custom pc issue 109 'october 2012'

BUILD A

ZX81 FROM SCRATCH H

THE BEST-SELLING MAG FOR PC HARDWARE, OVERCLOCKING, GAMING & MODDING

HOW TO

BUILD B UILD A TINY POWER PC

STEPBY-STEP GUIDE

310mm

Mini ini cases and motherboards reviewed Full expert building guide

PLUS

HOW TO PAINT YOUR CASE 340mm TERMINATOR SCIENCE – PROGRAMMABLE MATTER REVEALED: WHY ARM BEATS X86 ON MOBILES

m 250m

ISSUE 109

OCT 2012

£4.50

EE Y FR ER LIV DE Our best selling gaming PC evolved Better Graphics - Bigger Hard Drive - Better Deal! AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad Core Processor 8GB 1333Mhz DDR3 Memory AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB Graphics Card Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2 Motherboard 1TB SATA-III Hard Disk Drive DVD+/- RW Writer Drive Built-in Wi-Fi 802.11n Adapter CCL Code - CCL-EL-HWK2

www.cclonline.com

P r i c e s c o r r e c t a t t i m e o f g o i n g t o p u b l i s hi n g ( 3 t h J u l y 2 0 1 2 ) . Images are for illustrative purposes only M o n i tWorldMags.net o r s a n d d e s k t o p b u n d l es a r e a v a i l a bl e s e p a r a t e l y.

Welcome to Issue 109 Editorial

Publishing & Marketing

TECHNICALEDITOR HarryButler

MARKETINGEDITORIALEXECUTIVE PaulGoodhead [email protected]

EDITOR BenHardwidge [email protected]

GAMESEDITOR JoeMartin ARTEDITOR BillBagnall PRODUCTIONEDITOR JulieBirrell CONTRIBUTORS AntonyLeather, CliffHarris, GarethHalfacree,JamesGorbold, JimKillock,LucySherriff, PaulGoodhead,RickLane, SimonTreadaway,TracyKing PHOTOGRAPHY AntonyLeather,DannyBird,Gareth Halfacree •

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October 2012

3

Welcome to Issue 109

BUILD A MINI POWER PC

52

You no longer need a big towering monolith on your desk if you want the fastest performance. In fact, a PC that’s half the size is quite capable of accommodating the fastest GPU available and an Ivy Bridge CPU overclocked to 4.8GHz. We’ve gathered several mini-ITX cases and Z77 motherboards in order to find the ideal combination for an uncompromising mini PC, and we even show you how to build the final rig, complete with a water-cooling loop.

36

10

124

PERFORMANCEENHANCING DRINKS

What’stheevidencebehindsomeofthe scientific-soundingclaimsmadebyenergy drinksmanufacturers?

14

HAPPYDAYZ

JoeMartintalkstoDean‘Rocket’ Hall,creatorofArmaIIzombiemodDayZ.

18

PROGRAMMABLEMATTER

Howfarareweawayfromcreating theliquid-metalcyborgfromTerminator2?

4

October 2012

102

20

ARMVSx86

36

SUPERHIGH-END MOTHERBOARDS

GarethHalfacreeanalyseswhyARM issomuchmorepopularthanx86formobiles.

Whatdoyougainfroma£300motherboard? HarryButlerlooksatEVGA’sZ77FTWand Asus’MaximusFormulaVtofindout.

42 FRACTALDESIGNDEFINER4

Ithasanattractive,understated design,butcantheR4competeelsewhere?

89

THOMASWASALONE

96

THEENGINEROOM–UNITY

It’sasimplegamecodedbyone man,anditcostsjust£6.JoeMartinexplains howagameconstructedfromsimpleblocks andsquarescanstillbeasurprisingly emotionalexperience.

Thisamazinglyflexiblegameengine alreadyrunsonWindows,MacOS,iOS, Android,andthereareplanstosupportFlash andLinuxtoo.CouldUnityendupbeingthe oneenginetorulethemall?

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1ssue 109

124 52

108

74 108

Reviewed this month Hardware

22

MOTHERBOARDS 36 EVGA Z77 FTW 36 Asus Maximus Formula V

18

20

84

14

PRODUCTS REVIEWED

CASES 40 Aerocool Strike-X Air 42 Fractal Design Define R4 MICROCONTROLLER 44 Arduino Leonardo COOLER 46 Arctic Accelero Hybrid

20

108 HOWTOPAINTYOURCASE

Paintingyourcaseisn’tassimpleas justsquirtinganaerosolatit.AntonyLeather guidesyouthroughthewholeprocessof priming,painting,sandingandlacquering yourprideandjoy.

BUILDASINCLAIRZX81 124 FROMSCRATCH NotonlyhasGarethHalfacreebuiltaworking ZX81fromscratch,performingallthe solderinghimself,buthe’salsomoddeditso thatithasacompositeTV-outaswell.

Regulars

8 From the editor 10 Tracy King 12 Digital rights 14 Interview 16 Incoming 18 Science! 20 Mobile tech watch 24 CPC Elite products 48 How we test 82 Grumpy gamer 94 Dev perspective 96 The engine room 124 Retro tech 130 James Gorbold

Community

102 Readers’ drives 108 How to paint your case 116 Letters 121 Folder of the month 122 Your folding milestones WorldMags.net

Custom kit 50 Warhammer Invasion 50 Sharkfin Self-Molding Earbuds 50 Stickems 51 Google Nexus 7 Motherboard and case Labs test 54 BitFenix Prodigy 56 Fractal Design Node 304 58 Lian Li PC-TU200 60 SilverStone FT03-Mini 64 ASRock Z77E-ITX 66 P8Z77-I Deluxe 68 Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi Games 84 Spec Ops: The Line 88 Quantum 89 90 93

Conundrum Thomas Was Alone

Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 Metro: Last Light

October 2012

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WorldMags.net

from the editor

THE RETURN OF THE MINI PC When you can do so much with miniITX, why would most of us need a bigger PC?

i

natypicalexampleofclichémanglingtomakeapunnyheadline, Issue10’smaincoverheadingwas‘SmallWonders’,withaLabs testdedicatedsolelytothebignewtrendindesktopcomputingminibarebonechassis.Somepeoplecalledthemshoeboxes,while thosewhopreferredincomprehensiblemarketingjargoncalledthem smallformfactorPCs.Likeacrossbetweenaminihi-fisystemanda standardPCcase,thesesystems,startingwithShuttle’sXPCline-up, enabledyoutobuildapintsizePCwithadecent-specCPUand graphicscard. Welovedthem,buttheyhadtheirissues too.Theyhadproprietarymotherboards andcoolingsystems,soyoucouldn’teasily swapthemoutthemotherboard,orputin anotherthird-partycoolereither.Weonce water-cooledaShuttleXPCintheHowTo section,butittookseveralofusalotof effortoverafewdaystomanageit.Wehad mini-ITXbackthen,ofcourse,butmostof thecaseslookedawful,andmostofthe motherboardswerebasedonVIA’slow-poweredEPIAplatform,and oftenonlycamewithasinglePCIslot,ratherthananAGPgraphics slot.Issue10turnedouttobeoneofourworst-sellingissuesever,and weneverputthemonthecoveragain. Sowhat’schanged?WhyareminiPCssuddenlyonthecoverofCPC again?Shuttle’sstillproducingtheXPCrange,ofcourse,butthisyear we’veseenasuddenexplosioninthemini-ITXmarket.Suddenly manufacturershaverealisedthatenthusiastssuchasourselvesdon’t reallywantproprietarymotherboards,limitedPSUsandcaptive coolingsystems.Wewanttobeabletoeasilyaddourowncooling system,putinafull-specgraphicscardandupgradethemotherboard whennecessary.Wewanttooverclock.Webasicallywanteverything

thatafull-specdesktopPCdoes,anduntilsmallerPCscandothat, there’snotreallymuchpointinbuildingone. Thisistheturningpoint.AsourownPC-buildingaficionadoAntony Leathershowsonp74,youcannownotonlybuildafull-specmini-ITX IvyBridgerig,butyoucanalsowater-coolit,overclockittothesame clockfrequencyasafull-sizedATXmachine,andyoucanputina GeForceGTX680too.Basically,youraveragePCenthusiast,gamer andCustomPCreadercannowgeteverythingtheywantinasmall PC,and withoutmakingcompromises. ThebigquestionI’maskingnowiswhy mostofuswouldeverneedtobuildafullsizedATXPCagain.Unlessyou’rerunning multiplegraphicscards,orstillusea dedicatedsoundcardorTVcard,there’s basicallynopoint.Iforonewelcomeour newshoebox-sizedoverlords. Inothernews,I’dliketothankeveryone whocametotheveryfirstCustomPCand bit-techPubQuiz(seep100)lastmonth– ifwedoitagain,IpromiseI’llmakemyretrotechroundeasier!! Meanwhile,I’dalsoliketoextendabig,warmwelcometomy predecessorintheeditor’schair,themightyJamesGorbold,who’s nowreturnedtoCustomPCwithanewbackpagecolumn(seep130). JamescurrentlyhelpingScan spec-upits3XSsystems,sohe’sstill verymuch workingwithPCs,andI’mverygladtohavehimbackon boardagain.

You can now not only build a full-spec mini-ITX Ivy Bridge rig, but also watercool it, overclock it to 4.8GHz and put in a GeForce GTX 680 too

8

October 2012

BenHardwidgeistheeditorofCustomPC.HelikesPCs,realale andWarhammer40,000. [email protected]

WorldMags.net

@MANSHARK

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PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRINKS

REFERENCES

3

Can energy drinks really improve gamers’ concentration and memory?

G

amingofteninvolveslatehours.Youmayhaveacoffeeor energydrinknexttoyourightnow.Ido.Oryoumayfind caffeinemakesyoujitteryandinterfereswithyourgaming,so youavoidit.Itwasn’tgoingtobelongbeforemanufacturerscaughton toouroftennocturnallifestyleandtargeteduswithaspecificsolution. ThefolkatGungHo,makerofanew‘energyshot’,claimtohave solvedourall-nightsessionneedswithonehandysachet,illustrating theirwebsitewithapicofagamecontroller.‘Over50percentof gamersarenotsatisfiedwithcurrentenergyshotsanddrinks,’claims anarticle1 onPRWeb,whichactuallyreferstoresearchfundedby GungHoitself.ThisisfollowedbyaquotefromDrDanMowrey,who InoteattainedhisPhDinexperimental psychology(notneuroscience),andwhoin 2005,waschargedbytheFTC2 with‘falsely claimingtobeamedicaldoctor.’DrMowrey says,‘Mostenergyshotsordrinksfailatboth endsofyourexperience.Theinitial“rush” and“jitters”oftendisruptmentalfocusand physicalperformance–theresultofcritical compositionalimbalancesthatprovokethe customary“crash”.’ Asisoftenthecase,it’sbesttobeguidedby scientificconsensusratherthanadefinite‘that’sthat’,despitewhatDr Mowreysays.Somestudiesshowcaffeineimprovesmemory,others showitimpairsit.Someofthesestudiesareflawed,somearerobust. Thecurrentconsensusisthatalotofcaffeineimpairsthecapacityof short-termandworkingmemory,andthat’sagoodenoughreasonto cutdown,particularlyingamingwhereworkingmemoryisvital. Socaffeinemightscrewwithyourworkingmemory.DoesGungHo containcaffeine?Yes!ButIdon’tknowhowmuch,becausethepage withtheingredients3 doesn’tsay.WhenIemailedGungHoformore information,thecompanysaid,‘Anyonecanputadifferentlabelon

1

http://tinyurl.com/ CPCEnergyShot

2

http://tinyurl.com/ CPCEnergyShot2

http://www.gogungho. com/supplementfacts

caffeineandsomeB-Vitamins,addadashofTaurineandcallitanew product.Wewantedtoimproveonit.’Itthenlinkedmebacktothe sameingredientspage.However,GungHomadeitveryclearthatits ‘flagshipingredient’issomethingcalledCognizin. CognizinisthebrandnameofCitocoline.TheFDA(thebody responsibleforapprovingdrugsintheUSA)refusedtoapproveitas amedicine.Itdoesn’tappeartohaveanysolidevidencebehindit, withstudiesshowingitworksnobetterthan,toquoteProfessor Farnsworth,abigfatplacebo.However,theFDAdoesn’tregulate food,soit’smarketedasfoodinpackets,suchastheGungHoenergy shot,withoutneedingtoprovideanyproofofefficacy.Youcan’tbuy GungHointheUK,butyoucanbuyCitocolin. TheGungHowebsiteclaimstheproduct ‘canactuallyincreaseyourcapacitytofocus, storeandmemorizeovertime’,whichwould behandyforgamers.Iaskedneuroscientist DrDeanBurnettofCardiffUniversityifthat’s possible.Hesaid,‘I’mnotsurehowthey’d arguethis.Ifyouperformarepeatedtaskin laboratorysettings,thenyou’dgetbetterat recallingit(thatis,storingandmemorising), withorwithouttheproduct.Also,there’sno knowncapacityforhumanmemoryasofyet,sohowthey’dknow they’reenhancingitisanyone’sguess.Thisislargelyscientifically unchartedterritory.’ Notsuchaflagshipingredientafterall.Thebestwaytoimprove concentrationandperformanceistodrinkwaterandgetplentyof exercise.Flexingmytriggerfingerwillbeagoodstart.

The current consensus is that a lot of caffeine impairs the capacity of short-term and working memory

10

October 2012

GamerandscienceenthusiastTracyKingdissectstheevidence andstatisticsbehindsomeofthepopularmediastories @TKINGDOLL surroundingtechandgaming

WorldMags.net

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Jim Killock

The Digital Economy Act: back from the grave Coming soon – prosecutions with only 20 days to appeal, and you might not even be the copyright infringer nthedyingdaysoftheLabour government,LordMandelson usheredinalawenablingInternet userstobecutoffforreceivingmere allegationsofcopyrightinfringement–the DigitalEconomyAct(DEAct).Inaforetaste ofthelaterprotestsagainstSOPA,PIPA andACTA,thisoffensivepieceoflegislation becamethefocusofwidespread protests. Theoutragewasn’tjustaboutthelawitself: itwasalsoaboutthewayitwasrammed through,withlittledemocraticscrutiny. HowcouldParliamentpushforwardsuch acrudeandill-thoughtoutproposal?Howdid commerciallobbyistsfromtheentertainment industrygainsuchastrangleholdonpolitical power?Theentertainmentindustries’key lobbygroups,especiallytheInternational FederationofPhonographicIndustries,has beenpushingfor‘threestrikes’legislation aroundtheglobeformanyyears.These pusheswerepartofabuild-uptolegislation intheUSA,whichculminatedintheSOPA andPIPAproposalsforbroadcontrolsonthe Internetandnewcensorshiptools.

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October 2012

Similarlegislationhasbeenproposedina numberofcountriestoo,reachingthestatute booksinNewZealand,FranceandSouth Korea,aswellastheUK.However,many othercountriesrejectedtheidea,including Germany,andattemptstointroduceit throughtheEUalsofailed.Theindustry can’trealisticallyhopetointroducealaw suchasthisintheUSA,soinstead,ithas triedtopersuadeISPstointroduceitthrough contractwithendusers. TheIFPIanditslocalUKbranch,theBPI, arguethattheyneedtobeabletopunishand deterillicitdownloading(‘onlinecopyright theft’).Theysaythatusersmustbedissuaded fromsharingoracquiringfileswithout payment.Theyclaimthatinvestmentwon’t beforthcomingunlessactionistakento reduceinfringement. TheyalsostatethattheUKdigitalmarket grewbynearly25percentin2011,andthat manydigitalservicesaredeliveringnew andexcitingproductstotheircustomers. AccordingtotheIFPI,peer-to-peer(P2P) infringementisdeclininginFrance,anddigital

saleshaveincreasedmorethanexpected. Othersclaimthatthemainimpacton infringementhasbeentoshiftitaround, primarilytostreamingwebsites,whichis hardertodetectrobustly. Workingthroughindustrystatisticsis notoriouslydifficult,butonefactisclear; digitalrevenuesinbothFranceandtheUK rosein2011,whileonlyoneofthesecountries wassendingletterstoallegedinfringers. ThatimpliesthattheDEActmaywellnotbe necessary,butthatdoesn’tseemtobe worryingthegovernment. Rather,thegovernment’smainconcern seemstobehonouringthecommitment madetothemusicandfilmindustriesto implementtheAct.Sofar,thathasbeenvery difficult.Internetprotestersweren’ttheonly groupthatwasunhappywiththenewAct. ISPs,especiallyBTandTalkTalk,stated thattheydidn’twanttoactastheInternet police,administeringroughjusticetotheir customers,whilebearingunwarrantedcosts. ThustheychallengedtheActthrougha JudicialReview(JR),whichhelpedtodelay

WorldMags.net

HOW IT WORKS DETECTING PEER-TO-PEER

01

Copyrightholdersemployprivate companiestodetectP2Pfilesharing.

02

Theprivatecompaniesdownloada copyofasharedfile.Theyverifyifit’s acopyofaworkwhosecopyrightisheldby theiremployer.

03 Thecopyrightowners‘lurk’onthe P2Pnetwork,andaskforpartsofthe

thecopyrightgroupstobandtogether forbulkdiscounts.

all,‘anyothergrounds’,hasbeenremoved, limitingdiscretionoftheappealsbody.

CopyrightownerssupplytheIP 02 addressandtimestampofthe

Theappealswillcostaround£400 06 eachtoadminister.Thecostisborne

allegedinfringers.ISPsmatchthese againsttheirrecordstofindoutwhose accountwasused.Thisdoesn’tidentify anactualinfringer,ofcourse–justthe accountholder.

bythecopyrightholders.

03 Onceanotificationislodgedagainst anaccount,awarningletterissent

filefromotherusers.Theytakepartsofthe copyrightfilefromotherusers,verifythat itmatches,andrecordtheIPaddressand time.Thisshouldshowthatafileisbeing activelysharedbysomeone–whocouldbe anyone–atthatIPaddress.

bypost.Warningsaresentatintervalsofat leastonemonth.

THE INITIAL OBL IGATIONS CODE

infringementnotifications.

01

Copyrightownerswillguaranteeto sendacertainnumberofletters: theyreceivebigvolumediscounts,soit willmakesensetosendalot.They’llpay 75percentofthetotalcosts,andthesum isnon-refundable.Thisalsoencourages

implementationforabouttwoyears, althoughthepoordraftingoftheActhas alsocontributedtothedelay.TheActis implementedthrough‘HenryVIII’clauses– sweepingpowerstodraftsecondary legislation(StatutoryInstruments,orSIs), whichwouldnormallyreceiveonlyminimal scrutinyinParliament. DraftingerrorsmeantthattheoriginalSIs hadtoberesubmitted,andnowthatthereal SIsaregoingtobesubmittedforwhatthe governmenthopesisafinaltime,problems arecontinuingtoemerge.Parliamentary scrutinycommitteesareaskingquestions– extremelyunusualforthistypeoflegislation, whichismeanttobeusedforunimportant administrativeactions.Unfortunately,for thehundredsofthousandsoffamiliesand businessesthatwillreceiveletters,theInitial ObligationsCode,‘Costsorders’and‘Appeals’ won’tbeunimportant.Theycouldwellbe disturbingandrequireswiftaction.

Eachwarningletterallowsthe 04 accountownertoappealagainstthe Thereareonly20daystoseekadvice, 05 preparedocumentsandfilean appeal.Theappealcosts£20,whichis refundableifit’swon.Thegroundsof appealhavebeennarrowed,andthecatch-

Thecopyrightlobbyistshavepushedhard tomakesurefewpeopleappeal,claimingthat peoplemaycampaigntostoptheCodefrom workingbybombardingitwithappeals.Asa result,only20daysisbeinggiventoappeal, whichwillbechallengingformanypeople, whowon’tunderstandwhatitallmeans. Thecopyrightownershaveasignificant financialinterestinlimitingthenumbersof appeals,asthey’llbepayingaround£400to administrateeachone.Thisillustratesthe inadequacyofsemi-privatisedjudicial processesinthiscase.Accesstojustice shouldn’tbelimitedbyfinances. TheprocesswillalsothreatenopenWiFi. AlthoughcommercialWiFiisexempted, hotels,barsandcafesarestillatriskifthey sharetheirnormalISPconnectionwith customers.Librariesarealsocampaigning strongly,butthey’vebeengivenlittlecomfort. Thiswillnowtakeyearstogetinto operation.Meanwhile,musicandfilm

WorldMags.net

Ifthreewarningsfromthesame 07 copyrightholderhavebeenlodged, theaccountisthenplacedona‘repeat infringers’list,towhichcopyrightholders canclaimaccessinordertoprosecute accountholders.

08 Thereisanexemptionfor commercialWiFioperatorssuch asTheCloud,butnotforsmallbusinesses orlibrarieswiththeirownWiFinetwork forcustomers.

THE FUTURE – DISCONNECTIONS? IfOfcomdoesn’treportasignificantdropin infringement,thegovernmentcanaddnew obligationstodisconnectaccountsfora periodoftime,orlimitaccessinotherways.

revenueskeepincreasing,butwillthe pressuretolimitandcontroltheInternet reduce?Lobbyistandgovernmentsstillwant theInternettobemorelikecableTV,often willingtopushinappropriaterestrictionsthat damageastrongandgrowingpartofthe economy.Thesepusheshavecreated backlashesintheSOPA,PIPAandACTA debates,showingthatwecanwin.Bythetime theDigitalEconomyActisinoperation,itwill seemlikeapolicyfromanother,longgone era.TheDEActisstillamess.

JIM KILLOCK

isexecutivedirectorof campaignorganisation TheOpenRightsGroup (www.openrightsgroup.org) @jimkillock

October 2012

13

Joe Martin

HappyDayZ

Arma II zombie mod DayZ has become a hit with survivalists. We talk to the mod’s creator Dean ‘Rocket’ Hall about Arma III and what comes next CPC:HowdidtheideaforDayZ originate,andareyoucloseto completingthatinitialvision? Dean:Thebasicgenesisofthe ideacamewhileIwasinthearmy,afterI’d completedmysurvivaltrainingwiththe SingaporeArmedForcesinBrunei.I’dbeen developingmyownthoughtsforhowtomake gamesand,whilethere’sstillalargechunk missing,we’recomingclosetothat. Thebiggestinspirationwasprobablythe bookTheRoadbyCormacMcCarthy,and alsomyownexperiencesinJungleSurvival training.Ifindemotionalresponsesfrom entertainmentmediumsreallycompelling, andIthinkmoviesandbookshavemanaged thisforsometime.However,itseemedto methatmainstreamgameshadbeenstuck dealingwith‘excitement’forfartoolong– withsomenotableexceptions,ofcourse. Thestuffthat’smissingismainlyrelatedto groupplayfeatures,andwhathappens once you’vemanagedtosurvive–whenyouneed tostartthriving. CPC:Wereyouinspiredbyspecificzombie booksorfilms? Dean:I’vereadaconsiderableamountof ‘zombie’fiction,butItrytostayawaynow fromcallingthecreaturesinDayZzombies, sincemanypeoplearefrustratedtheydon’t sticktozombiecanon.Itrytocallthem

14

April 2012

InDayZ,everyshotfeelsdramatic

‘infected’sothatpeoplerealisethisisan attempttotakeanewlookatthegenre withouttheoldbaggageandrestrictions.I guesstimewilltellifthisisagooddecision! CPC:HasthesuddenpopularityofDayZ causedanyproblemsforyou? Dean:It’schangedalot,andithasn’tjust affected developmentofthemod,butmy personallifeaswell.Astimehasgoneon, andtheimpactofithasbecomemore significant,it’sstartedtohaveahuge impactonmylife–somepositiveand somechallenging.I’mjusttryingtomake thebestofthesituationasitis.

CPC:Wheredoyouthinkthatpopularity camefrom?Whydoplayersliketoshare theirsurvivalstoriessomuch? Dean:Thekeywasthat,associalcreatures, welovetellingstories.Sincethedaysof antiquity,I’msurepeoplehavesataround campfiresandtoldstories.Ourgeneration hassocialmedia;that’sourcampfire. CPC:You’vespokenbeforeaboutturning DayZfromamodintoaproperrelease. Howdoyouintendtodothat? Dean:Movingfrommodtogameisadifficult process,andeachopportunityneedstobe carefullyconsidered.Thekeyissettingupthe

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We’regonnaneedabiggergun

DayZisagameof survivalandteamwork

ZOMBIES ENABLE PLAYERS TO EXPLORE SOME OF SOCIETY’S KEY FEARS, AND OUR DESIRE TO GO BACK TO BASICS

experimentsothatitcancontinue–thenwe canreallygetagoodresult.Also,theproject mustbesustainable.Asitstands,themod hasafinitelifespanbecauseit’sgrownsobig sofast.Theadministrationandupkeepisa full-timejobforseveralpeople–withoutpay. CPC:DayZisn’ttheonlyzombiegame;the marketissaturatedwiththem.Whyare zombiessopopularatthemoment? Dean:Idon’tthinkit’sasmuchtodowith zombiesaswhattheyrepresentandenable. Theyrepresentaspectsofcommonfearsthat areveryrelevantintoday’sworld.Discussing them,andparticularlyusingthemasagame narrative,givesusthefreedomtoexplorethat ‘whatif?’scenariooftheworldending. Withoutthezombiesasantagonists, youstruggletofilltheworldwithasmuch meaningfulaction.Zombiesarethemedium thatenablesplayerstoexploresomeof society’skeyfears,andinsomeways,our desiretogobacktobasics.

CPC:YouworkforBohemia asagamedesigner.Did thatinfluenceyourdecision touseArmaIIfortheDayZmod? Dean:Iwascontractedonthedevelopment ofArmaIIIasamultiplayerdesigner,not employedoutright,butthat’sanexciting project.Isupposeyoucouldsayitinfluences metoworkwithBohemia,asmyopinion aboutitbeingafantasticstudiowasconfirmed whenIstartedworkthere.Obviously,nothing isperfect,butIidentifiedwiththepassion anddesiretodosomethingdifferentthat permeateseveryaspectofthatstudio. CPC:DidyouevertrytopitchDayZasafull gameatBohemia,ratherthanamod? Dean:I’donlybeenatBohemiaInteractive forabrieftime,andjustasacontractor,so Iwasn’treallytheretopitchideas.However, IoutlinedtheworkI’dperformedon persistency,andBohemiaInteractiveis committedtolookingforexcitingwaysto developtheseries.That’swhat’ssogreat aboutthestudio;ItrulythinkBohemiaisone oftheworld’sbestkeptsecrets,andIthink

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we’llbeseeingsomeseriouslyinnovativestuff fromthereinthenextfewyears. YoucanfindoutmoreaboutDayZatwww. dayzmod.com

ThefilmTheRoad,aswell astheoriginalbook,wasa biginspirationforDayZ

April 2012

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NEW HARDWARE

We take a look at the latest newly announced products CRUCIAL LAUNCHES NEW SATA II SSDs

Yep,it’snotatypo.Crucialreallyhas launchedanewrangeofSATAIISSDs, forthesimplereasonthatevenSSDs limitedbySATAII’smaximum bandwidthof3Gb/secarestill massivelyfasterthanharddrives.BasedonaPhisonPS3105controller, and25nmMicronsynchronousMLCNAND,Crucialclaimsthenewv4 drivescanreadatupto230MB/secandwriteatupto190MB/sec.Those figuresarequotedforthe256GBversion–thewritespeeddrops dramaticallyto60MB/seconceyougetdowntothe30GBversion.The mostimpressiveaspectaboutthesedrives,however,aretheprices.The v4sareavailablenow,costing£31.99(32GB),£44.99(64GB),£63.99 (128GB)and£122.99(256GB),allincVAT.

140MM TWISTERS

Twisters,yousay?Tornados,partygames,KFCwraps,ChubbyChecker? Nope,140mmisjusttoosmall,althoughwequiteliketheideaofPocket ChubbyChecker.Inthiscase,we’retalkingaboutEnermax’sfansbasedon itspatented‘twister’bearing,whichusesamagnetandmetalballtokeep thefanbladesontheshaft.Theballistheonlypointofcontactbetweenthe shaftandtherotor,resultinginaquiet fanwithsmoothoperation.Enermax hasjustupdatedlotsofitsfanline-ups basedonthebearingwith140mm models–idealforpushingoutplenty ofairwithoutmakingtoomuchnoise. Fivenew140mmfanshavebeen introduced,fromthe£9.90fixed-speed (750rpm)T.B.Silencetothe£13.90 Everest,whichincludesathermal sensor.Thefansareavailableto purchasenow.

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ADATA REVEALS 2,400MHz RAM MemorymakerADATAhasjustlaunchedanewtop-endlineof 2,400MHzRAM(19.2GB/secbandwidth)asapartofitsXPG Gamingv2.0series.Availableinan8GB(2x4GBdual-channel) kit,ADATAsaysthememorywillrunatlatencytimingsof10-1212-31at1.65V,andthatitalsosupportsIntel’sExtremeMemory Profile(XMP)system.Thememoryalsohasaneight-layerPCB containing2ozofcopper,inordertoremoveasmuchheatas possiblefromthechips.Thekitsareavailablenowatselected retailersfor£89.99incVAT.

Pi AND ICE CREAM SANDWICH Ifyou’vemanagedtogetyourhandsonaRaspberryPi,orare onthewaitinglist,thenyoumaybewonderingwhattodo withit.We’vehadsomeofour ownideas(seeIssue106, p98),includinginstalling Debian,usingitasaNASbox andmakingaminimedia centre,buthere’sanother idea–installAndroidon it.RaspberryPihasjust announcedthatsupport forAndroid4.0(IceCream Sandwich)isonitsway,and demonstratedavideoofitin actiononthePi.‘Hardware-acceleratedgraphicsandvideo havebeenupandrunningsmoothlyforsometime,’saysthe company.‘AudioFlingersupportistheonlymajormissing pieceatthemoment’Couldthismeanthere’spotentialto makeyourowntablet?We’llbewatchingthisspaceintently.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

Lucy Sherriff

Programmable matter

Using materials that can be programmed into different shapes, could we actually create the liquid metal cyborg from Terminator 2? ssociateProfessorSethCopen Goldsteinistechnicallytryingto developprogrammablematter– materialthatcanbeprogrammed intodifferentshapes.Butreally,he’strying tosolvesomeofthehardestprogramming challengesfacingthishighlyconnected, highlydistributedworldinwhichwelive. ‘Originally,weweremotivatedbyhowlittle thingshavechangedwithcommunication. Couldwedobetterthanjustreproducinga voice,ortransmittinga2Dimage?Whynot builda3Dmodelofaspeakerandreproduce itattheotherendofacall?’This,hestresses, isn’tcloningorteleporting.‘We’retalkingon thephonerightnow,butitisn’tmysound wavesyou’rehearing.Theyhaven’tbeen teleportedtoyourear.Thosesoundwaves havebeenreproduced.We’retalkingabout doingthesamewithaphysicalform. Thisisn’tlike3Dprinting,whereyouprint outanobject,butitdoesn’tchange.Youcan printahammer,butitwon’tturnintoasaw.It isn’tdynamicphysicalrendering,something capableofbeingmorethanoneuseable object.’He’stalkingaboutobjectsmadefrom claytronicatoms,orcatomsforshort.These willbetinysiliconspheres,eventually,that self-organiseintoprettymuchanydesired shape.They’llalsobeabletochangecolour andformondemand. Let’sstartwiththehardware.Goldstein’s PhDstudent,MustafaEmreKaragozler,has demonstratedcatomsthatwillsticktoone another,communicatewithoneanother andtransferpowerbetweenthemselves. ‘Locomotionisthenextstep.We’reworking onhowtheylatchandunlatch,’Goldsteinsays. Currently,acatomiscomposedoftwolayers– asiliconshelloveranaluminiumchip.The shellismadewithphotolithographyonaflat thinfilm.Whenreleasedfromthewafer,the filmsspringnaturallyintotheirtubularshape.

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Hey,Mrliquidmetalterminator, aren’tyouasightforsoreeyes? aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?

ProfessorDanielaRus’teamatMITisalready ‘printingout’workingrobotsandtoolswithembedded electronics. PhotoByJasonDorfman,CSAIL/MIT

Thedecisiontomakethecatomsoutoftwo partsispurelyeconomical.‘Atthemoment, we’renotmakingtheelectronicsonthesame substrateastheshell,’saysGoldstein.‘It’s simplytooexpensivetomakethemallon onesurface–we’dhavetoprintentirewafers atatime,andthat’sprohibitive.Amore fundamentalissueishowwe’regoingtodeal withenvironmentalcontaminants.We’re stickingthesethingstogetherwithstatic electricity.Thatmakesthemdustmagnets. Theyneedtobeself-cleaning.’ Thegoalistomakethemsmaller.Although sub-millimetreisgoodenoughfortheforces involvedatthisstage,eventuallyProfessor Goldsteinwantscatomstobesphericaland measurearound300micronsacross.This wouldmakethemlessstableforstacking,but givesthemgreatersurfaceareas,andthus roomformoreelectronics,foragivenvolume. Soarewetalkingaboutsomethingalittle likeTerminator2’sliquid-metalmimentic polyalloy?Onethatcan’tformcomplex movingparts,butmightjustbeabletomake

knives and stabbing knivesandstabbing weapons? Well, sort of, but weapons?Well,sortof,but not quite. For a start, it’s notquite.Forastart,it’s going to be really expensive. goingtobereallyexpensive. Even some way down the Evensomewaydownthe line, Professor Goldstein line,ProfessorGoldstein says, it will cost a substantial says,itwillcostasubstantial sum.Weclearlywon’tbetalkingfull-sized humanreplicasforsometime. However,thatdoesn’tmeantherearen’t immediatelyobviousapplicationsfor smallerquantitiesofit.Forexample,space explorationmissions,wherepayloadmass isofcriticalimportance(andvastexpense) aclaytronichammer/spanner/whatever youneedwouldmakealotofsense.When spaceisthatconstrained,whysendmultiple instrumentswhenyoucansendalumpof catomsthancanbeallofthem? ProfessorGoldsteinalsosuggestsitcould havemedicalapplications.‘Itcouldpotentially formthesurgeon’stoolsinsidethebody, performtheoperationandthencomeback outthroughthehypodermicneedle.Itwould makeminoroperationsmuchsimpler,and wouldremovetheneedforsterilerooms.Ican reallyseethishappeninginthenearterm.’ Thisisstillsomewayoff.Plus,whilethe loftyresearchgoalssoundcool,Goldstein saystheresearchismostlymotivatedbya softwareproblem.‘Wehavealotofsoftware inourlives,evenwhenwedon’trealiseit.If wecansolvetheproblemofcontrollingthe catoms,wecanimpactdirectlyonagreat numberofreal-worldsoftwareproblems. ‘Wehavealotofhighlydistributedsystems. Ifsomethingbadhappensatapowerplant, forexample,youwantthesystemtoknow aboutitandautomaticallycompensate;air trafficcontrolisanothergloballydistributed

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Centimetre-scaleclaytronicscatom prototypessticktooneanother,andmove aroundeachotherviaelectromagnets. It’shopedthatfuturecatomswill measurejust300micronsacross

system;theInternet.Butthesoftwareforall isfullofwonderfulchallengesand origamirobots–self-assemblingmachines theseisbrittle–itreliesoneachnodehaving discoveries.AsRussays,it’s‘aninteresting thatbuildthemselvesfromaflatsheet. itsownaddress.’ scientificquestionthathasthepotentialto Backin2010,thisworkhadprogressedas Claytronicswon’tworklikethat.Each revealnewinsightsaboutautonomy. farasbeingabletostartflatandmakepaper catomwillhavenoconceptofitslocation ‘Theapplicationpotentialisgreat–an boatsandairplanes.Nottobesniffedat,for withinastructure.Instead,Goldstein’s objectthatcanself-assemblebyfoldingcan sure,butit’snowmovedon.ProfessorRus teamistakinganembryogenicapproachto beshippedflatinacompactwayand,on explainsthat‘insteadofdesigningonesheet controllingthesystem,modellingitswork arrivalatitsdestination,itcantakethe3D ofmaterialthatwillbeabletoachieveany onthemostmassivelydistributed,complex, shapeitneedstodeliverthedesiredfunction. shapewewant,muchlikeanorigamisheet, self-organisingsystemimaginable:DNA. Currentprintingtechnologyisunableto wewouldliketostartwiththedesired ‘Howdogenesproduceanimals?’heasks. produceobjectswithembeddedsensing, shapeandfunction.Forexample,youcould ‘Howdoesthatcellknowitneedstobea actuators,computationandcommunication, havearobotthatcancrawlthroughrubble, hair,aleaforabranch?Individualcatoms sowehavetodevelopnewprocessesthat andautomaticallydesigntheoptimalsheet needtocooperatewithoutwritten allowustodothis.’ programmesforeachone.’ Currently,thefocusisonmakingthe GOLDSTEIN’S TEAM IS TAKING robotsworktospec,althoughfuture Thechallengehefacesisthesame asthatfacinganyonewritingcodefor AN EMBRYOGENIC APPROACH robotsmightbemoreresponsive. amulti-coremachine:writinga ‘Thistechnologymaybeapplicablefor TO CONTROLLING THE SYSTEM, creatingrobotsthatcanmorphfrom programthattakesadvantageof MODELLING THE WORK ON DNA oneshapeintoanother,butourcurrent theprocessor’sabilitytoprocessin parallelwithoutendingupindeadlock, goalistooptimisethedesignand whereeachroutineiswaitingfortheother fabricationofoneshapethatmeetstheuser’s geometrythatcanself-assembleasadevice tofinish,orlivelock,whereeachroutine high-levelspecs,’Russays.‘Iftherobotis capableofthedesiredhigh-levelfunction’. performsitsaction;however,neithermakes designedtowalkthroughrubblethenit ThesheetsaremadefromPEEK(Polyether progressbecausetheybothhavetoconstantly shouldwalkthroughrubble;ifithastoplay etherketone)–arobustbiomaterialusedin changeasaresultoftheother’saction. withyourcat,itshouldplaywithyourcat.’ medicalimplants,compressorplatevalves This,forGoldstein,isthemotivating Andifit’sdesignedtotravelintothepastto andcableinsulation,amongmanyother example:beingabletowriteconcurrent,faulteliminatetheconsequencesoftimetravel applications.‘Wealsoembedtheelectronics tolerantsystemswithbillionsofcomponents. paradoxes?We’llhavetowaitandsee. inthismaterial,’Rusnotes.AlthoughPEEK ‘Beingabletoprovethatyourprogramisfree isrobust,itdoeshaveafailurepoint,andthis oftheseissuesistheholygrailofthiskindof limitsthekindsoftasksanypotentialprinted programming.ThelanguageweuseisMELD, robotmightbeabletoachieve.Beyondthat, andwecanprovethatforasystemofmillions thematerialandembeddedelectronics– isajournalistwitha ofunits,oursystemisdeadlockandlivelock computation,actuation,sensingandsoon– degreeinastrophysics free,’Goldsteinsays. dictatetherangeoffunctionsthatcanbe whoknowsallaboutthe Thereareotherkindsofprogrammable deliveredbytheself-foldedobject. latestscientifictech. matter,though,andProfessorDanielaRus LikeProfessorGoldstein,Rusiseagerto atMITisworkingatabiggerscalewithout setherworkinawidercontext.Asmuchas @lucysherriff catoms.Instead,she’sdevelopingprintable theresearchgoaliscool,thepathtothatgoal

LUCY SHERRIFF

WorldMags.net

October 2012

19

Gareth Halfacree looks at the latest mobile hardware

ARM vs x86

ARM chips account for over 95 per cent of the mobile market, but why? Let’s analyse the ARM and x86 architectures ntelistheundisputedleader ofthedesktopandlaptop CPUmarket,withthemost recentfiguresestimating that80.2percentofallprocessor shipmentscomefromthecompany. Intheembeddedandlow-power market,however,it’sabitplayer: chipsbasedondesignsfromARM,a Britishcompanybornoutoftheashes ofAcornComputers,accountforthe overwhelmingmajorityofprocessors inthemobilemarket. Intelisn’tcomfortablewiththis situation,andthecompanyhasmade significantmovesinrecentyearsto ARM’sprocessor assaultthemobilemarketfromthe designsare becoming unfamiliarpositionoftheunderdog. increasingly ThedifferencesbetweenARMand complex,whileIntel’s Intelarefargreaterthanthose Atomgrowssimpler betweenIntelanditsnearestdesktop rival,AMD;theyalsoextendbeyonddifferent designofrivalchipsfromcompaniessuchas businesspracticestotheveryarchitectureon MotorolaandIntel.Despiteindustry-leading whichtheprocessorsarebased.Butwhat innovations,thefirstARMchipsweren’ta differencedoesitmaketotheconsumer? commercialsuccess;Acorn’sArchimedes andRiscPCproductlineswouldusethechips, THE ORIGINS OF ARM butonlyDigitalEquipmentCorporation(DEC) ARMHoldings,thecompanyresponsiblefor wouldlicensethetechnology.EvenApple,a thearchitecturethat’sprovedsosuccessful partnerintheARMproject,refusedtousethe forlow-powerdevices,wasn’talwaysknown chipinitsdesktopcomputers. asARM.Launchedasanin-houseproject tocreateacustomprocessorforBritish microcomputingpioneerAcorn,Acorn RISCMachines(laterrebadgedasAdvanced RISCMachineswhenAcornwasdelisted fromthestockexchangeafterthegreat microcomputercrashof1984)was incorporatedin1990asajointventure betweenAcorn,AppleandVLSITechnology. ARM’sprimarydesignpoint,andthefocus forleadengineerSophieWilson, wasto createlow-power,energy-efficientCPUsasa Intel’sdecisiontocreateanAtomSoCdesigngivesit majorcompetitiontopitchagainstARM’sIP responsetowhatwasseenasthewasteful

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October 2012

ARMchips’simplifieddesignand reducedinstructionsetcomputer (RISC)architecturemeantthatthey drewsignificantlylesspowerthan rivalprocessors,however,andas companiesstartedtodeveloppersonal digitalassistants(PDAs),andother precursorstotoday’stabletsand smartphones,thechipslooked increasinglytempting.Fastforwardto today,andARMboastsamarketshare insmartphonesandtabletsofover95 percent,whilehavingalmostzero presenceelsewhere–exactlythe oppositeofIntel.

ARM’S ADVANTAGES However,whatmakesARM’sdesigns sopopularforlow-powercomputing? Thecompanycertainlyhasadifferent approachtothemarketfromthatof Intel,wherethelatterproducesitsownchips; ARMproducesnophysicalgoodswhatsoever. Instead,itlicensesitsintellectualproperty(IP) tothirdpartieswhocaneitherstartbuilding ARM-basedprocessorsimmediatelyusing anoff-the-pegdesign,orbuildonARM’swork tocreateacustomchip.ARM’slicensees includeApple,Marvell,Nvidia,Texas Instruments,andatonepoint,evenIntelitself. Asimpledifferenceintacticscan’taccount forARM’sstellarsuccess,however.Perhaps thebiggestcontributortoARM’sdomination ofthemobilemarketcomesfromthe architectureitself.Basedonareduced instructionset,Wilsonandhiscolleague SteveFurbertriedtoreplicatetheefficiency ofMOSTechnology’s6502chip,whichhada morestreamlinedapproachthanthatof complexinstructionsetcomputer(CISC) competitorsusedbyIntel.Inshort,fewer instructionsmeansfewertransistors. WhileIntel’s80286designpacked134,000

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Intel’snewAtomSoCsareexpectedto gainasmallbutimportantfootholdinthe mobilemarket

THE CURRENT MARKET transistors,thefirstproduction Inteliscageyaboutdetailingthe ARMprocessordesign–ARM2– numberoftransistorsinitsAtom outperformeditwithjust30,000 Z2460SoC,butweknowithasa transistors. 12x12mmpackage-on-package Fewertransistorsalsomean (PoP)design.ThatprovesIntel acheaper,smallerchip,andthese canshrinkitspartsenoughto arekeyconsiderationsinmobile competewithcompaniessuchas computing.Fewertransistorsalso Samsung,whichmakesaseries meanalowerpowerdraw,with of12x12mmARMpartsinthe extendedbatterylifefarbeyond Exynosfamily;Qualcommwas whatcanbeofferedbyaCISCpowerusage–arebeingpitchedasa managing14x14mmpackageswhenitused baseddesignusingasimilar majorcompetitortoARM’sdesignsinthe a45nmprocessforitsSnapdragonS1family. manufacturingprocess. burgeoningtabletandsmartphonemarkets. Intelstillhassomewaytogo,however.The ARM,throughitsmultifariouslicensees, ItsmostrecentAtomproduct,theAtom current-generationAtomSoCmightbea wasalsoanearlyadopteroftheconceptof ‘Medfield’Z2460,isaSoCthat’salreadywon similarsizetoitsARM-basedcounterparts, system-on-chip(SoC)design.Wherea supportinsmartphonesandtabletsfrom butthiswasachievedbycuttingafewcorners. traditionalprocessorrequiresmultiple Lenovo,AsusandAcer. WhereSamsung’sExynospartsaredual-or supportingcomponents,suchasthe Intel’sattempttofightbackagainstARM quad-core,theAtomZ2640hasjustonecore. NorthbridgeandSouthbridge,anSoCpacks hasbeenhelpedbyashiftinprocessor Althoughdual-corepartsareduefromIntel, asmuchofthisaspossibleintoasinglechip. design:whereolderx86chipswerepure ithasn’tyetrevealedtheirsize,orwhateffect Byallowingmanufacturerstoconcentrateon CISCdesigns,modernchipshavemore theextracorewillhaveonpowerdraw. theuser-facingelementsofdesign,while incommonwiththeRISCmethodology WhileIntelisworkingonshrinkingitsparts simplydroppinginasinglechipthathandles preferredbyARM,withaCISCoverlayused anddevelopingcompetitiveSoCdesigns, centralprocessing,graphicsprocessing,bus ARMislookingtobreakintoIntel’s processing,communicationsand primarymarket.ThelatestARMv8 more,ARMbecamethesimplest FEWER INSTRUCTIONS MEANS instructionsetintroduces64-bit chipsetuponthemarket.Although somemanufacturersstillpreferto FEWER TRANSISTORS, AND FEWER supportforthefirsttime,alongwith producepureornear-pureARM TRANSISTORS MEANS CHEAPER hardwarevirtualisationinstructions andotherfeaturesthatmakeit CPUs,heavilyintegratedSoC AND SMALLER CHIPS suitableforuseinservers.Withthe designssuchasthosefrom growthofcloudcomputingspurring Qualcommaccountforalarge toprovidecompatibilitywithexistingx86 interestinso-calledmicroservers,Intelcould chunkofthemarket. code.Asaresult,Intelcanshrinkitsdesigns befightingoffARMinitsmostprofitable INTEL FIGHTS BACK considerably,andwhileit’sunlikelydroptothe market,evenasittriestobreakintoARM’s IntelisnostrangertotheadvantagesofARM’s priceofarivalARMchip,Intelalsohashuge mobilestronghold.Inshort,ARM’sdesigns RISC-baseddesign,ofcourse.Aspartofa cashreservesonitsside. arebecomingmorecomplex,whileIntelis lawsuitsettlementwithDEC,Intelgained ARM’slicensingmodelmeansthat,despite simplifyingitsown.ThelinesbetweenRISC anARMlicenceandusedittoproduceits itshugepopularity,ithasrazor-thinmargins. andCISChaveneverbeensoblurred. StrongARMprocessorsfortheearlyPDAand ARM’srevenueforthelastquarterwas£209.4 embeddedmarkets.Thatlicencewouldlater million,whileIntel’swas£8.3billionoverthe besoldtoMarvell,withIntelpreferringto sameperiod.ARM’slicensingmodelmeans concentrateonitsownx86architecture. significantlyloweroperatingcosts,ofcourse, isthenewsreporterat Foralongtime,IntelallowedARMto buttheresultisclearintheprofitfigures: www.bit-tech.net.He dominatethelow-powerembeddedmarket, £61.9millioncomparedtoIntel’s£1.7billion. knowsallabout the butinthepastfewyearsthecompanyhas ThatextracashgivesInteltheroomtoinvest latestnewsinPCandmobiletech. beenhittingback.Althoughoriginally inresearchanddevelopment,whichisslowly designedforthenetbookmarket,Intel’sAtom butsurelybringingthecompanycloseto @ghalfacree processors–x86CISCchipsdesignedforlowparitywithitsBritishrival.

GARETH HALFACREE

WorldMags.net

October 2012

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Our choice of the best hardware available A You don’t have to spend an astronomical sum to get a decent PC. Our stunning value build includes 4GB of branded memory and a quad-core AMD Llano APU with integrated graphics MOTHERBOARD

B

APU

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PSU

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COOLING

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OPTICAL DRIVE

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OPERATING SYSTEM

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REVIEWED

PRICE (inc VAT)

A

Antec One

www.overclockers.co.uk

www.antec.com

Issue 108, p36

£45

B

Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H

www.lambda-tek.com

www.gigabyte.com

Issue 98, p34

£64

C

AMD A8-3870K Black Edition

www.aria.co.uk

www.amd.com

Issue 104, p38

£88

D

4GB Crucial Ballistix Sport PC3-12800C9

www.overclockers.co.uk

www.crucial.com

Issue 100, p96

£26

E

Gelid Tranquillo Rev.2

www.scan.co.uk

www.gelidsolutions.com

Issue 100, p86

£25

F

Thermaltake SP-530PCWEU

www.scan.co.uk

www.thermaltake.com

Issue 97, p72

£52

G

500GB Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002

www.scan.co.uk

www.seagate.com

Issue 104, p72

£50

H

Lite-On IHAS124-19

www.cclonline.com

www.liteonit.eu

Issue 99, p108

£13

I

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

www.amazon.co.uk

www.microsoft.com

Issue 75, p46

£110

TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE

web, use office application Unbeatable value for money - browse the content with this amazing PC! 24

April 2012

£473

and enjoy HD

AMD E2-3500 CPU, 4GB DDR3 Memory, 1000GB Hard Drive WorldMags.net DVD Drive, 1 Year Warranty

A As Core i7 motherboards and high-end graphics cards command a premium price, here are some components for a Core i5 PC that offer great performance and won’t break the bank MOTHERBOARD

CPU

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SilverStone Raven RV03

www.scan.co.uk

www.silverstonetek.com

Issue 103, p70

£104

B

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H

www.aria.co.uk

www.gigabyte.com

Issue 108, p38

£78

C

Intel Core i5-3570K

www.scan.co.uk

www.intel.co.uk

Issue 106, p36

£172

D

8GB Patriot G2 PGD38G1600ELK

www.amazon.co.uk

www.patriotmemory.com

Issue 106, p40

£38

E

Arctic Freezer i30

www.dabs.com

www.arctic.ac

Issue104, p48

£28

F

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB

www.amazon.co.uk

www.sapphiretech.com

Issue 105, p40

£208

G

Thermaltake SP-530PCWEU

www.scan.co.uk

www.thermaltake.com

Issue 97, p72

£52

H

Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001

www.scan.co.uk

www.seagate.com

Issue 104, p75

£78

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Asus Xonar DG

www.dabs.com

http://uk.asus.com

Issue 99, p108

£24

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Samsung SSD 830 128GB

www.scan.co.uk

www.samsung.com

Issue 104, p68

£79

K

Lite-On IHAS124-19

www.cclonline.com

www.liteonit.eu

Issue 99, p108

£15

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Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

www.amazon.co.uk

www.microsoft.com

Issue 75, p46

£110

TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE

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£986

www.cclonline.com Call us on 08000 50 10 10 April 2012 25

M o n i t o r s a n d d e s k t o p b u n d l e s a r e a v a i l a b l e s e p a r a t e l y.

Our choice of the best hardware available A This PC has the potential to be the finest gaming machine you can find – as well as an excellent all-round computer for office work, digital photography, video production and media playback MOTHERBOARD

CPU

B

C

PSU

RAM

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A

SilverStone Fortress FT02B-W USB 3.0

www.scan.co.uk

www.silverstonetek.com

Issue 85, p88

£188

B

Asus Maximus V Gene

www.scan.co.uk

http://uk.asus.com

Issue 106, p64

£153

C

Intel Core i5-3570K

www.scan.co.uk

www.intel.co.uk

Issue 106, p36

£172

D

8GB Patriot G2 PGD38G1600ELK

www.amazon.co.uk

www.patriotmemory.com

Issue 106, p40

£38

E

Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced

www.scan.co.uk

www.be-quiet.net

Issue 91, p74

£41

F

PNY GeForce GTX 680 2GB

www.scan.co.uk

www3.pny.com

Issue 105, p36

£408

G

Corsair Professional Series HX 650

www.dabs.com

www.corsair.com

Issue 97, p79

£90

H

Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001

www.scan.co.uk

www.seagate.com

Issue 104, p75

£78

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Asus Xonar DX

www.scan.co.uk

http://uk.asus.com

Issue 80, p63

£58

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Samsung SSD 830 256GB

www.scan.co.uk

www.samsung.com

Issue 104, p68

£150

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Lite-On IHAS123-19

www.cclonline.com

www.liteonit.eu

Issue 99, p108

£13

L

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

www.amazon.co.uk

www.microsoft.com

Issue 75, p46

£110

TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE

£1,499

generation Intel Core i3 Processor Great home PC powered by the second and 4GB of DDR3 memory! 26

April 2012

Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz CPU, 4GB DDR3 Memory, GeForce GT 520 WorldMags.net 500GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Built-in Wi-Fi, 1 Year On Site Warranty

A The most awesome components around, before reaching workstation territory. We’ve included a dual 120mm liquid cooler kit as a base example, but the case has space for a variety of water-cooling setups MOTHERBOARD

CPU

B

C

PSU

G

D

SOLID STATE DRIVE

H

GRAPHICS CARD

RAM

E

SOUND CARD

I

COOLING

F

HARD DISK

J

OPERATING SYSTEM

K

NAME

SUPPLIER

MANUFACTURER

REVIEWED

PRICE (inc VAT)

A

SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W

www.scan.co.uk

www.silverstonetek.com

Issue 63, p87

£263

B

Asus Maximus V Gene

www.scan.co.uk

http://uk.asus.com

Issue 106, p64

£153

C

Intel Core i7-3770K

www.scan.co.uk

www.intel.co.uk

Issue 106, p36

£251

D

8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis KHX1866C11D3P1K2/8G

www.overclockers.co.uk

www.kingston.com

Issue 106, p40

£50

E

Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 2GB

www.scan.co.uk

www.nvidia.com

Issue 106, p46

£840

F

Corsair H100

www.scan.co.uk

www.corsair.com

Issue 91, p 74

£83

G

Antec High Current Pro HCP-750

www.scan.co.uk

www.antec.com

Issue 97, p78

£129

H

OCZ Vertex 4 256GB

www.ebuyer.co.uk

www.ocztechnology.com

Issue 107, p44

£178

I

Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro

www.aria.co.uk

www.uk.europe.creative.com

Issue 62, p61

£78

J

Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM0001

www.scan.co.uk

www.seagate.com

Issue 104, p75

£78

K

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

www.amazon.co.uk

www.microsoft.com

Issue 75, p46

£110

TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE

£2,213

www.cclonline.com 10 10 WorldMags.net Call us on 08000 50 April 2012 27 M o n i t o r s a n d d e s k t o p b u n d l e s a r e a v a i l a b l e s e p a r a t e l y.

Our choice of the best hardware available

TYPE

GRAPHICS CARD

GRAPHICS CARD

GRAPHICS CARD

NAME

Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB

Sapphire Radeon HD 7870

PNY GeForce GTX 680 2GB

www.dabs.com

www.amazon.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.sapphiretech.com

www.sapphiretech.com

www3.pny.com

Issue 102, p61

Issue 105, p40

Issue 105, p36

£135

£208

£408

SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

CPU

MOTHERBOARD

COOLER

RAM

Intel Core i5-3570K

Asus Maximus V Gene

Arctic Freezer i30

8GB Patriot G2 PGD38G1600ELK

SUPPLIER

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.dabs.com

www.amazon.co.uk

MANUFACTURER

www.intel.co.uk

http://uk.asus.com

www.arctic.ac

www.patriotmemory.com

Issue 106, p36

Issue 106, p64

Issue 104, p48

Issue 106, p40

£172

£153

£28

£38

TYPE NAME

REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

s, Bigger Hard Drive - Better Deal! phic Gra ter Bet d lve evo PC ing gam Our best selling 28

April 2012

AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, AMD Radeon HD 7770 WorldMags.net 1000GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Built-in Wi-Fi, 2 Years Warranty

TYPE

CPU

MOTHERBOARD

COOLER

RAM

NAME

Intel Core i7-3930K

Asus Sabertooth X79

Corsair H80

16GB Corsair Vengeance CAS9 DDR3

www.novatech.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.dabs.com

www.dabs.com

www.intel.co.uk

http://uk.asus.com

www.corsair.com

www.corsair.com

Issue 101, p32

Issue 101, p70

Issue 101, p86

Issue 101, p40

PRICE(incVAT)

£435

£257

£72

£80

TYPE

CPU

MOTHERBOARD

COOLER

RAM

AMD A8-3870K

Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H

Gelid Tranquillo Rev.2

4GB Crucial Ballistix Sport PC3-12800C9

SUPPLIER

www.aria.co.uk

www.lambda-tek.com

www.scan.co.uk

www.overclockers.co.uk

MANUFACTURER

www.amd.com

www.gigabyte.com

www.gelidsolutions.com

www.crucial.com

REVIEWED

Issue 104, p38

Issue 98, p34

Issue 100, p86

Issue 100, p96

£88

£64

£25

£26

SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED

NAME

PRICE(incVAT)

www.cclonline.com 10 10 WorldMags.net Call us on 08000 50 April 2012 29 M o n i t o r s a n d d e s k t o p b u n d l e s a r e a v a i l a b l e s e p a r a t e l y.

Our choice of the best hardware available

LGA1155 CPU WATERBLOCK

GEFORCE GTX 680 WATERBLOCK

RADEON HD 7970 WATERBLOCK

DUAL 120MM RADIATOR

XSPC RayStorm CPU

XSPC Razor GTX680

Aquacomputer aquagrATIx for HD 7970

Alphacool NexXxos UT60 Full Copper 240mm

www.aquatuning.co.uk

www.aquatuning.co.uk

www.aquatuning.co.uk

www.aquatuning.co.uk

www.xs-pc.com

www.xs-pc.com

www.aquacomputer.de

www.alphacool.com

Issue 107, p60

Issue 107, p65

Issue 107, p67

Issue 107, p72

£51

£90

£76

£50

TYPE

BUDGET CASE

MICRO-ATX CASE

AIR-COOLING CASE

WATER-COOLING CASE

NAME

Antec One

SilverStone TJ08-E

SilverStone Raven RV03

SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W

www.overclockers.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.antec.com

www.silverstonetek.com

www.silverstonetek.com

www.silverstonetek.com

Issue 108, p36

Issue 98, p48

Issue 103, p70

Issue 63, p87

£45

£82

£104

£263

TYPE NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

in Blu-Ray drive, low profile design, The ultimate media PC, with its built super quiet cooling and good looks! 30

April 2012

AMD E-450 1.65GHzCPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, 1000GB Hard Drive WorldMags.net Blu-ray Drive, Built-in Wi-Fi, 1 Year On Site Warranty

TYPE NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

530W PSU

650W PSU

750W PSU

1.2kW PSU

Thermaltake SP-530PCWEU

Corsair Professional Series HX 650

Antec High Current Pro HCP-750

Antec High Current Pro 1200W

www.scan.co.uk

www.dabs.com

www.scan.co.uk

www.ebuyer.com

www.thermaltake.com

www.corsair.com

www.antec.com

www.antec.com

Issue 97, p72

Issue 97, p79

Issue 97, p78

Issue 96, p48

£52

£90

£129

£228

TYPE

HARD DISK

SSD

NAS BOX

NAME

Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001

Samsung SSD 830 256GB

Synology DiskStation DS212j

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.dabs.com

www.seagate.com

www.samsung.com

www.synology.com

Issue 104, p75

Issue 104, p68

Issue 104, p50

£78

£150

£160

SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

www.cclonline.com 10 10 WorldMags.net Call us on 08000 50 April 2012 31 M o n i t o r s a n d d e s k t o p b u n d l e s a r e a v a i l a b l e s e p a r a t e l y.

Our choice of the best hardware available

TYPE

24IN MONITOR

27IN MONITOR

TRIPLE-MONITOR STAND

NAME

Dell UltraSharp U2412M

Dell UltraSharp U2711

XFX Triple Display Monitor Stand

www.scan.co.uk

www.aria.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

MANUFACTURER

www.dell.com

www.dell.co.uk

www.xfxforce.com

REVIEWED

Issue 105, p64

Issue 81, p56

Issue 96, p58

£227

£525

£299

SUPPLIER

PRICE(incVAT)

TYPE

SOUND CARD

2.1 SPEAKERS

HEADSET

5.1 SPEAKERS

NAME

Asus Xonar DX

Corsair SP2500

Asus Vulcan ANC

Logitech Z906

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.ebuyer.com

http://uk.asus.com

www.corsair.com

http://uk.asus.com

www.logitech.com

Issue 80, p63

Issue 92, p79

Issue 98, p57

Issue 102, p50

£58

£184

£76

£250

SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE(incVAT)

d - Bet Our best selling Intel gaming PC evolve

32

April 2012

ter Graphics - Bigger Hard Drive

Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3 Memory, NVIDIA GeForce WorldMags.net GTX 560Ti, 1000GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, 2 Years Warranty

TYPE

KEYBOARD

MOUSE

STEERING WHEEL

JOYSTICK

NAME

Mionix Zibal 60

Maonix Naos 3200

Logitech G27

Logitech Flight System G940

www.lambda-tek.com

www.overclockers.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

www.mionix.net

www.mionix.net

www.logitech.com

www.logitech.com

Issue 108, p71

Issue 108, p60

Issue 92, p108

Issue 92, p109

PRICE(incVAT)

£106

£35

£200

£228

TYPE

RPG

FPS

STRATEGY

UNDERDOG

NAME

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Frozen Synapse

Trine 2

DEVELOPER

www.bethsoft.com

www.square-enix.com

www.mode7games.com

http://frozenbyte.com

PUBLISHER

Bethesda

www.square-enix.com

www.mode7games.com

http://frozenbyte.com

REVIEWED

Issue 101, p100

Issue 98, p96

Issue 96, p92

Issue 102, p98

£30

£30

£19 for two

£12

SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED

PRICE(incVAT)

www.cclonline.com 10 10 WorldMags.net Call us on 08000 50 April 2012 33 M o n i t o r s a n d d e s k t o p b u n d l e s a r e a v a i l a b l e s e p a r a t e l y.

Our in-depth analysis of the latest PC hardware

MAXIMUS V AEROCOOL 36 ASUS 40 STRIKE-X FORMULA AIR

DESIGN 42 FRACTAL DEFINE R4

WepitchAsus’flagship againstEVGA’sequivalent

It’sacase,butnotaswe knowit

44 ARDUINO LEONARDO

ACCELERO SELF46 ARCTIC 50 SHARKFIN HYBRID MOLDINGEARBUDS

Amicrocontrollerthat’s perfectforadvancedmods

Anall-in-oneGPUwatercoolerforjust£105

STICKEMS 50 Nomoreusingyour 50 WARHAMMER INVASION

mankyt-shirttocleanyour phonescreen

A£90casethat’s attractivelyunderstated

Wecan’tstopplayingthis fantasycardgame

Stopyourearphones fallingoutofyourears

51

GOOGLE NEXUS 7 Jumpontothe tabletbandwagonforjust £159incVAT 36

34

October 2012

WorldMags.net

HOWWETEST,P48

EVGA Z77 FTW

IsEVGA’snewsuperhigh-endZ77 motherboardreallyheading ‘forthewin’? 36 WorldMags.net

October 2012

35

ASUS MAXIMUS V EXTREME AND EVGA Z77 FTW When you absolutely have to have the fastest PC in the room, accept no substitutes ASUS MAXIMUS V EXTREME EXTREME Faster; easy to overclock; great EFI; lots of extras MUNDANE Pricey; little real-world speed advantage over cheaper boards HOW MUCH? ASUS MAXIMUS V EXTREME Price£312incVAT Supplierwww.scan.co.uk Manufacturer http://rog.asus.com

IN DETAIL ChipsetIntelZ77 CPUsupportLGA1155Core i3,Corei5,Corei7,Pentium andCeleron Memorysupport4slots:max 32GBDDR3(upto3,200MHz) ExpansionslotsFive16x PCI-E3.0slot(oneat16xor fiveat8x),one1xPCI-E2 slot, one1xmini-PCI-E2slot SoundRealtekALC8987.1 NetworkingIntelGigabit Ethernet,on-boardWiFi, on-boardBluetooth OverclockingBaseclock80– 300MHz,CPUMultiplier3663;maxvoltages,CPU1.92V, RAM1.92V,PLL2.5V Ports3xSATA3Gbps(Z77),1 xmSATA3Gbps(Z77)2xSATA 6Gbps(Z77),4xSATA6Gbps (ASMedia)1xPS/2,8xUSB2 (Z77),4xUSB3(Z77),4xUSB 3(ASMedia)LAN,4x surroundaudioout,linein, mic,opticalS/PDIFout, HDMI,DisplayPort, Thunderbolt Dimensions(mm)305x272 (EATX)

36

October 2012

W

hilethevastmajorityofusplumpfor sensiblehardwareatsensibleprices, thereareotherswhoseidealPC isabankbalance-destroying, electricitybill-manglinggiantofmultiGPUengineering.Thisreviewthenisthe latter,aswepittwoofthemostpremium Z77boardsagainsteachother–theAsus MaximusVExtremeandEVGAZ77FTW. TheExtremeisthelargerat305mmx272mmand, asAsus’currentflagshipboard,it’sstuffedwithextras tocomplementtheZ77chipset.Alongsidethetwo largebanksofVRMsandaccompanyingaluminium heatsinks,theExtremesportsfivePCI-Egraphics slots,runningoneat16xorfiveat8x.Theseslotsare connectedtoaPLXsplittingchipbeneaththebacklit RepublicofGamerslogo,whichenablestheboardto supportupto4-waySLIandCrossFireX.There’salso asingle1xPCI-E2slot,butthisisblockedifyouopt fora4-waySLIdual-slotGPUsetup. Elsewhere,thereareon-boardpowerand resetbuttons,aPOSTcodereader,adualBIOS arrangementwithanon-boardswitchandaraftof extrasforprofessionaloverclockers.Theserange fromAsus’SubzeroSenseports,whichenableyou toaccuratelymonitorsystemtemperatureswhen coolingwithLN2,toaVGAhotwirearrayofpin-outs forsolderingonyourownvoltageregulators.These aren’tparticularlyusefulfeaturesunlessyouhavea canofLN2 onhandthough. MorepracticalisasetofPCI-Edebugswitches, withwhichyoucanenableanddisablePCI-Eslots. Therearealsoon-boardWi-FiandBluetooth,andthe inclusionofAsus’OC-Key.TheOCkeyisparticularly handy,connectingtoyourDVIoutput

EVGAZ77FTW

AsusMaximus VExtreme

anddisplayingavisualoverlayshowingreal-time clockspeedsandtemperatures. TheExtremeisalsothefirstboardwe’veseenwith Intel’sThunderboltport.Itspeakbi-directionalspeed of10Gb/sec(1.25GB/sec)andabilitytodaisy-chain bothdisplayandstoragedevicesmakesitan intriguingproposition,notonethat’sessentialyet. There’salsotherequisitetruck-loadofUSBand SATAports.TherearI/OoffersfourUSB3portsand fourUSB2ports,withanextrafourofeachavailable viaon-boardheadersintheboard’slowerright-hand corner.AsushasexpandedontheusualfourSATA 3GbpsandtwoSATA6GbpsportsoftheZ77chipset too,withanASMediacontrollerofferinganadditional (albeitslower)fourSATA6Gbpsports.There’salsoan mSATAconnectionviaadaughterboardconnectedat thetopoftherearI/Opane,belowwhichyou’llfinda CMOSresetandBIOSflashbackswitches. AsAsus’designated‘bonkersboard’(notan officialtitle),theExtremealsocarriesextrapower connectors.The8-pinEPS12Vconnectorisjoinedby anoptional4-pinconnector,whilea6-pinPCI-E connectorsitsabovetheexpansionslots formultiplegraphicscards. Basically,it’sthemost comprehensively featuredboardwe’ve handledtodate. Incomparison,EVGA’s Z77FTWoffersfewerfeatures,butstill distinguishesitselfasasuper-high-endboard.

WorldMags.net

LGA1155 MOTHERBOARDS

Insteadofusingawraparoundarrayof AsusMaximus VRMs,theZ77FTW’ssinglelargebanksitsto VExtreme theleftoftheCPUsocket,cooledviaasingle largealuminiumheatsink. Ittoosportsfivefull-sized16xPCI-E3 slots,runningwitheitheroneslotat16x,or fiveat8x.There’salsoasingle1xPCI-E2slot but,aswiththeAsus,thisisblockedifyoukit outtheboardwiththefullcomplementof fourdual-slotgraphicscards. On-boardextrasincludeatriple-BIOS switch,power,resetandCMOS-clear buttons,aPOSTcodereaderthatdoublesas aCPUtemperaturereadout,andanactively cooledchipset,courtesyofalow-profile 40mmfan.There’salsoahandyarrayof switchesforenabling/disablingthePCI-E slots–usefulfortroubleshootingmulti-GPU EVGAZ77FTW setups–andanarrayofvoltageread-out pinsabovetheDIMMslots. Lookingtotherearoftheboard,theEVGA hassixUSB2portsandfourUSB3ports (withanotherfourUSB2andtwoUSB3ports availableviano-boardheaders),alongsidea pairofeSATAportspoweredbyaMarvell controller.DualMarvell1Gb/secEthernet ports(comparedtotheExtreme’ssingleIntel 1Gb/secport)andaCMOSresetswitchare alsousefuladditions.Meanwhile,on-board displayoutputishandledbyasingleminiDisplayPortconnector. TheZ77FTWalsoboastslotsofadditional powerconnectorsforusewhenextreme overclockingorifyouusemultiplegraphics Extremeboostedto3.9GHzregardless.Thissaw cards.Nexttothe8-pinEPS12Vconnectoris theExtremereturnanoverallscoreinourMedia anoptional8-pinconnector,andthere’sapairof6-pin Benchmarksof2,399points,comparedtotheZ77 PCI-Econnectorsatthetopandbottomofthebankof FTW’s2,265.InCrysis2,therewasnosuchgap, PCI-Eslotstoo.Asanextraneattouch,the24-pinATX though,withbothboardsproducingaplayable connectorisalsoequippedwitha90-degreeadaptor, minimumframerateof26fps. helpingtomakethattop-endbuildlookevenneater. Overclockingperformanceistheimportantaspect Whilebothboardsareloadedwithextrastodeal forhigh-endboards,though,andwefirstturnedour witheventhepickiestofdemands,it’sclearthatthe attentionstotheExtreme.Asus’EFIhasnowmatured, Extremeisthebetterequippedofthetwo,with sooverclockingtheExtremewasstraightforward. Thunderbolt,WiFiandBluetoothbeingthemost Clockspeedmultiplierandvoltageadjustmentsareall practicaladvantages.Forthoseconsideringa4-way closelygrouped,andwehadlittletroublereachingour SLIsetup,theExtremeisalsotheonlyoneofthetwo testCPU’smaximumof4.8GHz.Todothis,wedisabled toincludea4-waySLIbridge,withtheZ77FTWonly IntelC-states,usedamultiplierof48xandabase bundlingdual-cardandtriple-cardbridges. blockof100MHz,setLoadLineCalibrationto‘Ultra PERFORMANCE High’andtheCPUvoltageto1.33V. FittingourtestIntelCorei7-3770Kineachboard,we OverclockingtheZ77FTWprovedalittlemore foundtheZ77FTWhadanimmediatedisadvantageat taxing.WhileitsEFIgroupssettingswell,itlooks stockfrequencies,asitsCPUonlyTurboBoostedto positivelyold-schoolandfeelsmorelikeanout-of3.7GHzwhenallfourcoreswereloaded,whilethe dateBIOSthanthecontrolsystemforasuper-high-

EVGA Z77 FTW WINNER £40 cheaper than the Asus; dual1Gb/sec LAN RUNNER-UP Slower at stock and overclocked speeds; outdated EFI; harder to overclock; doesn’t include 4-way SLI bridge, WiFi, or Bluetooth HOW MUCH? EVGA Z77 FTW Price£269incVAT Supplierwww.scan.co.uk

IN DETAIL ChipsetIntelZ77 CPUsupportLGA1155Core i3,Corei5,Corei7,Pentium andCeleron Memorysupport4slots:max 32GBDDR3(upto3,000MHz) ExpansionslotsFive16x PCI-E3slot(Oneat16x,four at8x),onePCI-E2.16x slot, onePCI-E21xslot SoundRealtekALC8897.1 Networking2xMarvell 88E8057 OverclockingBaseclock80– 130MHz,CPUMultiplier1680;maxvoltages,CPU1.99V, RAM1.99V,PLL2.6V Ports4xSATA3Gbps(Z77),2 xSATA6Gbps(Z77),2xSATA 6Gbps(Marvell9182)2x eSATA(Marvell88SE6121) 1xPS/2,10xUSB2(Z77), 4xUSB3(Z77)2xUSB3 (ASMedia),2x LAN,4x surroundaudioout,linein, mic,opticalS/PDIFout,miniDisplayPort Dimensions(mm)305x 263.5(EATX) 38

WorldMags.net

October 2012

37

LGA1155 MOTHERBOARDS

AsusMaximusVExtreme

EVGAZ77FTW

endboard.WedisabledC-statesandvdroop,setthe multiplierto48xandbaseblockto100MHz,and pushedtheCPUvoltageto1300mV(1.32V),onlyto findthatourCPUfrequentlyclockeddownto4.4GHz. ThecausewastheCPUpowermanagementsettings; settingthe‘IAcorecurrentmaxandpowerlimits’to 2,040,‘longandshortdurationpowerlimits’to255and ‘longdurationmaintainedpowerlimit’to120resolved theissueandresultedinastableOC. WhilebothCPUswererunningatsimilar frequencies,theExtremeprovedthefasterboardin ourMediaBenchmarks.Anoverallscoreof2,865was closeto100pointsclearoftheZ77FTW’s2,770,with theExtremeholdinga5percentadvantageinthe videoencodingtestalone.InCrysis2,bothwere inseparable,though,witheachproducingan increasedminimumframerateof32fps. Wealsobenchmarkedbothboardsina3-waySLI setup,courtesyofthreeGTX6702GBcardsconnected toa5,760x1,080NvidiaSurrounddisplay.Therewas littletodistancethetwoboards,though,withboth producingthesameresultin63fpsminimumin Battlefield3,demonstratinganimpressive91per centscalingforthethree-cardsetup.Wefoundthat theZ77FTWwasalittlemorepower-hungryhere, though,withoursystempullingapeakof640Win BF3comparedtotheExtreme’s633W.

Asus Maximus V

1,941

EVGA Z77 FTW

1,829 1,000

2,298

2,000

Asus Maximus V

3,000

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

4,000

MULTI-TASKING

81 fps 82 fps

32 fps

25

50

75

100

BATTLEFIELD 3 5,760 x 1,080, 3 x GTX 670 2GB in 3-way SLI, Ultra settings, 4x AA, 16x AF

Asus Maximus V

1,792

EVGA Z77 FTW

1,676 0

1,000

1,952

Asus Maximus V

63fps

1,914

EVGA Z77 FTW

63fps

2,000

3,000

0

4,000

OVERALL

Stock speed min

Asus Maximus V

2,399

EVGA Z77 FTW

2,265 0

1,000 Stock speed

2,000 Overclocked

scores: asus SPEED 42 / 45 FEATURES 30 / 30 VALUE 10 / 25

25

Stock speed avg

50

74fps 74fps 75

Overclocked min

100

Overclocked avg

2,865 2,770 3,000

4,000

82

scores: EVGa SPEED 38 / 45 FEATURES 25 / 30

OVERALL

37

October 2012

26 fps

0

4,098

81 fps 82 fps

32 fps

EVGA Z77 FTW

3,289 0

38

26 fps

Asus Maximus V

3,463 4,312

EVGA Z77 FTW

TEST KIT

HARRY BUTLER

1,920 x 1,080, High settings, no AA, no AF

2,322

HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING

3.2GHzIntelCorei7-3770K CPU,8GB1,600MHz CorsairDDR3memory, 128GBPatriotWildfire SSD,NvidiaGeForceGTX 6802GBgraphicscard,3x GTX6702GBfor3-waySLI, Windows764-bit

Whilebothboardsdeliveredthecrazyframerateswe expectfromhigh-endmulti-GPUsetups,it’stoughto lookbeyondtheAsusMaximusVExtremewhen choosingbetweenthetwo.Despiteits£40premium overtheEVGAZ77FTW,theExtremeoffersmany usefulextrafeatures,fromWiFiandBluetoothtoa Thunderboltportandbundled4-waySLIconnector.It wasalsoconsistentlyfasteracrossourbenchmarks– atleastat4.8GHz,whichisthelimitofourtestCPU. Despiteitsvictory,though,there’snoawardforthe MaximusVFormula.Z77boardsareprimarilylimited byIntel’sIvyBridgeCPUswhenoverclocking,andthe Extremeperformsalmostthesameasthe£150 cheaperAsusMaximusVGene(seeIssue106,p64)in ourbenchmarks.Despiteitsepicfeatureset,most peoplewillstruggletofindauseformanyoftheextras, leaving4-waySLIandCrossFireXastheonlydraw. Whilewelovetheframeratesofmulti-GPUsetups, dealingwiththeirheat,noiseandpowerconsumption, nottomentiondriverdependency,removesmuchof theshine,andyoucanstillrunatwo-wayGPUsetup ontheGeneanyway.Ifyouabsolutelymusthavethe biggest,mostcapableZ77motherboardaroundthen theMaximusVExtremeistheone–otherwise,youcan getadecentboardforhalfthemoney.

CRYSIS 2

GIMP IMAGE EDITING

0

CONCLUSION

WorldMags.net

VALUE 11 / 25

74 OVERALL

Reliability

24/7 support

Flexibility

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BENCH TABLE

AEROCOOL Strike-X Air An exotic-looking bench table, but is it as good as it looks? OFFENCE Easy to use; good access to motherboard; good CPU cooling DEFENCE Large; mediocre GPU cooling; average build quality

HOW MUCH? Price£90incVAT Supplierwww.quietpc.co.uk Manufacturer www.aerocool.us SKUNumberCA-030-AE

IN DETAIL Dimensions(mm)613x525 x340(WxDxH) MaterialPlastic,steel AvailablecoloursBlack Weight 9kg Frontpanel3.5in/2.5in, power,reset,USB3,2xUSB 2,stereo,mic Drivebays3xexternal 5.25in,3xexternal3.5in or2.5in. FormfactorsATX,microATX Cooling1x200mmtopfan mount(fanincluded),1x 120mmsidefanmount (fanincluded) CPUcoolerclearance Unlimited Maximumgraphicscard length295mm ExtrasTool-less3.5inbays, 120mmand140mm radiatorsupport

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October 2012

hereareanumberofbenchtablesavailable However,ourmaingripewiththisotherwise atthemoment,butAerocool’sStrike-XAiris straightforwardproductisthebuildquality.The certainlythemostdramatic-looking.Itspartly plasticsectionsfeltcheapand,whileafairamount modulardrivecagesandcable-routeingholes ofitismadefrom0.7mmsteel,thechassishasa makeitmoreofacasethanabenchtable,andit’s considerabledegreeofflexinit.Thatsaid,itsits muchlargerthananaveragestack-designtabletoo. firmlyonadeskand,unlessyou’repronetotaking Themotherboardrestsinalargeopen-air thenearestbigsticktoitwhenyouroverclockfails, compartment,whileaswivellinglidwitha200mmfan itslackofrigidityisnomajorcauseforconcern. blowsairintothemainsection.Thislidcanbeclosed PERFORMANCE orheldopenatvariousanglesbyusingalatchthat Withourusualcasetestinggearinstalled,theStrike-X workslikeacar’sbonnet-stay.There’senoughroom AirmanagedaloadCPUdeltaTof48°C–agoodresult forthelargestCPUaircoolers,andthelidrotates that’sonaparwiththeCoolerMasterHAFXandAntec completelyoutofthewaytoo–usefulifyou’redealing OneHundred.Ourgraphicscard,meanwhile,topped withwater-coolingorliquidnitrogenpots. outwithadeltaTof45°C. Thisisn’tagreatresult,and Speakingofwatercooling,there’slittleelseinthe wayofsupportforpumpsorreservoirs, butvariousmountingholesattherearof THERE’S ENOUGH ROOM FOR LARGE thechassisenableyoutoinstall120mm CPU COOLERS, AND THE LID ROTATES or140mmradiators.A120mmmountis COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WAY TOO alsolocatednexttothe3.5inbaystokeep yourharddiskscool. islikelyduetothefactthatthere’snofantomimica Totheleftofthemotherboardtrayisasectionof case’sfrontintakefan–onlythetop200mmfanblows variouscubbyholesthathousethe5.25indrivebays, airinthedirectionofthemotherboard. tool-free3.5in/2.5indrivebaysandPSUmount.Most aretheusual affairsthatyou’dfindonastandardcase, CONCLUSION althoughthePSUclipsintoplaceattherear,witha Aerocool’sStrike-XAirisaverymixedbag.Itlooks largeholeinfrontofitforrouteingcablesunderneath betterthantheblandmetaltablesfromLianLiand thetabletothemotherboard.Theonlyissuewehad CoolerMaster,butthelatter’stablesarecheaper, herewasthedistance–our8-pinEPS12Vconnector stronger,lesscumbersomeanddoexactlythesame onlyjustreachedthemotherboard,andhadtodoso job(CoolerMaster’sLabTestBenchcostsaround overthetopinanunsightlyfashion. £45).UnlessyoulovetheAir’squirkyappearance,we’d Meanwhile,othernoteworthyfeaturesincludea adviseshopping aroundforasuperiordesigninstead. USB3port,fourrubbergrommetsattherear,and ANTONY LEATHER front-mountedpowerandresetbuttons.

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COOLING FEATURES DESIGN VALUE

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22 / 30 customPC 12 / 20 22 / 30 13 / 20 OVERALL

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FRACTAL DESIGN Define R4 Fractal Design returns with a featurestuffed, highly capable case DEFINED Loads of features; great build quality; costs £90 INDISTINCT Mediocre stock cooling; no room for 60mm radiators HOW MUCH? Price£90incVAT Supplierwww.ebuyer.co.uk Manufacturer www.fractal-design.com SKUnumber FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL

IN DETAIL Dimensions(mm)232x523 x464(WxDxH) MaterialSteel,plastic AvailablecoloursPearl Black(reviewed),Arctic White,TitaniumGrey Weight12.3kg FrontpanelPower,reset, 2xUSB3,2xUSB2,stereo, microphone Drivebays2xexternal 5.25indrivebays,8xinternal 3.5in/2.5in,2x2.5indrivebays Formfactor(s)ATX,microATX,mini-ITX Cooling2x120/140mm frontmounts(1xfan supplied),1x140mmrear fanmount(fansupplied), 2x120/140mmrooffan mounts,1x140mmsidefan mount,1x120/140mmfloor fanmount CPUcoolerclearance170mm Maximumgraphicscard length295mmwithHDD cage;430mmwithout ExtrasDustfilters,3-speed fancontroller,sounddeadeningfoam,ModuVent blankingplates

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October 2012

e’vebeenfansofFractalDesign’s minimaliststylingandflexible,low-noise coolingsincewesawtheDefineR2in 2010.TheFractalR3impressedusayear lateraswellbut,aswefoundinourlastcaseLabstest (seeIssue103,p64),theR3hasbeenslowlysurpassed bynewercaseswithmoreflexibilityandfeatures.The R4isthelatestcontinuationofthefranchise(inagood, DarkKnightway–notabadPhantomMenaceway), addingadditionalfeaturesandflexibilitywhile maintainingthesamedesignethos. WhiletheR4retainsitspredecessors’understated looks,it’sgainedsomegirthandheightovertheR3, andisnow22mmwiderand25mmtaller.Itsexterior remainsstoicallyuntaintedbyexpansesofventing, meshorplastic,though,withthealuminium-finish plasticfrontdoorfittedovertheplasticfrontfascia;this isflankedbyreassuringlysolidandsnug-fittingside panels.It’scertainlyidealforthosewhothinktheirPC shouldbeneitherseennorheard,butitwon’tmake muchofasplashifyouwanttoshowoffyourPC. Meanwhile,theroofpanelsportsapairof 120/140mmcoolingfanmountsfilledwithfoambackedblankingplates,withathirdblankingplate 140mmmountontheleftsidepanel.Openthefront doorandyou’llalsofindasinglelargepush-pin securedhatch,behindwhichsitsaremovableplastic fanmountcapableofhousingapairof120/140mm fans–it’sequippedwitha removabledustfiltertoo. RoundingofftheR4’scooling componentsareasixthfan mountinthecase’sfloor,again capableofmountingeithera 120mmor140mmcoolingfan, andaseventh140mmmountto therear.Whilethismatchesthe numberofmountsofferedby theolderR3,eachhasnowbeen upgradedtoaccommodate 140mmcoolingfans,with

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Thefrontpanelhidesaremovablefan mountforapairof120/140mmfans

FractalDesignincludingapairofitsown140mmfans fittedasafrontintakeandrearexhaust. TheR4’sfrontpanelisfoundontopof theplastic frontfascia;itcomprisesapairofUSB3ports(with internalconnector),twoUSB2ports,3.5mm microphoneandheadphonejacks,andpowerand resetbuttonswithablueLEDpowerindicator.Swing thedooropenandyou’llalsofindthatmostessential ofcaseaccessories:athree-speedfancontroller.It’s agreatinclusion,withsettingsfor12V,7Vand5V,plus internalconnectorsforuptothreefans.However,as thebundledfansonlyspinupto1,000rpm,thefan controllerisbestusedtoadjustanyextrafansyouadd. Movinginside,theR4againhasasimilardesignto itspredecessors,althoughit’snowmuchmore modular.Alaterallymountedpairofharddrivecages sitacrossthefrontofthecase,witheachabletomount a3.5inor2.5indriveviaeasilyremovabledrivetrays. Theuppercageaccommodatesuptofivedrives, whilethelowertakesonlythree;botharefully removableshouldyouwishtooptimise thecaseforairflowratherthanstorage capacity.Apairof2.5indrivemountsalso sitbehindthemotherboard,makingthis aperfectlysuitablecaseforthosewho haveditched3.5instorage.There arealsojusttwo5.25indrivebays,which isafaircompromiseconsideringthe increasingirrelevanceofopticaldrives. Meanwhile,themotherboardtrayis sturdyandequippedwithnumerous well-placedcable-routeingholes.Lined withrubber,thesemakeiteasytotuck PSUcablesbehindthemotherboardtray andthereareplentyofcable-tiepointsto

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ATX CASE

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securethemaswell.Theflatsidepanelsmeanthat thereisn’tasmuchroombehindthemotherboard asyou’dexpect,however,withtheextracasewidth insteadallowingforCPUcoolersupto170mmin height.There’sonlyroomfora30mmradiatorand accompanyingfanabovethemotherboardthough. Tothereararesevenexpansionslots,withaneighth slotfittedverticallyabovethem.Thisisacarry-over frompreviousDefinedesigns,wherethebundledfan controllerwasmountedinaspareexpansionslot. It’sstillusefulforaddingextraUSBportsorlighting controlsthough.Oneelementnotretainedfrom previousdesigns,however,istheuseofexternal water-coolinggrommets.Thesehavenowbeen completelyremoved,whichisafairdecisiongiventhat all-in-oneinternalcoolersarenowcommonplace.

COOL ING Whileit’soptimisedforlow-noisecooling,theR4 stillmanagedafairresultonceourtestsystemwas installed.Withitspairof1,000rpmfansattheirvery discreetfullspeed,theR4producedaCPUdeltaT of51°CandaGPUdeltaTof49°C.CPUperformance isveryencouraging,andmatchesthatofthe competingCorsair550Dwithoutitspanelling.The GPUtemperaturewasamongthewarmestwe’ve seenfromafull-sizedchassisthough. Afterdiallingthefansdowntotheir5Vminimum, theCPUdeltaTrosetoatoasty60°C,whiletheGPU deltaTclimbedonlyslightlyto50°C.However,with theR4’sfocusonflexibility,therearemanywaysto improvecooling.RemovingthetopandsidefanmountblankingplatesdroppedtheGPUdeltaTby 2°C,asdidtheremovaloftheupperharddiskcage.

04 02

The R4’s front panel is TheR4’sfrontpanelis ontopoftheplasticfront fascia,andsportsapairofUSB3 portsandtwoUSB2ports

HARRY BUTLER

pairof2.5inmountsbehindthe motherboardtray

02 Bothdrivecagesare fullyremovable,witha

03 Thesidepanelsarelined withfoamtohelpdeaden

noiseandmakethecasequieter

CPU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE Fractal Design Define R4 (full speed) Fractal Design Define R4 (low speed) Corsair Obsidian 550D (vents) Corsair Obsidian 550D (no vents) Corsair Carbide 500R

51 °C 60 °C 56 °C 51 °C

04 Thenumerouscablerouteingholesarelined

withrubber,makingiteasyto tuckPSUcablesbehindthe motherboardtray

51 °C 0

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30

45 60 Lower is better

GPU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE Fractal Design Define R4 (full speed) Fractal Design Define R4 (low speed) Corsair Obsidian 550D (vents) Corsair Obsidian 550D (no vents) Corsair Carbide 500R

49 °C 50 °C 49 °C 47 °C 42 °C 0

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30

CONCLUSION TheFractalDesignDefineR4continueswhereits predecessorsleftoff,combiningdiscreetlooksand low-noisecoolingwithalargearrayoffeatures. FractalDesignhasaddressedmanyprevious criticisms,addingafront-mountedfancontroller andmakingthedrivecagesfullyremovable,while retainingexcellentextrassuchasthefan-mount

01

blankingplates.TheR4doesn’tofferthebestcooling blanking plates. The R4 doesn’t offer the best cooling outofthebox,butthere’splentyofflexibilitytoimprove this.Itoffersgreatbuildqualityforacompetitiveprice ofjust£90,makingitastrongcontenderforthosewho prioritisesubtletyoverlowtemperatures.

45 60 Lower is better

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COOLING 18 / 30 customPC FEATURES 19 / 20 DESIGN 29 / 30 VALUE 17 / 20 OVERALL

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TEST KIT

3.4GHzIntelCorei7-870 CPU,AMDRadeonHD5870 2GBEyefinitygraphics card,BioStarTPowerI55 motherboard,2GBOCZ 1,866MHzDDR3memory, 160GBSeagateBarracuda 7200.9harddisk,Gelid TranquilloCPUcoolerwith NoctuaNF-S12BULN 120mmfan,Seasonic M12DSS-850EMPSU

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ARDUINO Lenoardo A bargain microcontroller that’s ideal for adventurous PC modders DA VINCI

Cheap; keyboard and mouse emulation is handy; 12 analogue inputs

DA VINCI CODE Some compatibility problems with Uno-based sketches

HOW MUCH? Price£19incVAT Supplier www.oomlout.co.uk Manufacturer www.arduino.cc

IN DETAIL MicrocontrollerAtmel ATmega32U4 RAM2.5KB Flash32KB(28KBavailable toArduinoIDE) EEPROM1KB Clockspeed16MHz Operatingvoltage5V(input 6-20V) Size(mm)68.6x53.3 PCconnectivityMicro-USB, ISPorSPIUARTSerial Pins20,including12 analogueinputs,7PWM outputs ExtrasStickers

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October 2012

some of the 20 digital I/O pins. As before, all pins can icrocontrollers–smallcomputingdevices someofthe20digitalI/Opins.Asbefore,allpinscan also be used as digital inputs or outputs on demand. thatcanbeprogrammedtocontrolsensors, alsobeusedasdigitalinputsoroutputsondemand. Sadly, the move to a new chip isn’t always smooth. motors,lightsandmore–providemodders Sadly,themovetoanewchipisn’talwayssmooth. Switching from an FTDI IC to the ATmega16U2 for withalmostunlimitedpossibilities,but SwitchingfromanFTDIICtotheATmega16U2for they’realsooftenapaintoprogram,requiringthe USB-to-serialconversionintheUnobroughtsome learningofnear-incomprehensibleprogramming problems,andthemovefromanATmega328PUto languages.TheArduinoproject,launchedin2005, theLeonardo’sATmega32U4continuesthattrend. changedallthat,takingthecheapATmegafamilyof TheArduino’sUSBconnection–andassociated microcontrollersandaddingalibrary–Wiring–which serialconnection–nowresetsitselfwhenthemain waseasyforbeginnerstolearn.Sincethen,Arduino processorresets,whichcancauseproblemsifa deviceshaveonlybecomemorepowerful–andthe programlisteningtotheserialportisn’tprogrammed latestrelease,theArduinoLeonardo,isnoexception. toreconnectfollowingaconnectionreset.Sketches– Designedtotakeoverfromthelast-generation Arduino-speakforprogramswrittenwiththeboards ArduinoUno,theLeonardohasaspartanboard inmind–alsonolongerrestartwhenanewserial design.WhilepreviousArduinomodels–includingthe connectionisdetected. Unoanditspredecessor,theDuemilanove–haveused Thebiggestchange,however,isinthewaythat twointegratedcircuits,theLeonardousesjustone. severalofthepinsoperate.Whiletheserialconnection TheAtmelATmega32U4,asmallsurface-mount waspreviouslyaccessibleoverboththeUSB packagelocatedinthecentreoftheboard,takeson connection,andtheRXandTXpinsontheArduino theresponsibilityofhandlingboththemicrocontroller boarditself,thisisnolongerthecase:theUSB andtheUSBconnection. connectionisnowaddressedasSerial,whilethe Theresultisasparseboardthat’s bothcheapertomanufactureandmore IT’S PERFECTLY POSSIBLE TO USE flexible.UnlikepreviousArduinomodels, THE LEONARDO TO CREATE A whichforcedthoselookingtolinkthe deviceswithacomputertowriteback-end CUSTOM-MADE MACRO KEYPAD daemonstolistenforcommunications overaserialport,theLeonardocanactasahuman physicalpinsareaddressedasSerial1.Sketchesthat interfacedevice,emulatingakeyboardormouseatthe expecttoaddressthephysicalpinswillneedtobe programmer’sdiscretion. rewritten,andthey’lllosecompatibilitywithprevious ForpeoplelookingtoaddsensingtotheirPC,it’s Arduinomodelsintheprocess.Meanwhile,the nothingshortofarevelation:suddenlytheArduino processofcreatingdesignsthatrelyonsimultaneous cansendkeycombinationstocontrolaPC’soperation USBandphysicalserialportaccesshasbecome withnoback-endprogrammingrequired.Ifyou’rea muchmorecomplicated. gamer,thismeansthatit’sperfectlypossibletouse Certainshields–add-onboardsthatpiggybackonto theLeonardotocreateacustom-mademacrokeypad; theArduinotoaddfeatures–arealsoincompatible foroverclockers,thesamefeaturecouldbeusedto withtheLeonardo,inparticularthosebasedonthe sendashutdownhotkeycombinationiftheArduino SerialPeripheralInterconnect(SPI)standard,which detectsariseintemperatures. isnowonlyavailableviathe6-pinIn-System Speakingofsensors,theLeonardo’snewchipgives Programmer(ISP)headerattheendoftheboard. itextracapabilitiesheretoo.WhiletheUnoandits AnotherbackwardsstepfortheLeonardoisthe predecessorshadsix10-bitanalogueinputs,the amountofflashmemoryavailablefortheuploading Leonardoboastsdoublethenumberbyborrowing sketchesorstoringofdata.WhiletheATmega32U4

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MICROCONTROLLER

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hasthesame32KBflashregionastheUno’s ATmega328PU,thenewkeyboardandmouse emulationfeaturesandUSB-to-serialconversion takesitstollinthesizeofthebootloader–4KB comparedtojust0.5KBontheUno.Asaresult, sketchesanddataarelimitedto28KBbeforeexternal storageisrequired,althoughifyourArduinosketch compilestomorethan28KB,you’reprobablyusingthe wrongtoolforthejob.However,thenewchipboosts theRAMfrom2KBto2.5KB.Thevastmajorityof shieldsandsketchesshouldoperatejustfineonthe Leonardothough. Duringtesting,weencounteredfewproblemswith thechip’schangedfeatureset.Shieldsdesignedfor theoldDuemilanoveboardworkedfirsttime,withthe exceptionofaBurnduinoflasherboardthatrequires theabilitytoremoveasocketedmicrocontrollerfor pass-throughsketchuploading–somethingthatthe surface-mountchipusedintheLeonardocan’toffer. Someoldersketchesalsoneededsomerewriting beforebeingfullyoperationalwiththeLeonardo.In particular,sketchesthatusedserialcommunications neededafewdelayshereandtheretopreventthe moreefficientnewsystemfromfloodingthe connectionandcrashingtheArduinoIDEsoftware. Otherwise,however,usingtheLeonardowiththe latestArduinoIDEreleasewasasheerjoy.

CONCLUSION Ofcourse,themainreasontorecommendtheArduino Leonardoistheprice.Switchingtoanewchipmay haveintroducedafewcompatibilityproblems,butit’s addedplentyofexcitingnewfeaturestomakeupfor that,whileremovingoneoftheboard’smostexpensive componentshasreducedthebillofmaterials. Thisisreflectedintheprice.WhiletheArduino Unocosts£22,theLeonardosellsforjust£19. Althoughstillpricedwayabovelessbeginner-friendly microcontrollerprototypingsystemssuchasTexas Instruments’remarkable£5MSP430LaunchPadand Arduino-compatibleclonessuchasOomlout’s£11.50 BreadboardArduinoCompatibleKit,it’sagreatprice foranofficialArduinoboard.

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Amovetothe ATmega32U4means newfeatures,butbringssome compatibilityissues

03

02 Mostshieldswork withtheLeonardo,but

someSPI-basedshieldsare incompatible

03 TheLeonardonowuses micro-USBforpowerand

data,ratherthanmini-USB

Priceaside,theLeonardoisamodder’sdream. Thankstoitskeyboardemulationcapabilities,youcan setuptheLeonardotocontrolaPCwithoutwritingany back-endcode–thiswasonlypossiblethroughagreat dealofeffortusingtheUnoandpriormodels. Whetherit’sworthupgradingfromanexisting Arduinoorcompatibleboarddependsontheindividual project.Ifthenewhumaninterfacedeviceemulation soundstempting,it’sasmallpricetopay.However,if you’realreadystretchingthelimitsoftheArduino’s 32KBofflashmemory,theLeonardo’sbulky4KB bootloadermayruleitout. Lookoutfornextmonth’sissue,inwhichwe’llshow youhowtousethis£19boardtocreateatemperaturesensitivelightingsystemforyourPC. GARETH HALFACREE

FEATURES 36 / 40 FLEXIBILITY 25 / 30

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customPC

VALUE 29 / 30 OVERALL

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GPU COOLER

ARCTIC Accelero Hybrid A cheaper and easier alternative for water-cooling your graphics card? ARCTIC FOX Excellent cooling; quiet fans ARCTIC ROLL Terrible to install

HOW MUCH? Price£105incVAT Supplier www.specialtech.co.uk Manufacturer www.arctic.ac SKUnumber DCACOV750001-GB

IN DETAIL CompatibilityAMDRadeon HD:7870,7850,6970,6950, 6870,6850,6790,6770,5870, 5850,5830,4890,4870,4850 NvidiaGeForce:GeForce GTX680,670,580,570,560 Ti,560SE,560,480,470,465, 460SE,460 Weight800g Size(mm)150x53x120 (WxDxH)(radiator) Fan1x120mm,1x80mm Statednoise0.3sones

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adeforArcticbyAsetek,whichalsomakes oneliquidcoolers,it’susuallybesttohavetheradiator Antec’sfantasticKühlerH20620,the exhaustinghotairfromthecase.Usingitasanintake AcceleroHybridcosts£105andreplaces willmeanlowerGPUtemperatures,butyou’llbe yourgraphicscard’sreferencecooler.Ifyou dumpingtheheatdirectlybackintoyourcase.It’s weretowater-coolyourgraphicscardinthetraditional yourchoice,though,andArcticisforthcomingin way,usingaseparatepump,radiatorandfittings, highlightingthesechoices. you’dusuallybelookingatanother£100orsoin Ontheplusside,theHybrid’scoolingwasexcellent customparts,soit’scertainlyacheaperoption. anditsGPUdeltaTof26°Cwasamassive24°Ccooler Arctichassomefancyclaimsforittoo,including thanourGeForceGTX6803GB’sreferencecooler.The a20°CdropinGPUtemperaturecomparedtoa idletemperaturewas8°Clowertoo,andunderfull standardNvidiaGeForceGTX6803GBcooler,and load,theAcceleroHybridwasnoticeablyquietertoo, muchquieteroperationtoo. althoughthepumpseemedtogurgleonoccasions. Thekitincludesavastarrayofscrews andheatsinks.Thisnearlyhadusintears THE GPU DELTA T OF 26°C WAS A atfirst,butthereasonforthisisthatthe MASSIVE 24°C COOLER THAN OUR AcceleroHybridiscompatiblewithavast GTX 680’S REFERENCE COOLER arrayofreference-designgraphicscards outofthebox,includingthoseinthe CONCLUSION GeForceGTX400,500and600-series,aswellas WhiletheAcceleroHybridofferssignificantgainsin AMD’sRadeonHD7800-series,6900-seriesand thecoolingandnoisedepartments,wehaveserious 5800-series.Meanwhile,theradiatorisahalf-height reservationsaboutitsinstallationprocess.It’swortha 120mmaffairandusesa120mmPWM-controlledfan lookifyou’reshortofcashandhappytopersevere, thatcanspinupto1,350rpm,completewithafluid butwestronglyrecommendconsideringafullwaterdynamicbearing.Theradiatorisattachedtoa coolingkitinstead.Itmightcostmore,butyou’llend combinedcoolingplateandpumpthat’ssecuredto upfeelingconsiderablylessstressed. alargeshroudthatsportsanangled80mmfan, ANTONY LEATHER enablingittodirectairflowthroughtheshroud. TofittheAcceleroHybrid,you’llneedtoremoveyour graphicscard’scooler,andthenfittheappropriate heatsinkstotheRAMandVRMs–thesewillbecooled GEFORCE GTX 680 3GB bythe80mmfanintheshroud.Thesedon’tattach Reference cooler 15˚C 50˚C usingtheusualadhesivepadsthough.Instead,you Arctic Accelero Hybrid 7˚C 26˚C needtouseatubeofthermaladhesive,sobewarned: 0 15 30 45 60 youmightnotbeabletogetthemoffafteritsets. Idle Load Lower is better ThecoolingplateissecuredtotheGPUcoreviaa backplate.Thissoundedeasytousatfirst,butit’sone ofthemostawkwardcoolerstofitwe’veseen,dueto thetinypins,threadedholesandtheneedforsomany COOLING 39 / 40 partstobelinedupatonce. Afterhalf-an-hourfilledwithexpletivesand DESIGN 10 / 30 frustration,wefinallymanagedtosecurethecontact VALUE 18 / 30 plateandinstalledtheradiatorinafree120mmfan OVERALL FITTING BAD mountattherearofourtestcase.Likeotherall-in-

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results

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customPC

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Thorough testing and research is the key to evaluating whether a product is worth buying, and deciding whether or not there’s a better alternative

We judge CPUs on whether they offer sufficient speed for the price. Part of a CPU’s speed score comes from how overclockable it is. Every type of CPU is tested in the same PC, so all results are directly comparable.

Intel LGA1155

AMDSocket AM3+

AsusMaximus IVGene-Z

4GB of Corsair 4GBofCorsair 1,600MHzDDR3

AsusCrosshairIV Formula

4GBofCorsair 1,600MHzDDR3

AMD FM1 AMDFM1

NvidiaGeForce GTX5903GB

MSI A75MA-G55

4GB of Corsair 4GBofCorsair 1,600MHzDDR3

120GBPatriot Wildfire

Windows7 64-bit

TESTS: WeusetheCustomPCMediaBenchmarks,CinebenchR11.5,WPrimeandCrysis.Wealsotesttheresultantpowerdrawofthetest PCwiththeCPUinstalled.ThesetestsrevealabroadrangeofperformancecharacteristicsfortheCPU,fromimageeditingtogamingand videoencodingto3Drendering.WerunallthetestswiththeCPUatstockspeedandagainwhenoverclockedtoitshighestfrequency.

Graphics cards are mainly evaluated on how fast they are for their price. However, we also consider the efficacy and quietness of the cooler. Every graphics card is tested in the same PC, so all results are directly comparable.

3.3GHzIntelCore i5-2500K

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October 2012

4GBCorsair1,600MHz DDR3

Asus P8P67 Rev 3 AsusP8P67Rev3

Windows 7 64-bit Windows764-bit SP1

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The graphics card Thegraphicscard we’rereviewing

HOW WE TEST

2.66GHzIntelCore2 DuoE6750

2GBofCorsair 1,066MHzDDR2

250GBSamsung SpinPointP120S

AsusP5KDeluxe WiFi-AP

Motherboards are evaluated on everything from layout and features to overclockability and value for money. Every motherboard is tested with the same components, so all results are directly comparable.

Intel Core IntelCore i7-3770K

Motherboard ontest

AMDPhenom Motherboard IIX61100TBE ontest

8GBofCorsair 8GB of Corsair 1,600MHzDDR3

4GBofCorsair 1,600MHzDDR3

AMDA8-3850 AMD A8-3850

NvidiaGeForce GTX5903GB*

Motherboard 4GBofCorsair ontest 1,600MHzDDR3

2TBWesternDigital 2TB Western Digital CaviarBlack

Windows Windows7 7 64-bit

TESTS: WeusetheCustomPCMediaBenchmarksandseveralgames,andalsotest thespeedsoftheboard’sSATAports.Wetrytooverclockeverymotherboardwereview bytestingforamaximumQPI,baseclockorHTTaswellasoverclockingtheCPUtoits maximumair-cooledlevel.WerunourtestsatstockspeedandwiththeCPUoverclocked. *Pleasenote:WetestedAMDFM1motherboardsusingtheon-boardgraphics,nottheNvidiaGeForceGTX5903GB

Ourbenchmarksuite simulateshowpeople reallyusePCs,anda higherscoreisbetter. Youcandownload thesuitefrom www.tinyurl.com/ benchies

Someproductsare gloriouslyoverthe top.Theseitemsof excellentoverkill earnourExtreme Ultraaward. PremiumGrade productsare utterlydesirable– we’deatnothing butbeansuntilwe couldaffordthem. Productsworthy oftheProfessional awardmake you andyourbusiness appeareven moreawesome. Approvedproducts arethosethatdoa greatjobforthe money;they’rethe cannypurchasefor agreatPC.

TESTS: ByusingthefastPCdetailedonthe left,wecanbesurethatanylimitationswesee areduetothegraphicscardontest.Wetestthe fourgames(right)attheirmaximumdetail settings,intheirhighestDirectXmode,andat threeresolutions.High-endcardsshouldbeable tosustainplayableframeratesat2,560x1,600, while1,920x1,080ismoreimportantformidrangecards; wenolongertestat1,680x1,050 because1,920x1,080issocheap.Wealsotryto overclockeverygraphicscardwetesttoseewhat differencethismakestothecard’sperformance.

Forthosegadgets andgizmosthat reallyimpressus, orthatwecan’tlive without,there’sthe CustomKitaward.

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October 2012

49

Custom Kit

Written by Paul Goodhead Seen something worthy of appearing in Custom Kit? Send suggestions to [email protected]

We check out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys CARD GAME

WARHAMMER INVASION

01

Themostrevealingstorywecantellyouabout WarhammerInvasionisthat,inthefewweekswe’ve hadit,we’veplayedatleast25or30gamesofit.It’sabeautifully balanced(andimportantly,quick)game,witheachofthefour factiondecksintheboxofferingplentyofcharacter,whilealso beingbothbalancedandcompetitive.However,therulebook canbealittlevagueinplaces(we’rerunningwitharoundeight houserulingsalready),andalotcandependonwhatyou’re giveninyourfirsthand,butit’sagamethatregularlyservesup memorablemomentsandtensefinishes.Atonly£22,andwith loadsofexpansionsavailabletoo,it’sasteal.Wehaven’tplayed agamethisgoodsinceAnkh-MorporkbackinIssue100. PG CULTISTS BLOODTHIRSTER Price £22 inc VAT Supplier www.gameslore.com Manufacturer www.fantasyflightgames.com

EAR BUDS

SHARKFIN SELF-MOLDING EARBUDS

03 Thequalityofyourearphonesdoesn’tmatterajotiftheyhave poorlyshapedorsizedearbudsthatcontinuallyfalloutofyour

SCREEN CLEANER

STICKEMS

Findingabetterwaytokeepscreenscleanisn’tgoingto 02 changetheworld,butweadmitwefinditalittlestrangethat

somanypeoplespendhundredsofpoundsonaphoneortablet, andthencleanthescreenbysteamingitupwiththeirbreath,and wipingitwithat-shirt.For£5,Stickemsareacleveralternative. Theirtackybacksticksthemfirmlytothebackofaphone,tabletor laptoplid,andtheirmicrofibreuppermeanstheycanbepeeledoff, usedtobuffthescreen,thenstuckbackinplace.Thedesignswe weresentfortestingarealittlecutesy,butotherlesscartoonish designsareavailable. PG FILTHY

CLEAN

Price £45 inc VAT Supplier www.theacessoriescrowd.com Manufacturer www.stickems.co.uk

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ears.Inanidealworld,we’dallhave custommouldedmodels,butuntilthat time,theSharkfinbudsdothejobvery well.Essentiallyamouldableputtythat youwraparoundyourearphonesand thenshoveinyoureartoset,thebuds didagreatjobofcuttingoutexternal noisefromourearphones–noteven strenuousexercisecouldshiftthem, thankstothecustomfit.Obviouslyyou can’tusethemonotherearphones oncethey’reset,andyou’llneed anothersetifyoudon’tgetthemright firsttime,butthat’shardlyamajor crimewhentheycostjust£5. PG GENERIC

CUSTOM

Price £5 inc VAT Supplier www.advancedmp3players.co.uk Manufacturer www.vdera.com

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CUSTOM KIT

ACTUAL SIZE

TABLET

GOOGLE NEXUS 7

Onlyonecompanyhaspreviously 04 generatedtablethysteria,andyou

allknowitsidentity.However,timesare changing,asGoogle’sNexus7hashit theheadlines.ManufacturedforGoogle byAsus,theNexus7isarguablyavery differentbeasttotheiPad(as demonstratedbyitspriceandsize),but readontofindoutwhyitstillhasthetools toupsettheApplecart. PG 8GB 16GB Price £159/£199 inc VAT Supplier http://play. google.com Manufacturer www.google.com

SCREEN

TheNexus’7inIPSscreenisa majorboonforatabletatthisprice, immediatelymakingtheNexus7 standoutagainsttheopposition.Its resolutionof1,280x800meansthat it’sabletodisplay720pHDcontent and,whileitspixeldensityof216ppi isn’tashighasthatofthenewiPad, it’sstillverydifficulttomakeout individualpixelsineverydayusage. ThescreenisfedbyanNvidiaTegra3 chipset,whichhasaquad-coreARM CPUrunningat1.3GHz,plusan integratedGPUwith12stream processorsfor3Dgaming.

BATTERY

A4,325mAhbatteryisnestledunder thedimpled,rubberisedrearofthe tablet,andthisisagainanunusually high-specinclusionfortheprice. This,coupledwiththefactthatthe Tegra3chipsethasafifthlow-power CPUcoreforuseduringlow-intensity tasks,meantthatwecouldrunH.264 video(whichishardware-decoded) ontheNexus7forasolid10.5hours onjustasinglecharge.Onefeature thatwon’tbeadrainonthebatteryis mobiledata,however.TheNexus7 lacksany3Gcapabilities,soyou’ll havetopre-loadanymapsormedia you’llneedwhentravelling,unless youfindahotspotorarehappyto tetherittoaphone.

ANDROID 4.1

TheNexus7usesAndroid4.1,andinteractingwiththenewOSisabeautifullysmooth experiencethatjustoozesclass;thisiscertainlythemostpolishedversionofAndroidwe’ve seenyet.It’salsothemostmedia-focusedbuild–thehomescreenhasshortcutstoyourmedia asstandard,withrecommendationsonwhatyoumightliketobuyfromtheswishPlayStore. Withthisfocusinmind,the8GBcapacityofthismodelhastobeseenasadrawback,especially whentabletgameinstallsarebecominglargerallthetime.Asaresult,we’drecommend stumpinguptheextra£50forthe16GBversion,whichiscurrentlytheAndroidtablettobeat.

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October 2012

51

Miniature

MARVELS

Why build a full-height monolith when you can build a high-end PC in a pint-sized chassis? We rounded up a load of decent-spec mini-ITX cases and motherboards to find the best kit

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izeisn’teverything,asthesayinggoes.Infact,moreandmoremini-ITX productsarebeingreleased,enablingustobuildsmallPCswithout compromisingonhardwarechoices,overclockingabilityorcooling. However,sincemini-ITXwaspreviouslythepreserveoflow-power boardsbasedonVIAEPIA,IntelAtomorlow-powerAMDCPUs,there’sconfusion overwhethermini-ITXisagenuinehigh-endcontender,orasmallfeatherweight. Forthisreason,we’vegatheredthreeofthemosthighlyspeccedmini-ITXZ77 motherboards,aswellasfourcompatiblecases,tofindtheidealcombinationfor buildingacompact,powerfulPC.We’llproveyoudon’tneedafull-sizedboardto achievehigh-endoverclocks,oracolossalcasetoaccommodateanambitious coolingsetup,andwe’llevenshowyouhowtobuildamini-ITXPCtoo. HARRY BUTLER AND ANTONY LEATHER

reviewed this month

54 BitFenixProdigy 56 FractalDesignNode304 58 LianLiPC-TU200 60 SilverStoneFT03-Mini 64 ASRockZ77E-ITX 66 P8Z77-IDeluxe 68 ZotacZ77-ITXWiFi 71 Graphs 73 Featuretables 74 Buildawater-cooledmini-ITXmonster

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how we test

Totestthemotherboards,weusedanIntelCorei7-3770KCPU,a GeForceGTX6802GBand4GBofPatriot1,600MHzDDR3memory. Totestperformance,werantheCPCMediaBenchmarkssuite, alongsideourownArmaIIbenchmark,beforeoverclockingthe boardsandtestingagain. Totestthecases,wefittedthemwithanAsusP8Z77-IDeluxe (seep66),alongwithanIntelCorei5-2500Koverclockedto4.4GHz,

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usingavcoreof1.3V. Alongsidethis,weuseda140mmEnermax Eco82+620WPSU,aGeForceGTX5701.3GBand2GBofKingston 1,600MHzDDR3memory.TocooltheCPU,weusedaZalmanlowprofileCNPS8900CPUcooler.Meanwhile,theGTX5701.3GB’s coolingfanwaslockedat70percentspeed,andthesystemwas placedunderthermalloadusingacombinationofPrime95and Unigine’sHeavengraphicsbenchmark.

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October 2012

53

BITFENIX Prodigy

Not without faults, but beats the competition for just £65 PHOENIX Brilliant cooling; flexible fan mounts; room for dual-120mm radiator; just £65 ASHES Comparatively large; wobbly FyberFlex base; side panels rattle slightly

HOW MUCH? Price£65incVAT Supplier www.overclockers.co.uk Manufacturer www.bitfenix.com

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itFenixhasclearlyapproacheditsnew mini-ITXcase,theProdigy,withafocuson flexibilityandcapability,asopposedtogetting everythingintothesmallestpossiblebox.This meansthatit’sthelargestandheaviestcaseontest(it isn’tfaroffSilverStone’scompactMicro-ATXTJ08-Ein thevolumestakesat26litres).Italsoboastscooling capabilitiesofcasestwiceitssize,whilestillbeing undeniablysmallandcompact. TheProdigy’sexteriorisdominatedbyitscurved FyberFlexhandles,fittedtoboththetopandbottomof thecorechassis.Doublingashandlesandcasefeet, theFyberFlexmaterialisincrediblyhard-wearingand, truetoitsname,veryflexible,whileremainingstiff enoughtodoubleaseitheracasefootorcarryhandle. However,theuseofFyberFlexinthepermanentcase feetmeansthattheProdigywobblesalarminglywith thelightesttouch.Thankfully,theFyberFlexpanelsare removable,allowingyoutosubstitutethemforcase feetofyourown,albeitataddedexpense. RemovethehandlesandtheProdigyisn’tthatmuch largerthancompetingchassis,yetitoffersagreatdeal ofcoolingpotential.Themeshfrontfascia,secured withpush-pins,hidesagrilled frontthatcanmountahostof coolingfans,from120mmto 230mm,withoutcompromising anyoftheinteriorfittings.The dustfilter-equippedroofalsohas mountsforapairof120mmfans, whiletherearfanmountcan accommodateeithera120mm or140mmfan. Theresultisacasecapable ofmountingthekindofcooling equipmentyou’dexpectinafullsizedtowerchassis,butinabox littlebiggerthanadesktopsubwoofer.Evenbetter,thepairof roof-mounted120mmfan mountscanaccommodatea full-depth,dual120mmwatercoolingradiator,something thatevennewfull-sizedcases suchastheFractalDesignDefine R4(seep42),areunabletooffer. Asstandard,BitFenixpairsthe

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casewithtwo120mmfins,oneofwhichactsasafront intakewhiletheotherisarearexhaust. Alongsideitsarrayofcoolingfanmounts,the Prodigyisalsoextensivelyventilated.Theleftside panelisperforated,asisthefloorofthecase,although onlythelattersportsaremovabledustfilterforthe floor’sPSUmount.Oddly,thecase’sfrontpanel connectorsarefoundontheright-handsidepanel, withapairofUSB3ports,headphoneandmicrophone jacks,andbothpowerandresetbuttonsmatchingthe connectorarraysofthecompetition. However,thecase’sexteriorisn’twithoutfault,and weweresurprisedtofindthesidepanelswerealittle loosearoundtheirfrontfittingpoints,andtherefore hadatendencytorattle.SimilarlytotheFyberFlexfeet, it’sanannoyingfaultthat’seasilyremediedwithsome sparerubberspacersortape,butitstilldetractedfrom whatisotherwiseasolidandwellput-togethercase. Removingtheaforementionedsidepanels,the Prodigy’sinteriorisincrediblyroomyforamini-ITX chassis,placingthemotherboardtraydirectlyabove thePSUmount.Despitetheopeninterior,theProdigy canmountfive3.5indrivesinapairoffullyremovable

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MINI-ITX CASES

WITH OUR TEST KIT FITTED AND UNDER THERMAL LOAD, THE PRODIGY MADE THE OTHER CASES ON TEST LOOK PEDESTRIAN

drivescages(althoughyou’llneedtoremovethe upperthreemountsifyouhaveagraphicscardthat’s longerthan180mm).Therearealsofourmore2.5in drivemountsdottedaroundtheinteriorofthecase, aswellasaremovable5.25indrivemountinthecase’s roof,theremovalofwhichisrequiredformountinga roofradiator. Thedecisiontoplacethemotherboardflatinthe caseontopofthePSUcagemeansthere’s175mm ofCPUcoolerheadroomtoo,soinstallingourtest systemwasasnap.ThePSUcagedoublesasaplace totuckyourunusedcaptivePSUcablingtooand,asit’s equippedwithcable-routeingholes,cabletidyingis straightforward,helpingtokeepairflow-interrupting cablesoutoftheway. Withourtestkitfittedandunderthermalload,the Prodigymadetheothercasesontestlookpedestrian, withaCPUdeltaTof43°CandaGPUdeltaTof48°C– bothresultswerethebestontestbysomedistance. Infact,theGPUtemperaturewas10°Ccooler thanthenextbestcase,givingtheProdigyahuge advantage.Notonlythat,butthenoisefromthestock pairoffanswaspleasantlyunobtrusive,evenatfull

speed.WiththeProdigy’shighlyexpandablecooling, there’splentyofroomtoimproveittoo.

CONCLUSION TheBitFenixProdigyisn’twithoutitsflaws,namelyits wobblyFyberFlexfeetandslightlyloosesidepanels, buttheseissuescanberemediedeasilyandcheaply. Italsocompensatesfortheseproblems withitsgreat coolingcapabilities,andtheflexibilitytomounthighendwater-coolingequipmentshouldyouwish(see p74).What’smore,buildingasysteminsidethe Prodigyisstraightforward,andit’savailablefora bargainpriceof£65.Whileitisn’tthesmallestminiITXcaseontest,it’sundoubtedlythebest. HB

COOLING FEATURES DESIGN VALUE

90

28 / 30 19 / 20 24 / 30 19 / 20 OVERALL 56

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55

FRACTAL DESIGN Node 304

Well-made, compact and affordable, but GPU cooling is lacking NODAL

Well priced; compact; good CPU cooling; room for all-inone liquid coolers

NOODLE PSU cables conflict with graphics card; poor GPU cooling

hileFractalDesign’sDefine(seep42) andArcseriesofcaseshaveconsistently impressedoverthelastfewyears,the Node304isthecompany’sfirstmini-ITX chassistosupportfullATXpowersuppliesandlarge graphicscards.Lookingtostrikeabalancebetween thesuper-teenySilverStoneFT03-Mini(seep60)and theheftierBitFenixProdigy(seep54),theNode304 displaysFractalDesign’strademarkunderstated design,withitsbrushed-aluminiumfrontfascia. Thecurvedfrontplateenablesventedsectionsin thetopandbottomofthefasciatoallowdust-filtered airflowtopassthroughapairof90mmintakefans locatedbehindit.Meanwhile,there’sabluepower LEDsitsatthebottomright,withapairofUSB3ports, apowerbutton,andtherequisite3.5mmmicrophone andheadphonejackstuckedaroundtherightsideof thefascia. Theexteriorisalsodottedwithventedsectionsto improveairflow;alongdust-filter-equippedventruns alongtheleftsidepanel,servicingtheGPUfitted behindit,whileasmallunfilteredventontherightside panel,andafilteredventonthecase’sfloor,servethe laterallymountedPSU.Meanwhile,a140mmcooling fansitsattherear,aswellasanintakefantoprovide airflowoverthemotherboard.Thismeansthatthe Node304reliesentirelyonitsthreeintakefansand thepositivepressuretheycreatetoexpelhotair.

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Theexternalpanellingismadefromasinglesheet ofmetal,whichslidesoffinonepiecetorevealthe internalframe.Themotherboardisfittedtothefloor ofthecaseattherear,withthePSUplacedlaterally acrossthefrontofthechassisinsideasmallinternal bracket.Tokeepthe3-pinpowersockettotherear, FractalDesignhasincludedaninternal90-degree extensioncable,withtheventedsectionsinthecase’s exteriorprovidingplentyofairflowforthePSU. Meanwhile,harddrivestorageisprovidedbyatrio ofwhitedrivehangerssuspendedabovethePSU. Drivesarefittedusingrubbervibration-dampening grommets,andeachcaddyalsosupports2.5indrives shouldyouwishtofitasextetofSSDs.However,the leftharddrivecagemustberemovedinorderto accommodatefull-sizedgraphicscards;thismeans that,withafull-specificationsystem,you’llonlytobe abletofitfourdrives.Bravely,FractalDesignhasalso chosentoditchthe5.25inmount,notevenofferinga slimlineopticaldrivefitting;however,consideringthe decreasingrelevanceofphysicalmedia,wecan’t disagreewiththatdecision. WiththePSUandstorageallatthefront,Fractal Designhasleft165mmofheadroomforCPUcoolers. Withtherearfanmountrightnexttothemotherboard, it’salsoideallyplacedforsingle-radiatorall-in-one liquidcoolerkits.However,therearefewerpositives regardingthePSUandgraphicscardarrangement,

HOW MUCH? Price£72incVAT Supplierwww.ebuyer.co.uk (availableearlySeptember) Manufacturer www.fractal-design.com

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MINI-ITX CASES

EACH CADDY SUPPORTS 2.5IN DRIVES, SHOULD YOU WISH TO FIT A SEXTET OF SSDs

aslongerGPUswillstrayintothecablesofevenshort PSUs.Officially,Fractalstatesthatcardslongerthan 170mmwillconflictwithPSUslongerthan160mm,as thePSUthenextendsintothegraphicscard’sspace, butyoucanfitamuchlargergraphicscardinsideifyou useashorterPSU.However,our140mmtestPSU’s cablingsoonfounditselfcoileduprightnexttoour 267mm-longGeForceGTX5701.3GB.Thisblocked airflowtotheendofthecard,andit’sevendifficultto avoidthiswithafullymodularPSU,asthetwo componentsareinsuchcloseproximity. Otherthantheconflictbetweenthegraphicscard andPSU,buildingaPCinsidetheNode304provedto beverysimple.Withnothingmountedintheexterior shell,youcanperformalltherequiredcable-tidying androuteingwithease,andthefront-panel connectorsarelongenoughtosnakerightaroundthe motherboard.Withnosidepanelsorroofinplace,it’s easytoreachinsideandtuckcablesandconnectors intoplacetoo,somethingthatcertainlywasn’tthe casewithconfinedchassissuchastheLianLi PC-TU200(seep58). Despiteitstrioofintakefans,however,theNode 304’scoolingleftusalittledeflated.CPUcoolingwas decent,withadeltaTof46°Cbeing3°Ccoolerthan eithertheSilverStoneFT03-MiniorLianLiPC-200,but 3°CwarmerthanthatoftheBitFenixProdigy.Itwas

GPUcoolingthatsouredthesituation,though,witha deltaTof63°Cbeing15°ChotterthantheProdigy–it wasalsothehighestresultontest.Allthreefanswere reasonablyquiet,buttheproximityofthePSUand GPU,andtheresultingcablebuild-up,clearly impactedthegraphicscard’scooling,despitethe largeside-panelvent.Basically,thisisreallyonlya caseforsmallgraphicscards,whicheverPSUyou’re using,andthisgivesitadistinctdisadvantage.

CONCLUSION WithFractalDesign’stypicalminimalistlooksand sensiblelayout,wehadhighhopesfortheNode304. Sadly,itspoorGPUcoolingletitdown,althoughit rallieswellwithsolidCPUcoolingthankstoitstrioof coolingfans.WhiletheNode304’soverallbuildquality issuperior,theBitFenixProdigyischeaper,coolerand moreflexible,leavingtheNode304insecondplace. HB

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COOLING 20 / 30 FEATURES 15 / 20 DESIGN 27 / 30 VALUE 16 / 20 OVERALL 58

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57

LIAN LI PC-TU200

Gorgeous and well-built, but hot and expensive as well FORD Great build quality; very light; pre-fitted handle LABEOUF Poor all-round cooling; no extra fan mounts; expensive; hotswap bays don’t fit 2.5in drives

HOW MUCH? Price£141incVAT Supplier www.specialtech.co.uk Manufacturer www.lian-li.com

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ianLiwasoneofthefirstmanufacturersto producemini-ITXcasesaspartofitscore productline,matchingitslegendary aluminiumconstructionandbuildqualitywith theemergingminiformfactor.Oneofitslatestcases, theAdventurer-brandedPC-TU200,hasabasic appearancethatmatchesLianLi’slong-serving PC-Q08,withasleekflight-caselookandimproved rigiditytomatch. Madealmostentirelyfromaluminium,theTU200 isextremelylightatjust3.49kg.LianLihasalso reinforcedeachcornerwithmachinedaluminium guards,whicharerivetedintoplacearoundthecore chassistoreinforceandprotectthecaseduring transit.AddingcredotoitsAdventurertagistheplastic carryhandleonthecase’sroof,enablingyoutoeasily grabthecasereadytocartofftoaLANparty. Meanwhile,side-panelandroofventingis conspicuousbyitsabsence,withalargeventedareaat thefrontcaseallowingairflowintothesingle140mm intakefan.There’salsoaventilatedsectioninthebase toprovideairflowtothefloor-mountedgraphicscard, butonlythefrontventisfittedwithadustfilter,andifit requirescleaning,you’llneedtoremovethefan. Elsewhereonthecase’sfrontfasciaisaprestealthed5.25indrivebay,acommoninclusionwith

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LianLi’scases,andatouchthatmakesacaselook muchmorecompleteandstylishthanabaredriveface plate.Meanwhile,afrontpanelwithapairofUSB3 ports,aneSATAport,and3.5mmmicrophoneand headphonejacks islocatedatthebottomofthe case’sfront,whilecombinationpower/powerLED andreset/harddriveLEDbuttonssitinthemiddleof thefrontfascia. Withthereinforcedaluminiumplatesaroundthe case’scornersandalongitslength,there’sno immediatelyobviouswaytoremovetherecessedside panels.Thisisachievedviaapairofleversattherearof thecase,securedwiththumbscrewsthatprytheleft andrightpanelsoutoftool-freeclipsinsidethecase. It’saslickprocess,enablingthecase’ssidestoappear smoothandfreeofanyfittings,althoughyou’llneedto pullthepanelsfreeoncetheleverspopacornerout. Insidethecase,themotherboardisfittedtoa motherboardtray,ratherthandirectlytothesidepanel aswiththePC-Q08,withafour-drive3.5inhot-swap drivecageonstorageduty.Thedrivecageisfully removable,butit’scleverlyplacedsothatagraphics card,mountedalongthecase’sfloor,canfitbeneathit withouthavingtocompromiseonstoragespace.Lian Lievenincludesarubber-cappedgraphicscard holdertonegateboard-bendonlongercards. However,thehot-swap bays,whilekittedout withexcellentvibrationdampeningmountsfor 3.5indrives,don’tquite fit2.5indrives.Asthey don’treachthehot-swap connectors,you’llneed toconnectthesetotheir cablesyourself;an annoyingtaskthat requiressomeserious fingerdexteritytowork aroundtheexistinghotswapfittings. Meanwhile,there’s spaceforaPSUwitha maximumdepthof 140mm,whichyoumount byslidingitintothebackof thecaseandfittingitover

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MINI-ITX CASES

LIAN LI EVEN INCLUDES A RUBBER-CAPPED GRAPHICS CARD HOLDER TO NEGATE BOARDBEND ON LONGER CARDS

thetopofthemotherboard,althoughLianLiseems ambiguousaboutwhichwayaroundthePSUshould bemounted. Itsownwebsiteshowsimagesofthe PSUwithitsfanmountedtowardsthesidepanel, whilethemanualindicatesitshouldbefittedwiththe fantowardsthemotherboard.Regardless,there’s justenoughroomforairflowoneitherside.Fittingthe PSUcanbetricky,though,asthemountmeansthe majorityofcableswillonlybeintroducedatthefinalfit, makingitdifficulttoroutecablesoutofthewayinside. WithaPSUmounteddirectlyabovethe motherboard,CPUcoolerheadroomislimitedtojust 80mmtoo,butthisisstillenoughforstockcoolersor low-profileaftermarketcoolers,suchasourtest system’sZalmanCNPS8900. DuetothecablingconstraintsofaddingthePSU last,however,buildingaPCinsidetheTU200wasa littletroublesomeandwhenwe’dfinished,cooling abilitywasn’tstellar.Withitssingle140mmintake fan,theTU200managedaCPUdeltaTof49°C–the hottestofanycaseontest,whileitsGPUdeltaTof 58°Cwasalsoonthewarmside,althoughperfectly

stable.Thefrontcoolingfan’snoiseprovedslightly intrusivetooand,withnoadditionalfanmounts, there’snowaytoimprovethesituationeither.

CONCLUSION WhiletheLianLiPC-TU200certainlylooksthepart, deckedoutingorgeousbrushedaluminium,it’stricky tobuildinside,anditofferspoorcoolingthankstoits lackoffanmountsandventing.What’smore,at£140, itcostsmorethandoublethepriceoftheBitFenix Prodigy(seep54);despiteitsaluminiumcharms,the TU200isapoorchoiceforthoselookingtobuildafullspecriginamini-ITXcase. HB

COOLING FEATURES DESIGN VALUE

68

21 / 30 11 / 20 25 / 30 11 / 20 OVERALL 60

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SILVERSTONE FT03-Mini

Stunning design, but limited to SFX PSUs and expensive MINI COOPER Incredibly small; great aluminium construction; innovative design MINI DISC Only supports SFX PSUs; expensive; unimpressive GPU cooling; no extra fan mounts

HOW MUCH? Price£103incVAT Supplierwww.scan.co.uk Manufacturer www.silverstonetek.com

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ilverStone’sstandardFT03isoneofthebest micro-ATXchassisoutthere,combininga 90-degree-rotatedlayoutwithaningenious layoutthatfitstogetherlikeagameof componentTetris.TheFT03-Minilookstogoone better,usingamini-ITXdesigntosqueezeafullpowersystemintoassmallacontaineraspossible. Withatotalvolumeofjust17.6litres,theFT03-Mini isthesmallestcaseontestandhasclosetohalfthe volumeofitsbiggersibling.Itsverticaldesignalso givesitatinydesktopfootprintofjust189x235mm.As usualforacaseunderSilverStone’sFortressbrand, stylingisrestrainedandminimalist,withallfoursides ofthecasefinishedingorgeousaluminiumthat’sbeen anodisedandsandblasted. Lookunderneath,andyou’llfindaclip-ondustfilter protectingthecase’sonlyfanmount–a140mmfloor mountequippedwithoneofSilverStone’sown140mm

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AirPenetratorfans.Thesefansuseaspecialframeto channelairintoatightcone,allowingeffectiveairflow topenetratedeepinsidethechassis. Ontop,themotherboardrearI/OandPSUexhaust arerecessedslightly.Thisistoallowcablingtobe tuckedbeneaththecase’sdetachableplasticroof grille,keepingcablemesstoaminimum.Meanwhile, theplasticfasciaclipsfirmlyintoplace,withafront panelsittinginaraisedcentralsection,andfeaturing twoUSB3ports,powerandresetbuttons,and microphoneandheadphonejacks. TakingtheFT03-Miniapartisabizarreexperience fortheuninitiated,however,asallthreedetachable panels(thefront,rearandside)canberemoved withouttheuseofascreworclip.Allaresecuredby push-pins,andthearrangementofthesemakesit impossibletofitthewrongpanelinthewrongplace. Eachpanelclickssatisfyinglyintoplace,resultingin thecase’ssmooth,sleekandtool-freeexterior.It alsomakestakingtheFT03-Miniapartadoddle; pullingthepanelsfreetakesseconds,revealing thecorechassis’frameworkbeneath. AswithSilverStone’sRV03(seeIssue103,p70), themotherboardmounthasbeenrotatedby90 degrees,withtherearI/Opointingupwards.The boardissecuredtothemotherboardtrayabovethe case’sonenon-removableexteriorpanel,witha drivebaycagefittedintotheframeworkalongthe oppositesideofthecase.Fittingthemotherboard issimpleinanemptycase,withtheotherhardware subsequentlyaddedaroundtheboard.Thefrontpanelcablesarealsoperfectlycuttolooparound theboardbeforeconnecting,andthefloormounted140mmcoolingfanblowsairdirectly throughtheheartofthechassis. However,therehavebeencompromisesmade inordertofitadecent-specPCintosuchasmall box.Mostimportantly,theFT03-Miniisonlyableto accommodateanSFX-sizedPSU;thisisn’tan issueifyou’rebuyinganewsystem,butitisa problemifyouplantouseoldATXparts.SFX PSUsaremuchsmaller,butalsoofferlowerpeak wattageasaresult.However,evenanoverclocked mini-ITXsystemequippedwithaGeForceGTX680 2GBwon’tpullmorethan400Wunderpeakload, andSilverStoneprovideduswithits450WStrider SFXPSUforourtesting.

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MINI-ITX CASES

EACH PANEL CLICKS SATISFYINGLY INTO PLACE, RESULTING IN THE CASE’S SMOOTH, SLEEK AND TOOL-FREE EXTERIOR

AsthePSUisfittedabovethemotherboard,CPU coolerheadroomislimitedtojust78mm,butthisis stillsufficientforstockcoolersorlow-profilecoolers suchasourtestsystem’sZalmanCNPS8900.Asthe PSUispositioneddirectlyoverthemotherboard, connectingcablesissimple;thePSUissmallerthan theboard,andaccesstotheedge-mountedpower connectorsisunhindered.Connectingpowertodrives isalittlemoredifficult,though,andyou’llneedtowire upyourstoragedevicesbeforefittingtheremovable drivecage.However,there’sonlyroomforaslotloadingslimlineopticaldrive,asingle3.5indriveand apairof2.5indrives. Meanwhile,agraphicscardupto254mmlong cansitbehindthefrontofthecase,separatingitfrom therestoftheFT03-Mini’sinternalmachinations. However,asit’salmostflushwiththesidepanel,it benefitslittlefromthe140mmfanbelow,whichis mountedcentrally. Sadly,withourtestsystemfitted,theFT03trailed whenitcametocooling.ACPUdeltaTof48°Cwas stableifunspectacular,whileaGPUdeltaTof58°C matchedthecoolingofthesimilarlyequippedLian

PC-TU200(seep58).BothtrailedtheBitFenixProdigy (seep54)significantly,especiallywithGPUcooling– theProdigywas10°Ccooler.

CONCLUSION TheSilverStoneFT03-Mini’sabilitytoaccommodate full-sizedhardware(withsomeconcessionsinthe formoftheSFXPSU)intosuchasmallspaceisa remarkablefeat.However,atover£100,italsohasa highpricetag,andunspectacularcoolingtoboot.If you’relookingforthesmallestpossiblegamingPC thentheFT03-Miniistheeasychoice.Ifyou’relooking forflexibility,featuresandcooling,however,the Prodigywins. HB

COOLING FEATURES DESIGN VALUE

72

22 / 30 12 / 20 25 / 30 13 / 20 OVERALL 64

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AVAILABLE FROM: WorldMags.net

ASROCK Z77E-ITX

Great-looking and very overclockable POWER TOOL

Great overclocker; good looks; decent EFI

HAND TOOL Slightly cramped PCB; Asus still has superior EFI

HOW MUCH? Price£123incVAT Manufacturer www.asrock.com Supplier www.overclockers.co.uk

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ithitsgun-metalgreycolourscheme, golddetailsanddark-brownPCB, ASRock’sZ77E-ITXlooksstunning. ASRockhasoptedfora6+2powerphase design,whilethePCBissurprisinglydevoidoflarge heatsinks,withjustasinglechipsetheatsink,anda smallstackontheVRMsbehindtheI/Oports. Layoutisgenerallyproblem-freetoo,althoughthe 12-pinEPS12VconnectoriswedgedbetweentheVRM heatsink,batteryandI/Oports,alongwiththecables fortheWiFimodulenearby,whichisatightsqueeze. Otherthanthis,therearen’tanymajorissues.Thetwo SATA3GbpsandtwoSATA6Gbpsportsarelocatedat theedgeofthePCB,alongwiththeUSB3headerand 24-pinATXconnector.ThePCI-Egraphicsslotisfree fromobstructions,withtheaudioheadersituatedwell outoftheway,unliketheAsusP8Z77-IDeluxe’sslot (seep66).TheCPUsocketisrelativelycleartoo, althoughtheEPS12Vconnectormayinterferewith largeheatsinkorwaterblockmounts,asitlaysright ontheedgeofthemarkedexclusionzone. AnmSATAconnectorsitsunderneaththePCBfor connectingsupportedSSDs,whileaminiPCI-Eslotis occupiedbytheon-boardWiFimodule(anantennais includedinthebox),sothere’snospare slotasthereisontheZotacZ77-ITX WiFi(seep68). However,theZ77E-ITXhastwo moreUSB3portsthantheZotac, alongwithaneSATA3Gbps connector,DVIandDisplayPort outputs,andasingleHDMIport. Therearenopowerorreset switches,noraPOSTerrorcode readout,though,whichisashame, althoughyoucanatleastresetthe CMOSusinganI/Opanelswitch. Youmightfindithardtoconnect allyourcasefanstotheZ77E-ITX, however,asitonlyhastwo4-pin fanheaders. Thisisthesamewithallthe boardsontest,though,andlooking atthePCB,it’sdifficulttoseewhere ASRockcouldfitanother.Sadly,the boxdidn’tincludeanymeansof usingthemotherboard’sUSB3

W

headereither,soyou’llhavetoinvestinabreakout adaptorifyouneedmorethanthefourUSB3ports ontheI/Opanel.

PERFORMANCE LiketheZotac,theZ77E-ITXfailedtoTurboBoost allthewayto3.9GHz,onlyreaching3.7GHz,soits performanceresultswere,notsurprisingly,alittle slowerthantheAsusboardatstockspeeds.Itsimage editingscoreof1,775was49pointsoffthepace,while itwas135pointsbehindtheAsusboardinourCPUintensivevideoencodingtest.Overall,itmanaged 2,140–70pointsshortoftheAsusboard,butthisistiny inpercentageterms.Meanwhile,itsminimumframe rateinArmaIIwas123fps–roughlyequaltotheZotac, whileitsSATA6Gbpsspeedswereslightlyfaster. TheZ77E-ITXisequippedwithfarmore overclockingandmonitoringfeaturesthanthe Zotac,though,whileitsEFIismucheasiertouseand navigate,althoughAsusstillhasaclearedgehere.Its AXTUtuningsoftwareprovidesbasiccontroloffans andoverclocking,whiletheEFIhasalmosteverything barafullymanualCPUPLLvoltageoption,whichthe Zotacalsolacked.

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MINI-ITX MOTHERBOARDS

ITS MAXIMUM CPU VOLTAGE OF 1.7V IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH ENTHUSIASTIC BENCHMARKING However,itsmaximumCPUvoltageof1.7Vismore thanenoughtodealwithenthusiasticbenchmarking. Weneededafarlesscrazy1.28VtogetourCPUtoits usual4.8GHz–abrilliantachievementforthistiny motherboard,anditneededfarlesstweakingthanthe Zotactoo.OurCPUtoppedoutat98°CusingaCorsair H100all-in-oneliquidcooleratthesesettings,soheat wasthelimitingfactor.TheEFIalsoincludessome auto-overclockingfeatures,althoughourmanual settingsworkedbetter.WesettheCPUfrequencyto 4.8GHzandtheEFIchangedafewoptions,although thesedidn’tprovetobestable,withtheCPUvoltageof 1.24Vnotprovidingadequatepower. Eitherway,theoverclocksawexcellentgainsinour benchmarks.Theimageeditingscoreroseby555 pointsto2,330,whileamassive1,171pointswere addedtothevideoencodingtestscore–anincrease of38percent.ArmaIIalsosawsomesizeablegains, withtheminimumframeraterising12fpsto135fps.

CONCLUSION ASRockhascomeuptrumpswiththeZ77E-ITX.It hasaneasy-to-useEFI,ittookourchiptoitslimit whenoverclockingand,indoingso,matchedthe

performanceofmuchlarger,moreexpensive motherboards.Italsohasnearlyeverythingyouneed forapowerfulPC,withtheaddedbonusofWiFi, mSATAandminiPCI-Eports. At£123,it’sthesamepriceasZotac’sZ77offering; however,withitssuperiorEFIandmorebalanced featureset,theZ77E-ITXjustedgestheZotacinto secondplace.Thetrickydecisioniswhencomparing ittotheAsusP8Z77-IDeluxe.Thishasanevenbetter EFI,andsuperiortweakingandmonitoringtools,plus afewadditionalfeatures.Forthisreason,despite costing£20more,theAsusisourmini-ITXboardof choice,butifyou’dratherputthatmoneytowardsa betterCPUcoolerorhigher-capacitySSD,you’llbefar fromdisappointedwiththeASRockZ77E-ITX. AL

SPEED 39 / 45 FEATURES 24 / 30 VALUE 23 / 25

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ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe

The best mini-ITX motherboard we’ve seen P8 Excellent EFI; loaded with features; great overclocker P45 Same price as good micro-ATX boards; lacks expansion; on-board sound header fouls graphics card

onsideringitshugeinfluenceinthe motherboardmarket,Asushasbeen strangelyreservedinthemini-ITXarena.Its offeringshavesofarusuallyfocusedonIntel Atom,NvidiaIonorAMDembeddedmodels,rather thanopen-socket,enthusiast-orientatedboards. AllthatchangeswiththeP8Z77-IDeluxe,though. Ifevertherewasamini-ITXfanboy’sdream motherboard,theAsusP8Z77-IDeluxeistheclosest we’veseentoitbecomingareality.Theboardhas 10-phasedigitalpowerdelivery–considerablymore thaneithertheASRock(seep64)orZotac(seep68). ThiscomescourtesyofthelargeVRMdaughterboard thatsticksoutatarightangleatthetopofthe motherboard.It’sarareandinherentlyexpensive featuretohaveonamotherboard,butdespitethis extravagance,theP8Z77-IDeluxeonlycosts£20 morethanitstwocompetitorsinthisLabstest. ThedaughterboardalsohousestheVRMs,sothey aren’tpepperedacrossthePCB,furtherreducingits alreadylimitedreal-estate.Asaresult,itemssuchas the8-pinEPS12VconnectorandUSB3headerhave beenlocatedattheedgeofthePCB,ratherthanthe middle.There’salsoalotofroomaroundtheCPU

C

socket,sowaterblocksandlargeaircoolersshouldn’t havecompatibilityissues. However,thereisonesizeableissue,andthat’s theon-boardaudioheader.It’slocatedbelowthe backofthePCI-Egraphicsslotand,withacaseaudio connectorpluggedin,itfoulsmostgraphicscards. Ourtestsetuponlyjustworkedwiththeheader connectedbutweneededtouseafairamountofforce onthegraphicscardtomakeitfit,whichcausedthe motherboardtobendintheprocess. Thankfully,theP8Z77-IDeluxedoesn’tdisappoint intermsoffeatures.IthasmoreUSBportsthanany otherboardontest–atotalofeightUSB2andsix USB3,andistheonlyboardtoofferBluetoothas wellasWiFi.LiketheASRock,italsofeaturessingle DisplayPort,HDMIandDVIoutputs,alongwithtwo SATA3GbpsandtwoSATA6Gbpsports,plusan additionalpairofeSATA6Gbpsports. Whileithasnoon-boardpowerorresetbuttons,or POSTerrorcodereadout,there’saCMOSclearswitch ontheI/Opanel,aswellasabuttonforAsus’USB BIOSFlashback,aniftyfeaturethatenablesyouto flashtheBIOSwithoutpoweringontheboard–you don’tevenneedaCPUinthesocket. Theboardalsoincludes Asus’AISuiteIIsoftware,which includesavastarrayofuseful tweakingandmonitoringutilities. Forexample,FanXpertprovides hands-oncontroloverfans connectedtothemotherboard, andyoucanevensetfanprofile curvesandautomatic temperatureresponses. Meanwhile,theWiFiGo! softwareusestheincluded WiFimoduleandantennasto essentiallyturntheP8Z77-I Deluxeintoawirelessaccess point,enablingyouuseitasa DLNAstreaminghub,andcontrol yourPCusingyourmobilephone.

HOW MUCH?

PERFORMANCE

Price£144incVAT Manufacturer http://uk.asus.com Supplierwww.dabs.com

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Unliketheothertwoboards testedinthislabstest,theP8Z77-I DeluxemanagedtoTurboBoost

WorldMags.net

MINI-ITX MOTHERBOARDS

THE 10-PHASE DIGITAL POWER DELIVERY COMES COURTESY OF A LARGE VRM DAUGHTERBOARD AT THE TOP OF THE MOTHERBOARD to3.9GHz,givingitaclearleadinourbenchmarksat stockspeeds–a127-pointleadinourvideoencoding test,anda70-pointleadoverall. InArmaII,itwas6fps fasterthanthenextbestresulttoo,withaminimum framerateof129fps.ItalsohadthefastestSATA 6Gbpsspeedsontest,althoughonlybyawhisker overtheASRock. OverclockingtheP8Z77-IDeluxewasalso incrediblyeasy.Wesimplyneededtograduallywork ourwayuptoourmaximumCPUfrequency,buteven whenwewerealittleover-zealous,theP8Z77-IDeluxe recoveredinstantly,sowecouldcarryon. There’sawealthofoverclockingoptionstoo,though notquiteasmanyasyou’dseeonacurrentAsus RoGmotherboard. Evenso,therewasenoughflexibilitytopushour IntelCorei7-3770Ktoits4.8GHzlimitusinga1.28V vcore.Here,theCPUhadatoastytemperatureof97°C atload,butitwasstillperfectlystable.Thisyielded hugegainsinourbenchmarks,withtheoverallscore risingfrom2,210to2,868,whiletheArmaIIminimum framerateroseto135fps.

CONCLUSION TheAsusP8Z77-IDeluxeisexpensiveforamini-ITX board.Infact,Asus’largermicro-ATXMaximusV Genecostsonlyalittlemoreandhasfarmore features.However,ifyou’reconsideringamini-ITX system,you’reprobablyalreadycomfortablewiththe ideaofshunningexpansionslotsandexoticon-board audiosystemsinfavourofreducedsize,andthe P8Z77-IDeluxeisamarvelforitssize. It’sfast,loadedwithfeaturesandveryeasytouse; theonlyslightissuewithitisthePCBlayout.Asus hasn’tonlyjoinedtheenthusiastmini-ITXparty,but alsothrowninacaseofchampagne. AL

SPEED 41 / 45 FEATURES 28 / 30 VALUE 21 / 25

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ZOTAC Z77-ITX WiFi

Zotac returns to the mini-ITX scene but it has fierce competition T-1000 Excellent overclocker; power and reset switches; dual LAN ports ED 209 Lacks software and features; poor EFI

HOW MUCH? Price£123incVAT Manufacturer www.zotac.com Supplierwww.ebuyer.com

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otachasbeenastalwartmini-ITXsupporter foryears,producingmanyinterestingand overclockablemotherboards.Infact,itsZ68ITXWiFipracticallyhadtheoverclockable Z68mini-ITXmotherboardmarkettoitself,withjust ASRockofferinganycompetition. However,nowthatAsushasjumpedonthe bandwagon,andZotac’sZ77-ITXWiFilookspractically identicaltoitsZ68predecessor,itwillbeinterestingto seewhetherZotachasinvestedenoughefforttocope withthecompetition. TheZ77-ITXWiFi’sboxistheusualZotacminiITXaffair,includingaUSB3breakoutadaptorand twoWiFiantennas.There’slittletofaultwiththe Z77-ITXWiFi’slayouteither;thelonePCI-Egraphics slotisplacedclearofallothercomponentsonthe motherboard,unlikeAsus’P8Z77-IDeluxe(seep66), wheretheon-boardsoundheaderinterfereswith yourgraphicscard. Thisisalsotheonlymotherboardontestthat featuresbothaPOSTerrorcodereadout,andpower andresetswitches–whicharealwayshandyadditions fortestingyourPCbeforeyouputittogether–while theI/OpanelsportsaCMOS clearbutton. Meanwhile,thetwoSATA 3GbpsandtwoSATA6Gbps portsarelocatedattheedgeof thePCB,asisthe24-pinATX powerconnector.However,the 8-pinEPS12Vconnectoris locatedontheothersideofthe PCB,inanawkwardposition betweentherearaudioports andVRMheatsink. Theboard’sotherfeaturesare ratheramixedbag.TheZ77-ITX WiFidoesn’thaveanon-board DVIport–insteaditfeatures twoHDMIportsandaminiDisplayPortconnector(aminiDisplayPorttoDisplayPort adaptorisincludedinthebox). ItalsohastwofewerUSB3 portsthantheASRockandAsus boards.However,itclawsback somepointswithitsdualLAN

Z

portsandspareminiPCI-Eslot(inadditiontothe slotusedfortheWiFimodule),whichcanbeusedto connectminiPCI-ESSDs,aswellasthird-partyUSB3 andSATAexpansioncards.Thisisdefinitelyabonus overtheothertwoboardsontest,andonethatmay wellcomeinhandyifyouplantouseadiscrete graphicscard,butalsoneedadditionalUSB3or SATAports.

PERFORMANCE Sadly,whenbenchmarkingtheZ77-ITXWiFi,we sawthatitwasn’talwaysTurboBoostingtothelofty 3.9GHzachievedbytheAsusboardwithourIntelCore i7-3770K.Asaresult,the100-200MHzdifference, dependingonwhichbenchmarkweran,sawitfall behindtheAsusinmostofourtestsatstockspeed, thoughnotbymassiveamounts. Itwas70pointsadriftinourMediaBenchmarks overall,and7fpsslowerinArmaII,althoughthis equatestoadifferenceoflessthan6percent.Its SATA6Gbpsspeedswerealittleslowertoo,dropping behindby4MB/sinthereadtestand14MB/sinthe writetest.

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MINI-ITX MOTHERBOARDS

WE MANAGED TO GET THE CPU TO TOP OUT AT 4.8GHz, USING A 48x MULTIPLIER AND 1.28V VCORE TheotherareawheretheZotacfellbehindwas whenitcametousingitsEFIsystem.TheZ77-ITXWiFi notonlyhasthepoorestEFIontest,butithasaslightly outlandishcolourschemetoo.Itwasfareasiertofind overclockingsettingsontheAsusboardthanthe Zotac,andtheZ77-ITXWiFialsolacksaUSBBIOS flashingutility.There’snoexcuseforthelatternow,but thankfully,wedidn’thavereachforourbootdisk,as Zotachasn’treleasedanewBIOSyeteither. Theboardalsodoesn’tincludeanythingintheway offancontroloroverclockingsoftware.Thisisinstark contrasttotheAsusboard,whichprovidesthefull suiteoftweakingandtuningfacilitiesyou’dexpectto seeonitsfull-sizedmotherboards. Afterspendingsometimetweaking,anddealing withtheoddfailedoverclockandnon-recovery,we managedtogettheCPUtotopoutat4.8GHz,using a48xmultiplierand1.28Vvcore,wheretheCPU reachedatoasty98°CusingPrime95.Thisisour CPU’sclocklimit,though,evenonfull-sized motherboards,sothisisstilladecentresult.The overclocksawtheoverallscoreinourMedia

Benchmarksriseby700points,whiletheminimum framerateinArmaIIjumpedupby12fps.

CONCLUSION TheZotacZ77-ITXWiFioverclockswellandcosts£20 lessthantheAsusP8Z77-IDeluxetoo.However,the Asushasloadsofusefulfeatures,whiletheZotacis devoidofusefulsoftware.TheAsusalsohasavastly superiorEFIandisfareasiertooverclockasaresult. Itneverfailedtorecoverfromafailedoverclockeither, althoughtheZotacdidthisonlytwice.SadlyforZotac, theASRockZ77E-ITXisalsoeasiertouseand,asithas thesameprice,it’sthebetterbuyforthemoney. AL

SPEED 39 / 45 FEATURES 21 / 30 VALUE 22 / 25

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Lian Li PC-TU200

SilverStone FT03-Mini

Fractal Design Node 304

BitFenix Prodigy

0

0

Stock speed

2,250

2,839

2,834

2,868

1,800

2,351

15

Overclocked

1,500

2,139

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

2,210

Overall

1,200

1,772

2,140

750

600

0

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

ASRock Z77E-ITX

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe

30

4,250

4,243

4,249

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000

3,079

3,114

3,241

43

45

46

150

49

48

300

600

60 Lower is better

1,500

2,000

450

40

GPU delta T (°C)

600

48

0

Lian Li PC-TU200

60

63

200

80 Lower is better

Overclocked avg

150

136fps

134fps

161fps

135fps

162fps

Overclocked min

100

131

122fps

137fps

123fps

146fps

135fps

Stock speed avg

50

135

129fps

Stock speed min

58

20

300

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

SilverStone FT03-Mini

150

514

526

528

ASRock Z77E-ITX

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe

58

0

1,000

1,923

1,977

1,921

Arma II: Operation Arrowhead (high quality, 1,920 x 1080, high AF, AA disabled)

Fractal Design Node 304

0

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

ASRock Z77E-ITX

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe

BitFenix Prodigy

500

1,530

1,564

1,566

Multi-tasking

Intel SATA 6Gbps write (MB/sec)

0

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe

CASE RESULTS

450

552

555

556

Intel SATA 6Gbps read (MB/sec)

0

ASRock Z77E-ITX

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe ASRock Z77E-ITX

MOTHERBOARD RESULTS Handbrake H.264 video encoding

CPU delta T (°C)

3,000

2,400

2,379

1,775 2,330

1,824

ASRock Z77E-ITX

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe

0

Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi

ASRock Z77E-ITX

Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe

Gimp image editing

MINI-ITX CASES AND MOTHERBOARDS

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MINI-ITX CASES AND MOTHERBOARDS

CASES Price (inc VAT) Supplier Manufacturer Dimensions (W x D x H, mm) Case volume (litres) Materials Available colours Empty weight (kg) Features Front panel ports Supported motherboards External 5.25in bays External/internal 2.5in bays External/internal 3.5in bays Number of expansion slots Max CPU cooler height (mm) Max graphics card length (mm) Max PSU length (mm) Extras Cooling Fan mounts Fans supplied Dust filters Fan controller

BitFenixProdigy £65 www.overclockers.co.uk BitFenix 250 x 340 x 310 26.35 Steel, plastic Black, white 6.69

LianLiPC-TU200 £141 www.specialtech.co.uk Lian Li 220 x 360 x 320 25 Aluminium Black, silver 3.49

FractalDesignNode304 £72 www.ebuyer.co.uk Fractal Design 250 x 374 x 210 19.5 Steel, plastic Black 4.83

SilverStoneFT03-Mini £103 www.scan.co.uk Silverstone 189 x 235 x 397 17.6 Aluminium, plastic Black, silver 4.41

2 x USB 3, microphone, headphone

2 x USB 3, eSATA, microphone, headphone Mini-ITX 1 0 4 2 80 300 140 4 x hot-swap 3.5in bays, topmounted handle

2 x USB 3, microphone, headphone Mini-ITX 0 0 6 2 165 310 160 None

2 x USB 3, microphone, headphone Mini-ITX 0 2 1 2 78 254 SFX PSU only None

2 x 92mm front, 1 x 120mm/140mm rear 2 x 92mm front, 1 x 140mm rear Yes (removable)

1 x 140mm floor

Mini-ITX 1 4 5 2 160 330 160 Fyberflex handles

2x 120 or 1 x 140/180/200/230mm front, 1 1 x 140mm front x 120/140mm rear, 2 x 120mm roof 1 x 120mm front, 1 x 120mm rear 1 x 140mm front Yes (removable) Yes (removable)

MOTHERBOARDS Price (inc VAT) Supplier Manufacturer Dimensions (mm) Features Chipset RAID Audio Fan headers Ports Storage Audio LAN WiFi / Bluetooth USB 2 / USB 3 HDMI / DVI / DP / mini-DP Overclocking control Base clock (max) CPU multiplier CPU voltage (max) RAM voltage (max) CPU PLL voltage (max) VCSSA (max) Cooling Chipset VRMs Extras

1 x 140mm floor Yes (removable)

ASRockZ77E-ITX £123 www.overclockers.co.uk www.asrock.com 170 x 170

AsusP8Z77-IDeluxe £144 www.dabs.com http://uk.asus.com 170 x 170

ZotacZ77-ITXWiFi £123 www.ebuyer.com www.zotac.com 170 x 170

Intel Z77 0, 1, 5 and 10 via Intel Z77 8-channel HD audio via Realtek ALC898 2

Intel Z77 0, 1, 5 and 10 via Intel Z77 8-channel HD audio via Realtek ALC898 2

Intel Z77 0, 1, 0+1, 5 via Intel Z77 8-channel HD audio via Realtek ALC898 2

2 x SATA 6Gbps, 2 x SATA 3Gbps, 1 x eSATA 3Gbps 2 x SATA 6Gbps, 2 x SATA 3Gbps, 2 x eSATA 3Gbps 2 x SATA 6Gbps, 2 x SATA 3Gbps 4 x surround audio, optical S/PDIF out 3 x surround audio, optical S/PDIF out 4 x surround audio, optical S/PDIF out 1 x 10/100/1000 1 x 10/100/1000 2 x 10/100/1000 / 6/6 1/1/1/0

/ 8/6 1/1/1/0

/ 8/4 2/0/0/1

150MHz 16x-63x 1.7V 1.8V N/A 1.208V

300MHz 36x-63x 1.99V 2.135 1.9V 1.56V

300Mhz 0-255x +0.3V 1.8V N/A N/A

Heatsink Heatsink

Heatsink Heatsink

Heatsink Heatsink

WiFi GO!, AI Suite, USB BIOS Flashback

USB 3 breakout adaptor

Fan control and monitoring software * Prices correct at time of going to press

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>>

Build a water-cooled mini-ITX

MONSTER Antony Leather shows you how to use the greatest hardware from this month’s mini-ITX Labs test to build a water-cooled pocket rocket

A

samotherboardandcaseformfactor, mini-ITXhasbeenaroundforyears, butitspasthasmainlybeenspentin thelow-poweredmarket,oftenwithembedded CPUs,andeventhosewithCPUsocketslacking theoverclockingoptionsoftheirfull-sizedATX siblings.However,mini-ITXmotherboards havespentthepastyearorsobecoming increasinglycapable,bothintermsoffeatures andoverclockingpotential.Infact,thismonth’s Labstestprovesthat,forthefirsttime,they’re nowabletocompeteonalmostequaltermswith largermotherboards. Thisisfantasticnews;ifyou’repreparedtolive withlimitedexpansionduetothelimitednumber

ofSATAandPCI-Eports,there’snolongerany needtousealargetowercasetohousean overclockedpowerhouse.Thishasalreadyhad significantramificationsinthemotherboard andcasemarkets,asmoremanufacturersare climbingonthemini-ITXbandwagon.We’veseen plentymoreZ77-basedmini-ITXmotherboards waitinginthewings,andloadsofnewcasestoo. However,asourmini-ITXcaseLabstest shows,therearesignificanthurdleswhen dealingwithanoverclockedCPUinaconfined space–itisn’tlikebuildingastandarddesktop PC.Inthisfeature,weshowyouhowtobuildyour ownminimonstersystemusingsomeofthebest hardwarefromthismonth’sLabstest.

>>>> 1

>>TheHARDWARE

OurcaseofchoiceisBitFenix’sProdigy(seep54).It’sbeendesignedto houseenoughcoolingequipmenttocopewithtoastyhardware,and hasroomforamid-rangewater-coolingsystemstoo,includingall-inonedual120mmliquidcoolerssuchasCorsair’sH100.It’sbyfarthe bestchoiceifyou’relookingtobuildthefastestandcoolestmini-ITX systempossible. We’veoptedforasinglewater-coolingloop,withafull-heightdual 120mm-fanradiatorintheroofcoolingourgraphicscardandCPU.It wouldbepossibletofitanotherradiatorinthefrontofthecaseifyou needmorecooling,oruseathinnerradiatorintheroof.However,it’s unlikelythatyou’llbeabletousethe5.25inbay,asthisissituatedinthe roofwhereyourradiatorwillsit.

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CUSTOMISATION

>>2 > Dismantlingacasecanbequite anarduousprocessinvolving drillingoutrivetsanddealing withplasticflanges.However, somecasesusescrewstohold everythingtogether.Whilethe Prodigyisn’tentirelybound usingscrews,youcanstripit backtoitsbareshellusinglittle morethanascrewdriver.Your firstjobistoremovethetopfan coverbyopeningthelatchon thetopandleveringitout.

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>>WaterCOOLING

36

We’llonlybeusinganSSDinourbuild,securedwithVelcroordoublesidedtape,sowe’reremovingalltheharddrivecages.A256GBSSD nowcostsaround£150,whichisenoughspaceforalltheessentials, bargargantuanamountsofvideosandphotos.However,ifyouoptfora differentpump,radiatorandreservoircombinationfromtheonewe’re usingthenyoumightbeabletokeepthelower3.5indrivecageifyouwant toaddaharddrive.Therearetwoscrewsoneithersideofthetopofthe casethatenableyoutoreleasethetop3.5indrivecage.

Yourchoiceofradiatorwilldependonthehardwareyouneedtocool.A full-heightdual120mm-fanradiator(weusedaPhobyaG-Changer240, (£45fromwww.aquatuning.co.uk)istheminimumwe’drecommendto coolaquad-coreIvyBridgeCPU,andagraphicscardsuchasaGeForceGTX 6803GBorAMDRadeonHD79703GB.However,ifyou’rethinkingabout applyingsomeextremeoverclocksthenit’sworthconsideringusinghighspeedfans,orinstallinganadditionalradiatorinthefrontofthecase.

7

>> >>

4

>>

>>

>>Making ROOM

Younowneedtoremovethefrontfasciaofthecase.Insidethecase’s front,thefasciasecurestotheframeofthecasewithfourplasticflanges. Bendingtheseoutwardsallowsyoutopushthemforwards,releasingthe entirefasciafromthecase.Meanwhile,screwsonthefrontfasciaand sideofthecaseenableyoutoremovethesingle5.25indrivecage.With thisremoved,leavethefasciaoffforthetimebeing,asthiswillmakelife easierwheninstallingthewater-coolinghardware.

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>>

5

Removethelower3.5indrivecageand you’llbeleftwithabarechassisjust beggingforsomewater-coolinggear. Werecommendwaitinguntilthisstage beforeorderingyourwater-cooling hardware.Unlessyou’remimickinga setupsomeoneelsehasbuiltwithan identicalcase,youwon’thaveagood enoughideaabouttheexactamountof spacethatwillbeavailableuntilyou’ve strippedeverythingout.TheProdigy hasroomforafull-heightdouble 120mm-fanradiatorintheroof– we’vealsoseenacoupleofexamples of200mmradiatorsbeingusedinthe frontfanmount.

Usethescrewsthatwereincludedwithyourradiatortomountthefans. Makesuretheybothpointinthesamedirection,andthatthey’relocated onthecorrectside,dependingonwhetheryouwanttohavethem drawinginairorexhaustingitthroughtheradiator.We’veoptedfora pushingsetup,withthefanspushingairthroughtheradiatorandout ofthecase.TheProdigyhasmountingholesforfansorradiatorsinthe roof,soonceyou’veinstalledyourchoiceoftubefittings,lineupthe radiatorandsecureitinplace.

>>8

Thetubingsizedoesn’taffectcooling,soit’sworthusing 3/8ininternal-diametertubingasopposedtothe1/2in tubingthat’spopularinlargerPCs(weused3/8inID Masterkleertubingfromwww.aquatuning.co.uk, £7for10ft).Thisisbecausethe3/8intubinghas amuchtighterbendradius,enablingyouto squeezeitaroundcornerswithout kinking.Thisisessentialinthe tightconfinesofamini-ITX case.Tothisend,weoptedfor Alphacool3/8incompression fittingsforusewith3/8inID tubing (£4eachfromwww. aquatuning.co.uk).

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>>

>>

We’reusingthismonth’sLabs-winning mini-ITXmotherboard, theAsusP8Z77-I Deluxe(seep66).ThankstoaVRM daughterboard,ithaslotsofroom aroundtheCPUsocket;ourXSPC RaystormCPUwaterblock(£51from www.aquatuning.co.uk)fittedwith plentyofroomtospare.It’salsoworth securingthefittingstotheblockpriorto mounting–doingthisafterwardscan placeunduepressureonthemounting mechanismandmotherboard.

Withthemotherboardmounted,younowneedto decideonalocationforthepump.Inourcase,thisis theonlyvariable;ourradiatorneedstobelocatedin theroof,andwe’reusingacombinedpumpand reservoir.Youcanalsoseeourtubingbendseasily undertheradiator–thiswouldn’thavebeenthecase withthickertubing. Pumpscomeinmanyshapesandsizes,butas we’rejustcoolingtheCPUandGPU,andusingjust sixbarbs,weoptedforaPhobyaDC12-220& EK-ReservoirComboDCP2.2Bundle(£49from www.aquatuning.co.uk).Thisisn’taspowerfulasa LaingDDCorD5pump,butthecombinedpumpand reservoircanfitintotinyspaces.Italsocostslessthan £50,whileaLaingpumpcostsover£60onitsown.

TocoolourGeForceGTX6803GB,weoptedfor ourLabs-winningGPUfull-coverwaterblock, theXSPCRazorGTX680(seeIssue107,p65). WeroutedthetubingtoitfromtheCPU,and theloopthenheadsbackdowntothepump, withtheradiatorbeingfeddirectlyfromthe pump’soutlet.Weleftenoughslackinthe tubingsothatwecouldeasilyremovethe graphicscard,withouthavingtodraintheloop first.Dependingonwhichwayyouroutethe tubing,youcouldalsooptfor90-degree angledfittingstokeeptubingoutoftheway, particularlyontheGPUwaterblock’soutlet.

>>

10 9 >>Fill the LOOP

>>

Priortocabletidying,youneedtoleak-testyourwater-coolingloop,just toensurethatyouwon’tdamageanyofyourhardware.Startbyfillingit withcoolant–weoptedforsomeMayhem’sAuroraNebulaBlue(£15 fromwww.specialtech.co.uk),whichlooksfantasticnexttothecopperplatedfittings.Fillyourchosenreservoirwiththecoolant,followingthe instructions provided–ourEKreservoirhasascrew-caplid,makingit easytofillthesystem. Afterthat,connectthepumptoyourPSUanddisconnectthepower toyourmotherboardandgraphicscard.YounowneedtouseanATX bridgingplug(85pfromwww.aquatuning.co.uk)tojump-startthePSU withoutpluggingitintothemotherboard.Disconnectingthepower ensuresyourhardwarewillbesafeifanyleaksshouldoccurinthistest.

13

TheMayhem’scoolantisfairlygoodatbleedingthesystemofairbubbles itself,butit’salwaysworthtiltingthecasetoallowairtobleedfromthe radiatorandCPUblocks–thankfully,thisisamucheasiertaskwiththe dinkyProdigythanitiswithafull-towercase.Don’tbefooledintothinking thatthepearlescenteffectofthecoolantistrappedair–it’saactuallyan ingeniousfeaturethatmakesthereservoirlookparticularlyspectacular. Don’tbetemptedtofillthereservoirtothebrim,though.Instead,once you’vefullybledtheairfromtheloop,andit’spoweredon,allowagood centimetreorsobetweenthecoolantlevelandthetopofthereservoir.The pressureofthepumpwilllowerthecoolantlevel,meaningthattherewillbe alotofpressureinthereservoirwhenit’sswitchedoff.Leavingasmallgap 78 willallowthecoolanttoexpandwhenthesystemisswitchedoff.

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>> Cable TIDYING

>>

CabletidyingisusuallythebaneofallPCbuilds,butit’sa comparativelyeasyjobintheProdigy.BitFenixhashadthe foresighttoleavelargegapsoneithersideofthePSUcage, whichprovideexcellentlocationstotieyourstraypower cablesandtuckthemaway.Asthere’snomotherboardtray, youneedtoperformallyourcabletidyingontherearsideof thecase–accesswillbeeasywiththesidepanelremoved. Dependingonwhichmotherboardyouchoose,youmay nothaveenough3-pinfanheaderstopowerallyourfans (theAsusP8Z77-IDeluxeonlyhastwofanheaders,butour caseandcoolingsystemhasfourfans). Tosolvethisminorissue,weusedsomeMolexto3-pin fanadaptorstopowertheadditionalfans;youcouldalsouse aninternalfancontroller(sincethe5.25inbayisunusable) orafansplittercable.

That’sit!Sitbackandadmireyourminimonster.Ifyou’reusinganyofthe Z77 motherboardsinthismonth’sLabstest, youcanuseoursettingstooverclock yourCPU.Alotwilldependonyour particularsetup–especiallyifyouwatercoolboththeCPUandgraphicscard– andthenumberandsizeofradiatorsyou use.Checkyourtemperaturesoncethe use. Check your temperatures once the PCisupandrunning. PC is up and running.

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ThefinalcomponenttoinstallistheSSD.Weleftthisuntillastbecause youcansecureit practicallyanywhereintheProdigywithsome double-sidedtapeorVelcro.Withthelocationofthepumpfinalised, andtherestofourcablestidiedaway,wesettledonthesideofthePSU cageforthelocationofourSSD.Thismeantthatwecouldroutethe SATApoweranddatacablesdirectlytoitthroughoneofthecablerouteingholes,ratherthantrailing themaroundtheinsideofthe case.ItalsomeansthattheSSDcanbeeasilyaccessedfromtheside.

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888NF$[EDHNHE] V[ DBE[,B@&$D 8$>& K#++ """ +IGQB :$@$> WorldMags.net E
GRUMPYGAMER 82 Myauthority SPECOPS:THELINE 84 Justsand inour eyes?

88 QUANTUM CONUNDRUM

One-dimensional

THOMASWAS 89 ALONE

Hip tobesquare

MAGIC:THE 90 GATHERING

DuelsofthePlaneswalkers 2013 METRO:LASTLIGHT 93 How’sitglowing? DEVPERSPECTIVE 94 Wherehasall my

graphicsmemorygone?

THEENGINEROOM 96 Unity

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c p m o t s u c EXCLUSIVE IMAGE Natural Selection 2

SequeltotheoldNaturalSelectionmod forHalf-Life,NaturalSelection2fuses real-timestrategyandfirst-person shooterelements,givingyouthechoice toplayasstrategiccommandersor frontlineforcesinamultiplayer environment.Thedistinctionbetween structure-buildingcommandersand weapon-totingsoldiersisn’ttheonly differencebetweenteams,though,as thisimagesuggests–findoutmoreat www.naturalselection2.com

Readers’ Night Wed, 29 August, 9 till late Theplace OurCounter-Strike:Sourceserver Whatyouneed Anup-to-dateCounter-Strike: Sourceinstallation GAMESERVERIPADDRESSES 32-playerBC2 85.236.101.22:16667 32-playerCS:Source 85.236.101.24:37015

FINDUSONSTEAM Publicgroup http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ CustomPC ModernWarfare2 http://steamcommunity.com/ groups/CustomWarfare2

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81

GAMING

WHY GAMES SHOULD RESPECT YOU Joe Martin may not know how to swim, drive or cycle, but he still demands your respect

D

oes anyone in the games industry really respect me? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself lately, though not in the fishing-for-compliments way you might expect. I’m far more concerned about whether games respect me as a player in terms of my time, intelligence and patience. I don’t think they do respect me. Instead, as the games industry has ‘matured’ over the past decade, I think games have been increasingly losing respect for their audiences. It used to be that shooters, for example, would let players wander freely and experiment, but now I can’t take three steps in Call of Duty without being shoved into a breach mini-game or a truck-mounted turret. And, sure, those types of game elements are exciting and interesting the first or second time you see them – and they arguably even help to fulfil the purpose of the game then too. These sequences and ideas don’t show up just once or twice, though; they’re starting to form the bulk of the experience and, because we’re overexposed, they become dull, purposeless and disrespectful. The worst part, though, is that this isn’t something you see in just a couple of games. It’s everywhere, across every genre, and the games that seem to be the most popular are the worst offenders. Take Diablo III, for example, which uses in-game stores to repeatedly dip into the wallets of players, while the game itself has been designed around known psychological ploys to keep you playing. That isn’t respectful; it’s practically treating players like constantly processed cattle.

I think I’ve actually reached breaking point now. I don’t want to play games that keep having to unsubtly remind me how to play them because they don’t respect my intelligence. I don’t want to play games where a rude, fictional soldier is interrupting me every ten seconds to tell me exactly where to stand. I don’t want to play games that are padded out with boring cutscenes that show me actions I could be doing myself. Importantly, I’m also going to make these expectations an explicit part of my reviewing process. If a game doesn’t seem to respect your time, I’ll tell you as brazenly as possible. I saw Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 demonstrated recently, for example. That game didn’t respect player time and, despite all the hyperbole thrown around by Treyarch, what I saw of the game was little more than a tedious procession from one time-wasting tactic to another. It was so boring that I decided I wasn’t even going to preview it properly in this issue; your time is far too valuable for you to be expected to read about foregone conclusions. It bears mentioning that a lot of this realisation comes from an excellent lecture by Jonathan Blow called Video Games and the Human Condition, by the way. You can and should watch it online at http://tinyurl.com/JonathanBlow if have the time.

I’m going to make these expectations an explicit part of my reviews. If a game doesn’t respect your time, I’ll tell you

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FIND ME ON TWITTER: @JOETHREEPWOOD

WHAT I’M PLAYING No,Ihaven’tbeenplayingHalf-Life3–I’ve beenplayingthelittle-knownMissingInformationmod,which piecestogethercontentcutfromtheoriginalplanforHalf-Life2.

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SPEC OPS: THE LINE Apocalypse nowish HEART Storyline choices; occasionally poignant DARKNESS Hypocritical ambitions; repetitive

THE KNOWLEDGE Price£29.99incVAT Publisher2KGames DeveloperYager Developments Website www.specopstheline.com

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emayaswellsay itupfront:Spec Ops:TheLine isn’tthatgreat. Itisn’taterriblegame,but asfarasthird-person shootersareconcerned,it’s asmechanicallyrun-of-themillasyouraverageconsole port.There’sacoversystem,a two-weaponlimitandaregular dribbleofturretsequencesthroughoutthe campaign–nothingthat wehaven’tseen100times before.However,there’soneaspectofitthatstands outasbeingworthyofdiscussion,andthat’sthe introductionofchoicesintothestory. Tounderstandwhatmakesthechoicesso important,youfirstneedtoknowthatSpecOpsisan adaptationofJosephConrad’sHeartofDarkness, althoughit’ssetinstorm-besetDubairatherthan onanAfricanriver.Theideaisthataperpetual sandstormhascutoffDubaifromtherestofthe worldandeveryoneinsideispresumedtobedead,

includingaUSarmyregiment thatstayedbehindtoaid survivors.Sixmonthslater, it’syourjobtoinvestigate andfindoutwhathappened tothecolonelincharge. Ofcourse,thestorylineis alreadyfullofholesatthis point.Ifitwassoeasytosendin yourunit,whywasDubaisealed off?Whysendonlythreemento rescueeveryone?Theseissuesandothers hovernonsensicallyoverthestoryline;they’renever openlyaddressedandtheybecomeevenmore noticeableasthegamecontinues. Regardless,afterafewhoursofmindless violence,SpecOpsstartstodrawclosertothesource materialbyrevealingtheatrocitiescommittedinthe city.Atfirst,you’rejustwalkingpastmassgraves, butsoonafterthat, you’reinvitedintotheheartof darknessyourself.WillyousavetheCIAoperative withvaluableinformation,orwillyousavethe citizenshe’sprotecting?Willyouuseprohibited

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REVIEW

AFTER A FEW HOURS OF MINDLESS VIOLENCE, SPEC OPS DRAWS CLOSER TO THE SOURCE MATERIAL BY REVEALING THE ATROCITIES COMMITTED IN THE CITY

weaponstoachieveyourgoals?These choicessteptotheforeandthe consequencesarerevealedviathe commentsofyourAIteammates. Whiletheintroductionofthesechoicesis admirablefordisplayingSpecOps’ambition

SERIES PROFILE – SPEC OPS

ArrivingonthePCin1998,theSpecOps serieshashadatroubledhistory.The firstthreegamesweredevelopedby ZombieStudios,whichreleasedthe disappointingBlacklight:Retribution forfreeonSteamrecently.Afterthat, thefranchisefocusedmoreonconsoles andsawseveralnewteamsbecome involved.Thelastgame,Airborne Commando,cameoutin2002andthe franchisehasbeenhibernatingever since,withevenRockstarcancellinga plannedrebootforthePlayStation2.

tobemorethanjustacorridorshooter, SpecOps:TheLine mayreceivean however,theyaren’tenoughtoimmediately approving nodforitsambition,butthat elevatethegameasawholeforavarietyof doesn’tpreventitfromchokingwhenit reasons.Someofthechoicesareincredibly bitesoffmorethanitcanchew.Theproblem poorlypresented–thealternativetousing withtryingtobuildcomplexemotional whitephosphorusagainstyourenemies, responsesintogamesisthattomakethem forexample,isthatthey’llspawninfinitely work,youhavetocommittothemwhollyand untilyourunoutofammoanddie.Many consistently.SpecOps,intryingtobebothan otherchoicesarealsosimilarlyartificially actionblockbusterandameaningfulreport constructedtothepointwheretheyshatter onthehumancondition,failstoexcelon yoursuspensionofdisbelief. eitherfront.Theendingsmaystarttoveer ItalsoappearshypocriticalforSpecOpsto towardsthemarvellous(especiallyintheir conveyamessageaboutthehorrificnature ambition),butthatdoesn’timmediately ofwarinagamethatfeaturesslow-motion redeemalltheotheraspects. explodingheadshots. We’dlovetoseemoregameshandling Thisisagamethatglorifies topicssuchasthis,butcoupling massviolenceandforcesyou thissortofdramawithrepetitive, tokillthousandsofpeopleto predictablecombatisn’ta finishit–butthentriesto convincing waytodoit.Strip makeyoufeelguiltyforit.It’s awaytheliteraryambitionsand masochisticandultimately you’rebackwhereyoustarted– unfairwhenconsideredinthe SpecOps:TheLineisn’tgreat, OVERALL widercontext. butitisn’tterribleeither.

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TECHNICAL ANALYSIS SpecOps:TheLineisanobviousconsole-to-PCport,withlittle optimisationforthegraphicallysuperiorPCplatform.This doesn’tmeanthatthegamelooksbad–onthecontrary,itlooks quitegood–butthere’slittleopportunitytocustomisethegamein ameaningfulway.Thefieldofviewisfixed,forexample,andmouse accelerationisbafflinglyturnedonatalltimes. Theoptionsformalisedinthegame’smenuaren’texactly thrillingeither.BesidesswitchingShadowsandTextureDetail levelsbetweenfiveimperceptiblydifferentsettings,thereisn’talot todo.We’veincludedsomescreenshotsoftheseonVeryLowand VeryHightogiveyouanideaoftheverybestandworstthatthe gamecanlook,butotherthanthelossofthedynamicshadowson thelowend,there’slittleimpact.Theonlyareawecouldspota changeintexturequalitywasonthebeltofthemaincharacter, whichlookscrisperonVeryHigh. TheoneupsideofSpecOps’consoleoriginsarethatitwillrun onoldersystemswithoutputtingupmuchofafight–3GBofRAM,

a2.4GHzquad-coreCPUandaDirectX9graphicscardwith512MB ofRAMareallthat’srecommendedtorunthegame.Despitethis, thegraphicsstilllookgood,though,mainlybecauseofthegame’s linearstructure–there’slittlechancetowanderoffthepathor performtheunexpected. Eventhecontrollayoutpointstoaconsole-focuseddesign,with nooptiontosetsecondaryinputsandastreamlinedsetofcontextsensitivecontrols.Themiddlemousebutton,forexample,isused toissuesnipe,healandgrenadeorders,allbasedonwhat’sunder thereticulewhenyouclickit.Thisisn’tanissueatfirst,butatthe harderdifficultylevels,it’sfrustratingthatyoucan’tgivemore nuanceddirectivestoyoursupportingAIdrones. Worstofall,theINIfilesareencrypted,soyoucan’tmanuallyfix hiddenoptionsthatwayeither.Afan-madedecrypterhassince beencreated,butreportsindicatethatit’sfarfromreliableand oftencreatesmoreproblemsthanitsolves.However,ifyouwant totryit,youcandownloaditfromhttp://tinyurl.com/CPC-specops

HI GH

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HI GH

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SHADOWS

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QUANTUM CONUNDRUM

Like a boson PHYSICS Funny and smart PSYCHICS Often fiddly

THE KNOWLEDGE Price£9.99incVAT PublisherSquareEnix DeveloperAirtightGames Websitehttp:// quantumconundrum.com

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alve’s atmospheric alve’satmospheric puzzler Portal has puzzlerPortalhas loomed large over the loomedlargeoverthe games industry for years, gamesindustryforyears, but there is none that sits so firmly in its butthereisnonethatsitssofirmlyinits shadow as Quantum Conundrum. Not only shadowasQuantumConundrum.Notonly arebothgamessingle-player,science-orientated comedypuzzlersaboutdistortingthelawsofphysics, butbothweredesignedbyKimSwift–formerlyof Valve,andnowofAirtightGames. What’smore,bothgameshaveasimilarstructure whenitcomestostorytelling,withConundrum onplatformingpuzzles;youoftenhavetomakevery castingyouasalittleboywhomusttraverseaseries precisejumpswhileswappingdimensions.Thereare ofillogicalpuzzlesinordertorescuehismadscientist manypuzzleswhereyouhavetotraversegapsinthe uncle,ProfessorQuadwrangle.VoicedbyJohnD SlowMotiondimensionbyhoppingfromonethrown Lancie,Quadwrangleismorekindlyandtalkative objecttoanother,forexample,andthisisoften thanPortal’sGlaDOS–butit’snotablethatbothexist frustratinglydifficultfromafirst-personperspective. primarilyasavoicethaturgesyouthroughthegame. Thatsaid,Conundrum’scomplextoolsetmeans Ratherthanbasingitselfaroundtheuseofportals thatthedifficultyisconsistentthroughoutthegame, andspacemanipulation,however,Conundrumlets asopposedtoPortal’sdifficultycurve.Thereareplenty youchangethelawsofphysicsasawholebyswitching ofplaceswherepuzzlescanhavemultiplesolutions, throughfourdifferentdimensions.Eachhasunique nottomentioncollectiblestofind,aswell. propertiesyoucanharness,suchastheFluffy Theresultofcombiningthistoughlevelofdifficulty Dimensionwhereeverythingistentimeslighter withamorechildish,cartoonysettingthanPortal’s andsofterthanusual,soyoucanwieldlargeritems. isn’tgoingtobetoeveryone’staste,however.Infact,it’s Thefourdimensionsdon’tconfinetheireffects sometimesdifficulttodiscernthetargetaudiencefor tothepuzzle-criticalitemseither,buttheentire QuantumConundrum.UnlikePortal,thisisn’tagame level.Paintingsanddecorativeitemswill thatyoucanexpecttoeasilyplaywithnonalsoshifttomatchthenewreality–the gamers,despiteitscartoonishstyling. usualpictureofaboywithaballoonwill Thisdoesn’tmeanthatitcan’tbe becomeapictureofaboycrushedunder enjoyedonitsown,though,especially aleadweightintheHeavydimension, ifyou’reabletotakeitatfacevalueand forexample. don’tmindperseveringwithrepetitive WhereConundrumdiffersfromPortal environmentsandfiddlyplatformjumps. OVERALL JOE MARTIN fortheworse,however,iswithitsfocus

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REVIEWS

THOMAS WAS ALONE

It’s hip to be square RIGHT ANGLE Witty; moving; original WRONG ANGLE A little too easy

THE KNOWLEDGE Price£5.99incVAT PublisherMikeBithell DeveloperMikeBithell Websitewww. thomaswasalone.com

ideogamescantellallsortsof stories,buttoooften,thegames industrytrendstowardsthe knownsafetyofblockbusterseries. Hugeexplosions,endlessturretsequencesanda constantparadeofsoldierswhocan’tquitegrowfull beardsbutwon’teverstoptrying.ThomasWasAlone doesn’thaveanyofthat,however–noteventhe beards,andit’sallthebetterforit. Instead,ThomasWasAlonehasasenseof Eventheword‘polished’isinadequatewhenit warmthandwhimsythatmakesitimmediately comestosummingupthispuzzle-platformer; invitingtoeveryconceivabletypeofaudience.Ithas Thomashasbeensoexpertlybuffedthatitsfinishis acastofsmall,multi-colouredquadrilaterals,each practicallymirror-like.Thisimpressionismadeall ofwhichrepresentsanAIunitinsideasystemthat’s themorestrikingbythesimplicityofthedesign.All suddenlybecomesentient,andeachofwhichsets youhavetodoineachlevelisnavigatetheavailable outtouseitsuniqueskillstoaccomplishgoals.For charactersthroughit,switchingthecharacter example,Clairefloatsandisconvincedthatshe’sa currentlycontrollingtoharnessthepowersofeach superhero,whileSarahcandouble-jumpandis oneforthegoodofthegroup. brilliantlymegalomaniacal. Theoneunfortunateconsequenceofallthis Andthenthere’slovable,affableThomas.Hecan’t streamlining,however,isthatThomashas doanythinginparticular,butyoucan’thelpwanting essentiallysacrificedcomplexityforaccessibility, topluckhimfromthescreensoyoucangivehima andthegameisunlikelytochallengeevenirregular bighug.We’recomfortableadmittingthat. gamersasaresult.There’senoughcontentinitto ThefactthatThomasWasAlonemanagesto keepyoupluggingawayforafewdays,sovaluefor exudethissenseofmagicalcharismacanbe moneyisn’tmuchofanissue;however,it’sashame attributedtomanyindividualelementsofthedesign. there’snoeurekamomentstobehadfromsolving There’sthehilariouslymelodramaticnarrationby eventhehardestpuzzlesposedbythegame. DannyWallace,forexample,andthe Thatlackofsignificantlyharder waythewritingmakesthegamefeellike challengesmakesThomasWasAlone ahigh-techbedtimestory.Thegame’s uniquelysuitableforplayingwithother biggeststrength,however,istheway peopleofallagesandabilities,however. designerMikeBithellallowsthese Infact,we’vetriedthisalready,andit’s underlyingelementstoshinethrough anexperiencethatwe’dinstantly bytrimmingoutanythingthatdoesn’t recommendtoeveryone. OVERALL JOE MARTIN absolutelyneedtobeinthegame.

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REVIEW

MAGIC: THE GATHERING – DUELS OF THE PLANESWALKERS 2013 We’d tap that PLANE Deep and complex PLAIN Occasionally sedentary

THE KNOWLEDGE Price£6.99incVAT PublisherWizardsofthe CoastLLC DeveloperStainless Games Websitewww.wizards. com/magic/digital/ duelsoftheplaneswalkers. aspx

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agic:TheGatheringhasbeen whatcanbeplayedandwhen,whileaction lampoonedasfarbackasFallout movesforwardsataregularrateandcan 2,whereyourcharactercould beimmediatelypausedatanypoint. becomeaddictedtoasuspiciously Meanwhile,tooltips,hintsandflavourtext similarcardgamecalledTragic.Stepaway groundyouintheworldandconveyallthe fromanypreconceptionsyouhaveabout essentialinformationwithoutoverwhelming Magic’seye-blurringdepthandwallet-draining theprocess.It’saremarkableaccomplishment. design,however,andyou’llfindanincredibly Theonlythorninitsside,infact,isthatthe interestinggamethat’srewardingandstrategic. presentationissostreamlinedthat,onceyou’ve Thebasicrulesaresimple;traditionally,twoplayers learnedhowtoplay,youoftenwanttorushahead arecastintherolesofwizardswhobattlethrough fasterthanthegameactuallyallows.Thiswillprobably accumulatedcardsthatrepresentvariousforces, beespeciallyfrustratingforthosealreadyfamiliarwith spellsandresources.Inthisdigitaladaptationofthe thegamefrompreviousversionsorthetraditional game,youmainlyaccruenewcardsbybestingthe cardformat,butthereareplentyofimprovements single-playercampaignmode,thensortyour overpreviousdigitalversionstolessenthesting.The reservesintodecksthatyoucarrytotheonlineportion. multiplayeroptionhasbeenbroadenedtoinclude Thedetailofhowyourcardsareusedaretoo worldwideleaderboards,forexample,aswellastwoinvolvedtosumuphere,withacomplicatedsystem vs-twocooperativematchesandmore. ofroundsmadeyetmorebafflingbythesheervariety Thealreadyimpressiveproductionandreplay ofcardsonoffer.Therearesomanyvariationsand valueshavejumpedforwardstoo.Thenew3Dplaying criticaleffectstoremember,fromTrample(excess deckandbackgroundsgiveMagicamorestylised damagespillsontoopposingforces)toShroud(can’t gloss,whilethecampaignhasbeenbolsteredwith betargetedbyspells)–andthat’sallwithoutgetting challengesthatwillkeepyoucomingbackformore. intothenitty-gritty.Whendoyousearchyour Planeswalkers2013istheperfectantidoteto graveyard?What’sthedifference Magic:TheGathering’simageproblem, betweenanenchantmentandartefact? peelingbacktheunsightlystereotypes Whilethesenuanceshavemadethe thatplaguedthecommonperception conventionalcardgameanintimidating andremovingthebarriersofentryfor prospectfornewplayers,however, newcomers.It’squitesimplythemost Planeswalkers2013ispresentedsimply gracefulandrefinedtakeonthefranchise enoughtomeanthatthisisn’tamajor yet,andonethat’swellworthalook. OVERALL JOE MARTIN issue.Subtlegloweffectsletyouknow

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WorldMags.net

www.scan.co.uk 0871 472 4747

www.overclockers.co.uk www.dabs.com 0871 200 5052 WorldMags.net

www.ebuyer.com

PREVIEW

METRO: LAST LIGHT Tunnel vision

THE KNOWLEDGE PublisherTHQ Developer4AGames Website www.enterthemetro.com ReleasedateEarly2013

tisn’toftenthattheapocalypseispresented asbeinggenuinelyterrifyingincomputer games.Exciting,sure,butnotscary.Instead, gameseriessuchasFalloutandLeft4Dead preferoffsettingthefictionaldeathsofeveryone you’veeverknownwithsomeslyMontyPython referencesorfreneticcombat.LastLight,onthe otherhand,specificallysetsouttogiveyouthechills. Themechanicsbywhich4AGamesachievesthis arealmosttoonumeroustomention,rangingfrom thecontinueduseofghostlyvoicesandapparitions toasubtlechangeinaestheticsthat’sslightly differenttootherpost-apocalypticgames.THQcalls it‘nuclearspring’andit’sintendedtobleedalittle morevariationintothepost-apocalypsepalette, whilealsomakingyoufeeluncomfortablewiththe realisationthattheworldischangingaroundyou. Themosteffectivefear-makingtacticofall, though,isalsooneofthesmallest–anewfeature called‘maskwipe’,whichseesyourvisionsteadily obscuredbytheenvironment.Becomecaught inarainstormorclosecombat,forexample, andthevisorofyourgasmaskwillget spattered,meaningthatyouhaveto manuallycleanit. Itsoundslikeasmallchange,butit hasadramaticeffectwhenit’spiledon topofalltheexistingimmersionsystems carriedoverfromMetro2033,suchasthe torchthathastoberegularlyrecharged, aswellasthelimitedamountofair.When you’redashingacrossthesurfaceof Moscowandagroupofmutantssuddenly descendsonyou,tryingtofendthemoffwhile

effectivelyhalf-blind,chokingandsurroundedby darknessisnothingshortofnerve-shredding. Bestofall,THQhastakenonboardalotofwhatit sayswas‘validcriticism’ofthecombatandAIinthe firstgame.Ithasrespondedbynotonlyimproving thosesystems,butalsoadjustingtheoverallpaceof thesequel.LastLightwillplayatamuchslowerpace than2033,withmoreroomforexplorationsothat playerscandealwithenemiesontheirownterms. However,thegamewillalsostillthrowinplentyof furiousfirefights. What’simportanttotakeawayfromMetro:Last Light,however,isthatTHQseemstobepushingback againstthetrendssetbymostotherbig-nameFPS games.ChattingwithTHQ’sHuwBeynon,there’s nospielabout‘accessibility’or‘deliveringamore cinematicexperience’.Instead,theconversationis about4AGames’creativevision,andhowthat’s communicatedintinydesigntouches. Theresult,wethink,isexactlywhatalotof single-playerfansarecallingoutfor–ablend offirst-personshooterandRPGelements that’sgrowingstrongeranddeeperasit progresses,ratherthanbecomingmore diluted.Itstillremainstobeseenhow wellthestorycanbetoldonalargerlevel, andif4AGameswillmanagetostrikea goodbalancewhenitcomestodifficulty, butwe’llfindoutinduecourse.Atthe moment,we’rejusthappytofinda technicallydemandingPCgamethat’s scalinginapositivedirection.Therest oftheindustryshouldtakenote.

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JOE MARTIN

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Where has my graphics memory gone? iventhatevenbasicgraphics Graphicscardscanonlycopewithtextures thatarea‘poweroftwo’intermsof cardsoftenhave1GBofRAM dimensions,sothescreensizeisroundedup asstandardnow,many to2,048x2,048,orroughly4millionpixels gamersmustoccasionally findthemselvesscratchingtheir twocopiesofthescreen–theonein headsandwonderingwhattheir frontofyou,andtheonethatthegame gamesaredoingwithallthatRAM. isrenderinginthebackgroundready Atleastpartoftheansweristhat forthenextframe. itrequiresalotmoreworkandpixels Foreachframe(ideally60timesa andtexturememorythanyoumight second),thecardwill‘swap’those imaginetorenderamoderngame, images,soyouinstantlygetafully andI’lltrytoillustratethatbyusing renderedframe,withoutseeingthe theonlyexampleIhavetohandfor framebeingrenderedbehind-thecollectingsuchdata,whichismy scenes.Ifyouturnoffv-sync,youcan gameGratuitousTankBattles.GTB sometimessee‘tearing’whichisthe isatop-down2Dstrategytowervisualartefactthissystemisdesigned onlycopewithtexturesthatarea‘powerof defence/RTSgame.Youcanzoominand toavoid.Asyoucansee,thegamealreadyhas two’intermsofdimensions,sotragically,the outquiteheavily(whichisimportantforthe afrontandback-buffer(possiblyseveral screensizeisroundedupto2,048x2,048,or purposeofthisdiscussion),andpeopleare more),soourgraphicsRAMusagehas roughly4millionpixels. generallycomplimentaryaboutitsgraphics. alreadydoubledto44MB. Soyoucouldassumethatweneedjust4MB Ontheoppositepageisascreenshotof Likemostgraphicallyshinygames,GTB ofRAM,pluswhatevertexturesalltheinfantry thegameinactionatnight-time(also alsohasabunchofcleverstuffthatbumpsit &tanksuse,right?Notevenclose.Firstly, important)withsomelaserbeamsshooting upfurther.Rememberthatthisisanight-time unlikehighlycompressedJPEGimages,the atstuff.Asit’sa2Dgame,youmight shot,whichmeansthatIneedanothersneaky graphicscardwillrepresenteachpixelusing automaticallyassumethatlittlehorsepower copyofthewholescreentowhichIcandraw threeorfourbytes(dependingonwhether isrequiredonthegraphicsfronttorenderit. lightmaps.Thisisthen‘composited’withthe Ohboy,wouldyoubewrong. renderedworldatthelastminute,so AgraboftheDirectXoutputforthat yougetsearchlightsandsooninthe YOU’D NOTICE IF MIP-MAPS WERE game.That’s66MB.Ialsousesome exactframe(thankstoniftysoftware calledPix)tellsmethatatthepointof cunningdistortioneffectsinthegame TURNED OFF, AS EVERYTHING thatrender,thegamehad570textures BECOMES A LITTLE OVER-SHARP forshockwavesandsoon,which loaded.Yep,570.Andwhat’sscaryis requiresanothercopyofthescreento AND SHIMMERY thatIactuallymakequiteheavyuseof composite,sothat’s88MB.Ialsohave texture‘atlasing’(packingseveral anifty‘selection’effectforhighlighted thatpixelneedstransparencydata).These imagesintooneinordertoavoidconstant units,whichworksthesameway,and you representred,greenandblue. textureswapping,whichmostcardsfindtobe guessedit–we’renowat110MBofgraphics Theupshotisthatafull-screenimageuses slow).Whatonearthareallthosetextures, RAM,withoutevendrawinganytextures. either16MBor22MBofvideocardmemory, andhowcantheyevenmakeadentinyour AsIneededverysmoothanimation,even whichwouldbefineifweonlyneededthe 1GBofgraphicsmemory? ataslowed-downspeedwithamaximum roomforoneimage.However,moderngames Theanswerisabittechnical,butalso zoom,itturnsoutthatthe128framesof alsomakeuseoftheverticalrefreshrateto interesting.Forstarters,thescreenshot mechs-walkinganimationmeansthatI synchronisedrawingthegame,andcopying wastakenataresolutionof1,920x1,200.For requireawhopping22MBtextureforeach theimagetothemonitor.Basically,thereare reasonsofbinarymaths,graphicscardscan mechtype.Thosearethebiggestconventional

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Anight-time screenshotof GratuitousTank Battles–itlooks simple,butit’s alreadyusing110MB ofgraphicsRAM beforeit’seven starteddrawing thetextures

texturesinthegame.Intheory,theyshouldn’t bethatsize,butthey’rebulkedoutbymipmaps.Mip-mapsprovideawayforimages tolookgoodwhetherthey’renearorfar away.You’dnoticeifmip-mapswereturned off,aseverythingbecomesalittleover-sharp andshimmery. Meanwhile,somethingthataddseven moretoGTB’stexturebudgetistheabilityto customisetanks.Peoplewhoaredisparaging about2Dgamesoftenthrowoutcomments suchas‘it’sjustsprites’,whichislaughable giventheactualcomplexity.Someofthetanks haveninedifferentlayersblendedtogether, andofcourse,allthoselayershavemipmaps,whicharetakinguptexturememory. Addintheterrain,relativelyhigh-resolution shadow-mapstofaketheground’s3Dlook, themenugraphics,loadingscreensandso on,andyoucanprobablyseewherethe570 textures(mostaremip-maps)andallthat videomemoryisgoing. That’saroughexplanationofwhereallyour texture-memorymightbegoing,butwhat aboutthesheerpolygon-pumpingpower?It’s firstlyimportanttopointoutthat,foranontrivialpartofeachframe,yourfancypolygon renderinghardwareisdoingabsolutely nothing.There’sanidealsituationdiscussed bythegraphics-pipelinegods,wherethere’s perfectconcurrencybetweentheCPUandthe GPU.Inotherwords,theGPUisbusydrawing

afewthousandpolygonswhiletheCPU preparesthenextthousand,andneitherunit iseveridle.Inpractice,thisneverhappens. Asyouchargedownacorridorinafirstpersonshooter,orswipethecameraoverthe battlefieldinanRTS,thegraphicsrendering pipelineisinconstant,wildchange.Fromone frametoanother,themodelsbeingrendered, theactiveeffects,andthespritesandtextures requiredareinconstantflux.Inoneframe,the bottleneckistextures,asyoulookoutover rollingterrain.Inanother,thebottleneckis polygons,asavastarmyofhigh-polygon soldiersmarchpast.Thenashockwaveblast thatdistortsthescreenpushestheshader pipelineintobottlenecklandwiththenext frame,andsoon. Codersdowhattheycan(usingtools suchasperfHUDandPIX,togetherwith in-game‘live’displays’),toachieveasmuch concurrencyaspossible,andmakethemost ofboththeCPUandGPU,buttheynever manageitperfectly.Nocodepathworksin everycircumstanceinaspecificgame(and genericengineshavetoappealtoallkinds ofgames,makingthisevenharder),andno codepathcanpossiblyhandlethemyriadof differentcardsavailableeither.Someare relativelybetteratpolygons,othersattextures andsomeatshaderprocessing.Addtothis theproblemswithdifferentresolutions,SLI/ CrossFireXandmulti-monitorsupport,andit

WorldMags.net

becomesinevitablethatyourgraphicscard willoftenendupwaitingfortheCPUtocatch up,andviceversa. Inshort,spareathoughtforthepoorsod developingagraphicsengine.Balancingall thesesystemsishellonearth,evenfora singlegame,andasinglegraphicscardand drivercombination–developinganefficient genericrenderingpipelineisextremely challenging.Secondly,beawareofhow muchdifferenceitmakestotheamountof graphicsRAMandprocessing(don’tforget thatshaderswillbeusedforallthosepixels too)whenyoubuyabiggermonitorandrun atahigherresolution.Also,beawarethat droppingyourverticalresolutionbelow1,024, oryourhorizontalresolutionto2,048orbelow, canmakeamajordifferencetothedemands madeonyourvideocard.Andyouthought binarymathswasnevergoingtobeof practicaluse,didn’tyou?

CLIFF HARRIS

istheone-mancoding wizardbehindPositech Games(www.positech. co.uk),thedeveloperofGratuitous SpaceBattles @cliffski

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theengineroom Rick Lane

Unity

It runs on Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, and there are plans to support Flash and Linux too. Could Unity end up being the one engine to rule them all?

A

fewclichésspringtomindwhen consideringUnity.Blacksheep, darkhorse,risingstar.Theyall seemaccurate,andatthesame time,inappropriate.There’sasimplereason forthis,anditisn’tjustbecausethey’relazy metaphors.Unityhasdefineditselfbydoing itsjobdifferently.Itaspirestobeeverything toalldevelopers.Thatithascomeanywhere closetoachievingthisisremarkable. Unitybeganlifein2002,atatimewhen licensinganenginewasalmostasdifficult asmakinganactual game.‘Backthenthere weren’tanyreadily availableengines that asmallstudioorstartupcouldreadilyaccess –wewerethreeguysin abasement,’says DavidHelgason,CEO andco-founderofUnity Technologies.‘They wereallexpensive,and youcouldn’tevenreachthoseguysifyou didn’thaveanameorsomekindoffunding.’ TheobvioussolutionforHelgasonand histwoco-founders,NicholasFrancisand JoachimAnte,wastomakeonethemselves. Likemostotherengines,Unitywasintended tobeaspecifictooltosuitaspecific requirement.However,thetrioquicklyran intotroublewhenitcametothatspecificity. ‘Wecouldneveragreeonwhichgames tomake,sotheenginehadtobemore genericbecauseithadtoaccommodate alltheideaswehad,’saysHelgason. ‘In2004,werealisedthatweweren’tthat greatatmakinggames.Welovedgames; that’swhywestarted,butwerealisedthat wemaybedidn’tlovemakingthem.What wedidlovewascreatingthisengine.We becamereallyexcitedandrealisedthatthe

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Rochard’sphysicsbasedgameplay wasn’tplannedfrom thebeginning

Unitynowsupports DirectX11too

approachwehadtakenwasdifferentfrom thatusedbyanybodyelse.’ Whatbeganasanimpassableobstacle evolvedintoadeliberatedesignphilosophy that’sbeenthedrivingforcebehindUnity eversince.TheteambegantomouldUnity withtheintentofmakingitaccessible, affordableand,aboveall,flexible.The ideawastotargetsmallteamssimilarto themselves,tocreateanenginewithfastyet easilyunderstandableworkflows,andthe capabilitytocreateanytypeofgame.In short,thespecificaimwastomakeitas unspecificaspossible. ‘Thetraditionalwayofgamebuilding ishighlyinflexible,’explainsHelgason, ‘whereyoubuiltarigidhierarchyofthetype ofobjectsinthegame.Soyoucanhavea character,andthatcanbeanNPCoraplayer

character.Itcouldbeaweapon,anditcould beabaseweaponoraweaponyoucanpick up,orashieldandsoon.Butthemoment youwantasingingswordthat’sbotha characterandaweapon,oranycreative expression,yougetintotrouble,sowewent withthismuchmoreflexiblemodel.’ ThefirstversionofUnitylaunchedin 2005,andimmediatelydifferentiateditself fromotherenginesbyfindingitsinitialhome onApple’srevitalisedMacplatform.Unity hassustainedastrongandsuccessful relationshipwithAppleeversince,becoming theengineofchoicefordevelopersonthe iPhoneandiPad.‘WemadeUnitysupportthe iPhoneacoupleofmonthsaftertheApp Storeopened,’saysHelgason,‘anditjust tookoff.Wewerealreadygrowing,butthe growthdoubledandeverythingspedup.’ SinceitsmovetomobileandPCplatforms, Unityhasgainedareputationforbeingthe indiedarlingofgameengines,whichis understandablegivenitsdevelopment historyandtargetmarket.However,ifUnity wastobeuseduniversally,italsohadtobe powerfulenoughforthemainstreamgames market.ThefirsttwoversionsofUnitywere

WorldMags.net

ANALYSIS

Unity3’sdeferredrendering systemenablesanunlimited numberoflightstobeset upwithinagame–notethe variationin thevisibilityof theskullsinthemiddlehole

significantlybehindthecurrentgeneration inthisarea.Thethirditeration,however, markedthebeginningofapushtowards equallingthepowerofcurrent-gentech. Unity3mademajorstrideswithits deferredrenderingsystem;thisenabled anunlimitednumberoflightstobeplaced inagame,allofwhichcouldinteract appropriatelywiththerelevantmappingon materialsandtextures,accuratelylighting bumpsanddipsonsurfaces.Combinedwith thenewlyintroducedocclusionculling,this allowedforincreaseddetailwithoutany impactonperformance,asanythingnot viewableon-screenwouldimmediatelybe removedfromtherenderingprocess.The latestversion,Unity3.5,addedsupportfor HDRlighting,abrandnewdedicatedparticle systemnamed‘Shuriken’,andNavigational MeshestomakeiteasierforAIcharacters tofindtheirwayaroundenvironments– essentialforcharacter-basedgames. Onegamethat’stakenadvantageofthis morepowerfulversionofUnityisRochard– aphysics-basedplatformersetinadeepspaceasteroidminingstation.Rochard proclaimsitselftobethemostadvanced Unitygametodate.SampsaLehtonen– leadprogrammerandco-ownerofRecoil Games–explainedhowitwasthesemore advancedtechniquescombinewiththe engine’scoredesignideasthatmade Rochardpossible.‘Themostimportant featureinUnityforuswasthespeedof iteration,’saysLehtonen.‘Youcouldtryout newgameplayideasquickly.Infact,the wholephysics-basedgameplaywasn’t plannedatthestartoftheproject,butwas prototypedasitprogressed.’

systemisoneexample.A morebizarreexampleisthe TreeCreator,whichisexactly whatitsnamesuggests–a tooldedicatedtobuilding detailedflora.Itsticksoutas acuriouslyspecifictoolinan enginewheretheobjectiveis tobegeneric. ‘It’sbecauseeverybody buysSpeedTreeandplugsit intotheirengine,’Helgason explains.‘Wewanttobethe enginethatdoeseverything youneed.Thatisn’tpossible, UNITY 3 MADE MAJOR STRIDES butwe’llgoasfaraswecan. WITH ITS DEFERRED RENDERING Sooneoftheprojectswedid wastheTreeCreator;ithas SYSTEM, ENABLING AN someprettyawesometools UNLIMITED NUMBER OF LIGHTS tobuildreallyrealistictrees, TO BE PLACED IN A GAME orweirdorcartoonytrees, butit’sjustasmuchan Rocharddemonstratesthegrowingpower enablerforpeopletocreatetrees ofUnity,andalsohighlightswhyUnityhas themselvesandsellthemtoothers.’ onlyrecentlybegunthepursuitforvisual SpeedTree,thebasisfortheTreeCreator, punch.Poweroftencomesatthecostof iswhat’sknownasaUnityAsset,available complexity,andwhenanengineisdesigned forpurchaseinoneoftheengine’smost tobepowerful,universallyaccessibleand intriguingfeatures–theAssetStore.Here, completelyflexible,gettingthebalance developerscancreateandselltheirown rightisnightmarish.‘Itisn’tdesignedjust assetstootherusersofUnity,whetherit’s forfirst-personshootersorplatformers,’ apackofcharactermodelsorcodefora Lehtonenpointsout.‘Soyou’llinevitably particularvisualeffect.Thisisusefulin needtodosomeextraworktogetthe avastnumberofways.ItmakesUnitymore frameworkforthekindofgameyou’re accessiblefornewcomers,astheydon’t developing,includingbothgameplayandthe havetomakeeverythingfromscratch,andit tools.AnemptyUnityprojectisacleanslate.’ meansthatexperienceddeveloperscanget Thesolution,ofcourse,istocreatenew holdoftoolsandtricksthatUnitydoesn’t toolstodealwithnewgraphicalfeaturesthat currentlysupportinitscorepackage.What’s complicatematters.TheShurikenparticle more,aswasthecasewiththeTreeCreator, Unity’sintegrated characteranimation system,Mecanim, providesarangeofprepackagedanimations

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ANALYSIS

Codemastersisusing UnityforitsbrowserbasedF1Onlinegame

Rochard–availablefor PC,PS3andMacOSX

RochardshowsoffthepotentialtouseUnityforgoodlookingvisualsandcomplex,physics-basedgameplay

ithelpsthecreatorstounderstandwhat developerswantfromUnityandwhereto focustheireffortsnext. Absorptionandintegrationhasbeena keyfacetofUnity’ssuccessoutsideofthe AssetStoretoo.Unitysupportsnumerous subsidiaryprogramssuchasNvidiaPhysX formorebelievablein-gamephysics,and AllegorithmicSubstances,athird-partytool forcreatinghighlyrealistic,differentiated andeasilyadaptablesurfacematerials.This adoptionofnewtechnologyissettocontinue intheupcomingUnity4engine,whichwas announcedacoupleofmonthsago. AlongsidesupportforDirectX11–which isavitalinclusionifUnitywantstocompete withthemainstream–Unityisalsopushing itsintegrationofMecanim;apowerful characteranimationsystemthathands developersawholerangeofpre-packaged animations.Thesecanthenbetweaked andblendedtosuitparticularneeds,andare abletoimporttheirownmotion-capture. ‘It’salittlelikeShurikenortheTree Creator.It’saperfectUnitysystem,’says Helgason.‘It’sveryhigh-powered.We’vehad around50charactersrunningonaniPad, fullyanimated,and200-300characters runningonabeefyPC.’ Itseemsasthoughtheseeffortsoverthe pastcoupleofyearsarebeginningtopayoff.

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RacingheavyweightCodemasterschose Unityforitsbrowser-basedFormula1game F1Online.AssociateProducerMikeRowland elucidatesonwhyUnitywasaptforcreating thisgame. ‘TheideaforF1Online:TheGamewasto makeafree-to-play,easilyaccessiblegame forabroadrangeofracingandFormulaOne fans,’saysRowland.‘WhatUnityprovided wasastrongandimpressiveinstallbasefor itsbrowserplug-in,plusafullsuiteoftools toallowustoputthegameintoabrowser. TheUnitysupportteamhasbeenalongside usallthewayandhaveprovidedincredible helpthroughthosenigglytimesyou inevitablygetwithaprojectofthisscale.’ Thewords‘browser’and‘free’aren’t usuallyassociatedwithcoregaming,but Codemastersisamainstreamdeveloper, soF1Onlineindicatesthemainstream industry’sgradualacceptanceofUnityas aviableoptionforcreatinggames. Codemasters’experienceofcreatingF1 OnlinealsorevealsareaswhereUnitymight

improveinordertoconquercoregaming. Codemasters’wishlistincludes‘afully integratedUIsystem’,whichisimportant ifUnityistobeusedtocreatemore complicatedgames.Alsomentionedis ‘morecontroloverbuildprocesses’tomake iteasiertomouldagamearoundaparticular developer’sapproach. Unitystillneedstoputonafewpounds ifitwantstocompetewithUnrealand CryEngine,butthere’snodoubtthatit’s becomingacontender.Andwhenwesay ‘contender’,it’sactuallyestimatedthatover halfamilliondeveloperscurrentlyuseUnity worldwide–vastlymorethananyofthe majorcommercialengines.What’smore, alongsideitsfocusoncurrent-gentechare planstosupportFlash,LinuxandAsian languages,meaningthatitsuserbasewill likelygrowexponentiallyinthenearfuture. Unitymaynotyetbetheengineforeveryone, butit’sgivenvoicetoapreviouslysilent majority,andinthecomingyears,thatnoise couldbeheardaboveallothers.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

Ten rounds, a meme board and a whole load of cheesecake

i

fyou’rearegularreaderofCustom identifyingwhetherastatementwasfromafilm,gameor Elpida, the struggling PCmagazine,orourTwitterfeed(@ hardwarereview.Wethoughtthiswouldbeprettytricky, s wa , cer du DRAM pro CustomPCMag),you’llknowthatthis butanumberofteams(UnderQualified,8-bitHeroesand ich wh by d ase rch recently pu monthsawushostthefirstCustomPC TeamPFSspecifically)proveduswrongwithhighscoresof s? itor pet of its com seven and eight. andbit-techPubQuiz,inwhich17teams sevenandeight. Even these scores were eclipsed by the perfect ten out of ten battledovertenfiendishlydifficulttechEventhesescoreswereeclipsedbytheperfecttenoutoften themedrounds. achievedbyForeverAloneinthefirstpictureround,however.Thisleftus Alsoinattendancewasateamfromoursponsorandprizeprovider atthehalfwaystage,withEpic.LANatthe Corsair–naturally,abigthankyougoesouttothecompany,aswithout What was Nvidi top,closelyfollowedbyOCBATGTTYand a’s main graphics br itssponsorshipandsupport,theeventsimplywouldn’thavebeen 192.168.X.X.Meanwhile,bringingupthe and before it introdu possible.AlsodeservingofanhonourablementionisParadox rearwasaverydemocraticthree-waytie ced GeForce? Interactive,whichkindlydonatedacopyofMagickaforeveryattendee. betweenUnderQualified,TeamCorsair ThefirstroundwasIntheNews,andtosayitprovedtoughwouldbe andTeamAriaForums. anunderstatement.Noteveryonefoundithard,however,withR.A.G. Thehalf-timebreakthenplayedhometo jumpingstraightintotheleadwithascoreofseven,followedcloselyby oursurprisinglypopular‘make-a-meme’competition,whereweasked thesmashinglytitledOurCheesecakeBringsalltheGeekstotheYard teamstocaptionthefourmemetemplateswe’dmade.Therewere some cracking entries, which you can see (OCBATGTTY)andthree-manteam192.168.X.X. somecrackingentries,whichyoucansee Thankfully,thenextround,TechTVandFilm,provedmore infullonourFacebookpage. y man how , date To accessible,withallbutoneteamabletonamethefilmin Movingon,roundfivewasGeneralTech episodes of The IT Crowd which Hugh Jackman plays an elite computer hacker. One whichHughJackmanplaysanelitecomputerhacker.One Knowledge,whichcoveredabroadrange have aired on British TV? questiondidoutfox oftopicsincludingconsoles,moddingand everyone,however–can overclocking.Itcausedratheranupsetat In November 2000, younametwoofthefourstatincreases thetopofthetabletoo,asEpic.LANonlynotchedupthreepoints,letting Intel released the first ScottPilgrimgainsforfindingthe OCBATGTTYsneakintofirstplace. Pentium 4 processor. What powerofselfrespect? Roundsix,TechAcronyms,thenturnedouttobethehighest-scoring was the codename of the Roundthreewasourtakeonthe round,inwhichteamshadtodecipheracronymssuchasNTFS,RAID original Pentium 4 core classicmusicround(gamethemes, andHTTP.Wethenhadthesecondpictureround,whereteamshadto architecture? naturally), and round four saw teams naturally),androundfoursawteams identifymultiplayerFPSmaps,whichprovedtrickyforeveryoneapart

Q

A. Micron

Q

A. Riva

A. 24

Q

Q

A. Wilamette

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Say

Slow

to

fromEpic.LANandSteve In which film does a Ballmer’sNeckSweat,bothof young girl utilise a UNIX whichclearlyspendalotoftime 3D file system browser by onlinefraggingn00bs. the name of FSV, to bring However,whatcamenext security functionality back canonlybedescribedasmessy online? –theRetroTechround. WrittenbyCustomPC’sown editorBenHardwidge,thiswaswidelyregardedasthetoughestround inthequiz,asillustratedbytheaveragescoreoftwo.Oneteam,R.A.G., roseaboveitalltopostan(honestlyamazing)scoreofsix,though, helpedbythefactthatteamcaptainWayneYoungmanhasbeen readingCustomPCsinceIssue1! Theall-importantfinalroundwasFamousGameQuotes,andwith OCBATGTTYonlytwopointsbehindEpic.LAN,itcouldhavegoneeither way.Intheend,bothteamsscoredfive,leavingEpic.LANourwinners, OCBATGTTYsecondand192.168.X.Xinthird.Eachteamwonabunch ofCorsairgoodies,andEpic.LANalsowalkedawaywiththeGolden Graphics Card trophy. Mentions also GraphicsCardtrophy.Mentionsalso go to All Our Beers Are Belong To Us, gotoAllOurBeersAreBelongToUs, ny Toshiba, IBM and So 8-BitHeroesandSteveBallmer’s e th collaborated on NeckSweat,whowonprizesfor re that’s es proc sor architectu postingupthethreefunniest 3. ion at used in the PlaySt memesinthehalf-timebreak. What is it called? Thankstoeveryonewhoattended theCustomPCandbit-techquiz night,andmadeitagreatnight.We hopetoholdanotherone,probablyinthewinter,sokeepaneyeoutfor informationinthemag.

Q

“No”

Switch to VIPRE – the antivirus that doesn’t slow down your PC VIPRE protects against: » Malware & viruses

» Spam emails

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A. Jurassic Park

Q

A. Cell

Available at Scan me with your QR code app

Download all the answers and questions from the evening:

http://tinyurl.com/Quizsheets

Amazon, Amazon.co.uk and the Amazon.co.uk logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amazon EU S.à.r.l. or its affiliates. Copyright © 2012 GFI Software. All products and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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CPC:Whatinspiredyoutobuild D33pThought? Andy:Itendtobuildanewgamingrig whenaBattlefieldtitleisreleased– it’stheonlygameIplay.Whenthishappens,I alwaysbuythefastesthardwareIcanafford (orinmostcases,can’tafford).Ialreadyhad thishardwarebeforeIstartedD33pThought, andtheadditionofathirdgraphics cardcreatedtheneedforchange– itwouldhavemeantrunningfive waterblocksfromonepump.The pumpwasalreadystruggling,and Icouldhearthenoiselevelsrising witheachblockthatwasaddedto thesystem.Asasidepoint,this makesmewonderaboutthe practicalitiesofotherbuildsI've seenthathavesixorsevenblocks connectedtooneloop.

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Anyway,Ineededabiggercase,and couldn’tfindonethatIreallyliked.Ididn’tlike theideaofmoddinganothercase;Iwanted somethingunique.Iendeduptrawling throughtheNetlookingforideas,andthat’s whenIstumbleduponwww.bit-tech.net.This iswhereIsawMikeKrysztofiak'sPhinixCube, andIthought,yeah,Icoulddothat.However,I

alsowantedtosomethingdifferenttoPhinix Cube.Alotofthought(andscrewed-upscraps ofpaper!)wentintothedesign. CPC:Weassumethenameisareferenceto thebigcomputerinHitchhiker's? Andy:Ididn'toriginallygivemuchthoughtto theproject'sname;Ididn’tevenrealisethe buildneededone.Itwasonlywhen IstartedtheprojectlogthatIhad thatsinkingfeeling,andthought, ohno,thebuildneedsaname.The sketchhadaresemblancetoDeep ThoughtfromTheHitchhiker's GuidetotheGalaxy.Igrewupwith thatkindofstuff–Ireadthebooks, watchedthe1980sTVshowand sawtheokay(ish)film.Theproject nameeventuallytookoverthe wholebuild,andthethemealso

WorldMags.net

ENTERYOUROWNPCATHTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET ENTER YOUR OWN PC AT HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET

DON'T PANIC!

YoucanseemoreofAndy's gorgeousacrylicPCinthe fullprojectlogathttp:// tinyurl.com/ D33pThought42

gavemeplentyofmaterialforthesmall featuresthataddextrapointsofinterest. CPC:Whatothermodshaveyoubuilt? Andy:I'vebuiltseveralsystems–Iadded windowstothelastfour,aswellaspaintjobs andwatercooling. Alltheexistinghardware forD33pThoughtcamefromanold ThermaltakeKandalfcase.Theinsidewas painted,andhalfofthedrivebayrackchopped outtomakeroomforareservoirandpump. CPC:Whatdifficultiesdidyoucomeacross whenbuildingD33pThought? Andy:Thefirstwasamajordesignflaw.IfI'd builtD33pThoughtexactlyliketheoriginal sketch,Iwouldn’thavebeenabletogetmy handsinsidetoinstallanyhardware.Plus, anymaintenanceorsmalljobswouldhave beenamajorpainasI’dhavetodismantleall

PSU Corsair 1,200W

withandisavailableinavarietyofcolours.The hardestpartwasfiguringoutthethicknessof thelayers;ImeasuredmyDVDdrive(asthis wouldbeclampedbetweenthelayers)and playedaroundwithdifferentwidths.I eventuallysettledon8mmsheets,which hadthebenefitofbeingfairlyrigid,whilealso enablingmetominimisethenumberoflayers andkeepthecostdown. Also,InoticedwhileIwasworkingouthow manylayerswereneededthatthefigurewas verycloseto42(theoriginalDeepThought's answertotheultimatequestion),soI incorporatedthisintothedesign.Theonly othermaterialsusedwerestainlesssteel threadedrodstoholdthebuildtogetherand 8mmnylonspacersbetweenthelayers.

Cooling 2 x D5 Laing pumps, 2 x 240 Magicool Radiators, Aqua Computer CPU block, 3 x EK GPU blocks, EK motherboard block, 2 x Phobya 250 Balance reservoirs, 4 x Phobya 120mm Nano fans, Lamptron fan controller

CPC:Whattoolsandmachinerydidyouuse tobuildD33pThought?

thelayers.Luckily,thatwaspickedupduring theplanningstages,andsolvedbymaking thefrontstripsandtoppanelremovable.This enablesthetworadiatortowerstoswing open,withthelongthreadedbarsthathold thelayerstogetheractingasahinge. CPC:Whatmaterialsdidyouuse,andwhy? Andy:Thecasewasalwaysgoingtobe constructedfromacrylic,asit’seasytowork

SYSTEM SPECS CPU Intel Core-i7 960 GPU 3 x Asus Radeon HD 6970 2GB Storage OCZ Agility 3 128GB SSD Memory 12GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer Motherboard Asus Rampage III Extreme

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Andy:ThefirsttoolIboughtwasaDremel;it’s oneofthosetoolsthat'salwayshandy,andthe widerangeofaccessorieswouldprettymuch doeveryjobthatIhadinmindforit.Oneof thesewastheDremeltheroutertable–Ihad tomakealotofinternalcuts,andfoundbeing abletolocktheguideintoafixedposition usefulforcuttingmultiplepartsexactlythe same.Ineededabettersurfacefinishthan theendresultofthis,though,sotherewasa lotoffilingandsandingtoo. Ieventuallyusedafine-toothedsawforthe longercuts,whichgavemeabetterfinish, althoughitstillneededsomefiling.Ialso usedtheDremelpillardrillaccessory,which generallyworkedokay,althoughthere'sa limitedrangeofdrillbitsavailableforit.You alsohavetodrillverycarefully,asitcan wanderifyoudrilltooquickly.Myoverall impressionsoftheDremelaregood,butI wishthatIcouldchangethecollarusedto attachtheaccessories.I’dpreferonemade fromamuchtoughermaterial,asit’svery easytostripthethread. CPC:Howlongdidittakeyoutocomplete D33pThought?

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Andy:Istartedworkonitaroundtheendof January,andeventuallyfinisheditinMay.It wasthecutting,filingandsandingthattook upmostofthetime–over100hours,infact.I wasveryrelievedtogetthroughitallandmove ontothemorefunstuff.Ialsomovedhomein themiddleofit,whichdisruptedprogress. CPC:Whathaveyoulearnedfrombuilding thisproject? Andy:Ilearnedplenty.I'dneverusedacrylic before,soIspentafairamountoftimeonthe Internet,lookingthroughmanytutorialsand YouTubevideossothatIwas100percentsure aboutwhatIwasdoing.Evenafterthat,Istill practisedonascrappieceofacrylicbefore workingonthefinalpieces.Atonepoint,I alsoblewupmygirlfriend'shairdryerwhile tryingtobendtheacrylicwithit,sothat'swhy

Isuddenlyhadtogetabrandspankingnew heatgun.Puttingawaythedryeranddenying allknowledgeaboutitdoesn’tworkeither. CPC:Areyouhappywiththeendresult,and isthereanythingyou'ddodifferently now? Andy:Thefilingandsandingnearlybrokeme. Ihugelyunderestimatedhowlongthatpart ofthebuildwouldtake,sobythetimeitwas complete,Ifeltmorereliefthanexcitement. Lookingback,Icouldhavehadeverything laser-cut,whichwouldhavecostmorebut wouldhavebeenfarmoreaccurate.However, nowthatafewweekshavepassed,Ilookat thebuildwithgreatsatisfaction–Isometimes gobackthroughthebuildlogreadingevery postagain,whichmakesmesmile.WouldI doitagain?SureIwould,andthereareplans foranother!

BE A WINNER!

ToenteryourmachineforpossibleinclusioninReaders’ Drives,yourmodneedstobefullyworkingand,ideally, finishedbasedintheUK.Simplylogontowww.bit-tech.netandheadovertotheforums.Once you’rethere,postawrite-upofyourmod,alongwithsomepics,intheProjectLogsforum.Make sureyoureadtherelevantrulesandadvicestickythreadsbeforeyoupost.Thebestentranteach monthwillbefeaturedhere,wherewe’llprintyourphotosofyourprojectandalsointerviewyou aboutthebuildprocess.Fameisn’ttheonlyprize; you’llalso getyourhandsonafabulous selectionofprizes–seetheoppositepagefordetails.

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We’ve teamed up with some of the world’s leading PC component manufacturers and retailers to offer this great range of prizes to each lucky Readers’ Drives winner. If your creation is featured in the magazine then you’ll walk away all three of the prizes listed on this page, so get in your entries!

CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES 300R CASE AND 550W TX MODULAR POWER SUPPLY

Totalvalue£142incVAT Manufacturerwww.corsair.com CorsairbelievesthatagreatPCstartswithagreat case.TheCorsairCarbideSeries300Ris acompactexpressionofthiscore philosophy.Itpacksina remarkablenumberoffeatures givenitscompactdimensions, providesbuilderswithtonnesof roomforexpansion,andhas amazingcoolingpotential.And, likeallCorsaircases,it’sbuilt usingthefinestmaterialsand finishedtothehigheststandards, soitwillwithstandseveralyears ofupgrades. Justasaqualitycaseis essentialtobuildingaquality PC,ahigh-performance,highqualitypowersupplyisalsoavital ingredient.BasedontheawardwinningTXV2Series,thenew EnthusiastSeriesModularPSUsadda modularcablingsystemforimprovedinstallation

flexibility.TXModularpowersuppliesarebuilt usingqualitycomponents,andarerigorously testedandqualifiedat100percentloadatan ambienttemperatureof50°Cforunmatched reliability.They’redesignedtoasuperior standard,sothattheynotonlymeettheATX specification,butalsoexceedit.Inadditionto unmatchedquality,TXModularPSUsarealso power-efficient,offering85percentenergy efficiencyorhigherat50percentload. WithaCorsairCarbideSeries300Rcaseand 550WTXModularpowersupplyattheheartof yourbuild,you’llhavethefoundationsforatruly awesomegamingmachine.

PHOBYA MODDING KIT

Value£50incVAT Manufacturerwww.phobya.com,www.aqua-tuning.co.uk

ThePhobyamoddingkitisdesignedwiththemodderinmind,offering greatvalueformoneyandqualityproducts.ThekitincludesNano-G 12SilentWaterproof1,500rpmmulti-optionfans,whichuse aninnovativefan-bladedesign.As standard,thefansincludebraided blackcablestokeepyourcaselooking asneataspossible.Thefansarealso suppliedwithaspecialcablethat letsyourunthefanat5Vratherthan 12V,reducingthenoiseemitted inordertohelpyoutobuilda silentsystem. Thekitalsoincludesthe 60cmPhobya3-pinMolexto 4x3-pinMolexY-cable.This

pre-braidedextensioncablegivesyouextra routeingoptionsinyourcase,anditalsoenables youtorunuptofourfansfromonecompatible motherboardheader.Meanwhile,the PhobyaSATA3cablesincludedinthekit offerthesamegreatqualitybraidingas therestofthePhobyarange,whilealso securingyourconnectionwith latchedconnectors.Aswellas this,thekitincludesthePhobya SlimGuideController,whichgives youtheoptiontovarythespeed ofotherfansinyourcase,while thePhobyaTwinLEDsletyou shinealightonyourmods.

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Paint your case

Painting your case is a fantastic way to make it stand out. Antony Leather shows how to achieve the perfect finish, and even add custom details venifyou’veneverusedaspray canbefore,paintingyourcaseisn’t asdauntingasitseems.Witha littlepracticeandplanning,you’ll beabletopaintyourcaseanycolouryoulike. Theendresultcanbespectacular,butit’salso veryeasytoendupwithacasethatlooksfar worsethanwhenyoustarted.Ifyouwantto avoidthis,thenourstart-to-finishguidelooks atallthestepsyoushouldbetaking. Whateveryourcase’ssize,youcanachieve agreatpaintjobaslongasyouhaveenough space.We’llalsodiscussthebestwaysto sprayspecificcaseparts,andwhattodoif youprefertohavesomeoneelsedothisjob. Whetheryou’relookingtoaddsomepizzazz, orwantyourcasetohaveaspecificcolour scheme,thisguidewillshowyouhowtodoit.

E

CHOOSE YOUR COLOURS

PREPARE YOUR WORK AREA

MAKE A SPRAY BOOTH

SELECT YOUR PAINTS

It’s worth experimenting with your chosen colour first using small spray cans before investing in full-sized cans. You’ll also need some spare test material to see how the colour will look when it dries. Alternatively, you can use Google SketchUp (http://sketchup.google. com) to render your case and apply different colours – check http://scc.jezmckean.com to see if your case has already been rendered.

You won’t be popular if overspray ends up on someone’s plant pots, so if you’re spraying outside, use a dust sheet with room on either side to catch stray paint – it also helps to tape the sheet against a wall and secure it to the ground. Your spraying area’s location is key to obtaining a good finish too; avoid grassy areas, as these harbour insects and loose particles that can become trapped in the paintwork. Good ventilation is also important, as is a face mask.

Wet and dry sandpaper – 1,000 to 1,600- grit Frommosthardwarestores

Dust sheet, sponge and microfibre towel

Frommosthardwarestores

Primer, colour and lacquer acrylic spray paint Frommosthardwarestores

Masking tape

Frommosthardwarestores

Vinyl line tape

Fromwww.tapes-direct.co.uk

T-Cut

Halfords

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If you’re limited for space, you could buy or even make your own spray booth. Cardboard makes an excellent booth material, and a booth can be constructed using old boxes and duct tape. This could even be equipped with an extractor fan to remove fumes and excess paint if you have no option but to spray indoors. A booth is a great way of dealing with overspray, while also protecting your items from dust and insects.

You’ll need three types of spray paint. Primer acts as an undercoat – using a white primer will make lighter colours such as red or yellow appear punchier, while a darker primer is better for dark blues and blacks. Use gloss paint for a shiny finish, or satin or matt paint for a muted shine. Finally, the lacquer adds a layer of protection to your paint and enhances the shine. You should apply all the coloured coats before the lacquer.

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DISMANTLE YOUR CASE

REMOVE THE RIVETS

If you don’t want to paint some parts, such as grilles and buttons, remove these prior to painting. You could mask them, but it’s far easier to remove them, as you’ll end up with much easier surfaces to spray. Power and reset buttons, as well as ports and switches, can be tricky to mask properly, but they’re usually removable. You may need to detach your case’s front fascia first, however.

If you plan to spray your case’s insides then dismantle it completely, as it’s otherwise tricky to avoid the paint running in the corners. You’ll need to drill out the rivets that hold the various sections together, enabling you to lay them out for easy spraying. You’ll then need to purchase a rivet gun and new rivets to put the case back together. Look out for a full guide on how to do this next month.

WASH THE CASE

SAND THE CASE

MIX THE PAINT AND TEST

MASK UP

You’ll need to wash your case before you start, especially if it isn’t new. Anything that’s stuck to it – tea or coffee stains, dust or unseen grime – can have a negative effect on your paintwork, and even sanding it might not get rid of all the dirt. First, remove any electronic equipment, such as PCBs, and then use a sponge and washing-up liquid with plenty of water to clean every part of the case that needs to be painted.

Shake the can up and down vigorously for five minutes – a ball inside will mix the paint. If it’s cold outside, leave the can indoors overnight; the paint will dry faster and you’ll end up with a better finish. Don’t leave it near a radiator or naked flame though. Once it’s mixed, test-spray it on some newspaper or a spare case. Get used to the flow of paint and practise moving from left to right in sweeping movements.

Sanding your case before painting provides a smooth base for the paint, and removes grease or silicon left behind from the manufacturing process or cleaning products. These can cause horrible finishes, as the paint won’t settle properly. You’ll need finegrit wet and dry sand paper, and lots of water. The higher the grit number, the less coarse the paper; you’ll need between 1,000 and 1,600-grit for a smooth finish.

You’ll need to mask certain areas to prevent paint from getting into them. Masking is also great for adding details, such as go-faster stripes. Masking tape edged with fine-line vinyl tape is good for sharp edges, while polythene dust sheets are great for larger areas, such as side panels – a 3m x 3m sheet costs around £1. Don’t use newspaper; this can leave residue on surfaces and your fingers.

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12

CLEAN THE AREAS TO BE PAINTED

Before each coat, and after sanding, use a damp cloth or sanding dust cloth to clean the areas you’ll be spraying. This will remove any surface dust that’s settled in between coats. Be sure to use a lint-free cloth or something that won’t leave hairs behind, such as a tissue. A microfibre cloth is ideal, but you can also buy sanding dust cloths for around £1 that are specifically made for the purpose.

13

APPLY PRIMER

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SAND THE PRIMER

Sand the layer of primer until it’s smooth using wet and dry sandpaper. It might sound strange to use sandpaper on your fresh coat of paint, but by adding more coats, then sanding them, you’ll build up a super-smooth surface and fill in any imperfections in the case’s surface, ready for the final coat. You shouldn’t need more than four or five coats of primer – just enough so that you can’t see the original paintwork.

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As the process of sanding the panel will leave dust and paint particles behind, you’ll need to wash the case again with a clean sponge or damp cloth. You’ll need to do this after each coat of primer – it’s a laborious process, but it will result in a wonderfully smooth primer coat when you’ve finished.

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Find a platform on which to place your case when spraying it. The ideal option is to hang the parts from a jig, booth or ceiling. This means that you can cover all the surfaces at the same time, so there won’t be any joins in the paintwork as you move it. Another option is to use a pasting table, which will raise the case off the ground, but you’ll still be able to obtain good results if you have a clean and clutter-free work area.

14

Primer is key to obtaining a blemish-free finish. Thankfully, it dries quickly, so you won’t be left hanging around for long. Apply a single, thin coat of primer, taking care not to cover the same area too many times, as this can make the paint run. Use long sweeping strokes as you spray, and spray in one direction, rather than in circles. In warm conditions, the primer will dry in 10-15 minutes.

WASH OFF THE DEBRIS

POSITION YOUR CASE

APPLY THE COLOUR COAT

The main coat rests on top of the primer, and is key to the final look of your new paint job. Applying primer will be good practice here, as the main coat will be very prone to running. Apply at least four or five coats, one coat at a time, allowing an hour or so between each coat for it to dry – don’t be tempted to get it all done in one go. If any of the coats end up with a rough or rippled surface, then go to step 21.

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APPLY MASK ING TAPE AND L INE TAPE

Don’t be tempted to use masking tape for painting straight edges. Spray paint can seep into its sides, creating what’s called ‘paint creep’, ruining any straight lines. For straight edges, you’ll need vinyl line tape – not only is this waterproof, but it can also be bent into curves as well as straight lines. This flexibility makes it perfect for creating go-faster stripes, plus elaborate details such as curved flames or logos.

19

With a coat of gloss white paint applied to our case on top of the primer, we opted to create some go-faster stripes on our case. By masking sections of the white paint, all you then have to do is paint the whole case the final colour – a glossy red in our case. We used masking tape to fill the centre of the lines, and then applied vinyl line tape to mask the edges.

20

REMOVE MASK ING

Let the paint dry completely before removing the masking tape; not doing so can result in paint running into areas that were masked. Allow enough time for drying then gently remove the masking. If any paint has strayed, this can be touched up with a fine brush after spraying some paint into a pot. If the straying is extensive, consider masking small areas off and then respraying.

21

SAND THE PAINT, IF NECESSARY

MARK UP DETAILS

INSPECT FOR IMPERFECTIONS

As well as issues with masking, check the case for paint creep and imperfections in the paintwork, such as hairs, dust or insects. These will be difficult to remove once the lacquer has been applied, so now is the time to sort them out, even if it means sanding and respraying sections.

22

If you end up with a rough or rippled surface, don’t fret. All you have to do is sand down the area, as you did with the primer, so that it’s smooth, and you can then start again. You can do this if dust or insects become trapped in the paint while it’s drying too, but you’ll need to make sure the paint is dry before attempting it.

WASH THE CASE

Allow the colour coats to dry thoroughly overnight. Not doing so will mean that they’re soft enough to pick up fingerprints with even small amounts of pressure. Once the paint is dry, give the case a final wash to prepare the surface for the final coat – 112 lacquer, which will add shine to your work and protect it.

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APPLY L ACQUER TO L ARGE AREAS

Start by lacquering a large area, such as a side panel, to see how the lacquer settles, and how much to use on smaller sections. Use a slower, more generous movement than with the other coats, allowing the lacquer to gel and create a shiny layer. If possible, practise first using some spare material. You’ll need at least three or four layers of lacquer – the thickness will determine your case’s resistance to scratches.

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POL ISH WITH T-CUT

L ACQUER SMALLER PARTS

Smaller sections will need more attention to prevent the lacquer from running, or building up in corners or troughs. It will dry hard, so you’ll want to apply it thinly in these areas. Once you’re finished, leave the lacquer to harden overnight. It’s best to leave it in a garage or somewhere outside of your house – the fumes emitted while drying are pungent.

26

As with respraying cars, your newly painted case will respond well to some T-Cut, which will help to buff the layer of lacquer and smooth out any imperfections as you rub it. Use the same method as you would when polishing a car – circular movements with plenty of pressure. After that, remove the residue with a clean cloth. If you opted for a gloss paint, you can achieve an impressive shine.

PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER

If you needed to dismantle your case then now is the time to assemble it. Don’t be tempted to do this before the lacquer has hardened – it’s all too easy to knock a side panel or scratch the case as you put everything back together. After that, you’re finished – you can now sit back and admire your painting skills.

PROFESSIONAL PAINT JOBS, CUSTOM LOGOS AND DECALS

If you don’t fancy spraying your case yourself, or you’re after a more elaborate job, such as powder coating or anodising, there are professionals who can do it for you. For around £100, you can send off your case and have a professional apply your dream colour scheme; for a little more they’ll spray the inside and outside of your case with your desired designs too. Check out www.chilledpc.co.uk for more information. Meanwhile, there are plenty of companies that offer custom decals and logos too. Etches and stickers are also a great way of adding a unique touch to your case, and adding the icing to the cake. Check out www.kustompcs.co.uk, which stocks a variety of custom decals.

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for the win!

WIN! A Fractal Design Define R4 case WORTH £90 EACH

I

fyoulikeyourPCtolooksmartandstylish thenyoumayhavefoundyourselftakinga fancytoFractalDesign’sDefineR4(seep42), andwedon’tblameyou–it’salovely-looking case.Italsoboastssuperbbuildquality,with asolidcombinationofsteelandplastic,anda lustworthybrushed-aluminiumfrontfascia. It’squiettoo,withthefoam-linedside panelshelpingtodeadenfannoise,anditcan

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accommodateboth120mmand140mmfans, soyoucanpushplentyofairthroughthecase withouthavingtorunyourfansatsillyspeeds. Thecaseincludesanintegratedthree-speed (5V,7Vand12V)fancontrollerhiddenbehind thefront,andthere’sapairofUSB3portson thetop-mountedfrontpanelaswell. Meanwhile,there’splentyofroomfor decenthardwareinside,includingclearance

WhatdoesATXstandfor? a)AcceleratedThreadedXeon b)AdvancedTechnologyeXtended c)ArmouredTankXylophone

2

UP FOR GRABS

foraCPUcoolerwithaheightofupto170mm, androomforeight3.5indrivesinthestandard cages;there’salsoafurtherpairof2.5in mountsbehindthemotherboardforSSDs. FormoreinformationabouttheDefineR4, visitwww.fractal-design.com Tobeinwithachanceofwinningoneof thesefantastic,stylishcases,answerthe questionbelow.

Email your answer to

[email protected]

with ‘Fractal Design Competition 109’ in the Subject line. Closing date: 12 October, 2012

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Letters

Send us your feedback and correspondence to [email protected], with ‘Letter’ in the Subject line CASES FOR SEVEN GRAPHICS CARDS I’ve been aware of ‘Folding@home’ for some time, but I’ve never been overly interested in the GPU processing side of it. Recently this changed and I’ve been cobbling together a dedicated GPU-processing PC from some second-hand bits and pieces. The massive computational power of modern cards makes forays into Folding@home an interesting hobby. Plus, there are other ‘greyer’ sides to GPUprocessing machines, such as hash cracking and bitcoin mining, that are also made possible with a dedicated GPU machine. Currently, I have an Asus Supercomputer P6T7 WS motherboard, an LGA1366 Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a generic hard drive, but my question relates to PSUs and cases. The P6T7 motherboard has a whopping total of seven PCI-E slots, and I fully intend to fill each one of them throughout the course of the PC’s lifetime. Of course, I’m aware that fitting multiple PCI-E cards in a motherboard reduces the speed of each slot, but I don’t see this being a problem, as it’s a calculation machine rather than a gaming machine. However, I would like some advice on which cases would be appropriate for all those PCI-E cards. I know that PCI-E risers are available to give you more flexibility when fitting cards in a machine. However, you then end up with a load of cards that are still flapping about in the breeze. What are you supposed to do with all those cards? You can’t screw them all into the

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SilverStone’sTJ12prototype–sixdualslotgraphicscardsinthesamecase

case, and I’m not aware of any external housing you could use. Plus another issue is that the flexible riser cards you can buy provide flexibility in one plane, but no more flexibility in any other plane. That’s the quandary. I’m hoping you guys have some insight on this issue. James Wilmington Ben replies: Seven graphics cards? That’s a serious folding rig you’re putting together, and I really admire your determination. Of course, pretty much any ATX case will have backplates for seven single-slot graphics cards – you’ll just have to put up with a lot of noise, and make sure there’s plenty of airflow going through the case to prevent them from overheating. However, I suspect this isn’t

what you’re asking, and that you’re actually looking at installing seven dual-slot graphics cards in the same case. In truth, we haven’t seen a case that can do this yet, but we have seen something close. At Computex last year, we saw a prototype of SilverStone’s TJ12 case, which could accommodate six dual-slot graphics cards in the same case, using an ingenious system of PCI-E extender daughterboards connected to the motherboard via flexible PCI-E data cables. It’s an odd arrangement to look at, with the graphics cards seemingly floating above the motherboard, but they all screw firmly into place. The other bonus of this is that not only can you get six graphics cards in the same case, but there’s also plenty of airflow space between them. We haven’t heard anything from SilverStone about this since then, but maybe you should write to the company and encourage it to put the case into production.

WorldMags.net

CORE AND ORDER I was reading your magazine, and on p108 of Issue 107, I saw the ‘How to overclock an Intel Core i5-3570K’ guide. All the settings are fine, but there’s one issue. At the bottom of the page with the results, you say the CPU is a Core

FEEDBACK

i5-3770K, but that’s the model number for a Core i7. Is this right? I’m using a 3770K, which is overclocked to 4.7GHz. I wish I could get it to 5GHz with a better cooler but, as you know, Ivy Bridge CPUs get really high temps. Dariusz Stachowski Ben replies: Nope, that’s most definitely not right, Dariusz – well spotted. The CPU we used was indeed a Core i5-3570K, not a Core i7 chip. Congratulations on your 3770K’s 4.7GHz overclock though. I’m not sure a better cooler would get you much further than that – the problem with the heat from that CPU is that it’s all concentrated into a very small space under the heatspreader – even our test chip won’t go any higher than 4.8GHz, and that’s with a dual 120mm liquid-cooling system on full blast.

UpgradingtoanSSD willmakeamuchbigger differencethananew motherboardandCPU

GIVE OLDER K IT A CHANCE I read with interest your editorial concerning upgrading to an SSD. In the editorial, you mention people ‘still using a Core 2 Quad or first-generation Core i7 system’ wanting to ‘gut’ their system and install a new Ivy Bridge setup. The brand-new PC I built at Christmas is new Core i7 930 on an Asus Sabertooth LGA1366 motherboard, with 12GB of Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory, an H100 cooler and an MSI GTX 580. It’s by far the fastest computer I’ve owned, and it breezes through Battlefield 3, The Witcher 2, Crysis et al with everything at the highest settings, and with truly mindboggling frame rates. I also decided to try my hand at this overclocking lark, and was pleasantly surprised to see my humble CPU reach around 4.5GHz with little change in the temperatures (though no really appreciable change in the gameplay). As such, I don’t

Follow us on Twitter at @custompcmag @BiggKennyIstheRadeon HD7870reallyworththeextra cashovera7850?Assumebothare overclocked. Ben:Yes,the7870hasmorestream processorsandtextureunits–it’s noticeablyquicker–notjustaclock speedbump. @JaffoAfterreading@ CustomPCMag,I’mnow downloadingtheHRTPforSkyrim. WishI’dknownaboutit113hoursago! @Sean_W19IhaveanAsus D2X.Whichwouldbebetterfor gaming?AnAsusVulcan,Corsair Vengeance1500orapairof Sennheisers? Ben:Ifyouwanttogetthesoundfrom yourD2X,thenyou’llwantananalogue connection,ratherthanUSB,which automaticallydisqualifiestheCorsair Vengeance1500.GofortheAsus VulcanANC–itnotonlyhasanalogue audioconnectors,butit’salsoour gamingheadsetofchoice(seep32). @TobyJKingIlovethatCustom PCmugthat’sgiventonew subscribers.Canitbepurchased? @craigthebeard84Idea:what aboutgivingsomethingbackto

really feel inclined to upgrade my new computer to a newer Ivy Bridge system. In fact, to pile on the agony, I’m in the process of upgrading to a Core 2 Quad Q6600 system from my wife’s current AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition setup. In everything I’ve read about it, the Core 2 Quad is a good upgrade from the present AMD CPU, which is showing its age and getting a little slow. My point is that you might have quite a few readers who aren’t early adopters, don’t

alltheloyalsubscribers?Themugsfor signingupnowaregreat! #herefromthestart Ben:Wow,loadsofpeoplehavebeen askingaboutthemugthismonth–it seemstobequiteamazinglypopular. I’llaskthepowersthatbe. @JoshJeffheadBeena subscriberforafewyears,but thismonth’sissuehashelpedmethe most.Using‘an’correctly. #BlewMyMind @thebiganzI’vesubscribed sinceIssue1.Lookingbackat ‘beattheoffice’PCnowseemslike yesterday.Actuallyitwas2004. Ben:You’llbepleasedtoknowthat the2.6GHzPentium4Engineering SampleusedinIssue1’sBeatThe OfficePCisnowenjoyingahappy retirementinmymediacentrePC! @Ghobson1985Howwouldone goaboutorderingabackissue?I wanttheliquidcoolingone:) Ben:Ah,that’smyfavouriteone.My bestadviceistopickupthedigital versionfromhttp://gb.zinio.com, whereyoucanbuydigitalversionsof mostofourrecentbackissues–Issue 107costs£3.50.Failingthat,yourbest betiseBay.

have unlimited budgets and are really interested in getting the best they can from what they have. I know the Core 2 Quad is old now, but is the Core i7 930 a museum piece already? Is it now to be shunned because it’s too old to be considered? My next upgrades for both machines will be SSDs, probably for my new computer first, followed by the Core 2 Quad. This isn’t intended to be a lot of criticism. I really enjoy the magazine and keeping up 118

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FEEDBACK

Intel’sSandyBridgeE–amazingfor multi-threadedworkstationsoftware, butitneedsseriouscoolingifyouwant tooverclockit

WHERE’S THIS SANDY BRIDGE E SYSTEM?

with developments in technology, but I feel it’s important not to write off older tech just because of its age. I also feel that, outside the world of benchmarking and speed competitions, a lot of people’s real-world experiences don’t always reflect the outcome of the testing process. Dale Latimer Ben replies: I agree with you completely, and I think you may have misunderstood the point of that part of my column. My point wasn’t to encourage people to gut their older systems to install new Ivy Bridge kit, but to say that people with components such as yours would be much better off replacing their system hard drive with an SSD, rather than swapping out the CPU, motherboard, memory and so on for what’s basically not much of a speed increase in real-world terms. The difference made by an SSD, in terms of general computer usage, will be much greater than the difference from going to a Core i7 930 to an Ivy Bridge setup. As a side point, I’m also a big fan of getting the most out of your older kit, rather than just chucking out everything every couple of years. As you’ll see in the Twitter Highlights (see previous page), I’ve even found a home for my ancient Socket 478 Pentium 4 system.

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I’m loving the new magazine layout, guys, it’s looking really good. However, in Issue 101, you reviewed a load of new LGA2011 motherboards and Intel’s new Core i7 CPUs. Throughout the reviews you kept mentioning that they need a decent watercooling system to overclock them efficiently. Then, in the back of the same issue, in the ‘Coming next month’ section, one of the articles was going to be on Scan’s epic building skills. Scan was going to put together a water-cooled system to tame Intel’s Sandy Bridge E. I assumed this wasn’t the fake article, because one of the other articles was on hacking banks and that’s just illegal! I waited eagerly for the next issue to find out the potential of combining a fully overclocked Intel Core i7-3930K CPU with decent water-cooling. To my disappointment, there was no mention of it in Issue 102, or any issue since to my recollection. Have I overlooked the article? Could you tell me if it’s coming soon or if it’s already been published? I’m interested in the full potential of the Core i7-3930K CPU, as I’m currently using Autodesk Maya 2011 for my university course and I could do with a super-fast PC. I have around £2,000 as a budget, as well as £300 reserved for water cooling. I don’t even know if these amounts will suffice, or what I would have to buy in order to cool a fully overclocked i7-3930K. Please help! Nikki Beestin

Get a kick out of pointing out the shortcomings of others? It’s okay – so do we ANOTHER LEVELW Onp56ofIsssue108itsays:‘depending onthetypeofswitch,havedifferent levelwsofresistance.’LasttimeI checkedtherewasno‘w’in‘levels’:P AntonyBragg,viaFacebook

Ben replies: Thanks for your positive comments about the magazine’s new formula, Nikki, I’m glad you’re enjoying what we’re doing. As you probably noticed, there were a lot of changes to the magazine between Issue 101 and when I took over on Issue 103. The ‘Coming next month’ section in Issue 101 was basically written by a different editorial team – the Scan Sandy Bridge E system to which we referred definitely wasn’t a joke. If I’m honest, my first priority when I took over wasn’t to go through previous ‘Coming next month’ sections before the one in Issue 102 – I honestly just forgot about it. Interestingly, though, while discussing the Ivy Bridge gaming rig in Issue 106, we chatted to Scan about the potential for getting in an all-singing, all-dancing Sandy Bridge E system, and now that former Custom PC editor James Gorbold (see p130) is helping Scan to spec up its top-end 3XS systems, this could be a really interesting idea to follow up. Watch this space.

COR R E C T I O N

Harryhasjustrealisedthathe’sbeenaberk,and calledtheAlphacoolNexXxosUT60theAlphacool NexXxosXT60throughoutourwatercoolingLabsin Issue107.Simplyput,it’ssoldastheUT60,NOTthe XT60.Weapologisefortheconfusion.

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Join our folding team and help medical research

WHAT IS FOLDING?

Folding@homeusesthespareprocessingcyclesfromyourPC’sCPUandgraphicscardsformedicalresearch.Youcandownload theclientfromhttp://folding.stanford.edu/download.htmlandourteam’sIDis35947.Onceyoupassasignificantmilestone, you’llgetyournameinthemag.Youcanalsodiscussfoldingwithusandotherreadersonthewww.bit-tech.netforums.

We catch up with folder of the month: : Votick CPC:Sowhoareyouandwhatdoyoudo? Votick: My name is Chris, and I’m an IT support engineer for BrightVisions in Cambridgeshire. CPC:Whatpromptedyoutostartfolding? Votick:It was probably the first issue of CustomPC I purchased way back in 2008. I made an account and started to fold, but had to pack it in shortly afterwards. My 1GHz Athlon K8 didn’t manage very well, sadly, as it took days to complete a unit. I then returned in 2010, and I’ve been active ever since, mainly via GPU folding. CPC:Whataspectexcitesyouthemost aboutfolding? Votick: The fact that my PCs are a part of the world’s largest distributed supercomputer, joining with others from around the world to help with the study of protein folding in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and many cancers. CPC:Howmanymachinesdoyoucurrently havefolding? Votick: I have around four machines that fold, although only two run 24/7; both of these are servers. My main gaming PC (an overclocked Phenom 1055T running at 3.5GHz with a GTX 680) turfs out the most points (around 25,000 ppd), but it’s turned off when not in use. Meanwhile, the two servers run SMP clients on an AMD FX-4 4100 X4

Bulldozer and an Intel Xeon i7 W3520, both of which fold using around 50 per cent of the CPU resources, to allow room for general use. Most of the PCs are at home, although various servers are in data centres, which is handy for folding, as they stay very cool. CPC:Doyouintendtokeepupyourcurrent productionlevel? Votick: Sadly not. My main spike in points recently was made possible while I was beta-testing some cloud computing products. However, this has inspired me to build a dedicated folding rig to keep up my production. CPC:Anytipsforfellowteammembers? Votick: I see this in every issue, and I have to repeat it, as it’s a very important tip: sign up to the forums and get to know the others in the team! Some great tips can be found on the forum, which can enable you to squeeze more units out of your hardware. CPC:What’syourworstfoldingexperience? Votick: Probably burning out a GeForce 8800 GTX because it overheated. R.I.P. CPC:Andthebest? Votick: I’ve really enjoyed participating in the Chimps Challenge event for the past three years. Sadly, I missed this year’s challenge, but I’ll be in on the next one – hopefully with more power!

CPC:Whatwouldyouchangeaboutyour setup,ifanything? Votick: I’d like to swap out my overclocked AMD Phenom 1055T for an Intel Core-i7, which I would then use as an occasional folding machine. Once I’d done that, the AMD CPU and motherboard could then be turned into a dedicated folding rig. However, I need to save up some pennies first. Teamrank186 Worldrank7,167 Score4,189,623 Workunits5,547 Dailypointsaverage7,021 TOPFOLDERS Thismonth’sshout-outsgotoScorpuk, johnim,PaulChapman,fatchef,kirk_hobson anddebs3759.Ifyoufoldunderanyofthese names,[email protected] 122

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Coming next month in Power supplies

Harry’sbeenstockpilingaveritable mountainof500-850Wpower suppliesinourlab,whichhe’sgoing topushtotheirlimits,readyfora massiveLabstestnextmonth.

PC building masterclass

Whetheryou’renewtothisPC-building lark,orjustwantsometipsoncablerouteing,we’llshowyouhowtoput togetheragreatcomputer.

Make a temperaturesensitive light system

IfyouwerebaffledbytheArduino Leonardoreview(seep44)thenpay attentiontothiscrackingguidefrom Gareth’sHalfacreenextissue.

How to dismantle your case

Wedon’tjustmeanremovingtheside panels–AntonyLeathershowsyouhow tocompletelydismantleyourcaseand drilloutalltherivets,forpropermodding.

On sale 20 September, 2012

*Pleasenotethatthesestoriesaresubjecttoproductdelays,kit notturningupandseveraldaysspentimpalingcouriersonspikes, whileweconsumeburritosandrumamidtheirdesperatecries.

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Gareth Halfacree managed to get hold of a brand new, unopened Sinclair ZX81 kit from 1981. Now he readies his soldering iron to see how the computer building process has changed over the last three decades... hefactthatyou’rereadingthis magazinemeansthatyou’remore thanlikelyfamiliarwiththeconcept ofbuildingyourownPC.Putting togetheryourowncomputerwasn’talways aseasyasthestandardisedjigsawpuzzlewe havenowthough.Togiveyouanideaofjust whatitmeanttobeasystembuilderbackin thebadolddays,we’regoingtotakeyouona tripdownmemorylanetothegoldeneraof microcomputing:the1980s. Forthebenefitofyoungerreaders,the 1980swasamagicaltime.Despitealittle warandsomeunpopulardecisionsbythe firstfemaleprimeminister,Margaret Thatcher,the1980sisrememberedby mostgeeksasbeingthebirthofwhat youmayrecogniseasthecomputing era.Microcomputers–simple, 8-bitmachineswithverylittle memory–weretakingthe worldbystorm,andBritain wasattheforefront.At thestartofthedecade, SinclairComputers– foundedfromthe ashesofClive Sinclair’sSinclair Radionics–wouldoffer theworld’sfirsthome computerforunder£100:theZX80.

T

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FollowingthesuccessoftheZX80,andthe launchoftheAcornAtomfromSinclair’s bitterrival(andformeremployee)Chris Curry,Sinclairdemandedmore:abug-fixed systemthatcouldbesoldforevenless money.TheresultwastheZX81. Launched,asthenamesuggests,in1981, theZX81cost £69.95bymailorderdirectly fromSinclair.Ifyouwereacheapskate,orof acuriousmindset,however,youcouldalso opttobuythemachineinkitformforjust £49.95–theequivalentofaround£170now; andthiswasatatimewhenrivalmachines costclosertothe£300mark. Foryourcash,youacquiredamachine basedaroundtheZilogZ80processor–or

acompatiblechipfromNEC–runningat 3.5MHz,withawhopping1KBofRAManda copyofSinclairBASICheldinan8KBROM (read-onlymemory). It’seasytoscoffatthenow-meagre specifications,buttogetarealsenseofhow timeshavechangedthere’sonlyonething forit:togettheDeLoreanupto88mphand getourhandsonakit-formZX81forsome microcomputerbuildingaction. Afterwaitingtherequired28daysfor delivery–thepostalservicewasdifferent backthen,andSinclairwasn’tabovetaking peoples’moneyfordevicesthatdidn’tquite exist–wereturnedto2012withourveryown ZX81kit.Intheboxwefoundaplasticcasing finishedinfuturisticblack, alongwithasurprisingly compact,printed circuitboard,apower supply–towhichwe’llhave toattachourownpluglater –someleadsforatape recorder,anRFmodulator, akeyboard,andseveral bagsofcomponents. Lookinginthebags, somecomponentsare moreobviously recognisablethanothers. AbagofblackICs,for

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Thediagramontheback oftheboxshowshowto hookupthecomputer, butsaysnothingabout theamountofsoldering involvedinbuildingit

example,areroughlythesameparts Othercomponentsareless THE ROM CHIP IS THE ONLY ONasamoderncomputerhastoday:an obvious:thetransparentbags, BOARD STORAGE. PERMANENTLY packeddutifullybySinclair NECD780C-1istheCPU,apincompatibleZilogZ80clone,whilea assembly-lineworkersanxiousnot BURNED INTO THE CHIP IS THE pairof512-byte2114RAMchipstake tobecomeanotherunemployment BOOTLOADER – EQUIVALENT TO statistic,containanassortmentof theplaceofDIMMs. A BIOS IN A MODERN PC LessrecognisablearetheFerranti resistors,diodes,capacitorsand UncommittedLogicArray(ULA)and transistors–andnotasurfaceasystem-on-chip(SoC)aboutitifyouignore theROM,marked‘SinclairResearch’. mountcomponentinsight.Eachone thelackofon-boardCPU. TheformeristhesecretofSinclair’slowneedstobeattachedtothePCBbyhandand TheROMchipistheZX81’sonlyon-board costsuccess:theULAisasemi-custom intherightlocation–meaningthatwe’re storage.Permanentlyburnedintothechipis chipwhichtakesontherolesof12ofthe goingtohavetoaddasolderingirontoour thebootloaderforthedevice–theequivalent chipsfoundintheoriginalZX80,reducingthe PC-buildingtoolkitforthefirsttimeinyears. toaBIOSorEFIinamodernPC–alongwith complexityandcostdramatically.It’salmost Afteridentifyingallofthecomponentsand acopyoftheZX81’soperatingsystem: liketheNorthbridgeandSouthbridgeofa matchingthemtotheprovidedassembly SinclairBASIC. modernPC,althoughitalsohasshadesof guide,it’stimetostartthebuild.

TheblackICsareroughlythesamepartsasthoseofa moderncomputer,withaCPUandapairofRAMchips

TheZX81includesanRF(aerialsocket)modulator(left)asstandard.However,we’regoingtodoalittlemodding,and replaceitwithaunitthat’scapableofoutputtingacompositesignalforcurrentTVs(right) 126

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The first step is to insert all the resistors that lay flat on the board. There are other resistors to fit, but we’ll add these later, as they need to stand upright. Each resistor location on the board requires a specific value, which you read from the resistor by decoding the colour stripes on its body. The wrong resistor in the wrong place means a dead ZX81. Just to make matters even more complicated, some positions on the board are left empty. There are no handy PCI slots or ZIF sockets for these components, either; once inserted, you need to flip over the board and solder each resistor into place – a total of 26 solder joints are needed to complete this first step.

Next, we need to solder the diodes to the keyboard port. Diodes act as electronic gates, so that electricity can flow in one direction but not the other. In some ways, the diodes are easy to fit; unlike the resistors, they all have the same value and only fit in one location. However, the diodes are polarised, meaning that they need to be fitted with the thick band pointing upwards, or the keyboard won’t work. Another 16 solder points in this step brings us to 42 so far – the sweat is starting to build and the fumes are getting troublesome.

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Just when we thought we’d seen the last resistor, Sinclair throws in a curveball: a set of resistor packs. These contain several resistors in a single long package with a common pin at the end, saving even more space.Whilethesehavetheirvaluesprinted on the side – meaning that we don’t have to squint at coloured bands – they need to be soldered to the board with the common pin pointing towards the ‘C’ marking on the PCB. Another 15 solder points for these brings us to 81 in total. The iron is starting to feel remarkably heavy now.

More resistors! To save board space – and therefore money – Sinclair’s engineers opted to fit some resistors standing upright. This means that each of these resistors needs to be carefully bent into shape, inserted into the holes and then held in place while the board is flipped. After soldering – another 24 joints for a running total of 66 – each resistor is inspected to make sure that it isn’t touching any of its neighbours and causing a short circuit.

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Finally, we’re able to have a little break from resistors, as it’s now time to solder the capacitors to the board. These store small amounts of electricity – like a very small battery – and provide smoothing for various important signals. Some are ceramic discs, which are no more difficult to fit than resistors. However, the blue drum-shaped electrolytic capacitors have a specific polarity, like diodes, which means that you have to carefully investigate the markings on the PCB. Another 24 more solder points and we’ve broken the century at 105 in total – and we’re barely halfway through the build process.

CUSTOMISATION

As with a modern PC, the ZX81 needs a heatsink – but it isn’t the CPU we’ll be protecting. A 5V regulator takes the incoming 9V feed from the power supply and turns it into power the logic circuits can use, but in doing so, it becomes very warm indeed. A sharp-edged slab of metal bolted to the regulator provides some cooling – and more so when we deviated from the instructions a little by adding some silicone thermal paste. Just three solder joints required this time, meaning that we’ve now had 256 so far.

Next comes a trio of miscellaneous components: three-legged transistors, which are significantly smaller than the tip of your finger, and a ceramic filter. The filter can go on the board any way around, but the transistors need to be aligned with the outline on the PCB. This is a short step, and adds nine solder points to the total, bringing us to a sweat-inducing sum of 114.

Sockets and slots make matters a lot easier when you’re building a modern-day PC system, but not when you have to solder them on yourself. The IC sockets protect the chips from the heat of soldering. We’ll add the sockets now, then put the chips in them towards the end of the build. This part is seriously time-consuming; the ULA (uncommitted logic array) and CPU sockets both have 40 pins, while the ROM has 24 and the RAM has 18, plus a further 17 for the two keyboard connectors – that’s a whopping 139 solder joints, more than doubling our total at 253. At this point, we had to open a window for some fresh air.

A trio of 3.5mm jacks provide connections for a tape recorder – as an input device for loading software and a storage device for saving software – and the 9V power supply. While we’d question the logic of having a power supply that uses the same plug as a set of headphones, we’re trusting Clive on this one. At the same time, we’re swapping out the Sinclair-supplied RF modulator, which provides an analogue video signal for older TV sets, for a ZXVid. Designed by Andy Rea , and built by Ian Gledhill, the ZXVid provides a highquality, stable composite video output, providing a much cleaner picture and support for modern LCD TVs. Another 13 solder joints in this step brings the total to 269 – and we can finally shut down the iron and mop our fevered brows.

It’s finally time to put in the chips. The ‘workhorse’ ULA is placed next to the modulator, followed by the ROM towards the bottom of the board. Meanwhile, the Z80 CPU is situated in the middle, and the two RAM chips sit towards the righthand side of the PCB. Each needs to have its legs carefully bent inwards by pushing against a flat surface – they’re manufactured with slightly splayed legs, a trait continued by ICs today – before being pushed firmly into the socket. Bend a pin, and it’s game over. At least there’s no more soldering. 128

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CUSTOMISATION

Officially, it’s now time to install the ZX81 in its case: but this is Custom PC, so we can’t resist a little mod. Ferranti designed the ULA to run at around 50 per cent utilisation, but the ZX81 runs it closer to 75 per cent – meaning that it gets extremely hot. This leads to premature failure, and we don’t fancy forking out for the plutonium needed to make another trip to 1981 to pick up a replacement. Some thermal tape and a low-profile heatsink should head trouble off at the pass.

It’s now time to connect the keyboard. Sinclair had what we’re going to generously call an ‘original’ approach to keyboard design, and the ZX81 is no exception. The sealed membrane keyboard means that it was cheap to manufacture and reasonably resistant to spills, but it creates a typing experience described by the BBC’s Micro Men as ‘like trying to read Braille through a pair of gardening gloves’. Third-party replacements were popular, but we’ll stick with the original, which slides through the case and connects to the PCB through a pair of very fiddly – and fragile – cables.

Finally, it’s time to assemble the case. Unlike a modern PC case, the ZX81’s housing is made entirely from lovely cheap plastic. The PCB is placed onto the lid – not the base – of the case face-down and secured with two screws. The bottom half of the case is then attached with a further five screws, and the system can be flipped over into its correct orientation. At this point, it’s easy to see why the ZX81 earned the nickname ‘doorstop’.

With power connected, and a composite video cable running to a classic CRT TV, the ZX81 flickers into life some 31 years after the kit was placed in its box. There’s no whirr of fans or hard drives, or even the reassurance of a glowing LED to let you know it’s functioning, but the machine is working hard nevertheless. Our efforts are rewarded with a blank white screen, and a cursor awaiting our instructions. What better way to christen the device than a short program designed to duplicate – albeit rather clumsily – the CustomPC logo, we thought? Well, aside from Crysis – and if you can figure out a way to make that work, be sure to let us know at the usual address. CPC

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james gorbold

MOVING PAINS

James Gorbold discovers that moving home has become all the more complicated for PC enthusiasts in 2012

W

hileIwasintendingtowritemyfirstnewCustomPC columnabouthardware,overthepastfewweeks,a farmorepressingandworrisomeissuethanmynext memoryupgradehascometolight.Despitethisbeing2012,theyear oftheLondonOlympics,whichissurelyallabouttheneedforspeed, broadbandaccessisstillwoefullypooracrossmuchoftheUK. Ofcourse,Irealisethisishardlygoingtobestartlingnewstoany ofyou;numerousreportshaveconsistentlyshownthattheUKhas amongtheslowestbroadbandconnectionsinEurope.Whatthe headlinefigureslistedinthesestoriesdon’t oftenshow,however,isthevariationin broadbandspeedsacrosstheUK.Thisis somethingthat’srecentlybeenbroughthome tome,asI’mcurrentlyrelocatingtoadifferent partofthecountryforthefirsttimeintenyears. Backthen,almosttheonlychoiceifyou wantedbroadbandwasa512Kb/secor1Mb/ secInternetconnection.Theprioritised questionswhenhouse-huntingwere‘howeasyisittocommuteto andfromwork?’and‘isthereenoughroomforallmyPCs?’ Tenyearson,thewayweusetheInternethaschangedsignificantly. Now,ratherthansimplyreadingwebsitesanddownloadingsmall gamedemos,wedownloadmulti-gigabytegamesfromSteamand Origin,streamHDvideosfromYouTube,NetflixandLovefilmand uploadvastquantitiesofdatatoonlinebackuparchivesandmedia sharingsitessuchasFlickr. Basically,amere1Mb/secconnectionisn’tgoodenoughany more.Infact,evena20Mb/secconnectionfeelsprettyslowattimes. Theproblemisthat,evenin2012,manypartsoftheUKstillonlyoffer amaximumconnectionspeedof1Mb/sec. AsallthesemodernInternetservicesplaysuchakeyroleinmylife (andIimagineahugenumberofCustomPCreaders’livestoo),I’ve

hadtoaddathirdquestiontomylistofprioritieswhenhouse-hunting –‘isfastbroadbandaccessavailable?’ Infact,I’vealreadyhadtoturndownseveralotherwiseattractive houses.Takethedetachedhouseoverlookingalakewithsome mountainsinthedistanceasanexample.Despitebeingpartofa housingestatebuiltinthelastfewyears,andbeinglocatedlessthan fivemilesawayfromseverallargeindustrialestates,noneoftheISPs Iapproachedcouldguaranteeaconnectionfasterthan1Mb/sec. IknowI’mnotaloneeither;afriendrecentlyfinishedbuildinghis dreamhomeinsouthWalesonlytofindthat thefastestbroadbandonofferis1.5Mb/sec. Iwasgoingtodescribethisasironic,given thatthevastmajorityofunderseacablesthat connecttheUKtotherestoftheInternetarein southWalesorjustacrosstheBristolChannel, butI’vecometotheconclusionthatit’smore tragicthanironic. Whatthisnowmeansisthatinadditionto keepingtheusualhouse-huntingwebsitessuchasRightmoveopen inFirefox,IalsohavetokeepaneyeonallthemajorISPsandtheir paltryselectionofservices.GiventhattheUKapparentlygenerates moremoneyonlinethananyotherG20country[source:http://tinyurl. com/slowuk],whatarePCenthusiastssupposedtodo?Iforonedon’t fancytheideaofclusteringtogetherintherun-down,boarded-up urbanmetropolisesofthiscountryinthehopeofgettingfast broadbandaccess,likehobosgatheringroundaburningoilcan.

None of the ISPs I approached could guarantee a connection faster than 1Mb/sec

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JamesGorboldfellinlovewiththeoriginalIBMPCintheearly 1980sandhasbeenbuilding,tweakingandoverlockingPCsever since.HehaswrittenanarticleinalmosteveryissueofCustom PCandnowhelpsScanComputerstodevelopnewsystems.

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