7/27/2019 Custom_PC_06_2013
1/132HAIR TODAY:INSIDE AMDS TRESSFX TECH
vsDESKTOP GPUs
CRYSIS 3 REVIEW
AND BENCHMARKS
NSIDE: HOW MUCH MEMORY DO YOU NEED?
ease your P strue potential
Boot Windowsin seconds
Open softwareinstantly
PLUS
FULL SETUP GUIDE INSIDE
ISSUE 117 JUNE 2 01 3 4.50
SOLID STATSUPERTEST
HEBEST-SE A FORW
, , A D
19SSDs
TESTED
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Welcome to Issue 117Editorial
EDITORBen Hardwidge
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Harry Butler
GAMES EDITORRick Lane
ART EDITORBill Bagnall
PRODUCTION EDITOR
Julie Birrell
CONTRIBUTORSAntony Leather, Cliff Harris,
Gareth Halfacree, James Gorbold,Jim Killock, Joe Martin,
Lucy Sherriff, Mike Jennings,Paul Goodhead, Richard Cobbett,
Simon Treadaway, Tracy King
PHOTOGRAPHYAntony Leather, Danny Bird,
Hugh Threlfall
AdvertisingGROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER
Ben Topp+44 (0)20 7907 6625
[email protected] MANAGER
Adam McDonnell+44 (0)20 7907 6620
SALES EXECUTIVEFinan Tesfay
+44 (0)20 7907 [email protected]
US ADVERTISING DIRECTORMatthew Sullivan-Pond
+1 646 717 [email protected]
Custom PC is published monthly by Dennis Publishing Ltd, 30 Cleveland Street,London W1T 4JD, a company registered in England number 1138891.
Entire contents Dennis Publishing Ltd licensed by Felden.
DONT T RY THIS AT HOMEThe advice and information provided in this magazine is given in good faith.
Dennis Publishing Limited cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, disruption ordamage to your data or your computer system which may occur as a result of following orattempting to follow advice given in the magazine or on its website. If things do go wrong,
take a break. The world tends to seem better after a cup of tea.
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GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR
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James Tye
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SOLID ST TESHOWDOWN54
The price of SSDs has
plummeted in the past year,
enabling those on even tight
budgets to enter the solid state age,
gaining enormous improvements in boot
times, software load times and overall
responsiveness. However, a heady mix
of drive controllers, NAND types and
branding now complicate the matter and,while any modern SSD will be a great
deal quicker than a hard disk, its still
important to choose the right drive. To
help you, weve gathered 19 drives, from
the affordable to the outrageously priced,
to find the right SSD for you.
4 June 2013
Welcome to Issue 117
11GAME THERAPY
Does the evidence for gaming as
therapy hold up? Tracy King investigates.
12THE LEVESON EFFECT
New publishing legislation could
have serious consequences for bloggers,
argues Jim Killock.
14AMD TRESSFX
We talk to AMD about the
development of its new hair-rendering tech,already seen in the latest Tomb Raider game.
18MIND CONTROL
Future game controllers could
detect brainwaves via removable tattoos.
46DREMEL MULTIMAX MM40
Its a Dremel, but not as you know it.
We put this new high-speed oscillating tool
through its paces.
80CRYSIS 3
Weve gone all out on Crysis 3
this month. Not only has Rick reviewed thenew shooter, but Harry has also benchmarked
the game on loads of different current GPUs
to find out what you need to run it at its
maximum settings .
94HOW MUCH RAM DO YOU
NEED?
Sometimes its tempting to splash out on a
new 16GB RAM kit, but will it actually net you
any palpable performance gains?
100MOBILE VS DESKTOP GPUs
What exactly do you get in a mobileGPU? Are the GeForce cores listed in tablet
9434 41
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112
108
5June 2013
1ssue 117
chips the same as the stream processors in
desktop GPUs, and how do they compare?
Gareth Halfacree explains all, while also
exploring the potential for ray-tracing on
smartphones in the future.
112WATERCOOL A MINIITX
CUBE CASE
Tiny cube cases dont have to mean big
performance sacrifices, and with a little
know-how, you can squeeze a full water-
cooling loop into one too. Antony Leathershows you how its done.
14
54
80
100
94
14 Regulars8 From the editor11 Tracy King
12 Digital rights
14 Interview
16 Incoming
18 Science!
22 CPCElite products
48 How we test
78 Cynical hit
90 The engine room
92
Dev perspective128Retro tech
130James Gorbold
Community108Readers drives
112 How to water-cool a mini-ITXcube case
120Letters
125Folder of the month
126Your folding milestones
Reviewed this monthHardwarePCS34 Scan 3XS Z77 Node
Titan
36 Fierce PC Prodigy GT
Mini Gaming PC
GRAPHICS CARDS
40 Sapphire HD 7790 1GB Dual-X
41 Zotac GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
KEYBOARD
44 Filco Ninja Majestouch Tenkeyless
TOOL46 Dremel Multi-Max MM40
Custom kit50 Icy Box IB-867
50 Crystal Acoustics MIC-30
50 iTap
51 ScanFX Optical x12 Zoom Lens
for iPhone 5
51 Logic3 Ferrari R300
51 Agricola
SSD Labs test58 Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB
59 OCZ Vector 256GB
59 OCZ Vector 512GB
60 OCZ Vertex 3 240GB
60 PNY XLR8 Pro 240GB
60 SanDisk Extreme 120GB
62 OCZ Vertex 4 256GB
64 Plextor M5 Pro 256GB
64 Plextor M5 Pro 512GB
65 Plextor M5S 128GB
65 Plextor M5S 256GB
66 Samsung SSD 840 120GB66 Samsung SSD 840 240GB
66 Samsung SSD 840 480GB
67 Samsung SSD 84 Pro 128GB67 Samsung SSD 84 Pro 256GB67 Samsung SSD 84 Pro 512GB68 SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB
70 Toshiba THNSNF 512GB
Games80 Crysis 3
84 Tomb Raider
86 Cities in Motion 2
88 The Showdown Effect
35PRODUCTSREVIEWED
80
BB
84
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how much RAM do you need? Thats the question weve tried to
answer in our feature on p94, and its one thats been bugging
me for a while. Often, when my non-technical friends are
speccing up a new PC, they tell me theyve ordered one with 16GB or
24GB of RAM, on the basis that Bill Gates once said 640KB ought to
be enough for anyone, and he turned out to be wrong.
This frustrates me. Firstly, because theres no record of Bill Gates
ever actually saying that, but secondly because I know that at least 16
of those 24 gigabytes are probably never going to be used. That isnt to
say that some people dont need lots of RAM. If youre running many
virtual machines, then loads of memory is a
big bonus. We havent covered this scenario
in our feature, though, as it heavily depends
on what VMs youre running and how many
of them. Well assume that if you run a lot of
VMs, you probably have a fair idea of how
much memory you need.
But, as our feature found, using a PC for a
range of tasks, including gaming, heavy photo editing and 3D
rendering, 8GB of RAM is all you need. Doubling the RAM to 16GB
rarely nets any more performance at all, let alone double the amount.
There are many factors at play here. One is that many of us are
using solid state drives for primary storage now. When you relied on a
mechanical hard drive for primary storage, it was highly beneficial to
have more RAM in your system, to minimise the amount of caching to
disk, but this is less relevant when your machine is caching to solid
state NAND memory. Another factor is that, particularly in games,
lots of software is still optimised to work on 32-bit operating systems,
which cant address more than 4GB of RAM anyway.
Likewise, the real-world performance difference between differentmemory frequencies is so minimal that its largely not worth forking
Fight the temptation to load your systemwith as much memory as possible. In most
cases, it simply isnt worth it
out for premium memory. The exception here, of course, is if youre
using an AMD APUs integrated graphics, in which case higher
frequency memory can improve gaming performance, as its shared
with the on-board GPU.
Perhaps more importantly, though, I think were now at a point
where most software simply doesnt need such a huge amount of
RAM, and this has been the case for a while. Memory manufacturers
know this too. OCZ doesnt even make memory any more, while
companies such as Corsair are diversifying into all sorts of other
markets. These are all companies that made their name making
memory, but are now perhaps better known
for their other components.
The problem for me is that I still feel like
I want to upgrade my RAM, even though I
know it wont make any difference. I have
8GB of RAM in my Ivy Bridge PC, and Im
often tempted to spend the small amount of
money required to buy a 16GB dual-channel
kit (or two), just for the sake of it or, if Im honest, so I can open Device
Manager and say hey Ben, look, youve got loads of RAM! These are
instincts we should fight when faced with contrary evidence, and in
this case, the evidence is that for most people, 8GB is enough.
On a completely unrelated note, our annual reader-voted hardware
awards are coming up soon, which means we need your votes, and
were also offering some cool prizes as an incentive. Head over to
p106 for the full details.
Ben Hardwidge is the editor of Custom PC. He likes PCs, real ale
and Warhammer 40,000.
EDITOR@CUSTOMPCMAG ORG UK @MANSHARK
OCZ doesnt even makememory any more, whileCorsair is diversifying intoall sorts of other markets
BATTERINGRAM
8 June 2013
from the editor
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The best aspect of writing this column is people sending me
news articles they think would interest me, or that need
debunking. A topic thats popped up in my inbox several times
now is gaming as therapy. Ive avoided it until now, partly because
there hasnt been much to criticise and, partly because my own
experiences are emotional enough to cause a bias.
Many years ago, I was off work for three months with trauma-
related depression, and spent that time holed up in my bedroom
playing FFIX and Civilization II. I cant say those games saved my life,
because I have no gameless period for comparison, but there was
something very special and therapeutic about using games as escape
thats unique to the medium.
If I had to pin it down to one or two factors,
Id say its the control (unlike books or films
where you passively watch the plot unfold),
and the ability to try again if you screw up.
Real life doesnt have a Save option, and
sometimes you need to occupy a space where
you can try again.
So, heart on sleeve, I think theres probably
some value in gaming as therapy. However, brain on desk, is there
any evidence? Last year, a study published in the British Medical
Journal presented positive results from a gaming therapy
intervention. A large group of teenagers with depression were given
a fantasy PC game called SPARX, while another group was given
regular treatment.
The makers describe it as an interactive fantasy game designed to
deliver cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of clinically
significant depression. Cognitive behaviour therapy, or CBT, is
currently recognised as being an effective form of treatment for
some types of depression, so the SPARX study is more about howthat treatment is delivered and receive than measuring CBT itself.
Participants are introduced to the bad guys the GNATs (Gloomy
Negative Automatic Thoughts) and play through the game using
CBT techniques to beat them. The whole game looks a little Warcrafty,
with surprisingly high production values for a health project.
One of the issues I see in the study is that the participants couldnt
be blinded. Thats to say there was no way of eliminating biases when
the teens reported on how they felt after the game, because they knew
the nature of the study. However, thats also true for traditional forms
of therapy and, where psychological interventions are concerned, it
could be argued that it doesnt matter why the participant is less
depressed, only that they are (and stay) that way.
The game performed slightly better
than traditional therapy, and retained its
effectiveness in a follow-up survey three
months later. Of course, a lot can happen
in three months to contribute to improved
mental health, but a number of follow-up
studies also showed promising results. In
one study, the game was adapted to be
relevant to an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender) teen audience, with a positive outcome. The developers
are also looking at ways of making the game relevant to different
cultures for example, through changes in avatars and costume.
Self-help is a huge market riddled with pseudo-science and snake
oil. However, its hard to be cynical about gaming as therapy when the
research is peer-reviewed in a reputable journal. Although the game
isnt yet available (its awaiting distribution funding), when it finally
comes out, Ill be ironically happy to play.
Gamer and science enthusiast Tracy King dissects the evidence
and statistics behind some of the popular media stories
surrounding tech and gaming TKINGDOLL
The whole game looks
a little Warcrafty, with
surprisingly high
production values
GAMINGAS THERAPY
REFERENCEShttp://tinyurl.com/
GameTherapy
11June 2013
The self-help market may be riddled
with pseudo-science, but the evidence
for gaming as therapy looks convincing
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Jim Killock
ne Sunday night, the three major
political parties negotiated a deal on
Levesons proposed press regulation.
They decided to accept the idea that
legislative sticks and carrots would persuade
news publishers to join voluntary self-
regulation. The publishers would face
exemplary damages when accused in court,
and costs, even if they were found to be
innocent. These changes would be rushedinto law the following week, by adding last-
minute clauses to the Crime and Courts Bill.
The new clauses took a volte-face from the
Leveson Report, which largely ignored the
Internet, saying that people will not assume
that what they read on the Internet is
trustworthy or that it carries any particular
assurance or accuracy; it need be no more
than one persons view. It also said that the
Internet does not claim to operate by any
particular ethical standards, still less high
ones. Some have called it a wild west but Iwould prefer to use the term ethical vacuum.
Leveson decided to leave the Internet
alone, but despite his sidestepping of Internet
publishing, the government changed tack and
made sure websites would be regulated in the
same way as newspapers. The whole deal
would be agreed by Lords and Commons
within around a week.
Bloggers suddenly were threatened with
the penalties of failing to join a regulator
just as Murdoch or the Mail would. A newspublisher would have to be publishing in the
course of a business, have more than one
writer and edit the content. Moderation
wouldnt count, to exclude forums, or sites
such as Facebook, and a series of exclusions
are meant to exclude specialist publishers, as
long as news reporting is incidental.
Small multi-author blogs, talking about
politics, and running semi-commercially,
would clearly be caught. Also, sites such as
Mumsnet would find it a stretch to say that
their news reporting is incidental. It wasntclear that the politicians had even bothered to
think this through, or read the small print of
what they were signing.
Cue a deluge of angry Internet bloggers and
commentators, plus emergency talks with
Hacked Off. The latter had been campaigning
for the post-Leveson regulations, to constrain
what they see as irresponsible publishers who
feel they can stand above the law.
Not many campaigners sympathise with
those parts of the Murdoch press that brokelaws to gain access to individuals voicemails.
However, some felt that Hacked Off acted with
undue haste and irresponsibility in pushing for
stringent penalties.
Many groups, including English PEN and
Index on Censorship, are opposed to statutes
that mean some people are punished
differently to others. US publications, such
as the New York Times, have also pointed out
that press regulation is unconstitutional in
the USA. Even Hacked Off is worried about
stretching the punitive measures to cover amyriad of small websites.
The Leveson effectLeveson didnt propose Internet regulation, but politicians shoehorned it into new
legislation anyway, with serious consequences for bloggers, argues Jim Killock
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What seems obvious to everyone is that
small website publishers are far less likely
to be able to suppress court action through
the sheer size of their legal budgets than
multinationals, such as News Corporation.
One problem seems to be that a few
bloggers are annoying some politicians, and
they want them regulated. Guido Fawkes blog
(www.order-order.com), in particular, is a
regular embarrassment for some politicians,
leaking documents and internal party gossip.
Guido Fawkes falls squarely into the
definitions set by the new legislation.
Nevertheless, Fawkes is an outlier. Taking
extreme examples and designing laws for all
bloggers around them creates unnecessary
regulation for everyone. Its better to deal with
the problem, if Guido Fawkes is a problem,
directly. He isnt above the law, after all.
Perhaps Leveson was wrong to ignore the
Internet. Perhaps some bloggers do, or will,
have the clout of the established press today.However, we dont know how necessary self-
regulation will become in the future, nor how
powerful individual publishers will become.
Publishing may remain relatively
decentralised, with low overheads and
turnover, making web publishers both easier
to challenge and potentially more risk-averse.
But that might not be the Webs future either.
We may find a small number of publishers
dominate, like the established press today.
However, Leveson didnt try to address any
of these questions, so the three parties didnt
have any recommendations in front of them.
They instead tried to improvise and judged
that they should future-proof their new laws.
Without really knowing what might be needed,
theyve simply tried to induce self-regulation
across all news publishing of any significance.
Internet campaigners have been
scurrying to fix the problem. The government
recognised that an issue exists, so introduced
a last-minute amendment to exclude a small
blog. Its a holding amendment, though,meaning theyll work out how to fix this later.
JIMKILLOCKis executive director of
campaign organisation
The Open Rights Group
(www.openrightsgroup.org)
jimkillock
But what is a small blog? There arent many
ways to measure size of a blog the number
of visitors (difficult), being a small or medium
size enterprise (easier, as the Companies Act
defines this already), turnover (easy to game).
Maybe theyll opt for pixel width blogs that
are less than 500px wide. Ruling out SMEs
would rightly exclude bloggers such as Guido
Fawkes, so were left with politicians hoping
for a way to regulate one publisher while
omitting others. Good luck with that.
More info
www.openrightsgroup.org/issues/leveson
THE LEVESON MODEL
THE ROYAL CHART ER
Leveson recommends an independent
press regulator, approved by a body
created by a Royal Charter. This caused
controversy, because the approval body
might have been a statutory organisation,
such as Ofcom, which would create a form
of state leverage over press regulation.
OFFENCES
A stick-and-carrot approach is
recommended to push the press into
accepting self-regulation. The sticks are
about exemplary damages and costs for
specific civil offences. The offences for
which the Bill changes rules are libel,
slander, breach of confidence, misuse of
private information, malicious falsehood
and harassment.
EXEMPLARY DAMAGES
Exemplary damages will only be awarded
against unregulated publishers who
should have joined a regulator. The idea is
that exemplary damages will be awarded
when someone has behaved particularly
badly, as a warning to others. Exemplary
damages are unusual in private disputes,
because theyre designed to punish rather
than compensate. Normally, damages in
private disputes are exactly that an award
that rectifies harm.
COSTS, WIN OR LOSE
The second stick is awards of costs.
Whether they win or lose, unregulated
news publishers face awards of costs
against them. Thats potentially pretty
brutal. Anyone who is a publisher,
who abides by the law, could face hefty
legal fees just because someone
challenges them in court, and they
dont like self-regulation.
The logic here is that self-regulation
should be cheap and easy for people
complaining, so publishers should
provide it. That may be reasonable at the
richer end of the publishing industry, but
its clearly less reasonable as publishers
grow smaller or less problematic. As
such, we need to define news-related
material and relevant publisher to see
who is affected.
The former definition covers news
about current affairs, opinion about current
affairs and gossip about public figures.
Thats much wider than the remit Leveson
was meant to cover, especially opinion,
which doesnt usually involve releasing
new and revealing information.
Anyone who publishes edited news
related material has more than one
author, and does this in the course of a
business. It doesnt matter if profits are
made. Specialist publishers and charities
are exempt as are broadcasters, even if
they run a website. So while some bloggers
would fall into the regulations, the Channel
4 News website wont, for example.
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Gareth Halfacree
AMDress XAMD talks to us about
its new realistic hair-
rendering technology,which will work on Nvidia
and AMD GPUs
A to achieve a high level of authenticity,explains Thibieroz. Were still some wayfrom modelling the totality of hair strandstypically found on a human head for in-game
rendering, but in Tomb Raider, TressFX
renders more than 10,000 hair strands in
real-time. The reduced number of strands is
compensated by making hair strands wider,
which has the added advantage of being more
efficient on GPU rasterisation hardware.
Each strand is also treated to a raft of
physics calculations that account for body
movement, gravity, collisions with other
strands, the characters body and
environmental objects, as well as external
forces such as wind and water immersion.
With TressFX, all physics calculations are
performed at high performance by using
DirectCompute, says Thibieroz. This allows
the GPU to be programmed for general-
purpose computations, as opposed to just
transforming vertices or shading pixels.
Thibieroz is keen to point out the difference
between TressFX and Nvidias more
MDs announcement that it had
developed a new means of rendering
realistic hair in real-time, a system
it calls TressFX Hair, came as a
surprise. However, this wasnt nearly as much
of a surprise as the news that it would work on
any DirectCompute-compatible graphics
card, including those from rival Nvidia, and
would hit the market in days in the Tomb
Raider reboot (see p84).
Nick Thibieroz, senior manager of AMDs
Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Gaming
Engineering arm, was more than happy to
explain whats behind the TressFX technology,
and how the excess power of todays top-end
graphics cards can be harnessed in new ways.
TressFX is the name of a collection of
physics and graphics rendering methods
whose purpose is to accurately simulate
and render thousands of individual hair
strands. It isnt simply limited to a physics
implementation, Thibieroz toldCustom PC.
TressFX builds upon the Per-Pixel Linked List
research that AMD developed and presented
at multiple conferences in 2010, he added.
Thibieroz presented the technology himself at
the Game Developer Conference (GDC) 2010.
AMDs R&D team continued working and
improving the algorithm, Thibieroz says, and
soon realised it could be used to accurately
and robustly sort individual hair strands via
an Order-Independent Transparency (OIT)
implementation of this technique.
The result is certainly impressive: while
more detailed hair simulation engines have
been demonstrated in the past, their
demands for processing power have made
them unsuitable for inclusion in a game.
Conversely, the performance of TressFX in the
Tomb Raider reboot is undeniably excellent,
providing you have the graphics card to cope.
Laras locks react in ways that have previously
been restricted to pre-rendered cutscenes.
But how does the technology work? A
realistic real-time hair implementation
requires that enough strands are used to
accurately depict hair. Those strands also
have to be individually simulated and rendered
Interviewee:NickThibieroz,
AMD
7/27/2019 Custom_PC_06_2013
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generalised PhysX physics simulation
engine, which can only be accelerated on the
companys own CUDA-based graphics cards.
Let me be very clear that theres nothing
that GPU PhysX supports that couldnt be
implemented with straight DirectX or OpenGL
shaders. What PhysX provides is a simplified
API for physics calculations, Thibieroz says.
AMD believes in open standards. Open
standards encourage innovation,
optimisations and differentiation between
game studios using them.
TressFX solely uses C++ and DirectX 11
shaders, and has no dependency on vendor-
locked APIs. It can run on any GPU that
supports the Microsoft Graphics API. AMD
provides the full source and shader code to
developers, who can adapt the technique to
their needs, optimise it and improve it in the
process for example, by porting it to OpenGL.
Were proud of the choices we made regarding
the open nature of TressFX.
That open nature even extends to licensing
the technology; theres no requirement to sign
a licensing agreement or pay AMD any cash to
include the technology in a game. Its freely
available for developers to integrate, optimise
and modify, Thibieroz explains, and while he
was unwilling to share news of future
TressFX-enabled games, he did claim that
weve received tremendous interest from
game studios following the release of Tomb
Raider, and my team will be working closely
with those developers to ensure their TressFX
experience is the best possible.
AMDs move with TressFX could potentially
signal a desire to offer a rival to Nvidia PhysX
something Thibieroz refused to discount or
confirm. The DirectCompute API thats part
of DirectX 11 is adequately suited to handling
GPU physics, he claimed. If AMD decides to
integrate TressFX or its variants into a higher-
level API, it would certainly be for an open-
source physics engine.
Thibieroz is certain that general-purpose
GPU (GPGPU) processing is going to play an
important part in the future. Increase in CPU
performance has stabilised in the past couple
of years, whereas GPU performance has
continued to grow at a steady rate.
DirectCompute has mainly been about
accelerating performance so far. This gives
developers a more comfortable performance
budget when implementing certain
algorithms that would otherwise run slower,
such as those for post-processing effects.
Compute capabilities go beyond mere
performance improvements though. In
particular, special instructions allow the
writing of data into any buffer or texture
address, which basically allows new types of
algorithms to be invented. Per-Pixel Linked
List and its TressFX OIT implementation is a
perfect example of this, and I expect to see
more applications of this feature in next-
generation titles. In addition, tile-based
forward or deferred rendering (see our feature
on mobile GPUs on p100 for more information
about this) can also benefit greatly from
compute capabilities.
TressFX is available in Tomb Raider now
and, Thibieroz teases, potentially on consoles
in the future. TressFX isnt PC-exclusive, he
says, and can definitely be adapted to run on
next-gen consoles, if they expose suitable
APIs allowing its implementation.
WEVE RECEIVED
TREMENDOUS INTEREST
FROM GAME STUDIOS
FOLLOWING TOMB
RAIDERS RELEASE
ORIGIN
AL
TRESSFX
TRESSFX
ORIGIN
AL
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CORSAIR SHOWSOFF K7 KEYBOARDWe loved the solid aluminium chassis, mechanical keysand no-nonsense design of Corsairs Vengeance K60mechanical keyboard when it first came out, so we were
very glad to see the companys latest update to its keyboard
line-up the K70. It ostensibly looks like a K60 with
backlighting, but Corsair has made a few other tweaks
here and there too. For example, every key now features a
Cherry Red MX mechanical switch, whereas some of the
K60s keys used a membrane. Two flavours will be available
aluminium with blue lighting, and black with red lighting.
Each key has an individual backlight too, enabling you to set
key-by-key lighting. The K70 should be available by the end
of April 2013.
NEW HARDWARE
e take a look at the latestnewly announced products
AMD OFFICIALLY UNVEILSRADEON HD 7990Given the game-busting performance of Nvidias GeForce GTX 690
and its single-GPU GTX Titan card, we thought AMD was going to leave
the idea of dual-GPU Radeon HD 7000-series cards to third parties
such as Club3D and Asus. However, weve been proved wrong, as
AMD has just officially unveiled the Radeon HD 7990 at the Game
Developers Conference (GDC) in San
Francisco. The reference card sports
two Radeon HD 7000-series GPUs,
three cooling fans and it appears to
require two 8-pin power connectors.
Thats all we know so far, but well be
watching this space closely.
ELITE UPDATESWeve had to chop and change a few
bits and pieces on our Elite list this
month, owing to some pieces of
kit being discontinued, and others
changing in price. First off is our
choice of entry-level graphics card,
which used to be the Radeon HD
7850 2GB. However,as the quicker vidiaGeForce GTX 660 2GB now costs
just 147 for a PNY card from
www.scan.co.uk, this is now our
circa-150 card of choice. Next up
is our choice of 850W PSU, which weve
had to change, as the XFX Pro 850W XXX
Edition (Silver) has now been retired. Our next
best choice is the superb Corsair HX850 (see Issue 110, p68),
which remains passively cooled until it hits a 500W load, and also
boasts 80Plus Gold efficiency.
KINGSTON UNLEASHESBLACK RAMRealising that willy-waving about ridiculously high RAM frequencies is
pointless now, Kingston is instead hoping to turn enthusiasts heads with its
new memory modules good looks. In honour of the HyperX brands tenth
birthday, it has announced that two new product lines will feature black
PCBs. The HyperX black modules will be available as single modules, or
as 8GB and 16GB dual-channel kits, varying in speed from 1,333MHz to
1,600MHz. Meanwhile, the black HyperX Beast modules (pictured) will be
clocked at up to 2,400MHz, and be available in a variety of dual-channel and
quad-channel kits, with total capacities ranging from 8GB to 64GB.
OFF K70 KEYBOARD
e ove t e so a umn um c ass s,mec anca
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Lucy Sherriff
Mind-controlled computersnyone brought up on a literary diet of
speculative fiction and fantasy has a
list of technologies theyre not-so-
secretly waiting for the real world to
get busy inventing. The world will be infinitely
improved once we can upload our mind-
states to computers, for instance, or stasis
pods and faster-than-light (FTL) drives. You
know the kind of stuff.
We want these toys, even though we know
physics (as we currently understand it) isnt
entirely on our side. FTL drives might be a little
far-fetched, but one of those daydreams
direct mind control of machines could
already be a possibility. In the past decade,
researchers at the University of Illinois
managed to direct the flight of crop-dusting
planes using just the power of thought.
However, this required the controller to wear
a bulky and uncomfortable EEG cap, bristling
with electrodes, cables and connectors.
Meanwhile, in the gaming world, weve had
simpler devices such as the OCZ Neural
Impulse Actuator, which detected muscle and
nerve movements, rather than brainwaves.
Recent breakthroughs, however, might
change that. Todd Coleman, associate
professor of bioengineering at the University
of California, San Diego (UCSD), has spent the
past few years working to develop technology
he calls epidermal electronics, or electronic
skin, that can be stuck to the forehead and
allows a user to control a computer using only
their thoughts. Coleman has a PhD in applied
mathematics and post-doctoral qualifications
in neuroscience. The brainwave mapping, he
says, attempts to marry the two disciplines.
The first step, which he took while working
at the University of Illinois, was to decode the
signals our brains produce. We realised
there was a conceptual step we could take:
a brainwave cap that monitors brainwaves all
at once it takes a snapshot of signal. Mostpeople were looking at taking that snapshot
Forget muscle sensors such as OCZs NIA, future game controllers could genuinely
detect brainwaves via removable tattoos
and using it to directly [understand what the
brain was doing], says Professor Coleman.
But the brain is like a car you can have a
misalignment, but the car will still go because
you can compensate for it. We realised that
you can do more with the brain if you ask it
questions, play games, show images or query
it for more information. By the end of that
project, we could use brainwaves to fly a plane
over cornfields in Illinois.
By looking for specific responses to
particular questions or actions, Professor
Coleman and his team were able to translatethe language of brainwaves with increasing
precision, and train a computer to
understand what a particular brainwave
pattern meant. The foundations of the direct
mind-to-computer link had been laid, but the
technology didnt scale; an EEG cap is big,
clunky and intrusive. As Professor Coleman
observed, this isnt only neuroscience, its also
an engineering problem.
So we had the idea to develop something
[people] could use at home or in a cafe,
opening up a wider range of applications.
Effectively, I had an app a brain-to-computer
interface. I just needed better sensors.
Traditional biosensors might rely on gels
to facilitate a connection between the sensor
and the skin, or need to be implanted.
Otherwise, like the EEG cap, they tend to be
big and clunky, and because they need to be
connected to monitors, the wearer has to stay
in one place. Less intrusive sensors would
have applications in a range of medicalsituations, and social ones such as gaming.
The sensors are embedded in a tattoo, which Coleman
likens to a Band-Aid. The tattoos last for around a week
before they eventually lose adhesion and fall off
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Finding a way to physically adaptthe brittle rigid and planar structuresof electronics to the irregular curved andelastic surface of the human body was thefirst challenge. Over the next three yearsProfessor Coleman worked with his colleagueDr John Rogers to develop skin-likeepidermal electronics an electrode that canstick directly to skin and detect electrical
activity in the heart, brain and skeletal muscles.
It turns out that when you make just about
anything thin enough, its flexible, explains
Coleman. The trick is to find a way to peel off a
very thin layer of silicon, which you can mount
to something naturally flexible. Fortunately,
the semiconductor industry has developed
silicon wafer technology with a layer between
the circuits and the wafer, and you can
eliminate this layer with the right chemicals.
You can do this in a standard fab and then
use a stamp and peel off the silicon you want.
The chemistry is all standard, and the
process can be done in standard clean-
room environments, so it can scale.
Macroscopically, Professor Coleman
explains, the electrode can be
considered as a thin film on a bi-layer
substrate the two layers being the
epidermis and the dermis. But
microscopically, the technology becomes
more interesting. The researchers had to
explicitly consider the size of imperfections
in the surface of the skin when designing thecircuits, as many of their components and
connections would be of the same order of
magnitude as pores, hairs or wrinkles in the
surface of the skin.
The result is remarkably standard circuitry
albeit at a larger scale than your average
CPU embedded in a flexible carrier material
similar to that found in temporary tattoos.
The epidermal electronics can include strain
sensors, as well as transistors, LEDs,
photodetectors, radio frequency inductors,
capacitors, oscillators and rectifying diodes.Meanwhile, solar cells, integrated batteries
and wireless coils provide options for powersupply. They can also be hidden in a temporarytattoo making them invisible to the wearer.
To make it work, you have to account for all
sorts of factors the power, energy, wireless
comms and so on, says Coleman. The
electronics are the same as those inside your
phone, just made extremely thin and flexible
so that they can integrate better with your
body. The sensors can be powered like RFID
tags near field comms in the same way
that smartphones can activate tags.
In July 2011, Professor Coleman moved
to the University of California in San Diego,
where a closer association with cognitive
neuroscientists has expanded the scope of the
project. What began as a way to fly drones over
cornfields has morphed into something that
can be applied as easily to gaming control as
to unobtrusive monitoring of pregnancies.At UCSD I partnered with Ricardo Gil da
Costa a cognitive neurobiologist at the Salk
Institute who is also available on speed dial for
the script writers on Fringe to develop and
tailor the epidermal electronics system to
place sensors on the forehead. We developed
the platform, optimised the electronics and
really began to probe brain cognition.
You do that by flashing sequences in front
of someone and monitoring the signal just
right. You can see when something catches
your attention, when it triggers a memory. Youcan see all those things without the need for a
LUCYSHERRIFFis a journalist with a
degree in astrophysics
who knows all about the
latest scientific tech.
@lucysherriff
behavioural response from the subject. Oncethe technology sensors neuroscience andengineering was integrated to this degreeProfessor Coleman says he could really think
about integrating the technology into a
forehead sensor.
A brainwave is very small were talking a
millionth of the voltage thats passed across
a standard battery, so you need to have close
skin contact to pick it up. This is why we
embed the sensors in a tattoo, so its like
putting on a Band-Aid. The tattoos last for
around a week to a week and a half; the skin is
alive and sheds cells, so eventually the tattoos
lose adhesion and fall off.
In the beginning, the researchers tried to
find ways of monitoring brain activity in
premature infants, but that focus has
also shifted. The sensors are now
capable of looking for all kinds of
cognitive impairment. Professor
Coleman says it provides good markers
for degenerative brain disease, such as
Alzheimers, or even signs of depression.
The work has now been recognised by the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its
foray into medical monitoring, and Professor
Coleman was named as one of San Diegos50 People to Watch. But despite this success,
he hasnt forgotten gamers. Were working
on a reusable platform for that, he says.
Finding a way to phys ada t
the brittle, rigid and planar structu
of electronics to the irregular, curved and
elastic surface of the human body was the
first challenge. ver the next three years,
Professor Coleman worked with his colleague
Dr John Rogers to develop skin-like
andwireless ns forpower
supply.They canalsobe hidden in a temporary
beh
the
Professor Todd
Coleman, speaking at
TEDx in San Diego
THE EPIDERMAL ELECTRONICS
CAN INCLUDE TRANSISTORS,
STRAIN SENSORS, LEDS,
CAPACITORS AND OSCILLATORS
OCZs NIA just detected muscle
and nerve movements, rather
than brainwavesPhotobySeanDreilingerfromw
ww.d
urak.o
rg
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Our choice of the best hardware available
You dont have to spend an astronomical sum to get a decent PC.
Our budget PC includes a superb Trinity APU, with a built-in Radeon HD
7660D GPU, plus 8GB of 2,133MHz RAM to boost the on-board graphics
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A Xigamtek Midgard II www.overclockers.co.uk www.xigmatek.com Issue 113, p74 60
B Gigabyte GA-F2A85XM-D3H www.scan.co.uk www.gigabyte.com Issue 115, p90 60
C AMD A10-5800K www.aria.co.uk www.amd.com Issue 112, p60 92
D 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2,133MHz CAS11 www.ebuyer.com www.corsair.com Issue 112, p60 60
E Gelid Tranquillo Rev 2 www.quietpc.com www.gelidsolutions.com Issue 100, p86 26
F Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 530W www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue 110, p55 63
G 500GB Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p72 43
H Lite-On IHAS124-19 www.ebuyer.com www.liteonit.eu Issue 99, p108 14
I Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 537
B
MOTHERBOARD
F
PSU
G
HARD DISK
D
RAM
H
OPTICAL DRIVE
E
COOLING
I
OPERATING SYSTEM
C
APU
A
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As Core i7 motherboards and high-end graphics cards command a
premium price, here are some components for a Core i5 PC that offer
great performance and wont break the bank
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A SilverStone Raven RV03 www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue 103, p70 96
B MSI Z77A-G45 www.scan.co.uk www.msi-computer.com Issue 115, p44 85
C Intel Core i5-3570K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue 106, p36 176
D8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis
KHX1866C11D3P1K2/8Gwww.overclockers.co.uk www.kingston.com Issue 106, p40 50
E Thermalright True Spirit 120M www.overclockers.co.uk www.thermalright.com Issue116, p61 25
F Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB www.scan.co.uk www.nvidia.com Issue 111, p63 147
G Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 530W www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue 110, p55 63
H Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p75 69
I Asus Xonar DG www.dabs.com http://uk.asus.com Issue 99, p108 24
J SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB www.ebuyer.com www.sandiskcom Issue 117, p68 125
K Lite-On IHAS124-19 www.ebuyer.com www.liteonit.eu Issue 99, p108 14
L Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 993
A
G H I J L
PSU HARD DISK SOUND CARD SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM
F
GRAPHICS CARD
B D E
MOTHERBOARD RAM COOLINGCPU
C
24
UPDATED
UPDATEDUPDATED
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ur choice of the best hardware available
This PC has the potential to be the finest gaming machine you can find as
well as an excellent all-round computer for office work, digital photography,
video production and media playback
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A SilverStone Fortress FT02B-W USB 3.0 www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue 85, p88 179
B Asus Maximus V Gene www.scan.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue 106, p64 155
C Intel Core i5-3570K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue 106, p36 176
D8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis
KHX1866C11D3P1K2/8Gwww.overclockers.co.uk www.kingston.com Issue 106, p40 50
E Antec Khler H2O 920 www.ebuyer.com www.antec.com Issue 116, p62 78
F AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition www.scan.co.uk www.amd.com Issue 111, p70 345
G Corsair HX850 www.scan.co.uk www.corsair.com Issue 110, p68 129
H Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p75 69
I Creative Sound Blaster Z www.ilgs.co.uk www.creative.com Issue 116, p42 69
J Plextor M5 Pro 256GB www.scan.co.uk www.plextor.com Issue 117, p64 155
K Lite-On IHAS123-19 www.ebuyer.com www.liteonit.eu Issue 99, p108 14
L Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 1,538
G H I L
PSU HARD DISK SOUND CARD SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM
F
GRAPHICS CARD
A
B D E
MOTHERBOARD CPU RAM COOLING
C
J
UPDATED UPDATED
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The most awesome components around, before reaching workstation
territory. Weve included a dual 120mm liquid cooler kit as a base
example, but the case has space for a variety of water-cooling setups
G H I J K
PSU SOLID STATE DRIVE SOUND CARD HARD DISK OPERATING SYSTEM
A
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W www.advancetec.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue 63, p87 216
B Asus Maximus V Gene www.scan.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue 106, p64 155
C Intel Core i7-3770K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue 106, p36 263
D8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis
KHX1866C11D3P1K2/8Gwww.overclockers.co.uk www.kingston.com Issue 106, p40 50
E Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan 6GB www.scan.co.uk www.nvidia.com Issue 116, p34 852
F Corsair H100i www.scan.co.uk www.corsair.com Issue 116, p65 89
G Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue 110, p64 168
H Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB www.scan.co.uk www.samsung.com Issue 117, p67 188
I Creative Sound Blaster Z www.ilgs.co.uk www.creative..com Issue 116, p42 69
J Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM0001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p75 69
K Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 2,238
B D
MOTHERBOARD CPU RAM
C E F
GRAPHICS CARD COOLING
26
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Our choice of the best hardware available
TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME Intel Core i5-3570K Asus Maximus V GeneThermalright True Spirit
120M
8GB Kingston HyperXGenesis
KHX1866C11D3P1K2/8G
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.intel.co.uk http://uk.asus.com www.thermalright.com www.kingston.com
REVIEWED Issue 106, p36 Issue 106, p64 Issue116, p61 Issue 106, p40
PRICE (inc VAT) 176 155 25 50
TYPE GRAPHICS CARD GRAPHICS CARD GRAPHICS CARD
NAME Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.nvidia.com www.nvidia.com www.amd.com
REVIEWED Issue 111, p63 Issue 111, p68 Issue 111, p70
PRICE (inc VAT) 147 285 345
UPDATED
7/27/2019 Custom_PC_06_2013
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TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME AMD A10-5800K Gigabyte GA-F2A85XM-D3H Gelid Tranquillo Rev 28GB Corsair Vengeance
2,133MHz CAS11
SUPPLIER www.aria.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.quietpc.com www.ebuyer.com
MANUFACTURER www.amd.com www.gigabyte.com www.gelidsolutions.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue 112, p60 Issue 115, p90 Issue 100, p86 Issue 112, p60
PRICE (inc VAT) 92 60 26 60
TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME Intel Core i7-3930K Asus Sabertooth X79 Corsair H100i16GB Corsair Vengeance
1,600MHz CAS9
SUPPLIER www.novatech.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.dabs.com
MANUFACTURER www.intel.co.uk http://uk.asus.com www.corsair.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue 101, p32 Issue 101, p70 Issue 116, p65 Issue 101, p40
PRICE (inc VAT) 480 252 89 90
28
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Our choice of the best hardware available
TYPE BUDGET CASE MICROATX CASE AIRCOOLING CASE WATERCOOLING CASE
NAME Xigmatek Midgard II SilverStone TJ08-E SilverStone Raven RV03 SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.advancetec.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.xigmatek.com www.silverstonetek.com www.silverstonetek.com www.silverstonetek.com
REVIEWED Issue 113, p74 Issue 98, p48 Issue 103, p70 Issue 63, p87
PRICE (inc VAT) 60 65 96 216
TYPELGA1155 CPUWATERBLOCK
GEFORCE GTX 680WATERBLOCK
RADEON HD 7970WATERBLOCK
DUAL 120MM RADIATOR
NAME XSPC RayStorm CPU XSPC Razor GTX680 Aquacomputer aquagrATIxfor HD 7970 Alphacool NexXxos UT60Full Copper 240mm
SUPPLIER www.aquatuning.co.uk www.specialtech.co.uk www.aquatuning.co.uk www.aquatuning.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.xs-pc.com www.xs-pc.com www.aquacomputer.de www.alphacool.com
REVIEWED Issue 107, p60 Issue 107, p65 Issue 107, p67 Issue 107, p72
PRICE (inc VAT) 54 80 81 57
7/27/2019 Custom_PC_06_2013
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TYPE HARD DISK SSD NAS BOX
NAME Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 Plextor M5 Pro 256GB Synology DiskStation DS212j
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.dabs.com
MANUFACTURER www.seagate.com www.plextor.com www.synology.com
REVIEWED Issue 104, p75 Issue 117, p64 Issue 104, p50
PRICE (inc VAT) 69 155 160
TYPE 530W PSU 850W PSU 1.2kW PSU
NAME Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 530W Corsair HX850 Corsair AX1200i
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.bequiet.com www.corsair.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue 110, p55 Issue 110, p68 Issue 111, p40
PRICE (inc VAT) 63 129 258
UPDATED
UPDATED
30
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Our choice of the best hardware available
TYPE SOUND CARD 2.1 SPEAKERS HEADSET 5.1 SPEAKERS
NAME Creative Sound Blaster Z Corsair SP2500 Asus Vulcan ANC Logitech Z906
SUPPLIER www.ilgs.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.systo.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.creative.com www.corsair.com http://uk.asus.com www.logitech.com
REVIEWED Issue 116, p42 Issue 92, p79 Issue 98, p57 Issue 102, p50
PRICE (inc VAT) 69 179 83 242
TYPE 24INMONITOR 27INBUDGET MONITOR 29INMONITOR TRIPLEMONITOR STAND
NAME Dell U2412M Digimate IPS-2701WPH Dell U2913WM
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.dell.com www.digimate.com www.dell.com www.xfxforce.com
REVIEWED Issue 105, p64 Issue 115, p62 Issue 115, p58 Issue 96, p58
PRICE (inc VAT) 210 360 480 299
XFX Triple Display MonitorStand
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TYPE KEYBOARD MOUSE STEERING WHEEL JOYSTICK
NAME Gigabyte Osmium Mionix Naos 3200 Logitech G27 Logitech Flight System G940
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.kustompcs.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.gigabyte.com www.mionix.net www.logitech.com www.logitech.com
REVIEWED Issue 108, p70 Issue 108, p60 Issue 92, p108 Issue 92, p109
PRICE (inc VAT) 100 40 225 228
TYPE RPG FPS STRATEGY UNDERDOG
NAME Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dishonored Frozen Synapse Trine 2
DEVELOPER www.bethsoft.com www.arkane-studios.com www.mode7games.com http://frozenbyte.com
PUBLISHER www.bethsoft.com www.bethsoft.com www.mode7games.com http://frozenbyte.com
REVIEWED Issue 101, p100 Issue 111, p96 Issue 96, p92 Issue 102, p98
PRICE (inc VAT) 18 26 19 for two 12
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46DREMEL MULTI
MAX MM40
Voltage-controlledoscillator
41
ZOTAC GTX 650 Ti
BOOST 2GB
Nvidia proves it needs morenomenclature lessons
50ICY BOX IB867
Stick this in a spare
bay, and youll never runout of USB ports again
44
FILCO NINJA
TENKEYLESS
Guess which keys yourepressing
50CRYSTAL
ACOUSTICS MIC30
A cracking pair ofearphones for just 20
36FIERCE PC
PRODIGY GT MINI
Which is more fierce thisPCs bark or its bite?
40SAPPHIRE HD 7790
1GB DUALX
AMD releases its newRadeon HD 7790 chip
51LOGIC3 FERRARI
R300
Headphones fit forMagnum PI
32 June 2013
Our in-depth analysis ofthe latest PC hardware
34
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HOW WE TEST, P48
Scan 3XS Z77
Node TitanOne of the fastest PCs weveever tested and its tiny 34
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HOW MUCH?
Price2,074 inc VAT
Supplierwww.scan.co.ukManufacturerwww. scan.co.uk
IN DETAIL
CPUIntel Core i7-3770Koverclocked to 4.6GHz
MotherboardAsus P8Z77-IDeluxe
Memory16GB CorsairVengeance 1,600MHz DDR3
GraphicsNvidia GeForceGTX Titan 6GB
SoundOn-board
Hard disk250GB Samsung
840, 2TB Seagate BarracudaOptical driveNone
CaseFractal DesignNode 304
CoolingCPU: Antec KhlerH2O 920, 2 x front 92mmfans
PSUCorsair GS600
PortsFront: 2 x USB 3, 2 xmini-jacks. Rear: 4 x USB 3,4 x USB 2, LAN, audio out,mic, headphone, opticalS/PDIF out, HDMI,DisplayPort, DVI
ExtrasWindows 8 Pro 64-bit
WarrantyThree years (one
year on-site, two years RTB)
ans of tiny PCs have never had it so good. Not
only are there dozens of good mini-ITX cases,
but the latest Z77 mini-ITX motherboards lack
nothing in the way of overclocking prowess
compared to their larger siblings. Weve looked at
several ways to build a tiny powerful PC recently, and
weve also shown you how to water-cool Cooler
Masters pint-sized Elite 120 Advanced case (see
p112). However, Scan has gone just a little further in
terms of specification with its 3XS Z77 Node Titan.
Its opted for Fractal Designs Node 304 case, which
didnt top the charts in our mini-ITX Labs, but the 3XS
Z77 Node Titan has some tricks up its sleeves. First
on the list is its specs list. Scan has aimed sky-high,
and the 3XS Z77 Node Titan includes an Intel Core
i7-3770K, which has been overclocked to a massive
4.6GHz one of the highest overclocks weve seen on a
ready-made system. Combined with the CPUs Hyper-
Threading support, we expect some serious numbers
in our multi-threaded benchmarks, such as our video
encoding test, where the 3770Ks additional four
virtual cores will come into play.
At the heart of the Windows 8 Pro-powered system
is Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe, which is currently our
favourite mini-ITX overclocking motherboard. Scan
has raised its game and installed 16GB of RAM too.
As we saw in our RAM feature (see p94), 16GB is still
excessive for a majority of situations, unless youre
running loads of virtual machines. However, some
games and applications may well make this future-
proofing investment worthwhile in time, especially if
youre buying a new system that costs over 2,000.
The PCs centrepiece has to be its graphics card
though an Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan 6GB. Scan has
overclocked this 900 graphics cards GPU from
837MHz to 1GHz for good measure too. Meanwhile, for
storage, the 3XS system uses a combination of a 2TB
hard disk and a 250GB Samsung 840 SSD. Its a little
disappointing not to see the Pro version of this SSD at
this price, but you can thankfully tailor-fit your own
specification on Scans website if you want.
Most of the inside of the case isnt modified, but the
glowing graphics card, Corsair GS600 PSU and Antec
all-in-one liquid cooler add a certain menace to the
systems otherwise understated demeanour. For
cooling, Scan has also fitted am Antec Khler H2O 920
to deal with its massively overclocked CPU. Its bolted
to the Nodes rear 120mm fan mount, with both its
fans pushing warm air out the back.
The cases only other forms of cooling are its two
front 92mm fans both are the original Fractal Design
spinners supplied with the case. The Node has its own
fan controller too, which is wired up to the two front
fans and set to low speed as standard. The Khler H2O
920 is also set to silent mode, meaning that the 3XS
Z77 Node Titan is rigged for silent running. Meanwhile,
Scan offers a one-year on-site warranty, with a further
two years return to base.
PERFORMANCE
The 3XS Z77 Node Titan was incredibly quiet at idle,
almost not doing justice to the monster within. The
noisiest component was the hard disk, thanks largely
due to Scans decision to run all the fan controllers at
their lowest settings. We first fired up our stress test,
which revealed a peak power draw of 435W well
within the limits of its 600W PSU, while at idle this
dropped to 75W. Under load, the Khler H2O 920
ramped up its fans to deal with the extra heat, but
the noise was still far from unpleasant.
With Prime95 and Unigine Heaven pushing the
limits of the system, the CPU delta T maxed out at a
rather toasty 75C, with the absolute temperature
reported as just under 100C. We decided againstpushing it any further; weve come to expect such high
SCAN
OLYMPIAN
Very quiet and
small; stellar
performance;
good value
TITAN
CPU gets very
warm; limited
expansion and
overclocking
Scans pocket rocket sports a GTX Titanand a 4.6GHz Core i7-3770K
3XS Z77 Node Titan
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HIGH-END MINI-ITX PC
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
2,093
2,268
2,285
1,987Computer Planet GX
Palicomp Alpha Blade
Scan 3XS Node Titan
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
fps4000
3,533
4,240
3,674
3,271Computer Planet GX
Palicomp Alpha Blade
Scan 3XS Node Titan
MULTI-TASKING
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
1,857
1,740
1,702Computer Planet GX
Palicomp Alpha Blade
Scan 3XS Node Titan
OVERALL
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
2,778
2,566
2,320Computer Planet GX
Palicomp Alpha Blade
Scan 3XS Node Titan
BATTLEFIELD 31,92 0 x 1,0 80, 16x AF, 4x AA
Minimum Average
5,760 x 1,080, 16x AF, 4x AA
0 25 50 75 100
fps80
fps77
fps66
fps64Computer Planet GX
Fierce PC Prodigy GT
Scan 3XS Node Titan
0 25 50 75 100
s49 s32
fps43
fps274.2GHz Core i5-3570K
+ GTX 680
Scan 3XS Node Titan
CRYSIS 31,92 0 x 1,0 80, 16x AF, 0x AA
5,760 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
0 25 50 75 100
fps66fps49Scan 3XS Node Titan
0 25 50 75 100
fps39fps21Scan 3XS Node Titan
Stock speed Overclocked
fps132fps109
SHOGUN 2: TOTAL WAR DX9 CPU BENCHMARKDefault settings
0 25 50 75 100
fps34
fps34
fps37
fps29
fps30
fps31Scan 3XS Node Titan
Fierce PC Prodigy GT
Computer Planet GX
custom P
OVERALL
SPEED 24 / 25
DESIGN20 / 25
HARDWARE23 / 25
VALUE22 / 25
temperatures from heavily overclocked Ivy Bridge
CPUs. However, Scan is still sailing close to the wind
here, while the GPU delta T was a little cooler at 59C.
The 3XS Z77 Node Titan also demolished our Media
Benchmarks, thanks to massive video editing and
multi-tasking scores that were noticeably faster than
the Palicomp Alpha Blade and Computer Planet GX
2300 we tested recently. Its image editing score was a
little low given the CPUs huge overclock, but only 20
points slower than that achieved by the Alpha Blade.
There was no quibbling in our game benchmarks
though. In Battlefield 3 at 1,920 x 1,080, the 3XS Z77
Node Titan managed a huge minimum frame rate
of 109fps. This was nearly double the result of the
GeForce GTX 670 2GB-equipped Fierce PC Prodigy
GT Mini Gaming PC (see p36). To stretch the graphics
cards legs, we threw in some higher resolutions too
it managed a minimum of 62fps at 2,560 x 1,200 and
a still silky-smooth 43fps at 5,760 x 1,080 incredible
given the PCs small size and low noise output.
In Crysis 3, we had to use a slightly different
benchmark from the test used on p82, thanks to some
interference from Windows 8. However, the 3XS Z77
Node Titan still managed a superb minimum frame
rate of 49fps at 1,920 x 1,080, although this dropped to
21fps using the pixel-tastic 5,760 x 1,080 resolution.
CONCLUSION
The 3XS Z77 Node Titan is a tiny powerhouse that
defies the odds, cramming 2,000 worth of hardware
into a mini-ITX cube case, while remaining remarkably
quiet at idle and under load. This requires sacrifices
though theres the high price, limited expansion
room and the CPUs high temperature under extreme
loads, meaning that theres little overclocking
headroom. However, despite its lofty price tag, the
hardware and performance included, not to mention
the low noise and small footprint, make this a great
value, high-performance mini PC.
AN TO NY LE ATHER
Inside sits an Nvidia GeForce GTX
Titan, while two front-mounted
92mm Fractal Design fans helpto push air through the case
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HOW MUCH?
Price1,212 inc VAT
Supplierwww.fiercepc.co.uk
Manufacturerwww.fiercepc.co.uk
IN DETAIL
CPU3.4GHz Intel Corei5-3570K overclocked to4.2GHz
MotherboardGigabyteGA-Z77N-WIFI
Memory8GB KingstonHyperX 1,600MHz DDR3
GraphicsZotac GeForceGTX 670
SoundOn-board
Storage240GB OCZAgility 3 SSD; 1TB Seagate
Barracuda 7200.14 hard diskOptical driveSamsungDVD writer
CaseBitFenix Prodigy
CoolingCPU: ThermaltakeWater 2.0; case: 1 x 120mmfront intake fan
PSUFractal Design IntegraR2 650W
PortsFront: 2 x USB 3, mic,headphone. Rear: 2 x USB 3,4 x USB 2, LAN, 5 x audio,optical S/PDIF; PS/2;HDMI; DVI-I
ExtrasWindows 8 64-bit
WarrantyTwo years returnto base
ierce PC is a new name around these parts,
but its Prodigy GT Mini Gaming PC is a clear
statement of intent, from its striking chassis to
the litany of high-end components crammed
inside. The BitFenix Prodigy case is a superb starting
point. Its one of the best mini-ITX cases around,
making it a clear winner of our mini-ITX case Labs (see
Issue 109, p54). It offers great air cooling for such a
small case, it has a smart, hard-wearing matt finish
and it also has a removable grill on top of the chassis.
The layout is sensible too. The rear has a cage for
a full-sized Fractal Design Integra R2 650W PSU. It
meets the 80Plus Bronze certification, meaning that
its 85 per cent efficient at 50 per cent load, but it isnt
modular. Above this is the motherboard tray, which
holds a Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI motherboard, while
the front half of the chassis is used for the hard disk
and optical drive storage. Theres a 3.5in cage that can
hold two hard disks, room for one optical drive and a
bracket that holds an SSD behind the rear side panel.
Fierce PC has done a great job of keeping the
insides tidy, but theres little room to grow. The
motherboards two DIMM slots are already filled,
theres only one SATA port empty and the single PCI-E
16x slot is occupied. This isnt a criticism, given the
tight demands of a mini-ITX PC, but its worth
considering the small amount of upgrade headroom.
The Prodigy is 404mm tall, 250mm wide and
359mm deep, so its around half the size of the largest
gaming enclosures, but its still up to the job. Build
quality is good; the only niggles are the rattling side
panel, and the FyberFlex base and handles, which
allow airflow into the case but are a little wobbly. The
power button is at the bottom of the right-hand side
too, making it a pain to reach if your PC is on the floor.
The tight dimensions of the Fierce PCs case also
mean that its Intel Core i5-3570K has only been
overclocked from 3.3GHz to 4.2GHz the same speed
as Computer Planets GX 2300 Gaming PC (see Issue
109, p38), but 400MHz less than Palicomp extracted
from this CPU in its Alpha Blade (see Issue 113, p36).
The CPU is chilled by a Thermaltake Water 2.0,which is attached to the rear exhaust mount and has
two 120mm fans. Its made by Asetek and it works well,
but cooling options are naturally limited elsewhere:
theres only a single 120mm fan at the front, with air
drawn through the black plastic grille.
Meanwhile, storage comes from a 240GB OCZ
Agility 3 SSD alongside a 1TB hard disk. Its a more
conventional setup than the SSD-only Computer
Planet machine, but the Agility is a mid-range cousin
to the much quicker Vector. That said, its good to see
240GB of solid state storage in the machine it will still
be much quicker than just a hard drive.
The addition of dual-band WiFi is rare and welcome
too, plus theres 8GB of RAM. This might be half the
amount included in the Computer Planet machine,
but as we found in our memory feature this month
(see p94), this is all you need for gaming.
PERFORMANCE
The Fierce PC machines overclock is modest, so
not surprisingly, it delivered a set of mid-range
benchmark results. Its image editing score of 2,044
is ahead of the Computer Planets 1,987 but a long
way behind the Palicomps 2,285. This pattern was
repeated in the Handbrake video encoding
benchmark; the Fierce PCs 3,308 was slightly ahead
of the Computer Planets 3,271 result, but an even
longer way behind the Palicomps 3,674 score.
There wasnt much to choose between all three
PCs in the multi-tasking test, however. The Fierce PC
scored 1,712 just ten points ahead of the Computer
Planet machine and 28 points behind the faster
Palicomp. It all adds up to an overall score of 2,355,
which is a sliver ahead of the Computer Planets 2,320,
but it cant compete with the Palicomps 2,566 result.
While it didnt stand out in application benchmarks,
the machines Zotac GeForce GTX 670 graphics card
proved its worth in our gaming tests. The systemsminimum frame rate of 66fps in Battlefield 3 is 20fps
FIERCE PC
NEVER
OUTGUNNED
Fast in games;
good-looking;
cool and quiet
ALWAYS
OUTNUMBERED
Middling 2D
speed; mid-range
SSD; conservative
overclock
This small, affordable system packs a punch,
thanks to Nvidias GTX 670
Prodigy GT Mini Gaming PC
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GRAPHICS CARDS
HOW MUCH?
Price145 inc VAT
Supplierwww.ebuyer.com
Manufacturerwww.zotac.com
IN DETAIL
Graphics processorGeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost2GB 993MHz - 1,046MHzguaranteed
Pipeline768 streamprocessors, 24 ROPs
Memory2GB GDDR5, 6GHzeffective
Bandwidth144GB/sec,192-bit interface
CompatibilityDirectX 11.1,OpenGL 4.1
Outputs/inputs2 x DVI,HDMI, DisplayPort, 1 x SLI
Power connections1 x 6-pin, top-mounted
Size185mm long, dual-slot
ot one to give AMD the upper hand, Nvidia
has also launched a new mid-range GPU in
the form of the awkwardly named GeForce
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB. It isnt directly
comparable to the HD 7790 1GB, however, as it sits
at the highly competitive 145 price point; instead, it
competes with the HD 7850 2GB.
Like the 100 GTX 650 Ti 1GB, the Boost is based on
the 221mm, 2.54 billion transistor GK106 GPU and
the associated Kepler architecture. It boasts the
same stream processor count of 768 as the GTX
650 Ti 1GB, but also benefits from Nvidias GPU
Boost technology, running at a base frequency of
980MHz and boosting to a guaranteed 1,033MHz.
This Zotac model also boasts a minor factory
overclock of 993MHz.
Of greater importance for the GPUs
performance is the use of a 192-bit
memory interface and 24 ROPs,
matching the configuration of the GTX
660 2GB. When paired with the cards
1.5GHz (6GHz effective) memory
frequency, this makes for 144GB/sec of
memory bandwidth, a 40 per cent increase over the
standard GTX 650 Ti 1GB.
While stock models of the card are available
through some partners, most board partners are
offering custom PCB and cooler designs, and Zotac is
no exception. The cards 185mm PCB will fit into even
the most confined cases, while its pair of 80mm
down-draught fans provide cooling. With a TDP of
134W, (just 6W lower than the GTX 660 Ti 2GB), this
should be plenty to keep the card cool.
Performance in Battlefield 3 at 1,920 x 1,080 is
impressive, with a minimum frame rate of 41fps
surpassing the HD 7850 by over 10 per cent.
In Crysis 3 we see the same pattern, with the Boost
producing a borderline-playable minimum of 26fps
at 1,920 x 1,080; just 1fps behind the much more
expensive HD 7870 2GB.
Skyrim is a closer run, but again the Boost comes
out ahead of the HD 7850 2GB with a minimum of52fps at 1,920 x 1,080 compared to the Radeons
50fps. Notably, the 650 Ti Boost 2GBcan also happily
play Skyrim at 2,560 x 1,600, with a playable minimum
frame rate of 36fps.
Finally, in The Witcher 2, the HD 7850 2GB claims
the upper hand, but only marginally, with a minimum
of 39fps compared to the Boosts 38fps.
On the balance of performance across all four
benchmarks, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost is the
quicker GPU, although the measured peak system
power consumption of 231W is 35W higher than the
result with the Radeon HD 7850 2GB installed.
CONCLUSION
While the GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Boost conquers the
Radeon HD 7850 2GB, Nvidia has crossed its pricing
wires somewhere. While the GTX 650Ti 2GB Boost is
available for around 145, recent price cuts have
pushed the far superior GTX 660 2GB to just 147 for
a PNY card fromwww.scan.co.uk
Considering their identical power consumption
and the GTX 660 2GBs 20 per cent performance
advantage, the GTX 650 Ti 2GB Boost is roundly
eclipsed by its stable mate.
HARRY BUTLER
ZOTAC
BOOSTER
Faster than HD
7850 2GB in
most tests;
Crysis 3 playable
at 1080p
RE-ENTRY
GTX 660 2GB
costs just 5
more and much
faster; high power
consumption
THE USE OF A 192-BIT MEMORY
INTERFACE AND 24 ROPs MATCHES
THE CONFIGURATION OF THE
GEFORCE GTX 660 2GB
Better than an HD 7850 2GB,but Nvidia is its own worst enemy
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
OVERALL
SPEED32 / 40
FEATURES 24 / 30
VALUE 19 / 30
42
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GRAPHICS CARDS
41
BATTLEFIELD 3 (DX11)1,9 20 x 1, 080 4x A A, 16x AF
Minimum Average
Higher is better
0 25 50 75 100
fps58
fps57
fps49
fps47
fps40
fps36
fps29
fps47
fps47
fps41
fps37
fps33
fps30
fps24Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
2,5 60 x 1 ,60 0 4 x AA , 1 6x AF
0 25 50 75 100
fps33
fps32
fps27
fps27
fps20
fps14
fps11
fps27
fps26
fps23
fps22
fps13
fps11
fps6Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
THE ELD ER SCR OLL S V : S KYR IM (DX 9)
UNIGINE HEAVEN BENCHMARK 3
1,9 20 x 1, 080 , 8 x AA , 1 6x AF, Ultr a D eta il
0 25 50 75 100
fps78
fps76
fps68
fps65
fps50
fps51
fps36
fps60
fps59
fps52
fps50
fps38
fps37
fps24Radeon HD 7770 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
2,5 60 x 1 ,60 0, 8x AA, 16x AF, Ultr a De tail
2,5 60 x 1 ,60 0, 4x A A, 16x AF
0 25 50 75 100
fps56
fpsfps47
fps48
fps34
fps22
fps19
fps42
fps45
fps38
fps36
fps23
fps13
fps9Radeon HD 7770 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
0 170 340 510 680 850
809
772
671
665
544
455
412Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
CRYSIS 3 (DX11)1,92 0 x 1,0 80, 0x AA, Ver y H igh Deta il
Minimum Average
Lower is better
Lower is better
Idle Load
Idle Gaming
0 25 50 75 100
fps36
fps33
fps30
fps28
fps22
fps22
fps17
fps32
fps27
fps26
fps23
fps19
fps18
fps14Radeon HD 7770 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
2,5 60 x 1 ,600 , 0 x AA , V ery High Det ail
0 25 50 75 100
fps21
fps20
fps17
fps16
fps12
fps12
fps9
fps17
fps17
fps14
fps14
fps10
fps9
fps7Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
THE WIT CHE R 2 (DX 9)
PEAK GPU TEMPERATURE (DELTA T)
1,92 0 x 1,0 80, Maxi mum Det ail, Ube rsam pli ng Off
0 25 50 75 100
fps63
fps55
fps48
fps46
fps42
fps35
fps30
fps52
fps43
fps39
fps38
fps36
fps29
fps24Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
2,5 60 x 1 ,600 , M axim um Det ail, Ube rsam plin g O ff
0 25 50 75 100
fps32
fps30
fps26
fps27
fps21
fps20
fps17
fps26
fps26
fps20
fps23
fps17
fps16
fps12Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
0 20 40 60 80
C40
C41
C76No stock card
C33
C34
C30
C44
C6
C9
C7
C4C8
C10Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
PEAK TOTAL SYSTEM POWER DRAW
0 50 100 150 200 250
W216
W230
W196
W230
W178
W186
W167
W100
W98
W99
W104
W106
W106
W104Radeon HD 7770 1GB
GTX 650 Ti 1GB
Radeon HD 7790 1GB
GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
GeForce GTX 660 2GB
Radeon HD 7870 2GB
TEST KIT4.2GHz Intel Core i5 3570K CPU, Asus Maximus V Extreme
motherboard, 8GB Corsair 2,400MHz DDR3 memory,
Samsung SSD 830 256GB, Windows 7 64-bit, Nvidia
GeForce 314.07, AMD Catalyst 13.1
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HOW WE TEST
49June 2013
Our benchmark suite
simulates how people
really use PCs, and a
higher score is better.
You can download
the suite from
www.tinyurl.com/
benchies2.66GHz Intel Core 2
Duo E6750
2GB of Corsair
1,066MHz DDR2
250GB Samsung
SpinPoint P120S
Asus P5K Deluxe
WiFi-AP
TESTS:By using the fast PC detailed on theleft, we can be sure that any limitations we see
are due to the graphics card on test. We test the
four games (right) at their maximum detail
settings, in their highest DirectX mode, and at
three resolutions. High-end cards should be able
to sustain playable frame rates at 2,560 x 1,600,
while 1,920 x 1,080 is more important for mid-
range cards; we no longer test at 1,680 x 1,050
because 1,920 x 1,080 is so cheap. We also try to
overclock every graphics card we test to see what
difference this makes to the cards performance.
Some products are
gloriously over thetop. These items of
excellent overkill
earn our Extreme
Ultra award.
Premium Grade
products are
utterly desirable
wed eat nothing
but beans until we
could afford them.
Products worthy
of the Professional
award make you
and your business
appear even
more awesome.
Approved products
are those that do a
great job for themoney; theyre the
canny purchase for
a great PC.
For those gadgets
and gizmos that
really impress us,
or that we cant live
without, theres the
Custom Kit award.
Motherboards are evaluated on everything from layout and features
to overclockability and value for money. Every motherboard is tested
with the same components, so all results are directly comparable.
TESTS:We use theCustom PCMedia Benchmarks and several games, and also testthe speeds of the boards SATA ports. We try to overclock every motherboard we review
by testing for a maximum QPI, base clock or HTT as well as overclocking the CPU to its
maximum air-cooled level. We run our tests at stock speed and with the CPU overclocked.
Intel Corei7-3770K
AMD Phenom
II X6 1100T BE
Motherboardon test
Motherboard
on test
8GB of Corsair1,600MHz DDR3
4GB of Corsair
1,600MHz DDR3
Motherboard AMD A10-5800K Motherboardon test
8GB of Corsair2,133MHz DDR3
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 680 2GB*
12 GB PatriotWildfire
Windows 764-bit
Windows7 GBPatrio
*Please note: We test AMD FM2 motherboards using the on-board graphics, not the Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 2GB 3GB
amd fm2
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CUSTOM KIT
51June 2013
HEADPHONES
LOGIC3FERRARI R300
05Like really expensive Marmite, Ferrari merchandise often
divides people into love and hate camps. Some think its
tacky, while others wear their love for the prancing pony on theirsleeve quite literally. Wherever you stand, though, youd
certainly appreciate the craftsmanship exhibited throughout
the R300. Its a beautiful headset to hold, and the fit of the supra-
aural ear cups is excellent. Sound quality divided opinion,
however, thanks to the headsets noise-cancelling technology;
several thought it stifled music, while others thought it made
sounds clearer and more precise. Annoyingly, the noise
cancelling cant be turned off an oversight for a headset this
expensive and one that mars an otherwise solid product,
assuming youd be happy sporting two bright yellow Ferrarilogos on your ears. After all, theres no accounting for taste. PGALONSO ANYONE ELSE
Price269 inc VATSupplier www.advancedmp3players.co.uk
Manufacturerwww.logic3.com
iPHONE ACCESSORY
SCANFXOPTICAL X12ZOOM LENS FOR iPHONE
06While most phone cameras sport a digital
zoom, the results are universally rubbish
if you want to zoom properly, you need to do it
with a lens. This is exactly what the ScanFX x12
provides for an iPhone, at least and
its surprisingly well-built for the money.The tripod is handy too, as camera-
shake is amplified at longer
focal lengths, and the case can be
unscrewed from the lens. The optical
performance isnt stellar, but we can
forgive the slight softness we saw
being introduced to our snaps . For a
surprisingly low price, this is a decent
upgrade over the standard iPhone
camera if you want to take lots ofclose-up shots
