General Gaming Article |
- Newegg Daily Deals: ASRock H97 Motherboard, Crucial BX100 250GB SSD, and More!
- G.Skill Launches Two New Ripjaws Mech Keyboards
- Toshiba's Satellite Click 10 is an Inexpensive 2-in-1 Windows 10 PC
- Windows 10 Mobile Inches Closer to Release, Preview Build 10536 Now Available
- Turtle Beach Trots Out Ear Force Stealth 450 Wireless PC Gaming Headset
- How To: Dual-Boot SteamOS and Windows
| Newegg Daily Deals: ASRock H97 Motherboard, Crucial BX100 250GB SSD, and More! Posted: 15 Sep 2015 11:17 AM PDT Top Deal: Little Billy isn't so little anymore. The kid you once taught to play baseball and, later, how to drive, is now headed off to college. A tiny dorm room awaits and he's not much into laptops, so why not build him a small form factor PC instead? There are multiple options to build around, including today's top deal for an ASRock H97M-ITX/ac Motherboard for $84 with $3 shipping (normally $96; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). Though small in stature, this mini ITX motherboard can be the foundation for a respectable setup -- it has built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity, five SATA 6Gbps ports, a single PCi Express 3.0 x16 slot (hello, Radeon R9 Nano), a pair of DDR3 DIMM slots, 7.1-channel audio, four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI/DVI-D/VGA outputs, and a few other odds and ends. Other Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Video Card for $309 with free shipping (normally $325 - use coupon code: [EMCAXKS33]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Crucial BX100 2.5-inch 250GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $80 with free shipping (normally $85 - use coupon code: [EMCAXKS35]) G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) Desktop Memory for $190 with free shipping (normally $210) WD Green 4TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Bulk Bare Drive for $130 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [ESCAXKS43]) |
| G.Skill Launches Two New Ripjaws Mech Keyboards Posted: 15 Sep 2015 10:45 AM PDT Looking for a new mechanical keyboard? Take a look at G.Skill International's latest offering, the KM780 RGB and the KM780 MX. Both are packed with genuine Cherry RGB/MX Red and Brown switches and backlit illumination so you can easily troll Facebook or play PC games in your dark cave. Part of the company's RIPJAWS collection, the two new keyboards come with extra gaming keycaps that are dual-coat laser etched. These caps are shipped with a keycap tool for customizing the keyboard and a separate hand-sized case to keep the tool and unused keycaps together in one spot. "Packed with on-the-fly macro recording, 6 additional macro keys, 3 hotkeys (Windows lock, brightness, and timer), and easy-access mode selection keys, you can customize and switch your keyboard layouts for swift responses and immediate access to the actions you need, right at your fingertips," G.Skill reports. Both keyboards provide backlit media control buttons, a digital LED volume display, and a die-cast volume roller. There's also a mouse cable holder on the back to provide a "cleaner" desktop surface, a USB "passthrough" port, and audio ports for headphones and a microphone. According to the specifications, both models include 100-percent anti-ghosting, full-N-key rollover, a gaming mode option, support for three on-board profiles, six additional macro keys, and a detachable palm rest. The keyboards also provide a Windows lock key and a timer key with a visual notification, perfect for situations like skill cool-downs. The RGB model provides a full 16.8 million colors, independent per-key backlighting, and lighting pattern options. The MX model features only RED, independent per-key backlighting and pattern options. The LED backlight toggle lets the user toggle between three levels of brightness, or turn the backlighting off completely. G.Skill's two new keyboards (four, actually) are available now on Newegg for $160 for the RGB models and $120 for the MX models. However, authorized G.Skill retail partners will begin selling these keyboards in late September. The company also plans to release models with Cherry Blue switches "at a later date." |
| Toshiba's Satellite Click 10 is an Inexpensive 2-in-1 Windows 10 PC Posted: 15 Sep 2015 10:33 AM PDT Low cost convertible If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Microsoft's Surface, Toshiba might have the answer. It's the new Satellite Click 10, an ultra-compact detachable 2-in-1 that starts out at just $350. This is a system that's built for portability. According to Toshiba's math and measurements, it's 30 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than a "typical" laptop (a claim it makes based on its own 15-inch Satellite notebook). More specifically, it's only 0.36 inches thick and weighs 1.2 pounds, or 0.76 inches and 2.2 pounds with a keyboard dock. Starting at $350, the Click 10 isn't a potent powerhouse designed to run circles around the Surface. Instead, it's armed with an Intel Atom X5-Z8300 processor, 2GB of LPDDR3-1600 RAM, and 32GB of eMMC flash storage. The RAM isn't user upgradeable, and as it currently stands, both available configurations -- LX0W-C32 ($350) and LX0W-C64 ($370) -- are stuck with 2GB. The higher end model doubles storage to 64GB. Both feature a 10.1-inch touchscreen display with a 1900x1200 resolution, a memory card reader, USB 2.0 port, micro HDMI output, mic/headphone combination port, 2MP front-facing camera, 8MP rear-facing camera, 2-cell battery (also non-replaceable), and Windows 10. Toshiba includes the keyboard dock, which adds a full-size plank, clickpad/touchpad, and two additional USB 2.0 ports. We haven't played with one of these yet, but looking at the spec sheet, it's essentially a low cost 2-in-1 with a few key compromises across the board (can't replace the RAM, can't change the battery, last-gen Wi-Fi, and no USB 3.0 connectivity). Toshiba seems to have taken a tablet-first mentality with this one. That's not necessarily a bad thing when factoring in the price, just something to be aware of. Both configurations are available now direct from Toshiba. |
| Windows 10 Mobile Inches Closer to Release, Preview Build 10536 Now Available Posted: 15 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT One step closer to launch Microsoft continues to tweak its Windows 10 Mobile platform though it's still not ready for release. In the meantime, there's a new Preview Build (10536) available to Insiders subscribed to the Fast ring. If you're coming from Build 10512, it's a bit of a process to get the new release. Microsoft says you'll see Build 10514 and Build 10536.1000, both of which you'll need to run. After they're installed, you'll receive another update for Build 10535.1004. "This process will take a bit more time than usual but this update has all the important fixes for Build 10536 so you will want to make sure you take BOTH updates," Microsoft says. Otherwise, you can go back to Windows Phone 8.1 and then update directly to Build 10536.1004, whichever way suits your fancy. No matter how you get there, once installed, you should notice a handful of minor improvements -- the Insider Hub is back, mobile hotspot functionality is fixed, pinch to zoom in Maps now works as expected, and a few other fixes -- plus an updated there's an Photos app and a new one-handed mode. Microsoft added a folder view to its Photos app to make it easy to see your OneDrive and PC folders. You can also see folders on your SD card. The updated app also brings faster photo viewing (especially when panning and zooming), context menus. and favorites. As for the one-handed mode, Microsoft said it heard feedback from Windows 10 Mobile users that they wanted the functionality on all phones, including smaller size devices, not just larger ones. So, it's included -- just press and hold the Start button, which slides down the screen so you can reach items from up top. There are some known issues with the latest build, though they're mostly minor annoyances. For example, after rebooting, you won't see notifications until you unlock your phone. |
| Turtle Beach Trots Out Ear Force Stealth 450 Wireless PC Gaming Headset Posted: 15 Sep 2015 08:44 AM PDT Look ma, no wires! These days it seems as though Turtle Beach mostly caters to the console crowd, though every once in awhile it launches a product intended primarily for PC gamers. So it is with Turtle Beach's new Ear Force Stealth 450 Wireless, a cordless headset that's similar in design to the recently launched Stealth 420X for Xbox One, which is "one of Amazon's highest rated gaming headsets." The Stealth 450 is 100 percent wireless and employs channel-hopping technology to thwart unwanted interference. It has 50mm Neodymium speakers, has four EQ presets, and supports DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound. If you're tired of enemies sneaking up from behind, there's a "Superhuman Hearing" audio preset that amplifies soft sounds when turned on. According to Turtle Beach, the setting allows you to hear everything from "the faintest enemy footsteps to weapon reloads off in the distance." We imagine this is similar to the technique that some dedicated sound cards employ. The headset comes with a removable boom microphone and a USB dongle to connect to your PC. It also sports a built-in rechargeable battery that Turtle Beach claims will last up to 15 hours. Turtle Beach's Ear Force Stealth 450 Wireless is available now for $130 MSRP. |
| How To: Dual-Boot SteamOS and Windows Posted: 15 Sep 2015 12:00 AM PDT Getting started with SteamOSBefore we get into the meatier sections of our dive into SteamOS, let's first ask: What is it, exactly? It's a Linux-based—more specifically, Debian-based—operating system that, in a nutshell, provides easy access to Steam in Big Picture Mode. This distribution is designed for the living room; no keyboards or mice are required to interact with the OS. Why use SteamOS? Ever wanted to play your PC games on the TV but found it clunky to use Windows in the living room? That's where SteamOS comes in—to get rid of the keyboard-and-mouse hassle and make your PC behave in a console-esque manner. If you want to give SteamOS a shot, what do you need in terms of hardware? According to the SteamOS FAQ, the recipe calls for a 64-bit CPU, 4GB or more of RAM, 250GB-plus of hard drive space, a graphics card, and of course, an installer media, such as a DVD or flash drive, to install the operating system. We've been able to get by with less than 250GB of hard drive space. You shouldn't need to have that much RAM, either, in case you don't. For our testing, we used an Intel CPU and an Nvidia graphics card, so if you're using AMD hardware, your mileage may vary. Since we're interested in a dual-boot setup here, you'll also need to either have two separate hard drives or at least an unformatted partition where we can set up SteamOS. You can make a new partition in Windows with Disk Management or by using the Stephenson's Rocket installer. We'd recommend the partition/drive be 60GB or greater in size. If your computer meets the requirements, you next step is to sort through the options to figure out which SteamOS "flavor" to download—Alchemist (Debian 7 "Wheezy," aka SteamOS 1.0), Brewmaster (Debian 8.1 "Jessie," aka SteamOS 2.0), VaporOS (based on Alchemist, with a few packages added), and Stephenson's Rocket, formerly called Ye Olde SteamOSe (adds support for older AMD and Nvidia hardware and NTFS partition resizing). Brewmaster, although it is more up-to-date with Debian's repository, has its issues, like not being able to access the terminal. VaporOS might be good if you want to have screen recording, but we had issues installing the latest versions. Some we've tried, others we haven't, so you'll want to do some research for yourself. We'll use the official Alchemist installer in this tutorial for simplicity's sake. Ye Olde SteamOSe! Er, actually, it's Stephenson's Rocket! Go ahead and download the Alchemist ISO if you're going to burn the image to a blank DVD, or download the installer zip file to use as a bootable flash drive. Use an image burner, such as ImgBurn, to create a bootable disc. If you downloaded the installer zip file, simply extract the contents to a blank, FAT32-formatted flash drive that's 4GB or greater in storage capacity. Make a note of whether Windows is installed as Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT). To find out which it is, go to Computer Management > Disk Management; right-click Windows disk and select Properties > Volumes tab. Restart the computer with the bootable device. Access the boot options menu at the BIOS screen (on our system, it's the F12 key). If your Windows drive is formatted as MBR, do NOT select the UEFI option. If, however, Windows is formatted as GPT, select the UEFI boot option. You should get a screen like this: SteamOS Installer Screen We could do this the easy way by selecting the "Automated install," where the installer takes care of everything by itself, but we're more interested in the "Expert install," where we'll be able to select which drive or partition we want the OS to be, so that we can dual-boot with Windows. After selecting the "Expert install" option, follow the prompts until you get to the partitioning section. Wait, did I do that? You might notice your partitions look a bit odd. That's because this screen gives the recommended layout of how SteamOS should get installed. Double-click "Undo changes to partitions" and you should see your partitions as they're normally set. Ah, that's better. In our case, we have a blank partition of 132GB. This is where we'll install SteamOS. Double-click the partition and you should have a few options as to how you want to set up the partition. Select the option to automatically partition the free space if it hasn't been selected already and you should see something like this: If you're using a second hard drive, the setup is pretty similar. Double-click "Guided partitioning" and select "Guided—use entire disk," selecting the drive that will be using SteamOS. Looks a bit complicated, we know, but all we need to recognize is that the last partition there, set to /home, is where SteamOS, the Steam client, and all of the games will be installed. Double-click the option to write changes to disk and the installation will continue. At some point, the installer will ask you what software you would like to install. Select both the desktop environment and the system utilities. Next, you'll be asked to install the Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB), which will replace your current bootloader. Please do so. When the installer finishes, the computer will reboot. If everything worked, you should have both SteamOS and Windows as boot options. Continue to boot the default SteamOS option. SteamOS may or may not configure the hardware drivers at this point; in either case you should eventually be presented with the GNOME desktop. If the installer didn't present any network options to you, connect to the Internet now with the little Internet icon on the top-right of the screen. The Steam client will now automatically download. Then the operating system will configure the kernel. The Default SteamOS Desktop The computer will reboot again. Hopefully, you now see a new boot image with some additional options added. Do not press any keys, and let GRUB select the capture system partition option. Partclone will now create a backup of the system partition. When it's finished, select the reboot option. Again, let GRUB select the default SteamOS option. SteamOS will then prepare hardware drivers, and then Steam should launch in Big Picture mode! You will be asked to configure some settings, including the time zone and the resolution. After that, you should be able to log in to your Steam account like you normally would on other devices. If all of this has worked for you, great! You have successfully transformed your PC into a 10-foot masterpiece. Eventually, Skullgirls and Rocket League will be available. In the meantime, you can still launch Windows to have access to any Windows-exclusive titles. Most gamepads, including the Xbox 360 and One controllers, have out-of-the-box support. However, you may notice that the "A" button is mapped to, say, the "X" button and the "B" button is mapped to "A." To modify the controls, go to Settings (cog wheel icon on top-right of home screen) > Controller > Edit controls. Also, if the blinking green light on the Guide button bothers you, simply disconnect the controller and reconnect it. From here, there are a few additions that can enhance the functionality of the operating system as a whole. You can opt-in to alchemist_beta to receive updates for the OS more often, and add repositories other than Valve's so that you can install such packages as vlc or kodi. For the time being, though, bask in the glory of being a PC-console hybrid champion. |
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