly demanding of the CPU, as well. We’d also recommend a Core i5 processor if you find yourself frequently using compression/decompression software and encoding video on a semi-regular basis.

“If you are thinking of building a gaming rig, then I would suggest a Core i5 as a starting point,” Hoyos says. “This is because nowadays games have become so complex that they need more than just two threads to run, which is when the core count and frequency of the i5 come in handy.”

Core i7 and Extreme Edition CPUs can do it all, and they should be your choice if you regularly subject your processor to intense, multithreaded workloads. Having a high-end CPU is also helpful for current and soon-to-be released games, too (although a high-end graphics card i s s t i l l more important). For example, the recommended system requirements for the upcoming Witcher III: Wild Hunt include Intel’s Core i7-3770K. This serves as a good reminder that you shouldn’t relegate your CPU to the bottom of your buying priorities because you assume it will have little impact on your gaming performance.

“If you want to play a game plus something else—let’s say live stream the gameplay—then I will say go for the Core i7,” Hoyos says. “The same goes if you are doing video editing. And if you are doing some serious video editing and/or serious gaming (4K to 12K) then go for the Core i7 LGA 2011-v3 processor family.”

Multicore ScoreThe number of available CPU options

from Intel are just shy of mind-boggling, and that’s a good thing. The days of feeling compelled to buy a particular processor are long gone; now, if you’re willing to do your research, you’ll be able to find a processor at the right price with the right specs for what you need. Whether you’re looking to build a slim and silent HTPC or the ultimate take-no-prisoners system, Intel has you covered. ■

words, the ability to process four threads simultaneously), but not Turbo Boost. Core i5 chips have four physical cores and Turbo Boost (so they’re able to dynamically increase their operating frequency on certain workloads as thermal restrictions allow), but not Hyper-Threading. Core i7 CPUs have it all.

On paper, it looks like Hyper-Threaded Core i3 processors can handle just as many simultaneous threads as more expensive Core i5 processors. Realistically, though, having four physical processing cores is better than two physical cores that can each deal with two threads. Hyper-Threading doesn’t always cleanly double the amount of work a processor can perform, so we prefer having four physical cores that are always there.

The lack of Turbo Boost also limits what Core i3 processors can do on lighter processing loads. When Turbo Boost kicks in, a process can dramatically increase its clock speed, so the base frequency of Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs isn’t as indicative of performance as you might believe at first glance.

Core i7s are really the best of both worlds. They have Hyper-Threading, so a quad-core Core i7 has the potential to do eight threads of heavy lifting, while a quad-core Core i5 is forever stuck at four. Core i7 CPUs can also use Turbo Boost, becoming the fastest desktop processors hands down on light loads.

Recommending a given processor for a given user is rarely clear-cut, because everyone plays different games, runs different apps, and simply uses their system differently from everyone else. Generalizations are somewhat easier. For simpler system tasks, such as basic web browsing, Office and other productivity programs, and legacy games, Core i3 processors should be up to the task.

“Core i3 is a well-rounded processor that will let you do everyday tasks, from browsing the Internet, to working on spreadsheets, to watching movies in 4K,” Hoyos says.

If you have any interest in playing current games, a Core i5 should be your starting point. Although games are still

to the emergence of GPGPU (general purpose comput ing on graphic s processing units), a CPU’s on-die GPU excels at workloads that can be broken down into a series of massively parallel computational operations. On Intel processors, this technology is called Quick Sync. An integrated GPU can perform these workloads in a fraction of the time it would take a CPU, but with a caveat. First, software developers must optimize their particular program to take advantage of an integrated GPU. Currently, GPGPU apps are generally limited to a handful of video-editing and -encoding suites, plus a handful of Adobe apps. But if you love working with video, a processor’s integrated graphics could save you hours upon hours of time you would otherwise spend watching progress bars creep across the screen.

And of course, an on-die graphics processor still admirably performs its primary duty: Saving you the expense of buying a graphics card if you don’t need one. Being able to avoid the added height of a discrete card lets HTPC enthusiasts build systems that look the part, rather than pretending that big, blocky PC is just another part of their A/V stack.

The Quest For The “Best”With every major refresh, Intel releases

dozens of new processors across multiple performance tiers, so it’s understandable that many people, even enthusiasts, often wonder whether they’re truly buying the processor they need.

Intel’s Core series of CPUs breaks down into fairly neat tiers: i3, i5, and i7. Core i5 processors are better than Core i3s, and Core i7 chips are better than both. Extreme Edition processors trump them all. But when an untrained eye takes a look at a Core i3-4350’s 3.6GHz base frequency and the i7-5960X’s 3GHz base frequency, a little confusion is understandable.

The big differences among the i3, i5, and i7 families boil down to cores, Hyper-Threading, and Turbo Boost. Core i3 processors have two physical cores and Hyper-Threading (in other


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Chat On

P C gaming has so much going for it in comparison to console gaming.

With the right hardware, the games generally look better, run faster, cost less , support gameplay-enhancing mods , and have a much longe r shelf life. But if we had to pick one area where console gamers have a super ior exper ience , i t would be multiplayer chat.

Don’t get us wrong, being able to choose from half a dozen different communicat ion appl ica t ions i s a strength of the PC platform in many ways. When you have to install and configure a new chat application every time you hit up a LAN party, however, it can become tedious. This month, we’re taking a close look at some of the best communication platforms available and offering a few quick tutorials to get you quickly chatting with your friends.

VentriloOne of the oldest and best VoIP

options available is Ventrilo (www.ventri lo.com) , which offers c l ient software that’s free to download and use, and server rental for a reasonable fee. Many LAN parties wil l have the server side already set up and running, so configuring the client and connecting to the LAN is usually all you need to do.

As we went to press, we grabbed the 64-bit Ventrilo Client version 3.0.8, available from the Download link on the left side of the home page. Once installed, you’ll get the option to view the online tutorial, and we recommend clicking Yes. To begin, there are up to four things you’ll need from whoever is running the server. If at a LAN party, the admins probably have this information readily available; if not, ask. You’ll need to know the name of the server, the server’s hostname or IP

address, the server’s port number, and if necessary, the server password.

To configure the cl ient for the first time, start by creating your user account. Upon launch, the Ventrilo client will display with a number of blank fields at the top of the interface and a large blank square below. This is where the server and connected users will appear in a familiar file tree layout. Click the button to the right

of the User Name drop-down menu (which will be empty the first time you use Ventrilo), then click New from the Setup User screen. Input a name—this can be your real name, a handle, or anything else you want. Keep in mind that this is the name that others will see in the users list, so make it something your friends are likely to associate with you. Click OK, click OK again, then click the right-

The next time you go to a LAN party, look for a sign like this to obtain the host name and port number to use the event’s Ventrilo server.


mention. Like the aforementioned program, Mumble is a server/client-based tool in which individual users can download, install, and configure a free client, then connect to servers that are hosted on a for-pay basis. From the home page, you can click the large Mumble Client button (version 1.2.8 as we went to press) to begin the download process, and then click Run and complete the installation.

Upon Mumble’s initial launch, a handy Audio Tuning Wizard will pop up to walk you through the process. (If you ever want it back after the initial launch, you can get it by clicking the Configure button from the menu bar, then selecting Audio Wizard.) Handi ly, th i s ut i l i ty temporar i ly loops audio through your speakers for testing, but it reverts back to a normal configuration once you have completed the wizard.

Follow the prompts to make sure your mic is performing optimally, s tar t ing with the input (di screte microphone or headset mic) and output device (speakers , headset , or headphones).

The Device tuning page lets you move a slider to increase or decrease the amount of audio your audio hardware needs to buffer to give you an uninterrupted and jitter-free chat experience.

After clicking Next, you’ll get a volume slider that lets you prevent the mic from picking up background sounds and focus solely on your voice.

The Voice Activity Detection screen is where you can set how and when the

configure the audio, key bindings, event sounds, and other settings, click the Setup button from the r ight s ide o f the client window.

By default, the client is set to voice activation m o d e , w h i c h b e g i n s transmitting your voice a s soon a s your mic p i ck s up sound . You can change to a PTT (push-to-talk) option by clicking Setup, and then clicking the Use Push To Talk Hotkey checkbox. The Hotkey f ield wil l d i s p l a y t h e c u r r e n t setting; put your cursor there and press a key to change it. If you simply click in the hotkey field and c lo s e the menu , though, the PTT hotkey

becomes your left mouse button, and your friends will only hear you as you fire your weapon.

Ventrilo’s strengths are its highly configurable client, free usage, and affordable server rental (a couple buck s a month , p r i c e s va r y by hosting company). It’s also easy on CPU resources, but like most VoIP applications, Ventrilo is sensitive to latency and bandwidth.

MumbleWhen people talk about multiplayer

chat, Mumble (www.mumble.com) is usually one of the top three applications they

hand button adjacent to Server, click New, and add a name for the server in the first field. Make the server name something you’ll recognize so you can easily reconnect when you want to come back to it. After clicking OK, you’ll be free to fill out the Hostname Or IP, Port Number, and Password fields that correspond to the server you’re trying to connect to. When finished, click OK, then click the Connect button to log on.

W h e n p r o p e r l y s e t u p a n d connected, you should be able to double-c l ick var ious channels on the server to join and begin talking to others on the same channel. To

Ventrilo is one of the earliest Client/Server-based VoIP services, and it’s still one of the best.

Like the others we’ve covered, TeamSpeak offers a free client application, but users can also host servers (with up to 32 slots) on a not-for-profit basis for free.


Voice Activation for your preferred microphone settings. If you select the former, you can also indicate your preferred PTT hotkey.

The next setup step is to fine-tune your mic sensitivity using a familiar slider. The goal with TeamSpeak’s slider is to begin speaking at a normal volume and adjust the slider so that the sound bar remains on the right side of the divider while ambient sounds that the mic registers when you’re silent remain on the left.

The next page lets you configure hotkeys to mute the mic and speaker.

can get a free server l icense with up to 512 slots, but you need to register the server with TeamSpeak and it must be connected to the Internet at all times.

As we went to press, TeamSpeak 3 was the latest version available. Upon installation, the Setup Wizard pops up to walk you through the process.

The f i r s t s t ep i s to choose a nickname, which is simply the name that shows up in the chat server. The next page lets you click radio buttons to select Push-To-Talk or

software transmits your voice. Click Push To Talk and input a hotkey in the adjacent field, click Raw Amplitude From Input (the default setting), or click Signal-To-Noise Ratio to choose the option you want. This screen also advises you to move the slider to keep your utterances in the yellow or green zone and ambient noises you don’t want transmitted in red.

The Quality & Notifications page lets you select Low (16Kbps, 60ms per packet), Balanced (40Kbps, 20ms per packet by default), and High (72Kbps, 10ms per packet) quality settings. This last setting is recommended for high-bandwidth connections, such as those you’re likely to encounter at a LAN party. This page also lets you disable/enable a text-to-speech notifications option.

The Positional Audio page ensures your speakers are properly configured to le t speech appear to emanate from the direction of the associated in-game players. When you’re done, there’s a checkbox that lets you submit anonymous statistics to Mumble. Make your selection and click Finish.

When you’re ready to connect to a server, you can click Server, then Connect f rom the top menu to connect to a public server, or click Add New to input the server details from the private server host (such as a LAN party server), including the Label, Address, Port, and Username.

We like Mumble’s easily accessible public servers for finding new players, and its built-in configuration wizard also tends to solve the most common audio hardware issues that users are likely to encounter prior to connecting to a server.

TeamSpeakAnothe r popu la r c l i en t / s e r ve r

VoIP option is TeamSpeak (www.teamsp eak .com) . L ike the o ther s we’ve covered, TeamSpeak of fer s a free client application, but users can also host servers (with up to 32 slots) on a not-for-profit basis for free. If you want more slots, you

You can use one of Mumble’s free public servers if you aren’t ready to start renting right away.

Mumble’s Audio Tuning Wizard is easy to use.


When the utility launches, you’ll be prompted to sign in or register a new account. Once signed in, the Curse Voice setup wizard launches. The first step is to fill out the personal profile, which is designed to help your friends more easily locate you on the service. Fields to fill out include your real name or a nickname, city, state, country, and a few words that describe you. Click Next when you’re finished, or click Skip to move on.

The Fr iend Sync s tep lets you associate f r iends l i s t s f rom other

parties can also get in on the action with a 512-slot registered server.

Curse VoiceThe popular World of Warcraft, Rift,

Skyrim, Runes of Magic, Minecraft, and World of Tanks mod aggregator Curse (www.curse.com) also happens to have a good VoIP offering built into its client software. To give it a try, simply visit www.curse.com/client, click Download for PC, and then follow the prompts to download and install the utility.

If you are using the PTT setting, then you won’t need to set up a mic mute function, but if you’re using Voice Activation, your friends probably don’t want to be privy to you admonishing your cat or negotiating with your spouse/parents. Muting the speakers is a good way to give people within your immediate vicinity your undivided attention, at least for a short while.

The following screen lets you choose your preferred sound pack, which are spoken messages that indicate certain TeamSpeak-specific interactions, such as “channel switched,” “user left your channel,” and “channel created.” There are radio buttons for Male and Female. Make your selection and click Next.

The f ina l page l e t s you c l i ck checkboxes to open bookmarks (or saved servers), view the list of currently available public servers, and rent your own server.

To connect to an existing server, you’ll need a label, address, and the server password if applicable. From the main TeamSpeak window, click Bookmarks, Manage Bookmarks, then click Add Bookmark to create a new one. At the bottom of the screen, input the server details and click Apply.

The big selling point of TeamSpeak is the support for free servers, which should work just fine for smaller groups of friends, and large (non-profit) LAN You can bookmark servers in TeamSpeak to make connecting later easy.

TeamSpeak’s Setup Wizard has a handy slider that lets you reduce the amount of ambient noise that the mic picks up.

Although we don’t typically associate Skype with gaming, there’s no denying it’s one of the better VoIP applications available for the PC.


applications you use, including Battle.net, Steam, Skype, and League of Legends with Curse. Click Next to comple te the wa lk through, then launch one of the aforementioned applications to allow the Curse Client to use your username as an alias for those trying to connect with you.

To set up the Voice aspect of the software, click the gear icon to the r ight of your username and cl ick Settings. Click the Voice tab from the left side of the screen and you’ll be able to configure the microphone volume, boost, and automatic gain control; the speaker and headphone volume; and set voice transmission to a sound detection or PTT mode. If you uncheck the box in front of Automatically Adjust Voice Activation Level, you’ll get a slider that lets you minimize the chances of ambient noises being transmitted while making sure your voice comes across loud and clear. When finished, click Done to close the Voice settings box.

When you click the Create button, you launch an isolated voice chat room that you can easily invite friends to join, whether they’re on your Curse friends list or not. Just click the Copy URL button and send it to your friend. If he or she has Curse, clicking the link will launch the app and place them into your session. If not, they’ll have a handy download link so they can get started quickly.

Curse has made creating a multiuser VoIP chat session easier than ever, and we also like how easy it is to invite, join, and find friends.

SkypeA l t h o u g h w e d o n’t t y p i c a l l y

associate Skype (www.skype.com) with gaming, there’s no denying it’s one of the better VoIP applications available for the PC. Upon downloading the Skype For Windows application (there are Mac and Linux versions available, as well), you’ll get prompts to install the Skype Cl ick To Ca l l ca l l ing service, make MSN your home page,

Curse makes adding friends to your contact list easy.

The Curse Voice settings page gives you a lot of control over your communication experience.

Curse Voice‘s Friend Sync feature makes it easier for the people you already know to find you.


icon. You can also add additional users by clicking the Add People icon.

Skype has a very streamlined interface that’s easy to use. We also like the call quality and we experienced little to no latency issues when using the software. The fact that VoIP calling to other PCs is free is a nice bonus.

Pwn HomeA l t h o u g h t h i s i s h a r d l y a n

e x h a u s t i v e c o l l e c t i o n o f Vo I P applications, any one of them can help you connect with your friends and enhance your overall experience. Voice communication is easily one of the most important facets of multiplayer gaming, whether you’re gaming at a LAN party, on the road, or at home. For gamers who prefer to use the server/cl ient style communication platforms, we found Ventrilo, Mumble, and TeamSpeak each to have distinct advantages. If you’re looking to cut the server out of the equation, both Skype and Curse Voice are fuss free options that don’t let lag or long latencies slow you down. Win as a team or die alone, it’s up to you. ■

search for other Skype users by clicking Contacts and searching your Facebook friends, Outlook address book, or the Skype Directory.

Initiating a conversation is as easy as clicking a contact and clicking the Call

and Bing your default search engine. These latter options are the result of Microsoft’s 2011 acquisition of Skype.

When the utility launches, you’ll have the option to log in using an existing Skype username and password or your Microsof t account log in credentials. You can opt to merge your Skype and Microsoft accounts on the following page. Click I Agree – Join Skype to move on to the audio and video configuration screens.

Click Continue to see the Speakers, M i c r o p h o n e , a n d V i d e o s e t u p page. From here you can choose the appropriate devices, test them, and uncheck the associated box to manually adjust the microphone cutoff. This can help keep ambient noises to a minimum yet make sure your friends hear you. Click Continue to proceed.

Next, you’re tasked with adding a profile picture, or click Add Later to skip this step. Once you click Start Using Skype, the client interface loads. Existing Skype contacts or Windows Live Messenger friends associated with your Microsoft account will automatically appear in your Contacts list, but you can

Skype is a good (and cheap) option for those who don’t want to fuss with server rental.

Finding new contacts in Skype is intuitive and simple.


Inside The World Of Betas

brush strokes, and more. Designers that use digital tablets will like that Ormr’s brush settings let you control opacity, size, and other settings via customizable pen pressure. Sad Cat Software offers Ormr for Windows (Vista and later) and OS X (10.6 and later). A Linux port is planned once Ormr 1.0 is released. ■

If you usually work with Adobe PSD files, you’ll like that Ormr supports the importing of layers, groups, and layer-blending effects from Photoshop. Ormr also includes i ts own suite of blending effects to let you easily edit layer shapes without changing the overall layer style. For example, you can add drop shadows, glows,

T raditional non-destructive image-editing applications store various

image tweaks in layers, so you can separately adjust the changes you’ve made. Not all edits are reversible, though, as some image-editing tools won’t l e t you a l te r vector shape attributes, filters, or brush strokes. Sad Cat Software’s Ormr is a graphics editor lets you rework any change that didn’t turn out perfect, because Ormr stores each and every action. Ormr also allows for seamless vector and raster editing, switching between the two modes so you can apply raster effects and fi l ters to vector shapes while keeping the vector data intact.

For precision and color accuracy, Ormr features a universal 16-bit per channel color depth, where all images, shape colors, masks, and other color data is stored at 16 bits per channel.

ORMR

you see on BitTorrent clients, that makes it nearly impossible for an attacker to figure out who is messaging whom—even if the attacker has access to your ISP data. Metadata is also protected, so cybercriminals can’t figure who is calling or messaging you. In short, it’s private, server-less messaging for your PC, Mac, or Android device. ■

an email or phone number. With the latter, friends and family using Bleep can search for you using the email address or phone number, while the Incognito mode will require you to send them your public key (Bleep’s method of keeping identities anonymous) to “friend” you.

Bleep use s Bi tTorrent’s DHT (distributed hash table), similar to what

B itTorrent’s latest applications are all about keeping your data and

personal information private. In the July 2014 issue, we took a look at the BitTorrent Sync Beta, which lets you share locally stored files with other computers and mobile devices via the cloud. A notable feature of Sync is that BitTorrent never stores any of your personal files on its server. BitTorrent’s Bleep Alpha offers the same level of privacy for peer-to-peer messaging and voice communication, because all messages are encrypted (end-to-end) and only stored on your devices.

Bleep is available for Windows, Mac OS, and Android. To give it a try, just visit labs.bittorrent.com/bleep and download the program to your platform of choice. You can opt to use Bleep in Incognito mode, where no personally identifiable information is provided, or sign up with

BLEEP ALPHA

OrmrPublisher and URL: Sad Cat Software; www.getormr.comETA: February 2015Why You Should Care: Thisnon-destructive image-editing tool allows you to tweak any previously applied changes without forcing you to redo subsequent work.

Bleep AlphaPublisher and URL: BitTorrent; labs.bittorrent.com/bleepETA: TBAWhy You Should Care: Your private instant messages won’t be stored on any servers.


http://www.supermicro.com/gpu

Upgrades That’ll Keep You Humming Along

This month, we found upgrades for a few system management utilities, as well as new versions of SiSoftware Sandra and AIDA64. MSI’s Afterburner received some helpful enhancements, too. In our Driver Bay section, there are new drivers for Intel 3rd Generation processors and Creative’s Sound Blaster Z-Series sound cards.

it easy to set up rules and whitelist pro-grams. In the 2.1.6 update, TinyWall adds Windows 10 (Technical Preview) compatibility, as well as the ability to color-code the Application Exceptions list. The 2.1.6 update also includes several bug fixes that resolve rule and setting errors.

tinywall.pados.hu

DRIVER BAY

Sound Blaster Z-Series Driver 13.1.00.28

This WHQL-certified driver is designed for Creative’s Sound Blaster Z (SB1500 and SB1502) and Sound Blaster Zx (SB1506) sound cards. WHQL certification ensures that the Sound Blaster Z-Series drivers have passed the Microsoft testing process, and the 13.1.00.28 driver supports both Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) and Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit).

support.creative.com

Intel HD Graphics 4000/2500 15.33.32.4061

Intel’s 15.33.32.4061 driver update provides bug fixes and new features for 3rd Generation Core processors and select Pentium and Celeron procs equipped with Intel HD Graphics. Key new features include a display scaling option for Miracast/WiDi and the ability to set a single display mode (via command line) during the driver installation. The driver’s bug fixes resolve corruption and artifact issues found in Outlook 2013, Cloudbuilt, and SimCity 4.

www.intel.com

network traffic, temperatures, and voltages to most any mobile device. AIDA64 5 also adds support for Aquaero and Aquaduct sensor devices.

www.aida64.com

MSI Afterburner 4.1This popular GPU overclocking

utility ports several hardware monitoring features from RivaTuner. For example, there’s an integrated viewer for native RivaTuner hardware monitoring log (.HML) files that lets you open them in Windows Explorer. Afterburner 4.1 also lets you create custom tracking markers (hold down the ALT key while clicking the hardware monitoring window) to identify key metrics.

us.msi.com

SiSoftware Sandra 2015 If you’ve read any of our reviews, you’ll

know that SiSoftware Sandra comes with a wide variety of benchmark tests for CPUs, GPUs, memory, and networking hardware, among others. SiSoftware Sandra 2015 introduces a Device Performance Certification that indicates if a certain benchmark score is within the expected range, as well as how your score compares to those of other testers using the same component. SiSoftware also adds a price engine that provides valuable price vs. performance and price vs. capacity metrics.

www.sisoftware.net

TinyWall 2.1.6TinyWall works with the Windows Fire-

wall to improve protection and make

SOFTWARE UPDATES

DAYU Disk Master 2.5DAYU Disk Master is hard drive

management tool that offers OS backup and recovery, as well as RAMDisk capabilities. The 2.5 update adds file-based backup and recovery for all editions of Disk Master, including the free edition. You have the option to perform full, incremental, and differential backups. On the Professional edition, the 2.5 update also adds file zip capabilities.

www.idiskhome.com

Iolo System Mechanic 14.5This update to System Mechanic, a

popular system optimization suite, enhances many of its key features. NetBooster 2.0, for example, lets System Mechanic locate the fastest DNS server in your area to provide the speediest broadband service. System Mechanic 14.5 also offers an improved Ultra Performance mode that will turn off non-essential processes for maximum system speed. The 14.5 update also offers improvements to the Program Accelerator, Memory Mechanic, and PowerSense tools.

www.iolo.com

FinalWire AIDA64 v5.00Overclockers will like that the version

5 update adds support for wireless monitoring (via smartphones and tablets) of sensor values via RemoteSensor and Logitech Arx Control. The sensor values can provide you with real-time data for critical hardware. For instance, RemoteSensor can deliver CPU utilization,


A Different Kind Of Pay Phone Digital Wallets Gain Traction

First, smartphone manufacturers have started to include NFC capabilities in their most recently released models. The fact that Apple, arguably the biggest name in mobile devices, has joined the party further helps to drive interest.

“App le i s the g rea t consumer educator,” says Windsor Holden, head of consultancy and forecast ing at Juniper Research. “It didn’t just create a market for iPhones, it created one for consumer smartphones.

end of 2015, 5% of the 600 to 650 million NFC-equipped smartphones will be used to make contactless in-store payments at least once a month. That might seem like a small number, but it’s a staggering increase over the monthly contactless payment usage found in mid-2014, where monthly usage was less than 0.5% of the 450 to 500 million NFC-enabled phones.

There are several good reasons why contactless payments are taking off.

The emergence of smartphones and tablets has changed the lives of

billions across the world, letting us to do things in ways we never dreamed p o s s i b l e . A n d a l t h o u g h m o b i l e devices have quickly become viable replacements for cameras, GPS devices, and portable media players, among others, a similar adoption of digital wallets has been comparatively slow.

A new breed of payments systems from established brands, such as Apple Pay and Visa Checkout, have renewed public and commercial interest in mobile and online payments. The latest in digital payment systems are aiming to retire the billfold once and for all, but do they have what it takes to defeat the analog wallet?

Moving Away From PlasticApple Pay offers the promise of

making payments with a single touch. You place your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus next to an in-store terminal and use the Touch ID feature to verify the payment. Although Apple Pay is a new twist on in-store mobile payments, contactless technology and payment services aren’t exactly new. For example, in 2002 MasterCard re leased i t s PayPass technology, which used RFID for contactless credit card payments. The NFC (near field communication) standard was approved in December 2003, and Google Wallet has been around since September 2011.

Certainly, contact less payments have yet to become commonplace, but experts think that won’t stay the case for long. Deloitte predicts that by the

Apple Pay works with a wide variety of credit, debit, and loyalty cards.


a d o p t i o n — s a t i s f y i n g f i n a n c i a l institutions, merchants, consumers, technology vendors, and carriers—are sufficiently addressed.”

For many retailers, adding support for contactless payments will mean new checkout hardware, or at least, activating support for NFC payments. Several large retai lers have added support for Apple Pay since launch, but in-store mobile payments are s t i l l in the i r in fancy. According to Apple, the company made Apple Play available in 220,000 merchant locations on launch day, which is quite small when you consider that there are millions of retailers nationwide.

Benefits Of Contactless TransactionsContactless payment methods are

more secure than swiping your credit card at the register, because the actual credit card number is not transmitted. Services such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet create a token with a unique code that’s sent from your smartphone to the NFC terminal. It’s the same type of process that EMV uses with contactless credit card transactions. If a hacker were to steal the unique code in the event of a data breach, the code wouldn’t provide the thief with your credit card number.

The actual credit information is stored with the card issuer (such as Visa or MasterCard) or in the cloud. For example, the Google Wallet app stores payment card data on Google’s highly secure servers. One of the biggest differences with Apple Pay, according to Apple, is that Apple never stores credit and debit card numbers on its servers. You must

The October 2015 deadl ine i s more of an incentive than a mandate, as stores that have not invested in terminals for EMV chip cards will be liable for counterfeit fraud, rather than the card network, such as Visa or MasterCard. As such, it could be a big risk for retailers to not support the EMV standard and NFC technology.

With an influx of smartphones and merchants that support contactless payments, consumer adoption is the last piece of the puzzle. Deloitte’s “ TMT Pred ic t ions 2015” repor t states, “2015 will be an inflection point for the usage of mobile phones for NFC-enabled in-store payment, as it will be the first year in which the multiple prerequisites for mainstream

“Tapping your phone at checkout is new and different for the consumer. Even if they know about it , they will almost certainly be wary about it. So Apple’s entry into the NFC ecosystem really provides it with a shot in the arm.”

Secondly, you’l l be much more likely to see NFC-enabled readers in the near future, because MasterCard and Visa have given U.S. merchants an October 2015 target date to transition to the EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) standard. Also known as “Chip and PIN” technology, EMV is used worldwide to authenticate transactions via chip-enabled credit cards, and the system also supports contactless payments via NFC.

Like the vast majority of Apple services, setting up Apple Pay is quick and easy.

“Apple’s entry into the NFC ecosystem really provides it with a shot in the arm.”-Windsor Holden, Juniper Research head of consultancy and forecasting


Apple PayApple Pay isn’t Apple’s first attempt

at the digital wallet. With the iOS 6 update, Apple introduced its Passbook app as a p lace where you could digitally store boarding passes, movie tickets, coupons, loyalty cards, and more. Passbook lacked widespread support from retailers, but it became useful with Apple Pay, because it’s where you’ll store your credit and debit cards.

When it comes to retailers, the contactless design can help shorten checkou t l i n e s . Ca sh pu rcha s e s require time to make change, while traditional credit cards need swipes and signatures. Contactless payment is much faster. The ability to better protect customer data is a win for retailers, too, as information lost to data breaches can have a tremendously detrimental effect on customer loyalty and overall business reputation.

provide authorization, such as PIN on your Android phone or a biometric fingerprint on an iPhone 6/6 Plus, before any payment is made.

“A combination of tokenization and b iomet r i c au thent i ca t ion i s significantly more secure than card transactions,” says Holden. The secure second layer of authenticat ion i s something that you aren’t traditionally forced to provide with a credit card, as signatures don’t need to be exact matches, and most merchants don’t require an ID to verify your identity.

In the pas t , some c red i t ca rd providers offered contactless payments through keyfob devices, which only added to the number of things you’d have to carry around. Because people already carry a smartphone with them everywhere they go, the ability of a smartphone to function as a digital wallet provides the added benefit of not always having to take your wallet.

PayPal’s PlayPayPal has long been a leader in online payment processing, and with its PayPal Here card reader, it’s helping small businesses to accept credit and debit cards from mobile devices. Recently, PayPal announced that it will update the PayPal Here card reader to support contactless transactions. And instead of a dongle that attaches to a smartphone or tablet, the Here EMV reader is expected to be a handheld device that will also accept magstripe credit cards. No release data has been announced as of press time, but PayPal Here might be a good option for small businesses looking for an affordable way to add support for EMV.

The EMV standard is already in use on credit cards that use contactless payments.


launched, Google was unable to reach an agreement with several wireless carriers over sharing revenue from contactless payment fees. If Google acquires Softcard, it could provide both Google and wireless carriers a way to compete with Apple Pay. Additionally, Google would gain the support of retailers who accept Softcard.

Google Wallet is available for both Android (2.3 and later) and iOS (6.0 and above) devices. Google recently announced that the iOS app now lets people divide charges among Google Wallet users. This way, you can easily split up the bill at a restaurant, for example. All Google Wallet apps let you send or request money from anyone in the United States who has a Gmail account or the Google Wallet app.

If someone sends you money via Google Wallet, the funds will reside in your Wallet Balance. Any money stored in Google Wallet is backed with the Google Wallet Fraud Protection Guarantee, which covers 100% of the transactions made without your authorization. You can also spend the funds in your Google Wallet account at any retail outlet that accept

on your iPhone using a retailer’s app. A few of the notable apps include Airbnb, the Disney Store, Groupon, MLB.com, OpenTable, and Staples. This way, you can enjoy the same type of “one touch” checkout when shopping on your smartphone as you do in-store. The simple, easy-to-use system is something that should also appeal to consumers.

Google WalletApple Pay has received a lot of press,

but in November 2014, ITG found that Apple Pay was responsible for only 1% of digital payment dollars, while Google Wallet accounted for 4%. The largest portions of the digital payments went to PayPal (78%), followed by Square (18%).

Despite the current lead, Google appears to be gearing up to ensure its digital wallet service can continue to compete with Apple. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal indicates that Google is negotiating an acquisition of Softcard, which is a mobile payment service created by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. When Google Wallet first

“Apple Pay is incredibly convenient online and off l ine,” says Holden. “Apple has your card details through iTunes , and the payment process (whe the r remote o r in - s to re ) i s incredibly fast.”

Apple has already partnered with an impressive number of debit and credit cards. Some of the big names include American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo. (A current list can be found at support.apple.com/en-us/HT6288.) To add a card, unlock your iPhone and access Settings, select Passbook & Apple Pay, and press Add Credit Or Debit Card. You can use the iPhone’s camera to upload the card number or just type it in. Apple Pay defaults to the card you’ve stored in iTunes, but you can switch the default card in Passbook’s settings.

Once your card is added, the card issuer will create a token, which is a unique representation of your card. Apple calls this your Device Account Number, and i t ’s encr ypted and s tored in the Secure Element—a dedicated chip that does cryptographic processing. Each payment card you add will have a token stored in the Secure Element. Once approved by the card issuer (you made need to call them to activate the token), the digital version of your card is ready for use.

When you use Apple Pay, Passbook will automatically open after you place your iPhone next to the contactless reader. Passbook displays your default payment card, and you may choose another card, if already set up, by tapping its image in Passbook. To actually pay, you’ll need to place your thumb on the Touch ID sensor or enter your PIN.

In the background, Apple Pay generates a one-time use payment number and a security code, which is sent to the terminal. The merchant’s network will decrypt the information and pass it along to the card issuer for payment.

Apple Pay can also be used for in-app payments, should you shop

Retailers will need to invest in NFC-enabled terminals.


looming for retailers, but it appears that U.S. merchants have plenty of work to do complete the transition. According to EMVCo, only 0.03% of U.S. transactions were EMV chip-based from July 2013 to July 2014. By comparison, the same report found that chip-based transactions accounted for up to 96% of card payments in some European countries.

Even if you don’t own a smartphone that supports contactless payments, you might want to see if your credit card issuer will provide you with a chip-based credit card. The EMV standard is much more secure, because there’s an online authentication with every chip transaction. The chip inside your credit card communicates with the card issuer to create a cryptogram that’s unique to your card and the specific transaction. As such, it’s nearly impossible to counterfeit, because the each transaction validates that the chip and issuer are genuine.

The physical credit card is secured, too. The processor inside an EMV-enabled credit card includes security credentials that are encoded by the card issuer. The credentials are incredibly difficult for anyone other than the card issuer to access, which helps to prevent card skimming and cloning scams that are common tactics criminals use to make fraudulent magnetic stripe cards.

Better Online CheckoutThe improved security of EMV is

expected to significantly lower the counterfeiting of physical credit cards in the United States, which could drive criminals to look for more vulnerable targets, such as online transactions. According to data from the Aite Group, card-not-present fraud rose 79% in the U.K. from 2005 to 2008—the years when EMV chips were rolled out. Canada’s migration to EMV saw a similar rise in card-not present fraud, with a 133% increase from 2008 through 2013.

American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are working together to bolster the security of online transactions. Using a process called tokenization, online

debit cards. Conversely, you can transfer your Wallet Balance to a linked bank account.

EMVThe October 2015 deadl ine to

suppor t EMV ch ip payment s i s

magstripe cards, thanks to the Google Wallet Card. You can request a Google Wallet Card directly from the Google Wallet app, and there are no fees to order or activate the card. You can also add money to your Google Wallet account from a linked bank account, credit and

Running as an app on your Android or iOS smartphone, Google Wallet allows for contactless payment via NFC.


Online payments are becoming safer and faster, as well. The promise of faster online checkout is appealing to merchants. With services like Visa Checkout, there’s no need to click through multiple screens or fill out long forms, ideal for shopping from mobile devices . “Mobile devices , including tablets, are likely to account for a majority of e-tail payments in the United States within four or five years,” says Holden.

By the end of the year, it’s likely that many of the largest retailers and e-tailers will adopt contactless and expedited online checkout processes. Eventually, we’ll have to find a new use for those credit card slots in our wallets, assuming we need to carry a wallet at all. ■

numbers on a tiny and/or virtual keyboard. Visa Checkout lets consumers store American Express, MasterCard, Discover, and, of course, Visa cards.

Payments Made Safer, FasterThe newest innovations in mobile

payments are a major improvement in security; the additional convenience is a bonus. Mobile payments will let you speed through checkout, and once you’ve paid, you won’t have to worry about the merchant’s transaction protection, because your actual credit card number is hidden. The future of contactless payments is bright, according to Holden. “Contactless payment via handsets is still in its infancy, but we envisage that now that Apple has entered the ecosystem we should start to see strong traction.”

transactions will replace the use of a traditional card number with a unique payment token, so e-commerce merchants won’t need to store account numbers. Visa Checkout is one of newest checkout options to take advantage of tokenization.

Visa also hopes to make your online shopping experience easier. Visa Checkout stores your credit card number and billing address, so you’ll never need to enter that information on participating e-commerce websites. Instead, you’ll only need to provide your Visa Checkout username and password. Best of all, you never have to leave the merchant’s website, unlike PayPal’s online checkout service. Visa Checkout’s simplicity is particularly helpful for people shopping on mobile devices, because you won’t need to enter a long combination of

When you have to have your pizza as soon as possible, Visa Checkout expedites the online checkout process.



http://us.msi.com

Look For CPU At These LAN Parties

01.31.15Charlottle LAN Gaming’s January

LAN EventMatthews, NC

facebook.com/CharlotteLANgaming02.06-08.15

PONG LAN: Forever-A-LANMenomonie, WIpong.uwstout.edu02.07.15

DESERTBASH mini-BASH 3*Chandler, AZlanfest.intel.com

02.13-15.15KATSUCON 2015Inner Harbor, MDwww.katsucon.org

02.14-15.15FADECON

Garland, TXfadecon.org

02.20-21.15LANFest NETWAR 28.0*

West Point, NElanfest.intel.com

02.20-23.15PDXLAN 25*Portland, OR

pdxlan.net02.21-22.15

LANFest Gamers For Giving 2015*Ypsilanti, MIlanfest.intel.com02.21.15TigerLAN 31

Fort Hays, KSwww.tigerlan.net

02.27-03.01.15The Winter Classic

Nashville, TNgmxwinterclassic.com

02.27-03.01.15GottaCon 2015

Victoria, BCwww.gottacon.com02.27.15

LANFest SoCal Howie’s Gathering 2015*

Howie’s Game ShackMission Viejo, CA

lanfest.intel.com03.06-08.15

PAX East*Boston, MAeast.paxsite.com

03.06-08.15GNWLAN 13Hillsboro, ORwww.gnwlan.com

03.06-08.15PONG LAN

Menomonie, WIpong.uwstout.edu

03.13-15.15BelleCon 2015

Jacksonville, FLbelleconventions.com03.14-15.15

FortLAN VIFort Wayne, INwww.fortlan.org

03.20-22.15SalukiLAN

Carbondale, ILwww.salukilan.com


Would you like us to help promote your next LAN?

Give us a call at 1.800.733.3809

We’ll be glad to consider your event

04.25-26.15NeXus LAN

Miamisburg, OHwww.nexuslan.org

05.15-17.15AYBOnline Baselan 28

Winnipeg, MBwww.aybonline.com07.09-12.15MillionManLan 14

Louisville, KYwww.lanwar.com

07.17-20.15PDXLAN 26*Portland, OR


Ancient City Con 9Jacksonville, FL

www.ancientcitycon.com07.25-26.15

Naois GamingYork, PA

www.naoisgaming.com10.31-11.01.15

Naois GamingYork, PA

www.naoisgaming.com11.06-08-15

PDXLAN Charity EventPortland, OR

pdxlan.net

03.21.15CEG Winter LAN 2015

Big Rapids, MIceg.ferris.edu

03.28-29.15Ultimate Gamers Showdown 2

Dauphin, MBwww.aybonline.com

03.28-29.15Naois Gaming

York, PAwww.naoisgaming.com04.10-12.15Exodus LAN 2015

Troy, NYwww.exoduslan.com04.11-12.15

AYOB WonderLAN 2Winnipeg, MB

www.aybonline.com04.17-19.15

VectorLAN 6Portland, OR


AWOL LAN 25Eau Claire, WIwww.awollan.com04.18.15

For LAN Sakes Let’s PlayTowanda, PA

www.forsakenempire.com04.24-26.15

SanDiegoLAN.net Spring LAN-A-THON 2015

San Diego, CAwww.sandiegolan.net/lanathon

Across The Nation—& Beyond!* Event scheduled to include a CPU case mod contest


http://www.firepower-technology.com


http://www.gigabyte.us

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