General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Newegg Daily Deals: Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD (Refurb), MSI GE72 Laptop, and More!

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:08 PM PDT

Seagate Barracuda 1TB

Top Deal:

Not everything you save is mission critical. You know the stuff we're talking about -- all those selfies, food pics, and anything else that wouldn't shatter your world if you lost it. Nevertheless, if you store such things, they take up space and can fill up a hard drive in a hurry. The solution? More storage! Just check out today's top deal for a Seagate Barracuda 1TB Internal Hard Drive (Refurbished) for $30 with free shipping (normally $70). This is a 7,200 RPM drive with 32MB of cache and a SATA 3Gbps interface.

Other Deals:

MSI GE Series GE72 Apache Pro-077 Gaming Laptop Windows 8.1 64-Bit for $1279 with free shipping (normally $1500)

LG Black 19.5-inch 5ms Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $75 with free shipping (normally $100)

Lenovo Desktop Intel Core i7 (2.80 GHz) 4 GB 250 GB HDD Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit (Refurbished) for $340 with free shipping (normally $500; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Rosewill 750W Power Supply with LED Indicator, 80 Plus Platinum Certified for $100 with free shipping (normally $130; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Move Over MacBook Air, LG's Lighter Gram Laptop Arrives in U.S.

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 11:52 AM PDT

Lighter than a MacBook Air

LG Gram

Apple's 11-inch MacBook Air weighs 2.38 pounds while the 13-inch model weighs 2.96 pounds. Both are incredibly light for a laptop, though not as light as LG's new Gram notebook.

Despite having the biggest screen of the bunch at 14 inches (there's also a 13-inch model), the Gram barely budges the scale at just 2.16 pounds. That has the current generation MacBook Air models beat, and lest there be any doubt, those are the systems LG is declaring war against (LG specifically mentions the MacBook Air in its press release).

However, the MacBook Air is a little bit skinnier at its most narrow point -- the 13-inch model measures 12.8 (W) x 0.11-0.68 (H) x 8.94 (D) inches, versus the LG Gram's 12.8 (W) x 0.5 (H) x 8.9 (D) profile. Measurements aside, they look similar in a side-by-side comparison, as you can see in photo The Verge took of the two laptops.

LG Gram Angled

The Gram's body is made of carbon-lithium and carbon-magnesium, the same materials found in spacecraft and race cars. According to LG, this allows the Gram to be both lightweight and "exceptionally strong." 

Interestingly, LG opted to build its Gram line around Intel's Broadwell architecture, not Skylake. There are three models at present, the least expensive of which is the LG Gram 13. It runs $900 and features a 13.3-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS display, Intel Core i5-5200U processor, 8GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM, 128GB SSD, 1.3MP webcam, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN, two USB 3.0 ports, microSD card slot, HDMI output, and Windows 10.

There are also two LG Gram 14 models, one that runs $1,000 (same specs but with a physically larger display) and another that costs $1,400 (Intel Core i7-5500U processor and 256GB SSD).

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CyberPower PC's Fangbook 4 Xtreme Sinks Teeth into Skylake and G-Sync

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

Aggressive name, aggressive specs

CyberPower PC Fangbook 4 Xtreme Front

Boutique builder CyberPower PC today announced its new Fangbook 4 Xtreme line of gaming laptops with Intel Skylake hardware inside, DDR4 memory, and display panels that support Nvidia's G-Sync technology.

The Fangbook 4 Xtreme is essentially a desktop replacement. While CyberPower PC didn't mention weight or dimensions in its announcement, a look at the press photos erase any hopes of a thin and lightweight design.

In lieu of that, the Fangbook 4 Xtreme brings some serious hardware to the mobile world. There are two baseline configurations, the first of which starts at $1,749 and includes a 15.6-inch 3K (3840x2160) panel with G-Sync support, Intel Core i5-6600K processor, 8GB of DDR4-2133 RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M GPU with 6GB of GDDR5 memory, 250GB Samsung M.2 SATA SSD, 1TB HDD, Killer Gigabit LAN, programmable full-color backlit keyboard, two USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 2.0 port, HD webcam, 6-cell battery, and WIndows 10 Home 64-bit.

For $2,155, CyberPower PC bumps the processor up to an Intel Core i7-6700K, doubles the RAM to 16GB, upgrades the graphics to a GeForce GTX 980M GPU with 8GB of GDDR5 memory, and swaps the solid state storage for a 250GB Samsung 850 Evo M.2 SSD.

This is a configurable laptop that you can customize to your liking and budget, though the latter setup is nearly as all-out as CyberPower PC allows on this one. You can add more storage, but there are no options for increasing the RAM or adding a second GPU.

The Fangbook 4 Xtreme is available to configure now.

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Google Readies Launch of Ad-Free YouTube Subscription Service

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:10 AM PDT

Get rid of ads (for a fee)

YouTube

YouTube, the most popular free video streaming service on the web, is about to offer a subscription option for viewers who'd rather pay a monthly fee than sit through ads.

It's an idea Google and YouTube have been kicking around for a long time now, and come next month, it could finally become a reality. We say "could" because there's no official announcement or confirmation of an October launch from Google, though it sure sounds that way in an email blast to content owners.

"To give fans more choice we will be launching a new ads-free version of YouTube, available to fans for a monthly fee," Google states in its email.

Google goes on to explain that it wants to ensure that fans who pay for an ad-free experience will be able to watch all the same videos that are currently supported by ads.

"That's why we're asking you to update your agreement to reflect the updated terms for the ads-free service... by October 22nd," Google continues.

Google's email seems to suggest a late October launch. The question is, at what price? According to Recode, "industry sources" peg the monthly subscription price being $10, which would also include access to YouTube Music Key, an extension of Google Music that includes music videos. The problem with that price point is that it's no higher than a Google Music subscription, which is included with YouTube Music Key, so it's tough to imagine Google generating enough revenue to offset ads.

The way around this is to not include Google Music in the mix. By going that route, $10/month might be enough to pay royalties to music artists and offset ads in YouTube videos, though it still seems like a stretch.

Yet another solution is to charge more than $10/month, though we suspect even that amount will prove too high for many YouTube fans.

In any event, that's Google's problem to solve. Our job is to hang tight and see what develops next month.

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Five Reasons to Own a NAS

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:00 AM PDT

Synology DiskStationb

Over the last several weeks, we've taken a close look at several network attached storage (NAS) units from QNAP and Synology, including the Synology DiskStation DS2415+ and the QNAP TurboNAS TS-451. NAS storage solutions typically play host to more than one hard drive and have access to the local network. They resemble small, boxy PCs, complete with one or more fans to keep them cool. And depending on the model you purchase, they can act like small PCs as well.

Naturally, all NAS offerings have their pluses and minuses as far as features are concerned, but one thing is perfectly clear: having a NAS in the home or office can be an excellent investment. The drawback is that multi-disk NAS units are not cheap, costing hundreds of dollars before stuffing them with hard drives. However, which is worse: the cost of purchasing a NAS or the cost of losing all of your data?

As a matter of fact, you can also build your own NAS. If you have a spare PC (or if you can just build a new one) and have a few HDDs. There are plenty of free options available, and one of the most popular is FreeNAS -- which we'll cover in a separate article. But for the scope of this one, it's for those who want an all inclusive solution.

Backup

This feature should be pretty obvious. While, as stated previously, NAS solutions don't come cheap, we can't recommend one-disk solutions. What's ideal is to have more than one hard drive storing the backup files. If one begins to fail, the other drives will still have your information. That said, if you're only using one disk, such as an external hard drive connected via USB, chances are that disk will eventually fail and your data will be lost.

Backing up a Windows-based machine is simple. For example, you can load up File Explorer in Windows 10 and find your NAS unit by clicking the Network link, and then the actual NAS unit listed within the "Computer" window. In the same way as any other networked PC, the NAS unit will reveal its folders, allowing you to create a new folder into which Windows can dump the backup files. After that, simply point Windows in the right direction and voilà! You've backed up your operating system.

Of course, NAS units aren't just for backing up Windows: they're an ideal solution for backing up anything that's stored on your desktop or laptop, such as documents, pictures, video, and more. As with backing up Windows, you can locate the NAS in File Explorer and either create a folder, or just use the folders created by the NAS's operating system.

Cloud

That leads us to our next reason why you need a NAS: to create a personal cloud. Sure, there are solutions like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft's OneDrive on the cloud market, and they're pretty reliable in regard to uptime and keeping your digital goods out of the hands of hackers and government officials. But if you're like us (and Mulder and Scully from The X-Files), you likely don't trust anyone with your data.

One great aspect of most NAS solutions is that they embrace the cloud in several ways. As we highlighted earlier, NAS units are designed to be accessed by anyone on the local network. They can also be accessed outside the network if the user has the correct login information. Yes, that means NAS units can be accessed remotely on any device, including iOS- and Android-based units. All you need is an app and the login info to upload and/or download approved files.

For instance, Synology provides a number of apps for iOS and Android that cater to one specific type of media such as DS Video, DS Photo, and DS Audio. There's also a DS File app for accessing all files stored on the NAS and DS Download for specially accessing the download folder. Thus, users can back up their Android and iOS devices by using these applications wherever they may be.

Media Server

Another reason to consider a NAS purchase: its media server capabilities. Not only can you store music, videos, and photos, but they can be played on devices connected to the local network. For instance, if you have an Xbox One, you can load up the Media Player app and it will show the available NAS units. Click a NAS shortcut and your media folders will appear, whether it's Music, Video, Photo, or a combined folder labeled as Multimedia.

Because of this feature, you won't need to burn Blu-ray discs, DVDs, or CDs to play your favorite media within the home. And the media is accessible from any device on the network, including your smart HDTV, game consoles, desktops, and mobile devices. Media can also be downloaded and played locally on a device, or played when you're out and about and away from the local network.

That leads us to our next reason to get a NAS: accessing the Internet.

Internet Access

As we've seen in recent reviews, NAS units can serve as makeshift home theater PCs that are dressed up with apps that can access the Internet. For example, the QNAP TurboNAS TS-451 we recently reviewed provides apps for Chrome, Firefox, Facebook, LibreOffice, Plex Home Theater, Skype, and more. These NAS units also typically have HDMI output so that you can connect them to an HDTV and USB ports for connecting a mouse and keyboard.

That said, having a NAS that acts like a PC keeps customers from having to purchase a separate PC to dish out content for the living room. But as we stressed earlier in this article, a NAS can get quite expensive as the storage capacities get larger. Remember, a NAS is typically purchased without the hard drives, so the cost could skyrocket if you want a lot of storage capacity.

Nevertheless, what we're suggesting here is that consumers should consider a NAS and expect a premium pricetag for a solution that not only stores data but pumps it all to an HDTV and other devices. Keep in mind that there are NAS devices that don't provide support for video output and peripheral input, which will likely have less of an impact on your wallet.

Apps, Apps, and More Apps

Finally, the NAS units we reviewed recently came with their own app stores. This is another feature that makes NAS units so cool: They can be customized by way of the apps installed on the device. Each NAS comes with apps pre-installed for music, video, and photos. But there are tons more served up in Synology's "Package Center," which provides just over 70 apps ranging from backup to multimedia to business to security to utilities. The QNAP App Center provides over 140 apps.

That said, let's say your QNAP NAS is all about business. You can install nearly 15 apps on the device such as OpenCart, OpenERP, OrangeHRM, osCommerce, FrontAccounting, and more. Want the NAS to focus on entertainment? You can install Plex Media Server, a port of Super Mario Bros, Podcast Generator, Video Station Lite, and so on. There are also apps for content management, developer tools, surveillance tools, education, and even home automation apps. See? NAS devices are somewhat like PCs.

A Compelling Purchase?

We hope we've made our point about the benefits of owning a NAS unit. With a NAS, you're in control of what the device does and what it contains, not some third-party cloud service with servers located who knows where. Also with a NAS, you're in control of how the data is consumed, allowing access to approved devices and people. Even more, your NAS is usually out of the public limelight, making is less likely to be hacked.

As we've stated a few times, however, NAS solutions can be rather pricey once you start cramming in hard drives. Still, once you've backed up Windows, your documents, music, videos, and photos, you'll have peace of mind knowing that your precious data is safe. Sure, you can purchase a single external drive to back up everything, but with a NAS, disk failure doesn't mean your data will be lost forever.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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