General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Kingston Adds 960GB Capacity Option to SSDNow Series

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 12:07 PM PDT

Kingston V310 960GB SSDLargest capacity SSDNow drive to date

Kingston Technology today introduced the latest addition to its SSDNow V300 series, the V310. What's special about the V310 is that it's a 960GB SSD, the largest capacity available in Kingston's entire stable of SSDs (the second largest is 480GB, which is available in Kingston's HyperX 3K and V300 Series). The V310 also swaps the custom LSI controller found in the V300 Series for a Phison 3108 controller.

Capacity is the main selling point here, as the V310 won't break any speed records. Kingston rates the read and write speeds at 450MB/s, along with random 4k read and write performance of up to 40,000 IOPS and 20,000 IOPS, respectively. These are respectable, if not a tad underwhelming figures across the board.

"Since 2009, our V 'Value' series solid-state drives have delivered the best price to performance ratio as possible to enable consumers on a budget or entry-level users to experience the benefits of SSD technology. Our new V310 continues that along with providing the biggest capacity ever in a Kingston SSD," said Ariel Perez, SSD business manager, Kingston. "SSDNow V310 with its large 960GB capacity is the perfect upgrade to an existing system as it improves boot speeds and application load times helping maximize one's computer investment."

The V310 will be available as a standalone drive as well as all-in-one upgrade kits for desktops and notebooks. While it's out of stock on Kingston's website, it appears that pricing will be in the neighborhood of $910.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Graphics Porn (July 2014): Showcasing Screenshot Artist K-putt

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 11:26 AM PDT

Kputt Crysis 3

He's a hobbyist who's concerned with capturing the beauty of Crysis, Wolfenstein, Bioshock, and more

For some people, screenshots are just a way to capture a moment of hilarity, success, or good lighting. For others, screenshots are an emerging art form. K-putt falls into the second category and has built up a huge body of work that spans games of all genres. This month's installment of Graphics Porn delves into the expansive archives of the 23-year-old German moonlighting as a screenshot artist. 

He won't give his real name—and that's probably not the worst idea considering the influx of mass surveillance—, but he's happy to share some of his greatest screenshots of all time. K-putt traces his history as a screenshot artist back to a German-language forum where he uploaded what began as run-of-the-mill screencaps of gameplay. Everything changed when he first laid eyes on screenshots that weren't just about capturing a particularly satisfying headshot or ragdoll gone wrong—see some of his own examples below.

He transitioned to the, now defunct, Dead End Thrills group on Flickr and eventually the Dead End Thrills forum. It's a community dedicated to capturing the jaw-dropping, GPU-killing screenshots that we highlight with Graphics Porn. The site-wide guidelines provide some sense of the  lengths that these veritable artists go to ensure worthy results. Rules like: no HUDs, no 'jaggies', and even "Their art, your composition," define the nature of the game for these hobbyists. 

Despite some of the spectacular shots he's taken, K-putt is still running an AMD 7950 in his rig. The 2-year-old graphics card is supplemented by the substantially beefier Xeon 1230v3 and 8GB of RAM. He says that he's waiting for 16 nm GPUs or DX12-ready cards before he upgrades. 

Enough with the words, it's time to move onto the spectacular pictures that we've been talking about. Check out some of K-putt's best shots in the gallery below and comment with your favorites! Make sure to click through to the Flickr pages to see the images in their entire high-resolution goodness.

Whether you've been using Steam's nifty screenshots feature or simply print screening some beautiful wallpaper-worthy game moments, we want to be able to share your captured works of art with the world. If you think you can do better than the pictures submitted below, please email your screenshots to  mpcgraphicsporn@gmail.com so we can show them off. Make sure to include the name of the game, a title for the screenshot, and a description of what's happening on-screen.

Follow Ben on Twitter and Google+.

Microsoft Reportedly Plans to Dish Out Windows 8.1 Update 2 on August 12

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 11:24 AM PDT

WindowsThe final major update for Windows 8.1 is said to arrive on Patch Tuesday in August

Mark your calenders, folks, and be sure to use pencil instead of ink (unless it's erasable ink) -- a Russian website is reporting that Microsoft will release Windows 8.1 Update 2 on August 12, which is also next month's Patch Tuesday date. This is expected to be the last major update for Windows 8.1 before Microsoft switches gears to Windows 9, or Threshold as it's also been referred to.

Neowin first noticed the leaked information on PCPortal.org.ru, which posted what's supposed to be official Microsoft documentation. Though Neowin believes the information is authentic based on previous leaks, it has not been confirmed by Microsoft.

Microsoft has continually been adding features to Windows 8/8.1 in order to address customer complaints and widen its appeal to users who have stuck with XP and Windows 7. Early indications suggest that Windows 8.1 Update 2 will contain mostly minor updates, and if that's the case, it's unlikely to change the perception of users who've refused to upgrade up to this point.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit, WD Black 3TB Hard Drive, and More!

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 10:32 AM PDT

Microsoft Windows 7newegg logo

Top Deal:

We jumped off the hate train for Windows 8 a long time ago, and with the roll out of Windows 8.1, there's a lot to like about the OS. Nevertheless, we're not oblivious to the fact that plenty of people would rather watch Bachelorette marathon than stare at Windows 8.1 on their PCs. If you're one of them, then check out today's top deal for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-Bit OEM for $125 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWC24]). And don't worry about those XP programs -- you can run them in Windows XP Mode.

Other Deals:

Acer H6 27-inch 5ms HDMI IPS panel Widescreen LED Backlight Monitor for $200 with free shipping (normally $210 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWC27])

Logitech G602 Black 1 x Wheel USB RF Wireless 2500 dpi Gaming Mouse for $50 with free shipping

Corsair Flash Voyager GT 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $35 with free shipping (normally $40 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWC89])

WD Black Series 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $170 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWC64])

 

GameStop Introduces Gift Card Exchange Program

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 09:50 AM PDT

GameStopTurn that Barnes & Noble gift card into a GameStop E-Card

You told Aunt Millie a hundred times that junior would love a GameStop gift card for his birthday, but instead, he had to feign happiness at receiving one for Pottery Barn. It's not quite the same, though it's not the end of junior's world, either. GameStop recently rolled out a gift card exchange program in which you can trade gift cards from nearly 100 retailers into a GameStop e-card.

The online program is powered by Cardpool and involves just a few easy steps. All you have to do is fill out your gift card information by selecting the retail store from a pull-down menu, enter in the number, and provide the pin (if it has one). Once the information gets verified, a GameStop e-gift card will be emailed to you.

"We've always been about providing our customers access to the best in gaming technology and providing value through our trade-in and preowned offerings," said Jon Haes, vice president, pre-owned merchandising at GameStop. "Through our partnership with Cardpool, GameStop is offering customers a new way to purchase the devices and games they enjoy playing. Offering our customers the unique ability to exchange other retailers' gift cards into GameStop e-gift cards, we are providing a way to get even more value from being a GameStop customer."

The e-gift cards can be redeemed at any of GameStop's more than 4,400 locations across the nation. If you want to try it out for yourself, head here.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Verizon Cranks FiOS Upload Speed to Keep Pace with Downloads

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 09:25 AM PDT

Verizon FiOSUpload videos like a boss!

Depending on where you live and what Internet service provider (ISP) you're subscribed to, there's a high possibility that your download speed is massively faster than your allotted upload speed. Such is the way it typically goes, though not so on Verizon's FiOS network. Effectively immediately, existing and new Verizon FiOS residential customers will receive upload speeds that match their download speeds.

This is a free bump in uploads, and a well timed one, according to Verizon, which points out that customers are uploading more and more information to the cloud these days. From sharing videos and photos to video chatting and backing up big files, upload speed is becoming an important metric.

"Faster upload speeds means better sharing experiences," said Mike Ritter, Verizon's chief marketing officer for consumer and mass business. "All Internet sharing – whether videos, large photo files or gaming – starts with uploading. FiOS all-fiber-optic technology offers a unique opportunity to enhance our customers' Internet experience on a mass scale by increasing our upload speeds to equal to our industry-leading download speeds. As the Internet of Things becomes a reality, equal download and upload speeds will become essential."

Verizon's decision to upgrade its upstream speeds is backed by market research from IDC. According to IDC, more than 20 percent of U.S. broadband subscribers upload nearly as much content as they download. That figure is expected to balloon to 60 percent by 2017.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer Skips Ahead of Samsung to Take the Chromebook Crown

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 08:16 AM PDT

Acer ChromebookNearly a third of Chromebook shipments belong to Acer

It may seem like a trivial thing to lead the Chromebook market when Windows-based PCs are so much more functional, but considering that three of the top five selling laptops on Amazon are Chromebooks, as well as five of the top 10, it's a potentially lucrative market to dominate. So in that regard, Acer should be pleased as punch that's it currently the top Chromebook player.

According to recent data by TrendForce, Chromebook shipments tallied 1.8 million in the second quarter of 2014. When the dust settled. Acer emerged on top with a 30 percent share of the Chromebook market, leapfrogging over Samsung for the first time, which itself settled into second place with a 24 percent share. Hewlett-Packard, a relative newcomer to the category, is in a close third place with a 21 percent share.

"Samsung used to be the top competitor in the Chromebook segment since 2013 but saw its spot drop in the second quarter due to high pricing for two new units that were released," TrendForce explains. "Meanwhile, other vendors had competitive pricing and released new units as well, which in turn provided consumers with a wider range of choices. Most notably that the release of Microsoft's US$249 unit has also decreased the attractiveness of the overall Chromebook market."

With Windows-based laptops coming down in price, the future of Chromebooks remains uncertain. Price has always been the primary appeal of Chromebooks, followed by data security for enterprises. However, Microsoft is lowering the price for certain Windows laptops from $249 to $199.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Google Chrome: Draining Laptop Batteries Since At Least 2010

Posted: 21 Jul 2014 12:38 AM PDT

Low Battery WarningFirst discovered in 2010, battery-draining bug yet to be fixed

It seems Microsoft has quietly slipped into the habit of commissioning at least one study every year that compares the power-consumption habits of major web browsers and declares the latest version of the company's very own Internet Explorer to be the most power-efficient browser of them all. Although one can't take such comparisons seriously, there may be some truth to them after all, especially where the lackluster performance of Chrome is concerned.

There is a serious bug in Chrome that causes the browser to wake up the CPU as many as 1,000 times per second even when idle, thanks to the system clock tick rate being set to 1.00ms by Chrome. This is many times more than the 64 times per second usually observed with the Windows default clock tick rate of 15.625ms. Believe it or not, this bug has been known to Google for many years now but has yet to be addressed. According to a Chromium bug report, dated September 29, 2012 (the bug first surfaced in 2010), the issue boils down to there being "no system clock tick interval management."

The bug report also quotes Microsoft on this whole issue of the clock tick being decreased to 1ms: "If the system timer interval is decreased to less than the default, including when an application calls timeBeginPeriod with a resolution of 1 ms, the low-power idle states are ineffective at reducing system power consumption and system battery life suffers.System battery life can be reduced as much as 25 percent, depending on the hardware platform. This is because transitions to and from low-power states incur an energy cost. Therefore, entering and exiting low-power states without spending a minimum amount of time in the low-power states can be more costly than if the system simply remained in the high-power state."

Thankfully, Google is now trying to fix this issue and the bug has been assigned internally.

Follow Pulkit on Google+

Still Committed to Small-screen Windows Tablets, Lenovo Insists

Posted: 20 Jul 2014 11:44 PM PDT

Lenovo Miix 8

Company recently diverted ThinkPad 8 inventory meant for the States to other markets

On Thursday, a report quoting a Lenovo spokesman claimed that the Chinese PC vendor had decided to stop selling sub-10-inch tablets in the States "due to lack of interest" and was going to divert any remaining inventory of the ThinkPad 8, which debuted in January with a starting price of $449, to countries like Brazil, China, and Japan where demand for such 8-inch tablets continues to remain strong. The company has now issued a statement clarifying that the withdrawal of the ThinkPad 8 should not be construed as an exit from the market for sub-10-inch Windows tablets in the States.

"We will continue to bring new Windows devices to market across different screen sizes, including a new 8-inch tablet and 10-inch tablet coming this holiday," the company said in a press release Friday. "Our model mix changes as per customer demand, and although we are no longer selling ThinkPad 8 in the U.S., and we have sold out of Miix 8-inch, we are not getting out of the small-screen Windows tablet business as was reported by the media. In short, we will continue to sell both 8 and 10 inch Windows tablets in both the U.S. and non-U.S markets."

This means those contemplating buying a small-screen Windows tablet will have one less vendor to choose from for the foreseeable future — not an ideal situation considering there's not a lot to choose from anyway.

Follow Pulkit on Google+

Frustrated FiOS Subscriber’s Video Exposes Severity of Verizon's Netflix Throttling

Posted: 20 Jul 2014 09:26 PM PDT

Netflix Throttling by Verizon

New York-based Verizon user finds Netflix to be nearly 10x faster with a VPN than without it

Netflix and Verizon are now locked in a blame game over the sluggish performance of the former's video streaming service on the latter's network. This despite Netflix (grudgingly) agreeing to pay Verizon to ensure the smooth delivery of its streaming video content to the ISP's subscribers. Regardless of who's to blame, it's paying customers of both companies who are being made to suffer for no fault of theirs. One such end user caught in the crossfire, New York-based entrepreneur Colin Nederkoorn, posted a video exposing the severity of the issue. The video has since gone viral, having amassed over 400,000 views on YouTube.

The video shows a couple of Netflix streaming speed tests performed by Nederkoorn, first using nothing but his 75 Mbps Verizon FiOS connection and then using a VPN (VyprVPN to be precise). In the first instance, the results are truly awful, with Nederkoorn only managing 375 Kbps with "severe" buffering. Once he switches to a VPN, however, there is an almost 10x increase in streaming speed.

"It seems absurd to me that adding another hop via a VPN actually improves streaming speed," Nederkoorn wrote in a post on his blog. "Clearly it's not Netflix that doesn't have the capacity. It seems that Verizon are deliberately dragging their feet and failing to provide service that people have paid for [as is alleged to be the case by Netflix and Level 3, one of the Internet backbone providers contracted by the former to deliver its video content]. Verizon, tonight you made an enemy, and doing my own tests have proven (at least to me) that you're in the wrong here."

Please note, the results reflect the experience of one user and haven't been verified by us.

Follow Pulkit on Google+
Posted by Shri Krishna

Total Pageviews

statcounter

View My Stats