General Gaming Article

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• Build a Crysis 3 PC on a Budget
• Kingston Explains the Manufacturing Process Behind RAM and Solid State Drives
• Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Explains His $250 Million Purchase of The Washington Post
• Secret AMD Roadmap Suggests End of the Line for FX Processor Lineup
• Acer's Pint Sized K132 DLP Portable Projector Beams Big Size HD Images
• SteelSeries and Valve Roll Out Siberia V2 Dota 2 Edition Headset and Mousepads
• Newegg Daily Deals: Creative Sound Blaster Z 5.1 Sound Card, Samsung 23.6-inch LCD, and More!

Build a Crysis 3 PC on a Budget Posted: 06 Aug 2013 02:53 PM PDT We attempt to build the best PC for Crysis 3 without suffering a financial crisis When the original Crysis dropped six years ago, it quickly became the gold standard for visual splendor—and enthusiast agony. Gamers the world over fired up the demo, only to find their previously potent GPU coughing and sputtering. Thus began The Great Upgrade Rush of 2007, as we all upgraded just to play Crysis, and the game became the benchmark for PC gaming for years to come. Whenever a new GPU arrived, the first question on everyone's mind was, "Will it run Crysis?" When Crysis 2 came along it was a console port, and somewhat scaled-back technologically. The environments were small by PC standards, and developer Crytek didn't expose advanced settings for us to mess with. With Crysis 3, though, Crytek has claimed it would make your PC its bitch, and we must say after benchmarking it that we agree; bitches will be made. So, for this month's Build It, we set out to tame the beast by putting together a bang-for-the-buck Crysis 3 machine, settling the question of whether or not you need a $500 video card or CPU to run the game at 40-plus frames per second at 1080p. It sounds like a tall order, but we'll talk you through the build, explain all the choices we made, and what mistakes we almost made. The rugged C70 case makes our Crysis 3 system look battle-ready. Let's Get Sorted At Maximum PC, we get a steady trickle of $5,000-plus systems that would handle Crysis 3 just fine. But we won't be using any of them for this project since it would be cheating. It would also be easy to go with a Core i5-3570K system, stuffed into a Z77 motherboard. That would perform well out-of-the-box, and the CPU is overclockable. There's just one problem: Intel's next generation of desktop CPUs, Haswell, just arrived, which means that Z77 is kind of a dead end for enthusiasts at this point. Sure, it would last us a few years but our upgrade options would be slim. Or we could go with an AMD build. Its FX CPUs look impressive on paper, but they have consistently fallen short of a 3570K in most of our benchmarks. The answer then, both for performance and longevity, appears to be X79, aka Socket LGA 2011. It takes the smokin'-fast Sandy Bridge-E CPUs (and Ivy Bridge-E CPUs, expected in late 2013). It also provides enough PCIe lanes to handle multiple GPUs without a bottleneck. With our socket chosen, we settled on the "entry-level" Core i7-3820 CPU for less than $300. We wanted Gigabyte's GA-X79-UD3 mobo, for its combo of price, features, and build quality, but it was in short supply, so we tapped its big brother, the GA-X79-UP4, to act as a stunt double. For the GPU, we picked an MSI GeForce GTX 670 Power Edition for its balance of performance, price, quiet operation, and features (Note: This is the video card we went with at time of print, but we now would recommend going with the GeForce GTX 770). AMD didn't have quite what we wanted for this build. We chose the Corsair Vengeance C70 for a case, and Cooler Master provided a snazzy Silent Pro M2 720w power supply. We loaded our OS and game files onto a Corsair Neutron GTX SSD, and cooled our CPU with an old standby after abandoning a more ambitious cooling plan. INGREDIENTS PART URL Price Case Corsair Vengeance C70 www.corsair.com $120 PSU Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 RS720 www.coolermaster.com $120 Mobo Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 www.gigabyte.com $250 CPU Intel Core i7-3820 www.intel.com $290 Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo www.coolermaster.com $30 GPU MSI GTX 670 PE (Update: We now recommend going with the GTX 770) www.msi.com $375 RAM Corsair 4x 2GB Vengeance www.corsair.com $50 SSD Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB www.corsair.com $210 HDD Seagate 1TB Barracuda www.seagate.com $70 OS MS Windows 7 64-bit OEM www.microsoft.com $100 Total     $1,615 1. The X Factor The X79's i7-3820 is an ideal choice because it has more features than the  i7-3770K for about the same price. For example, the latter's Z77 chipset doesn't support more than 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes, while X79 chipset can handle up to 40 PCIe lanes. That gives us enough headroom to add a second GPU without hitting a ceiling. As for AMD, we considered the FX-8350 for its eight unlocked cores and 4GHz stock clocks. But in testing, it's just not as fast as the Core i7s, and its 990FX chipset doesn't support PCIe 3.0, which has twice the bandwidth of PCIe 2.0. Admittedly, the lane thing is irrelevant for a single GPU. A Z77 or 990FX board will have plenty of room for every modern GPU, but we prefer an expandable system. 2. Casing the Joint We gave Corsair's Vengeance C70 a good review a few months back (8 Verdict), so we decided to give it a shot for our Crysis box. The NZXT Phantom 410 was also considered, but we needed to move this case around the office a few times, and the C70's all-metal housing and built-in carrying handles were better suited to the task. Plus, the side panels are latched, so we didn't have to worry about losing thumbscrews. It's also perfectly suitable for our build , with its modest cost and military aesthetic. It's blessed with large fan mounts, quiet stock fans, and lots of airflow, so it should help us with overclocking. We also like that both drive cages can be removed, giving our intake fans an unobstructed path to the parts that need to chill. By default, the two front fans are mounted on the cages. We moved those into the front bezel and removed the top cage. The bezel also has cutouts to feed the fan wiring back inside the cage. We left the bottom cage in place because it was easier to manage the SSD and HDD that way. 3. The Juice is Loose Cooler Master's Silent Pro PSUs are known for running quietly and reliably, so we wanted to try one for this build. The RS720 model we used is the sequel to the original, and has the same great features, including a 135mm fan that dynamically adjusts its speed according to conditions instead of running full-blast all the time. We also like its flat cables, which are more flexible than standard rounded cables. Otherwise, it offers the same high-quality specs, plus four PCIe connectors instead of two, making it easier to run dual GPUs when Crysis 4 arrives. The flat cables made for an easier build, but be warned that this model still uses rounded cables for the motherboard and CPU power. 4. Taking a Chill Pill One Downside  of having a motherboard that supports quad-SLI is there is very little space between the first PCIe slot and the CPU socket. In fact, we discovered while building this rig that we were unable to use a CPU heatsink bigger than 120mm, which torpedoed our plans to use an NZXT Havik 140 cooler. The Havik 140 is a massive cooler with dual fans in a push-pull config, so we figured it would let us overclock to our heart's content and stay quiet about it. But in practice, it was just too damned big. Sure, we could have installed the Havik, but it would have meant rotating the heatsink 90 degrees, which means that its fans would have been sucking air straight off a sweltering GPU, instead of the cooler air entering the case from the front intake—not a great idea. Undaunted, we decided to use our favorite low-cost CPU cooler, the always-popular Hyper 212 Evo from Cooler Master. It's not sexy but it gets the job done and is quiet, sort of like an intern. 5. The GPU War Update: We originally recommended the GeForce GTX 670 at the time of print, but we now recommend the GeForce GTX 770 for this build's GPU. MSI kind of nailed it with its GeForce GTX 670 Power Edition. Its core clock is bumped up from 915MHz on the stock card to 1,020MHz, which is a slightly higher clock than that of a GTX 680, though the memory clock is left alone. Its boost clock speed of 1,080MHz is also higher than the GTX 680, which lets it keep pace with its big brother despite costing about $100 less. Its proprietary "Twin Frozr IV" cooler has dual fans and a huge heatsink with copper pipes, and it let us overclock the board even further to 1,100MHz core and 1,700MHz for the memory. We could have gone with a Radeon HD 7970, but most of them are voltage-locked and noisy. The GTX 670 Power Edition, meanwhile, is fully tweakable, and we know from past testing that this card will not give us any troubles since it's always been quiet and reliable. So, there's a low potential for frustration, a high potential for performance, and a lack of excessive noise and heat. And since we're playing at 1080p, the HD 7970's additional gigabyte of VRAM and wider data bus aren't significant enough factors to bring us to team Red this time around. 6. Going for a Drive An SSD is not the cheapest choice for storage, but when you can turn on your computer and be in the desktop in less than 20 seconds (as opposed to just staring at a boot screen while your HDD thrashes around), it's kind of a big deal. Of the current generation of drives, we have the OCZ Vector and Samsung 840 Pro alone at the top, and they cost a pretty penny at around $250–$275 for the 256GB versions. Corsair's Neutron GTX, though, hovers around $200 for the 256GB drive, despite offering nearly the same performance as the class leaders as well as the same 5-year warranty. It's our opinion that once you get to these speeds, you simply won't feel a subjective difference between the top-tier SSDs and the second tier, so why not save a little money? As a bonus, the Corsair's C70 case features slide-out drive trays with mounts for SSDs, so we didn't even need any 3.5-inch conversion kits. It's all over except for the Crysising Perhaps we over-prepared. Our plan was to maintain over 40fps in Crysis 3 using the game's "High" graphics setting. As it turns out, we nearly hit that mark on "Very High" without even needing to overclock, though we were using 4x SMAA instead of 4x MSAA. The latter did not seem to have an improvement in visual quality that would justify the loss of about 5fps. The machine was also whisper-quiet throughout our testing. You could hear the 670's fans crank up a little, but it wasn't distracting, even when pushed to 1,100MHz core clock (nearly 200MHz above the reference board clock). However, if we were running a 2560x1600 display, the GTX 670 would not cut it. We'd have to get a second GPU for SLI action, as there's simply no way a single GPU other than a GTX Titan could run this game at high settings at that resolution.  Otherwise, the system was a pleasure to build and test. The C70 chassis was roomy, cool, and quiet, though the thumbscrews on the PCI slot covers required a screwdriver to loosen, which kind of defeats the point. Having the intake fans on the drive cages instead of flush against the chassis also doesn't make a lot of sense since they are set back from the front of the case by several inches. But moving those two 120mm units into the front bezel was fairly painless. We'd like to point out that the Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler let us take our Core i7 CPU from 3.6GHz to an overclocked 4.25GHz without breaking a sweat or making a peep, despite using just a single 120mm fan. Stock temps were around 30 C idle, with temps dipping into the mid-50s under load. The GPU hovered around 70 C when overclocked—not bad for a core clock running 17 percent faster than stock speed. MSI's copper heat pipes and dual fans helped there, for sure. Overall, we rate this system a success both in terms of performance gained and money spent. And unlike most of our lab experiments, we do recommend you try this at home. A gaming system with these specs will last you at least until Crysis 4 comes out, when we'll do this all over again. Benchmarks   Stock Speeds Overclocked Percent Difference Crysis 3, "Very High" (fps) 38 42 +10% Catzilla, 1080p 8,529 9,257 +8% 3DMark 11 Extreme 3,280 3,449 +5% 3DMark 11 Performance 9,204 9,702  +5% 3DMark (2013) Extreme 3,035 3,298 +8% Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2013 issue of the magazine.

Kingston Explains the Manufacturing Process Behind RAM and Solid State Drives Posted: 06 Aug 2013 11:23 AM PDT A rare inside look at how PC components are made It's easy to take for granted the parts that we put inside our PCs, but have you ever stopped to wonder about what's involved to build each piece? The manufacturing process of different components is rather fascinating, though for one reason or another, we rarely catch a glimpse of how it's done. Many of the factories are overseas, which presents a logistics problem for inside looks, and some companies are super secretive with their operations. However, Kingston allowed the folks at GamerNexus to take a look at how RAM and SSDs are made, and if you're a fan of technology, it's a must-read article with accompanying video. Kingston and GamerNexus give readers a walkthrough of the company's SMT (Surface-Mount Technology) lines along with the memory testing and assembly process. The neat thing about SMT lines is that the same ones can be used to produce different products, such as RAM and motherboards. After inspecting the PCBs (printed circuit boards), they're placed in a machine that plops on-module components onto the sticks, such as caps and resistors, using suction pressure. Eventually DRAM is placed onto the modules, cooked, and sent out for testing. Interestingly, Kingston said it takes about 15 to 30 minutes for a one-sided memory module to get through the SMT line, and about 4 hours to complete the entire assembly process, including testing, from start to finish and out the door. Check out the full article for more geeky details and a bunch of pics. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Explains His $250 Million Purchase of The Washington Post Posted: 06 Aug 2013 10:41 AM PDT The Washington Post changes hands First off, 'Wow!' That's the only appropriate reaction to what just went down, which is an agreement between Jeff Bezos to acquire The Washington Post for $250 million. As the founder and chief of Amazon, and subsequently one of the richest men in the world (19th, to be exact), Bezos can certainly afford the transaction, the question is what does he want with it? Furthermore, what does he plan to do with his new acquisition? Bezos addressed those questions in an open letter to employees of The Washington Post, ensuring them that the values of the newspaper will not change, and that it'll continue to work hard to not make mistakes, yet own up to them when/if they do happen. He also told employees he won't be their daily figurehead. "I won't be leading The Washington Post day-to-day. I am happily living in 'the other Washington' where I have a day job that I love," Bezos stated in his letter. "Besides that, The Post already has an excellent leadership team that knows much more about the news business than I do, and I'm extremely grateful to them for agreeing to stay on." That doesn't mean there won't be change. On the contrary, Bezos flat out said there would be, citing a need to "invent" and "experiment." What exactly all that entails isn't yet known, but give it a few months and we should have a better idea of which direction the newspaper is going. One thing that's interesting is that the acquisition was made by Bezos and not Amazon. A person could speculate all day along about what Amazon would want with a major newspaper, especially with Amazon taking on political issues like online taxation. This isn't about Amazon, however, at least not directly, though we're sure the online retailer and its investors don't mind one bit that Bezos is the new owner. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Secret AMD Roadmap Suggests End of the Line for FX Processor Lineup Posted: 06 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT Will there be another FX processor beyond the FX 9590? We're a little hesitant to fan the flames on this one, but according to a series of documents AMD supposedly handed out to OEMs "behind closed doors," the end of the road for the Sunnyvale chip designer's FX Series might be fast approaching, if not already here. Should AMD ultimately decide to retire its FX Series sooner than later, the FX 9590 could end up being the brand's swan song. Don't shoot the messenger -- this information comes courtesy of VR-Zone, which claims to have obtained and combed through the secret documents. You can't see them, and neither can we because VR-Zone is opting not to post the images publicly due to heavy watermarking. It would be a curious move by AMD to retire the FX Series after having broached 5GHz, earning the company a bit of bragging rights. The 5GHz feat did not, however, earn AMD the performance crown, which is held firmly by Intel and its Haswell architecture at this point. Another alternative is that AMD could skip an FX refresh for all or most of 2014 and launch new chips either at the end of the year or sometime in 2015. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer's Pint Sized K132 DLP Portable Projector Beams Big Size HD Images Posted: 06 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Fits in your palm Can you hold your giant screen HDTV in the palm of your hand? Unless you have hands like Paul Bunyan, it would take several palms to create a sturdy enough human base for your HDTV. But if you were to pick up Acer's new K132 DLP portable projector, you'd find that its pint sized stature belies the display technology that sits tucked inside. Though it measures just 5.5 inches (L) by 4.6 inches (W) by 1.6 inches (H) and weighs less than a pound, it's capable of beaming an HD resolution with 500 ANSI lumens brightness. "Compact and user-friendly, the Acer K132 is a convenient, compact device to showcase visuals almost anywhere," said Frank Chang, director of product management, Acer America. "With the ability to project HD content, this tiny projector provides vibrant image clarity that's perfect for making compelling presentations in the boardroom, while the long lamp life provides a solid return on investment." It supports 16:10, 16:9, and 4:3 aspect ratios and has an HDMI connection. Other notable features include a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, support for 3D image output, 30,000-hour rated lamp life, and Instant Pack technology, which allows you to store it right away after use without a cool down period. The Acer K132 DLP is available now in the U.S. for $499 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

SteelSeries and Valve Roll Out Siberia V2 Dota 2 Edition Headset and Mousepads Posted: 06 Aug 2013 07:30 AM PDT Comes with exclusive in-game item Gaming peripheral maker SteelSeries has teamed up with Valve, developer of Dota 2 and creator of The International Tournament, to announce the "Siberia v2 Illuminated Gaming Headset Dota 2 Special Edition" and two new SteelSeries QcK+ mousepads featuring artwork from the game. Starting with the headset, gamers will receive an exclusive in-game item, Scythe of Vyse for Nature's Prophet. The headset glows red on the outside of each earcup and is customizable with half a dozen different modes, which can be assigned to behavior and game specific profiles through the SteelSeries Engine. Options include Active Mode (pulsing to sound effects, music, and voice), Slow Pulse, Fast Pulse, High Bright, Low Bright, and Off. SteelSeries claims the circumaural earcups wrapped in soft leather are lightweight and comfortable, while the design increases passive noise reduction. It also comes with a noise-cancelling microphone. The headset and mousepads will be available to purchase later this summer for $120 and $20, respectively. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Creative Sound Blaster Z 5.1 Sound Card, Samsung 23.6-inch LCD, and More! Posted: 06 Aug 2013 07:15 AM PDT Top Deal: There's no shame in using your motherboard's onboard audio these days, but there's no glory, either. If you already splurged on a high-end speaker set or pair of headphones, why not go the distance with a discrete audio solution? If that's the path you're headed, check out today's top deal for a Creative Sound Blaster Z 5.1 Channel 24-bit PCI Express Sound Card for $90 with free shipping (normally $120). It offers 116dB SNR, a Beamforming microphone, quad-core Sound Core3D audio processor, and other audio goodies. Other Deals: Samsung S24B150BL Glossy Black 23.6" 5ms (GTG) Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor 200 cd/m2 Mega Infinite DCR (700:1) for $130 with free shipping (normally $150 use coupon code: [BTSMNR14]) G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory for $130 with free shipping (normally $170 use coupon code: [GAMNGWK16]) Asus Z87-Deluxe/Dual LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $320 with free shipping (normally $350 use coupon code: [GAMNGWK11]) Thermaltake TR2 TR-700 700W ATX 12V V2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply for $60 with free shipping (normally $65 - use coupon code: [GAMNGWK4]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

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