| Build a PC: Recommended Builds (December 2013) Posted: 16 Dec 2013 04:17 PM PST Budget, baseline, and performance PC builds! What time is it? It's time to build a PC with our Blueprints! This month, we've built three rigs at three approximate price points: Baseline, Performance, and Ultra. Baseline gets you a powerful that is suitable for gaming and content creation at 1080p, Performance beefs everything up across the board, and Ultra is the kind of rig you build when price is no object. These rigs are lab-tested and editor-approved. Feedback is, of course, welcome. Tell us what you think! 
We're trying something different this month by switching our CPU from Intel to AMD. The FX-6300 appears to be a better value at first, since it costs about $120, while the Core i5-4430 we used previously is around $180. We like to overclock though, so we needed a fancier mobo and CPU than the Core i5-4430 combo we were using, as well as an aftermarket CPU cooler. Add in price fluctuations elsewhere in the build, and we were able to upgrade and save $16 overall. We took that cash and spent it on another upgrade, going from a 1GB Radeon HD 7790 to a 2GB Radeon HD 7850. The Corsair CX500M power supply we used previously is no longer available, so we swapped it with a quality 500W unit from PC Power and Cooling. 
Intel doesn't have as much competition at this semi-powerful tier, so we're holding firm with its Core i5-4670K and a Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H motherboard. This build uses the most current-generation Intel enthusiast platform, Haswell and Z87, so it offers six native SATA 6Gb/s ports and integrated voltage regulation. The Radeon HD 7950 may be discontinued by the time you read this; the GeForce GTX 760 is a similar alternative. The Fractal Design Define R4 case we used before is no longer on sale, so we've switched to the militaristic Corsair Vengeance C70. The Seasonic SS-650KM PSU sale is over, so the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 is a fine alternative. Finally, the Intel 530 Series SSD was on sale this month, so we swapped it for the 335 model. 
This system is a bit tricky. If we dropped the solid-state drive from 500GB to 250GB, traded the Blu-ray drive for a DVD burner, and maybe made a couple of cuts elsewhere, we could upgrade from the quad-core Core i7-4820K to the hexa-core Core i7-4930K. It all depends on what you want to use this system for. If it's primarily gaming, you'll benefi t more from the extra storage space than the additional CPU threads. A Steam/Origin library can take up a ton of space. If you do a lot of video encoding and other highly threadable tasks, then the hexa-core would make more sense. Since we like the extra storage, we stuck with the quad-core. Regardless of your CPU plans, you'll still benefi t from the AMD-Nvidia sale-pocalypse, which has delivered a big upgrade with the GeForce GTX 780 Ti from the GeForce GTX 780 video card we previously had in this build. This new "Ti" flavor is the fastest single-GPU card on the market, and costs just $30 more than what we were paying before. Yes, it's even speedier than Titan, for $300 less. |
| DayZ Standalone Out Now on Steam Early Access Posted: 16 Dec 2013 03:56 PM PST  Welcome to Chernarus
It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. Dean "Rocket" Hall has finally unleashed the standalone version of DayZ to the world. It's still incomplete and is listed as an early access alpha available for $30 on Steam and on the Bohemia Interactive store. It started as a zombie mod for Arma II that became an overnight phenomenon. It was so popular that Bohemia Interactive, the developers of the Arma-franchise, offered Hall the opportunity to create a standalone version with the company. "DayZ Early Access is your chance to experience DayZ as it evolves throughout its development process. Be aware that our Early Access offer is a representation of our core pillars, and the framework we have created around them. It is a work in progress and therefore contains a variety of bugs," Hall says. "We strongly advise you not to buy and play the game at this stage unless you clearly understand what Early Access means and are interested in participating in the ongoing development cycle." The current release includes the entirety of Chernarus, the new inventory and crafting system, weapon and clothing customization, as well as 40-player servers and persistent player profiles. The Steam page for the game lists playable vehicles, player-created constructions, as well as interface and graphics updates among a slew of other planned features. |
| First Round of GeForce Benchmarks on SteamOS Beta Pop Up Online Posted: 16 Dec 2013 01:24 PM PST  Putting SteamOS under the microscope
Valve recently made its Debian Linux-based SteamOS available to download free of charge in beta form and though it's only been available for a short time, there are already some benchmarks to digest. The benchmarks come courtesy of the folks at Phoronix who tested more than half a dozen Nvidia graphics cards ranging from the GeForce GTX 550 Ti on up the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. An Intel Core i7 4770K sets up the foundation of the testbed, which also includes an ECS Z87H3-A2X Extreme v1.0 motherboard, 16GB of RAM, 150GB Western Digital hard drive, and onboard audio. While it's early, the preliminary results look pretty impressive. In Unigine Tropics v1.3 running at 2560x1600, the testbed benched anywhere from 32.2fps (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) to 170.55fps (GeForce GTX 780 Ti). All in all, the testbed put up some high numbers across the board, serving as an indication that SteamOS isn't gimping performance. These are just some reference benchmarks, however, and over the course of the next few days, Phoronix will look to compare the results with other platforms. That's when things should really get interesting. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Microsoft's Online Store Sells Out of Surface 2 Inventory Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:55 PM PST  Surface 2 products are suddenly hot commodities
There are signs that suggest consumers are warming up to Microsoft's second generation Surface products. The first sign is the sold out status of every single Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 device at Microsoft's Online store. Every single SKU is out of stock, including Surface 2 in 32GB and 64GB form, and Surface Pro 2 in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB form. Can there really be that much demand? It's possible that Microsoft has created an artificial shortage, but with Christmas just around the corner and the holiday shopping season in full swing, this would be a quirky strategy at best, especially since it could drive potential Surface 2 buyers to pick up an alternative device. What's also worth noting is that some outlets reported earlier in the day that places like Best Buy and Staples were out of Surface 2 inventory as well. At the time of this writing, both shops show Surface 2 as being in-stock, and Walmart's online site has the 32GB Surface 2 in-stock as well. For now, however, we can't be sure. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| UPS Driver Leaves Android Tablet in Trash Bin Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:28 PM PST  And the award for worst place to leave a delivery goes to...
If you're a delivery driver, there are probably worse places to leave a package than in an empty trash bin at the end of a driveway -- in a barrel of toxic waste, for example. However, common sense should dictate that, in theory, while a trash can isn't the absolute worst spot to leave a package, there has got to be a better alternative in each and every place where a trash can is an option. Yet, that's exactly what a UPS driver did, and of course it had to happen on trash day. As initially reported by KTVI-TV and picked up by CNET, a mother who had been saving her money for several months to buy her daughter an Android tablet was driven to tears after finding a notice in her mailbox letting her know that her package had been delivered and was left "in a black trash can." UPS drivers are trained to deliver packages that do not require a signature and leave them out of sight. An Info Notice lets the recipient know where they can retrieve it. In this case, the driver seeing an empty bin assumed that garbage had already been picked up and that it would be safe to leave a package inside. However, Tracey Sole, the woman who ordered the Android tablet, left the trash bin at the bottom of her driveway because she was unable to bring it back up on the slick ice. After contacting UPS, Sole was told they would replace her tablet but couldn't guarantee it would arrive in time for Christmas. That was before the story made headlines. "UPS has apologized to me...I guess [the UPS driver] thought the empty trash can meant that they had already picked up," Sole explains. "UPS is going to be getting a new tablet for my daughter...before Christmas!" As for the driver, Sole says "he made a huge mistake" but hopes it won't end up costing him his job. Image Credit: Flickr (loop_oh) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Amazon Now Offering Kindle Fire HDX on Interest Free Holiday Payment Plan Posted: 16 Dec 2013 09:05 AM PST  Take a full year to pay for a Kindle Fire HDX today
Amazon is making one last effort to sell more Kindle Fire HDX tablets this holiday shopping season by offering buyers an extended payment plan free of interest. The way it works is rather simple -- you pay 25 percent of the retail cost at checkout, and the remaining balance is billed in three equal installments every 90 days. There are no finance charges, hidden fees, credit check, or application process to go through. The final price is the same whether you pay the full cost upfront or spread it out over a year with a 25 percent initial payment, so you have that going for you. However, if you don't make one of the payments, Amazon goes into geek mafia mode and can deregister the device, blocking your ability to access Amazon content (partially bricking it, in other words). The e-tailer might also suspend or terminate your account. It's not clear what kind of grace periods, if any, exist but the consequences are something to be aware of. As for eligible tablets, they include the $229 Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch (4 payments of $75.25 plus tax and shipping) and $379 Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch (four payments of $94.25 plus tax and shipping). Amazon's wording makes it seem like additional SKUs will be available, but as of right now, those are the only two showing the quarterly payment option. If you're interested, be sure to check out the full terms and conditions. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Partial Steam Machine Tear Down Video Shows Off Excellent Cable Management Posted: 16 Dec 2013 08:35 AM PST  More tightly packed than a can of sardines
YouTube user Corey Nelson is one of the lucky few who received a prototype Steam Machine from Valve and one of the first things he did after receiving his system was tear it down on video. What's revealed from the 5 minute video is an impressive arrangement of components packed tightly together in a precise manner, yet not all that difficult to take apart and service or upgrade, should either need arise. About a third of the entire housing is dedicated to the graphics card, which runs the length of the Steam Machine's backside. Once removed, there's a sizable void, which makes accessing the other parts a little bit easier. One thing we found interesting is that all the shrouds holding down the parts in the video are plastic. This will help keep costs down, though servicing the Steam Machine might be a more delicate process as a result. Towards the end of the video, Nelson points out there's room for a second storage drive in the prototype Steam Machine, along with an extra SATA cable in case a user decides to plop one in. The power cable that plugs into the installed drive sports dual-power connectors spaced appropriately. And speaking of cables, check out that cluster next to the power supply -- props to Valve on a job well done. Take a look at the tear down and let us know what you think about it. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard, AMD FX-8320 Vishera, and More! Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:41 AM PST |
