General Gaming Article

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• Voltera V-One Prints Prototype Circuit Boards, Sparks Interest on Kickstarter
• Head 2 Head: Mini-ITX vs. MicroATX Systems
• FrozenCPU Running on a Skeleton Crew, Vows to Stay in Business
• Nvidia Press Invite Teases New Gaming Product Launch
• Newegg Daily Deals: GoPro Hero4 Silver, NZXT H440 Razer Mid-Tower Case, and More!

Voltera V-One Prints Prototype Circuit Boards, Sparks Interest on Kickstarter Posted: 11 Feb 2015 02:10 PM PST Print your own circuit board from home It didn't take long for the Voltera V-One circuit printer to blow past its $70,000 goal on Kickstarter. Within the the first 35 minutes, it hit the $100,000 mark, and a day later (today), it's approaching $231,000 with 28 days left to go. Obviously there's quite a bit of interest in a machine that can create a prototype PCB from your work bench, complete with conductive ink to create the traces and an insulating ink as a mask between layers. "These boards aren't meant to replace mass manufactured PCBs - this is a prototyping tool that helps you get there faster," the developers explain. "How many times have you tossed out a board because you used the wrong footprint or because you forgot a pull-up resistor? If you're anything like us... more times than you'd like to admit. Now you can quickly test an idea without wasting money or two weeks of your time!" Ease of use is the name of the game here. There's only a single button and the ink cartridges snap on and off magnetically. The included software holds the user's hand every step of the way and handles file conversions. In addition to creating PCBs, it can function as a solder paste dispenser as well. So if you have multiple pre-fabbed boards that need to be populated, the Voltera V-One can handle that, and will also provide heat for the reflowing process. Early Bird pricing of $1,199 is all gone, so the next cheapest cost of entry is $1,499 for the second batch (estimated to ship in January 2016), followed by $1,799 for the first batch (estimated to ship September 2015). You can check it out here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Head 2 Head: Mini-ITX vs. MicroATX Systems Posted: 11 Feb 2015 02:02 PM PST Mini-ITX vs. MicroATX Systems Few things evolve more quickly than the desktop PC, but there is one constant: the process of getting smaller. The first computers took up entire rooms (and required a college degree to operate). But these days, you can get a gaming PC the size of briefcase delivered to your front door. But if you prefer to build something small, should you go with a microATX system, or is it time to go even smaller with mini-ITX? ROUND 1: Performance Since you're reading Maximum PC, you probably already know that it's blistering benchmarks that get our motor running. In fact, sometimes a new rig is more fun to tweak and test than it is to use for "normal" activities. You can actually get some premium mini-ITX motherboards these days that can overclock as well as a full-sized ATX motherboard. They do it by putting extra voltage-regulation modules on a riser card, since the form factor doesn't otherwise leave a lot of room for bonus power phases. But if you want to run more than one video card at the same time, only microATX is big enough to give you that option. It also means a larger case; we've fit a 280mm radiator in the Corsair 350D, for example, with enough room left over for a 120mm radiator elsewhere. That means it's much easier to liquid-cool a whole system for high overclocks. Winner: MicroATX ROUND 2: Shopping Options MicroATX has been around a lot longer than its junior-sized competitor, so the technology is more mature, and there's a wider range of boards. It's the de facto ruler of the modern cubicle farm. As a result, you can fine-tune your budget down to the last dollar and individual spec, whereas mini-ITX has more frequent gaps. However, there isn't much variety in microATX cases. Most are designed for a full-ATX motherboard, which happens to take microATX boards as a side effect. If you're looking for something particularly compact, mini-ITX has been getting a lot more love from case manufacturers and enterprising modders. The approaching extinction of the optical drive, coupled with the compactness of SSDs, allows more exotic dimensions and looks. But if you just want a basic tower that's fairly easy to fiddle with, micro-ATX is the way to go. Thus, the winner in this category depends on your needs. Winner: Tie ROUND 3: Costs If logic ruled the world, a mini-ITX system would cost less because the motherboards and cases are smaller. That means less raw materials. They're not particularly difficult to manufacture, and they don't use exotic ingredients. The problem is in the other typical parts, like the power supply. Mini-ITX systems frequently use a PSU form factor called SFX. These aren't nearly as common as regular ATX units. So, by the laws of supply and demand, SFX units tend to be more expensive for comparable output and build quality. Especially if you want to get fancy with things like modular cables or "gold" ratings. It's also hard to find a mini-ITX case for less than $50, which matters if your budget is tight. In fact, a good one usually hovers around the $100 mark, while you can get a decent ATX micro-tower or mid-tower for half that. Winner: MicroATX ROUND 4: Ergonomics Even when a mini-ITX system can fit a regular power supply, it usually has to be a small one without modular cabling, because there's less clearance in these smaller boxes. Mini-ITX cases like the Cooler Master 130 Elite take a regular-sized PSU, but the unit sticks out the back by an inch or two. Meanwhile, a microATX tower like the Corsair 350D can take pretty much anything. Also consider the accessibility of a tower's drive cages, fan mounts, and motherboard connectors. A "shoebox" ITX case has to have some of its guts removed every time you want to fiddle with a major component. That said, mini-ITX systems are lighter, easier to carry, take up less desk space, and can blend in better with home theater components. It's the ideal LAN party form factor, something you can carry with you on public transit if need be, and even a conversation starter. Winner: Tie ROUND 5: Upgrading Builders like us also like expandability. But as a rule, mini-ITX boards have just two RAM slots. With the four slots common to microATX, you have more options for the future. Two slots compel you to max out your capacity, which means spending around $150 for 16GB, instead of $60-$70 for two 4GB sticks. Mini-ITX also typically has only one card slot, for the GPU. If you want to add more USB 3.0 ports, sound card (they still have their uses!), wireless adapter, or SATA Express coming later this year, then microATX gives you those options, and future options that we're not aware of yet. You're not stuck with the level of technology that's built into the board. Winner: MicroATX The "shoebox" shape is popular with mini-ITX systems because it can fit a full-length video card. And the Winner Is… If you're a performance enthusiast, it's hard to argue for the limited physical space of a mini-ITX system. If you need an HTPC, though, a little mini-ITX box seems like a no-brainer. There are mini-ITX cases large enough to blur the lines, like the Corsair 250D. But they're both constrained by the motherboard itself, which can't do SLI or accommodate extra cards. So, we have to give the edge to microATX. This article was taken from the June 2014 issue of the magazine.

FrozenCPU Running on a Skeleton Crew, Vows to Stay in Business Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:59 AM PST Enthusiast vendor says its not closing shop Depending on where your web travels have taken you lately, you may have heard that FrozenCPU.com is going out of business. That would be a shame to lose another enthusiast vendor, as system builders have already lost Danger Den a little over two years ago (the site had been in business for 12 years at the time), and some of you might remember ZipZoomFly, another PC parts store that bit the dust. Well, the good news is FrozenCPU is not shutting down, according to the owner. Word of FrozenCPU's demise originated at Overclock.net by someone claiming to be a former employee. "The owner has struggled a long battle with addiction, and events that unfolded earlier last week have rendered the company unoperational and shut down for good. Physical damage of the warehouse has occurred as well as the dismissal of all support and warehouse staff; the company has no plans of re-establishing themselves," the ex-employee wrote. A Swiftech rep suggested the post was accurate, though Swiftech's CEO Gabriel Rouchon later retracted the rep's statement, adding that his company has no official information on FrozenCPU. HardOCP ended up contacting the owner, who confirmed that it's running with just a few people, but plans to stay in business. "We just heard back from Mark Friga, the owner of FrozenCPU.com, a long time enthusiast community supplier, and he explained to me that FrozenCPU is in fact not going out of business as rumored earlier today. He said that FrozenCPU is currently running a skeleton crew and to please bare with his company while the it is ramping back up to 100 percent employee capacity," HardOCP said. We don't know what that means in terms of handling times when processing orders, but for now, it looks like FrozenCPU isn't going anywhere. If you want to support the site and don't mind potentially waiting a bit longer than usual, head over and place an order. Or kick back and see if there any new developments in the coming days/weeks. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Nvidia Press Invite Teases New Gaming Product Launch Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:23 AM PST Mysterious product announcement is three weeks away Quick, does anyone have Encyclopedia Brown on speed dial? Kudos, by the way, if you know who that is. And if you do, perhaps you're good at solving mysteries. That trait might come in handy when trying to figure out what Nvidia has in store for three weeks from now. Nvidia's been sending out press invites for a "special event" that will take place on March 3rd, and at that time it will reveal a product that promises to "redefine the future of gaming." Are you donning your detective cap? Then here goes. "I would like to invite you to attend a very special event on March 3rd. More than 5 years in the making, what I want to share with you will redefine the future of gaming. I look forward to seeing you there," Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang states on the invite. While we'd love it if Nvidia shocked the world with a new and affordable GPU that's capable of 8K gaming with all the settings maxed out, early speculation suggests this is a mobile play. Part of the reason for that is because Nvidia showed off its Tegra X1 "super chip" at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month, though not with any accompanying devices. The odds-on favorite right now is that Nvidia will announce a next generation Shield Tablet built around Tegra X1. Other than that, however, it's a guessing game as to what other hardware and features will be included. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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