General Gaming Article

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• Ask the Doctor: Storage Cloning, Slow SSD, and Other Issues Tackled
• Leaked Intel Roadmap Shows 2TB 2.5-inch SSD Coming Out in 2014
• No BS Podcast #215: OCZ Sells Out, PC Sales Shrink, and AMD's FX CPUs
• Backblaze Finds Enterprise Drives Fail More Often than Consumer HDDs
• EVGA Eyes Budget Builders with 500W and 430W PSUs Starting at $35
• MSI Lays Claim to First 3K Gaming Laptop, Also Unveils a 3K Mobile Workstation
• Acer's Aspire Z3-600 All-in-One Packs a Built-in Battery for Computing On-the-Go
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus White 23-inch Monitor, EVGA GeForce GTX 780 witt ACX Cooler, and More!

Ask the Doctor: Storage Cloning, Slow SSD, and Other Issues Tackled Posted: 05 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST This month the doctor tackles HDDs and SSDs, Ripping Woes, XP Drivers and many more Slow Raptor I just bought a WD Velociraptor WD1000DHTZ hard drive from Newegg. The performance of this drive is not what I expected it to be. I have an Asrock 870 Extreme3 R2.0 motherboard. When I bought this board on Newegg a year ago it was advertised as a SATA6 motherboard, but when I check the Asrock website it states that it is a SATA3 motherboard. Does the underperformance of my Velociraptor have something to do with this, or did I just expect too much? - Gary Davidson The Doctor Responds: This is the trouble with SATA's naming scheme: It's confusing. SATA 3.0 is the third revision of the SATA spec, the one that works at 6Gb/s. SATA II is the one that works at 3Gb/s. Your motherboard and the Velociraptor both have SATA 6Gb/s ports, so you have not been misled. Without any solid benchmark numbers it's hard to tell if your Velociraptor is underperforming, but keep in mind that although it is a fast mechanical drive, it's still a mechanical drive and so its random-access times will be a hundred times slower than an SSD's, and its sequential speeds are still half or a third what an SSD's would be. You won't get SSD-like speed from it; all you'll get is a really fast mechanical drive. Slow SSD RAID My boot drives are a pair of identical, fairly early 128GB Fujitsu SSDs that are booting Win7 in a RAID 0 configuration, and all my documents and programs are in a pair of 3TB Seagates in RAID 1. Crystal-DiskInfo can't see past the Marvell controller on my Asus P6X58-E Pro but CrystalDiskMark's report is a little disappointing, showing sequential read/write of 295MB/s and 116MB/s, respectively. Would I get similar results if these SSDs were stand-alone? My machine is completely ready in one minute from a cold start. Booting from the platter disk that I cloned takes 4.5 minutes. - Dave King The Doctor Responds: The 6Gb/s Marvell 9128 SATA controllers on X58 boards are not very fast, at least not compared to the Intel native 6Gb/s controllers from Sandy Bridge and later chipsets. This is partly because they connect to the motherboard via a single PCIe 2.0 lane. Secondly, your RAID controller can't pass Trim commands from the OS through to the drives, so they are slowing down as they run out of fresh sectors, though if those are SandForce drives, as the Doc suspects, the onboard garbage-collecting algorithms should help a little. If you really want faster performance, you'd actually be better off cloning your RAID 0 to a single 6Gb/s SATA SSD, or re-creating your array using a PCIe RAID card that uses four or more lanes. That said, there's no need to take drastic action if you're happy with the current speed of your drives. Movin' on Up If I have a 20GB boot drive, can I move the stuff on it to a bigger drive? I read that cloning even copies the partition. So if I cloned the 20GB drive to a bigger one, the bigger one would act as a 20GB hard drive. How do I get past this? - Joseph The Doctor Responds: You can clone that 20GB drive to a bigger one, then increase the partition size to take up all the empty space on that larger drive. There are several ways to do this, but EaseUs ToDo Backup Free (www.todo-backup.com) is a good one-stop solution that makes it pretty easy. It'll let you clone your existing drive image to a larger one and adjust the partition size, either as you clone it over or afterward. Clone your drives with EaseUs ToDo Backup Can't Rip It I have AnyDVD HD and HandBrake. I want to back up my movies but I am having issues with HandBrake: No matter what settings I choose, HandBrake always makes the file 4GB and it is never playable. Any help or guidance on what my settings should be would be great. - Karl The Doctor Responds: Karl, first, make sure you have the latest version of AnyDVD HD as well as the latest build of HandBrake. You might want to look for firmware updates for your optical drive, as well. You also didn't say what player you were using. The Doc recommends VLC Player (www.videolan.org) for a free player or PowerDVD 13 (www.cyberlink.com) for a paid, but prettier player. You didn't say what operating system you were running or what file system you're writing to. If you are running, say, Windows XP on a hard drive that is formatted with FAT32, you should know that FAT32 has a maximum file size limit of just over 4GB. A HandBrake encode of a 1080p Blu-ray will typically exceed that size. When HandBrake hits the file size limit of FAT32, it may just stop the encode, leaving you with a video that won't play because the file is essentially corrupt. We Blame Apple I just finished building a rig that dual-boots OS X and Windows 7. The system in general works just fine, but I have one problem that's been nagging me for the past week: my BIOS. For the first three boots or so on my system, the BIOS startup screen came up cheerfully for two seconds, and then went directly to my boot loader. Next boot, the startup logo decides to stay around for another 20 seconds, until my internal speaker beeps, signaling POST has finished. I'm rocking a Gigabyte Z77X-UDH5 Rev. 1.1 board, and I'm pretty disappointed to see my boot times rising from 10 seconds to around 30. I checked the debug LED codes, and found out that the system was hanging on code 64, or "CPU DXE initialization has started." I have tried updating, resetting, and adjusting the BIOS with no luck. If I want better boot times, would I need to RMA it? - Derek Werbowy The Doctor Responds: Contacting Gigabyte support for help is a good idea but there are a few other steps you might want to take. You've updated the BIOS, so you're good there. First, disconnect any external drives or USB devices. External USB devices can on occasion play havoc with boot times and may react differently depending on the USB port they're in. Still whacky? Make sure all of your mobo power connectors and SATA connectors are firmly connected. You may even want to try to unplug and replug them until you are sure they firmly in place. Reset the CMOS manually, or remove the coin cell with the system PSU switched off for 10 seconds. Before you do that, make sure you take detailed notes on your UEFI settings. Now, try reseating all of the RAM, and if that doesn't make a difference, try running each DIMM individually. If that doesn't work, start unplugging SATA drives to see if the system is maybe hanging on one of the drives. Your last resort is to consider a CPU reseat, as well. XP Drivers on New Mobos I am using an older AMD computer running WinXP and I want to try building a new one all by myself. Just as I was ready to order the parts, my son said, "Whoa, if you want to keep WinXP" (which I do), "the motherboard must support WinXP." I think he mentioned the chipset. Does the Gigabyte Z77X-UP4 TH support WinXP? If not, which Z77 motherboard still supports WinXP? I plan to use an Intel i5-3570K CPU and GeForce GTX 660 GPU. - George Pieper The Doctor Responds: As long as there are Windows XP–compatible drivers for your motherboard, you'll be fine. According to Gigabyte's support site (www.gigabyte.us), there are indeed WinXP drivers for that mobo, so you're good to go. If you want to do any gaming with that computer, you should consider upgrading to Windows 7 or 8. If you stick with Windows XP, you won't be able to take advantage of the DirectX 11 capabilities of that GeForce GTX 660.

Leaked Intel Roadmap Shows 2TB 2.5-inch SSD Coming Out in 2014 Posted: 05 Dec 2013 12:09 PM PST Large capacity SSDs are on the horizon Imagine swapping out that 1TB mechanical hard drive that's been making grinding noises with a 2GB solid state drive. Talk about an upgrade! If your pockets are stuffed with enough cash and you can justify spending what's likely to be a small fortune on a 2TB SSD in 2.5-inch knickers, you'll have your chance in 2014. So says a leaked Intel roadmap outlining the company's SSD plans. The leaked roadmap is a continuation of an earlier one that appeared on the web not long ago. This one goes up through the second quarter of 2014, which is when Intel is scheduled to release its Fultondale and Pleasantdale lines in 200GB, 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB, and 2TB capacities. Also known as the P3700 and P3500 Series, respectively, these drives will be built with 20nm High Endurance Technology (HET) multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory. They'll ship in both PCI-E and 2.5-inch form factors and feature AES 256-bit encryption, 25W power (10W while idle), and five year warranties. On the performance side, they're rated for up to 2800MB/s sequential read and up to 1700MB/s sequential write performance. No word on price, but we're thinking "arm and a leg" is a pretty good estimate. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

No BS Podcast #215: OCZ Sells Out, PC Sales Shrink, and AMD's FX CPUs Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:54 AM PST OCZ sells its SSD business to Toshiba, PC enthusiasts have stopped upgrading, and is AMD giving up on the FX platform? Welcome to episode #215 of the No BS Podcast where we talk about nothing but gloom and doom for the PC industry. We begin with the recent sale of OCZ's SSD business to Toshiba, and what it means for current and future customers. We discuss the latest report from IDC which predicts PC sales will have declined by over 10 percent in 2013 because PC users have no reasons to upgrade. Finally, we consider the possibility of AMD abandoning the fight with Intel. We wrap up with our Editors' Picks and Gordon delivers a fiery sermon on a range of topics that includes Star Wars and e-mail.    Editor's Picks Clark Crisp: Roccat Kone XTD mouse  Tom McNamara: Shadow Warrior Remake Katherine Stevenson: Windows 8's Snipping Tool Josh Norem: Prank Christmas Boxes/ The Pet Petter Gordon Ung: Diamond Select Communicator and Phaser Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Backblaze Finds Enterprise Drives Fail More Often than Consumer HDDs Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:33 AM PST A real-world evaluation of hard drive reliability In November, cloud backup firm Backblaze posted some detailed data on the life expectancy of hard drives based on the company's experience with over 25,000 HDDs. One thing Backblaze found was that evaluating such a thing is bit tricky for a number of reasons, though it was able to make some observations. As a followup, Backblaze has posted another blog that examines how reliable enterprise drives are compared to consumer drives, and the results are surprising. Enterprise drives have built in mechanisms that are supposed to make them better suited for the rigors of 24x7 operation than consumer based drives, but according to Backblaze, they not only fail just as often, but even at a greater clip. There's some qualifying factors that go along with that, however. For one, Backblaze is comparing a sample of 368 enterprise class drives with 14,719 consumer drives. That's how many of each were added in the past two years since Backblaze began using enterprise-grade storage systems. The second thing to consider is that enterprise drives are used more heavily than consumer drives, though Backblaze points out they're also "coddled in well-ventilated low-vibration enclosures." In contrast to that, consumer drives are installed in Storage Pods with a fair amount of vibration. All that said, 17 enterprise drives failed in the past two years, adding up to a 4.6 percent annual failure rate. During the same period, 613 consumer drives failed, which comes out to a 4.2 percent failure rate. "So, are enterprise drives worth the cost? From a pure reliability perspective, the data we have says the answer is clear: No," Backblaze concludes. "Enterprise drives do have one advantage: longer warranties. That's a benefit only if the higher price you pay for the longer warranty is less than what you expect to spend on replacing the drive." Give Backblaze's analysis a once-over and then let us know what you think about the data and its conclusion. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

EVGA Eyes Budget Builders with 500W and 430W PSUs Starting at $35 Posted: 05 Dec 2013 10:21 AM PST Name brand PSUs at generic prices Putting together a modest system that doesn't require a nuclear reactor to power up and sustain during gaming sessions? EVGA might have what you're looking for. The hardware player announced a couple of new power supplies -- a 500W model and a 430W model, both aimed at budget builders who aren't looking to spend all their holiday skrilla on a PSU, yet still want a name brand unit. The 430W model retails for $35 direct from EVGA and the 500W model goes for $40. The two PSUs are both 80 Plus certified and utilize a single +12V rail design (34A on the 430W and 40A on the 500W). For $5 more, the 500W is arguably the better value and gives a bit more headroom to play with. You don't get modular cables with either model, but they are sleeved, which helps with cable management and appearance. EVGA says the fan on both models runs "near silent," which we would expect at this power level. The EVGA 430W and 500W PSUs are available to order now. Each one carries a 3-year warranty. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

MSI Lays Claim to First 3K Gaming Laptop, Also Unveils a 3K Mobile Workstation Posted: 05 Dec 2013 08:32 AM PST Finding middle ground between Full HD and 4K gaming MSI today announced what it claims is the world's first 3K gaming notebook, which hits the market just in time to be added onto your holiday wishlist. The GT60 2OD-261US is a 15.6-inch laptop with a WQHD+ display (2880x1620) that kicks things up a notch over Full HD 1080p without going all the way up to 4K, which would be both more expensive and far more demanding on the hardware. Powering the 3K display is an Intel Core i7 4700MQ processor, 16GB of DDR3L 1600MHz RAM, and a GeForce GTX 780M discrete graphics. It's a powerful trio that should keep the laptop relevant for some time to come. In addition, it has a 128GB solid state drive, 1TB hard drive (7200 RPM), Killer N1202 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Killer E2200 LAN, SD card reader, Blu-ray reader, three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI output, 720p webcam, SteelSeries backlit keyboard, Dynaudio speakers with subwoofer, 9-cell battery, and Windows 8. MSI also announced a similar spec'd workstation (2OKWS-278US), however it rocks an Nvidia Quadro K3100M GPU, has one less USB 2.0 port, and runs Windows 7 Professional. "Gamers demand the most out of their systems and are constantly trying to attain a more complete experience, starting from system performance to multimedia effects. The GT60 with 3K graphics immerses the portable gamer into a realm never before experienced," stated Andy Tung, vice president of sales for MSI Pan America Region. "The 3K graphics in our latest workstation gives professionals an edge by increasing efficiency and productivity." The GT60 gaming and workstation systems are available now for $2,200 and $2,800, respectively. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer's Aspire Z3-600 All-in-One Packs a Built-in Battery for Computing On-the-Go Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:51 AM PST Built-in battery lasts up to 2.5 hours in between charges Most all-in-one (AIO) systems won't get very far if you rip the power cord from the wall, though there are a few exceptions. Dell's XPS 18 comes to mind, but for an even bigger screen experience, Acer's new 21.5-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) Aspire Z3-600 will go wherever you go and keep kicking for up to 2.5 hours before its built-in battery battery needs to suck more juice out of an outlet. Acer's portable AIO has a flexible hinge design and stand that tilts up to 90 degrees. It can lay flat for tabletop computing activities with support for 10-point capacitive touch input. Two 2.5W front-facing Harman Kardon speakers deliver "crystal clear audio that sounds close ot the original recording," Acer claims. Color us intrigued. As for what's inside, the Z3-600 comes equipped with an Intel Pentium J2850 quad-core processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, and up to a 750GB hard drive. It also has HDMI output, a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, and Windows 8. The Acer Aspire Z3-600 will be available to purchase later this month starting at $779. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus White 23-inch Monitor, EVGA GeForce GTX 780 witt ACX Cooler, and More! Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:21 AM PST Top Deal: If you're looking to white out your next build, it's not that hard to do these days. There are all kinds of white peripherals and parts, everything from gaming mice to cases and even case fans. To complete the build, however, have a look at today's top deal for an Asus VX238H-W White 23-inch LED Monitor for $135 with free shipping (normally $200; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). Don't be fooled by the budget price -- this panel sports a Full HD 1080p resolution, 80,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1ms response time, flexible connectivity (D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI), and special anti-UV materials to prevent the chassis from turning a dingy yellow. Other Deals: EVGA 03G-P4-3788-KR GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Classified w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card for $550 with free shipping (normally $580; additional $20 Mail-in rebate; 3 Free Games with Purchase) Asus Sabertooth Z87 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $230 with free shipping (normally $250 ; use coupon code: [EMCWVXT25]) Corsair AX series AX860 860W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply for $170 with free shipping (normally $200; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced - Gaming Mid Tower Computer Case with Carrying Handle for $95 with free shipping (normally $110; additional $25 Mail-in rebate)

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