General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Win an OCZ Vertex 460 Series SSD

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 04:01 PM PDT

ocz vertex 460 ssd giveaway

Enter to win one of three SSDs from OCZ!

We like free stuff at Maximum PC and we think you do as well. That's why we're giving you the opportunity to win one of three Vertex 460 Series SSDs from OCZ. 

To enter the SSD sweepstakes, fill out our Facebook giveaway page here, but do be quick about it as our giveaway ends April 1 at 9am PT. (Please note that our contest is for the US only.)

Do make sure to read through our official rules and privacy policy. 

Official prize description are as follows: 

- One grand prize winner will receive one OCZ Vertex 460 VTX460-25SAT3-480G 480GB SATA III SSD (ARV $359.99)

- One runner up winner will receive one OCZ Vertex 460 VTX460-25SAT3-240G 240GB SATA III SSD (ARV $189.99)

- One second runner up winner will receive one OCZ Vertex 460 VTX460-25SAT3-120G 120GB SATA III SSD (ARV $99.99)

Future US, Inc.'s computer will be the official time clock for the Sweepstakes.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

Click the next page for official rules.

Maximum PC OCZ SSD Sweepstakes

OFFICIAL RULES 

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. 

1.  SPONSOR:  This promotion (the "Sweepstakes") is sponsored by FUTURE US, INC., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080 and OCZ Storage Solutions, Inc., 6373 San Ignacio Ave., San Jose, CA 95119 (Sponsors"), is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Inc., and is subject to the following terms and conditions.

2.  ELIGIBILITY:  

Sweepstakes open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, except where prohibited or restricted by law.  Entrants must have attained the age of majority in their state of residence (usually at least eighteen (18) years of age) at time of entry, possess a valid form of unexpired government-issued photo identification, and have a valid email address.  Invalid or ineligible entries will be excluded from consideration.  Employees of Sponsors, their 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 Sweepstakes.  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. 

3.  TIMING:  Sweepstakes begins at 08:59 a.m. Pacific time on 03/17/2014, and ends at 09:00 a.m. Pacific time on 04/01/2014 ("Sweepstakes Period").  Future US, Inc.'s computer will be the official time clock for the Sweepstakes. 

4.  HOW TO ENTER:  Enter online at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/wf/7255933884?sk=app_601951499828093

by being a fan already or "liking" the page, and submitting your full name, email address, and zip code.  LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD, REGARDLESS OF FORM OF ENTRY.  Use of automated devices or methods of submission are not valid forms of entry. Any attempt at email or other alternative Internet entry is void.  Entries become the property of the Future US, Inc. and will not be acknowledged or returned. 

5.  PRIZES AND ODDS:

One grand prize winner will receive one "Grand Prize", which consists of an OCZ Vertex 460 VTX460-25SAT3-480G 480GB SATA III SSD. The Grand Prize package has an approximate value of $359.99.

One first runner up winner will receive one "First Runner Up", which consists of an OCZ Vertex 460 VTX460-25SAT3-240G 240GB SATA III SSD. The First Runner Up Prize package has an approximate value of $189.99.

One second runner up winner will receive one "Second Runner Up", which consists of an OCZ Vertex 460 VTX460-25SAT3-120G 120GB SATA III SSD. The Second Runner Up Prize package has an approximate value of $99.99.

Prize(s) must be delivered to an address with the same zip code provided in each winner's entry, and delivery may take six to eight weeks. The odds of winning will be determined by the number of eligible entries received.

Prize(s) cannot be transferred, assigned, substituted, or redeemed for cash, and must be accepted as awarded, but Sponsors reserve the right to substitute any prize with a prize of equal or greater value should an advertised prize become unavailable for any reason.  Prize(s) will not be fulfilled outside the United States and District of Columbia, and will not be fulfilled in Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. military installations in foreign countries, in any other U.S. territories or possessions, or where prohibited or restricted by law.  Winner(s) will be responsible for all taxes (federal, state, and local) and all expenses not listed herein related to acceptance and use of any prize.  Any person winning $600 or more worth of prizes from a 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). 

6.  DRAWING: 

One Grand Prize winner will be selected by random drawing from all valid eligible entries received. Drawings will be held on or shortly after 04/04/14.  Drawings will be conducted by Future, whose decisions on all matters related to the Sweepstakes will be final and binding and within its sole discretion.  Winning is contingent upon compliance with all terms and conditions set forth in these official rules; any entry drawn 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.

7.  NOTIFICATION: 

Potential winners will be notified by email by 04/07/14.  Each potential winner so notified must 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 Sponsors), within three (3) business days of attempted notice of prize award.  If a potential winner fails to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (or if a prize notification or prize is returned as non-deliverable, or if the potential winner is found to be ineligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, such prize will be forfeited, in which case the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner by random drawing.

To obtain any legally-required winners list, send a self-addressed envelope with sufficient prepaid postage to: Maximum PC OCZ SSD Sweepstakes, c/o, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080.  (Residents of Vermont do not have to include return postage.)

8.  PRIVACY POLICY:  

By participating in the Sweepstakes, you acknowledge and agree that Future US, Inc. may collect the personal information and survey responses submitted by you and share such information with other Sponsors, and that Sponsors may 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 Sponsors, and not to Facebook, Inc.

9.  RELEASE:  

By participating in the Sweepstakes and/or accepting a prize, an entrant/winner agrees to defend, release and hold harmless the Sponsors and Facebook, Inc., 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 Sweepstakes, and/or the use, acceptance, or possession of a Sweepstakes prize, and/or participation in a Sweepstakes 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 Sweepstakes and/or accepting a prize, an entrant/winner consents to and gives Future 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. 

10.  LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY:  

Entrants agree that by participating in the Sweepstakes 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 Sweepstakes, 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 Sweepstakes or in any Sweepstakes-related materials; and (f) Damage to en entrant or other person's system or equipment occasioned by participation in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from the Sweepstakes website, or any combination thereof.  Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Sweepstakes or website, as solely determined by the Future, will be disqualified (and all associated entries will be void), and Sponsors reserve the right to terminate such entrant's eligibility to participate in this or any other promotion offered by Sponsors.  Entries generated by robotic, programmed, script, macro or other automated means or by any means which subvert the entry process will be disqualified. 

Future reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the term and conditions of the Sweepstakes.  In the event that the Sweepstakes 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 Future corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes, Future reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any suspect entry or entrant and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes.  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 Future in a random drawing from among all eligible non-suspect and/or non-disqualified entries prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Future.  In such event, Releasees will have no liability to any entrant who is disqualified due to such an action.  Failure to enforce any term of these official rules will not constitute a waiver of that provision.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE RELEASEES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF, OR DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM, FACEBOOK OR ANY RELEASEE'S WEBSITE(S).  WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON FACEBOOK AND THE RELEASEES' WEBSITE(S) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.  SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.  CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

11.  LAW:  

Subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  Void where prohibited or restricted.  All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrants or Sponsors in connection with any drawing or award, will be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of, the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.  Any cause of action by you with respect to the offer (and/or any information, products or services related thereto) must be instituted within one (1) year after the cause of action arose or be forever waived and barred.  All actions shall be subject to the limitations set forth in above.  The language in these official rules shall be interpreted as in accordance with its fair meaning and not strictly for or against either party.  All legal proceedings arising out of or in connection with the offer of these official rules shall be brought solely in San Mateo County, California.  You expressly submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of said courts and consent to extraterritorial service of process.

Unique and Cool Computer Cases

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 02:28 PM PDT

What's it like to build in three of the most unusual cases on the market?

A generation ago, computer cases were typically beige pizza box–shaped things that resided under beige CRT monitors. You wrangled floppy disks in and out of them and pressed the power button at times, but they weren't conversation pieces or personal statements. We don't know exactly when the shift to case fanciness occurred. It evolved gradually, like facial hair or Nicolas Cage. And in the last few years, we've seen some pretty exotic enclosures come to the home desktop, in various degrees of affordability and physical dimensions. You may wonder what it's like to build inside one of these strange containers; we certainly did. To find out, we had three distinctly different unconventional cases delivered to our Lab: the Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935, the In Win D-Frame, and the Corsair Carbide Air 540 that are pictured here.

With the help of our trusty intern Sam Ward, we built complete systems inside each of these enclosures, and we document the experience in the following pages of this article.

Note: The time this article originally debuted in the magazine, we built up our HAF Stacker 935 using a prototype unit. As a result, the retail version may have some slight differences.

Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935

The Voltron of PC building

With our Stacker 935 fully assembled, the black mega-tower looked like something a super-villain would use in his or her secret lair. It measured over three feet tall, for Pete's sake, nine inches wide, and nearly two feet long. The Stacker 935 consists of one small ITX unit about 9 inches tall, and one large unit about 19 inches tall, with an MSRP of $170, for a total height of about 28 inches. You can't buy the big one by itself, but you can grab as many of the small ones as you like, and then stack them according to your needs. The small unit is called the Stacker 915 and retails for $70. Our combo of choice, pictured for your amusement, is a 935 and a 915, which Cooler Master sells as the "945." For comparison, a Corsair 900D is about 27 inches tall, and the inside of a Cooler Master Cosmos II is about 22 inches tall (the external handles add some extra height).

In this pre-production unit, the cases attach to each other with a sliding mechanism, which you lock into place with a set of provided screws. Each compartment also comes with detachable feet and a detachable top panel, so you have flexibility in your stacking arrangement.

The 915 is limited to ITX motherboards, but it's pretty wide open otherwise; the "F" variant gets its PSU in the front, and the "R" variant has one in the rear. But while the 915R won't give your CPU room for more than a stock air cooler, you can fit a water-cooling pump pretty easily, and a radiator and fan would mount on the side panel. The 915 also takes up to three drive cages, each containing three 3.5-inch drives, for a total of nine. Each of those nine slots can also take two SSDs if you have an adapter kit. If you limit your video card length to eight inches or less, you can fit an ITX motherboard and two cages.

While you're free to arrange your Stacker cases in any order, Cooler Master recommends that you not add more than two smaller 915 cases to the basic 935 setup, lest the tower tip over.

While you're free to arrange your Stacker cases in any order, Cooler Master recommends that you not add more than two smaller 915 cases to the basic 935 setup, lest the tower tip over.

For system cooling, each side panel will accommodate a 360mm or 280mm radiator. That's probably overkill for the ITX system itself, but a custom liquid-cooling loop for a system located in the mid-tower can take advantage of this additional space. Cooler Master recommends quick-disconnect couplings for such a setup, so that the two cases can easily detach from each other even after the loop is installed. The stock 915 comes with a front 92mm fan, and the mid-tower ships with dual 120mm intake fans and one 140mm rear exhaust fan. The mid-tower's intake fans can fit inside the front bezel, to maximize room inside the case.

For system cooling, each side panel will accommodate a 360mm or 280mm radiator. That's probably overkill for the ITX system itself, but a custom liquid-cooling loop for a system located in the mid-tower can take advantage of this additional space. Cooler Master recommends quick-disconnect couplings for such a setup, so that the two cases can easily detach from each other even after the loop is installed. The stock 915 comes with a front 92mm fan, and the mid-tower ships with dual 120mm intake fans and one 140mm rear exhaust fan. The mid-tower's intake fans can fit inside the front bezel, to maximize room inside the case.

You can swap drive cages freely between the big case and the small cases; they attach with four standard screws.

You can swap drive cages freely between the big case and the small cases; they attach with four standard screws.

Other than sheer cable length, the systems were not difficult to put together. The cases are all roomy with plenty of cable management space, and the drive cages can be moved around to multiple spots.

Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935

$170, www.coolermaster-usa.com

1. In this config, the top case is a semi-portable HTPC unit powered by an AMD A10-6800K. It doesn't share any cabling or devices with the system underneath.

2. The gap between the cases is about an inch tall, so we have plenty of room for this Corsair H100i CPU cooler to blow exhaust out the top of the larger case.

3. The 915 has dust filters on its side panels; they're attached with four screws.

4. The larger case ships with two 120mm intake fans in the front, and one 140mm exhaust in the rear.

Click the next page to read about the Win D-Frame case.

 

In Win D-Frame

If you've got it, flaunt it

The industrial-looking In Win D-Frame was probably the most interesting to put together. If you're a fan of K'Nex or Tinkertoys, you'll be right at home attaching the four red pieces to each other and to the silvery mounting plate in back. When you're done, you'll be rewarded with a unique, all-aluminum frame, two tempered glass panels, and a fun 90-degree rotation from the standard direction (so your video cards will be vertical, for example). Despite its aluminum frame, the tempered glass makes the case surprisingly heavy, tipping the scales at 25 pounds before you start installing your hardware.

The aluminum is supposed to help with heat dissipation, which itself is aided by a set of fans installed in the bottom of the case, blowing upward. The D-Frame comes with no fans of its own, as people who are paying the $400 price tag usually have a set of their own. We had to settle for a few Scythe Gentle Typhoons. It's a hard-knock life.

It may be heavy, but that tempered glass provides an awesome view of your beloved parts. Sloppy builders need not apply.

The rotation throws off some sizing estimations, admittedly. Minus the power supply cage in the back, the D-Frame is about 22 inches long and 19 inches tall. The width is a little misleading, due to the frame extensions that support the glass panels; inside, you'll actually have no more than six inches for an air cooler. So, we'd recommend a liquid-cooler instead. We used a Silverstone TD03 here; despite its extra-thick radiator and dual fans, it installed in the rear with plenty of room to spare. If you remove the 3.5-inch drive cage, the D-Frame could easily support a thick 240mm radiator as well. (And without the cage, there are still several storage device mounts built directly into the frame.) Our fan/rad combo hangs off of two circular brackets attached to the frame with a couple of screws. A fourth fan would usually go there if we weren't using liquid cooling, but these brackets have no problem with the heavier load. The power-supply cage is also spacious, holding a Corsair AX1200i—eight inches long—with room to spare.

Video card length is basically a non-factor. There's about 13 inches of space in that area, and you can remove the fan bracket to add a couple more. We slapped a trio of Nvidia GeForce GTX 780s in there without breaking a sweat. The close proximity of the power supply cage makes hooking up the cards easy. The power supply can be oriented in two different directions; we chose this orientation because it shows off our pretty braided cables, in a patriotic selection of red, white, and blue. When your side panels are made entirely of glass, you can't skimp on the little visual details. Note that there are no other panels shielding the inside of the case, so foreign objects can fall in if you're not careful. On the other hand, this semi-open design makes tinkering a lot easier. You could ditch the panels altogether, if you don't have any pets or small children around.

Despite its appearance of complexity, the D-Frame needs only a standard Phillips screwdriver to assemble.

Despite its appearance of complexity, the D-Frame needs only a standard Phillips screwdriver to assemble.

Lastly, this case is getting a limited run of 500 units, though that's apparently just for this red version. The orange version gets its own 500-unit run. Each one is stamped with a serial number—ours is 187. The point is, it won't be around forever. Though with this rugged design, the case itself may very well outlive you.

In Win D-Frame

$400, www.inwin-style.com

1. You can orient the power supply any way you want, but we recommend positioning its intake fan on the outside, so that it's not competing with the video card(s) for air.

2. For a little variety, we went with an AMD FX-8350 CPU on an Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z motherboard. Can't let Intel hog all the fun.

3. There's nearly three inches of space between the back of the motherboard and the side panel, so cable routing is very manageable.

4.  Because of the extra length of this case, even a radiator and fan combo as bulky as the Silverstone TD03 fits in the back with room to spare.

Click the next page to read about the Corsair Carbide Air 540 and other interesting chassis.

 

Corsair Carbide Air 540

It's hip to be square

When you peek inside the Corsair Carbide Air 540, you'll probably notice that it's missing some important stuff. Like, oh, a PSU and 5.25-inch drive bays. Have you gone crazy? Are invisible elves powering this puzzling cube? No and no. All you have to do is flip the case around to view the other compartment, and you'll see the wizard behind the curtain. The 13 inches of total width give ample room for the trick. The net effect is that you can have loads of fans and water cooling for the video card, CPU, and motherboard without sacrificing storage capacity. Two 3.5-inch drive bays sit on the bottom of the left-hand side, complete with built-in SATA connectors so that you never see drive cables on that side of the case. The right-hand side (where the PSU is) gets four 2.5-inch bays for SSDs.

You may be concerned by the low number of 3.5-inch bays, but keep in mind that the two 5.25 bays in the back compartment can accommodate two such drives, with an adapter kit. We decided to put a Blu-ray drive in there instead. But keep in mind that these larger bays are vertical; not all optical drives are compatible with that orientation.

Power supplies can be mounted pretty much any way you want, though, so Corsair takes advantage of this. The PSU is rotated 90 degrees onto its side to accommodate the relatively tight space, but its cables don't have to be clean here, since there's no window and just empty space between the PSU and the front of the case. This relaxed design makes it a lot easier just hook up everything and go, rather than taking painstaking steps to zip-tie every cable for maximum cleanliness. Nobody likes their side panel to bulge because they couldn't route everything smoothly, and here, you don't even have to think about it. The power supply can also be virtually any length. The lower right-hand corner of the panel has a grill, so the PSU can pull cooler external air.

The Carbide Air 540's looks are reminiscent of the cube-shaped boxes found in server rooms, miniaturized for the home desktop.

The Carbide Air 540's looks are reminiscent of the cube-shaped boxes found in server rooms, miniaturized for the home desktop.

The front of the case will take a 280mm or 360mm radiator—we installed the Corsair H110, which uses a 280mm rad. There was even room to put fans on both sides for "push-pull," using the two stock 140mm front intake fans. This increases airflow through the rad, so the liquid that returns to the pump contains less heat and can therefore absorb more, before it's pumped back to the radiator. We still had room for an Asus DirectCU II GeForce GTX 770, which is 10.7 inches long, but it was tight—a card with PCI Express power connectors on the end instead of the side would not fit in this config.

Meanwhile, you could add two 140mm fans in the top, though a push-pull setup didn't have quite enough space. The rear has a 140mm exhaust fan pre-installed. You can place a 140mm closed-loop radiator on top of it without obstructing anything—a feature usually only seen in full-tower cases. The rear will also take a 120mm fan, and the top will take two 120mm units, or one 240mm radiator.

The left-hand "chamber" is eight inches wide, leaving five inches on the other side for the power supply and 5.25-inch drive bays.

The left-hand "chamber" is eight inches wide, leaving five inches on the other side for the power supply and 5.25-inch drive bays.

Back to the PSU side, there's room between it and the front of the case for a liquid-cooling reservoir and pump, but it will require some cable tidiness, especially if you're using two or more video cards. The rear of the case does not have pre-cut holes to route tubing to an external rad or reservoir, so your loop will need to be completely internal, unless you're prepared for a little DIY.

Corsair Carbide Air 540

$140, www.corsair.com

1. Since the 5.25-inch drive bay is in a hidden chamber, you can wire up a fan controller back there without revealing much of the cable routing.

2. Our distinctively orange stunt motherboard for this rig is the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC, a quad-SLI board that retails for around $200.

3. The Air 540 has built-in motherboard standoffs with a central "guide" post, which shaves installation time down even further.

4. Because the power supply is laid on its side, it shouldn't need extension cables to reach the 8-pin CPU power connector at the top of the motherboard

Avast Warns of Widespread Security Issues Once Microsoft Abandons XP

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 12:08 PM PDT

Avast XPMicrosoft is making a mistake to hang XP out to dry, Avast says

Avast COO Ondrej Vlcek doesn't think Microsoft is doing Windows users a solid by discontinuing support for Windows XP next month. Vlcek digitally inked a cautionary blog post warning Microsoft that turning its back on XP is a "big mistake" that will have negative repercussions not only for XP users, but for the "whole ecosystem." As it stands, Microsoft is planning to end support for XP on April 8, 2014.

"Tens of millions of PCs running XP connected to the Internet, unpatched and without security updates, are just waiting to be exploited," Vlcek warns. "The vulnerable OS will be an easy target for hackers and be seen as a gateway to infect other non-XP operating systems. Our telemetry data shows that XP users are 6 times more likely to get attacked than Windows 7 users and once Microsoft stops issuing patches, this can worsen."

In addition, Avast says its own database reveals that 23.6 percent of its 200 million users are still running Windows XP, which indicates that Microsoft hasn't been successful in transitioning legacy users to newer systems. This in itself is going to leave a lot of Windows users as sitting ducks.

It's not just home users who are at risk, either. According to Vlcek, more than 9 out of 10 ATMs still run XP, as do many medical offices that store confidential patient information and stores that retain customer details, such as credit card numbers.

To help deal with the upcoming threats, Avast says it's committed to supporting XP for at least the next three years. Avast will also create protection modules and detections specifically designed for XP.

"We have already taken additional steps in our latest product release, Avast! 2014, by making the product lighter, both in terms of speed and resource consumption, tailoring it for older machines still running Windows XP. In addition to the security value, avast! 2014 is offered for free, which is especially important for XP users," Vlcek added.

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AOC Adds Four Sub-$200 Monitors to Display Lineup

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 11:37 AM PDT

AOC MonitorNew panels from AOC range in size from 19.5 inches to 24 inches

AOC is kicking off the work week by unveiling four new monitors intended for home office, government, and education environments. Among the new panels you'll find a 19.5-inch monitor running at 1600x900, two 21.5-inch panels with Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) resolutions, and a 24-inch model that also features a Full HD 1080p display. All four sport LED backlights and AOC's product enhancing and energy saving software.

Users can divide each of the displays into up to four self-contained work areas using AOC's included Screen+ software. The benefit in doing so is that you can view multiple documents or programs at the same time, AOC says. In addition, each of the monitors come with iMenu software that allows users to navigate the on-screen display (OSD) menu with a mouse.

As for the hardware, the 19.5-inch model (e2060Swda-TAA) features a 5ms response time, 220 cd/m2 rated brightness, 20,000,000:1 contrast ratio, Kensington lock slot, and a pair of 2W built-in speakers. Connectivity consists of DVI-D with HDCP. It's priced at $159.99.

There are two 21.5-inch models -- e2260Swdn-TAA and e2260Swda-TAA. The former features the same specs as the 19.5-inch panel except with a rated brightness of 200 cd/m2 and no built-in speakers, while the latter is rated at 250 cd/m2 and has speakers. These two panels cost $179.99 and $189.99, respectively.

Finally, the 24-inch model (e2460Sd-TAA) has a 5ms response time, 20,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 250 cd/m2 brightness, DVI-D with HDCP, and Kensington lock slot. It costs $199.99.

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Microsoft Sprinkles 4G LTE Connectivity into Surface 2

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 10:36 AM PDT

Surface 2 4G LTELTE finally arrives on Surface 2 (for AT&T users)

At long last, users clamoring for 4G LTE broadband connectivity on a Surface 2 tablet are about to get their wish. Beginning tomorrow, Microsoft will begin offering a version of its Surface 2 slate with a built-in 4G LTE radio for $679. The tablet will be available to purchase from Microsoft's online and offline stores, as well as Best Buy (online, offline, and through Best Buy Mobile locations).

Through Microsoft previously promised support for AT&T and Vodafone, tomorrow's launch is only for the AT&T model in the U.S.

"In launching this new version of Surface 2, we're adding the power and reach of AT&T's 4G LTE network to an already fantastic device," Microsoft stated in a blog post. "Along with cellular connectivity, all of the refinements that went into Surface 2 are here: the increased speed and battery life, the dual-position kickstand, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT and Outlook 2013 RT, the full HD screen, the upgraded front- and rear-facing cameras and full-size USB 3.0 port, just to name a few."

The new model also includes 200GB of free OneDrive storage for two years. Beyond that incentive (and the 4G LTE radio), the new SKU is the same as the regular Surface 2 64GB model, albeit slightly heavier.

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Mantle and TrueAudio Support Sneaks into Thief on March 18th

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:08 AM PDT

ThiefThief reboot is about to look and sound better

AMD made some big claims in regards to its Mantle API, which were finally put to the test when support was rolled out for Battlefield 4. Now it's the Thief reboot that will get the Mantle makeover courtesy of a new patch Eidos is reportedly planning to launch tomorrow. In addition to adding support for Mantle, Thief will become to first game feature AMD's TrueAudio technology.

It will be interesting to see what kind of performance advantage Mantle brings to Thief. As our sister site PC Gamer points out, Mantle did end up raising the average frame rate in BF4 on AMD cards, but it came at the expense of the minimum frame rate, which was lowered and could lead to choppy game play.

A better example of Mantle's abilities can be seen in the Star Swarm demo running the Oxide Games Nitrous Engine. Mantle performance in Star Swarm teases how much better it can be compared to DirectX 11 when using the same system settings.

Equally exciting (and perhaps even more so) is support for TrueAudio. By tapping into the dedicated digital signal processor (DSP) built into certain AMD GPU cores, TrueAudio allows developers to offer better sound effects, as well as potentially improve performance by freeing up the CPU and RAM to handle other tasks.

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Intel Haswell-E X99 Chipset Details Leak to the Web

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 08:09 AM PDT

Intel X99The X99 chipset will support DDR4 memory

It's going to be an exciting summer for power users. Assuming all goes to plan and that leaked information turns out to be accurate, you can expect Intel to launch its Haswell-E hardware in June, along with its X99 "Wellsburg" chipset. Details of the forthcoming chipset have found their way online ahead of the chipset's release, which among other things will support DDR4 memory.

According to what's supposed to be a leaked slide from Intel posted by wccftech.com, Intel's X99 chipset will support up to 14 USB ports, including half a dozen USB 3.0 ports and eight USB 2.0 ports. It will also feature support for 10 SATA 6Gbps ports, eight PCI-E Gen2 ports, Intel's integrated clock for HEDT, and Intel Rapid Storage and RST Smart Response technology.

The chipset will offer a maximum memory speed of 2133MHz per DIMM slot, a spec that seems to suggest this will be the maximum frequency of DDR4 memory. Beyond that, you can expect things like Hyper-Threading, Turbo Boost 2.0, and Intel's Smart Cache technology.

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Newegg Daily Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM, Intel Core i7 3770K, and More!

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:30 AM PDT

G.Skill Ripjaws X Seriesnewegg logo

Top Deal:

Do you find yourself always losing your car keys? Are you starting to forget things, like important dates and mental shopping lists? It's too bad we can't pop open our brain containers and add more memory like we can with our PCs. Speaking of which, today's top deal is for...we forgot. Oh wait, it's for a 16GB (2x8GB) kit of G.Skill Ripjaws X Series DDR3-1600 Desktop Memory for $136 with free shipping (normally $160 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF24]). It won't improve YOUR memory, but it could breathe new life into your RAM-deprived PC. This high frequency kit boasts 9-9-9-9 timings and Intel XMP support.

Other Deals:

AMD A10-7850K Kaveri 3.7GHz Socket FM2+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $170 with free shipping (normally $185 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF22])

Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $315 with free shipping (normally $330 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF26])

Asus VS Series 23-inch 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor for $120 with free shipping (normally $160 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF42]; additional $20 mail-in rebate)

Raidmax Hybrid 2 630W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply for $30 with free shipping (normally $60 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF38]; additional $15 mail-in rebate)
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO Updates

MMO Updates

The Mog Log: The last stretch before patch 2.2 in Final Fantasy XIV

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

Me, I'm on a bit of a low pulse for the game until 2.2 comes out. Not for lack of love, but you know, you can't run the same things forever without getting a little bit tired, you know?
The past week has brought up an interesting problem regarding the timing of this column and upcoming releases. On the one hand, I had planned to talk today about why there aren't more tanks in Final Fantasy XIV. On the other hand, we also have received a lot of news about patch 2.2, which is launching in a little over a week. Do I push back discussing the patch previews in favor of talking about a larger structural issue?

I don't think I can, especially when the reason there aren't as many tanks is one that's been explained dozens of times in other games whilst still being applicable here. Instead, let's talk about 2.2. We've got a week and change until this drops, and while I've already discussed a good portion of the endgame elements, we've got a clearer picture of what's coming out other than that. So while we'll doubtlessly learn more during the next live letter, let's talk about what we've got now.

Continue reading The Mog Log: The last stretch before patch 2.2 in Final Fantasy XIV

MassivelyThe Mog Log: The last stretch before patch 2.2 in Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Perpetuum is dropping its sub fee on April 2nd

    Posted: 17 Mar 2014 07:00 AM PDT

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    Perpetuum
    As Perpetuum approaches a rebranding of sorts with a new player experience and a new early access status on Steam after a successful Greenlight, the dev team at Avatar Creations has one more thing it'd like to announce: a payment model change.

    Starting April 2nd, Perpetuum will be dropping its subscription payment model to move forward with a single-purchase buy-to-play model priced at 28.99 USD/EUR. There will also be in-game item purchases that will include "previously unavailable services and cosmetic upgrades."

    As a special bonus for anyone who has ever paid for at least three months of the game's subscription, the game will be completely free. Be sure to check out the most recent blog post for more details on this new payment model and changes coming to the game with this Steam launch on April 2nd.

    [Thanks to Fredrik and Zoltan for the tips!]

    MassivelyPerpetuum is dropping its sub fee on April 2nd originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Do you put any stock in pre-release dev quotes?

    Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT

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    ArcheAge castle siege
    This past week saw a couple of interesting developer quotes surface regarding ArcheAge and The Elder Scrolls Online. I don't know about you guys, but I filed them away for future reference, both because I'm cynical and because the topics covered are high on my personal pucker factor list.

    First up was ESO's Matt Firor, who stated that his game will deliver a "polished, lag-free launch experience." Then it was Trion's Evan Berman, who said that ArcheAge's "earned and crafted items are objectively superior" to what will be on offer in the title's western cash shop.

    I'd like to believe both of those quotes, naturally, but I didn't start playing MMOs yesterday. What about you, Massively readers? Do you put any stock in pre-release developer promises?

    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!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you put any stock in pre-release dev quotes? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      MMO Week in Review: WildStar is on the way

      Posted: 16 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT

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      WildStar
      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.

      WildStar announced a June 3rd launch date this week, promising that preorders for its sci-fantasy themepark goodness will open up this coming Wednesday. Massively published two in-depth articles on the game to coincide with the announcement: an exploration of its endgame raids and dungeons and an examination of its PvP systems.

      Read on for the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

      Continue reading MMO Week in Review: WildStar is on the way

      MassivelyMMO Week in Review: WildStar is on the way originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        EVE Evolved: Rubicon 1.3 and repainting ships

        Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT

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        EVE Evolved title image
        EVE Online's recently released Rubicon expansion was an important first step toward a truly player-run universe for everyone, allowing corporations to wage empire wars over planetary customs offices and introducing a series of new personal deployable structures. The initial release was a little light on content, but developers have since expanded on it significantly with three major point releases. Rubicon 1.3 went live this week, and the changes seem pretty good all around. This release overhauled the directional scanner, buffed the SoE Nestor battleship's capacitor recharge rate and remote repair range, and nerfed remote sensor dampeners into the ground.

        Large corporations like EVE University were pleased to hear that the limit on the size of corporations has been increased to 12,600 thanks to changes to the corporation management skills. And in response to an emerging trend in fleet warfare involving hordes of drone ships assigning their drones to an interceptor, developers have also limited the number of drones that can be assigned to another ship to 50. The 1.29 GB patch also included several overhauled ship models and new ship shaders, but the new feature I see the most potential in is the ability to finally repaint our ships. This could eventually help corporations establish their own visual identities and might even link into gameplay or EVE's spying metagame.

        In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at some of the Rubicon 1.3 changes and how repainting your ship could become more than simply a cosmetic upgrade.

        Continue reading EVE Evolved: Rubicon 1.3 and repainting ships

        MassivelyEVE Evolved: Rubicon 1.3 and repainting ships originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Shroud of the Avatar celebrates one-year Kickstarter anniversary with giveaways and events

          Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT

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          Shroud of the Avatar
          Shroud of the Avatar is bearing down on its one-year anniversary since the title was successfully funded on Kickstarter, and Portalarium has several giveaways and events planned for the occasion.

          The events planned include several hour-long developer hangouts, an all-day hangout telethon on April 7th, and access to Release 4 for backers on the 7th as well. The studio will be giving away an Alienware gaming laptop, a trip to Austin to visit with the team, Founder adventure pledges, and weekend passes for Release 5.

          Portalarium also announced that it's creating a fourth housing lot size to fit castles for Lords of the Manor. It's a four-fold increase in size over city lots and even comes with a moat -- because why have player housing if you're not able to drown your visiting friends?

          MassivelyShroud of the Avatar celebrates one-year Kickstarter anniversary with giveaways and events originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Posted by Shri Krishna

          MMORPG News

          MMORPG News

          General: Gauntlet: Updated for a New Generation

          Posted: 17 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT

          Gauntlet: Updated for a New Generation

          Warner Bros. Interactive has announced that perennial favorite, Gauntlet, is being reworked for a new generation of machines and players. Gauntlet is expected to be released on Steam this summer and for Steam Machines later this year.

          Guild Wars 2: Scarlet’s Dead, But Are We Safe?

          Posted: 15 Mar 2014 05:27 PM PDT

          Scarlet

          For many players in Guild Wars 2, it all started with what seemed like random acts of chaos. It wasn't long before we were given a face to associate these acts with, yet would still be a wait before we saw any hint of a motive. We sought after the truth, but ended up with one we didn't want to accept. We, the heroes of Tyria, couldn't understand Scarlet Briar, and killed her. But did we kill her because it was the right thing to do, or was it because of fear - fear of what we don't understand?

          General: Darkest Dungeon PreOrders Begin

          Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:48 AM PDT

          Darkest Dungeon PreOrders Begin

          The Darkest Dungeon site has been updated with the news that preorders for the upcoming RPG have begun. The game is priced at $15.00 for the full game on release or $20.00 that will grant early access to Darkest Dungeon when it goes live on Steam in late 2014.

          Heroes of the Storm: Unreleased Heroes Abilities Discovered

          Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:38 AM PDT

          Unreleased Heroes Abilities Discovered

          HeroesNexus.com has a fantastic list of yet unannounced heroes and skills for Heroes of the Storm. The list will give players and fans a chance to check out what Blizzard has in store for them and perhaps a bit of insight into the best strategies to utilize.

          General: This Week's Live Stream Schedule

          Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:31 AM PDT

          This Week

          The MMORPG.com Live Stream scheduled has been posted to assist you in finding the perfect hour or two to spend with your favorite streamer and to check out your favorite games.

          Heroes of the Storm: Heroes of the Storm Refines the MOBA

          Posted: 15 Mar 2014 07:06 PM PDT

          Heroes of the Storm Refines the MOBA

          Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm recently entered a small "technical alpha", and I managed to somehow luck out and snag a key. I've been playing the game pretty much any chance I get since Friday, quite possible because it seems Blizzard's done it once again. They've taken what makes a genre work, extracted the good and left out what some might consider the bad. Read on to find out why it's eating up all my free time.

          Perpetuum: Single Purchase Augmented by Optional Purchases Announced

          Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:30 PM PDT

          Single Purchase Augmented by Optional Purchases Announced

          The Perpetuum site has been updated with big news for players and potential players. The team has announced that, beginning in April, the subscription model for the game will be dropped in favor of a one-time purchase with optional microtransaction purchases made. Perpetuum will be priced at $28.99.

          ArcheAge: Expanding the Alpha Post-GDC, Release in 2014

          Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:38 PM PDT

          Expanding the Alpha Post-GDC, Release in 2014

          Trion's new ArcheAge community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman has taken to the ArcheAge Source fansite with a long letter to discuss plans for the game in 2014. Among other things, Scapes mentioned that the alpha, currently in friends and family testing, will be expanded after this week's GDC. The team has big plans for GDC, including a new demo and a live stream event to be held on March 21st.
          Posted by Shri Krishna
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