General Gaming Article |
- Get Maximum PC Delivered To Your Door. US Subscribers Get Up To 11 Issues... FREE
- Big Update To Windows 10 Coming in November
- Newegg Daily Deals: Samsung 850 Evo 500GB SSD, Asus 15.6-Inch Laptop, and More!
- Eurocom Stuffs Potent Desktop Components into Sky X9 Laptop
- Michael Dell Disses Surface Pricing, Maintains Friendship Status with Microsoft
- YouTube Red Ad-Free Subscription Service Kicks Off Next Week
- Samsung 950 Pro 256GB Review
| Get Maximum PC Delivered To Your Door. US Subscribers Get Up To 11 Issues... FREE Posted: 22 Oct 2015 02:08 PM PDT SUBSCRIBE NOW!Subscribe today and US subscribers get up to 11 issues FREE (as in beer). Ever wish you could get Maximum PC without having to schlep your behind over to the local book or electronics store? Here's your chance. You can get Maximum PC delivered to your inbox (the physical kind) and save more time for building, tinkering, and playing games with your PC. Maximum PC is considered by enthusiasts to be the number one source for the latest in guides, reviews, and in-depth analysis on cutting-edge PC hardware. Our team of experts give you the guidance you need to make the most informed buying decisions and deliver the best advice. You've found the definitive reference on PC hardware. Our low subscription prices mean that US residents get the equivalent of up to 11 issues free per year! Pay only $8.99 for a whole year's worth of Maximum PC and save $68.88 off the RRP - that's 11 issues worth* of savings when you subscribe. To get Maximum PC delivered to your door, US residents can subscribe online. If you don't live in the States, we deliver to the UK and the rest of the world, too! And if paper isn't your thing, you can always subscribe to our electronic edition on iTunes. *Savings compared to buying 13 full-priced issues from US newsstand, equivalent to getting 11 issues per year. This offer is for new US subscribers only. You will receive 13 issues in a year. If you are dissatisfied in any way you can write to us to cancel your subscription at any time and we will refund you for all un-mailed issues. Prices correct at time of send and subject to change. For full terms and conditions please visit myfavm.ag/magterms. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Big Update To Windows 10 Coming in November Posted: 22 Oct 2015 12:06 PM PDT When Windows 10 was still in the works at Microsoft, the company dubbed the eventual release as "Threshold." Now an unnamed source is telling Paul Thurrott that the company plans to release another big Windows update in November called "Threshold 2." This backs up previous rumors that the company was working on a cumulative update called "Windows 10 Fall Update" slated for next month. According to the source, Threshold 2 won't be a full upgrade as we saw with the launch of Windows 10. Instead, customers will see improvements to the Edge browser, new Cortana features, an improved Media Creation Tool, and other changes and improvements. Customers also won't need to install the latest updates before downloading and installing Threshold 2. To get Threshold 2, Windows 10 customers will receive it via Windows Update, listed as "Window 10 November 15." Thurrott says that Threshold 2 will be distributed as a security update, thus many consumers will likely log onto their PC one morning and the update will already be installed. No re-activating will be required, although Thurrott notes that there will be changes to the activation process. "Windows 10 Fall Update will support activating with your PC's Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 product key. For this to work, the key must match the edition of Windows 10 using the same upgrade matrix," Thurrott reports. "If you upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7/8.1 after the Fall Update is made available, you will get Windows 10 Fall Update." WinBeta adds to the report, stating that Threshold 2 is slated to roll out to consumers on November 2. This release supposedly adds features to Windows 10 that were originally slated to be included in the RTM but never made it into the final build. These features include texting phones using the desktop version of Cortana, a new Messaging app for chatting with friends on Skype, and new customization options. Although the reviews of Windows 10 have been generally positive, the platform still has a ways to go before it dominates the operating system market. According to Netmarketshare, Windows 7 is the market leader with 56.53% of the market followed by the crusty old Windows XP platform with 12.21%. Windows 8.1 currently commands 10.72% followed by the just-launched Windows 10 with a 6.63% market share. Windows 10 made its debut on the consumer market back in July 2015. Another major update to Windows 10, aka "Redstone," is slated to arrive sometime in 2016. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newegg Daily Deals: Samsung 850 Evo 500GB SSD, Asus 15.6-Inch Laptop, and More! Posted: 22 Oct 2015 10:59 AM PDT Top Deal: A solid state drive is like an energy drink for your PC, only without the potential negative side effects. Replacing a hard drive with an SSD will boost performance across the board, and if you haven't made the transition yet, now's a good time to jump. SSD pricing is far lower than it used to be, as evidenced by today's top deal for a Samsung 850 Evo 2.5-inch 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Stolid State Drive for $150 with free shipping (normally $180 - use coupon code: [ESCKANK27]). It pairs 3D vertical NAND flash memory with Samsung's MGX controller to deliver up to 540MB/s sequential read and up to 520MB/s sequential write performance. Other Deals: Samsung D3 Station 4TB USB 3.0 3.5-inch Desktop External Hard Drive for $100 with free shipping (normally $129 - use coupon code: [EMCKANK23]) Asus Laptop X550ZA-WH11 (2.50 GHz) 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD AMD Radeon R6 Series 15.6-inch Windows 10 Home 64-Bit for $430 with free shipping (normally $540) EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SSC Gaming w/ACX 2.0+, Whisper Silent Cooling w/ Free Installed Backplate Graphics Card for $180 with free shipping (normally $230; additional $20 Mail-in rebate; Free Heroes of the Storm Kaijo Diablo Bundle w/ purchase, limited offer) WD Black Series WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $65 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code: [ESCKANK22]) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eurocom Stuffs Potent Desktop Components into Sky X9 Laptop Posted: 22 Oct 2015 10:48 AM PDT True desktop replacement There are desktop replacement laptops, and then there's Eurocom's Sky X9, a laptop with true desktop parts inside, including a socketed Intel Core i7-6700K processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 GPU. Building high-end machines that blur the lines between desktops and laptops is something Eurocom's been doing for several decades now. "In 1989 we created the first desktop replacement notebook, in 2015 we have now created the first 'desktop laptop' system with socket based desktop Intel processor support and slot based MXM NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 desktop graphics support to go along with 64GB of DDR4 memory." said Mark Bialic, Eurocom President. The Sky X9 is a 17.3-inch laptop with either a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) or 4K (3840x2160) display. In addition to the unlocked Skylake processor and GTX 980 GPU, the Sky X9 rocks up to four storage drives (2 x HDD/SSD + 2 x M.2 PCI-E x4), up to 64GB of RAM, two GbE LAN ports, 6-in-1 memory card reader, backlit keyboard, Sound Blaster X-Fi external 7.1 channel audio output, a pair of built-inn Onkyo speakers + subwoofer, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, and various other odds and ends. All that hardware comes at a cost, both in terms of dollars and physical dimensions. With regards to the latter, the Sky X9 measures 428 x 308 x 45 millimeters (WxDxH) and weighs 4.8kg, or 16.85 x 12.13 x 1.77 inches and 10.58 pounds. In other words, it's portable only in the sense that it's not tied to a wall socket. As for price, the Sky X9 starts at $2,631 when configured with a Full HD panel, and $3,266 when bumping up to a 4K display. For an additional $66, you can add G-Sync support, though only to the Full HD panel. You can configure and purchase the Sky X9 here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Dell Disses Surface Pricing, Maintains Friendship Status with Microsoft Posted: 22 Oct 2015 10:07 AM PDT That awkward moment There's been a lot of chatter about Microsoft participating in the hardware space with products like the Surface Book and Surface Pro line of tablets, and not all OEMs feel the same way about it. Dell is more accepting of Microsoft's presence among hardware makers, which might be due in part to the pricing of Surface products. During the Dell World 2015 event yesterday, Michael Dell stood on stage and made a playful comment about Microsoft's pricing strategy when asked if Dell and Microsoft are friends or frenemies. "We're absolutely friends," Dell started off, according to The Inquirer. "When I look at what Microsoft is doing with Windows 10 and the Surface family of products, they're pushing Windows 10 into new spaces and driving the platform forward. Mr. Dell said he's excited about the direction Microsoft is going because it's advancing the Windows 10 ecosystem, "but the volumes are not very high, and the prices are pretty high, but it's great." According to The Inquirer, it was an intentionally sarcastic comment that drew laughter from the crowd but perhaps caught Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella off guard. Apparently he didn't know quite how to respond, so after taking a moment to compose himself, he simply ignored the comment and backed Mr. Dell in saying "at the core we're friends." Dell is one of two OEMs now selling Surface tablets to enterprise customers, HP being the other. However, HP seems to be doing so reluctantly, while Lenovo recently said it sees no reason to sell a product that competes with its own offerings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YouTube Red Ad-Free Subscription Service Kicks Off Next Week Posted: 22 Oct 2015 09:18 AM PDT Say goodbye to ads (for a fee)Starting October 28, 2015, Google will let you bypass ads altogether on YouTube through a new YouTube Red subscription service. It runs $9.99 per month and includes a few other perks that extend beyond an ad-free video experience. With a YouTube Red subscription, you can save videos for offline and background viewing on your mobile phone or tablet. It will also include access to YouTube Gaming and Google's new YouTube Music app, previously known as YouTube Music Key. Where does Google Play Music fit into all this? Google says YouTube Red works with Google Play Music and that if you subscribe to one you automatically get access to other. That suggests that current Google Play Music subscribers will get access to YouTube Red, which extends across devices and anywhere you sign into YouTube. It's not clear if the same courtesy will apply to Google Play Music subscribers who signed up during the service's promotional period in which memberships ran $7.99 per month instead of $9.99. I'm one of those early adopters, so barring any official word from Google, I'll be able to answer that question next week when the service launches. Beginning next year, Google says YouTube Red will up the ante with original programming "from some of YouTube's biggest creators." One of them is called Scare PewDiePie, which is a reality-adventure series from the creator and executive producers of The Walking Dead. "PewDiePie encounters terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games," the show's description reads. Feeling unsure about a subscription? If you live in the U.S., you'll be able to trial a YouTube Red subscription free for a month. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 22 Oct 2015 07:00 AM PDT At a Glance(+) Wrigley's Extra: Great performance; good warranty; retail availability. (-) Dubble Bubble: Still very expensive; requires M.2 slot (and NVMe BIOS for booting); needs Z170 to shine. Tastier than a stick of gumNever mind the small size; M.2 drives have the potential to deliver a ton of performance in a compact form factor. This makes them ideal for Ultrabooks and other thin-and-light laptops, and desktop motherboards are getting in on the action as well. With SATA topping out at a theoretical 6Gbps, PCIe is the way forward, and M.2 leverages the PCIe bus to deliver up to 32Gbps. Add in support for NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express), an optimized protocol designed to let SSDs reach their full potential, and this looks like the way of the future. So, what's the problem? Until now, finding retail M.2 NVMe drives has been difficult and expensive. Samsung was the first to offer an M.2 PCIe SSD with their XP941, and they followed that with the SM951 earlier this year. Then they released the SM951 NVMe, a second iteration of the drive with NVMe support. Unfortunately, all of these were designed as OEM-only products, going primarily to laptop and notebook vendors where the OEM was responsible for ensuring the necessary features were in place. You could find those drives online, but typically without a manufacturer warranty and at high prices. The Samsung 950 Pro aims to change all that, with a 5-year warranty plus some stellar performance for good measure. The change of heart likely stems from Intel's launch of Skylake and the Z170 chipset, which allows desktop M.2 to reach its full potential. For optimal performance you'll want a Z170 motherboard with an M.2 slot that supports x4 PCIe Gen3 lanes—anything less and you'll start bumping into a performance ceiling. Note that while the SM951 NVMe and 950 Pro might seem like the same drive at first blush, there are a few key differences, most notably the switch from planar NAND to Samsung's V-NAND (3D NAND). Matters of SizeWhen it comes to SSDs, there are several aspects to consider. Naturally, there's the storage capacity: Do you want something that's only for the OS, some apps, and a moderate collection of documents and images; or do you want to be able to store everything on the SSD and forget about managing disk space? Depending on the user, 128GB may suffice, but these days, we draw the line at 256GB—and Samsung does as well, with the 950 Pro only coming in 256GB and 512GB models initially, and a 1TB model planned for a future date. Those who want as much storage space as possible may find the 512GB model to be on the smallish side, which is unfortunate, and while Samsung has 2TB SATA drives (with 4TB drives coming), we're not likely to see anything that capacious in an M.2 drive for a while. The other matter of size to consider is the physical package of the SSD. M.2 sticks are about the size of a stick of gum and nearly as tasty (so we've heard), but it's difficult to fit more than 512GB onto an M.2 drive. Nearly all of the retail PCIe drives we've seen have standardized on the M.2 2280 form factor (that's 22x80mm, if you're wondering), and while it's possible we'll see smaller M.2 SSDs, those are more likely to be OEM-only designs for specific laptops. We might also see longer 110mm M.2 SSDs, but that creates a potential compatibility issue with desktop motherboards. Thus, 2280 is the most likely target, and it's a reasonable balance between physical size and potential capacity. There is an issue with the size, however: cooling. With PCIe NVMe drives pushing a lot more data (up to 4x as much as SATA on the current models), the potential for M.2 drives to get a bit hot is certainly real. We've noticed minor throttling issues already (e.g., on both the SM951 and SM951 NVMe). Laptops have the flexibility to build around the requirements of their storage and add a custom heatsink if necessary (or dump heat into the chassis on thinner designs), but DIY desktops don't want to block expansion card slots. Asus has one solution where several of their high-end mobos include a heatsink for the M.2 slot. There's another possibility as well: just get a PCIe SSD like the Intel SSD 750. That's the heavyweight of SSDs right now, with NVMe support and a heatsink to keep things running smoothly. M.2 isn't the only solution for fast SSD storage, of course. U.2, formerly known as SFF-8639, aka SATA Express, will allow for more traditional 2.5-inch type form factors for SSDs, and there's even M.2-to-U.2 adapters. The problem for now is that drives with U.2 connectors are relatively scarce (even more so than M.2), and the cables and connectors needed for U.2 are rather bulky and inflexible. You can also simply go with storage on a standard PCIe card, which is something we've seen for several years, going from RAID arrays to the latest NVMe drives. Storage Tug o' War
As with the SM951 NVMe, Samsung elected to send us its 256GB model for testing. Mostly that means lower write speeds, and slightly lower read speeds. The specifications aren't all that different from the SM951 NVMe, and in fact, the write speeds are slightly lower. The benefit, of course, is that the 950 Pro is less expensive, both to manufacture and to purchase, thanks to the use of V-NAND instead of planar NAND. But how do the raw specs translate into actual performance? For our SSD testing, we're running a Skylake processor in a Z170 motherboard. Below are the full specifications.
In terms of price per GB, there's a big gulf between SSDs and HDDs, and a moderate gulf between SATA and NVMe SSDs. At the top of the ladder, the Intel SSD 750 runs $900 for 1.2TB SSD and $350 for 400GB—so a range of $0.75 to $0.875 per GB. The new 950 Pro is a bit better, priced at $200 for 256GB and $350 for 512GB, or $0.684–$0.781 per GB. Either one is a pretty tough pill to swallow, especially when you can get 2TB for just $710 ($0.355 per GB); the least expensive (decent) SSDs, meanwhile, will run as little as $160 for 500GB ($0.32 per GB). So at best, the current crop of NVMe drives basically double the cost per GB. If you're wondering, the lowly hard drive continues to provide vast quantities of storage at bargain prices, with the least expensive HDDs going for around $0.03 per GB—a full order of magnitude difference (with an equally large difference in performance). Both the earlier Samsung SM951 and the new 950 Pro have a feature called Dynamic Thermal Guard. In certain heavy workloads, it's possible for the NAND chips and controller to heat up and potentially malfunction, so the 950 Pro may throttle at times to avoid overheating. Samsung states that it "do[es] not anticipate any performance drops due to thermal throttling," but we found that performance was up to 10 percent higher in random write tests when we had a fan blowing at the drive. It's not a huge difference, but it's something to keep in mind; our charts show the performance with the fan blowing over the SSDs. By the NumbersThe 950 Pro is fast, certainly, but it can't quite top the Intel SSD 750 in many of our benchmarks. Part of this is the smaller form factor of M.2, part of it is due to capacity, and some of it just comes down to controllers and features. The SSD 750 is a performance monster, but it also takes up a PCIe slot and has a heatsink. In contrast, the 950 Pro is tiny and tucks away in between PCIe slots on most motherboards. The 512GB model 950 Pro would be higher up the charts, but it's unlikely to catch the 1.2TB Intel SSD 750—though it would be interesting to see the 400GB Intel as a comparison point. Even at 256GB, however, Samsung wins out in the real-world file copy and PCMark 8 tests. There's also the compatibility aspect; the SSD 750 will work in virtually any motherboard (note that you still need NVMe BIOS support if you want to use it as your boot drive). The 950 Pro, on the other hand, is a viable option for laptop users, and we expect to see it used in many laptops during the next year. Samsung's 950 Pro may not win out in pure performance, but with better pricing and availability, it's an easy win for anyone looking for an M.2 NVMe drive. It's a jump in pricing compared to SATA offerings, and it's clearly geared toward recent hardware platforms. But if you've got the funds and the necessary M.2 connector and NVMe BIOS support, the 950 Pro makes even the best SATA drive look sluggish. Follow Jarred on Twitter. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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