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wonder reviewed PG. 85 do you need to game? PG. 72 Windows Defender PG. 20
W
N O.1
SPEED UP
MINIMUM BS • SPRING 2017 • www.maximumpc.com
FOR PC
HARDWA
RE
WINDOWS 10
Clear out the junk to
boost performance
Optimize your drives
for faster boot times
Get a faster system
in a few easy steps
HUGE SCREEN
SHOWDOWN
HDR, 4K, quantum dot
explained PG. 26
table of contents where we put stuff
16 THE LIST
40 Maximum PC’s favorite things
we saw at CES.
SPEED UP
WINDOWS 10 A real test
of core
competencies.
R&D
60 AUTOPSY
We prize apart a PlayStation 4 Pro
and peer at its pieces.
62 HOW TO
Set up a Twitter bot; colorize black
and white photos; boost your NAS;
make better audio recordings.
72 BUILD IT
Are four cores still king in the
26 40 52 gaming world? We find out.
BIG-SCREEN SPEED UP RECOVER
DEBUT WINDOWS 10 YOUR DATA
Never before has the high-
end PC monitor market been
Give Windows a shot in the
arm by cleaning up and
Nothing is lost until you’ve
looked for it—discover how
LETTERS
22
so vibrant and innovative, optimizing your PC using to retrieve files you thought
so allow us to help you get a the OS’s own built-in tools were gone, and make sure DOCTOR
bigger and better view. and free third-party apps. others are deleted forever.
94 COMMENTS
IN THE LAB
78 83
DIGITAL MSI Z270I
STORM GAMING PRO
VELOX CARBON AC
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CRUCIAL PENTIUM 90
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your home OWN DRONE
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a thing or two about a thing or two
editorial
Tuan
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Mah Ung
Nguyen
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief: Tuan Nguyen
Executive Editor: Alan Dexter
Senior Editor: Jarred Walton
Reviews Editor: Zak Storey
Technology Editor: Bo Moore
Contributing Editor: Chris Angelini
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Nate Drake, Cat Ellis, Ian Evenden, Matt Hanson,
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West Coast Account Director: Austin Park,
austin.park@futurenet.com
West Coast Account Director: Brandon Wong, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX EMAIL was in course.)
brandon.wong@futurenet.com my freshman year of college in I’ll be honest; I still love checking
West Coast Account Director: Tad Perez, tad.perez@futurenet.com WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME fussing about upgrade.” The answer might surprise
Director of Marketing: Robbie Montinola 1988. I attended Dartmouth, and my inbox and discovering email—
Director, Client Services: Tracy Lam with hardware. Tinkering, tweaking, and you: displays.
Director, Retail Sales: Bill Shewey we had a system named BlitzMail. from friends, family, writers,
otherwise trying to squeeze out every Earlier this year, at CES, I witnessed
Ever y student was granted an email readers, PR people, whomever—even
PRODUCTION last drop of GPU and CPU performance. a flurry of display announcements. 8K
Head of Production UK & US: Mark Constance address and access to the system. if it has become a bit over whelming.
Production Controller: Vivienne Calvert You can find endless amounts of displays finally debuted, with some
Project Manager: Clare Scott Like most students, I didn’t use it at Between re years and my first job
resources that tell you what you should companies showing working demos.
Production Assistant: Emily Wood all. It’s hard for even me to believe, in PC Week’s lab in 1992 to actually
and shouldn’t do with your hardware. HDR is on the rise, primarily in HDTVs,
FUTURE US, INC. but back then I was in the habit of start usingaccounts, I’ve never had
One Lombard Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94111 But very little attention is given to the but it’ll no doubt show up in computer
Tel: (650) 872-1642, www.futureus.com writing letters and postcards. trouble keeping up. Until now. This is
operating system side of the computer, displays this year. Refresh rates are
I vividly recall the tipping point, partially what inspired this month’s
Global Chief Revenue Officer: Charlie Speight which is unfortunate, because that’s going up, too, and a new HDMI spec was
Vice President, Marketing & Operations: Rhoda Bueno though. In 1re years and my first job cover stor y. Over the last 18 months,
Finance Director: Ryan Lamvik ultimately where the results matter the announced, delivering 4K resolution at an
HR Generalist: Carla Marcos in PC Week’s lab in 1992 to actually I’ve begun to notice that my ability to
most. So we’ve gone and done just that. astonishing 120Hz. The display industry
start using it. Like a lot of corporate quickly parse, read, and respond to
SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE Windows 10 is, without doubt, one of is moving forward at an ever-increasing
Maximum PC Customer Care, workplaces, email was commonly email just isn’t fast enough anymore.
Future Publishing, PO Box 2024, Langhorne, PA 19047 Microsoft’s best releases of Windows. rate, and this will also push the PC.
Website: http://myfavouritemagazines.com
used for interoffice communications. I need to develop new systems and
It’s well made, stable, and chock-full of So, we took it upon ourselves to
Tel: +44 344 848 2852 But the volume wa989 in the middle shortcuts. I need to change my ways.
Email: contact@myfavouritemagazines.com features—some of which you may not bring all the newest bad-ass displays
of my sophomore year, I was eating I’m curious—are you finding
BACK ISSUES
actually want or use. Take, for example, into the lab, and run them through our
lunch with a few freshmen who were yourself in the same boat as I am?
Website: http://myfavouritemagazines.com Cortana, the smart assistant not unlike tests. Some are better than others,
Tel: +44 344 848 2852 talking about how great email was If so, what have you done to better
Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Echo, or Google but one result is consistent across the
REPRINTS for chatting up women. I remember manage your email life? Let me know
Future US, Inc., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, Assistant. Sure, it can tell jokes, look up board: Current displays have advanced
South San Francisco, CA 94080 being shocked at the notion that at George@maximumpc.com.
information on Wikipedia, and search significantly in just a few years.
Website: www.futureus.com these guys didn’t have the courage to
Tel: 650-872-1642, Fax 650-872-2207 your computer, but I personally don’t Which brings me to my sage advice:
pick up the phone. Little did I know. XXXXXXXXX
Next Issue on Sale April 4, 2017 use it. I reckon my keyboard skills can Invest in a display. A good display is
I’d be lying if I said that I took to Finally, the winners of last month’s
get me what I need much faster. So I always the most expensive part of my
email the next day. I didn’t. It took challenge to identif y the fake Google
disable it, freeing up system resources build, because I spend all my computing
three more years and my first job app icon. For those scoring at home,
for other duties. time staring at it, and a good display will
in PC Week’s lab in 1992 to actually the correct answer was Google
Things don’t end there, though. There outlast your PC, for the most part. You
start using it. Like a lot of corporate Storage. Here are the winners: Keith
are other areas of Windows 10 that you might upgrade this and that inside, but
workplaces, email was commonly Lucas (who was the first correct
Future is an award-winning international media can dive into, and with a little know-how, the screen will be there for some time.
group and leading digital business. We reach more used for interoffice communications. response), Andy Man, Chris Brush
than 57 million international consumers a month
gain just not increased performance What do I use? Two 32-inch 4K
But the volume was manageable; I
and create world-class content and advertising from your PC, but enough performance to displays. But with 8K on the way, I’m
solutions for passionate consumers online, on tablet remember going two or three hours
and smartphone, and in print. witness actual usability improvements. ts. starting to get an itch.
without new email. That sounds
Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Startup options, system services, es,
company quoted Non-executive chairman Peter Allen absolutely crazy now, but this was
on the London &KLHIÀQDQFLDORIÀFHUPenny Ladkin-Brand clearing out old system update files, and nd
Stock Exchange Managing director, Magazines Joe McEvoy the era before SPAM even existed.
(symbol: FUTR). more—our crack team of experts show ow
www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 As more friends started working
you a wide range of pro-level tricks to
and came online, the postcard- and Gordon Mah Ung is Maximum PC’s
take your rig by the horns.
©2017 Future US, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine letter-writing days ended forever. deputy editor, senior hardware
may be used or reproduced without the written permission of Some of you might be thinking to Tuan Nguyen is Maximum PC’s editor-in-
Future US, Inc. (owner). All information provided is, as far as Future (That lab job was also awesome expert, and all-around muckraker.
(owner) is aware, based on information correct at the time of press. yourselves, “Well, I’ve done all that, chief, also known as “the pointy end of the
Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly
because after four years of using
but tell me what’s going to give me stick.” He’s been writing, marketing, and
with regard to products/services referred to in this magazine. We a Mac in college, I was able to get
welcome reader submissions, but cannot promise that they will be giant leaps in performance on my next raising hell in the tech industry for 20 years.
published or returned to you. By submitting materials to us, you back to PC gaming—after hours, of
agree to give Future the royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive right
to publish and reuse your submission in any form, in any and all
media, and to use your name and other information in connection
with the submission. ↘ submit your questions
questions to:
to: comments@maximumpc.com
comments@maximumpc.com
Intel’s Optane
Technology Ships
Commercial 3D memory finally arrives
THE LAUNCH of an M.2 SSD individual transistors. These
memory module is not first modules have two layers
normally of much interest, but of memory cells, but three-
Intel’s new 8000p is based on layer cells are due later in the
the company’s new Optane year. The exact physics and
technology, which has been manufacturing method has yet
several years in the making, to be revealed.
and responsible for quite a few Intel’s announcements about
promises along the way. The Optane veer into hyperbole.
modules come in 16GB and 32GB It will “change the face of
sizes, and you’ll need a specific computing with an unparalleled
set of hardware to run them: a combination of speed,
Kaby Lake chip, a 200-series endurance, and density.” These
chipset, a compatible M.2 slot, first modules are about three
and a compatible BIOS. They times faster than a standard
have been designed to boost SSD in random and sequential
Intel’s Rapid Cache Technology read. Write speeds are less Not quite what we were expecting, but it’s a start.
performance, and a small impressive—still capable of
number of machines have been beating SSDs, but by much and isn’t what we were sport “Beach” codenames—
announced that are Optane- slimmer margins. The 32GB promised. Early presentations Mansion Beach, Stony Beach,
ready, among them Lenovo’s module manages 1,600MB/s on about 3D XPoint spoke of speed and Carson Beach—each a
ThinkPad T570 and HP’s Envy reads and 500MB/s on writes. boosts of up to a thousand times family of Optane SSDs running
Curved 34. Latency is between SSD and SSD, and touched on the long- on PCIe or SATA. Its future as
Optane is Intel’s brand name DRAM. We have nothing on held dream of unified RAM and a DRAM replacement is less
for the 3D XPoint technology, price yet, but they won’t be storage. Alas, these claims have obvious. Conventional modules
a 3D memory system jointly cheap. Expect to pay around five proved elusive. The tantalizing are already cheap and fast, but
developed by Intel and Micron. times the price of flash RAM, or early proclamations were its use in servers cannot be
The tech has been in the labs twice that of DRAM. based on the core performance far away.
since 2012. Memory cells sit in Sure, they are fast, but of the chips at the cell level. Optane is having a slightly
a three-dimensional mesh, and you are right to feel a little Once it goes through all the difficult birth, and the 8000p is
use the change in resistance underwhelmed at this point. subsystems of the hardware and a bit of a dull start. However,
of the materials to store data. This doesn’t beat emerging software, the speed is degraded a huge research budget and
Importantly, there are no NVDIMM or NVMe technology, considerably. Perhaps it might much effort has been poured
have been wiser not to publicize into its success. This is just a
such appetizing claims in the taster. A single unified high-
first place. speed memory is still a long
Larger capacity SSD versions way away, but we do have
Memory cells sit in a 3D are currently being tested in
servers by IBM and Facebook.
commercial 3D memory that is
already faster than NAND, and
mesh, and use the change Before the end of the year, we
will see more mainstream
has an interesting roadmap.
You will be hearing a lot more
in resistance to store data. applications, which currently about Optane. –CL
3D TV IS DEAD
NO NEW HARDWARE
IS BEING BUILT
THE LAST TWO BIG PLAYERS making 3D TVs—
LG and Sony—are to drop their support with
this year’s models. The format is dead, for the
mass market at least. Lack of content was obvious; there was very little broadcast 3D, and
even that has now stopped. Enthusiasm from consumers dropped off sharply, and the TV
people’s attention has shifted to HDR and 4K. 3D content will live on, but only through VR.
3D TVs came on the back of 3D movies, which appeared in sporadic waves since the
1950s, each powered by new technology. The first wave lasted just three years, and the
revivals fared little better. The current dalliance with 3D movies has at least attracted some
CHINESE BAN big budget titles, but there are signs that this is fading, too. The odds are that 3D will return
at some point, probably using yet another technology, but for now you had better start
ON VPNS hoarding those 3D Blu-rays if you want any use out of your 3D TV. –CL
TECH TALK
The Current State of
Integrated Graphics
THE WORLD OF INTEGRATED GRAPHICS has a long and storied history,
most of which can be summed up as: they’re too slow and lacking in
functionality. For years, the most “popular” graphics chips have been
Intel’s, not because they were fast but because they were ubiquitous.
The good news is that Intel started putting more into play, and by targeting a closed
effort into improving graphics when it created HD platform, manufacturers can do
Graphics, in 2010. The latest iteration is its 600 more with less. The PS4’s custom
series, in the new Kaby Lake CPUs, which is largely AMD processor uses about two-
the same as the 500 series. A huge chunk of the thirds of the die space on graphics,
AD
processor is devoted to graphics—roughly one third with the relatively slow Jaguar CPU
of the die. But even so, performance isn’t stellar. cores relegated to one eighth of
I ran tests on 15 modern games, and even at low the die. The PS4 also uses GDDR5,
quality settings and 1280x720, less than half were with a 256-bit interface clocked at
playable. But there is some good news in that all 15 5,500MT/s, with over four times the
games rendered without any noticeable errors. Less bandwidth of a dual-channel DDR4-
demanding games such as Overwatch, League of 2667 configuration, and the PS4 Pro
Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, AMD’s Kaveri APU uses half the die should double GPU performance.
and many indie titles are also definitely playable. space on graphics functionality. I’m eager to see what AMD does
Perhaps more interesting is what Intel has with the upcoming Zen APUs. Will
been doing over the past seven generations of Kaby Lake at 440Gflops, are less it include a high-speed memory
Core processors. Intel more than quadrupled its than half the performance of the cache, along with substantially
mainstream integrated graphics performance GTX 1050 (1,733Gflops) and RX 460 more GPU cores? It could, and
going from first-gen to third-gen Core, but since (2,150Gflops) that represent entry- I’ve seen rumors of an APU with
then, most of the desktop parts (Broadwell being level dedicated GPUs. That’s a big potentially 1,024 Vega GPU cores—
the exception) haven’t seen much improvement. In part of why most gamers end up twice the number found in AMD’s
raw computational power, the fastest GT2 variants running a dedicated graphics card. current top APUs. Combined with
of Intel’s HD Graphics have sat in the 400-450Gflops Other factors include sharing stacked memory (a single 2–4GB
range since Haswell’s HD 4600 in late 2012. system memory bandwidth. Even HBM2 stack, perhaps), AMD could
AMD is only slightly better, with its top APUs, like with two or three times as many end up surpassing the performance
the A10-7890K, sitting at 887Gflops, while lower-tier GPU cores, without increasing the of its RX 460. Certainly, AMD has
parts like the A8-7670K (581Gflops) and A6-7470K memory bandwidth, a lot of potential the expertise to pull this off, but
(410Gflops) are well off the pace. More critically, performance is lost. An HBM2 cache I’m not convinced it will be enough
all of these parts, including desktop Skylake and is a potential solution, and Intel has to capture the interest of gamers,
used eDRAM caches with its Iris with price being a major factor. AMD
products, but few desktop users are might end up cannibalizing sales of
interested in improving integrated its $100-200 graphics cards in order
graphics when a quick upgrade to to sell more $100-200 APUs.
A quick upgrade to a dedicated a dedicated graphics card can more
than double performance. Jarred Walton has been a
graphics card can more than Consoles are a different matter, PC and gaming enthusiast
double performance. where economies of scale come for over 30 years.
5 AMD FREESYNC 2
The revolution of AMD’s variable refresh
rate. Similar to G-Sync, AMD is now
enforcing standards
including
low latency
and HDR.
1 iBUYPOWER
PROJECT SNOWBLIND
The transparent LCD screen was first seen at
4
Computex last year. Acting as a second display
via HDMI, you can run anything you want on it.
LG NANO CELL
TECHNOLOGY
LG is innovating on top
of quantum dot by
shrinking the
pixel size down
to a single
nanometer to
improve viewing
angles, even
beyond the limits
of IPS and VA.
16 MAXIMUMPC S P R I N G 20 1 7 maximumpc.com
Alex Campbell
OPEN SOURCE
Vulkan Can’t Bring
Games to Linux by Itself
FOR YEARS AND YEARS, being a Linux user meant giving up on the idea
of playing top-tier games when they’re released. For the most part,
that’s still true, but technologies are emerging that will make it easier
for developers to distribute games for Linux. Unfortunately, these new-
fangled technologies don’t solve all of the underlying issues.
The first big thing that offers promise is the Vulkan need. The formats allow them to
graphics API, the spiritual successor to OpenGL. As stop chasing library updates, and
an open API, Vulkan has promised a cross-platform distribute software images that are
API for developers who want to develop for Linux, known to run on the vast majority of
AD
Windows, Mac, and even mobile devices. (The API Linux systems without issue.
also shipped with support for the modern Wayland These formats also aim to
graphics server.) The API spec was published in unify distribution in the face of the
early 2016, and hardware released during the year fracturing caused by each distro’s
offered support for Vulkan. However, very few package management solution.
games offered support, with most released in 2016 Doomed? Actually, things are Debian, Ubuntu, and Mint have
opting for DirectX 11 or 12. Id Software’s id Tech looking up for Linux gamers, but deb; Fedora and openSUSE have
6-powered Doom was a notable exception, showing there’s still much work to be done. RPM; Arch and Manjaro use tar.xz;
the blistering-fast performance that Vulkan offered. Gentoo builds everything from
Epic’s Unreal Engine 4 also supports the API. shy away from Linux development source because why the hell not?
With a high-performance, modern graphics API is understandable. The market is This landscape is hell for software
available for Linux, one would thing there would minuscule compared to the number distribution (and creates a lot of
be a tidal wave of AAA games for Linux. That wave of gamers on Windows, and Linux work that volunteers have to do).
hasn’t come. A quick scan of a list of games with presents a moving target in terms Unfortunately, the three new
Vulkan support on Wikipedia shows eight games of libraries and drivers. Anyone competing formats—flatpak, snap,
written for Vulkan. Only two of those (Dota 2 and The who’s broken something like Wi-Fi and AppImage—suffer from the
Talos Principle) are available on Linux. (Id’s Doom is or Bluetooth support because of an same problem, in that there’s three
curiously Windows-only, breaking from id’s history update knows what I mean. That of them. Hopefully, 2017 will see a
of releasing shooters for Linux as well as Windows.) means a huge headache for very clear winner pull ahead of the pack.
There simply aren’t many games written for little return for a game dev shop. But even if one does, and developers
Vulkan yet, but given time, that will change. The But there are a few new packaging have a clearer and more stable
percentage of those games that are released for technologies that aim to fix that. platform to target, the chicken
Linux might not, however. The big reason developers Universal Linux “container” (penguin?) or the egg problem will
formats are one of the most likely persist: There aren’t many
important new ideas for desktop gamers on Linux because there
users. They differ slightly from aren’t many games for Linux, and
container technologies such as there aren’t many games for Linux
Linux is a moving target in Docker, and aim to unify the Linux because there aren’t many gamers.
terms of libraries and drivers; application distribution space.
These technologies promise to Alex Campbell is a Linux geek
a huge headache for very little allow developers to package their who enjoys learning about
return for a game dev shop. apps with the libraries that they computer security.
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BY MATT HANSON
AVG AntiVirus
also comes ROUND 1 ROUND 2
with a browser
plugin for
protection Features Ease of Use
when surfing
Defender has virus, malware, We want our antivirus app to
the Internet.
and spyware detection and be unobtrusive, and keep us
removal. Real-time protection protected with the minimum of
monitors downloaded files. fuss. In that regard, Windows
There’s no firewall. Cloud- Defender has a huge advantage,
based protection defends as if you’re running a recent
against threats identified on version of Windows, it is already
other users’ PCs. It comes installed and configured.
Bitdefender
preinstalled, with no ads or pop- Downloading and installing
Antivirus is
ups nagging you to upgrade. Bitdefender is straightforward,
both speedy
The free version of AVG scanning your PC during
and highly
features virus, malware, and the process. The interface
effective
spyware protection, and real- is streamlined and easy to
at spotting
time security updates. Unlike understand, and the Autopilot
nasties.
Defender, it comes with a plugin mode means you can leave it
to protect you from unsafe alone to get on with protecting
links, downloads, and email you. To scan specific files, just
attachments. A gaming mode drag and drop them.
(that cuts down on resources AVG’s interface has simple
used) is welcome, but if you indications letting you know if
want firewall or phishing your PC is protected, and a big
Windows
protection, you must pay. button to scan your system. It’s
Defender is
Bitdefender offers similar not as hands-off as the others,
preinstalled
features as AVG, plus comes but installation is simple. You’re
with Windows,
with Autopilot mode, which encouraged to install a browser
and never
configures security settings plugin to protect you while
nags you to
on the fly, enables automatic online, but it tries to change your
shell out for
updates, and more, with no homepage and default search
an upgrade.
annoying pop-ups, but AVG’s engine, which we don’t like.
gaming mode gives it the edge.
Tie:
Winner: Windows Defender
AVG and Bitdefender
BIG-SCREEN
DEBUT
Never before has the high-end PC monitor
market been so vibrant and innovative.
Allow Jeremy Laird to help you solve this
particular paradox of choice
LET’S TAKE A TOUR around the recent history of same, what’s the point? Likewise, is a screen hooked Above from left to right:
the high-end PC monitor. Remember when a 24- up to a PC while you sit on a couch 15 feet away a The Asus PA329Q has
inch widescreen monitor with a 1920x1200 native monitor or a TV? Similarly, it’s possible to go too advanced quantum dot
resolution constituted high end? We’re thinking big in terms of panel viewability. Beyond 40 inches, technology, but it’s the
2004, and the Dell 2405FPW. You can get something a screen situated at conventional monitor viewing purist’s choice.
close to that for about 100 bucks today. Incredible. distances requires a whole lot of head craning.
About three years later, Dell shook things up That said, many people who thought 30-inch The Dell UP3017Q is
again with the 3007WFP, a 30-inch 2560x1600 beast panels were too big 10 years ago are probably happily one of the first OLED PC
that was so spectacular at the time, it was hard to running 32-inch or 34-inch monitors today. What monitors to arrive—but
imagine anything bigger. But a further five years feels unwieldy at first, can soon make reverting to a it costs a fortune.
down the road in 2017, and the 3007 is toast. smaller screen seem restrictive. On a similar note,
Screen tech is advancing at breakneck speed. One where do projectors fit in? A projector can never be a LG’s 38UC99 is the
moment you’re marveling at the latest superwide direct replacement for a PC monitor, yet nothing can latest superwide
curved monitor, the next you’re having your entire compete with their sheer cinematic scale. curved-screen wonder.
field of view saturated by staggering HDR visuals
courtesy of a 55-inch UHDTV, and every monitor POINTS OF VIEW This HDTV is big and
you’ve ever used before suddenly seems tiny. Aspect ratio is another consideration. Superwide beautiful, but do you
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Choices must 21:9-aspect monitors are gaining traction. They’re really want a 50-inch
be made. You can’t have everything in one monitor. fantastic for movies. They work great with games. screen as a PC monitor?
For instance, let’s say you wanted a 4K screen with They can be thoroughly ergonomic for viewing
160Hz refresh, and 40-inch-plus diagonal. It can’t be multiple documents or web pages at the same time, Below:
had. So, you need to be clear on your priorities. too. But they’re also restrictive in terms of vertical 4K tech has now come to
Let’s look at gamer-centric tech, including ultra- resolution and desktop space. So, while you may projectors, too.
high refresh rates. High refresh on the desktop is be able to view documents side by side more easily,
nice. It’s hard to go back to a 60Hz panel once you’ve your view of each is more limited, which means
experienced 120Hz-plus. But, arguably, anything more scrolling. The 21:9 aspect is also distinctly
above 120Hz for the desktop is redundant. Adaptive sub-optimal for standard 16:9 HDTV video content.
refresh technology, including Nvidia’s G-Sync and Curved versus flat is yet another geometric
AMD’s FreeSync, is even more gamer-centric. If you conundrum. In our experience, this is a question
don’t game much, you can probably ignore it. of personal preference. Some people love curved
Now let’s move on to size and shape. Your options screens, others think they look ridiculous. We argue
are extensive and the choice subjective. It is also that the bigger a screen is, the more sense a little
intimately related to native resolution. For starters, curve can make. But just remember,
bigger isn’t always better. The UHD or 4K pixel grid of not all screens sport the same
3840x2160 sounds impressive. On a 32-inch monitor, curve. Some are curvier than
it gives a nice, tight pixel pitch, crisp fonts, and loads others. So, head down to your
of detail. On a 50-inch panel, it’s a whole different local store, and get a feel for the
ball game. At least, it is at normal PC monitor various radii of curve on offer.
viewing distances. You can move further away with All of which brings us to plain,
a larger panel, but if the apparent size is then the old image quality. Partly, that’s a
Lenovo’s Yoga
AOC
U3477PQU
Six hundred bucks, but still a bargain
slick, superwide not going to get 10- or 12-bit color support,
7
WHAT TO MAKE OF AOC’S VERDICT
AOC U3477PQU
U3477PQU? It comes down to your point of for instance. In strict terms, that limits your
view. If you’re a serious player in the true content mastering options. Nor can you A NEW HOPE Nice all-round
high end of the monitor market, it’s not expect the U3477PQU to be loaded up with package for the money; quality
going to be on your radar. But if you want to the latest gaming-centric goodness. It tops IPS image quality; slick chassis.
get a slice of the high-end action at a more out at a 60Hz refresh, it doesn’t support
PHANTOM MENACE Lacks high refresh and
attainable price, slap it on your shortlist. adaptive synching, and it’s completely flat.
frame synching; color capabilities limit
It all starts with the 34-inch LCD panel. That said, the U3477PQU is far from
content production support.
It’s a proper IPS item. It’s also 34 inches without gaming merit. AOC gives you four
across the diagonal, and packs a 3440x1440 levels of pixel overdrive, so you can decide $616, www.aoc.com
pixel punch. For most mere mortals, that’s if you want to minimize blurring by ramping
plenty. The 21:9 aspect ratio also adds an the overdrive to the max, in return for some
element of the exotic. AOC has done a nice inverse ghosting. That 34-inch 21:9 panel, SPECIFICATIONS
job of giving the chassis and stand a quality with its 3440x1440 grid, is a very nice
consumer electronics vibe, too. compromise for real-world gaming, too. Panel Size 34-inch
Image quality doesn’t disappoint, either. It’s big enough to feel cinematic, and the Native Resolution 3440x1440
It’s more vibrant than the more expensive LG pixel count provides lots of detail without
38UC99, even if it can’t match the quantum- presenting your GPU with a huge overload. Pixels Per Inch 110
dot brigade with their eye-popping colors. You could make a similar argument for Panel Type IPS
It doesn’t suffer from any major accuracy the U3477PQU as a day-to-day productivity
Max Refresh 60Hz
flaws either. There’s a little banding when monitor. We’d prefer 32-inch 4K for the
viewing gradients, but it’s subtle. The black superior pixel pitch and additional desktop Response 5ms
and white scales show virtually no evidence real estate. The 21:9 aspect ratio can also 1x DisplayPort,
of compression, so the factory calibration create its own problems: 16:9 TV content 1x HDMI,
Display Inputs
is solid. It’s IPS, so the viewing angles are looks silly (and small) framed by thick 1x DVI,
1x VGA
great, and both black levels and contrast black bars either side, for instance. Those
are good. It can’t compete with a VA panel or 1,440 pixels of vertical resolution will feel Connectivity N/A
an HDR screen with local dimming for really constraining for some. But at this price, VESA Mount 100 x 100mm
inky blackness, but that’s inevitable. it’s a decent compromise if you want a
Similarly, you have to be realistic about screen that can turn its hand to a little bit Warranty Three years
the overall feature set at this price. You’re of everything, and look slick in the process.
9
SUPERWIDE 21:9 aspect screens with crazy rotation to portrait mode. While the overall VERDICT
Asus ProArt PA329Q
curves? Wall-sized UHDTVs masquerading feel is robust, it’s far from chunky or old-
as PC monitors? Gaming gimmicks such as fashioned, thanks to a very slim bezel. What PRECISION TOOL Extremely
adaptive sync and 160Hz refresh? They’re you don’t get is a curved panel, zany refresh high fidelity IPS panel;
all very well, but it’s time to put away the rates, frame synching, or crazy levels of impressive color capabilities;
big boys’ toys and get serious. Enter the pixel overdrive. It’s all about precision. superfine pixel pitch.
new ProArt PA329Q, Asus’s shot at a lasting Fire her up, and initial impressions are
NOT SO COOL Not exactly cinematic in
monument to visual precision. glorious. The PA329Q is supervibrant, but
scale; requires a fairly serious investment;
It isn’t big by high-end standards. It’s without that uber-saturated look that many
not ideal for gaming.
just 32 inches. But it is 4K, which has TVs go for in order to achieve superficial
implications for pixel pitch and sharpness. punch. Think of it as both power and control $1,249, www.asus.com
As its name suggests, it’s aimed at serious when it comes to colors. The viewing angles
productivity, therefore the core technology are pretty much immaculate, too, and the
SPECIFICATIONS
is IPS, with added color-fidelity chops. anti-glare coating is superclean and free
In terms of color reproduction, that from grain or sparkle. Plus, there’s the Panel Size 32-inch
includes 10-bit per channel support, along razor sharpness due to that tight pixel pitch.
with a 14-bit look-up table for precision The basic calibration is bang on, with Native Resolution 3840x2160
calibration. But what marks the PA329Q out flawless detail in white and black scales, Pixels Per Inch 127
as cutting edge is the addition of quantum- and visually perfect gradients. The default
Panel Type IPS
dot backlight enhancement for even greater 6,500K color temperature is a little warm
color dynamism. The result is 100 percent subjectively, and the IPS panel can’t compete Max Refresh 60Hz
coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. with the latest VA screens for contrast and
Response 5ms
Asus also claims that factory calibration black levels. Likewise, support for a higher
4x HDMI,
guarantees a sub-two Delta E color space. refresh rate would be nice, but that’s limited
Display Inputs 1x DisplayPort,
The bottom line is that this display will by display interface bandwidth. 1x Mini DisplayPort
enable you to properly master content for In all other regards, this is a screen with USB, card reader,
HDR compliance, including the Rec. 2020 which you could have a long and meaningful Connectivity
3.5mm audio
video gamut. The PA329Q’s physical relationship. The advent of OLED tech
VESA Mount 100 x 100mm
bearing reflects its pro remit, too. There’s notwithstanding, it’s easy to imagine the
a pleasing quality to the chassis and stand, PA329Q still looking stunning in five years. Warranty Three years
the latter being fully adjustable, including It ain’t cheap, but it is a good investment.
BENQ
PD3200U
An LCD panel for old-school purists
for the BenQ PD3200U. and pleasing colors. The out-of-the-
8
SPARE A THOUGHT VERDICT
BenQ PD3200U
While the Asus ProArt PA329Q struts about, box calibration is mostly very good, too.
flaunting its quantum dot-enhanced colors, Black and white scales show no signs of IVY LEAGUE GRAD Lovely IPS
the PD3200U must make do with an LED compression, and if anything we prefer the panel; supercrisp 4K pixel
backlight. However, this otherwise similar BenQ’s default color temperature. It’s bang pitch; competitive pricing.
BenQ monitor has its own appeal. on. That said, a whiff of banding in gradients
HIGH SCHOOL DROP-OUT Modest overall
Mostly, that comes down to price. The is visible. Similarly, the anti-glare coating
proportions; can’t compete with the best
BenQ rocks in at just under $900, while the suffers from just a touch of graininess.
on color space.
Asus sports a much heftier $1,250 sticker. Move the frame of reference beyond its
Both share very similar core specifications Asus nemesis, and it’s down to personal $899, www.benq.com
and form factor: 32 inches of precision IPS preference. On the one hand, it blows away
panel, and the 3840x2160 pixel grid that all the larger screens in terms of crispness,
denotes full-on 4K action. Like the Asus, the detail, and accuracy. There’s no substitute
BenQ offers 10-bit per channel color, too. for more pixels per inch. On the other, SPECIFICATIONS
The PD3200U also cuts a similar dash it’s not gaming-centric. There’s no high
on the desktop. It aims for a sober suit refresh rate, no frame synching, no HDR Panel Size 32-inch
that majors on quality and functionality, or mega-bright backlight, or incredible Native Resolution 3840x2160
including a fully adjustable stand that contrast ratios. Its pixel response is merely
Pixels Per Inch 127
supports rotation to portrait. That said, it adequate, too. And at 32 inches, it’s not
doesn’t have quite as pleasingly slim a bezel going to fill in as a home cinema screen. Panel Type IPS
as the Asus. From there, you begin to see However, most of those complaints are
Max Refresh 60Hz
where BenQ achieves some cost savings. largely beside the point. This isn’t a gaming
The PD3200U delivers 100 percent of the monitor or a home cinema screen, even if Response 4ms
smaller sRGB color space, rather than the it can turn its hand to those tasks. Instead, 1x HDMI,
more fulsome Adobe RGB gamut the Asus it’s a conventional PC monitor that majors Display Inputs 1x DisplayPort,
notches up. Similarly, where the Asus is on productivity, and delivers an upscale 1x Mini DisplayPort
fully Rec. 2020 compliant, the BenQ only experience for a reasonable price. The Asus Connectivity USB, 3.5mm audio
musters the FullHD Rec. 720 color space. PA329Q may be the superior monitor, but
VESA Mount 100 x 100mm
In practice, however, the BenQ doesn’t it’s also more expensive. If you can’t quite
feel like you make much of a trade-off. It stretch to the Asus, you’ll be grateful BenQ Warranty Three years
really is beautiful, with subtle yet vibrant is offering this more affordable option.
8
VERDICT
Epson PowerLite 5040UB
problem. You can have one for 300 bucks. again. Rinse and repeat, except so fast the
Hell, you can get a 40-inch 4K TV for eye can’t see the oscillations, and add clever CINEMATIC Far more crisp and
even less than that. Prices really have image processing to smooth everything out. detailed than a 1080p beamer;
plummeted. But projectors? Not so much. The result isn’t true 4K. The math works super all-round image quality.
Projectors always have been a niche out to around four million pixels, where
IDIOSYNCRATIC Not actually true 4K; still
market. Volumes are lower, prices higher, 1080p is two million, and 4K is eight million.
pretty pricey; physically it’s a big beast.
innovation not as brisk. It also doesn’t help But from your video card’s perspective, the
that one of the major projector technologies, projector accepts a 4K input. But what about $2,999, www.epson.com
Texas Instruments’ DLP, remains locked your eyes? Without question, it’s a huge leap
down under patent protection. The likes over standard HD. The crispness and detail
of Intel flirted with shaking things up with is on a whole new level. If you’d never seen
LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon), then a true 4K projector, you’d probably believe
decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. this was the real 4K deal. Even if you had, SPECIFICATIONS
Anyway, just as 1080p FullHD was slow you’d probably be fooled. The step up to true
to make the move into the projector market, 4K isn’t as dramatic as the step from FullHD Projector Type Triple-LCD
so it is with 4K or UHD. But it is happening. to this pixel-shift option. 1920x1080
Resolution
There’s been a number of mega-money 4K It’s a very nice projector in general terms, with 4K pixel shift
projectors available for a while, but now too. LCD technology has come a long way, Brightness 2,500 lumens
the first consumer models are appearing. and the contrast and colors are superb. The
Contrast 1,000,000:1 (dynamic)
They’re not cheap—the Epson PowerLite full-feature optics are remote-controlled,
5040UB rocks the scales at $2,999, but which makes the 5040UB a cinch to set up, 120Hz (1080p),
Refresh
60Hz (4K)
it’s not some $20,000 monster aimed at even when installed on a ceiling mount or
professional installations. similar. It’s virtually silent in operation, Throw Ratio Range 1.35–2.84
There is a catch: It’s not true 4K. In fact, too. On the other hand, it’s physically a big Color Processing 10-bit
it’s a triple-LCD projector, with a native ol’ box, and the usual projector limitations
3D support, lens shift
resolution of 1920x1080, and what Epson apply. You can’t just stick it in any old room Other with remote control
calls “4K enhancement.” The details involve and use it any old time. Ambient lighting and memory function
what’s known as “pixel shift.” The idea is conditions need to be managed. But for Two years
simple: First, project the native 1920x1080 gaming and video on a truly cinematic scale, Warranty
(lamp 90 days)
grid, then use the optics to shift the grid nothing else here comes close.
LG
38UC99
Superwide? Make ours extra large...
AS YOU PLAN A GROUP TEST, and the slots fill available, it’s questionable how relevant
7
VERDICT
LG 38UC99
up, there’s usually one entrant that stands that all is. Instead, the 38UC99 seems to
out. One that feels like a winner in the major on what you might call traditional OSCAR WINNER Generous
making. This time, it’s LG’s new 38UC99. monitor qualities. Plenty of pixels. A high- proportions; plenty of pixels;
As a 21:9 aspect ratio panel, that’s quality panel. High-fidelity color support. A nicely calibrated; decent pixel pitch.
surprising. After all, superwide screens nice, enveloping panel curve. That kind of
RAZZIE NOMINEE Dull image quality;
are an acquired taste. But with the 38UC99, thing. On paper, it’s our kind of screen.
very expensive; short on frills and cutting-
LG has hammered the main shortcoming of As soon as you fire it up, however, it’s
edge features.
such screens—limited vertical resolution obvious something is missing—a sense
and desktop space—into the stands. of pizzazz. For sure, the pixel pitch is nice $1,499, www.lg.com
The first 29-inch 21:9 LCD monitors and crisp, albeit not as sharp as a 32-inch
managed just 1,080 vertical pixels. Then a 4K panel. For the most part, it’s nicely
new 34-inch generation arrived, and upped calibrated out of the box, too. The black
the ante to 1,440 vertical pixels. Good and white scales show loads of detail, and
SPECIFICATIONS
enough for most, but not quite enough for gradients are flawless. Additional points
everyone. Now LG has ramped the 21:9 should also be awarded for a proper Panel Size 37.5-inch
category up to 38 inches and 1,600 vertical execution of FreeSync that isn’t spoiled by
pixels. That’s gotta be enough, surely? nasty ghosting when enabled. Native Resolution 3840x1600
The rest of the specs look promising, But there’s no getting away from it. Pixels Per Inch 111
too. The overall pixel grid is 3840x1600, so Compared to the likes of, say, the Asus
Panel Type IPS
there’s oodles of elbow room. The panel PA329Q, and its quantum dot-enhanced
tech is IPS, and there’s 10-bit color support colors, the 38UC99 looks dull. It even looks Max Refresh 75Hz
enabling 99 percent of the sRGB color space. tepid next to some of the cheaper panels
Response 5ms
LG has also added a few extras in the form here. The outright contrast and black levels
1x HDMI,
of 75Hz refresh when used in concert with are underwhelming, and the anti-glare Display Inputs
1x DisplayPort
FreeSync adaptive frame rate technology. coating suffers from a little sparkle. All of
That still means there’s a number of which means it looks great on paper, and Connectivity USB
cutting-edge features missing. You don’t comes very nicely calibrated, but lacks VESA Mount 100 x 100mm
get really high refresh rates, HDR support, the kind of visual fizz you’ve every right to
Warranty One year
a backlight with quantum dots, or any of that expect at this price. It’s a certainly good
jazz. Of course, with very little HDR content monitor, but it’s definitely not a great one.
7
VERDICT
Philips Brilliance BDM3490UC
you need to double-check both the product exotic color space support.
itself and its spec sheet to confirm the All that would be fine were it not for one POLE POSITION Nice IPS panel;
presence of a given technology or feature, other detail: It costs around $1,100. That’s high-quality chassis; solid all-
does that feature have any value? mega money given the overall spec, and round image quality.
Adaptive frame sync had us pondering means the Philips is not only nearly double
ENGINE FAILURE Staggeringly expensive;
along those lines. It’s one of those the money of the similar AOC monitor, but
limited feature set; panel curve is arguably
technologies where it isn’t obvious whether more expensive than the 100Hz, ultra-
too subtle.
it’s working correctly. But we’ve never felt curved, quantum dot Samsung CF791.
like that about curved LCD screens. They Question is, can the Philips somehow make $1,100, www.philips.com
split opinion, sure, but not being able to see up for its implausibly high price?
the difference hasn’t been an issue. In a word, no. Don’t get us wrong, this
Until the Philips Brilliance BDM349OUC, is a very nice screen. It has the measure
that is. That’s surprising, because it has of LG’s 38UC99 for colors, pop, and punch,
SPECIFICATIONS
the same 3800R curvature as several other for instance. There are no nasties from the
34-inch displays. The explanation very factory calibration, either. The white and Panel Size 34-inch
likely comes down to context. Both of the black scales look good, and the gradients
Samsung displays in this group test are so are nice and smooth. Ditto the anti-glare Native Resolution 3440x1440
curvy by comparison, the Philips looks flat. coating. The pixel response is decent for an Pixels Per Inch 110
The mild curve makes for moderate impact IPS display, and Philips includes an option in
Panel Type IPS
at most. That either makes it a good choice the OSD to tweak the overdrive levels, and
if you’re unsure of the merits of curved thus choose between speed and accuracy. Max Refresh 60Hz
panels, or a monitor that doesn’t fully The chassis has an intriguingly spacey
Response 5ms
deliver on the curved-screen proposition. design, and feels well put together, even if
3x HDMI,
Curvature aside, however, how does the the tilt-only stand is pathetic at this price. Display Inputs
1x DisplayPort
BDM349OUC shape up? On paper, it all looks All told, it’s a nice display. Shave $400 or
pretty familiar. The 3440x1440 pixel grid is $500 off the price, and it would be easy to Connectivity USB, 3.5mm audio
standard for a 21:9 and 34-inch screen, as recommend. We wouldn’t be surprised to VESA Mount No
is the IPS panel technology. Elsewhere, the see it experience a major price drop. Until
Warranty Three years
feature set is pretty thin when it comes to that happens, it’s impossible to recommend
image quality enhancements. There’s no when there are better screens for less cash.
SAMSUNG
CF791
Samsung gets a serious curve on
how quickly the 34-inch, Brilliance. Whether that’s a good thing or
8
IT’S REMARKABLE VERDICT
Samsung CF791
21:9 aspect segment has become almost not is subjective. Let’s just say if you’re not
a staple in the higher echelons of the PC sure about curves, steer clear of the CF791. BEAUTIFUL Gorgeous colors;
monitor market. Even with the addition of a Curvature aside, this is a great-looking epic, cinematic LCD panel; nice
curved panel, you’re still not talking about panel. It doesn’t immediately blow your gaming extras.
anything exotic. Just a few years ago, a 34- socks off like an HDR UHDTV playing high
BENT Extreme curve not to all tastes;
inch panel with such superwide proportions dynamic range content. But it’s more
ditto 21:9 aspect; pretty pricey for a
would have seemed almost preposterous. vibrant than a non-quantum dot monitor.
34-inch panel.
Still, even by the standards of such The default calibration is a bit warm
screens, the Samsung CF791 is special. for our liking, pushing flesh tones toward $999, www.samsung.com
For starters, it boasts an LED backlight pink. There’s a big gap between the color
enhanced with quantum dot technology. temperature presets, too, so you need to do
The basics of quantum dot involve materials a full calibration to dial that out. But that’s
that absorb certain frequencies of light, typical given the panel tech is VA, rather
SPECIFICATIONS
convert them, and re-emit. The “quantum” than IPS. Elsewhere, it’s well set up out of
bit is because the semiconductor crystal the box, with a good balance between detail Panel Size 34-inch
on which it’s based leverages a nanoscale in whites and black, and smooth gradients.
effect known as quantum confinement, Objective concerns aside, the subjective Native Resolution 3440x1440
which involves electron holes, two- experience rendering 4K video is stunning, Pixels Per Inch 110
dimensional potential wells, and the exciton even if the 3440x1440 native resolution is
Panel Type VA
Bohr radius. But you knew that, obviously. sub-4K fidelity. With that 100Hz refresh
Basically, it takes suboptimal light output and adaptive sync support, plus better pixel Max Refresh 100Hz
from an LED backlight, and buffs it up to response than just about any VA panel we’ve Response 4ms
enable increased color vibrancy and fidelity. seen, this is one heck of a gaming panel, too.
2x HDMI,
The CF791 also sports a couple of gaming- And it’s a good-looking hunk of consumer Display Inputs
1x DisplayPort
friendly features: 100Hz refresh and AMD electronics, thanks to Samsung’s typically
Connectivity USB, 3.5mm audio
FreeSync adaptive refresh support. snazzy styling. With that hefty curvature
Finally, it’s curved. Not just any old and the extreme 21:9 aspect, it’s an acquired VESA Mount No
curved, but 1500R curved. That means taste rather than a sure-fire hit, but if you’re
Warranty Three years
the curve’s radius is a yard and a half or looking for a 34-inch curved screen, the
so—over twice as curved as the Philips CF791 should be near the top of your list.
8
VERDICT
Samsung SUHD 9 Series
seriously considering a large UHDTV like to stumble over when used as a PC monitor.
the Samsung 9 Series as some kind of PC That’s thanks in part to the fact that LIFE-ENHANCING Spectacular
monitor, don’t try one just for fun. It will ruin this 9 Series Samsung is a member of the proportions; works
you for conventional PC monitors. It makes brave new army of HDR TVs. With support surprisingly well as a monitor; latest
almost every other monitor seem tiny. for the HDR 1000 standard come several HDR capabilities.
Take the LG 38UC99. It’s a 38-inch beast, features that help it perform in the exacting
MID-LIFE CRISIS Not exactly the last word
with a 21:9 aspect ratio, and by any sane environment of a PC, including expanded
in accuracy or practicality; fat pixel pitch
metric, it’s a big PC monitor. But we set it up color space, with 10-bit per channel
even with 4K res.
after assessing this Samsung monster, and capability, and an LED backlight augmented
it looked pitiful. At 55 inches, this Samsung by local dimming and quantum dot tech. $1,698, www.samsung.com
9 Series model is nothing special by UHDTV The result is stunning, but has its
standards (they go up to 78 inches), but set limitations. As a gaming monitor, it is
up as a PC monitor at PC monitor viewing staggering. The huge panel with plenty of
SPECIFICATIONS
distances, it dominates your field of view, curve makes for an incredibly immersive
and recalibrates your definition of big. experience. It is the most impressive Panel Size 55-inch
However, don’t go thinking this screen is gaming display we’ve experienced, though
a one-trick pony. This isn’t like the bad old the lack of both 120Hz-plus refresh support Native Resolution 3840x2160
days of large HDTVs, where size was all you and adaptive frame synching means it can’t Pixels Per Inch 80
got, and everything else—color accuracy, check every gaming box.
Panel Type VA
response, pixel pitch—sucked. Thanks to It’s stellar for 4K video content, too. But as
that 4K 3840x2160 grid, the pixel pitch is a conventional PC monitor for web browsing Max Refresh 60Hz
reasonable, if not awe-inspiring. Just as or productivity work, it’s less convincing.
Response Not quoted
impressive is the out-of-the box calibration While the pixel pitch is tolerable, fonts aren’t
and ease of use. Hooked up to a modern nearly as crisp as a 32-inch 4K monitor. And Display Inputs 4x HDMI
graphics card with HDMI 2.0 support, in you don’t actually get any additional screen 3x USB,
Connectivity
this case an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080, this real estate. The practicality of such a huge optical audio-out
thing just works. What’s more, both black screen is questionable to say the least, too. VESA Mount 400 x 400mm
and white scales show plenty of detail, and And while the quantum dot-powered panel
Warranty One year
gradient rendering is smooth. There’s little, packs an incredible punch, it’s hardly the
if any, noticeable input lag, either. In other last word in accuracy.
A
light spring clean can free up when you next restart, Windows performs you no longer need or use. To do this,
drive space and improve your PC’s a complete check of your hard drive, click “Start > Settings.” Select “System,”
performance without involving attempting to correct any errors it comes followed by “Apps & features.”
any hard work or even third-party tools. across. If it finds and fixes any, you may All installed apps and programs are
Everything we feature on these two pages is immediately get a speed boost. Now repeat listed alphabetically—you can, however,
done using Windows’ own built-in tools, so for any other drives you have attached—if sort by size (useful if you need to free up
without further ado, let’s get started. you get a warning about forcing a dismount, drive space) or installation date. Go through
First, check your hard drive is in good we suggest hitting N, then Y to run the check the list, clicking any programs you no
working order. The quickest way to force when you next reboot. Once your drives have longer need, and choosing “Uninstall” to
Windows 10 to perform a complete check been checked, it’s time to begin cleaning. remove them using the standard program
on your hard drive is to right-click the installer. Some uninstallers leave Registry
“Start” button, and choose “Command Remove Unwanted Apps entries and program files behind—for a
Prompt (Admin).” Type the following into the How many programs have you installed more thorough way to remove programs,
command prompt window, then hit Enter: on your PC? How many do you still use? turn the page.
$ chkdisk /f /r c: Now is the perfect time to go through all
You’re told the drive can’t be locked the desktop programs and Microsoft Store Perform a Disk Clean
(because it’s in use), so press Y, then apps you have installed, cleaning out those Open File Explorer, and select “This PC”
on the left to reveal a list of all your hard
drives. Right-click your C drive (or the
drive Windows is installed on), and choose
“Properties,” then click the ‘“Disk Clean-
up” button. The step-by-step guide reveals
how the tool works—basically, it enables
you to quickly clear up all kinds of detritus,
from the contents of various temporary
folders to redundant system error logs, and
even older System Restore points. You can
run Disk Cleanup across other drives, too,
but it’s usually most effective on the drive
Windows is installed on.
It’s worth taking a pause before simply
deleting everything that Windows suggests.
For example, if you’ve just upgraded to a
new version of Windows, you should find a
“Previous Windows installation(s)” entry,
offering tens of gigabytes of data ready
to free up—don’t select this until you’re
happy you won’t be rolling back to that
Manage Backups previous version (note that Windows
usually deletes these files after a set time
Hopefully, you’re making good use of File backups (to reduce drive consumption going anyway; typically 30 days).
History or Windows Backup to ensure your forward), plus set a time limit for how long Recently installed a new driver and not
critical files are kept safe and sound. Both backups are kept (“Until space is needed” sure whether it’s causing problems? Don’t
methods store multiple versions of your is safest, but you can specify your own
backups, giving you the option of rolling back time). Click “Clean up versions” to clear out
the changes with individual files should you space by choosing what backups to delete
wish to restore an earlier version. (anything from all but the most recent to
This protection comes with a price, those backups older than two years).
however—increased consumption of drive If you use the Windows Backup tool, select
space. If you’re feeling the squeeze, reclaim “Back up and Restore (Windows 7),” and
some breathing room by removing the oldest click “Manage space,” then “View backups”
backups. Right-click the “Start” button and to manually select which backups to
choose “Control Panel.” File History users remove. Remember that older backups may
should click “Save backup copies of your contain files you have subsequently deleted,
files with File History,” then click “Advanced so be sure you haven’t mislaid any critical Before embarking on your cleanup, make
settings.” You can change the frequency of old files before cleaning up. sure your drives are error-free.
A MEDIUM SPRING
CLEAN FOR YOUR PC
Need to free up more resources? With third-party tools,
you can give Windows a more thorough clean
D
issatisfied with the results of spring up space without deleting those files you
cleaning with Windows’ own tools? didn’t know you needed.
Time to go further. In this section, Outside of its primary cleaning element,
we’ll perform a deeper clean on areas CCleaner offers a number of other tools.
already covered, with the help of free third- Its Registry cleaner is potentially the most
party tools, which can also reach areas not dangerous, so skip that. Instead, select
touched by Windows. As always, caution “Tools,” where you’ll find seven cleanup
should be your keyword. While cleaning out tools. The Uninstall section works in the
gigabytes of data is satisfying, it can lose same way as Windows’ Apps & Features
its allure if you’ve been hasty and discover tool, but is outclassed by IObit Uninstaller.
useful shortcuts, such as the Jump lists of Remove unwanted browser add-ons to Startup provides you with a more
programs, have been removed. boost security, privacy, and performance. comprehensive list of programs and items
that launch with Windows. This is split into
Remove Apps Thoroughly focuses on desktop programs only, so three tabs. “Windows” contains a list of
Standard program uninstallers tend to select “Windows Apps” to get a list of apps programs, organized by location (Registry
be conservative, leaving lots of detritus you’ve installed through the Microsoft or startup folder). It’s the same list as in
behind. This can soon mount up, and while Store, enabling you to remove those, too. Task Manager, with one crucial difference:
you could employ the services of a Registry Select “Toolbars & Plug-ins” to quickly you can permanently delete entries (with
cleaner, the best time to clean up after a review all the browser add-ons you have care), as opposed to just disabling them.
program is when you remove it. installed (all popular variants—IE, Chrome, Switch to “Scheduled Tasks” to review
Our tool of choice for cleaning out old Firefox, Opera, and Edge—are supported), what tasks Windows and other programs
programs is IObit Uninstaller (www.iobit. plus remove those you don’t want, need, or have set up—you’ll find items such as
com/en/advanceduninstaller.php), which recognize. It’s a quick and effective way to backup tasks, program update tasks,
offers a “powerful scan” feature after a trim down your browser’s resource usage. and so on here. Again, you can disable or
program’s standard uninstaller finishes. delete items. Select “Advanced” mode, and
This roots out leftover files and Registry Clean More Settings various Windows-related tasks are shown.
entries, which you review manually, then One of the best free cleanup tools is These should be left alone, so leave the box
decide whether or not to keep. CCleaner (www.piriform.com). The app unselected after reviewing it.
During installation, look out for prompts boasts a number of tools to help you clean One final tab—“Context Menu”—is worth
to install Advanced SystemCare Free—it’s out the detritus and recover gigabytes of exploring. Frustrated at how programs
from IObit, so safe, but not needed for this files. Its main cleaning component searches clutter up the menus that appear when you
feature. Once done, Uninstaller launches more than just basic Windows settings, right-click items in File Explorer? You’ll find
and you’ll see a list of desktop programs. A including browser settings (a source of these items here, referencing “Directory”
number of options appear on the left, from hundreds of megabytes of potential waste), (when you right-click a folder), “Drive,”
“All Programs” to “Large Programs” and plus popular programs, and apps. It’s and “File” (when you right-click a specific
“Infrequently Used.” The latter is good for tempting to click “Analyze,” then clean out file type—sadly, the actual file isn’t listed).
weeding out programs you’re not using. everything it recommends, but you’ll end up Disable or delete those you don’t want—
You’ll see a bin button appear on the right losing potentially useful settings. The step- if they keep coming back, examine the
of each entry—click it, and the program in by-step guide reveals how to use it to free program’s settings to see if you can disable
question is uninstalled. IObit Uninstaller them from there, or use its intransigence
offers to take a System Restore point as an excuse to remove the app completely.
before uninstalling, which we recommend
for safety purposes. It then invokes the More Tweaks
program’s own uninstaller—ignore The “Browser Plugins” tab works in a
prompts to reboot now—and performs its similar way to IObit Uninstaller’s “Toolbars
own powerful scan. This roots out potential & Plugins” section—it’s a matter of
leftovers in the form of files and Registry personal preference as to which one you
entries—you review the list, decide what to use. Skip the Disk Analyzer and Duplicate
remove, then reboot if necessary. Finder tools for now—we’ll look at these
To remove programs in batches, select (and more powerful alternatives) later on.
each program you want to get rid of, then Use CCleaner to strip back your context System Restore lets you view all the
click “Uninstall.” The “Programs” list menus to make them more manageable. Restore points on your PC. Each one is
Y
our PC is hopefully noticeably scanning. If necessary, minimize the scan
zippier, but there’s still room for window while you work on other tasks.
improvement. Before we tackle You can review the results on the
a really deep spring clean, let’s divert “Duplicate Files” tab (“Duplicate Folders” is
our attention for a moment to hard drive restricted to Pro users only)—they’re listed
management. Unless you’re the most in no particular order. Focus on the largest
organized person in the world, it’s likely files by clicking the “Size” column header
your filing system is a little haphazard. And twice. You can now go through the list,
if you’ve got multiple hard drives, it’s likely manually selecting the duplicates you wish
you have multiple copies of files, too. to remove, or you can use the “Selection
First, consult the box below for general The scanning process can take some Assistant” buttons to speed things up.
advice on what to look for when rooting out time—hours, in fact. Patience is a virtue. If you have a single folder or location
and removing duplicates—this could save where your original files sit, you can specify
you from potentially deleting the wrong file music—or files to include or exclude, plus that with “Select by Location,” which tells
or files when you come to clean up. limit your search to files of a certain size Duplicate Cleaner to target files in other
and date. For a system-wide sweep, leave folders for deletion. Once done, you can
Find Duplicates Quickly the defaults as they are, and switch to the select all other files by clicking the magic
CCleaner comes with a built-in file duplicate ‘Scan Location” tab. wand button, and choosing “Mark > Select
finder, but it’s not very sophisticated. It Next, elect where to search using the by group > All but one file in each group.”
matches purely on file name, size, and tools provided—whether it’s entire drives Duplicate Cleaner offers many matching
date last modified. We want something or specific folders. If you want to exclude tools to try to automate the selection
more thorough, so download the free a specific location, add it in the usual way, process, but you may find it’s easier,
version of Duplicate Cleaner (www. then right-click it, and choose “Exclude quicker, and safer to go through the list
digitalvolcano.co.uk/duplicatecleaner.html), Selected Path(s).” When you’re ready, click by hand, weeding out unwanted files, and
which has all the functionality you need. the “Scan Now” button, and wait while periodically clicking “File Removal.” From
First, choose what to search for—the Duplicate Cleaner does its work—it’s not a here, you can choose whether to delete the
default options search files by content quick process, so be prepared to leave your file completely, or send it to the Recycle Bin.
rather than name, size, or date. You can also PC on for several hours or even overnight, The program can be quite slow at times,
set filters—such as documents, pictures, or depending on the size of the folders you’re and appear non-responsive. The trick is to
be patient, and it soon comes back to life.
If there’s a long list of files to clean, you
What to Look for space on your hard drive? It’s not uncommon
to take five or more shots to ensure you
may want to take a break. Simply close the
program—when you next launch Duplicate
When Cleaning get one usable one, but what about the Cleaner, your results are ready and waiting
Duplicates rest? You only want to keep the best copy,
but manually trawling through all your
for you to continue processing.
Backups of critical files are—of course— photographs can be a daunting task. Panic Manage Your Photos
important, so any file cleaning needs to bear not—we’ll reveal a tool that makes this job When it comes to managing your photos,
this in mind. Also, you may have renamed a that bit simpler. you need a tool that can search for similar-
file without changing its content, so a good The end result should be this: You have looking images, as well as identical
duplicate finder utility should not simply one master copy of your files, plus as many matches. You’ll have to upgrade to the
match files by their names (which could backups as you need. These could be stored Pro version of Duplicate Cleaner for that
be disastrous if two completely separate as an exact backup copy in one backup functionality, so our favorite alternative
files with the same name become linked folder (which you’ll need to identify to make is the free—and open-source—AntiDupl
together), but also by the file’s properties, sure it’s ignored by the duplicate file finder), (http://antidupl.sourceforge.net/english/
too, from its size to the date it was last or you might have them backed up using a index.html). Download the latest version,
modified—that’s especially important with tool such as Windows’ own File History, in and double-click the .exe file to extract the
digital photos that have been downloaded which case, the backup won’t be touched program folder. Open this, and double-click
from different cloud providers, each one by your file weeding. All other copies—or “AntiDupl.NET.exe” to get started. The step-
naming them differently. And what about slight variations—then become candidates by-step guide reveals the basic procedure
the legions of digital photos cluttering up for removal. you need to follow, but as always, it pays to
PERFORM A HEAVY-
DUTY SPRING CLEAN
Still not satisfied with your cleaning efforts? Read on
for a collection of more advanced cleaning tips
A
t last, we reach the final curtain. or attached via USB. Windows’ built-in
If your PC still isn’t running as defrag tool should be adequate for most
smoothly as you’d like, let us take people’s needs, but if you want to push the
more drastic steps to bring it under control boat out further, download and install the
in this last section on cleaning, diving free version of Defraggler (www.piriform.
deep to squeeze out every last possible com/defraggler).
optimization we can find. We’ll also reveal Defraggler can differentiate between
some final tips for optimizing drive space, SSD and HDD drives, so it only defrags the
to ensure your hard drive doesn’t fill up too latter. Go to “Settings Options > Defrag
quickly going forward. tab,” and you can optimize your drive by
First, you’ll notice that we haven’t moving larger files to the end of the drive,
included Registry cleaning as part of this which can help boost performance that
feature. Registry cleaners would like you bit more. It’s also possible to analyze and
to think they can perform minor miracles defrag individual files via the “File list” tab,
when it comes to performance. They can’t. or by right-clicking the file in File Explorer— Tweak System Restore so it doesn’t take up
Even if they weren’t justifiably shunned handy for a quick boost when working with too much space on your hard drive.
for their ability to delete critical Registry specific large files.
entries along with genuinely redundant visiting Services Manager, waiting while
ones, the act of simply deleting Registry Manage Services the services list is populated, and clicking
entries isn’t enough in itself to speed things Startup programs aren’t the only things “Backup,” select “Automatic Tuneup,” and
up. The fact is, Windows 10 is more than launching with Windows, extending your answer a series of questions split into four
capable of managing and optimizing the boot time, and grabbing resources—system sections: “Hardware,” “Security,” “Internet
Registry, so leave it well alone. (and third-party) services do, too. You can & Network,” and “System Functions.” Click
manually review and optimize these via “OK,” and any unnecessary services are
Defrag Your Drive the Services management console (type promptly disabled, providing you with a
These days, more and more people have “services” into the “Search” box), but for a minor speed boost.
SSD drives, which don’t require defragging. quick and easy optimization, download the Gamers should also check out Gaming
Older platter-based (HDD) drives do, free version of PC Services Optimizer (www. Mode. This enables you to temporarily
however, and it’s likely that you have at least smartpcutilities.com/servicesoptimizer. disable services by switching Gaming Mode
one of these installed, either internally html). Once installed, launch the app. After on to maximize performance for gaming
or similar processor-intensive tasks, such
as HD video editing. Click “Preset,” and
Switch to Portable Apps experiment with “Minimum,” “Normal,” or
“Maximum” settings, or manually select
Why let programs take more resources than that, but if you have to reinstall Windows which settings to apply. Don’t be surprised
they need? Instead of installing a program from scratch, the portable apps (and your if Windows changes appearance—when
on your PC—letting it scatter itself all over settings) survive intact. You can even you switch off Gaming Mode, things should
your hard drive, and take up valuable space store portable apps on a USB thumb drive, return to normal.
in the Registry—look to see if a portable enabling you to port them—and your If things appear to go wrong after you’ve
alternative is available. Portable apps are preferences—to another computer. made your tweaks, simply click the “Rescue
programs that restrict themselves to a A great place to start when building Center” button, and select your backup to
single folder; everything they need to run a portable app collection is www. undo your changes.
can be found inside that folder, so not only portableapps.com. Install the PortableApps
do you keep them in check (delete the folder, Platform tool, which provides a custom Start Visualize Drive Space
remove the program—completely), you also menu for easy access to your portable apps, Running out of drive space, but unsure
get to choose where they reside. plus makes it easy to install and update what’s gobbling it all up? CCleaner offers
Portable apps are a particularly good apps from its own extensive collection. You a Disk Analyzer under “Tools” that can
choice when you have Windows installed can add other portable apps—including provide you with a quick summary for
on a small system drive—such as a 64GB those portable tools we’ve covered in this individual or collected drives, split into
or even 32GB SSD. You can store the apps feature—by extracting them into folders various categories (such as pictures,
on another drive, and leave enough space inside the main PortableApps folder, and documents, or everything). When the scan
for Windows to run smoothly. Not only choosing “Apps > Refresh App Icons.” completes, a pie chart divides everything
1 2
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RECOVER
YOUR DATA
Nothing is lost until you’ve looked for it,
says Alex Cox
IMAGINE WITH US: The worst has set you back thousands of dollars, if it
happened. Everything you held dear works at all—or completely out of luck.
is gone. You ignored the clicking of the If you’re not just imagining things,
hard drive, those error messages, that and everything does appear to have
suspicious-looking file for too long. gone, stop using your PC immediately,
You clicked the thing you shouldn’t have and read on. And if everything seems
clicked. You emptied the Recycle Bin out fine, read on anyway. You might learn a
of habit after letting your kids near your few things that’ll save your bacon one
PC. And now? Now your photos are gone, day, and we’ll help you get your hands
your documents are dust, those precious on some tools that every home computer
family videos cast to the wind. Windows pro should have waiting in their back
has gasped its last breath. All is lost. pocket for the worst of times.
Except that isn’t necessarily the case. And don’t worry—we’ve not
Data has a habit of hanging around. And discounted the possibility that Windows
if you’re very lucky, and very careful, has simply collapsed under its own
you could—in this hypothetical scenario weight, rendering your precious data
—get all, or the vast majority, of your data comfortably stored, but otherwise
back. Note that we’re not going to be able inaccessible. By accessing your drive
to help you a huge amount in the case from another operating system entirely,
of massive hardware failure or physical you’ll be able to get all that stuff back,
damage, so if you’ve inadvertently sent too. And hey, if you fancy doing a bit of
120V to that SSD, or unwisely dunked digital forensics, but your drives are
your laptop in the bath, you’re either currently in a good state, why not delete
going to be on the hook for specialist a few old files from a USB stick and
clean room data recovery—which could follow along?
PARTITION RECOVERY
Time to get some stuff back. Plug in
your large external drive, and boot
your affected machine from your
System Rescue CD media. You may
have to head into your UEFI menu
and disable Secure Boot before it
Type “startx” to
works. Hit Return to boot with the
fire up System
default options, and you’re thrown
Rescue CD’s
straight to a command prompt.
GUI, and access
OK, not the most welcoming
gparted.
introduction, but we don’t need
graphical finery for these tasks. (sda, sdb, and so on) as we’ll need name of which is somewhat out of
You may see a suggestion to mount this a little later. Ensure it’s date—it doesn’t just recover photos,
your drive at this point—don’t do it. selected, and hit Return, selecting but a host of known file types from a
This is a trap for young players; if the “Intel” partition type unless selection of over 480. But before we
your partition table is hosed, you’re you’re working on a particularly odd can use it, we need to mount your
going to want to work on the raw drive. Now choose “Analyze.” One of secondary drive to give it a location
disk first of all. So type “testdisk” two things is going to happen now: to send the files to. Mounting,
and you can begin taking a look If your drive is properly structured, essentially, is the process of linking
at your connected hardware. Don’t it finds the partition table, and lists a partition of your drive to a Linux
worry about creating a log file at the partitions—again, take note file—absolutely everything in
this point. of these, and those of the external Linux is a file—and telling Linux
You’re first given a list of all the drive you’ve plugged in for your exactly how it should be accessing
connected storage devices—with recovered files. If the partition that drive.
luck, you’ll see the affected drive. If table of the rogue drive is missing Presuming your backup drive
you don’t, you can safely diagnose or damaged (TestDisk looks for is NTFS formatted, we can use a
your problem as physical: Meaning a particular byte at a particular program called ntfs-3g to do the
there’s a cable loose, a power failure, Piriform Recuva point on the drive to discover this), mounting. First, create a mount
or your drive controller has gone up is a good low- you can select “Quick Search” to point—the folder location that’ll
in smoke. Presuming you do see the effort solution have it scan your drive, cylinder represent your drive—by typing
drive, take a note of its designation for deleted data. by cylinder, for the telltale signs mkdir /mnt/ntfs at the prompt.
of partition divisions. With any Then (replacing “sdb” with the
luck, it’ll find something, and you’ll partition designation that you
be given the option to restore the made a note of earlier) type
partition table. If not, you can ntfs-3g /dev/ sdb1 /mnt/ntfs to
choose to do a deeper scan, which solidify the link between the two
is a last-ditch effort; it takes a long locations, and bear in mind that you
time, and stresses a failing drive, will need the backup drive to be in
but if you have no other option, it’s good working order, too—if ntfs-3g
worth a try. detects bad sectors or NTFS errors,
it forces it into read-only mode.
CONNECTING DRIVES Now fire up Photorec by typing
With a healthy partition table, your photorec at the prompt.
drive should be in good enough
shape to work with—you can FILE RECOVERY
now start hunting for your files. This is the real meat of file recovery.
TestDisk usefully comes with a Photorec uses technical knowledge
companion program, Photorec, the of partition anatomy and the exact
D1 D2 D1 D2
off directly. Alternatively, and this
may be a slightly more comfortable
option, you could boot up another Want speed
Linux live distro—the likes of and security?
Ubuntu—and manually back up Run four drives Disk 1 Disk 2 Disk 3 Disk 4
using a graphical interface. in Raid 1+0.
OUT
NOW!
WITH
FREE
DIGITAL
EDITION
ZAK STOREY
REVIEWS EDITOR
GPU VRAM
Memory seems to be one of the most
over-marketed products within the PC
enthusiast’s arsenal of componentry.
Whether it’s SSD cache being used to
speed up ageing hard drives, enticingly
large supplies of GPU memory on
a $150 card, or desktop DDR4 with
frequencies up into the 4,000MHz
range, it tends to be obscured by a
barrage of baseless promises.
DON’T INSTALL GEFORCE EXPERIENCE For example, MSI recently stated
that by increasing DDR4 frequencies
For people concerned about privacy, the latest Nvidia update from 2,400MHz to 4,000MHz, you’d
brought an unwelcome visitor in the form of required account see an in-game improvement in The
Witcher 3 of average frame rates from
creation to access any features. To counter this, head to www. 94.1 to 114.1. In tests in our March 2016
geforce.com/drivers, manually enter your conditions, and issue, we saw zero difference in frame
rates across 10 memory kits with a
click to download the latest drivers as an EXE. On installation, 800MHz difference between them.
deselect “GeForce Experience,” and you’re good to go. Check But my issue lies with graphics
memory, and how much is “enough.”
back monthly or whenever you hear about a new driver release. We had an argument with Asus’s PR
team regarding the appropriate level
of VRAM for various cards. The 4GB
1050 Ti doesn’t make sense to us,
MAKE – USE – CREATE when the 3GB 1060 is about $30 more,
yet performs almost three times
better. Asus’s argument is that games
require ever larger VRAM caches, and
you’d be future-proofing yourself by
getting a 4GB 1050 Ti over a 3GB 1060.
We disagree. If you game at 1080p,
3GB of VRAM is plenty for any game
today. Larger textures don’t provide
any more detail, and if you’re looking
to upgrade to higher resolutions, the
62 66 72 GPU will become the bottleneck. Don’t
Set up your own Boost your NAS’s How many cores iis
H fall for marketing lies—buy a card
Twitter bot on the throughput with enough? Our Build It with an appropriate amount of VRAM
Raspberry Pi link aggregation project finds out for the resolution and games you play,
and build a system around that.
presents:
PlayStation 4 Pro
About iFixit
iFixit is a global community of tinkerers dedicated
to helping people fix things through free online
repair manuals and teardowns. iFixit believes that
ever yone has the right to maintain and repair their
own products. To learn more, visit www.ifixit.com.
BACKGROUND
Remarkably simple, The world of video game platforms has been changing quickly.
although that’s not Manufacturers have resorted to mid-gen refreshes to keep up
really surprising. with 4K TVs and VR headsets, and here’s the third iteration of
the PS4 generation. We may be amateur gamers, but we’re
revved up to tear the PlayStation 4 Pro down, professionally.
KEY FINDINGS
• The triple-decker design is a little different from the “first”
PlayStation 4, but that doesn’t stop us—without wasting time,
we flip the console over, pop the first panel, and hit pay dirt! A
single, standard Phillips #0 screw stands between us and
hard-drive-swapping glory.
• We’re gonna have to remove the “Warranty void if seal
removed” stickers to go any further. Adding insult to injury,
the screws hidden beneath are Security Torx screws—
designed to stop you getting in. With the case cracked open,
we can remove a large metal shield. Unfortunately, all this
does is give us a view of the motherboard’s backside.
• With the beast on its back, the opposite panel pops off after
some prodigious prying—but no “warranty void” stickers!
Alas, removing this panel isn’t the panel-cea we were hoping
for. We can pull out the power supply, but nothing else. While
you can’t remove the fan, you could certainly clean it from
here—maybe that’s why we’re granted this non-warranty-
voiding access zone.
• Thwarted by the lack of any more screw heads on the PSU
side of the PS4 Pro, we flip it back over and turn our attention
to the motherboard. Burrowing through a layer of shielding
behind the CPU reveals a cool X-shaped retaining bracket,
similar to ones we found in another console. And directly
underneath it, we dig up a plastic-and-metal cover that
seems to be the consumer electronics version of a pizza
saver, protecting the back of the board from the heatsink
retaining bracket.
• Repairability Score: 8 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair). No
adhesive makes disassembly and reassembly easy. The
non-proprietary hard drive is simple to access and upgrade
or replace—and doing so doesn’t void your warranty. While
you can clean the fan, removing it—and other components—
requires lots of (warranty-voiding) disassembly. Security
screws and tamper-evident seals discourage users from
disassembling and repairing their PlayStation 4 Pro.
3
for information about recent deaths, and tweets RIP announcements as they happen. –NATE DRAKE
A INPUT DETAILS
You are asked to fill in the “Application Details.”
For this tutorial, we’re creating a bot that regularly
tweets the Sherlock Holmes stories, but you’re welcome to
change the “Name” and “Description” as you see fit.
>> Under “Website,” for now simply put “http://www.
twitter.com.” Leave the field named “Callback URL” blank.
Check the box to say you agree to the Twitter Developer
Agreement, then click the gray button marked “Create
your Twitter Application.”
>> Make sure “Access Level” reads “Read and Write.”
1
If not, click “Modify App Permissions” to change it. Next,
PRELIMINARY STEPS click on “Manage Keys and Access Tokens.” Scroll to the
Bots have practical uses, too. They can be programed to tweet bottom of the page, and click the gray button marked
at regular intervals, so can be used as a “dead man’s switch” to “Create My Access Token.”
tweet a message unless you reset it every day. It’s also possible to >> You see a message saying the access token has been
schedule a tweet for a future date, so you can use the bot to send generated. Keep a copy of this page in a safe place, or leave
out reminders. it open in your browser, because we’ll need it shortly.
4
>> If you find any of these possibilities intriguing, you need to set
up a dedicated Twitter account for your bot. Do not be tempted to WORKING ON THE PI
use your existing Twitter account for this if you have one, because Next, open the terminal app on your Raspberry Pi or
repeated tweets could be mistaken as spam by Twitter, and your connect to it via SSH. We need to install some extra
account could be suspended. software by using the following command:
>> In order to proceed, we need a new Twitter account with a sudo easy_install pip
confirmed cell phone number. If you already have a Twitter account, >> Next, create a directory for the bot and open it:
visit https://support.twitter.com/articles/81940# and follow the mkdir holmesbot1 && cd holmesbot1
steps there to delete your cell phone number from your account for >> For this example, we’re going to use a Python library
the time being. created by Edwin Dalmaijer, named Markovbot. The
2
software essentially takes some text from a source (in this
CREATE NEW TWITTER ACCOUNT AND APP case, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) and randomly
Next, visit www.twitter.com and choose “Sign Up.” You can constructs plausible-looking sentences with it.
use any email address you wish, provided it’s not already >> You need to download and unzip the software with the
registered with Twitter. Choose a name that is appropriate for the following command:
bot. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’re creating a bot named wget https://github.com/esdalmaijer/markovbot/
Sherlock Bot, with user ID @holmesbot1 [Image A]. archive/master.zip && unzip master.zip
>> You are asked to provide your cell phone number, and then >> Move to the new directory with cd markovbot-master
confirm it by SMS. Twitter requires this for bots to reduce the and install more required software with these commands:
likelihood of spam. wget https://bootstrap.pypa.io/ez_setup.py && sudo
>> Once your Twitter account has been created, you may need to python ez_setup.py
click “Continue” a few times at the top-right to skip invitations to sudo easy_install twitter
import your contacts or follow other users. >> Next, we need to download a text file to use as the
>> Next, we need to create a Twitter application that allows your source for our bot’s random tweets. This file comes from
Raspberry Pi to access your Twitter account. Go to http://apps. the Project Gutenberg website, but feel free to use any TXT
twitter.com, then click “Create New App.” file you like:
#####
# INITIALIZE
3
charming look all of its own. –IAN EVENDEN
2
making sure that the snapshot with the largest areas of
CREATE A SKIN TONE coloring on is created last, because this saves time.
Now we’re going to create the colors that will be used in
the image. First, go to the History palette, and create a new B
snapshot of your original image. To do this, right-click the most
recent History state (probably “CMYK color”), and select “New
Snapshot.” Select “Merged Layers” from the drop-down, give it
a name (such as “Original”), and click “OK.” Now, on the right of
Photoshop’s interface, you should find the Channels palette. If it’s
not there, open it from the Window menu. In the palette, select
the Cyan channel, and select a “Brightness/Contrast” adjustment
from the Adjustments palette (find it in the Window menu if it’s not
visible). Use this to brighten the channel and increase its contrast,
and hopefully you should get something resembling a skin tone
(we’re assuming that your photo has a person in it, because these
are the most common subjects for the colorization treatment).
Close the window when you’re done.
7
adjustment layer. Back in the History palette, click the checkbox at
the side of one of the other snapshots—it should appear like a brush FINISHING TOUCHES
with an arrow next to it; this is the History Brush tool. This can be a painstaking process, but it’s worth
6
doing for a result you can proudly present to an aged
START PAINTING relative. When you’ve finished, save the layers as a PSD
Now, as you paint, the colors from the checked layer should file, then flatten it, convert back to RGB, and export as a
be painted on to your selected layer [Image C]. Paint in short JPEG ready for printing.
D
CMYK COLOR
CMYK is used in commercial printing, and splits an image
into cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), which represent
the inks mixed on the press to create any other color. Most
images designed to be viewed on a screen are RGB, which
uses a mixture of red, green, and blue light, to achieve the
same effect. Monitors, which operate in RGB, don’t always
accurately represent CMYK colors, especially where reds
are concerned, but a system of color profiles and screen
calibrators means colors can be kept consistent across
screens and on to the press. We’ve only used CMYK here,
because it made one step easier—you’ll want to convert back
to RGB before you finish, and not just because CMYK files can
be significantly larger than RGB ones.
A
1CHOOSE THE RIGHT DRIVE
If your NAS drive [Image A]
has twin Ethernet ports,
check its manual or specs to see
what forms of link aggregation
C
3
a higher-end SOHO or small business model—QNAP’s TS-231+ is
around $170 diskless, for example. BENCHMARK THE DRIVE
2
Take a rough and ready “before” benchmark by
BUY THE RIGHT SWITCH copying a large multi-gigabyte file, such as a drive
Most home routers don’t come with link aggregation image, to or from the NAS. Make a note of the transfer
support on board. The most cost-effective way to add link speed. Now repeat the process using two separate PCs
aggregation support to your home network is through a managed or Macs, and you should find the transfer speed is roughly
switch [Image B]. It’s important that you carefully check the link halved on each device, illustrating the current bottleneck.
4
aggregation features offered by your chosen switch, because
cheaper models may not have all the features you need (as we’ve IDENTIFY IP ADDRESS AND LOG ON TO SWITCH
discovered to our cost). For example, TP-Link’s TL-SG108 model First, verify that your NAS’s Ethernet cables don’t
need to be plugged into specific ports for link
B aggregation support (any ports can be used on the TL-
SG2008, so we’ve plugged our NAS into ports 7 and 8, the
two closest to the power switch).
>> Smart switches are managed one of two ways: either
through a third-party utility, or (in the case of TP-Link’s
TL-SG2008 model) through your web browser. Type its IP
address into your web browser, then log on using the required
credentials (if you haven’t previously logged on to the switch,
use the manufacturer defaults, then change them for
security reasons). If you’re struggling to identify your switch’s
IP address, use a tool such as Fing (www.fing.io) to locate it.
5 SET UP LACP
Once logged in, click “Switching” on the left to expand the
look under “Control Panel > Connectivity > Network >
Link Aggregation.”
7
submenu, then click “LAG.” You’ll see three tabs across the
top—switch to the “LACP Config” tab. Check the two ports your TEST CONNECTION AND TWEAK SETTINGS
NAS is plugged into (“7” and “8” in our case), set the “Status” drop- Repeat your benchmarks—there’s now little or no
down menu to “Enable,” and click “Apply.” Check both boxes again, difference when one PC accesses the drive, but the
set mode to “Passive,” then click “Apply” again [Image C]. drop-off when two PCs are connected should be greatly
>> Ports 7 and 8 should now have “LAG1” under the “LAG” column. reduced (if not eliminated). If this isn’t the case, double-
Switch to the “LAG Table” tab, and verify it’s set to “Passive LACP,” check your settings—LACP should be enabled, but passive,
and the “Hash Algorithm” drop-down is “SRC MAC + DST MAC.” on the switch side, and just enabled on the NAS side.
8
>> Again, the steps vary for other setups—consult your switch’s
documentation to see how to implement a passive LACP system on SPEED UP SINGLE CONNECTIONS
the switch for the ports your NAS is plugged into. We lied when we said it isn’t possible to speed up
6
transfer times between your NAS and a single PC
SET UP NAS using LACP, but it requires a lot more effort. Find out
Open a new tab and log into your NAS through your browser. more with our editor-in-chief’s handy online guide at
Locate the link aggregation or port trunking section—QNAP w w w.pcgamer.com/how-to-set-up-nic-teaming-link-
users should go to “Control Panel > System Settings > Network & aggregation—just ask yourself if it’s worth it, though.
Virtual Switch,” then select “Interfaces,” and click “Port Trunking.” >> One tip if you go down this route—if you’re using the
Click “Add,” check both adapters, click the “Port Trunking Mode” TL-SG2008 to set up multiple LACP connections, assign a
drop-down, and select “802.3ad dynamic” [Image D]. Click the edit different Admin Key to each separate LAG pairing you set
button and verify “Layer 2 (MAC)” is selected. Click “Apply.” up [Image E]. When repeating step five of the walkthrough,
>> Synology users can find step-by-step instructions at www. set the Admin Key to “2” for this new grouping, which
synology.com/knowledgebase/DSM/help/DSM/Tutorial/home— should identify itself as LAG2 when done.
From Crashing
YOU’LL NEED THIS WHY IS IT THAT YOUR PC always seems to develop problems at the most inopportune moments?
While Windows is pretty good at fixing its own problems, there are still frustrating times when its
A WINDOWS PC own built-in tools, from self-healing to troubleshooters, fail to do the job.
Running Windows 7, 8, or 10. There’s still no substitute for the self-help approach, and one of the best tools for this is the Event
Viewer. It’s where you’ll find Windows’ log files, a record of everything that’s going on, including
symptoms of problems both evident and still hidden away. By carefully examining these logs, you
can find out what’s causing all kinds of glitches, from obvious—if cryptic—error messages to more
vague issues, such as sluggish behavior or periodic freezes. This tutorial can help you decipher
these logs and find a solution to your problem. –NICK PEERS
A C
3
Viewer is to press Win-X, or right-click the “Start” button and
select it from the Quick Access menu. If you’re running Windows 7, BROWSE EVENTS
press Win-R to open the Run dialog box, then type “eventvwr” Click “+” next to a section to expand it and view a
and press Enter. If prompted by User Account Control, click “Yes” summary of the events [Image B]. Focus on event
or “Continue.” types that last occurred around the time your problem
2
manifested itself (within the hour, 24-hour, or seven-day
GET A SUMMARY ranges). Double-click an event to open its Summary page,
The main Event Viewer screen appears [Image A]. The then try to identify possible events that correlate to the
middle pane should display three sections of information— problem you’re investigating.
concentrate on the “Summary of Administrative Events” section >> Review all instances of the event type, focusing on the
at the top, which displays a list of each type of event logged in the time and date each instance occurred. This can help link
past hour, 24 hours, and seven days. Pay particular attention to the event to your problem, but go through all event types
under “Critical,” “Error,” and possibly “Warning” to see
B whether there are multiple events linked to the problem.
Make a note of each one, then read on to discover how to
examine them in more depth.
source as listed in Event Viewer into the “Event Source” box (for
example, “Application”) [Image C]. Click “Go” and a list of matching
results is shown. Click one to read more about the problem; if there
are multiple entries, try them all.
7 CREATE AND SAVE YOUR CUSTOM VIEW
If you want to create a filter that provides you with
information across multiple logs, or wish to create a
filter you can easily access in future, click “Create Custom
5
View” under “Actions.” It works in the same way as the
BROADEN OR NARROW YOUR SEARCH filter—to monitor more than one log with your custom
TechNet may return no results (or simply return some view, click the “Event logs” drop-down menu, and check
generic information about the fault that doesn’t really the logs you wish to include [Image E].
help). Don’t give up, though. Make a note of the Event ID, Source, >> Click “OK,” then give your custom view a suitable
and description under the “General” tab in Event Viewer, then type name, and choose where to save it within the “Custom
these into a search engine, and see what results come up. You may Views” tree in the left-hand pane. Going forward, you’ll be
find more troubleshooting information via a web page or forum. able to access this view at any time directly from here—
>> If too few results are returned, search for fewer words or it’s the perfect shortcut for targeted troubleshooting that
omit the Source or Event ID from your terms. If too many results takes an extended period of time to monitor and act upon.
8
come back, narrow it down by including more information. Include
specific references to file names in the event log, for example, CREATE AND SCHEDULE ALERTS
or provide more general information, such as your version of Change the name to something that will help you
Windows, hardware device, or software program. recognize it in Task Scheduler, and click “Next”
6
twice. Neither email nor “display a message” options
BROWSING & FILTERING LOGS work, so leave “Start a program” selected, and click
What happens if you can’t find the information you’re looking “Next.” Type “msg” into the “Program/script” box, then
for? It’s likely the events you need to track are buried away. type “*” followed by your message (for example, “*Error
Manually browse the logs to narrow your search. Expand “Windows Alert”) into “Add Arguments.” Click “Next > Finish > OK.”
Logs” in the left-hand pane, where you’ll find logs in categories. Use >> Event Viewer also lets you create alerts that are
“Applications” to search for program-related problems [Image D], triggered when specific events occur. This can be useful
and “System” for Windows and hardware. for troubleshooting underlying problems, as you may find
>> Logs record all manner of information, much of it irrelevant— a seemingly unrelated event is triggering the error, or get
at least when troubleshooting a problem. Click the “Filter Current early warning that something nasty is about to happen.
Log” button in the right-hand pane to filter the list a number of Once you’ve located the event you wish to monitor, right-
different ways: by the time it occurred, the type of event (focus on click it and choose “Attach Task to This Event.”
9
“Critical,” “Error,” and “Warning”), event sources, IDs, keywords,
or any combination. Click “OK” when done. REMOVE ALERT
Eventually, you may no longer want that alert
E popping up (because you’ve fixed the problem!). To
remove it, open Task Scheduler—type “scheduler” into the
“Search” box, and click “Task Scheduler” when it appears,
or press Win-R, type “control schedtasks,” and click “OK.”
Expand “Task Scheduler Library > Event Viewer Tasks,”
right-click the alert, and choose “Delete,” then “Yes.”
Audio Recordings
YOU’LL NEED THIS WITH AN INEXPENSIVE PC MICROPHONE, it’s easy to record your own podcasts, music, audio
books, or narration for videos. The results can sound great, but by taking a little time to enhance
AUDACITY them, you can bring them up to professional standards. Audacity is the perfect software for this; it’s
You can download it from powerful, but easy to use, and it’s free.
www.audacityteam.org. Audacity does an excellent job of cleaning up audio, but there are a few steps you can take to
ensure you get the best possible recording quality in the first place. First, make sure the input
SPITFISH volume is set correctly by right-clicking the speaker icon in the System Tray, selecting “Recording
An Audacity plugin available devices > Microphone > Set up microphone,” and following the instructions.
from http://bit.ly/1i1zfRG. It’s also worth using a pop filter to prevent noises being created by the rapid movement of air as
3
you sing or speak. Make your own by following the guide at http://bit.ly/1Y2JwWh. –CAT ELLIS
1 GET AUDACITY
Visit www.audacityteam.org/download/windows and select
the first option: “Audacity 2.1.2 installer.” This version contains
additional help files, in case you need them later on. The download
starts automatically; ignore the links that appear on the following
4 TRIM TO SIZE
If there’s a pause at the start of your recording that
you don’t want, click and drag to select this part
of the waveform, then tap Delete. You can also use this
technique to remove any sections of audio where you made
page. Run the software installer, leaving the default settings as a mistake and had to repeat yourself. If you only want to
they are. keep a small part of the recording, select that section, then
2
click “Trim Audio” beside the “Paste” button.
5
MICROPHONE CHECK
Launch Audacity and take a look at the microphone and ADJUST LEVELS
speaker settings at the top. Make sure these are set Did you accidentally move away from your
correctly, so you aren’t recording from your webcam, rather than microphone while you were recording? If so, some
your USB microphone, for example. If you’re not sure which device parts of the resulting audio might be louder than others. If
is selected, click the area marked “Click to start monitoring,” and that’s the case, tap Ctrl-A to select everything, then click
the input from the selected microphone is shown as a green bar. “Effects > Leveling,” and experiment with the options
B C
2
6
4
5
[Image B], checking them with the “Preview” button (the amount of
leveling required depends on your own recording).
7 TONE DOWN HARSH SIBILANCE
Re-open your file, selecting the option to make a
6
copy in case you need to undo your changes. Now
ELIMINATE PROBLEMS select “Effects > Add/remove plugins > SPITFISH >
If there’s a single particularly loud part of your recording, Enable > OK.” Tap Ctrl-A, then click “Effect > Spitfish
select it, then tap Ctrl-1 repeatedly to zoom in and isolate de-esser,” and experiment with the settings to tone down
the specific waves that are causing it. Make sure you have just the sibilance [Image C].
8
these waves selected, then click “Effect > Amplify,” and reduce the
volume by a few decibels. Use the “Preview” button to check how it EXPORT AND SAVE
sounds before clicking “OK.” Tap Ctrl-T to zoom back out. Your audio should now sound much better! Click
>> Harsh “s” sounds are a common problem in home audio “File > Export Audio,” and choose a file type. If
recordings, but there’s a plugin for Audacity called Spitfish that can you’re planning to edit it again later, or use it as a soundtrack
reduce them. Download it from http://bit.ly/1i1zfRG. Extract the ZIP for a video, save it in WAV format to keep the quality high.
archive to “Program Files (X86) > Audacity > Plugins.” Return If it’s finished, and you’re ready to share it, save it in MP3
to Audacity, click “File > Export Audio,” save your audio in WAV or WMA format; these provide compression to reduce file
format, then restart the program. size, and are supported by most media players.
Just How
Many Cores?
s?
Is it time to ditch the old gaming adage?
THE CONCEPT
SINCE THE LAUNCH of Intel’s Core
series processors, way back in 2009,
there’s been one simple rule associated
with its mighty lineup of chips: If you’re
into gaming, to avoid bottlenecks, you’re
going to want to equip yourself with a
Core i5, minimum. Four cores are king—
any more, and you’re wasting your hard-
earned dollar; any fewer, and you’re in
for a world of frame rate hurt.
However, a lot has changed since
2009. And although the incremental
processor performance increases Intel
has staggered out of the gates since
then have been somewhat lackluster,
cumulatively they’ve provided us
consumers with about a 70–80 percent
increase in computational performance.
So we got to thinking: As game devs
still haven’t managed to take advantage
of the multiple cores we already have,
does that old saying still ring true? Do
you still benefit from having a quad-
core, high-clocked i5, over a dual-core
i3? Or have those IPC improvements
lead us into an age when you can get
away with a cheaper Pentium for all your
1080p gaming needs? With Kaby Lake
finally introducing Hyper-Threading on
its Pentium range, allowing for dual-
core and four-thread budget offerings,
we decided to put it to the test in this
quad-optioned mid-range build.
with two cores, four threads, and a 3.6GHz clock speed (no turbo)
for a total of $1,236. The next uses Intel’s Core i3-7300, with two Motherboard Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming $165
$1,361. And, finally, the Core i7-7700K. Four cores, eight threads,
GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB $245
and a 4.4GHz maximum turbo brings the total skyrocketing up to
$1,438—a difference of $202 from Pentium to Core i7.
PSU Corsair RM650X $109
We decided to take advantage of Corsair’s Carbide 270R. This
budget chassis checks all the boxes for our mid-range build. It’s
Storage 1 Sandisk Ultra II 240GB SSD $80
accessible, comes with just enough hard drive support to keep
us happy, and provides a clean-looking aesthetic inside and out.
Storage 2 Crucial MX300 1TB SSD $260
Cooling support is strong, and the addition of a clean PSU cover
made it a no-brainer. For GPU, we chose Nvidia’s GTX 1060 6GB. Cooling Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 240
We could have gone with an AMD RX 480 8GB, but the GTX 1060 & 1x Corsair ML120 Pro Red $118
provides more frames per dollar than the RX 480, so it wasn’t a
Total $1,236
tough call to make. On top of that, two SSD hard drives and 16GB
of DDR4 pull this beauty right into 2017 with a bang.
1 COOLING ISSUES
2 DUST CONUNDRUMS
OH, THE PROBLEMS of using bits and pieces from our storage ALTHOUGH CORSAIR still doesn’t have quite as clean and
cupboard: We wanted to use a custom cable kit in conjunction beautiful a PSU cover as a lot of its competitors, it’s damn
with our Corsair RM650X power supply, just to spruce it up a good to see one included here. Three-quarter sized, it
bit, but our only kit had already been cannibalized for our provides plenty of ventilation for multiple orientations of
editor’s Dream PC from two issues ago, so there were only a power supply, and easily lets us hide the vast majority of our
few bits remaining. A single CPU power, one spare ATX power excess cables below. One thing that still haunts us from our
(specifically designed for the RMX, as the HXi has different 24- water-cooling days, however, is fan orientation. We always
pin requirements), and a single GPU cable. The GPU cable in advise that you install your power supply with the fan facing
question, however, was a dual connector, so we were left with down wherever possible, because a leak from the AIO or a
one part hanging out just below the GPU, which we couldn’t hide GPU block, for instance, is likely to kill it.
around the back, or behind the cable cut-out situated below.
WE WENT ALL-OUT with this little build to get the cable COLOR CO-ORDINATION wasn’t at the front of our minds
management just right. Using a plethora of cable ties, we when we built this machine, but we’re actually quite
secured what we could to the back of the chassis, to make sure impressed with how it turned out. We threw in a Corsair
airflow wasn’t restricted, and to ensure that the rear side panel ML120 Pro in red in the back to spice it up a little, and help
was easier to replace—and, to be honest, to keep everything the air shift around efficiently inside, but the combination of
looking a little tidier. Take your time on this bit: Figure out which the red motherboard with the blue cooler and green GPU
cables go under what, and where you can hide stuff, without it actually kinda works, especially considering the price. The
being too much of a major issue. Z270X-Ultra Gaming does come with additional strips if you
do want to change out to another color—but, hooey, that’s a
lot of effort for not a lot of gain.
Across the board, from one of Intel’s lowest Cinebench R15 Single/Multi
$80 chips all the way up to its mainstream 148/388 172/437 182/699 191/960
(Index)
rendering powerhouse at $350, there’s
CrystalDisk QD32 Sequential
absolutely no difference in game. It seems Read/Write (MB/s)
538/514 535/510 541/516 537/515
those IPC improvements have been making a
difference to the ecosystem after all—just not 3DMark Fire Strike (Index) 9,179 9,542 10,606 11,184
in the way we might think.
Building this particular system was actually Deus Ex Mankind Divided
25 25 25 25
(Avg fps)
considerably frustrating—mostly due to the
cooler being so incredibly annoying to install. Rise of the Tomb Raider
39 39 38 39
The backplate, coupled with the fans scraping (Avg fps)
INSIDE
INSIDE
78 Digital Storm Velox 87 Razer Kraken 7.1 V2
80 Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming 88 SteelSeries Rival 700
70 Maingear Shift Super Stock PC
83 MSI Z270i Gaming Pro 89 Ashampoo Burning Studio 18
71 Samsung
CarbonSeries
AC 9 Notebook 90 Steep
72 84
3TBCrucial
Hard Drives:
MX300 Hitachi
2TB 91 Shadow Tactics:
Deskstar 7K3000 3TB
85 Intel Pentium G4600 and Blades of the Shogun
Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB
86 Corsair Carbide 270R 92 Lab Notes
74 Sony Vaio F21 Notebook
75 Blackberry Playbook Tablet
76 Videocard Roundup: Sapphire
Radeon HD 6790 and Zotac
GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP Edition
78 Sentey Arvina GS-6400 Case
80 Intel 320 Series 300GB SSD
82 All-in-One Roundup: Sony
VAIO L Series VPCL214FX/W,
DIGITAL
MSI Wind Top AE2420 3D, and
STORM
HP TouchSmart
VELOX 610
PAGE 78
84 Logitech Z906 5.1 Speakers
86 Zalman CNPS11X CPU Cooler
87 Harman AKG GHS 1 Headset
88 Razer Onza Tournament Edition
Gamepad
89 Portal 2
90 DCS A-10C and Thrustmaster
HOTAS Warthog
92 Lab Notes
XXX XX
XXX XXXXX
XXXXXX
PAGE XX
9
To complement the Kaby Lake CPU, the count for much without performance to VERDICT
Digital Storm Velox
Velox features an Asus Maximus IX Hero match. Luckily, the Velox plays games as
Z270 motherboard. Slotted in there is 32GB good as it looks. The pair of EVGA GeForce BROTHERLY LOVE Beautiful
of DDR4-2666 RAM, and a 512GB Samsung GTX 1080s handled all the difficult tasks we build quality; outstanding
960 Pro SSD, connected via NVMe. For threw at them with aplomb, but sometimes high-resolution gaming
additional storage, the 960 Pro is backed faltered at the seemingly easier tasks: performance; way less
up by a 3TB Toshiba HDD. A Corsair H115i rendering games at the paltry resolution of expensive than the Aventum 3.
liquid cooler keeps CPU temperatures 1080p. We measured an average of 113fps
ESTRANGED FAMILY Few empty drive bays;
down, while the case is outfitted with across Rise of the Tomb Raider’s three-
poor 1080p performance.
Thermaltake Riing fans for everything part benchmark in 1080p at max settings,
else. Finally, graphics are handled by a while The Division registered 150fps at the $4,737, www.digitalstorm.com
pair of GeForce GTX 1080s, outfitted with same settings. Far Cry Primal, on the other
EVGA’s ACX 3.0 cooling solution. hand, pulled in only 82fps at 1080p—a low SPECIFICATIONS
Size-wise, the Velox’s all-metal chassis score for what should be an easy task.
Processor Intel Core i7-7700K
is exactly what we like to see from a top- This can largely be accounted for by SLI
@ 4.9GHz
end gaming desktop: big (22 x 19.5 x 10 not playing nice with lower resolutions,
Graphics 2x SLI EVGA ACX 3.0
GeForce GTX 1080 8GB
BENCHMARKS RAM 32GB Digital Storm
ZERO- Performance Series
POINT
DDR4-2666
Cinebench R15 (Index) 987 1,047 (6%) Motherboard Asus Maximus IX Hero
(Z270)
TechARP’s x264 (fps) 21.93 23.59 (8%)
Primary 512GB Samsung 960 Pro M.2
PCMark 8 Creative (Index) 7,675 9,404 (23%) Storage NVMe SSD
RGB mobos? We
still don’t get it.
9
VERDICT
Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming
connector, a bank of four SATA ports across the board at stock. The downside,
(including SATA Express), two separate however, is that it draws notably more GIGATON HAMMER Vast
SATA 6Gb/s ports, and two internal USB power from the wall under load, with our feature set; great aesthetics;
3.0 headers as well. No doubt a premium figures showing 156W maximum, with only RGB lighting if you want it; strong stock
offering, then? Well, perhaps not—the the XPower coming close out of the five performance; impressive price.
GIGGLEBYTE Voltages slightly high;
BENCHMARKS potentially higher temps because of that.
Gigabtye Z270X-Ultra Gaming Asus Maximus IX Hero $165, www.gigabyte.com
CrystalDisk Sequential Read/Write (MB/s) 3,073/1,562 3,131/1,546 Memory Support 64GB DDR4 @ 3,866MT/s
DRONES
PAGES OF KIT
TUTORIALS
& TIPS
NOW!
7
VERDICT
compare the Z97i Gaming AC against the and SATA and USB being more accessible MSI Z270i Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Z170i Gaming Pro and the Z270i Gaming than before. The reinforced DDR and PCIe
ANACONDA Solid performance;
Pro Carbon. The Z97i has four USB 3.0 and ports, although laughable, do give you a
M.2 port on rear.
CrystalDisk Sequential Read/Write (MB/s) 3,160 3,249 Memory Support 32GB @ 3,800MT/s
Power Draw Idle/Peak (W) 41/117 45/131 M.2/U.2 Support 1x M.2 PCIe x4
Far Cry Primal @ 4K (Avg fps) 43 42
SATA Support 4x SATA 6Gb/s
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme (Index) 9,508 9,595
Max PCIe Support 1x PCIe 3.0 x16
Maximum Overclock Achieved (GHz) 5.0 5.0
Rear I/O Wireless ac, 2x USB 2.0,
Lowest Undervolt @ Stock (V) 1.1 1.09 3x USB 3.1 Type A,
1x USB 3.1 Type C,
Lowest Voltage @ 5GHz (V) 1.32 1.3
Intel Gigabit Ethernet,
5.1 audio, SPDIF out,
Best scores are in bold. Our test bench consists of an Intel Core i7-7700K, 16GB of Corsair Dominator
Platinum @ 2400, a GeForce GTX 1080, and a 250GB Samsung 960 Evo PCIe SSD. HDMI, DisplayPort
Crucial
MX300 2TB
The cheapest
2TB SSD in town
SOLID-STATE STORAGE is one of the wonders
of the modern world. Thinking about it,
we’re reminded of the immortal words of
Arthur C Clarke, the great science fiction
writer. He reckoned that any sufficiently
advanced technology seems like magic.
Go back 100 years, and what would 750GB, and 525GB MX300 models. Only the limitations we mentioned mean there’s
anyone make of, for instance, a 256GB the entry-level 275GB model differs with zero chance of this drive setting any new
MicroSD card? The notion something so slightly lower performance. It also shares records. What you want is a reliable drive
tiny could store hundreds of thousands of the familiar Marvell 88SS1074 controller with no performance nasties. That’s what
books would surely seem like witchcraft. with the rest of the MX300 family. the 2TB MX300 largely delivers.
Nowadays, it’s pretty impressive that you Similarly, this 2TB model uses the In our synthetic performance tests, it
can bag a 128GB USB stick for under $25. same 384Gb TLC 3D flash memory dies delivers pretty much exactly what you’d
Despite that, SSDs aren’t yet the default as previous MX300s. It’s that unusual expect, with peak performance around
option for mass storage. That will happen capacity per die that leads to the MX300 500MB/s, and 4K results in the mid-20MB/s
eventually. But not yet, not even thanks to range having odd sizes, with this drive area for reads, and 120–140MB/s for
Crucial’s 2TB MX300. It’s about as close serving up 2,050GB. The MX300 range also writes, depending on the benchmark app
as you’ll get to a really big SSD aimed at has a dynamic write acceleration mode in question. It’s a similar story of generic
a mainstream audience. At $549, however, that switches a portion of the memory to SATA drive performance in our real-world
it’s getting on for 10 times the price of the SLC mode for increased performance. For compression and copy benchmarks. All of
cheapest 2TB magnetic hard drive. the 2TB model, the amount of memory that which means the MX300 ultimately trades
Of course, the MX300 still majors on can be switched to SLC mode is increased. on price, which is handy, because it’s
capacity rather than performance. That’s The MX300 also comes with Crucial’s comfortably the cheapest 2TB SSD you can
because it’s a SATA drive, rather than a PCI SSD management software, which enables currently buy. –JEREMY LAIRD
Express model, which brings limitations in you to tweak settings and performance.
terms of the peak bandwidth on the SATA Among other features, you can update the
8
VERDICT
Crucial MX300 2TB
interface and the inefficiencies of the AHCI firmware, monitor the health of the NAND
protocol it uses. The latter never being chips, and toggle the Momentum Cache BIG LEAGUE Mass-storage
designed with solid-state storage in mind. feature, which uses system memory to class capacity; very competitive
Thus, we’re talking peak claimed buffer random writes. pricing; no performance nasties.
performance around 500MB/s for reads If all that reads like a feature list without
ALTERNATIVE FACTS Mega money
and writes, and IOPs a fair bit below much real-world analysis, the truth is that
compared to a magnetic drive; PCI Express
100,000. The 2TB MX300, incidentally, the MX300’s real-world performance isn’t
drives are far faster.
has the same claimed performance for all that interesting. SATA SSDs such as
sequential throughput and IOPs as the 1TB, this are a fairly mature technology, and $549, www.crucial.com
BENCHMARKS SPECIFICATIONS
Crucial MX300 2TB OCZ Trion 100 960GB Samsung 850 Pro 2TB Capacity 2,050GB
Best scores are in bold. Our test bench consists of an Intel Core i7-7700K, an Asus ROG Maximus IX Hero, 16GB Warranty Three years
Corsair Dominator Platinum 2,400MT/s, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080.
8
VERDICT
Intel Pentium G4600
The point is that it’s always in any manages 182. Put another way, if all you
desktop CPU model you buy from Intel; it’s were interested in was single-threaded VALUE PROPOSITION Excellent
just enabled or disabled to help cook up a performance, and overclocking wasn’t in single-threaded performance;
few different chip models. It’s the sort of your vocabulary, there’d be little reason to very cheap for an Intel Core-based chip; it’s
ruse you can get away with when you have spend more than 82 bucks on a G4600. got Hyper-Threading!
little to no competition—a situation that Flick the multi-threading switch, on
INDECENT PROPOSAL Feeble multi-
prevails today, but isn’t going to last. the other hand, and those numbers jump
threaded performance; locked CPU
Anyway, the Pentium G4600 slots in at to 385 and 970. The 7700K is only a quad-
multiplier; might not look so cheap once
$82, and offers up two Hyper-Threading core chip, of course. The 10-core Core i7-
AMD shakes things up.
enabled 3.6GHz cores, supported by 3MB 6950X monster will spew out about 1,750
of cache memory. And that’s pretty much it points in Cinebench. Then again, it costs $82, www.intel.com
BENCHMARKS SPECIFICATIONS
3DMark Fire Strike Dedicated GPU (Index) 11,679 15,762 Graphics Intel HD 630
3DMark Fire Strike Integrated GPU (Index) 1,003 1,159 Graphics Clock 1,150MHz
Best scores are in bold. Our test bench consists of an Asus ROG Maximus IX Hero, 16GB Corsair Dominator TDP 51W
Platinum 2,400MT/s, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080.
Corsair
Carbide
270R
Classy chassis
comprised of
compromise
THERE’S LITTLE WE LOVE more than a
case that cuts that fine line between
sophisticated and garish. Corsair has long
been a master of balancing on that knife
point, its chassis beautifully comprised of
elegant panels shaped in a manner that
would put Apple’s design studios to shame.
But they’ve always come at a cost. Literally.
Most of the high-end cases pass the $100
mark by a mile, with only the Carbide 400C another chassis. Our biggest gripe with of a PSU cover. The Corsair Carbide 270R
scraping in just under the margin, and the top fan mount lies with the fact that it’s is a happy medium between the two. It’s
anything else relegated to ITX lovers. huge and has zero dust-filtering. If you’re not perfect, but for the price, it’s damn
The Carbide 270R bucks that trend. running any setup other than exhaust, impressive, and definitely one of our top
Coming in at a reasonably affordable $70, you’re going to have a bad time when it three mid-range chassis. –ZAK STOREY
it’s the first Corsair case that incorporates comes to keeping the inside of your chassis
8
VERDICT
the look and feel of the more sophisticated dust-free, and for a windowed case, that Corsair Carbide 270R
400C but at a more aggressive price can be a real deal-breaker.
CARBON FIBER Stylish; good
point. The front panel curves down into a
cooling support; easy to build
smooth, brushed aluminum-effect plastic CONSPICUOUS BY ABSENCE
in; PSU cover; intuitive storage design.
finish, with the front I/O tucked away down The rest of the chassis is very spartan.
the side in a recess. You’re not spoilt for There’s no 5.25-inch drive bay, no hard CARBONITE Lack of dust filtering;
choice there, though, with a single power drive cages in the front, and a simple three- confusing top cooling mounts; lack of
button, two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and quarter-length power supply cover across rubber grommets.
microphone pass-throughs, a hard drive the bottom of the rig, with a cable cutout to $70, www.corsair.com
operation indicator, and a single reset route those pesky front panel connectors.
button. On either side (once you get past Turn the case around, and you’re greeted
SPECIFICATIONS
the front I/O), you’ll find a large section by one huge CPU cutout, two 2.5-inch SSD
of filtered fan intakes, around one inch mounts on the back of the motherboard Form Factor Mid-tower
deep—more than enough to keep your tray, and two 3.5-inch hard drive mounts
Motherboard Support ATX, microATX,
choice of front system fans well fed. on the left-most panel closest to the front. Mini-ITX
Speaking of cooling, there’s room Cable tie points are plentiful, but there Colors Available Black
for a 360mm/280mm radiator in the are no rubber grommets protecting the
Window Options With or without
front (3x 120mm fans or 2x 140mm), a cable routing holes. Although not hugely
240mm/280mm radiator in the roof (2x important, it can help hide cable mess, and 3.5-inch Support 2
120mm/140mm), and a single 120mm is something we’d have liked to have seen. 2.5-inch Support 2
radiator in the rear. Pretty neat, if water We can’t help but go back to that price,
Radiator Support 280mm front, 280mm
cooling is your thing. The vent on the roof is too, and compare it to the competition. roof, 120mm rear
something of a nuisance, though. It’s really For $70, you could get NZXT’s S340 case, 3x 120mm front,
Fan Support
long—at first glance, you’d be forgiven for which looks crisper and cleaner, and has 2x 140mm roof,
thinking you could mount three 120mm substantially better dust filtration systems 1x 120mm rear
fans there. Unfortunately, it’s just shy of than the 270R. It is, however, more limited Dimensions 20 x 8.3 x 18.1 inches
being the right size for that, although with in its cooling support. But if that’s a
Graphics Card 14.6 inches
a touch of modding and some seriously problem, you could swap over to the Fractal Clearance
secure screws, it wouldn’t be too hard to Define S instead, coming in at $80, which
CPU Tower Clearance 6.7 inches
mount a 360mm radiator in the top, then provides you with full unhinged access to
mount additional fans on to it. However, up to two 360mm radiators top and front— Weight 16lb
at that point, it may be worth just buying but with an increase in size, and the lack
7
VERDICT
pay for the upgrade—and despite its snug That’s one check in the box, then. So Razer Kraken 7.1 V2
fit, this is a headset that you can wear what of that all-important sound stage?
CRACKIN’ Tremendous mic;
from dawn to dusk without worrying about We were a bit concerned when Razer
supremely comfortable;
squeezing or discomfort. described it as “louder” than its older
tweakable sound.
The 7.1 virtual surround is, frankly, a sibling, which we diagnosed with acute
bit weird. It’s highly adjustable through Gamer Syndrome, as it leaned so heavily CACKIN’ Over bass-heavy; poor 7.1;
the app, but so subtle that it might as on the bass. Let’s begin with the good pointless lighting; USB only.
well not be there. When you do happen to news: through Razer’s 50mm drivers, $99, www.razerzone.com
catch a moving sound, it feels as though the crackles of treble and burbles in the
the Kraken is painting more of a vertical middle are present and sound perfectly
than horizontal picture, a disconcerting correct. You won’t be dragging anyone in SPECIFICATIONS
sensation, which throws one out of the to listen to your new headset, but there’s
Driver Type 50mm neodymium
game somewhat. The Chroma lighting, nothing missing, and a rich, satisfying level
similarly, might as well not be there, of sound reproduction is on offer. But then Impedance 32 ohms
seeing as you’ll ideally be wearing this the bass kicks in, and those clear tones get
headset rather than looking at it. It’s all hammered down by a relentless assault of Frequency Response 12Hz–28KHz
about making a statement to those around low-frequency sound, boosted to within an
Design Style Closed back
you; if you’ve been dying to state “my ears inch of its life, and sometimes beyond the
are glowing purple,” more power to you. point of clarity. It’s more pleasant than its Microphone Type MEMS
Here’s something the Kraken 7.1 V2 predecessor, and you can futz with the EQ
Connectivity USB 2.0
does oh-so-right, though: its 5V-powered controls in Synapse to calm it down a little
microphone. Retractable into the (or, if you’re a real masochist, switch on the Weight 12.3oz
earphone and perfectly poseable, the unnecessary bass boost), but this headset
microelectromechanical, fully silicon- is positioned as a skull-shaker, and that’s Cord Length 6.6 feet
based construction of the mic pulls in a precisely what it does. And, overall, it is
SteelSeries
Rival 700
Perfection in non-
ambidextrous form
STEELSERIES: a legend in the hardware
world. Its reputation is only trumped by
its own new products supplanting itself
on the way to the top of the peripheral
hill. The company is neither the huge
production foundries of Logitech, churning
out hundreds of thousands of products
each year, nor the niche-audience-slaying
design houses of Mionix or BenQ Zowie,
but a happy mix of the two. And that more than the mouse itself and a small themselves are exceedingly precise,
balance speaks volumes. With a legacy cardboard box. You’d be forgiven at this and don’t cause any jitter in your mouse
encompassing products such as the point for thinking that the Rival 700 is a positioning. We bound this feature to one
Sensei ambidextrous gaming mouse, the wireless mouse—it’s only when you dig a of our focus buttons in Sniper Elite V3, and
HV3 lineup of headphones, and even the little deeper that you begin to understand had no trouble picking off targets at our
first ever Rival, SteelSeries has definitely what’s going on. In short, the choice of usual rate.
cemented its place in our hearts when cable rests with the consumer. You get All in all, the SteelSeries Rival 700 is a
it comes to those additional little input one six-foot braided cable, one six-foot well-tuned, customizable gaming mouse
methods we use on our prized systems. plastic-coated cable, plus a plastic-coated at the pinnacle of its field, designed to
That said, mouse development seems three-foot cable. On top of that, you can incorporate absolutely everything in
to have come to a grinding halt, certainly also swap out the cover on the rear belly today’s gaming mouse market. It does cost
as far as innovation is concerned. With of the mouse to either a glossy black or an $80, which is a lot for a pixel-pointer, but
high-dpi optical sensors now perfected, anti-sweat soft-touch variant instead ($15 it’s well worth it in our eyes. –ZAK STOREY
RGB lighting mastered, and a plethora for the pack).
9
VERDICT
of mice in a variety of shapes, sizes, and And then, of course, there’s the sensor. SteelSeries Rival 700
button complements, it’s hard to imagine By default, the Rival 700 comes with
TRUMP VS. HILLARY Fantastic
where the pointy rodent will go next. Well, an optical PixArt 3360, pumping out a
optical sensor; strong
that’s what we thought, until two mice whopping 16,000 dpi if needed, with zero
ergonomics; no hardware
in particular caught our attention in the hardware acceleration. However, if optical
acceleration; classy design;
last 12 months: Mionix’s vital-statistics- is simply not your jam, you can grab
strong software suite; tactile
tracking Naos QG, and SteelSeries’s yourself the PixArt 9800 laser module
feedback; swappable cables and sensor.
extravagant flagship, the Rival 700. We instead for $25. Simply unscrew the four
didn’t manage to get the latter into the mag Phillips-head screws underneath, place MCDONALD’S VS. BURGERKING A touch
at the time—not for lack of trying, mind your new sensor inside, and wham-bam- too pricey.
you. We initially had our hands on a sample thank-you-ma’am, you’re all set. $80, www.steelseries.com
in the office way back in April 2016, when Customization aside, there’s a few little
we thought it was absolutely fantastic. extras that really make the Rival 700 stand
However, due to SteelSeries’s concerns out. You can’t quite seen the OLED screen SPECIFICATIONS
with the braided cables being too “grippy,” in the above shot, but it enables you to slap
Sensor Optical
the company (frustratingly) delayed the any number of small GIFs or images on
release, and took the mouse back to the the side of the mouse, alongside in-game Sensitivity 100–16,000 dpi
drawing board for another four months, notifications—not particularly useful,
Sensor Model PixArt Technologies
to redesign the cable—yep, SteelSeries is granted, as you should be looking at the PMW3360
that serious. screen. But what’s most impressive is the
Polling Rate 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz,
inclusion of rumble feedback—you can 1,000Hz
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX assign tactile feedback to any of the seven Programmable 7
So, here we are at last, with the mythical buttons, in a variety of ways. Although not Buttons
beast sitting in front of us. The SteelSeries hugely useful for the two main buttons, LEDs Two-zone—16.8
Rival 700. We rarely speak about the having a tactile response from whichever million colors
unboxing experience in our reviews, but button you press helps train your brain to Cable Lengths 6ft and 3ft
with the Rival, it’s something else. You get use buttons that you would otherwise get
Weight 4.8oz
a small rectangular box, split diagonally. confused about, making it one neat and
Opening it up on its hinge reveals nothing surprisingly useful addition. The vibrations
7
Something to do with 17 being an unlucky slideshows, and a cover designer.
features; useful backup
number, apparently, and anyone who’s felt It’s also a backup app. Large amounts
capabilities; straightforward
better for noticing that a building lacks a of data can be stored across multiple
to use.
13th floor will surely sympathize with that. discs, thanks to disc-spanning, and there’s
So, what’s here that’s worth paying compression and password-protection, THE BIRD Many PCs now sold without
for? Free apps tend to be limited in scope, too. The main reason you’d want to do this optical drives; 2TB hard drives are cheap .
so having every feature in one place is rather than chuck everything on a suitably
RECOMMENDED SPECS Dual-core 1.8GHz
certainly nice. Along with the standard sized external hard drive is longevity—while
CPU; 2GB RAM; at least 128MB VRAM;
burning of data folders to a disc, and the most disc formats offer only a lifespan of up
Windows 7 or newer.
production of audio CDs, you get a mode to five years, Millenniata’s M-Discs claim
that tunes a disc especially for the model of up to 1,000 (although this is difficult to test; $60, www.ashampoo.com
Skiing backward is
Complete an event, and you easy, and trees don’t
keep going, ready for the next. mind if you hit them.
Steep
We can see our house from heeeeeeerrrrrrre!
THERE’S A POINT in Steep when the your board leaves a distinct pattern of landscape. Instead, it decided to spin him
mountain starts talking. It has an echoing, depressions, rather than cutting smoothly around, flipping from left to right so fast
female voice, the sort of thing you’d expect through—and the curious lack of feedback that the game couldn’t keep up (the frame
from millions of tons of rock if it had from running over someone else’s trails. rate was locked at 60 for most of our time
been possessed by the spirit of Galadriel, The ability to change the time of day is a nice with the game, sacrifices being made in the
perhaps seeking a winter getaway. touch, as are the hot air balloons, anchored fidelity of distant objects rather than let the
It’s odd, because you’re not expecting somehow in the air above the Alps to provide fps dip). And once Steep crosses the line
it—up to this point, you’ve been encouraged additional launching points for wingsuiters. from a game about barreling down hills as
to jump off things, and whoop it up—and Imagine a Far Cry game with no main fast as you can to one of pure analog control,
what the mountain says cuts to the heart quest drawing you to specific areas. Instead, that mountain’s words start to make a lot
of what Ubisoft intended with the game. It wherever one side-quest takes you, you more sense. This is a playground, and it’s
describes itself as a playground, a place to pick up three more. You can go where you through exploration and having fun that you
make memories, and takes things too far by want, and progress is made by completing can make it your own. –IAN EVENDEN
pretending to be puzzled by the weird “skis” events, scoring points by performing tricks,
VERDICT
8
people are using on its slopes. discovering areas, missing obstacles, and Steep
Skiing is one of four sports in the finding creative routes down the mountain.
DEEP Good sense of speed;
game—five, if you count walking. There’s As you advance, more areas unlock, and you
plenty to discover; well-
snowboarding and paragliding, too, or you get a feel for the mountains. They really are
calibrated controls.
can ease into a wingsuit, dragging one of Far a playground, with no penalties for messing
Cry 4’s more distinctive modes of transport up, and speedy restarts if you really can’t WEEP Occasional glitches; inconsistent
out of the closet, and jump off a mountain get back to the course. collision detection; patchy signposting.
whenever the mood takes you. We had a few moments when we
RECOMMENDED SPECS Intel Core i7-3770K
Graphically, there’s a lot of white, couldn’t, the game finding it impossible to
@ 3.5GHz or AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0GHz; 8 GB
although special mention has to be made decide what to do with our boarder when he
RAM; GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 390.
of the crunchy snow simulation, even encountered the back of a building, or one of
if it sometimes appears too “digital”— the interminable snow fences that litter the $50, http://steep.ubisoft.com, ESRB: T
Shadow Tactics:
Blades of the Shogun
Shadow tactics: stand by wall with sun behind you
FROM A ROOFTOP, you see it all. The guards use your heroes one at a time, but entering now sounds rather like a movie portraying a
move in predictable patterns, their vision Shadow Mode allows you to set up moves bachelor party, in which someone thinks it’s
cones making it explicit what they can and in advance, which are then carried out hilarious to dress up as a Nazi, rather than a
can’t see. Your samurai partner is in some at the press of a key, and this can lead to gritty wartime tactics game.
bushes just behind a guard and his officer, perfectly timed ambushes or, more likely, In doing this, Shadow Tactics feels like
though neither is looking in his direction. abject failure. So load and have another something new, even if it’s just the latest
Up high across the map, a sniper awaits go. The game absolutely encourages you to point on a line that stretches back to the
your command. All you have to do is spin quicksave, even going as far as assigning original Syndicate. It would be easy to
the winch, and a crane will drop its load it a button on the controller, if you’re using imagine this harsh but mostly fair game in
on three guards, while your samurai cuts one. It nags you if you’ve spent as much as third-person, à la Hitman, but we’re glad it’s
down his two, and the sniper drops the an entire minute without saving, but only remained the way it has. –IAN EVENDEN
remaining witness. They carry out their offers your last three saves for reloading.
8
VERDICT
orders simultaneously, and there’s nothing This makes it a game in which trial and Shadow Tactics:
left to stop you entering the next area. error are the way forward, but one that’s Blades of the Shogun
Shadow Tactics’ name reveals its not going to punish you too badly for making
LIGHT Engaging tactical
purpose. A top-down stealth game, the latter, despite its occasionally punishing
gameplay; appropriate art style; simple
rendered in a lovely, painterly style, it’s difficulty level.
control scheme.
probably not pushing your GPU as hard as It may be set in Edo-period Japan, with
Dishonored 2 would, but taxes the wetware shogun, samurai, and shinobi taking major DARK Can obscure the way ahead;
between your ears just as much. Its world is roles, but Shadow Tactics evokes a later animations rely too much on bobbing
one of predictable patterns and overlapping period in world history and an earlier one heads; quicksaving may annoy purists.
attention spans. Opportunities overlap, in videogames: the WWII-set Commandos
RECOMMENDED SPECS Intel i3 fourth-gen
coalesce, and dissolve as you watch, until games. This isn’t a bad thing, as it’s
3.5GHz or AMD quad-core 3.9GHz; 6GB RAM;
you judge the moment is right to strike. always good to see fresh ideas pumped
Nvidia GTX 570 or AMD Radeon HD 6950.
With up to five characters under your into a stale genre. It’s been 14 years since
control, attacks can get complex. You can Commandos 3: Destination Berlin, which $40, www.shadow-tactics.com, Not ESRB rated
AMD’s Ryzen
Looks Promising
Double the cores, double the fun, but no six-pack
I’VE BEEN HEARING about AMD’s Zen, now in IPC compared to its existing Excavator
Ryzen, for what feels like forever. The Zen architecture, with clock speeds of at least
architecture was first mentioned in 2012, 3.7GHz on the eight-core part. Architectural
and ever since, the repeated refrain of AMD changes include a reworked, more efficient
CPU apologists has been “just wait for Zen.” pipeline. Each core is a six-wide superscalar
That wait is finally over, and Ryzen is now design (four-wide fetch), compared to the
available. But as we go to print, I still don’t previous four-wide design, the branch
know exactly what AMD’s Ryzen lineup will prediction is more accurate, and cache
be in terms of core counts, clock speeds, latencies and bandwidth are both improved.
and pricing. It’s quite the contrast compared The result is that Ryzen should be much
to AMD’s open discussion of the Ryzen more competitive with Intel’s CPU offerings.
architectural details, not to mention Intel’s Interestingly, AMD apparently won’t have
routinely leaked product roadmaps. a six-core model; instead, it will have an
Here’s what I do know. AMD is planning eight-core chip without SMT as its mid-tier
on a full release of Ryzen processors, all offering. That means that at each product Making AMD CPUs competitive again.
multiplier unlocked. Ryzen uses a quad- segment, AMD will deliver double the cores/
core module as its building block, with threads as Intel. Intel will almost certainly versus Core i5’s 4C/4T, even with slightly
SMT providing eight threads, similar to maintain its lead in per-core performance, lower clock speeds, Ryzen should come out
Intel’s Hyper-Threading, and 8MB L3 cache. but if 4C/8T Ryzen SR3 goes up against ahead in many benchmarks. We’ll have the
AMD claims a 40 percent improvement Core i3’s 2C/4T design, or 8C/8T Ryzen SR5 full skinny next month.
There’s this trend in the PC lot of “gaming” gear doesn’t Why don’t we include the price resolutely stuck on Windows,
space called “gaming.” What do anything for actual gaming of the operating system in our but don’t want to cough up
does that mean? Contrary performance. It just means builds and system features? $100 for the latest version,
to what you might think, it’s you’re going to pay more for It’s a question that often there is another option: the
hardware that puts aggressive something made cheaply, to comes up in the office. For Windows Insider Program.
aesthetics and RGB lighting cash in on the gaming train. the most part, we shy away Simply create a Windows Live
before useful innovation. This isn’t about choice or from the decision, because account, sign up to the Insider
Manufacturers are marketing taste. It’s about the definition the needs of the individual vary Program, download and install
the living diodes out of of gaming. Give me quality and massively across all of our the Windows 10 technical
hardware, and attaching the performance over marketing readers—some use Ubuntu, preview, and you get a fully
word “gaming” to just about hype and gimmicks any day. I’ll others Debian, Windows 7, 10, unlocked version of Windows
anything. Unsurprisingly, a take the cost savings, too. and so on. That said, if you’re 10 for free.
Editors’ Picks:
Digital Discoveries
Bo Moore, technology editor, and Alan Dexter,
executive editor, share their latest tech loves
TRON V9.9.0 DISKDIGGER
Antlion
Being my family’s on-
call tech support, I’ve
run into my fair share of
My smartphone recently
decided that it no longer
liked my microSD card.
ModMic4
systems compromised I can’t remember if it WE HAVE A PENCHANT at Maximum PC for
by a pile of bloatware, was after a restart or high-quality audio. Although there are
unnecessary toolbars, and viruses. Most update, but my screen displayed a prompt some pretty snazzy gaming headsets,
of us know the standard system recovery saying that the Samsung microSD wasn’t they tend to meander well into the $250-
utilities—CCleaner, Malwarebytes, and their recognized, and would I like to try to format plus range for anything close to decent
ilk—but there’s an even better option, before it? An offer that the phone couldn’t deliver sound reproduction.
going nuclear, and reinstalling the OS. on, as it appeared to have been corrupted. Turn your head to audiophile offerings
Tron is an open-source script that Long story short: No matter how many without a microphone, however, and
automates the full process of cleaning and machines, adapters, tools, and OSes I tried, you can easily find pairs for under
disinfecting a Windows system. First, it I couldn’t get the card to play nicely again. $150 (Audiotechnica’s ATH-M50Xs,
preps your system, creating a restore point, A dead microSD card is hardly the stuff for example). For the vast majority,
and running tools and scripts that ensure of nightmares, particularly as the data that no mic is no problem, but for gamers,
the rest of the process runs smoothly. Next, really matters was automatically uploaded lacking a way to communicate with your
it runs cleaning utilities such as CCleaner to my Google account. Even so, it’d be good buddies can be a deal breaker. And for
and BleachBit, followed by de-bloating, to take a look at what’s on the card before I those unwilling to chunk out for a $200
ditching OEM bloatware, toolbars, and other consign it to the big trash bin in the sky. dedicated desktop microphone, there’s
pre-installed apps (excluding useful stuff The problem is that Android 6.0 has not a huge deal of choice.
such as Calculator and Paint). Disinfection changed the way it handles SD cards, so Except, maybe there is. Antlion saw
is handled by Malwarebytes, KVRT, and plugging the card into Windows (or Linux) this gap in the market, and jumped in
Sophos, while a series of scripts check and reveals nothing. So I turned to file recovery with this fantastic modular microphone.
repair Windows. Finally, Tron updates and tools to see what was lurking beneath its Available in two models, the 4 and the
optimizes your system, patching Adobe, seemingly blank surface. One tool that did 5 (the 5 has both a four-pole and a USB
Java, and whatever else needs updating. well, and was free to try, was DiskDigger—a adapter), the ModMic attaches to the
It’s an impressive list of tasks that should portable app that scans for a selection of side of any headset with a small adhesive
take care of almost any problem. Even files, and allows you to save them off with magnetic clip. Don’t need the mic today?
better, it’s a single download that, once minimum fuss. It took a while to scan the Pull it off your headset, and place it in
started, runs itself—though it can take six to entire card (30 minutes for 32GB), but did its faux leather case. Sound quality is
eight hours to finish. recover a few MP3s and a couple of log files. impeccable, and the mic supports up to
Free, www.bmrf.org/repos/tron $15, www.diskdigger.org 24-bit 192KHz without worry, delivering
some fantastically crisp and clean sound;
not too bass-heavy, not too tinny. The
adhesive sticker is easy to remove, and
it comes with a variety of clips to secure
the ModMic’s cable to your standard
headphone cable, too. There’s very little
to dislike—we just wish it rotated a bit
better on that magnetic mount. –ZS
$50, www.antlionaudio.com
techradar.com
Sponsored by a part-by-part guide to building a better pc
blueprint
BUDGET MID-RANGE
INGREDIENTS INGREDIENTS
Case Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX $70 Case NZXT S340 Elite $100
PSU EVGA 450B Bronze $45 PSU EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GS Gold NEW $80
Mobo MSI B250I PRO Mini ITX NEW $90 Mobo MSI Z270 Gaming M3 NEW $160
HDD 1TB Hitachi Deskstar 7,200rpm 3.5-inch SATA NEW $44 HDD Western Digital Blue Series 1TB 7,200rpm NEW $50
OS Ubuntu Desktop Linux 16.04 LTS 64-bit $16 OS Windows 10 Home 64-bit OEM $100
THIS MONTH HAS SEEN the biggest changes ever hit to our Turbo build.
We decided it was time we appeased the small form factor gods by
opting for this classy yet powerful microATX system. The decision
came about primarily because of the phenomenal saving we could
achieve on the EVGA X99 Micro 2. At $183, it’s over $40 cheaper than
the MSI X99A SLI Plus from last issue, yet it still provides us with all
the connectivity and power we were utilizing anyway. Because of this,
we had to swap out the chassis to something more fitting—Fractal
Design’s Define Mini C Windowed edition—shaving off another $82,
and then managed even greater savings by swapping from MSI’s GTX
1080 Gaming X to EVGA’s SC Gaming ACX, which propped us up with
TURBO another $60 on top. This meant we could plump for some fancier
accessories elsewhere, and still save a boatload. We bumped up the
cooler to the stunningly beautiful NZXT Kraken X52 AIO, and could
even afford to drop another $30 on Corsair’s legendary Dominator
Platinums. We also saw a price drop of $84 on Samsung’s 960 Pro
1TB. What this all adds up to, even with the splurge on prettier
cooling and memory, is a saving of $186 over last issue. Pump that
into the processor, and you could grab the slightly better specced
Core i7-6850K to net an additional 12 PCIe lanes and a 0.2GHz core
clock increase at stock. However, we’d advise you to just grab a
custom cable kit and some better fans instead.
INGREDIENTS
PART PRICE
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