General Gaming Article

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• Midrange SSD Head-to-Head
• How to Build a Linux Gaming PC
• Newegg Daily Deals: WD My Book 2TB USB 3.0 HDD, Rosewill PSU Tester, and More!
• Who Wants Some Free Stuff?
• Retired Music Theorist Concocts Krush Keyboard So Everyone Can Type 100 WPM or More
• Advertisers Miffed Over Mozilla's Upcoming Do-Not-Track Default in Firefox
• Western Digital Acquires Stec to Solidify Enterprise SSD Business
• Despite Ongoing Decline in Traditional PC Demand, Sales Will Trump Tablets Through 2014

Midrange SSD Head-to-Head Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:20 PM PDT Samsung and Corsair SSDs go at it once again Several months ago, the supreme high-end SSDs from Corsair and Samsung faced off in the Octagon known as the top of our desk area that holds drives being tested. In that blood-curdling battle (in which neither drive moved nor made a sound), the Samsung 840 Pro was victorious, vanquishing its opponent by a slim margin in a contest where zero trash talk was delivered by either storage device. This month, round two commences as the companies' value-conscious SSDs clash like cars in a demolition derby by sitting quietly on a test bench while we perform benchmarks upon them. Neither of these drives is as fast as their top-tier brethren, but they are priced accordingly, and both are a damned-good value. Corsair Neutron Series 240GB The Corsair Neutron is a slightly detuned version of the company's Kick Ass award–winning Neutron GTX SSD. It shares the GTX's all-new Link A Media Device (LAMD) controller, the same slim 7mm form factor, and the same five-year warranty, which is as good as they get these days. The biggest difference between the two drives is the type of NAND flash they use, with the expensive GTX drive boasting the swanky Toshiba 24nm Toggle NAND, and the less expensive Neutron using 25nm ONFI MLC NAND from Micron, which helps keep the drive's price in check. According to the drive's spec charts, the ONIF NAND is significantly slower than the Toggle NAND from Toshiba for write operations, but the two are evenly matched when it comes to read speeds. The GTX also has a slight edge when it comes to 4K random-write IOPS. Corsair's Neutron uses the LAMD controller found in the Neutron GTX, but goes with the less-costly Micron NAND. We tested the 240GB version of the drive, which is 223GB after being formatted. The extra 16GB of space you can't see or access is used for over-provisioning. The drive comes with a SATA 6Gb/s connector, it supports the Trim command in Windows 7, and is also available in a 120GB capacity. Its bundle includes a 3.5-inch bay adapter but no software. To test the drive, we ran it through our gauntlet of benchmarks and compared it with the Samsung 840 as well as other drives at its price point. On the whole, the Neutron performed extremely well for a midrange drive, though it didn't top every category of testing. In our top-speed test of sequential reads, it delivered impressive 454MB/s and 363MB/s read and write speeds, respectively, placing it just behind the Samsung in read speeds, and making it the second-fastest in write speeds, just behind the OCZ Vertex 4. When it comes to incompressible data such as MP3s and video, the Neutron performed respectably in our AS SSD benchmark, again losing slightly to the Vertex 4 but outpacing the Samsung. Corsair claims the drive shines in tests such as this, and though its score isn't top of the charts, it's in line with Corsair's marketing, as its read speeds are stellar, even if its write speeds are a bit slower than the competition. In our ATTO 64K sequential-read and -write test with a four-command queue, the Neutron was about on par with the Vertex 4 in read speeds but back-of-the-pack in write performance by a small margin. Where the Neutron really shines is in high I/O scenarios such as our Iometer test, which pummels the drive silently via software with a queue of 32 4K random write requests. In this test we saw the Neutron deliver a beatdown on every other drive we tested, and its score of 80,466 IOPS puts it in the same league as its much more expensive top-tier competitors. It also threw down the gauntlet (despite not having arms) in our real-world PCMark Vantage test, racking up a surprising score of 70,030, which is impressive for a drive of this price range. In our final test of Premiere Pro, the Neutron hung with its compatriots, so there's nothing special to report on that front. All in all, the Neutron impressed us with its speed, warranty, and price point. It's not quite as inexpensive as the Intel 335 or the Samsung 840, but it's faster. When compared to the Vertex 4, though, it loses in most tests by a healthy margin even though the two are priced the same. That makes it a nail-biter since both drives have a five-year warranty and the Vertex 4 is a little long in the tooth. But the numbers don't lie—the OCZ drive is faster. $225, www.corsair.com Click the next page for the Samsung 840 Series SSD review.     Samsung 840 Series 250GB By now, you've probably heard of the Samsung 840 Pro—it's the new fat cat in town in the SSD world, and sits atop our benchmark charts lazily cleaning itself while peering down at all the other SSDs clamoring to take its place. That drive is redonk, but there's only one problem—it's quite expensive at $250. To satiate those who want a Samsung SSD but don't have two-fiddy lying around, Samsung introduced its midrange drive, the 840 Amateur (that's what we are calling it). The big deal with this drive is that it features an all-new kind of NAND known as TLC instead of using the very common MLC NAND (literally every consumer SSD on the market uses MLC). TLC stands for triple-level cell as opposed to multi-level cell, as it stores three bits per cell instead of two. More bits on the same wafer means higher capacities without increasing cost, but there's a catch—TLC NAND has lower overall endurance than MLC NAND, but don't get too worked up over it. Though the drive only has a three-year warranty, as opposed to the five-year warranty of the Pro version, it's still rated to run for a decade under normal consumer-usage patterns. Samsung's vanilla-flavored 840 SSD is the first to use TLC NAND flash, which helps keep the price down. The drive itself features a slim 7mm form factor in case you want to stuff it inside an Ultrabook, and it rides the SATA 6Gb/s rails. Its bundle includes Samsung's SSD Magician utility, which handles everything from drive diagnostics to data migration and more, but it lacks a 3.5-inch bay adapter. It's available in 120GB, 250GB (seen here), and 500GB versions; the 250GB version we tested is 232GB after formatting. During testing, the 840 performed admirably, especially in sequential-read speeds, where it was the fastest drive in both the tests we use to measure this metric. In CrystalDiskMark it saturated the SATA 6Gb/s bus at 523.6MB/s, but its sequential-write speed was its Achilles' heel at just 260.1MB/s. The OCZ Vertex 4, by comparison, is twice as fast. Its performance was similar in our four-command-queue test with a 64K file size, hitting 530.2MB/s read and 265.9MB/s write speeds in ATTO. The drive deals pretty well with incompressible data too, taking the top spot in our AS SSD test for 4KB-write IOPS, but placing mid-pack in 4KB reads. When dealing with a heavy queue of 32 4K write commands, it placed third overall; not too shabby considering it's the least-expensive drive here. In our real-world PCMark Vantage test, its score of 56,482 was again third-best, so it's once again better than average. Its Premiere Pro 20GB write-test time of 241 ties the OCZ Vertex 4, but all the drives are very close in this test, suggesting it's CPU-limited. In our estimation, there's nothing wrong with the Samsung 840 SSD. It's a low-cost SSD, so you have to consider that factor when examining the benchmark scores. All the Internet rumors about TLC NAND being unreliable are just that—rumors. Nobody has worn out a TLC NAND device yet, and it would take quite a long time to ever do so; the same goes for MLC NAND, so don't believe the trash talk. Also, we should point out that Samsung is not an SSD manufacturer that has a reputation for being unreliable. That said, aside from its excellent sequential-read speeds, there's not much else to get excited about with this SSD. It's a low-price drive with decent-to-great performance, and that's the bottom line. $180, www.samsung.com Benchmarks Corsair Neutron Samsung 840 Series Intel 335 Series OCZ Vertex 4 Crucial M4 Controller LAMD LM87800 Samsung MDX SandForce SF-2281 Indilinx Everest 2 Marvell 9174 Capacity 240GB 250GB 240GB 256GB 256GB Price $195 $180 $185 $200 $200 CrystalDiskMark           Avg. Sustained Read (MB/s) 454.6 523.6 470 432.9 500 Avg. Sustained Write (MB/s) 363.3 260.1 240.8 500.9 193.2 AS SSD           4KB Read (IOPS) 6,684 5,926 5,849 7,779 6,741 4KB Write (IOPS) 16,963 18,245 17,429 17,752 10,010 ATTO           64KB File Read (MB/s) 385 530.2 502.3 390 200.4 64KB File Write (MB/s) 379 265.9 430.5 507 449.7 Iometer           4KB Random Write 32QD (IOPS) 80,466 62,937 48,289 74,143 29,632 PCMark Vantage x64 70,030 56,482 47,751 43,956 66,915 Premiere Pro Write (sec) 243 241 246 241 258 Best scores are bolded. Our current test bed is a 3.2GHz Core i5-3470K processor on a Gigabyte Z77X-UP4TH motherboard running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. All tests used onboard 6Gb/s SATA ports with latest Intel drivers.

How to Build a Linux Gaming PC Posted: 24 Jun 2013 02:05 PM PDT We show you how to build an affordable Linux gaming PC The free Linux operating system has been around for ages, but its inherent complexity and limited support has always relegated its use to extreme enthusiasts, programmers, and other hardcore types. That might be changing, though, as a lot of loyal PC enthusiasts are less than pleased with Windows 8, and gaming juggernaut Valve has thrown its hat into the ring by launching a Linux version of Steam, its popular online content delivery service. Given the lackluster reception of Windows 8 and the renewed popularity of Linux, we decided to build a Linux gaming box to see for ourselves whether the OS, at this time, could be a reasonable alternative to Windows for gaming. Choosing the Hardware Our Linux machine was built with a low target price of $650 because we wanted this project to be semi-easy to duplicate by anyone. With this in mind, we started with Intel's Ivy Bridge Core i3-3220 processor, as it comes at a reasonable cost, gives us a great upgrade path, and its low TDP of 55W means we won't need a massive CPU cooler or PSU. Our Asus P8Z77-V LE motherboard is also affordable while offering both SLI and CrossFire support, as well as two USB 3.0 ports. Power is provided by a CX430 Corsair power supply from the company's low-cost Builder series. Given our modest build-out, we figured anything bigger than 430W would be overkill. GPU duties are handled by a Gigabyte GTX 650 video card, which at $120 performs better than a Radeon HD 7750 and should be sufficient for our Linux adventure. The system requirements of the available games are very low, so a more powerful GPU would be wasted. As our budget didn't allow for an SSD, we went with a 500GB, 7,200rpm WD Caviar Blue. We scored 8GB of G.Skill Ripjaws RAM because it was dirt cheap at just $45. Holding all the gear is a Corsair Carbide case, which is just $60 but has USB 3.0 front panel ports, cable routing, and tool-less drive bays. With the hardware in hand, it's time to build the machine. If you need any guidance putting it together, check out this step-by-step PC building guide from a previous build.  Now, let's turn your new box into a Linux gaming rig. INGREDIENTS PART URL Price Case Corsair Carbide 200R www.corsair.com 60 PSU Corsair CX430W www.corsair.com $50 Mobo Asus P8Z77-V LE Plus www.asus.com $160 CPU Intel Core i3-3220 www.intel.com $130 Cooler Stock Cooler www.intel.com $0 GPU Gigabyte GTX 650 www.gigabyte.com $120 RAM 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws www.gskill.com $45 Optical Drive Samsung S224BB www.samsung.com $20 Hard Drive 500GB WD Caviar Blue www.wdc.com $65 OS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS www.ubuntu.com $0 Total     $650 Click the next page to see how to install Linux. 1. Download Your Distro We chose the Ubuntu flavor of Linux for this project because it's considered the easiest to use for beginners. To get started, we headed to the website (www.ubuntu.com) and downloaded our preferred flavor (image A). We chose version 12.04 LTS because it will be supported for five years rather than the latest 12.10 version, which will be only be supported for two years. After the download was complete, we prepared to burn the ISO image to a blank CD-R. 2. Burn the ISO to Disc We had to find suitable software for burning the ISO to CD-R (at 695MB, the distro fits on one disc). We then used the free and easy-to-use Active@ ISO Burner to burn our distro to a CD. Go to www.ntfs.com/iso-burning.htm for the download, then run it. Browse to the ISO, select your optical drive, and hit the Burn button (image B). When it's done, pop the disc into the optical drive of your new guinea rig, and prepare to install Linux. 3. Install the OS The biggest decision you'll have to make when installing Linux involves drive partitioning (a partition is a chunk of a storage device that appears to the OS as a separate volume). If you're multibooting, install Linux to a separate partition, but if you're like us and just want to run it off one storage device, you can ignore partition options (image C). After you've finished (or skipped) partitioning your hard drive, the OS will begin to install. It took about 30 minutes on our 7,200rpm drive, but it will take about 10-15 minutes on an SSD (we tested it just for fun). 4. Update the OS Just like with Windows, the first thing you'll want to do after you've installed Ubuntu is update the operating system. To do so, you will need to grab the latest updates from the Update Manager. Do this by clicking the power button in the right-hand corner of the screen and then clicking Update Manager to see a list of the latest updates; click Install Updates (image D). Unlike with Windows, which can take days to get up to date if you're not using a Service Pack, the update process for Ubuntu took about 15 minutes. After that and a single reboot, we were up to date. Click the next page to read about how to install the video/sound drivers.     5. Install Video/Sound Drivers The last thing you'll need to do before installing Steam is to install the latest video drivers and other non-open-source or proprietary drivers, such as those for your motherboard. To install these drivers you'll simply click the green video-card icon in the right-hand corner of the screen, which pops up a window that displays the proprietary drivers for your computer (image E). One of the cooler features of Ubuntu Linux is that it finds all the available drivers for your system, so you don't have to visit the manufacturers' website to download them. After you've finished downloading the drivers, you'll need to restart your system, and then you'll be completely set up and ready to tackle some games with Valve's Steam client. 6. Install Steam Installing Steam is fairly simple. Download the client from Valve's website and then double-click it to run the installer, which takes you to Ubuntu's Software Center. This Software Center shows you any newly installed software, and it's where we'll install Steam (image F). Once it's installed, you can run the client. But first, you might want to check out other open-source games that are listed in the Software Center, which is a mini app store providing a few games and other small applications for Linux users. 7. Set Up Steam After Installing Steam, you will need to log into your account and authenticate your computer via email. You can start installing games on your Ubuntu 12.04 machine (image G) after your first log-in. As of this writing, there were 41 games available, and just like in Windows, each of them (aside from TF2, of course) costs money. You will also be able to download any of your previously purchased games that are Linux-compatible (Team Fortress 2, for example). Although 41 games isn't very many, Valve has been adding new titles at a steady clip. The company added 15 of the 41 titles in its Linux library in just the first month of the new Steam client's existence. Living La Vida Linux Overall, we were impressed with the experience we had using Linux for Internet browsing, word processing, and playing games. The OS ran surprisingly well on our modest rig. It booted quickly, shut down in a heartbeat, and handled multitasking without any problems. When it comes to gaming, our feeling is that it handles the games we play just fine, but the test bed of 41 offered by Steam at this time is too small a sample—we want more! We know Steam is not the only supplier of games, but we're still talking about a relatively small gaming universe on Linux. As an example, Steam offers more than 6,000 titles on the Windows platform, so clearly no hardcore gamer can survive on Linux alone. Also, there are zero triple-A titles on Steam for Linux at this time—that right there is a deal-killer for us, at least in the long run. In testing, we sampled Team Fortress 2, Trine 2, and Waveform, and they all ran with ease at 1920x1200 on our budget box, with all settings maxed. We were greatly impressed by just how smoothly the games hummed along. Just because we can't survive on Linux alone doesn't mean we didn't like experimenting with it on the side, however. Building the Linux gaming box was a fun experience, and we'd recommend any enthusiast take it for a test drive. Besides, both Linux and Steam are free, so trying either one won't cost you a dime.

Newegg Daily Deals: WD My Book 2TB USB 3.0 HDD, Rosewill PSU Tester, and More! Posted: 24 Jun 2013 01:25 PM PDT Top Deal: Every power user knows he should be regularly backing up his data, but not everyone does it. Unfortunately, you never really appreciate a solid backup solution until you desperately need one, but rather than wait for something to go wrong, prepare yourself in advance. We'd like to help by offering up our top deal for a WD My Book 2GB Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive for $90 with free shippping (normally $150 - use coupon code EMCXPVX63). It's affordable, fast, and comes with automatic backup software! Other Deals: Rosewill RTK-PST Digital LCD Power Supply Tester for $12 with free shipping (normally $17 - use coupon code:[EMCXPVX74]) Rosewill 2.5" SSD / HDD Mounting Kit for 3.5" Drive Bay w/60mm Fan for $5 with free shipping (normally $10 - use coupon code:[EMCXPVX73]) Thermaltake BlacX N0028USU External Hard Drive SATA Enclosure Docking Station 2.5" & 3.5" USB 2.0 for $23 with free shipping (normally $35; additional $5 mail-in rebate) Sony 4.7GB 16X DVD-R 100 Pack Spindle for $17 with free shipping (normally $22 - use coupon code:[EMCXPVX47])

Who Wants Some Free Stuff? Posted: 24 Jun 2013 10:43 AM PDT We're giving away a Crucial M500 120GB solid state drive and a three-year license for iolo's System Mechanic software We know there are two things that our readers love; Pure PC Power, and free stuff. Since we've always got your PC power needs covered, we figured you might need some gear, and we love running contests, so here's our newest one. In this contest one winner will receive both a Crucial M500 120GB SSD and a three-year license to iolo's System Mechanic software. You can check out the review of Crucial M500 SSD here on the Maximum PC website. Though we haven't reviewed System Mechanic software, we've heard good things about it.  Here are the official blurbs about the contest prizes: Crucial M500: http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT120M500SSD1  System Mechanic: http://www.iolo.com/company/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=cebfe631-c315-4aac-8a86-2629b29da1c3  How to Enter Send an email to contests@maximumpc.com with the subject "Crucial and iolo Contest" and in the body your answer to this question – When discussing flash memory, what does MLC stand for? Along with the answer, email us your complete name, age, adress and zip/postal code. One prize winner with the correct answer in alignment with reporting by Maximum PC will be randomly selected by July 05, 2013. This contest is available to readers in the USA (excluding Arizona) and Canada (excluding Quebec). This giveaway has rules, so please read them on the next page. OFFICIAL RULES 1. SPONSOR; ADMINISTRATOR: This promotion (the "Contest") is sponsored and administered by FUTURE US, INC., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080, is in no way sponsored by Facebook, Inc., Crucial.com (Micron Technology, Inc.), or iolo technologies, LLC, and subject to the following terms and conditions.  Contest is being administered by Future US, Inc. ("Future US"), 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080, +1 (650) 872-1642.   2. ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia (excluding Arizona, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. military installations in foreign countries, or in any other U.S. territories or possessions); and Canada (excluding the province of Quebec).  Void where prohibited by law.  Entrants must have attained the age of majority in their state and country of residence and citizenship (usually at least eighteen (18) years of age) at time of entry, and possess a valid form of unexpired government-issued photo identification. Employees of Sponsor, its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, advertising, promotion, or production agencies, any companies who are promotional participants or prize providers, web masters and web suppliers, and the foregoing employees' household or immediate family members (defined as parent, spouse, child, sibling, or grandparent) are NOT eligible to enter Contest.  By their submission of entry, entrants warrant they are legally entitled and authorized to make such submission, either on their own behalf, or as to information submitted upon the express authorization of another on whose behalf the information is submitted.  In the event of a dispute as to the winner's identity for online entries received from multiple users having the same email account, entries will be deemed made by the authorized subscriber of the mail account associated with the entry.  The authorized account subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the email address by the internet service provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses.  Invalid or ineligible entries shall be excluded from consideration.   3. TIMING:  Contest begins at 12:00p.m. Pacific Time on June 24, 2013 and ends at 12:00p.m. Pacific time on July 1, 2013.  Sponsor's computer will be the official time clock for the Contest.  Online entries must be received by Sponsor by 12:00p.m. Pacific Time on July 1, 2013 to be eligible.     4. HOW TO ENTER:  Submit an answer for the following question "What is MLC stand for?" to contests@maximumpc.com along with your complete name, age, and zip/postal code.  No team entries and no corporate or institutional entries are permitted in Contest.   Limit one entry per household. 5. ORIGINAL WORKS.  You hereby warrant and represent that (a) you own all rights to all materials that you submit to Sponsor in connection with Contest ("Entry Materials"); (b) you have never submitted Entry Materials in another contest; and (c) all such Entry Materials are original works or authorship on your part and have not been copied, in whole or in part, from any other work and do not violate, misappropriate or infringe any copyright, trademark or other proprietary right or any privacy right of any other person or entity.   6. PRIZES AND ODDS:  There is one grand prize package, which consists of a Crucial M500 120GB solid state drive and a three-year license for iolo's System Mechanic software ("Prize").  The Prize has an approximate retail value of U.S.$279.94.  Prize must be delivered to address listed on Winner's entry, and delivery may take 6-8 weeks. The odds of winning will be determined by the number of eligible entries received. Prizes cannot be transferred, assigned, substituted, or redeemed for cash, and must be accepted as awarded, but Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize with a prize of equal or greater value should the advertised prize become unavailable for any reason.  Prizes will not be fulfilled outside the United States and Canada; will not be fulfilled in Arizona, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. military installations in foreign countries, or in any other U.S. territories or possessions; will not be fulfilled in the province of Quebec; and will not be fulfilled where prohibited or restricted by law.  Winners will be responsible for all taxes (federal, state/provincial, and local) and all expenses not listed herein related to acceptance and use of any prize.  Any person residing in the United States and any United States citizen living abroad, who wins U.S.$600 or more worth of prizes from Sponsor in a calendar year will receive an IRS form 1099 after the end of the calendar year in which the prizes were awarded, and copy of such form will be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  Limit one Prize per one per household. 7. JUDGING: There will be one winner who is selected by a judging panel comprised of Editors of the Maximum PC staff ("Judges") who will take all of the correct answers and randomly select a winner from that pool of entries.  Judging will be completed by July 8, 2013.  Sponsor's decisions on all matters related to Contest, including Judges' selections of winning entries, shall be final and binding and within their sole discretion.  Winning is contingent upon compliance with all terms and conditions set forth in these official rules; any entry or any potential winner identified thereby found at any time to fail to comply with these official rules will be held invalid and ineligible for award. 8. NOTIFICATION:  Each Winner will be notified by email by July 8, 2013.  Each Winner so notified must within three (3) business days of notice of prize award, complete, execute and return the provided Affidavit, Waiver, Release and Indemnity Agreement including, where lawful, a Publicity Release (plus any additional documents required at the discretion of Sponsor).  Failure to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (or the return of any prize or prize notification as non-deliverable) may result in disqualification and in the forfeiture of any right to a prize.   To obtain any legally-required winners list, send a self-addressed envelope with sufficient prepaid postage to: Maximum PC, Crucial M500 120GB SSD and System Mechanic Contest, c/o Future US, Inc., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080.  (Residents of Vermont do not have to include return postage.) 9. FUTURE US' USE OF ENTRIES.    You hereby grant Future US a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide license and right to utilize the Entry Materials you submit in connection with Contest.  The Entry Materials become the property of Future US and will not be acknowledged or returned.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you acknowledge that Future US shall have the right to use, modify, reproduce, publish, perform, display on all forms of media, distribute, make derivative works of, sublicense, and otherwise commercially and non-commercially exploit the Entry Materials in perpetuity and throughout the universe, in any manner or medium now existing or hereafter developed, without separate compensation to you or any other person or entity.  You agree to take, at Future US' expense, any further action (including, without limitation, execution of affidavits and other documents) reasonably requested by Future US to effect, perform or confirm Future US' rights as set forth in this paragraph. 10.  PRIVACY POLICY:  By participating in the Contest, you acknowledge and agree that Sponsor may collect the personal information submitted by you and use the information pursuant to Future US, Inc.'s standard privacy policy, the terms of which can be found at http://www.futureus.com/privacy.php , which terms and conditions entrants accept and agree to by submission of entries pursuant to these official rules.  Each entrant/winner also understands and agrees that he/she is providing information to Future US, Inc. and not to Facebook, Inc. 11.  RELEASE:   By participating in the Contest and/or accepting a prize, an entrant/winner agrees to defend, release and hold harmless the Sponsor, Facebook, Inc., Crucial.com (Micron Technology, Inc.), and iolo technologies, LLC, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, advertising, production and promotion agencies, any companies who are promotional participants or prize providers, web masters and web suppliers, and the foregoing companies' officers, directors, shareholders, employees, representatives and agents (collectively "Releasees") from and against any actions, claims and/or liability for injury, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property (including the violation or infringement of any proprietary or personal right of any individual or entity) resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Contest, and/or the use, acceptance, or possession of a Contest prize, and/or participation in a Contest prize-related activity, including any action, claim or liability arising from the unauthorized submission of any information, and/or for any printing, production, technical, typographical, human or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize.  By participating in the Contest and/or accepting a prize, an entrant/winner consents to and gives the Sponsor the right to use, publish, and display a winner's (and where applicable an entrant's) name, likeness, city and state, and prize awarded, for the purpose of advertising, trade, publicity and promotional purposes in any media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide, and on the Web, in perpetuity, without review, notification or approval, and without additional consideration, unless prohibited by law. 12.  LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY:  Entrants agree that by participating in the Contest they release the Releasees from any liability in connection with: (a) Entries that are ineligible as a result of being lost, late, illegible, damaged, incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, unintelligible, non-delivered, stolen, postage due, or misdirected, or the failure to capture any such information; (b) Any typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of the Contest, including but not limited to errors in advertising, these official rules, the selection and announcement of a winner(s), or the distribution/awarding of a prize(s); (c) Any omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay, misdirection, damage, availability, accessibility, miscommunications, injury, technical malfunctions or traffic congestion on the Internet/telephone network, or at any website, satellite, computer, telephone, cellular or cable transmissions or lines, or any combination thereof; (d) The unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; (e) Jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions, computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or for any other errors of any kind, whether human, technical, mechanical, electronic or network, including, without limitation, any errors which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest or in any Contest-related materials; and (f) Damage to en entrant or other person's system or equipment occasioned by participation in this Contest or downloading materials from the Contest website, or any combination thereof.  Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Contest or website, as solely determined by the Sponsor, will be disqualified (and all associated entries will be void), and Sponsor reserves the right to terminate such entrant's eligibility to participate in this or any other promotion offered by Sponsor.  Entries generated by robotic, programmed, script, macro or other automated means or by any means which subvert the entry process will be disqualified.   Sponsor reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the term and conditions of the Contest.  In the event that the Contest is infected by a computer virus/worm/bug, or is not capable of running or being executed as planned (as a result of but not limited to an error, omission, defect, delay, misdirection, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, action of entrants, or technical failure) or any other cause which in the sole opinion of Sponsor corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any suspect entry or entrant and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest.  In the event of such cancellation, termination, modification or suspension, notice thereof will be posted at the entry website(s) mentioned above, and winner(s) will be determined solely by Sponsor from among all eligible non-suspect and/or non-disqualified entries prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor.  In such event, Releasees shall have no liability to any entrant who is disqualified due to such an action.  Failure to enforce any term of these official rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. 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Retired Music Theorist Concocts Krush Keyboard So Everyone Can Type 100 WPM or More Posted: 24 Jun 2013 10:14 AM PDT Built for comfort and speed There have been many attempts to replace QWERTY keyboards with more efficient layouts, some of which are in use today. However, QWERTY is by far the most common type of layout available, though will that always be the case? Joseph M. Krush, a retired music theorist, hopes his Krush keyboard will become the new standard. The reason he hopes this is because he claims it enables most people to type at 100 words per minute, while the fastest typists should hit 200 WPM or more. His keyboard introduces four new features, the most important of which is a 12x3 layout. The 12 most commonly used letters lay in the home row, and the next 12 lay in the row above. This allows 99.8 percent of typing to be done in these two rows, Krush says. There's also a Double Shift key located where the Spacebar would normally sit. "This key has enabled me to eliminate the entire top row of the current keyboard by placing the digits, and their shift position symbols, in the home row, and in the row above, respectively," says Krush. Typing speed isn't the only benefit. Krush's keyboard is optimized for comfort as well, and the people who will benefit the most are those who suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, Krush claims. Intrigued? Krush is currently seeking $9,000 in funding on FundaGeek to turn his keyboard into a reality. Check it out and tell us what you think. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Advertisers Miffed Over Mozilla's Upcoming Do-Not-Track Default in Firefox Posted: 24 Jun 2013 09:29 AM PDT A war is brewing, will there be casualties? There's an interesting article in AdWeek discussing Mozilla's plans to eventually enable its Do-Not-Track feature by default in an upcoming version of its Firefox browser, which would effectively block third-party tracking cookies. Mozilla announced plans to implement DNT as a default setting months ago, though as recently as last month, the browser maker said it still needed to perform more testing. As it stands, there's no concrete release date for when Firefox will turn on the feature, we only know it's coming, and advertisers aren't the least bit happy about it. "It's troubling," Lou Mastria, managing director for the Digital Advertising Alliance, told AdWeek. "They're putting this under the cloak of privacy, but it's disrupting a business model." It's easy to see why DNT technology would be popular among consumers, especially in the wake of all this PRISM business, but advertisers fear that turning it on by default would end up destroying thousands of small web publishers that need third-party targeted ads to stay in business. Mozilla wouldn't block all cookies, and instead is working with the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School to launch a Cookie Clearinghouse. It will consist of a six-person panel to determine a list of unwanted cookies, and then block them. Nevertheless, there's a risk this could turn ugly. For DNT technology to work, websites and advertisers have to be on board and respect the request not to install tracking cookies. They could just as easily ignore requests, and may decide to play that card if Mozilla and other browser makers play hardball. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Western Digital Acquires Stec to Solidify Enterprise SSD Business Posted: 24 Jun 2013 08:51 AM PDT Savvy move by Western Digital is low risk, high reward There will always be those who doubt or remain skeptical of the long-term reliability of solid state drives (SSDs), but at this stage of the game, they're generally viewed as a viable storage medium, even among enterprise clients. Hence Western Digital felt compelled to spend approximately $340 million in cash ($6.85 per share) acquiring Stec, a Santa Ana firm that specialize in flash memory-based solutions and the first vendor to develop SSDs for large-scale enterprise storage. Western Digital intends to use the acquisition to augment its own joint enterprise SSD operations with Intel, not supplant it, as the drive maker said it remains committed to delivering current and future SAS-based SSD products. And for Stec, the decision to sell likely came easy, as it now gains access to Western Digital's resources. "At this key point in the evolution of the storage industry, Stec is excited to consummate this transaction. It will be an important next step in proliferating many of the innovative products and technologies that Stec has been known for throughout its 23-year history and provides immediate value for our shareholders and a strong future for our employees and customers," said Mark Moshayedi, president and chief executive officer, Stec. "This merger will enable our world-class engineering team and IP to continue to make a significant contribution to the high-performance enterprise SSD space that has long been Stec's focus." Stec's board of directors unanimously voted to approve the deal, which is expected to close in the third or fourth calendar quarter of 2013. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Despite Ongoing Decline in Traditional PC Demand, Sales Will Trump Tablets Through 2014 Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:13 AM PDT Desktops and notebooks still rule the roost You'd have to stick your head under a rock the size of Kansas to miss the current trend towards mobile devices, and it's certainly true that OEMs (save for Lenovo) are getting hammered by slumping desktop and notebook sales. But just like Rocky Balboa, it would be a mistake to count traditional PCs out of the fight. In fact, desktops and notebooks combined will continue to outpace tablets through this year and next, according to Gartner. You might not know it looking at the headlines or surface data. For example, Gartner expects traditional PC shipments to decline 10.6 percent in 2013, while tablet shipments increase 67.9 percent. That's a major disparity. "Consumers want anytime-anywhere computing that allows them to consume and create content with ease, but also share and access that content from a different portfolio of products. Mobility is paramount in both mature and emerging markets," said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. Milanesi speaks the truth, though a closer examination of the numbers reveals that it's not yet time to hit the panic button. By the end of 2013, Gartner forecasts more than 305 million new desktop and notebook shipments, compared to 201.8 million tablets. In 2014, the race will tighten a bit, with 289.2 million traditional PC shipments versus 276 million tablet shipments. It certainly looks like a changing of the guard is inevitable, though it won't come for a few more years (perhaps by 2017, as Gartner previously predicted). Even then, millions of new desktops and notebooks will still be entering the market. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO Updates

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• Wargaming CEO wants to teach Microsoft a thing or two about payment models
• Chaos Theory: An adventure game is you!
• The Stream Team: The longest day edition, June 24 - 30, 2013
• Massively's video preview of Guild Wars 2's Sky Pirates of Tyria Patch
• The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best vehicle or mount customization?
• MMO Week in Review: RIFT's second wind
• EVE Evolved: Fitting battleships for PvP in Odyssey, part 2
• Another screenshot video surfaces for Final Fantasy XIV
• Blade & Soul 2.0 trailer sighted in the wild
• Asheron's Call 2 prepares quality-of-life update

Wargaming CEO wants to teach Microsoft a thing or two about payment models Posted: 24 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Consoles, World of Tanks Why is World of Tanks jumping to the console? Because if you can't bring a gamer to a game, you take the game to the gamer. That's the basic philosophy Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi shared in a recent interview with Games Industry International. He stated: We are an entertainment company and we have to cater to our players whatever they use. If you want to play World of Tanks on console, we have to make is possible for you. People have been playing with their console for seven years, so we shouldn't be trying to make them suddenly play on PC. We take the game to them. These people won't spend $1500 on a cool gaming PC for World of Tanks." Kislyi expressed unhappiness with the fact that players will have to purchase an XBox Live Gold Membership in order to play WoT on the 360; he'd rather add significant numbers of non-gold members who would monetize occasionally than force a pay wall on players. Kislyi also shared more thoughts on the integration of free-to-play and consoles in general, including the fact that Wargaming stands ready to advise Microsoft on how to embrace different payment models. You can read all the details in the full interview. Wargaming CEO wants to teach Microsoft a thing or two about payment models originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Games Industry International

Chaos Theory: An adventure game is you! Posted: 24 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play I grew up on adventure games before I even knew they were called "adventure games." One of my earliest memories of a friend's computer was playing Adventure. Following that, I was hooked. Maniac Mansion. King's Quest. Zork. Planetfall. Leisure Suit Larry. Space Quest. The Secret of Monkey Island. Sam and Max Hit the Road. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Myst. Gabriel Knight. Syberia. The Longest Journey. Back to the Future. The Walking Dead. I've never stopped loving the fun of exploring these worlds, "earning" the next page of the story, and finding out all of the bizarre ways I could die. However, at some point in the '90s, games journalists apparently decided that "adventure games were dead." It's something we started hearing a lot of, especially in comparison to all of the fancy new graphics, gameplay features, and fast-paced shooters. Adventure games were seen as a relic of a time when computers couldn't process heavy graphic loads and players were a lot more patient. I never bought into the "adventure games are dead" mindset. I see them coming back like crazy these days, especially on tablets and mobile devices. And lo and behold, Funcom did something that I would have never thought possible: The studio made an MMO out of an adventure game. That's The Secret World, if you weren't following along. Continue reading Chaos Theory: An adventure game is you! Chaos Theory: An adventure game is you! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: The longest day edition, June 24 - 30, 2013 Posted: 24 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Polls, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team Recently we experienced the the longest day of the year, seasonally speaking. The fact that it happens in the middle of the night for us North American folks does not diminish the day's grandeur. But beyond this scientifically proven date, there are other days that totally should be in the running for longest day ever. Like that day where you last in line at the DMV. Or that last day of work before your first vacation in forever, during which you get to see that one concert you've been waiting to see half your life. These have surely earned their space in the annals of longest days. Chances are you've got a few ideas yourself of days that just seem to drag on and on and on, as if time is being stretched infinitely just to taunt you. We can empathize. So to help that slow-as-molasses time pass by a bit faster, The Stream Team has plenty of live shows on Massively TV to entertain you throughout the week. Feel free to take us along and watch reruns while you are forced to endure never-ending waits; you'll be the envy of the DMV line! Continue reading The Stream Team: The longest day edition, June 24 - 30, 2013 The Stream Team: The longest day edition, June 24 - 30, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively's video preview of Guild Wars 2's Sky Pirates of Tyria Patch Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events (In-Game), Previews, Guild Wars 2, Hands-On, Buy-to-Play It's a new week, and that must mean we're ready for new content in Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet continues to pump out content quicker than a long-tailed Charr in a room full of rocking chairs, and tomorrow players will experience the Sky Pirates of Tyria game update. The main feature of this patch is the new five-player dungeon, Aetherblade Retreat. This limited-time dungeon pits players against the lightning-wielding aerial pirates known as the Aetherblades. Two unique boss encounters await players to test their skills, and new rewards, such as an infinite tonic recipe and a monocle, can be earned by those who succeed. The third Guild Wars 2 novel, Sea of Sorrows by Ree Soesbee, also releases tomorrow; players can partake in an in-game scavenger hunt that ties into important locations from the book. Finding the 12 marriners' plaques scattered around Lion's Arch (and Orr) won't be easy, but players tenacious enough to uncover them all will be rewarded with a consumable worth five skill points. There are many other exciting additions going into this patch, so check out the video preview past the cut for more details. (Minor spoiler warning to anyone who hasn't yet done the effigy lighting ceremony and subsequent investigation yet.) Continue reading Massively's video preview of Guild Wars 2's Sky Pirates of Tyria Patch Massively's video preview of Guild Wars 2's Sky Pirates of Tyria Patch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best vehicle or mount customization? Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind Star Citizen's latest ship reveal got me to thinking about vehicle and mount customization in MMOs. Or more specifically, the general lack of it. Oh sure, defunct titles like Star Wars: Galaxies and Auto Assault had lots of it, and current games like APB Reloaded and EVE Online have it in some form or fashion, but for the most part, the ability to pimp your ride -- whether that ride is a spaceship, a horse, or something in between -- is fairly limited if it exists at all. Or at least it seems that way to me. But maybe I'm missing something, and that's where you and today's Daily Grind come in. What MMO do you feel has the best vehicle or mount customization? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best vehicle or mount customization? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: RIFT's second wind Posted: 23 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post. You would be forgiven if you missed RIFT's free-to-play relaunch during the week of E3, but buzz for the game has crescendoed this week as fans, having recovered from launch-week queues, prowled around the cash shop, discussed the appeal of F2P, and considered returning to make those queues even longer. And Trion Worlds teased the upcoming 3.0 patch's Plane of Water, housing tweaks, and new souls. Read on for a look at the rest of our top MMO stories from the past week. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: RIFT's second wind MMO Week in Review: RIFT's second wind originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Fitting battleships for PvP in Odyssey, part 2 Posted: 23 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Classes, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, Endgame, Opinion, Hands-On, EVE Evolved, Guides, Sandbox, Subscription Battleships used to be the backbone of every major PvP fleet in EVE Online, but recent years have seen them increasingly overtaken by more mobile Battlecruisers, Heavy Assault Cruisers, and tech 3 Strategic Cruisers. Armour buffered battleships are still used in carrier-supported fleets and for a while nullsec played host to huge missile-spamming Maelstrom blobs of unholy death, but many of the battleships just haven't been worth using. Developers saught to rectify that in the recent Odyssey expansion with a complete balance overhaul of the standard tech 1 battleships, and it's starting to pay off. In last week's EVE Evolved, I looked at how Odyssey buffed the tier one Dominix, Scorpion, Typhoon, and Armageddon beyond all recognition and experimented with new PvP setups for each of them. This week I've turned my attention toward the tier 2 battleships, which turned out to be equally versatile and deadly. Now officially falling under the umbrella of "Combat Battleships," the Megathron, Raven, Apocalypse, and Tempest have become powerful damage-dealing platforms for fleet warfare. Each of them can now fulfill sniper or close-range damage roles and carry a spare flight of Warrior II drones to bat off tacklers, but what's impressed me the most is the sheer level of damage and tank they can achieve. In this week's EVE Evolved, I experiment with setups for the recently revamped Megathron, Raven, Apocalypse, and Tempest tier 2 battleships. These setups may require Advanced Weapon Upgrades 4 and a cheap 1-3% powergrid or CPU implant. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting battleships for PvP in Odyssey, part 2 EVE Evolved: Fitting battleships for PvP in Odyssey, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Another screenshot video surfaces for Final Fantasy XIV Posted: 23 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Previews, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV So you want in on the Final Fantasy XIV beta, but you weren't invited. That's a shame. But it also means that you can't really see what the game is like, and that's even worse. Despite the release of most of the embargo, there's still no video allowed, so no one who enjoys the game is going to be making video of the gameplay. Is there no way for a fan not in the beta to get a nice little video? As he did last week, YouTuber 2pixelwide has tied together screenshots and narration about the beta into a 15-minute video covering the beta, both the experience on the PlayStation 3 and the fun of returning to an old character with all the advantages that entails. If that sounds right up your alley, check out the video just past the break! [Thanks to Chris for the tip!] Continue reading Another screenshot video surfaces for Final Fantasy XIV Another screenshot video surfaces for Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Blade & Soul 2.0 trailer sighted in the wild Posted: 23 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Blade & Soul I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first? OK, sweet. I like saving the good news for last, too. So, the bad news is that while Blade & Soul is soldiering on in its native Korea, thus far NCsoft has said a whole lot of nothing about a potential western version. Yep, that sucks. Now for the good news. The Korean game is transitioning to version 2.0, which brings with it new weapon upgrade capabilities, new skills, a level 50 cap, new PvP areas, etc. We might have mentioned this earlier. This weekend, though, we can see some of the stuff that's on tap, thanks to Steparu and a hi-def version of the 2.0 trailer. It's packed full of gameplay and pretty vistas, and you can watch it after the cut. Continue reading Blade & Soul 2.0 trailer sighted in the wild Blade & Soul 2.0 trailer sighted in the wild originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu

Asheron's Call 2 prepares quality-of-life update Posted: 23 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Asheron's Call, Patches, Subscription Asheron's Call 2, its community, and its small dev team continue to endure after the title's resurrection last winter. And Turbine's been preparing a quality-of-life update for the game that is aimed at smoothing out some of the rough spots of the title. In a recent post, producer Severlin said that the team is looking at a late June release for the patch, although he said there's a chance it might slip into early July. The update will improve quest flow, bump up quest XP rewards, adjust mob placement, and make it easier for solo players to forge their way in AC2. "Exploration will be no less rewarding after these adjustments," developer NoWorries assured players. "We want to make sure that players don't hit walls where they have no idea what they can go do next, especially at the early stages when they are still getting used to the game." [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Asheron's Call 2 prepares quality-of-life update originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch announcement, Patch features

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