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WINDOWS8:WHERES THE START BUTTON?
PLUS
IS
SU
E112
JA
N2
013
4
.5
0
THE BEST-SST-SELLING G MAG G FOOR PC HARDWAWAW RE, OE, OVERCLOCKLOCKINGG, G, GAMING & G & MOODDINGG
AMD Trinity vs
Intel Core i3
and Pentium
Play Skyrim
without a
graphics card
BUDGET
CPUS
F
R
O
M
7
2
AMD MOTHERBOARDS
HOW TO TURN
AN OLD CPU INTO
A USB THUMBDRIVE
SPECIAL REPORT: HOWQUANTUM COMPUTERSWORK
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
3January 2013
Welcome to Issue 112Welcome to Issue 112
Editorial
EDITOR
BenHardwidge
TECHNICALEDITOR
HarryButler
GAMESEDITOR
JoeMartin
ARTEDITOR
BillBagnall
PRODUCTIONEDITOR
JulieBirrell
CONTRIBUTORS
AntonyLeather, CliffHarris,
GarethHalfacree,JamesGorbold,
JimKillock,LucySherriff,
PaulGoodhead,RickLane,
SimonTreadaway,TracyKing
PHOTOGRAPHY
AntonyLeather,
DannyBird
Advertising
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+44(0)2079076620
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USADVERTISINGDIRECTOR
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CustomPCispublishedmonthlybyDennisPublishingLtd,30ClevelandStreet,
LondonW1T4JD,acompanyregisteredinEnglandnumber1138891.
EntirecontentsDennisPublishingLtdlicensedbyFelden.
DONT TRY THIS AT HOME
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DennisPublishingLimitedcannotacceptanyresponsibilityforanyloss,disruptionor
damagetoyourdataoryourcomputersystemwhichmayoccurasaresultoffollowingor
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CHEAP
ASCHIPS
54
BUDGETCPUs
Whetheryouwanttobuildthe
bestall-roundsystemonatight
budget,orifyournextbuildsimplydoesnt
needallthetop-endbellsandwhistles,
weveroundedupsixofthebestbudget
CPUstofindoutwhichdeservesaplacein
yourPC,andputfournewSocketFM2
motherboardsthroughtheirpacestoo.
4 January 2013
Welcome to Issue 112
14
INMODWETRUST
JoeMartindiscussesmoddingwith
JasonBrice,whorecruitedsomeofthebest
UnrealEngine3modderstomakeRekoil.
18
ROBOTBUTLERS
Howfarareweawayfromareal-life
RobbytheRobot?
20
READMYMIPS
GarethHalfacreeexplainshowan
alternativeCPUinstructionsetcouldrender
thesmartphonemarketARMless.
36
WINDOWS8
TheStartmenuhasgone,andanew
tile-basedsystemhasturnedup.Isthereany
pointinupgradingtoWindows8onadesktop?
42
NANOXIADEEPSILENCE1
Canyoubuildasuper-quietPC
withoutoverlysacrificingperformance?
86
XCOM:ENEMYUNKNOWN
Someremadeclassicssurpassthe
magicoftheoriginals,butnotallofthem.Joe
MartinplaysthenewXCOMtoseehowitfares.
92
TRULYSOCIALGAMING
Hardcoregamedeveloperscould
learnathingortwofromsocialgames
suchasFarmville,andsolveonlinegamers
attitudeproblemwhiletheyreatit,argues
CliffHarris.
98
WHERESMYQUANTUM
COMPUTER?
Howfarawayarewefromquantum
computing,andhowonearthdoyoubuilda
quantumcomputeranyway?RickLane
investigates.
3698 51
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
118
18
110
5January 2013
1ssue 112
104
MOREMONEY,MORE
PROBLEMS
Fromcrowd-fundingprojectsviaKickstarter
topay-what-you-wantsystems,JoeMartin
talkstothoseinvolvedwithnewgames
industrybusinessmodels.
116
HOWTOTURNANOLDCPU
INTOAUSBTHUMBDRIVE
DontknowwhattodowiththePentium4
stashedinyourdrawer?AntonyLeather
showsyouhowtoturnanoldchipintoa
thumbdrive.
36118
54
54
98
Reviewed this month
Hardware
OPERATING SYSTEM
36 Windows8
CPU
40 AMDFX
CASE
42 NanoxiaDeepSilence1
MOTHERBOARD
44 GigabyteGA-Z77X-UP7
NAS BOX
46 SynologyDS213+
Customkit
50 GrippyPad
50 BooqMambaCourier
50 EdifierSoundToGoPlus
51 ArcticP402
51 AmazonKindleFireHD16GB
BudgetCPULabs test
58 AMDA8-5600K
59 AMDA10-5700
60 AMDA10-5800K
62 IntelCorei3-3220
63 IntelCorei3-3225
64 IntelPentiumG2120
FM2motherboardLabs test
66 ASRockFM2A75Pro4-M
68 GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H
70 AsusF2A85-MPRO
72 MSIA85XA-G65
Games
84 XCOM:EnemyUnknown
87 HellYeah!WrathoftheDeadRabbit
88 TheAmazingSpider-Man
90 TombRaider
91 CompanyofHeroes2
25
PRODUCTS
REVIEWED
90 Tomb Raider
91 Company of Heroes 2
CASE
42
MOTHERBOARD
44
NAS BOX
46
Custom kit
50
50
50
51
51
58
59
60
62
Regulars
8 Fromtheeditor
11 TracyKing
12 Digitalrights
14 Interview
16 Incoming
18 Science!
20 Mobiletechwatch
24 CPCEliteproducts
48 Howwetest
82 Grumpygamer
92 Devperspective
94 Theengineroom
128 Retrotech
130 JamesGorbold
Community
110 Readersdrives
114 HowtomakeyourownUSB
thumbdrive
118 HowtomakeaUSBSSDcase
122 Letters
125 Folderof themonth
126 Yourfoldingmilestones
104
88
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alongwithmyinabilitytounderstandmusicwithauto-tuned
vocals,andmyeyebrowstendencytosproutstray5inhairs,
oneofthemainfactorsIassociatewithgettingolderisthe
abilitysitbackandaskwhenyourewrong.Idontalwaysmanageit,
butitmustbeharderforatechcompanytoadmitthatitswrong,
especiallywhenitsinvestedsomuchmoneyinawrongproduct.
Itdoeshappenthough.WhenNvidiasGeForceGX5800Ultrawas
(rightly)slatedbycriticsforbeingahot,slothofaGPUwithafanthat
soundedlikeawindtunnel, it laterreleasedajokevideoshowing
peopleusingitasahairdryer.Similarly,afterafewyearsofseeingits
NetBurstarchitecturebeingtrampledby
AMDssuperiorAMD64architecture,Intel
eventuallywentbacktothedrawingboard,
canningitsroadmapandinsteadfocusing
itseffortsonthenewCore2architecture.
ThiswasntaneasydecisionforIntel.
Itwasnt justacaseofadmittingthatits
flagshipCPUarchitecturewasntupto
muchithadtocanhugeamountsofresearchanddevelopment,lay
offstaffandreallocateresourcesonaninternationalscale.Itturned
outtobetherightstrategy,butau-turnonthatscaleisnttakenlightly.
Assuch,ImnowwonderingwhatAMDiscurrentlythinkingabout
itsFXlineofCPUs.AMDhasaproblemhere.Itspouredahuge
amountofresourcesintodevelopingtheBulldozerarchitecture,
whichisalsothebasisforthePiledriverarchitectureusedinthenew
FX-8350(seep40).Piledriveriscertainlyanimprovementover
Bulldozer,butIntelhasalsoreducedthepowerconsumptionand
tweakedtheperformanceofitsownchipsinthemeantime.
Theresult isthatAMDsnewFXCPUsimplyisntworthconsidering.
Itstillusesanunhealthyamountofpower,anditsperformanceis
comparablyterribleinalmosteverythingexceptheavilymulti-
AMDs new FX chips still cant
compete with Intels equivalents,
and this should be a concern
threadedsoftware.Inparticular, itsspeedingamesiswoeful.This
shouldntcomeasasurprise,seeingasitsbasicallyatweaked
versionofBulldozer,butifthisisAMDshigh-endCPUstrategynow
thenImworried.
IrememberwhenAMDsFXCPUsrepresentedthepinnacleof
desktopCPUperformanceAMDcouldhappilycharge500for
them,andpeoplewouldpay.However,evenat 164,thenewFXchips
simplycantcompete.Thisisproblematicforenthusiastsbecause,
withoutstrongcompetition,Intelcouldsoonbeinapositiontotake
overtheentiremarketforenthusiastdesktopCPUs.
AMDcanthankfullyfallbackonsome
reallygreatproductsatthemoment,so
Imsureitsfutureisstillsafe.ItsRadeon
HD7000-seriesGPUsanditsnewTrinity
CPUs(seep60)arereallycompetitive.In
fact, ImplanningtoupgrademyHTPCto
aSocketFM2rigbytheendoftheyear.
However,FXisaworry.Whatcan
AMDdoaboutit?Itcouldeitherpulloutofthetop-endCPUmarket
altogether,oritcouldrepeatIntelsNetBurst-canningstrategy,admit
thatBulldozersimplyisntuptothejob,andreallocateitsresources
ondevelopinganewCPUarchitecture.Sadly,thelatterisprobablyfar
tooriskyinthecurrentfinancialclimate,butIalsodontwanttolose
AMDfromthedesktopCPUmarket. IreallyhopeAMDhassomething
reallystrongonitsfutureroadmap;ifnot,wecouldbelookingatan
Intel-onlyfutureasdesktopPCenthusiasts.
BenHardwidgeistheeditorofCustomPC.HelikesPCs,realale
andWarhammer40,000.
[email protected] @MANSHARK
Its basically a tweaked
version of Bulldozer, but if
this is AMDs high-end CPU
strategy then Im worried
THEAMD
WORRY
8 January 2013
from the editor
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WouldyoutrustyourMPmoreifyouknewtheywerea
gamer?Iwould,becauseitseasiertotrustpeoplewho
arelikeme,andalsobecauseIdknowtheyhadapassing
clueabouttechnologyandtheInternet,andsomeinsightintowhat
millionsofpeopleofallagesdointheirsparetime.Idprobablybe
foolish,becauseasweallknow,beingagamerdoesntexcludeyou
frombeingajerk,butatleasttheydbea21stcenturyjerk.
WhenitcomestoParliamentvotingonissuessuchasgamebans,
investmentinpublicWiFi,taxbreaksfordevelopers, introducing
codingtothenationalcurriculumandsoon,Idratherhaveagamer
inmycorner.
Iunderstand,though,thattogenerationsor
mindsetsignorantorscaredofgamesandour
increasinglyonlinelifestyles,theideathata
politicianwouldengageingamingisworrying.
ArecentUSstorythatsstillcausingupsetis
thatofColleenLachovicz,theStateSenate
candidatewhoseWorldofWarcrafthabithas
ledtoquestionsaboutherfitnessforoffice.
Somepeoplehaveleapedonthisas
evidencethatshesanawfulpersonandthat
shewastesvastswathesofhertimeplayinga
gamewhensheshouldbewell,thatswheretheyrequiet. Ihavent
seenanyofhercriticsstatewhattheydointheirsparetimeandjustify
whyitsmoreappropriateforapublicservant.
Itspossiblethatsomefolkbelievepoliticiansshouldspendtheir
sparetimeworking,butIdbeamazedifmanyactuallylivethatway.
Rather,Isuspecttheyvesimplyoverlookedthefactthatvideogames
arejustoneofmanysortsofplaying,andthattheyprobablydont
equatetheirweeklygameofgolforpokernightasanythingsimilar.
InBritain,wedonthavemanypoliticiansopenlyinvolvedingaming.
OneexceptionisMPandMurdoch-baneTomWatson,whohas
Being a gamer doesnt necessarily
make you a good politician, but at
least it shows youre in touch
appearedatgameeventssuchasGameCity. Inopposition,wehave,
amongothers,KeithVaz,whoseemsnotjustanti-gaming,butactively
campaignsforcensorshipandrestrictions,leadingthemediacharge.
Britainneedsanactiveandhealthygamingindustry.Gamesarean
increasinglyimportantpartoftheeconomyandweshouldbemaking
them,notbanningthem.NotjustPCorconsolegames,butcasual
gamesformobiledevices,becausetheyreonlygoingtobecome
morecommon.
IftheUSAcanuseapoliticiansgaminghobbyagainsther, itwill
happenheretoo.IcouldntfindanydataonMPsandgaming,andI
wascurioustoknowhowmanywouldadmittoaspendingaweekend
playingHalo,soIdevisedatwo-question
anonymouspollandemailedittoallthe
currentBritishMPs.
Sadly,only18MPscompletedthesurvey,
whichisntalargeenoughsamplesizefrom
whichtodrawanymeaningfulanalysis.One
formersportsminister(irony!)emailedtosay
shecertainlydoesnotplaygames,butonthe
plusside,tenofthemsaidthat,yes,theyplay
computergamesononeplatformoranother;
sixwerePCgamers.Sothatssomecomfort,
knowingthereareatleastacoupleofgamersinpower.
ThelastwordgoestoCharlieElphicke,MPforDoverandDeal,who
emailedmetosay,Iusedtobuildmyownhomecomputers.Iused
Zalmanwater-coolingbeforetheyworkedouthowtomakechipsrun
lesshot. It justgoestoshowyoucanbuildcomputers,enjoygaming,
designwebsitesandserveasahandson,in-touchMPtoo.
GamerandscienceenthusiastTracyKingdissectstheevidence
andstatisticsbehindsomeofthepopularmediastories
surroundingtechandgaming @TKINGDOLL
Games are increasingly
an important part of the
economy and we
should be making them,
not banning them
POLITICS
ANDGAMES
DONTMIX
11January 2013
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12 January 2013
Jim Killock
spateofarrestssince2010has
landedaroundsevenpeopleincourt
orjail formakingshockingremarks
ontheInternet.Thesesocialmedia
trialshavecentredonindividualssending
grosslyoffensivetweetsorFacebook
updates.Theyvebeenprosecutedunder
Section127aoftheCommunicationsAct,and
thesentenceshaveleftmanyofuswondering
exactlywhatmightlandusintroublewiththe
law,merelyforexpressingopinions,serious
ornot,thatotherpeoplefindoffensive.
Internationallawisclearthatyouhavethe
righttobeoffensive.TheEuropeanCourtof
HumanRightstoldtheUKbackin1976that
youhavetherighttosaythingsthatoffend,
shockordisturbthestateoranysectorofthe
population.Ofcourse,thatsdifferentfrom
intimidatingorthreateningpeoplewith
violenceorlyingaboutthem.Therearelaws
thatdealwiththeseproblems,buttheydont
applytocaseswherepeoplearesimplytelling
jokesorperhapsbeingstupidontheInternet.
ItstartedwiththenowfamousTwitterJoke
Trial.PaulChambersjokinglythreatenedto
blowupNottinghamairport.Hesaid:Crap!
RobinHoodairportisclosed.Youvegota
weekandabittogetyourshittogether
otherwiseImblowingtheairportskyhigh!
Nobodyintheirrightmindwouldtakesuch
athreatseriously,yetitfilteredslowlythrough
securityandpolicesystemstothepointwhere
Chamberswasprosecuted.Heappearsto
havebeeninvestigatedasifhewasapossible
terrorist,howeverunlikely;presumablyit
beganasabox-tickingexercise,wherepeople
chargedwithmaintainingairportsecurity
felttheyneededtoinvestigatepurelybecause
itstheirresponsibility.Atsomepoint, law
enforcementchangedtack,andprosecuted
himunderSection127aoftheCommunications
Act,sayinghistweetwasgrosslyoffensive.
Ittookseveralappealstopersuadethe
courtsthathewasinfactjoking,andshould
beleftalone.Unfortunately,Chambersisjust
oneofmanywhohaverecentlybeenarrested
underSection127a.Othershaventbeenso
lucky.WhileChambersbecameacause
clbre,andwassupportedbycelebrities
includingStephenFryandAlMurray,other
peoplehavesimplyendedupbeingfound
guiltyandservingsentences.
Partofthisisbecausetheremarkspeople
havemadearedistasteful,andoftenthe
timingmakestheoffensivenessparticularly
bad.Andwhowantstodefendpeoplemaking
poorlyjudgedremarks?AzarAhmad,for
instance,toldhisFacebookfriends:
Peoplegassinaboutthedeathsofsoldiers!
Whatabouttheinnocentfamilyswhohave
beenbrutallykilled..Thewomenwhohave
beenraped..Thechildrenwhohavebeen
slicedup..!YourenemysweretheTalibannot
innocentharmlessfamilys.Allsoldiersshould
DIE&gotoHELL!THELOWLIFEF*****N
SCUM!gottaproblemgocryatyoursoliders
grave&wishhimhellbecausethatwherehe
isgoing.Hewassentencedto240hoursof
communityserviceand300fineat
HuddersfieldMagistratesCourt.
Whilefewpeoplewouldthinkthathis
statementwasparticularlyeloquentor
helpful,thenumberofpeoplewhomake
similarlyoffensiveremarks,eitherinpubs,
ontheInternetorelsewhereinpublicmust
bequitehigh.
Alsothisyear,MatthewWoodswasgiven
12weeksimprisonmentinayoungoffender
institutionafterpostingoffensivejokeson
FacebookaboutthemissingchildrenApril
JonesandMadeleineMcCann.JoshuaCryer
receivedatwo-yearcommunityorderfor
racisttweetsdirectedatfootballerStan
Collymore.AfakeDaleCreganfanpagefor
theaccusedmurdererofpoliceofficersNicola
HughesandFionaBoneresultedinthearrest
ananonymouspersoninGreaterManchester
inSeptember.
Careless talk costs lives
People often make horrible and misguided remarks on the Internet,
but that doesnt mean they should be prosecuted for it
A
PaulChamberswaseventuallyacquittedfollowingseveralappeals,and
celebritysupportfrompeopleincludingStephenFryandAlMurray
PhotobyPaulClarke
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13January 2013
ThisApril, thebloggerOllyCromwellcalled
aBexleycouncillorac**tontheInternet,and
wassentencedtoa12-monthcommunity
serviceorderandafive-yearrestrainingorder,
preventinghimfromanycontactwithhislocal
councillors.Idontknowthedetailsofthe
case,butrestrainingordersoughttocome
fromaharassmentcharge,notfromaspeech
offence.Whenyourepreventedfrom
interactingwithyourlocaldemocratic
representatives,thatreallyoughtto
ringouralarmbells.
Theexceptiontothisspateof
prosecutionswasthecaseofDaniel
Thomas,whopostedahomophobic
tweetaboutswimmerTomDaley,and
wasinitiallyarrested.Thecaseseemsto
havehelpedtopromptthedirectorofthe
CrownProsecutionServicetoreviewthe
organisationsguidelinesaboutwhento
prosecute.Theirpublicconsultationis
makingtherightnoises,buttheresadanger
thatthisisjustpaperingoverthecracks.It
isntclearthattheCommunicationsActs
powerisdesignedfortheInternetandsocial
mediaatall.
Section127adatesbacktotheanalogue
era,andwasoriginallydesignedtostop
peopleabusingpublicnetworks,such
astelephonesorthepostalservice,to
communicateinwaysthatwerebeyond
acceptablenorms,andcrucially,thatwaste
publicresources.Therehavebeenmorethan
4,700prosecutions,butthevastmajoritydont
concernInternetcommunications.Itcarries
amaximumsentenceofsixmonths.Most
messagesthataregrosslyoffensiveorofan
indecent,obsceneormenacingcharacter
canbeprosecutedunderothermore
appropriateacts.Sothequestionis,whyis
section127abeingusedtopolicetheInternet,
anddoesitevenneedtoexist?
Amajorreasonforthespateofrecent
Internetprosecutionsmustlieinthenew
powerofsocialmedia,andthevisibilityand
immediacyofthemessages.Peopleand
policemaybereadingthesemessages,
feeloutragedandthenreachforthelawbook.
Section127aseemslikeaneatcatch-all,and
perhapsisbeingusedwhereactualharmis
hardtoshow,soitwouldbedifficulttomake
otheroffencesstick.
Thatsbadenough,butcourtsseemtobe
playingalongtoo.Courtsdontlikelawsbeing
JIM
KILLOCK
isexecutivedirectorof
campaignorganisation
TheOpenRightsGroup
(www.openrightsgroup.org)
@jimkillock
broken,andapplytheideathatgrossly
offensivemeanswhatanormalpersonwould
findgrosslyoffensive.Thismeansthatthe
sectioncanfunctionasageneralarbiterof
tasteanddecency,ratherthanaserioustest
ofcriminality.Furthermore,whatwefind
offensivewillbeverymuchattunedtonew
cycles,soanyremarkaboutarecently
controversialtopic,oronethatsimplyraises
indignation,couldfallfoulofSection127a.
AnyteenagerwithaJimmySavilejokeright
nowreallyoughttokeepittothemselves.
Theresalso,perhaps,alackofunderstanding
ofthedifferencebetweenconsideredpublic
remarksandimmediatereactions
madeonsocialmedianetworks,which
maybepartiallyprivate.Mostpeople
treatthemasthelatter,andthelaw
needstoreflectoursocialattitudes,
ratherthancorrallingthepopulation
intotalkingandbehavinglikethe
editedmassmedia.
Thedangeristhatweendupself-policing
ourspeechwhenitmightbebesttospeakout.
Theworldwouldbeaboringandoppressive
placeifwehadtothinkabouthowthecourts
mightinterpretoureverythought.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO
MAKE SIMILARLY OFFENSIVE
REMARKS IN PUBS OR
ELSEWHERE MUST BE QUITE HIGH
DanielThomas,whoposted
thishomophobictweet
aboutswimmerTomDaley,
wasinitiallyarrested
PhotoofTomDaleybyTheRamblingManandKimRatcliffeofThinkEquestrian
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
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14 April 2012
JoeMartin
InModWeTrust
Jason Brice recruited some of the best Unreal Engine 3 modders to
make Rekoil. Joe Martin discusses the modding scene with him
tosavemoneyandsoon.Wesimplyarent
doingthat.Wefoundthebesttalentthatwas
availabletous,andit justhappenedtobe
spreadaroundtheworld.Currently,wehave
teammembersinGerman,Serbia,Sweden,
Irelandandotherlocationstoo.
CPC:Howdidtheteamshistoryofmodding
formthetypeofgameyouwantedtomake?
Canyoutellusaboutthephilosophybehind
Rekoilsdesign?
Jason:Well,wewantedtoensurethat
moddingtoolswouldbeavailabletoeveryone,
nomatterwhatwedid.Moddingishowwe
started,sonaturally,wewantedtoseepeople
getthetoolstocreatesomethingawesome.
CPC:Fewergamesseemtobelaunching
withmodsupportnow,evenwhentheyre
basedonenginesknownforsupporting
moddingelsewhere,suchasMirrorsEdge
onUE3.Whydoyouthinkthatis?
Jason:Webelievemoddingisafeaturethats
beenremovedfrommostgamesduetothe
factthatcompanieswanttomakemoney
fromdownloadablecontent(DLC).When
peoplecanmakepopularmapsforthe
communitythatarefuntoplay,whywould
peoplespend$15onamappack?
CPC:Doyouthinkthatshadaneffecton
themoddingcommunities?Itseemedlike
therewasagoldrushafewyearsago,when
ettingouttomakeablockbuster-
qualitymultiplayershooterisan
intimidatingtaskforbigstudios,let
aloneindieoutfits.Thatsthemission
forPlasticPiranhaCEOJasonBrice,however,
whohiredsomeofthebestUnrealEngine3
modderstomakePiranhasfirstgame,Rekoil.
CPC:TellusabouthowtheRekoilteam
cametoworktogether?
Jason:IstartedPlasticPiranhawithafriend
whowaslivinginSwedenatthetime.Having
justfinishedaprojectwithDICE,wewanted
tomakeanFPSgame,soweimmediately
begansearchingforpeoplethatcouldassist
us.Theteamhaschangeddrasticallysince
thattime,butwevenowassembledaworld-
classensembleofprogrammers,artists
andproducers.
CPC:Youreunusualinthattheteamis
spreadacrosstheworld,butyoupayaflat
salarysothatanemployeeinSerbiagets
thesameassomeonefromtheUSA,right?
Whatwasthemotivationbehindthat?
Jason:Allthisreallymeansisthatwearent
takingadvantageofanyoneduetotheir
geographiclocation.Youhearitallthetime;
howacompanysenttheiroperationsabroad
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Jason: Well, we wanted to ensure that
modding tools would be available to everyone,
no matter what we did. Modding is how we
started, so naturally, we wanted to see people
get the tools to create something awesome.
CPC: Fewer games seem to be launching
with mod support now, even when theyre
based on engines known for supporting
modding elsewhere, such as Mirrors Edge
on UE3. Why do you think that is?
Jason: We believe modding is a feature thats
been removed from most games due to the
fact that companies want to make money
from downloadable content (DLC). When
people can make popular maps for the
community that are fun to play, why would
people spend $15 on a map pack?
CPC: Do you think thats had an effect on
the modding communities? It seemed like
there was a gold rush a few years ago, when
who was living in Sweden at the time. Having the same as someone from the USA, right?
All this really means is that we arent
geographic location. You hear it all the time;
how a company sent their operations abroad
who was living in Sweden at the time. Having the same as someone from the USA, right?
What was the motivation behind that?
Jason: All this really means is that we arent
taking advantage of anyone due to their
geographic location. You hear it all the time;
how a company sent their operations abroad
I THINK ITS
NATURAL FOR
MOST COMPANIES
TO EXPAND, AND
FORGET WHERE
THEY CAME FROM
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15April 2012
teamswerepickedupbystudios.That
doesntseemtohappensomuchnow.
Jason: Alotofthosemodteamsare
responsibleformuchofthegreatcontent
beingcreatedingamesthroughoutthe
industry.Onemightarguethatwithoutmod
toolsbeingreadilyavailable,theindustryis
limitingtheamountoftalentthatwillbe
availabletocreatethegamesoftomorrow.
Ifyoulookaroundnow,themoddingscene
hasdefinitelybeenreducedinsize.Ithinkthe
desireisstill there,buttherearentenough
titlesofferingthetoolsaspartofthegames
release.Wehopeourtoolscanprovidean
outletformoddingteams.
CPC: Itoftenfeelsasthoughgameshave
lostsomethingbytryingtoreachwider
audiencestoo.Isthatwhyyoutalk
somuchaboutRekoilbeingfor
coregamers?
Jason:I thinkitsnaturalformost
companiestoexpand,andforget
wheretheycamefrom.Because
ofthis, Ibelievegamersare
startingtofeelthatpublishers
aretakingadvantageofthem.
Asaresult,wevetakenthecore
gamerconceptveryseriously.Theseare
thepeoplethatwillplayourgamenightand
day.Thesearethegamersthataregoingto
telltheirfriendstocomeandjointhemfora
roundortwo,andwhosevoiceshaveopinions
andsuggestionsthatmattertheyre
fundamentaltowhatweretryingtodo.
CPC:Youvealsotalkedaboutthecompetitive
sideofRekoilandeSportsupport.
Jason: ESportshavebeenahighpriority
fortheteam,asseveralofusplayin
competitions.Wethinkthathavingagood,
straightforward,balancedshooterwillbe
widelyembracedbytheeSportcommunity.
Weplanonsupportingthegamebyhaving
asmanyLANeventsaspossible.Wellbe
sponsoringtournamentswithtop-tierplayers
andgivingserverownerstheabilitytosetup
gamesthewaytheywish.
CPC:HowdoyouliketoplayRekoil,and
whichpartsareyoumostproudof?
Jason:I lovethatRekoil isstripped
downtojusttheessentials. Its
justyouandyourweapon.Its
competitive,balancedandnot
agameofkill-streaks,level
upsandsoon.Imalso
pleasedtherewillbe
around14maps.Well
probablyreleasetenatthe
start,andtheotherfouras
freeDLC.Welovetheenvironments
wevecreated,andcantwaittoshare
themwitheveryone.
Findoutmoreinfoatwww.rekoil.com
Settoshipwithten
maps,Rekoilwillget
freeDLCafterrelease
Rekoiliscreatedbyan
internationalteamofmodders
straightforward, balanced shooter will be
widely embraced by the eSport community.
We plan on supporting the game by having
as many LAN events as possible. Well be
sponsoring tournaments with top-tier players
and giving server owners the ability to set up
games the way they wish.
How do you like to play Rekoil, and
which parts are you most proud of?
I love that Rekoil is stripped
down to just the essentials. Its
just you and your weapon. Its
competitive, balanced and not
a game of kill-streaks, level
ups and so on. Im also
pleased there will be
around 14 maps. Well
probably release ten at the
start, and the other four as
free DLC. We love the environments
weve created, and cant wait to share
them with everyone.
Find out more info at
being created in games throughout the
industry. One might argue that without mod
tools being readily available, the industry is
limiting the amount of talent that will be
available to create the games of tomorrow.
If you look around now, the modding scene
has definitely been reduced in size. I think the
desire is still there, but there arent enough
titles offering the tools as part of the games
release. We hope our tools can provide an
It often feels as though games have
lost something by trying to reach wider
audiences too. Is that why you talk
so much about Rekoil being for
I think its natural for most
companies to expand, and forget
where they came from. Because
starting to feel that publishers
are taking advantage of them.
As a result, weve taken the core
gamer concept very seriously. These are
and suggestions that matter theyre
fundamental to what were trying to do.
competitions. We think that having a good,
straightforward, balanced shooter will be industry. One might argue that without mod
tools being readily available, the industry is
limiting the amount of talent that will be
available to create the games of tomorrow.
If you look around now, the modding scene
has definitely been reduced in size. I think the
desire is still there, but there arent enough
titles offering the tools as part of the games
release. We hope our tools can provide an
It often feels as though games have
lost something by trying to reach wider
audiences too. Is that why you talk
gamer concept very seriously. These are
fundamental to what were trying to do. straightforward, balanced shooter will be
widely embraced by the eSport community.
We plan on supporting the game by having
as many LAN events as possible. Well be
sponsoring tournaments with top-tier players
and giving server owners the ability to set up
games the way they wish.
CPC: How do you like to play Rekoil, and
which parts are you most proud of?
Jason: I love that Rekoil is stripped
down to just the essentials. Its
just you and your weapon. Its
competitive, balanced and not
a game of kill-streaks, level
ups and so on. Im also
pleased there will be
around 14 maps. Well
probably release ten at the
start, and the other four as
free DLC. We love the environments
weve created, and cant wait to share
them with everyone.
Find out more info at
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WorldMags.net
NEWROCCAT GAMINGMICE
ThegamingperipheralaficionadosoveratRoccathavejust
designedtwonewgamingmicetheKoneXTDandthe
KonePure.Eachmousehas576KBofon-boardmemory,
alongwithadedicatedARMCPUandwhatRoccatmodestly
callstheplanetsmostadvancedTracking&Distance
ControlUnit.TheXTDmodelhaseightbuttons,whilethe
Purehasseven.
Visually,themaindifferencebetweenthetwomodels
isthelightingsystem.TheXTD(pictured)hasfourmulti-
colouredLEDs,whichcanbeprogrammedtoperform
effectssuchasbreathing.Meanwhile,thePureenables
youtofullycontrolthecolourofitslightingsystem,withup
to16.8milliondifferentcoloursavailable.TheKonePure
andKoneXTDareavailablenow,costing62and72
respectivelyfromwww.eclipsecomputers.com
NEW HARDWARE
We take a look at the latest
newly announced products
HYDRO POWER
Corsairsall-in-oneliquidcoolersmightofferdamngoodcooling,notto
mentionaneasysetupprocedure,buttheresnowayyoucouldcallthem
quiet,evenontheirlowestfansettings.However,thatcouldsoonchange,
asthecompanyhasjustupdateditssingle-fanH60coolersothatit includes
oneofCorsairsnewAirSeriesSP120fans.
TheupdatedcooleralsofeaturesCorsairs
fourth-generationcold-platedesignandlarger-
diametertubingthantheoriginal.Meanwhile,the
companyhasalsolaunchedthenewbasicH55
coolerbelowtheH60,whichfeaturesastandard
fan.Corsairsaysthat
theH55providesa
simpleand
effective
upgradefrom
abasicCPU
aircooler.
INTEL SSD HITS 20NM
IntelhasjustlauncheditsfirstSSDtobebasedonitsown20nmmulti-
levelcell(MLC)NANDflashmemory.AswithotherrecentInteldrives,
thenewSATA6GbpsSolid-StateDrive335featuresaSandForce
controller,ratherthananIntelcontroller.Inthiscase,itstheSF-2281,
andIntelclaimsitscapableofsustained
sequentialreadandwritespeedsofup
to500MB/secand450MB/sec
respectively.Thenewdriveis
currentlyonlyavailablein
a240GBflavour,andcan
beboughtnowfrom
www.scan.co.uk
for143incVAT.
sequential read and write speeds of up
to 500MB/sec and 450MB/sec
respectively. The new drive is
DANGER DEN
STOPS TRADING
Wereceivedsadnewsaboutthe
water-coolingmarketthismonth,
asDangerDenannouncedthatits
goingtoceasetrading.Originally
foundedin2000byDanStephens,JeremyBurnett
andDennisLeach(thefirstthreelettersof
eachfirstnamespellsDanJerDenwhenyou
stringthemtogether),astatementonthe
companyswebsiteon31Octobersaid
that, After12yearsourhobbyhascome
toanend.ItstimetopursueotherinterestsandDangerDenwill
beclosingitsdoors.DangerDenwasoneofthefirstcompaniesto
developproperthird-partywaterblocksforwater-coolingPCs.
FarewellDangerDen,youllbemissed.
founded in 2000 by Dan Stephens, Jeremy Burnett founded in 2000 by Dan Stephens, Jeremy Burnett
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18 January 2013
Lucy Sherriff
Robotbutlers
eveallbeenthere.Youpress
Ctrl-Ptoprint,butinsteadofthe
chunkingandwhirringofink
cartridgesandtherustlingof
paper,youjusthearthegentledronethattells
youeverythingisstillpluggedin.Cannotfind
printer!thecomputercheerfullyannounces
forthefourthtimeinarow.Youliftthemonitor,
pointitattheerrantdeviceandyell, Thereit is!
There!Icanseeit,whycantyou?!
Nowimagineaworldinwhichyoucould
askthisquestionforreal,andreceivean
answerthatdidntrequireGooglingoferror
codesoryourfamilyphoningyouforunpaid
techsupport?Thisisthemodestaimofthe
computersciencedepartmentatAberdeen
University,whichhasjustscoreda1.1m
grantfromtheEngineeringandPhysical
SciencesResearchCounciltogetcomputers
totalktousinasensible,ordinarylanguage.
Thebigideabehindtheprojectisthatitwill
increaseourfaithinautonomoussystems.
Itsveryhumblingtorealisethata
computercandosomethingbetterthanus,
saysDrWambertoVasconcelos,asenior
lecturerinComputerSciencefromAberdeen
University. Andeventhen,wehavethat
nigglingfeelingthatmaybeitdoesnt,and
thatitsmakingbaddecisions.
Researchers are currently working on robotic systems that not only serve
humans, but can also talk to them in an intelligible manner
Theideaisthatifthecomputerspeaksin
awaythatmakessensetous,weremore
inclinedtorespondtoitpositively.Theteamat
Aberdeenisseveralweeksintoitsthreeyear
project,andwhilethetechnologyitdevelops
heremightenduphelpinguspunyhumansto
disassemblenuclearpowerplants,thetest
bedisrathermoreeveryday:thehome.
Thedevelopmentlabisgoingtobeasmart
house,whereallthedeviceshavetonegotiate
withoneanothertoconserveasmuchenergy
aspossiblewhilenotupsettingthehumans
orMasters,asVasconcelossays.Thenthey
havetobeabletojustifytheirdecisionsin
naturallanguagewhenMastercomes
homeandwantstoknowwhytheyve
decidedtoswitchoffthefridge.
Theyllbeabletosay,There
wasnobodyinthehouse,and
thefridgewascoldenough
tokeepthefoodfreshforat
leastfourhours,sowe
switcheditofftosave
power,headds.
Vasconcelosexpands
onthetheme.Inthis
smarthouse,youmight
gooutandleavealight
on.Inthissituation,
thereareplentyofcompetingpriorities.The
lightswitchsaysitwantstoswitchoffthelight
tosavepowerbecausetheresnoonehome.A
secondcontrollermightsaythattheremight
bepeopleupstairsthatithasntdetected,and
itshouldleavethelightonalittlelonger.
Thisdiscussion,whichtakestheformof
formulaeandmathematicalproofs,will lead
toajointplaninsimilarlyincomprehensible
terms,saysVasconcelos.Thisisnt
greatforhumans,sowegetthe
appliancestomaketheirdecision,
butalsoturnthatinto
naturallanguagesothat
peopleotherthan
mathematicianscan
understandwhythe
lightshavebeenturned
off,Vasconcelosexplains.
Therearetwostrandsto
theresearch:workingout
howtogetthedevicesto
negotiatesuccessfully;and
developingamethodfor
translatingmachine-speak
intohumanlanguage.
Vasconcelossaysthatsome
informationwillalwaysbe
givenpriority.Forexample,
W
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19January 2013
informationrelatingtosafetywillalways
outrankapreference.
Theteamdoesntyethaveasolutiontothe
latterproblem.Thisiswhatwesetouttodo
inourproject,saysVasconcelos.Well
exploretechniquestosummariseand
organisetheformallogicaswellasa
networkofargumentsattackingoneanother,
supportingothers,andsooncapture
notionsofimportanceandrelevanceinproofs
andarguments,andthencombinetextand
graphicrepresentationsoftheformallogic
toshowproofstohumans.
Extensiveexperimentswithhumanusers
willvalidateourapproachandhelpustowork
outwhatworksandwhatdoesnt.
Althoughthetestsetupishome-based,
theworkwillhaveapplicationsinindustry,
particularlyinauditingdecision-making
processes,andassigningblamewhenthings
gowrong.Itdoesntmatterif itspeopleor
componentsthathavefailed.Itmeansyoull
beabletofindapointofresponsibility.Maybe
ahumaniscontactedatsomepointinan
automatedprocessandgivesanokaytoa
decision.Thatsthecheckpoint,Vasconcelos
says.Itsveryimportantthattherearethese
entrypointsforhumanstointerferewith
machinebehaviour,eithertounderstandit
orchangeitforthefuture.
Aswellasteachingmachinestotalktous,
scientistsarealsobusilyworkingouthowto
makerobotsunderstandhowtoliveinour
world.AtCornellUniversity,assistant
professorofcomputerscience,Ashutosh
Saxena,recentlywona$200,000grantfrom
Microsofttofurtherhisworkdeveloping
personalrobots,whichcouldonedaylivein
ourhomes,andhelptheelderlyanddisabled
witheverydaytasks.
Couldwebeclosetohavingrobotbutlers?
Thatdependsonwhattaskithastoperform,
saysSaxena.Just[tohavethem]cleanthe
floor?Maybeafewyears.Todospecifictasks
suchasputtingobjectsinproperplaces,
maybefiveyears.Astasksgetcomplicated,
itbecomeshardertomakethemreliable.
Computers,asweknow,canbemind-
numbinglylinearitmaybetheirbiggest
strength,butitalsomakesuswantto
defenestratethemmorethananyother
object.Humans,ontheotherhand,arent.
Saxenaandhisteamaretryingtomerge
thesetwoworldsbyteachingrobotsto
operateautonomouslyinadisorderly
humanenvironmentusingapieceofgaming
technology: MicrosoftsKinect3Dcamera.
TheKinectcreatesadepthmapofthe
environmentoriginallysothatyoucould
controlaconsolewithjustyourbody.Butthe
datafromthecameracanalsogivearobota
mapofitsenvironmentandtheobjectsinit.
Thenextstepistoteachtherobothowto
recogniseandinteractwiththoseobjects.
Todothis,theyneedtobetrainedabout
theirenvironmentandmakeinferencesabout
itbasedonpastexperience.Forexample,
humanscanrecogniseamugevenif itdoesnt
lookexactlylikeamugweveseenbefore.
Saxenaisgettinghisrobotstodothesame.
Therobotisshownexamplesofobjects
withlabels.Forexample, itmayhaveseen
severalexamplesofmugs,soitlearnsto
identifythennotjustfromthemugs3Dshape
andappearance,butalsofromthelearning
context,suchaswhethermugsarefoundon
thetable,hesays.Moreimportantly, its
actuallylessimportantforarobotthatitsa
mug,andmoreimportanttoknowthatits
apickableobjectthatcancontainliquids.
LUCY
SHERRIFF
isajournalistwitha
degreeinastrophysics
whoknowsallaboutthe
latestscientifictech.
@lucysherriff
Theresearchersarealsoworkingon
gettingtheirrobotstounderstandourweird
behaviour.Thisisalittleharder,butcouldend
upbeingmuchmoreuseful.Forinstance,a
homehelpermachinecouldnoticethatits
personhadnottakenhispillsthatmorning,
andbringthemedicinebottletohim.
Saxenaexplainsthattherobotgets
multimodalcuesfromtheKinectcamera:
Therobotobserveshumansperforming
activitieswiththeobjects,andlearnshow
humansusetheobjectsandtheirpreferences
withthem.Moreinterestingly, inoneofour
works,therobotdoesntneedtoactually
observehumansusingtheobjects.Instead,it
canhallucinateabouthumansandfigure
out[ananswer]byimagininghumansinthe
environmentthatmakesthemostsense.
Theteamhasevenmanagedtoteacha
robottospotwhenahumanhasleftoutthe
milkandtidyitawaywithoutneedingspecific
instructions(http://pr.cs.cornell.edu/videos.
php).Saxenapredictsthatthetechnology
couldevenmakeitswayintosmartphones.
Werejustlookingforwardtothedaywhen
wedontevenhavetoinstructourrobotbutler
tothrowthemalfunctioningprinteroutofthe
window.Itwillbeabletofigureoutthatit
needstobedoneallbyitself,andthentellus
whywhenwegetbackfromthepub.
Saxenasteamhastaughtarobottospot
whenahumanhasleftoutthemilk,and
tidyitawaywithoutspecificinstructions
AshutoshSaxenafrom
CornellUniversity
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20 January 2013
Gareth Halfacree looks at the latest mobile hardware
oundedin1984byresearchersfrom
StanfordUniversity,MIPShadsome
successfulearlyyears.Itshigh-speed
yetlow-powerinstructionsetwas
usedbySiliconGraphicsforitsworkstations,
withthecompanylaterbuyingwhatwas
thenknownasMIPSComputerSystems
Incorporated,andrebrandingitasMIPS
Technologiesinadealvaluedat$333million.
Thetargetofthedealwasthetechnology
behindtheR2000andR3000processors.
LaunchedtocompetewithIntels386and
Motorolas68000,theR2000wasthefirst
readilyavailablereducedinstructionset
computing(RISC)processorbeatingARMs
firstavailabledesignbytwoyears.
AsaRISCchip,thesamebenefitsofARMs
designssuchasreducedtransistorcount
comparedtoCISCandreducedpowerdraw
forsimilarperformanceappliedtoMIPS
processors,makingthemanobviouschoice
fortheburgeoninghandheldcomputer
market. IntheearlydaysofWindowsCE
palmtops,MIPSandARMwouldgoheadto
head,butonlyonewinneremerged:ARM.
WhenMicrosoftmovedfromWindowsCEto
WindowsMobileandWindowsPhone,MIPS
supportwasdroppedinfavourofadual-
architectureARMandx86approach.
Havinglostwhatwouldlaterberecognised
asthefighttobeattheforefrontofthe
smartphonerevolution,MIPSlickedits
woundsandconcentratedonotherareas.Its
high-performance,low-powerarchitecture
foundenoughtractioninnetworkingand
high-performancecomputing(HPC)markets
tokeepthecompanyafloat.NowMIPSisback
andit intendstoremindARMthat,whileitmay
havewonthebattle,thewarisntyetover.
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
ThefirsthintsthatMIPSwaslookingtoget
backintothehandheldmarketcameinJune
ReadmyMIPS
Discussions about the CPU battleground usually focus on Intel and ARM,
but MIPS is an exciting newcomer to themobile CPUmarket
mobilemarketafresh.
Undernewchiefexecutive
SandeepVij,Android-
relatedannouncements
camethickandfast,
includingthelaunchof
theAinol7inIceCream
Sandwichtablet,thefirst
suchdevicetoretailfor
under$100.Morerecently,
KarbonnMobileswasthe
secondcompanyinthe
worldtoannouncean
Android4.1JellyBean
device,basedagainona
MIPSprocessor.
AswithARM,MIPSdoesntmakechips,but
sellsdesignstothird-partymanufacturers.
Unlikeamanufacturingcompanysuchas
Intel,whichhastofindthecashtoproduce
enoughprocessorstomeetdemand,MIPS
andARMcansitbackandwatchthelicensing
feescomefloodinginleavingtheirvarious
partnersholdingmostoftherisk.Itsthisrisk
thatsslowingtheadoptionofMIPSoverARM
inthemobileindustry,withmostcompanies
stilloptingforthetried-and-testedBritish
option,butadesigniscomingthatpromises
tochangeallthat:theMIPSproAptivcore.
MIPS PROAPTIV
Designedfortheperformancemarket,the
MIPSproActiv ticksalotofboxes:availablein
single,dual,quadorhex-coreflavours,the
processorusesafusedtriple-dispatch
superscalarout-of-orderexecutionengine,
andahigh-performancefloating-pointunit,
all inabundlethattakesuplessspacethan
theequivalentdesignfromARMwhile
boastingequivalentorgreaterperformance.
2009,whenthecompanyannouncedthat
GooglesAndroidplatformhadbeenportedto
theMIPSinstructionsetarchitecture.Later
thatyear,MIPSwouldannouncemembership
oftheOpenHandsetAlliance,confirming,if
therewasanydoubt,thatitwaslookingatthe
F
MIPSproAptivdesign
includessomeneattricksto
keepdataflowing
TheproAptivIPscalesuptosixcores,eachofwhichis
claimedtobe50percentfasterthananARMCortex-A9
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21January 2013
GARETH
HALFACREE
isthenewsreporterat
www.bit-tech.net.He
knowsallabout the
latestnewsinPCandmobiletech.
@ghalfacree
thelikesofAtmelandNXPthelatter,funnily
enough,usingARM-licenseddesigns.The
designsarenowreadilyavailable,meaning
thatitsuptothecompanyscustomersto
makeproductsbasedonthechips.
MIPS vs INTEL vs ARM
WhileIntelandARMhavebeenfighting,MIPS
hasbeenquietlyworkingontheproAptiv
design,anditsnowcomingoutofleft-field.
Suddenlythetwogiantsoneholdinga
near-monopolyinthesmartphoneand
tabletmarket,andtheotherholdingasimilar
positioninthedesktop,laptopandserver
marketsarefightingawaronthreefronts,
andshouldMIPSclaimsforthebenefitsof
proAptivswayOEMs,bothcouldloseserious
groundinanincreasinglylucrativemarket.
ThecomingfightissomethingofaDavid
vstwoGoliathsepicwhileIntelhasmore
than100,000employeesthroughoutthe
world,andARMhasaround2,000,MIPSis
amuchsmallerorganisationofaround160.
WhetherthatwillhelpMIPSwithincreased
flexibility,orhinderitwithalackofresources,
incompetingwithtwoofthebiggestnamesin
thechipindustryremainstobeseen.
UsingdetailsreleasedatARMTechCon,
MIPSpredictsthatadual-coreproAptivchip
with1MBofL2cachewillbejustoverhalfthe
sizeofadual-coreCortex-A15chip,soyoucan
packfourproAptivcoresintothesamespace.
Fordeviceswhereeverymillimetrecounts
buthighperformanceisdemanded,thatsa
powerfulargumentforamovetoMIPS.
Cortex-A15performancemetricsarehard
tofind,butarereadilyavailableforchipsbased
onARMsCortex-A9designandMIPSlooks
likeanearlywinner.UsingtheCoreMark
benchmark,theproAptivdesignachieves
ascoreof4.5perMHz,some50percent
higherthantheCortex-A9thatsattheheart
ofmostmodernsmartphonesandtablets.
ConsideringthattheCortex-A9designis
thebasisforhigh-performanceprocessors,
includingNvidiasTegra3andSamsungs
Exynos,thatsaprettyimpressivefigure.
JustincaseyouthoughtMIPSmightjustbe
bad-mouthingthecompetition,thecompany
isquicktopointoutthattheproAptivdesign
leavesitsownlast-generationproductsinthe
dusttoo,withaboostofaround60percent
comparedtoitsCoreMarkper-megahertz
resultsfromthepreviousMIPS1074Kseries.
UNDER THE BONNET
Theseperformancegainscomefroma
wealthofimprovementscomparedtoMIPS
earlierdesigns,includingsomeclevertricks
suchastheuseofinstructionbondingto
makeasinglememorypipelineappearastwo
tothehostoperatingsystem.Theresalsoan
EnhancedVirtualAddressing(EVA)system
forbetteraddressspaceutilisation,anda
sophisticatedbranchpredictionenginethat
promisesfewercachemisses.
Thefloating-pointunit isalsoparticularly
clever.Unlikepreviousdesigns,whichran
theFPUataslowerspeedthanthemain
processor,theproAptivdesignrunstheFPU
atthesamespeedastheCPU.Asaresult,
latencyisreducedandthethroughput
improved,whilethesmartuseofdedicated
schedulersandincreasedparallelismmeans
thatmoreinstructionscanwhizzthroughthe
systemthaneverbefore.
Asecond-generationcoherencemanager
alsoboostsperformance,boastingadesign
thatdropslatencyfromaround24cyclesto
11,andoffersarounddoublethesystem
bandwidthovertheprevious-generation
engine.TheresalsoadedicatedL2cache
controllerwithinthecoherencymanager
itself;thisrequiredaseparatecomponent
inpreviousdesigns.
ThefamilyofchipsenvisionedbyMIPS
coversawidespectrum;mobileandtablet
versionsrunningbetween1GHzand1.5GHz
willfeaturesingle,dualorquad-coredesigns
andanintegrateddigital-signalprocessor,
whileset-topboxversionsnotencumbered
bybatterylifewillreach2GHz.
Thesamearchitecturewillalsopower
futurenetworkdevices,withsingletohex-
coreimplementationsrunningatspeeds
between1GHzand2GHz.
TheproAptivdesignisjoinedbythe
interAptivandmicroAptivfamilies,each
cheaperbutlesspowerfulthanthelast.
WiththemicroAptiv,MIPSiseventargeting
traditionalmicrocontrollermarketsheldby
Adual-coreproAptivdesigncanfit1MBofL2cacheinto
thesamespacethatanARMsCortex-A15needsforthe
processorsalone
MIPSclaimsthattheproAptivdesigneasilybeststhecompetition,butwillOEMsbeconvinced?
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WorldMags.net
24 April 2012
QPAD MK-50 Pro Gaming Mechanical Keyboard
with Cherry MX Red Switches
Gold Plated Connectors
Removable Keycaps
Media Keys
2 Year Warranty
www.cclonline.com
58.16
CCL Code - KBD0455
WERE
AWARD
WINNERS!
PC Pro 2011
Highly Commended
Pr ices correct at t ime of going to publ ishing. Images are for i l lustrat ive purposes only.
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
AntecOne www.overclockers.co.uk www.antec.com Issue108,p36 37
B
GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H www.overclockers.co.uk www.gigabyte.com Issue112,p44 56
C
AMDA10-5800K www.aria.co.uk www.amd.com Issue112,p60 93
D
8GBCorsairVengeance2,133MHzCAS11 www.cclonline.com www.corsair.com Issue112,p60 47
E
GelidTranquilloRev.2 www.scan.co.uk www.gelidsolutions.com Issue100,p86 25
F
BeQuiet!PurePowerL8530W www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue 110, p55 55
G
500GBSeagateBarracudaST500DM002 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue104,p72 42
H
Lite-On IHAS124-19 www.dabs.com www.liteonit.eu Issue99,p108 14
I
MicrosoftWindows7HomePremium64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTALSYSTEMPRICE
488
A
B
MOTHERBOARD
F
PSU
G
HARD DISK
D
RAM
H
OPTICAL DRIVE
E
COOLING
I
OPERATING SYSTEM
C
APU
U
P
D
A
T
E
D
U
P
D
A
T
E
D
U
P
D
A
T
E
D
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
25April 2012
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
SilverStoneRavenRV03 www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue103,p70 104
B
GigabyteGA-Z77-D3H www.scan.co.uk www.gigabyte.com Issue108,p38 79
C
IntelCore i5-3570K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue106,p36 173
D
8GBPatriotG2PGD38G1600ELK www.amazon.co.uk www.patriotmemory.com Issue106,p40 37
E
ArcticFreezer i30 www.dabs.com www.arctic.ac Issue104,p48 28
F
AMDRadeonHD78502GB www.overclockers.co.uk www.amd.com Issue111,p62 150
G
BeQuiet!PurePowerL8530W www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue110,p55 55
H
SeagateBarracuda2TBST2000DM001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue104,p75 69
I
AsusXonarDG www.dabs.com http://uk.asus.com Issue99,p108 24
J
SamsungSSD830128GB www.scan.co.uk www.samsung.com Issue104,p68 80
K
Lite-On IHAS124-19 www.dabs.com www.liteonit.eu Issue99,p108 14
L
MicrosoftWindows7HomePremium64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTALSYSTEMPRICE 932
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
Fractal Design Core 1000 PC Case
A unique combination of design, features,
cooling performance and value
2x 3.5" Bays, 2x 5.25" Bays
2x Front USB 2.0
1x Front 120mm Fan
Supports up to 3x 2.5 SSDs
CCL Code - CAS0478
31.19
www.cclonline.com/cpc
08000 50 10 10
Pr ices correct at t ime of going to publ ishing. Images are for i l lustrat ive purposes only.
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
26 April 2012
Our choice of the best hardware available
Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D2V Motherboard
Amazing price Socket 1155 motherboard!
Socket 1155 Motherboard
MicroATX Form Factor
Up to 16GB DDR3 Memory
Gigabit LAN
www.cclonline.com
38.94
CCL Code - MBD0340
WERE
AWARD
WINNERS!
PC Pro 2011
Highly Commended
Amazing price Socket 1155 motherboard!
Pr ices correct at t ime of going to publ ishing. Images are for i l lustrat ive purposes only.
This PC has the potential to be the finest gamingmachine you can find as
well as an excellent all-round computer for office work, digital photography,
video production andmedia playback
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED
PRICE (inc VAT)
A
SilverStoneFortressFT02B-WUSB3.0 www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue85,p88 180
B
AsusMaximusVGene www.scan.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue106,p64 150
C
IntelCore i5-3570K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue106,p36 173
D
8GBPatriotG2PGD38G1600ELK www.amazon.co.uk www.patriotmemory.com Issue106,p40 37
E
BeQuiet!DarkRockAdvanced www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue91,p74 41
F
AMDRadeonHD79703GBGHzEdition www.overclockers.co.uk www.amd.com Issue111,p70 336
G
SeasonicX-Series660W www.overclockers.co.uk www.seasonic.com Issue110,p59 115
H
SeagateBarracuda2TBST2000DM001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue104,p75 69
I
AsusXonarDX www.scan.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue80,p63 59
J
OCZVertex4256GB www.ebuyer.co.uk www.ocztechnology.com Issue104,p68 160
K
Lite-On IHAS123-19 www.dabs.com www.liteonit.eu Issue99,p108 14
L
MicrosoftWindows7HomePremium64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTALSYSTEMPRICE
1,453
G H I J L
PSU HARD DISK SOUND CARD SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM
F
GRAPHICS CARD
A
B D E
MOTHERBOARD CPU RAM COOLING
C
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
27April 2012
128GB Crucial M4 2.5" Solid State Drive
Amazing performance and reliability
One of the best SSDs you can buy today!
SATA III Interface
Read Speed: 500 MB/s
Write Speed: 175 MB/s
TRIM Support, 9.5mm Prole
CCL Code - HDD0532
78.16
www.cclonline.com/cpc
08000 50 10 10
Pr ices correct at t ime of going to publ ishing. Images are for i l lustrat ive purposes only.
Themost 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
SilverStoneTemjinTJ07B-W www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue63,p87 227
B
AsusMaximusVGene www.scan.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue106,p64 150
C
IntelCore i7-3770K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue106,p36 249
D
8GBKingstonHyperXGenesis
KHX1866C11D3P1K2/8G
www.overclockers.co.uk www.kingston.com Issue106,p40 40
E
NvidiaGeForceGTX6902GB www.scan.co.uk www.nvidia.com Issue106,p46 779
F
CorsairH100 www.scan.co.uk www.corsair.com Issue91,p74 82
G
BeQuiet!DarkPowerPro10850W www.scan.co.uk www.bequiet.com Issue 110, p64 167
H
OCZVertex4256GB www.ebuyer.co.uk www.ocztechnology.com Issue107,p44 160
I
AsusXonarDX www.scan.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue80,p63 59
J
SeagateBarracuda2TBST2000DM0001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue104,p75 69
K
MicrosoftWindows7HomePremium64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 119
TOTALSYSTEMPRICE 2,101
B D
MOTHERBOARD CPU RAM
C E F
GRAPHICS CARD
COOLING
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
28 April 2012
Our choice of the best hardware available
Viewsonic VC310 Digital Video Camcorder
Captures Every Beautiful Moment
Full 1080p Video Capture
3 Touch Screen
16x Digital Zoom
HDMI Output
www.cclonline.com
49.99
CCL Code - CAM1738
WERE
AWARD
WINNERS!
PC Pro 2011
Highly Commended
Viewsonic VC310 Digital Video Camcorder
Pr ices correct at t ime of going to publ ishing. Images are for i l lustrat ive purposes only.
TYPE
CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME
IntelCore i5-3570K AsusMaximusVGene ArcticFreezer i30
8GBPatriotG2
PGD38G1600ELK
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.dabs.com www.amazon.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.intel.co.uk http://uk.asus.com www.arctic.ac www.patriotmemory.com
REVIEWED Issue106,p36 Issue106,p64 Issue104,p48 Issue106,p40
PRICE(incVAT) 173 150 28 37
TYPE
GRAPHICS CARD GRAPHICS CARD GRAPHICS CARD
NAME
AMDRadeonHD78502GB NvidiaGeForceGTX6702GB AMDRadeonHD79703GBGHzEdition
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.amd.com www.nvidia.com www.amd.com
REVIEWED Issue111,p61 Issue111,p68 Issue111,p70
PRICE(incVAT) 150 276 336
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
29April 2012
Acer G6 Series 21.5 Full HD LED Monitor
Acer's gaming style Full HD LED monitor
1x VGA, 1x DVI-D Inputs
1920 x 1080 Full HD Resolution
5ms Response Time
LED-backlit Monitor
CCL Code - MON0937
79.96
www.cclonline.com/cpc
08000 50 10 10
Pr ices correct at t ime of going to publ ishing. Images are for i l lustrat ive purposes only.
TYPE
CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME
AMDA10-5800K GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H GelidTranquilloRev.2
8GBCorsairVengeance
2,133MHzCAS11
SUPPLIER www.aria.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.cclonline.com
MANUFACTURER www.amd.com www.gigabyte.com www.gelidsolutions.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue112,p60 Issue112,p68 Issue100,p86 Issue112,p60
PRICE(incVAT) 93 56 25 47
TYPE
CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME IntelCore i7-3930K AsusSabertoothX79 CorsairH80 16GBCorsairVengeance
CAS9DDR3
SUPPLIER www.novatech.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.dabs.com www.dabs.com
MANUFACTURER www.intel.co.uk http://uk.asus.com www.corsair.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue101,p32 Issue101,p70 Issue101,p86 Issue101,p40
PRICE(incVAT) 450 255 76 56
U
P
D
A
T
E
D
U
P
D
A
T
E
D
U
P
D
A
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WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
30 April 2012
Our choice of the best hardware available
O
u
r
b
e
s
t
s
e
l
l
in
g
g
a
m
in
g
P
C
e
v
o
l
v
e
d
-
B
e
t
t
e
r
G
r
a
p
h
ic
s
,
B
ig
g
e
r
H
a
r
d
D
r
iv
e
-
B
e
t
t
e
r
D
e
a
l
!
AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, AMD Radeon HD 7770
1TB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Built-in Wi-Fi, 2 Year Warranty
TYPE
BUDGET CASE MICRO-ATX CASE AIR-COOLING CASE WATER-COOLING CASE
NAME
AntecOne SilverStoneTJ08-E SilverStoneRavenRV03 SilverStoneTemjinTJ07B-W
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.antec.com www.silverstonetek.com www.silverstonetek.com www.silverstonetek.com
REVIEWED Issue108,p36 Issue98,p48 Issue103,p70 Issue63,p87
PRICE(incVAT) 37 78 104 227
TYPE
LGA1155 CPU
WATERBLOCK
GEFORCE GTX 680
WATERBLOCK
RADEONHD 7970
WATERBLOCK
DUAL 120MMRADIATOR
NAME
XSPCRayStormCPU XSPCRazorGTX680
AquacomputeraquagrATIx
forHD7970
AlphacoolNexXxosUT60
FullCopper240mm
SUPPLIER www.aquatuning.co.uk www.overclockers.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 Issue107,p60 Issue107,p65 Issue107,p67 Issue107,p72
PRICE(incVAT) 51 80 76 50
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
31April 2012
www.cclonline.comwww.cclonline.com
Call us on 08000 50 10 10
Monitors and desktop bundles are available separately.
TYPE
HARD DISK SSD NAS BOX
NAME
SeagateBarracuda2TBST2000DM001 OCZVertex4256GB SynologyDiskStationDS212j
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.ebuyer.co.uk www.dabs.com
MANUFACTURER www.seagate.com www.ocztechnology.com www.synology.com
REVIEWED Issue104,p75 Issue107,p44 Issue104,p50
PRICE(incVAT) 69 160 160
TYPE 530W PSU
660W PSU
850W PSU 1.2kW PSU
NAME BeQuiet!PurePowerL8
530W
SeasonicX-Series660W
XFXPro850WXXXEdition
(Silver)
CorsairAX1200i
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.bequiet.com www.seasonic.com www.xfxforce.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue110, p55 Issue110, p59 Issue110, p71 Issue111, p40
PRICE(incVAT) 55 115 95 250
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
32 April 2012
Our choice of the best hardware available
O
u
r
b
e
s
t
s
e
l
l
in
g
I
n
t
e
l
g
a
m
in
g
P
C
e
v
o
l
v
e
d
-
B
e
t
t
e
r
G
r
a
p
h
ic
s
-
B
ig
g
e
r
H
a
r
d
D
r
iv
e
Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 560Ti, 1TB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, 2 Year Warranty
TYPE
SOUND CARD 2.1 SPEAKERS HEADSET 5.1 SPEAKERS
NAME
AsusXonarDX CorsairSP2500 AsusVulcanANC LogitechZ906
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk
MANUFACTURER http://uk.asus.com www.corsair.com http://uk.asus.com www.logitech.com
REVIEWED Issue80,p63 Issue92,p79 Issue98,p57 Issue102,p50
PRICE(incVAT) 59 182 80 251
TYPE
24INMONITOR 27INMONITOR TRIPLE-MONITOR STAND
NAME
DellUltraSharpU2412M DellUltraSharpU2711 XFXTripleDisplayMonitorStand
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.cclonline.com www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.dell.com www.dell.co.uk www.xfxforce.com
REVIEWED Issue105,p64 Issue81,p56 Issue96,p58
PRICE(incVAT) 221 512 299
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
33April 2012
www.cclonline.comwww.cclonline.com
Call us on 08000 50 10 10
Monitors and desktop bundles are available separately.
TYPE
KEYBOARD MOUSE STEERINGWHEEL JOYSTICK
NAME
MionixZibal60 MaonixNaos3200 LogitechG27 LogitechFlightSystemG940
SUPPLIER www.lambda-tek.com www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.mionix.net www.mionix.net www.logitech.com www.logitech.com
REVIEWED Issue108,p71 Issue108,p60 Issue92,p108 Issue92,p109
PRICE(incVAT) 101 35 200 249
TYPE
RPG FPS STRATEGY UNDERDOG
NAME
ElderScrollsV:Skyrim Dishonored FrozenSynapse Trine2
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 Issue101,p100 Issue111,p96 Issue96,p92 Issue102,p98
PRICE(incVAT) 30 26 19 for two 12
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
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44
GIGABYTE
GA-Z77X-UP7
Amotherboardwith
impressiveVRMcircuitry.
40
AMDFX-8350
CanAMDsnew
Piledrivercore compete
againstIvyBridge?
46
SYNOLOGYDS213+
Adual-bayNASwith
adual-coreCPU,butisit
worththeextramoney?
42
NANOXIADEEP
SILENCE1
Super-quietcooling
withoutsacrificingspeed?
50
GRIPPYPAD
Suspendyourtablet
orsmartphoneinmid-air,
ifyoutrustit.
50
EDIFIERSOUND
TOGOPLUS
Mmm,brushed
aluminium.
51
AMAZONKINDLE
FIREHD16GB
TheUKfinallygets
AmazonsAndroidtablets.
51
ARCTICP402
Is23enoughtobuy
youarespectablesetof
earphones?Wefindout.
34 January 2013
Our in-depth analysis of
the latest PC hardware
36
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
35January 2013
HOWWETEST,P48
Windows8Pro
Waitaminute,this
doesntlooklike
Windows.Wetryoutthe
newOStoseeifitsstill
appropriateforuseon
desktopPCs
36
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
36 January 2013
HOW MUCH?
Price24.99(download);
49.99(boxed)
Supplierhttp://windows.
microsoft.com/en-GB/
windows/buy
Manufacturer
www.microsoft.com
singWindows8forthefirsttimeisratherlike
goinghometofindsomeonehastakenaway
yourfrontdoorandbrickeduptheholewith
Duplo.Then,whenyougototheshedtosee
ifyoucanengineerabreak-in,youfindthatallyour
powertoolshavebeenreplacedbymulti-coloured
pipecleaners.Yourlandlord,whoswaitinginthe
gardenwithabigsmile,tellsyouthatyourlifeisnow
goingtobeawholeloteasierthankstoallthegreat
changeshesmade.Thenhestealsallyourchairs.
Bynow,youprobablyknowthatWindows8isnt,by
default,yourusualversionofWindows.Whenyoustart
theOS,youregreetedbyabrand-newtile-basedStart
menu,whichtakesupthewholescreen,andshows
youaselectionofbig-screenapps.Then,whenyou
findtheDesktopbuttonandclickonit,youretaken
toaWindowsdesktopthatdoesnthaveaStartbutton
inthecorner.
Bigdeal,youmightthink.Loadsofoperating
systemsdonthaveStartbuttons,sowhydoes
Windowsneedone?Itdoesnt,ofcourse,butif its
goingtoremovetheStartbutton,itneedstoreplaceit
withsomethingthatworkseitheraswellorbetter. In
thiscase,thereplacementisthetile-basedmenuwe
mentionedearlier,whichMicrosoftcallsMetro.
Why,Ihearyouask?Well,whenMicrosoftfirst
startedpreviewingWindows7,itreleasedallsortsof
videostoshowoffthenewmulti-touchfeatures,such
aspeopleplayingvirtualpianosonWindows7tablets.
Then,whenWindows7cameout,virtuallynopopular
tabletssupporteditbecause,basically,theWindows
desktopisreallyhorribletousewithjustatouch-
screen,asyoucantachievethenecessaryprecision.
Microsoftsawthetabletmarkethooveredupby
AppleandGoogle,andrealiseditneededtogetthis
rightnexttime.TheanswerisWindows8theidea
beingthatitgivesyouthebestofbothworldsinone
package.Ithasthetablet-friendlyMetrointerface,and
aloadofsupportingappsintheWindows8appstore,
butyoucanalsorunstandardWindowssoftwareinit
indesktopmode.Everyonesawinner,right?
No,atleastnotinthiscase.Flippingbetweenthe
MetrointerfaceandtheWindowsdesktopisfarfrom
anaturalexperience,andonethatquicklybecomes
achore.Thetwosystemsareclearlytargetedatvery
differentdevicesand,whenyouconsiderthat
MicrosofthasitsSurfaceprojectfortabletsanyway,
youhavetowonderwhyitthoughtcouplingthetwo
together wasagoodidea.
It isntthattheMetrointerfaceisbad.Infact,ona
tablet, itworksbrilliantlyandsmoothly. Itsjustthatits
socompletelyinappropriateforuseonadesktopPC
withoutatouch-screen.Microsofthastrieditsbestto
forcethetwosystemstogetherbyenablingyoutodock
Metroappsontheleftorrightofthedesktop.However,
theresnoreasontodothiswithmostoftheapps,as
theyreagaingearedtowardstablets,andhavea
limitedfeatureset.Wetriedoutseveralsocialmedia
apps,andtrieddockingthemtoonesideofthe
desktop,butnoneofthemwasanywherenearas
flexibleandusefulastheirdesktopequivalents.
Whenyoufirsttryoutthedesktopmode,youalso
havethenhavethefrustratingchallengeoffinding
everythinglikeanEasteregghunt,exceptyoucant
doyourjobuntilyoucompleteit.WheresthePower
button,forexample?Togettoit,youhavetomovethe
U
MICROSOFT
Windows 8 Pro
WINDOWS 7
Fast boot-up time;
Metro interface
great for tablets;
improved Task
Manager; better
multi-monitor
support
WINDOWS ME
Metro interface
inappropriate
for desktop;
generally slower
performance;
lacks Media
Center; no Aero;
no Start button;
struggles with
non-certied
drivers
All change as Windows gears up for the tablet
generation, but is it still appropriate for desktops?
YoucandockMetroappstotheleftorrightofthestandard
Windowsdesktop
WherearealltheWindowsapps?HeretheyareintheSearch
sectioninthenewMetrointerface
WorldMags.netWorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
37January 2013
OPERATING SYSTEM
mousetothetop-rightcornertobringuptheCharms
menu,wherefiveiconsglidesmoothlyovertheright
edgeofthedesktop.Youthenneedtoclickonthe
SettingsCharm,andthePowerbuttonisatthe
bottom.YoullalsofindtheControlPanelhere.
TheCharmsmenucontainstheSearchfeaturetoo,
whichtakesyoubackouttotheMetroStartmenu.If
youwanttofindtheCalculator,forexample,typeit in
hereanditwillappear.IfyouclickonAppsinthe
Searchmenu,youllalsoseeabigarrayoficons,
showingwhatyouusedtogetintheStartmenu.
Tomakemattersworse,someofthesettingsforthe
wholeOScanonlybefoundintheMetroStartmenu,
andothersonlyinthedesktopmenu.Youcant just
ignoreMetro Microsoftforcesyoutouseit.
Forexample,Windows8hasaverylowtolerance
fornon-certifieddrivers.Wecouldnt installourlaser
printerdriveronthedesktop,aswekeptgettingan
errormessage,andthesetupprocessthenexited.If
youwantWindowstoinstallnon-certifieddrivers
(whichisessentialfortheaverageenthusiast),you
havetogothroughaseriesofmenusintheMetro
interfaceandthenrestartyourmachine.
Likewise,wethenfoundthattheWindowsUpdate
systemwasdifferentintheMetroanddesktopmodes,
andweactuallyhadtousetheMetroversioninorderto
updatecertainpartsofMicrosoftOffice.
Inshort,Windows8sMetrointerfaceisaserious
improvementoverWindows7fortablets,butits
completelyunintuitiveonadesktopPC.Wewantedto
befairthough.Humansarefamouslyhostiletowards
change,anditmaywellbethatthisisjustanewway
ofworking,anditbecomesbetterwhenyougetused
toit.SowespentaweekusingitasthemainCustom
PCproductionPC,wherewehadtoworkwithall
ourdesktopappsoniteveryday,usingInDesign,
Photoshop,MicrosoftOfficeandplayingvarious
games,foraweek,toseeif itbecamebettertouse.
Actuallyitdoes,becauseyoulearntotweakit.One
essentialpurchasehastobeStardocksStart8app
(www.stardock.com),whichcostsjust$4.99(3)and
givesyoubacktheStartbutton.Cueamassivesighof
reliefasyoucansuddenlyfindeverythingagain.You
alsoquicklylearntojustignoretheMetroapps,as
theyregenerallycompletelyinappropriatefora
desktopcomputerwithoutatouch-screen.So,once
youveforcedittoacceptnon-certifieddrivers,pinned
yourdesktopappstothedesktoptaskbar,downloaded
properdesktopversionsofyourappsandgotyour
Startbuttonback,itsjustlikeusingWindows7again.
Infact, insomeways,itsbetterthanacleaninstall
ofWindows7.Theboot-uptimeismuchquicker,for
astartconsistentlyfivesecondsquickeronourtest
system.Theinstallationprocesshadnotrouble
detectingperipheralsconnectedtoUSB3portseither.
ThenewlydesignedTaskManagerisgreattoo,giving
youadetailedanduser-friendlybreakdownofhow
yourPCisusingitsvariousresources.
Multi-monitorsupporthasalsoimproved,with
extramonitorsnowgettingtheirownindependent
taskbarsifyouwantthem.
However,thenewOSalsoexcludesafewother
features thatyoumightbeexpecting.WindowsMedia
Center,forastart, isntbundledasstandardanymore
itsanoptionaldownloadthatwillsetyoubackan
extra6.99.TheWindowsBackupsystemhasalso
changedtoanewsystemcalledFileHistory,which
onlybacksupyourWindowsLibraries(documents,
pictures,musicandsoon),ratherthanspecificfolders
elsewhere.Ontheplusside,whilethisismorelimited,
itsmuchmoreuser-friendly,enablingyoutoeasily
browsethefilesstoredinyourbackup.Usefully, itcan
alsokeepahistory,asitsnamesuggests,offilesthat
youvechanged,soyoucanrollbacktoprevious
versionsifyouwant.
YoualsodontgetAero,withitstransparent
windows,anymore.Microsoftssaysitlooksgarish
now.Ofcourse,trendsaredifficulttopredictinthe
38
MissingtheStartbuttonand
menu?InstallStardocksStart8
apptogetitback
WelcometoWindowsthisisthe
newMetroStartmenu.Itlooks
lovely,anditworksgreatona
tablet,butitscounter-intuitive
onadesktop
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38 January 2013
OPERATING SYSTEM
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
Stock speed
0
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
1,932
1,833
Windows 8
Windows 7
REBOOT TIME, INCLUDING POST (SECONDS)
0
7 14 21 28
50
50
26
21
Windows 8
Windows 7
SATA 6Gbps (MB/sec)
0
150 300 450 600
546
541
517
510
Windows 8
Windows 7
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM (DX9)
0
25 50 75 100
47fps
50fps
38fps
42fps
Windows 8
Windows 7
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
0
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
3,367
3,339
Windows 8
Windows 7
MULTI-TASKING
0
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
1,677
1,493
Windows 8
Windows 7
OVERALL
0
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
2,325
2,222
Windows 8
Windows 7
Stock speed min Stock speed avg
1,920 x 1,080, 4x AA, 16x AF. With Radeon HD 7850
0
25 50 75 100
74fps
73fps
60fps
55fps
Windows 8
Windows 7
1,920 x 1,080, 4x AA, 16x AF. With GeForce GTX 670
THE WITCHER 2
0
25 50 75 100
50fps
50fps
41fps
41fps
Windows 8
Windows 7
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra preset. With Radeon HD 7850
0
25 50 75 100
75fps
73fps
59fps
59fps
Windows 8
Windows 7
1,920 x 1,080, 4x AA, 16x AF. With GeForce GTX 670
Write Read
TEST KIT
4.2GHzIntelCorei5-2500K
CPU,AsusMaximusV
Formulamotherboard,
8GBCorsair1,600MHz
DDR3memory,OCZVertex
3128GBSSD,Nvidia
GeForce306.97,AMD
Catalyst12.10
customPC
64
OVERALL
future,Microsoftmaybeprovedright,and thesee-
throughwindowswill lookalittlecheesy,butatthe
moment,theflatcoloursandboxesthatoutline
Windows8swindowsareananticlimax.Wepreferred
Aero,andwedontcareifthatmakesusuncool.
PERFORMANCE
Aftergettingusedtothequirksofthenewinterface,
wethenwantedtoseehowitperformed.Everything
workedexceptCrysis2oncewedupgradedittotheDX
11versionwiththehigh-restexturepack.Thisisa
worry,butyoucanatleastgetitworkinginDX9mode.
Allourothertestsransmoothly,althoughtherewere
somenotableperformancedifferencesinsomeareas,
asyoucanseefromthegraphs.
Mostnotably,Windows8knockedaround100
pointsoffourimageeditingtestresult,and184
pointsoffthemulti-taskingresult.Similarly,theSATA
6Gbpsperformancealsodippedslightly,thoughnot
disastrously,withthenewOS.
Gamingperformancewasalsointeresting,aswe
testedthenewOSonbothanAMDandanNvidiaGPU
toseehowtheirrespectivedriversfared.AMDseems
tohavegotitright,withWindows8eithermaintaining
orevenimprovingframeratesinSkyrimandThe
Witcher2.
However,theNvidiaGPUdidntfarequiteaswell
ourtestGeForceGTX670 producedaminimumof
60fpsinSkyrimat1,920x1,080inWindows7,butthis
consistentlydroppedto55fpsinWindows8.Inshort, it
looksasthoughAMDsimplyhasbetterWindows8
graphicsdriversthanNvidiaatthemoment.
CONCLUSION
WeunderstandwhyMicrosoftmadeWindows8the
tabletmarketisbooming,andthedesktopmarketis
declining.However,thedefaultpackageofWindows8,
whichmarriesadecenttabletinterfacewithadecent
desktopinterface,butthenmessesitupbyforcingthe
twotoworktogether, isadisasterforanyonewho
properlyusesadesktopPC.AndasthisisCustomPC,
werereviewingitasadesktopoperatingsystem,
ratherthanatabletOS.
Aftersometinkering,youcangetWindows8todo
whatyouwant,butthisisahassleand,asidefrom
quickerboottimes,youdontgainanythingfrom
theupgrade.It isntlikeWindowsVista,whereyou
toleratedtheclunkydriversupportandharddrive-
hammeringsearchsystem,butatleastyouhad
DirectX10andtheAerointerface.Windows8doesnt
offercomparableperks.
Ifanything,ittakesawayperks,particularlywhen
youconsiderthegeneralnegativeeffecttheOShadon
ourperformancetests.IfyoualreadyhaveWindows7
HomePremium,dontbotherupgradingtoWindows8
onadesktopPC,evenforthecheapdownloadpriceof
24.99it isntworthit. IfyoubuyanewPCthathas
Windows8,however,dontworryitsintimidatingat
first,butyoucangetittobehaveifyoutinkerwithit.
BEN HARDWIDGE
37
ThenewPowerbuttonisburiedin
theSettingsoptionintheWindows
Charmsmenu
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40 January 2013
HOW MUCH?
Price164incVAT
Manufacturer
www.amd.com
Supplierwww.scan.co.uk
IN DETAIL
Frequency4GHz(4.2GHz
TurboFrequency)
CorePiledriver
GPUNone
Numberofcores
8xphysical
CacheL1:4x64KBshared
instructioncaches,8x16KB
datacaches(384KBintotal)
L2:4x2MBL3:4x2MB
PackagingAM3+
Thermaldesignpower
(TDP)125W
FeaturesSSE,SSE2,SSE3,
SSE4a,SSE4.1,SSE4.2,
256-bitAVX,AESNI,
PCLMULQDQ,AMD64,
CoolnQuiet3.0,AMD-V,
MMX,FMA4,XOP
hileAMDisconsistentlycompetitivewith
NvidiaontheGPUfront, itstop-endCPUs
havebeenconsistentlyoutperformedby
Intelscompetitioninrecentyears.Last
yearsBulldozerarchitecturewassupposedtobethe
shotinthearmAMDneeded,buttheflagshipFX-8150
CPUfellfarshortofexpectations,offeringpoorsingle-
threadedperformance,beforebeingagainsurpassed
byIntelsIvyBridgeCPUsthisyear.
TheFX-8350hasitsworkcutout,then,asitsnew
Piledriverarchitectureismoreanoptimisedversionof
Bulldozerthantheall-newarchitectureAMDarguably
needstoleveltheCPUplayingfield.Piledriverstill
usesthesamelayoutasitspredecessor,madeupof
uptofourmodules,eachcontainingtwox86integer
cores.Thecoresarentself-contained,though,and
shareresourceswithineachmodule,suchasthefetch
anddecodeunits,andthefloating-pointscheduler.
Eachindividualcorehas16KBofL1datacache,with
eachmodulesporting64KBofL1instructioncache
and2MBofL2datacache.The8MBL3cacheisthen
sharedbetweenallfourmodules.I