General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Choosing the Best AMD Graphics Card

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 01:23 PM PDT

Prefer the Red Team over the Green Team? We've got your back

There was a time when a dozen different companies were selling video cards and vying for your hard-earned cash. But, at least when it comes to gaming, the field has narrowed to just two: Nvidia and AMD. If you're just doing spreadsheets, surfing the web, and playing the occasional Flash game, you'll be fine with integrated graphics. But if you spend a lot of time shooting, racing, and flying, a dedicated graphics card is the way to go.

We covered Nvidia a couple of days ago, and now we're turning our crosshairs to AMD. What follows is a streamlined buying guide. No benchmark charts, diagrams, or spec sheets. We'll link to places where you can get that stuff if you want, but here is where we condense the product line into a few pages of advice. Dig in!

Options #1, #2, and #3: Radeon R7 260, 260X, and 265

First, we're looking at the cards in the $100–$130 range. Overall, AMD has a denser collection of options than Nvidia. This creates some overlap, so we're combining these cards into one tier that's roughly equivalent to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 and 750 Ti tier. Like that pair, these AMD cards are fine for playing at 1080p most of the time.

Sapphire Radeon R7 265

We'd recommend the R7 265 with two gigabytes of VRAM to get the best performance. Naturally, you'll find those at the top of the price range, but we think it's worth the extra bucks. These three Radeon cards also need only one 6-pin PCI Express cable, so you should be fine with a power supply in the 400–500 watt range. If you have around $200 to spend, though, there are better options from both AMD and Nvidia.

Options #4 and #5: Radeon R7 270 and 270X

These cards are roughly equivalent to the Radeon HD 7850 and 7870, and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 and 760. So their price range is about $130–$180, if you include mail-in rebates. Like the other R7 cards, we recommend 2GB of VRAM for the best gaming experience at 1080p. These GPUs also will let you use higher visual settings than the R7 cards mentioned earlier. However, the 270 and 270X need two PCI Express power cables, and that's rare to find with power supply units that are rated for less than 500 watts. So, you may need to upgrade your PSU or factor a more expensive one into your budget. Overall, we'd go with the 270X for a little extra oomph, unless you can afford something even speedier.

Options #6, #7, and #8: Radeon R9 280, 285, and 280X

The 280 and 280X are basically respun versions of the Radeon HD 7950 with Boost, and the HD 7970 GHz Edition. Which are also roughly comparable to a GTX 680 and 770. The 280 and 280X have 3GB of VRAM, which is a lot for 1080p, but not unwelcome. In fact, it's enough to handle 1440p fairly smoothly, though you might want a second card in a Crossfire configuration to keep up at that resolution. The 285, however, has 2GB of VRAM and uses a newer, more power-efficient GPU core. Its performance falls in between the 280 and 280X, but because it generates a lot less heat, you can find it in sizes designed for a mini-ITX case.

Asus Strix Radeon R9 285

It can also be much quieter, with some versions not even spinning up their fans until the GPU hits a certain temperature. It uses one PCI Express cable, while the 280 and 280X need two. Overall, our favorite at this tier is the 285, despite having less VRAM, because it can run cooler, quieter, and in a wider variety of cases.

Click here to see the rest of your options, and the overall winner


Options #9 and #10: Radeon R9 290 and 290X

These are AMD's top-performing single-GPU cards, and their performance will be within spitting distance of a GeForce GTX 970 and 980. The GTX 980 is a consistently faster card overall, but some gamers still opt for the 290X because it's about $200 cheaper. However, the 290 and 290X need a lot of watts. We'd recommend 600 or more watts for one of these cards, and 850 watts or more for 2-way Crossfire.

Sapphire Tri-X Radeon R9 290X

We'd also definitely avoid the "reference" cards, because they run quite hot and noisy. Cooling designs like Sapphire's Tri-X or Vapor-X, ASUS's DirectCU II, Gigabyte's Windforce 3X, MSI's TwinFrozr, and XFX's Double Dissipation are highly recommended to keep these cards running quietly and relatively cool. If you're okay with those stipulations, the 290 and 290X will give you a lot of bang for your buck—about $250 for the 290 and about $350 for the 290X.

Option #11: Radeon R9 295X2

This card is basically two R9 290X GPUs on a single card. Since these GPUs need a respectable amount of cooling, it should come as no surprise that the 295X2 has a closed-loop liquid cooler (CLC) built into it. This uses a 120mm radiator (bundled with a fan) that you must install on a fan mount somewhere in your case. The card is also 12 inches long. And it's got the break-neck performance to justify all this.

Radeon R9 295X2

So while it will get you more performance than a single GTX Titan X, for a few hundred dollars less, it needs a lot of real estate and a lot of power. As we mentioned earlier, an 850-watt power supply (or more) is highly recommended when dealing with multiple 290 or 290X GPUs. That said, the card runs pretty quietly, thanks to the CLC, and it takes up half as many motherboard slots as a 2-way Crossfire config. Like the Titan X, there are no third-party cooling designs, but the "reference" version here is quite good.

You may sometimes see this card listed as having "8GB," but Crossfire, like SLI, mirrors your VRAM, instead of letting you add the two card's VRAM together. In practice, you will have a capacity of 4GB, just like the R9 290 and 290X, and the GTX 970 and 980. The GTX Titan X has a whopping 12GB, but we haven't encountered a game or screen resolution where that felt like a necessity. 4GB is fine even with a 4K display (though you'd still want multiple GPUs to smoothly game at that point).

And the Winner Is...

Like Nvidia, AMD has a wide range of options that make picking a single winner difficult. The R7 265 is our pick at the entry level, and the R9 295X2 packs a ton of performance into about $700, enough to get decent frame rates at 4K and definitely plenty for 1440p. If there were a happy medium here, we'd go with the R9 290X as the best overall AMD GPU, provided that you get one with a large heatsink and multiple fans, and you have a sufficient power supply unit.

MSI Radeon R9 290X

As far as PSUs go, we've had good experiences with EVGA, Corsair, Antec, Enermax, Silverstone, and SeaSonic. That's not an all-inclusive list, just the brands that come to mind most often when we need a reliable PSU. The Rosewill Hive and Capstone have good reps too, but we haven't had as much direct experience with those. You should expect to need two 8-pin PCI Express cables, and possibly an additional 6-pin connection if you want top-end cards like MSI's "Lightning" edition. But if you can manage that, we think it's worth it.

Asus TUF Sabertooth X99 is First Consumer Board to Support NVM Express Storage

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 11:27 AM PDT

Asus TUF Sabertooth X99For tomorrow's storage

Asus this week unveiled its TUF Sabertooth X99 motherboard. According to Asus, it's the world's first consumer desktop mobo to support all NVM Express storage devices, including the latest mini-SAS HD (SF-8639) 2.5-inch solid state drives, PCI Express, and M.2 PCI Express drives. The timing of the this board's release comes just days after Intel announced its 750 Series SSDs, which are available in both half-height half-length (HHHL) and 2.5-inch NVMe form factors.

The board also boasts built-in USB 3.1 ports (two on the rear panel) courtesy of an ASMedia chip, though they're not the Type-C variety, plus eight USB 3.0 ports (four at back panel, four at mid-board) and eight USB 2.0 ports.

This is also the first board to include TUF Detective, a free companion app that provides detailed system information. You can install the app on a smartphone or tablet and use it to monitor key vitals, as well as detect and diagnose and errors and control the PC's power status. You can even use the app when the PC is turned off.

You'll find lots of amenities here, like Dust Defender guards for exposed ports, high-end components for "server-grade reliability," a reinforced backplate with a thermal pad to strengthen the mobo and pull heat away from the back of the 8+2 phase Digi+ voltage regulator module (VRM), and more.

The new board will be available soon for $350 MSRP. In the meantime, you can check out its product page here.

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Can Your PC Handle Grand Theft Auto V in 4K?

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 10:53 AM PDT

GTA VRockstar Games discusses GTA V's 4K requirements

After numerous delays, Grand Theft Auto V is finally set to release on Windows-based PCs on April 14, 2015, otherwise known as next Tuesday. It's been a long, excruciating wait -- GTA V first shipped to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles on September 17...2013! -- and in hopes of renewing interest in PC gamers who have moved on from being excited about the title, Rockstar Games has added a bunch of goodies, one of which is the ability to run the game at 4K, provided your PC can handle it.

Our sister site PC Gamer reached out to Rockstar Games to find out what players will need to run at 4K, and surprisingly enough, dual GPUs won't necessarily be required. Heck, you don't even need a GTX 980 caliber card.

As Rockstar Toronto's president Kevin Hoare tells it, "to run the game on a 4k display at 30fps, you'll need at minimum an AMD HD 7870 or Nvidia GTX 760 with 2GB of VRAM." Not too shabby. To run on a 4K display at 60fps, that's where Hoare says you'll need a "high-end SLI or Crossfire setup."

According to Hoare, there will be a ton of graphics options to tweak, giving the user fairly robust control over finding a balance between graphical eye candy and high framerates.

"One of the lessons we have learned over the years through Grand Theft Auto IV and Max Payne 3 on PC was that people want the freedom to configure their system to suit their preferences," Hoare said.

Assuming you're still interested, GTA V for PC is still available for pre-order for around $60 at several online locations. Those who do may be eligible to receive $1.2 million of in-game currency ($500,000 for GTA V and $700,000 for GTA Online), plus a bonus $150,000 for GTA Online.

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Dell Venue 10 7000 Android Tablet Goes After Business Users

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 08:47 AM PDT

Dell Venue 10 7000A premium tablet with a premium price tag

If you thought the days of paying $500 or more for an Android tablet were over and done with, think again. Dell has unveiled its Venue 10 7000, its latest tablet in its premium Android portfolio and the bigger brother to the Venue 8 7000. Or you can view it as an Android version of Microsoft's Surface -- you can add an optional full-size detachable (magnetic) keyboard to transform the tablet into a convertible.

The Venue 10 7000 starts at $499 for the bare tablet, or $629 with keyboard. A tough sell compared to Android slates that cost hundreds of dollars less, though Dell is hoping business users will be tempted by the Venue 10 7000's sleek design, backlit keyboard that can position the slate in five different configurations, and high-end features like a 10.5-inch edge-to-edge OLED display with a 2560x1600 resolution.

Other stats include an Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core processor clocked at up to 2.3GHz, 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, front-firing stereo speakers with MaxxAudio Waves tuning, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Miracast support, 8-megapixel rear-facing Intel RealSense depth camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, microAB USB 2.0 port, headphone/microphone combo jack, and 7,000mAh battery.

More RAM would have been welcome for the price, especially since some high-end smartphones come with 3GB these days. Otherwise, it's a fairly decent collection of hardware and features.

Dell Venue 10 7000 Keyboard

On the software side, it comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop and will be enabled for Android for Work, which separates business apps from personal apps so that you can use the same device for work and play. Business data is also encrypted. Furthermore, the platform takes advantage of multi-user support in Android to create a managed profile with its own set of secure apps that can be provisioned and controlled by IT and wiped remotely without affecting personal data.

Intrigued? If so, look for the Dell Venue 10 7000 to be available in May.

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MMORPG News

MMORPG News


The Secret World: Funcom Teases Players with Mystery Images

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 07:45 AM PDT

Funcom Teases Players with Mystery Images

Funcom has posted a new pair of images on The Secret World Facebook page that they say should "help clear things up". The images are obviously puzzle pieces of a larger picture that teases...what? You tell us!

Age of Conan: Unchained: Second Round of Achievements Added

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 07:16 AM PDT

Second Round of Achievements Added

The latest Age of Conan update is now live and it contains the second round of achievements to be added this year. There are several more achievements for players to collect. There are also some bug fixes and enhancements and the addition of 130 panoramas for players to feast their eyes on.

Guild Wars 2: Stronghold Public Beta to be Held on April 24th

Posted: 07 Apr 2015 06:13 PM PDT

Stronghold Public Beta to be Held on April 24th

Guild Wars 2 players looking to get a look at one of the most anticipated features of the forthcoming Heart of Thorns expansion will have a chance to do so for 24-hours on April 24th. During the special event, all players can log into Heart of Thorns and try out the Stronghold PvP feature shipping with the expansion.

Cabal 2: The Force Archer and Force Blader Revealed

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 01:35 PM PDT

The Force Archer and Force Blader Revealed

We've teamed up with the ESTsoft folks dive deep into Cabal 2's six unique classes. Last time it was the Cloth wearers, and this week we're focusing on the death-dealing leather-wearing Force Archer and Force Blader.

Elder Scrolls Online: ESO & Skyrim Books to be Released April 24th & May 25th

Posted: 09 Apr 2015 06:45 AM PDT

ESO & Skyrim Books to be Released April 24th & May 25th

Tales of Tamriel Vol 1: The Land, a volume based on Elder Scrolls Online, will be released on April 24th. The book will contain in-game text accompanied by over a hundred exclusive commissioned pieces of art.

Sword Coast Legends: Two Companion Bios Released

Posted: 07 Apr 2015 06:54 PM PDT

Two Companion Bios Released

The Sword Coast Legends team has released a pair of background biographies on two of the companions that will be featured in Sword Coast Legends, Illydia, an elven cleric and Larethar Gulgrin, a gold dwarf rogue. The bios give some background on the companion, general information about each one's race, and a picture too.

Dark Age of Camelot: First-Ever Newsletter / Update Published

Posted: 07 Apr 2015 05:42 PM PDT

First-Ever Newsletter / Update Published

The Dark Age of Camelot team has published the first-ever monthly update for the game and it is packed with all sorts of interesting information and links to what has been going on in the last month, as well as a peek ahead at what players can expect to see coming in the near future.

Star Trek Online: Iconian Reputation & Rewards Coming in Season 10

Posted: 07 Apr 2015 05:25 PM PDT

Iconian Reputation & Rewards Coming in Season 10

During Season 10 in Star Trek Online, players of all factions will be banding together to stop the Iconian threat. As part of the reward system for assisting in the endeavor, players can earn Iconian Marks by completing repeatable queued events that feature the Iconian Heralds. More Marks can be earned if players choose to scale the event to a higher level and successfully complete the event.

World of Warcraft: Token Supply Exceeding Buyer Demand, Price Tumbles

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 04:06 PM PDT

Token Supply Exceeding Buyer Demand, Price Tumbles

The 30,000 gold initial price for a World of Warcraft game time token on the auction house has tumbled to just over 21,300 a mere twenty-four hours after deployment. While the tokens are selling well, the number available is currently exceeding the demand of the players looking to purchase one. Bargain hunters looking for a great price for 30-days subscription time should keep an eye on WoWToken.Info to assess the current going price.

General: WEBZEN 6th Anniversary Gift Giveaway!

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 02:33 PM PDT

WEBZEN 6th Anniversary Gift Giveaway!

MMORPG.com is very pleased to present WEBZEN.COM's 6th Anniversary Item Key Giveaway! To celebrate its 6th anniversary on April 7th, we have partnered with WEBZEN to give away a free item pack for your favorite game of WEBZEN.com.

Lineage 2: Infinite Odyssey Set to Launch April 22nd

Posted: 06 Apr 2015 05:00 PM PDT

Infinite Odyssey Set to Launch April 22nd

Just in time for its eleventh anniversary, the Lineage II team has announced that the next expansion, Infinite Odyssey, will officially launch on April 22nd. Infinite Odyssey continues the story of Leona Blackbird and her army with new quests, zones, skills and more. In addition, the level cap is being removed completely. To celebrate today's announcement, NCSoft has released a brand new trailer. See what you think!

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Blackrock Mountain Week One Postmortem

Posted: 07 Apr 2015 10:54 PM PDT

Blackrock Mountain Week One Postmortem

I've got a love/hate relationship with these Hearthstone adventure modes. Five weeks until all the goodies are unlocked? Ugh! Still, it's been an interesting last few days with a couple of new cards in the wild leading to the rise of some fun decks. With week one out of the way, let's take a look at some of the new developments.

General: Windward to Set Sail on May 12th

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:47 AM PDT

Windward to Set Sail on May 12th

Tasharen Entertainment has announced that its sandbox sailing MMO, Windward, will officially launch onto the high seas of the Internet on May 12th. Erstwhile skippers will be captains of their own destiny as they explore the procedurally generated world in their own ships.

War Thunder: World War II Chronicles Announced

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:35 AM PDT

World War II Chronicles Announced

Gaijin Entertainment has announced the start of a new War Thunder game play feature called World War II Chronicle. During Chronicle battles, players will be able to explore a "virtual recreation" of epic battles from the Second World War. Players will be able to earn special trophies and premium vehicles by taking part. Check out the trailer below for more.

General: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Announcement Trailer

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:26 AM PDT

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Announcement Trailer

Hot on the heels of yesterday's revelation of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Square Enix has released the official announcement trailer to give players a cinematic look at the forthcoming multi-platform title. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Asteroids: Outpost: Gameplay Trailer Released

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:13 AM PDT

Gameplay Trailer Released

Atari has released a brand new game play trailer for its forthcoming title, Asteroids Outpost. The video contains over a minutes of pre-alpha footage for your viewing pleasure. Check it out!

Camelot Unchained: Backers Can Drop in for Alpha Testing Now!

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:21 AM PDT

Backers Can Drop in for Alpha Testing Now!

In a surprise announcement on the Camelot Unchained Facebook page, the team has indicated that alpha testers can log into the game right now.

General: MMO Hall of Fame Names 2015 Inductees

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:13 AM PDT

MMO Hall of Fame Names 2015 Inductees

The MMO Hall of Fame, an online museum covering MMORPGs, has announced that Lineage 2 and Anarchy Online are the 2015 inductees. These two games beat out nearly two hundred eligible titles including Runes of Magic, League of Legends and Aion to win the honor.

Elder Scrolls Online: Beta Players Invited to Return

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:05 AM PDT

Beta Players Invited to Return

Zenimax and Bethesda are inviting Elder Scrolls Online beta players back to Tamriel during a special event running from Thursday, April 16th through Monday, April 20th. During the event, beta players who never purchased ESO will be able to come back and check out the massive number of changes since the earliest stages of the game and the new Tamriel Unlimited B2P version.

General: Developer Appreciation Week

Posted: 07 Apr 2015 04:51 PM PDT

Developer Appreciation Week

Do players mistreat developers? Are we too negative about the games we don't like? It's Developer Appreciation Week in the blogosphere and Tales from the Neighborhood is looking at a few great posts in support those folks who work tirelessly to keep us entertained.

EVE Online: LIVE: Two Coalitions Lead Massive Interstellar Battle

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:55 AM PDT

LIVE: Two Coalitions Lead Massive Interstellar Battle

CCP has let us know that one of the largest interstellar battles in recent memory is taking place right now in EVE Online. According to the tip, two of the game's largest coalitions are fighting a battle royal in an unnamed solar system. The event is being broadcast live on Daopa's Twitch.tv channel. Head on over to check it out.

WildStar: Initialization Core Y-83 20-Player Raid Revealed

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:50 AM PDT

Initialization Core Y-83 20-Player Raid Revealed

In a new WildStar developer blog penned by Tom "Hildogen" Cassera, the first 20-player raid coming in the Invasion: Nexus update has been revealed. Called "Initialization Core Y-83, the raid will not require attunement but will have an optional "prologue" quest to set the stage.

Skyforge: Distortions Add Another Dimension to Endgame Play

Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:17 AM PDT

Distortions Add Another Dimension to Endgame Play

The Skyforge site has been updated with a new developer blog to lay out another component of end game play. Called "Distortions", these special events become available after players have unlocked their divine forms and if Pantheons have access to a special piece of equipment called an Analyzer. Using the Analyzer on the tactical globe in the Divine Observatory, groups will be able to see special distortions marked on the map.

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