General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Daily Deals: 9/4/2012

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 03:21 PM PDT

Sponsored by Logic Buy

Our sponsors over at LogicBuy have compiled a list of daily deals for the Maximum PC reader looking for great gadgets on a budget. This promotion should help you find that diamond-in-the-rough special you were looking for. Today's deals are as follows:

HP's on-sale monitor

Top Deal

Our featured top deal of the day is the HP x2301 23 inch Diagonal LED Monitor. Normally priced at $249.99, the 23inch LED monitor is currently selling for $179.99 with free shipping. This is $70.00 (28%) off the regular price. At only .39 inches deep, the monitor is quite thin. In terms of compatbility, the x2301 supports VGA, DVI-D and HDMI connectivity. The monitor supports up to 1920x1080 resolution and features a 3ms response time.  

The rest of the daily deals include: 

Intel Experiments with Oil Immersion Cooling Technology

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:04 AM PDT

Dipping PC parts into a vat of oil sounds scary at first, but it's actually a great way to cool components, and surprisingly safe to boot. You may recall that back in 2008, we played with an oil immersed system from Hardcore PC, and while the idea hasn't quite gone mainstream, it's making headway. Puget Systems sells a DIY oil kit (which we highlighted in 2010), and now Intel is experimenting with the idea, albeit on the server side.

According to Gigaom, Intel just completed a year-long test of Green Revolution Cooling's mineral oil server immersion technology and is tickled pink with the results. Mike Patterson, senior power and thermal architect at Intel, tells Gigaom that the technology appears safe for server parts and could become the norm one day.

"We're doing our math to understand if we developed an oil optimized platform, what that would mean [for performance, efficiency, etc.]," Patterson said.

Where oil immersion cooling goes from here is anyone's guess, but the fact that Intel is impressed with the technology ensures that it will at least be further evaluated. Should Intel and others go down that road, it would require tweaking traditional server design, which is currently optimized for air flow.

Cool stuff, eh?

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McAfee Says Malware Threat Biggest It's Been in Four Years, Puts "Mac Fanboys" on Notice

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:46 AM PDT

While most of us were relaxing over the Labor Day weekend, the folks at McAfee were finishing up the security firm's second quarter Threat Report (PDF) for 2012. In it, McAfee Labs noted a 1.5 million increase in malware since the previously quarter, as well as a number of new threats like mobile "drive-by downloads" and using Twitter to control mobile botnets. All combined, McAfee detected the largest number of malware in four years.

"With very few exceptions, almost all areas of malware are up this quarter from last (and last quarter had record growth in some areas). One thing is certain: To continue to take the same steps is absurd," McAfee stated in its report.

Fake antivirus remains a popular choice among malware writers, with over 800,000 such samples noted in the wild in Q2. However, Windows PC users aren't the only ones who need to be on their toes.

"All Mac fanboys and -girls are hereby on notice: Mac malware is showing steady, continued growth," McAfee said. "We grant that when compared numerically to Windows malware the numbers are small, but these threats should be taken seriously and Mac users should take precautions. It's simple: Malware can be written for any operating system and platform."

Android users need to be on the lookout for malicious programs too. According to McAfee, Android has been, and continues to be, the most popular target for mobile malware writers.

"Practically all new mobile malware was directed at the Android platform," McAfee said. "The mix included SMS-sending malware, mobile botnets, spwyware, and destructive Trojans."

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Job Listing at Valve Confirms Entry into PC Hardware Business

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 06:25 AM PDT

For better or worse, Valve has officially decided to jump into the PC hardware business. We know as much because a job listing on Valve's website in search for an Industrial Designer spells it out in no uncertain terms, though details of the hardware project remain a secret. All we know for sure is that Valve is "frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space," and to rectify that, the software developer is "jumping in."

"Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven't really changed in any meaningful way over the years," Valve explains in its job posting. "There's a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked."

It sounds as though Valve is looking for a qualified individual to take the bull by the horns and crash the PC party, and perhaps trample the console community in the process. It wasn't that long ago when word got out about a so-called Steam Box device, essentially a PC console with high end specs. Valve downplayed the rumor, though Gabe Newell made it clear that his company is willing to sell hardware.

In fact, Valve's interest in hardware has been an ongoing thing this year. In April, it came to light that Vavle was looking to hire hardware designers to perfect a "wearable computing" prototype.

Adding a layer of intrigue to all this is the fact that Newell is vehemently opposed to Windows 8. Newell fears the walled garden approach Microsoft is taking with its next generation operating system, calling the platform a "catasrophe for everyone in the PC space." As such, Valve has been hedging its bets on Linux by developing a Steam port to the open source platform, once that could easily end up in a Steam Box.

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Posted by Shri Krishna

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