General Gaming Article

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• The 20 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2014
• Fastest USB Thumb Drive
• Google Has 3 Year Plan to Deliver 10 Gigabit Internet Service
• Futuremark Launches Servermark Software for Benchmarking Servers
• Technology Big Wigs Form WifiForward Group to Expand Wi-Fi Access
• Lian Li's PC-A51 Mid-Tower Case Features a Reverse Airflow Design
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus 23-inch IPS Monitor, Corsair 760W Power Supply, and More!

The 20 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2014 Posted: 14 Feb 2014 02:07 PM PST 20 games that will make or break 2014 Is there anything better than cranking up the settings and sitting down to play an amazing PC game? 2013 was a great year for PC gamers, but 2014 looks to be even better. Games like Watch Dogs, The Division, and The Witcher 3 are looking amazing so far. With that said, we've compiled a list of 20 games you should get excited about.  What games are you looking forward to in 2014? Let us know in the comments!

Fastest USB Thumb Drive Posted: 14 Feb 2014 12:36 PM PST Four fast USB keys meet in a benchmark brawl A USB key, aka thumb drive, is a must-have item for any hardware-fixing performance junkie, and now that USB 3.0 versions have arrived we all want the fastest one we can get our sweaty digits on. To find out which key holds the combination to our hearts, we put four models with top-tier specs through their paces. Since most of them don't come with any extras, they will be judged primarily on straight-line speed and overall usability. May the best key end up on your keychain! Lexar JumpDrive P10 64GB Lexar's JumpDrive P10 is the successor to its Triton drive, offering the same chassis but much improved performance. It's available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities, and is billed as a "premium" drive due to its design and performance. AT $120 (street) for the 64GB, it's the most expensive drive in this roundup, and looking at it, one can see why. The combination of brushed metal and its plastic "piano finish" top look very swank, and the solid-metal casing feels indestructible in your hand. The USB connector retracts into the chassis and slides out like a turtle head, and it takes a bit more pressure than we would like to deploy. The biggest issue with the JumpDrive's chassis is that it lacks a proper loop for your keychain. There are two teeny, tiny holes on the end that you can fit an included string into, but that's it, which is not good enough, period. In testing, the JumpDrive showed impressive speed across the board, taking second place in the 30GB transfer, first place in the 10GB transfer, and hitting over 250MB/s in our synthetic tests. That is ludicrous speed, and is about on par with what we'd get from a midrange SSD, so kudos to Lexar for building such a fast drive. The problem is the SanDisk is just as fast in most tests, costs $50 less, and has a loop for your keychain. We love this drive's speed and smooth metal body, but not much else.   The Lexar P10 looks slick but it's missing a decent keychain loop. Lexar JumpDrive P10 64GB $120 (street), www.lexar.com LaCie RuggedKey 64GB This is the only key here that offers any impact protection, and it offers it in the form of an orange rubber sheath that protects it from falls up to 100 meters—that is, if you choose to keep the key in the sheath, since the two are not permanently attached. The key itself has a brushed-metal chassis with a narrow neck and extra-wide body to allow it to slip into its rubber cocoon for transport. When you need to use the key, you simply pull it out of the orange shell. We like that it comes with a key ring pre-attached to an even smaller loop, which could slip onto an existing key ring if you like, and that the rubber shell is optional. Everyone in the office thought the LaCie has the best design, hands-down. It's available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities. The LaCie RuggedKey is inside an orange thingy for protection. Unlike the other keys, LaCie quotes relatively modest specs for this puppy, saying only that it can do "up to 150MB/s." It includes LaCie's hardware encryption, which password-protects a portion of the key, and is a welcome feature. In tests, the RuggedKey was a bit slower than the other keys, especially in writes, where it hit 120MB–130MB in synthetic benchmarks; it came in third in our 10GB write test, and last in our 30GB write test. Its read speeds were respectable, though, hitting just a bit over 200MB/s. Overall, the LaCie is a well-rounded package. You trade a bit of speed for a great design with excellent features. LaCie RuggedKey 64GB $100, www.lacie.com Corsair Flash Voyager GS 64GB Corsair's new Flash Voyager comes in a scratch-resistant brushed-metal shell that is thin, wide, and flat. It features a small, plastic "loop" at one end for attaching to a keychain, and a removable cap on the other end, which we makes us grumpy since they are so easily lost. It's available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities, and is the fastest USB key the company offers, rated for speeds up to 260MB/s read and 70MB/s writes. It includes a five-year warranty and its pricing places it smack-dab in the middle of the pack. It's important to note that its wide design could block other similarly wide devices at adjacent ports, and though the key's body is metal, the small piece on the end that slides on a keychain is plastic, so we can already see it snapping off a year down the road. We're not sure why Corsair thought the GS needed a removable cap. It's too bad there are issues with its shape and size, because it offers superb performance. It was the fastest drive in our 30GB file copy and in both of our sequential read speed tests, hitting an eye-popping 296MB/s in Crystal-DiskMark. It also posted the fastest sequential-read speeds in the synthetic AS SSD test, which uses incompressible data such as JPEGs and MP3s, making the Corsair a top-notch performer. On the whole, this is a fast and affordable package. We don't like the form factor, however, which includes the too-small plastic "loop," the removable cap, and a wide body. If you're using a lanyard, we highly recommend it, but keychain users should shop elsewhere. Corsair Flash Voyager GS 64GB $80 (street), www.corsair.com SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 64GB The SanDisk Extreme USB key is the most basic and un-fancy USB key in the group, with an extremely light plastic chassis and a no-frills slide-out USB key. We love retractable keys, though, and we also appreciate that it has a small loop for our keychain, so in our opinion, this key's simple design is spot-on. When holding it in your hand it feels like it weighs nothing at all, which some staffers disliked; its USB connector flicks out firmly like a switchblade knife, and never accidentally retracts once out. It is available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities and includes encryption software that lets you drag-and-drop files into a hidden, password-protected portion of the drive represented by a vault icon that sits on your desktop. It's slick but we could never tell how much space it was taking up, as it's a "hidden" volume, so it'd be nice to be able to allocate a certain amount of storage for it. SanDisk's Extreme is extremely affordable, that's for sure. In our testing, the SanDisk was the slowest in synthetic read speeds by a decent margin, but second-fastest in write speeds. In file-copying, it was second-fastest in the 10GB test, and third-fastest in our 30GB write test, but by a very small margin. On balance, the SanDisk is a well-designed key that is extremely affordable. It would have become our all-time favorite if it were just a bit faster. SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 64GB $72 (street), www.sandisk.com Benchmarks   Lexar P10 USB 3.0 64GB LaCie RuggedKey 64GB Corsair Flash Voyager GS 64GB SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 64GB Price $120 $100 $80 $72 30GB Photo Transfer (sec) 243 394 231 254 10GB MP3 Write (sec) 94 147 155 95 AS SSD         Seq. Read (MB/s) 250 204 268 186 AS SSD Seq. Write7 (MB/s) 202 134 168 178 CrystalDiskMark   Avg. Read (MB/s) 265 216 296 202 Avg. Write (MB/s) 239 123 193 194 Best scores are bolded. All tests conducted on our hard-drive test bench, which consists of a Gigabyte Z77X-UP4 motherboard, Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz CPU, 8GB of RAM, Intel 520 series SSD, and a Cool Master 450W power supply.

Google Has 3 Year Plan to Deliver 10 Gigabit Internet Service Posted: 14 Feb 2014 11:08 AM PST 1Gbps is nice, but 10Gbps is better Lucky residents in Kansas City and Provo, Utah can already sign up for 1Gbps Google Fiber service, and Austin, Texas isn't far behind. That's 100 times faster than the average American speed of 9.8Mbps (based on Akamai's State of the Internet 3Q2013), and yet it's also only the tip of the iceberg. Apparently bitten by the speed bug, Google is currently working on speeds of 10Gbps. Google's Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette revealed as much during the Goldman Sachs Technology Internet conference this week, USA Today reports. "That's where the world is going, it's going to happen," Pichette said, adding that it could take a decade, but at the same time, "why wouldn't we make it available in three years? That's what we're working on. There's no need to wait." Pichette didn't offer up too many details, such as whether 10Gbps service is something Google envisions offering to home users or just businesses. And of course it's far too early to talk about costs. As it stands now, Google Fiber service in Kansas City and Provo runs $70/month for 1Gbps upload and download, and $120/month for 1Gbps Internet bundled with a full TV package with over 200 channels (HD included). Those who subscribe to the Internet and TV bundle also receive a Nexus 7 tablet. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Futuremark Launches Servermark Software for Benchmarking Servers Posted: 14 Feb 2014 09:22 AM PST Benchmark and compare server performance The folks at Futuremark offer a ton of popular benchmarking applications for desktop PCs and mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, though noticeably missing is any kind of server benchmark. Futuremark is attempting to tie up that loose end by announcing Servermark, a new and comprehensive benchmarking tool for x86-based servers running Linux. According to Futuremark, it will be especially suitable for testing virtual machines. Servermark will offers up a variety of benchmark tests for web servers, file servers , database servers, and other common server use cases, Futuremark says. It's currently being developed in partnership with hardware companies, an approach Futuremark has taken with several of its other benchmark software such as 3DMark. "Servermark will offer IT professionals an accurate and reliable benchmark for evaluating real-world server performance in enterprise and business environments. Servermark will be the ideal complement to PCMark and Powermark, expanding our range of enterprise solutions for businesses of all sizes," says Oliver Baltuch, Futuremakr's President. Companies that join the Servermark Benchmark Development Program will be able to provide input at all states of development. They'll also receive regular development builds and complimentary site licenses for Servermark. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Technology Big Wigs Form WifiForward Group to Expand Wi-Fi Access Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:42 AM PST Cable companies and tech firms like Microsoft share a common goal A coalition of cable companies and well known technology firms has been formed to address the "Wi-Fi spectrum crunch" and to lobby Washington to free up unlicensed spectrum. The coaltion is called WifiForward and it includes cable companies like Comcast, Time Warner Cable (which Comcast is trying to acquire), and Charter Communications, along with technology firms like Microsoft, Google, and Broadcom. WifiForward is currently 18 members strong, through there are some noticeable omissions, such as every single major wireless carrier in the U.S. (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile). While some wireless carriers have built up Wi-Fi hotspots in certain areas to alleviate congestion, ubiquitous Wi-Fi access would ultimately prevent smartphone owners from ponying up to more expensive data plans. The coalition's goal is to free up more airwaves for Wi-Fi using unlicensed spectrum bands. It describes itself as a "group of like-minded companies, organizations, and public sector institutions who belive that Wi-Fi is critical to the way we live and work today." WifiForward brings up the emerging "Internet of Things" as one reason why this is a pressing issue. Indeed, Cisco predicts that Wi-Fi devices will account for the majority of Internet traffic by 2017. WifiForward says that kind of growth could mean that getting on the Internet via Wi-Fi could "soon be like trying to drive in rush hour traffic on too narrow a road." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Lian Li's PC-A51 Mid-Tower Case Features a Reverse Airflow Design Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:57 AM PST Cool air is pulled in from the rear and expelled out the front Lian Li's been busy turning its prototype PC-A51 chassis into a real product, and that mission is now complete. What makes the PC-A51 unique is that it sports a reverse airflow design in which cool air is pulled in from the back of the case through a filtered 120mm fan and pushed out through a front-mounted 140mm fan that sits above the front-mounted PSU. An additional 120mm or 140mm fan can be installed on the floor of the case. According to Lian Li, the PC-A51 is the result of user feedback after showing a prototype off to the DIY community. In addition to reverse airflow, the PC-A51 also features Lian Li's new HDD/SSD mounting system. System builders can install either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives in any of the five individually removable bays. If the bays are removed, up to three 2.5-inch drives can be mounted directly to the tray, plus an additional one on the backside of the mobo tray. The PC-A51 is a compact case though it's able to fit CPU coolers up to 6.8 inches in height and power supplies up to 6.2 inches in length. Graphics cards can be as long as 15.7 inches, and there's room for a 240mm or 280mm radiator up top. Four versions of the PC-A51 are shipping to the U.S. They include the PC-A51A (silver) and PC-A51B (black) for $149, PCA51WX (internal black w/ window) for $189, and PC-A51WRX (red and black w/ window) for $199. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus 23-inch IPS Monitor, Corsair 760W Power Supply, and More! Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:59 AM PST Top Deal: It wasn't very long ago when you'd need a stack of cash to even think about owning an IPS (In-Plane Switching) monitor. That's not to say all IPS monitors are affordable, but certainly some are, especially if you're not shopping in the 30-inch category. Case in point is today's top deal for an Asus VS239H-P Black 23-inch IPS Monitor for $145 with free shipping (normally $170 - use coupon code: [EMCPHWG25]; addtional $10 mail-in-rebate). This monitor sports a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) resolution, 5ms (GTG) response time, and D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI connectivity. Other Deals: Corsair AX760i 760W SLI Ready 80 Plus Power Supply for $150 with free shipping (normally $170; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Corsair Carbide Series 500R White Steel Mid Tower Gaming Case for $100 with free shipping (normally $120; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $275 with free shipping (normally $300 - use coupon code: [EMCPHWG63]) Asus GTX770 GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-Bit Video Card for $320 with free shipping (normally $330; additional $10 Mail-in rebate)

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