General Gaming Article |
- Newegg Daily Deals: EVGA 1,000W Silent PSU, Intel Core i5-4690K, and More!
- Comcast Boosts Discounted Broadband Service to 10Mbps
- Skylake-S Processor Price List Leaks Ahead of Launch
- Asus ROG Outs New Gaming Mouse Called GX860 Buzzard
- Keyboard CEO: Obstacles for the Steam Machine to Overcome
- Windows 10 Uses Your Upload Bandwidth to Update Other PCs
- Windows 10 is Coming to Xbox One in November
- Acer Rolls Out Super Cheap Laptops Running Windows 10
- Fake Windows 10 Update Email Spotted With Ransomware
- Newegg Daily Deals: Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, Thermaltake 600W PSU, and More!
- Streaming Xbox One To Windows 10 Revisited
| Newegg Daily Deals: EVGA 1,000W Silent PSU, Intel Core i5-4690K, and More! Posted: 04 Aug 2015 01:48 PM PDT Top Deal: Do you hear that noise? No? Listen harder. Still nothing? Great! That's the benefit of a low noise and/or silent power supply. And no, you don't have to compromise performance for silence. Want proof? Check out today's top deal for an EVGA 1,000W Super Silent Power Supply for $170 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR43]; additional $35 mail-in-rebate). The fan only runs when necessary, so under light loads, there's nothing to hear. On top of that, this is a 1,000W model that's fully modular and 80 Plus Platinum certified. Oh, and it's backed by a 7-year warranty, too! Other Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card for $330 with free shipping (normally $340 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR22]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor for $230 with $2 shipping (normally $240 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR89]) Coboc 6 ft. 28AWG DisplayPort Male to DVI-D(24+1) Male Passive Adatper Converter Cable for $8 with free shipping (normally $9 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR82]) Samsung D3 Station 4TB USB 3.0 3.5-inch Desktop External Hard Drive for $100 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR63]) |
| Comcast Boosts Discounted Broadband Service to 10Mbps Posted: 04 Aug 2015 01:34 PM PDT Double the speed, but is it enough? Comcast is doubling the speed of its low-cost Internet Essentials service to 10Mbps, the company announced today. It's the third time the discounted tier has seen a speed increase since it was introduced to low income families four years ago. In addition, both new and existing Internet Essentials customers will receive a free Wi-Fi router so that everyone in the home can have Internet access at the same time. Comcast also points out that customers could potentially save even more money by connecting their smartphones to the Internet service via Wi-Fi, thereby using less cellular data. Finally, Comcast is expanding its auto-enrollment by making more schools eligible. Under the new policy, if a student attends a school where at least half of the students are eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program, all student families in that school are automatically eligible for Internet Essentials. "We have made real and measurable progress in closing the digital divide in America over the past four years. Through the end of July 2015, we have connected more than 500,000 low-income families, or more than 2 million Americans, to the power of the Internet in their homes," Comcast stated in a blog post. Though this is the third time Comcast has bumped up the speed of its Internet Essentials service, it's still less than half of the 25Mbps benchmark that the Federal Communications Commission set at the beginning of the year. "Using this updated service benchmark, the 2015 report finds that 55 million Americans -- 17 percent of the population -- lack access to advanced broadband," the FCC stated (PDF) at the time. "Moreover, a significant digital divide remains between urban and rural America: Over half of all rural Americans lack access to 25Mbps/3Mbps service." Creation of the Internet Essentials program was one of the conditions for government approval of Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal. |
| Skylake-S Processor Price List Leaks Ahead of Launch Posted: 04 Aug 2015 12:54 PM PDT Pricing out Skylake-S If you're planning to build a system around Intel's Skylake-S architecture, it would be helpful to know how much the CPUs will cost, would it not? In all likelihood, you'll find out official price points tomorrow when Intel is supposed to launch Skylake-S, but in the meantime, there's a leaked price list making the rounds. Assuming the information is legit, pricing will range from $170 (Core i5-6400T) to $316 (Core i7-6700K) in thousand-unit trays. That means retail pricing will be a little higher, or maybe a lot higher, depending on how much price gouging takes place. Here's a look at the processor lineup with specs and prices, broken down by TDP, according to Chinese language website BenchLife.info. Skylake-S 95W TDP
Skylake-S 65W TDP
Skylake-S 35W TDP
The K Series Skylake-S parts with 95W TDPs all have unlocked multipliers. Early evidence suggests they're overclock fairly well, even on air cooling, though just like the pricing info above, you should take all early reports of Skylake-S with a grain of salt. In the middle are Intel's mainstream Skylake-S processors with 65W TDPs. These will sport locked multipliers, but will reportedly have extended BCLK options for overclocking. Finally, the 35W TPD T Series features low power options and slower clockspeeds. Bear in mind that if you're planning a Skylake-S upgrade, you'll need a new motherboard with an LGA 1151 socket. You may also have to buy new RAM -- even though Skylake-S supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory, all of the compatible motherboards that we've seen so far have been Z170-chipset models with DDR4 DIMM slots. |
| Asus ROG Outs New Gaming Mouse Called GX860 Buzzard Posted: 04 Aug 2015 12:24 PM PDT A new gaming mouse from Asus ROGLooking for a new mouse for your gaming rig? The Republic of Gamers arm of Asus has introduced a new mouse "ergonomically designed" for long gaming sessions. Called the GX860 Buzzard, this peripheral includes high-quality Omron switches, LED illumination (red, orange, or green), and a two-way DPI switch. "ROG GX860 is a high-performance gaming mouse without compromise," the company boasts. "Our engineers pooled their unrivalled expertise and conducted extensive trials and testing to create a mouse that caters to all gamers across all gaming genres. It epitomizes the ROG spirit—ambidextrous design, high-accuracy laser sensor, customizable controls, and a smooth-glide underside." The mouse includes an Avago 9800 laser sensor capable of DPI settings between 50 and 8,200. The device also provides programmable left, right, and scroll-wheel buttons; three programmable side buttons; two programmable DPI resolution switches; and two built-in forward and back buttons. All buttons have a 5 million–click lifespan. Asus says that the mouse has an ergonomic design "that suits all grip types," but it's designed only for right-handed gamers (sorry lefties). The Buzzard also utilizes fluoropolymer feet so that it can fly across your desktop space with ease. The side grips are heat-resistant, non-peeling and sport a "Mayan-inspired" detailing. Packed with the new mouse is a program for customizing the device. Users can change the color of the LED lighting, program the buttons, and change the double-click speed, the USB polling, the height cut-off, and more. Once the mouse is tweaked to perfection, users can test their mouse settings in a virtual test arena. Unfortunately, Asus did not provide availability or pricing, so keep an eye out for this mouse (if it tickles your fancy, of course) at your favorite electronics retailer. |
| Keyboard CEO: Obstacles for the Steam Machine to Overcome Posted: 04 Aug 2015 12:16 PM PDT |
| Windows 10 Uses Your Upload Bandwidth to Update Other PCs Posted: 04 Aug 2015 10:32 AM PDT Take back your bandwidth At last unofficial account, Windows 10 had been downloaded and installed on tens of millions of devices, and that number may be in the hundreds of millions at this point. A big reason why is because Microsoft is giving the OS away for free as a no-cost upgrade for existing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. That's really swell of Microsoft, though if you're one of the millions who are now on Windows 10, did you know that your PC is configured by default to help dole out updates to other PCs? It's part of a feature called Windows Update Deliver Optimization (WUDO). What it does is allow your PC to snag Windows updates and Windows Store apps from sources in addition to Microsoft. It's intended to help people with limited or unreliable Internet connections, as it can reduce the amount of Internet bandwidth that's required to update all the PCs in your home. Sounds neat, but there's a caveat. By default (in Windows 10 Home and Pro), you're not just sharing and plucking updates and apps with other PCs in your own home network, you're also uploading data to PCs on the Internet. Here's the relevant bit of info: "Delivery Optimization also sends updates and apps from your PC to other PCs on your local network or PCs on the Internet," Microsoft explains. According to ZDNet, this option is turned on by default in Windows 10, and without any heads up during the installation process. Knowledge is power, right? Once you know what's going on, there's something you can do about it (if you're not keen on donating your upload bandwidth). One option is to disable WUDO altogether. To do that, go to Start > Settings > Updates & security > Windows Update > Advanced options, select Choose how updates are delivered, and toggle Delivery Optimization off. Another option is to leave it on, but select the "PCs on my local network" radio button instead of the "PCs on my local network, and PCs on the Internet" option. Finally, it's worth pointing out that WUDO will avoid metered connections. To mark your connected as metered, go to Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Advanced options and toggle "Set as metered connection." |
| Windows 10 is Coming to Xbox One in November Posted: 04 Aug 2015 09:54 AM PDT Although we knew Windows 10 would arrive on the Xbox One console later this year, Microsoft revealed during its Gamescom press conference that the new Windows 10–powered interface will begin rolling out in November. But don't worry, Xbox One owners: the Windows 10 update won't turn it into a game-playing desktop. "We won't see people using Excel on the Xbox, but Microsoft is making it easier to port experiences from PC over to Xbox where they make sense," Xbox boss Phil Spencer said back in January. Not too long ago, there were reports that Microsoft was working to bring full mouse and keyboard support to the Xbox One. Although the console supports keyboard-based input, presumably the company is working to make these peripherals accessible within Xbox One games. That would certainly fit into the company's plans to bring PC games to the Xbox One. The new Xbox One dashboard was revealed during E3 2015 back in June. The interface will feature a simplified design and throw out the current tile-based design. As it stands now, the current Xbox One interface is somewhat annoying to navigate, but Microsoft plans to make the Xbox a more enjoyable experience by making the interface more streamlined so that owners can get to their content faster. To make the Xbox One experience more personal, the free Windows 10 update arriving this fall will also include Cortana, Microsoft's virtual personal assistant. Unfortunately, Xbox One owners will need the Kinect to use Cortana, as she accepts verbal commands. So far, there's no indication that Cortana will be compatible with Xbox One headsets. In addition to the Windows 10–based interface, the Xbox One will also finally support backward compatibility. Also arriving in November, this update will be free and allow Xbox One gamers to play their older Xbox 360 games on the newer console. Currently, this service is in beta and available to preview members. Compatible titles include Gears of War, Shadow Complex, Mass Effect, Perfect Dark, and more. What will be interesting to see is how the refreshed Xbox One will play with Windows 10 PCs. The operating system launched last week and allows Xbox One gamers to stream their favorite games to the Windows 10 Xbox app. The console update is expected to bring both the Windows PC and console closer together in regard to cross-platform gameplay. |
| Acer Rolls Out Super Cheap Laptops Running Windows 10 Posted: 04 Aug 2015 09:09 AM PDT Chromebook killer? Acer on Tuesday announced a pair of "online-oriented" Aspire One Cloudbooks. You can think of them as Chromebooks for Windows users, at least in terms of price and hardware. Or you can view them as modern day netbooks for the Windows 10 era of computing. No matter how you slice it, these inexpensive laptops could boost the adoption rate of Windows 10, assuming they're a hit with customers. Alternately, they could carve out a niche following in the education sector, which would still boost Windows 10's adoption rate (just not as much) with the added bonus (for Microsoft) of bumping Google's competing Chromebook platform out of the market. Acer's Cloudbooks could also flop. Either way, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, so let's reverse course a little bit and look at the hardware and features. There are three models. The first, and least expensive, is the Cloudbook 11 (A01-131-C7DW) available this month from Microsoft. It runs $170 and features an 11.6-inch HD (1366x768) display, Intel Celeron N3050 dual-core processor, Intel HD Graphics supporting DirectX 12, 2GB of DDR3L memory, 16GB of internal storage, HD audio (two stereo speakers), USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports (one each), HDMI output, headphone/speaker/line-out jack, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, SD card reader, 640x480 webcam, and of course Windows 10 Home. There's a second model (AO1-131-C1G9) with twice as much storage (32GB) for $190, and it too will be available from Microsoft this month, though a bigger upgrade is the Cloudbook 14 (AO1-431-C8G8). The Cloudbook 14 will be available at Walmart in October for $200. It will sport the same specs as the $190, but with a 14-inch display and a 3-cell battery instead of a 2-cell. All three will come with a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal and up to 1TB of OneDrive storage. None of this may seem all that exciting for power users, but then again, enthusiasts don't represent the target audience here. The appeal is the low price tag for a laptop that runs Windows. Like Chromebooks, these could be viable options for little Johnny returning to school or as a second (or third) PC for lightweight computing on the go. |
| Fake Windows 10 Update Email Spotted With Ransomware Posted: 04 Aug 2015 06:53 AM PDT Now that Windows 10 is out and about, many consumers who "reserved" a spot in the rollout may be disappointed that their copy of the new OS wasn't available on day one. According to Microsoft, the wait could range from days to weeks. The Windows 10 notification app that resides on the system tray will presumably notify the customer when the update is downloaded and ready to install. That said, hackers are taking advantage of the Windows 10 wait by sending out emails with ransomware. The email looks legit to the naked eye, with a Microsoft-based color theme and a "from" address field pointing to an update at Microsoft dot com address. However, upon closer examination of the email's IP address, the message originates from Thailand, not Redmond. "There are a couple of red flags associated with the text of the email," writes Cisco in its latest security blog. "As you can see below, there are several characters that don't parse properly. This could be due to the targeted audience, a demographic using a non-standard character set, or the character set the adversaries were using to craft the email." The malicious email contains a ZIP file that must be downloaded and extracted by the user. Inside the ZIP is an executable disguised as a Windows 10 update file, but instead it's CTB-Locker, a ransomware variant that encrypts the user's personal files. The infected consumer must fork out money to the hacker within 96 hours or the files will be encrypted forever. "Currently, Talos is detecting the ransomware being delivered to users at a high rate," Cisco reports. "Whether it is via spam messages or exploit kits, adversaries are dropping a huge amount of different variants of ransomware. The functionality is standard however, using asymmetric encryption that allows the adversaries to encrypt the user's files without having the decryption key reside on the infected system." Cisco suggests that consumers back up their data and store the files offline. Of course, customers should also avoid downloading attachments from unknown sources although in this case the email looks like a legit message from Microsoft. Customers should also keep their security solutions up-to-date. For those not wanting to wait in line for Windows 10, Microsoft offers a tool for creating a bootable USB drive. Customers can run the executable within the Windows 7/8.1 environment or boot into the installer. As far as we know, Microsoft will not send an email stating that the platform is ready to be installed. |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, Thermaltake 600W PSU, and More! Posted: 04 Aug 2015 06:10 AM PDT Top Deal: Skylake is coming and perhaps you're planning a new build. The exciting part is picking out all the components -- a new CPU, DDR4 memory (DDR3 will work as well, if you get a compatible motherboard), Z170 motherboard, a blazing fast SSD, and so forth. When you're shopping components, don't forget a hard drive for mundane storage duties. You know, something like today's top deal for a Western Digital Blue 1TB Internal Hard Drive for $45 with free shipping (normally $53 - use coupon code: [ESCAVPK26]). This drive uses Advanced Format Technology; can store up to 200,000 photos, 250,000 MP3 files, or 120 hours of video; and is backed by a 2-year warranty. Other Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory for $80 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [EMCAVPK23]) TP-LINK TL-WA801ND Wireless N300 Access Point for $20 with free shipping (normally $25 - use coupon code: [EMCAVPK55]) Thermaltake TR2 TR-600 600W Power Supply for $45 with free shipping (normally $50 - use coupon code: [EMCAVPK65]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Ergotron LX Wall Mount LCD Arm for $123 with free shipping (normally $133 - use coupon code: [EMCAVPK58]) |
| Streaming Xbox One To Windows 10 Revisited Posted: 04 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT A closer look at streaming Xbox One to Windows 10Over the last several months, we have taken a close look at a number of features provided by the just-launched Windows 10 operating system. These hands-on experiences included Cortana, the Edge browser, the new Start Menu and more. One of our favorite features was the Xbox app, which we called Microsoft's exclusive social network for Xbox and PC gamers. Don't let that description fool you: the Xbox app is more than just a social tool. Its biggest feature is its game streaming abilities, which allows an Xbox One owner to stream their games to the Xbox app on Windows 10. This is an important achievement on Microsoft's part, as it narrows the gap between Xbox One and PC gamers. But the streaming isn't just about playing Xbox One games on the PC. Xbox One owners can stream mostly anything that's on the console, whether it's simply browsing through the Xbox Store or listening to music via Groove. To navigate Xbox One through the Windows 10 app, all you need is a wired or wireless controller connected to the PC. You don't need an official controller either, as we're using a Rock Candy Xbox 360 controller purchased for $15 at Walmart. As we noted in our Xbox app article, we couldn't get the streaming to work. A team of generous Microsoft engineers offered a few suggestions in getting it to cooperate, but eventually we broke down and purchased another Xbox One, which worked for streaming right out of the box. The issue we had with the first console was that we were logged into both the app and console using the same gamertag, but the Xbox app insisted that we needed to log in on the console. If you're experiencing this problem as well, a Microsoft executive said that this is a known (but rare) bug that will be addressed in the next Xbox One update. To get the streaming to work, gamers will need to have the Windows 10 PC and Xbox One console on the same access point on the network. Range extenders are great for stretching the network to dead zones in a large home or office, and if the Xbox One is connected to one of these access points, the Windows 10 machine needs to be connected to this access point as well. For this article, we have a Windows 10 PC (wired) and an Xbox One (wireless) connecting straight to the router/modem provided by Time Warner Cable. Consumers with a dual-band router may want to consider connecting via the less-congested 5GHz band, although for this test we have taken the 2.4GHz road. That's because many gamers may be using the 2.4GHz band by default, and 5GHz has a harder time penetrating walls. That said, the detailed network statistics on the Xbox One show a download speed of 5.83Mb/s, an upload speed on 2.15Mb/s and a wireless strength of 85 percent. With the Xbox One already connected to the network and logged in, the next step is to make sure that "Allow game streaming to other devices (beta)" is checked on the console. This setting can be found under "Settings / Preferences / System & App." After that, gamers must log into the Xbox app on the Windows 10 PC using the same credentials. Again, this is where we had a problem with the first Xbox One: We signed into both with the same account but the Xbox app said that we still needed to log in to the console. Both consoles currently use OS version 6.2.13194.0, so the problem had nothing to do with the version the first Xbox One was using. With both the Windows 10 PC and Xbox One ready to go, gamers can begin the streaming process by going into the Xbox app and clicking "Connect." In our case, we have two Xbox One consoles connected to the network. If the console is turned off, you can remotely power up the device. Once the console is ready to play, simply hit "connect" on the right side of the "Connect to your Xbox One" window. A successful connection will flash a notification on the Xbox One. As we reported in the hands-on, once the Xbox app is connected to the console, you'll see controls for adjusting the console's volume. There's also a virtual remote control for when the Xbox One is connected to a cable or satellite set-top box, a virtual controller (for tablets), an option to test the streaming, the streaming button itself, and options for disconnecting, forgetting the console, connecting automatically, and turning off the console. To get the party started, hit the Streaming link in the top-right corner. In our test, the Xbox One pumped the Home screen to the Xbox app by default. Again, we used a Rock Candy controller, which was connected to the Windows 10 PC even though Microsoft recommends a wired Xbox One controller. Regardless, you can navigate the Xbox One OS with ease. Keep in mind that if you click the desktop with a mouse while you're streaming, the process will stop and the Xbox app will minimize to the taskbar. Simply click "resume" after you've reopened the app. So, what's the verdict? Is streaming to Windows 10 a waste of time? By all means, no. In fact, the experience was mostly flawless and pretty impressive, especially given that streaming is still in beta. We used Halo 4 as a test subject (yes, we bought the Halo edition of the Xbox One) and found lag to be minimal. Of course, we used a wired controller on a wired Windows 10 desktop, so the gameplay presumably will be a bit tighter than if Windows 10 wirelessly accesses the network. Still, with the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC sitting side-by-side, we could see very, very little latency between the two in regard to movement in the game. The imagery also seemingly remained unaffected, staying somewhat sharp even in heated battles. We tried to Stream Netflix to the Xbox app, but the popular service can't be streamed. "It's only for your console," the error reads. "To use Netflix on the console, you'll need to stop streaming on your PC." DRM at its best! To take our screenshots, we hit Win + G, which brought up a little toolbar at the bottom of the screen that includes the screenshot function and the means to record video, aka "Record That." If you don't want to use the toolbar, there are keyboard shortcuts: Win + Alt + G for recording the last thirty seconds, Win + Alt + R for start/stopping recording, Win + Alt + PrtScr for taking a screenshot and Win + Alt + T for turning the timer on or off. Ultimately, what we have here is a service Microsoft has needed for a long time. While streaming the Xbox One to the Windows 10 Xbox app is really cool, we understand that Microsoft is also looking into streaming PC games to the console. We assume this applies to games that are purchased in Windows Store. We also assume that Microsoft will have full, complete support for the mouse and keyboard combo by then (the Xbox One already supports keyboards). So, why do we really need Xbox One streaming to the Windows 10 Xbox app? Suppose the Xbox One is seated in the living room and you just don't feel like moving it. Gamers can load up the Xbox app on a laptop, connect a wired Xbox 360/One controller and play in bed, in the den, or perhaps even at friend or relatives house. As we've seen in our previous hands-on, Windows 10 users can turn the console on remotely and access the entire device from any Windows 10 computer that has the Xbox app installed. At a friend's house? Merely log into the Xbox app with your gamertag and then connect with the console. Easy peasy. As we stressed in previous coverage, what we'd like to see is Facebook and Twitter integration in the Xbox app. For now, however, the Xbox app is still fun to use and a good way to keep up with your Xbox and Windows 10 friends. Welcome to Windows 10 and have fun with your new Xbox app and the Xbox One! |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC latest stories To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
