| Maximum PC No BS Podcast #208 Posted: 01 Aug 2013 04:05 PM PDT 
Intel's Broadwell, Comic Con, Samsung 840 EVO, and EA's digital revenue, your questions, our picks, and Gordon's rant. It's podcast time again, and this time for podcast 208 around we start off discussing Intel's Broadwell CPUs, then Jimmy tells us all about his Comic-Con experience and we discuss the best vehicle for the zombie apocalypse. Julian then chats about EA's digital revenue surpassing retail, and Josh talks about Samsung's new 840 EVO 1TB SSD. We then handled a bunch of reader questions, and finished up with Gordon's rant of the week about — surprise, surprise, Google Maps!   
As always each editor shared his or her Editor Picks. Here they are in no specific order: Julian: High Resolution Displays Tom: Shadowrun Returns Jimmy: Get Pocket Josh: Tiny Tina DLC Borderlands 2, Logical Increments, Gelaskins Gordon: Leatherman Surge Check out future episodes of the Maximum PC No BS podcast at: Check us out online at www.maximumpc.com Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Thanks for listening! We Wouldn't be here without all of your support! Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening! |
| AMD Delivers Frame Pacing “Fix” Via Driver Update Posted: 01 Aug 2013 03:01 PM PDT 
Catalyst 13.8 Beta adds user selectable delay to help smooth framerates AMD announced on Twitter a few weeks ago it would be releasing a new driver on July 31st that would help smooth out micro-stutter its cards were experiencing in multi-GPU configurations. Well, yesterday was July 31st, so we asked AMD if the driver was still in the works, and they told us that it was but it was just one day late due to last minute Q/A. As of today, August 1st, the new Catalyst 13.8 Beta driver is now available for download. The biggest change is the new driver includes a user selectable frame pacing option in the Catalyst Control Center, so you can turn it on or off, though it will be set to "on" by default. The frame pacing delay is compatible with DX10 and DX11 games for one display up to 2560x1600, and users are able to set the frame pacing option on a per-app basis. The company said a future driver will add DX9 support as well as the ability to run it on 4K monitors and Eyefinity setups. The frame pacing "fix" is supported by all games automatically as long as they fit the above specifications, and won't need a specific Catalyst profile to work properly. 
AMD's given users a Frame Pacing option for CrossfireX setups in its newest Catalyst Driver. AMD told us that gamers who need instant responsiveness or twitchiness will probably want to disable to new software-based delay, but that all other users running multi-GPU configurations will see an immediate benefit from the new pacing. For those who are unfamiliar with the controversy, frame pacing is the amount of time between each frame being shown on screen. If the frames are delivered in a fluctuating interval the user experiences what is known as micro stutter, which makes games feel choppy even though the overall framerate can still be very high. AMD's solution to this problem is to add latency between some frames to smooth out the amount of time each frame is delivered so that it's set to a specific interval. We've taken a look at the new driver and can see more uniformity and less fluctuation in the amount of time it takes for each frame to be delivered. We'll be doing more testing on the driver, but in the interim here are a few FRAPS graphs showing the difference in frame pacing between Catalyst 13.6 Beta 2 and Catalyst 13.8 Beta in Heaven 4.0, Tomb Raider, and Metro Last Light. We compared the two beta drivers using a reference AMD Radeon HD 7990 video card. Heaven 4.0 Old 13.6 Beta Driver 
Heaven 4.0 New 13.8 Beta Driver 
Tomb Raider Old 13.6 Beta Driver 
Tomb Raider New 13.8 Beta Driver 
Metro Last Light Old 13.6 Beta Driver 
Metro Last Light New 13.8 Beta Driver 
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| Ivy Bridge-E Pricing Leaked Posted: 01 Aug 2013 01:21 PM PDT 
Socket 2011 CPUs priced similarly to Sandy Bridge-E Even though the thermal paste is barely dry on Intel's new Haswell CPU microarchitecture, its performance-oriented Ivy Bridge-E processors are due to be launched soon, and now we finally have some pricing info. According to VR-Zone, we'll be seeing three Core i7 Ivy Bridge-E CPUs debuting around Q3 this year, including the 4820K, 4930K, and 4960X. Here are the leaked specifications of the CPUs: - $990: Core i7-4960X (6 Cores, 12 Threads, 3.6GHz base, 3.7GHz Turbo, 15MB cache, 130W TDP)
- $555: Core i7 4930K (6 Cores, 12 Threads, 3.4GHz base, 3.6GHz Turbo, 15MB cache, 130W TDP)
- $310: Core i7 4820K (4 Cores, 8 Threads, 3.7GHz base, 3.7GHz Turbo, 10MB cache, 130W TDP)
These socket 2011 CPUs look as if they will sport only marginally higher clock speeds than their Sandy-Bridge-E counterparts, and will also carry the same amount of cache and TDP rating. Ivy Bridge-E is expected to arrive Q3 '13, and will be followed by Haswell-E in the second half of 2014. If you want to hear our thoughts on Ivy Bridge-E check out episode #201 of the No BS Podcast. |
| Best Free Antivirus: Windows Defender vs. Avast Posted: 01 Aug 2013 12:15 PM PDT Best free antivirus head to head Windows 8 ships with a new version of Windows Defender that's supposed to offer the same level of protection as Microsoft Security Essentials. Along with other security upgrades, we're left wondering if there's any reason to saddle up with a third-party antivirus program. To find out, we compared Windows Defender with Avast, which as we discovered in last month's antivirus roundup is a formidable ally to have by your side as you romp around the web. Round 1: Interface There's a lot going on in Avast, so much, in fact, that you might not even notice that it doesn't scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) by default, a setting we recommend enabling as an added ounce of protection (which, as you know, is worth a pound of cure). To get the most out of Avast, there's an initial time investment required to poke around all the settings and tweak everything just the way you want it. In stark contrast to Avast, Windows Defender takes a minimalist approach with an interface that's extremely straightforward and dead simple to navigate. There are just four headings to browse—Home, Update, History, and Settings—none of which tries to upsell you on security; Avast does. In this instance, simplicity gets the nod, and so does Windows Defender. Winner: Windows Defender 
Round 2: Features Whereas Windows Defender is super simple to navigate, it comes at the expense of an expansive feature-set. There's very little in the way of fine-grain control, limiting most of what you can do to including/excluding certain file types and locations, and whether or not you want to scan removable drives. You can't even schedule a scan, at least not through the traditional UI. To do that, you need to open up the Windows Task Scheduler and configure it through there. That's lame. Avast, on the other hand, offers a much bigger toolbox. The "AutoSandbox" feature alone, which automatically isolates suspicious programs from the OS, wins this category for Avast. There's also a remote assistance feature for troubleshooting family and friends who are running Avast, plus browser plugins, and more. Winner: Avast 
Avast is chock-full of settings and provides excellent real-time protection, no matter where the threats come from. Round 3: Scan Speed Windows Defender uses the same pokey scan engine as Microsoft Security Essentials, and since there's no easy way to schedule scans, it's even more problematic. Running a full system scan with 30GB of data on a solid-state drive took 20 minutes with Windows Defender, and subsequent scans took just as long. That's an indication that Windows Defender doesn't skip over files that haven't changed since the last time they were processed. Avast clocked five minutes and nine seconds to scan the same data, and though it also didn't get any quicker during subsequent scans, it's still significantly faster than Windows Defender. Plus, you can easily schedule scans in Avast to run during times when you're not sitting at your PC, such as after-work hours (assuming you leave your PC on 24/7). Winner: Avast Round 4: Performance Impact Good news for both programs. If you're rocking a solid-state drive with Windows 8 on a relatively modern machine, you're unlikely to notice a performance impact with either Windows Defender or Avast installed. We slapped a 120GB Kingston SSDNow V300 drive onto an Asus P6X58D Premium motherboard with an Intel Core i7-930 processor, 4GB of DDR3/1333 RAM, and a Radeon HD 5850 graphics card. Boot times were virtually unaffected, with Avast introducing a startup penalty of just a few seconds. On the flip side, we recorded 4,035 in PCMark 7 with Avast installed versus 4,011 with Windows Defender. If this were a presidential race, it'd be too close to call. Subjectively, surfing the web and opening up programs felt equally snappy regardless of which AV program was running. Winner: Tie Round 5: Protection Windows Defender needed to pull out a win in this round to keep the race interesting, but it doesn't have the legs to compete with Avast. Using our own collection of malware, Avast detected twice as many dirty files as Windows Defender, though that might have to do with the way each program counts individual files within an infected archive. In both cases, Malwarebytes detected infections that both Windows Defender and Avast missed. However, Avast is better at detecting zero-day threats and adds a second layer of protection through its automatic sandbox mode, which Windows Defender lacks. Finally, we're a little wary given that Microsoft's antimalware engine is having trouble passing certification with AV-Test (www.av-test.org), a well-known independent testing laboratory. All things considered, this crucial round goes to Avast. Winner: Avast And the Winner Is… 
Avast wins this bout by taking three of the five categories and tying in another, though it's not quite as lopsided as it appears. Windows Defender, while not as fully featured as Avast, is capable of blocking common threats, and it doesn't put a drain on system resources. Avast's army of defenses is just bigger and better trained to spot danger from more places, like IM clients. It also has a bigger arsenal of weapons. |
| CyberPowerPC's Fang Taipan M2 Gaming Laptop Packs a Bite (and Dual GPUs) Posted: 01 Aug 2013 08:58 AM PDT  Recoiled and ready to strike
It seems the whole world is going crazy over Ultrabooks and ultrathins, but until Intel or AMD figure out a way to cram a pair of high-end GPUs into a form factor that's about the width of a pancake, there will still be a market for oversized gaming laptops built like a cinder block. Witness CyberPowerPC's Fang Taipan M2 gaming laptop (Clevo P375SM), a 17.3-inch machine that's capable of delivering a desktop-like computing experience. The Fang Taipan M2 is fully customizable, meaning you can go crazy throwing fists full of dollars at the setup, or make do with a standard configuration starting at $1,869. What does that get you? Dual GPUs! - 17.3-inch Full HD 1920x1080 display
- Intel Core i7 4700MQ 2.4GHz (3.4GHz) processor with 6MB cache
- 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 RAM
- 2 x Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M GPUs in SLI
- 64GB SanDisk SATA 6Gbps solid state drive
- 750GB hard drive (7200 RPM, SATA 3Gbps)
- 8X DVD burner
- 802.11n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth combo
- Backlit keyboard
- 5MP and 1MP webcams
- Windows 8 64-bit
Where you go from there is up to you and your accountant. You can configure the Fang Taipan M2 with a different set of dual-GPUs in SLI or Crossfire, add more storage in RAID 1 or 0, upgrade the RAM, and so forth. The Fang Taipan M2 is available now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Asus ROG GTX 770 Poseidon May Sail to Retail in September Posted: 01 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT  Things are about to get wet and wild
You don't see too many graphics cards that combine a standard heat sink with a water block. One of the most recent companies to take this is approach is Asus, which offered up a sneak peek of its upcoming GeForce GTX 770 Poseidon graphics card under its Rebublic of Gamers (ROG) brand. It features the firm's new DirectCU H2O design which can be used in a standard air or liquid cooled setup, offering gamers a bit of flexibility as their rigs change over time. According to Asus, the card runs up to 31 degrees cooler when liquid cooled, so if you have the setup to feed Poseidon a constant flow of coolant, by all means, take advantage of the additional cooling potential. 
The card showed up at Computex 2013, though since then, Asus has kept relatively quiet about its new part. According to Swedish-language website sweclockers.com, the card will be in the hands of dealers starting September of this year. We can hardly wait. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Zalman Reserator 3 Max is First Water Cooler to Use Nanofluids Posted: 01 Aug 2013 07:30 AM PDT  When nanoparticles and fluids collide
Zalman's latest Reserator liquid cooling solution -- Reserator 3 Max -- is a self-contained CPU cooler unlike any other on the market. It uses a nanofluids refrigerant, which essentially means mixing nanoparticles with fluids to maximize cooling performance. According to Zalman, it's the world' first cooler to boast such a design, though it also wields a dual-radial radiator setup to help optimize airflow. Both the inner radiator and outer radiator wrap pure copper fins around a heatpipe that runs the lengh of the circular design and back. This is what Zalman refers to as a quadro cooling path, since there are two pipes each making two trips to dissipate heat. 
Other features include a built-in water pump, VRM (voltage regulator module) cooling, blue LED fan (dual-fan design allows users to install an optional second fan), and supposedly easy installation and maintenance. No word on when the Reserator 3 Max will be available or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Specification is Now Official and Twice as Fast as USB 3.0 Posted: 01 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT  SuperSpeed USB 3.0 just got super speedier
Kudos and high-fives go out to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group today for announcing the completion of the USB 3.1 specification, which adds enhancements to enable SuperSpeed USB to operate at up 10 Gbps. The added throughput compared to regular USB 3.0 is made possible via more efficient data encoding, allowing the USB 3.1 spec to reach speeds twice as high over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables. "The USB 3.1 specification primarily extends existing USB 3.0 protocol and hub operation for speed scaling along with defining the next higher physical layer speed as 10 Gbps," said Brad Saunders (PDF), USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. "The specification team worked hard to make sure that the changes made to support higher speeds were limited and remained consistent with existing USB 3.0 architecture to ease product development." Compared to Thunderbolt, Intel's high-speed data interface is still faster, offering speeds of 10 Gbps per channel for a total of 20 Gbps. Thunderbolt can also take advantage of daisy chaining, something USB can't do. However, USB is a much more widely adopted standard, giving it a significant edge in compatibility. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Tt eSports Theron Wired Gaming Mouse, Thermaltake 430W PSU, and More! Posted: 01 Aug 2013 06:30 AM PDT |
