Custom PC (UK) - November 2014

HOW TO: Build your own handheld games console
THE BEST-SELLING MAG FOR PC HARDWARE, OVERCLOCKING, GAMING & MODDING / ISSUE 134
Intels 8-core
CPU
Full test of Intels fastest
ever PC platform
HASWELL-E CPUs AND
MOTHERBOARDS REVIEWED
DDR4 MEMORY TEST
HOW TO OVERCLOCK
THE CPUs
PLUS
HOW TO
MOUNT AN EXTERNAL
WATER-COOLING RADIATOR
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Welcome
Custom PC Issue 134
Editorial
EDITOR
Ben Hardwidge
editor@custompcmag.org.uk
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Matthew Lambert, Mike Jennings
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Henry Carter
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C U STO M P C / ISSUE 134
Contents
Welcome to Issue 134
40 Intels 8-core CPU

COVER STORY
P40
Intel has just unleashed its new Haswell-E

platform, bringing its very first 8-core CPU
for desktop PCs with it. Not only does the
new Core i7-5960X have eight physical
cores, but its support for Hyper-Threading
effectively means it can handle 16 threads
simultaneously. Meanwhile, Intel has also
hammered down the price of 6-core
computing, with the new Core i7-5820K
coming in at just 290.
In this issue, we put all three new CPUs
through their paces in our brand-new
benchmark suite, as well as a load of
3D content creation tests, to see how
they fare with heavily multi-threaded
workloads. Not only that, but weve
also tested five new LGA2011-v3
motherboards, based on Intels X99
chipset, as well as some DDR 4 memory
kits. Plus well also show you how to
overclock your new CPU, and gain plenty
of extra performance for free.
10 Death by VR headset
Recent claims in the press say use of
the Oculus Rift can result in death.
Tracy King applies her sceptical eye.
96
30
20 Quick Pentium overclock

ASRocks new Z97M Anniversary
can overclock Intels Pentium chip
with just four key presses. Antony
Leather takes it through its paces.
66 Haswell-E PCs
We take a look at two new PCs based
on Intels new top-end CPU
architecture, from a surprisingly
affordable 6-core machine to an
8-core monster.
94 Europe vs Facebook
Jim Killock from the Open Rights
Group meets some of the digital
rights campaigners around Europe,
many of which are achieving results,
including getting all their data
from Facebook
96 Make the most of Minecraft

Make your block world look as
gorgeous possible, by adding new
shaders, textures and resources, as
well as new gameplay elements.
Rick Lane picks the cream of the
Minecraft mod crop.
102 Build your own Gamebuino

Fancy owning this new 8-bit
handheld console, but missed the
crowd-funding boat? Gareth
Halfacree shows you how to make
your own.
110 How to extend a PSU mount

Want lots of power, but cant squeeze
a monster PSU into your mount?
Antony Leather shows you how to
accommodate a big PSU in any case.
114 How to mount an
external radiator
Fitting large water-cooling gear into

a smaller or older case isnt always
possible, but theres an alternative
method. Here, we show you how to
mount a large radiator to the outside
of your case.
32
86
114
Reviewed
this month
PRODUCTS
REVIEWED
Hardware
CPU COOLER
17 Alpenfhn Brocken Eco
MOTHERBOARDS
18 Asus Z97I Plus
20 ASRock Z97M Anniversary
102
CASES
24 Cooler Master CM 690 III
26 Corsair Carbide Air 240
116
LAPTOP
30 MSI GS60-2PE-060UK
MOUSE
32 Aorus Thunder M7
Custom kit
92
38 DrunkQuest
38 Samsung Wireless Mobile
Streaming Device
38 IN1 Multi-tool Utility Case
39 Bayan Audio Soundbook GO
39 Nakamichi NBS 10
39 PNY CL51 Soft Touch Edition
108
Haswell-E Labs test

CPUs
43 Intel Core i7-5820K
44 Intel Core i7-5930K
46 Intel Core i7-5960X
Regulars
8
10
12
14
34
38
66
70
83
92
94
102
107
108
110
114
116
120
121
122
From the editor

Tracy King
Cover guide
40
102
Letters
Incoming
How we test
Custom kit
LGA2011-v3 X99 motherboards

54 Asus Rampage V Extreme
56 EVGA X99 Classified
58 Gigabyte X99-Gaming 5
60 MSI X99S Gaming 7
62 MSI X99S SLI Plus
PC head to head
CPC Elite products
Inverse look
Indie corner
Digital rights
Haswell-E PCs
66 Scan 3XS X99 Cyclone SLI
66 Chillblast Fusion Prometheus
Hobby tech
Retro tech
Customised PC
Games
How to extend a PSU mount

How to mount an external radiator
Readers drives
Folder of the month
Your folding milestones
James Gorbold
DDR4 memory
53 Corsair Vengeance LPX
2,666MHz DDR4
53 Corsair Dominator Platinum
2,800MHz DDR4
53 Crucial 2,133MHz DDR4
53 G.Skill Ripjaws 4 3,000MHz
DDR4
114
84
86
87
88
90
Mind: Path to Thalamus

Eidolon
Sacred 3
Road not Taken
The Walking Dead: Season Two
OPINION
B E N H A R DW I D G E / FROM THE EDITOR
DEATH TO THE
BLACK BOX
The current trend for tedious black PC towers echoes the boring
beige boxes of the 1990s, argues Ben Hardwidge
he original mantra behind Custom PC wasdeath to the
beige box we were bored with unadventurous,
functional off-white towers that cost 45 the ones
that went progressively more yellow, and then brown, as they
grew older, particularly in smoking homes. They represented the
tedious corporate culture that surrounded PCs, despite PC
gaming starting to become a huge industry. We did all that we
could do avoid owning an ugly beige box, from spray-painting
old cases, to building our own from scratch.
You rarely see beige PC cases these days, but
after the PC styling revolution, were now
stuck in another rut black PC cases. Dont get
me wrong, Id still much rather have a black
case than a bland, off-white case from the
1990s (or one of the ridiculously styledgamer
cases), but my heart still sinks a little when I
see a PC in a bog standard black tower case.
I havent actually upgraded my PC case for
seven years now. I picked up a chrome-finish Antec P182 SE all
those years ago, with its mirror-finish (fingerprint magnet)
exterior. Its so shiny that my dog sometimes barks at her
reflection when she walks past it. It might echo the tacky
shininess of the 1980s, but I love it. Its only problem is that it lacks
many modern design features there isnt much room for cable
routing behind the motherboard, theres no cut-out behind the
CPU, it wont accommodate an internal radiator bigger than
120mm and it has a small PSU mount. I want to upgrade, but I
also dont want to replace it with another dull black box.
Dont get me wrong, I love the internal design of many new
cases its so easy to build a PC inside them. Its just that they
often look, well, dull. Not all of them, obviously. The Carbide Air
240 (see p26) has an interesting design, for example, and were
seeing some interesting innovation in the mini-ITX arena too. It
just feels as though weve lost our sense of adventure somewhere.
For example, the obvious upgrade from my P182 SE is Antecs
P280; by all accounts, this is a great case, but it only comes in
gun-metal grey or white. And Ill be honest, while the current
trend for black and white contrast in cases looks striking, it
doesnt appeal to my tastes. Id much rather have a SilverStone
FT02B-R, with its gorgeously striking (and
shiny) red interior, but you cant even buy
those cases any more only the black version.
Thankfully, not everyone is stuck in the
black box rut, and there seems to be a big push
against it among modders and smaller
manufacturers. The prime example is
BitFenix with the many colour options for its
cases, and Parvum, whose System 2.0 case is
just fantastic. It looks like no other case weve seen, and its
deliberately built to be customised, with loads of different
options for colours. Parvum also has a service where it will cut
your own designs into the panels, at a cost.
My heart also jumped a little when I saw Alienwares new
Triad case (see p14). It has a brand-new design, with a six-shaded
shape weve not seen before, and what looks like an ingenious
cable-routing system. Plus Apples new Mac Pro has a very
different design to the towers of old. Im now hoping that more
manufacturers will start thinking outside the black box (see what
I did there?) because, lets face it, bog-standard black PC towers
are dull.
You rarely see beige PC

cases now, but after the PC
styling revolution, were
now stuck in another rut
Ben Hardwidge is the editor of Custom PC. He likes PCs, heavy metal, real ale and Warhammer 40,000.
editor@custompcmag.org.uk
@mandogfish
OPINION
T R ACY K I N G / SCEPTICAL ANALYSIS
CAN THE OCULUS RIFT

KILL YOU?
Yes, says Tracy King, but only technically
lovely adage is Betteridges Law, penned by Ian
Betteridge, whos also written for Custom PC, which
states that any headline which ends in a question
mark can be answered with no. This law is almost always true
for science headlines (indeed, the particle physics version,
Hinchcliffes Rule, predates Betteridge by several decades).
Could the Oculus Rift KILL you? screams The Daily Mail.
Extreme immersion could become so scarily realistic it may
trigger heart attacks, expert warns. The Mail has its pages in a
twist this month about the as-yet-not-released virtual reality
headset Oculus Rift. Unless youve been living
under a Nintendo Power Glove, youre probably
aware of the Rift.
Originally a Kickstarter project, it was bought
this year by Facebook for 1.2billion and is likely
to be available commercially next year, neatly
bringing together the future and the 1980s in
one funky headset.
It would be simple to slap Betteridges Law
on this one, shout no you yellow fools at The Mail and move on,
but The Mail has left itself enough wiggle room for its headline
to be true. The Oculus Rift could kill you. As could bees (50 deaths
a year), lightning strikes (five deaths in the UK a year) or ladders
(15 British deaths a year). In Britain, according to the British Heart
Foundation, there is a heart attack every three minutes, around
half of which will result in death. At present, only developers
have access to the Rift, but once it goes on sale assuming it
sticks around for a while the odds are pretty good that someone
will die coincidentally while using one.
Thats also true of almost anything, of course, so is The Mail
justified in singling out the Oculus Rift as a potential killer? The
claim comes from Denny Unger, a developer at Cloudhead
Games. As far as I can see, he has no medical training, but made

the comment: When the commercial version comes out,
somebody is going to scare somebody to death somebody with
a heart condition or something like that. Its going to happen.
Absolutely, during a recent talk on virtual reality. You really
could kill somebody. You really could. We all have to be mindful
of that, was his well-meaning advice.
Ive had some experience with the Oculus Rift dev kit, and
they come with massive on-screen health warnings. When
the commercial model is released, I dont doubt that the boot
screen and every game for it will have warnings
everywhere. That may be enough for those
with existing heart conditions the same
people who are warned off rollercoasters
or those brilliant interactive horror houses you
get in Blackpool to keep away. But what of
Ungers claim that someone is going to be
scared to death?
The thought of someone just dropping dead
from fear is scary enough itself, particularly as its medically
possible. When faced with an adrenalin-inducing enough
experience, an otherwise healthy heart can be overwhelmed
and off you pop. Its called stress cardiomyopathy. What The Mail
and Unger fail to point out, though, is that 80 per cent of known
sufferers are postmenopausal women, who are unlikely to be
the target audience for the Oculus Rifts scarier titles.
And of course, adrenalin isnt just produced from fear. Extreme
joy, sex or exercise can also produce a deadly effect, making the
Oculus Rift no more or less a risk than a particularly good
bedroom romp or a round of Wii Bowling. The Mail may be
technically correct, but you could replace Oculus Rift in the
headline with almost anything and it would still be true.
The Oculus Rift is no

more or less a risk than
a particularly good
bedroom romp
Gamer and science enthusiast Tracy King dissects the evidence and statistics behind popular media stories surrounding tech and gaming
10
@tkingdoll
F E E D B AC K
Letters
Please send us your feedback and correspondence to
letters@custompcmag.org.uk
Build or buy?
Since the last time I fully built a

PC, seven years ago, Ive recently
re-subscribed to Custom PC and
noticed far more reviews of prebuilt systems. Having just priced up
the parts for the Vanquish DS from
Issue 130, Ive come to a total price of
993, against a ready-made price of
999 from PC Specialist. For that
extra 6, I get someone to ship it to
me in one piece, ready to go with
a three-year warranty. Sure, I
might choose slightly different
components, but aside from some
higher benchmark scores, would I
really notice the difference in
performance when playing games
at 1,920 x 1,080? It will handle
games at 30fps quite nicely for the
next two or three years, and after
that I can look at some overclocking
and upgrading.
There are definite

benefits to buying
a pre-built system,
such as giving
you a warranty
and removing the
hassle of building
it yourself, often
for not much
more money
MATT BASSETT
Ben replies: Youre certainly right that

were seeing some great pre-built
systems now, and for surprisingly
low prices too. Of course, the
manufacturers get the benefit of buying
the parts for their PCs at cost, rather
than retail price, and they also have the
bonus of getting bulk-buy discounts if
they use the same component in many
PCs. If your main priority is being able to
play games at 30fps for the next few
years, and youre happy with all the
other components, then theres no
reason at all not to go for it.
What you lose by going for a pre-built
system is, as you mentioned, flexibility.
Many people (including myself) are very
fussy about the exact components we
want, for our specific purposes. You
might want a different model of SSD
from the one in a pre-built system, a
better-looking case, a quieter cooling
system or you might want to modify
a case yourself so that it fits your
12
AMDs
ExtravaLANza LAN
party in Toronto photo by Raysonho
@ Open Grid
Scheduler / Grid
Engine
purposes exactly. You

only need to look at
our Readers Drives
section every month
to see what people are
doing with PCs that
couldnt be achieved
with an average prebuilt machine youre
free to mix, match and
modify with impunity.
Plus, when youre
building your own
system, you also get the joy of
learning how all the parts go together.
Party hard
Ive been reading your excellent

mag for over four years now, and
every issue has contained a little
box explaining What is folding?,
which is great; Ive now been folding
for years and I found out all about it
thanks to Custom PC. What Im still
waiting for, however, four years
later, is a little box explaining What
are LAN parties?, or, better yet, an
article explaining how one might
get invited to one.
The topic is casually dropped into
almost every issue, sometimes
several times by different writers,
and it feels like theres a vast cliquey
underworld from which readers not
in the know are excluded. I know

what a LAN is, and I know what a
party is, but LAN parties? I cant be
the only reader just a little bemused
by the reference, can I?
BENJAMIN NUNN
Ben replies: LAN party does seem a bit

like an oxymoron, doesnt it? Its hard to
imagine inviting your mates over to a
party where the central feature is a local
area network. Theres one crucial
component that isnt mentioned in the
name, though, and thats gaming. Put
simply, a LAN party is an event where
several people together and play
multiplayer games over a LAN, often
bringing their own PCs. It could be a few
people at a mutual friends house, or it
could be a huge event, such as the
Multiplay i-series LAN parties.
FPS scenery
My game experience was like

yours back in the days. Im just an
occasional gamer nowadays (I
mainly play Forged Alliance), but
in Unreal Tournament III, I often
found a quiet spot and watched the
scenery in amazement, until
someone found and shot me.
Likewise, when Serious Sam first
came out, I loved just wandering
around, looking at the awesome
new lighting effects.
DIETMAR KLEINER
I love the mag. Many thanks for a

your hard work! I entirely agree
with your position in your From the
Editor piece in Issue 132. Graphics in
modern FPS games are often
stunning, but half the time cant be
appreciated (the Battlefield series
especially springs to mind!). I too
spent hours wandering around in
Crysis (the original game, Warhead
and Crysis 3). While it isnt exactly
What Im still
waiting for, however,
four years later, is
a little box explaining
What are LAN
parties?
an FPS, have you played Dear
Esther? Its an amazing game, and
exploration is basically the primary
task in the game. Its only a few
hours long too.
ALEX DAVIES
Ben replies: I have indeed played Dear

Esther, and I really enjoyed it Id love
to play more games like that, where
youre given free rein to explore the
environment, and take part in a story,
but without the pressure of combat.
Hold your colour
I recently received my first issue of

the magazine, and Im enjoying it so
far. In the 4K article in the recent
issue, you mention that many
games will ignore or override ICC
profiles, and I believe I have a fix.
Ive been using f.lux for a few
years, and noticed a while back that
when I launch certain games, the
colour temperature effects of f.lux
are clearly removed. The easiest way
to get around this issue is to run the
game in a borderless window this
is a very easy job with Valve games,
for example, although its not an
option in some games, such as
World of Tanks.
Eventually I found a program
called BorderlessGaming on
github (http://tinyurl.com/
BorderlessGaming) that allows
almost any game to be run in a
borderless window, thus keeping a
software-based colour profile active
when launching the game. Its a
little fiddly to get it to run on startup
if User Account Control is enabled in
Windows, but it otherwise works
fine, and Ive not noticed a
Twitter highlights
Follow us on Twitter at @CustomPCmag
Maevoric Just done my first build (with
the CPC Elite list), but the Corsair
H80i has noisy 120mm fans. Are there
quieter ones?
Ben: Yes, you can theoretically fit any 120mm
fans to it, but youll need the right power
connectors if you want to continue using
Corsairs Link interface. I had the same issue
with my H80, and I just replaced the Corsair
fans with some quieter Antec ones, which I
then hooked straight up to my PSU with
voltage-reduction cables to keep the fan
speed down, avoiding the fan controller in the
waterblock/pump unit. It works fine, and its
much quieter now.
hmanmk11 Just bought my first edition
and I loved it! Im looking for a really good
graphics card in my price range (150) that
would be best for 1080p gaming. Any help?
Ben: Yep, a Radeon R9 270X will do the
trick fine!
DimitriAwfghost I have an Asus
Maximus IV Extreme-Z with a Z68
chipset. Is it worth installing an i7-3770 to play
upcoming games, or should I buy a board with
a newer chipset and go with 5th-gen Intel?
Ben: In all honesty, a Core i7-3770K has more
than enough power for gaming (I use one
myself), and the Maximus IV Extreme-Z is a
decent motherboard. Youd only really need a
current-gen CPU (such as the Haswell-E kit
featured this month) for heavily multi-
performance hit on Windows 8. I

havent tried it with a colorimeter,
but I see no reason why it wouldnt
set the colour profile in the same
way as f.lux.
ALEC WILBY
Ben replies: Thats a bit of a clunky

workaround for something that should
be really simple to set up, but it works
thanks very much Alec!
Send your feedback and correspondence to
threaded workloads. Id see if you can find a

3770K (or a 3570K), and just overclock it.
11122X Picked up a copy of @
CustomPCMag. Their Build a 1080p
gaming system for 549 feature is ace!
#Issue133
georgebaily Request: a review of
different colorimeters. Because I want
to see the How we test for that.
Colorimetermeter. Must exist.
Baron_von_
Stein Is a delta
T of 83C a bit high?
Think I might be
overworking an HP
Z420.
Ben: The delta T we
report in the mag is
the result of subtracting the ambient room
temperature of our lab from the CPU
temperature, so the results are always
comparable. The temperature in your
screenshot is simply the temperature of your
CPU cores and, while 83C is definitely toasty,
that figure is still within the thermal limits of
your Xeon. I wouldnt worry about it.
JoshJeffhead Just thought Id let you
know your calculations are wrong for
your 4K workstation recommendation.
Ben: Oh damn! Youre right, they are. Thanks
for informing us its fixed now.
WHENS THE NEXT MAG

COMING OUT?
Issue 135 of Custom PC will be
on sale on Thursday, 16 October,
with subscribers receiving it a
few days beforehand. Visit
http://tinyurl.com/CPCDates
to see the release dates for the
rest of the year.
letters@custompcmag.org.uk
13
CO M I N G S O O N / NEW KIT
Incoming
We take a look at the latest newly announced products
Corsair introduces Link

control hub
Alienware shows off

hexagonal case
Space-age computer maker Alienware has revealed a brandnew, six-sided case design, dubbed the Triad, for its Area-51
line-up. PCs based on the new design will feature Haswell-E
CPUs, up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and up to
three dual-slot graphics cards. In fact, the company claims that
the new machine will be capable of playing games across three
4K screens, for a total resolution of 11,520 x 2,160.
The photos show an all-in-one liquid cooler fixed to the CPU,
and very few cables cluttering airflow too. Internal fans blow
fresh ambient air, quietly and directly, onto the graphics cards
and the internal cable management enables maximum airflow,
says the Dell-owned subsidiary. The angled design also
provides a large space for hot air to escape where a traditional,
rectangular chassis only leaves a small space between it and the
wall. The new PC chassis is due to debut in October this year.
In an effort to make it easier to hook up several parts to Corsairs Link

system, the company has just introduced a new control unit called the
Commander Mini. Powered by a SATA connector, connected to a USB
2 header and supplied with a mounting kit, the Commander sits inside
your case, handling six fans, four (supplied) temperature monitors
and a lighting system, while offering four Corsair Link sockets. The
idea is that you then have complete control over your fans, lighting
and Corsair Link components with one software-controlled unit,
which can also monitor temperatures, removing the hassle of
manually controlling each bit individually. The Commander Mini is
available from www.corsair.com now for 55 inc VAT.
Synology launches
cut-price NAS
Fancy getting your hands on a Synology
NAS, with its superb DSM operating
system, but dont have the necessary
cash for the premium? The companys
new single-bay DS115j may just be the
answer. With an RRP of just 78 inc VAT,
the new NAS price is 30 per cent lower
than that of its predecessor, the DS112j. The new NAS features an
800MHz Marvell Armada 370 CPU, 256MB of DDR3 memory and
has two USB 2 ports, although theres no USB 3 support.
AMD expands Radeon line-up

AMD has added another GPU to its R9 series, called the Radeon R9 285, aiming to take on
Nvidias GeForce GTX 760. The R9 285 features a new 28nm GPU, codenamed Tonga; like
the 280, this has 1,792 stream processors, 112 texture units and 32 ROPs. However, the new
GPU has 2GB of GDDR5 memory, hooked up to a 256-bit interface, rather than the
3GB/384-bit setup found on both the 280 and 280X. At its stock speeds, the new GPU
is clocked at 918MHz, with a 5.5GHz (effective) memory frequency. Radeon R9 285
cards are available now, with a PowerColor card costing 168 inc VAT from
www.overclockers.co.uk
14
Its not
silenced to the max
until its
silenced to the max
Thats German attitude!
be quiet! Straight Power 10 provides a new level of silent performance for systems
that demand whisper-quiet operation without facing the slightest compromise in
power quality. be quiet!s German team has updated and designed even more
premium features into the new generation of the Straight Power series.
Improved cooling with use of the new 135mm SilentWings 3 fan with an advanced
fan frame ensures extraordinarily quiet operation. Big funnel-shaped fan opening
of the PSU case induces high airow intake. Improved power circuit technology
delivers 80PLUS Gold power efciency of over 93% and stability unmatched in
its class. User-friendly cable management, powerful GPU support make this PSU
a Best Choice whether you are building a new system or seeking a better, quieter
replacement for an existing system. The PSU is available in 800, 700, 600, 500W
as modular and 700, 600, 500, 400W as non modular version and comes with a
5-year manufacturers warranty.
For more information visit bequiet.com.
Available at:
scan.co.uk aria.co.uk ebuyer.com amazon.co.uk kustompcs.co.uk cclonline.com specialtech.co.uk
Award winning series:
Reviews
Our in-depth analysis of the latest PC hardware

Asus Z97I Plus
Asus drops the VRM

daughterboard on its latest
Z97 mini-ITX motherboard/
p18
Reviewed this month

Alpenfhn Brocken Eco p17 / ASRock Z97M Anniversary p20 / Cooler Master CM 690 III p24
Corsair Carbide Air 240 p26 / MSI GS60-2PE-060UK / Aorus Thunder M7 p32
16
C P U CO O L E R
Alpenfhn Brocken Eco/25
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk / MODEL NUMBER 84000000106
here are some great options when it comes to

sub-30 CPU coolers now, with Deepcools
Gamer Storm Lucifer and SilverStones Argon
AR01 combining great cooling power with quiet operation.
At 25, Alpenfhns new Brocken Eco also ticks the low-cost
box, but how does it fare against the competition?
Aside from having a rather unfortunate-sounding name,
our first observation about the Brocken Eco kit is just how
many parts it contains. There are nearly 30 individual parts
for the AMD mounting, and not far short of this amount for
LGA1150 and LGA2011 too. This number of parts is beyond
excessive, leaving you to contend with what is essentially a
Meccano set.
The AMD mount is the worst; you have to combine two of
the Intel mounting brackets with two further ones to create
a four-piece bracket held together with eight screws.
Theres then a plethora of parts that make up a backplate
and pins with plastic standoffs, and then four thumbscrews
to secure the plate to the motherboard.
Youre not done there though; you then
need to place the cooler on the
motherboard and contend with a rather
fiddly mounting plate that straddles it,
securing to the main bracket underneath
and pinning the cooler in place. Its hugely
overengineered and fiddly to fit as a
result, although it does include some of
the best metal fan clips weve seen.
The heatsink itself is rated for TDPs up to 160W and
sports a single 1,500rpm fan. There are four 6mm heatpipes
that are left in their bare copper finish, which have been
machined flat on the base. This has been done quite well
as there are no discernible gaps to reduce precious contact
surface area. The fins are made from aluminium and the
cooler stands just 150mm tall, making it one of the shortest
120mm tower coolers weve tested.
In our AMD test system, the Brocken Eco managed a delta
T of 65C, which isnt bad for its price and size, being just 2C
adrift of SilverStones Argon AR01. It didnt fare quite as well
in our LGA1150 system, though, where the powerful Core
i7-4970K pushed the delta T up to 64C, which is 5C
warmer than the SilverStone cooler. However,
it managed a respectable LGA2011 delta T of
55C, although this result was still quite high
/SPECIFICATIONS
compared to the 49C from Deepcools similarly
Compatibility Intel: LGA775,
priced Gamer Storm Lucifer. On the plus side,
LGA1156, LGA1155,
the Brockens fan proved to be very quiet indeed
LGA1150,LGA2011, LGA1366;
AMD: Socket FM1, FM2,
at full speed, with the rest of the system
AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2
drowning it out, and under PWM, its speed can
Weight 600g
drop to just 500rpm.
The Brockens fan

proved to be very
quiet indeed at
full speed
Size (mm) 126 x 88 x 150

(W x D x H)
Fan 1 x 120mm
Stated noise Not stated
Conclusion
price that will have you up and running in a tenth of the time,
and with superior cooling results too. Thats a shame, as the
Brocken Eco is otherwise very quiet and posted some
respectable cooling scores, especially in our AMD system.
ANTONY LEATHER
AMD SOCKET FM2+

65C
Alpenfhn Brocken Eco
63C
SilverStone Argon AR01

0
18
36
72
54
INTEL LGA1150
64C
59C

0
16
32
48
64
INTEL LGA2011
55C

Deepcool Gamer
Storm Lucifer
49C
0
14
28
56
42
Lower is better
SOCKET FM2+
COOLING
31/40
DESIGN
VALUE
22/30
26/30
LG A 1 1 5 0
COOLING
30/40
VALUE
OVERALL SCORE
DESIGN
OVERALL SCORE
23/30
LG A 2 0 1 1
27/40
VALUE
23/30
25/30
VERDICT
79%
DESIGN
24/30
COOLING
OVERALL SCORE
77%
75%
A good, quiet cooler once its set up, but its overly fiddly
mounting mechanism lets it down, and you can get
superior cooling power for the same money elsewhere.
Unless youre a glutton for screws, brackets and

backplates, there are far better options at this
17
R E V I E WS / NEW KIT
LG A 1 1 5 0 M OT H E R B OA R D
Asus Z97I Plus/106
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk
he motherboard market is inundated with miniITX models these days, and small form factor PC
fans have never had it so good. Thankfully, not all
the mini boards that sport Intels new Z97 chipset are
expensive either. In fact, Asus has reduced the price of its
mainstream Z97 mini-ITX offering considerably, compared
to its Z77 and Z87 counterparts. The Z97I-Plus retails for
just 106, making it one of the cheapest Z97 mini-ITX
motherboards available at the moment.
If youre familiar with the Z97I Plus lustworthy
predecessors, youll have noticed immediately that Asus
has ditched the large VRM daughterboard and opted for
a more standard (and cheaper) layout instead. There are
fewer power phases as a result, with a 6+2 design courtesy
of Asus DIGI+ VRM system, as well as enhanced DRAM
power phases.
Weirdly, Asus seems to have an
aversion to including SATA Express on
its boards, although as M.2 SSDs are
more readily available, we understand
it favouring the latter. An M.2 slot is, of
course, included on the Z97I-Plus,
located on the underside of the PCB
and supports both 60mm (type 2260)
and 80mm (type 2280) SSDs. The
positioning of this slot gives you more space on the top side,
and while its more awkward to access, once youve plugged
in your SSD and built your system, the chances of needing to
remove it regularly are quite slim.
This design decision seems to be mainly motivated by a
desire to offer a better layout, though, rather than to free up
space for more features. Theres a fairly standard selection
of four SATA 6Gbps ports, plus USB 3 and USB
2 headers, but otherwise there isnt a lot to
/SPECIFICATIONS
make the Z97I-Plus stand out.
Chipset Intel Z97
The layout, however, is excellent. All the
CPU socket Intel LGA1150
major connectors are located at the edge of
Memory support 2 slots: max
the PCB, and the four SATA 6Gbps ports are
16GB DDR3 (up to 3200MHz)
mounted well away from the 16x PCI-E slot,
Expansion slots One 16x PCI-E 3
although theyre staggered, which doesnt
Sound Realtek ALC892
look as neat as having all of them at the edge
8-channel
of the PCB. The chipset heatsink is quite
Networking 1 x Intel I218V
Gigabit LAN, Broadcom
small too, and shouldnt obstruct any of
BCM94352HMB 802.11ac mini
your components, plus you wont have to
PCI-E Wi-Fi
accommodate the large VRM daughterboard
Overclocking Base clock
of the Z97I-Plus predecessors.
80300MHz, CPU multiplier
8-80x; max voltage: CPU
Theres a min PCI-E 802.11ac Wi-Fi card
1.92V, RAM 1.92V
as well, which is based on a Broadcom
Ports 4 x SATA 6Gbps (Z97), 6
BCM94352HMB chip rather than Intels more
x USB 2, 6 x USB 3, 1 x LAN, 3 x
popular 7260 module, and Asus has included
audio out, line-in, mic, optical
S/PDIF out, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI, 1 x
a magnetic desktop stand-mounted aerial for
DisplayPort, 1 x VGA, 2 x Wi-Fi
it too. Meanwhile, the rear panel is equipped
antenna connectors
with a plethora of video outputs, including DVI,
Dimensions (mm) 170 x 170
DisplayPort and HDMI, plus four USB 3 and
Asus has ditched

the large VRM
daughterboard of
its predecessors
18
four USB 2 ports. However both the back panel and PCB are
devoid of any overclocking/testing tools, such as power,
reset or clear-CMOS buttons, with just a clear-CMOS
jumper to help you after a failed overclock.
Performance
The decision to include an M.2 port was a good one, as our
PX-G256M6e test SSD put in some blistering results of
764MB/sec read and 570MB/sec write speeds. There were
no issues with our SATA 6Gbps SSD either, where the Z97IPlus managed read and write speeds over its SATA ports of
544MB/sec and 520MB/sec respectively. In our Media
Benchmarks suite, the Z97I-Plus was initially quite slow, but
we found it wasnt boosting the CPU to its full extent out of
the box. Setting the CPU core ratio to Sync All Cores solved
this issue, so if you dont intend to overclock this
motherboard, make sure you at least apply this setting.
There was little between the Z97I-Plus and the more
expensive Maximus VII Gene, with the Z97I-Plus actually
bettering the Gene in the image editing test with a score of
2,097 compared to 2,079. However, the Gene was slightly
faster in the video encoding and multi-tasking tests, with its
score of 2,463 sitting a little way ahead of its siblings 2,443.
Meanwhile, MSIs Z97I Gaming AC was faster still, but only
by a few points with an overall score of 2,470.
There was very little to report at stock speed in our game
tests too, with the Z97I-Plus posting similar frame rates to
the Maximus VII Gene and MSI Z97I Gaming AC, with a
minimum frame rate of 30fps in Shogun 2: Total Wars
DirectX 9 CPU Test, and a 97fps minimum in The Elder
Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, the MSI Z97I Gaming AC posted
a noticeably faster average frame rate of 159fps compared
to 152fps for the Z97I-Plus.
It was then time to start overclocking, and the Z97I-Pluss
EFI is a dream to use, right down to a pleasant black/grey
and yellow colour scheme. The overclocking section is busy
but not overwhelming, and we were amazed that it booted
straight into Windows with our Core i7-4770K at 4.8GHz
using a vcore of 1.29V. As it was perfectly stable at these
settings, we gradually dialled back the voltage. We
eventually settled on 1.28V, with 1.275V enabling the
system to pass every test except Total War.
The hike in clock speed resulted in decent gains in our
benchmarks too. For instance, the overall Media
Benchmarks score rose from 2,443 to 2,920 this bettered
the Maximus VII Gene, but wasnt quite quick enough to
topple the MSI Z97I Gaming AC. Overclocking the CPU also
saw the load system power draw rise from 104W to 181W.
ELITE
NEW ENTRY
P 70
1
Theres a
mini PCI-E
802.11ac Wi-Fi
card, which
is based on a
Broadcom chip
2
Conclusion
At just 106, the Z97I-Plus is far better value for money than
its predecessors, and Asus decision to remove the VRM
daughterboard hasnt dampened the boards overclocking
potential either. In fact, its one of the better Z97 overclocking
boards weve seen. With an excellent EFI and generous
feature set, its equally well suited to a value-conscious
gaming system as an overclocked PC. MSIs Z97i Gaming AC
might be generally quicker, but only by a small amount, and
GI MP I MAGE EDI T I N G
2,557
650
1,300
1950
3,596
4,444
MSI Z97i Gaming AC
3,645
4,538
1,150
2,300
3,450
4,600
M ULTI - T AS KI NG
1,638 1,760
MSI Z97i Gaming AC
1,673 1,780
450
900
1,350
1,800
OVER ALL
Asus Z97I-Plus
2,443 2,920
MSI Z97i Gaming AC
2,470 2,949
750
Stock speed
FEATURES
37/40 23/30
VALUE
26/30
97 fps
Asus Z97I-Plus
152 fps
169 fps
114 fps
97 fps
159 fps
171 fps
114 fps
45
90
135
180
S H O GU N 2 : T O T A L W A R CP U T ES T
1,920 x 1,080, default settings, no AA, no AF
Asus Z97I-Plus
SPEED
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
MSI Z97i Gaming AC
Asus Z97I-Plus
The M.2 slot

sits on the
underside,
freeing
up room
elsewhere
ANTONY LEATHER
2,600
H ANDBR AKE H. 2 6 4 V I D E O E N C O D I N G
The four SATA

6Gbps ports
are mounted
well away
from the 16x
PCI-E slot
the Asus board returns fire with its excellent layout and
cracking feature set.
The only noticeable omissions are physical overclocking
tools such as clear-CMOS buttons or LED POST code
readouts, plus SATA Express, although the latter isnt likely
to be an issue for most people in the foreseeable future.
Otherwise, this affordable mini-ITX motherboard ticks all
the right boxes.
2,091 2,530
MSI Z97i Gaming AC
T H E EL D ER S CR O L L S : S K YR IM
2,097
Asus Z97I-Plus
1,500
2,250
30 fps 36 fps
Asus Z97I-Plus
34 fps
MSI Z97i Gaming AC
36 fps 43 fps
0
Stock speed min
42 fps
30 fps 36 fps
11
Stock speed avg
22
Overclocked min
33
44
Overclocked avg
3,000
Overclocked
OVERALL SCORE
86%
VERDICT
Great overclocking, an excellent
EFI, decent layout and nearly all
the features you could want for
just 106.
/TEST KIT
3.5GHz Intel Core i7-4770K, 16GB Corsair Vengeance
Pro DDR3 1,866MHz DDR3 memory, 128GB OCZ
Vector 150 SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB, Corsair
Pro Series Gold HX750 PSU, Windows 7 64-bit
19
LG A 1 1 5 0 M OT H E R B OA R D
ASRock Z97M Anniversary/63
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.cclonline.com
asts months cover feature sported a budget PC

that included Intels Pentium G3258 Anniversary
Edition CPU, which wed overclocked to 4.6GHz.
This low-price CPU can provide a great way of getting some
decent grunt for under 60, and Asus has recently offered
BIOS updates for all its cheap boards with H81 chipsets,
which enable them to access unlocked multipliers. One
downside of this route, though, is that you need a way to
flash the BIOS in order for such a board to work with the
Pentium G3258. However, ASRock has just presented an
alternative route, via a cut-price, full-on Z97 motherboard
the Z97M Anniversary.
Its only slightly more expensive than an H81 board, and it
can overclock Intels cheap new CPU automatically, with just
four keyboard presses from you. This automatic overclock
feature is currently available in two of
ASRocks Z97-based boards, which
have Anniversary in their names.
Theyre geared towards Intels
Anniversary Pentium, of course, and
were looking at the micro-ATX model
here the Z97M Anniversary, which
retails for just 63 inc VAT.
That price might seem like a lot to
pay compared with an updated Asus
motherboard with an H81 chipset, but you dont have to
worry about having the latest BIOS with the ASRock
board the Z97M Anniversary is compatible with the
Pentium G3258 and all Devils Canyon CPUs straight out
of the box. Secondly, as it uses the Z97 chipset, its likely to
offer more in the way of future proofing than an H81 board
too, as it should work with Intels Broadwell CPUs, which are
due to be released early next year.
To overclock the Pentium G3258, all you need to do is tap
the P key as you power on the system, in the
same way you would hit Del or F2 to enter the
/SPECIFICATIONS
EFI. This method only works with the Pentium
Chipset Intel Z97
G3258, and it brings up a simple display screen
CPU socket Intel LGA1150
from which you can select from several preMemory support 2 slots: max
configured overclocks, going up to 4.2GHz. This
16GB DDR3 (up to 3,200MHz)
maximum frequency is a 1GHz overclock from
Expansion slots One 16x
the stock frequency of 3.2GHz, which is a
PCI-E 3, two 1x PCI-E 3
decent boost.
Sound Realtek ALC662
However, 4.2GHz is still fairly tame, as most
8-channel
of
the new Pentium chips should hit 4.5GHz
Networking 1 x Realtek
Gigabit LAN
with relative ease, and ASRock has played it
Overclocking Base clock
save with a hefty vcore of 1.28V too enough
90300MHz, CPU multiplier
to push most examples weve seen to over
8-120x; max voltages, CPU
4.6GHz. However, the automatic overclock
2V, RAM 1.8V
worked well in our tests, so if youre a timid
Ports 6 x SATA 6Gbps (Z97),
8 x USB 2, 4 x USB 3, 1 x LAN,
overclocker, or even an overclocking virgin, it
3 x audio out, line-in, mic, 1 x
offers a solid way to get some extra
HDMI, 1 x DVI, 1 x VGA
performance without even visiting the EFI.
Of course, youll still need to visit the EFI to
It can overclock
Intels cheap new
CPU with just four
key presses
20
make sure your motherboard is running your RAM at the

correct speed, and so on.
The PCB itself is a pretty spartan affair, but we wouldnt
expect anything more for the price. There are six SATA
6Gbps ports, which is several more than most mini-ITX
boards, plus you get two 1x PCI-E slots in addition to the
16x slot, so you can easily drop in a discrete sound card or
another expansion card. Layout is generally good too,
although the latch for securing graphics cards at the end of
the 16x slot is positioned slap-bang next to the DIMM slots,
making it tricky to reach. Theres next to no cooling on the
PCB itself either, other than a small heatsink for the chipset,
so running sky-high overclocks 24/7 probably wont be a
great idea. There are two USB 3 ports on the rear I/O panel
plus a USB 3 header and up to eight USB 2 ports, with four
of these also provided by headers on the PCB.
Performance
The automatic overclock of our Pentium G3258 to 4.2GHz
proved to be perfectly stable, so we dropped our usual Intel
Core i7-4770K test CPU into the Z97M Anniversary to see
how it fared against its pricier siblings. Sadly, though, its
numbers in the Media Benchmarks were generally lower,
although not massively so; its overall score of 2,041 was
only 71 points adrift of the Asus Maximus VII Ranger, for
example. The same was true in our game tests, where the
minimum frame rate in our Total War: Shogun 2 CPU
benchmark was a little slower than wed expect.
The SATA 6Gbps ports are all powered by the Z97 chipset,
so it wasnt surprising to see respectable read and write
speeds of 543MB/sec and 517MB/sec respectively
perfectly capable of maxing out a modern SSD. Meanwhile,
the EFI looked dated but snazzy and was very responsive
too. Oddly, though, ASRock has changed some of the usual
shortcut assignments, such as pressing F5 to load defaults,
but otherwise, it was easy enough to overclock our CPU.
Sadly, though, frequencies of 4.7GHz and 4.8GHz were too
high for the Z97M Anniversary, even at 1.3V, as it fell over
during stress testing.
The chokes on the PCB around the CPU also became very
hot during overclocking, and the CPU became very toasty
too. Even backing down to 4.6GHz and a 1.26V vcore didnt
help. In the end, we settled on 4.3GHz and 1.22V a fair
way lower than we would expect from a Z97 board. This
frequency was still enough to provide a hefty boost to our
HOW WE TEST
PAGE 34
benchmark scores, though, with the overall score rising from

2,341 to 2,671, but the significantly lower clock speed meant
it trailed behind other Z97 boards weve seen.
Conclusion
If youre looking to overclock a quad-core CPU beyond
4.5GHz on a daily basis, the ASRock Z97M Anniversary isnt
for you. However, the lower demands of Intels Pentium
G3258 make the Z97M Anniversary a great buy if you want
to put together a bargain gaming machine, especially as you
wont need to find a way of flashing the BIOS first, as you
would with one of Asus H81 motherboards.
G I M P IM AG E ED IT I N G
2,041
2,116
ASRock Z97 Pro3

650
1,300
2,250
ASRock Z97M
Anniversary
1,950
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
97 fps
ASRock Z97M
Anniversary
2,600
1,150
2,300
3,450
4,600
MU L T I - T AS K IN G
172 fps
90
135
180
450
900
1,350
1,800
O VER AL L
ASRock Z97M
Anniversary
750
Stock speed
FEATURES
32/40 20/30
1,500
2,250
36 fps 43 fps
2,462 2,939
Stock speed min
41 fps
32 fps
30 fps 36 fps
ASRock Z97 Pro3
2,341 2,671
ASRock Z97 Pro3
28 fps 34 fps
ASRock Z97M
Anniversary
1,653 1,747
ASRock Z97 Pro3
28/30
45
SHOGUN 2: TOTAL WAR CPU TEST
1,581 1,667
161 fps
108 fps
1,920 x 1,080, default settings, no AA, no AF
ASRock Z97M
Anniversary
0
167 fps
98 fps
4,516
151 fps
111 fps
ASRock Z97 Pro3
3,617
ASRock Z97 Pro3
VALUE
ANTONY LEATHER
3,401 4,097
0
There are six

SATA 6Gbps
ports; several
more than
most mini-ITX
boards
Thanks to its Z97 chipset, the Z97M Anniversary also

offers compatibility with future CPUs , as well as an effective
way of automatically overclocking the Pentium, albeit only
to 4.2GHz, but this frequency is still a huge leap from its
stock speed. The EFI is slick and well laid-out too, so if
youll be sticking to low-end CPUs and applying modest
overclocks, the Z97M Anniversary is definitely worth
considering. Unless youre new to overclocking, though, we
recommend spending a little extra on ASRocks superior
Z97 Pro3 instead, which is still a bargain at 77, but its also
quicker and a superior overclocker.
2,555
H AN D B R AK E H . 2 6 4 V I D E O E N C O D I N G
SPEED
You get two

1x PCI-E slots
in addition to
the 16x slot
for expansion
cards
T H E E L D E R S C RO L L S : S K Y RI M
ASRock Z97M
Anniversary
0
The VRMs get

very toasty,
as they dont
have any kind
of cooling
attached
11
Stock speed avg
22
33
Overclocked min
44
Overclocked avg
3,000
Overclocked
OVERALL SCORE
80%
VERDICT
The Z97M Anniversary isnt ideal for
overclocking quad-core CPUs, but it
handles Intels Pentium G3258 fine and
also has an automatic overclocking tool.
/TEST KIT
3.5GHz Intel Core i7-4770K, 16GB Corsair
Vengeance Pro DDR3 1,866MHz DDR3
memory, 128GB OCZ Vector 150 SSD,
Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB, Corsair Pro
Series Gold HX750 PSU, Windows 7 64-bit
21
AT X C A S E
Cooler Master CM 690 III/80
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk /MODEL NUMBER CMS-693-KWN1
f youre not a fan of cases with oodles of plastic

extremities, Cooler Masters CM 690 series has
often been a safe bet. Theyre relatively simple
cases, with a minimum of fuss both externally and internally.
But they dont skimp on features; in fact, theyre usually very
popular among enthusiasts due to their low price, large size,
good cooling and excellent water-cooling support.
The latest and third incarnation, the CM 690 III, costs just
80 (although Scan also has a windowed version for just
74), yet sports the dimensions of some much larger, more
expensive cases. That said, theres still only support for ATX
motherboards, despite the height and depth exceeding
50cm. There are three external tool-free 5.25in bays, so
owners of fan controllers, optical drives and bay reservoirs
can rejoice, while the front panel, which is actually located on
top of the case, sports two USB 2 and two USB 3 ports, plus
the usual jack sockets and buttons.
In terms of airflow, the front is largely made up of mesh,
as is the roof panel, while a huge dust filter sits on the
underside its a very porous case. However, Cooler Master
hasnt been content to leave airflow to convection. Theres
a plethora of fan mounts, starting with the front, where a
200mm monster sits out of the box, although you can also
mount a 180mm fan or two 120/140mm fans in its place.
Also included is a rear 120mm fan, while the roof section is
home to another flexible mount, which can
deal with two 120/140mm fans or a single
200mm model.
/SPECIFICATIONS
There are additional 120mm fan mounts in
Dimensions (mm) 230 x 502 x
the base and on the internal hard disk rack,
507 (W x D x H)
while the windowless model of the CM 690 II
Material Steel
also has a side mount for a single 200mm fan
Available colours Black
or two 120mm models. All in all, this is a huge
Weight 8.9kg
amount of cooling headroom, and you can
Front panel Power, reset,
2 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2,
pop off the front and roof panels too, providing
stereo, mic
easy access for radiator installation. The roof
Drive bays 3 x external 5.25in,
has room for half-height models and a single
7 x internal 2.5/3.5in, 3 x 2.5in
row of fans ideal for all-in-one liquid coolers,
Form factor(s) Mini-ITX,
micro-ATX, ATX
as is the rear fan mount.
Cooling 2 x front 120/140mm
Meanwhile, the front will likely require
or 180/200mm fan mounts
removal of the drive cages in order to route
(200mm fan included), 2 x side
your tubing, although this space will
120mm or 1 x 180/200mm fan
mounts (fan not included), 2 x
essentially result in no limit on the depth
120/140mm or 1 x 200mm
or fans, as the motherboard will be far
roof fan mounts (fan not
away. There are also rubber grommets at
included), 1 x 120mm bottom
fan mount (fan not included),
the rear of the case, so you could mount a
1 x rear 120mm fan mount
radiator externally.
(120mm fan included)
As for storage, there are seven tool-free
CPU cooler clearance 171mm
drive
mounts spread across the two internal
Maximum graphics card length
drive cages, each of which supports both 3.5in
280mm with 3.5in cage,
312mm with 2.5in cage,
and 2.5in drives. There are a further three
423mm with cages removed
2.5in mounts for SSDs, which screw directly to
Extras Front, bottom and roof
the chassis, with locations in the bottom of the
dust filters
bottom 5.25in bay, behind the motherboard
24
tray or in the bottom 120mm fan mount, meaning the case

can support a total of ten SSDs.
Cable routing is very good too, with rubber grommets
surrounding the motherboard tray and an extra-large one
handily located next to the PSU mount in the bottom.
Theres also a sizeable CPU area cut-out, so you can install
or remove most backplated CPU coolers or waterblocks
without having to also remove the motherboard.
Theres oodles of space for graphics cards and CPU
coolers too, with 171mm of clearance for the latter. Out of the
box, theres 312mm of space for graphics cards with all the
drive cages installed, although the lower graphics slot is
limited to 280mm. This space is still large enough for most
graphics cards though all of AMD and Nvidias single-GPU
stock cards will fit, including the R9 290X and GTX 780 Ti.
The respectable width of the case should mean than extrawide, non-reference cards will fit too, as should full-cover
GPU waterblocks with side-mounted barbs.
Performance
There are clearly many ways to boost the cooling
performance of the CM 690 III, but it still performed
relatively well out of the box. Its CPU delta T of 52C is only a
couple of degrees short of cases such as Corsairs Obsidian
HOW WE TEST
PAGE 34
Seven tool-free
drive mounts are
spread across the
two drive cages
A handy extra-large
rubber grommet
sits by the PSU
mount at the bottom
A monster 200mm
fan sits at the front
of the chassis out of
the box
1
3
2
450D and Obsidian 750D. However, Corsairs own Graphite

230T was 3C cooler in this test, and costs even less. The
GPU delta T of 49C was a little more competitive, though,
being a little cooler than NZXTs Source 530, although
Corsairs Obsidian 450D was noticeably cooler. Removing
the front cages also boosted the cooling, with the GPU
delta T dropping by 2C.
We were surprised by the lack of noise that accompanied
these respectable cooling results too. Cooling ability usually
suffers at the very quiet noise levels exhibited by the CM
690 II, which was practically inaudible in our air-conditioned
lab, but that wasnt the case. However, bear in mind that
while the mesh-clad exterior certainly helps the airflow, it
can also increase sound leakage from other components,
such as a noisy graphics card cooler.
Conclusion
The CM 690 III is good out of the box, if a little bland, but
judging by examples weve seen online, many enthusiasts
treat it as a blank canvas. There are some fantastic
ANTONY LEATHER
CPU LOAD DELTA T TE MPE RATURE

Cooler Master CM 690 III
52C
Corsair Obsidian 450D
49C
NZXT Source 530
52C
13
26
39
52
G PU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE

Cooler Master CM 690 III
49C
45C
NZXT Source 530
51C
13
26
examples of water-cooled CM 690 IIIs, and weve seen

plenty that house more than one graphics card too. Cooler
Master also lists a green-detailed Nvidia Edition too, but we
couldnt find this model available anywhere at time of
writing. Thankfully, Cooler Master hasnt seen fit to include
an overzealous price tag, and the CM 690 III will leave you
with plenty of change from 100.
The downside is that other cases offer more pizzazz, with
fan control, more exciting aesthetics or interesting features,
whereas the CM 690 III is certainly more vanilla. It also
doesnt wow in the cooling depart, at least not out of the box.
It isnt for fans of compact cases either its not huge, but its
quite wide. That said, considering the amount of watercooling gear you can pack inside, its certainly smaller than
the likes of NZXTs larger Phantom cases.
However, if you want an affordable, good-quality case
that still offers plenty of room for your PC to grow, perhaps
by adding better cooling, more storage or even additional
graphics cards in the future, it fits the bill perfectly.
39
52
Lower is better
COOLING
FEATURES
23/30
17/20
DESIGN
VALUE
27/30
18/20
OVERALL SCORE
85%
VERDICT
The CM 690 III might lack pizzazz, but it provides a
sensibly designed and affordable foundation from which
to expand your cooling, storage and graphics empires.
25
M I C R O -AT X C A S E
Corsair Carbide Air 240/70
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk
he premise of the micro-ATX Carbide Air 240 is

largely the same as its Approved award-winning
larger sibling, the Air 540 a dual-chamber
design that keeps the core components isolated in a highairflow area, with a secondary space given over to the PSU,
power cables and internal drives.
Our white sample looks nifty, with the black mesh in the
ventilation strips that encircle the left-hand chamber
contrasting attractively with the white finish, and an
excellent view of the interior with the full-sized window. Its
also available in black for the same price. Whats particularly
cool is that you can rotate the chassis out of its default
position so that the window is on the
top or right-hand side. The front logo
can also be rotated to align it to your
chosen orientation, and rubber
adhesive feet are supplied for you
to stick to the suitable panel.
However, the symbols on the
standard selection of I/O ports look
a little odd upside down.
Meanwhile, the plastic on the front
and roof is fantastically strong, and it has a matt, smooth
finish. The metal side panels are fairly thin, and the chassis
itself fairly light, but it still feels sturdy and strong build
quality isnt an issue. Ventilated mesh strips also run along
the top, front and bottom of the chassis, and all three of
these areas have dual 120mm fan mounts and are protected
with dust-filtering material. Corsair includes
two front intake fans and one roof exhaust fan,
and there are two empty rear 80mm exhaust
/SPECIFICATIONS
mounts as well high airflow is certainly an apt
description, as this chamber can hold up to eight
x 397 (W x D x H)
Material Steel, plastic
fans, despite being rather small.
Available colours
Accordingly, the right side has a magnetic
Black, white
dust filter, which you can peel off from the
Weight 5.6kg
outside. It covers both the PSU intake fan and
Front panel Power, reset, 2 x
the single 120mm fan mount for this chamber,
USB 3, stereo, mic
which you can use to cool your internal drives.
Drive bays 3 x internal
This filter effectively means that the Air 240 is
3.5in/2.5in, 3 x internal 2.5in
fully protected against dust at all entry points.
Form factor(s) Micro-ATX,
mini-ITX
The top, bottom, side and front panels all
Cooling 2 x 120mm front fan
come off easily, giving you full access to the
mounts (fans included), 2 x
interior as well as providing an easy way to
120mm top fan mounts (1 fan
clean the main chambers dust filters. With the
included), 2 x rear 80mm fan
mounts (fans not included),
roof panel removed, you also gain access to
2 x 120mm bottom fan
the cases tool-free 2.5in drive tray for SSDs,
mounts, 1 x 120mm side fan
although it uses flimsy drive trays.
mount (fans not included)
Theres no option to install an optical drive,
CPU cooler clearance
120mm
but that isnt a big loss these days, especially
Maximum graphics card
for small form factor enthusiasts, an you can
length 290mm
always use a USB optical drive if you need one
Extras Removable dust
anyway. The Air 240s 3.5in drive cage is
filters
externally accessible via a mesh door on the
You can rotate the

chassis so that the
window is on the
top or right side
26
rear, which is held in place with a thumbscrew. Opening it

allows you to slide out the three tool-free 3.5in drive trays.
The trays are plastic and flimsy, as with the 2.5in trays, but
theyre easy to snap shut around hard drives, and have
rubber washers to soften vibrations.
Turning our attention to the insides, theres plenty of PSU
clearance (225mm), and the mount has little rubber feet to
absorb PSU fan noise. Graphics cards up to 290mm long
can be installed before conflicting with the front fans too, but
the CPU cooler clearance is low at 120mm standard tower
coolers simply arent an option. As a result, we had to install
our mini-ITX test system, as our micro-ATX test rig uses a
Gelid Tranquillo Rev.2 cooler, which wouldnt fit.
Meanwhile, a folding lock on the rear is used to lock
graphics and expansion cards in place without tools. This
feature, along with the tool-free drive trays, pre-installed
motherboard mounts and easy internal access make
working with the Air 240 supremely easy. All internal cables
are sleeved in black, and there are five big holes through
which to route cables between the chambers too. Their
positioning means that both mini-ITX and micro-ATX
motherboards will have routing holes right next to them,
ensuring a clean and tidy system.
Finally, theres also some room for water-cooling gear
240mm radiators can be installed in the front and bottom
mounts; the top mounts are too close to the motherboard
for anything bigger than a fan to fit there.
The depth of the front radiator will remove some of the
graphics card clearance, though, and youll also struggle
to fit any radiators taller than 280mm, including blanking
plugs, in that spot.
As for the bottom mount, this area can only be used with
mini-ITX setups, as the bottom of a micro-ATX board gets in
the way otherwise. Pumps and reservoirs are best installed
HOW WE TEST
PAGE 34
The front logo can

be rotated to align
it to your chosen
orientation
Loads of rubberlined holes enable

you to route cables
to the other side
3
Theres room for a
290mn graphics
card inside
in the PSU chamber if possible, especially as its very easy to

remove both hard drive cages if you dont need them, in
order to make more room.
Performance
The Air 240s CPU delta T of 55C isnt great, and its
probably a result of the top fan competing with our mini-ITX
test rigs low-profile cooler fan for air. The front fans are also
a fair distance away, so the supply of cool air will be limited. If
youre not going to install two graphics cards, you could shift
this fan to one of the bottom mounts, or to the side mount,
to make it more useful, and leave your low-profile cooler to
its own devices. After all, theres plenty of ventilation around
it to allow for the natural intake and exhaust of air.
Thankfully, the GPU result of 50C is very good. It may not
trump the Obsidian 250D or BitFenix Prodigy, but its one of
the best results weve seen. The GPU receives plenty of cool
air from the front, and the ventilated case floor gives the
GPU its own supply of air too the unobstructed airflow
CP U LOAD DELTA T
Conclusion
The Air 240 is a great little micro-ATX chassis. The dual
chamber design isnt without its limitations, especially when
it comes to radiator and CPU cooler clearance, but were
mightily impressed by what Corsair has managed to cram
inside a chassis with similar dimensions to the BitFenix
Prodigy, and for a fair price too. We also love the main
chambers clean appearance, and the ease with which you
can show off your build, using the rotatable design and fullview window. It also has good cable routing and is very
builder-friendly as well. If you need to install more hardware
or water-cooling gear then the similarly priced Arc Mini R2 is
where to look, but the Air 240 is otherwise a fine choice.
MATTHEW LAMBERT
COOLING
BitFenix Prodigy
43C
52C
Corsair Carbide Air 240
55C
design works well here. Noise from the fans is noticeable,

especially as theyre right next to vents, but theyre certainly
not loud or intrusive. With PWM enabled, or low-noise
adaptor cables fitted, youd be hard-pressed to notice them.
15
30
45
60
21/30
17/20
DESIGN
VALUE
27/30
GP U LOAD DELTA T
50C
13
26
39
83%
A well-built, user-friendly and attractive micro-ATX

chassis for a very fair price.
48C
Corsair Carbide Air 240
18/20
OVERALL SCORE
VERDICT
47C
BitFenix Prodigy
FEATURES
52
27
G A M I N G L A P TO P
MSI GS60-2PE-060UK/1,270
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.amazon.co.uk
he GS60 is the thinnest and lightest full-on

gaming laptop weve ever seen, tipping the
scales at under 2kg (1.96kg), with a chassis thats
20mm thick at its broadest point. This slim, light laptop is
made from a magnesium-lithium alloy a material that
MSI says was first used on NASAs Saturn V rocket. The
metal is black and brushed, and theres subtle backlighting
across the keyboard, power button and logos. Its a greatlooking machine, even if it wont attract attention in the
same way as larger laptops with larger designs, such as
the Alienware 17.
Importantly, though, MSI hasnt skimped on the
internals despite the slim dimensions. The key
component is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M a GPU
with 1,344 stream processors, 3GB of GDDR5
memory at its disposal and a core base clock of
941MHz. It isnt as powerful as the Alienware 17s
GTX 880M, but it should still be able to handle
todays games at great settings.
Meanwhile, processing power comes from a Core
i7-4700HQ. Its a 2.4GHz, quad-core chip thats found
inside many gaming laptops, and it has a top Turbo speed
of 3.4GHz. The CPU is partnered with 8GB of RAM, and MSI
has also strapped together two 128GB SSDs in a RAID 0
array that results in 237GB of usable space, while a 1TB hard
drive handles larger-scale data storage.
The chassis serves up plenty of features too. On the
inside, theres dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet
and Bluetooth 4, while the outer edges serve up HDMI
and mini-DisplayPort connectors and three USB 3 ports,
alongside an SD card slot and two audio jacks.
The GS60 is undoubtedly a slim, light and good-looking
laptop with some surprisingly powerful kit inside it, but its
svelte figure comes with downsides.
For example, the build quality is
inconsistent; the 4mm-thin screen has a
little give in its metal edges, and the panel
/SPECIFICATIONS
on the underside of the laptop has lots of
CPU 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ
give too the strongest part of this
Memory 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3
machine is the wrist-rest.
Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX
Theres no easy way to get inside the
870M 3GB GDDR5
GS60 either. More than 12 screws hold the
Sound On-board
base in place, and the component-filled
Screen size 15.6in 1,920 x 1,080
side of the motherboard faces the
Hard disk 2 x 128GB Kingston
keyboard, so none of the internal parts is
SSDs in RAID 0; 1TB hard disk
accessible without some serious work.
Weight 1.96kg
Only the hard disk is easy to reach.
Ports 3 x USB 3, HDMI 1.4, miniOn the plus side, MSI uses
DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x audio, SDXC
card slot
SteelSeries hardware
Dimensions (mm) 390 x 266 x 20
for its gaming
(W x D x H)
laptops, and the
Operating system Windows 8.1
GS60s typing gear
64-bit
impressed us. There
Warranty One-year return to base
was little give in the
30
keyboards base, and the buttons hammer down with

speed and consistency, while the touchpad buttons are
similarly snappy.
Performance
The GTX 870M helped the MSI to rattle through our Ultraquality Battlefield 4 benchmark to a minimum frame rate
of 28fps, with an average of 34fps. Comparatively, the
Alienware 17 with its GeForce GTX 880M hit a faster
minimum of 36fps, but the Asus G550JK with its GTX 850M
could only manage an unplayable 15fps.
That pattern was repeated in BioShock Infinite. The MSIs
minimum of 43fps minimum is behind the Alienwares
52fps, but its still comfortably smooth, and again, ahead of
the Asus, which could only manage an unplayable 24fps.
Crysis 3 at Very High settings was the only game where the
MSI faltered its minimum fell to a stuttering 23fps. The MSI
only managed a playable frame rate in Crysis 3 when we
dropped to High quality, where it returned a comfortably
smooth minimum of 33fps.
Its quick in general Windows apps too. In our Media
Benchmarks, the GS60s overall score of 1,981 points was
just 17 points behind the Alienware, and ahead of the Asus
1,830. The pair of SSDs also ripped through our storage
benchmarks to return sequential read and write results of
1,012MB/sec and 367MB/sec, and this system has a subten-second boot time too. Whats more, the GS60s drives
use M.2 connections, so theres no danger of them
saturating the SATA 6Gbps bus bandwidth.
Meanwhile, the GS60s 15.6in
screen offers a standard 1,920 x
1,080 resolution, along with a
matt finish, great viewing angles
and decent performance.
The contrast ratio of 1,019:1
is better than both the
Asus and Alienware laptops screens, and it has a stunning

black level of just 0.32cd/m2 lower than the competition,
and enough to render black shades with plenty of inky
depth. It scarcely matters that the MSIs 326cd/m2
brightness level cant match rivals its ample, and the
contrast ensures that theres depth and variation across
the scale.
Colour accuracy is good too, with an average delta E of
2.16 and an sRGB coverage level of 93.6 per cent. Both
figures beat the Alienware, and the Asus only just beats the
MSI with its delta E. Our only criticism is the 8,181K colour
temperature, which is on the cold side, but its otherwise a
great screen.
The panel is paired with good audio kit as well. The
speakers are loud enough, the bass has surprising punch
and the high end is light and snappy. The MSI has a couple of
problems though. The first, battery life, isnt unusual for
gaming laptops. The MSI GS60 lasted for three hours while
handling mundane work tasks and just over an hour while
gaming. That isnt brilliant, but its enough to do some work
on an average train journey, and maybe a little gaming away
from the mains too.
The GS60s other issue is a bigger deal. During Prime95
stress tests, the CPU topped out at 90C, where it began to
throttle, with the GPU hitting a maximum of 85C. Both
figures are short of each chips thermal limits, but much of
that heat made its way to the GS60s exterior. The back half
of the base panel was too hot for us to touch after a few
minutes of stress testing, which made it impossible to use
on our laps. The fan noise is distracting too, being a little
louder than the larger, cooler Alienware.
GI MP I MAGE EDI T I N G
Conclusion
Despite its thin and light chassis, the GS60 can still rattle
through top-end games at their highest settings, and it also
impressed with its screen quality, great keyboard and keen
price, which is a great deal for the hardware inside.
The slimmed-down dimensions of the chassis have
drawbacks though the MSIs cooling ability, noise output
and battery life leave plenty to be desired.
The low price and slim chassis make the GS60 very
tempting as a portable gaming rig, but wed advise investing
in a laptop cooler to fit underneath it if youre going to
regularly push it to the limit.
MIKE JENNINGS
B A T T L EF IEL D 4
1,920 x ,1080, Ultra Detail, 4x AA
1,635
MSI GS60
450
900
28fps
MSI GS60
1,318
Asus G550JK
1,350
15fps
Asus G550JK
1,800
3,146
MSI GS60
1,600
27
36
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra Detail with Depth of Field
2,400
24fps
Asus G550JK
3,200
CR YS IS 3
MULTI - T AS KI NG
43fps
MSI GS60
3,082
Asus G550JK
800
18
B IO S H O CK IN F IN IT E
HANDBR AKE H. 2 6 4 V I D E O E N C O D I N G
34fps
19fps
15
58fps
30fps
30
45
60
1,920 x 1,080, Very High Detail, 0x AA
1,161
MSI GS60
300
600
900
23fps
MSI GS60
1,091
Asus G550JK
11fps
Asus G550JK
1,200
35fps
18fps
18
13
26
27
36
OVERALL
1,981
MSI GS60
1,920 x 1,080, High Detail, 0x AA
500
1,000
1,500
33fps
MSI GS60
1,830
Asus G550JK
2,000
0
Minimum
SPEED
DESIGN
22/25 17/25
HARDWARE
VALUE
24/25 21/25
OVERALL SCORE
84%
48fps
39
52
Average
VERDICT
Enviable power inside a slim, light and
sturdy exterior, but the impressive
dimensions also mean it gets quite hot
and noisy.
31
GAMING MOUSE
Aorus Thunder M7/70
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.dabs.com
here seems to be something of a glut of hardware

manufacturers spinning off their gaming
peripherals wings into separate, standalone
brands. Thermaltake did it with its Tt eSPORTS department,
Kingston is attempting to do it with its HyperX brand and
now Gigabyte is getting in on the act with its Aorus brand.
The team behind the new name isnt playing safe either,
as the 70 M7 is a distinctive first release. Aimed squarely at
the MMO crowd, its festooned with large buttons down its
thumb-side edge, which has the unfortunate result of
making it look a little ugly and unbalanced.
Another unusual styling choice is the pair of transparent
panels built into the body of the M7. Peering through these
panels reveals a plastic shroud shaped like a car engine,
which covers the electronics inside the M7. However, this
aesthetic feature comes across as tacky to the
average hardware enthusiast, who would
much rather see the electronics and
switches that make the M7 tick.
Were also dubious about the
number of LEDs that the M7 sports.
Call us grumpy old men, but having
the scroll wheel, DPI gauge, base,
internal logo (viewable through the
transparent panels) and a pair of
front LEDs illuminated seems a
little much. Thankfully, most of
these LEDs can be turned off in
the tidy, if basic, software suite.
Still, beauty is in the eye of the
beholder as they say and
what really matters is how the
M7 performs when the spells and charms are flying. In
this regard, however, we cant say impressions are
much improved.
For a mouse with so many buttons, the M7 is slightly
smaller than other MMO mice, meaning it feels rather
cramped when youre using it, especially when compared
with the similarly button-heavy (but slightly larger) Razer
Naga or Corsair M95. You certainly wont like using the M7 if
you favour a palm grip, as the short length of the body of the
mouse makes this grip all but unusable.
The buttons arent particularly well placed either, as
theyre all positioned above or forwards of the place where
your thumb would normally reside. On the plus side, this
keeps the buttons out of the way when youre just using the
mouse in Windows, but it also makes them tricky
to reach in games. It feels like these buttons
have been added simply to fulfil a feature
/SPECIFICATIONS
checklist, rather than carefully placed in the
Connection Wired, USB
appropriate positions.
Cable Braided
Additionally, we found that we had to disable
Material Plastic
the
single button on the other side of the M7
Extras Carry case
(which, by default, flicks between the five built-in
Peering through the

panels reveals a
plastic shroud shaped
like a car engine
32
profiles), as it was located precisely where your ring finger

typically sits. As such, we often ended up pressing it
accidentally when gripping the mouse tightly when gaming.
There are some positives to the M7 though - tracking
proved smooth and accurate on a variety of common
surfaces, and the thumb buttons have pleasant, distinct
edges, meaning theyre easy to tell apart when you need
them. These benefits really arent enough to rescue the M7,
however, and for 70, we certainly expect better design.
Conclusion
The M7 has a brave design, but it doesnt entirely work for its
intended purpose. Whether or not you like the idiosyncratic
styling is a subjective matter, of course, but the placement
of buttons around the mouse leaves a lot to be desired for
MMO gaming. Unless you have an LED fetish, the similarly
priced and significantly more polished Razer Naga or Corsair
M95 are better buys for MMO gaming.
PAUL GOODHEAD
DESIGN
FEATURES
21/40
25/35
OVERALL SCORE
VERDICT
60%
VALUE
14/25
A brave design, but the

competition from Corsair and
Razer have much more
appropriate button placement.
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How we test
Thorough testing and research is the key to evaluating whether a product
is worth buying, and deciding whether or not theres a better alternative
PROCESSORS
We judge CPUs on whether they offer sufficient speed for the price. Part of a CPUs speed score comes from how
overclockable it is. Every type of CPU is tested in the same PC, so all results are directly comparable.
INTEL LGA2011-V3
INTEL LGA1150
Intel
LGA1150
CPU
Asus Maximus VII

Ranger
16GB Corsair
Vengeance Pro
1,600MHz DDR3
+
240GB
OCZ Vector
150
Intel
LGA2011 -v3
CPU
+
Asus
Rampage V
Extreme
16GB Corsair
Vengeance LPX
2,133MHz DDR4
512GB Crucial
MX100
COMMON
COMPONENTS
AMD FM2+
+
AMD FM2+
APU
+
Gigabyte G1 Sniper
A88X
16GB Corsair Dominator

Platinum 2,133MHz DDR3
(GPU testing)
+
8GB G.Skill RipjawsX
1,600MHz DDR3
(CPU testing)
+
256GB Plextor
M5 Pro
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 780 3GB
Windows 7
64-bit
TESTS: We use the Custom PC Media Benchmarks (or CPC RealBench 2014 on LGA2011-V3), Cinebench R11.5 and a variety of games. We
also test the power draw of the test PC with the CPU installed. These tests reveal a broad range of performance characteristics, from image
editing to gaming and video encoding to 3D rendering. We run all tests at stock speed and again when overclocked to its highest frequency.
*Please note: We test AMD FM2+ APUs using the on-board graphics, not the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB
GRAPHICS CARDS
Graphics cards are mainly evaluated on how fast they are for their price. However, we also consider the efficacy and
quietness of the cooler. Every graphics card is tested in the same PC, so all results are directly comparable.
4.2GHz Intel Core

i5-3570K
34
8GB Corsair Dominator

2,400MHz DDR3
Asus Maximus V
Extreme
Windows 7
64-bit
= SCORES
The graphics card

were reviewing
CUSTOM PC MEDIA BENCHMARKS
+
2.66GHz Intel Core 2
Duo E6750
+
2GB of Corsair
1,066MHz DDR2
+
250GB Samsung
SpinPoint P120S
= 1,000
Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP
MOTHERBOARDS
Motherboards are evaluated on everything from layout and features to overclockability
and value for money. Every motherboard is tested with the same components, so all
results are directly comparable.
INTEL LGA1150
AMD FM2+
Motherboard
16GB Corsair
Intel
240GB
on test
Vengeance Pro OCZ Vector
Core
1,600MHz DDR3
i7-4770K
150
INTEL LGA2011-V3
Motherboard
on test
16GB Corsair
Vengeance Pro
2,133MHz DDR3
COMMON COMPONENTS
Intel Core Motherboard Plextor M6 32GB Crucial

i7-5960X
on test
256GB 2,133MHz DDR4
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 780 3GB*
The
Awards
EXTREME
ULTRA
+
AMD
A10-7850K
Our benchmark suite

simulates how people
really use PCs, and a
higher score is better.
You can download the
suite from http://tinyurl.
com/CPCbenchies
Windows 7
64-bit
TESTS: We use the Custom PC Media Benchmarks (or CPC RealBench 2014 on LGA2011-V3 ) and
several games, and also test the speeds of the boards SATA ports. We try to overclock every
motherboard we review by testing for a maximum QPI, base clock or HTT as well as overclocking the
CPU to its maximum air-cooled level. We run our tests at stock speed and with the CPU overclocked.
*Please note: We test AMD FM2+ motherboards using the on-board graphics, not the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB
Some products are

gloriously over the
top. These items of
excellent overkill
earn our Extreme
Ultra award.
PREMIUM
GRADE
Premium Grade
products are
utterly desirable
wed eat nothing
but beans until we
could afford them.
PROFESSIONAL
Products worthy of
the Professional
award make you
and your business
appear even more
awesome.
APPROVED
Approved products
are those that do a
great job for the
money; theyre the
canny purchase for
a great PC.
CUSTOM KIT
TESTS: By using the fast PC detailed on the left, we can be sure that any limitations are due to the
graphics card on test. We test the four games (above) at their maximum detail settings, in their highest
DirectX mode, at several resolutions. High-end cards should be able to sustain playable frame rates at
2,560 x 1,440, while 1,920 x 1,080 is more important for mid-range cards; we also now test at 5,760 x
1,080 for three-screen setups, and 3,840 x 2,160 for 4K monitors. We also try to overclock every
graphics card we test to assess the performance impact.
For those gadgets

and gizmos that
really impress us,
or that we cant
live without,
theres the Custom
Kit award.
35
Custom Kit
Paul Goodhead checks out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys
CARD GAME
DrunkQuest / 18
inc VAT
Borne of Kickstarter (isnt everything, these days?), DrunkQuest is

inspired by Dungeons & Dragons. Everyone draws a character, each of
which has various abilities, and you then kill monsters as they appear
to get loot. Unlike Dungeons & Dragons, however, damage is dealt to
monsters via consuming drink want to kill a bigger monster and get
more loot? Well, youd better top up that pint.
Joking aside, its fun to play. Its well balanced,
moves at just the right pace and the cards
are witty and have clearly had a lot of time
and thought lavished on them. The only
annoyance is that DrunkQuest is currently only
distributed in the USA, so while the game is
affordable, the shipping costs sting a little.
LAGER
REAL ALE
SUPPLIER www.amazon.com
iPHONE CASE
IN1 Multi-tool Utility

Case / 35
inc VAT
EXTERNAL HARD DISK
Samsung Wireless Mobile

Streaming Device / 104
inc VAT
While the Samsung Wireless Mobile Streaming Device may have a name only
a mother could love, its an exceedingly handy gadget. Its primarily a USB 3
hard disk, and with 1.5TB of storage on hand and sequential read/write speeds
of 115MB/sec and 107MB/sec respectively, it will satisfy all but the biggest data
hoarders. As the name implies, it also has an internal Wi-Fi antenna and
battery, meaning the disk can be accessed wirelessly on the move by mobile
devices. Android users get a swish bespoke app, whereas iOS users
(unusually) have to make do with clunky browser-based access. It can even
bravely sacrifice its own 4,000mAh battery to charge a flagging phone or
tablet via a USB power output. Honestly, whats not to like?
STREAMING EYES
STREAMING MEDIA
SUPPLIER www.dabs.com
38
Whenever we think that iPhone

case innovation cant go any further,
a new design always comes along
to prove us wrong. The IN1 Multitool case, as you can probably
guess, is an effort to stuff a multitool system into an iPhone 5 case.
In terms of the stuffing, IN1 has
achieved this feat rather well. All
the usual suspects are present
(scissors, a pair of screwdrivers, nail
file, tweezers toothpick and so on),
and all the bits stash away neatly in
the back of the case.
Putting the tools to use is a
different matter, however; build
quality is generally poor, and theyre all
so small that there is barely anything to actually grip in
your hand. Furthermore, the cavity in the rear of the case
(that the tools slip into) makes the case feel lightweight. It
all adds up to a disappointing experience when you
consider the asking price.
MULTI-FOOL
MULTI-TOOL
SUPPLIER www.amazon.co.uk
P O R TA B L E S P E A K E R
Bayan Audio Soundbook GO / 80

Bayan Audio is a relatively new brand in the world of portable audio,
and it has a new range of portable speakers, the most affordable of
which is the Soundbook GO you see here. The name is inspired by the
rugged magnetic cover that protects the face of the device, which
unfolds to create a clever stand, much like Apples iPad Smart Covers.
Its all very slick and pleasing, especially as opening the cover
automatically turns on the speaker too.
inc VAT
Pairing is a breeze thanks to built-in NFC, and the resultant audio is

perfectly acceptable. It fails to hit the very high or very low notes, but its
well balanced and we didnt hear any crackling or distortion, even at top
volume. The Bluetooth speaker market is hyper-competitive at the
moment, but Soundbook GO should be on your shortlist.
SILENCE
SCIENCE
SUPPLIER www.bayanaudio.com
B AT T E RY PAC K
PNY CL51 Soft Touch

Edition / 40
inc VAT
ST E R E O S P E A K E R S
Nakamichi NBS 10 / 60
inc VAT
The Nakamichi NBS 10 Bluetooth speakers certainly look smart, with

each speaker being just larger than a cricket ball and covered in
attractive, woven fabric. They sound smart too audio is detailed and
clear, although you inevitably sacrifice bass impact with such small
units. The fact that the speakers pair with each other wirelessly (so
they can be spread out) helps too theyre quite capable of filling a
large room with audio. One weakness is battery life, however; four
hours of service is all you get, and they only include a USB charging
cable. This makes the bundle annoying if you want to use them at
home, as well as on the move wed rather see them with mains
plugs so they can be left in position, rather than having to hook them
up to the PC to recharge every few days.
BOBBY BALL
CRICKET BALL
SUPPLIER www.nakamichi.co.uk
Credit card-sized, just under 20mm thick and covered in a lovely softtouch finish, the PNY CL51 is a pleasing device to hold. Its useful too,
as it has a 5100mAh lithium-polymer cell stashed inside its shell. This
battery gives the CL51 a longer life than many other batteries weve
seen, as lithium-polymer cells tend
to degrade slower than the more
traditional lithium-ion models.
Power is outputted via two USB
ports (one 1A, one 2.1A), both of
which can be used at the same
time. The CL51 charged our Lumia
925 once fully, then again with up
to 60 per cent juice a reasonable
result, but less than the 189 per
cent charge we saw from the
Power Cases unit we saw in
Issue 122. The CL51 is smaller
and more discreet, however, so its
still a great choice if portability is
your priority.
POLYP
POLYMER
Seen something worthy of appearing in Custom Kit? Send your suggestions to
paul_goodhead@dennis.co.uk
39
L A B S T E ST
Intel Haswell-E
Intels Haswell-E processor line-up includes Intels first 8-core desktop CPU and a cutprice 6-core chip. We test the new processors, plus five new motherboards and several
DDR4 memory kits, and show you how to get the best out of Intels new platform
ts been a big month for PC enthusiasts. Its exciting enough

when a new range of high-end processors emerges from
the foundry, but Intels factory-fresh Haswell-E silicon is
accompanied by several other high-end components. The top-end
Core i7-5960X has eight cores, a huge cache and a stratospheric
price, and Intels two other new CPUs arent much less powerful
they both have six cores, high clock speeds and lashings of cache.
Theyre designed to work with Intels new top-end X99 chipset,
and the platform is also the first desktop PC system to support DDR4
memory. It can also offer up to 40 PCI-E 3 lanes to facilitate high-end
graphics configurations, and theres support for more SATA 6Gbps
connectors and USB ports than ever before. The new components
combine to make a tempting new platform: 6-core and 8-core CPUs
have enough grunt to handle every application, including intensive
3D content creation workloads, DDR4 is a big step forwards for

memory, and motherboards are more versatile than ever.
These new releases mean theres plenty of new kit from which to
choose, but that can be confusing, with processors that range in price
from 290 to 760 and motherboards that are hundreds of pounds
apart. Never fear, though, as weve delved inside the trio of new
processors to find out which provides the best bang for your buck,
and weve put five new motherboards through their paces too.
Not only that, but weve also dived inside the three CPUs and the
X99 chipset to explain whats new, and tested several DDR4 kits too.
Finally, theres also a guide to overclocking Haswell-E so, if you
have a new chip, you can delve into the EFI and eke even more
performance out of the new silicon.
MIKE JENNINGS AND MATTHEW LAMBERT
Featured this issue

How we test / p41
Inside Haswell-E and the X99 chipset /p42
How to overclock Haswell-E / p48
DDR4 memory test / p52
Results / p64
40
CPUs
Intel Core i7-5820K / p43
Intel Core i7-5930K / p44
Intel Core i7-5960X / p46
Motherboards
Asus Rampage V Extreme / p54
EVGA X99 Classified / p56
Gigabyte X99-Gaming 5 / p58
MSI X99S Gaming 7 / p60
MSI X99S SLI Plus / p62
How we test
Weve used the

latest RC of our new
benchmarks suite,
RealBench 2014, to
test Haswell-E, as
it properly stresses
multiple threads
and uses up-to-date
software
CPUs
We test each of the Haswell-E CPUs in the
Asus Rampage V Extreme motherboard,
using a 16GB (4 x 4GB) kit of Corsair
Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM. While this
memory is rated at 2,666MHz, we run it
at 2,133MHz for testing, as this is the
maximum officially supported frequency
of the Haswell-E processors for more
information about the impact of memory
frequency see p52. We also use a Crucial
MX100 512GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce
GTX 780 3GB. Meanwhile, the CPU is
cooled using a SilverStone Tundra TD02
liquid-cooler, and the system is powered by
an Enermax Revolution 85+ 950W PSU. All
tests are performed with an up-to-date
version of Windows 7 64-bit.
Each CPU is first tested at its stock
settings, with the EFI set to optimised
defaults before booting into Windows. We
then attempt to overclock each chip to its
highest possible frequency, although we
keep the memory locked at 2,133MHz so
that performance differences are down
to the CPU alone. Once a stable CPU
frequency is found that doesnt cause the
chip to overheat and throttle in stress tests,
we repeat the full benchmark suite.
Were currently developing an updated
version of our in-house benchmarks, called
RealBench 2014, and weve used the latest
release candidate here, as its much better
optimised to take advantage of multithreaded processors than the 2007 Media
Benchmarks suite, and it uses the latest
software and CPU extensions. There are
four tests: a Gimp image editing run with a
focus on single-threaded performance; a
highly multi-threaded video compression
run using Handbrake; an OpenCL test using
LuxMark; and a heavy multi-tasking run,
which is essentially a combination of all
three tests. Each test produces an individual
point score, with the final system score
being a weighted average of the three.
Were not including the Luxmark OpenCL
benchmark in this test, as Haswell-E
processors have no on-board GPU.
We also run benchmarks using multiple
rendering programs: Cinebench R15,
Lightwave 11.6 and Terragen 3. Cinebench
has a built-in CPU benchmark that outputs
a score, while Lightwave and Terragen are
We test in-game performance using the built-in

CPU benchmark in Shogun 2: Total War
Our Lightwave test records the time taken to

render a custom frame in seconds
used to render single frames from custommade scenes, reporting the time taken by
the rendering process in seconds. We also
run the computation fluid dynamics
benchmark Euler3D, which outputs a CFD
cycle frequency result in hertz. All of these
tests are heavy computing tasks that stress
multiple threads at once.
To test game performance, we use
Shogun 2: Total Wars built-in benchmark,
capturing the minimum and average frame
rate of the first 60 seconds with Fraps. We
also test The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, with a
60-second manual play-through in the
area outside Whiterun at 1,920 x 1,080
with Ultra detail settings and 0x AA. Neither
test is GPU-limited, with the onus on the
motherboard and CPU to perform.
All system, CPU and gaming tests are run
three times, and our reported results are
the averages of these runs.
Finally, we measure total system power
consumption using a watt meter when
the system is idle and under load using
Prime95s smallfft stress test. As well as
the three Haswell-E CPUs, weve also
tested the Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4930K
and Devils Canyon Core i7-4790K for
comparison. These CPUs were tested at

stock speeds only, as we no longer have all
the hardware required to replicate the
original overclocks. Since AMD has no
products that compete against Haswell-E,
comparisons are between Intel CPUs only.
Motherboards
All motherboards are tested using the Intel
Core i7-5960X with a 32GB (4 x 8GB) kit of
Crucial 2,133MHz DDR4 memory, a Plextor
M6 Pro 256GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce
GTX 780 3GB. The CPU is cooled using a
Cooler Master Nepton 280L liquid cooler
and the system is powered by an Antec
High Current Pro 850W PSU. All tests are
performed with an up-to-date version of
Windows 7 64-bit.
We again use the latest RC of the new
CPC benchmarks, as they stress almost
every part of a system, and should
therefore tease out differences if certain
sub-systems arent performing optimally.
We also run Cinebench R15 and the Shogun
2 CPU test to see how the boards handle
rendering and gaming workloads. Power
consumption is measured in the same way
as with the CPUs.
41
L A B S T E ST / HASWELL-E
Haswell-E CPUs
I
ntels new Haswell-E Extreme

Edition processors sit at the very
top of its consumer product stack.
They replace the Ivy Bridge-E processors
from last year, and mark the arrival of the X99
chipset, the LGA2011-v3 socket, desktop
DDR4 memory and Intels first 8-core
socketed desktop CPU. As before, there are
three models launching, with the primary
market being digital content creators,
enthusiasts and benchmarking overclockers.
All three CPUs have no integrated GPU,
and all have a 140W TDP, up
10W from the previous
generation. As Core i7 parts,
the chips all support HyperThreading too, so they can
process twice as many
threads as they have cores.
Each CPU also has an
unlocked multiplier, and
support for quad-channel
DDR4 memory, with an official maximum
memory frequency of 2,133MHz.
The Haswell-E silicon comprises a
whopping 2.6 billion transistors inside a
die area of 356mm2. This is a 40 per cent
increase in the number of transistors
compared to Ivy Bridge-E, which is mainly
down to the addition of two extra cores; this
also explains the increased TDP.
Enthusiasts will be pleased to note that
Intel uses solder as the interface material
between the die and heatspreader, rather
than the less effective thermal compound of
standard Haswell parts. The outcome is
improved heat transfer and, hopefully,
improved overclocking potential.
The die layout is the same as before. The
L3 cache takes centre position, with the
Haswell cores flanking it on either side, the
memory controller on the bottom and the
queue, uncore and I/O circuitry down below.
Haswell cores are built on the same 22nm
process as Ivy Bridge, but bring small
improvements such as better branch
prediction and support for new extensions
such as AVX2. Clock for clock, it isnt a huge
speed leap, but the instructions per clock
(IPC) should be roughly 5-10 per cent higher
than the previous generation.
The Core i7-5960X is the flagship model,
with all parts of the silicon enabled. It thus has
eight physical Haswell cores, which share the
42
The X99 chipset

X99 replaces X79 as the top-end
Intel PC chipset. Naturally, it
supports the new Haswell-E
CPUs, and it also supports DDR4
RAM. X99 isnt backwards
Core
Core
compatible with older LGA2011
processors, and it has a new
LGA2011-v3 socket. This socket
Core
Core
still has dual locking arms, but the
Shared L3 Cache
pin layout is altered and the
notches are aligned differently.
Core
Core
Likewise, 240-pin DDR3 DIMMs
cant be used in the 288-pin
DDR4 slots.
Core
Core
The new chipset allows the 40
CPU-controlled PCI-E 3 lanes to
be configured in three slots
Memory Controller
(16x/16x/8x). Additional
configurations, for example with a
fourth slot or even a 5 x 8x setup,
full 20MB of L3 cache. The addition of
can also be achieved with additional logic and
two cores means a reduction in clock speed
third-party components, and theres likely to
though. In order to stay within the TDP
be considerable variation in how board
confines, Intel has lowered the clock speed
manufacturers configure PCI-E 3 lanes,
from 3.6GHz on the Core i7-4960X to just
especially when using the 28-lane Core
3GHz on the 5960X, with a maximum Turbo
i7-5820K. Eight PCI-E 2 lanes are also
frequency of 3.5GHz (down from 4GHz),
supplied, and as PCI-E storage is now
thermal headroom permitting. However, the
supported, these lanes are likely to be partly
Core i7-5960X has the full set of 40 PCI-E 3
allocated to M.2 and/or SATA Express slots,
lanes available to it.
though faster PCI-E 3 lanes can also be used.
Next is the Core i7-5930K, which drops
Finally, Intel has upgraded X99s interfaces.
two cores and the associated 2.5MB of L3
Both Thunderbolt and USB 3 are supported
cache per core, leaving this 6-core processor
natively up to six USB 3 ports can be used,
with a 15MB shared cache. The 40 PCI-E 3
with eight more USB 2 ones. Native SATA
lanes are all present and correct, and the
6Gbps ports have also increased from just
disabled cores mean more headroom for
two to ten. Only six of these ports are RAIDhigher clock speeds: 3.5GHz base and
compatible, although RAID 0 setups now also
3.7GHz Turbo.
support the SSD TRIM command.
Finally, the Core
i7-5820K retains all
six cores and the
15MB of cache, but
clock speeds are a
little lower (3.3GHz
base and 3.6GHz
Turbo). The main
difference is that its
limited to 28 PCI-E 3
lanes, so multiple
GPUs wont get as
much bandwidth,
and 4-way SLI
isnt supported.
Queue, Uncore, I/O
ELITE
NEW ENTRY
P 70
Intel Core i7-5820K/290
inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.ebuyer.co.uk
he Core i7-5820K stands out from

the other two Haswell-E chips
thanks to its 5800-series name, but
that isnt the only area where its different. At
290 inc VAT, its much cheaper too a great
deal for a 6-core chip.
This CPU has six physical cores, like the
i7-5930K, but its limited to 28 PCI-E lanes
with no support for 4-way SLI. Thats a big
departure from the 40 lanes and full multiGPU support included with the other two
Haswell-E chips. The i7-5820K is clocked to
3.3GHz with a 3.6GHz Turbo maximum
speeds that sit between the clocks of the
other two new parts.
When it comes to application performance,
theres little to choose between the i7-5820K
and i7-5930K they both have six cores and
the same amount of cache, with only a minor
clock speed drop to tell the two chips apart.
In our image editing test, the i7-5820Ks
score of 50,376 was virtually level with the
i7-5930K, and it was actually faster than the
i7-5960X in this largely single-threaded
test, the extra clock speed is more important
than additional cores. The quad-core
i7-4790K remained top of the pile, though,
as its 4GHz clock speed is higher than any
Haswell-E part.
In the more demanding multi-threaded
video encoding benchmark, the i7-5820Ks
score of 320,546 saw it come third out of the
three new Haswell-E chips, but its still not
much slower than the i7-4930K. Its also
around 40,000 and 70,000 points ahead of
the i7-4930K and i7-4790K respectively.
The i7-5820K remained third out of the
new chips in our multi-tasking test, although it
again remained close to the i7-5930Ks score
here, similar speeds are still more important
than having extra cores. The cheaper chips
overall application benchmark score of
135,398 was under 2,000 points behind the
i7-5930K. There may be a huge wad of cash
between the two CPUs, but the performance
gap is negligible.
It was the same story in the content
creation benchmarks. There were only 11
points between the i7-5820K and the
i7-5930K in the Cinebench R15 test and
around 300 more points to the super-fast
i7-5960X and just half a second separated
the cheaper CPUs in Lightwave. In these tests,
though, the six cores proves their worth, with
the 5820K proving significantly quick than the
standard LGA1155 Haswell chips.
None of the Haswell-E parts has proved

particularly adept at overclocking, however.
We increased the 3.3GHz clock by 1GHz with
a vcore of 1.325V, but couldnt get to 4.4GHz.
With the clock increased, performance
improved, but not enough to lift the i7-5820K
above the i7-5930K, which could also be
overclocked by 1GHz. The performance gap
between the two overclocked chips remained
slim in all our tests though.
The 5820K held its own in games too.
When running Shogun 2 at stock speeds, its
31fps minimum matched the i7-5930K and
was only 1fps behind the i7-5960X. When
overclocked, the minimum rose to 36fps
1fps behind the i7-5930K and 3fps slower
than the most expensive Haswell-E part.
Finally, the 5820Ks stock speed power
consumption figures were consistently just a
few watts behind the 5930K, but it wasnt as
efficient when overclocked. Its total system
load draw of 355W was 15W higher than that
of the 5930K, despite the identical clock and
core count of the two chips, although it was
still a good 138W from the 8-core chip.
If you want to build an extra gaming rig

with three or four GPUs then the i7-5930K
and its 40 PCI-E lanes are a better option.
For everyone else, though, the i7-5820K is
a great option for cutting cost the cost of
multi-threaded performance, without
sacrificing much speed.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
45/50
FEATURES
VALUE
9/15 30/35
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
84%
The bargain of the Labs, thanks to

performance thats almost level with its
pricier 6-core stablemate.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency 3.3GHz
Turbo Boost frequency 3.6GHz
Core architecture Haswell-E
Manufacturing process 22nm
Conclusion
The i7-5820K is the bargain of the Haswell-E
range. In most of our benchmarks its not far
behind the i7-5930K, despite costing 140
less. The clock speed, cache and architectural
improvements mean its faster than the
i7-4930K, despite the older chip having a
higher speed and price, and its better than the
i7-4790K in every test bar image editing too.
Number of cores Six physical, 12 logical

Memory controller Quad-channel DDR4, up to
2,133MHz
Cache L1: 32KB (each core), L2: 256KB (each
core), L3: 15MB (shared)
Packaging LGA2011-v3
Thermal design power 140W
Features SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, SSE4.1, SSE
4.2, Turbo Boost 2, Hyper-Threading, Smart
Cache, EIST, AES-NI
43
L A B S T E ST / LGA2011-V3 CPUs
Intel Core i7-5930K/ 430
inc VAT
he i7-5930Ks 430 asking price

might be way cheaper than the
760 required for the 8-core
i7-5960X, but it has its work cut out when
the significantly cheaper 5820K has such a
similar specification.
The i7-5930K has six cores two fewer
than the i7-5960X, but two more than Intels
LGA1155 processors. Theyre clocked to
3.5GHz with a Turbo peak of 3.7GHz, which is
the highest frequency of the three Haswell-E
parts. This chip also stands out from the
i7-5820K thanks to its 40 PCI-E lanes the
cheaper chip only has 28.
While the i7-5930K doesnt have as many
cores as the i7-5960X, its higher base clock
still gives it an advantage in apps that are
mostly single-threaded. As such, its able to
outpace a chip thats more than 300 more
expensive in our image editing test, where the
i7-5930K scored 51,315. Thats the best result
from all the Haswell-E chips, although its still
unable to topple the i7-4790K with its 4GHz
stock speed.
That was the only benchmark where the
i7-5930K beat the 8-core chip though. In our
heavily multi-threaded video encoding test,
it settled into second place with a score of
324,929. That score is telling too, as its very
close to the 320,546 scored by the cheaper
i7-5820K, but unable to touch the 405,115
result from the i7-5960X.
That pattern emerged again in the multitasking test. The i7-5930Ks score of 163,678
squeezed past the cheaper Haswell-E chip,
but theres a much wider gap between the
5930K and the 5960X those two extra
cores make a significant difference in these
scenarios. These scores combine for an
overall system score of 137,066. This result
is a couple of thousand points ahead of the
i7-5820K, but its a long way behind the
i7-5960X the two extra cores lift the pricier
chip to an overall score of 158,169.
The 5930K couldnt shake off the 5820K in
our 3D content creation benchmarks though.
The 5930Ks 1,084 points in Cinebench was
only 11 more than the cheaper chip, and the
two were only half a second apart in
Lightwave and both were around eight
seconds back from the 4960X. That pattern
was repeated in Euler3D and Terragen too.
We then took to the EFI to eke more
performance from the i7-5930K. Our sample
wouldnt accept any more voltage than 1.3V,
but we finally got the silicon stable with a
44
1.25V vcore and a 4.5GHz clock speed.

Thats the highest overclocked speed of any
Haswell-E chip, but it isnt the biggest leap
from stock speed this chips 1GHz
improvement doesnt match the 1.3GHz of
extra juice we extracted from the i7-5960X.
The overclock gave us decent
improvements in our benchmarks, but they
did nothing to change the status quo. In the
video encoding benchmark, the gap between
the i7-5930K and the i7-5960X grew wider,
and in the multi-tasking benchmark, the
overclocked 5930K part was still closer to
the i7-5820K than the 8-core flagship. The
5930K hit a revised overall score of 158,601
when overclocked, which was still just 4,000
points ahead of the 5820K.
Conclusion
The i7-5930K has a slightly higher clock
speed than the cheaper i7-5820K, but extra
frequency made little practical difference in
our tests, except our image editing
benchmark. As such, the i7-5930K only
really makes sense in certain types of
gaming rig, as it has 40 PCI-E lanes, while the
i7-5820K makes do with 28 lanes and has no
support for 4-way SLI at all.
If youre building a system with three or
four high-end graphics cards, then the
5930Ks extra PCI-E lanes will make a
difference. For everyone else, though, the
similar application performance and 3D

content creation performance of the
significantly cheaper 5820K effectively
makes the 5930K redundant.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
46/50
FEATURES
VALUE
10/15 19/35
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
75%
Its quick, but a high price means its only

suitable for high-end gaming setups.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency 3.5GHz
Number of cores Six physical, 12 logical
2,133MHz
Features SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, SSE4.1, SSE
Cache, EIST, AES-NI
Intel Core i7-5960X/760
inc VAT
he Core i7-5960X is Intels

gleaming desktop flagship, with no
compromises. It has the full-fat
Haswell-E silicon, so it has a fearsome
specification, including eight cores, 20MB of
shared L3 cache and Hyper-Threading.
However, the eight cores have resulted in a
slight reduction in clock speed. The 5960X
runs at 3GHz, which is less than the 3.6GHz
from last years 4960X, and its also less than
the frequencies of both the 5930K and even
the 5820K.
As such, benchmark results arent always
clear-cut. While this new chip is an undeniable
beast in most of our tests, its lower clock
speed and higher core count mean it isnt
always the best option in applications that
arent heavily multi-threaded.
For example, in our image editing
benchmark, the 5960X scored 49,038 points
but the two other Haswell-E parts, with their
lower core counts and higher clock speeds,
returned better results. At the top of the heap
is the quad-core 4790K, which is cheaper
than any Haswell-E chip, but has a higher
clock speed. The 5960X flexed its multi-core
muscle in our multi-threaded video encoding
test, though, where it scored 405,115 a long
way beyond the 5930Ks 324,929, and miles
ahead of every other CPU weve tested.
The 8-core chip further demonstrated its
prowess in the heavy multi-tasking
benchmark, where its score of 170,329 was
almost 7,000 points ahead of the nearest
challenger. It all adds up to a total system
score of 158,169 a fair distance ahead of the
137,066 from the i7-5930K.
Not surprisingly, the 5960X stormed
through our heavily multi-threaded 3D
content creation tests too. Its 1,392 score in
Cinebench R15 was more than 300 points
better than its nearest rival, and it led by
almost eight seconds in Lightwave. The
i7-5960X was also the only chip to hit a
double-figure cycle frequency in Euler3D, and
it took a healthy lead in Terragen as well.
The presence of eight powerful cores
makes overclocking hard though. We raised
the base clock to a modest 4.3GHz using a
1.4V vcore and the chip immediately throttled
its speed. We only got the chip stable by
reducing the vcore to 1.3375V, and couldnt get
the CPU to run at 4.4GHz with any amount of
voltage. Heat was a constant theme when
overclocking the i7-5960X would certainly
benefit from water cooling.
46
It isnt the biggest boost, but the i7-5960X

still demonstrated sizeable benchmark
improvements. Its score jumped up by
70,000 in the video encoding test, and its
overall system score jumped from 158,169 to
185,541. The gap between the i7-5960X and
the i7-5930K widened when overclocked too.
We saw similar improvements in the 3D
content creation tests. The overclock added
almost 300 points in the Cinebench test, and
trimmed nearly four seconds from its
Lightwave time.
Not surprisingly, though, the 5960Xs extra
cores didnt make much difference in our
gaming tests. When running at stock speed,
the chips minimum of 32fps in Shogun 2:
Total War was only 1fps quicker than the other
two Haswell-E parts. When overclocked, the
i7-5960Xs minimum rose to 39fps but that
was only 2fps better than the i7-5820K.
On the plus side, the lower clock speed has
a positive impact on idle power consumption.
The i7-5960Xs idle figure of 64W was lower
than both the other Haswell-E chips, and the
peak consumption of 119W at load was only
a few watts ahead of the other two Haswell-E
chips. However, the 8-core chip was
exceedingly power-hungry when
overclocked, where its peak total system
power draw was a mighty 493W.
Conclusion
Theres no denying the i7-5960Xs power in
heavily multi-threaded workloads, but it isnt
dominant in every test in applications where
clock speed is preferable to cores, cheaper

chips proved better bets. The stratospheric
price also means that this chip is only suitable
for those who perform an awful lot of 3D
content creation and have deep wallets. If
thats you, though, this chip offers an
incredible amount of power.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
49/50
FEATURES
VALUE
10/15 19/35
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
78%
A monster chip, but its high price means its

only for those who will use all of its power.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency 3GHz
Number of cores Eight physical, 16 logical
2,133MHz
Features SSE, SSE2, SSE3, , SSE4, SSE4.1, SSE
Cache, EIST, AES-NI
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Overclocking
Haswell-E
T
o overclock one of Intels new

Haswell-E CPUs, just follow these
guides. Weve used what we
consider to be safe overclocks, which are
a few hundred megahertz lower than the
maximums we achieved in our reviews.
These settings should be attainable on any
CPU, as long as you have a decent air or liquid
cooler sub-par cooling systems will
instantly limit your overclocking potential on
these hot-running CPUs.
Intel Core i7-5820K and Core

i7-5930K
Other than the PCI-E lane support and the
out-of-the-box frequency, these 6-core
chips are identical, and their overclocking
potential is thus very similar. However,
overclocking headroom varies between
samples, and we hit 4.5GHz with the Core
i7-5930K, but only 4.3GHz with our Core
i7-5820K. Nevertheless, our guide will show
you how to get them to 4.2GHz, as this was
attainable with both chips using voltages that
should be manageable with a good cooler.
Your first job is to check core temperatures
when under load at stock speeds. Go to
www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp and download
48
the latest version of Core Temp. Youll also

need a copy of Prime95 from http://tinyurl.
com/prime95test, which will put your CPU
under stress to test load temperatures, as
well as CPU-Z from www.cpuid.com,
which gives you a real-time readout of your
CPU frequency.
1 Your CPU temperatures should be under

70C at load (ideally below 65C) when
running the Prime95 smallfft test. If its above
this temperature, youll need a better CPU
cooler. Our Core i7-5820Ks maximum
temperature at stock speed, for example, is
58C using a SilverStone Tundra TD02, so we
have a healthy amount of headroom.
2 Head into your motherboards EFI, which
is usually achieved by tapping the Del key
when you start the PC. You then need to
locate the overclocking section, which is easy
on every X99 board weve used so far. On our
Asus Rampage V Extreme motherboard, its
called the Extreme Tweaker section, and it
has its own dedicated tab.
3 Find the core ratio or multiplier control
you may have to enable manual overclocking
to be able to change this setting on some

motherboards. Weve highlighted this setting
in the screenshot, where you can see its set
to Auto by default.
4 Type 42 into the core ratio setting. This is

the new multiplier, which uses the 100MHz
base clock as a reference, increasing the CPU
core speed to 4.2GHz. Select Sync All Cores if
you have the option, or you may end up only
overclocking one of the six available cores.
5 Find the voltage control. In our EFI, its
just under the frequency controls we just
tweaked, but it may be in a separate section.
Specifically, you want the CPU core voltage,
which was again set to Auto on our board by

default. Change this setting to 1.275V. In our
testing, this voltage was enough for a stable
4.2GHz frequency on both CPUs.
6 Finally, disable the CPU C-States, which

can sometimes cause stability issues when
overclocking. This setting is usually located in
the CPU power management area a section
thats under the Advanced tab in our Asus
boards EFI.
7 Save your settings usually achieved by
hitting F10 and then selecting save and exit
so your settings dont get lost. On modern
Asus ROG motherboards, such as our
Maximus V Extreme, youre also told what

settings youve changed, so you can doublecheck your work.
8 With Windows loaded, fire up Prime95,

Core Temp and CPU-Z. Your overclock may
not appear in CPU-Z until it is under load, but
be sure to check your idle temperatures first.
They should be no more than 30-35C.
After that, run the smallfft test in Prime95.
To test stability and temperatures, youll need
to run this test for two hours, followed by a
run of our latest Media Benchmarks suite.
Our CPU temperature maxed out at 82C with
an ambient room temperature of 23C. With
Haswell-E, the thermal limit can vary
depending on the chip and motherboard

used, but if your CPU temperature reaches
within 10C of the Tj Max figure reported by
Core Temp, head back to step 5 and lower the
voltage by 0.25V and try again. If you
encounter stability issues (such as a failed
Prime95 run on one or more cores, or a blue
screen), go back to step 4 and lower the CPU
multiplier by one before trying again.
9 With a stable overclock now at your

fingertips, go back your motherboards EFI
and assign your settings to an overclocking
profile a feature supported by most modern
boards, which will save your settings for easy
retrieval if you ever need to reset the CMOS.
49
Intel Core i7-5960X

Our maximum 5960X overclock was 4.3GHz, but it required a hefty
vcore. Whats more, only one motherboard out of five could keep it
stable at this frequency, and the voltage needed stretched our
SilverStone Tundra TD02 cooler to its limits. Those two extra cores
make for a phenomenal heat output, so we suggest using a safer
frequency of 4GHz instead, which should be attainable on the

majority of CPUs using a half-decent cooler. Of course, feel free to
aim higher, especially if youre using a custom water-cooling loop.
Before you start, install Core Temp, Prime95 and CPU-Z using the
links earlier in this article, and check that your temperatures are no
higher than 65C under load at stock frequencies.
1 Head into your motherboards BIOS/EFI system by hitting the Del

key as soon as you see a display on the screen, and locate the
overclocking section. On Asus ROG motherboards, its usually called
the Extreme Tweaker section, but it should be fairly easy to find.
2 Find the core ratio or CPU multiplier setting and set it to 40.
Combined with the 100MHz base clock (which you dont need to
adjust), this setting gives us our desired 4GHz clock speed. Also,
ensure that the ratio applies to all eight cores and not just one.
3 Put 1.225V into the vcore or CPU core voltage section. You may
need to enable manual voltage adjustment (called fully manual
mode on our board) to access the setting. This voltage should be
enough to keep the CPU stable at 4GHz without overheating.
4 Dont forget to save your overclock settings permanently to one

of your motherboards profile slots, then you wont lose them if you
ever have to clear the CMOS.
5 Hit F10 and select save and exit to save the current settings, then Boot into Windows, open Prime95 and run the smallfft test, checking
CPU-Z to ensure the overclock has been applied and using Core Temp to monitor temperatures. Our CPU again peaked at 82C (ambient
23C), leaving some overclocking headroom. If your CPU is similar, try aiming for a higher overclock we managed 4.3GHz using 1.3375V.
50
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L A B S T E ST / DDR4 MEMORY
The best memory for Haswell-E

All about DDR4
Since it launched in 2007, DDR3 has become
almost universal in the technology and PC
industries, and is now found in most desktop,
laptop, server and even mobile devices
worldwide. However, after seven years, its
replacement has finally arrived. Earlier this
year, ECC DDR4 modules began shipping to
server consumers, and now Intels X99
chipset has brought it to the desktop PC.
The two main aims of DDR4 are increased
performance and lower power consumption.
The latter is mostly achieved through a lower
standard operating voltage of 1.2V (down
from 1.5V). For server and workstation farms,
for example, any component that can reduce
its power consumption by 20 per cent will be
received favourably. For consumers, the
lower voltage doesnt mean much (although
better efficiency is never bad), but the
different signalling voltages are one of the
main reasons that compatibility with DDR3
platforms is impossible.
Despite the lowered voltage, frequency is
up thanks in part to more advanced signalling
methods, and this is a major driver of
increased performance. DDR4 modules and
kits start at 2,133MHz, and over the years, its
likely this standard will increase in much the
same way that DDR3 moved from 1,066MHz
to a more commonly accepted 1,600MHz
minimum, at least in desktop PCs. At this early
stage, though, timings arent outstanding.
CL15 is the standard for 2,133MHz modules,
but DDR3 modules of the same frequency
can be found with CL11 or even CL9 latency.
Even so, the situation is likely to improve as
manufacturing processes are refined, and
even now, there are launch models available
at 3,200MHz with CL16 timings.
DDR4 also paves the way for higher
capacity memory modules, since chip
densities up to and including 16Gb are now
supported the previous limit was 8Gb.
However, much like the lower power
consumption, the benefits of increased chip
density will first and foremost be felt in the
server space.
DDR4 modules are physically different to
DDR3 ones too, as both a result of the new
technologys requirements and the need to
prevent modules being installed in the wrong
slots. The pin count has been increased from
240 to 288, and the alignment notch is in a
52
different position. Pins in the middle are also

longer than those on the outsides. Modules
are still 133.35mm long, but are 31.25mm tall
rather than 30.35mm, in order to make signal
routing easier.
Its still early days for DDR4, and Intels
unexpected push of the X99 launch from
September to August apparently caught
many manufacturers by surprise.
Nevertheless, we managed to get our
hands on four kits from three manufacturers,
with speeds ranging from 2,133MHz to
3,000MHz. We ran a few benchmarks with
the different kits to test the impact of memory
frequency with X99 and Haswell-E, the
results of which you can see here.
One factor to note is that when
overclocking with Haswell-E, youll need a
CPU strap and base clock of 125MHz or higher
when using frequencies of 2,666MHz or
above. XMP profiles should set these
frequencies automatically, but you wont be
able to boot using a 100MHz strap if you want
to run your memory this fast. This situation is
hard-coded into the CPUs and cant be
avoided by motherboard manufacturers.
What memory should I buy?

The most important element on your
memory shopping list needs to be buying a
quad-channel kit, or youll be wasting half the
bandwidth available to you. Fortunately,
nearly all DDR4 kits are sold as quad-channel
anyway. As for size, most users will be fine
with 16GB. None of our benchmarks has ever
shown a significant benefit to using more
than this amount, but if youre frequently

working with massive design files or running
multiple virtual machines, for example,
theres certainly reason to consider 32GB or
even 64GB.
Most of our benchmarks do show at least
some scaling in line with memory frequency,
and with each frequency boost, we see a
slightly higher system score, with multitasking being the workload that benefits
most. The rendering benchmarks also show
improvement at higher frequencies, but the
benefits are incredibly small. Theres just a
six-point difference in Cinebench between
2,133MHz and 3,000MHz, and the Lightwave
rendering time improves by just 0.1 seconds
with each increase. As for gaming, faster
memory appears to bring no benefit, at least
with our single GPU setup.
Although it wont be relevant to most
people, power consumption also increases
with memory frequency. By far the biggest
jump, for both idle and load, is moving from
2,133MHz to 2,666MHz, due to the necessary
use of a higher system base clock.
DDR4 doesnt come cheap either, and
faster and larger kits carry a hefty premium
weve seen fast 32GB kits with asking prices
of over 1,000. Its therefore hard to make an
argument for opting for any DDR4 memory
beyond a basic 16GB (4 x 4GB) 2,133MHz kit,
since even though performance can be
improved, it doesnt improve anywhere near
enough to warrant the price hike you could
achieve similar results with a free, 100MHz
CPU frequency increase, for example.
DDR4 MEMORY
MEMORY CAPACITY
AND FREQUENCY
32GB
(4 X 8GB),
2,133MHz
16GB
(4 X 4GB),
2,666MHz
16GB
(4 X 4GB),
2,750MHz
16GB
(4 X 4GB),
3,000MHZ
Gimp image editing
49,038
49,945
50,156
50,372
Handbrake video encoding
405,115
403,276
406,214
408,939
Heavy multi-tasking
170,329
173,035
175,324
176,895
System score
158,169
158,612
159,971
161,100
Cinebench R15
1,392
1,394
1,399
1,400
Lightwave 11.6
26.7
26.6
26.5
26.4
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

105fps / 172fps
(minimum / average)
107fps / 168fps
104fps / 171fps
107fps / 172fps
Power (idle / load)
108W / 295W
110W / 297W
113W / 302W
64W / 238W
ELITE
NEW ENTRY
P 70
Corsair
Vengeance LPX
2,666MHz DDR4
MODEL NUMBER CMK16GX4M4A2666C15R
16GB, 239 inc VAT
SUPPLIER: www.advancetec.co.uk
The Vengeance LPX series is a new Corsair

range exclusively for DDR4. The modules
have excellent craftsmanship and feature a
low-profile, pure aluminium heatspreader
thats also available in blue and black, so
you can match them to your motherboard.
Latency is set at CL15 and XMP 2.0 is
supported. The kit doesnt compete well
enough on price to get an outright
recommendation, but if you need memory
thats both low-profile and overclockable
then its well worth considering.
Corsair Dominator
Platinum 2,800MHz
DDR4
MODEL NUMBER CMD16GX4M4A2800C16
PRICE 16GB, 374 inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.lambda-tek.com
This kits rated latency is

only CL16, though its
capable of achieving
much better timings
with a little
tweaking. It
features XMP 2.0
support, on-board
white LED lighting
and Corsair Link
support so you can
monitor temperatures and voltage. The
ICs are individually hand-screened and
rigorously tested, and the machined
aluminium heatsink directly cools the PCB.
Frankly, though, the price is ludicrous for the
benefits on offer only competitive
overclockers need apply.
be beaten on value, and even the 32GB

version costs less than Corsairs 16GB
Dominator Platinum one. CL15 timings
and a limited lifetime warranty mean
youre not sacrificing the basics either.
G.Skill Ripjaws 4
3,000MHz DDR4
MODEL NUMBER F4-3000C15Q-16GRR
PRICE 16GB, 197 inc VAT (pre-order)
SUPPLIER www.ebuyer.com
Crucial 2,133MHz
DDR4
MODEL NUMBER CT4K4G4DFS8213
(16GB) CT4K8G4DFD8213 (32GB)
PRICE 16GB, 150 inc VAT,
32GB, 287 inc VAT
SUPPLIER www.
morecomputers.com
This kit is as basic as they come a

green PCB with no heatspreader.
Its not very exciting, but it cant
Impressively, despite having the highest

frequency of the kits reviewed in this
test, this 16GB 3,000MHz G.Skill kit still
has CL15 timings, though it does run at
a higher voltage (1.35V) for stability,
so power consumption is a little
higher than that of some other
kits. The red heatspreader
has aggressive styling, but its
also 40mm tall, so it could
conflict with large air coolers.
XMP 2.0 is supported for
easy overclocking too. The
pricing is the best part,
however with a price
thats just under 200 inc
VAT, this kit offers truly
fantastic value for
overclocking.
/TEST KIT
Common components: Asus Rampage V Extreme motherboard, Intel Core i7-5960X CPU, Cooler
Master Nepton 280L CPU cooler, Plextor M6 Pro 256GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB graphics
card, Antec High Current Pro 850W PSU, Windows 7 64-bit
53
ELITE
NEW ENTRY
P 70
L A B S T E ST / LGA2011-V3 MOTHERBOARDS
Asus Rampage V Extreme/328
inc VAT
he Rampage V Extreme is a classic

ROG board: its PCB is wide, and it
has the familiar black and red
design. At 326, its also the most expensive
board on test. The dramatic colours are
matched with big, angular heatsinks too. The
tallest is on the left and doubles as a shroud
over the I/O, and theres more metal covering
the VRMs above and below the CPU socket.
That chunky, aggressive metal doesnt
impact on PC building though. Theres
reasonable room around the CPU socket and
the eight memory slots, and its easy enough
to get to the 8-pin CPU power plug and the
4-pin supplementary connector. That extra
connector is the first hint at this boards
enthusiast leanings too. Theres an extra
Molex connector for PCI-E power, and there
are power, reset and clear-CMOS buttons
alongside toggles for PCI-E slots. Theres also
a two-character POST display, and an M.2 slot.
The latter sits between the right-hand RAM
slots and the main power connector, which is
unusual but sensible, freeing up more room
for slots in the middle.
As Haswell-E can support up to 40 PCI-E
lanes, the Rampage allows for four-card
graphics setups, with one slot running at 16x
and the rest at 8x, although its also possible
to use two slots at full 16x speed. Asus has
installed a single 1x PCI-E slot too, and theres
also a fifth 16x PCI-E slot thats restricted to
4x, which will be fine for many other
expansion cards.
The multitude of features makes for a
cramped board, but its well laid out, with
several connectors installed at right angles
and others soldered sensibly around the
edges. Asus has installed eight SATA 6Gbps
ports, which is a couple less than rivals, but it
also has two SATA Express slots one more
than any other board on test. The backplate
is well-stocked too. No other board has ten
USB 3 connectors, and it also has dual-band
802.11ac Wi-Fi another feature not found
anywhere else in this test.
Meanwhile, the EFI is slick and easy to
navigate, and the Rampages base clock can
range from 80MHz to 300MHz, which is the
broadest gamut of any board in the Labs. That
said, the CPUs maximum voltage of 2V isnt
the highest both MSI boards offer more
electricity; however, to be fair, youre unlikely
to push your vcore beyond 2V anyway.
The Rampage talks the talk and it has the
price to match but it couldnt get beyond
54
second or third place in our new application

benchmarks, and third in Cinebench too,
although the differences are minimal. Its peak
power consumption of 238W also matched
the MSI X99S SLI Plus as the highest on test.
However, with the CPU at its stock speed the
Rampage returned a 32fps minimum in
Shogun 2 joint best in this group along with
the two MSI boards.
Where the Rampage excels, though, is in
overclocking. It was the only board in the Labs
to run our CPU stably at 4.3GHz, with every
other board topping out at 4.2GHz, although
we had to use a 1.3375V vcore to achieve that
frequency. This overclock saw the Rampage
top the table in our image editing and
Cinebench tests, but it stayed at second or
third place in the rest of our application tests.
However, the extra voltage did mean that
power consumption sky-rocketed when
overclocked and loaded with Prime95, the
493W total system power draw was 58W
higher than the nearest rival.
Conclusion
This board isnt frugal, subtle or cheap, but it
goes some way to justifying its high price for
enthusiasts. It has a broad feature set, with
enthusiast features, plenty of ports and
connectors and 802.11ax Wi-Fi, and its
overclocking prowess is obvious no other
board in this Labs could hit 4.3GHz with our
i7-5960X. It isnt cheap, but its worth the

extra cost if you can afford it.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
37/40
FEATURES
VALUE
27/30 22/30
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
86%
The Rampage is expensive, but it justifies

its cost with bucketloads of features and
enviable overclocking abilities.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Chipset Intel X99
CPU socket Intel LGA2011-v3
Memory support 8 slots: max 64GB DDR4 (up
to 3,300MHz overclocked)
Expansion slots Five 16x PCI-E 3, one 1x PCI-E 3
Sound Asus ROG SupremeFX 8-channel
Networking 1 x Intel Gigabit LAN
Overclocking Base clock 80300MHz, CPU
Multiplier 12-80x; max voltages, CPU 2.1V,
RAM 1.9V
Ports 10 x SATA 6Gbps (X99), 1 x M.2, 2 x SATA
Express, 10 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2, 1 x LAN, 1 x PS/2,
3 x audio out, line-in, mic, 1 x PS/2, 1 x optical
S/PDIF
www.iiyama.com
EVGA X99 Classified/290
inc VAT
he sleek, black X99 Classified is the

second most expensive board on
test , but It has plenty of features.
The top-right corner has power and reset
buttons, a clear-CMOS button, a triple-BIOS
switcher and a two-character POST display.
The EVGA is also the only board in the Labs to
provide two 8-pin CPU power connectors
comparably, the Asus Rampage V Extreme
only has single 8-pin and 4-pin plugs.
The EVGA is also one of only two boards on
test to include two M.2 connectors, and the
PCI-E slots make full use of Haswell-Es
potential 40 PCI-E lanes. This board can run
two 16x PCI-E slots at their full speed, or four
slots at 8x enough power for all but the
greediest of graphics configurations.
All these features mean the board is
cramped, especially the area around the
motherboard socket, but EVGA has worked to
improve cable tidying by installing most of the
edge connectors at right angles, from the
SATA ports to the ATX socket. There are ten
SATA 6Gbps ports too, but other boards are
more versatile in this respect. The Asus
Rampage V Extreme, for example, has eight
SATA 6Gbps ports and two SATA Express
connectors the latter connection is entirely
absent from the EVGA. The rear I/O panel
didnt blow us away either, as USB 2 ports
outnumber USB 3 ports by six to four.
Sadly, while the EVGA is expensive and
feature-packed, but it didnt live up to its price
in our benchmarks. It came fourth out of the
five boards in every single application
benchmark thats including our own tests
as well as Cinebench and, when running at
stock speeds, it could only manage fourth
place in the Shogun gaming test. The speed
differences are all minor, however.
We encountered several issues during our
time with the X99 Classified though. When
running with an i7-5960X, the board wouldnt
allow the CPU to drop into its low-power
state, which explains why the boards idle
power consumption of 99W was the highest
on test by 32W. The board wouldnt let the
CPU use Turbo boost properly either it was
only able to hit 3.3GHz (rather than 3.5GHz)
with all eight cores active, which we
confirmed with CPU-Z. According to EVGA,
this is normal operation, but its this behaviour
that hampered the EVGAs benchmark
performance at stock speeds.
We couldnt force the CPU to run at 3.5GHz
in the EFI either, but we could lock the chip to
56
higher speeds, so overclocking wont be

affected by that unusual issue. Overclocking
revealed issues of its own though. We ran the
5960X at a stable 4.2GHz with a 1.225V vcore,
which was the lowest on test, but theres no
sign of a variable TJ Max on this board (this
sets the allowed thermal limit of the CPU, and
its variable on other boards) its locked to
89C using a Core i7-5960X. That top figure
will probably limit serious tweakers.
When overclocked to 4.2GHz, the EVGA
improved though: it led the way in three of the
four application benchmark tests, took the
silver medal in Cinebench and gained ground
in Shogun. Power consumption improved too
when overclocked and running at load, no
board was more frugal.
interested, wed wait until BIOS updates have

ironed out the early issues and the price may
have dropped by then too.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
31/40
FEATURES
VALUE
26/30 17/30
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
74%
A high price, but one that sadly isnt matched

by this boards performance or features.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Conclusion
EVGAs board is rammed with features, but
it offers little that cant be found on other
boards, with the MSI X99S Gaming 7 also
including M.2 connectors, on-board buttons
and POST displays while costing much less.
The EVGA also misses some of the features,
such as Wi-Fi, SATA Express and a bevy of
USB 3 ports, that are included on the high-end
Asus. Combine the high price with the
inconsistent performance and strange
frequency issues, and it becomes hard to
recommend this board. If youre still
Chipset Intel X99

Expansion slots Five 16x PCI-E 3, one 4x PCI-E 3
Sound Creative 8-channel
Overclocking Base clock 80250MHz, CPU
multiplier 12-80x; max voltages, CPU 2V,
RAM 2V
Ports 10 x SATA 6Gbps (X99), 2 x M.2, 4 x USB 3,
6 x USB 2, 2 x LAN, 3 x audio out, line-in, mic, 1 x
optical S/PDIF
Gigabyte X99-Gaming 5/197
inc VAT
s its name suggests, this Gigabyte

board is designed for keen gamers,
and that means it has a keen sense
of style. The PCB is mostly black, with red and
white accents used on its heatsinks, and it has
great-looking red LEDs along the left-hand
edge and on the chipset heatsink. It will
certainly stand out through a case window.
It has the grunt to support powerful
graphics configurations as well. Two of its
16x PCI-E slots can run at their full speed
when occupied, and it can run a further two
slots if youre happy to settle for 8x speed
ideal for quad-card setups and, unlike the MSI
boards, it can accommodate four dual-slot
graphics cards too. There are three 1x PCI-E
slots too, which is more than any rival on test.
The storage configuration is impressive as
well. The Gigabyte is one of only two boards
on test that has two M.2 connectors, and its
almost 100 cheaper than the EVGA. These
connectors are both nestled among the
expansion slots, with one Socket 3 connector
for storage and a Socket 1 version for a Wi-Fi
card. There are ten SATA 6Gbps ports too, and
a SATA Express connector, although two SATA
ports will be disabled if the M.2 slot is used.
In other areas, though, the Gigabyte doesnt
offer the versatility of competitors. It lacks a
secondary CPU power socket, on-board
power or reset buttons or a POST display. The
layout isnt the best either. The CPU socket, as
with some other boards on test, is
crowded enough to make
installation of large air coolers
tricky, and the pair of CPU
fan connectors are in
the middle of the
board rather than at
the top edge, which
could prove awkward with
water coolers. Most of the
other connectors are placed
sensibly around the right-hand
edge, but most arent right-angled. Theres
nothing special about the I/O panel either,
with two PS/2 ports, six USB 3 ports and five
audio jacks.
Also, the EFI doesnt have as many settings
as rivals, and some of them are tricky to find.
The vcore has a comparatively low 1.7V limit
too, although thats more than high enough to
push a Haswell-E chip to its limits only
extreme overclockers could be bothered.
Sadly, though, the Gigabytes main problem
was performance. It sat at the bottom of the
58
pile in every one of our new application tests,

as well as Cinebench, and its overall score of
150,130 was almost 9,000 points behind the
class-leading MSI X99S Gaming 7. This board
is aimed at gamers, but it failed to impress in
Shogun 2. Its 30fps stock speed minimum
and 36fps average were the slowest on test
both honours it shares with the EVGA.
The Gigabyte suffered from the
same frequency issues as the
EVGA too it only hit a Turbo
peak of 3.3GHz, and its TJ
Max of 89C is low
compared with
rivals. These issues
explain the poor
stock speed showing.
As with most of this months
boards, we could only overclock our
i7-5960X to a stable 4.2GHz with the
Gigabyte too, though it only required a 1.25V
vcore to hit this point, which is reasonable
only the EVGA demanded less juice.
The 4.2GHz overclock didnt improve the
Gigabytes fortunes though. It still propped up
the results tables in every benchmark, and we
often noticed comparatively significant gaps
appearing between the Gigabyte and the rest
of the field.
Conclusion
The Gigabyte is a good-looking board, but it
isnt good enough to succeed in other areas. It
lacks enthusiast features that are included on

similarly priced rivals such as the MSI X99S
Gaming 7, and its speed is disappointing. In
this price bracket, the MSI X99S Gaming 7 is
an all-round better buy.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
30/40
FEATURES
VALUE
20/30 20/30
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
70%
Good storage and graphics options, but let

down by disappointing performance.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Chipset Intel X99
to 3,000Hz overclocked)
Expansion slots Four 16x PCI-E 3, three
1x PCI-E 3
Sound Creative 8-channel
Networking 1 x Killer E2201 Gigabit LAN
Overclocking Base clock 80133.33MHz, CPU
Multiplier 12-80x; max voltages, CPU 1.7V, RAM 2V
Express, 6 x USB 3, 4 x USB 2, 1 x LAN, 3 x audio
out, line-in, mic, 2 x PS/2, 1 x optical S/PDIF
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MSI X99S Gaming 7/188
inc VAT
he MSI X99S Gaming 7 is half the

price of the Asus Rampage V
Xtreme, but its almost as goodlooking. It has a similar red and black theme,
with black heatsinks banded with red metal,
while a glowing MSI Gaming Series is
illuminated on the chipset heatsink.
Its a good start, and the Gaming 7 ticks
most of the basic boxes too. It supports up to
128GB of DDR4 RAM, which is twice the
capacity of some rival boards, and it has ten
SATA 6Gbps ports, a SATA Express port and
one M.2 connector a storage specification
thats on a par with much more expensive
products. As usual, using the M.2 socket
knocks out a couple of SATA ports.
The I/O isnt bad either. Eight USB 3 ports
is two more than the Gigabyte offers, and
elsewhere theres a clear-CMOS button, a
PS/2 port, five audio jacks and an optical
S/PDIF connector. MSI has managed to make
this board feel spacious too. Theres only one
heatsink around the CPU socket, so there
arent many chances for coolers to get
obstructed, and many of the connectors are
positioned near the boards edges, with many
installed at right angles.
The bottom edge also includes a couple of
high-end features. MSI has found room in the
budget for power and reset buttons, and a
POST readout display sits nearby a button for
MSIs OC Genie. Theres one area where this
gaming board falls behind many rivals,
though, and thats with its PCI-E slots
an area that we expected many
manufacturers to exploit,
given Haswell-Es potential
40 PCI-E lanes. While this
board technically supports
four graphics cards,
though, the layout of
the 16x slots means
you can only install
three dual-slot cards. Thats only a
consideration if youre building a very highend gaming rig, but its worth bearing in mind.
This mid-range board punched above its
weight in many of our benchmarks too. In our
Shogun 2 gaming tests, for instance, its
minimum and average frame rates of 32fps
and 39fps are equal to those of the awardwinning Asus a board thats 140 more
expensive. It performed well in application
test too. It topped the results table in the three
application benchmarks, which meant it was
the fastest board overall. In Cinebench, it
60
scored 1,396 the same as the other MSI

board, and the best result in the Labs.
We could only overclock our5960X to
4.2GHz in the MSI the same result as three
other boards in this Labs, with only the Asus
able to eke a stable 4.3GHz out of the chip. In
the Gaming 7 we had to use a 1.263V vcore,
which is a tad high only the faster Asus,
and the other MSI, required more voltage.
The MSI couldnt maintain its great
benchmark performance
when overclocked,
though, despite
reaching the same
frequency as most of its
rivals. When overclocked,
it dropped to mid-table in
our application benchmarks,
and in Cinebench too, although
not by huge amounts.
Meanwhile, power
consumption was a mixed bag.
When idle at stock and overclocked speeds,
the MSI was this months most efficient
performer, but it consumed noticeably more
power when running Prime95 in this test,
its total system power draw of 414W when
overclocked was 25W more than the EVGA in
the same test.
Conclusion
The Gaming 7 squares up to the Gigabyte
when it comes to price, and its a better all-
round offering its faster in most

benchmarks, and has a better selection of
features and a decent layout. If youre in the
market for a decent X99 motherboard that
wont break the bank, this is the board to buy.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
36/40
FEATURES
VALUE
24/30 23/30
VERDICT
OVERALL SCORE
83%
A well-balanced board that offers high-end

features without a bank-breaking price.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Chipset Intel X99
Expansion slots Four 16x PCI-E 3, two 1x PCI-E 3
Sound Realtek ALC1150 8-channel
Networking 1 x Killer E2205 Gigabit LAN
multiplier 12-80x; max voltages, CPU 2.1V,
RAM 2.8V
Express, 8 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2, 1 x LAN, 3 x audio
out, line-in, mic, 1 x PS/2, 1 x optical S/PDIF
1
de e
13 gsi uid
e
n
lo s G g
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Is ed a ner olin
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at eg er
Fe e B at
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MSI X99S SLI Plus/160
inc VAT
he X99 SLI Plus is the cheapest

board in this test, although its 160
price is still high compared to many
boards for cheaper and older platforms a
problem of buying new enthusiast-level
technology so close to launch. The name
suggests that this board concentrates on
multi-GPU setups, and thats true to a point.
But, as with MSIs more expensive Gaming 7
board, while the SLI Plus can technically
support four graphics cards, you could only
install three cards with dual-slot coolers.
Of course, harnessing the power of three
graphics cards is an effective use of
Haswell-Es 40 PCI-E 3 lanes, but every other
manufacturer offers support for quad SLI
with four dual-slot cards on its boards.
Other areas are more generous. Theres
support for 128GB of DDR4 RAM double the
amount that can be accommodated by some
other boards and ten SATA 6Gbps ports are
as many as youll find on boards that cost
twice this much. As with MSIs more
expensive board, the SLI Plus also includes
both M.2 and SATA Express connectors.
Meanwhile, the bottom edge of the board
houses the familiar power, reset and OC Genie
buttons. Some other enthusiast features have
been trimmed from the SLI Plus though
theres no POST display, and no extra power
sockets for either the CPU or PCI-E slots. Most
of the other boards in this test include at least
one such socket.
The SLI Plus is the plainest-looking
board in the Labs too. Its black
PCB and heatsinks arent
augmented with any
colours, and there isnt
any extravagant lighting
either. At least it isnt
cramped. The single
heatsink and absence
of heatpipes at the top of
the board means theres less chance of
large coolers getting obstructed, and the
several right-angled connectors aid cable
routing too, while the fan headers are sensibly
installed around the edges.
The X99S SLI Plus might be the cheapest
board in this test, but in our trio of application
benchmarks, it came in second or third place,
outpacing a couple of more expensive rivals.
This board also equalled the MSI Gaming 7s
table-topping score in Cinebench, and the two
MSI boards stuck together in our gaming
tests, with a great performance in Shogun 2.
62
The SLI Plus began to slip down the ranking

when we overclocked it though. As with most
of this months boards, our test i7-5960X
would only remain stable at 4.2GHz, but we
had to use a 1.287V vcore the highest
amount of electricity we had to use for any
board that would only overclock to 4.2GHz.
Like the other MSI board on test, the X99S
SLI Plus also slipped down the performance
rankings in our application benchmarks when
it was overclocked, with other
boards able to extract
greater performance
improvements from the
same overclock. The same
was true in the Shogun test,
where the SLI Plus lost ground
to rivals. Power consumption
wasnt great, being unremarkable
when idle, and high when running
under load its total system power
draw of 414W when overclocked was a good
46W more than the EVGA in the same test,
thanks to the high vcore required.
Conclusion
The MSI X99S SLI Plus includes some good
features for its price, but the extra voltage
needed for a stable overclock, plus the lack of
some notable enthusiast features, means it
isnt a worthwhile buy if youre an enthusiast
who wants to tweak Haswell-E if thats you,
MSIs Gaming 7 is a better option.
If you dont want to overclock your chip to

the limits, and dont need enthusiast features,
though, the X99 SLI Plus offers a good entry
into the Haswell-E world that doesnt cost
the earth.
MIKE JENNINGS
SPEED
33/40
FEATURES
OVERALL SCORE
VALUE
21/30 24/30
VERDICT
78%
A good money-saving option if you dont

need the enthusiast features or overclocking
abilities available elsewhere.
/SPECIFICATIONS
Chipset Intel X99
Expansion slots Four 16x PCI-E 3, two 1x PCI-E 3
Sound Realtek ALC892 8-channel
multiplier 12-80x; max voltages, CPU 2.1V
Express, 8 x USB 3, 1 x LAN, 3 x audio out, line-in,
mic, 1 x PS/2, 1 x optical S/PDIF
64
50,000
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-4930K
Intel Core i7-5820K
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-5960X
450
10.5
Stock speed
Frame render time (seconds)
L IGHTWAVE 11. 6
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-4930K
21
Overclocked
23
900
882
953
34.8
30.9
31.5
42
Lower is better
41.8
39.3
34.3
30
26.7
1,350
1,800
1,302
Intel Core i7-5820K
1,266
1,084
1,073
Intel Core i7-5930K
150,000 200,000
1,392 1,686
100,000
114,453
154,414
158601
Intel Core i7-5960X
C INE BEN CH R15
Intel Core i7-4790K
121,169
135,398
Intel Core i7-5820K
Intel Core i7-4930K
137,066
Intel Core i7-5930K
158,169 185,541
150,000 200,000
105
Stock speed
268
405
397
340
375
10
DirectX 9 CPU test
0
12
24
Minimum
Average
36
30
60
71
68
64
84
Intel Core i7-5960X

125
Stock speed
355
340
250
Overclocked
238
212
Intel Core i7-4930K
199
204
154
Intel Core i7-5820K
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-4790K
Load
114
112
110
48
119
45 fps
375
500
Lower is better
493
90
120
Lower is better
TOTAL SY STEM POW ER CO N SUMPT I O N
Intel Core i7-4930K
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-5820K
Intel Core i7-5960X
Idle
40
47 fps
37 fps 44 fps
36 fps
TOTAL SY STEM POW ER CO N SUMPT I O N
Intel Core i7-5930K
39 fps
O VE RCLO C KED SHO GUN 2: TO T A L W A R
30
30 fps 36 fps
Intel Core i7-4790K
40 fps
30 fps
Intel Core i7-4930K

0
31 fps 37 fps
Intel Core i7-5820K
38 fps
32 fps
31 fps
39 fps
315
420
Lower is better
313
319
323
14
10.5
Lower is better
Intel Core i7-5930K
20
210
Overclocked
8.454
10.176
10.101
12.28 13.67
Intel Core i7-5960X
Intel Core i7-5820K
100,000
3.5
S HOGU N 2: TO TAL WAR
Intel Core i7-4930K
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-5820K
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-5960X
Render time (seconds)
TE RRAG EN 3
Intel Core i7-5960X
50,000
9.32
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-4930K
9.349
Intel Core i7-5820K
Intel Core i7-5960X
Intel Core i7-5960X
136,713
148,394
E UL ER3D
CFD cycle frequency (Hz)
S YS TEM SC ORE
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-4930K
162,476 182,197
163,678 186,739
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-5820K
170,329 198,108
Intel Core i7-5960X
240,000
252,543
120,000
HE AVY MUL TI-TASK ING
Intel Core i7-4790K
367,413
377,485
360,000 480,000
320,546
Intel Core i7-5820K
280,071
324,929
Intel Core i7-4930K
64,000
405,115 475,815
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-5960X
HANDBRAKE H. 264 VIDEO ENC O DIN G
48,000
48,087
Intel Core i7-4930K
32,000
49,038 60,050
Intel Core i7-5960X
16,000
50,376 59,855
Intel Core i7-5820K
51,315 61,987
60,361
Intel Core i7-5930K
Intel Core i7-4790K
GIMP IMAGE E DITIN G
C P U R E S U LTS
16,000
120,000
MSI X99S SLI Plus

Asus Rampage V
Extreme
EVGA X99 Classified
Gigabyte X99Gaming 5
MSI X99S Gaming 7
CI N EB EN CH R 15
EVGA X99 Classified

Asus Rampage V
Extreme
MSI X99S SLI Plus
MSI X99S Gaming 7
SYST EM SCO R E
MSI X99S SLI Plus

Asus Rampage V
Extreme
EVGA X99 Classified
MSI X99S Gaming 7
Minimum
450
32,000
405,115 475,815
200,086
100,000
1,686
1,667
1,350
1,316 1,606
1,325
1,392
1,396 1,632
1,396 1,638
1,800
150,000 200,000
150,130 177,476
151,296 186,257
157,093 182,373
158,169 185,541
159,064 182,917
150,000 200,000
161,510 186,653
165,317
170,329 198,108
171,390 197,899
173,055 198,000
360,000 480,000
384,002 458,331
384,191 477,042
399,544 464,949
100,000
900
48,000 64,000
405,446 466,950
240,000
Average
50,000
50,000
H EA V Y MULT I -T A SK I N G
EVGA X99 Classified

MSI X99S Gaming 7

Asus Rampage V
Extreme
MSI X99S SLI Plus
59,695
46,816 56,727
47,483
49,038 60,050
49,245 58,450
49,562 58,525
H A N D B R A K E H .2 64 V I D EO EN C OD I NG
MSI X99S SLI Plus

Asus Rampage V
Extreme
EVGA X99 Classified
MSI X99S Gaming 7
GI MP I M A GE ED I T I N G
10
20
Minimum
12
Average
24
30
71
70
60
65 67
66
64
Asus Rampage V
Extreme
0
125
Stock speed
238
MSI X99S SLI Plus
250
Overclocked
238
218
234
218
EVGA X99 Classified

MSI X99S Gaming 7
Load
99
119
119
48
375
500
Lower is better
435
414
391
493
90
120
Lower is better
389
T OT A L S YS T E M POWE R C ONS UM PT I ON
MSI X99S Gaming 7

Asus Rampage V
Extreme
MSI X99S SLI Plus
EVGA X99 Classified
62
T OT A L S YS T E M POWE R C ONS UM PT I ON
Idle
36
38 fps 45 fps
39 fps 46 fps
47 fps
MSI X99S SLI Plus

0
40
47 fps
39 fps 46 fps
39 fps
39 fps
30
30 fps 36 fps
MSI X99S Gaming 7
Asus Rampage V
Extreme
EVGA X99 Classified
DirectX 9 CPU test
39 fps
39 fps
39 fps
30 fps 36 fps
32 fps
32 fps
32 fps
OV E R C L OC KE D S H OGUN 2 : T OT A L WA R
EVGA X99 Classified

MSI X99S SLI Plus
Asus Rampage V
Extreme
MSI X99S Gaming 7
S H OGUN 2 : T OT A L WA R
M OT H E R B OA R D R E S U LTS
L A B S T E ST / HASWELL-E
R E V I E WS / PC HEAD TO HEAD
Haswell-E PCs
These high-octane PCs really push the boat out, with custom water-cooling
loops, 4K gaming power and stunning multi-threaded performance
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99

Cyclone SLI
SUPPLIER: www.chillblast.com
SUPPLIER: www.scan.co.uk
his months system builders had the opportunity to

cram their PCs with numerous new components,
so its only fitting that Chillblast and Scan have
replied with hardware thats worth a combined total of
10,348. The huge prices involved mean that both firms
have thrown everything at their latest rigs. Both boast brand
new Intel Haswell-E processors, and one has six SSDs in an
enormous RAID 0 array. There are six GPU cores between
the two PCs, 48GB of DDR4 RAM, and 2,360W of PSU grunt.
These are beasts.
expensive Haswell-E processor, with eight cores and a 3GHz

stock speed. Meanwhile, Scans machine contains the
i7-5820K, which is a cheaper 6-core chip with a higher
3.5GHz stock speed.
The chip choices reflect different intentions, as well as
differing prices; the 8-core Chillblast will be adept at
multi-threaded workloads, while the 6-core Scan is much
cheaper, but still offers loads more multi-threading power
than a Devils Canyon rig. Both PCs are overclocked too.
Chillblast runs its 5960X at 4.3GHz, with a 100MHz base
clock, a 43x multiplier and a 1.29V vcore. Scans 4.45GHz
clock is achieved with a 127.3MHz base clock multiplied by
35, and a 1.4V vcore.
The choices made here Haswell-Es cheapest and most
expensive parts are reflected in the rest of each systems
6,999 inc VAT
The components
These machines deploy Intel Haswell-E processors, but
Chillblast and Scan have taken different approaches.
Chillblast has opted for the Core i7-5960X the most
66
3,349 inc VAT
ELITE
NEW ENTRY
P 70
specification. Chillblasts 6,999 machine is a monument to

excess. Weve never tested a system with six SSDs before,
but the Prometheus arrives with a sextet of 128GB Samsung
drives in a RAID 0 array, which means a 768GB total capacity.
The Chillblasts graphics cards will take some beating
too, with two 1,000, XFX-made AMD Radeon R9 295X2
cards, which means four GPUs based on the R9 290X.
The specification of each card is fearsome: 5,632 stream
processors clocked to 1,018MHz, 12.4 billion transistors and
8GB of GDDR5 RAM. Theres 4TB of platter-based storage
from a pair of Seagate hybrid drives too, plus 32GB of
DDR4 RAM, and it all connects to an Asus X99-Deluxe
motherboard. This board has almost every feature going,
from power and reset buttons, to built-in triple-aerial, dualband 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
This PC comes with a stratospheric price tag, so its no
surprise that Chillblast wanted to do something special with
the build. The Corsair 900D chassis is a monster, and its
been wrapped with a stunning silver dragon design. Whats
more, Chillblast even offers a service to replace the graphics
with other designs if you like.
The components are fully water-cooled, with one loop for
the CPU and another for the graphics cards. Theyre filled
with Mayhems white and black pastel coolant; both are fed
from a dual XSPC dual reservoir hidden in the 5.25in bay
cage, and theyre chilled by a pair of 480mm Black Ice GT
Xtreme radiators; one is hidden in the base and another is
screwed to the ceiling. A dozen Corsair SP120 fans are
scattered throughout, all fitted with low fan-speed adaptors.
The little touches impress. The XSPC GPU waterblocks
are made of clear Perspex, and theyre illuminated by tiny
blue LEDs. More lights snake to the reservoirs, and a pair of
blue cold cathode strip-lights make the interior glow blue.
Even the PSU is super-sized: its a fully modular Corsair AX
1500i, and its installed vertically in order to accommodate
one of the huge radiators.
Meanwhile, Scans monster X99 system costs half as
much as the Chillblast, but its still impressive. The i7-5820K
processor is joined by a pair of GeForce GTX 780 Ti graphics
cards, and Scan has been busy with the driver the GPUs
base clocks of 941MHz have been raised to 1,066MHz.
Theres one SSD in this system, rather than six, and its a
500GB Samsung Evo 840 it wont be as fast as the RAID
array in the Chillblast, but its still quick enough, and offers a
decent amount of solid state storage. Unlike the Chillblast,
the Scan has 16GB of RAM, rather than 32GB, although the
Corsair RAM in the Scan is slightly quicker.
As the Scan is still an expensive PC, theres also room in
its budget for stunning design. Corsairs Obsidian 750D is
smaller than the Chillblasts chassis, and its just as slicklooking there are no decals or cut-out windows, but the
white faade and black matt metal remain striking. Scan
can also alter the colour, should you have different tastes.
The Cyclone is similarly attractive on the inside. Its white
coolant is contained inside a cylindrical EK reservoir that
towers through the middle of the chassis. This machine
uses one enclosed loop to chill the trio of water-cooled
components, all of which are fitted with EK blocks: a pipe
heads through the graphics cards and plunges towards the
processor, and then hooks up with the Alphacool NexXxos
360mm radiator. Meanwhile, the top-mounted hardware is
Chillblast
1
Two water-cooled Radeon
R9 295X2 cards effectively
give this machine four GPUs
Two separate water-cooling

loops are fitted one for the
CPU and one for the GPUs
An 8-core CPU sits

under the EK Supremacy
waterblock
CHILLBLAST/SPECIFICATIONS
CPU 3GHz Intel Core i7-5960X overclocked
to 4.3GHz
Motherboard Asus X99 Deluxe
Memory 32GB Corsair Vengeance
2,666MHz DDR4
Graphics 2 x XFX Radeon R9 295 X2 8GB
Sound On-board
Storage 6 x 128GB Samsung 850 Pro in RAID
0; 2 x 2TB Seagate hard drives
Optical drive None
Case Corsair Obsidian 900D
Cooling CPU: EK Supremacy waterblock,
Black Ice GT Xtreme 480mm radiator,

8 x Corsair SP120 fans, ; GPU: 2 x XSPC
waterblocks, Black Ice GT Xtreme 480mm
radiator, 4 x Corsair SP120 fans; front: 2 x
120mm Corsair fans; rear: 1 x 120mm exhaust
PSU Corsair AX 1500i 1,500W
Ports Front: 2 x USB 3, 4 x USB 2, 2 x audio;
rear: 10 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2, 2 x Gigabit
Ethernet, 5 x audio, 1 x optical S/PDIF
Operating system Windows 8.1 64-bit
Warranty Five years (two years collect and
return, including parts and labour; three years
return to base)
chilled by three 120mm fans that have been customised

with white rings, and a long pipe takes the chilled coolant
back to base.
Scan has gone the extra mile with its theme. The graphics
card waterblocks are painted white, and its even replaced
the usual yellow-edged PSU stickers with white alternatives.
The white coolant contrasts beautifully with the rest of the
build too. The Asus X99-S motherboard has a black PCB
and white heatsinks, and the two-tone scheme continues to
the braided PSU cables, DIMMs and coolant.
Neither of these machines make upgrading easy. Each
has a quartet of vacant memory slots, but inside the
67
R E V I E WS / PRE-BUILT PCs
Scan
A pair of GeForce GTX 780

Ti graphics cards make 4K
gaming possible
The white coolant is contained An 860W PSU provides

in a cylindrical EK reservoir that just enough power - the PC
dominates the interiors middle consumes 811W at full pelt
SCAN /SPECIFICATIONS
CPU 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-5820K
overclocked to 4.45GHz
Motherboard Asus X99-S
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
2,800MHz DDR4
Graphics 2 x Zotac GeForce GTX 780 Ti
Sound On-board
Storage 500GB Samsung 840 Evo SSD; 2TB
Western Digital hard drive
Optical drive Blu-ray writer
Case Corsair Obsidian 750D
Cooling CPU and GPU: EK waterblocks,

Alphacool NexXxos 360mm radiator, 3 x
120mm fans; front: 2 x 120mm fans; rear:
1 x 120mm exhaust
PSU Corsair AX860 860W
Ports Front: 4 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2, 2 x audio,
card reader; rear: 8 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2, 1 x
Gigabit Ethernet, 5 x audio, 1 x optical S/PDIF
Operating system Windows 8.1 64-bit
Warranty Three years (one year on-site; two
years parts and labour)
Chillblast, theyre obscured by water-cooling gear, and the

same goes for most of the expansion slots too. Chillblasts
machine has a single 3.5in bay free, while Scan is more
generous with storage space. Two 3.5in bays are vacant, and
a trio of SSD bays are empty on the back of the motherboard
tray. A three-bay 3.5in cage is also available, although its
removed before the system ships.
Performance
The difference between the Chillblasts i7-5960X and
Scans i7-5820K was immediately obvious. The Scans
processor exploited its higher clock speed to score 61,698
in our image editing benchmark a faster score than the
Chillblasts 49,894 in a test that rewards raw pace.
68
The two machines dont bear comparison in the rest of our

tests though. The Chillblasts processor is more than twice
as expensive as the Scans CPU, and the Prometheus has
more memory, faster storage and double the number of
GPU cores. As such, its no surprise that the Chillblast
blitzed our benchmarks, beating the 6-core Scan in our
multi-threaded video encoding test by a large margin, while
knocking four seconds off our Lightwave render time, and
beating the Scan in Cinebench too.
However, that doesnt mean the Scan is slow. Compare its
multi-threading results to those of a standard quad-core
Devils Canyon CPU (see p64), and its clearly still very quick
in multi-threaded workloads.
For example, the Scans video encoding result of 374,625
is a good 122,082 points ahead of the 252,543 from a stockspeed Core i7-4970K.
Both of these PCs are among the fastest weve ever
tested, and both will sate all but the most demanding of
enthusiasts, particularly when it comes to multi-threaded
workloads, such as heavy video encoding work and 3D
content creation. The Chillblast is undoubtedly significantly
quicker in this respect, but its double the price of the Scan.
Chillblasts quad-GPU rig also sauntered through our
game tests even at 4K. In Battlefield 4 at 3,840 x 2,160, the
Prometheus hit a minimum of 38fps, with the Scan only
6fps behind, but the pricier system then averaged 82fps
almost twice the pace of the cheaper Scan. Not surprisingly,
the Chillblast PC led the way in Crysis 3 too, with a minimum
of 53fps at 3,840 x 2,160, easily beating the still playable
35fps of the Scan. Our BioShock tests were a surprise
though. Both machines played the game easily, but Scan led
the way: at our highest resolution, its 132fps minimum easily
outpaced the 97fps recorded by the Chillblast.
Meanwhile, the Chillblasts 6-SSD RAID rig makes for
lightning-fast storage. In our AS SSD tests, the Samsung
drives returned read and write speeds of 1,304MB/sec and
981MB/sec respectively, and it scarcely slowed down when
tasked with smaller files: in the CrystalDiskMark 512KB test,
the Chillblast managed speeds of 1,065MB/sec (read) and
1,140MB/sec (write). Only when handling 4KB 64-queuedepth loads did the RAID array decelerate, but even then its
respective read and write scores of 545MB/sec and 411MB/
sec are incredible. Scans SSD is no slouch, with respective
sequential read and write scores of 511MB/sec and 495MB/
sec, but it just isnt in the same league.
On the downside, neither PC will do your electricity bill any
favours. Scans PC, with the lesser CPU and two GPUs, drew
811W from the mains at full load, and Chillblasts PC drew a
mighty 1,286W when its CPU and GPUs were running at full
pelt it really needs that 1,500W PSU.
Neither PC is fussed about keeping down noise either.
Both systems churn out a low rumble when idle, and
become slightly noisier when tasked with high-end games.
The volume levels from these systems are similar, and youll
want reasonable volume from speakers or a good headset
to mask their output during intense gaming sessions.
Finally, the cooling ability of the two machines illustrated
the benefit of having separate cooling loops. Chillblasts PC,
with its colour-coded cooling, was the cooler machine: its
CPU delta T of 53C was bettered by the graphics cards 28C
delta T, and both results easily beat the Scan. The Cyclone
was still cool weve no complaints about its 74C and 55C
delta T results but its a clear indication that a two-loop
system offers much more cooling power.
Warranty
These high-end PCs are both protected by generous
warranties. Scans deal lasts for three years, with one year
of on-site coverage, which then reverts to a return-to-base
deal, with parts and labour included. Chillblast has the
winning warranty, though, with five years of coverage, with
the first two years including parts and labour, while the next
three years are a standard return-to-base affair.
Verdict
These PCs are both monsters, and stunning showcases of
Intels new Haswell-E platform. Both have ample power for
4K gaming, and both have fast, brand-new processors that
G I MP I MA GE E DI TING
MIKE JENNINGS
BATT LEFIELD 4
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
3,840 x 2,160, Ultra detail
49,894
61,698
60000
0
will blitz through heavily multi-threaded workloads. Theyre

both brilliantly built too. Chillblast and Scan have embraced
the white and black theme, with careful design and neat
touches that make each system look top-notch.
Of course, Chillblasts machine is twice the price of Scans
PC, thanks to more gaming power, a pricier motherboard, an
expensive CPU and an impressive storage setup, but its this
extravagance that makes it so special.
Scans PC remains expensive, but its half the price of the
Prometheus, while still retaining much of the power and
style. If youre looking for a high-end PC thats good for 4K
gaming and multi-threaded workloads, the Scan will be
perfect. However, if youre looking for the fastest PC weve
ever seen, want all the bells and whistles and have the cash,
then the Chillblast Prometheus will put a massive grin on
your face. Just dont tell anyone how much it cost.
16,000
48,000
32,000
64,000
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
466,076
120,000
240,000
360,000 480,000
LUXMA R K OPE N CL
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
218,148
100,032
0
55,000
110,000
165,000 220,000
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
200,313
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
97fps 121fps
132fps 159fps
110,000
165,000 220,000
233,608
162,225
60,000
120,000
120
160
CRYSIS 3
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
53fps
81fps
35fps 47fps
21
42
63
84
Stock speed avg
TEMPERATURE
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
180,000 240,000
53C
74C
21
42
63
30
45
84
Max speed GPU delta T
C I N E B E N CH R 15 C PU
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
1,580
1,320
400
800
1,200
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
1,600
LI GHTW A V E 11.6
28C
55C
15
60
POWER CONSUMPT ION
Frame render time (seconds)
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
25.2
29.4
0
80
Max speed CPU delta T
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
40
Stock speed min
SYS TE M S COR E
84
BIOSHOCK: INFINITE
192,572
55,000
63
3,480 x 2,160, Very High detail
HE A V Y MULTI -TASKING
42
3,840 x 2,160, Ultra detail with Depth of Field
374,625
0
82fps
50fps
21
HA N DB R A KE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING

Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
38fps
32fps
7.5
15
Chillblast Fusion
Prometheus
Scan 3XS X99
Cyclone SLI
22.5
30
Lower is better
CHILLBLAST
179W
1,286W
146W
811W
350
0
Idle
700
1,050
1,400
Load
SCAN
SPEED
DESIGN
HARDWARE
VALUE
24/25 25/25
25/25 16/25
OVERALL SCORE
90%
SPEED
DESIGN
HARDWARE
VALUE
22/25 25/25
24/25 21/25
OVERALL SCORE
92%
69
E L I T E / THE BEST KIT
Elite
Our choice of the best hardware available
Build a budget PC
Core components
The parts youll need to build either PC. This kit list gives you a solid PSU, a decent quality case and the OEM
version of Windows 7 Home Premium.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Xigmatek Midgard II
Issue 113, p74
60
XFX Pro Series 550W Core Edition
www.novatech.co.uk
Issue 122, p50
47
500GB Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 104, p72
34
Lite-On IHAS124-04
www.cclonline.com
Issue 99, p108
11
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 75, p46
72
70
(inc VAT)
All-purpose PC
The parts youll need to add to the core components to build a general-purpose PC. This machine will handle
general computing tasks with no trouble, and will also cope with basic gaming, although youll have to lower the
detail settings. It features high-speed memory to boost the performance of the AMD APUs graphics system.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H
www.cclonline.com
Issue 126, p22
53
AMD A10-7850K
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 127, p17
121
8GB Corsair Vengeance

Pro Series 2,400MHz DDR3
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p22
72
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p57
24
TOTAL
(inc VAT)
494
Gaming PC
The parts youll need to build a budget machine capable of playing the latest games at maximum settings on a
1080p monitor. The machine has a discrete graphics card, a highly overclockable dual-core CPU and high-speed
memory. Meanwhile, the Z97 motherboard gives you headroom to upgrade to a faster CPU later.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
ASRock Z97 Pro3
Issue 130, p50
77
Intel Pentium G3258
Issue 132, p17
50
AMD R9 270X 2GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p50
131
Corsair Vengeance Pro

Series 2,400MHz DDR3
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p22
72
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p57
24
TOTAL
(inc VAT)
578
Recommended extra
A solid state drive will make a huge difference to the responsiveness of Windows, as well as boot-up times.
We strongly recommend adding one to any build.
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Crucial M500 240GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 128, p42
PRICE
(inc VAT)
84
Build a mid-range PC
Work PC
The parts youll need to build a solid quad-core PC with plenty of upgrade potential. This kit list gives you an all-in-one liquid
cooler and a K-series Core i5 CPU, meaning you can overclock it and get some serious processing power. Weve managed to
get the Core i5-4690K Haswell CPU up to 4.8GHz, so it has some serious performance potential. Also included is a solid
Antec PSU, a 512GB SSD and 8GB of high-speed memory. The core configuration assumes you wont be doing any serious
gaming, however, and it relies on Intels integrated graphics.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
NZXT Phantom 530
Issue 127, p44
98
Gigabyte Z97X-SLI
www.cclonline.com
Issue 130, p54
90
Intel Core i5-4690K
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p18
173
Corsair Vengeance Pro

Series 2,400MHz DDR3
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p22
72
Corsair H75
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p30
60
Antec HCG-520M High Current Gamer 520W
www.cclonline.com
Issue 122, p43
66
Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 104, p75
57
Lite-On IHAS124-04
www.cclonline.com
Issue 99, p108
11
Crucial MX100 512GB
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 131, p17
150
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 75, p46
72
TOTAL
Gaming PC
(inc VAT)
849
The graphics card youll need to play current games at their maximum settings at 1080p and 2,560 x 1,440.
72
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
1,920 x 1,080
AMD R9 270X 2GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p50
131
2,560 x 1,440
Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p55
225
(inc VAT)
Build a performance PC
Work PC
The parts youll need to build a high-quality, fast PC thats ideal for multi-threaded workloads. This kit list features a highquality, beautifully built case, and has a Core i7-4790K CPU. This processors support for Hyper-Threading effectively splits
the resources of the CPUs four physical cores into a further four virtual cores, meaning it can effectively handle eight threads
at once. Theres also a solid 750W PSU, giving you plenty of headroom for overclocking and adding multiple graphics cards,
and a Corsair H80i all-in-one liquid cooler.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
SilverStone Fortress FT02B-W USB 3.0
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 85, p88
174
Asus Maximus VII Ranger
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 131, p20
125
Intel Core i7-4790K
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p19
251
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 2,400MHz DDR3
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p22
72
Corsair H80i
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 116, p64
74
XFX Pro Black Edition 750W
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 122, p60
95
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 104, p75
57
Lite-On IHAS124-04
www.cclonline.com
Issue 99, p108
11
Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 128, p52
174
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 75, p46
72
TOTAL
Gaming PC
(inc VAT)
1,105
The graphics card youll need to play current games at their maximum settings at 2,560 x 1,440 and beyond.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
2,560 x 1,440
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p55
225
2,560 x 1,440, 5,760 x 1,080 and 3,840 x 2,160

AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p58
279
(inc VAT)
*Note: Multiple graphics cards are required to run Crysis 3 smoothly at 5,760 x 1,080 and 3,840 x 2,160, and Battlefield 4 at 5,760 x 1,080.
Recommended extra
A discrete sound card gives you higher-quality sound when playing back or recording music.
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Creative Sound Blaster Z
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 116, p42
PRICE
(inc VAT)
62
73
Build a 6-core workstation

Multi-threaded workstation
The parts youll need to build a PC with serious power in multi-threaded workstation software, such as 3D
rendering apps and optimised distributed computing software. The kit list features a 6-core LGA2011-v3 CPU,
which is overclockable using the motherboard and cooler listed. Also supplied is 16GB of RAM, 1TB of solid state
storage and a 1.2kW PSU, providing loads of headroom for adding multiple GPUs.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
www.cclonline.com
Issue 123, p30
121
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 134, p54
328
www.ebuyer.co.uk
Issue 134, p43
290
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p50
131
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 134, p53
197
Corsair Hydro H105
Issue 128, p19
90
Corsair Professional Series AX1200i
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 111, p40
210
Samsung SSD 840 EVO 1TB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 128, p52
319
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 104, p75
57
Lite-On IHAS124-04
www.cclonline.com
Issue 99, p108
11
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional OEM (or

Windows 8.1 if youre using a 4K monitor)
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 75, p46
105
Asus Rampage V Extreme
D
U PDATE
Intel Core i7-5820K
U PDATE
AMD R9 270X 2GB

G.Skill Ripjaws 4 3,000MHz DDR4
D
U PDATE
TOTAL
4K gaming PC
(inc VAT)
1,859
This LGA2011-v3 system can support multiple graphics cards over 28 PCI-E 3 lanes, making it an ideal
foundation for high-resolution PC gaming, replacing the graphics card listed above with two high-spec cards. We
recommend using Windows 8.1, rather than Windows 7, if youre using a 4K monitor.
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
2 x EVGA Superclocked ACX GeForce GTX 780 3GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 123, p54
TOTAL
74
PRICE
(inc VAT)
784
2,512
Build a mini PC
Core components
The parts youll need to build either PC. This kit list gives you a solid PSU, 8GB of RAM, an overclockable Haswell
CPU, an all-in-one liquid cooler and Windows 7 Home Premium. Also included is a graphics card that can play
current games at their maximum settings at 1080p (and some at 2,560 x 1,440), and a 512GB SSD.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Intel Core i5-4690K
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p18
173
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 2,400MHz DDR3
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 132, p22
72
Corsair H75
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 125, p30
60
MSI GeForce GTX 760 Gaming ITX
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 133, p20
170
Crucial MX100 512GB
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 131, p17
150
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 104, p75
57
Lite-On IHAS124-04
www.cclonline.com
Issue 99, p108
11
Antec HCG-520M High Current Gamer 520W
www.cclonline.com
Issue 122, p43
66
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 75, p46
72
(inc VAT)
Mini-ITX PC
The parts youll need to build a pint-sized powerhouse.

PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 127, p24
70
Issue 134, p18
106
Asus Z97I Plus
D
U PDATE
See Issue 121, p92 for a full guide to building a mini-ITX PC with this case and motherboard
TOTAL
(inc VAT)
1,007
Micro-ATX PC
The parts youll need to build a mini PC that doesnt take up as much room as a full-sized desktop.
PRICE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Fractal Design Arc Mini R2
www.cclonline.com
Issue 127, p46
71
Asus Maximus VII Gene
www.cclonline.com
Issue 133, p18
151
TOTAL
(inc VAT)
1,053
75
Cases
PRICE
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Budget ATX
Xigmatek Midgard II
Issue 113, p74
60
Sub-100
ATX quiet
Fractal Design Define R4
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 127, p42
69
Sub-100 ATX
performance
NZXT Phantom 530
Issue 103, p70
98
Sub-200 ATX
SilverStone Fortress FT02B-W USB 3.0
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 85, p88
174
Water-cooling ATX
SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W
Issue 63, p87
220
Mini-ITX tower
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 127, p24
70
Mini-ITX cube
Antec ISK600
Issue 126, p28
50
Micro-ATX
Fractal Design Arc Mini R2
www.cclonline.com
Issue 127, p46
71
Water-cooling
micro-ATX
Parvum Systems S2.0
Issue 129, p22
140
(inc VAT)
Graphics cards
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
1,920 x 1,080
gaming
AMD Radeon R9 270X 2GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p50
131
2,560 x 1,440
gaming
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p55
225
High-end gaming*
AMD R9 290 4GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 126, p58
279
4K gaming
2 x EVGA Superclocked ACX GeForce

GTX 780 3GB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 123, p54
784
Mini-ITX
MSI GeForce GTX 760

Gaming ITX
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 133, p20
170
* Handles all games at 2,560 x 1,440, and some at 4K and 5,760 x 1,080
76
PRICE
TYPE
(inc VAT)
Power supplies
PRICE
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Budget 550W
XFX Pro Series 550W

Core Edition
www.novatech.co.uk
Issue 122, p50
47
Mid-range 520W
Antec HCG-520M High

Current Gamer 520W
www.cclonline.com
Issue 122, p43
66
High-end 760W
Corsair Professional Series

AX760i
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 122, p53
153
High-end 1.2kW
Corsair Professional Series

AX1200i
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 111, p40
210
(inc VAT)
Networking
PRICE
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Router
Asus RT-AC68U
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 128, p88
150
Wi-Fi adaptor
Asus PCE-AC68
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 128, p88
62
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Hard disk
Seagate Barracuda 2TB

ST2000DM001
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 104, p75
57
250GB SSD
Samsung SSD 840

EVO 250GB
www.cclonline.com
Issue 128, p52
90
512GB SSD
Crucial MX100
512GB
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 131, p17
150
1TB SSD
Samsung SSD 840

EVO 1TB
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 128, p52
319
NAS box
Synology
DiskStation DS214
Issue 131, p48
216
(inc VAT)
Storage
www.dabs.com
PRICE
(inc VAT)
77
Monitors
PRICE
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
24in monitor
Dell U2414H
Issue 129, p43
200
27in monitor
ViewSonic
VP2772
www.cclonline.com
Issue 129, p60
582
29in monitor
Asus
PB298Q
www.cclonline.com
Issue 129, p52
346
4K monitor
Asus
PB287Q
www.scan.co.uk
Issue133, p44
533
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Basic mechanical
keyboard
Func KB-460
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 126, p36
70
Mechanical gaming
keyboard
Corsair Vengeance K70
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 125, p34
90
Mechanical MMO
keyboard
Corsair Vengeance K95
www.cclonline.com
Issue 123, p64
120
Gaming mouse
Mionix Naos 8200
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 125, p74
59
Wireless gaming
mouse
SteelSeries
Sensei Wireless
www.ebuyer.com
Issue 130, p26
116
Flight stick
Saitek X-55
Rhino H.O.T.A.S.
Issue 131, p29
180
(inc VAT)
Peripherals
78
PRICE
(inc VAT)
Audio
PRICE
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
PCI-E sound card
Creative Sound Blaster Z
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 116, p42
62
USB sound card
Asus Xonar Essence One
www.amazon.co.uk
Issue 118, p44
330
2.1 speakers
Corsair SP2500
www.scan.co.uk
Issue118, p75
167
Headset
HyperX Cloud
www.cclonline.com
Issue 130, p32
61
(inc VAT)
Systems
PRICE
TYPE
NAME
SUPPLIER
FEATURED
Budget gaming PC
Scan 3XS Z97

Performance GT
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 133, p60
599
Dream PC
Scan 3XS Bear
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 125, p58
6,999
Devils Canyon
gaming PC
YoyoTech
XDNA Power
www.yoyotech.co.uk
Issue 132, p66
2,790
4K gaming PC
Overclockers UK
Infinity Vesuvius
Issue 131, p62
4,108
Mini-ITX
gaming PC
Scan 3XS
Z87 Nanu 250D
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 129, p62
1,849
Gaming laptop
MSI GT70
2PC Dominator
Issue 129, p26
1,320
Haswell-E PC
Scan 3XS X99

Cyclone SLI
www.scan.co.uk
Issue 134, p60
3,349
U PDATE
(inc VAT)
79
yoyotech.co.uk/gaming-pc
T: 08444 822 111

E: Sales@yoyotech.co.uk
W: www.yoyotech.co.uk
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries
Games
Featured this month

Inverse look p83 / Mind: Path to Thalamus p84 / Eidolon p86 / Sacred 3 p86
Road not Taken p88 / The Walking Dead: Season Two p90/ Indie corner p92
82
OPINION
R I C K L A N E / INVERSE LOOK
GAMING WITHOUT
TEMPLATES
Games should be evolving organically, rather than falling back on
predictable, assembly line design formats, argues Rick Lane
ne reason why Sacred 3 (see p86) is so disappointing
is the tediously formatted nature of the games
structure. It relies so heavily on a repetitive, mildly
interchangeable sequence of events that theres no sense of
surprise or wonder. Gaming design formats are analogous to
TV formats, where TV producers create a concept or framework
that appeals to an audience, and can be easily repeated with
only slight variations to keep the viewer interested. The X Factor,
Mock the Week and the American medical drama House all rely
heavily on format.
In games, formats are a little more nebulous.
They can span different series of games, or be
visible within a single game. For example,
Ubisoft uses a very similar framework for its
biggest series, including Far Cry, Assassins
Creed and Watch Dogs. Each takes an openworld environment and stuffs it full of content,
usually with a central story and abundant sidemissions, many of which are variations on
smaller formats themselves. You can even see similarities
between side-missions in different games, such as climbing the
radio towers in Far Cry 3, and hacking the Internet transmitters
in Watch Dogs, which required climbing to access them.
Formats arent necessarily bad. Theyre safe and reliable,
which works well for publishers, and can work well for players.
You dont always want a game to be radically innovative or
avant-garde. If the next Call of Duty was a high-brow criticism
of the work of Descartes, many fans of the series would be both
bemused and disappointed. With formats, players know what
theyre getting.
That said, formats can be problematic when it comes to the

detriment of systems. The layout of Far Cry 3s island greatly
aided the emergent play for which the Far Cry games are
famous. In Watch Dogs, however, the format hindered the game,
because the mission formats werent built to accommodate the
hacking systems central to the concept.
Call of Duty has also suffered as a consequence of formats
as well. As a result of the series developers desire to create a
greater globetrotting spectacle year upon year, the actual
systems that made Call of Duty a fun shooter
have been eroded.
At their worst, formats transform game
development from an art form into a factory
assembly line, where designers weld
prearranged component parts together like
robots along a conveyor belt. Sacred 3 is a prime
example of what happens when format
becomes the number one priority a soulless,
machine-made product.
The alternative is what I call organic games, which are built
from unique parts, or have an obvious human element, where
the passions and inspirations of individuals are plain to see.
This can manifest itself in many ways, but its always clear. The
best recent example is Divinity: Original Sin, and there are other
examples such as Minecraft.
Big-budget games can demonstrate organic personality too.
My favourite example remains Half-Life 2, a game that showed
the FPS genre changing and looking for ways to remain fresh
and exciting. Game design that evolves so often makes for a
better gaming experience than design-by-template.
The X Factor, Mock the

Week and the American
medical drama House all
rely heavily on format
Rick Lane is Custom PCs games editor.
@Rick_Lane
83
G A M E S / REVIEW
Mind: Path to Thalamus/9.99
inc VAT
DEVELOPER Carlos Coronado / PUBLISHER Carlos Coronado / WEBSITE www.mindpathtothalamus.com
or the past few years, a handful of developers has

been experimenting with the idea of first-person
games that dont rely on guns and gore. These
alternative approaches have taken numerous forms. Some
opt for horror, while others emphasise survival. Many
choose a combination of puzzling and narrative to hold the
players interest, putting varying degrees of emphasis on
one or the other. Mind: Path to Thalamus is a little different.
Its weapon of choice is awe.
Thalamus features puzzles and narrative too, but it sets
them up within astonishing environmental design that
will leave you gazing in slack-jawed delight. Its one of the
very few examples of the form that could realistically
dispense with any player interaction whatsoever; puzzles,
storytelling it could drop them all and it would still be
absolutely worth your time to investigate. But it contains
these elements as well, for better and worse.
The story concerns a family of tornado chasers, who are
stuck in a cycle of tragedy caused by their meteorological
84
obsession. In a bracing opening sequence, your character is

standing in an idyllic Menorcan coastal harbour with a
tornado rapidly approaching the shore. Instead of trying to
escape, youre forced to run towards it, swerving into a
building as the swirling storm seems to engulf the whole
sky. It roars onto the land and begins pummelling the house,
knocking objects off shelves and ripping shutters from
windows. The last sight you witness is the dark vortex
pulling you towards it on a first-floor balcony, before the
screen flashes white.
Its a truly captivating beginning to a game. Immediate,
unique and thrilling. Indeed, it would make a fantastic start
to any story. Sadly, the rest of the games plot is nowhere
near as compelling. Theres nothing wrong with the
concept, which sees your character traversing a series of
mindscapes while in a coma, seeking absolution over his
role in the deaths of two of his relatives. Its all very meta,
but meta can be brilliant provided its done well.
Unfortunately, it isnt. The combination of a clumsy script
and hammy voice acting make the narrative an irritation that
inevitably hinders enjoyment of an otherwise superb game.
It wishes to be introspective, but it comes across as
solipsistic whining. The character seems to moan endlessly
about him being a terrible person and how bad he feels for
the neglect and cowardice that caused the death of his
relatives. But these individuals are never contextualised for
the player, or given any dimensions or shades to their
personalities that might make us care about their demise.
It gets worse as it goes along, attempting to negate these
infuriating traits by pointing them out as part of the story,
which is the worst way of dealing with a narrative problem.
The reason were discussing this issue now, rather than at
the end of the review, is because it isnt the primary factor
you should take away from this review. The writing is

dreadful, but the game makes up for it in so many other
areas. Moreover, since the games release, the developer
has stated that its working on a rewrite of the script. Its
going to take a lot of work to redress the narratives issues,
but at least theres a chance they might be fixed by the
time you play it. Even if it isnt fixed by that point, Thalamus
is still absolutely worth experiencing. Visually and
systemically, its one of the most
intelligently designed games weve
come across in a very long time.
Thalamus constantly introduces
new vistas and environments, each
one more astonishing than the last.
From the real-world setting of stormy
Menorca were taken on a tour of
fantastical terrains, including towering
cliff faces, vast deserts sparsely
strewn with strange ruins, picturesque grass-covered hills
and valleys, and a series of rocky islands floating in the sky.
Its influences range from the work of Salvador Dali to films
such as Inception and Avatar, and its all beautifully blended
together over the course of four hours of exploration.
You can see much of this spectacle in the screenshots,
but you cant see how these landscapes change depending
on your actions. Thalamus is a puzzle game that evolves in
an intriguing fashion. It begins with some ingenious spatial
trickery thats representative of your transition from the
real world to the dreamlands. Then, on the shores of your
characters subconscious, it spends half an hour or so
playing with invisible platforms hidden amid ancient

architectures, encouraging you to think outside the box.
Eventually, the puzzles and environments coalesce.
Standing on certain areas, subtly marked by a bed of
flowers or a clump of dead trees, alters the environment.
One turns day to night, one makes it rain and another
changes summer to autumn. Each transformation also has
a secondary effect, such as making wooden platforms
grow or pathways materialise. These environmental states
can be locked into place by placing what looks like a bundle
of nerve fibres into the relevant space.
Thalamus uses this concept to great effect, creating
some pleasingly brain-tickling puzzles that always
challenge but rarely obstruct. Often, theyll require several
of the nerve bundles, where finding the solution involves
working out how to access them in the correct order. In
addition, because the bundles are spherical, they can roll
down slopes, adding an element of physicality to these
conundrums.
Thalamus cleverly meters out both
the concepts and difficulty as well,
always introducing a new idea or
environment-type at the perfect
moment, keeping you engaged. The
only issue in terms of play is that
theres no manual alternative to the
autosave feature. As such, if you
need to suddenly stop playing for
whatever reason, you may need to start a puzzle all
over again, which can be frustrating.
Despite its narrative troubles, Thalamus is one of
the most fascinating games weve covered this year.
Its remarkable visual design and perfectly pitched
puzzles more than compensate for its wonky writing,
and every game developer could learn a lot about how
to start their games from Thalamus punchy, gripping
introduction. Whats more, as a debut title from
developer Carlos Coronado, it also shows potential
for incredibly exciting ideas to come.
Its influences range

from Salvador
Dali to Inception
and Avatar
RICK LANE
OVERALL SCORE
80%
/ VERDICT
Visually stunning
and intellectually
gratifying, Mind:
Path to Thalamus is
only let down by a
clumsily told story.
85
G A M E S / REVIEWS
Eidolon/11.99
inc VAT
DEVELOPER Ice Water Games / PUBLISHER Ice Water Games / WEBSITE www.icewatergames.com
his month, we learned the word eidolon which is

apparently a supernatural apparition or an act of
appearing. Now thanks to Ice Water Games, its
also a pleasantly sedate survival game set in a postapocalyptic Washington state.
Eidolons post-apocalypse isnt a typical example of the
convention. Eidolon is set hundreds of
years after a civilisation-ending
event, where the dust hasnt so
much settled as raised two kids and
OVERALL SCORE
acquired a mortgage. Nature has
gradually retaken those spaces
once dominated by humanity, and
over the centuries, the world has
returned to wilderness.
/ VERDICT
Youre plonked into the middle
A quietly pleasing, if
with the objective of staying alive, bet Eidolon isnt a
unremarkable,
typical survival game either. Food is fairly easy to find,
survival game.
and unless you get injured by falling off a mountain, or
Eidolon enables
walking right up to a wild animal, the chances of dying
you to go for a lazy
walk in the woods
are relatively slim.
when its too rainy
Instead, Eidolon is more about exploring the
to go outside.
environment and unravelling the mystery regarding
70%
Sacred 3/39.99
what brought about humanitys end

of days. To help you, Eidolon lets you
ramble through a massive chunk of
North American forest. The sheer
scale of the game doesnt become
apparent until you acquire a hand-drawn map, which gives
you the approximate location of landmarks in the area, but
not the distance between them. Its a great way of giving the
player an idea of where to go without dictating the direction
in which they head.
For the most part, Eidolon is peaceful and often beautiful.
Standing on top of a mountain provides stunning views,
inc VAT
DEVELOPER Keen Games/PUBLISHER Deep Silver /WEBSITE www.sacred-world.com
OVERALL SCORE
37%
/ VERDICT
Sacred 3 is a
catalogue of
baffling design
choices, with a
script thats filled
with awkwardly
bad jokes.
86
ction RPGs are repetitive by nature. Titles such

as Diablo III are essentially virtual skinner boxes
in which the player-pigeon pushes a button
and receives a small reward. The merits of psychologypoking game design is up for debate, but these games are
definitely ideal for providing entertainment with minimal
brain input.
Sacred 3 epitomises this skinner box design, except the
developers forgot to put any rewards into the system,
leaving the poor pigeons forced to play it baffled and
extremely grumpy. Initially, Sacred 3 seems like any
other ARPG. Highly generic fantasy world? Check.
Hordes of enemies to dispatch with flashy, devastating
powers? Check. Oodles of loot to pick up? Che-hang
on. No, Sacred 3 is an ARPG with no loot collection
whatsoever.
The reason is understandable, if not justified. Sacred
3 is primarily a cooperative game, enabling you to team
up with three friends to battle the hordes of orcs and
undead the game throws at you like a fantasy-themed
skeet trap. Our guess is that Keen Games figured that
stopping to collect loot every 30 seconds would slow
down the game, and its true that Sacred 3 has pace.
Rarely are you

stood still waiting
for something
to happen.
Unfortunately, pace is all
that Sacred 3 offers to keep
you interested. It removes loot,
which is the materialistic core of
an ARPG, and replaces it with
nothing. Playing cooperatively
only results in enemies
absorbing more damage, thus
making you feel less powerful.
The weapons you unlock by
levelling up may be different in form
while walking into the ruins of a city and witnessing the skeletal
remains of skyscrapers and people is a haunting experience.
However, there isnt enough variety in the environments compared
with other similarly styled games, such as Proteus or Sir! You Are
Being Hunted. Its also difficult to locate certain items, such as tinder
for making fires, which is a little silly, given that Eidolon is a game
about wandering through a forest.
Also, Eidolon doesnt always navigate the balance between
wandering and surviving successfully. The simple systems are
sufficient to keep you interested for the first few hours, but after
but theyre identical in function. The skills and powers available to

upgrade, while visually impressive, are insufficient to sustain your
interest through the games ten-hour length.
Furthermore, the level design is so unimaginative that it destroys
all sense of surprise and fun. Every mission follows a structure
comprised of the same elements spinning a wheel to unlock a door,
smashing a specific object or series of objects, fighting a tough
enemy to obtain a key, avoiding objects falling from the sky and then
battling a boss.
However, Sacred 3s biggest problem is its script. Its a ceaseless,
yammering discharge of achingly bad jokes. In fact, calling them jokes
a while it begins to feel as if theres nothing to do. Compared with

Miasmata, which always kept you active and engaged, or Proteus,
where each step resulted in an explosion of weird and wonderful
music, Eidolon sits in the middle, and it isnt always comfortable in
that position.
Eidolon is by no means bad; it just doesnt do anything better than
other similar games. That said, theres certainly room for a more
lackadaisical survival game, and simply exploring Eidolons
environment for the sake of it never ceases to be pleasurable.
RICK LANE
is too kind. Characters with identikit personalities attempt to outsarcasm each other in a manner usually reserved for bland American
sitcoms aimed at preteens. Put it this way, if you enjoy the kind of
humour where someone adds NOT! at the end of a statement, youll
probably find Sacred 3 amusing. Also, why not try making farting
noises with your armpit? I guarantee it will be a riot.
After experiencing the fantastical delights of Divinity: Original Sin
last month, following it with Sacred 3 is like arriving at the pearly gates
only to discover there was an administrative error, and youre in fact
due on the first winged chariot down to fiery damnation.
RICK LANE
87
G A M E S / REVIEW
Road not Taken/11.95
inc VAT
DEVELOPER Spry Fox LLC / PUBLISHER Spry Fox LLC / WEBSITE www.spryfox.com/our-games/road-not-taken
OVERALL SCORE
73%
/ VERDICT
Ambitious and
skilfully crafted,
Road Not Taken is
a fascinating if not
always enjoyable
experience.
88
oad not Taken is a surprisingly

ambitious match-three game
that casts you as a woodland
ranger recently employed in a remote
village. Your job is to watch over the
village children when they venture
into the surrounding forests, ensuring
they return home safely. Your contract
runs for 15 years, with every year
representing a level. Over time, you
form relationships with various people
in the village, depending on how you
interact with them and how you fare
when rescuing children.
Although the game runs over a
set amount of time, each level is
procedurally generated, so if you fail,
the levels will be different the second
time around.
Your basic objective is to return the
children either to the town mayor,
or to one of the mothers dotted
around the wood. However, to
achieve this goal, you need to
navigate or move around many
other objects on the map. Its like
Bejeweled, but with children dying of hypothermia.
Objects are manipulated by picking them up and
either carrying or throwing them. They can only be
thrown in the direction from which you initially
approached them, but carrying objects costs a unit of
energy. Running out of energy results in death, meaning
you need to move carefully, or make difficult decisions
about who to save and who to leave behind.
Alongside this basic objective are the

hundreds of secrets, bonuses and
hazards revealed by matching
different items. Matching two logs
will create fire, which stops you
losing energy when carrying objects.
However, matching eerie woodland
spirits with a bunny creates a demon
bunny that eats all the other animals
in that area, which (in case you hadnt
guessed) you dont want to happen.
It all amounts to a fascinating and
unique game, but this isnt always
the case. The idea is that youre
encouraged to live with your decisions,
but often it feels like the game is
forcing you into impossible situations.
The difficulty ramps up extremely
quickly, and information isnt always
forthcoming. It was unclear how to use
power-ups for a while, for example.
Whether the difficulty is deliberate, or
simply a consequence of the amount
happening in the game is unclear.
However, the visual design is lovely,
brilliantly evoking the games
European folklore inspirations, and juxtaposing the brutal
realities you face while playing. Its also supremely well
written, which is a remarkable way to describe a matchthree game. Character interactions are brief yet brimming
with personality and detail about the world. It might be a
bumpy ride at times, but overall, were pleased we took the
road that led to Road not Taken.
RICK LANE
IN
W
O
T
T
R
TAKE PA
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
970 GAMING Motherboard

R9 270X GAMING 2GB Graphics Card
GTX 780 Ti GAMING

3GB Graphics Card
2
PRIZE
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PRIZE
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Z97 GAMING 9
AC Motherboard
3
PRIZE
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1x JUST GAME! GAMING Mouse Pad

1x Interceptor DS100 GAMING Mouse
TAKE PART TO THE CUSTOM PC 2014 AWARDS SURVEY TO WIN!

Every month the intrepid Custom PC review teams put the latest
hardware and games through their paces, and give you their verdict on which are worthy of your hard-earned cash. However, once
the reviews have been written and the verdicts declared, theres
still the little matter of actually buying and living with the products.
This is why wed like to hear your opinions on the PCs,
laptops, components and games youve bought during the
last year. Your votes will determine the results of all 15 of the
Custom PC awards this year, with the awards going to the
manufacturers that you believe have delivered the best products and services across a variety of categories. The results
of the awards will be announced in Issue 136 of Custom PC.
As well as having your say, by taking part in the survey, youll

be in with a chance of winning one of the amazing prizes kindly
provided by MSI.
First prize bundle is a Z97 GAMING 9 AC Motherboard
with a GTX 780 Ti GAMING 3GB Graphics Card
Second prize bundle is a 970 GAMING Motherboard
with a R9 270X GAMING 2GB Graphics Card10
Runner up prizes of a JUST GAME! GAMING Mouse Pad
and Interceptor DS100 GAMING Mouse
Thanks and good luck!
Ben Hardwidge - Editor, Custom PC
VISIT: WWW.CUSTOMPC.CO.UK/2014AWARDS
G A M E S / REVIEW
The Walking Dead: Season Two/18.99
inc VAT
DEVELOPER Telltale Games / PUBLISHER Telltale Games / WEBSITE www.telltalegames.com/walkingdead
OVERALL SCORE
70%
/ VERDICT
Some iffy
characterisation
and an unfocused
narrative make this
Season weaker
than the last one,
but youll nevertheless want to
hear Clementines
story.
90
he first season of Telltales Walking Dead series

saw a radical reinvention of the companys
approach to adventure gaming, and conventions
of the genre. It eschewed the usual puzzles and humour,
instead opting for a gritty, character-driven drama in which
the player interacted primarily through making choices
about how the narrative progressed. These decisions went
way beyond the black and white divide that was the norm
only a few years back, and their consequences were often
shocking and could never be fully anticipated.
However, while that was the main selling point of the
game, it became remembered for its touching and
devastating (in equal parts) depiction of an adoptive father/
daughter relationship in an unforgiving post-apocalyptic
world. The bond between the protagonist Lee and ten-yearold Clementine was unlike anything wed witnessed before
in a game, as was the sensation when Telltale ultimately
decided to break that bond. For all its exceptional writing
and narrative ingenuity, that was what made the game
special.
Season Two of the Walking Dead soldiers on without
that relationship, and it struggles somewhat. It
seemingly lacks direction for a long time, and when it
comes to characters it pushes quantity over quality.
Whereas in the first series we only interacted with
Clementine through Lee, this time were in direct control
of Clementine herself. More than a year has passed
since Clementines previous group was scattered to the
winds, and after a brief but brutal introduction that sees
us yanked back into the Walking Deads world like a bird
sucked through a jet engine, Clementine is left to fend
entirely for herself.
Making Clementine the central character is an
extremely smart move on Telltales part. For starters,
playing a game from a childs perspective is a rare

experience, which immediately gives this season an
attraction. It also lets us see the result of Lees care and
instruction.
Telltale could easily have got this setup horribly wrong,
making Clementine unworkably vulnerable and thus
denying player agency, or unrealistically capable, essentially
a small adult, rendering the concept of playing as a child
pointless. Mercifully, Telltales characterisation is spot-on.
Clementine is tougher than before, a consequence of
both her training in the company of Lee and due to a year
surviving in the wilderness with just a couple of other
people. Yet shes still recognisably a child. Telltale takes the
time to occasionally remind you of this fact, such as when
she expresses her hope of going back to school someday, or
through her lack of understanding about subjects such as
alcohol and sex, neither of which have much of a place in the
new, zombie-infested world. In addition, a certain amount of
her personality can be defined by player choice, such as
whether she responds to death with compassion or stony
dismissal.
Clementine is a consistently excellent character, and her
presence throughout the series forms a vital backbone that
ensures the players engagement. This is just as well,

because much of the drama that surrounds Clementine is a
little lacklustre.
The main problem is that, like the previous series, Season
2 is about a group of survivors traversing the wilderness in
an attempt to find a safe haven. Unfortunately, Telltales new
cast simply isnt as compelling. There are far too many
characters, and most of them are introduced to you at once,
making it difficult to form links with any particular
personality. Theyre also a mixed bag in terms of depth and
roundness. The only one that really stands out is Rebecca, a
pregnant woman desperate to protect her baby, whos
initially hostile toward Clementine but gradually warms to
her. Others, such as Luke and Carlos, are inoffensive but not
particularly memorable.
Then there are two characters who
detract from the experience by being
outright annoying. Nick is a hapless fool
who scares quickly and thinks slowly.
When he isnt moping and feeling sorry
for himself hes accidentally shooting
his friends. Yet even worse is Sarah, the
daughter of Carlos and the same age
as Clementine. This relationship
appears to be set-up so that Clementine will become
Sarahs protector and teacher, just as Lee was to her.
Unfortunately, Sarah is even less capable than Nick, and
the fact that she makes no attempt to act otherwise means
she incurs no sympathy when her ineptitude gets both her
and Clementine into trouble. Youll want to ditch her at the
first available opportunity. An equally damaging problem is
that its unclear where Season 2 is going for a long time, with
the game meandering from location to location without any
real plot thrust.
Occasionally it offloads a character or two in a typically
abrupt and unpleasant fashion, just to remind you that youre
playing a Walking Dead game and not a hiking simulator.
Later, the third episode provides some hope in the form of a
proper antagonist. Carver is the fascistic leader of a fortified

community who only values strength in his followers, while
weak individuals are excluded or killed outright. But this
storyline is resolved surprisingly quickly, and soon the series
returns to its aimless wandering and pointless demise.
Only in the seasons finale does the point of all your prior
experiences become clear, though its difficult to discuss
without spoiling it. Essentially we see that a character is a
monster created by circumstance rather than nature, that
such corruption can happen to anyone given sufficient time
and pressure. Were forced to weigh up a character we once
knew with the person theyve become now, and ultimately
decide which has more value. Its a fantastic conclusion,
being one of the strongest individual episodes Telltale has
made to date, and it largely rescues
this series from succumbing to
mediocrity. It also blows an otherwise
fairly restrictive series open in terms
of true choice, and it will be interesting
to see how Telltale responds in the
already-confirmed third series.
Also, while Season 2 has had some
heavy criticism from us, its writing
remains head and shoulders above
most other games. Moreover, its supremely well acted and
it looks beautiful. Presentation-wise. The rhythm-action
combat and railroaded choices still exist, and are still
irritating to a degree, but its the storytelling that ultimately
matters, and in that regard it remains the best interactive
storytelling out there.
The fact that were discussing the nuance of characters
and plotting in this review, rather than whether the controls
work or not, is another compliment of Telltales efforts. The
Walking Dead: Season 2 is a rocky ride at times, and Telltale
will need to shake up the formula to make a third season
intriguing. For now, though, the destination still makes the
journey worthwhile.
Its writing remains

head and shoulders
above most other
games
RICK LANE
91
G A M E S / ANALYSIS
INDiE CORNER
Do you like indie music? Do you like Crunch Corners? Well Indie Corner is
neither of those things. Instead, its Rick Lanes roundup of games being made
by independent developers. Nobody likes indie music anyway
Twelve Minutes
Rodina
DEVELOPER Luis Antonio /RELEASE ETA

WEBSITE http://twelveminutesgame.com
DEVELOPER Elliptic Games /RELEASE Out now (Early Access Alpha)

WEBSITE http://elliptic-games.com
welve Minutes simple premise sees the player returning

home, where his wife is making dinner. You can explore
the apartment, chat with her and perform other domestic
activities. Then, after 12 minutes, a policeman bursts through the
door, handcuffs both of you and accuses your wife of murder.
The game then resets, taking you back to the moment when you
arrived in the house. The ultimate goal of this Groundhog Day-style
scenario is to unravel the mystery behind your wifes arrest before
the clock resets. But what makes Twelve Minutes interesting is how
it adapts to any of your actions made within the time. The small
space and limited time frame means that developer Luis Antonia is
cramming an unprecedented level of depth into the game. For
example, if you interrupt your wifes pattern of movements or action
by taking over the dinner preparations, she will adapt accordingly.
Antonios plan is to create a game with many layers and dozens of
possible actions that all lead to varying consequences, and Antonio
is planning to implement many more possibilities before the final
game is released. Refreshingly, there are no plans for an Early
Access, so when Twelve Minutes is released, you will experience it
as the developer intended. We cant wait.
92
lite Dangerous might look snazzier than a cat in

sunglasses, but you still need to pay 50 for an unfinished
game to play it. Rodina has a similar premise, and is
similarly incomplete, but it only costs 10. Created by a former
developer of Oblivion and Fallout 3, this space exploration game
enables the player to travel across a solar system, while seamlessly
exploring and landing on the surfaces of asteroids and planets.
Intriguingly, the planets have simulated atmospheres attempt
re-entry via the wrong trajectory and youll burn up quickly.
Meanwhile, the spaceships have customisable interiors, and you can
wander around inside them too. Also, if an enemy ships laser fire
punches through your shields, theres a chance it will start a fire
inside your ship, forcing you out of the cockpit in an attempt to
extinguish it.
Rodina is an Early Access game, which means theres still a fair
amount of stuff to be added. Currently, there are four planets and
50 planetoids to explore and fight around, alongside hundreds of
asteroids. In addition, Elliptic intends to include ship-boarding
actions, NPC humans and settlements to the planets. Its already
a pretty impressive creation from a single designer.
Lichdom: Battlemage
Sunless Sea
DEVELOPER Xaviant Games /RELEASE Out Now (Early Access Beta)

WEBSITE http://lichdom.com
DEVELOPER Failbetter Games /RELEASE Out now (Early Access Alpha)

WEBSITE www.failbettergames.com/sunless
hose cowardly mages, hiding behind brave warriors with

their dusty books and silly spells. The power to wield fire
at your fingertips and move objects with your mind is no
excuse for not pulling your weight. Why dont they get their hands
dirty? Lichdom: Battlemage is framed around this idea, putting a lone
magician on the frontline against hordes of undead and orcs. Its
essentially an FPS, but with spells instead of bullets.
The primary focus is an extensive spell customisation system.
Eight classes of spells are available, alongside sub-categories that
can be altered. You could specify your fire spell for damage output,
use it to create a magic fire shield or transform it into a devastating
area-of-effect attack, casting a pool of fire across the ground. You
can add further effects too, such as slowing an opponent.
Battlemages component parts are nothing new, but together they
have great creative potential, and the emphasis on fast and furious
action lends Battlemage an original spin. Developer Xaviant is
currently putting the finishing touches on the campaign and story,
which is voiced in part by Jennifer Hale (see Issue 133, p98).
unless Sea puts you in control of a steamship in the gothic

industrial setting of the Fallen London browser game,
charging you with exploring the worlds oceans and
profiting from your discoveries. Its very much in the vein of
Crusader Kings II and DayZ; creating emergent stories through the
actions and choices you make while playing.
Like Crusader Kings II, Sunless Sea features a legacy that lasts
between the different characters you play. If one of your ship
captains succumbs to the dangers of the ocean, their replacement
may inherit an aspect or object from their character, be it a skill, an
officer or a map of their discoveries.
Alongside the perils inherent in the games turn-based combat
system, your crew members can also lose their sanity as well as
their lives. Head too far into the darkest corners of the map and you
risk your crew going crazy and possibly staging a mutiny.
Sunless Sea is in late beta, meaning most of the content is already
present. So if you fancy the sound of it, you shouldnt suffer from
picking it up now.
Unturned
DEVELOPER Smartly Dressed Games /RELEASE Out now (Early Access
Alpha) /WEBSITE http://smartlydressedgames.com/unturned
nturned might look like a Minecraft clone, but its emphasis is

neither on mining nor crafting. Instead, Unturned has more in
common with Bohemia Interactives DayZ. Players band
together online in an effort to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Its a premise thats admittedly been done to un-death, but Unturned
has a few tricks up its sleeve. It sports an extensive building system,
allowing you to create habitats and fortifications. It can even create
electronic systems, enabling you to build traps to defend yourself
against the zombie hordes, or other players on the games PvP servers.
Survival, meanwhile, can be achieved in a number of ways, simply
harvesting the lands naturally occurring plants and animals, or heading
into town to scavenge whatever items you can find. Doing the latter
yields more opportunities for useful loot, but also puts you in greater
danger from the undead and player bandits.
Unturned is both Early Access and free-to-play, and is currently

undergoing a significant overhaul in terms of networking and
graphical optimisations. The game has already received three visual
upgrades and many more content additions, so theres no doubt the
developers are active and eager to support the community.
93
OPINION
J I M K I L LO C K / DIGITAL RIGHTS
Europe vs Facebook
Jim Killock has been meeting digital rights campaigners around Europe, many
of whom are getting results
his summer, on my holiday
bike trip, I travelled between
capitals in Europe and met
with activists campaigning for
digital rights in those countries.
Whats remarkable is how much
their work is driving our ability to
defend digital rights in the UK, often
while the UK government is busy
undermining the very same rights.
Lets start with Bits of Freedom,
based in Amsterdam. This
organisation professionalised a few
years ago, raised money and hired
staff. In just a few years, it persuaded
its government to adopt a net
neutrality law, which effectively bans
broadband and mobile companies
from slowing down or speeding up
Internet traffic to particular services.
It was the first such law in Europe.
It set a great example for Europe,
and means that the Netherlands is
arguing for strong net neutrality
laws in the EU. The EU is currently
debating exactly this kind of law and,
of course, the UK is arguing against it.
Our governments position is that the
market should decide, and its okay if
BT, Sky or Virgin want to sell products
that, for instance, slow down video
traffic from competitors, as long as
theyre transparent about it.
Such products are developing
already, especially for mobile phones
in the developing world, where
phones can access say, Facebook or
94
Wikipedia, but not the whole

Internet. Its clear that UK ISPs want
the flexibility to do whatever they
like in the future, unbound by laws
such as those in the Netherlands.
Of course, not everything is perfect
in the Netherlands. Bits of Freedom is
fighting a law that would allow the
government to take over your
computer to investigate you. It
seems every country has problems
with the states desire to gain powers
of investigation that are facilitated by
the digital products we use.
Schrems campaign proved

that youre entitled to a copy of
your data from Facebook
But its the UK thats led the field in
European Internet surveillance
with public laws, as well as secret
interpretations, that permit mass,
indiscriminate harvesting of
personal data. Since 2005, countries
across Europe have been fighting
data retention, a European-wide law
allowing the retention of everybodys
Internet and phone logs by private
companies. It was the UK that pushed
through this law, on the back of
terrorist atrocities, with the claim
that the logs could help with
investigations. It was challenges to
this law that led to the European

judgement quashing the law entirely
and the new UK DRIP act I discussed
in Issue 133.
What was striking on my visits to
Prague and Vienna was that the
pushback against mass retention has
been very strong, and by groups that
are often less well resourced than
Liberty or the Open Rights Group.
Theyre not complacent either:
theyre already planning their next
moves to fight data retention in the
wake of the judgment. Like the UK,
many of the countries are now
dealing with the wake of the
judgement, which forces each
country to make its own laws about
data retention. A country can have no
law, or it can make a law that it
believe complies with human rights.
In Austria, I spoke to Christof Tschul
who, along with over 10,000 other
Austrians, challenged data retention
at a constitutional court. Along with
a complaint from Digital Rights
Ireland, this was the challenge that
went to the EUs Court of Justice
(CJEU). He explained the importance
of having a large number of people
making the challenge, to show
widespread public concern.
Since the CJEU judgment, Austria
has quashed the data retention law,
and made it clear that any new law
has to comply with the CJEU criteria,
which bans blanket retention. In the
UK, our government ignored the

requirements. The Czech Republic
also has yet to finalise its position on
data retention; campaigners I met
there from Iuridicum Remedium are
also trying to work out how to put the
CJEU judgment into practice.
One impressive campaign weve
seen came from Max Schrems, a law
student in Austria. I talked to him
about how his Europe vs Facebook
campaign developed, and the next
steps hes taking. His idea is simple:
we have strong privacy rights on
paper in Europe, especially through
data protection, which should ring
alarm bells at companies such as
Facebook, who dont always seem to
behave as if these laws matter.
His first step was to demand all the
information Facebook had retained
about him. When he didnt get all he
expected, he complained to the Irish
data-protection authorities. As an EU
citizen, he can do that, as Facebooks
EU branch is based in Ireland.
Schrems campaign proved youre
entitled to a copy of your data from
Facebook. It also showed that the
data-protection authorities werent
really doing their jobs. His campaign
has also kept up the pressure by
asking people to complain to the Irish
data-protection authorities when
Facebook doesnt properly respond to
peoples requests for their data.
The campaign has had a major
influence, not just by showing the
current problems with Facebook, but

by demonstrating that European
data-protection law isnt currently
working very well. That result has
helped to lead to new proposals, still
being finalised, which would allow
you get your data back, in full, for free,
and result in the same levels of data
protection being applied in all EU
states. Its pretty clear that a German
or Austrian data-protection authority
wouldnt allow slow or partial
responses from Facebook, and would
have reacted to Schrems complaints
a lot faster than the EU.
Schrems and 25,000 Europeans are
now asking for damages because of
the lax way their data has been
treated by Facebook. This includes
data from the American PRISM
program, which allows we know
thanks to documents from Edward
Snowden access to Facebook data
by the US secret services, via the
National Security Agency (NSA).
Schrems is complaining that
agreements between the USA and
Europe to create meaningful privacy
and data protection from US
companies, called safe harbour, is
meaningless. The complaint has now
gone to the European Court of Justice.
Its very clear that European Union
law, backed up by the Charter of
Fundamental Rights, is making a
big difference to digital rights.
Campaigners in many European
countries are demanding that the EU
courts protect our privacy and dataprotection rights, both of which are
guaranteed by the Charter. In the UK,
were picking up the benefits too, but
we have a government (and political
culture) thats often opposed to
interference from Europe, and
sceptical about human rights.
Worse, our governments, both left
and right, are all too prepared to
campaign both for anti-terror laws
that remove our rights and are open
to wide abuse, and for laws that
favour convenience for companies
over personal privacy and digital
rights. While the EU has much to
complain about, its easy to imagine
what any renegotiation would
involve: weakening or removing any
ability to enforce charter rights, and
opt-outs against stronger data
protection, will be on the list Im sure.
If we stay in the EU in roughly the
current form, which may be a big
assumption, there are many ways
that UK campaigners can collaborate
with European groups to improve
enforcement of our digital rights. Its
already happening, because our legal
rights stretch across EU borders.
The bigger challenge, though, is
creating a clear sense that the public
cares about these issues. Im sure
people do care, and polling often
shows that privacy is a big public
concern, but the media and
politicians dont have this sense yet.
There is still a lot of work to do.
Jim Killock is executive director of campaign organisation The Open Rights Group (www.openrightsgroup.org)
@jimkillock
95
F E AT U R E / ANALYSIS
Minecraft modded
with new biomes,
new resources, new
shaders and new
weather systems
Rick Lane takes you through the various mods available for Minecraft on the
PC, from different shaders and texture packs, through to new game features
inecraft is less of a game

and more of a cultural
phenomenon.With 54 million
copies sold on all platforms to date, its
become one of the most widely played
games on the planet. Almost everything you
can imagine has been recreated in its blocky
world, from the Starship Enterprise to
Westeros to the entirety of Denmark. Its
even become a teaching aid in many schools
across the world, in subjects including
science and English.
Its near-universal appeal also means
theres an abundance of user-created
content for the game that expands its
potential in nearly every way possible.
Graphical updates, new items, new
environments, new adventures. In fact,
96
theres so much content available that

attempting to sort the wheat from the chaff
is liable to make your eyes go square. As such,
weve put together a detailed guide to
making the most of Minecraft, including
which mods to install, how to install them
and how to generally make Minecraft a
fuller, more enjoyable experience.
Mod installation
Despite being one of the most heavily

modded games in existence, theres no
official mod support for Minecraft. Instead,
the majority of mods function via a thirdparty program called Minecraft Forge.
Installing Forge is simple enough. To do so,
go to http://files.minecraftforge.net and
download the Recommended iteration of
Forge relevant to the most recent version of

Minecraft, which at the time of writing is
version 1.7.10. Also ensure to download the
Windows Installer version, and be careful
when navigating the annoying ad.fly
advertising link-through (youll become
very familiar with this screen in the process
of modding Minecraft, as many modders
appear to use it to generate revenue).
Installing Forge is a simple matter of
running the executable and selecting the
Client Install option on the menu screen.
Once complete, run the Minecraft launcher
and select the Forge profile in the bottomleft dropbox. Now, when you click Play, youll
see a new Mod menu button on the title
screen. The only task now remaining is to
make Minecrafts modding folder easily
accessible. Most Minecraft mods are

Just the simple addition of
installed by dragging and dropping, so it
shaders can make a startling
makes sense to make the folder accessible.
difference to Minecrafts look
Open Run on the Windows Start menu and
input %appdata%\.minecraft (minus the
quote marks) in the box. Locate the Mods
folder in the results, create a shortcut and
place it on your desktop.
Well give you just one final tip before
getting into the nitty-gritty of mod
installation too, which is that when youre
downloading a mod, check to see
whether the mod version matches
up with the current version of
Whichever shader
Minecraft. The versions dont need
pack you choose,
the water effects are
to be the exactly the same to be
usually lovely
compatible, but older mods wont
always work with newer versions
of Minecraft. All the mods we
recommend in this feature work
with the latest version of Minecraft
(1.7.10) at the time of writing.
Visual improvements
Minecraft has a unique visual

charm in its original form, but it has
the potential to look far better. Graphical
upgrades and alterations come in three
general types: texture packs, resource packs
(which are texture packs with additional
assets such as model skins) and shader
packs. Here, well only be discussing the
latter two, because texture packs often have
a more advanced resource pack alternative.
Before you install any packs, you need to
install two groundwork mods. The first
is OptiFine, which adds a host of options
for improving game performance and,
more importantly, support for highdefinition textures. All the mods discussed
in this article are easy to find through
a Google search, or on websites such
as www.minecraftmods.com or www.
planetminecraft.com
Just ensure that you click the right
download link when acquiring them,
avoiding any advertisements or malware
masquerading as the link to your file.
NAELOGOS
CEL-SHADERS
Installing OptiFine is a simple case of

dragging and dropping it into your Mods
folder. The other mod is GLSL shaders,
created by a modder called Karyonix. Put
simply, this mod enables support for custom
shaders. Drop it into the mods folder, launch
Minecraft and check the games Options
menu, where you should now see a new
submenu called Shaders.
With both these mods ready, you can now
think about mods that directly improve the
games look. Shader packs have the most
significant overall effect,enabling Minecraft
to make use of advanced lighting and
mapping techniques. There are dozens of
shader packs available for Minecraft, many
of them variations on realistic shading
techniques. Perhaps the most remarkable of
these shader packs is Sonic Ethers
Unbelievable Shaders, which provides crisp
visuals and impressive lighting effects.
Viable alternatives are Sildurs Shaders,
which has slightly subtler effects,

or Stazza85s Super Shaders, which
give the game a rich hue.
There are also a couple of
alternatives to the realistic look that
many custom shaders address.
Naelogos Cel-Shaders,for example,
lends the game a comic-book
aesthetic, where objects are drawn
with thick black lines and colours
contrast vibrantly. Meanwhile, a modder
named Beed 28 has created a Jelly shader
that makes everything in the game world
bounce around. We have no idea why
anyone would want this feature, but its
certainly novel!
Installing shader packs is slightly more
involved than installing standard mods.
Once youve downloaded a pack of shaders,
select the Shaders tab in the Minecraft
options, then select Open Shaderpacks
folder (you can create another shortcut to
this folder if you want to access it easier).
Create a new folder inside Shaderpacks, and
give it a name related to the pack you just
downloaded. Then,inside that newly named
folder, either create another folder named
shaders, and extract the .fsh and .vsh
shaders into it. Alternatively, if the folder
inside the downloaded zip file is already
named shaders, just extract it as a whole
into the named folder.
SILDURS
SHADERS
97
The pack you downloaded should now

appear as an option in the Shaders menu. Its
possible to switch between shader packs
while playing without quitting the game, so
its best to download a few at once and then
judge which you like best for yourself. One
other factor to note is that most shader packs
have multiple download options, geared
towards PCs with different specifications.
All of the shaded screenshots on this page
were taken using shader packs with High or
Ultra settings, although there are often Light
and Medium options available too.
Resource packs are even more abundant
than shader packs, with themes ranging
from Skyrim to Star Wars. Many of these
packs appeal to particular tastes, rather than
applying a general improvement, so weve
selected packs that can be enjoyed without
needing to know the lore of any fictional
universes. One of the most popular texture
packs is the oddly named JohnSmith, which
gives you lovely sharp textures for surfaces,
particularly building on resources. Its a little
less bright and breezy than the standard
Minecraft colour palette, but it works well
with Sildurs muted shader pack.
Chroma Hills, meanwhile, arguably gives
you an even more beautiful set of textures
than JohnSmith. What makes Chroma Hills
interesting is that its been specifically
designed to complement Sonic Ethers
Unbelievable Shaders, so you can guarantee
that combining these two packs will make
Minecraft look brilliant without having to
experiment or tweak any settings. If you
simply want to dive into a super-pretty
world of blocks, Chroma Hills is your best bet.
If youre after a more adventurous
appearance, then Glimmars Steampunk
resource pack lends Minecraft a hint of a
more specific personality, while retaining
much of the pastoral pleasantness of the
original game. It also has an absolutely
stunning night sky, and probably the best
sun of any texture pack you will find.
Resource pack installation is fairly simple.
Download the pack, and locate Minecrafts
WITH
TEXTURES AND
RESOURCES
Glimmars steampunk
pack has particularly
impressive skies, but its
jungles, lava and torches
are also very pretty
resource pack folder through the options

menu, again creating a desktop shortcut if
you want. Most resource packs can be
dropped directly into this folder without
having to be unzipped. Also, as with shader
packs, you can switch between resource
packs mid-game, although Minecraft may
take a longer time to respond as it loads the
new textures.
There are two additional mods worth
downloading to improve your sensory
experience of Minecraft. The first one is
AtomicStrykers Dynamic Lights mod,which
changes all light sources, such as torches,
fires and lava, so they light the area around
them dynamically. Its a minor tweak, but it
adds a little extra mood when youre
exploring a spooky cave by torchlight. The
second is Matmos,which generates ambient
sounds based on your current location in the
game world. This mod adds a great deal of
atmosphere to Minecraft, and is worth
downloading even if you cant run any of the
graphical mods weve suggested. Unlike the
resource packs, both of these mods are
installed by dropping them straight into the
Mods folder.
A better world
Experimenting with shader and resource

packs is great fun, but their beauty is only
skin-deep. To truly improve your Minecraft
WITHOUT
TEXTURES AND
RESOURCES
Ruins and a tornado,

both with and without
textures and resources
98
experience,you need to enhance Minecrafts

fundamental components.
One of the most dramatic improvements
comes from the BiomesOPlenty mod.
Minecrafts world is constructed from
different environments known as biomes,
standard examples of which include deserts,
deciduous forests, jungles and deserts.
BiomesOPlenty tweaks Minecrafts
procedural generation algorithm, and adds
components of its own to generate a
whopping 75 additional biome types to your
Minecraft world.
Some of these biomes are more specific
versions of existing biome types. Hence, in
addition to existing forests, you also get
seasonal forests, thickets, redwood forests,
maple woods and so on. Other biomes are
completely new, including volcanoes, alpine
peaks,Arctic Tundra,mangrove swamps and
coral reefs. There are even different
environment types for Minecrafts version
of Hell the Nether. It massively expands the
exploration potential of the game. Basically,
if you install any of the mods mentioned in
this article, make it this one.
There are several further mods that
complement BiomesOPlenty, though you
can also install them separately if you wish.
The first is Oceancraft. Minecrafts seas and
oceans are frankly a tad dull, mostly acting
as an obstacle that needs to be surmounted.
Occasionally, OceanCraft generates an

island map filled with strange locations,
such as this floating barge/house
combination covered in pumpkins
Millenaires villages
are defined by culture.
We discovered a
Japanese village in
the dead of night, its
residents fast asleep
OceanCraft turns these watery

environments into Biomes worthy of their
own exploration. It fills the oceans murky
depths with all manner of sea creatures,and
it sprinkles seagulls and crabs across the
coastlines. It even adds huts that house
hungry cannibals to certain shores a vital
component in any good beach holiday.
The next world-building mod to consider
is Elemental Caves. Underground
exploration in Minecraft is already huge fun,
but Elemental Caves adds extra spice in the
form of three new cave types jungle caves,
ice caves and lava caves. Each of these cave
types are generated at sensible locations in
the game world jungle caves in rainforests
and ice caves in wintry landscapes, for
example.Each cave comes with a host of new
block types and materials for crafting new
items too, including weapons and armour
that are unique to the mod.
Other popular modding targets for the
Minecraft community are the procedurally
generated villages you encounter in the
game, which are an interesting idea, but
somewhat rudimentary in their standard
form. There are a few mods you can
download to improve them though.
Mo Villages is straightforward enough,
adding a large number of additional village
The Dynamic
Lights mod also
includes some
items that emit
light, such as
these glowing
sea plants
types for each of Minecrafts starting biomes.

A more involved village mod is Millenaire,
which not only brings larger, more varied
villages to the game, but also includes a host
of NPCs with which you can interact and
trade. Doing so will enable the villages to
expand and change their settlement, and
you can even become the leader of a
community if your relationship with the
villagers is strong enough. Be warned,
though,Millenaire seems to be very resource
intensive, and caused our game to crash on
multiple occasions. One last structure-based
mod worth considering is AtomicStrykers
Ruins mod, which implements spooky
ruined buildings into the game, adding a
little more eeriness to exploration.
There are a couple of more general mods
worth considering too. LotsOMobs simply
populates your world with a huge number
of additional animals, including elephants,

crocodiles, deer and lions. It even adds
penguins into Minecraft which, as we all
know, are the greatest creatures.
Another mod we strongly recommend
checking out is the Local Weather Mod by
Corosus. This mod changes the basic
meteorology of Minecraft into a far more
dramatic and sometimes dangerous
experience.Dark clouds can gather overhead,
forming fearsome thunderstorms, and
theres even the potential for tornados and
hurricanes that can lift you off your feet and
bounce you around the environment like a
meaty pinball. This mod also throws in a few
new craftable items, such as weather vanes
and Anemometers, helping you to predict
storms and take the necessary precautions,
such as sheltering safely underground.
One final mod to try is the Aether mod.
The Aether is a community-built counterpart
to Minecrafts Nether, the heaven to its hell,
and it essentially offers an entire new world
for you to explore. In many ways its far more
detailed than the Nether, equipped with
unique items, crafting recipes, weapons,
block types and more. If that hasnt
convinced you, it also features
flying pigs. Flying pigs!
Getting crafty
Now were going to discuss

the slightly bizarre Minecraft
phenomenon of adding
content into the game that lets
you add content in your game.
It makes sense, honest! After
all, half of Minecraft is about
building. Again, there are
innuberable mods that add
craftable items into the game,
from weapons to vehicles, and again, were
going to concentrate on items that make
general enhancements.
With this in mind, your first port of call
should be Buildcraft, which expands
Minecrafts construction potential
enormously. Through the addition of a
craftable wrench tool, Buildcraft enables
you to create all kinds of machinery and
industrial systems in your world. These
machines included automated mining
engines, industrial smelters, automatic
workbenches and so on. Theres a work-inprogress version that will eventually let you
build your own robot helper too, which
sounds like a fascinating prospect.
Alongside Buildcraft is Computercraft,
which lets you construct computers inside
the game and,in Inception-like fashion,code
games in those computers using the
99
Tornados are particularly

violent, being able to reshape
the map in front of you
The combination of Oceancraft and

LotsOMobs adds a great amount of
verve to Minecrafts coastlines
LUA scripting language. Most

impressively of all, it includes
programmable robots called Turtles,
which can move, mine blocks and
even use tools and weapons. Getting
all these parts to work requires basic
scripting knowledge, of course, but
Computercraft offers an interesting
way to learn while having fun in
Minecraft at the same time.
Meanwhile, if youre looking for some
more destructive action then the Nuke TNT
mod should suit your needs. It basically
takes the idea behind Minecrafts standard
TNT block and runs with it, adding craftable
scatterbomb blocks, firebomb blocks,
napalm blocks and even a nuke block. This
all may sound counter to the pleasant,
harmonious theme with which weve been
running so far, but explosives are useful for
clearing large numbers of blocks easily, so
having a range of incendiary materials at
your disposal is always handy.
Totally converted
Total conversion mods are different from

other Minecraft mods in that, instead of
improving the game, they change it entirely.
These mods are unlikely to work with any
other mods, due to the radical alterations
they make, so we wont dwell on them, but
its worth exploring a couple just for a taste
of how much you can really change
Minecraft if you want.
If you find Minecraft lacking in challenge,
then the Better Than Wolves mod might be
up your street. Generally speaking, it focuses
in on the survival aspect of Minecraft,
making it altogether a tougher, harsher
100
experience. However, it also adds plenty of

new materials and craftable objects into the
game, including water wheels and
windmills, enabling you to build a more
sophisticated settlement for yourself. In
some ways, this aspect is similar to what you
get from Buildcraft, but its a little more
carefully constructed, and designed to
integrate more naturally into Minecraft.
If youre after a completely different
Minecraft experience then we can
recommend nothing better than the
recently released Endless City mod. Endless
City ditches the pastoral theme of Minecraft
entirely, replacing it with an infinite
metropolis of concrete and glass. In this
world, you must scavenge stone-built
houses and towering skyscrapers for food,
weapons and other loot in order to survive.
The players ultimate goal is to return nature
to the citys entirely artificial existence,
which makes for an intriguing inversion of
the Minecraft theme.
Weird and wonderful
Lets conclude our tour of the Minecraft

modding universe with a few mods that
dont really fit into any other category, as
theyre just a little bit bizarre. First up is
Ritsugamis Biosphere Mod. Put simply, this
mod tweaks the generation

algorithms so that each biome
spawns separately and is encased
in an enormous glass biosphere. Its
mostly just a curiosity, but its
visually impressive.
Another weird mod is Candycraft,
which adds another biome thats
made entirely of candy, enabling
you to re-enact the land of chocolate sketch
from the Simpsons. Meanwhile, the trains
and zeppelins mod replaces the games
minecarts with a variety of train models,
then it adds zeppelins that you can fly
around, because why not?
Perhaps the weirdest mod of all, though,
is Extreme Farming. This mod adds several
new types of TNT block in the game;
detonating any one of these will cause an
explosion of edible crops to spread across the
ground, which can then be instantly
harvested. Its an ideal mod if you want
to see some explosions without the
destruction-based guilt that normally
accompanies such an activity. Think of it as
the friendlier carpet-bombing experience.
Modding Minecraft is a relatively easy
and immensely enjoyable process. If you can
imagine any way to alter the core game,
theres a good chance that theres already a
mod that does it. If theres any final advice
we could give, its to ensure that your mods
dont overlap in terms of their function, as
this will lessen the risk of them conflicting
or crashing the game. Oh, and dont stand
around, taking screenshots of a rapidly
approaching tornado without paying
attention to precisely where its approaching.
That tends to end badly. Have fun!
C U STO M I SAT I O N / HOBBY TECH
G A R E T H H A L FAC R E E S
Hobby tech
The latest tips, tricks and news in the world of computer hobbyism,
from Raspberry Pi, Arduino and Android to retro computing
T U TO R I A L
Make a breadboard Gamebuino

Missed the crowd-funding campaign? Heres how to build your own Gamebuino
ve been spending a lot of time

playing with my Gamebuino this
month. Its a marvel in terms of
making the most of what youve got, as its an
ATmega328-based handheld 8-bit gaming
system, funded by an Indiegogo campaign.
Its also a source of much joy.
Unfortunately, its currently quite an
exclusive device. The campaigns 1,000 or so
backers have all received their Gamebuinos,
but at the time of writing, its creator
(interviewed on p106 ) was still recovering
from his herculean efforts of hand-soldering
them all. There are plans to launch a website
through which Gamebuinos can be built, but
if you want to have a play around with the
technology yourself, there are currently only
two options: emulation or homebrew. So lets
crack on with the latter.
Seven push buttons, 5 inc VAT for ten

http://tinyurl.com/fivebuttons
Jumper wires, 3 inc VAT for 70
http://tinyurl.com/breadjump
830-point breadboard, 5 inc VAT
http://tinyurl.com/830board
1 Build the circuit

The Gamebuino is a reasonably complicated
piece of hardware, featuring a charging circuit
for the battery, a light-dependent resistor, a
speaker, I2C connection support and a microSD card, in addition to the basic display and
controls. The circuit were going to build breaks
Kit list
Arduino Uno or compatible, 22 inc VAT
http://tinyurl.com/unoarduino
Nokia 5110 LCD with breakout board,
6inc VAT
http://tinyurl.com/5110lcd
102
Your finished Gamebuino circuit

should, in theory, look a little like this
it down to its bare essentials: the screen and

seven buttons.
When shopping for LCDs which,
interestingly, are all recycled units from old
Nokia 5110 mobile phones be sure to pick up
a unit like the one linked in our kit list, which
offers 3-5V compatibility. Some breakout
boards dont include the extra parts needed to
support more than 3.3V on the logic input, and
will burn out when connected to the 5V
Arduino. Follow the printed wiring diagram to
build the circuit, but dont plug the Arduino into
your computer just yet.
2 Install the library

The beauty of the Gamebuino is that
you can create your own games
through the Arduino integrated
development environment (IDE). If
you havent already done so, install
the Arduino IDE by following the
instructions at http://arduino.cc.
Download and open the Gamebuino
library archive from http://tinyurl.
com/gblibrary, then find your
Arduino libraries folder in the
sketchbook directory on Linux, or
A simple game in which you move a blob around

the screen is a good way to test your wiring
condition; this is used to load the SD card

reader firmware, which isnt installed on this
breadboard version.
Youll need to install the

Gamebuino libraries in
your Arduino folder before
loading the IDE
in the Arduino sub-folder of My Documents

on Windows or Documents on OS X and
extract the three libraries in the archive there.
If youre currently running the Arduino IDE,
restart it; otherwise, load it and check to see if
you have a Gamebuino option under FileExamples. If so, the library is installed correctly.
Dont worry about the instructions for
installing the bootloader or Gamebuino board
definition; youll only need those bits when
you get your hands on a real Gamebuino.
3 Modify the library

Theres one major difference between the
Gamebuino youre building and the real
device, and thats the absence of a battery.
The Gamebuino is designed to constantly
monitor the battery, both to provide on-screen
notification of its status and to shut down the
system if the level gets too low. If you dont
have a battery connected, the Gamebuino
code will think its at a dangerously low level
and refuse to run at all.
To fix this issue, go into the Gamebuino
directory you extracted from the archive and
open Gamebuino.cpp in your favourite text
editor. Search for a line beginning case 0;
place the characters /* (without quotes) at

the start of the line below, and the characters
*/ at the end of the last line before case 1
then save the file. This edit will disable the
low-battery shutdown system.
4 Test the circuit

It can be surprisingly easy to wire the buttons
the wrong way around, so well start with a
simple test of the circuit.
Plug your Arduino into a USB port and verify
that the LCDs backlight comes on; if not, check
the wiring.
Load the Arduino IDE, then click on FileExamples-Gamebuino-1.Basics-c_Controls.
This runs a simple test program (a basic game
where you move a blob) that will enable you to
make sure the buttons are wired correctly.
Compile and upload the sketch with the
Upload button shaped like an arrow pointing
right and start it with Button A, which should
be the left button on the batch of two. Test that
all the buttons do what you would expect: up
moves up, left moves left and so on. The last
one, Button C, should return you to the menu.
If you press Button C at the main
Gamebuino menu, youll get an error
5 Flash a game
The Gamebuino library includes a selection
of games, all of which can be found in the
Examples menu. These games are uploaded
to the Gamebuino using the Arduino IDE, as
with the test program you used earlier.
Yet more game files are available at the
official http://gamebuino.com website: just
download the INO file, load it into the Arduino
IDE and flash as normal.
A real Gamebuino allows you to switch
between games on the fly, storing precompiled versions on a micro-SD card that
can be accessed using a special bootloader.
This bare bones version lacks such a feature
though to switch between games, youll
need to use the Arduino IDE and load a single
game at a time.
If you get bored with the games on offer,
have a look at the code for each one in the
Arduino IDE and have a bash at writing your
own games and be sure to share them with
me, as Im always on the lookout for new
games to play!
A selection of games is included in the library, with

more available on the website
103
REVIEW
Banana Pi
W
hen I made a pledge in Issue 131 not

to give the LeMaker Banana Pi a
proper review until its software
had reached a more usable state, I wasnt
expecting that event to happen quite so
quickly. For all the scorn that can be poured
over the Chinese company for its blatant
co-opting of the Raspberry Pi name and
rough board design, the speed at which its
engineers have been addressing bugs in the
software cant be faulted.
To refresh your memory, the Banana Pi
is one of two Raspberry Pi competitors to
attempt a brave frontal assault, alongside
the HummingBoard (opposite), with pincompatible general-purpose input-output
(GPIO) headers but a greatly enhanced
feature set.
Im still using the same Banana Pi hardware
I originally received from LeMaker: a roughly
credit card-sized single-board computer
powered by an AllWinner A20 dual-core
processor running just shy of 1GHz and linked
to 1GB of RAM. Like its inspiration, theres a
26-pin GPIO header at the top left, along with
composite video, analogue audio, HDMI,
Ethernet and two USB 2 ports. Unlike the
Raspberry Pi, though, the two USB ports are
specification-compliant, the Ethernet port
supports Gigabit connections and there are
extras in the form of a SATA connector with
matched power socket, USB On-The-Go
(OTG) support, an infrared receiver and even
an on-board microphone.
The hardware was impressive, despite its
95.7 x 74 x 19.5mm dimensions making it too
large to fit in any Raspberry Pi cases, and the
shifted GPIO header meaning few piggy-back
boards connect correctly. It was the software
that disappointed: at launch, a buggy Linaro
and knock-off Raspbian install left the user
adrift when it came to addressing the GPIO
hardware.
Now, the situation is very different indeed.
The Raspbian port has been overhauled
gone is the Raspberry Pi logo in the
background, to be replaced with LeMakers
own and both the Rpi.GPIO and Wiring Pi
libraries can be used unmodified, making
it easy to shift projects away from the
underpowered Raspberry Pi to its Bananaflavour competitor. The Linaro port is now
based on Ubuntu 14.04, while ports of other
systems from Android to OpenWRT are also
available. Its community may be in its infancy,
104
The Banana Pi is larger than the

Raspberry Pi, and has an annoyingly
shifted GPIO header, although it also
offers considerably more power
An AllWinner A20 dual-core

processor pumps out around four
times the compute power of the
Raspberry Pis BCM2835
but theres no denying theres plenty of

enthusiasm for the extra potential the Banana
Pi has to offer.
It can churn out some decent benchmark
results too. Its 1GHz dual-core processor uses
a newer instruction set than the outdated
single-core 700MHz Broadcom BCM2835
chip of the Raspberry Pi, which helps to boost
performance further than the raw numbers
would suggest. The SysBench singlethreaded benchmark came in with a 95th
percentile score of 29.72ms, well ahead of the
51.45ms of the Raspberry Pi, although behind
the more expensive HummingBoards
impressive 22.94ms.
The dual-core A20 chip really shines in
multi-threaded software though: a 10MB gzip
test completed in 2.39 seconds (compress)
and 0.21 seconds (decompress) on the
Banana Pi, compared to a sluggish 8.64
seconds and 3.08 seconds respectively on
the Raspberry Pi.
So far, so good, but there are a few

negatives to be addressed. My attempts to
use the composite video output to hook up
the Banana Pi to my monochrome monitor
were frustrated by the appallingly low quality
of its video output, far lower than that of the
Raspberry Pi. Worse still, internal bottlenecks
on the SoC mean that a Gigabit Ethernet
connection is limited to around 233Mb/sec
real-world throughput far faster than the
Raspberry Pi, but disappointing for anyone
who is hoping to use the on-board SATA
connection to make a compact, low-power
network attached storage device.
Low-power computing specialist New IT
(www.newit.co.uk) is the first company in the
UK to offer the Banana Pi, pricing the boards
at 41.95 inc VAT. While they can be bought
cheaper by importing direct from China
(www.aliexpress.com), and hoping that you
dodge Customs, theres a lot to be said for
being able to deal with a UK company.
REVIEW
SolidRun HummingBoard i2eX

I
f the Banana Pi is a Mercedes to the

Raspberry Pis Volkswagen, the
HummingBoard, from Israeli
microcomputer maker SolidRun, aims to be
a Ferrari. Having supplied me with an early
prototype, UK low-power computing
specialist New IT has now sent over a final
production model and there have been
significant changes.
The biggest change is immediately
obvious: the presence of an absolutely
massive heatsink, bolted to the system-onmodule that powers the HummingBoard. This
particular design is exclusive to the top-end
i2eX model; the dual-core i2 includes a
smaller black heatsink simply stuck on to the
Freescale SoC, while the single-core i1 has no
heatsink at all. The heatsink isnt for show
either: the chip hit a maximum temperature
of 75C in testing.
The overall layout of the HummingBoard
has also been changed since the prototype,
with the entire board shrinking to 66.6 x 93.1 x
23mm making it compatible with some, but
not all, Raspberry Pi cases. The i2eXs extra
features become something of a burden in
this respect, though, as an mSATA connector
on the underside can foul the board on cases
that would otherwise fit.
The i2eXs system-on-module meaning
the HummingBoard is not, strictly speaking, a
single-board computer features 1GB of
RAM and a Freescale i.MX6 dual-core 1GHz
ARMv7 processor with GC2000 graphics
hardware and 1GB of RAM. This is an upgrade
over the dual-core i2 and single-core i1
models, which both house the lower-end
GC880 GPU; its less powerful but, more
importantly, it lacks the OpenCL support of its
bigger sibling. The board also includes a MIPI
CSI connector for a camera, and an extra
header for FlexCAN use, along with an
upgraded Gigabit Ethernet port.
Like the Banana Pi, the HummingBoard has
borrowed heavily from the Raspberry Pi in
terms of layout. A 26-pin GPIO header,
electrically compatible with the Raspberry Pi,
sits at the top left, and the board includes
analogue audio, HDMI, Ethernet and two
genuine specification-compliant USB ports.
What appears at first glance to be a composite
video connector, however, turns out to be an
S/PDIF digital audio output a blessing to
most, but an annoyance for anyone like
myself who hoped to drive a 1980s monitor.
The massive heatsink on the

HummingBoard i2eX isnt for
show: in testing, the chip hit 75C
SolidRuns flagship model, the i2eX, includes a miniPCI-E slot on the top and an mSATA connector on
the bottom
The i2eX is the flagship HummingBoard, at

least until the quad-core version appears. As
a result, the carrier board into which the SoM
connects has a few extras that might surprise:
a mini-PCI-E slot on the top of the board, and
an mSATA connector on the underneath.
Theres also an infrared receiver, and an LVDS
connector for flat-panel displays. The i2, by
contrast, lacks all these features, while the i1
matches the i2 except for the use of a singlecore processor and 512MB of RAM.
The HummingBoards performance

impresses too. At 22.94ms, its SysBench
score is more than twice as fast as the
Raspberry Pi, while it completed the multithreaded gzip test in 1.296 seconds
(compress) and 0.136 seconds (decompress)
testament to Freescales excellent i.MX6
microarchitecture. Like the Banana Pi, its
Gigabit network connection is bottlenecked,
although to a less severe 371Mb/sec.
Sadly, there are also a few bugs to be
ironed out in the software. An Android 4.4
build works brilliantly, but the version of
Ubuntu on offer is three years old and out of
support. A port of the newer Debian Jessie is
available, but I ran into a few crashes issues
that SolidRuns chief technical officer, Rabeeh
Khoury, assures me will be fixed very soon.
The HummingBoard family is available
from www.newit.co.uk now, priced at 42.95
for the i1, 69 for the i2, and 89 for the
flagship i2eX reviewed here.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Biscuit Board smashes goal

The Biscuit Board semi-permanent breadboard from
Japanese electronics start-up Bread Board Maniac has
easily beaten its $1,126 Kickstarter funding goal, ending with
orders worth nearly $14,000. Designed to emulate a halfsized breadboard, the Biscuit Board uses extra-tight connections to create a semipermanent connection thats more secure than traditional breadboards.
Combined with thin housing, its designed as a quick alternative to strip-board or other
solder-based prototyping systems. Interestingly, its also compatible with Lego bricks
and comes as a pair with connecting pillars. When Kickstarter orders are fulfilled, Bread
Board Maniac will begin selling the boards directly.
105
I N T E RV I E W
The Gamebuino story

T
he Gamebuino is a rare beast: a

crowd-funding story of unalloyed
success. The final figure raised was
more than ten times the modest 3,141 goal
set by its creator, Aurlien Rodot. I set the goal
as a minimum, but I was hoping to sell more
somewhere around 200-500 pieces, Rodot
tells me. I didnt actually expect to get over
1,000 per cent of the funding!
Im a student in mechanical
engineering, my background
doesnt have anything to do
with electronics, Rodot
explains. When I was in high
school, I discovered what a
with an Arduino, a screen and
microcontroller was: a small,
an accelerometer, just for fun.
cheap computer that can drive
People asked me how to do
real-world stuff. So I bought an
their own, and thats why I
Arduino, and made an LED
created Gamebuino.
blink. I was so hyped. My
The Gamebuino is a
Creator of the Gamebuino,
second project was a sentry
miniature marvel of handheld
Aurlien Rodot, assembled
gun with a webcam, and a
gameplay with surprisingly
every Gamebuino device
few years later here is the
basic specifications. The
himself by hand
Gamebuino. I learned all I know
16MHz ATmega328 holds each
about electronics and programming on my
game, offering the developer a mere 32KB of
own, using Arduino.
read-only program storage and 2KB of RAM.
Rodots experience is a major reason why
Its screen is basic too: a single-colour 84 x 48
the Gamebuino is based around the same
LCD, recycled from old Nokia 5110 phones.
ATmega328 microcontroller as the Arduino
Its basic specifications may be a major
Uno and compatibles, but it isnt the only one.
draw for its fans though. The beginner doesnt
Its very well documented, there are
have much knowledge of electronics or
numerous libraries and modules online, so
programming, and Gamebuino is a way to
you dont have to remake everything yourself, learn, Rodot explains. The maker doesnt see
he tells me. I made a small gaming device
the Gamebuino as a gaming device, but as a
NEWS IN BRIEF
Yn Shield transforms Arduinos

Dragino has announced the first Arduino Yn shield
for the Arduino Uno and similar boards. Designed to
connect through the existing headers, the Yn Shield
turns a standard Arduino into the OpenWRT-based Yn with the promise of full
compatibility with the Arduino IDE.
Like the standalone Yn, the Shield includes Ethernet and wireless connections, USB
Host support, SSH and web access along with over-the-air programming of the
microcontroller built into its host Arduino. Dragino has started selling the add-on board
through www.aliexpress.com, priced at $29.90 plus delivery from China. No UK
resellers have picked up the board yet.
Rodots
Gamebuino is
half Arduino,
half games
console, and
it smashed its
crowd-funding
goal earlier
this year
portable Arduino that can be used as an

interface to other projects. The player likes
the console because it reminds them of a
previous era. The programmer has experience
sometimes even from the video game
industry and likes the challenge of pushing
such a simple system to its limits.
With the crowd-funding campaign over,
Rodot has plans for the future. As well as
developing add-on hardware modules, he
hopes to see the device used in education, like
the far more complex Raspberry Pi. Thats
part of the plan, he says, but not yet, as the
project still lacks maturity. The documentation
isnt even finished yet!
At the end of July this year, Rodot shipped
the last Gamebuino to his Indiegogo backers,
every one of which he assembled at home by
hand. The most time-consuming task was
screwing the cases, he laments. I really have
to change that part on the next revision.
Asked if he still liked soldering, the reply was
simple: No, Im done!
As well as future add-on modules and
revised designs hopefully with fewer screws
Rodot has more plans for the Gamebuino
ecosystem. With the Indiegogo campaign
having closed, theres now no way beyond
building one yourself to get a Gamebuino unit,
but a web-shop launch is planned once Rodot
has recovered from his efforts thus far.
Details on the hardware and software that
make up the open source Gamebuino, game
downloads and an emulator for those who
want to try before they build (Windows-only,
but compatible with Wine on Linux) are
available from http://gamebuino.com
Gareth Halfacree is the news reporter at www.bit-tech.net, and a keen computer hobbyist who likes to tinker with technology.
106
@ghalfacree
R E T R O T E C H / VINTAGE KIT
NVIDIA nFORCE
Ten years ago, Nvidia was the king of motherboard chipsets.
Ben Hardwidge looks at what made the nForce chipsets so special
he main media buzz around Nvidias very first nForce
motherboard chipset focused on its integrated graphics
system. If you think Intels integrated graphics are feeble
now, thats nothing compared to the ironically branded Intel
Extreme graphics system of ten years ago. If you wanted to play
games without them looking like a strangely rendered slideshow,
then you needed a graphics card, but Nvidia reckoned it could put
an end to that at the low end. The nForces new integrated graphics
system was comparable to a low-end GeForce 2 MX at that time
a low-powered, but still respectable GPU.
Curiously, what was overlooked at the time was
a feature thats still standard today dual-channel
memory, which was mainly needed to boost the
performance of the integrated graphics system, as
it used system memory. At this time, you didnt just
use Intel or AMD chipsets on motherboards either
there was a choice of third parties, including ALI,
SiS and VIA, but all of them had single-channel
memory controllers. The only dual-channel
memory architecture available at this time was
found on Intels 850E chipset, but that required
costly Rambus memory, and it didnt even support USB 2.
It was dual-channel memory that catapulted Nvidias chipset
into the hearts of enthusiasts using AMD processors, along with
support for two Ethernet ports on some nForce 2 boards, but it
was the fourth iteration of nForce that really took off.
Ten years ago, AMDs Athlon 64 and FX chips had proved to be
significantly more powerful than Intels Pentium 4 CPUs, so you
wanted an AMD processor. However, at this time, AMD didnt
have a chipset of its own for Athlon 64, leaving most people with
a VIA chipset. Put simply, nForce4 made a mockery of all the other
Athlon 64 chipsets available in our tests, an Athlon 64 and
nForce4 SLI just stomped all over anything else.
Perhaps more importantly, nForce 4 also offered another trick
up its sleeve. Thanks to the introduction of PCI-E, Nvidia saw a
way to harness the power of more than one graphics card. With
plenty of PCI-E lanes provided by the nForce4 chipset, Nvidia now
offered an SLI version (with 16 lanes for one card or eight lanes
each for two cards), enabling you to install two graphics cards and
get the very best performance in games, using GeForce
6000-series GPUs.
As an added bonus, many of us also spotted that the slightly
cheaper chipset in the range, called nForce 4 Ultra, was actually
identical to the nForce4 SLI chipset, but with the SLI part disabled,
meaning you just needed to mod a single resistor to turn it into
an Ultra board into an SLI board.
Whats interesting to me now is that, by this
point, no one was talking about Nvidias integrated
graphics system any more nForce4 SLI didnt even
have integrated graphics. Nvidia had basically
become the best chipset maker in the PC business,
and it didnt even need its reputation in graphics
any more. A little while later, Nvidia even released
an Intel version of nForce4 SLI, with a separate
Northbridge (featuring a dual-channel DDR2
memory controller, as Intels Pentium CPUs didnt
have integrated memory controllers at the time) and Southbridge.
So why isnt Nvidia the king of desktop PC chipsets any more?
There are many factors at play here, but I think the most important
one is Intel getting its act together with the Core 2 launch, while
AMDs purchase of ATI gave it the ability to make its own chipsets.
Effectively, because Intel and AMDs in-house efforts were now
so good, the market for third-party chipsets largely disappeared.
Nvidia soldiered on in the chipset business for several more years,
making chipsets for Core 2 CPUs and AMDs later Athlon chips,
but the nForce buzz eventually fizzled out.
Thankfully, its legacy remains. Dual-channel memory is now
standard, integrated graphics systems are expected to at least
have the ability to play games at respectable settings and were
still using multiple graphics cards in enthusiast systems.
107
MODDING
A N TO N Y L E AT H E R S
Customised PC
Case mods, tools, techniques, water-cooling gear
and everything to do with PC modding
and its largely built around
aesthetics. However, the rear of the
case particularly the roof is just
begging to be fitted with a 120mm
fan. This would mean removing
one of the drive mounts, but it
would have been good to at least
have the option.
Improving smaller cases
In this months How to section (see

p110), Ive looked at two ways to
provide more room for PSUs in
smaller cases. Specifically, its the
cables that are often the main issue,
especially with modular PSUs. In the
case of the latter, the cables stick out
of the end and can be quite inflexible.
The end result is that many small
cases, such as BitFenixs Prodigy,
often require the use of small
captive-cabled models.
However, this isnt the only
area that appears to have been
overlooked by many case
manufacturers when it comes to
shrinking their cases. Water cooling
is another area that suffers, often
unnecessarily. The Prodigy actually
does rather well in this respect. In my
own system, I have a 180mm radiator
in the front with a large 180mm
SilverStone Air Penetrator fan, plus
a single 120mm radiator in the roof.
Theres room for a double
120mm-fan radiator here, but I need
the 5.25in bay free. This represents
enough cooling to deal with an
overclocked CPU and high-end
graphics card, but lots of smaller
cases could benefit hugely from
small design changes and a little less
focus on aesthetics.
The two cases that immediately
spring to mind in this respect are
108
Water-cooling
AMDs R9 295X2
Despite its size, the

BitFenix Prodigy
can handle a decent
amount of watercooling gear
Cooler Masters Elite 130 and Antecs

ISK600.
Both are small, cube-style cases,
and have quite good water-cooling
potential, but only if youre prepared
to get out the Dremel and modify
them. The Elite 130 has plenty of
room in the front of the case for
pumps and radiators, and the
addition of side 120mm fan mounts
could improve its potential, allowing
for two deep single 120mm-fan
radiators to be mounted.
Meanwhile, the Antec ISK600 has
a design thats fine for air cooling,
This month, I was lucky enough to

have an AMD R9 295X2 card, and an
Aqua Computer Kryographics
Vesuvius waterblock, for a few days.
This time period was just long
enough to see how the stock all-inone liquid cooler fared compared to
custom liquid cooling. Having
eventually built up the confidence
to strip this 1,000 graphics card to
pieces, and fit one of the largest
waterblocks Ive ever seen to it, I then
strapped the card to a water-cooling
loop consisting of an XSPC RX240
radiator and Laing D5 pump.
The custom water-cooling loop knocked

16C off the overclocked load temperature
The custom water-cooling loop

knocked 16C off the overclocked
load temperature a decent amount,
but considerably less than I saw
when I water-cooled an R9 290X,
although this isnt particularly
surprising when you consider that
the stock R9 290X has an air cooler,
compared with the Asetek-designed
liquid-cooling system on the stock
R9 295X2.
There was also limited
performance gains from water
cooling, due to thermal throttling.
All of these results go to show that,
while a single 120mm radiator is
overloaded by this monster graphics
card, its probably doing a better job
than an air cooler could ever manage
AMD definitely made the right
decision to liquid-cool it as standard.
That said, noise-wise, the custom
loop was still leagues ahead, even
with its fans reduced to 7V, where it
was whisper-quiet, but still fine in
terms of temperatures. Is it worth
water-cooling the R9 295X2? I think
so. It might not result in the same
radical drop in temperature as
water-cooling an R9 290X, but you
still get a decent drop in temperature
and, more importantly, you get the
most powerful desktop graphics
card, but it barely makes a sound.
Bitspower shows off fullcover motherboard blocks
I reported last year about Bitspowers

swoon-worthy mini-ITX full cover
motherboard waterblocks, for boards
such as Asus Maximus VI Impact
and P8Z77-I Deluxe. However, the
company has recently shown off
some slightly more ambitious plans.
It released photos of combined CPU,
VRM and chipset waterblocks for
numerous Asus ROG motherboards.
The supported boards include the
Maximus VII Ranger, Hero, Gene,
Formula and Rampage IV Black
Edition (the Maximus VII Impact
is apparently compatible with its
predecessors waterblock). With
what appear to be single inlets and
outlets dealing with an entire
motherboard, the new waterblocks
could make it much easier to water-
cool your hardware, plus they look

pretty good too.
Theres a full-sized waterblock
mounted underneath the board for
cooling the CPU, which is possibly
a better-performing option than
Bitspowers previous system of
milling fins above the CPU into a
large copper plate that cools the
entire board. This older system led
to comparatively poor performance
from the original full-cover
waterblock for the Asus P8Z77-I
Deluxe. This new CPU waterblock is
plumbed into the rest of the fullcover motherboard waterblock,
which sports a two-layer design, so
the coolant can rise over the CPU and
other components to reach the VRMs
and chipset.
Theres also a large cover that
hides the PCB around the expansion
slots for a very clean look. Sadly, no
other motherboard manufacturers
have been given support yet, but
as Bitspower offered full-cover
waterblocks for mini-ITX
motherboards from manufacturers
other than Asus, there may still be
hope for owners of boards made by
MSI, Gigabyte or ASRock.
Lizard Desk by awadon
Above: Bitspowers
new full-cover
motherboard blocks
(photo and concept)
Below: A full-sized
waterblock sits
underneath the
board for cooling
the CPU
Lizard Desk was

hand-crafted from
solid blocks of oak
Antony Leather is Custom PCs modding editor
Desk PCs are making big waves at

the moment, with many fantastic
projects from the modding
community, and even off-the-shelf
models coming from Lian Li and Red
Harbinger.
You might think theyd all look
pretty similar, but bit-tech forum
member awadon has shown that
theres still room for originality in
this space.
His desk PC is made from wood,
but he has used this common
material it in a completely different
way to any other desk PC Ive seen.
The whole desk has been largely
hand-crafted from solid blocks of
oak, merged together and then
chiselled and sanded to create this
wonderful streamlined masterpiece.
My favourite parts are the inset
keyboard, which sits in a pull-out
tray, and the front panel, which is
finished in brass and offers all the
usual creature comforts. Awadon
even created a stand for his tablet,
while the PC itself resides in a pullout drawer in the side.
A quick flick through his work log
is thoroughly recommended to
appreciate the mammoth task of
shaping and sanding this desk,
which stands complete with a raised
lizard logo. You can see the full
project log at http://tinyurl.com/
lizarddesk
@antonyleather
109
M O D D I N G / HOW TO GUIDES
How to
Extend your
cases PSU
mount
Does your case struggle to
accommodate a big PSU and all its
cables? Antony Leather show you
how to get more room
U S I N G M OT H E R B OA R D STA N D O F F S
1 / MEASURE THE CLEARANCE NEEDED

First you need to work out just how much extra room you need to make your
PSU a little more comfortable in your case. Our standard-sized modular
PSU needed a good inch of extra space in order to prevent the cables from
being stressed at the front.
TOTA L P R OJ E C T T I M E / 1 H O U R
ase manufacturers are increasingly focusing on smaller

cases these days, especially in the mini-ITX world, but
reduced space can pose problems. Small cases such as the
BitFenix Prodigy have very limited space for PSUs, to the extent that
many modular PSUs physically cant fit. This issue is mainly a result of
the cables, which are unable to bend tightly enough in the confined
space in the PSU bay, although even models with captive cables
struggle to fit in some smaller cases.
Weve uncovered a couple of nifty ways to solve this problem. One
of them costs just a couple of pounds, or it may even be free if you
have plenty of spare motherboard standoffs. The methods work with
fixed and bracketed PSU mounts too. As such, whatever case you
own, as long as the PSU is mounted in the normal way at the rear of
the case, you can gain a valuable couple of inches.
2 / IDENTIFY PSU MOUNT

There are bracketed and fixed PSU mounts. The latter is shown here, where
the PSU mount holes are fixed to the case. The alternative is a bracket,
which secures to the PSU and then to the case. If your mount is fixed, youll
need to cut out the PSU area so you can slot the PSU into place from the rear.
TO O L S YO U L L N E E D
Eight motherboard
standoffs /
www.specialtech.co.uk
Dremel and drill
with 3mm drill bit /
Most hardware stores
Lian Li PE-01B PSU
extender /
110
3 / FIT MOTHERBOARD STANDOFFS TO CASE

If your case uses a PSU bracket, check whether the brackets mounts
use M3 or 6-32 screw threads its usually the former and then order
standoffs with the same screw threads. Secure the required number of
standoffs to the case, doubling them up to achieve more clearance.
4 / EXTEND DUST FILTER
5 / ATTACH BRACKET TO PSU
Moving the PSU backwards, so that it essentially hangs out of the case, will
mean some of it can be exposed, but you can reduce this problem on some
cases by moving the dust filter. On our BitFenix Prodigy, for example, the
PSU dust filter can slide backwards.
To fit the PSU, reattach the bracket that secures to the case. To get a
consistent finish, replace the original screws with ones that match the
screws youll be using to secure the bracket to the standoffs.
6 / THREAD CABLES INTO PC
7 / SECURE PSU TO STANDOFFS
Now thread your PSUs cables into the PC, making sure to route them
correctly at the other end. Spreading them out on either side of the PSU
cage can prevent them from building up in smaller cases, and the extra
room will give you more space to tidy them away too.
Now you just need to secure the PSU to the standoffs. The holes in the
bracket should line up perfectly as they were pre-drilled to fit the PSU
cut-out. Align your dust filter as necessary and, if you need a little more
clearance, but not an extra standoffs worth, you can use small washers.
USING A LIAN LI PSU EXTENDER
1 / USE LIAN LIS PE-01B PSU EXTENDER
2 / TEST-FIT LIAN LI PSU CAGE
If you want a more professional look, or your case has a fixed PSU mount,
your best option is Lian Lis PE-01B PSU extender. It will fit Lian Li cases out
of the box, but for most other cases, youll need to drill mounting holes, and
cut out a hole for your PSU to be inserted from the rear of the case.
Test-fit the cage to make sure there are no obstructions, such as rivets,
screws or fan mounts, in the proximity of the extender that could prevent it
from sitting flush with the case. For reference, the flanges at the sides of the
extender sit 6mm outside the dimensions of a normal PSU.
111
3 / APPLY MASKING TAPE AND MARK UP
4 / DRILL CAGE MOUNT HOLES
Whether you just need to drill mounting holes, or if you need to cut open
your PSU mount, apply masking tape to the area and mark up as necessary.
A Dremel with an appropriate cutting disc for your case material will make
quick work of this job.
If you have a bracketed mount, place the PSU in the extender, insert it into
the case and use the holes to mark up the masking tape. Youll need 3mm
holes for 6-32 PC screws, but youll need screws with small heads, as the
holes in the extenders flanges sit very close to the extension.
5 / SAND AND FILE THE AREA
6 / CLEAN AWAY METAL DUST
Use a metal file to clear away any sharp edges and metal fragments from
the case. You dont want any of these bits dropping into your PSU or other
hardware. If youve drilled into the case from the outside, there will probably
be plenty of these edges around the inside faces of the holes.
Once youve filed the holes and PSU area, use a damp cloth to clear away
the dust and larger fragments inside the case. You could also use a vacuum
cleaner or air duster to dislodge any fragments that have fallen between
riveted sections of the case.
7 / FIT CAGE TO PSU
8 / FIT PSU TO CASE
The cage can be mounted either way up on the PSU, and it also has holes so
that you can secure your PSU inside. Be sure to fit it so that it aligns with your
cases instructions in our case, we have the fan pointing at the bottom of
the case and the dust filter.
Secure the extender to the case, and use small-head 6-32 screws to secure
the PSU. We used 6.7mm pan-head 6-32 thread screws, but any screws
with head widths between 4.5mm and 6.7mm should be fine. You can buy
various types of screws from eBay and www.specialtech.co.uk
112
How to
Mount an
external
radiator
Want to fit a large radiator, but dont
have room in your case? Antony
Leather shows you how to mount
one externally
1 / CHECK FOR CLEARANCE

Firstly, youll need to identify a spare fan mount with enough space outside
it to mount a radiator. The mounting bracket rises up by around 38mm, so
youll need to make sure the radiator will clear any of your cases external
features, such as handles or front panels.
TOTA L P R OJ E C T T I M E / 1 H O U R
ost modern PC chassis have some sort of water-cooling

radiator support, but if you intend to water-cool an
overclocked CPU and high-end graphics card, a double
120mm-fan radiator might not quite be up to the task. At the very
least, youll have to use noisy fast-spinning fans, which pretty much
defeat the purpose of water cooling in the first place.
If your case cant accommodate a bigger radiator then its fairly easy
(and cheap) to mount a large radiator externally. By using an external
mounting bracket, you just need a vacant fan mount to fix your radiator
to your case. Many cases are equipped with rubber grommets too, so
you can route the tubing inside to connect to your other water-cooling
parts. You can use nearly any size of radiator, and it will be able to draw
cool air from directly outside the case, which means its likely to
perform better than an internal radiator too.
2 / CHECK FOR TUBING ROUTING

The most difficult task is finding a way to get the tubing back into the
case. The most common options are using existing rubber grommets, or
even drilling holes in your case. Thankfully, our cases convenient rubber
grommets were large enough for our tubing.
TO O L S YO U L L N E E D
XSPC radiator mounting bracket /

http://shop.xs-pc.com
114
3 / CONSIDER EXPANSION SLOT OPTIONS

An alternative to cutting holes is to use pass-throughs in expansion slot
brackets. There are two types available from www.watercoolinguk.co.uk
a simple O-ring pass-through, and one with double-ended G1/4in threads
so you can use standard barbs on either side to get the coolant into your case.
4 / TEST-FIT BRACKET TO CASE
5 / TEST-FIT RADIATOR
The brackets have threaded holes on one side; attach these to your case
using the screws provided. The kit also has anti-vibration O-rings that sit
between the bracket and the case. Thread the screws from inside the case,
through the fan mount holes and O-rings, to the bracket on the outside.
The angled brackets enable you to shift the radiator up or down slightly,
which can be very useful when lowering the radiator to make use of rubber
grommets, which are usually located above a rear fan mount. Youll also
need to make sure you have enough room to route your PCs cables.
6 / MOUNT BRACKET TO RADIATOR
7 / FIT FANS AND FITTINGS
As our radiators fan screws were long enough to pass through the bracket
and still secure the fan, it was logical to use these screws to mount the
bracket. However, you could also use smaller screws to mount the bracket
on the other side of the radiator. Either way, theres plenty of options.
Mount your fans and any fittings before you secure the radiator to the case.
Weve used angled rotary fittings to point our tubing in the direction of the
rubber grommets there are plenty of angled fittings available; just make
sure theyre positioned in the vicinity of the ports on the radiator.
8 / FIT RADIATOR TO FAN MOUNT
9 / ROUTE TUBING THROUGH HOLES
Test-fit the radiator one last time to make sure all the parts line up properly,
and then secure it to the case using the screws and O-rings. You might find
it easier to rest the radiator on a book or box while you tend to the screws
inside the case.
Finally, you can attach the tubing to the barbs and thread it through the
holes in the case. If you need to cut your own holes, most of the popular UK
PC water-cooling stores sell rubber grommets, which provide a neat hole
through which your tubing can pass.
115
M O D D I N G / READERS DRIVES
Readers Drives
GwassGween
Inspired by the Microman toys,
Craig Kendrick (Cheapskate) built
a distinctive Plexiglas system
from scratch that would show
off his PCs internal parts like a
picture frame
CPC: What originally inspired you
to build GwassGween?
Craig: The unofficial design
contests on bit-tech a while back
were a huge influence. There was
a lot of excited talk
about what would
make a perfect
computer, and the
anything goes aspect
of the contests led to
lots of interesting
ideas, such as
motherboard covers ,
manifolds and hard/MEET THY MAKER
line tubing, which
Name Craig Kendrick
were still new ideas at
(Cheapskate)
the time. A lot of the
Age 43
design of GwassLocation Houston, Texas
Gween (GG) was
based on attempts to
Occupation Property
improve what Id
manager and repairman
developed with
Main uses for PC CAD/
previous builds. I
CAM (GGs components
knew a transparent
helped build itself) and
case would show
gaming
everything inside, so I
Likes 70 F (best
wanted the internal
temperature ever), art
elements to stand out,
nouveau, art deco, old
as if the clear
military hardware, geology,
enclosure was a
mountains and nature
picture frame. This
Dislikes Criminals, bad
aspect was probably
smells and squirrels they
influenced by the
combine the first two
Microman toys from
points, and they chew
the 1970s, which were
holes in your roof
clear-cast, with visible
robotic insides.
116
CPC: Where does the name come

from?
Craig: Its a perversion of the
colours name for the material I
used. Just finding the materials
online was difficult, so I warped
the name to keep it from getting
lost in pages of Coke bottles and sea
glass. I also have a history of using
silly names.
fun, and its currently a hollow

shelf decoration. Bum Muffin a
passively cooled system using the
motherboard from Tooobular. It
serves as a silent net surfer. I also
designed the Nvidia Ion Cube, Mod
Men Show PC and the Frozen CPU
Test Bench for MNPCTech. You can
probably tell that I didnt get to
name those three builds.
CPC: What specs did you choose,

and why?
Craig: I wanted a case that could
be upgraded without much
modification, and which would
look good enough to keep for the
rest of my life. I also needed a
powerhouse for 3D design. I chose
an E-ATX format, so I could fit just
about anything when I needed to
upgrade. I left room for PSU and
graphics card upgrades too. As for
hardware, I went with a system
that could be cooled by a full watercooling system, since it was going
to be sealed in a box inside a box.
The other parts were just what I
could afford. Despite GG being
a spendy project, Im still
cheapskate, and I still caught
myself cutting corners.
CPC: What difficulties did you

come across?
Craig: The biggest problem would
have to be the polishing. All of GG
was hand-sanded five times, going
from 150-grit paper down to 600grit, and then polished. Many of the
delays were caused by sanding
burnout. I also had to farm out the
cutting of the reservoir spiral,
because it couldnt be done on my
mill. It took me a long time to assure
Bill at MNPCTech, and his machinist
Randy, that the material wouldnt
explode on a lathe honestly, I
didnt know if it would explode
either. It came to be known as the
sploder rod as a result.
A few parts had to be designed
around the 5.5 x 12in work area of
CPC: What other mods have you

built?
Craig: Remember what I said about
a history of silly names? Well, here
we go. Hypnotoad a salvaged
green plastic rig that taught me a
lot about shaping Plexiglas. It
currently powers my mill. Bloo
Balls an attempt to upgrade the
previous design that ended up
looking like the Batmobile. It used
a lot of aesthetic ideas I wanted to
try at the time. It currently serves as
my upstairs system. Plank an art
deco Plexiglas and wood creation
for my mother. Intel NUC Tooobular
built for the bit-tech Intel NUC
competition. It was built merely for
SYSTEM SPECS
CPU AMD Phenom II X6
GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 295
Memory 16GB Corsair
Vengeance DDR3
Motherboard Gigabyte
990FXA-UD3
PSU Corsair TX 750
Cooling 5 x Noctua NF-P12 fans,
Hardware Labs SR1 triple 120
mm radiator, DangerDen CPU
and GPU waterblocks, custom
chipset waterblocks, Swiftech
dual 120 mm radiator, Laing DDC
3.1 pump
SEE THE FULL

PROJECT LOG AT:
the mill too. A good
example would be the
triple 120mm radiator on
the back the covers on
either side are broken into
two components. A couple
of times, I simply didnt use
the right measurements
either, which is why I have the
aluminium PSU brackets, and
the custom graphics card bracket.
CPC: What materials did you use?
Craig: Glass-green Plexiglas is the
dominant material, with opaque black
Plexiglas used for hiding the various
components. I chose the glass-green
colour because of the way the colour
http://tinyurl.com/
GwassGween
transitioned,
depending on the
thickness. I used 1/4in material
for structural elements, and 1/8in
material for decorative surfaces. Theres
also some polycarbonate used for spring
latches on the drive bay, and on the optical
drive hinge. I have a lot of experience with
Plexiglas; I love how it can be ground, bent
and fused into any shape imaginable.
All the screws are stainless steel,
because it can be cut to length and
polished, plus it doesnt rust if I stripped
out all the electronics, I could wash the

case in the shower. Aluminium was
used for the support brackets on the
waterblocks and PSU, while Plexiglas,
copper, Acetal and brass were also used
on the waterblocks where needed.
CPC: What tools did you use?
Craig: I purchased a Taig CNC micro mill
to crank out a lot of the small parts or cut
areas, such as the vents. It has a small
cutting area, but it worked great for even
cutting stainless steel. To cut the panels
117
M O D D I N G / READERS DRIVES
from sheet, I used a handheld wetcut tile saw. In my opinion, a wet

saw offers the best way to cut
Plexiglas, as it leaves a very clean
edge and doesnt chip.
For holes in the assembled frame,
I used a Rotozip router with a
homemade speed controller. I
prefer the Rotozip to a Dremel, as
Ive burned up four Dremels. The
Rotozip was also employed to
polish some of the frame. Small
parts were polished on a bench
grinder/buffer. A cordless drill
and drill press were also used for
various parts. Beyond all of that kit,
there were also tonnes of
sandpaper, files, taps, a soldering
iron, a propane torch and the oven
BE A WINNER
To enter your machine for possible inclusion in
Readers Drives, your mod needs to be fully working
and, ideally, finished based in the UK. Simply log on to
www.bit-tech.net and head over to the forums. Once
youre there, post a write-up of your mod, along with
some pics, in the Project Logs forum. Make sure you
read the relevant rules and advice sticky threads before
you post. The best entrant each month will be featured
here, where well print your photos of your project and
also interview you about the build process. Fame isnt
the only prize; youll also get your hands on a fabulous
selection of prizes see the opposite page for details.
118
for bending the plastic I didnt use

every tool I own, but I did use most
of them.
CPC: How long did it take you to
complete building the project?
Craig: Way too long. I started
designing it around the start of
2009, and I didnt have a finished
rig until November 2013. Ill admit
that I used the frame for a towel
rack while rebuilding two previous
systems. I also did a lot of designing
for Bill at MNPCTech during this
time for several potential
customers, although these designs
never saw the light of day.
CPC: What have you learned from
the build process?
Craig: I purchased the CNC mill to
help me create GG, so the entire
project elevated me from
incompetent noob machinist to
experienced noob machinist.
Beforehand, I was manually cutting
parts on a drill press with a crossslide vice, so the level of precision
was much better. Id say the most
important practice I developed was
leaving notes for myself I
scribbled all over the protective
masking with measurements and
little arrows that reminded me
what needed to be done. The
louvres for the front were also
colour-coded with a matching

computer model, so I could
reassemble the whole mess much
later, and I used coloured
permanent markers to tell me what
I had sanded too. A red mark on a
sanded spot indicated it had been
sanded with 150-grit, a blue mark
indicated 200-grit and so on.
CPC: Are you happy with the end
result, and is there anything youd
do differently if you built it again?
Craig: Im very happy with it GG
sits in the window next to my desk,
with the sun coming through all
the louvres occasionally giving off
a nice prismatic effect. Given a
second chance, Id make the frame
rails with a solid piece of Plexiglas
instead of gluing three layers
together, which wasnt an option at
the time, because of a lack of
suppliers. Id also raise the
motherboard to give me more room
underneath it, and add more access
panels. Any other improvements
can be made when it comes to the
inevitable hardware upgrade. At
that point, Ill modernise the
manifold, and also sand and polish
the two vents on the back panel,
which are the only unpolished
areas I didnt polish them because
it would have taken several months
to smooth them out.
Win all these prizes!

Weve teamed up with some of the worlds leading PC manufacturers and retailers to offer
this great range of prizes to each lucky Readers Drives winner. If your creation is featured in the
magazine then youll walk away with all of the prizes listed on this page, so get in your entries!
Corsair graphite Series 230T case and RM

550w Modular power supply
TOTAL VALUE 150 inc VAT / MANUFACTURER www.corsair.com
Corsair believes that a great PC starts with a great case.

The Corsair Graphite Series 230T is a compact
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provide builders with tonnes of room for
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Corsair cases, its built using the finest materials
and finished to the highest standards, so it will
withstand several years of upgrades. Plus, to
make sure it stand outs from the crowd, the
230T features Corsairs new Air Series LED
high-airflow fans, providing distinctive lighting
with low-noise, high-airflow cooling.
Just as a quality case is essential to building a
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deliver unmatched reliability alongside 80Plus
Gold efficiency, and all with the absolute minimum of
noise. It uses specially optimised quality parts to reduce
sound at the component level, and its completely silent
below 40 per cent load, thanks to its Zero RPM fan mode. Its
also fully modular, allowing for the maximum amount of flexibility
during installation. With a Corsair Graphite 230T case and an RM 550W Modular power supply
at the heart of your build, youll have the foundations for a truly awesome gaming machine.
Mayhems coolant
and dyes
VALUE 50 inc VAT /
MANUFACTURER www.mayhems.co.uk
Cooling performance is only one part of the

equation when it comes to kitting out your
rig with custom water-cooling gear. The
other major bonus is that all those tubes and
gleaming fittings just make your PC look
damn sexy, and they look even better when
they're pumped full of fancy coloured
coolant. As such, we're particularly pleased
to have the folks at Mayhems now on board
with Readers' Drives; they're currently
offering two 1-litre bottles of Mayhems'
Pastel Ice White coolant, along with a
selection of five dyes, so you can choose
the colour that best complements your PC.
Check out the blue coolant in our own mini
PC mod on the cover of Issue 109 for an
example of what's possible with some
Mayhems coloured coolant.
Phobya Modding Kit

VALUE 50 inc VAT MANUFACTURER www.phobya.com, www.aqua-tuning.co.uk
The Phobya modding kit is designed with the modder in mind, offering
great value for money and quality products. The kit includes Nano-G 12
Silent Waterproof 1,500rpm multi-option fans,
which use an innovative fan-blade design.
As standard, the fans include braided black
cables to keep your case looking as neat as
possible. The fans are also supplied with a
special cable that lets you run the fan at 5V
rather than 12V, reducing the noise
emitted in order to help you to build
a silent system.
The kit also includes the
60cm Phobya 3-pin Molex to
4x 3-pin Molex Y-cable. This pre-
braided extension cable gives you extra routeing options in your case,
and it also enables you to run up to four fans from one compatible
motherboard header. Meanwhile, the Phobya SATA 3
cables included in the kit offer the same
great quality braiding as the rest of the
Phobya range, while also securing your
connection with latched connectors.
As well as this, the kit includes the
Phobya SlimGuide Controller, which
gives you the option to vary
the speed of other fans in
your case, while the Phobya
TwinLEDs let you shine a
light on your mods.
119
CO M M U N I T Y / FOLDING
Folding@Home
Join our folding team and help medical research
Folder of the month / We catch up with: Th3_F15T

CPC: So who is Th3_F15T?
Th3_F15T: My name is Mike Maher,
and Im a meteorological and
oceanographic specialist in the
Royal Navy.
CPC: Why did you start folding?
Th3_F15T: Im not one for wasting
resources, and I saw it as a way of
getting my moneys worth out of
the hardware I bought. It became a
permanent hobby once I saw how
many people were doing it for
people theyve lost in life.
CPC: What excites you most about
folding?
Th3_F15T: Understanding the
science behind protein folding and
seeing all the different project types
evolve along with the technology.
CPC: How many PCs do you have
folding?
Th3_F15T: Currently, just the one
gaming PC it sits under my desk,
turning my room into a sauna most
days, especially in this summer heat.
My best folding equipment is an
WHAT IS FOLDING?
Folding@home uses the spare processing cycles from
your PCs CPU and graphics cards for medical
research. You can download the client from http://
folding.stanford.edu and our teams ID is 35947. Once
you pass a significant milestone, youll get your name
in the mag. You can also discuss folding with us and
other readers on the www.bit-tech.net forums.
120
on that theyre currently the

folding champions. Also, keep an eye
on the forums for the latest trends.
CPC: What do your friends and
family think about your folding?
Th3_F15T: Most of my family and
friends think its cool, but as yet none
of them has taken the leap into the
world of Folding@home themselves
(this is a work in progress).
AMD R9 280X GPU by a long way,
and I dont even run it overclocked.
I upgraded it earlier this year from
a GeForce GTX 660 and saw a 4x
increase in ppd. I no longer fold
on a CPU, but if CPUs get some
more folding power then my Intel
Core i5-4670K will get an overclock
for sure.
CPC: Youve been producing quite a
few points recently do you intend
tokeep up this production level?
Th3_F15T: I do indeed intend to keep
this level going, despite a recent lull
in production due to the heat. Im
already searching eBay for a second
GPU to add to my rig Ill be aiming
to hit a 250K+ ppd.
CPC: What operating systems do
you use for your folding machines?
Th3_F15T: I use Windows 8.1 Pro
64-bit, which I actually prefer to
Windows 7 hate me if you will.
CPC: Any tips for fellow team
members?
Th3_F15T: Get an AMD GPU and fold
CPC: Whats your worst folding

experience?
Th3_F15T: Luckily, I havent had any
hardware failures or deaths so far,
just occasional system crashes and
freezes fingers crossed it stays
this way.
CPC: And the best?
Th3_F15T: Making folder of the
month in the magazine, by far,
although hitting the 10 million
points milestone was good too.
STATS
Team rank 154
World rank6,349
Score 10,511,233
Work units 1,635
Daily points average 60,271
TOP FOLDERS: This months

shout-outs go to clanseven,
TrilithiumInjector and Laguna2012. If
you fold under any of these names,
email folding@custompcmag.org.uk
MILESTONES THIS MONTH

USERNAME
POINTS
MILESTONE
USERNAME
POINTS
MILESTONE
USERNAME
POINTS
MILESTONE
USERNAME
POINTS
MILESTONE
l3linkTreeHorep
20000
techknowledgey
300000
rvalkass
5000000
luckybfocus
20000000
moorsey
20000
Epwin
400000
Rhddrk
7000000
ZardozSpeaks
20000000
Tyler2474
30000
ghodula
400000
BIllyTheCat
9000000
mmorr
30000000
Elbertus
40000
Philip_King
400000
ForGrace
9000000
Desertbaker
40000000
loopy
50000
padiham_folding
500000
th3_F15T
9000000
NavyBlue
40000000
ninjafury97
50000
BigD-lite
600000
clanseven
10000000
TheFlipside
70000000
Quozzbat
60000
DJcarrot
600000
TrilithiumInjector
10000000
KevinWright
80000000
BCFC_WSM
70000
marcusclegg
700000
Vaio
10000000
SniperPan
80000
Syzygzy
700000
Bamber
100000
Jonty
800000
Sharkoonhunter
100000
bbnsol
900000
TheRepublic
ofKirkup
100000
coffinwarmer
900000
Mem
900000
JimMitchell
200000
IanMcDiarmid
1000000
mills83
200000
Techie_Taylor
1000000
PatStar
200000
toothytech
1000000
TrekkieStu
200000
ashchap
2000000
Bob_D
300000
T3H_ON7Y_1337
2000000
crazystuntman
3000000
Simlec
3000000
BrentwoodComputers.com
300000
Chrissebooboo
300000
Humwawa
4000000
GJBriggs
300000
Jon_Simmo
5000000
THE NEXT OVERTAKE

WORLD
RANK
TOP 20 OVERALL
RANK
USERNAME
POINTS
TEAM NAME
POINTS
DAILY
POINTS
AVERAGE
TIME UNTIL
OVERTAKE
www.
overclockers.com
16,984,839,806
9,975,436
3.8 years
TSC! Russia
12,961,084,658
9,642,594
10.4 months
Maximum PC
Magazine
11,955,323,233
10,563,313
3.3 months
Custom PC &
bit-tech
11,638,027,250
13,817,373
Curecoin
9,970,390,259
55,863,882
1.3 months
Hardware.no
10,755,799,495
16,895,909
9.8 months
TOP 20 PRODUCERS
WORK UNITS
Nelio
1,303,984,367
87,641
RANK
USERNAME
DAILY POINTS AVERAGE
Nelio
6,020,159
1,303,984,367
OVERALL SCORE
DocJonz
739,859,823
164,436
DocJonz
1,042,926
739,859,823
coolamasta
556,531,685
152,787
Scorpuk
616,680
353,010,018
Dave_Goodchild
451,409,357
115,793
coolamasta
590,810
556,531,685
Scorpuk
353,010,018
10,816
johnim
446,582
176,897,046
StreetSam
308,008,106
82,459
piers_newbold
423,086
253,481,453
piers_newbold
253,481,453
28,174
TheFlipside
380,452
75,565,353
phoenicis
250,044,587
95,660
Slavcho
289,245
139,566,074
Wallace
212,477,027
6,204
TrilithiumInjector
282,750
11,752,549
10
zz9pzza
211,014,628
15,794
10
KevinWright
268,483
84,339,192
11
johnim
176,897,046
75,146
11
PC_Rich
267,923
159,444,150
12
Ben_Lamb
166,053,146
2,891
12
clanseven
252,196
13,249,609
13
PC_Rich
159,444,150
64,483
13
Laguna2012
232,943
38,210,266
14
Lordsoth
155,949,963
84,579
14
mmorr
152,556
31,385,253
15
Christopher_N._Lewis
152,197,972
35,787
15
Desertbaker
151,587
40,885,321
16
Slavcho
139,566,074
29,147
16
StreetSam
149,845
308,008,106
17
Lizard
131,878,662
60,132
17
Petaflops
131,164
27,123,551
18
The_M2B
121,406,803
50,320
18
8Core
119,427
36,257,143
19
fir3x
120,929,782
19,442
19
The_M2B
118,043
121,406,803
20
JEE6
119,791,313
5,408
20
Lordsoth
115,443
155,949,963
121
OPINION
JA M E S G O R B O L D / HARDWARE ACCELERATED
6-CORE PRICE
REVOLUTION
The long-awaited Haswell E platform is here, and its a monster at
both the low end and high end, says James Gorbold
he high-end Intel X79 chipset and its accompanying
family of LGA2011 Core i7 processors is one of the
longest-lasting platforms in PC history, being around
since late 2011. In contrast, during that same period, Intel has
updated its consumer platform three times, going all the way
from P67, to Z77, Z87 and finally Z97. However, at long last, the
replacement for X79 is here.
Known as X99, the new chipset adds native support for USB
3, plus PCI-E M.2 and SATA Express SSDs. On the surface, thats
hardly a recipe for excitement, as the former has been provided
for years by motherboard manufacturers via
extra chips, and the latter have yet to be
really embraced by SSD manufacturers.
That said, the new CPUs mark a huge leap
forwards in performance. Known as the Core
i7 5000-series, they use a new variant of the
LGA2011 socket to enable support for quadchannel DDR4 memory. Compared to DDR3,
DDR4 runs at a much higher frequency,
providing far more bandwidth to the CPU. For instance, most
DDR3 RAM tops out at 2,133MHz, but DDR4 starts at that
frequency and already scales to 3,000MHz. DDR4 also runs at
a lower voltage than DDR3 1.2V compared to 1.5V so it
consumes less power and emits less waste heat.
Internally, the CPUs are based on a variant of the Haswell
architecture, so they feature the same awesome low power
consumption as their 4000-series siblings. Where Intel has
been really smart, though, is with the specs of the three
5000-series CPUs. Lets take the top-dog Extreme Edition (EE)
chip first. Traditionally, EE CPUs have sat around the 750 mark,
but only differed from the other two CPUs in its familys much
cheaper models by having a slightly higher frequency; a

benefit that becomes largely irrelevant when overclocking.
This time round, though, the 5960X Extreme Edition is much
faster than the other 5000-series chips, as its Intels first 8-core
desktop CPU. Having two more physical cores than any other
Core i7 means that the 5960X makes mincemeat of
multithreaded software such as content creation applications.
This makes the 5960X a very desirable CPU for a workstation
as, despite its 760 price tag, its still far cheaper than a Xeon
CPU. For this reason, I fully expect Intel to sell far more 5960Xs
than its predecessor, the 4960X.
In contrast, the next CPU down in the
range, the 430 5930K, feels like piggy in the
middle. Although theres nothing
intrinsically wrong with the 5930K, it faces
stiff competition from the next CPU down,
the 5830K, so unlike the 4930K, which was
the most popular CPU of the 4000-series, I
cant see the 5930K selling in huge numbers.
This change is all due to the cheapest 5000-series CPU, the
300 5820K. Unlike its predecessor, the unpopular quad-core
4820K, the 5820K has the same 6-core architecture, 15MB cache
and unlocked multiplier as the more expensive 5930K. In fact,
the only real difference between the CPUs is the PCI-E 3
controller; the 5820K is limited to 28 lanes whereas the 5930K
has 40 lanes.
As such, the 5820K cant support three graphics cards, but
two-card SLI or CrossFire is still possible. For these reasons, I
predict a strong future for the 5820K, as it provides two really
good reasons to upgrade from the competing consumer Z97
platform a 6-core CPU and DDR4 memory.
The 5960X is desirable for

a workstation as, despite
its 760 price tag, its still
far cheaper than a Xeon
James Gorbold has been building, tweaking and overclocking PCs ever since the 1980s. He now helps Scan Computers to develop new systems.
122

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HOW TO: Build your own handheld games console

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The paper used in this magazine

DONT TRY THIS AT HOME

C U STO M P C / ISSUE 134

40 Intels 8-core CPU

Intel has just unleashed its new Haswell-E

20 Quick Pentium overclock

96 Make the most of Minecraft

102 Build your own Gamebuino

110 How to extend a PSU mount

114 How to mount an

Fitting large water-cooling gear into

Haswell-E Labs test

From the editor

LGA2011-v3 X99 motherboards

How to extend a PSU mount

Mind: Path to Thalamus

B E N H A R DW I D G E / FROM THE EDITOR

You rarely see beige PC

T R ACY K I N G / SCEPTICAL ANALYSIS

CAN THE OCULUS RIFT

Games. As far as I can see, he has no medical training, but made

The Oculus Rift is no

Since the last time I fully built a

There are definite

Ben replies: Youre certainly right that

purposes exactly. You

Ive been reading your excellent

in the know are excluded. I know

Ben replies: LAN party does seem a bit

My game experience was like

I love the mag. Many thanks for a

Ben replies: I have indeed played Dear

Hold your colour

I recently received my first issue of

performance hit on Windows 8. I