General Gaming Article |
- The Memory Buyer's Guide: What's the Best RAM for My System?
- Information As Art: 20 Stunning Examples Of Visualized Data
- No BS Podcast #178: The Big News Edition
- Microsoft Introduces Native ISO Mounting In Windows 8
- Game Theory: A Hollow Victory
- Netgear's WNDR3800 Router Now Available Worldwide, Offers Clear Channel Selector
- IHS iSuppli: DRAM Prices on Verge of Freefalling
- Corsair Unveils 180GB And 240GB Force Series GT SSDs
- HP Expects PC Business to Retain Top Spot Following Spinoff
- Razer BlackWidow Stealth Edition Mechanical Plank Won't Wake Your Spouse
| The Memory Buyer's Guide: What's the Best RAM for My System? Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:40 PM PDT Not sure what kind of memory to put in your new system? Ask MaximumPC.A few months back, Loyd Case answered the popular question, "Which Video Card Should I Buy?" Needless to say, his story caused a considerable lull in video card related questions from our readers, letting a new topic take the lead: RAM. How much do you need? How fast should it be? Are latencies important? Today, we'll be covering everything you need to know to get the right RAM for your system.
The Importance of RAMDid I mention that this is going to be an all-encompassing guide on RAM? No? Well it is, so those of you who already know what RAM is for and how it works can skip ahead. RAM stands for Random Access Memory and it stands as somewhat of a buffer between your hard drive and your CPU. There's really nothing random about it; the CPU (generally) knows exactly what data it's playing around with. When the CPU is processing data, it's grabbing small bits in your systems memory, constantly jumping from place to place, reading, writing, and rewriting information. Hard drives work well when working with large blocks of data, but are extremely slow when jumping from sector to sector or switching from read to write. If your CPU had to process data directly on the hard drive, there would be a massive bottleneck. So that's why you need RAM. Having more RAM means you need to read from the excruciatingly slow hard drive less often, and faster RAM means your CPU can grab its bits faster. Of course, this still doesn't answer how much RAM you need or in what circumstances faster RAM is actually useful. How Much Memory Do You Need?There's really no such thing as too much RAM, but there is such a thing as spending too much on RAM. What you do with your computer is what dictates whether or not more memory is actually practical. Below are some of the key stepping stones when it comes to how much memory a system needs.
2GB – THE BARE MINIMUM There is such a thing as not enough RAM, and anything below 2GB is bordering on just that. In fact, the 64-bit version of Windows 7 won't even install on a system with less than 2GB of memory. Now, that's not to say 2GB isn't enough for anything. Your every day computing tasks, such as web browsing, editing documents, and even HD video, will be fine on such a system, so long as you're not doing all of it at once.
Running on just 2GB does have some limitations, though. Ever since Windows Vista, we've had a tool called SuperFetch which pre-loads your most used apps into memory so that they open faster when you need them. Windows likes to keep about half of your total memory free, using the rest as SuperFetch space. Small problem: with just 2GB of RAM and essential operating system resources taking up about a gig of memory to begin with, it doesn't leave much space for SuperFetch to use. Things will still run just fine, but additional RAM will give a large jump in performance, and at the current prices, stepping up to 4gigs is a pretty worthwhile investment. Apart from netbooks, you'd be hard pressed to find anything modern that comes with just 2gigs of memory anyway. 4GB – AN ALL-AROUND SWEET SPOT When it comes to a balance of cost and performance, 4GB is just about perfect, at least for the time being. In every day computing, you probably won't ever come close to filling it all up – well, unless you're like me and have a nasty habit of leaving 116 tabs of Flash rich content open in Chrome.
Even high-end gaming performs well with just 4GB of memory. Feel free to enjoy a casual bit of Photoshop and/or video editing, too. Apart from some very purpose specific computing, like extensive hi-res photo editing or industrial grade 3D modeling, 4gigs is the number to aim for. 8GB AND BEYOND Stepping up to 8gigs can still be practical, especially when building a new system in which the additional investment would be fairly negligible. Any performance increases in going from 4 to 8GB won't be particularly noticeable, but it does open up a few doors. Unless you partake in very specific computing practices that can actually fill up the entire 8gigs, you can go ahead and disable your pagefile entirely. This will give you slight performance increases under certain circumstances, improve your system's security, and put less strain on your hard drive.
From a gaming perspective, putting 8gigs of memory into a system is primarily a form of future proofing; however, in a professional environment, as a workstation running commercial grade software, 8GB may very well be necessary to keep things running smoothly. 3, 6, AND 12GB You may have noticed the absence of any recommendations relating to 3, 6, and 12GB solutions. That's because achieving 6GB of RAM, for example, requires an odd combination of DIMMs (memory sticks). In this example, you would need three 2GB DIMMs, meaning you would not be able to run them in a Dual Channel Configuration. Dual Channel memory allows the CPU to access both DIMMs simultaneously, essentially turning the 64-bit memory bus into 128-bits. As far as gaming and your average computer use is concerned, dual channel and single channel configurations will perform almost identically, but any memory intensive operation, such as audio or video transcoding, will see significant improvements.
In order to enable the dual channel memory bus, you need an even number of identical DIMMs, which is why 3, 6, and 12GB won't work; however, unless you plan on doing a lot of memory I/O intensive work, the performance benefits of more RAM generally outweigh the benefits of the larger memory bus. There is one exception – triple channel memory. In the case of the LGA1366 Core i7, memory can be configured into a triple channel bus using three identical DIMMs, meaning 6 and 12GB are much more practical. What about Speed and Latencies?So you've figured out how much RAM you need, but how fast should it be? Well, for the best results, it should be as fast as your motherboard allows. This would be for anyone who wants to be on the bleeding edge of performance, like a hardcore gamer. The average consumer won't have much need for the fastest RAM in the world, and that stuff can get pretty expensive. Instead, DDR3-1600 is a nice middle ground. It's still fast, but not so fast that it costs a hefty premium. But wait! Before you run down to the store and fork over all of your hard earned money for fastest rated RAM you can find, there's one more thing to consider: Latency. Memory modules are also rated in "Timings," generally a sequence of numbers, such as 9-9-9-24. The most useful of these is the first number known as the CAS Latency. This is the number of clock cycles it takes the RAM to access a column of data (the smaller the better), and in conjunction with the speed of the RAM, can be used to calculate its response time. The formula is 1000 * CAS This will give you the response time in nanoseconds. So for example, a certain DDR3-1866 module of Kingston HyperX memory has a CAS latency of 11 while G.Skill makes a DDR3-1600 module with a latency of just 6. The result? G.Skill's slower RAM can respond in just 7.5ns where it takes the much faster HyperX RAM 11.7ns. This means that the G.Skill memory will be faster when it comes to random access; however, the higher clock speed of the HyperX memory still nets it more bandwidth, making it better suited for bulk operations. Typically speaking, you want to settle on a clock speed first and then use CAS latencies to decide from there. Keep in mind that tighter timings mean more expensive. For instance, the difference between a CAS of 7 versus 8 is almost negligible. System CompatibilityWhen it comes to RAM, there are a lot of questions regarding compatibility. There are also a lot of subtleties that can go overlooked and lead to compatibility problems. These are a few of the most common questions and mistakes. DDR, DDR2, AND DDR3 – DOES IT MATTER?
YES! DIMM design is different between all three DDR standards. Not only will a DDR DIMM be incompatible with a DDR2 system, but it won't even fit in the DDR2 socket. Trying to force it in could break your motherboard. Fortunately, DDR and DDR2 platforms are pretty much extinct. If you have a modern computer, odds are it's DDR3. WHAT IS A SO-DIMM?
A SO-DIMM is a miniaturized version of a regular DIMM, generally used in laptops and other low profile systems. Just like a full sized DIMM, it's important not to mix up DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 modules. WILL A DDR3-2000 DIMM WORK WITH A DDR3-1600 MOTHERBOARD? Kind of, though it can be a gamble. Memory modules have an internal table of speed and timing settings so when you install a module that is clocked higher than your motherboard is rated, your motherboard will simply run it at a slower speed. For example, if you put a DDR3-2000 DIMM into a DDR3-1600 motherboard, it would run at 1600MHz rather than 2000MHz. Compatibility isn't guaranteed, though, and it's typically better to match your RAM with your system's capabilities. This trick is, however, useful when overclocking. Because memory clock speeds are derived from the CPU's FSB, using the faster memory can result in a more stable overclock. VOLTAGES - TOO OFTEN OVERLOOKED Memory voltages are actually very important when it comes to compatibility. The DDR3 standard is 1.5V, but many performance DIMMs require higher voltages to achieve higher clock speeds and lower latencies. This can cause problems as not all motherboards can recognize the proper voltage for these DIMMs and will supply the default 1.5V. If this isn't enough to keep the memory stable, your system won't even boot up enough for you to get into the BIOS and manually raise the voltage. Make sure you're familiar with your motherboard's capabilities before purchasing RAM with increased voltage needs. OPERATING SYSTEM LIMITATIONS 32-bit operating systems offer one last serious limitation in that they can only address about 4GB of memory. You may think that's perfect since 4GB is currently ideal, but the limitation is on total memory, not just RAM. A few bits here and there are reserved for PCI and ACPI peripherals, and video memory is included, too. With modern video cards sporting up to 2GB of video memory, you could have 4gigs of RAM in your system yet be stuck running on less than 2GB. The moral of the story is stick with a 64-bit OS. |
| Information As Art: 20 Stunning Examples Of Visualized Data Posted: 30 Aug 2011 11:57 AM PDT Numbers, percentages, bits of data; normally, we tend to look at these tidbits as information, useful for statistical analysis and not much more. Accounting isn't sexy. Spreadsheet programmers don't cultivate the same star power as lead programmers on video games. But numbers and raw data hold a unique and powerful allure their own – just ask John Carmack. Unfortunately, if you aren't one of those aforementioned accountants or spreadsheet programmers, seeing the art in numbers can be tough. Data visualization changes that. By changing the way we look at ratios and integers and statistical anomalies and giving us the power to actually see the relationship between sets of inputs, data visualization brings a sense of wonder and humanity back to statistical analysis. And no, we never thought we'd ever say anything like that. We blame that Carmack guy. Don't believe the hype? Check out the twenty examples below and we think you'll concur that data can be art. There's a bonus if you make it all the way to the end! |
| No BS Podcast #178: The Big News Edition Posted: 30 Aug 2011 11:41 AM PDT
What's that? It hasn't even been 3 months since the last podcast, and already a new one? Your eyes don't deceive you. This week, Nathan, Alex, Alan and Gordon discuss all of last week's big news, including HP dropping the Touchpad, Steve Jobs resigning from Apple, a few major product announcements, and more. Download Episode 178 of The No BS Podcast for all that, plus reader questions and Gordon's rant of the week. Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by. Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337
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| Microsoft Introduces Native ISO Mounting In Windows 8 Posted: 30 Aug 2011 11:09 AM PDT What's your favorite ISO mounting program? Daemon Tools Lite? Alcohol 120%? There are plenty of options out there, but regardless of which application you're using at the moment, you may consider kicking it to the curb with the arrival of Windows 8. We've already tipped you off about the ribbon-based interface in Microsoft's upcoming OS; now comes word that Windows 8 will be able to mount ISO files (and VHDs, too!) natively.
That gush of wind you just heard was the relieved exhalation of millions of gamers and movie buffs. Microsoft decided to (finally) implement the ability to mount ISOs because one, hard drives keep reaching higher and higher storage capabilities, and two, requiring people to carry around cases full of CDs seems kind of silly in this slim-form tablet and Ultrabook days. Rajeev Nagar, a program manager in Microsoft's Storage & File Systems group, gave a rundown of the new feature on the Building Windows 8 blog. So how does this work in Windows 8? It's quite simple – just "mount" the ISO file (you can select mount from the enhanced Explorer ribbon or double-click or right-click on the file), and a new drive letter appears, indicating that the contents are now readily accessible. Okay, now that we're almost done, we have to take back something we said in the intro; don't toss that copy of ISO Recorder in the Recycle Bin just yet. While the ability to mount and run ISO images will be included in Windows 8, Nagar implies that you still won't be able to create ISO files of your own with the OS. |
| Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:49 AM PDT I hate saying "I told you so," but… No, wait: I love saying I told you so. Last year, in this space, I predicted that not only would the U.S. Supreme Court strike down the California law criminalizing the sale of the violent games to minors, but that it would draw on the United States vs. Stevens decision in doing so. Stevens, you may recall, was a ban on animal snuff films created for sexual fetishists, and the court ruled 8-1 that such films were protected under the First Amendment.
This summer, in their 7-2 decision in Brown vs. the Entertainment Merchants Association (formerly Schwarzenegger vs. The Video Software Developers Association), the majority found that California's ban on sales of violent games to minors was unconstitutional, using Stevens as precedent. Did you notice the fact buried in the preceding paragraph? Twice as many Supreme Court Justices found that Modern Warfare was less socially acceptable than videos of women crushing baby bunnies to death under their stiletto heels. Congratulations, game industry! Look, this was the correct decision in this case, not only on First Amendment grounds, but also in light of the ESRB's superb rating and content descriptor system. Parents have more information about game content than about any other form of entertainment, if they decide to act like parents and actually use that information to make sound decisions.
This is no time for high-fives in the halls of EA and Activision, but rather for a little soul searching. First, they need to stop creating advertising campaigns for M-rated games that are clearly aimed at minors who should not be playing these games. Second, the publishers need to pressure more retailers to refuse sale of M-rated games to unaccompanied minors, just as a movie theater would refuse them admittance to an R-rated movie. Finally, game makers need to decide if they've taken hyper-violent content as far as it needs to go, and maybe try to find some other kind of gameplay. I think I've spent enough of my life staring down an iron sight at a brownish-gray world. Violence is easy. Creativity is hard. Thomas L. McDonald can be found online at stateofplayblog.com. |
| Netgear's WNDR3800 Router Now Available Worldwide, Offers Clear Channel Selector Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:35 AM PDT We weren't impressed with the Netgear WNDR4000, to say the least. The router's bizarre naming conventions (we're still not sure what to call it, exactly) and dubious 750 Mbps speed claim raised our hackles, plus, the older WNDR3700 blew it away in benchmark testing. Netgear's hoping that the newly announced WNDR3800 will right those wrongs. The router's available worldwide as of yesterday and it packs a pair of interesting features.
First up: clear channel selector. Netgear's press release claims the WNDR3800 is the first home router to come equipped with the technology, which detects when a Wi-Fi channel becomes crowded and automatically changes to a channel with less traffic. The WNDR3800 also offers Netgear's ReadySHARE technology. ReadySHARE treats any flash drive or external HDDs plugged into the router as a sort of private cloud server, letting access its contents via the Internet or from another computer on your network. You can also tap into the files via an app for iOS and Android devices, but you'll need to pony up a few bucks for the privilege. The dual-band wireless-N WNDR3800 also offers a bevy of other features, including DLNA compatibility, parental controls and an option to give preferential treatment to video traffic. You can pick it up today for $180. |
| IHS iSuppli: DRAM Prices on Verge of Freefalling Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:05 AM PDT
IHS iSuppli predicts a "dramatic oversupply and freefalling prices" will take place in the DRAM market during the third quarter, "resulting in a turbulent second half for besieged DRAM suppliers." That's some pretty heavy language for a data heavy research firm, and it underscores just how bad the situation has become. "Contrary to typical seasonal patterns in which prices are very soft during the second quarter, that period this year saw relatively flat, unchanged DRAM pricing compared to the first quarter," said Mike Howard, principal analyst, DRAM and memory, at IHS. "However, companies did not capitalize on the healthy pricing levels to increase shipments in the second quarter—which, in retrospect, may have been the best time to do so." According to IHS iSuppli, 2Gb (gigabit) DDR3 memory chips will fall to $1.60 in the third quarter, a 24 percent drop from the already bargain basement price of $2.10. If the prediction comes true, it would rank as the biggest dive of the year, IHS iSuppli says. DRAM makers hoping to find relief in the fourth quarter are in a rude awakening, as prices are expected to plummet an additional 22 percent to $1.25, "dangerously close to cash costs for many manufacturers." That's in stark contrast to Q3 2010, in which those same chips sold for $4.70. "The third quarter is shaping up to be pretty bloody for DRAM makers," Howard noted. "The combination of inventory reductions by DRAM makers and more bits coming out of the fabs is resulting in a very soft pricing environment." |
| Corsair Unveils 180GB And 240GB Force Series GT SSDs Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:01 AM PDT
The two new Sandforce SF-2280-packing SSDs feature all the benefits of smaller drives. That means these bad boys rock 6 Gbps SATA 3 compatibility, 525 Mbps write and 555 Mbps read speeds, and up to 85,000 random write IOPS. They also sport ONFI synchronous flash memory. The 2.5" drives should install into most laptops with few problems, and Corsair includes a 3.5" adapter for you folks who want to slide one of the SSDs into a traditional PC hard drive bay. Corsair's press release says "Force Series GT SSD upgrades deliver outstanding read/write performance and significantly faster system response, boot times, and application load times than SATA 2 solid-state drives." Having said all that, the new models are compatible with SATA 2 interfaces as well. These speedy SSDs don't come cheap; the 180GB model carries a $380 sticker price while the 240GB version will set you back $490. |
| HP Expects PC Business to Retain Top Spot Following Spinoff Posted: 30 Aug 2011 09:11 AM PDT
Mr. Bradley didn't hold back during the interview, telling Reuters that HP prefers a spinoff to selling its PC division outright to an outfit like Acer, which itself acquired Gateway back in 2007. "I would just say that the numbers don't support that that strategy works," Bradley said, pointing to Acer posting its first ever quarterly loss. Nothing will be decided until December when HP's board sits down to decide on a game plan. Most analysts believe a decision to spinoff will win out, but "regardless of what happens, we're the largest PC company in the world," Bradley said. "We need everybody energized, and while this isn't business as usual, we need people to go out and sell products every day." |
| Razer BlackWidow Stealth Edition Mechanical Plank Won't Wake Your Spouse Posted: 30 Aug 2011 08:42 AM PDT
"Where the first Razer BlackWidow can be likened to a barbarian ploughing through enemies with ease, the Stealth Edition of this mechanical keyboard is the ninja who sneaks up on opponents unexpectedly to take them down in a quick blur," said Robert Krakoff, President, Razer USA. "Quieter feedback on the keys, lighter actuation force, extreme anti-ghosting on the Ultimate version, and a new matte black finish make the Stealth Edition of the Razer BlackWidow keyboards the best choice for the unassuming but extremely deadly gamer." Like the original BlackWidow, Razer will offer the Stealth Edition in both Ultimate and Standard versions. Both boast silent mechanical key switches with 45g actuation force, 1000Hz/1ms Ultrapolling, programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording, a gaming mode (disables Windows key), 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching, 5 additional macro keys, multimedia controls, gaming optimized key matrix for minimized ghosting, and a braided cable. The Ultimate Edition adds backlit keys, audio-out/mic-in jack, USB passthrough, and more extensive anti-ghosting. The BlackWidow Stealth Edition Ultimate ($140) and Standard ($80) are available now. Image Credit: Razer |
The law of gravity dictates that what goes up must come down, and unfortunately for DRAM chip makers, there's nothing that says what goes down must also go back up. DRAM pricing continues to find new rock bottoms, and according to market research firm IHS iSuppli, things are about to get a whole lot worse.
Corsair's blazing fast Force Series GT line of solid state hard drives is hard to beat in terms of pure speed, but up until now, only relatively puny 90GB and 120GB versions were available on the market. Rather than go home, Corsair decided to go big. Today, the company introduced a pair of brand-spankin'-new entries to the Force Series GT lineup; beefy 180GB and 240GB models.
Todd Bradley, the head man in charge of Hewlett-Packard's Personal Systems Group (PSG), expects HP's PC arm to remain the largest in the world, even after it's amputated or spun off, he revealed in an 
Part of the fun at hammering away on a mechanical keyboard is the audible click that emanates with each keystroke. The downside? Those around you might not appreciate an obnoxiously loud plank as much as you do. Razer's new BlackWidow Stealth Edition is a mechanical keyboard utilizing silent key switches, giving users similar tactile feedback but without all the noise.| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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