Custom PC Magazine UK January 2013

WINDOWS8:WHERE’S THE START BUTTON?

PLUSIS

SUE

112

JAN

2013

£4.5

0

THE BEST-SST-SELLING G MAG G FOOR PC HARDWAWAW RE, OE, OVERCLOCKLOCKINGG, G, GAMING & G & MOODDINGG

AMD Trinity vsIntel Core i3and PentiumPlay Skyrimwithout agraphics card

BUDGETCPUS FROM

£72

AMD MOTHERBOARDSHOW TO TURNAN OLD CPU INTOA USB THUMBDRIVE

SPECIAL REPORT: HOWQUANTUM COMPUTERSWORK

WorldMags.netWorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

http://worldmags.net/


3January 2013

Welcome to Issue 112Welcome to Issue 112EditorialEDITOR

[email protected]

TECHNICALEDITORHarryButler

GAMESEDITORJoeMartin

ARTEDITORBillBagnall

PRODUCTIONEDITORJulieBirrell

CONTRIBUTORSAntonyLeather, CliffHarris,

GarethHalfacree,JamesGorbold,JimKillock,LucySherriff,PaulGoodhead,RickLane,SimonTreadaway,TracyKing

PHOTOGRAPHYAntonyLeather,DannyBird

•

AdvertisingGROUPADVERTISINGMANAGER

BenTopp+44(0)2079076625

[email protected]

ACCOUNTMANAGERAdamMcDonnell+44(0)2079076620

[email protected]

SALESEXECUTIVEFinanTesfay

+44(0)[email protected]

USADVERTISINGDIRECTORMatthewSullivan-Pond

[email protected]

CustomPCispublishedmonthlybyDennisPublishingLtd,30ClevelandStreet,LondonW1T4JD,acompanyregisteredinEnglandnumber1138891.

Entirecontents©DennisPublishingLtdlicensedbyFelden.

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOMETheadviceandinformationprovidedinthismagazineisgiveningoodfaith.

DennisPublishingLimitedcannotacceptanyresponsibilityforanyloss,disruptionordamagetoyourdataoryourcomputersystemwhichmayoccurasaresultoffollowingorattemptingtofollowadvicegiveninthemagazineoronitswebsite.Ifthingsdogowrong,

takeabreak.Theworldtendstoseembetterafteracupoftea.

Thepaperusedwithinthismagazineisproducedfromsustainablefibre,manufacturedbymillswithavalid

chainofcustody.

Publishing & MarketingGROUPPUBLISHER

[email protected]

MARKETINGEDITORIALEXECUTIVEPaulGoodhead

[email protected]

LICENSINGMANAGERCarlottaSerantoni

[email protected]+44(0)2079076550

LICENSINGANDSYNDICATIONASSISTANTNicoleAdams

[email protected]+44(0)2079076134

SYNDICATIONSENIORMANAGERAnjumDosaj

+44(0)2079076132

Dennis Publishing LimitedTel:02079076000fax02079076193

DIRECTOROFADVERTISINGJulianLloydEvans

MANAGINGDIRECTORDENNISTECHNOLOGY

JohnGarewal

CEOIanWestwood

NEWSTRADEDIRECTORDavidBarker

FINANCEDIRECTORBrettReynolds

GROUPFINANCEDIRECTORIanLeggett

CHIEFEXECUTIVEJamesTye

CHAIRMANFelixDennis

•SUBSCRIPTIONS

Youcanmanageyourexistingsubscriptionthroughwww.subsinfo.co.uk–thisshouldbeyourfirstportofcallifyouhaveanyqueriesaboutyoursubscription.Email:custompc@

servicehelpline.co.uk

Annualsubs:UK£39.99UKsubs:08448440032

Overseassubs:Europe£60,ROW£80Overseassubs:+44(0)1795592906

LICENSING,REPRINTS,EPRINTSWright’sMedia

0800-051-8327(TollFree)

PrintedbyBGP

DistributedbySeymourDistributionTel:02074294001


WorldMags.net



CHEAPASCHIPS54 BUDGETCPUs

Whetheryouwanttobuildthebestall-roundsystemonatight

budget,orifyournextbuildsimplydoesn’tneedallthetop-endbellsandwhistles,we’veroundedupsixofthebestbudgetCPUstofindoutwhichdeservesaplaceinyourPC,andputfournewSocketFM2motherboardsthroughtheirpacestoo.

4 January 2013

Welcome to Issue 112

14 INMODWETRUSTJoeMartindiscussesmoddingwith

JasonBrice,whorecruitedsomeofthebestUnrealEngine3modderstomakeRekoil.

18 ROBOTBUTLERSHowfarareweawayfromareal-life

RobbytheRobot?

20 READMYMIPSGarethHalfacreeexplainshowan

alternativeCPUinstructionsetcouldrenderthesmartphonemarketARMless.

36 WINDOWS8TheStartmenuhasgone,andanew

tile-basedsystemhasturnedup.IsthereanypointinupgradingtoWindows8onadesktop?

42 NANOXIADEEPSILENCE1Canyoubuildasuper-quietPC

withoutoverlysacrificingperformance?

86 XCOM:ENEMYUNKNOWNSomeremadeclassicssurpassthe

magicoftheoriginals,butnotallofthem.JoeMartinplaysthenewXCOMtoseehowitfares.

92 TRULYSOCIALGAMINGHardcoregamedeveloperscould

learnathingortwofrom‘social’gamessuchasFarmville,andsolveonlinegamers’attitudeproblemwhilethey’reatit,arguesCliffHarris.

98 WHERE’SMYQUANTUMCOMPUTER?

Howfarawayarewefromquantumcomputing,andhowonearthdoyoubuildaquantumcomputeranyway?RickLaneinvestigates.

3698 51


WorldMags.net



118

18

110

5January 2013

1ssue 112

104 MOREMONEY,MOREPROBLEMS

Fromcrowd-fundingprojectsviaKickstartertopay-what-you-wantsystems,JoeMartintalkstothoseinvolvedwithnewgamesindustrybusinessmodels.

116 HOWTOTURNANOLDCPUINTOAUSBTHUMBDRIVE

Don’tknowwhattodowiththePentium4stashedinyourdrawer?AntonyLeathershowsyouhowtoturnanoldchipintoathumbdrive.

36118

54

54

98

Reviewed this monthHardwareOPERATING SYSTEM36 Windows8

CPU40 AMDFX

CASE42 NanoxiaDeepSilence1

MOTHERBOARD44 GigabyteGA-Z77X-UP7

NAS BOX46 SynologyDS213+

Customkit50 GrippyPad50 BooqMambaCourier50 EdifierSoundToGoPlus51 ArcticP40251 AmazonKindleFireHD16GB

BudgetCPULabs test58 AMDA8-5600K59 AMDA10-570060 AMDA10-5800K62 IntelCorei3-322063 IntelCorei3-322564 IntelPentiumG2120

FM2motherboardLabs test66 ASRockFM2A75Pro4-M68 GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H70 AsusF2A85-MPRO72 MSIA85XA-G65

Games84 XCOM:EnemyUnknown87 HellYeah!WrathoftheDeadRabbit88 TheAmazingSpider-Man90 TombRaider91 CompanyofHeroes2

25PRODUCTSREVIEWED

90 Tomb Raider91 Company of Heroes 2

CASE42

MOTHERBOARD44

NAS BOX46

Custom kit5050505151

58596062Regulars

8 Fromtheeditor11 TracyKing12 Digitalrights14 Interview16 Incoming18 Science!20 Mobiletechwatch24 CPCEliteproducts48 Howwetest82 Grumpygamer92 Devperspective94 Theengineroom128 Retrotech130 JamesGorbold

Community110 Readers’drives114 HowtomakeyourownUSB

thumbdrive118 HowtomakeaUSBSSDcase122 Letters125 Folderof themonth126 Yourfoldingmilestones

104

88


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



a longwithmyinabilitytounderstandmusicwithauto-tunedvocals,andmyeyebrows’tendencytosproutstray5inhairs,oneofthemainfactorsIassociatewithgettingolderisthe

abilitysitbackandaskwhenyou’rewrong.Idon’talwaysmanageit,butitmustbeharderforatechcompanytoadmitthatit’swrong,especiallywhenit’sinvestedsomuchmoneyinawrongproduct.Itdoeshappenthough.WhenNvidia’sGeForceGX5800Ultrawas

(rightly)slatedbycriticsforbeingahot,slothofaGPUwithafanthatsoundedlikeawindtunnel, it laterreleasedajokevideoshowingpeopleusingitasahairdryer.Similarly,afterafewyearsofseeingitsNetBurstarchitecturebeingtrampledbyAMD’ssuperiorAMD64architecture,Inteleventuallywentbacktothedrawingboard,canningitsroadmapandinsteadfocusingitseffortsonthenewCore2architecture.Thiswasn’taneasydecisionforIntel.

Itwasn’t justacaseofadmittingthatitsflagshipCPUarchitecturewasn’tuptomuch–ithadtocanhugeamountsofresearchanddevelopment,layoffstaffandreallocateresourcesonaninternationalscale.Itturnedouttobetherightstrategy,butau-turnonthatscaleisn’ttakenlightly.Assuch,I’mnowwonderingwhatAMDiscurrentlythinkingabout

itsFXlineofCPUs.AMDhasaproblemhere.It’spouredahugeamountofresourcesintodevelopingtheBulldozerarchitecture,whichisalsothebasisforthePiledriverarchitectureusedinthenewFX-8350(seep40).PiledriveriscertainlyanimprovementoverBulldozer,butIntelhasalsoreducedthepowerconsumptionandtweakedtheperformanceofitsownchipsinthemeantime.Theresult isthatAMD’snewFXCPUsimplyisn’tworthconsidering.

Itstillusesanunhealthyamountofpower,anditsperformanceiscomparablyterribleinalmosteverythingexceptheavilymulti-

AMD’s new FX chips still can’tcompete with Intel’s equivalents,and this should be a concern

threadedsoftware.Inparticular, itsspeedingamesiswoeful.Thisshouldn’tcomeasasurprise,seeingasit’sbasicallyatweakedversionofBulldozer,butifthisisAMD’shigh-endCPUstrategynowthenI’mworried.IrememberwhenAMD’sFXCPUsrepresentedthepinnacleof

desktopCPUperformance–AMDcouldhappilycharge£500forthem,andpeoplewouldpay.However,evenat £164,thenewFXchipssimplycan’tcompete.Thisisproblematicforenthusiastsbecause,withoutstrongcompetition,IntelcouldsoonbeinapositiontotakeovertheentiremarketforenthusiastdesktopCPUs.

AMDcanthankfullyfallbackonsomereallygreatproductsatthemoment,soI’msureitsfutureisstillsafe.ItsRadeonHD7000-seriesGPUsanditsnewTrinityCPUs(seep60)arereallycompetitive.Infact, I’mplanningtoupgrademyHTPCtoaSocketFM2rigbytheendoftheyear.However,FXisaworry.Whatcan

AMDdoaboutit?Itcouldeitherpulloutofthetop-endCPUmarketaltogether,oritcouldrepeatIntel’sNetBurst-canningstrategy,admitthatBulldozersimplyisn’tuptothejob,andreallocateitsresourcesondevelopinganewCPUarchitecture.Sadly,thelatterisprobablyfartooriskyinthecurrentfinancialclimate,butIalsodon’twanttoloseAMDfromthedesktopCPUmarket. IreallyhopeAMDhassomethingreallystrongonitsfutureroadmap;ifnot,wecouldbelookingatanIntel-onlyfutureasdesktopPCenthusiasts.

BenHardwidgeistheeditorofCustomPC.HelikesPCs,realaleandWarhammer40,000.

[email protected] @MANSHARK

It’s basically a tweakedversion of Bulldozer, but ifthis is AMD’s high-end CPUstrategy then I’m worried

THEAMDWORRY

8 January 2013

from the editor


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



W ouldyoutrustyourMPmoreifyouknewtheywereagamer?Iwould,becauseit’seasiertotrustpeoplewhoarelikeme,andalsobecauseI’dknowtheyhadapassing

clueabouttechnologyandtheInternet,andsomeinsightintowhatmillionsofpeopleofallagesdointheirsparetime.I’dprobablybefoolish,becauseasweallknow,beingagamerdoesn’texcludeyoufrombeingajerk,butatleastthey’dbea21stcenturyjerk.WhenitcomestoParliamentvotingonissuessuchasgamebans,

investmentinpublicWiFi,taxbreaksfordevelopers, introducingcodingtothenationalcurriculumandsoon,I’dratherhaveagamerinmycorner.Iunderstand,though,thattogenerationsor

mindsetsignorantorscaredofgamesandourincreasinglyonlinelifestyles,theideathatapoliticianwouldengageingamingisworrying.ArecentUSstorythat’sstillcausingupsetisthatofColleenLachovicz,theStateSenatecandidatewhoseWorldofWarcrafthabithasledtoquestionsaboutherfitnessforoffice.Somepeoplehaveleapedonthisas

evidencethatshe’sanawfulpersonandthatshe‘wastes’vastswathesofhertimeplayingagamewhensheshouldbe…well,that’swherethey’requiet. Ihaven’tseenanyofhercriticsstatewhattheydointheirsparetimeandjustifywhyit’smoreappropriateforapublicservant.It’spossiblethatsomefolkbelievepoliticiansshouldspendtheir

sparetimeworking,butI’dbeamazedifmanyactuallylivethatway.Rather,Isuspectthey’vesimplyoverlookedthefactthatvideogamesarejustoneofmanysortsof‘playing’,andthattheyprobablydon’tequatetheirweeklygameofgolforpokernightasanythingsimilar.InBritain,wedon’thavemanypoliticiansopenlyinvolvedingaming.

OneexceptionisMPandMurdoch-baneTomWatson,whohas

Being a gamer doesn’t necessarilymake you a good politician, but atleast it shows you’re in touch

appearedatgameeventssuchasGameCity. Inopposition,wehave,amongothers,KeithVaz,whoseemsnotjustanti-gaming,butactivelycampaignsforcensorshipandrestrictions,leadingthemediacharge.Britainneedsanactiveandhealthygamingindustry.Gamesarean

increasinglyimportantpartoftheeconomyandweshouldbemakingthem,notbanningthem.NotjustPCorconsolegames,butcasualgamesformobiledevices,becausethey’reonlygoingtobecomemorecommon.IftheUSAcanuseapolitician’sgaminghobbyagainsther, itwill

happenheretoo.Icouldn’tfindanydataonMPsandgaming,andIwascurioustoknowhowmanywouldadmittoaspendingaweekend

playingHalo,soIdevisedatwo-questionanonymouspollandemailedittoallthecurrentBritishMPs.Sadly,only18MPscompletedthesurvey,

whichisn’talargeenoughsamplesizefromwhichtodrawanymeaningfulanalysis.Oneformersportsminister(irony!)emailedtosayshe‘certainlydoesnotplaygames’,butontheplusside,tenofthemsaidthat,yes,theyplaycomputergamesononeplatformoranother;sixwerePCgamers.Sothat’ssomecomfort,

knowingthereareatleastacoupleofgamersinpower.ThelastwordgoestoCharlieElphicke,MPforDoverandDeal,who

emailedmetosay,‘Iusedtobuildmyownhomecomputers.IusedZalmanwater-coolingbeforetheyworkedouthowtomakechipsrunlesshot. It justgoestoshowyoucanbuildcomputers,enjoygaming,designwebsitesandserveasahandson,in-touchMPtoo.‘

GamerandscienceenthusiastTracyKingdissectstheevidenceandstatisticsbehindsomeofthepopularmediastoriessurroundingtechandgaming @TKINGDOLL

Games are increasinglyan important part of the

economy and weshould be making them,

not banning them

POLITICSANDGAMESDON’TMIX

11January 2013WorldMags.netWorldMags.net

WorldMags.net



12 January 2013

Jim Killock

spateofarrestssince2010haslandedaroundsevenpeopleincourtorjail formakingshockingremarksontheInternet.These‘socialmedia

trials’havecentredonindividualssending‘grosslyoffensive’tweetsorFacebookupdates.They’vebeenprosecutedunderSection127aoftheCommunicationsAct,andthesentenceshaveleftmanyofuswonderingexactlywhatmightlandusintroublewiththelaw,merelyforexpressingopinions,seriousornot,thatotherpeoplefindoffensive.Internationallawisclearthatyouhavethe

righttobeoffensive.TheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightstoldtheUKbackin1976thatyouhavetherighttosaythings‘…thatoffend,shockordisturbthestateoranysectorofthepopulation’.Ofcourse,that’sdifferentfromintimidatingorthreateningpeoplewithviolenceorlyingaboutthem.Therearelawsthatdealwiththeseproblems,buttheydon’tapplytocaseswherepeoplearesimplytellingjokesorperhapsbeingstupidontheInternet.ItstartedwiththenowfamousTwitterJoke

Trial.PaulChambersjokinglythreatenedtoblowupNottinghamairport.Hesaid:‘Crap!RobinHoodairportisclosed.You’vegotaweekandabittogetyourshittogetherotherwiseI’mblowingtheairportskyhigh!’Nobodyintheirrightmindwouldtakesuch

athreatseriously,yetitfilteredslowlythroughsecurityandpolicesystemstothepointwhereChamberswasprosecuted.Heappearstohavebeeninvestigatedasifhewasapossibleterrorist,howeverunlikely;presumablyitbeganasabox-tickingexercise,wherepeoplechargedwithmaintainingairportsecurityfelttheyneededtoinvestigatepurelybecauseit’stheirresponsibility.Atsomepoint, lawenforcementchangedtack,andprosecutedhimunderSection127aoftheCommunicationsAct,sayinghistweetwas‘grosslyoffensive’.

Ittookseveralappealstopersuadethecourtsthathewasinfactjoking,andshouldbeleftalone.Unfortunately,ChambersisjustoneofmanywhohaverecentlybeenarrestedunderSection127a.Othershaven’tbeensolucky.WhileChambersbecameacausecélèbre,andwassupportedbycelebritiesincludingStephenFryandAlMurray,otherpeoplehavesimplyendedupbeingfoundguiltyandservingsentences.Partofthisisbecausetheremarkspeople

havemadearedistasteful,andoftenthetimingmakestheoffensivenessparticularlybad.Andwhowantstodefendpeoplemakingpoorlyjudgedremarks?AzarAhmad,forinstance,toldhisFacebookfriends:‘Peoplegassinaboutthedeathsofsoldiers!

Whatabouttheinnocentfamilyswhohavebeenbrutallykilled..Thewomenwhohavebeenraped..Thechildrenwhohavebeenslicedup..!Yourenemy’sweretheTalibannotinnocentharmlessfamilys.AllsoldiersshouldDIE&gotoHELL!THELOWLIFEF*****N

SCUM!gottaproblemgocryatyoursolidersgrave&wishhimhellbecausethatwhereheisgoing.’Hewassentencedto240hoursofcommunityserviceand£300fineatHuddersfieldMagistrates’Court.Whilefewpeoplewouldthinkthathis

statementwasparticularlyeloquentorhelpful,thenumberofpeoplewhomakesimilarlyoffensiveremarks,eitherinpubs,ontheInternetorelsewhereinpublicmustbequitehigh.Alsothisyear,MatthewWoodswasgiven

12weeks’imprisonmentinayoungoffenderinstitutionafterpostingoffensivejokesonFacebookaboutthemissingchildrenAprilJonesandMadeleineMcCann.JoshuaCryerreceivedatwo-yearcommunityorderforracisttweetsdirectedatfootballerStanCollymore.AfakeDaleCregan‘fanpage’fortheaccusedmurdererofpoliceofficersNicolaHughesandFionaBoneresultedinthearrestananonymouspersoninGreaterManchesterinSeptember.

Careless talk costs livesPeople often make horrible and misguided remarks on the Internet,but that doesn’t mean they should be prosecuted for it

A

PaulChamberswaseventuallyacquittedfollowingseveralappeals,andcelebritysupportfrompeopleincludingStephenFryandAlMurray

PhotobyPaulClarke


WorldMags.net



13January 2013

ThisApril, thebloggerOllyCromwellcalledaBexleycouncillora‘c**t’ontheInternet,andwassentencedtoa12-monthcommunityserviceorderandafive-yearrestrainingorder,preventinghimfromanycontactwithhislocalcouncillors.Idon’tknowthedetailsofthecase,butrestrainingordersoughttocomefromaharassmentcharge,notfromaspeechoffence.Whenyou’repreventedfrominteractingwithyourlocaldemocraticrepresentatives,thatreallyoughttoringouralarmbells.Theexceptiontothisspateof

prosecutionswasthecaseofDanielThomas,whopostedahomophobictweetaboutswimmerTomDaley,andwasinitiallyarrested.ThecaseseemstohavehelpedtopromptthedirectoroftheCrownProsecutionServicetoreviewtheorganisation’sguidelinesaboutwhentoprosecute.Theirpublicconsultationismakingtherightnoises,butthere’sadangerthatthisisjustpaperingoverthecracks.Itisn’tclearthattheCommunicationsAct’spowerisdesignedfortheInternetandsocialmediaatall.Section127adatesbacktotheanalogue

era,andwasoriginallydesignedtostoppeopleabusing‘publicnetworks’,suchastelephonesorthepostalservice,tocommunicateinwaysthatwerebeyond

acceptablenorms,andcrucially,thatwastepublicresources.Therehavebeenmorethan4,700prosecutions,butthevastmajoritydon’tconcernInternetcommunications.Itcarriesamaximumsentenceofsixmonths.Mostmessagesthatare‘grosslyoffensiveorofanindecent,obsceneormenacingcharacter’canbeprosecutedunderothermore

appropriateacts.Sothequestionis,whyissection127abeingusedtopolicetheInternet,anddoesitevenneedtoexist?Amajorreasonforthespateofrecent

Internetprosecutionsmustlieinthenewpowerofsocialmedia,andthevisibilityandimmediacyofthemessages.People–andpolice–maybereadingthesemessages,feeloutragedandthenreachforthelawbook.Section127aseemslikeaneatcatch-all,andperhapsisbeingusedwhereactualharmishardtoshow,soitwouldbedifficulttomakeotheroffencesstick.That’sbadenough,butcourtsseemtobe

playingalongtoo.Courtsdon’tlikelawsbeing

JIMKILLOCKisexecutivedirectorofcampaignorganisationTheOpenRightsGroup

(www.openrightsgroup.org)

@jimkillock

broken,andapplytheideathatgrosslyoffensivemeanswhatanormalpersonwouldfindgrosslyoffensive.Thismeansthatthesectioncanfunctionasageneralarbiteroftasteanddecency,ratherthanaserioustestofcriminality.Furthermore,whatwefindoffensivewillbeverymuchattunedtonewcycles,soanyremarkaboutarecentlycontroversialtopic,oronethatsimplyraisesindignation,couldfallfoulofSection127a.AnyteenagerwithaJimmySavilejokerightnowreallyoughttokeepittothemselves.There’salso,perhaps,alackofunderstanding

ofthedifferencebetweenconsideredpublicremarksandimmediatereactionsmadeonsocialmedianetworks,whichmaybepartiallyprivate.Mostpeopletreatthemasthelatter,andthelawneedstoreflectoursocialattitudes,ratherthancorrallingthepopulationintotalkingandbehavingliketheeditedmassmedia.

Thedangeristhatweendupself-policingourspeechwhenitmightbebesttospeakout.Theworldwouldbeaboringandoppressiveplaceifwehadtothinkabouthowthecourtsmightinterpretoureverythought.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHOMAKE SIMILARLY OFFENSIVE

REMARKS IN PUBS ORELSEWHERE MUST BE QUITE HIGH

DanielThomas,whopostedthishomophobictweetaboutswimmerTomDaley,wasinitiallyarrested

PhotoofTomDaleybyTheRamblingMan

andKimRatcliffeofThinkEquestrian


WorldMags.net



14 April 2012

JoeMartin

InModWeTrustJason Brice recruited some of the best Unreal Engine 3 modders tomake Rekoil. Joe Martin discusses the modding scene with him

tosavemoneyandsoon.Wesimplyaren’tdoingthat.Wefoundthebesttalentthatwasavailabletous,andit justhappenedtobespreadaroundtheworld.Currently,wehaveteammembersinGerman,Serbia,Sweden,Irelandandotherlocationstoo.

CPC:Howdidtheteam’shistoryofmoddingformthetypeofgameyouwantedtomake?CanyoutellusaboutthephilosophybehindRekoil’sdesign?Jason:Well,wewantedtoensurethatmoddingtoolswouldbeavailabletoeveryone,nomatterwhatwedid.Moddingishowwestarted,sonaturally,wewantedtoseepeoplegetthetoolstocreatesomethingawesome.

CPC:Fewergamesseemtobelaunchingwithmodsupportnow,evenwhenthey’rebasedonenginesknownforsupportingmoddingelsewhere,suchasMirror’sEdgeonUE3.Whydoyouthinkthatis?Jason:Webelievemoddingisafeaturethat’sbeenremovedfrommostgamesduetothefactthatcompanieswanttomakemoneyfromdownloadablecontent(DLC).Whenpeoplecanmakepopularmapsforthecommunitythatarefuntoplay,whywouldpeoplespend$15onamappack?

CPC:Doyouthinkthat’shadaneffectonthemoddingcommunities?Itseemedliketherewasagoldrushafewyearsago,when

ettingouttomakeablockbuster-qualitymultiplayershooterisanintimidatingtaskforbigstudios,letaloneindieoutfits.That’sthemission

forPlasticPiranhaCEOJasonBrice,however,whohiredsomeofthebestUnrealEngine3modderstomakePiranha’sfirstgame,Rekoil.

CPC:TellusabouthowtheRekoilteamcametoworktogether?Jason:IstartedPlasticPiranhawithafriendwhowaslivinginSwedenatthetime.Having

justfinishedaprojectwithDICE,wewantedtomakeanFPSgame,soweimmediatelybegansearchingforpeoplethatcouldassistus.Theteamhaschangeddrasticallysincethattime,butwe’venowassembledaworld-classensembleofprogrammers,artistsandproducers.

CPC:You’reunusualinthattheteamisspreadacrosstheworld,butyoupayaflatsalarysothatanemployeeinSerbiagetsthesameassomeonefromtheUSA,right?Whatwasthemotivationbehindthat?Jason:Allthisreallymeansisthatwearen’ttakingadvantageofanyoneduetotheirgeographiclocation.Youhearitallthetime;howacompanysenttheiroperationsabroad

S

Interviewee:JasonBrice,

leveldesignerandCEOofPlastic

Piranha

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 they’re based on engines known for supporting modding elsewhere, such as Mirror’s Edge on UE3. Why do you think that is?Jason: We believe modding is a feature that’s 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 that’s 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 aren’t

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 aren’t taking advantage of anyone due to their geographic location. You hear it all the time; how a company sent their operations abroad

I THINK IT’SNATURAL FORMOST COMPANIESTO EXPAND, ANDFORGET WHERETHEY CAME FROM


WorldMags.net



15April 2012

teamswerepickedupbystudios.Thatdoesn’tseemtohappensomuchnow.Jason: Alotofthosemodteamsareresponsibleformuchofthegreatcontentbeingcreatedingamesthroughouttheindustry.Onemightarguethatwithoutmodtoolsbeingreadilyavailable,theindustryislimitingtheamountoftalentthatwillbeavailabletocreatethegamesoftomorrow.

Ifyoulookaroundnow,themoddingscenehasdefinitelybeenreducedinsize.Ithinkthedesireisstill there,buttherearen’tenoughtitlesofferingthetoolsaspartofthegame’srelease.Wehopeourtoolscanprovideanoutletformoddingteams.

CPC: Itoftenfeelsasthoughgameshavelostsomethingbytryingtoreachwideraudiencestoo.IsthatwhyyoutalksomuchaboutRekoilbeingfor‘coregamers’?Jason:I thinkit’snaturalformostcompaniestoexpand,andforgetwheretheycamefrom.Becauseofthis, Ibelievegamersarestartingtofeelthatpublishersaretakingadvantageofthem.Asaresult,we’vetakenthecoregamerconceptveryseriously.Theseare

thepeoplethatwillplayourgamenightandday.Thesearethegamersthataregoingtotelltheirfriendstocomeandjointhemforaroundortwo,andwhosevoiceshaveopinionsandsuggestionsthatmatter–they’refundamentaltowhatwe’retryingtodo.

CPC:You’vealsotalkedaboutthecompetitivesideofRekoilandeSportsupport.Jason: ESportshavebeenahighpriorityfortheteam,asseveralofusplayincompetitions.Wethinkthathavingagood,straightforward,balancedshooterwillbewidelyembracedbytheeSportcommunity.WeplanonsupportingthegamebyhavingasmanyLANeventsaspossible.We’llbesponsoringtournamentswithtop-tierplayersandgivingserverownerstheabilitytosetupgamesthewaytheywish.

CPC:HowdoyouliketoplayRekoil,andwhichpartsareyoumostproudof?

Jason:I lovethatRekoil isstrippeddowntojusttheessentials. It’s

justyouandyourweapon.It’scompetitive,balancedandnot

agameofkill-streaks,levelupsandsoon.I’malsopleasedtherewillbearound14maps.We’llprobablyreleasetenatthe

start,andtheotherfouras‘free’DLC.Welovetheenvironments

we’vecreated,andcan’twaittosharethemwitheveryone.

Findoutmoreinfoatwww.rekoil.com

Settoshipwithtenmaps,RekoilwillgetfreeDLCafterreleaseRekoiliscreatedbyan

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. We’ll 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. It’s

just you and your weapon. It’s competitive, balanced and not

a game of kill-streaks, level ups and so on. I’m also pleased there will be around 14 maps. We’ll probably release ten at the

start, and the other four as ‘free’ DLC. We love the environments

we’ve created, and can’t 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 aren’t enough titles offering the tools as part of the game’s 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 it’s 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, we’ve taken the core gamer concept very seriously. These are

and suggestions that matter – they’re fundamental to what we’re 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 aren’t enough titles offering the tools as part of the game’s 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 we’re 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. We’ll 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. It’s

just you and your weapon. It’s competitive, balanced and not

a game of kill-streaks, level ups and so on. I’m also pleased there will be around 14 maps. We’ll probably release ten at the

start, and the other four as ‘free’ DLC. We love the environments

we’ve created, and can’t wait to share them with everyone.

Find out more info at


WorldMags.net



NEWROCCAT GAMINGMICEThegamingperipheralaficionadosoveratRoccathavejustdesignedtwonewgamingmice–theKoneXTDandtheKonePure.Eachmousehas576KBofon-boardmemory,alongwithadedicatedARMCPUandwhatRoccatmodestlycalls‘theplanet’smostadvancedTracking&DistanceControlUnit.’TheXTDmodelhaseightbuttons,whilethePurehasseven.Visually,themaindifferencebetweenthetwomodels

isthelightingsystem.TheXTD(pictured)hasfourmulti-colouredLEDs,whichcanbeprogrammedtoperformeffectssuchas‘breathing’.Meanwhile,thePureenablesyoutofullycontrolthecolourofitslightingsystem,withupto16.8milliondifferentcoloursavailable.TheKonePureandKoneXTDareavailablenow,costing£62and£72respectivelyfromwww.eclipsecomputers.com

NEW HARDWARE

We take a look at the latestnewly announced products

HYDRO POWERCorsair’sall-in-oneliquidcoolersmightofferdamngoodcooling,nottomentionaneasysetupprocedure,butthere’snowayyoucouldcallthemquiet,evenontheirlowestfansettings.However,thatcouldsoonchange,asthecompanyhasjustupdateditssingle-fanH60coolersothatit includes

oneofCorsair’snewAirSeriesSP120fans.TheupdatedcooleralsofeaturesCorsair’s

fourth-generationcold-platedesignandlarger-diametertubingthantheoriginal.Meanwhile,thecompanyhasalsolaunchedthenewbasicH55coolerbelowtheH60,whichfeaturesastandard

fan.CorsairsaysthattheH55provides‘a

simpleandeffectiveupgradefromabasicCPUaircooler.’

INTEL SSD HITS 20NMIntelhasjustlauncheditsfirstSSDtobebasedonitsown20nmmulti-levelcell(MLC)NANDflashmemory.AswithotherrecentInteldrives,thenewSATA6GbpsSolid-StateDrive335featuresaSandForcecontroller,ratherthananIntelcontroller.Inthiscase,it’stheSF-2281,andIntelclaimsit’scapableofsustainedsequentialreadandwritespeedsofupto500MB/secand450MB/secrespectively.Thenewdriveiscurrentlyonlyavailableina240GBflavour,andcanbeboughtnowfromwww.scan.co.ukfor£143incVAT.

sequential read and write speeds of up to 500MB/sec and 450MB/sec respectively. The new drive is

DANGER DENSTOPS TRADINGWereceivedsadnewsaboutthewater-coolingmarketthismonth,asDangerDenannouncedthatit’sgoingtoceasetrading.Originallyfoundedin2000byDanStephens,JeremyBurnettandDennisLeach(thefirstthreelettersofeachfirstnamespellsDanJerDenwhenyoustringthemtogether),astatementonthecompany’swebsiteon31Octobersaidthat, ‘After12yearsourhobbyhascometoanend.It’stimetopursueotherinterestsandDangerDenwillbeclosingitsdoors.DangerDenwasoneofthefirstcompaniestodevelopproperthird-partywaterblocksforwater-coolingPCs.’FarewellDangerDen,you’llbemissed.

founded in 2000 by Dan Stephens, Jeremy Burnett founded in 2000 by Dan Stephens, Jeremy Burnett


WorldMags.net



*Offers apply to first year of registration. Second year and subsequent years will be charged at the regular price.Visit www.1and1.co.uk for full offer details, terms and conditions. Prices exclude VAT.

* Offers apply to fi rst year of registration. Second year and subsequent years will be charged at the regular price.

Call 0844 335 1211 or buy online www.1and1.co.uk

DOMAINS | E-MAIL | WEB HOSTING | eCOMMERCE | SERVERS

FULL DNS CONTROLComplete DNS and Contact Management via oureasy-to-use 1&1 Control Panel

1&1 DOMAIN APPCheck and register domains on-the-go

SUPPORT24/7 phone and e-mail support

With more than 11 million customer contracts, over £2 billion inannual turnover, 5000 employees, 18 million registered domainsand 5 high-performance data centres, we are one of the world’slargest web hosts and a leading domain registrar.

TRUST THE UK’s NO. 1

Included with all 1&1 Domains:

■ Subdomain creation and redirection■ Masked URL Forwarding

.co.uk

.com

.info OFFER ENDS30/11/12

£0.99first year*

1&1 DOMAINSSECURE YOUR DOMAIN AND SAVE!

NOVEMBER OFFERSAT EXCEPTIONAL PRICES!


WorldMags.net



18 January 2013

Lucy Sherriff

Robotbutlers

e’veallbeenthere.YoupressCtrl-Ptoprint,butinsteadofthechunkingandwhirringofinkcartridgesandtherustlingof

paper,youjusthearthegentledronethattellsyoueverythingisstillpluggedin.‘Cannotfindprinter!’thecomputercheerfullyannouncesforthefourthtimeinarow.Youliftthemonitor,pointitattheerrantdeviceandyell, ‘Thereit is!There!Icanseeit,whycan’tyou?!’Nowimagineaworldinwhichyoucould

askthisquestionforreal,andreceiveananswerthatdidn’trequireGooglingoferrorcodesoryourfamilyphoningyouforunpaidtechsupport?ThisisthemodestaimofthecomputersciencedepartmentatAberdeenUniversity,whichhasjustscoreda£1.1mgrantfromtheEngineeringandPhysicalSciencesResearchCounciltogetcomputerstotalktousinasensible,ordinarylanguage.Thebigideabehindtheprojectisthatitwillincreaseourfaithinautonomoussystems.‘It’sveryhumblingtorealisethata

computercandosomethingbetterthanus,’saysDrWambertoVasconcelos,aseniorlecturerinComputerSciencefromAberdeenUniversity. ‘Andeventhen,wehavethatnigglingfeelingthatmaybeitdoesn’t,andthatit’smakingbaddecisions.’

Researchers are currently working on robotic systems that not only servehumans, but can also talk to them in an intelligible manner

Theideaisthatifthecomputerspeaksinawaythatmakessensetous,we’remoreinclinedtorespondtoitpositively.TheteamatAberdeenisseveralweeksintoitsthree–yearproject,andwhilethetechnologyitdevelopsheremightenduphelpinguspunyhumanstodisassemblenuclearpowerplants,thetestbedisrathermoreeveryday:thehome.Thedevelopmentlabisgoingtobeasmart

house,whereallthedeviceshavetonegotiatewithoneanothertoconserveasmuchenergyaspossiblewhilenotupsettingthehumans–or‘Masters’,asVasconcelossays.Thentheyhavetobeabletojustifytheirdecisionsinnaturallanguagewhen‘Master’comeshomeandwantstoknowwhythey’vedecidedtoswitchoffthefridge.‘They’llbeabletosay,“There

wasnobodyinthehouse,andthefridgewascoldenoughtokeepthefoodfreshforatleastfourhours,soweswitcheditofftosavepower”,’headds.Vasconcelosexpands

onthetheme.Inthissmarthouse,youmightgooutandleavealighton.Inthissituation,

thereareplentyofcompetingpriorities.Thelightswitchsaysitwantstoswitchoffthelighttosavepowerbecausethere’snoonehome.Asecondcontrollermightsaythattheremightbepeopleupstairsthatithasn’tdetected,anditshouldleavethelightonalittlelonger.‘Thisdiscussion,whichtakestheformof

formulaeandmathematicalproofs,will leadtoajointplaninsimilarlyincomprehensible

terms,’saysVasconcelos.Thisisn’tgreatforhumans,sowegettheappliancestomaketheirdecision,

butalsoturnthatintonaturallanguagesothat

peopleotherthanmathematicianscanunderstandwhythe

lightshavebeenturnedoff,’Vasconcelosexplains.Therearetwostrandsto

theresearch:workingouthowtogetthedevicestonegotiatesuccessfully;anddevelopingamethodfortranslatingmachine-speakintohumanlanguage.Vasconcelossaysthatsomeinformationwillalwaysbegivenpriority.Forexample,

W


WorldMags.net



19January 2013

informationrelatingtosafetywillalwaysoutrankapreference.Theteamdoesn’tyethaveasolutiontothe

latterproblem.‘Thisiswhatwesetouttodoinourproject,’saysVasconcelos.‘We’llexploretechniquestosummariseandorganisetheformallogic–aswellasanetworkofargumentsattackingoneanother,supportingothers,andsoon–capturenotionsofimportanceandrelevanceinproofsandarguments,andthencombinetextandgraphicrepresentationsoftheformallogictoshowproofstohumans.‘Extensiveexperimentswithhumanusers

willvalidateourapproachandhelpustoworkoutwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t.’Althoughthetestsetupishome-based,

theworkwillhaveapplicationsinindustry,particularlyinauditingdecision-makingprocesses,andassigningblamewhenthingsgowrong.‘Itdoesn’tmatterif it’speopleorcomponentsthathavefailed.Itmeansyou’llbeabletofindapointofresponsibility.Maybeahumaniscontactedatsomepointinanautomatedprocessandgivesan‘okay’toadecision.That’sthecheckpoint,’Vasconcelossays.‘It’sveryimportantthattherearetheseentrypointsforhumanstointerferewithmachinebehaviour,eithertounderstanditorchangeitforthefuture.’Aswellasteachingmachinestotalktous,

scientistsarealsobusilyworkingouthowtomakerobotsunderstandhowtoliveinourworld.AtCornellUniversity,assistantprofessorofcomputerscience,AshutoshSaxena,recentlywona$200,000grantfromMicrosofttofurtherhisworkdeveloping‘personalrobots’,whichcouldonedayliveinourhomes,andhelptheelderlyanddisabledwitheverydaytasks.

Couldwebeclosetohavingrobotbutlers?‘Thatdependsonwhattaskithastoperform,’saysSaxena.‘Just[tohavethem]cleanthefloor?Maybeafewyears.Todospecifictaskssuchasputtingobjectsinproperplaces,maybefiveyears.Astasksgetcomplicated,itbecomeshardertomakethemreliable.’Computers,asweknow,canbemind-

numbinglylinear–itmaybetheirbiggeststrength,butitalsomakesuswanttodefenestratethemmorethananyotherobject.Humans,ontheotherhand,aren’t.Saxenaandhisteamaretryingtomerge

thesetwoworldsbyteachingrobotstooperateautonomouslyinadisorderlyhumanenvironmentusingapieceofgamingtechnology: Microsoft’sKinect3Dcamera.TheKinectcreatesadepthmapoftheenvironment–originallysothatyoucouldcontrolaconsolewithjustyourbody.Butthedatafromthecameracanalsogivearobotamapofitsenvironmentandtheobjectsinit.Thenextstepistoteachtherobothowtorecogniseandinteractwiththoseobjects.Todothis,theyneedtobetrainedabout

theirenvironmentandmakeinferencesaboutitbasedonpastexperience.Forexample,humanscanrecogniseamugevenif itdoesn’tlookexactlylikeamugwe’veseenbefore.Saxenaisgettinghisrobotstodothesame.‘Therobotisshownexamplesofobjects

withlabels.Forexample, itmayhaveseenseveralexamplesofmugs,soitlearnstoidentifythennotjustfromthemug’s3Dshapeandappearance,butalsofromthelearningcontext,suchaswhethermugsarefoundonthetable,’hesays.‘Moreimportantly, it’sactuallylessimportantforarobotthatit’sa‘mug’,andmoreimportanttoknowthatit’sa“pickable”objectthatcancontain“liquids.”’

LUCYSHERRIFFisajournalistwithadegreeinastrophysicswhoknowsallaboutthe

latestscientifictech.

@lucysherriff

Theresearchersarealsoworkingongettingtheirrobotstounderstandourweirdbehaviour.Thisisalittleharder,butcouldendupbeingmuchmoreuseful.Forinstance,ahomehelpermachinecould‘notice’thatitspersonhadnottakenhispillsthatmorning,andbringthemedicinebottletohim.Saxenaexplainsthattherobotgets

multimodalcuesfromtheKinectcamera:‘Therobotobserveshumansperformingactivitieswiththeobjects,andlearnshowhumansusetheobjectsandtheirpreferenceswiththem.Moreinterestingly, inoneofourworks,therobotdoesn’tneedtoactuallyobservehumansusingtheobjects.Instead,itcan“hallucinate”abouthumansandfigureout[ananswer]byimagininghumansintheenvironmentthatmakesthemostsense.’Theteamhasevenmanagedtoteacha

robottospotwhenahumanhasleftoutthemilkandtidyitawaywithoutneedingspecificinstructions(http://pr.cs.cornell.edu/videos.php).Saxenapredictsthatthetechnologycouldevenmakeitswayintosmartphones.We’rejustlookingforwardtothedaywhen

wedon’tevenhavetoinstructourrobotbutlertothrowthemalfunctioningprinteroutofthewindow.Itwillbeabletofigureoutthatitneedstobedoneallbyitself,andthentelluswhywhenwegetbackfromthepub.

Saxena’steamhastaughtarobottospotwhenahumanhasleftoutthemilk,andtidyitawaywithoutspecificinstructions

AshutoshSaxenafromCornellUniversity


WorldMags.net



20 January 2013

Gareth Halfacree looks at the latest mobile hardware

oundedin1984byresearchersfromStanfordUniversity,MIPShadsomesuccessfulearlyyears.Itshigh-speedyetlow-powerinstructionsetwas

usedbySiliconGraphicsforitsworkstations,withthecompanylaterbuyingwhatwasthenknownasMIPSComputerSystemsIncorporated,andrebrandingitasMIPSTechnologiesinadealvaluedat$333million.Thetargetofthedealwasthetechnology

behindtheR2000andR3000processors.LaunchedtocompetewithIntel’s386andMotorola’s68000,theR2000wasthefirstreadilyavailablereducedinstructionsetcomputing(RISC)processor–beatingARM’sfirstavailabledesignbytwoyears.AsaRISCchip,thesamebenefitsofARM’s

designs–suchasreducedtransistorcountcomparedtoCISCandreducedpowerdrawforsimilarperformance–appliedtoMIPSprocessors,makingthemanobviouschoicefortheburgeoninghandheldcomputermarket. IntheearlydaysofWindowsCEpalmtops,MIPSandARMwouldgoheadtohead,butonlyonewinneremerged:ARM.WhenMicrosoftmovedfromWindowsCEtoWindowsMobileandWindowsPhone,MIPSsupportwasdroppedinfavourofadual-architectureARMandx86approach.Havinglostwhatwouldlaterberecognised

asthefighttobeattheforefrontofthesmartphonerevolution,MIPSlickeditswoundsandconcentratedonotherareas.Itshigh-performance,low-powerarchitecturefoundenoughtractioninnetworkingandhigh-performancecomputing(HPC)marketstokeepthecompanyafloat.NowMIPSisbackandit intendstoremindARMthat,whileitmayhavewonthebattle,thewarisn’tyetover.

SOFTWARE SUPPORTThefirsthintsthatMIPSwaslookingtogetbackintothehandheldmarketcameinJune

ReadmyMIPSDiscussions about the CPU battleground usually focus on Intel and ARM,but MIPS is an exciting newcomer to themobile CPUmarket

mobilemarketafresh.UndernewchiefexecutiveSandeepVij,Android-relatedannouncementscamethickandfast,includingthelaunchoftheAinol7in‘IceCreamSandwich’tablet,thefirstsuchdevicetoretailforunder$100.Morerecently,KarbonnMobileswasthesecondcompanyintheworldtoannounceanAndroid4.1‘JellyBean’device,basedagainonaMIPSprocessor.

AswithARM,MIPSdoesn’tmakechips,butsellsdesignstothird-partymanufacturers.UnlikeamanufacturingcompanysuchasIntel,whichhastofindthecashtoproduceenoughprocessorstomeetdemand,MIPSandARMcansitbackandwatchthelicensingfeescomefloodingin–leavingtheirvariouspartnersholdingmostoftherisk.It’sthisriskthat’sslowingtheadoptionofMIPSoverARMinthemobileindustry,withmostcompaniesstilloptingforthetried-and-testedBritishoption,butadesigniscomingthatpromisestochangeallthat:theMIPSproAptivcore.

MIPS PROAPTIVDesignedfortheperformancemarket,theMIPSproActiv ticksalotofboxes:availableinsingle,dual,quadorhex-coreflavours,theprocessorusesafusedtriple-dispatchsuperscalarout-of-orderexecutionengine,andahigh-performancefloating-pointunit,all inabundlethattakesuplessspacethantheequivalentdesignfromARMwhileboastingequivalentorgreaterperformance.

2009,whenthecompanyannouncedthatGoogle’sAndroidplatformhadbeenportedtotheMIPSinstructionsetarchitecture.Laterthatyear,MIPSwouldannouncemembershipoftheOpenHandsetAlliance,confirming,iftherewasanydoubt,thatitwaslookingatthe

FMIPS’proAptivdesignincludessomeneattrickstokeepdataflowing

TheproAptivIPscalesuptosixcores,eachofwhichisclaimedtobe50percentfasterthananARMCortex-A9


WorldMags.net



21January 2013

GARETHHALFACREEisthenewsreporteratwww.bit-tech.net.Heknowsallabout the

latestnewsinPCandmobiletech.

@ghalfacree

thelikesofAtmelandNXP–thelatter,funnilyenough,usingARM-licenseddesigns.Thedesignsarenowreadilyavailable,meaningthatit’suptothecompany’scustomerstomakeproductsbasedonthechips.

MIPS vs INTEL vs ARMWhileIntelandARMhavebeenfighting,MIPShasbeenquietlyworkingontheproAptivdesign,andit’snowcomingoutofleft-field.Suddenlythetwogiants–oneholdinganear-monopolyinthesmartphoneandtabletmarket,andtheotherholdingasimilarpositioninthedesktop,laptopandservermarkets–arefightingawaronthreefronts,andshouldMIPS’claimsforthebenefitsofproAptivswayOEMs,bothcouldloseseriousgroundinanincreasinglylucrativemarket.ThecomingfightissomethingofaDavid

vstwoGoliathsepic–whileIntelhasmorethan100,000employeesthroughouttheworld,andARMhasaround2,000,MIPSisamuchsmallerorganisationofaround160.WhetherthatwillhelpMIPSwithincreasedflexibility,orhinderitwithalackofresources,incompetingwithtwoofthebiggestnamesinthechipindustryremainstobeseen.

UsingdetailsreleasedatARMTechCon,MIPSpredictsthatadual-coreproAptivchipwith1MBofL2cachewillbejustoverhalfthesizeofadual-coreCortex-A15chip,soyoucanpackfourproAptivcoresintothesamespace.Fordeviceswhereeverymillimetrecountsbuthighperformanceisdemanded,that’sapowerfulargumentforamovetoMIPS.Cortex-A15performancemetricsarehard

tofind,butarereadilyavailableforchipsbasedonARM’sCortex-A9design–andMIPSlookslikeanearlywinner.UsingtheCoreMarkbenchmark,theproAptivdesignachievesascoreof4.5perMHz,some50percenthigherthantheCortex-A9that’sattheheartofmostmodernsmartphonesandtablets.ConsideringthattheCortex-A9designisthebasisforhigh-performanceprocessors,includingNvidia’sTegra3andSamsung’sExynos,that’saprettyimpressivefigure.JustincaseyouthoughtMIPSmightjustbe

bad-mouthingthecompetition,thecompanyisquicktopointoutthattheproAptivdesignleavesitsownlast-generationproductsinthedusttoo,withaboostofaround60percentcomparedtoitsCoreMarkper-megahertzresultsfromthepreviousMIPS1074Kseries.

UNDER THE BONNETTheseperformancegainscomefromawealthofimprovementscomparedtoMIPS’earlierdesigns,includingsomeclevertrickssuchastheuseofinstructionbondingtomakeasinglememorypipelineappearastwotothehostoperatingsystem.There’salsoanEnhancedVirtualAddressing(EVA)systemforbetteraddressspaceutilisation,anda

sophisticatedbranchpredictionenginethatpromisesfewercachemisses.Thefloating-pointunit isalsoparticularly

clever.Unlikepreviousdesigns,whichrantheFPUataslowerspeedthanthemainprocessor,theproAptivdesignrunstheFPUatthesamespeedastheCPU.Asaresult,latencyisreducedandthethroughputimproved,whilethesmartuseofdedicatedschedulersandincreasedparallelismmeansthatmoreinstructionscanwhizzthroughthesystemthaneverbefore.Asecond-generationcoherencemanager

alsoboostsperformance,boastingadesignthatdropslatencyfromaround24cyclesto11,andoffersarounddoublethesystembandwidthovertheprevious-generationengine.There’salsoadedicatedL2cachecontrollerwithinthecoherencymanageritself;thisrequiredaseparatecomponentinpreviousdesigns.ThefamilyofchipsenvisionedbyMIPS

coversawidespectrum;mobileandtabletversionsrunningbetween1GHzand1.5GHzwillfeaturesingle,dualorquad-coredesignsandanintegrateddigital-signalprocessor,whileset-topboxversions–notencumberedbybatterylife–willreach2GHz.Thesamearchitecturewillalsopower

futurenetworkdevices,withsingletohex-coreimplementationsrunningatspeedsbetween1GHzand2GHz.TheproAptivdesignisjoinedbythe

interAptivandmicroAptivfamilies,eachcheaperbutlesspowerfulthanthelast.WiththemicroAptiv,MIPSiseventargetingtraditionalmicrocontrollermarketsheldby

Adual-coreproAptivdesigncanfit1MBofL2cacheintothesamespacethatanARM’sCortex-A15needsfortheprocessorsalone MIPSclaimsthattheproAptivdesigneasilybeststhecompetition,butwillOEMsbeconvinced?


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



24 April 2012

QPAD MK-50 Pro Gaming Mechanical Keyboardwith Cherry MX Red Switches

• Gold Plated Connectors• Removable Keycaps

• Media Keys

• 2 Year Warranty

www.cclonline.com

£58.16• CCL Code - KBD0455

WE’REAWARD

WINNERS!

PC Pro 2011Highly 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 don’t have to spend an astronomical sum to get a decent PC.Our budget PC includes a superb Trinity APU, with a built-in Radeon HD7660D 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

BMOTHERBOARD

FPSU

GHARD DISK

DRAM

HOPTICAL DRIVE

ECOOLING

IOPERATING SYSTEM

CAPU

UPDATED UPDATEDUPDATED


WorldMags.net



25April 2012

As Core i7 motherboards and high-end graphics cards command apremium price, here are some components for a Core i5 PC that offergreat performance and won’t break the bank


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 LPSU HARD DISK SOUND CARD SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM

FGRAPHICS CARD

B D EMOTHERBOARD RAM COOLINGCPU

C

Fractal Design Core 1000 PC CaseA 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/cpc08000 50 10 10



WorldMags.net



26 April 2012


Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D2V MotherboardAmazing 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

WE’REAWARD

WINNERS!


Amazing price Socket 1155 motherboard!


This PC has the potential to be the finest gamingmachine you can find – aswell as an excellent all-round computer for office work, digital photography,video production andmedia playback


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


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 LPSU HARD DISK SOUND CARD SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM

FGRAPHICS CARD

A

B D EMOTHERBOARD CPU RAM COOLING

C


WorldMags.net



27April 2012

128GB Crucial M4 2.5" Solid State DriveAmazing performance and reliabilityOne 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 Profile• CCL Code - HDD0532

£78.16



Themost awesome components around, before reaching workstationterritory. We’ve included a dual 120mm liquid cooler kit as a baseexample, but the case has space for a variety of water-cooling setups

G H I J KPSU SOLID STATE DRIVE SOUND CARD HARD DISK OPERATING SYSTEM

A


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


D 8GBKingstonHyperXGenesisKHX1866C11D3P1K2/8G

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 DMOTHERBOARD CPU RAM

C E FGRAPHICS CARD COOLING


WorldMags.net



28 April 2012


Viewsonic VC310 Digital Video CamcorderCaptures Every Beautiful Moment

• Full 1080p Video Capture

• 3” Touch Screen

• 16x Digital Zoom

• HDMI Output

www.cclonline.com

£49.99• CCL Code - CAM1738

WE’REAWARD

WINNERS!


Viewsonic VC310 Digital Video Camcorder


TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM

NAME IntelCore i5-3570K AsusMaximusVGene ArcticFreezer i30 8GBPatriotG2PGD38G1600ELK

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.net



29April 2012

Acer G6 Series 21.5” Full HD LED MonitorAcer'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




NAMEAMDA10-5800K GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H GelidTranquilloRev.2

8GBCorsairVengeance2,133MHzCAS11

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


PRICE(incVAT) £93 £56 £25 £47


NAME IntelCore i7-3930K AsusSabertoothX79 CorsairH80 16GBCorsairVengeanceCAS9DDR3

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


PRICE(incVAT) £450 £255 £76 £56

UPDATEDUPDATEDUPDATED


WorldMags.net



30 April 2012


Our best selling gaming PC evolved - Better Graphics, Bigger Hard Drive - Better Deal!

AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, AMD Radeon HD 77701TB 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


PRICE(incVAT) £37 £78 £104 £227

TYPE LGA1155 CPUWATERBLOCK

GEFORCE GTX 680WATERBLOCK

RADEONHD 7970WATERBLOCK

DUAL 120MMRADIATOR

NAMEXSPCRayStormCPU XSPCRazorGTX680

AquacomputeraquagrATIxforHD7970

AlphacoolNexXxosUT60FullCopper240mm

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


PRICE(incVAT) £51 £80 £76 £50


WorldMags.net



31April 2012

www.cclonline.comwww.cclonline.comCall 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


PRICE(incVAT) £69 £160 £160

TYPE 530W PSU 660W PSU 850W PSU 1.2kW PSU

NAME BeQuiet!PurePowerL8530W

SeasonicX-Series660WXFXPro850WXXXEdition

(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.net



32 April 2012


Our best selling Intel gaming PC evolved - Better Graphics - Bigger Hard Drive

Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, NVIDIA GeForceGTX 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


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


PRICE(incVAT) £221 £512 £299


WorldMags.net



33April 2012

www.cclonline.comwww.cclonline.comCall 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


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


PRICE(incVAT) £30 £26 £19 for two £12


WorldMags.net



44 GIGABYTEGA-Z77X-UP7

AmotherboardwithimpressiveVRMcircuitry.

40 AMDFX-8350CanAMD’snew

Piledrivercore competeagainstIvyBridge?

46 SYNOLOGYDS213+Adual-bayNASwith

adual-coreCPU,butisitworththeextramoney?

42 NANOXIADEEPSILENCE1

Super-quietcoolingwithoutsacrificingspeed?

50 GRIPPYPADSuspendyourtablet

orsmartphoneinmid-air,ifyoutrustit.

50 EDIFIERSOUNDTOGOPLUS

Mmm,brushedaluminium.

51 AMAZONKINDLEFIREHD16GB

TheUKfinallygetsAmazon’sAndroidtablets.

51 ARCTICP402Is£23enoughtobuy

youarespectablesetofearphones?Wefindout.

34 January 2013

Our in-depth analysis ofthe latest PC hardware

36


WorldMags.net



35January 2013

HOWWETEST,P48

Windows8ProWaitaminute,thisdoesn’tlooklikeWindows.WetryoutthenewOStoseeifit’sstillappropriateforuseondesktopPCs 36


WorldMags.net



36 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£24.99(download);£49.99(boxed)Supplierhttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/buyManufacturerwww.microsoft.com

singWindows8forthefirsttimeisratherlikegoinghometofindsomeonehastakenawayyourfrontdoorandbrickeduptheholewithDuplo.Then,whenyougototheshedtosee

ifyoucanengineerabreak-in,youfindthatallyourpowertoolshavebeenreplacedbymulti-colouredpipecleaners.Yourlandlord,who’swaitinginthegardenwithabigsmile,tellsyouthatyourlifeisnowgoingtobeawholeloteasierthankstoallthegreatchangeshe’smade.Thenhestealsallyourchairs.Bynow,youprobablyknowthatWindows8isn’t,by

default,yourusualversionofWindows.WhenyoustarttheOS,you’regreetedbyabrand-newtile-basedStartmenu,whichtakesupthewholescreen,andshowsyouaselectionofbig-screenapps.Then,whenyoufindtheDesktopbuttonandclickonit,you’retakentoaWindowsdesktopthatdoesn’thaveaStartbuttoninthecorner.Bigdeal,youmightthink.Loadsofoperating

systemsdon’thaveStartbuttons,sowhydoesWindowsneedone?Itdoesn’t,ofcourse,butif it’sgoingtoremovetheStartbutton,itneedstoreplaceitwithsomethingthatworkseitheraswellorbetter. Inthiscase,thereplacementisthetile-basedmenuwementionedearlier,whichMicrosoftcallsMetro.Why,Ihearyouask?Well,whenMicrosoftfirst

startedpreviewingWindows7,itreleasedallsortsofvideostoshowoffthenewmulti-touchfeatures,suchaspeopleplayingvirtualpianosonWindows7tablets.Then,whenWindows7cameout,virtuallynopopulartabletssupporteditbecause,basically,theWindowsdesktopisreallyhorribletousewithjustatouch-screen,asyoucan’tachievethenecessaryprecision.

MicrosoftsawthetabletmarkethooveredupbyAppleandGoogle,andrealiseditneededtogetthisrightnexttime.TheanswerisWindows8–theideabeingthatitgivesyouthebestofbothworldsinonepackage.Ithasthetablet-friendlyMetrointerface,andaloadofsupportingappsintheWindows8appstore,butyoucanalsorunstandardWindowssoftwareinitindesktopmode.Everyone’sawinner,right?No,atleastnotinthiscase.Flippingbetweenthe

MetrointerfaceandtheWindowsdesktopisfarfromanaturalexperience,andonethatquicklybecomesachore.Thetwosystemsareclearlytargetedatverydifferentdevicesand,whenyouconsiderthatMicrosofthasitsSurfaceprojectfortabletsanyway,youhavetowonderwhyitthoughtcouplingthetwotogether wasagoodidea.It isn’tthattheMetrointerfaceisbad.Infact,ona

tablet, itworksbrilliantlyandsmoothly. It’sjustthatit’ssocompletelyinappropriateforuseonadesktopPCwithoutatouch-screen.MicrosofthastrieditsbesttoforcethetwosystemstogetherbyenablingyoutodockMetroappsontheleftorrightofthedesktop.However,there’snoreasontodothiswithmostoftheapps,asthey’reagaingearedtowardstablets,andhavealimitedfeatureset.Wetriedoutseveralsocialmediaapps,andtrieddockingthemtoonesideofthedesktop,butnoneofthemwasanywherenearasflexibleandusefulastheirdesktopequivalents.Whenyoufirsttryoutthedesktopmode,youalso

havethenhavethefrustratingchallengeoffindingeverything–likeanEasteregghunt,exceptyoucan’tdoyourjobuntilyoucompleteit.Where’sthePowerbutton,forexample?Togettoit,youhavetomovethe

U

MICROSOFTWindows 8 Pro

WINDOWS 7Fast boot-up time;Metro interfacegreat for tablets;improved TaskManager; bettermulti-monitorsupport

WINDOWS MEMetro interfaceinappropriatefor desktop;generally slowerperformance;lacks MediaCenter; no Aero;no Start button;struggles withnon-certifieddrivers

All change as Windows gears up for the tabletgeneration, but is it still appropriate for desktops?

YoucandockMetroappstotheleftorrightofthestandardWindowsdesktop

WherearealltheWindowsapps?Heretheyare–intheSearchsectioninthenewMetrointerface


WorldMags.net



37January 2013

OPERATING SYSTEM

mousetothetop-rightcornertobringuptheCharmsmenu,wherefiveiconsglidesmoothlyovertherightedgeofthedesktop.YouthenneedtoclickontheSettingsCharm,andthePowerbuttonisatthebottom.You’llalsofindtheControlPanelhere.TheCharmsmenucontainstheSearchfeaturetoo,

whichtakesyoubackouttotheMetroStartmenu.IfyouwanttofindtheCalculator,forexample,typeit inhereanditwillappear.IfyouclickonAppsintheSearchmenu,you’llalsoseeabigarrayoficons,showingwhatyouusedtogetintheStartmenu.Tomakemattersworse,someofthesettingsforthe

wholeOScanonlybefoundintheMetroStartmenu,andothersonlyinthedesktopmenu.Youcan’t justignoreMetro –Microsoftforcesyoutouseit.Forexample,Windows8hasaverylowtolerance

fornon-certifieddrivers.Wecouldn’t installourlaserprinterdriveronthedesktop,aswekeptgettinganerrormessage,andthesetupprocessthenexited.IfyouwantWindowstoinstallnon-certifieddrivers(whichisessentialfortheaverageenthusiast),youhavetogothroughaseriesofmenusintheMetrointerfaceandthenrestartyourmachine.Likewise,wethenfoundthattheWindowsUpdate

systemwasdifferentintheMetroanddesktopmodes,andweactuallyhadtousetheMetroversioninordertoupdatecertainpartsofMicrosoftOffice.Inshort,Windows8’sMetrointerfaceisaserious

improvementoverWindows7fortablets,butit’scompletelyunintuitiveonadesktopPC.Wewantedtobefairthough.Humansarefamouslyhostiletowardschange,anditmaywellbethatthisisjustanewwayofworking,anditbecomesbetterwhenyougetusedtoit.SowespentaweekusingitasthemainCustomPCproductionPC,wherewehadtoworkwithallourdesktopappsoniteveryday,usingInDesign,Photoshop,MicrosoftOfficeandplayingvariousgames,foraweek,toseeif itbecamebettertouse.Actuallyitdoes,becauseyoulearntotweakit.One

essentialpurchasehastobeStardock’sStart8app(www.stardock.com),whichcostsjust$4.99(£3)andgivesyoubacktheStartbutton.Cueamassivesighofreliefasyoucansuddenlyfindeverythingagain.YoualsoquicklylearntojustignoretheMetroapps,asthey’regenerallycompletelyinappropriateforadesktopcomputerwithoutatouch-screen.So,onceyou’veforcedittoacceptnon-certifieddrivers,pinnedyourdesktopappstothedesktoptaskbar,downloadedproperdesktopversionsofyourappsandgotyourStartbuttonback,it’sjustlikeusingWindows7again.Infact, insomeways,it’sbetterthanacleaninstall

ofWindows7.Theboot-uptimeismuchquicker,forastart–consistentlyfivesecondsquickeronourtestsystem.Theinstallationprocesshadnotrouble

detectingperipheralsconnectedtoUSB3portseither.ThenewlydesignedTaskManagerisgreattoo,givingyouadetailedanduser-friendlybreakdownofhowyourPCisusingitsvariousresources.Multi-monitorsupporthasalsoimproved,with

extramonitorsnowgettingtheirownindependenttaskbarsifyouwantthem.However,thenewOSalsoexcludesafewother

features thatyoumightbeexpecting.WindowsMediaCenter,forastart, isn’tbundledasstandardanymore–it’sanoptionaldownloadthatwillsetyoubackanextra£6.99.TheWindowsBackupsystemhasalsochangedtoanewsystemcalledFileHistory,whichonlybacksupyourWindowsLibraries(documents,pictures,musicandsoon),ratherthanspecificfolderselsewhere.Ontheplusside,whilethisismorelimited,it’smuchmoreuser-friendly,enablingyoutoeasilybrowsethefilesstoredinyourbackup.Usefully, itcanalsokeepahistory,asitsnamesuggests,offilesthatyou’vechanged,soyoucanrollbacktopreviousversionsifyouwant.Youalsodon’tgetAero,withitstransparent

windows,anymore.Microsoft’ssaysitlooksgarishnow.Ofcourse,trendsaredifficulttopredict–inthe

38

MissingtheStartbuttonandmenu?InstallStardock’sStart8apptogetitback

WelcometoWindows–thisisthenewMetroStartmenu.Itlookslovely,anditworksgreatonatablet,butit’scounter-intuitiveonadesktop


WorldMags.net



38 January 2013

OPERATING SYSTEM

GIMP IMAGE EDITING

Stock speed

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

1,932

1,833Windows 8

Windows 7

REBOOT TIME, INCLUDING POST (SECONDS)

0 7 14 21 28

50

50

26

21Windows 8

Windows 7

SATA 6Gbps (MB/sec)

0 150 300 450 600

546

541

517

510Windows 8

Windows 7

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM (DX9)

0 25 50 75 100

47fps

50fps

38fps

42fpsWindows 8

Windows 7

HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

3,367

3,339Windows 8

Windows 7

MULTI-TASKING

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

1,677

1,493Windows 8

Windows 7

OVERALL

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

2,325

2,222Windows 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

55fpsWindows 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

41fpsWindows 8

Windows 7

1,920 x 1,080, Ultra preset. With Radeon HD 7850

0 25 50 75 100

75fps

73fps

59fps

59fpsWindows 8

Windows 7

1,920 x 1,080, 4x AA, 16x AF. With GeForce GTX 670

Write Read

TEST KIT4.2GHzIntelCorei5-2500KCPU,AsusMaximusVFormulamotherboard,8GBCorsair1,600MHzDDR3memory,OCZVertex3128GBSSD,NvidiaGeForce306.97,AMDCatalyst12.10

customPC

64OVERALL

future,Microsoftmaybeprovedright,and thesee-throughwindowswill lookalittlecheesy,butatthemoment,theflatcoloursandboxesthatoutlineWindows8’swindowsareananticlimax.WepreferredAero,andwedon’tcareifthatmakesusuncool.

PERFORMANCEAftergettingusedtothequirksofthenewinterface,wethenwantedtoseehowitperformed.EverythingworkedexceptCrysis2oncewe’dupgradedittotheDX11versionwiththehigh-restexturepack.Thisisaworry,butyoucanatleastgetitworkinginDX9mode.Allourothertestsransmoothly,althoughthereweresomenotableperformancedifferencesinsomeareas,asyoucanseefromthegraphs.Mostnotably,Windows8knockedaround100

pointsoffourimageeditingtestresult,and184pointsoffthemulti-taskingresult.Similarly,theSATA6Gbpsperformancealsodippedslightly,thoughnotdisastrously,withthenewOS.Gamingperformancewasalsointeresting,aswe

testedthenewOSonbothanAMDandanNvidiaGPUtoseehowtheirrespectivedriversfared.AMDseemstohavegotitright,withWindows8eithermaintainingorevenimprovingframeratesinSkyrimandTheWitcher2.However,theNvidiaGPUdidn’tfarequiteaswell–

ourtestGeForceGTX670 producedaminimumof60fpsinSkyrimat1,920x1,080inWindows7,butthisconsistentlydroppedto55fpsinWindows8.Inshort, it

looksasthoughAMDsimplyhasbetterWindows8graphicsdriversthanNvidiaatthemoment.

CONCLUSIONWeunderstandwhyMicrosoftmadeWindows8–thetabletmarketisbooming,andthedesktopmarketisdeclining.However,thedefaultpackageofWindows8,whichmarriesadecenttabletinterfacewithadecentdesktopinterface,butthenmessesitupbyforcingthetwotoworktogether, isadisasterforanyonewhoproperlyusesadesktopPC.AndasthisisCustomPC,we’rereviewingitasadesktopoperatingsystem,ratherthanatabletOS.Aftersometinkering,youcangetWindows8todo

whatyouwant,butthisisahassleand,asidefromquickerboottimes,youdon’tgainanythingfromtheupgrade.It isn’tlikeWindowsVista,whereyoutoleratedtheclunkydriversupportandharddrive-hammeringsearchsystem,butatleastyouhadDirectX10andtheAerointerface.Windows8doesn’toffercomparableperks.Ifanything,ittakesawayperks,particularlywhen

youconsiderthegeneralnegativeeffecttheOShadonourperformancetests.IfyoualreadyhaveWindows7HomePremium,don’tbotherupgradingtoWindows8onadesktopPC,evenforthecheapdownloadpriceof£24.99–it isn’tworthit. IfyoubuyanewPCthathasWindows8,however,don’tworry–it’sintimidatingatfirst,butyoucangetittobehaveifyoutinkerwithit.BEN HARDWIDGE

37

ThenewPowerbuttonisburiedintheSettingsoptionintheWindowsCharmsmenu


WorldMags.net



Hosted Technology,that just works!

Hosted Technology,that just works!

If you’re driven mad looking for hosted technology whichgives you complete peace of mind, then look no further.

Fasthosts has been taking the headache out of deliveringindustry-leading technologies, for thousands of customers,just like you for over 13 years.

With wholly-owned and managed secure UK data centresand our team of experts, Fasthosts are always here,supporting you every step of the way.

For help and advice call free on 0800 6520 444

WEB HOSTING • DOMAINS • EMAIL • DEDICATED SERVERS • VIRTUAL SERVERS • RESELLER HOSTING

b

fasthosts.co.ukor call O800 6520 444Making business work better onlineMaking business work better online

fasthosts.co.ukor call O800 6520 444Making business work better onlineMaking business work better onlineMaking business work better onlineMaking business work better onlineMaking business work better onlineMaking business work better online

Reliability

HOSTEDTECHNOLOGY

Flexibility

Securetechnology

24/7supportAwardwinning

Value formoney

TODAY, TOMORROW & THE FUTURE

Scalability

Security

Re

lia

bil

ity

FlexibilityValue for money

Award

- win

ning

servic

e

Qu

ality

24/7 support

UK data centres

Technology you can rely ontoday, tomorrow and the future


WorldMags.net



40 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£164incVATManufacturerwww.amd.comSupplierwww.scan.co.uk

IN DETAILFrequency4GHz(4.2GHzTurboFrequency)CorePiledriverGPUNoneNumberofcores8xphysicalCacheL1:4x64KBsharedinstructioncaches,8x16KBdatacaches(384KBintotal)L2:4x2MBL3:4x2MBPackagingAM3+Thermaldesignpower(TDP)125WFeaturesSSE,SSE2,SSE3,SSE4a,SSE4.1,SSE4.2,256-bitAVX,AESNI,PCLMULQDQ,AMD64,Cool’n’Quiet3.0,AMD-V,MMX,FMA4,XOP

hileAMDisconsistentlycompetitivewithNvidiaontheGPUfront, itstop-endCPUshavebeenconsistentlyoutperformedbyIntel’scompetitioninrecentyears.Last

year’sBulldozerarchitecturewassupposedtobetheshotinthearmAMDneeded,buttheflagshipFX-8150CPUfellfarshortofexpectations,offeringpoorsingle-threadedperformance,beforebeingagainsurpassedbyIntel’sIvyBridgeCPUsthisyear.TheFX-8350hasitsworkcutout,then,asitsnew

PiledriverarchitectureismoreanoptimisedversionofBulldozerthantheall-newarchitectureAMDarguablyneedstoleveltheCPUplayingfield.Piledriverstillusesthesamelayoutasitspredecessor,madeupofuptofourmodules,eachcontainingtwox86integercores.Thecoresaren’tself-contained,though,andshareresourceswithineachmodule,suchasthefetchanddecodeunits,andthefloating-pointscheduler.Eachindividualcorehas16KBofL1datacache,with

eachmodulesporting64KBofL1instructioncacheand2MBofL2datacache.The8MBL3cacheisthensharedbetweenallfourmodules.Ifthisallsoundsfamiliar, it’sbecauseit’sexactlythesamephysicallayoutasBulldozerand,withnodie-shrink,Piledriverevenhasthesame35nmproductionprocessand315mm²diesizeasitspredecessortoo.Whilethecorearchitectureremainsrelatively

unchanged,however,therehavebeenahostofminorimprovements.Piledriver’sbranchpredictionandhardwarepre-fetcherhavebeenimproved,ashasitsintegerandfloating-pointscheduling,resultinginimprovedIPC(instructionsperclock).AMDclaimsimprovementsofupto15percentinmulti-threadedbenchmarks,aremarkableincreasewhenyouconsiderthelimitedphysicalconstraints.TheFX-8350,theCPUwhichbringsPiledrivertothe

desktopCPU,isafull8-core(four-module)chipwithacorefrequencyofamighty4GHz.ThankstoAMD’sTurboCoretechnology, itcanalsoboostthisupto4.2GHzdependingoncoreloadandTDPheadroom.Plus,withanunlockedmultiplier,there’splentyofoverclockingshenaniganstobehadtoo.A125WTDPisstillaconcernthough;Intel’sprice-pointcompetitor,theCore-i53570KhasaTDPofjust77W.TheFX-8350

alsocontinuestheuseofAMD’sAM3+socketand,assuch,requiresanAMD9-seriesmotherboard(990FX,990Xor970).

PERFORMANCEAtstockspeeds,theFX-8350deliveredroughlywhatweexpected;asolidimprovementoverBulldozer,butstillalongwaybehindtheIntelcompetition.InourMediaBenchmarksimageeditingtest,theFX-8350producedascoreof1,020points,a133-pointimprovementovertheFX-8150,butstillover800pointsbehindtheCorei5-3570K.Itsvideoencodingscoreof2,701pointswasalsoanimprovement,butagainbehindtheIntelchip,whilemulti-taskingperformancedidn’tseeanysignificantimprovement.InCinebench,theFX-8350againshowedgainsoveritspredecessor,withascoreof6.92comparedtotheFX-8150’s6.01.Thisalsodemonstratesthemulti-threadednatureofPiledriverarchitecture,asitsurpassestheCorei5-3570Kinthistest.However,gamingbroughtusbacktoearthwith

abump.Atstockspeed,theFX-8350deliveredaminimumofonly49fpsinSkyrim,whiletheCorei5-3570Kproducedaminimumof94fpsinthesametest.WetestedbothCPUswithaGeForceGTX690sothatitwasn’tGPU-limited,andtheresultswereastounding.ThismeansthananyGPUabovea£150HD78502GBwouldbeCPU-limitedbytheFX-8350inSkyrim.InShogun2:TotalWar’sCPUbenchmark,theresultsdon’tmakeanybetterreading.WhiletheFX-8350’sminimumframerateof17fpsisagreatimprovementoftheFX-8150’s13fpsinthesametest,theCorei5-3570Kembarrassesbothwithaminimumof28fpsatstockspeed.Whileitsstockperformanceremainshumdrum,

theFX-8350isatleastmucheasiertooverclockthantheFX-8150.Increasingthemultiplierto24x,leavingtheHTTat200MHzandincreasingthecorevoltageto1.5Vproducedastable4.8GHzfrequencyoncewe’draisedtheloadlinecalibrationtoUltra,anddisabledAMDC-statesandCool‘n’Quiet.ThisbumpeduptheFX-8350’soverallscoreinourMediaBenchmarksto1,914,whileitsminimumframeratesroseto61fpsand22fpsinSkyrimandShogun2respectively.

W

AMD

PILE OF GOLDImproves onBulldozer inmost tests; easyoverclocking

PILE OF POOStill terriblesingle-threadedperformance;high powerconsumption

A step in the right direction, but still woeful

FX-8350


WorldMags.net



41January 2013

CPU

GIMP IMAGE EDITING


0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

1,177

1,077

2,392

1,020

887

1,862Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

CINEBENCH R11.5

0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10

8.25

7.95

8.22

6.92

6.01

6.32Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

3,164

3,063

4,245

2,701

2,520


AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

MULTI-TASKING

OVERALL

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

1,401

1,439

1,915

1,260

1,283


AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

1,914

1,860

2,851

1,660

1,563


AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avgOverclocked min

WPRIME v2.05, 32M

0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10

8.754

9.484

9.783

7.354

7.445

7.754Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

Stock speed Overclocked Stock speed Overclocked

THE ELDER SCROLLS: SKYRIM(ULTRA SETTINGS, 0X AA, 16X AF)1,920 x 1,080 0x AA

0 50 100 150 200

fps102

fps111

fps88

fps97

fps145

fps165

fps49

fps61

fps45

fps54

fps94

fps120Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

SHOGUN 2 : TOTAL WAR DX9 CPU BENCHMARKDefault settings

idle

0 15 30 45 60

fps22

fps26

fps17

fps23

fps34

fps43

fps17

fps22

fps13

fps18

fps28

fps36Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

Lower is better

TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION

0 35 70 105 140 175

W160

W136

W120

W95

W110

W97Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

Load

Lower is betterLower is better

TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION

0 120 240 360 480 600

W364

W586

W267

W213

W224

W161Intel Core i5-3570K

AMD FX-8150

AMD FX-8350

However,acursoryglanceatthegraphsbelowwillshowtheinsignificanceofthesegains;theCorei5-3570Kisevenquickerwhenoverclocked,andcapableofaSkyrimminimumframerateof120fpsat4.8GHz,closetodoublethatoftheFX-8350.Forachipthatmatchesitspredecessor’ssizeand

transistorcount,however,theFX-8350surprisinglyconsumednotablylesspower.Loadandidlepowerconsumptionwereboth10WlowerthanthatoftheFX-8150.What’smore,thankstosimpleroverclocking,ourtestsystem’spowerusagewiththeFX-8350wasawhopping200Wlower,aswedidn’thavetoadjusttheNorthbridgeorHTTvoltages.However,again,theIntel

Corei5-3570Kconsumessignificantlylesspoweratload–almost100Wlesswhenoverclocked.

CONCLUSIONDespiteimprovements,AMD’sFX-8350remainspainfullyoutmatchedbytheIntelCorei5-3570K.InourMediaBenchmarks,theFX-8350trailstheIntelchipby26percentoverall. Itsgamingperformanceisalsocomparativelyterrible,anditconsumestoomuchpower.Unlessyouheavilyusemulti-threadedsoftwaresuchasMaxonCinema4D,theFX-8350isathoroughlyuncompetitiveandunattractiveCPU.HARRY BUTLER

TEST KITOCZVertex3240GBSSD,8GBDDR31,600MHz(2x4GB)memory,CorsairH80liquid-cooler,AntecHighCurrentPro850WPSU,NvidiaGeForceGTX690graphicscard,Windows764-bitSP1.Intel:AsusMaximusVGenemotherboard.AMD:AsusCrosshairVFormulamotherboard.Nvidiadriver:306.97WHQL.

customPC

59OVERALL

SPEED 33 / 50

FEATURES 11 / 15

VALUE 15 / 35

InsideanewFXCPUbasedonAMD’sPiledriverarchitecture


WorldMags.net



42 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£90incVATSupplierwww.quietpc.co.ukManufacturerwww.nanoxia-world.comSKUnumber4260285291005

IN DETAILDimensions(mm)220x532x517mm(WxDxH)MaterialSteel,plasticAvailablecoloursBlack,white,silver,anthraciteWeight11.3kgFrontpanelPower,reset,2xUSB3,stereo,micDrivebays3xexternal5.25in,5xinternal3.5in,2xinternal2.5inFormfactor(s)ATX,micro-ATX,mini-ITXCooling2x120/140mmfrontmount(fanssupplied),1x140mmrearfanmount(fansupplied),2x120/140mmrooffanmount(fannotsupplied)1x120mm/140mmfloorfanmount(fannotsupplied),1x120/140mmsidepanelfanmount(fannotincluded)CPUcoolerclearance185mmMaximumgraphicscardlength315mm(445mmwith3.5incageremoved)

e’reusuallyalittlewaryofcasesthatboastaboutlownoise.You’reusuallylookingataninflatedpricetag,andpossiblysacrificesincoolingand

features,astheseareoftennecessarytrade-offstohaveanykindofimpactontheamountofnoisemadebyacase.Thankfully,GermancoolingcompanyNanoxia–betterknownforitsfansandwater-coolingcoolants–hasintroducedaninterestinglow-noisecasethatsportsmostofthefeaturesyou’dexpectfromamid-rangecase.What’smore,theDeepSilence1,Nanoxia’sfirst

PCcase,costsjust£90–notbadwhenyouconsiderwhatyougetforyourmoney.Outside, it’sequippedwiththreeexternal5.25inbays,allhiddenbehindasoundproofanddustproofmagneticdoor,a2-channelfancontrollerthatcanbehookeduptosixfans,twoUSB3portsinapop-uppanelandafurtherdoorthathideseasilyaccessibledustfiltersforthetwo120mmintakefans.RemovabledustfiltersarealsolocatedinthebaseandbeneaththePSUmount.Asstandard,theDeepSilence1hastwo

front120mmintakefansandarear140mmexhaustfan–notthemostpotentout-of-the-boxcoolingarrangement,butthere’salsospacefortwomore120/140mmfansintheroof,withfurthersingle

120/140mmfanmountsinthebaseandsidepanel.Thelatterishiddenbehindalatch,soitdoesn’tspoilthelookofthecase.Inaddition,adual120mm-fanradiatorcanbeinstalledintheroof,orinthefronttwin120mm-fanslots,althoughonlyifyoumovethe3.5indrivecagestothemiddleofthecase.Speakingofwhich,you’ll findalltheusualmod

consinside,suchastool-freedrivebays,morecable-routeingholesthanyoucanshakeastickat,alargeCPUareacut-outandeight3.5inbaysthatcanalsohold2.5indrivessuchasSSDs.Practicallyeverypanel

andopeningsportssound-deadeningfoamaswell,andthere’splentyofspaceforlargecoolers,andupto445mmofgraphicscardclearanceifyouremovetheappropriate3.5indrivecage.Meanwhile,theroofhousesafeaturethat’sclearly

madeNanoxiaveryproud–anideathatthecompanycallstheAirChimney.Thisisessentiallyjustalargesectionoftheroofthatcanberaisedtoallowoptionalfanstoexhaustwarmair–there’snoventorgrillehere.Nanoxiaclaimsthisenhancesthelookofthecase,whilealsoreducingtheriskofanyspillagesreachingyourhardware.Thecaseisextremelywellmadeandfeelssolid,

althoughthisispartlyduetothesteelconstruction,whichresultsintheDeepSilence1weighingover11kg.There’sawiderangeofcoloursavailabletoo,includingblack,silver,whiteoranthracite(pictured).At517mmhighand532mmdeep,it’squitealargecaseandNanoxiaclearlyrecognisesthis,asithasincludedan8-pinEPS12Vextendercable.

W

NANOXIA

DEEP THOUGHTExtremely quiet;many features;good cooling atfull speed;well-priced

DEEP BLUE SEAPoor cooling atlow fan speeds;heavy

THE ROOF HOUSES A FEATURETHAT’S CLEARLY MADE NANOXIAVERY PROUD – THE AIR CHIMNEY

Finally, a low-noise case thatdoesn’t sacrifice cooling

DeepSilence 1

Adoorhideseasilyaccessibledustfiltersforthetwo120mmintakefans


WorldMags.net



43January 2013

CASE

PERFORMANCEWesetthefanstotheirmaximumspeedusingthefancontroller,andranourusualthermaltests.ThecasemanagedaCPUdeltaTof52°C,whichisonaparwiththeCoolerMasterHAF912PlusandCorsairGraphite600T.Meanwhile,theGPUdeltaTof41°CsawitmatchtheHAF912again;itwasevencoolerthanourfavouriteair-cooledcase,theSilverStoneRavenRV03.Itwasoneofthequietestcaseswe’vetestedtoo,

withjustalowthrumfromthefansthatwasnearlydrownedoutbyothernoiseinourlab.Whenwereducedthefanstotheirquietestsettings,thecasewasinaudibleabovetheambientnoiseinourlab.Sadly,thisalsosawthetemperaturesrise;theCPU

deltaTincreasedby11°CtoadeltaTof63°C–oneofthehottestresultswe’veseenatthissettingand15°CwarmerthantheSilverStoneRV03onitsminimumfanspeedsetting.Meanwhile,theGPUtoppedoutatadeltaTof49°C–notthepoorestwe’veseen,butcomparatively,theSilverStoneRavenRV03was5°Ccooleronitslowestfanspeedsetting.

CONCLUSIONTheDeepSilence1isafantasticfirsteffortbyNanoxia.At£90,it’scompetitivelypricedforwhatitoffers.Weparticularlyliketheexpandablecoolingsystem,water-coolingsupportandfancontroller,butitspartytrickisitsextremelylownoiselevels.ItssoundproofingalsoreducesthenoisemadebyCPUandGPUcoolers.SilverStone’sRavenRV03isoneoftheDeepSilence

1’smaincompetitors,anditwasslightlycoolerwhenbothcaseswererunningattheirmaximumfan-speedsettings,althoughitwasalsosignificantlynoisier.Meanwhile,atminimumfanspeeds,theDeepSilence1wasagainmuchquieterthantheRV03butthelattercooledconsiderablybetter.Bothcasesalsohavesimilarwater-coolingpotentialandotherexpansion

possibilities,whichmeansthatyourchoicereallyboilsdowntohowmuchyouvaluelownoise.TheDeepSilence1wasstillveryquietatitshighest

fanspeed,andofferedrespectablecoolingtoo.Italsocostsaround£15lessthantheRV03.Ifyou’reobsessedwithnoisereductionthenit’sagreatchoice,althoughwe’dadviseaddinganotherfanortwoifyouplanonusingitatitslowestfan-speedsettingallthetime.ANTONY LEATHER

customPC

85OVERALL

Lower is better

CPU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE

Full speed Low speed

0 20 40 60 80

63°C

48°C

52°C

45°CSilverStoneRaven RV03

Nanoxia DeepSilence 1

GPU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE

0 15 30 45 60

49°C

44°C

41°C

42°CSilverStoneRaven RV03

Nanoxia DeepSilence 1

COOLING 24 / 30FEATURES 18 / 20

DESIGN 26 / 30VALUE 17 / 20

01 Thelargecut-outbehindtheCPUareawill

enableyoutoinstallCPUcoolerbackplateswithoutremovingthemotherboard

02 Upto445mmofgraphicscardclearanceis

availableifyouremovetheappropriate3.5indrivecage

03 Withsomanycable-routeingholes,it’seasy

tobuildaneatandtidyPCinsidetheDeepSilence1

01

02

03

Practicallyeverypanelandopeningsportsaformofsound-deadeningfoam


WorldMags.net



44 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£290incVATSupplierwww.dabs.comManufacturerwww.gigabyte.com

IN DETAILChipsetIntelZ77CPUsupportLGA1155Corei3,Corei5,Corei7,PentiumandCeleronMemorysupport4slots:max32GBDDR3(2,400MHz)ExpansionslotsFive16xPCI-E3 (three16xorfour8x),two1xPCI-E2SoundHDAudioviaRealtekALC898NetworkingAtherosGigabitEthernet,IntelGigabitEthernetOverclockingCPUclock80-133.33MHz,CPUmultiplier16-63;maxvoltages,CPU1.85V,RAM2.6V,PLL2.2V,PCH1.365V,VTT1.7VPorts4xSATA3Gbps,6xSATA6Gbps,1xmSATA3Gbps,1xPS/2,10xUSB3,4xUSB2,2xLAN,4xsurroundaudioout,linein,mic,opticalS/PDIFout,DVI,D-Sub,HDMI,DisplayPortDimensions(mm)305x264(E-ATX)

egenerallydoourbesttokeepouradviceandrecommendationsasrelevanttotherealworldaspossible;we’ll tellyouifaproduct isoverpriced,or ifyoucan

getbetterelsewhere.Justoccasionally, though, it’ssatisfyingtoletourhairdown,throwcautiontothewindandtakealookatsomethingfromthemoney-no-objectendofthemarket.Thismonth, it’stheGigabyteGA-Z77X-UP7that’s

scratchingourirresponsible,wallet-meltingitch,asits£290pricetagplacesit firmly inthebigboys’circle,alongsidetheAsusMaximusVExtremeandtheEVGAZ77FTW(seeIssue109,p36).Asyou’dexpect, theUP7isequippedwithallmannerofspanglyfeaturesaimedatmakingit theboardwithwhichtosetoverclockingrecords.Thefirst,andmostoutrageous,ofthesefeatures

isthehugeamountofPCBareagiventotheVRMcircuitry.Awhopping32phasesofCPUpowercircuitryresidehere(alongwithanadditionalthreefortheintegratedHDgraphicsandtwofortheVTT),whichismorethanwe’veeverseencrammedontoasinglemotherboardbefore. Incomparison,ourcurrentPremiumGradeLGA1155motherboard,theAsusMaximusVGene,sportsan8+4(CPUandHDgraphicsrespectively)VRMarrangement.It’salsoworthnotingthattheVRM

circuitrymeetsGigabyte’snew-fangledUltraDurable5standard,sotheUP7sportsthesameposhPowIRstageICsandhigh-current60Achokesthatwesaw–andpraised–ontheGA-Z77X-UP5-TH(seeIssue110,p42).Thetaskofcoolingthisfranklyprodigiousamountofvoltagecircuitry isdelegatedtoaheatsinkassemblythatalsolinks,viaheatpipes, totheZ77chipsetandaPLXPCI-Esplitterchip.It’sthissplitterchipthatfeedsthefourorange16x

PCI-Elanes,witheightlanesavailabletoeachif fourgraphicscardsarepresent. Interestingly, thesplitterchipcanbebypassedbyusingtheblack16xPCI-Eslot ifyou’reonlyusingasinglegraphicscard.Gigabyteclaimsthisreduceslatency,potentiallymeaningthedifferencebetweenanewworldrecordandjustanotherbenchmarkrun.

All thisclever jiggery-pokerywithPLXchipsandVRMcircuitryhasincurredacertaintechnicaloverhead,however,andtothisendGigabytehashadtoequiptheUP7withalavishten-layerPCB,ratherthanatraditionalsix-oreight-layerPCBs,simplytoaccommodateall thetracesneeded.What’smore,GigabytehasstatedthattheVRMcircuitryalonecostsmorethanabudgetH67board,soit’seasytoseewhythecostoftheUP7isnudging£300.Ontopofthis,youalsogetsomecleverOC-Touch

buttonsinthetopleftof theboard,whichenableyoutotweakthebaseclockandCPUmultiplieronthefly inWindows.Plus, therearethemorecommonadditions,suchasvoltagemonitoringpoints,powerandrestbuttonsandaPOSTcodereadout.

PERFORMANCEItwouldbeborderlinesacrilegetogetyourhandsonaboardsuchastheUP7andnotrunitoverclocked,soweracedthroughourstock-speedtestsfirst.TheUP7provedreasonablyquickstraightoutofthebox;itsoverallMediaBenchmarksscoreof2,335isoneofthebestwe’veseen,butstill70orsopointsbehindthesimilarlypricedAsusMaximusVExtreme.Aswesaid, though, it’soverclockingthat’sthereal

battlegroundfortheseboards,sowithoutfurtherado,

wedivedintotheUP7’sEFI.UnfortunatelytheUP7’sEFI is laidout inthesamewayasthatoftheUP5,meaningthattheoptionsfortheCPUvoltage,systemvoltage,CPUmultiplierandbaseclockareallondifferentpages.This ishardlyadeal-breaker,butit feelsclunkycomparedwithAsus’elegantall-on-one-pagelayout.At leastyouwon’tbeshortofoptionswhenyou’re

rootingaroundintheEFI, though,asGigabytehastakenthekitchen-sinkapproach;virtuallyeverythingistweakable. It’salmostapity, then,thatoverclockingourtest IvyBridgeCPUissuchaneasytask;simply

GIGABYTE

EXTREMEDrop-deadgorgeous;on-boardoverclockingbuttons; smart16x PCI-Earrangement

XTR3M3!Overkill unlessyou want to setworld records

GIGABYTE HAD TO EQUIP THE UP7WITH A TEN-LAYER PCB, SIMPLY TOACCOMMODATE ALL THE TRACES

Only overclocking enthusiasts need apply

GA-Z77X-UP7

W


WorldMags.net



45January 2013

LGA1155 MOTHERBOARD

GIMP IMAGE EDITING

Stock speed Overclocked

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

2,345

2,322

1,902

1,941Maximus V Extreme

GA-Z77X-UP7


0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

4,329

4,312

3,345


GA-Z77X-UP7

MULTI-TASKING

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

1,997

1,952

1,757


GA-Z77X-UP7

0 25 50 75 100

72

74

62

63Maximus V Extreme

GA-Z77X-UP7

OVERALL

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000

2,890

2,865

2,335


GA-Z77X-UP7 Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avgOverclocked min

CRYSIS 21,920 x 1,080, High settings, no AA, no AF

BATTLEFIELD 35,760 x 1,080, 3 x GTX 670 in 3-way SLI, Ultra settings, 4x AA, 16x AF

0 25 50 75 100

fps82

fps82

fps32

fps32

fps81

fps81

fps25

fps26Maximus V Extreme

GA-Z77X-UP7

ramming1.32Vthroughthevcoreandraisingthemultiplierto48xwasall it tooktogetourprocessorrunningat itsmaximum4.8GHzclockspeed.Atthesesettings, theUP7provedtobeveryquick,

nudgingaheadoftheMaximusVExtreme(thoughonlyby1percent) inourMediaBenchmarks.Wealsohadsomefunplayingwiththeon-boardoverclockingbuttons,asourtestCPUcanactuallybootandruntheimageeditingportionofourtestsuiteat4.9GHzbeforepromptlycrashingassoonasthevideoencodingtestcomesintosight.Consequently,weachievedarunwiththeCPUat

4.9GHzfortheimageeditingtest,beforesteppingitdownontheflyto4.8GHzwiththeon-boardbuttonfortheremainingtwotests.Thisonlynettedusanextra35pointsorso(andwedidn’tcountthisasitsofficialresult,asit isn’t technicallystable),butthesemarginsareimportant incompetitiveoverclocking.Continuingtheover-the-toptheme,wealsotested

Battlefield3witha3-waySLIsetup.DisappointinglyfortheUP7,however, itreturnedafractionallyslowerresult thantheMaximusinthistest.

CONCLUSIONTheUP7isclearlyoverkill ifyouonlygame,editimagesandbrowsetheInternet.However, ifyouwantthebraggingrightsoffourgraphicscards,orareriddledwiththeoverclockingbugandfrequent

01 Withfourfull-sizedPCI-Eslots,theUP7enables

multi-GPUheaven

02 Awhopping32phasesofCPUpowercircuitry

resideintheVRMarea

03 Thebuttonsontheedgeenableyoutooverclock

yourCPUontheflyinWindows

HWBot, thentheboardmakessomesense. It’sbuiltforoverclocking,andthat’swhat itdoesbest–itwillbefarhappierspendingitslifebeingabusedonatestbenchthansimplysittingsnuginacase.PAUL GOODHEAD

TEST KIT3.2GHzIntelCorei7-3770KCPU,8GB1,600MHzCorsairDDR3memory,128GBPatriotWildfireSSD,NvidiaGeForceGTX6802GBgraphicscard,Windows764-bit

customPC

81OVERALL

SPEED 42 / 45

FEATURES 28 / 30

VALUE 11 / 25

0102

03


WorldMags.net



46 January 2013

NAS BOX

HOW MUCH?Price£290incVATSupplierwww.dabs.comManufacturerwww.synology.com

IN DETAILInterfaceSATA3GbpsNumberofbaysTwo2.5in/3.5inMaxharddiskcapacity4TBPorts2xUSB3,1xUSB2,1xeSATA,1xSDcardreader,1xGigabitLANHarddiskconfigurationRAID0,RAID1,SynologyHybridRAID,JBODFeaturesDLNA/UPnP,audioserver,photoserver,videoserver,iTunesserver,printserver,surveillanceserver,Bit-Torrentclient,cloudstorageserver,iSCSIWarrantyFiveyears

ASboxesareveryhandywhenitcomestobackingupyourdata.SynologyalreadyoffersthebestuserinterfaceofanyNASboxwe’vetestedand,it’s

recentlyreleasedanewversion,DSM4.1,plusanewrangeofNASboxes.TheDS213+isitsnewhigh-enddual-bayNASbox,whichreplacestheDS212+.Themostnoteworthychangesarethemovefroma

2GHzMarvellmv6282Kirkwoodsingle-coreCPUtoa1.06GHzFreescaleQorlQP1022dual-coreCPU,andthememoryinterfacehasbeenboostedfrom16-bitto64-bitaswell.WithsomanyNASfeaturesavailable,suchasmediastreaming,cloudcomputingandevenphotoeditingusingtheincludedPixlrEditorpossible,adual-coreCPUisanincreasinglypopularchoice.TheDS213+isequippedwithtworear

USB3portsandareareSATAport,whilethefronthousesaUSB2portandSDcardreader.ThelatterportsmaybeusefulifyouplantohouseyourNASinaneasilyaccessiblelocation,astheone-touchcopybuttoncanenableyoutodumpallthephotosfromyourlatestholidaydirectlyontotheNAS.Fromhere,youcansharethemwithFacebook,Picasaoryourblog,orbackthemuptooneofthemanyonlinebackupservicesinminutes.Meanwhile,theunit’slarge92mmfanisextremely

quiet,anditoccupiestheentirewidthofthecaseattheback.Thismeansthathousingit inyourlivingroomisadistinctpossibility,asitwon’tdrawattentiontoitself.Thisisjustaswell,asoneofthebiggestadditionstothenewOSisavideoplaybackandrecordingfacility.YoucannowrecordliveTVusingsupportedUSBTVdongles,andevenconfigureyourrecordingscheduleusinganiPhonewhileyou’reout.However, it’slimitedtoDVB-Tbroadcasts.Synologyisalsomakingabigpushintocloud

computingand,byusingitsCloudStationappandfreeDDNShosting,youcancreateyourownfreeDropbox-likecloudstorage.Speed-wise,theDS213+isalsooneofthefastest

NASboxeswe’veseen.Itwasabletoreaddataat

92MB/secwhendealingwithlargevideofiles,andat32MB/secwhendealingwithourtorturoussmallfiletest.Thesespeedsdroppedto70MB/secand26MB/secrespectivelywhenwritingthesamedata.Evenso,thisissofastthatyou’llneeda1Gb/secrouterandCAT5cableinyourhousetobeabletotakeadvantageofthesespeeds.

CONCLUSIONTheDS213+is anothersolideffortfromSynology.Itdoesn’tsportmanyupgradesoverpreviousmodels,butthemovefromsingle-coretodual-corehelpsittodealwiththeincreasingnumberoftasksthatSynology’sNASboxescanperform.It’sapriceyunit,though,especiallyconsideringit’sunpopulated,and£290canbuyyouahalf-decentSocketFM2mediaPC.However, ifyouwantaNASbox,theDS213+’sfastperformanceandthesuperbDSM4.1userinterface,makeitthebestdual-bayNASboxwe’veseen.ANTONY LEATHER

N

SYNOLOGY

DSAmazing set offeatures; quiet;easy to setup; fast

VIRTUAL BOYVery expensive

YOU CAN RECORD LIVE TV USINGSUPPORTED USB TV DONGLES, AND

CONFIGURE YOUR RECORDINGSCHEDULE USING AN iPHONE

A fast dual-bay NAS box with greatfeatures, but it’s expensive

DS213+

84OVERALL

SPEED 34 / 35

FEATURES 33 / 35

VALUE 17 / 30

TEST KIT3.1GHzIntelCorei3-2100CPU,MSIH61l-E35motherboard,8GBCorsair1,600MHzDDR3memory,Corsair128GBX128SSD,CorsairCX400WPSU,Windows7HomePremium64-bit.


WorldMags.net



www.dabs.com/christmasTerms and conditions: Prices and Coupon Codes are valid until 16th December 2012. Coupon Codes are one time use only and must be entered during the checkoutprocess. Use coupons against the purchase of any online product at dabs.com. Free delivery uses our standard service for UKmainland. Surcharges for service upgradesand/or outlying UK regions apply. Nothing in this advertisement forms part of any contract. Errors and omissions excepted. All prices correct at time of going to print.See site for full details.Whilst stocks last. dabs.com, National Logistics Centre, Wingates Industrial Estate,Westhoughton, Bolton, BL5 3XU. Email [email protected]

10W5ENtEr CodE

£10OffOrDers Over £199

25W5ENtEr CodE



40W5ENtEr CodE

BuilD yOur OWn GaminG PC This ChrisTmasWiTh This DaBs.COm & COrsair exClusive BunDle!

Gigabyte 78LMt-S2P Motherboard, AMd FX-4100 AM3+ Black EditionQuad Core Processor, Corsair Memory 8GB (2x4GB) Vengeance rAM.

Gigabyte Pre-assembled Gamer Bundle

£167.99 Search for 881VW500

exclusive Bundle Price £269.99standalone Price £284.96

Free mm200C gamingmat worth £9.99with theseCorsair mice

Corsair vengeance vengeance v m90 Performance mmOrTs Gaming mouse

Search for 7rPZW500

£52.99

Corsair vengeance vengeance vm60 Performance FPs Gaming mouse

£49.99Search for 7rPYW500

Corsair 550Wenthusiast seriesTx550 80+ Bronzemodular Psu

£66.99Search for 7LGJW500

Corsair Carbideseries 200rCompact aTaTa x Casex

£49.99Search for 8d00W500


WorldMags.net



48 January 2013

Thorough testing and research is the key to evaluatingwhether a productisworth buying, and decidingwhether or not there’s a better alternative

TESTS:WeusetheCustomPCMediaBenchmarks,CinebenchR11.5,WPrimeandCrysis2.WealsotesttheresultantpowerdrawofthetestPCwiththeCPUinstalled.ThesetestsrevealabroadrangeofperformancecharacteristicsfortheCPU,fromimageeditingtogamingandvideoencodingto3Drendering.WerunallthetestswiththeCPUatstockspeedandagainwhenoverclockedtoitshighestfrequency.

Graphics cards aremainly evaluated on how fast they are for their price. However, we also consider the efficacyand quietness of the cooler. Every graphics card is tested in the samePC, so all results are directly comparable.

We judge CPUs onwhether they offer sufficient speed for the price. Part of a CPU’s speed score comes fromhow overclockable it is. Every type of CPU is tested in the samePC, so all results are directly comparable.

Thegraphicscardwe’rereviewing

The graphics card 4.2GHzIntelCorei5-2500K

AMDFM2IntelLGA1155

NvidiaGeForceGTX6802GB

GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H

AsusMaximusVGene

120GBPatriotWildfire

8GBofCorsair2,133MHzDDR3


Windows764-bit

8GBCorsair1,600MHzDDR3

AsusMaximusVFormulaZ77

Windows764-bitSP1

Windows 7 64-bit Windows 7 64-bit

AMDSocketAM3+

AsusCrosshairIVFormula


8GB of Corsair AMD FM2

amd fm2


WorldMags.net



HOW WE TEST

49January 2013

OurbenchmarksuitesimulateshowpeoplereallyusePCs,andahigherscoreisbetter.Youcandownloadthesuitefromwww.tinyurl.com/benchies

2.66GHzIntelCore2DuoE6750


250GBSamsungSpinPointP120S

AsusP5KDeluxeWiFi-AP

TESTS:ByusingthefastPCdetailedontheleft,wecanbesurethatanylimitationsweseeareduetothegraphicscardontest.Wetestthefourgames(right)attheirmaximumdetailsettings,intheirhighestDirectXmode,andatthreeresolutions.High-endcardsshouldbeabletosustainplayableframeratesat2,560x1,600,while1,920x1,080ismoreimportantformid-rangecards; wenolongertestat1,680x1,050because1,920x1,080issocheap.Wealsotrytooverclockeverygraphicscardwetesttoseewhatdifferencethismakestothecard’sperformance.

Someproductsaregloriouslyoverthetop.TheseitemsofexcellentoverkillearnourExtremeUltraaward.

PremiumGradeproductsareutterlydesirable–we’deatnothingbutbeansuntilwecouldaffordthem.

ProductsworthyoftheProfessionalawardmake youandyourbusinessappearevenmoreawesome.

Approvedproductsarethosethatdoagreatjobforthemoney;they’rethecannypurchaseforagreatPC.

Forthosegadgetsandgizmosthatreallyimpressus,orthatwecan’tlivewithout,there’stheCustomKitaward.

Motherboards are evaluated on everything from layout and featuresto overclockability and value formoney. Everymotherboard is testedwith the same components, so all results are directly comparable.

TESTS:WeusetheCustomPCMediaBenchmarksandseveralgames,andalsotestthespeedsoftheboard’sSATAports.WetrytooverclockeverymotherboardwereviewbytestingforamaximumQPI,baseclockorHTTaswellasoverclockingtheCPUtoitsmaximumair-cooledlevel.WerunourtestsatstockspeedandwiththeCPUoverclocked.

IntelCorei7-3770K

AMDPhenomIIX61100TBE

Motherboardontest

Motherboardontest



Intel Core Motherboard Motherboard 8GB of Corsair AMDA10-5800K Motherboardontest


NvidiaGeForceGTX6802GB*

120GBPatriotWildfire

Windows764-bit

Windows 7 120GB Patriot 120GB Patriot Windows 7

*Pleasenote:WetestAMDFM2motherboardsusingtheon-boardgraphics,nottheNvidiaGeForceGTX6802GB3GB

amd fm2


WorldMags.net



50 January 2013

CustomKitWe check out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys

Written by Paul GoodheadSeen something worthy ofappearing in Custom Kit?

Send suggestions [email protected]

15IN LAPTOP BAG

BOOQMAMBACOURIER02 Yes,weknow–£80isalotofcashfora

laptopbag.InBooq’sdefence,theMambaisbeautifullymade.Theexteriorisfashionedfromawaterproof,dyednatural-fibremixthatBooqdevelopedespecially. It’sslightlyroughtotouch,butfeelsreassuringlythickandhard-wearing.Theinterioralsofeelssatisfyinglyrugged,withthickpaddingthatkeepsyourpreciouslaptopsafe,

andhelpsthebagtokeepitsshape.Usefully,BooqalsobrandseachbagwithauniqueTerralinqserialcode,whichcanberegisteredonlinetohelpreuniteyouwithyourbagifyouloseit. Itmaybeanextravagance,butwewantone. PGWINGDINGS COURIERPrice £80 inc VAT Supplierwww.booquk.comManufacturerwww.booquk.com

MOBILE SPEAKER

EDIFIER SOUND TOGOPLUS03 Mobilespeakersgenerallysufferfromalackof

bass,andtheSoundToGoPlusisnodifferent,despitesportingabuiltin30mmx90mm‘bassradiator’andaclassDamplifier.Foradevicethat’saroundthesizeofarelayracebaton,however,itmakesadecentfistofhittingthelownotes,andit’sonlywhenyouraisethevolumethattheabsenceisreallytelling.Theunitlooksgorgeous.Theone-piecebrushedaluminiumshellisboth

ablessingandacurse,though.Itmustmakeupalargechunkofthe£60askingprice,whichisfranklytoomuchmoneyforthesoundonoffer,unlessyousimplymusthaveaspeakerthatmatchesyourbrushed-aluminiumlaptop. PGVALIUM VOLUMEPrice £60 inc VAT Supplierwww.play.comManufacturerwww.edifier-international.com

GADGET STORAGE

GRIPPYPAD01 TheGrippyPadisan

incrediblysimpleidea;it’satacky(inagoodway)siliconpadtowhichyoucanstickjustaboutanyitem,accordingtothemanufacturer.We’lladmitwehadourdoubts,butitworksbrilliantly.Itstuckfasttonearlyeverysurfacewecouldfind,andevenfirmlyheldaheavyiPad2inplace.Theonecaveatisthattheitemyou’restickingtothepadneedstohaveaflatback–mostphonesandtabletswork,butourHTCDesireHDdidn’t,duetoitscurvedshape.Themostdifficultpart,however,islearningtotrusttheGrippyPad.It’sunsettlingtoseeyour£300tabletsuspended5ftintheairbynothingmorethana£7gadget,butitneverfailedusonce. PGMAGIC SCIENCEPrice £7 inc VATSupplier www.firebox.comManufacturerwww.gizzys.com


WorldMags.net



CUSTOM KIT

51January 2013

7IN TABLET

AMAZONKINDLEFIREHD 16GB05 Amazon’sKindleFirelaunchedinthe

USAayearago,butit’sonlyjustmadeittotheUK.Fortunately,itssuccessor,theKindleFireHD,hasarrivedinamoretimelyfashion,andatarelativelywallet-friendlypriceof£159too.BasedonaheavilymodifiedAndroid4build,theFire

HDisprimarilyacontentconsumptiondevice,andlackssomeusualAndroidfeatures,suchastheGooglePlaystore.ThishasbeenreplacedbyAmazon’sownAppstore,whichisanannoyanceifyou’vealreadysunkabunchofcashintoGoogle’secosystem.Theaforementionedcontentispresentedfrontandcentre,with

thehomescreendominatedbycarouselmenusshowingyourbooks,musicandLoveFilmmovies.Amazonisn’tbashfulaboutencouragingyoutobuymorecontenteither;playanymusicyou’vedraggedontothedeviceanditwillaskifyou’dliketobuymorebythesameartist;thelockscreenshowsadvertsfromAmazonpartnerstoo.Hardware-wise,theFireHDpacksadual-core1.2GHzprocessor

andaPowerVRgraphicschip,whichjustaboutkeepsthepin-sharpandamazinglybright1,280x800IPSscreentickingalongadecent

framerate.Lagisnoticeablewhenscrollingthroughwebsitesandon-boardcontent,however.AlsonotableisthelackofhardwareGPSfeatures,whicharepresentontheGoogleNexus7.IfyouregularlypurchasemusicandeBooksfromAmazon,and

haveaLoveFilmaccount,theFireHDisasmarttravellingcompanion,andyoucertainlycan’tcomplainabouttheprice.However,wefavourtheGoogleNexus7,asithasamoreopenplatform(youcanalwaysdownloadtheKindleappfromtheGooglePlaystore),anditssuperiorhardwaremakesforasmotherexperience. PGREIGNOF FIRE CHARIOTSOF FIREPrice £159 inc VAT Supplierwww.amazon.co.ukManufacturerwww.amazon.co.uk

ACTUALSIZE

ON-EAR HEADPHONES

ARCTICP40204 TheP402isalightweightsetof

headphones–theheadbandissimplyapairofplasticbars,andtheon-earearcupsaresolightthattheyalmostfeelhollow.Thisisn’tnecessarilybadthough.TheP402isverycomfortabletowear,thankstoitslackofmass,anditstaysinplaceforexactlythesamereason.Italsokicksoutasurprisingamountofnoiseforsuchaninsubstantial-feelingset,withbassandtreblerelativelywellbalanceduptoabout60percentvolume.Approachfullvolume,though,andthebasstakesover,meaningthateverythingelselosesdefinition.We’llfiletheseundercheapandcheerful. PGALL YOURBASS ALL YOURBASEPrice £23 inc VAT Supplierwww.morecomputers.comManufacturerwww.arctic.ac


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



54 January 2013

WhilewealwaystrytogetthebestperformancefromPCkit,wealsorecognisethatnoteveryPCneeds,andnoteveryonecanafford,ahigh-endCPUandgraphicscard.Whetheryou’relookingtobuildaPC

forbasicofficework,areonlyinterestedinalittlegamingoronatightbudget,there’sstilllotsofchoiceatthelowend,especiallynowIntelandAMDhavereleasedtheirlatestcut-pricekit.AMDnowhasitsnewTrinity-basedAPUs,whichpackintegrated

RadeonGPUs.Meanwhile,IntelhasextendeditsIvyBridgeCPU

line-uptothesub-£100market,completewithimprovedIntelHDgraphics.We’veroundedupthreeCPUsfromeachmanufacturertofindthebestchipchoiceatthelowendofthewedge.However,thelaunchofAMD’snewchipshasalsoseentheswitch

toanewCPUsocket,FM2,whichhasbeenaccompaniedbyafreshflowofnewmotherboards.Assuch,we’veroundedupfourFM2motherboardstofindthebestfoundationforyoursystem,shouldyouoptforanAMDTrinitychip.HARRY BUTLER AND ANTONY LEATHER

We’ve roundedup six of the best budget CPUs to find outwhichdeserves a place in yourPC, and put four newSocket FM2motherboards through their paces too

CHEAPASCHIPS


WorldMags.net



55January 2013

HOWWETESTED,PAGE56

56

contents56 Howwetest57 CPUarchitectureguide74 Graphs78 Featuretables

CPUs58 AMDA8-5600K59 AMDA10-570060 AMDA10-5800K62 IntelCorei3-322063 IntelCorei3-322564 IntelPentiumG2120

FM2MOTHERBOARDS66 AsusF2A85-MPro68 GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H70 ASRockFM2A75Pro4-M72 MSIA85XA-G65


WorldMags.net



56 January 2013

how we testCPUsWetestedthethreeIntelCPUsonanAsusMaximusVGene;thesameboardweusetotestIntel’sotherIvyBridgeCPUs.However,asnoneofthesechipssupportsoverclockingviathemultiplier,wewereunabletooverclockthesechips.Inpractice,thesebudgetchipsarebettersuitedtoIntel’slessfeature-richchipsetssuchasH61,butourtestinghereisfocusedonperformance.

Meanwhile,someofAMD’sTrinityrangeofAPUscanbeoverclocked,withtheA10-5800KandA8-5600KbothsupportingCPUandGPUoverclockingviaanunlockedmultiplierandGPUfrequency.WefittedeachchipinaGigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3HFM2motherboard(seep68),asitprovedtobeacapableandstableoverclocker.AsAMD’son-boardGPUssharetheirmemorywiththatofthesystem,wealsooptedtotestallsixCPUswith8GB(2x4GB)of2,133MHzCorsairDDR3memory.

Thismightsoundcounter-intuitiveforbudgetchips,but8GBof2,133MHzmemorynowcostsonlyaround£15morethanthesameamountof1,600MHzmemoryandgrantsasignificantincreaseinon-boardGPUperformance,alongsideaminorbumpinsystem

performance.WeusedthesamespeedmemorywhentestingIntel’sthreechipstoo.

AlongsideourusualsetofMediaBenchmarks,whichtestasystem’sspeedinimageediting,videoeditingandmulti-taskingperformance,wealsodraftedinthewPrime32MtestandMaxonCinebench11.5totaxourCPUs’multi-threadedcomputationalandrenderingperformance.Whileyou’reunlikelytobuyabudgetCPUfor

3Drenderingpurposes,thisstillgivesyouan

ideaofcomparativemulti-threadedperformance.

Then,totesteachchip’son-boardGPUperformance,weusedourexistingElderScrollsV:Skyrimbenchmark,

whichcapturestheaverageandminimumframerateover60

secondsofgameplay.Forthesetests,wesetthe

game’sdetailsettingsattheHighpreset,beforealsodisablinganti-

aliasingcompletely.GPUtestingfortheAMDchipsusedthelatest

Catalyst12.10WHQLdriver,whiletheIntelchipsusedthelatestIntelHDGraphicsdriver,15.26.12.64.2761.Assomepeoplemaywishtorunthesechipswithadiscretegraphicscard,wealsotestedCrysis2at1,920x1,080withnoAAatUltrasettingswithaGeForceGTX6802GB–atestinwhichbothminimumandaverageframeratesareCPU-limited.

CPU SCORINGCPUperformanceisfactoredintotheperformancescore,withon-boardGPUperformance,overclockingabilityandpowerconsumptionformingthefeaturesscore.Thevaluescoreisgeneratedbycomparingofperformanceandfeaturesscorestoeachchip’sprice.AsisalwaysthecaseinourLabstests,wescoretheCPUsontestincomparisontoeachother,ratherthanincompetitionwiththeentireCPUmarket.

FM2 MOTHERBOARDSFinally,totesttheFM2motherboards,weoptedforthemostpowerfuloftheAMDchips,theAMDA10-5800K,andagainequippeditwith8GB(2x4GB)of2,133MHzmemory.CoolingwashandledbyaCorsairH80liquidcooler,althoughwithAMD’schipsstubbornlyrefusingtooutputdesktopmonitoringinformation,wewereratherinthedarkwhenitcametomonitoringtemperatures.

WethenranourMediaBenchmarks,andtestedon-boardGPUanddiscreteGPUperformancetogiveusabalancedviewofoverallspeed. Wealsomeasuredthetotalsystempowerconsumptionatbothstockandoverclockedsettings,withtheloadpowerconsumptionmeasuredwhilerunningbothPrime95andUnigine’sHeaven3benchmarktopushthechipstotheirmaximumlimit.

WerunourSkyrimbenchmarkat1,920x1,080withtheHighpresetandnoanti-aliasing

AlltheCorei3chipsaretestedonanAsusMaximusVGene–thesameboardweusetotesthigh-endIvyBridgeCPUs

budget chips, but 8GB of 2,133MHz memory now costs only around £15 more than the same amount of 1,600MHz

this still gives you an idea of comparative

Weuse2,133MHzCorsairmemorysotheon-boardGPUintheAMDchipsgetsasmuchbandwidthaspossible


WorldMags.net



57January 2013

BUDGET CPUs

Despitecompetingatthesamepricepoint,IntelandAMD’srangesof

budgetchipsareverydifferent.AMD’snewlineof32nmA10andA8APUs(acceleratedprocessingunits),codenamedTrinity,arethecompany’ssecondgenerationofAPUs,combiningaCPUandaGPUonasingledie.Thepreviousiteration,codenamedLlano,madeuseofAMD’sageingK10architecture(asusedinitsPhenomIICPUs),runningalongsideanEvergreen-familyGPU–thesameasthatusedinAMD’s5000-seriesRadeonHDGPUs.ThenewTrinityAPUshavebeengreatly

improved,andmakeuseofAMD’slatestPiledriverCPUarchitecture.Thisisthesuccessortolastyear’sBulldozerarchitecture,whichrepresentedasignificantchangeincourseforAMD’sprocessordesign.UnlikeIntel’sIvyBridgearchitecture,whichusesself-containedCPUcoresalongsideasharedL3cache,Piledriverusesmodules.Eachmodulecontainstwointeger

(wholenumber)executionunits,whicharearguablycores,giventhatthevastmajorityofaCPU’sworkloadconcernswholenumbers.TheseexecutionunitsthenshareresourceswithinthemodulethatanindividualCPUcorewouldtypicallyhavetoitself,suchasthefloatingpointunit,andafetchanddecodeunit.EachTrinityA10andA8seriesAPU

packstwoPiledrivermodulesforatotaloffourexecutionunits(cores),andeachmodulehas2MBofL2cache.However,unlikethedesktopPiledriverchipssuchastheFX-8350(seep40),PiledriverinTrinitydoesn’tuseanL3cache.However,whilethePiledriverarchitecturegivesTrinityAPUsmorephysicalcoresthanIntel’scompetingdual-corechips,AMD’sarchitectureisn’taseffectivewhenitcomestoinstructionsperclock(IPC).AlongsidethePiledriverCPUcores,

AMDalsoequipsitsTrinityAPUswithan

integratedDirectX11.1-compatibleGPU,usingthesameGPUarchitecturefoundintheNorthernIslandsfamilyof6000-seriesGPUsreleasedin2011.AfullyfeaturedGPUinitsownright,theHD7660DontheA10-5800Kusesasinglefront-endenginewithitsowngeometryassembler,rasteriserandeighth-generationtessellator.TheGPU’s384streamprocessorsarethensplitbetweensixSIMD(singleinstruction,multipledata)engines,witheachservedbyfourtextureunitsforatotalof24.TheGPUsharesthesystem’spoolofDDR3memory,withthebenefitthatusingfastermemorywillboosttheintegratedGPU’smemorybandwidthand,subsequently,performance.WhileCPUandGPUfrequenciesvary

throughoutAMD’srange,theA10andA8APUsallsupport TurboCore.LikeIntel’sTurboBoosttech,thisenablesthechiptoboostthefrequencyofindividualCPUcores,oreventheGPU,aslongasthechipremainswithinitsTDP(thermaldesignpower)limit.Incomparison,Intel’sCorei3andPentium

IvyBridgeCPUsarerelativelysimilartoitshigh-endquad-corechipssuchastheCore

i5-3570K.OtherthanthesharedpoolofL3cache,eachcoreisself-contained,withitsown64KBofL1and256KBofL2cache.Thelow-endchipsdon’tsupportIntel’sTurboBoosttechnologyintheCPUportionofthechips,althoughtheycanreducefrequenciesforidlecores.ThebiggestchangeforIvyBridge,

however,isitsintegratedGPU,whichhasbeenexpandedandimprovedtosupportDirectX11.Intel’son-boardgraphicsarearrangeddifferentlytoAMD’s;ratherthanSIMDs,Inteldubsitsgroupsofstreamprocessorsslices,andcallsitsstreamprocessorsexecutionunits(EUs). Eachsliceholdsanumberofexecutionunits,withaseparatesingle‘slicecommon’unitthatcontainstheL3cacheandrasteriser.WhileIntel’sEU-countisvastlylower

thanAMD’sstreamprocessorcount,notallstreamprocessorsarethesame.Intel’sGlobalAssetsUnit(essentiallytheHDgraphicsfrontend)isattachedtotheprocessor’sringbusandL3cache,whiletheA10-5800K’sGPUoperatesoutsideofthesharedmemorycontroller.

58

INSIDE INFORMATIONWe take a look at the innards of Intel and AMD’s latest budget processors

InsideanAMDTrinityAPU


WorldMags.net



58 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£74incVATSupplierwww.ebuyer.co.ukManufacturerwww.amd.com/uk

heA8-5600KhasthesamepairofPiledrivercoresastheA10-5700andA10-5800K,butclockedatalowerstockfrequencyof3.6GHz,withaTurboCorespeedofupto3.9GHz.Its

100WTDPmeansithasmoreheadroomforTurboCoretoboosttoitshigherfrequency,though,anditsunlockedmultiplierallowsoverclockingtoo.TheA8-5600Kalsocarriesascaled-downon-board

GPUcomparedtothe5800K,withtheSIMDcountdecliningtofourunitsof64streamprocessors,foratotalof256.Italsodropseighttextureunits,foratotalofonly16,althoughitstillsportsROPs.AswiththeA10-5800K,theA8-5600Ksupportsmemoryupto2,133MHz(1,866MHzofficially),whichissharedwiththeon-boardGPU.Atitsstockspeeds,theA8-5600K’sHD7560DGPUisclockedat760MHz,butaswiththemultiplier,thisisunlockedtoallowoverclocking.WhilefasterthantheA10-5700,theA8-5600Kis

generallyslowerthanthePentiumG2120(seep64)in2D.TheA8-5600Kscored959inourimageeditingtestcomparedtothePentium’s1,510.Avideoeditingscoreof1871fortheA8-5600KsurpassedthePentiumchipbyover200points,though,beforeamulti-taskingscoreof1,121againsawtheAMDchiploseout,withanoverallscoreof1,317pointscomparedtothePentiumG2120’s1,499.TheIntelchipwasalsobetterindiscreteGPUperformance,withaminimumframerateof49fpsinCrysis2,comparedtotheA8-5600K’s45fps.However,theA8-5600KthrashedalltheIntelchips

inon-boardGPUperformance,evenwithitsscaled-downGPU.Aminimumframerateof21fpsinSkyrim

ismorethandoublethatoftheIntelCorei3-3225’sIntelHD4000graphics,butstillcloseto20percentslowerthantheA10-5800K–you’llneedtodropthesettingsifyouwantittobeplayable.TheA8-5600Kalsoprovedanableoverclocker.With

anadditional0.162Vonthevcore,foracorevoltageof1.536V,wecouldrunthechipatastable4.4GHz.TheGPUalsoprovedpliable,andreached1GHzwithoutissue.ThisboostedtheA8-5600K’soverallscoreinourmediabenchmarksto1,454–only25pointsshyoftheoverclockedA10-5800K.Meanwhile,theminimumframerateinSkyrimrosetoanear-playable24fps–withasmalltweaktothesettings,youcouldhit25fps.Meanwhile,thepeaktotalsystempower

consumptionof153Wwasthehighestontest,butstillnothingtoworryabout.

CONCLUSIONDespitebeingacapableall-rounderfor£74,we’reunabletorecommendtheA8-5600K.Ifyouwantanall-in-onechip,the5800K’ssuperiorGPUmakesitworththeextra£15,whiletheIntelCorei3-3220isabetterpartnerfordiscreteGPUs. HB

PILEDRIVERDecent stockperformance;easily overclocksabove A10-5800Kfrequencies; fairon-board GPU

PILES100W TDP; A10-5800K’s GPUsuperior; IntelCPUs better fordiscrete GPUs

AMDA8-5600KDecent overclocking and GPU, but the A10-5800Kmakes more sense

T

scores

79customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 36 / 50

FEATURES 11 / 15

VALUE 32 / 35


WorldMags.net



59January 2013

SOCKET FM2 CPUs

HOW MUCH?Price£90incVATSupplierwww.ebuyer.co.ukManufacturerwww.amd.com/uk

nliketheA10-5800K,whichpacksahefty100WTDP,theA10-5700hasarelativelymeagreTDPof65W.Thisisstill10WhigherthantheIntelchipsontest,butstillahealthy

dropconsideringthere’srelativelylittlephysicaldifferencebetweentheA10-5700andtheA10-5800K.Itspairofdual-corePiledriverunitsrunat3.4GHz,

buttheycanalsoboosttoupto4GHz.However,asthechip’sTDPismuchlower,theA10-5700’scapacitytoboostallfourcoresinCPU-intensivecircumstancesisreduced.Asitlacksthatelusive‘K’moniker,youalsocan’toverclocktheA10-5700’sCPUorGPU.DespiteitsreducedTDP,TheA10-5700carriesthe

samecapableRadeonHD7660DGPUastheA10-5800K,withitsNorthIslandsarchitectureusingsixSIMDsof64streamprocessors,24textureunitsandeightROPs.TheGPUrunsataslightlylowerclockspeedof760MHz,though,andwefoundthat,unliketheA10-5800KandA8-5600K,thechipwouldn’tworkwith2,133MHzmemory, insteadcappingattheAMD-recommendedmaximumfrequencyof1,866MHz.AlthoughtheA10-5700canuseTurboCoretoboost

to4GHz,itwasslowerthantheA8-5600Kintesting,achipthatonlybooststo3.9GHzbutclearlydoessoonamoreregularbasis.Theimageeditingscoreof919wasthelowestontest,althoughthevideoencodingscoreof1,799pointsisrespectable,thankstothemulti-threadednatureofthePiledriverarchitecture.Thescoretailsoffagaininthemulti-taskingtestforanoverallscoreof1,266–50pointsbehindtheA8-5600Kand100behindtheA10-5800K.

WithadiscreteGPUfitted,the5700’sminimumframerateinCrysis2of44fpswasalsothelowestontest(albeit just1fpsslowerthantheA8-5600K).Meanwhile,theA10-5700’sreducedGPUclockandinabilitytosupport2,133MHzmemorysawitson-boardGPU’sSkyrimperformanceslidealittle,butits384streamprocessorsstillresultedinanIntel-batteringminimumframerateof23fps.EvenIntel’sCorei3-3225withHD4000graphicscouldonlymanageaminimumframerateof8fpsat1,920x1,080withHighdetail,offeringlittlecompetition.TheA10-5700deliveredonitslowpower

consumptionclaimstoo.WithbothPrime95andUnigine’sHeaven3benchmarklooping,weobservedapeaksystempowerof111W;33WlowerthanwiththeA10-5800Kinstalled.

CONCLUSIONWhileitconsumeslittlepower,theA10-5700’slowerTDPalsosees2Dperformancedropbelowthatofachipthat’s£15cheaper.WhileitsGPUremainshighlycompetitive,the33Wsaving(whichisonlyatpeakloadanyway)isn’tworththedropinperformance.HB

POWERLow powerconsumption;decent on-boardGPU performance

CORRUPTIONSlower 2Dperformance thanA8-5600K; nooverclocking

AMDA10-5700A low TDP, but also lower clock speeds and no overclocking

U

60

scores

75customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 36 / 50

FEATURES 13 / 15

VALUE 26 / 35


WorldMags.net



60 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£93incVATSupplierwww.aria.co.ukManufacturerwww.amd.com/uk

heA10-5800KsitsatthetopofAMD’sTrinityline-up.Ithasapairofdual-corePiledrivermodulesrunningat3.8GHz,withtheabilitytoboosttoupto4.2GHz,ifthere’ssufficient

poweravailablewithinthechip’s100WTDPthreshold.TheA10-5800K’son-boardRadeonHD7660DGPU

usessixSIMDs,eachwith64streamprocessors(384intotal),and24textureunits.AswithAMD’sLlanoarchitecture,Trinity’sAPUmakesuseofyourPC’sDDR3RAMforGPUmemory,sofastermemorywillboostGPUspeedstoo.Officially,1,866MHzisthemaximumsupportedspeed,butmostmotherboardswillallowforupto2,133MHz.Disappointingly,theA10-5800Klaggedbehindeven

Intel’s£70PentiumchipinourMediaBenchmarks.Theimageeditingscoreof1,002wasawhole500pointsslowerthanthePentiumG2120,althoughthevideoencodingscoreof1,959beatthePentiumandcamewithin10percentoftheCorei3s.Again,though,themulti-taskingscoreof1,155wasslowerthanthatofIntel’s£70chip.ShouldyoupairtheA10-5800KwithadiscreteGPU,it’salsoslowerthananIntelchipingames.InCrysis2, itmanagedaminimumframerateof46fpscomparedtothe51fpsoftheCorei3s.WhilelaggingbehindIntel’schipsintheserespects,

though,theA10-5800K’son-boardGPUremainsdominant.Aplayableminimumframerateof26fpsinSkyrimat1,920x1,080withHighdetail isaphenomenalachievementforanon-boardGPU,crushingIntel’sHDgraphicsunits,whichcan’tproduceevenathirdofthesame3Dperformance.

UnliketheIntelchips,youcanoverclocktheA10-5800Ktoo.Byincreasingthevcoreby0.12Vto1.5V,usinga45xmultiplierandleavingthebaseclockat100MHz,wehit4.5GHz.Wealsoincreasedtheon-boardGPUfrequencytoahealthy1GHz.TheresultwasanimprovedoverallMediaBenchmarksscoreof1,476,a7.5percentincrease,withtheSkyrimminimumframerateclimbingtoasmoother29fps.However,theA10-5800K’s100WTDPseesitchomp

morepowerthanIntel’scompetition.UnderCPUandGPUload,werecordedasystempowerconsumptionof144Watstockspeeds,and205Wwhenoverclocked;incomparison,Intel’schipssawthetotalsystempowerremainbelow85W.

CONCLUSIONWhilethe5800Kstillcan’tmatchIntel’scompetitionin2D,itson-boardGPUoffersgenuinelyplayable1,920x1,080gaming,withtheabilitytooverclocksweeteningthedeal. IfyouplantoinstalladiscreteGPU,theCorei3-3220isthesuperiorCPU,butifyou’reafteraone-chipfixthatcoversallbases,theA10-5800Kistheclearchoice.HB

TRINITYCompetent 2Dperformance;excellent on-board GPU; easyto overclock

CROSSROADSIntel chips offersuperior 2Dperformance;overclockinggains not thatsignificant;high powerconsumptionunder load

AMDA10-5800KImproved 2D performance and a great on-board GPU

T

scores

81customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 39 / 50

FEATURES 14 / 15

VALUE 28 / 35

SOCKET FM2 CPUs

62


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



62 January 2013

HOW MUCH?Price£94incVATSupplierwww.scan.co.ukManufacturerwww.intel.co.uk

hereisn’tmuchdifferencebetweentheCorei3-3220anditspriciersibling,theCorei3-3225.BothuseIntel’s22nmIvyBridgearchitectureandoffertwoHyper-Threaded

cores,sotherearetwophysicalandtwologicalthreads.Theyalsobothhavethesamenippy3.3GHzclockspeed,thoughwithoutTurboBoosttechnology.Thedifferencethencomesfromthechips’on-board

GPUs.WhiletheCorei3-3225usesIntel’slatestHD4000GPU,theCorei3-3220isequippedwiththeinferiorIntelHD2500.TheHD2500stillsupportsDirectX11,butit’sequippedwithjustsixexecutionunitscomparedtoHD4000’s16units;however,bothGPUshavethesame650MHzclock(withaboostupto1,050MHz).However,thisdropinGPUresourcesseestheCore

i3-3220costingover£15cheaperthanitssibling.AsIntel’son-boardgraphicssystemsaresopoorthatadiscreteGPUisrequiredfordecent3Dperformance,thismakesitamoresuitablepartnerforacapablemid-rangeGPUsuchasAMD’sRadeonHD78502GB.Intermsofspeed,theCorei3-3220performedvery

similarlytoitssibling,theCorei3-3225,althoughtherewassomevariance.Needlesstosay,thissawtheCorei3-3220easilysurpassAMD’sA10-5800Kin ourMediaBenchmarks,withtheCorei3-3220’simageeditingscore1,537beingvastlysuperiortothatoftheAMDprocessor.Thevideoencodingandmulti-taskingscoresof2,145and1,410respectivelywerealsohigherthanthoseoftheA10-5800K,althoughnotbysuchasignificantmargin.

DiscreteGPUperformancewasalsostrong,withaminimumframerateof51fpsinCrysis2usingaGTX6802GB–a10percentadvantageovertheA10-5800K.However,theon-boardIntelHD2500graphics

generatedghastlyperformanceinSkyrimat1,920x1,080.Aminimumframerateofjust4fpsisafifthofthatachievableusingtheA8-5600K,achipthat’s£20cheaper,andmakestheCorei3-3220entirelyunsuitedto3DgamingunlesspairedwithadiscreteGPU.Ofcourse,theHD2500GPUoffersotherbenefits,suchasIntel’slong-vauntedbutrarelyutilisedQuickSyncvideoencoding,butformostpeople,theseareoflittleuse.Meanwhile,apeakpowerconsumptionofjust78Wisverylowand,astheCPUdoesn’tsupportoverclocking,thestockIntelcoolerdoesthejobfine.

CONCLUSIONTheCorei3-3220’slowerpricetaganddowngradedgraphicsmakeitastrongbudgetCPU.Onitsown,itisn’tforgamerswhoprioritisefragsandframerates,butitcanformthebasisofagreatbudgetgamingPCwhenpairedwithadiscreteGPU.It’salsothebestbudgetCPUforthosenotinterestedingaming.HB

HARLEY-QUINNGreat 2Dperformancefor just £95;low powerconsumption

POISON IVYPoor on-boardGPU makesdiscrete graphicsa must for games

INTEL Core i3-3220The ideal budget partner for a discrete graphics card

T

scores

80customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 46 / 50

FEATURES 7 / 15

VALUE 27 / 35


WorldMags.net



63January 2013

LGA1155 CPUs


heCorei3-3225hastwoHyper-Threading-enabledIvyBridgecores,foratotaloffourthreads(twophysicalandtwological).Whilethismayseemtoputitatadisadvantage

comparedtothefourphysicalcoresofAMD’sTrinityAPUs,Intel’schipsarefarmorecapablepercore.TheCPUcorerunsatasetfrequencyof3.3GHz,butdoesn’tuseIntel’sTurboBoosttofurtherincreaseperformance.ThisallowsthechiptoshipwithalowTDPofjust55W.AstheCorei3-3225isn’ta‘K’chip,there’snounlockedmultipliertoallowoverclocking.AlongsidethepairofIvyBridgecores,Intelhas

equippedtheCorei3-3225withitstop-specIntelHD4000graphicsprocessor–thesameon-boardgraphicschipfoundinitshigher-specificationCorei5andCorei7chips.HD4000boasts16executionunits,andnowsupportsDirectX11andhardwaretessellationtoo,althoughitstill lagsbehindAMDwhenitcomestopure3Dperformance.Conversely,theCorei3-3225leaveslittledoubt

aboutitssuperiorityoverAMD’sTrinitychipswhenitcomesto2Dperformance,butthegapbetweenthetwoisnow smallerthanpreviously.Animageeditingscoreof1,533pointsinourMediaBenchmarksis50percentfasterthantheA10-5800Kinthesametest,whileavideoencodingscoreof2,131isaround10percentquickerthanthetop-specTrinitychip.Meanwhile,anoverallscoreof1,690pointsseestheCorei3-3225holda20percentadvantageovertheA10-5800Katitsstockspeeds.EvenwhenweoverclockedtheA10-5800Kto4.5GHz,itremainedover200pointsadrift

overall. InCinebench,however,there’slittledifferencebetweentheAMDandIntelchipsatstockspeeds,andtheA10-5800Kisnotablyquickeronceoverclocked.DiscreteGPUperformanceagainseestheCore

i3-3225bettertheAMDcompetition,withaminimumframerateinCrysis2of51fpscomparedtotheA10-5800K’s46fps.However,theIntel’son-boardGPUseesitfallflat,anddespitetheuseofIntelHD4000graphics,theCorei3-3225isonlyabletoproduceaminimumframerateof8fpsinSkyrimat1,920x1,080withHighdetail. Inthesametest,AMD’sTrinitychipsareallcapableofatleastdoublethisframerate.Powerconsumptionwasverylow,however,withapeakloadofjust85Wforthewholesystem.

CONCLUSIONDespitetheCorei3-3225’sexcellentperformancein2DappsandgameswithadiscreteGPU,itson-boardgraphicsarepoor,despitebeingamongthebestIntelcanoffer.You’llneedadiscreteGPUforanymoderate3Dgaming,thusmakingtheHD4000graphicsredundant.AstheCorei3-3220offersthesameCPUperformancefor£15less, it’sthebetteroption.HB

BRIDGEFast performancein CPUbenchmarks;low powerconsumption; fastwith discrete GPU

CHASMPoor on-boardGPU; £15 cheaperi3-3220 performsvery similarly inCPU tests

INTEL Core i3-3225Great 2D performance, but the dire on-board GPU adds £15 to the price

T

64

scores

77customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 46 / 50

FEATURES 8 / 15

VALUE 23 / 35


WorldMags.net



64 January 2013


f Intel’sCorei3chipsaretooexpensive,thePentiumG2120offersthenextstepdowntheIvyBridgeladder.Atjust£72,it’sthecheapestchipontest,competingwithAMD’sA8-5600K,

andatfirstglance,itdiffersonlyslightlyfromitsmoreauspiciousbrethren.TheG2120boaststwo3.1GHzIvyBridgecoresbut,aswiththei3chips,noTurboBoostsupport.There’snoHyper-ThreadingforthePentiumchipeither; justthetwophysicalcores.ThePentiumG2120’son-boardgraphicsisalsoa

stepdown.ItsIntelHDgraphicschipmatchestheHD2500graphicsoftheCorei3-3220,withsixexecutionunitsclockedbetween650MHzand1,050MHz,andDirectX11support,butit lacksmanyofIntel’sextrafeatures.Thismeansthere’slimitedvirtualisationsupport,noQuickSync,noWirelessDisplayandnoClearVideoHDTechnology.Basically, it’sanIntelchipwiththecleverstuffyoualmostneveruseremoved.Withalowerclockspeedandfewerfeaturesthanitsstablemates,notsurprisingly,thePentiumG2120isalsolightonpower,withaTDPofonly55W.Withonlya200MHzstepdowninper-clock

performanceincomparisontotheCorei3-3220,thePentiumG2120accountsforitselfwell inourMediaBenchmarks,withanimageeditingscoreof1,510points–only30pointsbehindtheCorei3sand50percentfasterthaneventhe£88A10-5800K.However,thelackofHyper-Threadingimpactedvideoencodingperformance,withascoreof1,660pointsbeingtheslowestofanychipontest;eventheA10-5700was139pointsquicker.Thankfully,thePentiumG2120

recoveredinthemulti-taskingtest,withascoreof1,329againeclipsingtheAMDcompetition.ThePentiumG2120’sflawsshowedelsewhere,though,withthelowestscoresbyalargemargininthemulti-threadedworkloadsofwPrime32MandCinebench.Also,asitboastsonlysixexecutionunitsinitsHD

Graphicsunit,theG2120wasjustaspoorasitsteam-matesingames.Aminimumframerateof4fpsinSkyrimisasixthofthatachievedbytheA8-5600K.PerformancewithadiscreteGPUwasbetter,though,witha49fpsminimuminCrysis2betteringtheA10-5800K;it’salso4percentslowerthantheCorei3-3220.Meanwhile,thepeakpowerconsumptionof73Wunderfullloadwasalsoverygood,andcomfortablythelowestontest.

CONCLUSIONWhileithasatemptinglowprice,thePentiumG2120’sflawsareclear.AlongsideitspoorGPUisitslimitedmulti-threadedperformance,whichcripplesvideoencodingandsimilarlyintensivetasks,makingit ill-suitedasastand-alonechip.TheA10-5800KandCorei3-3220arepricier,butbettersuitedtotheirroles.HB

G-POLICECPU performancestill quicker thanA10-5800K,low powerconsumption

G-UNITRubbish on-boardGPU; tangiblyslower than Corei3-3220

INTELPentiumG2120Too slow on any front to consider buying

LGA1155 CPUs

66

scores

76customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 39 / 45

FEATURES 7 / 30

VALUE 30 / 25


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



66 January 2013

HOW MUCH?ProductcodeFM2A75Pro4-MPrice£60incVATSupplierwww.overclockers.co.ukManufacturerwww.asrock.com

SRock’sFM2A75Pro4-Misamicro-ATXboard,butunliketheAsusF2A85-MPro,ithasbothPCI-EandPCIslots.However, itlacksDisplayPort,andhasfewerUSB3and

SATA6Gbpsports.Plus,withtwoPCI-Egraphicscardsinstalled,thesecondslotdropsto4x,potentiallyaffectingperformance.Otherwise,though,theFM2A75Pro4-M’sdesign

comesuptrumps.The24-pinATXconnector,SATAportsandon-boardUSB3connectorarelocatedattheedgeofthePCB.The12-pinEPS12Vconnectorisinsetalittle,butotherwiseyou’llhavenoissuesfittinglargeCPUcoolersorrouteingcablesoutofsight.UnliketheGigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H,theFM2A75Pro4-MalsohasaheatsinkonitsVRMs,whichbecameverywarmonalltheboardsontestduringoverclocking.TheFM2A75Pro4-Malsodetectedthecorrect

memorytimingsandhadnoissuesrunningitatitsratedspeedof2,133MHz.TheEFIlayoutisalittlemessyincomparisontoAsusandGigabyte’sdesignsthough–youhavetoscrollupanddownwholepagestofindsettingsthatshouldbegroupedtogether,butitatleastprovidesabsoluteCPUvoltagecontrolratherthanoffsetcontrol,alongwithaccesstomostotherkeyvoltages.Atstockspeed,theFM2A75Pro4-MwasonaparwiththeGigabyteboardinmosttests,andithadasmallleadinthevideoencodingtesttoo.However,liketheGigabyteboard,it laggedbehindtheA85Xboards.Thiswasn’tthecaseinthegames,though,where

itsminimumframeratesof26fpsand46fpsinSkyrimandCrysis2respectivelywerewithinafractionofthe

otherboardsontest. Its46MB/secSATA6Gbpswritespeedwastheonlycauseforconcern,butthiswasthecasewiththeotherexamplesontesttoo.Wealsomanagedtooverclockour5800Kto4.4GHz

withtheFM2A75Pro4-Mto4.4GHz,usingavcoreof1.5Vanda44xmultiplier,whiledisablingCool‘n’Quiet,CPUthermalthrottleandCoreC6modeintheEFI.However, it failedtosmoothlyrecoverfromacoupleofoverzealousoverclocks–aproblemwedidn’thavewiththeGigabyte.WealsomanagedtoboosttheGPUcorefrequencyto1GHzaswell,whichsawamajorboostinouron-boardgraphicsSkyrimtest,withtheminimumframeraterisingfrom26fpsto29fps.Meanwhile,theincreaseinCPUspeedsawtheoverallscoreinourMediaBenchmarkssuiteriseto1,463,butCrysis2withadiscreteGPUsawlittleimprovement.

CONCLUSIONDespiteitslowprice, theFM2A75Pro4-MkeepsupwiththeAsusF2A85-MPro,whichcostsnearlytwiceasmuch.However,thecheaperGigabyteoffersasuperiorBIOSandmoreoverclockingheadroom,whilealsorecoveringbetterfromfailedoverclocks.AL

ARED BULLInexpensive; PCIand PCI-E slots

HRTA little flaky whenpushed; EFI isn’tas slick as thecompetition

ASROCK FM2A75Pro4-MA decent board for a good price, but it can’t quite catch the Gigabyte

SOCKET FM2 MOTHERBOARDS

68

scores

83customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 40 / 45

FEATURES 21 / 30

VALUE 22 / 25


WorldMags.net



dLAN®500 –triple your network

options

The Network Innovation

3Gigabit LANports

NEW!

Any power socket canbecome a network point

dLAN® 500 AVtriple+

• Powerline adapter for connecting up to 3 network-compatible devices• Home network via the power linewith transmission rates of up to 500Mbps• Connects computers and consumer electronics to each other and to the Internet• Simple and secure; canwork in any roomor building• Direct connection of up to 3 devices with the integrated Gigabit switch• The integrated socket ensures that no power socket goes towaste

dLAN® 500 AVtriple+

www.devolo.co.ukMore information:

Tel.: +44 (0)1865 244141, Email: [email protected]

WorldMags.net



68 January 2013

HOW MUCH?ProductcodeGA-F2A75M-D3HPrice£56incVATSupplierwww.overclockers.co.ukManufacturerhttp://uk.gigabyte.com

henbuyingamotherboardandCPU,it’susuallygoodtospendmoreontheCPUthanthemotherboard.Withthe

A10-5800Kretailingforalittleover£100,thisshouldn’tbetoodifficult,butwithmotherboardssuchasMSI’sA85XA-GD65andAsus’F2A85-MProretailingfor£86and£109respectively,thecostofA85X-chipsetmotherboardsfliesinthefaceofeverythingTrinityhasgoingforit–theabilitytobuildacheapgamingsystemthatcanbetterasimilarlypricedIntelsetup.Thankfully,Gigabyte’sF2A75M-D3Hhasnailedthesweetspot.Atjust£56,it’shalfthepriceoftheAsus,meaning

yourmotherboardandCPUcombo,shouldyouoptfortheA10-5800K,willcostaround£160insteadofover£200.Afterall, for£200,youcouldpickupanIvyBridgePentiumCPU,acheapLGA1155motherboardandaRadeonHD77701GB–afarmorepotentgamingmix.Themicro-ATXF2A75M-D3HsportsAMD’sA75

chipset,butwhileAMDwouldhaveyoubelievethatonlytheA85XchipsetallowsfortwodiscreteGPUsinCrossFireX,theF2A75M-D3Hmanagesthisfeattoo.Itsportstwo16xPCI-Eslots,butthedownsideisthatthesecondslotislimitedtojust4x,whereastheMSIoffers8xinbothslotsinCrossFireXmode.However,thoselookingtobuildadual-GPUsetupwouldbemuchbetteroffwithahigher-endIvyBridgesetupthananFM2systemanyway,sothepointismoot.Theboardalsohassingle1xPCI-E

andPCIslotsforfurtherexpansion,givingyouabalancedsetupandplentyofoptionswhenitcomestosoundcardsandTVtunercards,especiallyasyoucanuse1xPCI-Edevicesin16xPCI-Eslotstoo.TheA75chipsetislimitedtosixSATA6Gbpsports,althoughthiswillbemorethanenoughforatypicalSocketFM2system.Aswithalltheotherboardsontest,theGA-F2A75M-D3Hhasaplethoraofvideooutputstoo,althoughitlacksDisplayPort,unliketheMSIandAsus.Meanwhile,thelayoutisalso

generallygood.Therearenoheatsinks

ontheVRMcircuitrysurroundingtheCPUsocket,sothere’sverylittletogetinthewayoflargeCPUcoolers.ThemainPCI-Eexpansionslotisalsopositionedsothatdualortriple-slotgraphicscardswon’tfoultheSATAportsorUSB3header.However,

useofthelowerslotislikelytoobscurefourofthesixSATAports.TheDIMMslotsarepositioned

fairlyclosetotheCPUsockettoo,butmostSocketFM2coolerscanberotated;youcouldalsousetwoDIMMsindual-channelmodeinslotsoneandtwo–thefurthestandthird-furthestfromtheCPUsocket–givingyoualittlemorebreathingspace.

PERFORMANCEWeinitiallyfoundthesystemcrashedwhenmanuallysettingtheRAMtoitsrated2,133MHzspeed,butoncloserinspection,thetimingswerealittletootight.SettingthemtotheRAM’sratedvaluessolvedtheproblem,butwedidn’thavethistiming-misdetectionissueonanyotherboards.Thenagain,theboardofficiallydoesn’tsupportmemoryhigherthan1,866MHz,sowecan’treallyholdthatagainstit.Atstockspeed,theF2A75M-D3Hadmittedlydidn’tlightupourperformancegraphs,beingtheslowestboard

GIGABYTECheap; great EFI;good overclocker

LOVE BITEBasic feature set;slightly slowerperformance thanA85X boards

GIGABYTEGA-F2A75M-D3HExactly what a Socket FM2motherboard should look like

W


WorldMags.net



70

87OVERALL

SPEED 40 / 45

FEATURES 23 / 30

VALUE 24 / 25

69January 2013


ontestinmanyofthem,butusuallybylessthan5percent. Itsoverallscoreof1,372inourMediaBenchmarkswasslightlyshortoftheMSIA85XA-GD65,forexample–notadealbreakerbyanymeans.Overclockingprovedtobeasurprisinglypleasant

experiencewiththeGA-F2A75M-D3H.TheEFIwasexcellentlylaidoutandrichinoptions,apartfromthevcoreadjustmentlackinganabsolutevoltagemode.OurA10-5800Ktestchipquicklyroseto4.5GHzaftersettingthevcoreto1.5VanddisablingCool‘n’QuietandC6Stateoptions.However, increasingthisto4.6GHzwitha1.55Vvcoresawtemperaturesrisetotoastylevelsandresultedinanunstablesystem.WealsomanagedtoincreasetheGPUcorefrequencyto1GHzfrom800MHz.Theboardwasabletorecoverbrilliantlyfromfailedoverclockstoo,whichtheASRockFM2A75Pro4andAsusF2A85-MProfailedtomanageonoccasions.TheincreaseinCPUspeedsawtheoverallMedia

Benchmarkssuitescoreriseover100pointsto1,476,whilethisandtheincreaseinGPUfrequencyresultedintheminimumframerateinSkyrimleapingfrom26fpsto29fps.AddingaGeForceGTX6802GBtothesystemfortheCrysis2testdidn’tseeagreatbenefitfromtherathertameoverclockwemanagedto

achieveontheA10-5800KAPU,butthiswasthesameonallourmotherboards.Theoverclockalsosawover60Waddedtotheloadsystempowerdraw–thisisworthbearinginmindifyouintendtokeeppowerconsumptiontoaminimum.

CONCLUSIONDespiteslightlyslowerresultsthansomeoftheotherboards,thebargain-tasticGA-F2A75M-D3HwasneverfarbehindandmanagedtooverclockourA10-5800KAPUasfarastherestofthepacktoo.Combinedwithlotsofexpansionoptions,andanexceptionallylowpricecomparedtotheA85Xboardsontest, it’sdifficultnottorecommendunequivocally. ItalsohastheedgeontheASRockFM2A75Pro4withitssuperiorEFIandexcellentoverclockrecoverysystem.It’stheperfectchoiceforabudgetSocketFM2gamingsystem.AL

THE EFI WAS EXCELLENTLY LAID OUTAND RICH IN OPTIONS, APART FROMTHE VCORE ADJUSTMENT LACKINGAN ABSOLUTE VOLTAGE MODE


WorldMags.net



70 January 2013

HOW MUCH?ProductcodeF2A85-MPROPrice£109incVATSupplierwww.overclockers.co.ukManufacturerhttp://uk.asus.com

sus’F2A85-MProcoststwiceasmuchasthenextcheapestFM2boardontest,andit’salsonoticeablypricierthantheMSIA85XA-GD65,whichsportsthesameA85Xchipset.

It’salsoamicro-ATXboard,soit’sunderstandablythinonexpansionoptions,withjusttwo16xPCI-Eslotsandtwo1xslotslocatedinbetween.There’snoPCIslotand,unlikethecheaperMSI,therearenopower,resetorCMOSclearbuttonseither.However,therearesevenSATAconnectors,sixofwhichareangled,plusAsus’usualperkssuchasUSBBIOSFlashbackanditsAISuiteIIsoftware,includingFanXpert2.Thelayoutdoesn’thaveissueseither,withthe8-pin

EPS12Vconnectorand24-pinATXconnectorbothlocatedattheedgeofthePCB,althoughyou’ll loseoneofthe1xPCI-Eslotsifyouuseadiscretedual-slotGPU.Asyou’dexpectatthisprice,theF2A85-MProalsohasthefullcomplementofvideooutputs,includingDisplayPort,HMDIandDVI-D.Plus,shouldyouwishtodabbleinsomedual-GPUmalarkey, italsosupportsCrossFireX,withitstwo16xPCI-Eslotsrunningat8xwithtwographicscardsinstalled.Atstockspeed,theF2A85-MProprovedtobe

slightlyfasteroverallthanboththeA75-basedmotherboardsontest,beatingtheminallourMediaBenchmarkstestswithanoverallscoreof1,407–around30pointsahead,althoughthisequatestolessthan3percent. Inourgametests, itwasmuchthesame,withtheF2A85-MProslightlyaheadbutnotbymuch,withminimumframeratesof26fpsinSkyrimusingon-boardgraphicsand48fpsinCrysis2witha

discreteGPU.ItwasalsoslightlyaheadintheSATAtests,withaleadofafewmegabytespersecondovertheothermotherboards.OverclockingtheF2A85-MProwasalsoeasy,

thankstoanothercrackingEFIsystemfromAsus.Wewerequicklyupto4.4GHzaftersettingthevcoreto1.485V,anddisablingtheAMDPowerNowandC6stateoptions.Sadly,wecouldn’treach4.5GHz,aswemanagedwiththeGigabyteandMSIboards,though,withPrime95persistentlyfailingonthesecondcore.Thankfully,thisdidn’thaveahugeimpactonspeedtests;theF2A85-MProlostitsleadbutoverclockingstillsaw60pointsaddedtotheoverallMediaBenchmarksscore.WealsomanagedtoincreasetheGPUclockspeedto1GHz;alongwiththeCPUoverclock,thisadded1fpstotheminimuminSkyrim.

CONCLUSIONTheF2A85-MProisasolidFM2boardwiththeusualAsusperks.However, itspriceisludicrousgivenhowsimilarlyalltheotherboardsontestperformed.Ithasmarginalspeedadvantagesatstockspeeds,butthere’slittleotherevidencetojustifytheextraoutlay.AL

AMADRASExcellent EFIsystem; goodlayout; plentyof features

KORMADouble theprice of A75motherboards

ASUS F2A85-MPROA solid FM2motherboard, but it struggles to justify its price tag


72

scores

80customPC

OVERALL

SPEED 41 / 45

FEATURES 27 / 30

VALUE 12 / 25


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



72 January 2013

HOW MUCH?ProductcodeA85XA-G65Price£86incVATSupplierwww.overclockers.co.ukManufacturerhttp://uk.msi.com

hankfully,notallA85XchipsetmotherboardscostnearlytwicethepriceofthetwoA75motherboardswe’vetestedthismonth.MSI’sgreat-lookingA85XA-G65retailsforamore

reasonable£86,andwhilethisisstill£26morethanthecheapestSocketFM2examplesontest,atleastitgoessomewaytowardsjustifyingtheextraoutlay.It’stheonlyATXmotherboardontest,forastart,and

assuch,ithasfarmoreexpansionslotsthantheotherboards,withtwoPCI,three1xPCI-Eandtwo16xPCI-Eslots–morethanenoughoptionsforthevariouscombinationsofTVtunercardsandsoundcardsyoucouldassemble.Evenifyouinstalltwodual-slotgraphicscards,theextraPCBreal-estatemeansthatyou’llstillhaveaccesstoonePCIslotandone1xPCI-Eslot.SportinganA85Xchipset,theA85XA-G65offersatotalof16PCI-ElanesifyouweretousetwodiscretegraphicscardsinCrossFireXmode,witheachslotgettingeightlanes.ThePCBbristleswithfeaturestoo.Comparedtoall

theotherboardsontest, ithasthemostfanheaders,themostSATA6Gbpsportsandthebestcooling.It’salsotheonlyboardtoofferon-boardpower,resetandCMOSclearswitches.Thelayoutisexcellenttoo,withthemajorityoftheSATAportsmountedparalleltothePCB.Meanwhile,themotherboardpowerconnectorsarelocatedrightattheedgeofthePCB,asarethepowerandresetswitches.TheA85XA-G65alsoincludesMSI’sOCGenieoverclockingfeature,whiletheEFIsystemisclearandeasytouseaswell.Whichevermonitoryouown,

theA85XA-G65willbeabletocaterforit,withVGA,DVI-D,DisplayPortandHDMIconnectorsallavailableontherearpanel,alongwithtwoUSB3ports(afurthertwoareavailableviaanon-boardheader),plus8-channelaudioandanopticalS/PDIFoutput.

PERFORMANCEAswiththeAsusF2A85-MPro,theA85XA-G65wasslightlyfasterthantheGigabyteand

ASRockA75motherboards.Itsscoreof1,038inourimageeditingtestwas36pointsclearoftheGigabyte,andtheMSI‘svideoencodingscoreof2,025wasthefastestontest. Itwasthequickestagaininthemulti-taskingtest,althoughitsleadovertheGigabytewasalesssubstantial15pointshere.Overall,thisgaveitthefastestscoreontestof1,411;39pointsaheadoftheGigabyte.ItsSATA6Gbpsreadspeedswerealittleslower

thanwe’reusedtoseeingfromthelatestIntel-basedmotherboards,anditswritespeedswerenoticeablylower,withnearly100MB/secbeingloppedoffthemaximumspeedwe’veseenfromourOCZVertex3SSDonIntelmotherboards.However,wecan’tholdthisagainsttheA85XA-G65,asalltheboardsontestreturnedsimilarresults.InourSkyrimtest,usingtheon-boardRadeonHD

7660DGPU,theA85XA-G65managedaminimumframerateof26fps,whichwasonaparwiththeotherboardsontest.WetheninstalledourGeForceGTX6802GBgraphicscardforourCrysis2test,andtheA85XA-G65returnedaminimumframerateof48fps–againroughlythesameastheothersontest.WethenheadedintotheEFItobeginoverclocking,

andwequicklygotourA10-5800Kstableat4.4GHzusingavcoreof1.485V,whilealsodisablingAMD’sCool‘n’QuietandtheC6Stateoptions.Itrecognisedour2,133MHzmemorycorrectlyandsettheright

BOARDOn-boardpower and resetswitches; goodoverclocker;plenty ofexpansion options

BOREDExpensivecompared toA75-based boards

MSIA85XA-G65Lots of expansions slots and fast performance, but too pricey for a Trinity system

T


WorldMags.net



74

73January 2013


85OVERALL

SPEED 41 / 45

FEATURES 28 / 30

VALUE 16 / 25

timingstoo.Wethenmanagedtopushitanother100MHzto4.5GHz,matchingtheGigabyteboard,whileusingavcoreof1.5V.AnymorethanthisresultedineitherinstabilityortheCPUthrottling.WealsopushedtheGPUto1GHzwithoutneedingto

touchanyothervoltages.Thecombinationresultedinsomeusefulperformancegains;theimageeditingtestscoreroseby45points,thevideoencodingscoreby137pointsandthemulti-taskingtestscorerosebyover60points,withallbuttheimageeditingtestprovingtobethefastestresultsontest. Itmanageda131-pointgainintheoverallscoreofourMediaBenchmarkssuitewithascoreof1,500–againthefastestontest,whileSkyrimsawahandyleapfromaminimumframerateof26fpsto28fps.Clearly, ifyou’llbeusingtheon-boardGPUtoplay

games,overclockingtheCPUandGPUelementsofAMD’snewAPUsyieldsnoticeablegains.Sadly,Crysis2didn’tseemuchofanincreasewithadiscreteGPUinstalled,withjust1fpsbeingaddedtotheminimumframerate.Meanwhile, intermsofpowerconsumption,thesystemdrew145Wfromthewallatstockspeedunderload,andthisroseto210Woncewe’doverclockedthesystem.

CONCLUSIONTheA85XA-G65proveditselftobeagoodperformer,acapableoverclocker,andaboardwithplentyoffeaturesandexpansionpossibilities.ItsexcellentEFI,combinedwithpowerandresetswitches,greatlayoutandabundanceofportsmeansthatyougetmorefortheextraoutlaycomparedtotheA75chipsetmotherboardsontest,althoughonlyifyourbudgetgamingsystemincludesafull-sizedATXcase.However,theseextragubbinscomeatacost,and

costisanimportantfactorwhenbuildingabudgetrig.Itmaybeagreatmotherboardthat’ssignificantlycheaperthanAsus’offering,butAMD’sAPUsareallaboutgamingonabudget; ifyoudon’tneedtheextraexpansionroomthenGigabyte’sGA-F2A75M-D3Hoffersbettervalueforyouraveragebudgetbuild.AL

WITH TWO PCI AND THREE 1x PCI-ESLOTS, THERE ARE ENOUGH OPTIONSFOR VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF TVTUNER CARDS AND SOUND CARDS


WorldMags.net



74 January 2013

BUDGET CPU RESULTS

CPU RESULTSGIMP IMAGE EDITING

0 400 800 1,200 1,600

1,137

1,137

1,537

1,533

1,510

1,002

959

919AMD A10-5700K

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel PentiumG2120

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220

MULTI-TASKING

0 400 800 1,200 1,600

1,229

1,220

1,410

1,408

1,329

1,155

1,121

1,080AMD A10-5700K

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel PentiumG2120

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220


0 600 1,200 1,800 2,400

fps2000

fps2000

2,062

2,135

2,131

1,959

1,799

1,660Intel Pentium

G2120

AMD A10-5700K

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220

2,006

OVERALL

0 450 900 1,350 1,800

1,476

1,449

1,694

1,691

1,499

1,372

1,317

1,266AMD A10-5700K

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel PentiumG2120

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220

WPRIME 32M

0 6 12 18 24

25

16

16

18

19

19

24Intel PentiumG2120

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5700K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220

CINEBENCH V11.5

0 1 2 3 4

4

4

3

3

3

3

3

3Intel Pentium G2120

AMD A10-5700K

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM(ON-BOARD GPU)

0 10 20 30 40

32fps

35fps

29fps

26fps

30fps

26fps

29fps

23fps

21fps

24fps

12fps

7fps

7fpsIntel PentiumG2120

Intel Core i3-3220

Intel Core i3-3225

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5700K

AMD A10-5800K

CRYSIS 2 (GEFORCE GTX 680 2GB)

0 20 40 60 80

76fps

76fps

70fps

67fps

69fps

65fps

68fps

63fps

51fps

51fps

49fps

46fps

47fps

45fps

47fps

44fpsAMD A10-5700K

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

Intel PentiumG2120

Intel Core i3-3220

Intel Core i3-3225

POWER CONSUMPTION(WATTS)

0 55 110 165 220

73

78

85

111

144

205

153

207

45

46

46

33

33

60

33

57

AMD A8-5600K

AMD A10-5800K

AMD A10-5700K

Intel Core i3-3225

Intel Core i3-3220

Intel Pentium G2120

16

16

8fps

4fps

4fps

(High quality, 1,920 x 1,080, 8x AF, AA disabled)(Ultra quality, 1,920 x 1,080, Edge AA,

DX11, High-Res textures, GeForce GTX 680 2GB)

Higher is betterLower is better

1,871



Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avgOverclocked min

76

Idle Load Overclocked loadOverclocked idle


WorldMags.net



For Optimum Performance: Cases, PSU & Coolers Roundup

Case:AsgardFeatures:Screw-less tooling for5.25” bay installation

Screw-less toolingfor 3.5” bay installation

120mm preinstalled black fan

3 more fans can be mounted indifferent areas for best possible airflow

4 x 5.25” bays will be able to house all youroptical drives

5 trays for your 3.5” HDD

Tool free design & a ‘gorgeous’ outlook

£29.99

Case:Midgard II

Features:Fancy, soft & elegant ‘Leather-coating’ on top & front panel

Three external 5.25” drive bays with tool-free holders & 1 extra Slim-ODD bay

Six internal 2.5”/3.5” drive bays bytool-free hard-drive trays with

anti-vibration rubbers

Middle HDD cage is removable for longVGA card installation within 330mm

Downside PSU spacewith removable dust filter

Eight cooling fans available atmost for your optimized airflow

Top I/O with 1 super speed USB3.0 port,2 USB2.0 & HD audio in/out jacks

2.5/3.5” SATA HDD dockingstation on the top panel

CPU backside hole for easy cooler installation

Window side panel available

£59.99

PSU (power supply):

TauroFeatures:Over 85% efficiency & meetsofficial 80Plus Bronze certificate

High compatibility by single 12Vrail for high-end system configuration

Great DC output quality by low ripple noise & low voltage regulation

Stable & continuous output in 50°C ambient temperature

Low noise by thermal fan controlled 13.5cm silentfan & two voltage synchronized 3pin connectors

Universal AC input by active PFC & up to 0.99 PF rate

Compliant with the latest EU ErP Direction

Fully safety certificated with CE, FCC, TUV, & UL

Complete electric protection by OVP, OCP, UVP, OTP, OPP, & SCP

starting from £34.99

Cooler:Dark KnightNighthawk(Stealth Edition)Features:H.D.T. (Heat-pipedirect touch) technology

Back plate & Spring screw toprevent M/B bended

3pcs 8mm high performanceU type heat-pipes

Overall black nickel heatsink

4pcs white LED/ transparent black fan

Anti-vibration rubbers prevent fanvibration & also absorb vibration noise

Light weight

120mm highly efficient PWM fan

£31.99

4pcs white LED/ transparent black fan

vibration & also absorb vibration noise

PSU:Centauro Range

Features:Official approved 80Plus

Bronze efficiency certificate

Easy cable managementby meshed modular cables

High compatibility by single 12V railfor high-end system configuration

Great DC output quality by lowripple noise & low voltage regulation

Stable & continuous output in 50°C ambient temperature

Low noise by thermal fan controlled 14cmsilent fan & two voltage synchronized 3 pin connectors

Universal AC input by active PFC & up to 0.99 PF rate

Compliant with latest EU ErP Direction

Fully safety certificated with CE, FCC, TUV & UL

Complete electric protection by OVP, UVP, OTP, OPP & SCP

starting from £64.99

all available from

CPU backside hole for easy cooler installation

Cooler:Prime SD 1484

Features:H.D.T (Heat-pipe

Direct Touch) technology

Patent Blade-Fin technology increases20% of ventilation & drops 10% noise

Patent Blade-Fin technology is good at theprevention of keeping dust away from the fins edge

Special fins (T: 0.5mm) stylecombination provides efficient air flow

Unique & Patent Anti-vibration rubberfastens prevent vibration & absorb noise

Dual fans installed option, 140mm / 120mm

Equipped with multiple clips to support IntelLGA1366/1156/1155/775 & AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2

£39.99


WorldMags.net



76 January 2013

GIMP IMAGE EDITING MULTI-TASKINGHANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING

OVERALL AMD SATA 6GBPS READ (MB/sec) AMD SATA 6GBPS WRITE (MB/sec)

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM(ON-BOARD GPU)

0 10 20 30 40

32fps

35fps

32fps

34fps

32fps

35fps

32fps

35fps

26fps

29fps

26fps

27fps

26fps

29fps

26fps

28fps

MSI A85XA-GD65


Asus F2A85-M Pro

ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

CRYSIS 2 (GEFORCE GTX 680 2GB)

0 20 40 60 80

69fps

67fps

70fps

72fps

67fps

71fps

68fps

69fps

48fps

48fps

48fps

49fps

46fps

47fps

46fps

47fps


ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

MSI A85XA-GD65

Asus F2A85-M Pro

POWER CONSUMPTION(WATTS)

0 55 110 165 220

145

210

144

192

144

186

144

205

33

59

33

60

33

57

33

60


Asus F2A85-M Pro

ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

MSI A85XA-GD65

(High quality, 1,920 x 1,080, 8x AF, AA disabled)(Ultra quality, 1,920 x 1,080, Edge AA,

DX11, High-Res textures)

0 300 600 900 1,200

1,098

1,103

1,137

1,124

1,042

1,038

1,002

1,001ASRock

FM2A75 Pro-4


MSI A85XA-GD65

Asus F2A85-M Pro

0 600 1,200 1,800 2,400

2,162

2,075

2,047

2,062

2,025

2,010

2,001

1,959GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H

ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

Asus F2A85-M Pro

MSI A85XA-GD65

0 400 800 1,200 1,600

1,234

1,189

1,229

1,219

1,170

1,169

1,155

1,140ASRock

FM2A75 Pro-4


Asus F2A85-M Pro

MSI A85XA-GD65

0 450 900 1,350 1,800

1,463

1,500

1,477

1,476

1,412

1,411

1,407

1,372Gigabyte

GA-F2A75M-D3H

Asus F2A85-M Pro

MSI A85XA-GD65

ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

0 150 300 450 600

533

531

530

526Gigabyte

GA-F2A75M-D3H

ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

MSI A85XA-GD65

Asus F2A85-M Pro

0 120 240 360 480

465

464

463

463MSI A85XA-GD65


ASRockFM2A75 Pro-4

Asus F2A85-M Pro

SOCKET FM2 MOTHERBOARD RESULTS

78

MOTHERBOARD RESULTS



Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avgOverclocked min Idle Load Overclocked loadOverclocked idle


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



78 January 2013

BUDGET CPUs AND FM2 MOTHERBOARDS

CPU FEATURESAMDA10-5800K AMDA10-5700 AMDA8-5600K IntelCorei3-3225 IntelCorei3-3220 IntelPentiumG2120

Price* (inc VAT) £93 £90 £74 £109 £94 £72

Supplier’s website www.aria.co.uk www.ebuyer.co.uk www.aria.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk

Manufacturer’s website www.amd.com/uk www.amd.com/uk www.amd.com/uk www.intel.co.uk www.intel.co.uk www.intel.co.uk

Packaging FM2 FM2 FM2 LGA1155 LGA1155 LGA1155

Frequency 3.8GHz 3.4GHz 3.6GHz 3.3GHz 3.3GHz 3.1GHz

Max Turbo Boost/core frequency

4.2GHz 4GHz 3.9GHZ N/A N/A N/A

Max overclock 4.5GHz N/A 4.4GHz N/A N/A N/A

Core design Piledriver Piledriver Piledriver Ivy Bridge Ivy Bridge Ivy Bridge

Number of cores 4 physical 4 physical 4 physical 2 physical, 2 logical 2 physical, 2 logical 2 physical

Cache 2 x 64KB& 4 x 16KBL1, 2 x 2MB L2

2 x 64KB& 4 x 16KBL1, 2 x 2MB L2

2 x 64KB& 4 x 16KBL1, 2 x 2MB L2

2 x 64KB L1, 2 x256KB L2, 3MB L3

2 x 64KB L1, 2 x256KB L2, 3MB L3

2 x 64KB L1, 2 x256KB L2, 3MB L3

Lithography 32nm 32nm 32nm 22nm 22nm 22nm

TDP 100W 65W 100W 55W 55W 55W

GPU HD 7660D HD 7660D HD 7560D Intel HD 4000 Intel HD 2500 Intel HD Graphics

Streamprocessors/Execution units

384 384 256 16 6 6

GPU frequency 800MHz 760MHz 800MHz 650-1050MHz 650-1050MHz 650-1050MHz

DirectX compatibility 11.1 11.1 11.1 11 11 11

SOCKET FM2 MOTHERBOARD FEATURESASRockFM2A75Pro4-M AsusF2A85-MPro GigabyteGA-F2A75M-D3H MSIA85XA-GD65

Price* (inc VAT) £60 £109 £56 £86

Supplier www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.dabs.com www.overclockers.co.uk

Manufacturer www.asrock.com http://uk.asus.com http://uk.gigabyte.com http://uk.msi.com

Form factor Micro-ATX Micro-ATX Micro-ATX ATX

Dimensions (mm) 244 x 244 244 x 244 244 x 244 305 x 244

Features

Chipset A75 AMD A85X A75 AMD A85X

RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 via A85X 0, 1, 5 and 10 via A85X 0, 1, 5 and 10 via A85X 0, 1, 5 and 10 via A85X

Audio 8-channel HD audio via RealtekALC892

8-channel HD audio via RealtekALC892



Fan headers 3 4 3 5

Ports

IGP output HDMI, VGA, DVI-D DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, DVI-D HDMI, VGA, DVI-D DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, DVI-D

16x PCI-E 2 x PCI-E (one at 16x, one at 4x) 2 x PCI-E (one at 16x or two at 8x) 2 x PCI-E (one at 16x, one at 4x) 2 x PCI-E (one at 16x or two at 8x)

Additional PCI-E One 1x Two 1x One 1x Three 1x

PCI 1 0 1 2

DIMM 4 slots (max 64GB) 4 slots (max 32GB) 4 slots (max 32GB) 4 slots (max 32GB)

Storage 5 x SATA 6Gbps (AMD A75),1 x eSATA 6Gbps

7 x SATA 6Gbps, 1 x eSATA 6Gbps 6 x SATA 6Gbps (AMD A75) 8 x SATA 6Gbps (AMD A85X)

Audio 4 x surround audio, opticalS/PDIF out

4 x surround audio, opticalS/PDIF out



Network Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN Realtek 8111F Gigabit LAN Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN

USB 2/USB 3 10/4 10/6 10/4 10/4

Overclocking

Base frequency range 100-136MHz 100-136MHz 100-140MHz 90-190MHz

CPUmultiplier range 14-63x 14-63x 8-79x 8-63x

CPU voltage (max) 1.55V 1.55V + 0.3V 1.65V

RAMvoltage (max) 1.8V 2.135V 1.9V 2.010V

CPU-NB voltage (max) 1.55 1.8V +0.3V 1.5V

Other

Cooling Passive VRM and Southbridgeheatsinks

Passive VRM and Southbridgeheatsinks

Passive Southbridge heatsink Passive Southbridge and VRMheatsinks

Extras CrossFireX Support CrossFireX support, BIOSFlashback button

CrossFireX support CrossFireX support, power andreset buttons

* Prices correct at time of going to press


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



80 January 2013

Riseof theTriadSuper-fastanddeliberately

wild,Interceptor’sremakeof

Apogee’sclassicRiseofthe

Triadaimstofillanichethatfor

toolonghasbeenignoredby

majorstudios.It’sgoryanddark

intheextreme,butatthesame

time,itrefusestotakeitself

seriously–evengoingsofaras

toremaketheludicrousand

self-explanatory‘DogMode’

oftheoriginalgame.This

exclusiveshotshowsoffsome

ofthecrazyweaponsand

classic,floatypower-ups.

Rise of the Triad

custom pcEXCLUSIVE IMAGE

82 GRUMPYGAMERTheotherside

84 XCOM:ENEMYUNKNOWNIllegalalien

87 HELLYEAH!WRATHOFTHEDEADRABBIT

Killerbunnies

88 THEAMAZINGSPIDER-MAN

Worldwidewebhead

90 TOMBRAIDERSurvivorhorror

91 COMPANYOFHEROES2Winteriscoming

92 DEVPERSPECTIVETrulysocialgaming

94 THEENGINEROOMWetakealookat

CryENGINE,butcanitplayCrysis?

82


WorldMags.net



81January 2013

Readers’Night Wed, 28November, 9 till late

Theplace OurCounter-Strike:SourceserverWhatyouneed Anup-to-dateCounter-Strike:Sourceinstallation

GAMESERVERIPADDRESSES32-playerBC2 85.236.101.22:1666732-playerCS:Source 85.236.101.24:37015

FINDUSONSTEAMPublicgroup http://steamcommunity.com/groups/CustomPCModernWarfare2 http://steamcommunity.com/groups/CustomWarfare2


WorldMags.net



i ’llbehonest; thepast fewmonthshavebeenratherablurforme,forreasonsthat I’veonlyoccasionally toucheduponinthesepages. I’vemovedhouse, launchedmyownpodcastcalledUnlimitedHyperbole(http://tinyurl.com/VanityJoe),

playedtoomanygamestocountandtravelledallacrossthecountrytoo. It’sbeenabusyyear,andonethat’sseenmetackleallsortsofexcitingchallengestoo,suchasdesigninggames.Designinggameshasn’t justbeenexcitingthough; it’sbeen

downright illuminatingtoo.TakeSplitDecision, thequizgameformobilesonwhichIworkedwithformerCustomPCeditorAlexWatson, forexample.Theproject taughtmeaveryvaluablelessonaboutgamedevelopment, inthat it isn’tasuninformedaprocessasitcansometimesseemfromtheoutside.Toclarifywhat Imeanbythat, I firstneed

toexplainalittleaboutSplitDecision.Thequickestwaytodothat istosaythat it’sanonsensequizgame, inwhichyouhavetodecidewhethersomethingisonepatentlyridiculousanswer,oroneotherpatentlyridiculousanswer.Forexample, isLunaLovegoodaHarryPottercharacteroranadultmovieactress?It’s fast,quirky,basedontheboardgameofthesamenameandhasaselectionofdifferentmodes–youshouldreadmoreatwww.splitdecisionapp.comandthenbuymultiplecopies.Anyway, thepoint isthatSplitDecisionhasalotgoingfor it,butone

featureitdoesn’thaveatthemoment isamultiplayermode. Itwasanideaweconsidered,butsincethiswasthefirstgamemanyofushadworkedon,andaswewerealreadyaimingformultiplemobile

Games editorJoeMartinhas beenworkingon some illuminating new projects lately

platforms,wedecidedtodropitandfocusonthesingle-player.Wedecidedthat itwasbettertodoonemodewell thantwomodesbadly.Multiplayerwasn’t theonly ideawedropped;therewerealternate

scoringsystemsandadifferentcampaignmode,butmultiplayerwasthefeaturethatreviewersnoticedwasmissingwhenthegamecameout.Thereactionwaspositive,however,andthegamereceivedmanyhighscores,althoughmultiplayerwasobviouslymissed.I’mnotbeingbitter,andIdon’t thinkit’sunfair tocriticiseagame

forlackingaspecific feature;however, inthisparticular instance, itwasafeatureweconsideredandchosenotto includeforaverygoodreason.Inaway, I’mremindedofBioShock.

Thattoowasslightly faultedfor its lackofonlineplayandtheresultwasBioShock2hadmultiplayerbuilt into it.Butyouknowwhat?Thegamewas

worsefortheinclusionofthat feature,andthetimespentdevelopingitcouldhavebeenbetterspentelsewhere.Asacriticandgamer, Iknowit’soften

validtochallengeagameforlackingaspecific feature,butasagamedesigner, Inowknowthatnotall thosechallengesareassimpleastheyseem.Thisseemsespecially truewhenyouconsiderthatnoneoftheuserreviewsechoestheconcernsofthecritics.

WHAT I’M PLAYING I’vebeenplayingFTLalotlatelywhileonholiday.IoccasionallydocumentmyadventuresonTwitteras@JoeThreepwood, ifyouwanttofollowalong!

THEOTHERSIDEOFTHE COIN

BIOSHOCK 2 WAS WORSEFOR THE INCLUSION OFMULTIPLAYER, AND THETIME SPENT DEVELOPINGIT COULD HAVE BEEN

BETTER SPENTELSEWHERE

GAMING

82 January 2013 WorldMags.netWorldMags.net

WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



THE KNOWLEDGEPrice£29.99incVATPublisher2KGamesDeveloperFiraxisStudiosWebsitewww.xcom.com

84 November 2012

herearegoodandbadremakes,andthedifferenceiseasytoexplain;goodonescapturetheessenceoftheoriginal

andexpanditinameaningfulway.Badonesdon’t.Althoughithas distractingly

cartoonaesthetics,XCOM:EnemyUnknownisoneofthegoodones.It’sdifficultandtense,anditisn’tafraidtopunishyouformistakes–threefacetsthatformedtheessenceoftheoriginalsandarerepresentedperfectlyhere.It’salsoslickerandmorereasonablypacedthanbefore,layingoutclearobjectivesforyoutoworktowardsateverystage.Noneoftheseobjectivesisasimportantastheone

implicitintheserioustone,however.You’rethenewcommanderoftheXCOMtaskforce,personallyladenwiththeresponsibilityofinvestigatingandrepellinganalieninvasion.Capturingspecificbasesandperformingresearchmaymakegoodshort-termaims,butyouroverallgoalisgrander.Inplanningtheexpansionofyourbaseandleading

yourtroopsontheground,youdeterminethefateofthehumanrace–andXCOMneverletsyouforgetthat,evenasyousacrificewholecountriesforthebiggerpicture.Thesetwocomponents–

battlefieldsandbase-building–formthebulkoftheXCOMexperience.In

yourHQ,you’regivenacutawayviewofyourbase,andyoucanthenexpandasyou

wish,althoughyou’llincursignificantcostsintheprocess.You’realsoabletodeterminewhatyourscientistsresearch,basedonwhatyou’vesecuredinthefield,andyoucancustomiseyourtroopsinthebarrackstoo.Outinthefield,XCOMbecomesaturn-based

strategygameakintotheoldFalloutorJaggedAlliancetitles.Viewingthebattlefromabove,youweightheoddsofeachshotfiredandtrytoengagetheenemyonanygroundspossible–capturingwherefeasible,orslaughteringifitisn’t.Inordertoaccomplishthatgrandergoal,you’ll

needavastskill-set,andanaccomplishedplayer

TX-MENTense;challenging;strategic

X-RATEDFiddly camera;caricatured art

Better theenemyyouknowXCOM:ENEMYUNKNOWN

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW

© 2012 Electronic Arts Inc, EA, the EA logo, Medal of Honor and Danger Close aretrademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Frostbite is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. “2”,“PlayStation”, “PS3”, “Ã’’ and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of SonyComputer Entertainment Inc. KINECT, Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, the Xbox logos,and the Xbox Live logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are usedunder license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM


WorldMags.net



XCOMbucksthetrend.Ratherthanmakingitselfeasier,itcallsforyoutoplaybetter.Youcanplaybetterbytakingadvantageof

thenewfeaturesandideasthathavebeenworkedintotheoldformula.Incombat,soldierscannowexecutesomeprettyadvancedmanoeuvres;sniperscanusejetpackstolaunchintotheair,forexample.Likewise,grapplinghookscanbeusedtotakecoverquickly,althoughtheyalsohavethesecondaryfunctionoflookingcoolwhenshownviathecinematiccameratoo.Thenthere’sthedestructibleenvironment.

Soldiersrandomlyfallintospecialistrolesoncetheyreachacertainrank,unlockingskillsintheprocess.Theserangefromthe

previouslymentionedsnipertogenericassaultandsupportclasses,butourfavouriteisundoubtedlytheheavy–whocanblastholesinwallsandopennewlinesofsight.

REVIEW

willbeleftfeelinglikeaskilledscientist,engineer,economistandstrategistallatthesametime.There’softennorecoveringfromyourmistakeseither;whensoldiersdie,theydieforgood.Whilethisbombardmentofresponsibility

canmakeXCOMfeelalittleoverwhelmingatfirst,Firaxisdoesitsbesttoeaseyouintoit.Apanelofadvisorsandalengthytutorialareonhandtomakesureyourerrorsaren’ttooegregiousand,whilethealieninvasioniscertainlypunishingattimes,theinterlopersarerarelyunfairintheirattemptstodestroyyou.TheresultisthatXCOMhitsthatsweetspotwhereit’salwayschallengingandtense,butrarelyoppressivelyso.Infact,whileXCOMhasalotofother

strengths–thesheerbreadthofbuildingandresearchoptionsmeanstherearetacticsforalltypesofplayer,forexample–it’sthissenseofchallengethatwemostappreciate.Inanagewheretoomanygamesdilutethemselvesinordertosellmorecopies,

YOU’LL NEED A VAST SKILL-SET, AND AN ACCOMPLISHEDPLAYER WILL BE LEFT FEELING LIKE A SKILLED SCIENTIST,

ENGINEER, ECONOMIST AND STRATEGIST

However,wieldingtheheavy’sexplosivepowersrevealsoneoftheareasinwhichXCOMtumblesalittle,namelytheclumsyinterface.Liketheartwork,theUIisstylisedtothepointofridicule,withlittlehalf-shieldsfloatingeverywheretohighlightavailablecoverandcameracontrols,whichmakefree-aimingreallytricky.Combinethatwithacompletelackofgraphicaloptionstoplaywithandyou’llseethatXCOMisn’tperfect.However,let’snotgetcarriedaway.XCOM

mayhaveafewtinyflaws,butthey’retemperedbygreatersuccesseselsewhere.Firingrocketsrequiresunusualprecision

butitdoesn’truinthegame.Themostimportantaspect

ofthegameisthatFiraxishasnailedthetoneandnarrative,creatingaboardgame-likeexperiencethatconsistentlyhitsthesweetspotbetweenpunishmentandreward.JOE MARTIN

85November 2012

85OVERALL

86

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW


TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM


WorldMags.net



REVIEW

86 November 2012

THE XCOMMUNITYWhiletheadoptionofanalmostcel-shadedartstylemayfeellikeastepbackfortheXCOMseries,oneoftheareaswhereEnemyUnknownregainsgroundisingivingtheXCOMseriesitsmultiplayerdebut.It’safeaturethat’slikelytobedivisiveintheeyesoflong-termfans,obviously,butonthewholewequitelikeit.Surprisinglyforagamewithsomanylayerspliedintoit,theaspectthatmakesXCOM’smultiplayermodeworksowellisthatit’skeptverysimple.You’relimitedtotwoteams,eachofwhichisgivenacertainnumberofpointstospendonunitsastheywish–thenthetwosidesfight.It’ssimpleandnomorecomplexthannecessarywhenitcomestotheoveralldesign.Whenyou’replaying,however,it’shugelycomplex.Ifyou’re

anythinglikeus,you’llspendagesagonisingoverwhichsquadsetuptochoose;doyoufavourlotsofweakunitsorjustafewhigh-poweredones?Willyouwieldonlyhumanforcesormixaliensintoyourline-uptoo?Thereareplentyofdecisionstobemade,noneofwhichdetractsfromthefactthatamultiplayergameofXCOMisrelativelydisposablewhenyoulookatthewholegame.Ultimately,it’sthatdisposabilitythatmakesthe

multiplayermodesoattractivetoo,asit’sagreatpalatecleanserforwhenyou’refatiguedbythestressofcampaignmanagement.Well,thatandthefactthatyou’reabletoplayasthealiens.Personally,wefavourusingweakeralienssuchastheThinMan(whocanpoisonenemiesandleaparoundlevelswithease)tosupportheavierhumanforces.Asanaside,it’sworth

sayingthatweapproveofthetransparencywithwhichFiraxishasapproachedthemultiplayersideofthegametoo.Intherun-uptorelease,designerJakeSolomonspokeatlengthabouthowtheteamwaspreparedforthebacklashfromfansovertheinclusionofamultiplayercomponent,whilealsotalkingabouttheinspirationbehindit.ItturnsoutthatFiraxiswasmainlyinfluencedbyafan-madeexpansiontotheoriginalgames–thestillfreeandexcellentUFO2000,whichyoucangrabfromhttp://ufo2000.sourceforge.net

Whenmakingthemultiplayercomponent,FiraxissaysitwasinfluencedbyUFO2000–afan-madeexpansionfortheoriginalgames

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW


TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM


WorldMags.net



REVIEW

January 2013 87

THE KNOWLEDGEPrice£9.99incVATPublisherSEGADeveloperArkedoWebsitewww.projecthellyeah.com

oyoulikeRenandStimpy?Ifnot,youmayaswellstopreading,butifyoudothenreadon.HellYeah!isirreverentandhumorous,delightinginthesortofgrossexcessesthat

onlycartoonsseemabletotacklewithoutrebuke.It’sgloriouslygoryanddeliberatelywild–asclosetoaRenandStimpygameasyou’reeverlikelytoget.Theopeningminutesalonedashfrombunnyrabbitbathtimetoorbitalsharkbombardment,andrendereachwithexorbitantdetail.HellYeah!alsorefusestotakeitselfseriously. It

breaksthefourthwall intopiecesandtheminimaliststorycentresaroundAsh,asaw-bladewieldingbunnyprinceofHellwhoselifeisruinedbydemonicpaparazzi.Asiftherewereanyotherkind.Spurredintoacampaignofcarnage,Ashdecidesto

killeveryonewhoeversawtheincriminatingphotos,witheachactingasamini-bosstobeovercome.Mostaren’thardtodefeat,asHellYeah!ismoreinspiredbytheAnimaniacsthanContra,butthereareafewtoughnutstocrack.Underneaththecartoonysheen,HellYeah!isn’tas

stronganaction-platformerasitmayseem,however.Thebrightcoloursandludicrousgorearereallyjustaveneercoveringapredictableplatformerandasetofoccasionallyfunnymini-games.ThisiswhytheRenandStimpyquestionissoimportant; ifbasehumourandgratuitouslygrossanimationareenoughforyouthenyou’llbelaughingnon-stop.Iftheyaren’t,HellYeah!willonlybefunnyforthefirstfiveminutes.Thisisbecause,ironically, itonlyhasonejoke.Stripawaythe‘irreverence’andithas

littlefoundation–therearejustmini-gamesandadesignthatleansmoretowardsmeaninglesscustomisation

thanactualcontent.Thereareafewinterestingideasinthemix,suchasyourabilitytoharvestthesoulsofenemiesandputthemtoworkharvestingnewtoys,

buttheyaren’tagrippingenoughbasisonwhichtorecommendthewholegame.Allthisdoesn’tmeanHellYeah!is

bad,however.It’sjustfocusedonaveryparticularniche.Andevenifyou’reafanofthatparticularniche,thegamestillrequiresyoutooverlookafewflaws.JOEMARTIN

D

HELLYEAH!WRATHOFTHEDEADRABBIT

BRAINDelightfulanimation;original vision

PINKYPredictable; onlyhas one joke

Wi’ huge scratchy teeth

50OVERALL

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW


TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM


WorldMags.net



REVIEW

heAmazingSpider-Manoriginallycameoutonconsolesmuchclosertothefilm’srelease,withActivisiondelayingthePCversionuntilnow.Havethoseextramonthsbeenusedto

improvethegame?No.Instead,PCgamersgetanoccasionallylaughablyunoptimisedport,acontrolsystemclearlynotadjustedforkeyboardplayers,andlevelswithalmostsolely‘Sewer’or‘Crate’flavours.Thatsaid,BeenoxhasworkedontheSpider-Man

franchiseforawhile,andhasclearlylearnedtoanimatetheweb-slingerwell.Spideyarchesthroughtheairbeautifully,andwhilecombatisbasicallyjustbuttonmashinguntilyouunlockmoreinterestingpowers,themovesatleastlookgood.Thestorylineisn’t justmeaninglessfluffeither.

Instead,thegamecarriesonfromwhereTheAmazingSpider-Man(themovie,notthegame)leftoff.Oscorphasbeenexperimenting

furtheronthecross-speciesdrugsthatcreatedTheLizard,makingavirusthatescapesthelabsandinfectsthepopulace.Withthehelpofthenowde-poweredCurtConnors,Spideyhastosavethecity.

Alongtheway,youcanparticipateinallsortsofside-missions,fromcollectingcomicshiddenacrossthecitytopreventingsimplecrimesandtakingphotos.CompletingthesechallengesgainyouXPthatcanbeusedtolevelup.However,fewofthesemissionsareremarkable,andmostoftheunlocksaren’tworthpursuingonceyouhavethebasicstealthupgrades,whichcanhelpwithsomeofthetrickiersections.Whiletheanimationslookgood,youcan’tsaythe

samefortherestofthegame.Environmentslookgrainyandflat,withManhattanprovinglargebutlackinginpersonality.Movingaroundthecitycanbetedioustoo;whilethere’sacoolWebRushfeaturethatletsyoudashtohighlightedvantagepoints,web-swinginginvolvesmerelyholdingdowntwobuttons.Thisnotonlydoesn’tcaptureanyofthejoyfulnessofbeingSpider-Man,butalsogetsverydull,veryquickly.

TheAmazingSpider-Manhasgoodideas,butthey’relostamongawkwardmenus,paddedlevelsandmonotonousside-missions.ItoffersnothingthatotherSpider-Mangameshaven’tdonebefore,orbetter.BacktoArkhamCitywego.JOEMARTIN

TWEBHEADFast and fluid

DEADHEADTedious; console-focused

he Amazing Spider-Man originally came out WEBHEADWEBHEAD

Marvel-lous?

50OVERALL

88 November 2012

focused

Marvel-lous?Marvel-lous?Marvel-lous?Marvel-lous?

THEAMAZINGSPIDER-MAN

REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW

THE KNOWLEDGEPrice£24.99incVATPublisherActivisionDeveloperBeenoxWebsitewww.theamazingspidermangame.com

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW


TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



tfirstglance,SquareEnix’sTombRaiderrebootmakesalltherightnoises.It’sableakandbrutishneworigin-storyforLaraCroft,pitchingherasanexplorerwannabewho

getsshipwreckedandisthenforcedtobecometherealdeal.Ratherthancontendingwiththeusualskeletonsandgorillas,Larahastofighttheelementsandthestrangemenwhoprowltheisland.Sofar,sogood.Thegameisalsoexclusivelylinear,

butthere’sroomforexplanation,andchallengessuchashuntingforfoodandfindingshelterproveenjoyable.Evenduringthehourswespentwiththegame,therewasplentyofopportunitytoseeLaragrow,aidedbyCrystalDynamics’fantasticartandaudiowork.Thewritingisexcellenttoo,withLaramutteringandencouragingherselfthroughpain, illuminatingthisnewversionofthecharacter.Unfortunately,TombRaiderfallsdownwhenit

comestodirection.It’ssimplytryingtoohardtotellyouthestoryitwants,ratherthanlettingyoudiscoverityourself.Everyfewsteps,acutsceneinterruptstheflowandseizescontrol.

WhatmakesitworseisthatCrystalDynamicsisclearlyawareofthisissue,sotheplayerisinvolvedinthecutsceneswherepossible.Theresult isatrailoftediousQuickTimeevents{QTEs)whereyou’reconstantlyputinapositionofpressingabuttonatasecond’snotice.QTEscanbedonedecently,butit’sbafflingthatanyonethinksaspeedquizinwhichtheonlyquestionis‘Die?Yes/No’isaninterestingformatonwhichtobuildasubstantialportionofamulti-million-dollarproduct.Thefinalportionofthepreviewcodeweplayedwas

particularlyfrustrating.ThiscontainsthecontroversialsceneinwhichLarahastorepelawould-berapistandkillhiminself-defence–amomentCrystalDynamicshassaidistheturningpointforhercharacter.However,it’sruinedbypromptsflashingonthescreentellingyoutomashXsoyoudon’thavetorestartthewholeroutine.WehopetheseQTEsandneedlessinterruptions

areonlyahallmarkoftheearlychaptersthatcanbeovercome,butit’sstillasignificanthurdle,andonewehopeCrystalDynamicswill jumpbeforerelease.JOEMARTIN

THE KNOWLEDGEPublisherSquareEnixDeveloperCrystalDynamicsWebsitewww.tombraider.comReleasedateMarch2013

AALara-Lara fun?TOMBRAIDER

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW


TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM


WorldMags.net



THE KNOWLEDGEPublisherTHQDeveloperRelicEntertainmentWebsitewww.companyofheroes.comReleasedate2013

esignerQuinnDuffykicksoffhispresentationbytellingahallof journalistsandlong-termfansthat‘snowisabigfeatureinourgame’.Behindhim,ahugescreenshowsmen

trudgingthroughsnowdrifts,asDuffypointstotheirbootsastheysinkintothesnow.It isn’tathrillingopeningtoapresentation,butthatdoesn’tmatter.

TheoriginalCompanyofHeroesisstilloneofthemostpopularandbestWorldWarIIstrategygameseverand,frankly,there’slittleroomforimprovement.Snowdriftsareasgoodaplacetostartasanyand,asitturnsout,Duffyisjustgettingwarmedup.

ThecoldclimateisattheveryheartofCompanyofHeroes2,itseems–whichshouldn’tcomeasasurprisegiventheRussiansetting.Infantrymovementandmoraleisaffectedbyit,whileunprotectedunitswilldieifyoubuildcampfires.AccordingtoDuffy,Relichasputworkintocomradereactionstoo,althoughinthedemonstrationsoldiersdidnothingbutshiverwhenanallysuccumbedtothecold.

DZergRussiaCOMPANYOFHEROES2

PREVIEWS

Initially,theeffectsofthecoldoninfantryonlyseemlikeaflavour-enhancer;somethingtoramhomethehostilityoftheenvironmentwithoutseriouslyimpactingtheflowofamatch.However,thisimpressiononlylastsuntiltanksstartcrushingyourfires,limitingyourabilitytomoveeffectively.

Tanksaren’t immunetocoldeither–frozenlakesdotthelandscapeand,whilemostwilltaketheweightofheavyarmour,theyaren’tuniversallystable.Commandersmustwatchoutforcracksormissiles,

whichwillshatterthesurfaceuntilthewaterfreezesoveragain.Playerscancrippleenemyforceswith

asingleexplosioniftheyplayitright.There’smoretoWorldWarIIthanjustthe

cold,ofcourse,evenontheEasternFront,butwithmonthsofactivedevelopmentleftintheschedule,Relicisn’t inarushtoshowoffeverythingyet.ThefinalgamewillspanfromOperationBarbarossa

totheBattleofBerlin,butRelicwouldn’trevealanyfurtherdetailsthisearlyintheschedule.We’llkeepaneyeonthebetainstead.JOEMARTIN

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOW


TM

UK.medalofhonor.com

OUT NOWTM

Snowdrifts are as good a place to start as any and, as it turns out, Duffy is just getting

The cold climate is at the very heart of Company of Heroes 2, it seems – which shouldn’t come as a surprise

die if you build campfires. According

comrade reactions too, although in the demonstration soldiers did nothing but shiver when an ally succumbed to the cold.

which will shatter the surface until the water freezes over again. Players can cripple enemy forces with

a single explosion if they play it right. There’s more to World War II than just the

cold, of course, even on the Eastern Front, but with months of active development left in the schedule, Relic isn’t in a rush to show off everything yet. The final game will span from Operation Barbarossa

to the Battle of Berlin, but Relic wouldn’t reveal any further details this early in the schedule. We’ll


WorldMags.net



92 January 2013

Cliff Harris

Regardlessofyourviewofcasualandsocialgames,there’sstillalargegapinperceptionbetweenthehardcoreconsoleandPCgames(theCallofBattlefieldMenXXIIIs)andthefree-to-playsocialgamessuchasFarmville.Theattitudetomultiplayerdesignisvastlydifferentinthesetwogenres.WhatissurprisingisthathardcorePC

gamemakersdon’tlearnfromcasualgamemakers;eveniftheydon’tliketheway‘social’gamingisimplementedinFarmville,thecurrentimplementationofsocialgamingin

hardcorePCgamesleavesalottobedesired.Mycurrentonlinegameofchoiceis

Battlefield3.Onthesurface,it’sburstingwithsocialfeatures.There’safriendslistbothinOriginandthegameitself.Thereare‘platoons’youcanjoin,theabilitytochatwith,andsendmessagestootherplayers,addclantagstoyournameandsetfavouriteservers.Plus,there’savastarrayofstatsforcomparisonpurposes.

ndevelopercircles,theword‘social’ inthecontextofgamingoftenprecedesaderisivesnort,possiblyjoinedbysarcasticuseoftheword‘monetisation’

andastreamofbuzzwordssuchasMAU,DAUandARPPU.Monthlyaverageusers,dailyaverageusersandaveragerevenueperpayinguser, ifyouwerewondering.Thesuggestionisoftenthatsocialgames

arenothingofthesort,butratherrepresentacynicalattemptbythe‘suits’togetmarketingandpromotionforfree(byturningeveryplayerintoarecruitmenttool,probablyreferredtoas‘carbon-basedviralityvectors’).Meanwhile,players’friendsaremerelytreatedasmineableresourcesforprogressinginthegame.Ihaveagreatdealofsympathy

withthisview.However, it’sworthrememberingthatwe’reintheveryearlystagesofsocialgaming.Currentgamesrepresentthefirstattemptsatanentirelynewwaytomake,promoteandsellgames,andtheethosandstylemaywellchangeforthebetterovertime.Socialgamescertainlyseemtobepopular,eveniftheinitialflurryofexcitementaboutFacebookandZyngastockpricesmighthavebeensignsofoverlyoptimisticexuberance.

Inpractice,though,despitealltheseefforts,thegamefeelsmuchmoreantisocialthansocialtome.Duetotherandomworkinghoursofmyjob,Itendtogameatoddtimes.Invariably,myfriendslisteithershowseveryoneasbeingoffline,orthosewhoareplayingagameareinfullservers.Beingasuper-impatientgamer,Ican’tbebotheredtowaitaroundinaqueuetoplayagameIwanttobeenjoyingrightthereandthen.If Idomanagetojoinagamewithafriendor

twoplaying,I’mgenerallyontheotherteam,oratleastinadifferentsquad.Noin-gamepopuptellsmeafriendhasjoined,andtheyaren’thighlighteddifferentlyinthein-gameHUDorthescoreboard.Attheendofabattle, I’mnotaskedif Iwanttoaddthatserverasafavourite,andthegamedoesn’twork

outwhostuckcloseandhelpedmeinmysquad,andaskifIwanttoaddthoseplayersasfriends.Allofthisseemsfairlyeasytoimprove,fromatechnicalpointofview,especiallyforAAAdeveloperswhoarerichinmanpower.Myrealdesire,though,isn’ttoimprovethe

experienceforthe5percentofthetimeI’mgamingwithsomeoneIknow,buttoencourage,throughgamedesign,anaturaltendencyforplayersasawholetoplaynicely.

GABE NEWELL, ALWAYS A GUYWITH AN EYE ON THE FUTURE OFGAMING, HAS SUGGESTED SUCH

A SYSTEM ALREADY

Trulysocialgaming

Battlefield3awardsextrapointsforcarryingoutcertainsupportactivitiesinyoursquad,butitneedstogofurther


WorldMags.net



93January 2013

GabeNewell,alwaysaguywithaneyeonthefutureofgaming,hassuggestedsuchasystemalready,althoughithasn’tbeenimplementedjustyet.Couldsuchasystembemadetowork?Idefinitelybelieveso.BF3awardsextrapointsforcarryingout

certainsupportactivitiesinyoursquad.Youget+10fordroppinghealth,but+20if itwasforasquadmate,forexample.Thisisagreatpieceofdesign,butitshouldgomuchfurther.Ishouldreceivebigbonusesif Ispotaunitthat’sthentakendownbyasquadmate,abonusforstoppingavehicletoallowasquadmatetogetinandmaybeextrabonusesforrevenge-killsagainstenemieswhoinjuredorkilledmysquadmates.Therecouldbeevenhigherbonusesifthesepeopleareinmyfriendslisttoo.Ofcourse,thereverseshouldalsobetrue.Whynotdeductpointsif Irunpastaninjuredsquadmate/friendasamedicwithoutstoppingtohelp,ordropsupplies?Rewardsystemscanencourageteamwork

andfairplayinotherways.MostFPSgamesallowtheoptionforyoutoautojointhecurrentlosingteam,butthisshouldberewarded,asyou’reencouraginggamebalance.Ifyoursquadhasfoursupplypeopleandnobodyelse,maybeyoushouldberewardedforswappingtothemedicrole?Sniperscouldbeencouraged,throughthepointssystem,toplayavariedrole.Campinginthesamespotbeyondthreekillscouldbepunished,andyoucouldberewardedforachievingmultiplekillsfromsubstantiallydifferentlocations.Whynotawardapointforeveryminutein

whichI’mwithin20mofmysquadleader,orpenalisemeforplayingmorethan75percent

player.Toencourageit, let’sjustgivetheSOFLAMplayerabigfatbonus.Whilewe’reatit,whynottackletheattitude

ofonlinegamersthatJoediscussedlastmonth(seeIssue111,p86)?Readingthein-gamechatforanyFPSisenoughtomakeyouweepforhumanity,withallmannerofracistandhomophobictermshandedouttheminuteonepersonshootsanother.Foralongtime,Iplayedonforeignservers, soIwasn’tdistractedbytheabuseonthescreen.Thetruesolutiontothis,ofcourse,isproper

policing.IfEAcantrackhowmuchtimeI’vecarriedaDA0-12shotgun,itcanstoreeverywordI’vetypedinthechatlog.Itwouldbenoefforttohaveareportbuttonthattriggeredamoderatortocheckachatlog,andhandoutinfractions.Playerscouldforfeitallstatsgainedinanybattlewherethey’reabusive,andmaybeforfeittheirentireaccountif ithappenstwiceinaweek.I’mnotagambler,butI’dwagerapretty

instantincreaseincivility(andthusnegligibleloadonmoderators)ifsuchapolicywereimplemented.If itwas,wewouldmaybegetonestepclosertotrulysocialgaming.

CLIFFHARRISistheone-mancodingwizardbehindPositechGames(www.positech.

co.uk),thedeveloperofGratuitousTankBattles

@cliffski

ofthegameoutsidethatdistance?Or,totakesucharbitrarystatsoutoftheequation,whynotjustgivemelittlethumbs-upbuttonsnexttomysquadmatesattheendofabattle?Asimplethumbs-upclickindicatesthey

playedwell,maybegivingthematinystatsboost.MaybeIcouldonlychooseoneofthem,andthusselectthebestteamplayer.Followingthistoitslogicalconclusion,aplayer’s‘team-playreputation’couldbeanentirelydifferentstatistic,maybegainingthemfirstplaceinserverqueues,orevensettingasideentireserverstoberestrictedforthosewithapositive,orhighteam-playscore.What’smore,ifyoudon’tliketheseideas,

youdon’thavetousethem.Youcouldjustmakethemserver-configurable,likefriendlyfire,andhave‘teamworkservers’thatencourageit.Toomuchefforthasbeenputintostatstracking(nodoubtinsearchoftheelusive‘perfectbalance’),andnotenoughintoencouragingtruefunandteamwork.Youmightobjecttosuchrulesorsystems

asbeingmanipulativeonthepartofthedesigner,buttheyaren’treallyanydifferenttotheexistingsquad-basedbonusesinmanygamesalready.So-called‘gamification’isaprovenwaytoencouragechangesinbehaviour,andI’dsuggestthatsuchforcedsystemsareneededtoovercomewhat’sgenerallycalledthe‘tragedyofthecommons’–aphenomenawhererationalindividualactionleadstocollectiveirrationality.ToputitinBF3terms,everyengineerwantssomeonetodeployaSOFLAM(lasermarker)toboosttheirsurface-to-airmissilelock-ons,butnobodyactuallywantstobetheSOFLAM

Evenifyoudon’tliketheway‘social’gamingisimplementedinFarmville,socialgaminginhardcorePCgamesstillleavesalottobedesired


WorldMags.net



94 January 2013

Rick Lane

repareyoureyeballsasweexplorethebiggestandboldestgraphicssystemthissideofphoto-realism.CryENGINEistheposterboyof

high-endPCgaming,rubbingagainstthecuttingedgeofgraphicstechnologysinceCryENGINE1arrivedin2004.Furthermore,fiveyearsonsincethereleaseofCryENGINE2,‘canitrunCrysis?’oftenremainsthefirstquestiongamersaskwhenconsideringaPCupgrade.Somuchso,infact,thatit’sbecomearegularjokeinthecommentssectionsunderonlinetechstories.Ofcourse,thatfamousphraseactually

stemsfromcomplaintsabouttheoriginalCrysis’ tendencytostrugglewiththecurrenthardwarefromthetime,butCarlJones,directorofbusinessdevelopmentforCryENGINE,takesthejokeingoodhumour.‘It’snobadthingtobeassociatedwiththemostpowerfulhardwareintheland,andstilllookingatitasakindofbenchmarkpieceoftechnologyfortestinghardware.’

theengineroom

But can it run Crysis?

CryENGINEgamesarestillfrequentlyusedforbenchmarkingpurposes,andwhilethatquestionstartedasasillymeme,answeringitpositivelyhasbecomethehallmarkofqualityPChardware.‘It’scertainlythecasewithallourtechnologythatwedon’tjustbuilditforcurrenthardware,butalsowithaviewtothefuture,’statesJones.Thishasbeenthecasesincethevery

beginning.CryENGINE1madeitsdebutasatechnologydemoforNvidianamedX-Isle:DinosaurIsland.Thedemobecamethebasis forCrytek’sfirstgame,FarCry,whichstunnedFPSfansatthetimewithitswide-open,colourfulenvironmentsandreal-timelightingeffects.Crytek’sgoldenrulesoonbecame‘everythingreal-time’.‘Ourenginewasthefirsttoallowinstant

iterationforeverything,’saysJones.‘Therewasnobaking[pre-rendering]oflighting,nobakingofgeometrywithbinaryspacepartitioningoranythinglikethat.Everything

wasreal-time,soyoucoulditerateandcreatecontentmuchmorequickly.’CryENGINEismoreorlessuniqueinthis

respect.Withotherengines,manyaspectsofrendering,suchaslightingonsurfaces,arepre-calculated,determiningpreciselyhowasurfaceortextureislit.Althoughthissavesonpowerrequirements,it’salsoalaborious,time-consumingprocess.Conversely,CryENGINEmakesallthesecalculationsduringgameplay.CryENGINE1introducedCrytekasa

contenderfortheleadingdeveloperofadvancedgraphicstechnology;until2004,thiswasacloseracebetweenEpicandID.WithCryENGINE2,Cryteksurpassedboth,creatingthemostimpressivegraphicsenginethathadevergracedaPCmonitor,andbyasignificantmargin.Gettingtothisstagewasnoeasytask.

TobuildsuchanadvancedenginewhileremainingrealisticallywithinthepowerlimitsofdesktopPCsin2007required

CryENGINE

P


WorldMags.net



95January 2013

significantinventiononCrytek’spart.‘We’rearealR&Dcompany,’saysJones.‘Wespendalotofourmoneyonexperimentingwithgraphicstechnology.Wemakeamajorinvestmentinthat.’OneofCrytek’smorefamiliarinventions

wasSSAO,orscreenspaceambientocclusion.Ambientocclusion–themethodofapproximatinghowlightradiatesoff(usually)non-reflectivesurfacessuchaswoodorskin–wasafamiliartechnique,butmonstrouslyexpensiveintermsofhardwaretoimplement.SSAOenabledasimilarlyhigh-qualityresultwithoutgobblingupanywherenearasmuchpower.Andthiswasn’ttheonlyareainwhich

Crytekinnovated,asseniortechnicalartistSeanTracyexplains.‘Someofthereallyexcitingstuffwaslightpropagationvolumes.WehadourGI[globalillumination]technology;atechniquewithyoucouldtakehundredsoflights,puttheminacertainvolumeanditwouldonlycastaparticularrenderedtarget.Itwasjustareallycheapwaytocreateamassiveamountoflights.’Evenwithsuchattemptsatkeeping

CryENGINE2onalead,itneverthelesstookaheftybiteoutofmanyrigswhenitwasinitiallyreleased.In2008,CrysisWarheadimprovedtheengine’sperformancesignificantly,butbythatpointtherewasanotherproblemloomingonthehorizon.

‘ThePCwasstrugglingasaplatform,’Jonesstatesfrankly.‘It’sgreatnow;thePCismuchmoreontherise,butforaperiodoftime,thePCwasreallylosingouttotheconsolemarket.Itwasobviousthatwereallyneededtomaketheenginerunonconsoles.’Workthenbeganonthethirdversionof

CryENGINE,oneofthemostintriguingiterationsofanyengineyet.CrytekwasfacedwiththeprospectofbringingCryENGINE’smuscletohardwarethatwasn’treallyfitforthejob,withoutcompromisingonthevisualqualitythathadmadeitsname.

Thesolutionlayinatrickcalleddeferredrendering.Intraditional(‘forward’)rendering,asurfacehastoberenderedmultipletimesforeverylightthatinteractswithit,whichrequiresadditionalprocessingpowerforeachrender.Withdeferredrendering,alllight-to-surfaceinformationisstoredinatextureknownastheG-buffer.Thelightsarethenrenderedasgeometryintheworld;asspheres,conesandsoon,whichaccesstheinformationstoredintheG-buffertocalculatehowaparticularlight

contributestoaparticularsurface.Thisadditionalstepmeanstheprocessingcostofthelightingisfixed,andthereforetheengine’sperformanceismorestable.Althoughtheprimaryconcernfor

CryENGINE3wasgettingittoworkonlesspowerfulhardware,thisdoesn’tmeanthatCrytekstoppedinnovating.Forexample,CryENGINE3broughtwithitanewversionof SSAO.‘Whenyouhaveabunchoflightswithinaroom,itchangesthewayocclusionworks,andcertainareasofitshouldbecoloured[accordingtothecolourofthe

lights],’saysTracy.‘SoweinventedthisfeaturecalledSSDO,whichisthesameasSSAO,exceptittakescolouredlightsintoaccount.’CryENGINE3itselfmadeitsdebut

inMay2011,poweringCrysis2–thefirstCrytekgametobereleasedonmultipleplatforms.Soonafter,

however,theyearsofconsoledominationwerecomingtoanend,andthePChadswungintofavouroncemore.NotlongafterCrysis2hittheshelves,CrytekalsoreleasedtheUltraUpgradeforthePCversion,whichenabledDirectX11featuressuchastessellationanddisplacementmapping,bothofwhichareusedtogivegreaterdepthanddetailonsurfaces,emphasisingvisualeffectssuchastheheightgapbetweenbrickandmortarinawall.AccordingtoJones,CryENGINE3usesaspecialtypeof

WITH DEFERRED RENDERING,ALL LIGHT-TO-SURFACE

INFORMATION IS STORED INA TEXTURE KNOWN AS

THE G-BUFFER

96

ANALYSIS


WorldMags.net



96 January 2013

displacementmapping,whichwillbeintroducedinCrysis3.‘Pixel-accuratedisplacementmappingisactuallyalotmoreefficientthantessellation,withmanymorepossibilities,butit’suniquetoCryENGINE;nootherenginecandothat,’heclaims.AnotherimportantfacetofCryENGINE3is

thatmanymorethirdpartieshavesignedupaslicensees.Historically,CryENGINEhasbeensurprisinglybehindotherenginessuchasUnity,UnrealandevenSourcewhenitcomestolicensing.Jonespointsoutthat,untilrecently,licensingwasn’tapriorityatCrytek.‘CryENGINE1and2hadbeenlicensedondemand,’hesays.‘Itwasanicesidetothebusiness,butwedidn’tfocusonit.’Nowtherehasbeenarenewedeffortto

giveotherdeveloperstheopportunitytouseCryENGINE,includingafreelydownloadableSDKforanyonewhowantstoexperimentwiththetoolsandtheengine’spotential.‘That’showIgotthejobhereatCrytekfiveyearsago,’saysTracy.‘Itwasn’tcalledCryNetatthetime;itwascalledCryMod.Weweremodders,justloadingupFarCryandmessingwithit,andnowI’mhere.’OneofCrytek’smorerecentlicenseesis

Piranhagames,developerofMechWarriorOnline.MechWarrioris interestingintermsofhowithasadaptedCryENGINEtosuititsneeds.Boththekeyfeaturessuggestedinitstitle–bigstompyMechsandtheonlinecomponent–requiredaheftydoseoftinkeringwiththeengineinordertomakethedeveloper’sintentionsareality.‘Fromthestart,wehadtositdownand

createanewpipelineforMechcreationwiththedesignersandartists,’explainsMatthewCraig,technicaldirectoratPiranha.‘Itwasharderearlierintheprojectwhenthepipelinesweren’tasmature,andwewere

stilllearninghowtostitchtogetherallthevariouspiecesthatgointomakingupaMech.Unlikenormalgamecharacters,Mechsarecomposedofmanyvariouscomponentsthatweneedtobeabletoblowoff,andtheyneedtoreceivevarioustypesofdamagetoo.’Addedtothisistheproblemof

communicatingthemovementanddestructionofthesemassive,complexcharactersacrossanetwork.‘CryENGINEwasn’toriginallydesignedwithmassiveonlinegaminginmind,sotherehavebeenmanychallengessurroundingthenetworkingarchitecture.We’vehadtocarryout alotofworkoptimisingserverperformanceandreducingnetworkbandwidthrequirements.’LiketheCrytekgamesofold,

MechWarriorOnlineisaPCexclusive,andit’salreadymade$5million,regardlessoftheusualprofit-makinghindranceofnotbeingreleasedyet.ThePC’sresurgencealsomeansthedevelopersatCrytekitselfcan

onceagainconcentrateonwhattheyenjoydoingmost–pushingthecapabilitiesofreal-timegraphicsforwards.Interestingly,Crytekseesalotofpotential

incomputeshadersandGPGPUprocessing,withgraphicssoftwareandhardwarepowerfulenoughtoimproveoverallapplicationperformancebeyondgraphics,intoareassuchasphysicsandAI.‘Intermsofenvironment,lightingandparticleeffects,withinayearwe’llbeabletodoprettymuchwhatyou’dexpectfromaPixarmovieinthoseareasofrendering,buttohavethatrunninginrealtime,’claimsJones.Ofcourse,CryENGINEisn’ttheonly

heavyweightengineintown.DICE’sFrostbyte2isprobablytheclosestcontemporary,althoughasaninternalengine,ithasnodirectcompetition.ThebiggestapproachingcompetitorisUnrealEngine4,whichhasfollowedCryENGINE’sexamplebyadoptingafullyreal-timepipeline.However,Jonesisconfidentthat,whileEpichascaughtupwithCrytek’stechnology,itwillstillhavealongwaytogotomakethenewengineworkableintermsofdevelopinggames.‘Makingeverythingreal-timeisreallytough,andwe’vebeenthroughallthepain.AlotofEpic’sstuffisreal-time,butit’sgoingtobealotofpaintomaintaintheengineatthatpoint.’Ofcourse,graphicsaren’tthebe-alland

end-allwhenitcomestoagameengine.Differentengineshavedifferentstrengths,suchasUnity’sflexibility,HPL’sphysicsandSource’sanimation.However,it’ssafetosaythatCryENGINEis,andwillremainfortheforeseeablefuture,themostvisuallyadvancedandinventiveengineonthemarket.Crytek’sachievementsreallyarea(ahem)farcryfromanythingelse.

ANALYSIStheengineroom

ANOTHER IMPORTANTFACET OF CRYENGINE 3IS THAT MORE THIRDPARTIES HAVE SIGNEDUP AS LICENSEES


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



98 January 2013

We’re often told that new research has brought us one step closer to real quantumcomputing, but just how many steps are involved in this journey, and how on earthdo you build a quantum computer anyway? Rick Lane investigates

WHERE’SMYQUANTUMCOMPUTER?


WorldMags.net



ANALYSIS

99January 2013

Aboveimage:Fotolia.comImagesofsingle-atomtransistorandScanningTunnelling

Microscope (p100-101)courtesyofCentreforQuantumComputation&CommunicationTechnology,Universityof

NewSouthWales,Australia.www.cqc2t.org

quantumstatesareveryfragile,’explainsAaronson.‘Schrodinger’sCatonlyremainsinthesuperpositionofaliveanddeadaslongasnobodylooksatit.Theproblemisthatwhateverislookingatitdoesn’thavetobeaperson;itcouldjustbeastrayparticlepassingthroughthebox.’Asinformationisstoredonthequantum

particlewhileinthesuperposition,theinformationisgraduallylostoncethesuperpositionstartstodecohere,asitssystemcomponentsbegintointeractwiththeenvironment.Consequently,findingwaystoincreasethecomputer’sfault-tolerancetothisdecoherenceeffectisoneofthekeystobuildingalarger,usefulmachine.

Avitalpartofthisisquantumerror-correction.Thisemploystheinfamouslydifficult-to-describephenomenon(nootherdisciplinedoesweirdphenomenaquitelikequantumphysics)ofEntanglement.Inverybasicterms,this[entanglement]

occurswhenparticlesbecomecorrelatedinpairswhileinsuperposition,andwillpredictablyinteractoverlargedistances.Thiscanbeusedtospreadinformationfromonequbitacrossseveral,protectinginformationagainstdecoherence.Sowhyexactlyarescientistsputtingso

mucheffortintoadevicethat’simmenselydifficulttobuild?Forwhatexactpurposecouldweusequantumcomputers?Currently,theunderstandingisthat

quantumcomputerswouldbeusefulinthreespecificareas.Aaronsonhasspentaconsiderableamountoftimefiguringoutjusthowmuchpotential isheldbyquantumcomputers.Themostfrequentlycitedcapabilityof

quantumcomputersisbreakingcryptographiccodes.Mostoftoday’sonlinesecurityisbasedonacryptographiccodeknownasRSA,whichbasesitssecurityonfactoringlargeintegers,somethingclassicalcomputerscan’thandle.A(fully-scaled)quantumcomputer’sabilitytoperform

Ifyoufollowtechnews,atsomepointyou’veprobablyreadareportaboutanewscientificmarvelthatwillbringquantumcomputing‘onestepcloser’or‘closerthaneverbefore’Infact,

you’veprobablyreadquitealotofthem.Almosteverynewsarticlethatannouncesanewpieceofquantumcomputingresearchatsomepointremarksthatitbringsquantumcomputersonestepcloser.Buttherearestillnoquantumcomputersintheshops.Wherethehell’sourquantumcomputer?Theproblemisthatnoneofthesereports

evermentionshowmanystepsremain,anditturnsouttherearequiteafew.‘Imagineifbetween1830and1930,everyadvancein

electricalengineeringwasdescribedas“thismaybringclassicalcomputerscloser”’saysScottAaronson,associateprofessorofelectricalengineeringandcomputerscienceatMIT.‘It’sprobablytrueinaway.It’sjustastrangewayofdescribingitbecauseittakesalongtime.Sciencedoesn’tmoveatthespeedofthenewscycle.’Quantumcomputersare

usuallydescribedasfollows:acomputerinwhichthequantumbitsorqubits–thequantumequivalentoftraditionalbitsinaclassicalcomputer–utilisethequantumphenomenonofsuperposition,theabilitytoexistinmultiplestatessimultaneously,toperformcalculationsmuchfasterthanaregularcomputer.Imaginethatyoucouldsimultaneouslywashanddryyourhair,oreatbreakfastandbrushyourteethatthesametime(withoutmakinganenormousmess).Bydoingthosetasksinparallel,youcouldperformthemmuchfaster.Unfortunately,thismakesquantum

computerssoundlikefasterversionsofclassicalcomputers,likeanupgrade,whichdoesn’taccountfortheradicaldifferencebetweenthem.Theyworkdifferently,they’rebuiltdifferently,andwhenthey’reeventuallylargeenoughtobepractical,they’llbemostlyusefulfordifferenttasks.Themediaclichéofbringingquantum

computersonestepcloserismisguided,sincequantumcomputersalreadyexist.Theproblemisthat,whiletheseexistingquantumcomputersareatthecuttingedgeofscientificknowledge,they’recomparativelyrudimentaryintermsoftheircapabilities.Themajorityamounttonomorethanthreeorfourqubitsinexperiments,withmorepowerfulbuildsperhapsreachingnineortenqubits.Themajorobstaclefacedbyphysicistsand

engineersinthisfieldisanotherquantumphenomenoncalleddecoherence.Thisoccursbecausequantumsuperposition(theabilityforparticlestoexistinmanystatesatonetime)canonlyoccurwhenthesuperpositionisn’tbeingobserved.‘The

ScottAaronson,associateprofessorofelectricalengineeringandcomputerscienceatMIT

100


WorldMags.net



100 January 2013

multipleoperationsatonce,however,wouldenableittobreakthosecodes.Thankstotheirabilitytocomputea

factoringalgorithmdevelopedbyPeterShorin1994,quantumcomputerswouldbesoadeptatbreakingRSA,thatoneofthepopularlymentioneddangersassociatedwiththemisthat,shouldonebeconnectedtotoday’sInternet,theentireworld’ssecuritysystemswouldbeinstantlyvulnerable.However,thefactofthematteristhatquantumcomputers’codebreakingabilitiesaremorelimitedthanisinitiallyapparent.‘Onefactorthatisn’tusuallymentionedin

populararticles,’explainsAaronson,‘isthatthereareothercryptographiccodesthatwedon’tknowhowtobreak,evenwithaquantumcomputer.Soifquantumcomputersbecomepracticalthenit’smostlikelythatwe’llswitchovertothoseothercodes.It’slikeanarmsrace.’Aaronsonalsosuggestsit’slikelythatcertaininstitutions,suchasthemilitary,mayhavealreadyswitchedtotheseothercodessometimeago.Anotherproposeduseissimulatinglarge

quantumenvironments,whicharecurrentlyverydifficulttoaccuratelysimulateduetothebillionsofvariables.‘That’sthekindofthingaquantumcomputerdoesinitssleep,’saysAaronson.‘Butit’sactuallythemostimportantuseinpractice.Ifweevergetapracticalquantumcomputer,Ithinkthatthat’sthemaintaskthatthey’llbeusedfor,becausetheyhavesomanyapplications.’

Asidefromsimplygarneringabetterunderstandingofpreciselyhowquantumparticlesactinsolidobjects,simulatingquantumenvironmentsinthiswaycouldalsohelpintheresearchofentirelynewmaterials,andpossiblyeveninthepharmaceuticalindustryandthecreationofnewdrugs.Finally,quantumcomputerscanhelpto

solvewhatareknownascombinatorialsearchproblems.Anexampleofthisisthetravellingsalesmanproblem,inwhichthecomputerisgivenalargenumberofcitiesandtheirpairwisedistances,andthenmustcalculatetheshortestroutetovisiteachcityonceandthenreturntoitspointoforigin.

Again,aquantumcomputer’sabilitytooccupymanystatessimultaneouslywouldenableittosearchthroughavastamountofdataandbringbackresultsfasterthanclassicalcomputers,althoughherethespeedincreasewouldn’tbeasexponentialasincryptography.‘It’skeytounderstandthatthesquarerootofanastronomicalnumbermaystillbeastronomical,’Aaronsonpointsout.‘Thesquarerootoftentothethousandthpowerisnearlytentothefive-hundredth

power,butthatwillstillpushforwardwhatyou’reabletoachieve.’Thisability isn’tlimited

tosolvinghypotheticalmathematicalproblems;ithaspracticalimplicationstoo.Anytaskthatrequiredsearchingthroughalargeamountofdatatofindanoptimalsolutionwouldbenefit.Trivially, itcouldmakesearchingGoogleslightlyfaster,butitalsohaspotential inDNA

sequencingandpossiblyevenspaceexploration,whereitcouldbeusedforcalculatingroutesbetweenplanetarybodies,throughasteroidfieldsandsoon.Sowhiletheusesofaquantumcomputer

mightinitiallyseemquitelimited,theybegintoballoonwhenyouconsiderpragmaticimplementationsthatstemfromthetheory.Therealsomaybemanymoreusesforquantumcomputersthattheoristsandscientistshaven’tconceivedyet.Workingoutthewaysthatyoumightuseamachinethatdoesn’texistyetisn’texactlyeasy.Indeed,we’restillatthestagewherewe’re

workingoutpreciselythebestwaytobuildone.Asaresult,therearecurrentlyawidevarietyofdifferentarchitectures.DrDanBrowne,aquantumtheoristatUniversityCollegeLondon,guidedusthroughsomeofthemorefamiliarbuilds.‘It’slikearace,’hesays.‘Therearesomanydifferentapproachesbeingfollowedup,wedon’tyetknowwhichisgoingtowintherace.’Oneofthemostpromisingarchitecturesis

anion-trapquantumcomputer.Thisinvolves

‘IT’SLIKEARACE;THEREARESOMANYDIFFERENTAPPROACHESBEINGFOLLOWEDUP,WEDON’TYETKNOWWHICHISGOINGTOWINTHERACE’

TheScanningTunnellingMicroscopeusedtocreatethesingle-atomtransistor

DrDanBrowne,physicslectureratUCL


WorldMags.net



ANALYSIS

101January 2013

‘SCIENCEDOESN’TMOVEATTHESPEEDOFTHENEWSCYCLE’

suspendingionsinanelectromagneticfield,andstoringthequbitsintheelectronicstatesoftheions.Ion-trapshavealotgoingforthem.It’sveryeasytogettheionstointeractwithoneanother,andtheycurrentlyholdtherecordforthemostnumberofentangledqubitsat14.Theonlydownsidethatisthationstendtodecoherequitequickly.RecentNobelPrizewinnerDavidWeinlandcontributedmuchtoion-trapquantumcomputing.Amorerecentlydevelopedarchitectureis

opticalquantumcomputing.Provedfeasiblejustaftertheturnofthemillennium,opticalquantumcomputersusephotons–individualparticlesoflight–asopposedtoions,tocarryquantuminformation.‘Allthetechnologiesweuseforcontrollinglightsandrouteinglights,ideasthatareveryimportantintheopticalfibresusedbytheInternet,forexample–someofthosetechnologiescanbeusedtothinkaboutrouteingandcontrollingsinglephotons,’Browneexplains.Theuseofsimilartechnologytofibreopticsinopticalcomputingisoneofitsmainadvantages,asitalsomeansthere’salotofinfrastructurealreadyinplacethatcouldbeusedtotransmitinformationusingphotonicqubits.Ion-trapsandoptics/photonicsarethetwo

best-knownand,sofar,mostpromisingwaystobuildaquantumcomputer,buttherearetwootherarchitecturesbeingconsidered.Thefirstistheadiabaticarchitecture,popularisedbytheCanadiancompanyD-Wave;thishasbeenacontroversialfirminthefieldofquantumcomputingforalongtime.In2008,D-Waveclaimedtohavebuilta128-

qubitchip,andlastyear, itannouncedD-WaveOne–thecompanyboastedthiswasthefirstcommerciallyavailablequantumcomputer.

Thetroubleis,manyofD-Wave’sclaimshaveyettobeverified,andtheadiabaticarchitectureisn’tparticularlywellunderstood.Browneattemptstodescribeitusingananalogy.‘Sayyou’reintheGrandCanyonandyouwanttofindthedeepestpointinit.Onewayyoumightdothatistotakeatennisball,throwitaroundandseewhereitendsup.Eventually,you’dhopethat–viagravity–itwouldendupinthelowestpart.However,sometimesitwon’t–itmightbecomestuck,andtheD-Wavearchitectureisabitlikethat.’Thefinalarchitectureisperhapsthemost

intriguing.It’scalledtheone-wayquantumcomputer.Creatingthisinvolvesentanglingalargenumberofqubitsintowhat’sknownasaclusterstate,whichcanthenperformsingle-qubitmeasurements.Theentangledstateisdestroyedintheprocess,hencetheterm‘one-way’.Brownehaswrittenextensivelyaboutone-wayquantumcomputing.‘Thefactthataquantumcomputerhasmorepower,webelieve,thanaclassicalcomputer,meansit’sactuallyveryhardtopredictthestatesinsideaquantumcomputer.Butwhenwemakeoneparticularstate,weknowprecisely

whatstatewe’retryingtomake.Thatmakesiteasierforus,inprinciple.’Allthesearchitectureshavesimilar

potential,soit isn’tasifthescientificcommunitycanchoosethemostpromisingoneandcollectivelypursueit.Thevastnumberofquantumcomputerarchitecturesgivesagoodindicationofjusthowdifferenttheyarefromtheirclassicalcounterparts.Thatsaid,someresearchprojectsare

attemptingtocreatequantumtechnologiesthatseemmorefamiliar.DrMartinFuechsleisaresearchfellowattheUniversityofNewSouthWalesinSydney.InFebruarythisyear,Fuechslewaspartofateamattheuniversity’sCentreforQuantumComputationandCommunicationTechnology(CQC2T),whichmadeheadlinesbycreatingtheworld’ssmallesttransistor–asinglephosphorousatomplacedinsideasiliconcrystal.‘Withmysupervisor,ProfessorMichelle

Simmons,whoisnowthedirectorofourcentre,Icameupwiththeplantomakethedevice,andhowtomakethedevice,’saysFuechsle.‘Iwasalsodowninthelab,andIwastheonethatdidthefabricationandmeasurementsatcryogenictemperatures.’Thetransistordemonstratesmanipulation

ofatomswithpreviouslyunheard-ofprecision.It’screatedbyplacingphosphorousatomsonthesiliconchip,andthencoveringitinasinglelayerofhydrogenatoms.Next,aScanningTunnellingMicroscopeisusedtoremovesomeofthoseatomswhilethechipisinanultra-high-vacuumenvironment,which

Thesingle-atomtransistorinallits(tiny)glory.Single-atomtransistorshavebeenmadebefore,buttheteaminSydneyisthefirsttocreatethemrepeatedlywiththislevelofprecision

Theprocessofmakingthetransistorisn’tautomated,andeachonetakes

severalhourstocreate

102


WorldMags.net



ANALYSIS

102 January 2013

makesthoseexposedareashighlyreactive.Finally,thechipisheated,whichremovesthelayerofhydrogenandincorporatesthephosphorousatomsintothesiliconchip.Theramificationsofthisdevelopment

revealanintriguingcrossroadsintermsofmodernresearchintocomputation.Ontheonehand,thetransistorrepresentstheendofMoore’sLaw–theobservationthatthenumberoftransistorsonacomputerchipdoublesinsizeroughlyeverytwoyears,tothepointwheretransistorsreachtheatomiclevelandcan’tbemadeanysmaller.CrammingthesetransistorsintothesamesizeofareaisbecomingincreasinglyproblematicforcompaniessuchasIntelandIBM.‘Thatmeansthatthepitchofthetypical

gatelengthis22nmalready,’Browneexplains.‘Anatomisroughlyanangstrom(atenthofananometre)insize,sothismeansthatthechannelbetweenyoursourceanddrainonthattransistorisonly200atomswide.’Increatingthischip,theCQC2Tisalmosta

decadeaheadofthepredicteddatefortheendofMoore’slaw–usefulresearchforthosecurrentlyscratchingtheirheadsabouthowtofurtherincreasemicro-processingpoweroverthenexttenyears.However,there’sanotherpotentialuseforthistechnology.Althoughthistransistorisdistinctlyclassicalcomputertechnology, itmayalsocarryoverintoquantumcomputers.Theteam’snextstepistotakethetransistoranduseitforperformingquantumlogicoperations.‘Thereareseveralwaystodothis,’says

Fuechsle.‘Firstofall,youneednotonlyonetransistor,buttwotocoupletogether,soreallytwoqubits.Youcanthendemonstrateatwo-qubitoperation,suchasacontrolledswapoperationwhereyouswapinformationfromonetotheother.Thenextstepistonotonlyhaveoneatomicallypreciseatombuttwo,andthentostartperformingoperations.’TheCQCTisn’ttheonlyresearchteam

interestedincombiningquantumtechnologywithsiliconeither.Infact, justacoupleofmonthsago,thetwowerehappilymarriedinBristol. InSeptember,researchersatBristolUniversity’sCentreforQuantumPhotonics(CQP)announcedthecreationofasmallquantumsiliconprocessingchip.

‘Wemadeourfirstquantumcircuitsusingglass,’saysDrMarkThompson,deputydirectoroftheCQP.‘Effectively,weweremakingtinyglasslight-channels.Thelightwouldpropagatethroughtheseglasschannels,actingasglasswaveguides.Wewouldgenerateoursinglephotons(thequbits)andinjectthemintotheseglasswaveguidecircuits.Wedemonstratedarangeofexperiments, includingon-chipquantumlogicoperations,asimpleversionofShor’sfactoringalgorithmandsmall-scaleprogrammablequantumcircuits.’

Themovefromglasstosiliconenabledthecreationofachipthat’s1,000timessmallerthantheglass-basedcircuits,andbringswithitanothersignificantasset. ‘Oneofthebigadvantagesofdevelopingsiliconquantumtechnology, isthatinthefuture,wecoulduseallthemass-manufacturingtechnologiesandtechniquesofthesiliconmicroelectronicsindustry,’saysThompson.‘Siliconhashad,what,fivedecadesofintensiveresearch?Insomerespects,wecannowstarttouseallthatknowledgetomakequantumphotoniccircuitsratherthanelectriccircuits.’Combiningquantumtechnologywithour

deepunderstandingofsiliconholdsmassivepotentialforthefutureofcomputing,includinghybridsofquantumandclassicalcomputers.Thompsonpointsoutthatallquantumtechnologywillneedtobecombinedwithclassicaltechnologyinorderforustointeractwithitanyway,andthattherearealsodifferentschoolsofthoughtintermsofthepowerneededbytheclassicaltechnologyinordertocontrolthequantumcomputer.However, ifwecanfindsufficientusefor

quantumtechnologyinthehome,andacquiresufficientengineeringknowledgetobuildit,theendproductmaywellbeaquantumcomponentasopposedtoaseparate,individualcomputer.Inessence,anupgrade.‘Insomerespects,whatwe’llprobablyhave

isadedicatedquantumprocessor, justlikeyouhaveadedicatedGPUinsideyourcomputer,’Thompsonsays.‘You’llprobablyhaveaquantumprocessingunit insideyourcomputer,andwheneverthere’sacertainproblemthatcanbetackledmoreefficientlyusingaquantumalgorithm,thenitwouldcallupthequantumprocessingunittoperformthatpartofthecalculation.’Evenifeverythingworked,suchadevice

isalongwayoff.Asforthetimescale,theresearchersweaskedsuggestedthatitcouldbetenyearsbeforeaquantumcomputerisbuiltthatcanperformanoperationthatcan’tbeperformedbyaclassicalcomputer,andapproximately20yearsbeforeoneisbuiltthatcanbeputtopracticaluse.Ratherthaninfinitelybringingquantumcomputingoneortwostepscloser,we’renowbeginningtogainanindicationofhowmanystepsareleft.

DrMarkThompson,deputydirectoroftheCQP,withthesiliconquantumchip

Smallerthanapenny,thischipcontainsmicrometrefeaturesandguideslightusinganetworkofwaveguides.Theoutputofthisnetworkcanbeseenonthesurfaceofthechip

Asiliconquantumchipnexttoa20pcoin.Itcontainsnanometre-sizedfeatures,guidinglightinanetworkofwaveguidesinthecentralpartofthedevice

ErmanEnginandDamienBonneauatCQPmeasuretheperformanceofasiliconquantumchip

PhotobyJasm

ineMeinecke


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



104 January 2013

hetheryou’relookingatcrowd-fundedprojectssuchasDoubleFineAdventure,orpay-what-you-wantinitiativessuchasThe

HumbleBundle,there’snodenyingthat2012hasbeeninterestingforgamedevelopers.Aplethoraofnewbusinessmodelshasallowedfan-popularbutcommerciallymiddlingdeveloperstobreakawayfrompublishers,whilesmalldevelopershavehadachancetomakeanimpacttoo.Eventheadventuregamegenre–long

presumeddeadordying–hasbeenrevivedintheexcitementofthesenewmethods.DeveloperssuchasTimSchafer(DayoftheTentacle)andCharlesCecil(BrokenSword)haveshownthere’samarketforthesegamesafterall–nomatterwhatthemoneymenhavebeensayingforthepastfewyears.Thatsaid,thebiggercompanieshaven’t

beentwiddlingtheirthumbs.PublisherssuchasSquareEnixareexperimentingwithallmannerofnewideastosellgamestous,whileCrytekhasbravelydeclareditwillbe

focusingexclusivelyonthefree-to-playformat.Thenthere’sOnLive,whichisreportedlybouncingbackafteradifficultyear,andSlightlyMadStudios’newWeaponsofMassDevelopmentprogramtoo.However,withsomanynewideas

clamouringforattention,andwith2013fastapproaching,it’sworthaskingwhichofthesebusinessmodelsarereallyingamers’bestinterests.Whatdotherealitiesofgamedevelopmentsayabouttheindustry,andhowmightthatmessagechangeintheyearstocome?

It’s us vs themKickstarterisn’ttheonlycrowd-fundingplatformoutthere–competitorIndiegogoiscreditedwithfirstpopularisingtheconceptoffan-fundedprojects–butasfaras2012 isconcerned,Kickstarteristhemainone.TimSchaferusedittotrytoraise$400,000fromfansandgot $3.3millioninstead,openingthefloodgates.Aglutofotherbig-namedevelopersfollowed,includingBrianFargo

From crowd-funding to pay-what-you-want systems, this year has seen establishedpublishers come under threat from – and take advantage of – several new ways

of conducting business. As the way games are funded and sold continues to change,Joe Martin talks to those involved

(Fallout),ChrisRoberts(WingCommander)andChrisAvellone(Planescape:Torment).Currently,ChrisAvellone’sisometricRPG,Project:Eternity,holdstherecord–itraised$3.9millioninjust30dayswithoutgoinganywherenearpublishers.Whiletheseprojectshavebeen

successful,theprospectofusingKickstartertofundthedevelopmentofgamesislesshopefulforstudiosthatlackthebignamesofthe1990s.Earlierthisyear(seeIssue108),wespoketoDennisDryden;despitehaving15yearsofexperience,hewasn’tabletoraise$25,000tofinishhisalreadyplayableprototypeofaWipeout-styleracinggame.Morerecently,LogicArtists’turn-basedexplorationtitle,Expedition:Conquistadors,onlyjustmanagedtoscrapeinunderthewire.Ithitits$70,000goalintheend,butonlyinthefinaldaysofthecampaign.‘Wehadsomemajorslumpsinour

pledges,’saysLogicArtists’creativedirectorJonasWæver.‘Wedidn’thaveanybignamesonourteam,andwerekindofunknown. If 106

MOREMONEY,MOREPROBLEMS


WorldMags.net



PathofExile

IronHelmet Conquistadors

TeamFortress2

IronHelmetGambitious

Conquistadors

Hitman:BloodMoney

ANALYSIS


WorldMags.net



106 January 2013

108

wehadn’tmadeit,we’dhavehadtomoveoutofouroffice,andmostofuswouldprobablyhavehadtoworkonapart-timebasis.’InheadinguptheKickstartercampaign

forConquistadors,Wæverdiscoveredthat,whiletheplatformmaylooklikeafundingcandylandfromoutside,thatisn’tactuallythecaseatall.Infact,therearesignificantdisadvantagestousingKickstarter,notleastofwhichisthe5percentfeetakenfromanysuccessfullyraisedtotals.‘Themaindisadvantageisthatit’svery

easytogetinoveryourhead,’saysWæver.‘Ifyoudon’tplanyourrewardtiersverycarefully,orifyougetmoresupportthanyouexpected,youcanbecomeboggeddowninlogisticsandadministrativetasks.’Thisisexactlywhathappenedtostrategy

developerWarBalloonGames,whichraised$36,000thisyearforamobileversionofspacegameStarCommand.The5percentfeeandunfulfilledpledgesleftadentthatwasonlyexacerbatedwhentheteamthenhadtospend$10,000justonrewardfulfilment.Pileon$16,000instart-upcostsandasingleshowingatPAXEast,andtheteamwasleftwithjust$6,000withwhichtodevelopthegame.Itwasthentaxedonthat,andendeduptakingondebtjusttokeepworking.Otherteamswon’tgothatfar,however.

Afterraisingandspendingcloseto$30,000inpledgesforhorrorgameTheHaunts,developerMobRulesGamesdecidedtojustshutupshop.Themoneyhasbeenspent,butthegamewillneverbemade.Manybackershavevoicedoutrage,notrealisingthatKickstarterdoesn’texisttofunctionasapre-purchasingsystem,andthatnoprotectionisofferedonpledgedamounts.‘IworrythatmanypeopleseeKickstarter

thatway,fullyexpectingtogetsomethingfortheirmoney,’saysWæver,whoremainsanxioustoseewhatwillhappenwhenabig-nameKickstarterprojectinevitablyfailstodeliver.‘Kickstarterdoeshaveadvantages…[but]thereareveryfewsafebetsin

independentgamedevelopment,’hewarns.‘ThesuccessrateforgamesonKickstarterisonlysomewherearound25percent.’

Feeling luckyIfgamersarecommittedtotreatingKickstarterasjustanotherpre-purchasingplatform,anddon’tseeitasawaytoactuallydriveinnovation,thequestionis,wherewillthatdrivecomefrom?Oneoftheanswerscurrentlybeingputforwardisanew,slightlydifferentideacalledGambitious.‘ForyearsI’vebeenfrustratedbythe

processthroughwhichcreatorsraisefunds,’saysUKIEchairmanandGambitiousco-founderAndyPayneOBE.‘Weseemtoliveinaworldofendlesssequelsandfranchises…occasionallyallofuswantsomethingabitdifferent.’Gambitiousseekstosolvethisproblem

andmore,saysPayne.It’sacrowd-fundingplatformostensiblysimilartoKickstarter,butfocusedsolelyongames;itofferssomeuniquefeatures,suchaslettingthepublicinvestinthedeveloperitself.Developersareprotected,sotheyretaincertainintellectualpropertyrightsandcreativecontrol,butgamersareotherwisefreetobuyequityandshareinprofits.Thatisn’talleither;developersalso

benefitfromthesupportofPayne,aswellasotherindustryveterans–notablyDevolverDigitalandGatheringofDevelopersfoundersHarryMillerandMikeWilson.‘Weneedtoensureweaddrealvalueto

thewholeprocess,’saysPayne.‘Weallhaveextensivevideogameproductionexperience,andareallpassionateabout

developerskeepingholdoftheirintellectualproperty…Wewanttohelpdevelopersmaketherightbusinessdecisions.’TheproblemforGambitious isthat,

whileKickstartercanmovetooquicklyfordevelopers,Gambitiouscanmovetooslowlytobeofuse.Monthsafterlaunch,therearestillonlysevenprojectslistedonthesystemand,whiledeveloperinvestmentmaybeanexcitingprospect,itisn’tonethatnecessarilyinterestsgamers,andtheymaynotbereadytohandleiteither.Theresultisthat,whileGambitiousfixessomeofKickstarter’sissues,italsobringsnewones,althoughtheteamremainsoptimisticforthefuture.‘I’mconvincedcrowd-fundingwillbea

reallyimportantpartofhowgamesarefundedandmade,’saysPayne.‘Traditionalformsofinvestmentrarelybacktrueinnovationintermsofcontent…intime,throughexperienceddevelopershelpingyoungerteamsandshiningalightonnewideas,weexpectthistoevolve.’

The empire strikes backHowever,itisn’tjuststart-upsanddevelopersthatareevolving,butpublisherstoo.They’reconstantlylookingfornewwaystobringtheirgamestomarket–takeCoreOnline,SquareEnix’snewadvertisingandmicrotransactionplatform,forexample.‘Whenwelaunched,weonlyhadone

businessmodel,whichwasalevel-basedpurchaseinspiredbyarcades,’explainsSquareEnix’sdirectorofbusinessdevelopment,JacobNavok.‘[But]Iwantedtoletplayerspayforcontenthowevertheywant.Ireadalotofcommentsandoneuserwrotesomethinglike:‘Thegameisgreat,theonlyproblemisthatyouhavetopayforit’–whichItookatfacevalue.’ThequestionNavokaskedhimselfthen

was,ifsomegamerswanttoplayforfree,andsomewanttopayforjustthecontenttheywant,howdoestheplatformactonthat?Shortlyafterwards,CoreOnline,which

hadbeenindevelopmentfortwoyears,was

‘THE SUCCESSRATEFORGAMESONKICKSTARTER ISONLYSOMEWHEREAROUND25PERCENT’

JONAS WÆVER , CREATIVEDIRECTOR, LOGIC ARTISTS


WorldMags.net



Going slightly madOneofthemoreexoticideastoemergerecentlyistheWeaponsofMassDevelopmentprogramSlightlyMadStudiosusesforitsnewracingsim,Project:Cars.Customersbuytieredtoolpacks,whichlettheminteractwiththegameasitdevelops.Thelowestpackmerelyletsyouplaymonthlybuildsandreadminutes;thehighestletsyouattendmeetingsinperson,accessscriptsandmuch,muchmore.‘Historically,we’veneverhadmuchsay

intermsofgamedesignbecausethepublisher-fundedmodeldoesn’tworkthatway,’SlightlyMadproducerSuzyWallacesaysofWMD’sinspiration.‘TheWMDmodel,though,letsusmakefinaldesigndecisionswhileactivelyinvolvingtheverypeopleforwhomwemakegames.’WMDisn’tjustinspiredbyregretand

fuzzy-feelings,butspecificissuesarisingfrompublisher-fundedapproaches.Wallaceexplainsthatfocusgroupingwasespeciallydisruptive,asitoftenoccurredtoolateindevelopmenttoactuallychangeanything,whileWMDallowsforconstant,dailytestingwithaconsistentcommunity.‘Aswellasgivingfeedback,theWMD

communityisactivelyinvolvedinmajordesigndecisions,’continuesWallace.‘Ifwe’reunsurewhetherourplayerswantnoncircuit-basedfictionaltracksinthegameornot,wedon’thavetopinthegame’ssuccessonaneducatedguess.Instead,wejustopenupapollandask.’WallaceadmitsWMDhasproblems-

thebiggestbeingtheteam’sinitialinabilitytodealwiththousandsofdissentingvoices-butthesehavebeeneasilysolvedthroughcommunitymanagement.Rightnow,SlightlyMadplanstocontinuedevelopingWMDasaplatformandtouseittocontinuecreatingtitlesinthefuture.

‘THE MAINDISADVANTAGE ISTHAT IT’S VERY EASYTO GET IN OVERYOUR HEAD’

JONAS WÆVER , CREATIVEDIRECTOR, LOGIC ARTISTS

Project:Cars

Conquistadors

ANALYSIS


WorldMags.net



108 January 2013

overhauled.ThenewversionletsyouplayclassicgamessuchasHitman:BloodMoneyinyourbrowserforfreeifyouwatchadvertsasthegameloads.Alternatively,youcanbuyonlythelevelsyouwant,orthewholegameatadiscount;it’suptoyou.Theideaofintroducingadvertisinginto

gameexperiencesisn’tonethathastraditionallysatwellwithgamers,ofcourse.SquareEnixcaughtalotofflakwhenitretroactivelyaddedasmallbanneradverttoloadingscreensforDeusEx:HumanRevolution,forexample,butCoreOnlinehasbeeninformedbythatfeedback.InNavok’smind,theplatformnowworkslikeaTVseries;watchitforfreeandcopewiththeadverts,orbuytheDVDtoskipthem.‘That’sthekeyforme,’hesays,‘giveoptions toplayersandallowthemtodecidehowtheywanttoplay.’CoreOnlineisn’ttheonlynewbusiness

modelwithwhichSquareEnixhasbeenexperimenting;italsocontinuestosupportrentalservicessuchasOnLiveandisactiveonGoogle’sChromeWebStoretoo.Infact,thepublisherseemstobetryingtobeonasmanyplatformsaspossible,maybehopingthatevenifthemajorityofthesefail,thentheonethatsucceedswillhelptoilluminatethefutureoftheindustry.‘Ithinkadvertisingwillbeasignificant

optionforsupplementaryincomeinthefuture,andpossiblyevenaprimaryoptiondependingonhowtheecosystemevolves,’Navokspeculates.‘Consumers,advertisersandpublishersneedtofindthemodelenticingforthattohappen…weneedtomoveinthedirectionthatgivesflexibilityandchoicetoplayers.WhatIloveaboutfree-to-playgames,forexample,isthatwell-designedonesletauserpaytotheirsatisfactionwiththegameitself.’Othersworkinginthefree-to-playspace

aremorecautiousaboutembracingthesuddenpopularityofthatformat,however.Crytekmayhaveshockedusallwiththeannouncementthatitwasgoingtotallyfree-

to-playinthefuture,stakingeverythingonthepopularityofthistrend,butthemajorityoffree-to-playgamesarestillbelowpar.‘Manyfreegamescompromisetheirgame

designtosellmoremicrotransactions,’ChrisWilsonsaysregardinghisworriesabouttheformat.Wilson’sstudio,GrindingGearGames,hasbeenworkingonfree-to-playRPGPathofExilesince2006,buthasbeencarefultosteerawayfromchargingplayersforcontentinthesamewayasCoreOnline.Instead,ratherthanchargingforboosts

orconvenienceitems,PathofExileonlychargesforcosmeticitems–adecisionbornfromtheteam’sbeliefthatgooddesignrespectstheusers.ToGrindingGear,whileitmaybepossibletowedconventionaldesignsandoldgamestonewbusinessmodels,thisoftenisn’tintheplayer’sbestinterest.‘I’dratherpaythefullpriceforagame

that’sdesignedtoentertainyouthanpaynothing,followedbyamandatoryseriesofsmalltransactionsforagamethat’sstructuredtonickel-and-dimetheplayer,’saysWilson.‘WedesignedPathofExileasastandalonegame,ratherthanrelyingonunderhandedtacticstosellprogress…Developersneedtorespectthedesiresofthecommunity.’Unfortunately,Wilsondoesn’tbelieve

mostfree-to-playdeveloperssharehisview,accusingthemajorityofthemofbeinggraduallycorruptedbythemoney-makingcapacityofthemodel.Hissuggestionisthat,iffree-to-playdoesbecomethedefactowayofdoingbusiness,thentheindustrywillbecomeaverycynicalplaceindeed.Crytek

maywellbehappy,butthosewhodon’tlikethetrendsimpliedbythemajorityoffree-to-playgameswillbeharddone-by–JonasWæver,forexample.‘Free-to-playgamesaretypicallyawful,

andeverytimeItrytoplayoneIendupwithaterribletasteinmymouth,’saysWæverwhenaskedtoimaginethispossiblefuture.‘I’mnotrulingoutthattheycanbedonewell,butIhaven’tyetbeenluckyenoughtofindonethatdidn’tgooutofitswaytosabotagemyenjoymentinordertosqueezealittlemoneyoutofme.’Thankfully,Jonasdoesn’tthinkagames

industrydefinedbyfree-to-playtitlesisparticularlylikely.Instead,hearguespragmatismandpointsoutthat,whilenewideashaveemergedinrecentyears,theyhaven’tdestroyedtheoldideasbehindthem.Steamhasbeenaroundfornearlyadecade,butthehighstreetisstilljustaboutstanding,andifyoulookhardenough,therearestillsharewaregamesdoingtheroundstoo.‘Evencoin-operatedarcademachines

arestillaroundinsomeformoranother,’heexplains.‘SowhileIdon’tseeanyreasontobelievepeoplewillstopinventingnewbusinessmodels,Ialsodon’tbelievetheexistingmodelswillevergoaway.’WhileWæverstopsatpragmatism,Andy

Paynetakesthatideaandrunswithittothepointofpureoptimism.Ifthemarketisgettingmorecrowded,heexplains,thenthatcanmeanonlyonething:competition.Asanentrepreneur,hefindsthattremendouslyexciting,whileasagamer,hehopesitwillleadtogreater,grandergames.‘Accesstogamershasneverbeeneasier,

giventhedigitalrevolution,’saysPayne,pointingtothelikesofSteam,OriginandOnLive.‘That’sbeenmatchedbythesheerweightofreallygreatcontent,though,muchofitfreetoplay–oratleastfreeatthestart.Competitionhasneverbeenasfierceand,attheendoftheday,developersstillneedtostartwithareallygreatgameiftheywanttogetanywhere.’

‘THAT’S THE KEY FORME, GIVE OPTIONS TOPLAYERS ANDALLOWTHEMTODECIDE HOWTHEYWANT TO PLAY’JACOB NAVOK , SQUARE ENIX’S

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESSDEVELOPMENT


WorldMags.net



what business plan?Forallthiscynicaltalkofbusinessplans,somedevelopersprefertogowiththeflow.WhenJayKurbzleft2KGamestofoundhisownstudio,IronHelmetGames,hehadnoideawhatbusinessmodelhewasgoingtouse,orifhe’dtrytomakemoneyfromthematall.‘IstartedIronHelmetsoIcouldmakemyown

smallgames,’saysKurbz.‘IwantedtoexploreinterestingnewideasandIcouldseealotofopportunitiestogetoutthere,takerisksandhavesomefun.Thebusinessmodelwassecondary.’IronHelmet–whichmakessomeofthebest

hardcorestrategygameswe’veseen,includingthelegendaryNeptune’sPride–hasendedupadoptinganunusualflavouroffree-to-playsofar.Youcanplaythegamesforfreeifyouwant,butthey’reallmultiplayergames,soifyouwanttoplayprivatematcheswithpalsthenyouneedapremiumkey,whichwilllastforafewmonths.There’sanargumentagainstKurbz’slackof

businessplanning,butitdoesn’tseemtobotherhim.Askedaboutthesystem’ssuccess,he’lladmitonlythatitcoversthecostoftheserversandthathe’shappyaslongasthat’strue.‘Theproblemwithmanyfree-to-playgames

isthebusinessmodelcomesfirst,andthenthegameplayiswrappedaroundit…Ijustwanttomakegoodgames,’hesays.Neptune’sPride2isnowindevelopmentand,whenaskedaboutit,hesimplysays:‘Idon’tknowwhatthemodelwillbeyet,butI’mhappywithwhatwehave.’

‘FREE-TO-PLAY GAMESARE TYPICALLY AWFUL… I END UPWITH ATERRIBLE TASTE INMYMOUTH’CHRIS WILSON,

GRINDING GEAR GAMESTheHaunts

Project:Cars

Conquistadors

ANALYSIS


WorldMags.net



include.IwasamazedbythisnewZ77motherboard'slooksand,sinceAsusreallywantedtoshowcasetheboardwithoutaGPU,thechallengewasclear.Idecidedtobasetheideaforthecasearoundastandardbenchtable,whileincorporatingtheheavy-dutyimageofAsus'TUFcomponents.Iwantedtobuildacasethateffectively

housedthemotherboardinarigidsuitofarmourwithasolidbody,butwithamodernapproach.Asusmadeitclearthatitdidn'twantmetoincorporateanyweapons,orviolenceorwarmotifsinthebuild;thatworkedforme

becauseIwantedthismodtostandoutfromotherbuildswitha

militarytheme.

CPC:Whatspecsdidyouchoose,andwhy?Paul:ThepurposeoftheprojectwassimplytoshowcaseandexposetheAsusSabertoothZ77,soIdidn't installanAsusgraphicscard,asIwantedeveryone'sfullattentiontobefocusedontheboarditself.IalsoselectedaCorsairH100coolerwith

someCorsairAirSeriesSP120fans,sincethecombinationoffersverygoodcooling,whilesimultaneouslycomplementingthemotherboard'sheavy-dutylook.

110 January 2013

SYSTEM SPECSCPU Intel Core i3 Ivy Bridge

GPU Intel on-board

StorageCorsair 128GBPerformance Pro SSD

MemoryCorsair 8GB Vengeance DDR3

Motherboard Asus TUF Sabertooth Z77

PSUCorsair TX850M

CoolingCorsair H100

CPC:WhatinspiredyoutobuildArmorsuitZ77?Paul:Asusapproachedmewiththeideaofcreatingademonstration

system,fromthegroundup,toshowcaseitsnewTUFSabertoothZ77motherboardatComputex2012;thecompanyalsogavemesomedetailsoftheideasthatthemodshould

Your chance to get involved in CustomPC

NamePaulJosephMTanAge27OccupationGraphicdesignerandphotographerLocationPhilippinesMainusesforPCInternetandroadshowsLikesGuitars,photography,art,MDPC,basketball,drawingandmoddingDislikesDisrespectfulpeople

In just twoweeks,

Paul Tandesigned

andbuilt thismodern

militarymachine from

aluminiumsheets,

althoughhehad tomiss

out a lot of sleep to finish

it in time


WorldMags.net



111January 2013

Forthesamereason,IalsousedCorsairVengeancememory,asitsdesignreallycomplementstheAsusSabertooth'stheme.IalsoinstalledaCorsairAirFlowFan2toaddsomemoredetails,andaCorsairPerformancePro120GBSSD,asIwantedtomakethebuildreallycompactandeasytotransport.Finally, IdecidedtouseaCorsairTX850Mtopowerthesystem.

CPC:Whatothermodshaveyoubuilt?Paul:IbuilttheLamborghiniReventonMKIIPC,whichactedasmyworkstation.IwasreallyinlovewithReventoncars,soIincorporatedthedesignintomyPC.IalsobuiltmyNikeAdvancePCfortheCoolerMasterModContest2011,andwasverygladtoseeitawardedsecondplace.MythirdmodwastheDarkKnightPC,whichismypersonalrig,and

112

alsoanupgradefrommyReventonPC,whichIusefordesignworkandgaming.

CPC:Whatmaterialsdidyouuse,andwhy?Paul:Ionlyusedaluminiumsheetsin1mm,2mm,6mmand15mmthicknesses,asaluminiumislightandeasytobend.Iusedthe1mmsheetsforthebody,motherboardcoverandradiatorshroud,andthenIusedthe2mm

ENTERYOUROWNPCATHTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET

SEEMORE

ofPaul’sprojectathttp://tinyurl.com/

z77armor


WorldMags.net



112 January 2013

and6mmsheetsfortheradiatorholder.Finally, Iusedthe15mmsheetsforthesidepanels/sidefendersofthecaseitself, inordertogiveitasolidlook.

CPC:Whattoolsandmachinerydidyouuse,andhowdidyoufindworkingwiththem?Paul: Iusedarotarytoolfordrillingandcuttingsomeparts.Itwasmyfirsttimeusingone,soIwasgladthatIdidn'tenduphurtingmyhandsintheprocess.Ialsousedawater-jetcuttingmachine,whichwasreallycool,althoughit isn'treallyappropriateforcuttingsmallholesordesigns;alaserismoreprecisewhenitcomestosmalldetails,butit'salsoexpensive.

CPC:WhatdifficultiesdidyoucomeacrosswhenbuildingArmorsuitZ77?Paul:TherewerealotofobstaclesIhadtoovercome,sincethiswasmyveryfirstscratch-builtPC.ThefirstissuewasthatIonlyhadoneweektodesigneverythingfromthestart,andjustonemoreweektoexecutethedesign,includingallthecuttingandassemblywork.Togetthejobcompletedintime,IcreatedthedesignandmechanicaldrawingsusingAdobeIllustrator,withoutstoppingforabreak.Then,tomakethebigcutsquicklyand

precisely, Iwenttotheaforementionedwater-jetcuttingshop.Italsotookalotofresearch,plustrialanderror,beforeIcouldmanuallybendthealuminiumsheetswithoutanyproblems.Thenextproblemwasdealingwiththepaint,asIaccidentallydamagedthecoverpartofthemotherboardadaybeforeshipmentofthecase.Therewasnotimetowaste;Ihadtosanditagainandcutsomemorestickerstocoverupthedamage,thenletitdryforonlyafewhours.It'sagoodjobthatthisallwentwell!

CPC:WhatsortofmediainteresthasArmorsuitZ77attractedsofar?Paul:Sofar, it'smainlycapturedtheattentionofAsus'staff inTaipeiandtheUSA.TheyloveditsomuchtheygavemeafreeGeForceGTX690card.Italsoattractedtheattentionofsomeofthepopularmoddersinthecommunity,oneofwhomisBillOwen,whofeaturedthemodonhiswebsite(www.mnpctech.com).AsusalsofeaturedmeonitsRepublicofGamerswebsite,andCorsair

loveditsomuchthatthepeopletheregavemesomeDominatorPlatinumRAM.Finally, it'salsoreceivedalotofLikesonFacebook.

CPC:Whathaveyoulearnedfromtheprocessofbuildingthisproject?Paul:I’velearnedalot.Firstly,don’tevertrytoskipsleep!Ialsolearnedhowtoconstructascratchbuildforthefirsttimeinjusttwoweeks,andhowtousearotarytool. IthinkIbasicallylearnedtobemorepatient!

BEAWINNER!ToenteryourmachineforpossibleinclusioninReaders’Drives,yourmodneedstobefullyworkingand,ideally,finishedbasedintheUK.Simplylogontowww.bit-tech.netandheadovertotheforums.Onceyou’rethere,postawrite-upofyourmod,alongwithsomepics,intheProjectLogsforum.Makesureyoureadtherelevantrulesandadvicestickythreadsbeforeyoupost.Thebestentranteachmonthwillbefeaturedhere,wherewe’llprintyourphotosofyourprojectandalsointerviewyouaboutthebuildprocess.Fameisn’ttheonlyprize; you’llalso getyourhandsonafabulousselectionofprizes–seetheoppositepagefordetails.

CPC:Areyouhappywiththeendresult,andisthereanythingyou'ddodifferentlyifyoubuiltArmorsuitZ77again?Paul:I’mreallyhappywithArmorsuitZ77sofar.Mostofthebuildprocesswentsmoothly,andtheendresultlookshowIimagineditbeforeIstarted.Infact,theendproductactuallyexceededmyexpectations.However,if Ibuilt itagain,IwoulddefinitelyinstallsomePCI-EriserssothatIcouldinstallafastgraphicscard.


WorldMags.net



HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET

ThePhobyamoddingkitisdesignedwiththemodderinmind,offeringgreatvalueformoneyandqualityproducts.ThekitincludesNano-G12SilentWaterproof1,500rpmmulti-optionfans,whichuseaninnovativefan-bladedesign.Asstandard,thefansincludebraidedblackcablestokeepyourcaselookingasneataspossible.Thefansarealsosuppliedwithaspecialcablethatletsyourunthefanat5Vratherthan12V,reducingthenoiseemittedinordertohelpyoutobuildasilentsystem.Thekitalsoincludesthe

60cmPhobya3-pinMolexto4x3-pinMolexY-cable.This

pre-braidedextensioncablegivesyouextrarouteingoptionsinyourcase,anditalsoenables

youtorunuptofourfansfromonecompatiblemotherboardheader.Meanwhile,the

PhobyaSATA3cablesincludedinthekitofferthesamegreatqualitybraidingastherestofthePhobyarange,whilealso

securingyourconnectionwithlatchedconnectors.Aswellasthis,thekitincludesthePhobyaSlimGuideController,whichgivesyoutheoptiontovarythespeedofotherfansinyourcase,whilethePhobyaTwinLEDsletyou

shinealightonyourmods.

We’ve teamed up with some of the world’s leading PC component manufacturers and retailers tooffer this great range of prizes to each lucky Readers’ Drives winner. If your creation is featured in themagazine then you’ll walk away all three of the prizes listed on this page, so get in your entries!

CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES 300R CASEAND 550W TX MODULAR POWER SUPPLYTotalvalue£142incVATManufacturerwww.corsair.com

CorsairbelievesthatagreatPCstartswithagreatcase.TheCorsairCarbideSeries300Risacompactexpressionofthiscorephilosophy.Itpacksinaremarkablenumberoffeaturesgivenitscompactdimensions,providesbuilderswithtonnesofroomforexpansion,andhasamazingcoolingpotential.And,likeallCorsaircases,it’sbuiltusingthefinestmaterialsandfinishedtothehigheststandards,soitwillwithstandseveralyearsofupgrades.Justasaqualitycaseis

essentialtobuildingaqualityPC,ahigh-performance,high-qualitypowersupplyisalsoavitalingredient.Basedontheaward-winningTXV2Series,thenewEnthusiastSeriesModularPSUsaddamodularcablingsystemforimprovedinstallation

PHOBYA MODDING KITValue£50incVATManufacturerwww.phobya.com,www.aqua-tuning.co.uk

flexibility.TXModularpowersuppliesarebuiltusingqualitycomponents,andarerigorouslytestedandqualifiedat100percentloadatanambienttemperatureof50°Cforunmatchedreliability.They’redesignedtoasuperiorstandard,sothattheynotonlymeettheATXspecification,butalsoexceedit. Inadditiontounmatchedquality,TXModularPSUsarealsopower-efficient,offering85percentenergyefficiencyorhigherat50percentload.WithaCorsairCarbideSeries300Rcaseand

550WTXModularpowersupplyattheheartofyourbuild,you’llhavethefoundationsforatrulyawesomegamingmachine.


WorldMags.net



114 January 2013

PICK THE RIGHT FLASH DRIVEIfyou’rekeenonobtainingaglowingeffectthroughtransparentacrylicthenit’sveryimportanttochooseaUSBflashdrivethathasapowerfulaccessLED.Somedon’thaveanaccessLEDatall,whileothershaveapointlight,ratherthanabrightLED.Shoparounduntilyoufindonethatsuitsyourneeds.

DECIDE ON COLOURSAND DESIGNThereareplentyofoptionswhenitcomestocreatingyourcustomUSBthumbdrive.Youcanuseclearoropaquecastingresin,andalsousedyestogivetheotherwiseclearfinishacolouredtint.Youcanalsoaddglitter,piecesofmetalorotherobjectstojazzupyourdesignalittlemore.

REMOVE ENCLOSURE ANDINSPECT PCBDismantlingaUSBflashdriveisusuallyprettyeasy,despitethefactthatmostaresealedunits.Oursjustneededalittlepersuasionwithasmallscrewdriver,butbecarefulnottodamagethePCB.Onceyou’veremovedit,plugit intoaPCtomakesureitstillworks.

PLAN YOUR CASTING MOULDThereareseveralwaystocreatetheshell.Youcanusesectionsofwoodtocreateacube-shapedmould,orPlasticineorwaxwithapolystyrenecasttocreateamouldinstead.Weusedhigh-densitypolystyrenefoamtocreatea1:1scalemodelofourshell.UsesandpaperandaStanley knifetotrimthefoamtoshape.

make Your ownUSB thumBDrive

hiletheycanbeimmenselyuseful,USBthumbdrivesoftenlookbland.Thisisespeciallytrueofthegeneric,

bargain-basementtypes,whichareoftenhousedinunadventurousplasticboxes.Thankfully,therearewaystoaddsomepizzazz,orevencreateyourowncustomcase.YoucancreateamouldandusecastingresintocreatepracticallyanyshapeofUSBflashdriveyouwant,andthenadddyesorglittertomakereallyitstandout.Alternatively,youcanalsogothewholehog

andusearandomobjectsuchasaLEGObrickorMicroMachineasthehousingforyourcreation.AsthisisCustomPC,wedecidedtodustoffanoldLGA775Core2processorandputittouseasaUSBflashdrive.Nowthateven32GBUSBflashdriveswillsetyoubacklessthan£15,there’slittlereasonnottogivethisatry.

Boredwith yourUSB thumbdrive’s functional appearance?AntonyLeather showsyouhow tomakeyour own

W

Clear plastic casting resin(250g for casting oneUSBflashdrive)www.ebay.co.uk

Plasticine orwaxandpolystyrene foamMostartsupplystores

Epoxy resin (formakingaCPUflashdrive)Mosthardwarestores

Makeacast-mould thumbdrive

our own


WorldMags.net



115January 2013

CREATE A MOULDThefoamenablesyoutocreateamouldusingPlasticine, intowhichyoucanpourthecastingresin. It’seasytoworkwithPlasticine,soyoucancreatemanyshapesandsizesofenclosures.Onceyou’vemouldedthePlasticinearoundthefoam,startdiggingoutthefoam,takingcarenottodeformthemould.

POUR CASTING RESINOnceyou’vemixedtheresin,giveyourmouldaonce-over,makingsuretheUSBthumbdriveisstillcentredinit,andthatthemouldisrestingonaflatsurface.Youcanthenpourthecastingresinintothemould.

MIX CASTING RESINThecastingresinusuallydoesn’tstarttosetforatleast20minutesaftermixing,butyoushouldstillprepareyourworkingareaandmould,sothatyou’rereadytopourtheresindirectly intoyourmouldassoonaspossible, justtobesafe.Useaplastictubtomixtheresin,followingtheguidelinesaboutthemixratio.

INSERT USB THUMBDRIVETheeasiestwaytosuspendtheUSBthumbdriveistosimplyinsert it intothewallofthePlasticine.Asit’sverysmallandlight,thePlasticineshouldbestrongenoughtoholdit inplacewhiletheresinsets. It’sworthfillingtheUSBconnectorwithsparefoam,asthePlasticinewilldigintotheconnectorasyouinsert it.

ALLOW TO SET AND REMOVE MOULDDon’tbetemptedtomixtheresinaroundtofill thecorners,asyou’llruntheriskoftheedgesbecomingfrayedinsteadofstraight–gravitywilldoitswork.Settingtimeswillvarydependingonthetypeofcastingresin,butit’susuallybesttowait24hoursbeforeremovingthemouldfromyournewUSBthumbdrive.

ADD GLITTER TO CASTING RESINWedecidedtoaddsomeglittertotheresin,whichwillreflecttheLEDlightandaddalittlepizzazz.Quicklyaddthis,oryourchosenmaterial,andthenmixtheresin. It’simportanttomixitthoroughlybutnottoovigorously,asthiscanintroduceairbubbles,whichwillbetrappedintheresin.

116



WorldMags.net




116 January 2013

CHOOSE YOUR OBJECTRatherthanusingcastingresin,youcanuseanexistingobjecttohouseyourUSBthumbdrive.LEGObricksworkwell,asdoMicroMachines,butwehadanoldCore2CPUlyingaroundcollectingdust,sowedecidedtoputittogooduse.

REMOVE ADHESIVEYou’llneedtoremovetheIHSfirst,byrunningascalpelaroundtheedgesoftheCPUtocutawaytheadhesive.Thisisexactlythesameasthemethodusedinlast issue’sIvyBridgemoddingguide.ItwillhelptoholdtheCPUinapairofpliers,usingkitchenrolltopreventscratches.

MAKE ROOM FOR THE THUMBDRIVEYou’llneedtocommitheresyandremovetheCPUcore,usingeitheraDremelwithacuttingorgrindingdisc,orascrewdriverandknifetograduallycutawayatit.YoumayalsoneedtocutarecessintheCPUpackage,andyou’llneedtocutoutasmallsectionoftheIHStoallowthethumbdrivetopassthroughittoo.

MEASURE THE PCBBeforeyoudoanything,measureupthePCBandyourchosenobjecttomakesureeverythingwill fit.Thereisn’talotofroomundertheIHSofaCPU,somakesuretherearenotallcomponentsonthePCB.Youdon’tneedalarge,powerfulLEDeither,astheholeofthePCBwillbeenclosedwithintheCPU.

REMOVE THE IHSMostCPUcoresareheldtotheIHSusingsolder,andthiscanmakeittrickytoremovethemfromeachother. IfpryingopentheIHSwithasmallscrewdriverdoesn’twork,it’sworthinvestinginamini-blowtorchtoheatthesolder.Theseonlycostafewpoundsandwilldothejobinseconds.

STICK IT TOGETHERLineupthethumbdriveonyourCPU,applyagenerousamountofepoxytothePCBandreplacetheIHS.It’sworthplacingaheavyobjectontheCPUtoensureitsetstightlytogether.Epoxywillneedanhourorsotoset,butit’sbesttoleaveitovernightbeforeyoutryinsertingit intoaUSBportjusttobesure.

01

03

05

02

04

06

MakeaCPUthumbdrive


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



118 January 2013

REMOVE OUTER CASENearlyall2.5inSSDsarehousedinatwo-piececasethatcanbedismantledbyremovingafewscrews.Don’tworryaboutdamagingyourSSDbydoingthis–therearenomovingparts,andit’seasytoputbacktogetheragain.Goaheadandremovethecasing.

DISMANTLE EXTERNALENCLOSUREYou’llneedtoremovetheUSB3toSATAadaptorthat’slocatedinsidethedonorenclosure,usuallyfoundatoneendofthedevice. Itmaybesecuredusingscrews,whichwillmakeremovingiteasy. Ifnot,you’llprobablyhavetoprizethecaseapartusingasmallscrewdriver.

FIT USB 3 TO SATA ADAPTORTheadaptorhasaUSB3connectoratoneend,andSATAdataandpowerconnectorsattheother.ConnecttheadaptortoyourSSDandcheckthatitworksbyconnectingittoaPC.Sadly,fewareilluminated,soyouwon’tseeanaccessLEDflickering.

MARK UP ACRYLICNowit’stimetostartmakingtheenclosure.Weaimedtomakeitassmallaspossible,sowemarkeduptheacrylicwithcuttingguidesonlyafewmillimetreslargerthantheSSDitself.Ratherthanoptforablandbox,wedecidedtocreateacurvededgebyheatingandbendingabandofacrylic.

DremelwithcuttingandroutingattachmentsMosthardwarestores

3Mmounting tapeMosthardwarestores

Fileor sandpaperMosthardwarestores

EpoxyMosthardwarestores

2.5inexternalUSB3enclosureMostonlineretailers

make a USBSSD case

hereareplentyofUSB32.5inexternalenclosuresaround,buttheyrarelylookparticularlyeye-catchingand,moreimportantly,

theyneverallowyoutoseethesexypieceofkit inside–thechipsandPCBofthesolidstatedriveitself.Inthisguide,weshowyouhowtocreate

yourowncompletelytransparentexternal2.5inenclosure,whichwillbestrongenoughtowithstandyearsofbumpsandknockstoo.AllyouneedisaDremel,mountingtape,

someacrylicandacheap,third-partyenclosuretomodify.WithdecentSSDsavailableforjust£50,thisisarelativelyinexpensiveprojectthattakesjustacoupleofhourstocomplete,whilealsoprovidingaperfecthomeforanoldSSDifyouhaveone.

SSDs look great out of their shells.AntonyLeathershowsyouhow to createa clear 2.5in enclosure and turn it into a super-fastUSB3drive

T


WorldMags.net



119January 2013

CUT AND BEND ACRYLICWeusedagashobtocreateourcurvededge,aswewereonlydealingwithasmallsection–moveitslowlyabovetheflamesbutnotsoslowlythatitburns.Itwillonlyrequireafewsecondsofheatingbeforeitcanbebenttoshape.Youcanthencutouttherestoftheacrylic–weusedaDremelandcuttingdiscforthisjob.

CUT CABLE HOLE AND ATTACH END SECTIONWeusedaroutingattachmentforourDremeltocutandshapetheholefortheUSB3connectorintoanoval.UsingclearacrylicmeantthatlininguptheholewiththeconnectorontheSSDwassimple.Wethenusedatinyamountofepoxytogluetheendsectiontotherestoftheenclosure.

MOUNT SSD AND LID SECTIONWewantedtoavoidusingscrewsand,sincewehadnoplanstoremoveourSSDfromtheenclosure,weattached3MmountingtapetotheSSD’sundersidetosecureittotheacrylic.Thisisstrongstuff,sodouble-checkthatyouknowwheretheSSDneedstobemountedfirst.Youcanthenattachthelidsectionusingepoxy.

ATTACH EDGE SECTIONSandthesectionstoensurethey’reflat,usingafileorlow-gritsandpaper. If youwant,youcanalsoflame-polishtheedgesthembyholdingtheminagashobforafewseconds.Thismeltstheacrylic,creatingashinyedge.Wethenusedasmallamountofepoxytogluethesectionstogether.

YOU’RE FINISHEDLeavetheepoxytosetforafewhoursbeforeyouputtheenclosureundertoomuchstress.YoucanthenuseaStanleybladetotrimawayexcessepoxy.Ifyou’refeelingadventurous,youcouldalsospray-painttheenclosureanduseedgingtapetocreatesomefancydesigns,whilestillallowingyoutoseetheSSDinside.

CREATE END SECTIONOurUSB3connectordidn’tslotallthewayintotheadaptor;thisgaveusroomtofitanendsectiontoourenclosureandcutasmallholeforthecable.WeusedaDremeltocutthesectiontosizesothatit fittedneatlyovertherestoftheenclosure.



WorldMags.net



120 January 2013

for thewin!

Thisisapieceofkitthatwefeelreallyprivilegedtobegivingaway.Youdon’tget

muchmorepremiumthanthisfullymodular1,600WpowersupplyfromnewbrandLEPA.Yes,that’sright–1,600Wofpowerisonoffer.Infact,LEPAevensaystheG1600canhandle1,700Watpeakload.Italsospreadsthe12V

loadoversixrails,eachofwhichisratedat30A–idealforsystemswithfouroverclockedgraphicscardsandtwooverclockedCPUs.Meanwhile,a135mmball-bearingfan

keepstheunitcoolandquiet,andthehigh-densityPCBensuresthattheG1600onlyhasadepthof180mm,meaningitwilleasilyfit into

mostdecentATXcases.Notonlythat,buttheG1600alsohas80PlusGoldcertification,withLEPAclaimingitcandeliveramaximumefficiencyof93percent.Formoreinformation,visitwww.lepatek.eu/g1600TobeinwithachanceofwinningthisPSU,

justanswerthequestionbelow.

WIN!A1,600WLEPAPSUWORTH £249

Q Emailyouranswer [email protected]

with ‘LEPACompetition 112’ in theSubject line.Closing date: 15December, 2012

Howmanywattswouldbegenerallyconsumedbyafull30Acurrentona12Vrail?a) 48W b) 1,6000W c) 360W


WorldMags.net



WWW.ENERMAX.CO.UK/TRIATHLOR-FC

www.awd-it.co.uk • www.scan.co.uk • specialtech.co.uk • www.yoyotech.co.uk

© E

nerm

ax 2

012.

All

right

s re

serv

ed. A

ll tr

adem

arks

are

pro

pert

y of

the

res

pect

ive

prop

rieto

rs. R

eser

ve c

hang

es w

ithou

t pr

ior

anno

unce

men

t.

EXTREMEATHLETE

TRIATHLOR & TRIATHLOR FCTHE NEW LONG RUNNERSThe latest games are a challenge for every PC, the hardware is runninghot and the graphics cards and processors are exceeding their limit of per-formance. Therefore it is essential to trust in a strong and reliable PSU topower the system stably over long years – even at extreme conditions. Withthe new Triathlor and Triathlor FC series, Enermax presents two endu-rance athletes who aim for the best score in all categories, well-toned withfirst-class components and two muscly 12V rails. Due to the silent runningT.B.Silence fan, they are never breaking sweat. Triathlor and Triathlor FCstand for extreme sports on the highest level.

From 300W up to 700W.

EXTREMEATHLETE


WorldMags.net



122 January 2013

I’vecarriedaDA0-12shotgun, itcanstoreeverywordI’vetypedinthechat log. Itwouldbenoeffort tohaveareportbuttonthattriggeredamoderatortocheckachatlog,andhandout infractions.’

HTPC AUDIOI reallyenjoyedtheHTPCarticle in theDecember issue. Iwas,however,surprisedthat thesystems’audiocapabilitiesweren’tmentioned.WhenplayingaBlu-raymovie,astutter-freevideostreamisonlyhalf thestory,asaudioplayssucha largepart in theexperience.Theability tooutputTrueHD

orDTS-HDMasterAudio isabigfactor formanyHTPCuserssuchasmyselfwhouseaudiooverHDMI.Also150WpicoPSUsshouldbeable topower thesesystems,reducingboth thenoiseandspacerequired.Keepupthegoodworkonanawesomemag.SamClarke

LettersSend us your feedback and correspondence [email protected], with ‘Letter’ in the Subject line

HTPC TIPSI reallyenjoyedyourarticleonHTPCs,andI’vebeenusingoneasmymainsourceofviewing liveandrecordedTV,aswellasBlu-raydiscs, forseveral years.Oldhardwarecanstill cut it (exceptwhen itcomestogaming!).MysystemisanoldAOpenXC-Cubewith

an Intel965chipset,aCore2DuoE6600and2GBofDDR2RAM.TheonlyrecentupgradewasanAMDRadeonHD6450tokeepBlu-rayplaybacksmooth.May Ialsosuggestreaders lookat the following:

• ArcsoftTotalMediaTheatre foranexcellentMCEBlu-rayplug-in.

• www.mymovies.dkoffersTVandmoviemetadata integration,whichismuchbetter thanMicrosoft’sown.

• Visitwww.shark007.net foracomprehensivecodecset thatenablesMCEtoplayalmosteverything.

• Foragreat iPlayerplug-in,havealookatMCE-media-core. It’sverysmoothandquick toupdate.

Oh,by theway, the twinHDFreeviewtuner fromBlackGoldcostsaround£100,

GLOBALLY OFFENSIVEI readJoe’sGloballyOffensivearticle,noddingalongtomyselfaboutmembersof theFPScommunity

spoilinggamesforothergamersthroughtheirdisruptiveactions.Whatweneed isaninnovativecompany,suchasValveas itsohappens, to takeanapproachsimilar to‘safebrowsing’ toolssuchasWebofTrust,butwithagamingslant. I foreseeusersapprovingofplayerswithwhomtheyenjoyplaying,anddisapprovingofplayersthatspoil theirgames.Youwouldhavetoranktheapprovals

anddisapprovalssuitably. Ifaheavilydisapproved-ofplayerdisapprovesofyouforsomereasonthen itwouldhavetocountless thanahighlyapproved-ofplayer,assuchplayerscouldvindictivelyabusethesystem.Thesamecouldalsohold truewithapprovals todiscouragedisapprovedplayersfromattemptingto increasetheirgeneralcommunityapproval ratingbyapprovingeachother to increasetheirscoring.Inaddition, youshouldbeable to

revokepastapprovals,andmakethemdisapprovals, topunishcommunitymemberswhobuildupapprovalso theycandisruptivelyabusethatstatus.Oncethat’s inplace,serveradmins

couldusesuchasystemofapprovalsanddisapprovals tobardisruptiveplayers fromtheirservers, furtherreinforcingthegeneralconsensusof thecommunity’s feelingstowardsdisruptiveplayers. It’s justanuggetofan ideathatcouldpossiblywork,ormaybeI’mjustadreamer.RichardPaul

Benreplies:Youcouldbeontosomethinghereactually.AsCliffpointsoutthismonth(seep92): ‘IfEAcantrackhowmuchtime

StuartHathawayrecommendsvisitingwww.shark007.netforacomprehensivecodecsetthatenablesMCEtoplayalmosteverything


WorldMags.net



123January 2013

@Willybobs82JustreadingyouropiniononHTPCsin

issue111of@CustomPCMag,andfeltinspiredtomakeone.Oh,anarticleonhowtomakeone?Nice!

@AirwaneDoyouhavealinktoanarticlethatexplainwhat

PCmoddingis?Ben:‘Mod’issimplyshortfor‘modify’–forus,itbasicallymeansmodifyingaPCcomponentforyourownneeds.

@TigernosReadingthenew@CustomPCMagandlaughed

thattheonlynegativegiventotheGTX670isitcan’tquitedogamingon3monitors.#IWantOne

@Norro21HTPCtouch-screen=pointless.TheTVisalreadya

screen,andpeopleuseremotes-they’renevergonnauseit.Whatyouneedissmartphone/tabletcontrol.

Ben:Yousee,thisisexactlywhatpeoplealwaystellme,yetIstillfindmyHTPCtouch-screenimmenselyuseful.IthinkitalldependsonhowyouuseyourHTPC.AlargepartofmyHTPC’spurposeisfunctioningasalosslessaudiojukeboxinmyhi-firack–Idon’twanttohavetheTVonwhileI’mplayingmusic;that’sareallyclunkywaytointeractwithamusicdevice–Iwantaself-containedhi-fiPC.Ifthatisn’thowyouuseyourHTPCthenIagreeitmaybepointlessforyou,butnotatallforme.

FEEDBACK

Follow us on Twitter at @custompcmag

not£165asstated. Ihaveoneand,eventhoughthepicture isexcellent, it’s letdownbytheUKstillonlyhaving fourFreeviewHDchannels!StuartHathaway

Benreplies: I thinkIcanoutdoyouontheretroHTPCspecs!MysystemusesaSocket478NorthwoodPentium4,alongwith2GBofRAM,aRadeonHD3450,SoundBlasterX-FiXtremeMusicandadual-tunerHauppaugeTVcard. I’llbeupgradingit toanFM2rigsoonthough–theoldsetupisfineforaudioplaybackandstandardvideo,but itreallystruggleswithHDvideostreaming.Thanksforyourtips,andyou’rerightabouttheBlackGoldtunercard–theonewewerelookingatwasaquad-tunercard,ratherthanadual-tunercard.Thelimitof fourHDFreeviewchannels is

abig issuehere, though, Iagree.Whypay£100foraTVtunercardjustsoyoucangetfourHDchannels,whenonethatcostshalfthepricewilldoeverythingelse?This isespecially truewhenyouconsiderthecostofaSky+HDorequivalentCable/Tivosubscriptiontoo.

DO I NEED A NEW GPU?Asalways, Ienjoyedthe latesteditionof themagazine. I tookarecent recommendationandhave installedaSamsungSSD.Wow!Theboot timesare incredible,andconcurwithyourpositive thoughtsaboutthisupgrade.WhenyoulastdidagraphicscardLabs

aroundayearago, you includedatable thatshowedanupgradepath for legacycards.I tooktheadviceandwent for theGTX460Hawk,which impressedme,but is itnowtimetomoveon? If Iwent for theAMDHD7850,would Inoticeadifference,andwouldmyfoldingppd increase?Howaboutupdating thetable forCPUsaswell? IseethatmyCorei5-2500hasslippedfromtheradarnow. IsaCore i5-3570acosteffectiveupgradeat themoment?Keepthemoney-spending ideascoming!MalcolmBunn

Benreplies:Gladyou’vediscoveredthejoysofasolidstatesystemdrive–getting

Do you have a link to an article that explain what

‘Mod’ is simply short for ‘modify’

anSSDisthebestupgradeyoucanmakerightnowintermsofgeneralPCuse.WewerepushedforspacewhenwedidthelastgraphicscardLabs(seeIssue111,p54),sowedidn’t includetheupgradetable,buta

RadeonHD7850willcertainlygiveyouadecentframe-rateboostoveraGTX460.Thequestiontoaskyourselfwhen

upgradingiswhatyourPCneedstodofaster. Ifyourmonitorhasastandard1,920x1,080resolutionthentheRadeonHD7850willenableyoutosmoothlyplay

Crysis2 inDX11withthehigh-restexturepack,andwithall thesettingsmaxedout–yourGTX460won’tbeabletohandlethis.However,AMDchipsstill

aren’tgreat forfolding.Foryou, I’d insteadrecommend

upgradingtoaGeForceGTX6602GB–theGK106Keplerarchitectureonwhichit’sbasedisgreat forfolding,andit’sfantastic ingamestoo.Andthere’snoneedtoupgradeyourCorei5-2500toaCorei5-3570–SandyBridgechipsoffermorethanenoughpowerformostpeople.

ARadeonHD7850willbemuchquicker thanaGeForceGTX460

whenitcomestogaming


WorldMags.net



Call us on 08000 50 10 10Call us on 08000 50 10 10Prices correct at t ime of going to publishing (17th October 2012).

Images are for i l lustrative purposes only. Monitors and desktop bundles are available separately.

www.cclonline.com

Call us on 08000 50 10 10Prices correct at t ime of going to publishing (17th October 2012).

Images are for i l lustrative purposes only. Monitors and desktop bundles are available separately.Images are for i l lustrative purposes only. Monitors and desktop bundles are available separately.

www.cclonline.comwww.cclonline.com

SpecificationIntel PentiumG840 2.8GHz CPU

8GB DDR3RAM

NVIDIAGeForce GT 640

Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D2V

500GBSATA-III Hard Disk Drive

DVD+/- RWWriter Drive

Built-inWi-FiAdapter

CCLCode - CCL-EL-OWL2 From Only £399.99 inc VAT


WorldMags.net



125January 2013

Join our folding team and help medical research

WHAT ISFOLDING?Folding@homeusesthespareprocessingcyclesfromyourPC’sCPUandgraphicscardsformedicalresearch.Youcandownloadtheclientfromhttp://folding.stanford.edu/download.htmlandourteam’sIDis35947.Onceyoupassasignificantmilestone,you’llgetyournameinthemag.Youcanalsodiscussfoldingwithusandotherreadersonthewww.bit-tech.netforums.

CPC:Whoareyouandwhatdoyoudo?JediMasterJonny:JediMasterJonnyisJonnyO’Connell (ontheleft inthephoto)andAndrewEmms(right).We’vebothrecentlygraduatedwithcomputersciencedegreesfromCardiffUniversity,anddecidedtostayontoresearchPhDs.

CPC:Whydidyoustartfolding?JediMasterJonny:We’rebothmassively intoscience,andlovecomputerswiththebiggestpossiblenumbers.CombiningthetwoledustoFolding@home.

CPC:Whatexcitesyoumostaboutfolding?JediMasterJonny:Beingpartofsomethingthat’spotentiallybeneficial topracticallyeveryone.OurPCsareidlemuchofthetime,butthefacttheycouldberesearchingdiseasesatthesametimemakesfoldingtoogoodanopportunitytopassup.

CPC:HowmanyPCsdoyouhavefolding?JediMasterJonny:Three. Ihaveatemperamental,erraticbeastwithaCorei7-950andthreewater-cooledGTX580s.Meanwhile,AndrewhastwosolidPCsbasedonaCore2DuoandaSandyBridgeCorei5chip,whichrun24/7andpickuptheslackwhenmyPC(regularly) throwsatantrum.Theyusedtolive inourrespectivehomes,buttheheatmadeitdifficult tobeinthesameroomasthem.Sincethen,they’vebeenmovedtoourair-conditionedresearchoffice.

Wecatch upwith folder of themonth: JediMasterJonny

CPC:What’syourbestfoldingkit?JediMasterJonny:Easilythe580s.TheyproduceloadsofpointscomparedtotheirCPUcounterparts.Plus,asthey’reunderwater, theycanhappilykeepitup24/7.

CPC:Doyouintendtokeepupyourcurrentproductionlevel?JediMasterJonny:Asthecomputersarekept inacoolofficewithfreeelectricity,weplantokeepfoldingforthedurationofourPhDs,whichisafewmoreyearsyet,oruntilmyPCgoesupinadramaticballofsmoke.

CPC:Anytipsforfellowteammembers?JediMasterJonny: Ifanythinggoeswrong,theanswerscannormallybefoundontheforum(http://tinyurl.com/FoldingForum).Also,useremotecontrolsoftware.Foldingcanbetemperamental,andit’sfrustratingwhenyouleaveyourPCfoldingforaweekend,butfinditstopsonaFridayevening.

CPC:Whatdoyourfriendsandfamilythinkaboutyourfolding?JediMasterJonny:Myfriendsthinkit’sagreatcause,butmyfamilydoesn’treallyunderstand,nomatterhowmanytimesIexplainittothem.

CPC:What’syourworstfoldingexperience?JediMasterJonny:Updatingvideodrivers.UpdateseithercauseBSODs,ormyPPDtofluctuate; it’sarealgamble.

Teamrank134 Worldrank4,618Score7,462,091 Workunits2,824Dailypointsaverage4,648

TOPFOLDERSThismonth’sshout-outsgotoScorpuk,Ben_LambandLambo_uk.Ifyoufoldunderthesenames,[email protected]

126

CPC:Andthebest?JediMasterJonny: Itwasgoodtomoveintothetoptenproducerschart. It’stakenalotoftweakingtogetmyrigstableat24/7foldingload,andIcannowseemyeffortpayingoff.

CPC:Wouldyouchangeanythingaboutyourcurrentfoldingsetup?JediMasterJonny: IwouldlovetoseehowthenewKeplercardsperform,andtheirpowerefficiencyreallyappealstome.



WorldMags.net



126 January 2013

MILESTONES THIS MONTH

Username Pointsmilestone




th3_F15T 400000

alastair_paley 500000

ittoms 500000

rjcman 500000

500000

Exodeath 600000

Archaon88 700000

sascomd 700000

weebob 700000

maxrealism 800000

only_happy 800000

toxic43 800000

andy_owen 900000

Scammelio 900000

boiled_elephant 1000000

Javaman 1000000

Munky 1000000

Osiris_Blue 1000000

YbrFinX 1000000

2000000

JimWall 2000000

paul_warden 2000000

Desertbaker 3000000

Lambo_uk 3000000

8Core 4000000

HoistaWheelie 5000000

SicoAnimal 5000000

BGonz808 6000000

kirk_hobson 6000000

Abomin81on 7000000

dapperdave 7000000

Dolphin(CPC) 8000000

Keith_Chung 8000000

TheFlipside 8000000

cave_diver 9000000

davidj2010 9000000

Serpentine 9000000

tarka_dahl 9000000

Worldrank

Teamname Points Dailypointsaverage

Timeuntilovertake

6 MaximumPCMagazine 6,116,280,623 4,254,277 3Years

7 CustomPC&bit-tech 5,666,863,580 4,664,017 0

THE NEXT OVERTAKE

Fr4ggle 20000

heavyattack 20000

a5pin 40000

blotty 40000

HundredMetal 40000

LifeLongGamer 40000

Pickles96 40000

BeautifulNight 50000

HogarthUK 50000

PodgePapin 50000

Evilpaperclip 60000

KimE12 60000

MortalWombat 60000

TacticalFluke 60000

{HSP}Dazzler 70000

Forquare 70000

Jay88018 70000

Mustathomi 70000

Padsta 70000

TheManicGibbon 70000

aingram86 80000

breadbin123 80000

Anselm 90000

Halldor 100000

jgwozdzicki 100000

LboroSlider 100000

100000

mattydinx 100000

MazyMony 100000

Mike_energise 100000

Rich_S 100000

JackDK 200000

Killaov 200000

NoizDaemon666 200000

pipnina 200000

pipnina 200000

RJSzynal 200000

Bnorus 300000

Hitmeze 300000

Mr_Jonny_T 300000

stupottyuk 300000

bigg 400000

Chebob 400000

Ptarmigan 400000

seaford-college 400000

stevec83 400000

matthewedwardcornish

THE_EVIL_RAPIER

GraciasD10Sportodalamagia


WorldMags.net





TOP 20 OVERALLRank Username Points Workunits

1 Dave_Goodchild 398,528,894 109,329

2 DocJonz 268,328,485 143,191

3 phoenicis 223,349,417 93,954

4 zz9pzza 211,014,628 15,794

5 coolamasta 209,452,305 142,568

6 Lizard 131,878,662 60,132

7 StreetSam 107,003,868 72,296

8 Christopher_N._Lewis 104,971,497 32,764

9 Wallace 99,951,645 5,741

10 CustomBitChimps 94,385,866 46,591

11 Nelio 81,191,795 34,139

12 fir3x 64,706,069 10,138

13 BennieboyUK 61,286,969 3,107

14 One_Box 61,210,022 7,363

15 saspro 57,534,603 45,372

16 The_M2B 54,619,757 38,464

17 Lordsoth 51,645,482 56,281

18 Standin_wave 51,449,554 33,738

19 PS3/LanDi 48,446,611 86,309

20 PC_Rich 48,414,846 52,436

TOP 20 PRODUCERSRank Username Dailypointsaverage Overallscore

1 Nelio 491,473 81,191,795

2 Scorpuk 347,264 19,238,065

3 DocJonz 325,039 268,328,485

4 Ben_Lamb 291,144 12,235,014

5 coolamasta 199,338 209,452,305

6 Slowlemon 164,966 10,908,531

7 Lambo_uk 158,069 3,273,095

8 Wallace 151,612 99,951,645

9 Dave_Goodchild 120,377 398,528,894

10 One_Box 119,677 61,210,022

11 _Fanatic 105,340 16,420,292

12 Lordsoth 103,103 51,645,482

13 Shetland_Overclockers 102,426 17,367,585

14 Christopher_N._Lewis 93,576 104,971,497

15 kirk_hobson 90,934 6,974,687

16 PC_Rich 88,659 48,414,846

17 debs3759 87,689 10,525,289

18 LordBadger 83,601 36,695,977

19 fir3x 82,610 64,706,069

20 The_M2B 71,594 54,619,757

Ben_Lamb 10000000

dd 10000000

debs3759 10000000

Slowlemon 10000000

Leroyingo 20000000

sonic_vortex 20000000

Lordsoth 50000000

One_Box 60000000

Nelio 80000000

127January 2013

Onsale 13December,2012*Pleasenotethatthesestoriesaresubjecttoproductdelays,kitnotturningup,andtimewastedarguingaboutStarWarsontheInternet.

Budget casesChoosingabudgetcasecanbetricky,asit’seasytoendupwithaflimsychassiswithnospacetoroutecables.Nextmonthwetestawholeloadofthemtofindthebestbargain.

Full steamaheadWefirstsawLianLi’strain-shapedmini-ITXcaseatComputex–itevenhasatrackandmoves!Willthisgetthecaseindustrybackontrackormakeitgoofftherails?Wefindout.

Flushyour loopWater-cooledPCsneedalittleTLCnowandthen.AntonyLeathertakesyouthroughtheprocessofflushingyourradsandfiltering,pluscleaningandleak-testingyourloop.

MincepiemegatestThey’vebeenintheshopsforseveralmonthsalready,butwhichofthehighstreet’sseasonalpastriesismostdeservingofyourfestivepennies?Weeataloadofpiessoyoudon’thaveto.

Comingnextmonth in

Christopher_N._Lewis 100000000


WorldMags.net



128 January 2013

iththefuroresurroundingMicrosoft’sremovaloftheStartbuttoninWindows8(seep36),you’dthinkithadbeenastapleof

everyWindowsOSsinceBillGatesfirstposedforthatdodgyphotosetonhisdesk.However,forthelesswrinklyPCenthusiastsamongyou,whohavehadthegoodfortunetogrowupinagraphicallydrivenworld,theStartbuttonandtaskbarwerenewfeaturesaddedtoWindowsin1995–themostsignificantdesktopOSupgradeinthePC’shistory.BeforeWindows95,Microsoft’sflagship

icon-drivenOSwasachaoticjumbleofideasthatrequiredveteranexperiencetonavigate.Isayicon-driven,butthefirsttwoversionswerereallyjustagraphicalfront-endforDOS–youfoundyourprogramslistedintextform,andtheiconsonlyappearedwhenyouminimisedtheapps.Infact,thefirsttwoversionsofWindowsweren’treallyusedseriouslybymanypeople.Thetext-basedDOSwaspreferredforthis,asithadnooverheads,andoverheadswereaseriousbusinesswhenyouonlyhad512KBofRAMandnoharddrive.ThefirstbreakthroughversionofWindows

thatstartedtobecomeusedwidelywasWindows3,andthen3.1,whichbroughtusapropericon-driveninterfaceandfeatureswenowexpect,suchasscreensavers.Thiswasalsothepointatwhichmanypeoplestartedto

useWindowsasthepreferredplatformforlaunchingdesktopappssuchaswordprocessorsandspreadsheets,whichhadpreviouslybeenfirmlyintheDOSdomain,withsoftwaresuchasWordPerfect,SupercalcandLotus123beingfavouritesintheDOSera.Windows3.1wasstillapigthough.Trying

togetittoconnecttotheInternetrequiredalotoffiddlingaroundwiththird-partyapps(mentionTrumpetWinsocktoaPColdhandandwatchthemshudder)and,importantlyfor

enthusiasts, itwasalsorubbishforgames.ThiswasbeforewehadDirectX,soatthispoint,WindowswasreallyjustforbusinessappsandSolitaire.Ifyouwantedtorunagame,youhadtoexittoDOS,andthenuseyourspeciallypreparedbootdisktoloadthecorrectsoundcardandCD-ROMdrivers.CommonstaplesoftheWindowsinterface

thatwenowtakeforgranted,suchastheComputer(thenMyComputer) iconforaccessingyourdrives,theStartbutton,theclockandspeakervolumeiconinthecorner,thetaskbarandtheDocumentsfolder,were

all includedwithWindows95.Moreimportantly,manygamescouldbeplayeddirectlyfromtheOS.However,Windows95hadaRecycleBinfullof issuestoo.Long-termreadersmayremembera

featureIwrotein2005,inwhichItriedtolivewithtechnologyfrom1995fortwoweeks,includingWindows95.ItturnedoutthatI’dforgottenalotWindows95’squirks.Tryingtoinstalldriversoftenrequiredaridiculousamountofpatience–Windows95introducedPlugandPlay,butthissoonearnedthenicknameof‘PlugandPray’,asitregularlyfailedtodetecthardwareproperly.Youalsosoonbecameusedtothenow

infamousbluescreenofdeath,andyourmachinelockingup.Littlequirks,suchasiconsnotrearrangingthemselveswhenyouresizedawindow,ornotstretchingthedesktopbackgroundbeyond640x480,makeWindows95lookdistinctlyamateurintoday’sworld.IfanewOSbehavedinthesamewaynow,itwouldbeslated.ItwasmucheasiertolaunchaflawedOSwhenpeoplewereusedtostuffnotworkingproperly.Flawsaside,thegeneralinterfacelaida

foundationthat’slastednearlytwodecades.ThefactthatsomanypeoplestrugglewithWindowswithoutaStartbuttonistestamenttothewayinwhichWindows95revolutionisedthewayweinteractwithourPCs.

W

PLUG AND PLAY SOONEARNED ITSELF THENICKNAME OF ‘PLUG

AND PRAY’

Windows95Now that Microsoft has removed the Start button fromWindows 8,Ben Hardwidge recalls when it was first introduced

Whathappenstothedesktopbeyond640x480

Iconsfailtorearrangeafterresizingwindows


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net



B ackwhenIwasafull-timetechnologyjournalist,oneoftheaspectsofthejobImostenjoyedwastherecreationoftheChristmas-morningfeelingwhenmanufacturerssentusa

newproducttoreview.Admittedly, Ididn’tusuallyfeelthesamelevelofexcitementwhenacut-down,mid-rangeproductarrivedintheCustomPC labasIdidwhenanall-singing,all-dancingnext-generationCPUorGPUarrived.However,that’sallchangednow,asit’spreciselyacut-down,mid-rangeproductthat’scaughtmyattentionthismonth.TheproductinquestionisIntel’sNUC,also

knownastheNextUnitofComputing.NUCactuallyreferstoaseriesofnewproductsthatadherestoanewformfactorthatmakesmini-ITXlookpositivelyoverweight.Forexample,whilemini-ITXboards

measure170 x170mm,NUCboardsareamere102 x102mm.NUCboardsalsohaveamuchshorterI/Obackpanel,meaningthatNUCcasescanbealotsmallertoo.TheothermajordifferencebetweenNUC

andmini-ITXisthat,ratherthansimplyreleasingthespecstomanufacturerstomaketheirowndesigns,IntelhasdesignedseveralcompleteNUCs.Inotherwords,anNUCisacompletePC.What’smore,unlikeearlierattemptstomakestandardsfortiny

PCs,suchasnano-ITXandpico-ITX,whichwereoftenhamstrungbytheirwoefullyunderpoweredVIAprocessors,NUCswillbeavailablewithavarietyofIntelCPUssuchasCelerons,Corei3s, i5sandeveni7s.Thismeansthatyougetallthegoodnessofafullyfledgedx86processorthatcanrunofficeapplications,playHDvideosandenableyoutoplaybasicgamesonafranklytinycomputer.WhileIntel’ssuccessinloweringthepowerconsumption,and

thereforetheheatoutputofitsCPUs,isundoubtedlythemaindriving

James Gorbold salivates over theprospect of even smaller PCs

james GorBolD

forcebehindNUC,thenewformfactorwouldn’tbepossiblewithoutanumberofotherindustrytrends.Forexample,NUCusesHDMIoutputsratherthantraditional

analogueD-Suboutputs.Thismightnotsoundlikeabigdeal,butasHDMIisdigitalratherthananalogue,itmeansthattheGPUdoesn’tneedaDAC(digitaltoanalogue)converter,whichwouldberequiredbyasystemwithaD-Suboutput.Inaddition,becausesomanylaptopshaveincludedminiPCI-E

slotsoverthepastcoupleofyears,there’snowachoiceofhundredsofcompatibleSSDs,aswellasWiFiandBluetooth,toinstall inyourNUC.Don’tworry,I’mnotgoingtostartspouting

preposteroussoundbites,suchas‘thePCisdead,longlivetheNUC’;however,anew‘smallerthanever’formfactorclearlyhasenormouspotentialtoreinvigoratethedesktopmarket.Italsoopensthedoortolotsofnew

opportunitiesinareassuchasindustrialcomputinganddigitalsignage,whichareboth

ripeforhigh-performance,smallformfactorsystems.Assomebodywhosecareerstraddlesboththecommercialand

enthusiastPCmarkets,IcanalsoseehowalotofCustomPCreadersmightlikeanNUCtoo.Afterall, itopensuppossibilitiesforlotsofnewmoddingprojects,suchashomeservers,andofcourse,‘canIfitaPCinsidethat?’casemods.

JamesGorboldfellinlovewiththeoriginalIBMPCintheearly1980sandhasbeenbuilding,tweakingandoverclockingPCseversince.HehaswrittenanarticleinalmosteveryissueofCustomPCandnowhelpsScanComputerstodevelopnewsystems.

A new ‘smaller thanever’ form factor

clearly has enormouspotential to reinvigorate

the desktop market

THE DAWN OFA NEW ERAOF PCs

130 January 2013

THE DAWN OF


WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net




WorldMags.net

