General Gaming Article

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• Best Gaming Headsets
• Crucial M500 480GB SSD Review
• Netflix and Cable Companies May Find Common Ground
• Ask the Doctor
• Wireless Data Transfer at 100Gbps Achievement Unlocked
• Microsoft Says Surface RT Branding Confused Customers
• Windows Phone 8 Update Paves Way for Larger Display, Full HD 1080p Handsets
• Twitter Engineer Receives $10 Million in Stock as Demand for Talent Outpaces Supply
• Newegg Daily Deals: Windows 8 Tablets with Intel Bargains Up the Wazoo!

Best Gaming Headsets Posted: 14 Oct 2013 02:55 PM PDT Six high-performance PC gaming headsets vie for a place on your ears Bullets hiss and whine overhead. Your commander barks orders in your ear, but you're pinned down, trapped in a wrecked construction site. The corrugated steel wall to your left pings as a smoke grenade bounces off and rolls into a nearby ravine. Overhead, a fighter jet streaks by, engines roaring. In the review roundup we compare the Asus Republic of Gamers Orion Pro, Razer Kraken, Plantronics GameCom Commander, MadCatz F.R.E.Q. 7, Logitech G930, and Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage Wireless Then, amidst the explosions and the chatter of gunfire, you hear it—a footstep, then another, just around the corner behind you. You wheel around, and raise your rifle…. If you don't take gaming audio seriously, that's one kill you're not going to get. Although graphics tend to get all the love among the enthusiast set, a nice pair of headphones can make the difference between full battlefield awareness and tunnel vision. And even if you're not the über-competitive type, great-sounding audio can take any game to a new level of immersion. Fortunately, gaming headsets have been getting better and better, and this year's crop is the best we've ever tried. If it's time you upgraded to a quality headset, read on—we've reviewed six of the most impressive high-end solutions on the market today. Plantronics Gamecom Commander An awesome headset, if you can afford it It's always fun to see what a company can put together when it throws budgetary considerations out the window and pulls out all the stops. For Plantronics, the Gamecom Commander represents just such an effort—a completely over-the-top, luxury-tier product. The Gamecom Commander doesn't feel like other gaming headsets. It's made of surprisingly heavy-duty plastic, with military-inspired oval earcups. Everything—the cups, band, wires, and microphone—feels more sturdily constructed than what we're used to. Each set is laser etched with an individual serial number, and the Commander comes with a removable Velcro strap across the top of the headband, which allows you to customize yours with a personal or team patch (not included). Even the cable is top-notch, with a proprietary snap-away connector (so you can quickly switch between multiple devices), an in-line remote, and a telephone-style spiral cord. Sound quality is exceptional, with unparalleled accuracy and clarity among the sets tested for this feature. The bass response is clear, but less powerful than some of the other headsets tested. The GameCom can be used as an analog set or with an included USB dongle that provides Dolby virtual 7.1 surround sound. As usual, the virtual surround is better than nothing, but not a replacement for the real thing. Don't let the subdued stylings fool you: This headset is a real beast We normally don't talk a lot about the microphones on gaming headsets, because they tend to run a pretty narrow gamut between "mediocre" and "decent." The Gamecom Commander is a different story, with a seriously heavy-duty mic with excellent noise cancellation and the best recording quality we've experienced in a gaming headset. Even the Commander's packaging is exceptional. The set comes in a high-quality rigged nylon carrying case, which you can attach to anything with the included burly carabiner—if that's something you want to do. Ultimately, the only thing that keeps us from unconditionally recommending the Gamecom is the price. It's an undeniably high-quality headset, but at $300 you're paying a lot for luxury. The sound quality is good, but you could do better with a $275 pair of audiophile headphones and a $25 desk mic. Still, if you want a traditional gaming headset and have money to burn, this could be the set for you. Plantronics Gamecom Commander $300, www.plantronics.com Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage Wireless Wireless convenience without a huge price tag With the Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage Wireless, you'll never feel like you didn't get your money's worth—this is the most feature-packed headset at this price point. Most notably, it's wireless, connecting to your computer with a USB dongle and charging via a removable, braided cable. Wireless headsets have been known to have some problems, like latency or interference, but we never experienced either with the Rage.  The Rage Wireless is a USB headset, and provides its own audio processing, which can be great if you don't have a discrete sound card. Sound Blaster is a company that obviously knows what it's doing in this arena, and the downloadable SBX ProStudio software has some nice features, including soundstage-broadening virtual surround and a Crystalizer that enhances and clarifies most compressed audio sources. The lights on the outside of the Tactic 3D Rage can be set to any color, and pulse while you play. Our main gripe with the set is that it's not terribly comfortable. The leatherette-covered foam on the earcups and headband has a little less give than we like to see, and the whole set is quite heavy. We're also not crazy about the inclusion of a removable boom mic. It's flexible, and recording quality is fine, but between the removable mic, the removable foam windscreen, the wireless dongle, and the detachable charging cable, the chances of you keeping track of all the components of your Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage Wireless are slim to none.  At $100, this is one of the least-expensive quality wireless headsets on the market. If you're trying to cut the cord without breaking the bank, the Tactic 3D Rage is a good option. Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage Wireless $100, www.soundblaster.com Razer Kraken Pro A midrange headset with a lot to offer Tons of bells and whistles are great, and we could argue about sound quality all day, but if your gaming headset gives you a migraine after a two-hour BioShock Infinite session, it's not doing its job. With the Kraken Pro, Razer has smartly emphasized comfort as a primary feature, with big, supple, circumaural earcups that swivel freely to line up with the contours of your head. In many of the headsets we've tried in the past, discomfort doesn't come from the earcups but instead from the headband, which can cause the top of your head to ache over time. The Kraken Pro finds a simple solution to this problem: It's lighter than most headsets of this size, reducing scalp-fatigue. The Kraken Pro is available in both traditional black and a seizure-inducing green. The Kraken features 40mm drivers, and sound quality is good, overall. Treble range sounds are crisp and clear, and the bass is strong but a bit muddy—a state of affairs that's common in gaming headsets, where the emphasis is on precisely picking out footsteps and distant gunshots, rather than on appreciating the nuances of a good bassline. They're great for Call of Duty, but if you're an audiophile, don't expect to get an amazing music-listening experience out of these. Feature-wise, the Kraken Pro eschews the excesses of Razer's higher-end Tiamat headsets, settling on just the features we found most important. These include a flexible, retractable mic, high-quality build, and an included extension audio cable. Additionally, the set folds up for easy transportation. Razer Kraken Pro $80, www.razerzone.com Republic of Gamers Orion Pro Straightforward design and USB convenience If originality counted for much in gaming headsets, the Orion Pro would be the worst-reviewed product in this roundup. It's a simple design, with a padded headband and two large, circular earcups with cushy leatherette padding. It looks and feels a lot like other simple sets with super-size circumaural cups, such as the Corsair Vengeance line. Fortunately for Asus, originality doesn't matter nearly as much as comfort and performance, and this design is one of our favorites. The aforementioned oversize earcups are comfortable for long play sessions, and create a good seal around the ear, providing impressive passive noise cancellation. Each cup contains a 50mm driver, which provides impressive sound quality. The bass response wasn't the most powerful of the tested sets, but clarity was good overall. Our only complaints with the feel of the set is that the cups don't pivot on the vertical axis like with the Razer Kraken, and that the leatherette cushions started to get hot quickly—a fabric option would have been nice. With installation-free USB processing, the Orion Pro is ready to grab and go The Orion Pro package consists of the Orion analog gaming headset, plus an additional USB audio-processor dongle, so you can use the headset in either mode. The processor has just three settings: FPS, Surround, and Amp. The options are not quite as impressive as the audio-processing suite in the Sound Blaster Tactic 3D line, but they have the distinct advantage of working without any software installation, and can be enabled or disabled on the fly with buttons on the dongle. Republic of Gamers Orion Pro $110, rog.asus.com Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930 A great case for cutting the cord Logitech may not be the most exciting name in PC peripherals, but it's a company you can generally rely on for a solid product that does what it says on the box. The G930 headset doesn't disappoint. The G930 is a wireless headset, with a number of practical extra features. The set comes with a puck-shaped USB device that powers the wireless transmitter dongle and simultaneously houses a pass-through charging cable. This allows you to charge and use the G930 at the same time, without using up two USB slots on your PC, as with the Sound Blaster Tactic Rage 3D. Some of the joints on the headset are a little plasticky and creaky for our taste, but the earcups themselves have a nice range of motion, and are themselves quite solid and hefty. In fact, the set as a whole suffers from being a little too heavy. The padding on the headband is plenty thick, but we still started to get some dull head pain after just two hours wearing the set. The G930 comes equipped with three user-bindable buttons on the earcup Our only other qualm with the G930's build quality is that the circumaural earcups don't provide as much sound isolation as some of the other sets in this roundup. Other than that, though, they're very comfortable, and they do a great job of providing crisp sound with a decent bass response and clarity. The G930 also features Dolby 7.1 virtual surround. In all, this wireless set's got a lot to offer, though the cheaper Sound Blaster Tactic Rage makes a compelling alternative. Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930 $160, gaming.logitech.com MadCatz F.R.E.Q. 7 Is this futuristic set worth the price? Another headset that's not for the faint-of-wallet, the MadCatz F.R.E.Q. 7 brings the Cyborg line's quirky design and high-quality construction to the gaming-headset realm. That line has so far been a bit of a mixed bag, providing some of our very favorite gaming peripherals, as well as a couple of so-so entries. The question is, where does the F.R.E.Q. 7 fall? Like all Cyborg products, the F.R.E.Q. 7 lays the futuristic aesthetic on thick The common threads among all the Cyborg peripherals are their hyper-futuristic design and rock-solid construction. The F.R.E.Q. 7 is no exception, built out of metal and durable-feeling plastic and featuring a design that's sure to turn some heads. Though the set is on the heavier side, the extra-squishy rubber pad under the headband kept head pain to a minimum. The earcups are passable, but they're a little under-padded, and we felt like they applied pressure unevenly, pinching harder in the back than in the front. Sound quality was quite good, overall, but in order to use the USB equalizer and other audio-processing features, we had to download drivers and software totaling 284 megabytes. Even in this broadband-connected age, we're willing to call that number unacceptable. This set also features Dolby 7.1 virtual surround. One oddly frustrating thing about the F.R.E.Q. 7 is its volume wheel. In any high-end headset, we expect to be able to quickly adjust playback volume from the headset itself—usually with a button or roller on the earcup or on an in-line remote control located somewhere along the cable. The F.R.E.Q. 7 features a nice scroll wheel on the right earcup, but it is almost bizarrely unresponsive. Each spin of the wheel only barely moves the overall volume. In order to get the headset to go from minimum volume to maximum volume, we had to scroll, pick up our thumb, move it to the bottom of the wheel, then scroll again a total of 20–30 times. All the issues we had with the F.R.E.Q. 7 are minor problems or inconveniences and overall we still very much enjoyed the headset's sound quality, solid construction, and futuristic design. That said, every inconvenience is amplified when you spend $200 on a set of cans. MadCatz F.R.E.Q. 7 $200, www.cyborggaming.com Audio Processing Explained If you're using a laptop, or a desktop PC without a discrete sound card, you might be wondering what's with all the fuss about audio processing. If you plug a pair of speakers or a headset into your motherboard, you'll get sound that seems fine, so why should you shell out for a USB headset with built-in processing, or a sound card? The idea is that, while your computer's onboard audio hardware is able to faithfully reproduce the sounds encoded in music, movies, and games, by processing that audio you can actually make it sound better. That seems a little too good to be true at first—after all, if it was possible to simply make a song sound better, why wouldn't they do that when they recorded it? To answer that, remember two things. The first is that almost all audio files are compressed, one way or another. To make them use up less hard disk space, memory, and bandwidth, files such as MP3s are compressed, losing audio information. Further, to make songs stand out to listeners, recordings are usually subjected to dynamic range compression, which increases the overall perceived loudness of the song, at a cost of dynamic range. Some audio processing, such as the SoundBlaster Crystallizer, attempts to algorithmically restore data lost during both types of compression. The second thing to keep in mind is that not all audio hardware is created equal. Equalizer features and bass boost can help take advantage of the strengths of your hardware, and shore up its weaknesses, while virtual surround sound processing (such as the Dolby 7.1 Surround processing found in several of the headsets in this roundup or Razer's Surround software) takes a surround sound audio source and algorithmically reduces it down to a stereo output, employing psychoacoustics to trick you into perceiving more sound sources than actually exist. Headset Spec Speak Like any other bit of PC hardware, headsets have developed quite a bit of related jargon. Here's a quick glossary of headset vocab that you might encounter in reviews and on store shelves. Knowing these terms will help you pick out the set that's right for you. Analog vs. USB: Traditional headphones are analog—that is, they connect to an audio source using a normal audio connector. A USB headset connects to the PC using the USB bus, which allows it to process the sound before you hear it, increasing audio quality. However, USB headsets bypass any audio hardware you might have, so if you have a soundcard you should buy an analog set. Wireless: There's a lot of wireless audio hardware out there, and most of it is bad news. Bluetooth audio is the worst culprit: Sound is compressed before it's transmitted, audibly decreasing quality. The kind of high-end wireless headsets found in this article transmit uncompressed audio and don't cause any loss of sound quality, but they don't come cheap. Circumaural vs. Supra-Aural: All the sets in this roundup are circumaural, which means the earcups are meant to fit fully around the outside of your ear. Other sets are supra-aural, meaning they are meant to sit on top of your ears. Circumaural sets are better at keeping outside noise out, and your own audio in, but they tend to be heavier and more expensive. Open-Back vs. Closed-Back: Open-back headsets do not form a complete seal around the ear. This can create a more natural-feeling sound, but allows sound to leak out more easily, potentially disturbing anyone nearby. Most gaming headsets, including all the ones in this article, are closed-back.

Crucial M500 480GB SSD Review Posted: 14 Oct 2013 01:15 PM PDT A winning package of low price and high performance The Crucial M500 is the company's third-generation 6Gb/s SSD, and the successor to the often-praised M4 SSD, which we named the "Best Bang for your Buck" SSD back last year due to its well-rounded package of decent performance at a great price. In our estimation, the new drive follows suit, though with much-improved write speeds and massively increased capacities at lower prices, thanks to its move to smaller-process NAND flash. Not only does it come in the standard 120GB, 240GB, and the 480GB version you see before you, but it's also offered in a pants-tightening 1TB version at just $600, making it the only truly affordable 1TB SSD ever offered. Since the terabyte drive was not available at press time, we're taking a look at the 480GB version, which sports the exact same specs as its big brother. The M500 is the first SSD to offer a relatively affordable 1TB option. Who needs kidneys, anyway? The drive itself comes in a shiny 7mm silver enclosure, so it fits into some thinner notebooks. A 9.5mm spacer is included, but not a 3.5-inch adapter, nor is there any software in the box or online aside from a firmware updating tool, which is disappointing. Inside the M500's shell we find that Crucial has moved from 25nm NAND to 20nm MLC NAND flash. Smaller-process NAND offers benefits such as lower power consumption and increased capacities, but also reduces the NAND's life span somewhat. Still, Crucial offers the drive with a 3-year warranty and says the drive can handle 40GB of data written to it every day for five years, so the drive's NAND should last long enough even for hardcore data-mongers. Crucial is still using a Marvell controller, though it's an updated version of the one used on the M4, and, of course, it has updated firmware. In testing, we saw the M500 post very respectable scores across the board, though none were the fastest we've seen, nor would we expect them to be at this price. The biggest improvement we see over the M4 is in write speeds, which have gone from 193MB/s in CrystalDiskMark to 422MB/s, and that difference shows in the AS SSD compressed-data test as well, showing almost a doubling of speed from the M500. The ATTO test mirrors our other results, showing the drive capable of around 500MB/s read speeds and 422MB/s write speeds, which is superb for a "value" drive. Its Iometer score of 83,354 IOPS is also top-of-its-class as well, as is its PCMark Vantage HDD test score of 71,619. Oddly, its Sony Vegas score is unchanged from the M4, so it's possible the Marvell controller still has a tough time with data-compression duties when writing huge files, 20GB in our scenario. Overall, the M500 shows just how far value drives have progressed, since this drive is about as fast as the fastest SSDs available a year ago. When compared to its most direct competitor—the Samsung 840 500GB—the two are pretty evenly matched, though the Crucial drive was a little faster in more tests. However, the Samsung drive costs about $40 less, has the same warranty, and better software support, making it a nail-biter between them. $400, www.crucial.com

Netflix and Cable Companies May Find Common Ground Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:08 PM PDT The modern day odd couple Cable companies have been at odds with Netflix and similar services that may be stealing customers away, but all that could change in short order. Apparently Netflix is in discussions in with at least two pay television providers about a deal that would make the streaming service available as an app integrated into set-top boxes. Netflix isn't going anywhere, so perhaps it's in everyone's best interest if the two sides bury the hatchet. According to The Wall Street Journal, Netflix is currently in discussions with Comcast and Suddenlink Communications. If the talks go anywhere, it would be the first time Netflix and cable companies have together in a deal in the U.S., though the streaming service did strike a similar agreement in the U.K. with Virgin Media. One of the negotiating points holding up a deal is that Netflix wants the cable companies to take on its streaming technology to improve the delivery of streaming video. Up to this point, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon have all refused to adopt the technology for fear of other online services asking for special treatment. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Ask the Doctor Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:08 PM PDT The doctor tackles Proprietary Connectors, Gremlins, PCIe Lanes, and more Lane Changes? Hey Doc, I currently have an Asus M5A99X Evo R2.0 running dual XFX Radeon 7970 Black Editions in CrossFireX. That's dual–PCIe 2.0 x8 mode. Would the new Asus Sabertooth 990FX/Gen3 R2.0 give me any advantage in gaming? I mostly play first-person shooters like Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed 3, and the like. I searched the web and it's a toss-up for little to no gain. Also, will the Sabertooth actually run dual-x16 in the PCIe 3.0 slots? I've read conflicting reports on the net. AMD fanboys want to know the truth! - Garrett Franklin Will upgrading to a Sabertooth 990FX mobo make a difference for gaming? The Doctor Responds: According to Asus's specs, the Sabertooth 990FX will indeed run two PCIe cards in dual-x16 mode. The question, though, is whether that makes a difference for your setup. PCIe 2.0 x8 runs at 4GB/s each way, while PCIe 3.0 x16 is 16GB/s each way—a fourfold increase. But does that actually make a difference in gaming with your setup? Not really. TechPowerUp did a huge comparison using a Z77 board, a 7970, and a GTX 680. They tested each card at PCIe 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0, and at x4, x8, and x16 lanes, in multiple resolutions across 18 games. They didn't test multi-GPU setups, but it's the biggest apples-to-apples comparison we could find. The upshot? A single Radeon 7970 is about 3 percent slower at PCIe 2.0 x8 compared to PCIe 3.0 x16. We're talking between one and five frames per second. In the Doctor's opinion, single-digit frame-rate improvements are not worth spending upward of $200 for. If It Ain't Broke... I just had a new PC built with an Asus Sabertooth Z77 motherboard. I noticed that the chipset drivers are about one year old. Newer drivers are available on both Asus's and Intel's websites. The system seems to be working just fine. Should I update the drivers to the latest available? I cannot seem to find any details about what the new drivers correct from the previous release. As a person who has assembled computers but who is far from expert, I sure would appreciate some help in determining if I should follow the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rule, or am I just not knowledgeable enough to know that the computer does need fixing? - Dick Patyrak The Doctor Responds: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the advice we normally give with regard to BIOS updates, not drivers, since a badly flashed BIOS can brick your motherboard. For drivers, we recommend installing the latest stable versions available from the manufacturer's website; chipset driver updates often include performance and stability updates. Regarding BIOS updates, though, our policy may have to change soon—we've seen lots of weirdness and instability corrected with a BIOS update, and they're slightly less worrisome to install these days. The Doc suspects vendors are still getting the hang of UEFI, and new versions often address stability and compatibility problems. Nothing to See Here I need to erase a few files on my hard drive so they are totally unrecoverable. Can you recommend software? - Name Withheld The Doctor Responds: First of all, the Doctor reminds you that if you're currently under investigation it is a crime to destroy evidence, so don't do it. Next, the Doctor points you to the tool Eraser, which can overwrite files, folders, and whole drives with random data so their contents are totally unrecoverable. Use with caution. Proprietary Power Connector? I have a few parts lying around and I should be able to build an HTPC with little or no investment. The center of the machine would be a nice Asus Mini-ITX board (M2N61-AR). The power supply associated with that board has died and I would like to use a standard one. Unfortunately, as you may know, the connectors don't match up. The connector on the board is much smaller than that of the standard PSU. I've looked everywhere (including under the kitchen table) but cannot find an adapter that would transition from a standard PSU to the board. Do you know if such a thing exists? I've even contacted StarTech, which specializes in those type of things and they don't have one. I still have the old defective PSU. Is my only solution to cut the connector from it and get busy with the old soldering iron and shrink tubes? - Serge Desaulniers This Asus board, exclusive to some long-vanished HP mini-machine, has a proprietary power connector instead of the standard ATX 24-pin. Fortunately, adapters are available. The Doctor Responds: At first, the Doc thought it was simply an older 20-pin connector, but upon closer examination, it is indeed some kind of unique 24-pin connector. According to HP's website, it's a 2x12 "mini power connector." This is why the Doc and all enthusiasts hate proprietary parts. They're not a problem at first, but years later when you try to repurpose something, you find it's useless. Fortunately, it looks like there may be a solution. We found a mini 24-pin ATX cable adapter on Amazon for 74 cents plus $2.69 in shipping. The description says, "This cable adapter enables you to use a regular ATX or Micro ATX power supply with an HP computer with a proprietary mini 24-pin power socket on its motherboard. Perfect when the old HP system power supply stops working and you want to use a regular ATX or Micro ATX power supply as replacement" (http://amzn.to/15mZpwL). That's no guarantee it'll work, but the Doctor doesn't think HP has multiple different proprietary power connectors—at least, he hopes not. By the way, that board looks unique to HP. HP says it'll take an Athlon 64, Athlon 64 X2, or Sempron up to 65 watts only, and only 2GB DDR2 DIMMs. It's a Gremlin I have a 2-year-old home-built X58 rig. Almost from the time my computer was put into service, there have been video anomalies. The major, persistent problem is that when coming out of sleep or hibernate, the screen flickers black, holds at black for 15–20 seconds, and then stabilizes. Under Windows 7 64-bit, there was a recurrent error message: "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered. Display driver Nvidia Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version xxx.xx stopped responding," with the version number changing to represent the driver in use. Under Windows 8 64-bit, the error message doesn't appear but the problem persists. There is no particular software that causes it. It can happen in a game or Outlook or on the desktop. EVGA replaced the video card three times, reporting that the RMA'd units tested clean. The mainboard was also replaced twice. After the third board showed no change, I replaced the motherboard temporarily with an Asus X58 unit, which didn't flicker at all but stopped passing video to the monitor within three days (even with a different GPU and monitor). Except for the CPU, I have tried using other hardware (GPU, mainboard, power supply) to no positive effect. I ran whatever diagnostic software the vendors recommended. All showed no problems. Temperatures are safely within parameters, even on the cool side. I've done clean installs of both Windows 7 and 8, tried plugging the computer directly into the wall to bypass my UPS; in short, I've gone as far as I can. I'm about ready to trash the system and build a new one, but that doesn't make sense until I know what's causing the problem in the first place—whether it's repairable or endemic to the system as it stands. - Ira J. Black The Doctor Responds: It's probably a Mogwai, because your issue is not an easy one to track down. You've already eliminated the obvious suspects: GPU and PSU. Others with similar problems have reported it to be related to motherboard, RAM, or even hard drive. Still others report the error you had to be an issue with letting the GPU auto-select the PhysX device (choose manually instead) and others say tweaking the Timeout Detection and Recovery registry value helps address the "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" error. See http://bit.ly/Kjl1i3. You've swapped every component except for the CPU and have not been able to eliminate the problem, and even performed a clean install, so it's unlikely something inside your box. The only advice the Doctor can offer, other than investigating the Timeout Detection and Recovery fix, is to try a different monitor and display cable. The Doc has seen troubles similar to yours—flickering, taking a long time to stabilize after sleep—caused by bad capacitors in the monitor. SSD Slower than Rated Speeds I installed an OCZ Vertex 4 512GB and I am getting slow read/write speeds—about 50 percent of the rated speeds. I have a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (rev. 2.0) mobo, an Intel Core i7-970 CPU, and 24GB of Kingston DDR3 1,600MHz. I am using a SATA 6Gb/s connection in AHCI mode. I also used IDE mode, with the same results. Can you tell me how to get the rated speeds? - James Capolupo The Doctor Responds: Good news and bad news, James. Bad news first: You can't. The X58 chipset hails from a time before Intel had its own native 6Gb/s SATA controllers, and the Marvell SE9128 chipset your board uses just isn't as fast as the native Intel chipset (which is what everyone bases their performance numbers on). The good news is that it doesn't really matter. Your rig is plenty fast, and your SSD isn't going to be slowing you down anytime soon. The big boost an SSD provides is the quick random-access times—the fast sequential read/write speeds are a bonus. You're still seeing faster reads/writes than on any hard drive, and even most SSDs. Don't let the difference between the rated and actual speeds get you down.

Wireless Data Transfer at 100Gbps Achievement Unlocked Posted: 14 Oct 2013 09:57 AM PDT Researchers set world record for wireless data transmission speed Imagine for a moment being able to transfer the entire contents of a Blu-ray disc or five DVDs over a wireless connection in a mere two seconds. Impossible, you say? For the everyday user and consumers at large, that's true. Heck, it might take more than two seconds to toss a set of DVDs across the living room. But for Professor Ingmar Kallffass and his fellow researchers, that type of wireless speed just became possible. In the current issue of the Nature Photonics magazine, researchers outline a method for wireless data transmission at 100 gigabits per second. In successfully conducting their experiment, the researchers set a new world record, and they did it by transmitting data at a frequency of 237.5GHz over a distance of 20 meters in the laboratory. Previous experiments topped out at 40Gbps over 1 kilometer. To achieve the latest world record, the researchers used a photonic method to generate the radio signals at the transmitter. "Our project focused on integration of a broadband radio relay link into fiber-optical systems," Kallfass explains. "For rural areas in particular, this technology represents an inexpensive and flexible alternative to optical fiber networks, whose extension can often not be justified from an economic point of view." As it stands, this type of transmission over long distances requires conventional antennas, but in time, these can be replaced by miniaturized antenna designs in compact form factors for indoor use. Image Credit: KIT.edu Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft Says Surface RT Branding Confused Customers Posted: 14 Oct 2013 09:28 AM PDT ARM-based Surface 2 systems won't carry RT branding Whatever your opinion of Microsoft's original Surface products, one thing most people can agree on is that the Redmond company did a poor job educating consumers on the difference between Windows 8 and Windows RT. It's not as though tech savvy users picked up a Surface RT and expected to run legacy Windows apps, but for the mainstream user who doesn't understand that ARM-based SoCs and x86 processors feature completely different architectures, the RT branding could be confusing. Microsoft has now admitted as much. The admission came courtesy of Jack Cowett, a product marketing manager for Surface, who spoke bluntly with Australian news site ARN about Surface RT's branding. "We think there was some confusion in the market last year on the difference between Surface RT and Surface Pro," Cowett said. "We want to help make it easier for people, and these are two different products designed for two different people." Even though the RT branding is being kicked to the curb, it's important to note that Surface 2 will feature an ARM-based foundation and run Windows RT 8.1. It will be available in 32GB and 64GB models starting October 22. On the flipside, Surface 2 Pro has Intel inside and will run Windows 8.1. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft does differently this time around in terms of marketing these devices. Whether due to confusion over the RT branding or other factors, Microsoft ultimately ended up taking a $900 million charge on unsold Surface inventory earlier this year, and that's something the company (and its investors) don't want to repeat. To Microsoft's credit, Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro are much better products with improved specs and a better overall design. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Windows Phone 8 Update Paves Way for Larger Display, Full HD 1080p Handsets Posted: 14 Oct 2013 08:46 AM PDT Get ready for larger Windows Phone 8 devices Microsoft on Monday announced that its third Windows Phone 8 update will allow for physically bigger displays with more real estate to play with courtesy of Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) support. It's one of a handful of improvements being introduced in the newest Windows Phone 8 update, which will enable smartphone makers to launch Windows Phone devices with 5-inch and 6-inch displays. "The larger, 1080p HD displays on these devices will make Windows Phone even more personal -- for example by sporting jumbo-sized Start screens with room for six Live Tiles across instead of four," Microsoft state in a blog post. "A bigger Start screen means the ability to pin even more of the people, info, and apps that matter to you." Microsoft calls them "jumbo-sized" though another term for these oversized devices is "phablet," which are handsets that sit between traditional smartphone and tablet territories. Update No. 3 will also introduce support for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor for better performance, as well as a new feature called Driving Mode to help you get to where you're going without distractions. Driving Mode essentially hides notifications like texts, calls, and quick status alerts until you're safely parked. Other feature additions include new accessibility options, improved Internet sharing, and "hundreds of under-the-hood performance tweaks and enhancements," Microsoft says. There are also a handful of features that users have been asking for, such as more useful ringtones (custom ringtones for instant messages, for example), rotation lock, better storage management, the ability to close apps with the App switcher, Wi-Fi access out of the box, and better Bluetooth support. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Twitter Engineer Receives $10 Million in Stock as Demand for Talent Outpaces Supply Posted: 14 Oct 2013 08:19 AM PDT Talented engineers scoring big paydays in Silicon Valley If you fancy yourself a savvy eningeer or developer, Silicon Valley is the place to float your resume. Demand is high for code junkies who know their stuff, and if you play your cards right, you could line your portfolio with millions of dollars worth of stock. Christopher Fry, senior vice president of engineering for Twitter, is a walking example of just how valuable top engineering talent has become. Citing Twitter's IPO documents, Reuters reports Fry received $10.3 million in cash and stock last year working for Twitter. That includes $10.1 million in stock awards, a salary of $145,513, and a $100,000 bonus check. All tallied, Fry is among Twitter's highest paid executives, having earned more than Chief Technology Officer Adam Messinger, Chief Financial Officer Mike Gupta, and Chief Operating Officer Ali Rowghani. In fact, the only one who earned more is Twitter Chief Executive Disk Costolo, who raked in $11.5 million. How can people like Fry command so much money? According to Iain Grant, a recruiter at Riviera Partners, the number of top-level talent isn't getting any bigger, yet "demand for them has gone through the roof." While Fry's compensation came mostly in the form of stock, company's are going to great lengths to attract A-team employees. There's a start-up that offered an engineer a yearlong lease on a Telsa sedan valued at $1,000 per month. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Windows 8 Tablets with Intel Bargains Up the Wazoo! Posted: 14 Oct 2013 07:35 AM PDT Top Deal: Looking for a Windows 8 tablet with Intel inside? Boy, have you come to the right place. Today's crop of deals are chock full these Wintel devices. Kicking them off is today's top deal for a Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx Tablet for $274 with free shipping (normally $299 - use coupon code Pandora13). It has an Intel Atom Z2760 processor driving an 11.6-inch touchscreen display, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and of course Windows 8. Other Deals: Acer Iconia Tab W Series 8.1-inch Windows 8 Touchscreen Tablet for $335 with free shipping (normally $360 - use coupon code: [Pandora13]) Asus VivoTab 2GB DDR3 64GB 10.1-inch Windows 8 Tablet for $355 with free shipping (normally $379 - use coupon code: [Pandora13]) Dell Latitude 10 Intel Atom 2GB RAM 64GB SSD 10.1-inch HD Windows 8 Tablet for $575 with free shipping (normally $600 - use coupon code: [Pandora13]) Samsung ATIV Smart PC 64GB 11.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet for $635 with free shipping (normally $660 - use coupon code: [Pandora13])

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