General Gaming Article |
- Intel Soon Launching Xeon Chips for Laptops
- Maximum PC's Turbo Build, Summer 2015
- Newegg Daily Deals: Cooler Master HAF X Case, Corsair 850W PSU, and More!
- Microsoft Tries Hand at Teaching Comedy to Computers
- Possible Specs for Nvidia's Mainstream GeForce GTX 950
| Intel Soon Launching Xeon Chips for Laptops Posted: 10 Aug 2015 06:23 PM PDT Intel announced on Monday that the company is bringing its server-focused Xeon processors to notebooks. These mobile chips will be based on Intel's sixth-generation "Skylake" architecture, which is the same architecture found in Intel's desktop processors launched last week. The first in the new Xeon family for mobile will be the Xeon Processor E3-1500M Product Family. Note that this is fundamentally different from the use of desktop Xeon processors that we've previously seen in high-end notebooks. For example, the Clevo P570WM uses LGA2011 processors, and companies have supported up to the Xeon E5-2687 v2 (12-core, 2.7-3.5GHz, 130W) in products like the Panther 5. These new parts will be mobile-focused, which among other things will mean lower TDPs. "Intel Xeon-based mobile workstations will have key features such as error-correcting code memory that automatically detects and repairs errors on-the-fly that cause data corruption and system crashes for peace-of-mind reliability," Intel says in a blog. In addition to taking advantage of built-in Intel vPro Technology, mobile workstations with Xeon processors will also support Thunderbolt 3, which is based on the reversible USB-C and promises speeds of up to 40Gbps. Intel also states that it will offer certifications for CAD and engineering applications as well as digital content creation. Unfortunately, that's all the information Intel is revealing regarding its upcoming Xeon chips for notebooks. We don't know core counts, clock speeds, TDP, or anything else right now. However, the company said that the Xeon chip will be made available soon. Intel also promises that notebooks with Xeon chips will provide the "high precision computing horsepower" found in a desktop workstation. "As you can see there is a lot for content creators, designers and engineers to get excited about," the company says. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum PC's Turbo Build, Summer 2015 Posted: 10 Aug 2015 12:41 PM PDT This overclocker's plaything is for the enthusiast with deep pockets and a craving for performanceWhen we get a big budget to build a system, we tend to turn giddy with anticipation. It's like Christmas for us. There are few machines that we get to build that top the specs of our Turbo build, save a couple of Build Its or our Dream Machine. Needless to say, this machine screams performance. With a $3,000 budget to play with, we get to pick top-tier components that can accommodate overclockers and demanding gamers alike. While $3,000 sounds like (and is) a really big budget for most, we regularly review boutique systems that can cost up to $10,000. When taken into context, the $3,000 Turbo is still a value, and makes our $1,500 Midrange build really seem modest in comparison. Even with $3,000 to spend, we still have to make some compromises. It seems hard to believe, we know, but this machine can't push everything to the max because some components just haven't come down in price enough yet. So we have to make a few compromises, although any of them seem small when you're using an i7-5930K. So, enough of the introduction. What did we put in this machine? Let's take a look:
Prices reflect in-cart prices at time of procurement. Prices and availability are subject to change. This build certainly lives up to its moniker, and has plenty of high-performance parts that will make any enthusiast's mouth water. Let's take a closer look at the choices we made. CPUWe wanted a top-tier CPU to play with, and we definitely got what we asked for with the Core i7-5930K. The next jump up, the 5960X, is about twice the price for only two more cores. That's almost $250 per extra core. For us, that's pricey, even for our hefty budget. This hexa-core CPU is unlocked, and overclocking is one of the CPU's main draws. Cooled by the trusty NZXT Kraken X61, we have plenty of thermal headroom to play with. At idle, this cooler keeps the CPU around 29 degrees Celsius. The Kraken fit nicely into the roomy CM Storm Trooper, though the big case made routing the fan and power cables for the cooler a little uglier than we would have preferred. While everything reaches where it needs to be, builders might want to have a couple of extensions for the USB and PWM pinouts on hand to make cable management a little nicer. GPUWhat may strike some readers as odd is our decision to drop a pair of GTX 980s in favor of a single GTX 980Ti. The performance hit is substantial, but overall, we were still able to get playable frame rates in our 4K-gaming benchmarks. We took this hit in order to create room in our budget for the M.2 SSD we chose, but we also made sure to keep enough extra watts in the power supply to allow for a second 980Ti as an upgrade. We went with MSI's factory-overclocked implementation to get the most out of the single card. We didn't overclock the video card in our tests, but we've been able to get moderate overclocks with EVGA's factory-overclocked 980Tis in other tests. We expect that we could push clocks with MSI's card a bit if we chose. The one advantage the single 980TI has over the pair of 980s is the 6GB of memory over the 980's 4GB. While it doesn't completely make up for the drop in raw compute power, it does lessen the sting just a bit. MotherboardThe X99S SLI Plus isn't adorned with the red dragon of MSI's gaming brand, but that's OK. By just about all other counts, this is a performance mobo. The back panel doesn't disappoint, and all eight of the USB ports besides the two ports for your mouse and keyboard are USB 3.0. The other big selling point for this mobo was the M.2 connection. We wanted to go big on the data transfer on our storage, and there really was no better way to do it than to step up to the M.2 standard. The BIOS can be a little confusing to use, but offered enough features for us. We had to make sure the M.2 port was in PCIe mode, which caused big problems when we wanted to install Windows 10 to run some tests. Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 installed just fine without additional drivers, and the Windows 10 installation worked as expected when we switched the M.2 to SATA mode. We went into deeper detail about this in an article about Windows 10 graphics performance. It's worth noting that when we ran our benchmarks, there were no Windows 10 drivers for this motherboard. We looked again about a day ago and found that MSI had added Windows 10 drivers for this board on their website, so we have fewer concerns there. Everything ElseThe big thing to notice about this build is the SSD. At $470, a 480GB SSD is quite pricey, but what we were after was the transfer speeds. When we were shopping for an SSD, we knew we wanted M.2 in this build, but many of the cheaper SSDs only offer read and write speeds that are on par with their SATA brethren. To take full advantage of M.2's promised speed boost, you have to pay a premium, and that premium is high. For that price, you can get four 128GB Samsung 850 Pros (about $103 each), or add $20 to get the $494 1TB model of the 850 Pro. Readers might also note that the Cooler Master CM Storm Trooper made a return as the Turbo case of choice. The case is a big steel frame, complete with a handle. You'll need that handle, too: This thing is heavy. It's definitely not a case to take to a BYOC LAN party, unless frag day is stepping in for arms day at the gym. All that weight does make the case feel durable. It's tall size can accommodate up to an extended ATX board, which makes our ATX board look small in comparison. However, there's something to be said about having lots of room to work. Having that space (and beveled-out side panels) makes cable management easy, even if some cables have to stretch a little bit to get where they need to be. The two drive cages are removable and can face either sideways or to the front, depending on the builder's presence. We decided to keep the bottom cage that housed the two spinning drive mounted sideways, and turned the top cage to the front, so the fan could push air toward our video card. Speaking of fans, the radiator and fans for the Kraken fit nicely up top in the case. The plastic panel that forms the top molding has easy-to-use pop-out tabs that make removing and reinstalling the molding a breeze. Finally, the RAM we chose is pricey for memory. We could have gotten away with using G.Skill's RAM that's more moderately priced, but we used these modules in a couple of builds last month, and we liked what we saw. The modules also feature white LED lighting, which doesn't sell us on them by themselves, but was a nice touch when we powered on the rig. So, how did this thing fare in our benchmarks? Let's take a look. BenchmarksWhile our zero point's trio of GTX 980s in SLI dominate all of our Turbo's builds in Batman: Arkham City, once we step into the realm of 4K resolutions, the Turbo's 980Ti begins to shine. It's a much closer race at 2160p in both Shadow of Mordor and Tomb Raider, with Shadow of Mordor having less of a gap. The important thing to know is both 4K games benchmarked well within the realms of playable frame rates with a single GPU. That's impressive, and gave us a sense of vindication for going with the single GPU over an SLI setup. There was a sacrifice, but it looks like it wasn't crippling. For raw 3D processing, more GPUs is almost always better in 3DMark. Still, the Turbo put up a fight and got over half the score of the zero point with two fewer CPU cores and a single GPU. Not bad, if we say so ourselves. For the timed bechmarks, our Midrange's i7-4790K Devil's Canyon beats the other rigs. At first glance, this seems way off, but when you take into account that these tests are single-threaded, the devilish 4790K's turbo clocks really shine through. This is the only benchmark where the Turbo beat our zero-point. For all eight of its cores, the 5960X's turbo clocks don't deliver the extra boost that the K-model i7s do in these benches. For X.264 encoding, it's all about the cores. While our Budget Gamer has four cores just like the Midrange, the Budget's i5 couldn't keep up with the Devil's Canyon. But from there, adding more cores pays dividends in this number-crunching test. However, seeing as the 5930K is about half the price of the 5960X in the zero-point, and is only about 30 percent slower, the 5930K is the better buy for most. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newegg Daily Deals: Cooler Master HAF X Case, Corsair 850W PSU, and More! Posted: 10 Aug 2015 12:27 PM PDT Top Deal: One of the keys to overclocking and component longevity is keeping cool. It's not always easy keeping your PC parts cool, especially in the hot summer months. However, a case with good airflow can make a world of difference. Need a suggestion? Check out today's top deal for a Cooler Master HAF X Full Tower Computer Case for $178 with free shipping (normally $180 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR38]; additional $30 mail-in-rebate). Yes, the bulk of savings come by way of a mail-in-rebate, but the reward is case with excellent cooling capabilities and plenty room to work in. Other Deals: Corsair RM850 850W Full Modular Power Supply for $120 with $4 shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCAWAR42]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Semi Modular Power Supply for $85 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: [TTWIN1015]; additional $25 Mail-in rebate) Samsung P3 500GB USB 3.0 2.5-inch Portable External Hard Drive for $45 with free shipping (normally $50 - use coupon code: [0804FYSUS20]) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Tries Hand at Teaching Comedy to Computers Posted: 10 Aug 2015 12:02 PM PDT A PC walks into a bar... As part of a new research project, Microsoft is developing an algorithm that would help editors of The New Yorker Magazine cherry pick the funniest cartoon captions from several thousand submissions. Or in other words, a computer that appreciates comedy. According to Bloomberg, it's typical for New Yorker's 71-year-old cartoon editor, Bob Mankoff, to receive 5,000 caption entries on any given week. He has assistants to help him out, though the sheer volume of entries tends to overwhelm them. "The process of looking at 5,000 caption entries a week usually destroys their mind in about two years, and then I get a new one," Mankoff said. He likened the process to going snow blind, except in this case, his assistants eventually go "humor blind" after sifting through submission after submission. This is where Microsoft comes in. Researchers are developing artificial intelligence (AI) software that could help with the task. It's a daunting project, given that humor is typically the Achilles' heel of AI systems. The other challenge is that cartoons consist of drawings with captions. To get around that, the researchers manually described what was in the cartoons they fed to the system. This was done by using descriptors that fall into one of two categories: context and anomaly. Nobody is expecting the comedic computer system to replace Mankoff or anyone else. Instead, the goal is simply to make things easier for him and his assistant by ranking entries. According to Microsoft's study, the editors' favorite submissions appeared in the AI's top 55.8 percent of choices. Assuming that's consistently the case, the AI could eliminate around 2,200 submissions per week while ensuring that the funnier ones -- or at least most of the funnier ones -- don't get moved to the discard pile. It's an interesting study, which you can view in its entirety here (PDF). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Possible Specs for Nvidia's Mainstream GeForce GTX 950 Posted: 10 Aug 2015 09:50 AM PDT Faster than a GeForce GTX 750 TiRumor has it Nvidia is planning to launch a new mid-range graphics card sometime this month, the GeForce GTX 950. It will mainly serve as a replacement for the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, which can be found for as little as $90 after mail-in-rebate, or $110 without (some models run considerably higher). Chinese-language website Expreview posted a GPU-Z screenshot of the GTX 950's specs, though it's worth noting that GPU-Z doesn't officially support the new part at this point, so the specs could be off. If they turn out to be accurate, the GTX 950 will sport 768 CUDA cores, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 2GB of GDDR5 memory pushing data through a 128-bit bus, resulting in 112.2GB/s of memory bandwidth. Pixel fillrate is rated at 38.5GPixel/s and the texture fillrate at 77GTexel/s, according to the screen grab. Unfortunately, clockspeeds were blurred out, though looking at the GTX 750 Ti and GTX 960, the GPU will be feature base and boost clocks of around 1,125MHz and 1,180MHz, respectively. As points of reference, the GTX 750 Ti has 640 CUDA cores, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the GTX 960 has 1,024 CUDA cores, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Like the GTX 950, both are 128-bit cards. |
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