HOW TO: PAINT YOUR HARDWARE

REVIEWED: AMDS FIRST TOP-END GPU SINCE 2011

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Mini cases, motherboards,
SSDs and RAM reviewed

Make your own miniature
PC case from scratch
BUILD A TINY PC
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TURN YOUR RASPBERRY Pi INTO THIS
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3 January 2014
Welcome to Issue 124
Editorial
EDITOR
Ben Hardwidge
[email protected]
LABS
Matthew Lambert,
Mike Jennings

GAMES EDITOR
Rick Lane

ART EDITOR
Bill Bagnall

PRODUCTION EDITOR
Julie Birrell

CONTRIBUTORS
Antony Leather, Gareth Halfacree,
James Gorbold, Jim Killock,
Paul Goodhead, Richard Cobbett,
Simon Treadaway, Tracy King
PHOTOGRAPHY
Antony Leather,
Danny Bird

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4 January 2014
Welcome to Issue 124
11

WAR GAMES
Tracy King examines press reports
about the Ministry of Defence hiring Call of
Duty fans to join a Hacker Army.
12
HOBBY TECH
Gareth looks at the process of
having your own PCBs made, and builds a
BBC-style Raspberry Pi keyboard-computer
with the new Fuze kit.
20
AMD RADEON R9 290X
Following last months
disappointing Radeon HD 7970 rebrand, AMD
has now launched its first new top-end GPUs
since 2011. We put the R9 290X and R9 290
through their paces.
28
BUDGET CPU SHOWDOWN
Antony Leather pits AMDs FX-6300
against Intels Core i3-4130 to see which sub-
100 CPU wins out.
78
MAKE YOUR OWN NUC CASE
Want to build a PC based on Intels
new Haswell NUC board, but disappointed by
the lack of third-party cases that support it?
We show you how to build your own NUC case.
98
TITANFALL
Ever fancied dropping into a
futuristic battlefield in a huge robot suit? Rick
Lane tries out this new epic-looking game.
106
INSIDE TOTAL WAR
We have a chat with the folks at The
Creative Assembly about the development of
the engines behind the epic spectacle of the
Total War games.
12 20 24
cover storY
NUC
REVOLUTION
52
If you thought mini-ITX
PCs were small, then
youre going to be
astounded by whats possible with
Intels latest Next Unit of Computing
(NUC) motherboards.
Believe it or not, you can squeeze a Core i5 Haswell
CPU with an 256GB SSD and 32GB of RAM onto a board
measuring just 10 x 10cm so small you can hold the entire system in
the palm of your hand. Heck, you can even play Skyrim on it if you want.
In this issue, we take a look at four Intel NUC motherboards to see how
they perform.
You dont have to be stuck with Intels own case design either; there
are now loads of third-party NUC cases available, and in this issue weve
reviewed eight of them, while also showing you how to build your own
NUC case.
24
118
99 112
5 January 2014
1ssue 124
110
INDIE CORNER
There seems to be a surreal party
going on in the burgeoning PC indie game
scene at the moment, with all sorts of weird
ideas turning into fantastic games. We chart
the latest ones to watch.
118
HOW TO PAINT YOUR
HARDWARE
Colour customisation doesnt have to stop at
your case. We show you how to not only apply a
coat of paint to your peripherals, but also paint
your drives and heatsinks.
118 12
52
78
20
110
Reviewed this month
Hardware
GRAPHICS CARDS
20 AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB
20 AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB
LAPTOP
24 Scan 3XS Graphite LG135
CPUs
28 AMD FX-6300
28 Intel Core i3-4130
CPU COOLER
32 Antec Khler H20 1250
CASE
36 Corsair Graphite 230T
MOTHERBOARDS
40 Gigabyte G1.Sniper A88X
42 Asus Rampage IV Extreme Black
Edition
KEYBOARD
44 Gigabyte Force K7
Custom kit
48 Firebox Back to the Future iPad case
48 Yurbuds Inspire Pro
48 Rhino Shield
49 Griffin Powerdock 5
49 Noontec Zoro
49 GG Button
NUC Labs test
54 Intel NUC Board D54250WYB
55 Intel NUC Board DC53427RKE
56 Intel NUC Board D33217GKE
56 Intel NUC Board D33217CK
60 Chillblast Fusion Brix
62 Zotac Zbox Nano ID65 Plus
66 Akasa Newton V
66 Akasa Newton
68 CarTFT Blackpete-NUC
68 Impactics D1NU1-B
70 Logic Supply LGX NC210
70 SilverStone Petit PT14
71 Streacom NC1 GK
71 Tranquil PC NUC-YE
72 Logic Supply LGX ML300
Games
98 Titanfall
100 F1 2013
101 Shadow Warrior
102 The Stanley Parable
104 The Wolf Among Us
36
PRODUCTS
REVIEWED
Regulars
8 From the editor
10 Tracy King
12 Hobby tech
16 Incoming
46 How we test
84 CPC Elite products
96 Cynical hit
106 The engine room
112 Digital rights
129 Retro tech
130 James Gorbold
Community
114 Readers drives
118 How to paint your hardware and
peripherals
124 Letters
126 Folder of the month
127 Your folding milestones
P
Cs built into radio-controlled cars, George Foreman grills
andStar Wars toys are just some of the curiosities we saw
soon after modders realised the potential for VIAs mini-ITX
motherboard standard a standard thats now really taken off in
theenthusiast circuit, with loads of high-end motherboards now
available. Mini-ITX gave you the chance to rethink the PC it didnt
have to be in a tower-shaped box any more. Provided you thought
about the connectors and cooling requirements, you could put a mini-
ITX board in almost anything. Im hoping that Intels Next Unit of
Computing (NUC) idea will inspire a similar level of new thinking.
Im a little bit in love with NUC, but its taken a while for my affections
to be appropriately kindled. When we first
looked at a NUC system, back in Issue 115,
wewere decidedly underwhelmed. It might
have been small, but it was also seriously
underpowered. As our Labs in this issue
proves, though, a 10 x 10cm board can now
hold a Haswell CPU, an mSATA SSD, loads of
memory and an integrated GPU that can even
handle Skyrim at 720p.
Just imagine what you could do with that. In fact, you probably will
have to use your imagination, as there currently arent many third-
party cases available for that particular motherboard, but I think of
that as a bonus. You have a tiny motherboard with a whole PC on it
you dont need any more drives, SATA cables or expansion cards the
basics are all there. As long as you can cool the CPU, the scope for
experimentation is enormous.
Our sister site www.bit-tech.net recently ran a competition to build
a NUC case, and I recommend having a look at some of the entries
there are some really interesting ideas, some of which weve featured
at the bottom of p82. Ive already started thinking about how I might
use a NUC system. It doesnt just have to be a Mac Mini-style box next
A full PC on a 10 x 10cm motherboard?
Yes please, says Ben Hardwidge
to your monitor. It could be a media PC clipped to the back of your TV,
or it could be a pocket-sized PC you could take anywhere, any time.
My first thought was that I could build a multi-touch tablet-like
device that could sit in my lounge and play back music from my NAS
via my USB DAC, complete with touch-screen control, as well as
streaming video to my TV. Its HDMI port and support for Windows
drivers make it more appropriate for this work than the Raspberry Pi,
although its obviously much more expensive.
What I really love about the NUC Haswell board, though, is that
itsgot me thinking outside of the ATX-sized box, if youll excuse the
clich. Now Im starting to have ideas for new PCs, how they could
beused and what Ill use for a case. While we
were putting together this issue, for example,
Itrawled through the ForgeWorld website, just
to see if there were any models that might
accept a 10 x 10cm motherboard.
NUC isnt going to replace the desktop PC
soon, simply because of its limitations when it
comes to GPU power, but this is also partly why
I hope NUC takes off in the same way as mini-ITX. The latter used to
just be the domain of VIAs EPIA boards, but now motherboard
makersare producing mini-ITX boards with Intel sockets as standard.
Imagine a NUC board with an AMD APU, and you could even use such
a tiny machine for gaming. NUC has the potential to revitalise the
modding scene and start people thinking about using PCs in all sorts
of ways, and Im really looking forward to seeing what the future holds
for this new motherboard standard.
Ben Hardwidge is the editor of Custom PC. He likes PCs, heavy
metal, real ale and Warhammer 40,000.

[email protected]

@CUSTOMPCMAG
As long as you can
coolthe CPU, the scope
for experimentation
is enormous
PASS
THE NUC
8 January 2014

from the editor
i
wasnt old enough to see the 1983 cold war tech fantasy film
WarGames at the time, but Ive seen it since and, naturally, its
implausible. Not, however, implausible enough, as 30 years later
the British Ministry of Defence is recruiting Broderick wannabes to
build a sort of Hacker Army, and the press isnt being discreet at all.
This month The Metro asked: Are you a Call of Duty fan with a
passion for defeating online enemies? and The Daily Mail claimed
that the Armys tough fitness tests are to be lowered to allow weedy or
overweight computer geniuses to join the new front line of keyboard
commandoes.
Future wars, declares Defence Secretary
Phillip Hammond, will be fought by IT geeks in
rooms like this, rather than soldiers marching
down the streets, or tanks or fighter aircraft.
Accordingly, hes diverting 500 million from
the traditional budget defence to his new Joint
Cyber Force (Reserve).
The government claims there are around
70sophisticated cyber espionage attacks a
month against Britain, but looking at the figures, only 30 per cent of
those are against the state; the rest target private sector companies,
albeit those with products or services of national interest. But still, one
expects the private sector to fund its own Hacker Army, which no doubt
it already does. I havent seen any recruitment calls to Lockheed such
as the one from the MOD this month, but I dont tend to peruse the
computer genius section of www.monster.com
Having looked thoroughly at the skills required by the Ministry
ofDefence for the Joint Cyber Force (Reserve), I cant find any
explanation for the Metros bizarre inclusion of Call of Duty, or indeed
any connection to gaming at all. Its possibly true that the British
military uses modified Xbox controllers for real-life drone attacks, and
the US military is considering employing Wiimotes for remote bomb

disarming, but both of those examples have been seen in the context
of recruitment videos or PR.
These are glamorous tools for attracting new recruits, but almost
certainly irrelevant to the typical soldiers day, and even less within
theremit of this new initiative, which is entirely concerned with, for
example, disabling enemy comms or weapons by hacking. This is
another case of the media getting the wrong end of the joystick.
And talking of cyber-this and cyber-that, heres a follow-up to last
months column. I heard from cyberpsychologist Berni Good just a
few hours after the mag went to print, with answers to my questions.
So for the record, Id like to clarify her position.
When referring to depression as an everyday
stress, she meant commonplace.
She also made her position clear on the
self-help market, saying: The British
Psychological Society recently took part in
supporting the development of a scheme
called Reading Well; basically a books-on-
prescription scheme. The books are based
onCBT to treat common mental health issues including depression
and anxiety. There is evidence to suggest that self-help books are
reallygood at dealing with some mental health issues, including
depression, and I think this scheme is brilliant. Consider how taking
self-help books and delivering them in a game format could help
people this is the work Im focused on right now.
Specially written books using CBT as a framework is a different
proposition to the bulk of the self-help market, and Im happy to clarify
that here.
Gamer and science enthusiast Tracy King dissects the evidence
and statistics behind some of the popular media stories
surrounding tech and gaming @TKINGDOLL
Only 30 per cent of those
attacks are against the
state; the rest target
private sector companies
WAR GAMES
Tracy King examines reports about
the government creating a new
Hacker Army
Sceptical analYsis
10 January 2014
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12 January 2014
The latest tips, tricks and news in the world of computer hobbyism,
from Raspberry Pi and Android to retro computing
hoBBY tech
GARETH HALFACREES
THE FUZE POWERED BY RASPBERRY Pi BY RASPBER
Readers who were around in the 1980s will
remember the heyday of microcomputing:
the Sinclair Spectrum, the Acorn Atom, the
Dragon 32, the Grundy NewBrain plus a
selection of others from overseas. All
were designed to get people started
with learning how to program a
relatively simple computer system.
The 1980s might be over, but there has
been a recent resurgence in these ideals with
the launch of the Raspberry Pi. Sadly, for all
itslow-cost capabilities, however, the Pi is far
closer to a modern desktop or laptop than the
microcomputers of yore. Thats where the
Fuze comes in.
The brainchild of Jon Silvera, the Fuze
attempts to bridge the gap between the
easilyaccessible microcomputers of the
1980s, and the power and flexibility of the
Raspberry Pi. Available as a standalone kit,
designed primarily for education, or as a kit
where you just add a Pi, the Fuze turns the Pi
into a proper BBC Micro-style computer.
The sturdy metal case is finished in an eye-
catching red and black colour scheme. Inside,
mounted to a removable tray, sits a Raspberry
in diodes, while a bundled miniature
breadboard fills much of the remainder,
leaving a little room to build up a small
collection of components to the right.
This feature reveals the difference
between the Pi and a traditional PC: the
kitincludes a small selection of electronic
components LEDs, a buzzer, switches
anddownloadable project cards, which teach
schoolchildren how to wire them up and
program them. The programming step is
where the Fuze really feels like a throwback
tothe 1980s. Rather than using Python, the
Raspberry Pi Foundations default language,
the Fuze includes a customised Raspian
installation on an SD card with Fuze Basic.
Developed by Gordon Henderson, Fuze
Basic will feel immediately familiar to any
child of the 1980s. Double clicking the icon
provides a white-on-black interface clearly
born from Acorns design ethos, but brought
bang up to date. As well as an interactive
command interpreter, Fuze Basic includes
abuilt-in text editor for free-text editing of
programs, rather than having to replace faulty
lines in their entirety, as with traditional Basic-
based microcomputers.
A small bundled manual provides quick
references for the Fuze Basic command set,
including the instructions based heavily on
the syntax of the popular Arduino IDE for
controlling the Pis GPIO pins. The Fuze isnt
without its faults though the full kit is
undeniably expensive, costing 180 inc VAT
with the Pi and components, or 90 inc VAT for
the case, breadboard and expansion module
alone. While schools can deduct VAT from that
price, home buyers may be put off. The Fuze is
available now from www.fuze.co.uk
Pi Model B, with the majority of its ports
except composite video, for some reason
brought to the rear of the case via small pigtail
adaptors. Vents to the left and right offer the
little cooling the Pi requires, while the top of
the case includes a built-in USB keyboard that
connects to one of the Pis two USB ports.
The design of the case includes an
interesting trench above the keyboard, the use
for which becomes apparent when you look at
what else is included: the left-hand side of the
trench provides a GPIO breakout board, which
protects the Pi from easy damage using built-
The integrated mounting tray has pigtails that break out
all the important connections, except composite video
A bundled IO board provides easy access to the Pis GPIO
pins, and uses diodes to protect against miswiring
13 January 2014
14
CUSTOMISATION
Created some time in the early 1980s, the LJ
Electronics Tina II was primarily aimed at
education. Based roughly on the same design
as Acorns BBC Micro, and sharing the
same MOS Technology 6502 processor, the
Tina is an extremely interesting beast; the
motherboard sits outside the metal case, with
everything laid out in a pseudo-block diagram
approach and labelled according to its purpose.
Like todays Raspberry Pi, the device also includes some
interesting extras. A row of general-purpose input-output pins are
located to the left, designed for large plugboard-style jacks, while a
bench-top power supply splits off from the main linear PSU with
its massive heatsinks at the top. Theres even an EPROM burner
located at the bottom right of the board.
Sadly, finding information on the Tina isnt easy. It came to me,
viamy friend Andrew Back, from an electronic flea market where
ithad been sold untested as an ex-RAF device. Searching online,
theres little evidence it ever existed just a brief mention in the
manual for its lower-end variant, the Emma, and one sentence
onapage dedicated to LJ Electronics robotic arm kits. Even the
National Museum of Computing and the Museum for Computer
History had never heard of it.
As a result, I decided to do a little digital archaeology with the aid
of my EPROM burner. Taking the helpfully labelled and socketed
EPROM chips off the board, I dumped each one onto my desktop PC
for analysis. Saving them in a binary format, I could run the handy
UNIX strings utility across the files in order to
quickly find and dump the ASCII text contents.
The result was a goldmine of information,
courtesy of an built-in help system. The Tina,
itseems, has a number of advanced features:
abuilt-in machine code monitor, debug routines,
the aforementioned EPROM burner, a surprisingly
advanced file management system for optional disk
drives and even a variant of BASIC.
Sadly, the process also revealed a roadblock to getting the
system working again. The last ROM, which holds the machine
code monitor, is corrupt; theres evidence that the label covering
the quartz window has been peeled back at some point, possibly
letting in enough light to scramble the data.
Replacing the ROM is key to getting Tina back on its feet, but it
isnt going to be easy; while the company that created it, now known
as LJ Create, still exists, it hasnt been eager to respond to my
emails, and I know of only one other Tina out there supplied by
Andrew to another of his friends. If that Tina has a working ROM,
Im golden but if not, this process could get extremely difficult.
Im not going to let that put me off, though, as Im concentrating
on physical restoration. The large linear PSU will need attention,
and a battery needs desoldering and replacing before the leaking
alkaline crystals burn through the circuitboard. Im also going to
contact the RAF to find Tinas purpose there the uneven wear on
asmall number of keys suggests active use, so it almost certainly
has a story to tell.
ELECTRONIC ARCHAEOLOGY: THE TINA II
Removing
that battery
is a priority:
the alkaline
crystalswill
erode the PCB
The contents
of one of Tinas
EPROMs,
showing the
integrated
helpsystem
When faced with
an unknown
device, dumping
the EPROMs can
reveal interesting
secrets
The keyboard
shows signs of
uneven wear,
suggesting
Tinahas seen
active use
14 January 2014
hoBBY tech
14
Just a few short decades ago, building
printed circuitboards (PCBs) involved
careful hand-drawing, awkward ultra-
violet light boxes, nasty chemicals and
tedious drilling. These days, the hobbyist
community has it easy: fire up some free
software, design your circuit, send it off
and youll receive a professionally printed
board within days and at surprisingly
affordable prices. But just how easy is it
todesign your own PCB? Easy enough
that I was able to do it, so you lot should
have no excuse.
01
BUILD A PROTOTYPE
The first step is to build a
prototype. Solder-free breadboards
areyour friend, here: you can stick
components and wires where you please,
and if something doesnt work its easy
to change. In my case, I was building an
Arduino-compatible night-light and
white-noise generator for my newly born
daughter, but you may have different
requirements: a fan controller,
temperature monitor, network-connected
mains control system, burglar alarm,
jet-pack control system whatever.
Your prototype will probably go through
several iterations. Dont be afraid to
experiment its far better to take risks at
this stage than after youve paid to have
your project etched onto a PCB.
02
TRANSCRIBE THE
DESIGN
Possibly the most welcoming software for
the electronic engineering neophyte is
Fritzing. A product of the Interaction
Design Lab in Potsdam, Frizing is an
open-source project that provides an easy
way to design and document simple, one-
or two-layer PCBs. Grab a copy from
http://fritzing.org, and begin the
transcription process.
The first screen that opens in Fritzing
isthe Breadboard View: simply drag
components from the list on the right
tocreate an on-screen replica of your
BUILD YOUR OWN PCB
physical prototype. You dont need to
understand anything about electronics,
justdrag and drop the parts until the image
on-screen matches what you have on
thedesk in front of you.
03
DOCUMENT THE DESIGN
This step is optional and, I have to
admit, one I usually skip, to my shame but
itshandy. The second view in Fritzing is the
Schematic View. This takes the components
and wiring from the Breadboard View and
creates a formal electronic schematic that
details the circuit.
The parts, however, will be randomly
placed, so its up to you to shuffle them around
in a logical order, and then to follow the rats
nest wires to join them together.
For simpler circuits, an Autoroute function
in the Routing menu can do the wiring for you.
For more complex projects, however, expect
to do a lot of manual tweaking. A well-laid-out
schematic is vital for any project you intend to
make public: it allows people to understand
the circuit and even offer advice about making
it smaller, cheaper or more efficient.
04
DESIGN THE PCB
The third view is the PCB view, where
youll lay out the physical components of
yourPCB. As with the Schematic view,
anything entered from the Breadboard view is
already present but will need positioning and
wiring with Autoroute again an option for
simpler circuits.
You can also adjust the size and shape of
your circuitboard, which is key to reducing the
cost: PCB fabrication houses charge by circuit
area, so shaving centimetres off your design
can knock pounds off the cost.
When positioning components, ensure
theres room for them most Fritzing
components include a footprint, which
shows how much space they will occupy. Also,
make use of both layers; a via, inserted from
the right-hand component list, provides a way
to force a PCB trace to jump from one layer to
another if required.
When youre finished, run a Design Rules
Check from the Routing menu, to ensure you
havent made any obvious mistakes, and then
insert a Ground Fill or Copper Fill from the
same menu.
Sadly, no decent photos exist
of this stage of my build.
Schoolboy error!
15 January 2014
CUSTOMISATION
15
GARETH
HALFACREE
is the news reporter at
www.bit-tech.net, and a
keen computer hobbyist
who likes to tinker with technology.

@ghalfacree
INTEL LAUNCHES
QUARK-BASED GALILEO
Fresh on the heels of the
launch of its Atom-
based MinnowBoard,
Intel has announced
another open hardware
project: the Arduino-
compatible Galileo.
Designed for the
enthusiast market and
priced competitively
the boards are expected to sell for under 50,
although a final UK price had not been
provided at the time of publication the
Galileo packs a Quark chip; Intels first ultra-
low-power system-on-chip (SoC) design.
Built to compete with microcontrollers
from the likes of Atmega and Texas
Instruments, the Quark is a full x86
processorbased on a similar instruction
setto the old Pentium family. This means
theboard is capable of running Linux, while
also providing Arduino-compatible
microcontroller functions.
TESSEL OPENS UP
The Galileo isnt the only piece of open
hardware announced this month, as the
Tessel development boards hardware and
software will also be opening up ahead of a
spring 2014 launch. Designed as a hardware
development platform for software
developers, each Tessel board includes
integrated Wi-Fi and is programmed with
JavaScript. Using NPS packages provided by
the Node.js community, the Tessel is capable
of connecting hardware modules sensors,
SD cards, servos, RFID/NFC readers, relays
and more to the Internet via a built-in web
server, or working as a client for information
sharing services, including Twitter.
Building a circuit in Fritzing
is as simple as duplicating
your breadboard layout
Take your time in Fritzings
PCB view for good results
A good schematic is the
mark of a decent project,
but nobody would blame
you for skipping the step
05
PRINT THE PCB
When your PCB is
wired up, print out a copy
on paper and use that
as a template to insert
your components:
this placement test will
allow you to make any last-
minute changes needed for
component clearance.
When youre satisfied, you can
export the design files known
as Gerbers from the File menu.
These files can be sent to any PCB
manufacturer for printing, etching and drilling
or, if you wish, you can support Fritzings
development by using its in-house
Fritzing Fab service,
available from the
Routing menu.
This service is
typically slightly
more expensive than
those offered by UK
companies such as http://
ragworm.eu, but the
profitsgo directly to funding
further development of the
Fritzing software. When your PCB arrives
a few days later, youre ready to build your
device and marvel at the easiness of the
whole process.
The finished PCB can cost as
little as a fiver, and looks far
better than stripboard
NEW HARDWARE
NVIDIA REPLACES V-SYNC
Nvidia has just unveiled a new system to effectively
eliminate stuttering and tearing artefacts in games,
which are caused by differences between the frame rate
and the monitor refresh rate. The companys new G-Sync
technology requires a module to be installed inside monitors,
which will then tell the display to synchronise its frame rate with
the GPU output, rather than with an arbitrary fixed refresh rate of 60Hz a hangover from
the CRT days. Nvidia claims that PC gaming luminaries John Carmack, Tim Sweeney,
Johan Andersson and Mark Rein have all been bowled over by its impact on gaming, and
our own columnist James Gorbold enthuses about the new technology on p130.
We take a look at the latest newly
announced products
GEFORCE GTX 780 Ti ANNOUNCED
Along with its G-Sync tech, Nvidia has announced a
forthcoming new GPU, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. There
are no concrete details about specs and price yet, but it
has a similar cooler design to the current stock GTX
780, and looks set to trade blows with the new AMD
Radeon R9 290X (see p20). Naturally, well be putting
itthrough its paces as soon as we get hold of one.
AMD LAUNCHES A10-6790K
AMD has just launched a brand-new APU in its A10 lineup.
The new chip has a base clock of 4.1GHz, which will boost
upto 4.3GHz using the companys Turbo Core technology.
Meanwhile, its integrated Radeon 8670D GPU features 384
stream processors, and its memory controller officially supports
1,866MHz DDR3 memory. The chip features two Piledriver
modules, each with two integer units (for a total of four), and is
intended to replace the A10-5800K in the companys APU lineup.
HASWELL NUC BOARDS UNVEILED
Intels Haswell NUC board, the D54250WYB, offers surprisingly quick
performance for its size (see p54), but there currently isnt much in the
way of third-party cases for it, leaving you with either the standard Intel
NUC case, or building your own. However, Impactics, whose D1NU1-B
(see p68) chassis wowed us this month, has unveiled a new passively cooled
chassis for the Haswell NUC board. Theres currently no word on UK pricing or availability,
but the photos of it on www.fanlesstech.com certainly look the business. At the time of going to
press, www.tranquilpc.com also announced a Haswell-supporting NUC case, which will cost
99 inc VAT. We hope to have a look at both cases when they hit the shops.
ors,
e with
1and1.cc.uk
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36
CORSAIR
GRAPHITE 230T
Well-built, affordable and,
most importantly, orange.
28
INTEL CORE
i3-4130
Our first look at a sub-100
Haswell processor.
40
GIGABYTE G1.
SNIPER A88X
An FM2+ board with high-
end audio features.
32
ANTEC KHLER
H20 1250
Antecs latest all-in-one
cooler has dual pumps.
42
ASUS RAMPAGE IV
EXTREME BLACK
The pinnacle of Asus
motherboard range.
24
SCAN 3XS
GRAPHITE LG135
Portable GeForce GTX 765
gaming for under a grand.
28
AMD FX-6300
How does AMDs
Piledriver architecture
hold up without a GPU?
44
GIGABYTE
FORCE K7
A membrane gaming
keyboard for 33.
18 January 2014
Our in-depth analysis of
the latest PC hardware

20

19 January 2014
HOW WE TEST, P46
AMD Radeon R9
290X and 290
With 2,816 stream processors,
AMDs 290X GPU is a monster, but
how does it perform?

20

20 January 2014
HOW MUCH?
R9 290X
Price 428 inc VAT
Supplier www.scan.co.uk
Manufacturer
www.amd.com
IN DETAIL
R9 290X
Graphics processor AMD
Radeon R9 290X, 1GHz
Pipeline 2,816 stream
processors, 64 ROPs
Memory 4GB GDDR5,
5GHz effective
Bandwidth 320GB/sec
Compatibility DirectX 11.2,
OpenGL 4.3, AMD Mantle
Outputs/inputs 2 x DVI-D
(Dual-Link), 1 x DisplayPort,
1 x HDMI
Power connections
1 x 6-pin, 1 x 8-pin,
top-mounted
Size 278mm long, dual-slot
iven that AMDs R-series debut last month
was effectively a 7000-series rebrand, many
were left a little disappointed. However, now
AMD has finally unveiled two graphics cards
based on its new Hawaii GPU: the Radeon R9 290X
4GB and the Radeon R9 290 4GB.
When it first launched, the R9 290X cost 50 less
than Nvidias GTX 780, but the latters price has since
dropped from 500 to 400, indicating how the R9 290X
performs. This makes room for Nvidias GTX 780 Ti,
which is intended to supersede the GTX 780 in the
green teams product stack in the near future. The
R9290X now costs 428, but AMD was unable to
provide a UK retail price for the R9 290 at the time of
writing, so we wont be able to give it a final score yet.
The new GPU features AMDs Graphics Core Next
architecture, so both cards are fully compatible with
AMDs upcoming Mantle API. Similarly, like the R7
260X, the Hawaii GPU has a separate non-graphics
piece of silicon called TrueAudio. This is a
programmable audio pipeline, designed
tooffload audio processing from the CPU for an
enhanced and consistent audio experience,
regardless of the system used.However, like
Mantle, its yet to be supported by a current
game, and requires developer implementation
to function.
Hawaii is built on a 28nm process and contains 6.2
billion transistors. It measures 438mm and its die is
thus 24 per cent larger than the R9 280Xs Tahiti GPU.
Workloads are now divided between four Shader
Engines (SEs). Each SE has a geometry processor,
doubling the number found in Tahiti. The geometry
processors contain a geometry assembler, vertex
assembler and tessellator, and are fed by the graphics
command processor, as well as eight asynchronous
compute engines (ACEs), all of which can operate
simultaneously. This is a fourfold increase in the
ACE-count of the R9 280X, so there are potential
benefits for compute performance too.
Hawaiis main processing power comes from
AMDs Compute Units (CUs), which are unchanged.
The R9 290X has 11 CUs per SE for a total of 44 a 37.5
per cent increase over the R9 280X. The R9 290,
meanwhile, has a slightly reduced count of 40.
Each CU is made up of four SIMD engines of 16
stream processors each, bringing the total counts for
the 290X and 290 to 2,816 and 2,560 respectively. A CU
also houses four texture units, so the new cards have
176 and 160 of these respectively. The only other area
where the cards differ is in core clock speeds, which
are 1GHz for the top model, and 947MHz for the 290.
A rasteriser in every SE means Hawaii doubles
Tahitis rendering specification here too, and this is
complemented by a doubling of the GPUs render
back-end units. Each of these houses four ROPs, so
both cards feature 64 ROPs in total. These allow the
R9290X to theoretically pump out up to 64Gpixels/sec.
AMD is pushing 4K and multi-monitor setups hard
with Hawaiis launch, and while the pixel fill rate is only
one piece of the pie at such high resolutions, it should
still prove beneficial.
Hawaiis memory interface has also been bolstered
to 512-bit, as it now has eight 64-bit memory
controllers compared to the previous six. Theres also
an extra 1GB of GDDR5 (4GB total) memory, which
willagain be beneficial at high resolutions and detail
settings. Effective memory clock speeds are down to
5GHz from Tahitis 6GHz, however, which is due to a
shrinking of the die area that the memory interface
occupies. Nevertheless, total memory bandwidth is
still up by 11 per cent at 320GB/sec.
Another hardware change relates to CrossFire,
which no longer requires an external bridge. Instead,
cards communicate solely via PCI-E, thanks to a new
CrossFire XDMA engine in the compositing block.
AMD claims that no performance has been lost in the
transition. ZeroCore, which all but turns off the GPU to
save power when the system enters its long-idle state,
returns for the 290-series as well.
G
AMD
HAWAII
Powerful GPU;
competitive
pricing; great
4K performance
SUNBURN
Runs very hot;
high power
consumption;
loud stock cooler
HAWAII IS BUILT ON A 28NM
PROCESS AND CONTAINS 6.2
BILLION TRANSISTORS
AMDs new Hawaii GPU makes an
appropriately volcanic debut
Radeon R9 290X and
Radeon R9 290
21 January 2014
GRAPHICS CARDS
IN DETAIL
R9 290
Graphics processor AMD
Radeon R9 290X, 947MHz
Pipeline 2,560 stream
processors, 64 ROPs
Memory 4GB GDDR5,
5GHz effective
Bandwidth 320GB/sec
Compatibility DirectX 11.2,
OpenGL 4.3, AMD Mantle
Outputs/inputs 2 x DVI-D
(Dual-Link), 1 x DisplayPort,
1 x HDMI
Power connections
1 x 6-pin, 1 x 8-pin, top-
mounted
Size 278mm long, dual-slot
Also, AMDs PowerTune technology
has seen some upgrades, with the
companys own second-generation
Serial VID (SVI2) VR controller now
atthe heart of the cards power
management systems. It can access
255 different voltage steps that it can
select approximately every ten micro-
seconds, based on load demands and
other data. Under load, it will always
aim to go up a step on the voltage/clock
scale to boost performance, provided it
stays within the cards thermal, power
and fan speed limits.
As before, increasing the cards
power limit tells the controller it
candraw more power if necessary.
However, through the Catalyst Control
Center (CCC), you can now set your
cards target temperature. Rather than
having a basic fan curve, the card will
actively aim for the set temperature by running its fans
as slowly as possible to maintain it. By default, the
target temperature is 95C for both cards, the highest
permitted, which is very hot. AMD promises that the
GPU is safe to run at this temperature for its entire life,
but that doesnt alleviate our concerns about its
potential effect on nearby components.
You also set a maximum fan speed here, and if the
card reaches this speed, but is still set to go over its
target temperature, it will then reduce clock speeds.
PowerTune is thus a dynamic trade-off between
power, noise and thermals. The new CCC makes this
fairly clear, but its user interface is annoying to use,
particularly as clock speeds are now adjusted in
percentages, rather than absolute
megahertz values.
Both cards also boast a dual BIOS
switch, although only on the R9 290X is it
loaded with different profiles; ber Mode
and Quiet Mode. The only setting affected,
however, is the maximum fan speed 55
per cent and 40 per cent respectively (for
the R9 290, its 47 per cent regardless).
Either way, its largely a pointless
feature, as you cant override the
default profile settings, and changing
the maximum fan speed is much
quicker through software.
The card itself is a standard AMD
affair with a thin red and black plastic
cover and radial fan, which blows air
through the aluminium heatsink fins
directly out of the rear I/O. This
heatsink sits directly on top of the
massive copper base plate, which
draws heat away from the GPU as well as the memory
and power circuitry via a black metal contact plate. Its
powered by a 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-E socket combo,
and the juice is routed through a typical 5+1 phase
power design.
PERFORMANCE
In all three games tested, and at every resolution, the
R9 290X has a marginal but repeatable performance
advantage over Nvidias GTX 780. In the non-4K tests,
the two cards are very closely matched, however,
asthe R9 290X only twice exceeds the GTX 780s
minimum frame rate by more than 2fps. The GTX 780
does have a 7 per cent lead in Unigine Valley, but given
22
DIRECTX 11.2
AMDs new GPUs support DirectX 11.2, exclusive to Windows 8.1 and the Xbox One. Its most relevant
feature for enthusiasts comes from the updated Direct3D API. Its called Tiled Resources, and its
designed to reduce the GPU memory footprint of high-resolution textures in games. It doesnt require
any new hardware capabilities, so existing DirectX 11 cards, including AMDs HD 7000-series and Nvidias
Kepler and Fermi GPUs, will all support the key gaming features of DirectX 11.2 too.
High-resolution textures look great, but they also take up lots of video memory. This memory can also
be wasted if you dont look at the whole texture at once, as only a portion of it actually needs to be rendered
in such detail. Tiled Resources attempts to address this problem by allowing textures to be split into tiles
on mipmaps of various detail levels. Through the use of a programmable hardware page table on the
GPUmemory, it only loads the tiles appropriate to the level of detail the player can see at any one time,
dynamically swapping tiles in and out of the memory. It can also be applied to effects such as shadows.
The end result is high-resolution resources using less memory without sacrificing detail, and with
lessmemory overhead than software-based tiling approaches. For example, Microsoft demoed it using
just a 16MB tile pool but working with 3GB of textures in total. While this is impressive, its unlikely to be a
compelling reason for existing Windows 7 users to make the jump (Windows 8.1 is free for Windows 8
users), though, as it will require developer time and effort for it to become a real performance advantage.
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22 January 2014
A WORD ON 4K
Currently, 4K displays are in their infancy, with few able to achieve a 60Hz refresh rate suitable for PC use.
Those that can output this refresh rate require two video inputs, as the screen is divided into two 2K tiles.
As such, you must either physically connect two separate HDMI cables, or preferably use a DisplayPort
connection. This must be used in Multi-Streaming Transport mode until hardware on the monitors side
improves and is able to receive a single 4K 60Hz signal. Such signals can be output by all current AMD
GCN-based products, and the HDMI 2 specification will also have enough bandwidth to support it.
For the time being, AMD is coding its drivers to automatically detect tiled monitors and configure
Eyefinity correctly to emulate the plug-and-play experience. Its also supporting the VESA Display ID v1.3
specification, whereby monitors will tell graphics cards all the relevant information needed to setup a 4K
display without needing additional coding and driver updates.
the performance in real games, its obvious why Nvidia
quickly dropped the GTX 780s price.
Hawaiis improvement over Tahiti is also clear. In
some tests, its as much as 40 per cent, although youd
expect a healthy performance margin given the price
disparity. Meanwhile, the R9 290 demonstrates a very
substantial real-world performance increase over
theGTX 770, although it was only just ahead in the
synthetic Unigine benchmark. In the gaming tests,
though, its lead over the GTX 770 is over 10 per cent
(except in Crysis 3 at 1080p), and it often extends its
lead to over 20 per cent. Its performance is also closer
to that of the GTX 780 than the GTX 770.
We also tested at 3,840 x 2,160 (4K), at which the
R9290X is surprisingly competent, being able to keep
both Battlefield 3 and BioShock Infinite playable at
their highest settings. It also exhibits a much more
convincing lead over the GTX 780 here, ranging from
13to 20 per cent. The extra memory and bandwidth, as
well as its massive ROP count, undoubtedly play a part
here. The R9 290 also triumphed over the GTX 780 in
every game at 4K, keeping BioShock Infinite playable
(albeit barely), while the 780 struggled.
The power consumption figures for the two cards
are less impressive, however. Even though the R9 290X
typically only exhibits marginal performance gains
over the GTX 780, it caused our system to draw 82W
more. In fact, both AMD cards had higher load power
draws than Nvidias GTX 690 a card with two GPUs.
Temperatures and noise are other concerns. Our
results for the R9 290X are in its ber Mode, where it
can become very loud, and the R9 290 isnt far behind
it. They also both run around 10C hotter than the GTX
780 thanks to the 95C target temperature.
OVERCLOCKING
We started overclocking both cards by setting their
power limit, target temperature and maximum fan
speeds to the limit (150 per cent, 95C and 100 per cent
respectively). For the R9 290X, we achieved a 12 per
cent overclock for both the core and memory, which
went up to 1,120MHz and 1.4GHz (5.6GHz effective).
This is a decent result that saw healthy performance
gains, especially in Battlefield 3; at 2,560 x 1,600, it just
managed to beat the GTX Titan at stock speeds.
Pleasingly, we hit higher percentages with the R9
290, which we overclocked to 1,110MHz on the core
and 1.425GHz (5.7GHz effective) for the memory. The
R9 290 saw very tasty performance gains as well,
especially in Crysis 3, where its result even beats the
overclocked R9 290X and matches the GTX Titan.
CONCLUSI ON
Even in the wake of Nvidias price drops, the R9 290X
still offers a small performance boost over the GTX 780
for just 30 more. Its a decent overclocker too, but its
high power draw, high temperatures and loud noise
need to be considered, as your systems ambient
temperature could suffer. Thus, even with the speed
advantage, the R9 290X isnt recommended over the
GTX 780 with its current cooler unless youre intent on
playing at 4K on a tight budget. Sadly, well have to wait
until later for custom-cooled cards too.
The current unavailability of pricing for the R9 290
leaves us unable to form a proper conclusion, but
theres a large gap for it to fill between the GTX 770,
now just 240, and the 400 GTX 780. The problems
with power, noise and temperature still affect it, but
with so large a segment of the market left uncovered,
the 300-350 price bracket could still make the card
attractive, especially with its overclocking potential.
MATTHEW LAMBERT
21
23 January 2014
GRAPHICS CARDS

custom PC
81
OVERALL
SPEED 38 / 40
FEATURES 20 / 30
VALUE 23 / 30

scores: r9 290X
BATTLEFIELD 3
1,920 x 1,080 Ultra Detail, 4x AA
2,560 x 1,600 Ultra Detail, 4x AA
0 30 60 90 120
fps 117
fps 108
fps 83
fps 111
fps 91
fps 94
fps 86
fps 68
fps 94
fps 76 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
0 20 40 60 80
fps 70
fps 76
fps 65
fps 73
fps 50
fps 65
fps 52
fps 56
fps 62
fps 52
fps 60
fps 41
fps 55
fps 43
GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
5,760 x 1,080 Ultra Detail, 4x AA
0 12.5 25 37.5 50
fps 49
fps 46
fps 35
fps 42
fps 35
fps 38
fps 34
fps 27
fps 37
fps 30 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
TOTAL SYSTEM POWER DRAW
0 100 200 300 400 500
W 426
W 418
W 350
W 344
W 333
W 114
W 114
W 111
W 108
W 106 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
Lower is better Idle Load
3,840 x 2,160 Ultra Detail, 4x AA
0 10 20 30 40
fps 37
fps 35
fps 31
fps 30
fps 28
fps 26 GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
CRYSIS 3
1,920 x 1,080 Very High detail, 0x AA
2,560 x 1,600 Very High detail, 0x AA
0 18 36 54 72
fps 66
fps 62
fps 49
fps 64
fps 56
fps 58
fps 52
fps 40
fps 57
fps 48 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
UNIGINE VALLEY
2,560 x 1,600
0 650 1,300 1,950 2,600
2,436
2,295
2,157
1,989
1,590
2,298
1,934 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
0 12 24 36 48
fps 41
fps 45
fps 38
fps 44
fps 30
fps 37
fps 32
fps 33
fps 36
fps 31
fps 37
fps 25
fps 32
fps 28
GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
5,760 x 1,080 Very High detail, 0x AA
0 7 14 21 28
fps 28
fps 26
fps 21
fps 25
fps 21
fps 24
fps 23
fps 17
fps 22
fps 19 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
3,840 x 2,160 Very High detail, 0x AA
0 6 12 18 24
fps 22
fps 21
fps 19
fps 18
fps 17
fps 15 GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
BIOSHOCK INFINITE
1,920 x 1,080 Ultra Detail with Depth of Field
2,560 x 1,600 Ultra Detail with Depth of Field
0 25 50 75 100
fps 92
fps 75
fps 95
fps 81
fps 82
fps 66
fps 82
fps 67 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
0 15 30 45 60
fps 56
fps 53
fps 43
fps 56
fps 47
fps 51
fps 48
fps 38
fps 49
fps 39 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
5,760 x 1,080 Ultra Detail with Depth of Field
0 10 20 30 40
fps 36
fps 34
fps 27
fps 34
fps 28
fps 29
fps 27
fps 21
fps 29
fps 15 GeForce GTX 770
GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
3,840 x 2,160 Ultra Detail with Depth of Field
0 8 16 24 32
fps 30
fps 28
fps 28
fps 26
fps 25
fps 23 GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 290
Radeon R9 290X
fps 97 fps 87
Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avg Overclocked min
Stock speed min Stock speed avg
Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avg Overclocked min
24 January 2014
HOW MUCH?
Price 999 inc VAT
Supplier www.scan.co.uk
Manufacturer
www.scan.co.uk
IN DETAIL
CPU 2.4GHz Intel Core
i7-4700MQ
Memory 8GB Corsair
Vengeance 1,600MHz
Graphics Nvidia GeForce
GTX 765 2GB mobile GPU
Sound Creative Sound
Blaster Cinema
Screen size 13.3in
Hard disk 256GB mSATA
Plextor PX-256M5M SSD
Weight 2.1kg
Ports 2 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2,
LAN, mic, headphone,
HDMI, D-SUB, nine-in-one
memory card reader
Dimensions 330 x 227 x
31.9mm (W x D x H)
Extras Windows 7 Home
Premium
Warranty Two years collect
and return
f youve ever tried to lug a laptop with a 15in
screen, youll know they can be cumbersome
beasts. Ultrabooks are popular for this very
reason theyre thinner, lighter and often just
as powerful as full-sized laptops, but they come in
smaller sizes too. We consider anything with a screen
smaller than 12in to be a little cramped for gaming or
typing, but 13.3in represents the first practical screen
size above 12in. Scans 3XS Graphite LG135 comes in
right on the money here and, despite packing some
serious pixel-pushing grunt, it only weighs 2.1kg
much less than laptops with 15in screens.
Its no Ultrabook, though, with a depth of over
30mm, but its length of 330mm and depth of 227mm
mean its just as rucksack-friendly. If youre keen on
having a high-resolution screen, youll also be pleased
to know that the 3XS Graphite LG135 sports a1,920 x
1,080 native resolution, and uses a variant of IPS panel
technology called Azimuthal Anchoring
Switching. Combined with ample
brightness and contrast and highPPI,
thanks to cramming a full HD display into
a 13.3in panel, the screen looks superb.
Its based on a Clevo W230ST chassis,
which feels very sturdy indeed. In fact, the screen
casing is one of the best weve seen, with some serious
force needed to flex it or create distortions in the panel
when powered on. The left side is dominated by a huge
exhaust vent, next to which sit a single USB 2 port and
the audio mini-jacks. Meanwhile, the opposite side
sports three USB 3 ports, plus VGA and HDMI ports,
aswell as an Ethernet port and the power connector.
The keyboard is also backlit with white LEDs; this
feature didnt prove to be of much use in medium to
well-lit rooms, but it lights up your keys without any
distracting glare in dim situations. The keyboard itself
doesnt offer a great deal of key travel, but this is
fairlytypical of laptops of this size. Even so, it was
comfortable enough to use for long periods of time.
The specification is pretty eye-popping too,
especially for the price, and it actually has a similar
CPU and identical graphics card to the much more
expensive MSI GS70 (see Issue 123, p34). A Haswell-
based 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-4700MQ sits at the heart of
the system, offering four physical cores with Hyper-
Threading. Turbo Boost is also on tap to boost the
clock speed to 3.4GHz.
Theres 8GB of RAM too, and a dual storage setup
consisting of a 256GB Plextor PX-256M5M mSATA
SSD for the OS and a 1TB Hitachi 7K1000 hard disk.
For graphics, the 3XS Graphite LG135 has an Nvidia
GeForce GTX 765 2GB, and it can switch between this
chip and the CPUs Intel HD 4600 graphics, depending
on load, thanks to Nvidias Optimus technology.
Popping off the rear cover reveals a huge dual
heatpipe system and massive cooler, while the RAM
and storage devices are all easily accessible too.
Rounding off the specs is an embedded Creative
Sound Blaster Cinema sound card and a pre-installed
version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, which
makes sense given the absence of a touch-screen.
Aswith all Scans PCs and laptops, the 3XS Graphite
LG135 is fully customisable via its website too.
PERFORMANCE
We topped up the battery to 100 per cent and fired up
Unigine Heaven, looping it at native resolution to give
the 3XS Graphite LG135 a gaming workout. The battery
SCAN
WINNING
Fast; backlit
keyboard; great
screen; good build
quality; excellent
value for money
LOSING
Keys have little
travel; heavier
than Ultrabooks,
13.3in screen too
small for some
A HASWELL-BASED CORE i7-4700MQ
SITS AT THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM,
OFFERING FOUR PHYSICAL CORES
Portable, powerful and equipped with a
backlit keyboard and a great screen
3XS Graphite LG135
25 January 2014
GAMING LAPTOP
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
Stock speed
0 450 900 1,350 1,800
1,681
1,715 MSI GS70
3XS Graphite LG135
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
0 800 1,600 2,400 3,200
3,029
3,100 MSI GS70
3XS Graphite LG135
MULTI-TASKING
0 350 700 1,050 1,400
1,371
1,202 MSI GS70
3XS Graphite LG135
OVERALL
0 600 1,200 1,800 2,400
2,027
2,006 MSI GS70
3XS Graphite LG135
Stock speed min Stock speed avg
TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 DX9 CPU TEST
0 7.5 15 22.5 30
28fps
28fps
22fps
23fps MSI GS70
3XS Graphite LG135
Default settings, no AA or AF
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM
0 30 60 90 120
108fps
108fps
74fps
73fps MSI GS70
3XS Graphite LG135
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
lasted just over an hour at 61 minutes, which is better
than half the laptops in our previous gaming laptop
Labs test (see Issue 114, p50), and just enough for an
average commute-based gaming session on the train.
Of course, less demanding tasks will see several
hours of use at least. Noise wasnt an issue while
browsing the Web and watching videos, and the fan
only really sped up while playing games. However,
while certainly audible, it wasnt as whiny as wed
expected, and just produced a consistent noise.
The really special results were produced in our
benchmarks, though, with the LG135 bettering every
laptop in our previous Labs test. Its image editing
score of 1,681 was slightly behind the MSI GS70,
though, as was the video editing score of 3,029.
However, the 3XS Graphite LG135 posted a faster
multi-tasking score of 1,370 compared to 1,202,
whichsaw it beat the more expensive MSI laptop by
over 20 points overall.
With a near-identical specification to the GS70, it
wasnt surprising to see similar results in our game
tests, with the LG135 proving slightly slower in the
Total War: Shogun 2 CPU test, and slightly faster in
TheElder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The latter result showed
that, in less demanding games, the 3XS Graphite
LG135 is more than able to provide playable frame
rates at its native resolution.
As an additional test, we also ran our standard
Battlefield 3 benchmark with all the bells and whistles
enabled. In this test, it managed a minimum frame
rate of 23fps, just below our cut-off standard of 25fps
clearly, youll need to turn down the eye candy a little
inmore demanding games, as the 3XS Graphite LG135
is still a fair bit slower than your average modern
gaming PC.
01
The Nvidia GeForce GTX
765 2GB GPU and Intel
Core i7-4700MQ are cooled
using a large heatpipe-equipped
cooler
02
The 3XS Graphite LG135
uses two 4GB modules of
Corsair Vengeance RAM
03
On hand is a fast 256GB
mSATA SSD for the OS,
and a hefty 1TB hard disk for
storage
CONCLUSI ON
The Scan 3XS Graphite LG135 proved to be fast, well-
made and exactly what youd want from a laptop of this
size. Its weight and size mean its a perfect for carrying
around, yet its equally at home plugged into a monitor
as a desktop replacement.
Gaming performance isnt quite up to desktop PC
levels, but considering it costs nearly 700 less than
the MSI GS70 Stealth, yet sports similar specifications
inside, the 3XS Graphite LG135 is also remarkably
good value for money.
It might not have the MSIs gorgeous and slim
aluminium chassis, 17in screen or its solid SteelSeries
keyboard, but it offers the same amount of processing
grunt for considerably less money.
ANTONY LEATHER


custom PC
90
OVERALL
SPEED 21 / 25
DESIGN 22 / 25
HARDWARE 23 / 25
VALUE 24 / 25
01
02
03
28 January 2014
hile Intel rules the enthusiast roost with
its K-series CPUs in the high-end portion
of the market, its a different story once
you get below 100. We already know
thatif youre looking to play games on a low budget
then AMDs APUs, such as the A10-6800K, make
compelling cheap CPU and GPU combinations.
However, if youre looking for a little more
performance, and want to use a discrete GPU,
thesituation becomes unclear.
Intel has finally released its Pentium and Core i3
Haswell CPUs several months after the likes of the
Core i5-4670K. There are also cheap LGA1150
motherboards around too. In fact, these boards are
available for less than 50 in some cases just as
cheap as their AMD Socket AM3+ counterparts.
Therefore, the argument that an AMD setup costs less
is a moot point, at least at this price you can use the
same memory, cooler, case and PSU after all. The only
components that differ are the CPU and motherboard,
and both cost the same.
Both CPU sockets also offer an upgrade
path AM3+ looks set to support at least
one generation past its current FX-series
Vishera CPUs, while Intels Haswell chips
have only been on shelves this year, so
LGA1150 has an equally good measure of
future-proofing.
THE SPECIFI CATI ONS
To see which path you should take, weve selected two
budget CPUs Intels Haswell-based Core i3-4130,
which retails for 90, and AMDs Vishera-based
FX-6300, which costs a tad less at 85. In terms of raw
clock-for-clock performance, Intel is likely to still win,
given Haswells superior architecture, but the AMD
CPU has a couple of tricks up its sleeve, despite its
meagre price tag.
It has three Piledriver modules, each with two
integer units, for a total of six, compared to the Intels
two Hyper-Threaded physical cores. This could well
prove a strong advantage in multi-threaded tests. It
also sports a Turbo Core speed of up to 4.1GHz, while
the Core i3 lacks Turbo Boost and is fixed at 3.4GHz or
below. The FX-6300 also has significantly more cache
than the Core i3-4130, with more than double the L2
and L3 cache. Finally, the FX-6300 is overclockable, so
even if its stock numbers dont put it in the lead, theres
every chance a healthy overclock could turn the tide.
Conversely, the Core i3-4130 lacks a K-series
designation, meaning its multiplier is upwards-
locked, leaving you with just a few megahertz of base
clock with which to play. In fact, on paper, the only area
where the Intel CPU has a clear advantage is power
consumption; its TDP of 54W is nearly half that of the
FX-6300, which clocks in at 95W. This is partly due to
the fact that the FX-6300 uses a 32nm manufacturing
process, while the Core i3-4130 is based on a 22nm
one, but the extra cores and additional cache also
account for higher power consumption.
OVERCLOCKING
To start, we headed into the EFI of our Asus Crosshair
V Formula motherboard to see how far we could push
the FX-6300. We disabled the various C-states and
Turbo Core so all six cores (integer units) would run at
the same frequency. With the default vcore set at 1.38V,
we raised this setting to 1.48V. As AMD CPUs can see
additional performance boosts from increasing the
reference clock, we also raised this frequency from
100MHz to 200MHz and dropped the multiplier to 23x,
resulting in a new CPU clock speed of 4.6GHz. This
proved to be stable, but the voltage needed to be
increased to get any further, with 1.525V required to
reach our maximum clock speed of 4.75GHz, at which
the CPU core temperatures were hovering around the
85C mark when running Prime95.
For the Intel CPU, overclocking is extremely limited
though. While Intel has introduced straps with its
K-series CPUs, enabling you to increase the base
W
A VOLTAGE OF 1.525V WAS NEEDED
TO GET TO OUR MAXIMUM CLOCK
SPEED OF 4.75GHZ
We take a look at Intel and AMDs
latest sub-100 CPUs
AMD FX-6300 and
INTEL Core i3-4130
HOW MUCH?
INTEL CORE i3-4130
Price 90 inc VAT
Supplier www.scan.co.uk
Manufacturer
www.intel.co.uk
SKU number
BX80646I34130
AMD FX-6300
Price 85 inc VAT
Supplier
www.cclonline.com
Manufacturer
www.amd.com/uk
SKU number
FD6300WMHKBOX
IN DETAIL
Frequency Core i3-4130:
3.4GHz; FX-6300: 3.5GHz
Core Core i3-4130: Haswell;
FX-6300: Vishera
Manufacturing process
Core i3-4130: 22nm;
FX-6300: 32nm
Number of cores Core
i3-4130: 2 x physical, 2 x
logical; FX-6300: 6 x physical
Cache L1: Core i3-4130:
64KB+64KB; FX-6300:
192KB+96KB. L2: Core
i3-4130: 512KB; FX-6300:
6MB. L3: Core i3-4130: 3MB;
FX-6300: 8MB
Memory Controller Core
i3-4130: dual-channel up to
1,600MHz; FX-6300: dual-
channel up to 1,866MHz
Packaging: Core i3-4130:
LGA1150; FX-6300:
Socket AM3+
Features SSE, SSE2, SSE3,
SSSE3, SSE4, SSE4.2. Core
i3-4130: Quick Sync Video;
FX-6300: AMD Turbo Core
29 January 2014
BUDGET CPUs
clock without interfering with other system bus
speeds, most other CPUs, including our Core i3-4130
dont support it. As such, raising the base clock too far
can quickly result in stability issues and even corrupt
your operating system. However, our CPU was happy
at 102MHz; given the 34x multiplier, this boosted
thefrequency from 3.4GHz to 3.468GHz pathetic
compared to our efforts on the AMD system, but its
better than nothing.
PERFORMANCE
We included a range of tests to see just how the CPUs
perform in areas such as single-threaded and multi-
threaded applications, as well as a range of games,
including the often GPU-limited Crysis 3 to The Elder
Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is so easy to run that even a
modest graphics card will likely be CPU-limited. Our
test setup included Asus Maximus VI Formula and
Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z motherboards, with
common components being 16GB of Corsair
Vengeance 1,866MHz RAM and an Nvidia GeForce
GTX 680 2GB graphics card.
In our Media Benchmarks, the stark differences
between the CPUs were immediately clear. The
single-threaded performance of the Core i3-4130 saw
it power its way to a massive lead in the image editing
test, even eclipsing the overclocked FX-6300 by a huge
margin. Clearly, in any application that isnt likely to
make real use of more than two physical cores, Intel is
the way to go. In our multi-threaded video encoding
test, though, the situation was largely reversed,
although at stock speed, there wasnt a massive
difference between the CPUs. However, with the extra
boost of its overclock, the FX-6300 held a significant
800-point lead over the Core i3-4130.
Overall, the overclocked FX-6300 was the fastest
option, bolstered by a score roughly equal to that of the
Intel CPU in the multi-tasking test, and its prowess in
thevideo encoding test compensating for its poor
performance in the image editing test. The meagre
overclock we applied to the Intel CPU only resulted in
small gains and wasnt enough to beat the FX-6300
overall, only surpassing it in the multi-tasking test
byafew points.
Cinebench was up next and, once again, the AMD
CPUs extra cores helped it to a substantial lead. It
managed a score of 4.43 at stock speed compared to
the Intel CPUs paltry 3.65, and it climbed to 6.06 once
overclocked nearly twice as fast as the Intel CPU.
In Battlefield 3, all of the CPUs proved to be more
than capable of providing our GeForce GTX 680 2GB
with enough work to do and, as such, they returned
near-identical results. In Crysis 3, the brute force of the
FX-6300 and its ample number of cores saw it draw
30
out a small but noticeable lead over the Intel CPU,
being around 10 per cent faster.
Skyrim, on the other hand, suffered from CPU
limitation. Here the differences were understandably
more varied, but the game appears to favour the
single-threaded efficiency of the Intel CPU, with its
minimum frame rate of 57fps at stock speed eclipsing
the 50fps of the overclocked FX-6300. Our Shogun 2
test resulted in similar scores across the board,
although the stock speed FX6300 was around 10 per
cent slower than the Intel CPU.
While we were obviously using different
motherboards, we also carried out a power draw
test.The efficiency of the Intel CPU put the FX-6300 to
shame, with the Core i3-4130 drawing over 40 per cent
less power at idle and load and, incredibly, less than a
third of the overclocked AMD CPUs power
consumption.
CONCLUSI ON
Clearly, if youre planning on using a small CPU cooler,
or are building a compact system, the Intel Core i3s
incredibly low power draw makes it the logical choice
youll need a fairly substantial CPU cooler to handle an
overclocked AMD FX-6300.
Aside from power, though, the situation isnt
asclear-cut. Theres no overall winner in our
benchmarks, with both the 2D and 3D tests offering
mixed results, depending on your priorities.
However, it can be boiled down to the fact that the
AMD CPU is by far the best option when it comes to
multi-threaded applications such as video encoding
and rendering. In these workloads, it has a clear
advantage over the Intel CPU, both at stock speed and
especially when overclocked. On the other hand, the
Core i3-4130 was massively faster in the single-
threaded image editing test, and will likely hold this
lead in any situation that doesnt make proper use of
multiple CPU cores.
30 January 2014
BUDGET CPUs
75
OVERALL
SPEED 32 / 50
FEATURES 11 / 15
VALUE 32 / 35
78
OVERALL
SPEED 33 / 50
FEATURES 13 / 15
VALUE 32 / 35
There was no clear winner in the game tests either.
Battlefield 3 proved to have a bottleneck elsewhere,
with all our CPUs returning identical results. However,
Crysis 3 and Skyrim each favoured a different corner
Crysis 3 preferred the additional cores of the AMD
CPU, while Skyrims older technology was happy
dealing with fewer, more efficient cores, making it
faster on the Intel system.
This means theres a bigger picture to consider, and
youll have to weigh up the pros and cons depending
on your particular needs. Were hearing rumblings
that many future games, including the imminent
Battlefield 4, perform much better with six or more
cores, so if Battlefield 4 features heavily on your future
games list, the FX-6300 might be the better option
(well be investigating Battlefield 4 next month). The
higher power draw of the AMD system, though, will
mean a higher outlay, as youll need a more expensive
cooler and a better case, especially if you overclock it.
Youll also be limited by the overclocking prowess of
your motherboard, which may or may not perform as
well as ours.
While the FX-6300 is slightly faster overall, the
upgrade path to a K-series Haswell CPU, cant
beoverlooked; combined with the low power
consumption and quicker single-threaded
performance, this makes the Core i3-4130 a great
budget CPU if youre not bothered about multi-
threaded speed. However, if youre looking for decent
multi-threading performance on a tight budget, the
FX-6300 is the fastest CPU this side of 100.
ANTONY LEATHER
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
Stock speed Overclocked
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000
1,221 1,041
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
0 800 1,600 2,400 3,200
3,129
2,300
2,423
2,272 Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
MULTI-TASKING
0 350 700 1,050 1,400
1,344 1,175
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
OVERALL
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000
1,898 1,546
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
BATTLEFIELD 3
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 4x AA
0 25 50 75 100
fps 84
fps 84
fps 69
fps 68
fps 83
fps 84
fps 68
fps 68
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avg Overclocked min
TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 DX9 CPU TEST
Default settings, no AA or AF
idle
0 6 12 18 24
fps 24
fps 22
fps 17
fps 17
fps 19
fps 21
fps 15
fps 17
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
0 30 60 90 120
fps 108
fps 111
fps 50
fps 58
fps 87
fps 110
fps 35
fps 57
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
CRYSIS 3
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
0 12.5 25 37.5 50
fps 49
fps 49
fps 41
fps 38
fps 49
fps 49
fps 39
fps 37
Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
1,359 1,320
1,820 1,774
CINEBENCH R11.5
0 2 4 6 8
6.06
3.71
4.43
3.65 Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION
0 30 60 90 120
109W
64W
98W
63W Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
Load
0 90 180 270 360
343W
100W
163W
98W Intel Core i3-4130
AMD FX-6300
1,823 1,789


scores: FX-6300

scores: Core i3-4130
29
32 January 2014
CPU COOLER
HOW MUCH?
Price 110 inc VAT
Supplier www.scan.co.uk
Manufacturer
www.antec.com
IN DETAIL
Compatibility Intel: LGA775,
LGA1156, LGA1155,
LGA2011, LGA1366;
AMD: Socket FM1, AM3+,
AM3, AM2+, AM2
Weight 1.3kg
Radiator size (mm)
280 x 120 x 27
Fan 2 x 120mm
Stated noise Not stated
ith CoolIT and Asetek making
many all-in-one liquid coolers
for Corsair, Zalman and Antec, there
hasnt been much innovation. Thats all
changed with Antecs new dual 120mm fan Khler
H20 1250 though.
The pump has been moved from the waterblock,
and now resides above the fan bearing. As the 1250
has two fans, this equates to two pumps a first for
anall-in-one liquid cooler. The coolants route criss-
crosses the radiator and passes through each pump
before being sent to the waterblock. Meanwhile, the
contact plate has been machined smooth, with its
flexible nozzles enabling you to mount it without too
much force. The fans arent your standard 120mm
affairs either. They have huge blades, non-standard
housing and airflow-focusing plates behind them,
much like SilverStones Air Penetrator fans.
Meanwhile, the radiator is a half-height unit, but its
fans cant be completely removed, as theyre attached
to the pumps. This limits the ability to install it in some
cases where the radiator and fans sandwich a dual
120mm-fan mount from either side.
The mount has a single-piece plate slotting into
thewaterblock, which is secured using thumbscrews,
with a motherboard backplate for all sockets except
LGA2011. Antec has also updated its software, which
allows you to choose Silent, Extreme or custom fan
profiles. We had no issues installing the software
either, and while its simple, it allows you to control
thewaterblock LED and log temperatures easily.
In Silent mode, the 47C delta T in our LGA2011
system matched the Corsair H100i on its Balanced
profile. Meanwhile, the Extreme mode saw the delta T
drop to 43C the second best result weve seen. In
our LGA1155 system, the Silent modes delta T was
44C equal to the H100is Quiet profile, while the
Extreme mode returned a delta T of 39C. This was a
couple of degrees warmer than the H100is highest
profile but equal to SilverStones Tundra TD02.
Noise-wise, Extreme mode also resulted in an
unpleasant hairdryer noise. Unfortunately, though,
while Silent mode resulted in the fans being barely
audible, there was a noticeable whine from the
pumps,limiting the Antecs appeal for quiet systems.
CONCLUSI ON
The Khler H20 1250 features excellent cooling,
particularly for LGA2011 systems, and superb
software control. However, its more expensive
thanCorsairs H100i and the noisy pumps make it
redundant for quiet systems.
ANTONY LEATHER
W
ANTEC
1080
Excellent
LGA2011 cooling;
dual pumps;
greatsoftware
360
Pumps are
noisy; fans cant
be detached;
10 more than
CorsairH100i
Dual pumps and new
control software
Khler H20 1250
scores: lGa2011

scores: lGa1155
results
85
custom PC
OVERALL
COOLING 39 / 40
DESIGN 22 / 30
VALUE 24 / 30
FITTING EASY
79
custom PC
OVERALL
COOLING 35 / 40
DESIGN 21 / 30
VALUE 23 / 30
FITTING EASY
INTEL LGA1155
0 12 24 36 48
39C
44C
37C
44C Corsair H100i (low)
Corsair H100i (high)
Khler H20 1250 (low)
Khler H20 1250 (high)
INTEL LGA2011
0 12.5 25 37.5 50
43C
47C
44C
50C Corsair H100i (low)
Corsair H100i (high)
Khler H20 1250 (low)
Khler H20 1250 (high)
Lower is better
Lower is better
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36 January 2014
HOW MUCH?
Price 65 inc VAT
Supplier www.scan.co.uk
Manufacturer
www.corsair.com
Model number
CC-9011038-WW
IN DETAIL
Dimensions (mm) 210 x 550
x 440 (W x D x H)
Material Steel, plastic
Available colours Orange,
black, grey
Weight 6.1kg
Front panel Power, reset,
2 x USB 3, stereo, mic
Drive bays 3 x external
5.25in, 4 x internal 3.5in,
4 x 2.5in
Form factor(s) ATX,
micro-ATX
Cooling 2 x 120mmfront fan
mounts (2 x 120mm fans
included), 1 x 120mm rear
fan mount (120mm fan
included), 2 x 120/140mm
top fan mounts (fan not
included), 1 x bottom
120mm fan mounts (fans
not included)
CPU cooler clearance
160mm
Maximum graphics card
length 430mm
Extras Dust filters, LED fans
eve featured plenty of guides on how
topaint your case in Custom PC over
theyears, but just occasionally case
manufacturers take the bold step of
releasing pre-painted cases. BitFenix has done this
with the popular Prodigy, NZXT with the Phantom
series and Corsair has now added to the list with its
new Graphite 230T. It isnt the first case its launched
that differed from the usual black box theme, but white
and camo green dont really qualify in our books.
The Graphite 230T is available in orange as
reviewed here, battleship grey and black. The orange
and black models sport orange LED fans, while the
battleship grey models fans are blue. On our sample,
the orange is vibrant and the paint job is
hardy its certainly a match for anything
you could achieve at home. As the front,
base, inside and rear panel are still black,
theres an even colour balance too, so the
Graphite 230T isnt at all garish. The
addition of a darkened side window and hand
gripindentations give it a racy look as well and,
interestingly, the side panels slide off to the front,
rather than the rear.
Features arent quite in abundance though; theres
no fan control, no rubber grommets on the internal
cable-routing holes, and only three fans are included,
none of which has fan control. However, as far as
cooling goes, the Graphite 230T represents a major
step up from Corsairs previous budget-conscious
efforts. The front section sports a large mesh, allowing
air to pass through the case far easier than the
blanked-off front panel of the Carbide 200R. There
aretwo front 120mm fans, and while the lower one is
partially blocked by the 3.5in hard disk caddie, the
upper one has large gap behind it, courtesy of a slim
2.5in SSD mount, providing additional airflow over the
graphics card.
Meanwhile, the PSU mount is supported by a
removable fan filter that slides out to the rear. The front
fans are also filtered, but youll need to pop off the
entire front panel to get a hoover to the fan filter, which
is fixed to the inside. Thankfully, this is a painless job,
as you just have to contend with a couple of clips.
Moving to the front panel, youll find two USB 3
portsplus the usual buttons and mini-jacks. The build
quality is excellent too, although theres a fair amount
of plastic on the inside and outside. However, this
W
CORSAIR
GRAPHITE
LED fans; decent
cooling; snazzy
paint job; good
build quality
LEAD
No fan control;
limited CPU
cooler height
ANYONE BUILDING A QUIET PC
CERTAINLY WONT HAVE ANY
COMPLAINTS WITH THE 230T
A budget case that matches great
looks with decent cooling
Graphite 230T
37 January 2014
ATX CASE
helps to keep the weight down to a paltry 6.1kg.
Meanwhile, the 3.5in caddy can house up to four hard
disks but, unlike many other cases weve seen, theres
no trade-off with 2.5in SSDs, which have their own
four-drive caddy above, and both caddies offer tool-
free installation. Theres plenty of room for optical
drives, fan controllers and bay reservoirs too, with
three 5.25in external bays.
In addition to the two front 120mm fans, theres a
single rear 120mm exhaust fan too. There are also
additional 120/140mm fan mounts in the roof and
base, with a dual-fan slot in the roof and a single one in
the base in front of the PSU. The roof mount supports
dual 120/140mm-fan radiators, although youll be
limited to half-height models due to the close
proximity of the motherboard. While there are two fans
in the front, it isnt possible to install a radiator in this
area, as the hard disk mounts are riveted to the case
and the fans are also staggered.
Apart from the aforementioned lack of rubber
grommets, the case also caters well for cable routing,
with openings in the motherboard tray at the top and
bottom, and a further two on the right-hand side.
Theres also a substantial CPU area cut-out, which
willhopefully mean you wont have to remove your
motherboard to replace your CPU cooler.
Speaking of CPU coolers, theres a height limit of
160mm a little less than some other cases in this
01
The substantial CPU area
cut-out will hopefully
mean you wont have to remove
your motherboard to replace
your CPU cooler
02
They might lack rubber
grommets, but there are
still plenty of cable holes for
tidying up the interior
03
Three fans are included,
but none of them features
fan-speed controls
CPU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE
Lower is better
0 12 24 36 48 60
C 49
C 47
C 48
C 49
C 55 Fractal Arc Midi R2 (low)
Fractal Arc Midi R2 (high)
NZXT Source 210 Elite
Antec One
Corsair Graphite 230T
GPU LOAD DELTA T TEMPERATURE
Lower is better
0 12 24 36 48 60
C 48
C 45
C 46
C 47
C 50 Fractal Arc Midi R2 (low)
NZXT Source 210 Elite
Antec One
Fractal Arc Midi R2 (high)
Corsair Graphite 230T


custom PC
85
OVERALL
COOLING 22 / 30
FEATURES 18 / 20
DESIGN 27 / 30
VALUE 18 / 20
price range, such as Fractal Designs Arc Midi R2.
However, theres ample clearance for large PSUs
andgraphics cards.
PERFORMANCE
The tweaked cooling design paid dividends to the
Graphite 230Ts ability to keep our hardware cool. Its
CPU delta T of 49C was equal to that of the Arc Midi
R2and only marginally warmer than Antecs One and
NZXTs Source 210 Elite. The GPU delta T was equally
solid, matching NZXTs Phantom 630 on its maximum
speed setting, and being just a fraction warmer than
the Source 210 Elite. However, Fractal Designs Arc
Midi R2 was 3C cooler in this regard.
Anyone building a quiet PC certainly wont have any
complaints with the Graphite 230T either; its fans were
quiet enough to be easily drowned out by our CPU
cooler and graphics card, making just a quiet thrum.
CONCLUSI ON
Corsair is right on the money with the Graphite 230Ts
aesthetics and we have no complaints about the
excellent cooling and great built quality. The lack of fan
control and cable-routing grommets are minor
issues, although Fractal Designs Arc Midi R2 offers
these features, along with better water-cooling
support, for roughly the same money. However, if
youre not fussed by these omissions, and would
rather have a case that stands out from the crowd,
then the Graphite 230T is your best choice below 70.
ANTONY LEATHER
01
02
03
40 January 2014
HOW MUCH?
Price 85 inc VAT
Supplier www.ebuyer.com
Manufacturer
http://uk.gigabyte.com
IN DETAIL
Chipset AMD A88X
CPU Socket FM2/FM2+
A-series APU
Memory 4 x slots: max 64GB
DDR3 (up to 2,133MHz)
Expansion slots Two 16x
PCI-E 3 (one at 16x, one at
4x), three 1x PCI-E 2 slots,
two PCI slots
Sound Realtek ALC898
8-channel
Networking 1 x Realtek
Gigabit LAN
Overclocking Base clock
100140MHz, CPU
multiplier 8-79x; max GPU
frequency 2,000MHz; max
voltages: CPU +0.3V, RAM
1.9V
Ports 8 x SATA 6Gbps, 9 x
USB 2 (A88X), 4 x USB 3 (Z87)
1 x LAN, 4 x surround audio
out, line in, mic, optical S/
PDIF out, USB DAC, HDMI,
D-SUB, DVI
Dimensions (mm) 305 x 225
t the top end of Gigabytes Socket FM2+
motherboard selection sits the G1. Sniper
A88X; as its name suggests, it sports
AMDsA88X chipset. Its also compatible
withboth the current Richland APUs and the
forthcoming Kaveri APUs, which are due out in
thenext few months.
At 85 inc VAT, the G1. Sniper A88X might be
considered something of a bargain. Similar
motherboards for Intels LGA1150 socket cost a
significant amount more. However, unlike Gigabytes
other G1. Sniper offerings, the Socket FM2+ variant
doesnt list overclocking as its main trump card.
Instead, the G1 Sniper A88X has one of the most
elaborate on-board sound systems weve seen.
It not only has an electronically insulated
soundcard, similar to those on Asus high-end
motherboards, but it also features an upgradable
operational amplifier (OP-AMP) you just swap the
existing one out of its socket. This is a feature usually
found on high-end hi-fi equipment, as well as some of
Asus Xonar Essence cards and USB boxes,
and a different OP-AMP can make a big
difference to sound, affecting anything
from the tone to the level of detail.
Effectively, this means you can tweak the
boards sound according to your specific
speaker or headphone setup.
In addition, there are also gain boost switches and
noise-reducing gold plating on the Realtek ALC898
audio processor. However, our recorded noise level
of-87.6dB(A) in RightMark Audio Analyzer, while
respectable, was hardly any different from the noise
level from the standard Z77 audio on the Asus P8Z77-i
Deluxe we also had in the lab.
The board is also kitted out with Nichicon high-end
audio capacitors and a rear USB DAC-UP port, which
is bizarrely gold-plated, but has an isolated power
source, which promises to smooth out the power
supply from the USB port, eliminating as much digital
noise as possible before the signal reaches an external
USB DAC. However, bear in mind that this is still, of
course, a digital signal; it wont become analogue until
the DAC has processed it. Even though USB power
might theoretically be able to break a digital audio data
signal, its still unlikely youre much more likely to get
better sound quality if you simply invest in a better DAC
and hook it up to a standard USB port.
The audio circuitry dominates the far left of the
motherboard, but Gigabyte still manages to squeeze
in two 16x PCI-E slots, three 1x PCI-E slots and two PCI
slots. However, if youre planning to occupy both 16x
PCI-E slots with graphics cards, be aware that the
second slot can only run at 4x speed.
All the fancy extras are in the audio department;
there are no on-board power or reset switches, LED
POST-code readout or clear-CMOS switch, but then
this is an 85 motherboard. All the usual creature
comforts are here, though, such as eight SATA 6Gbps
ports, four USB 3 ports, with two from the on-board
header, and a modest count of four fan headers,
including the CPU. Layout is excellent too, with oodles
of space around the CPU socket, and the power
connectors located at the edge of the PCB.
PERFORMANCE
With our A10-6800K resting at its stock frequency of
4.1GHz, and using 1,600MHz DDR3 memory, the G1.
Sniper A88X managed an overall score of 1,423. This is
a smidgen slower than the result we achieved when
we first looked at the A10-6800K.
We saw a similar result in Left 4 Dead 2 at 1,920 x
1,080, where the minimum frame rate of 51fps was
slightly higher than the 49fps from our original Asus
F2A85-M Pro test motherboard.
We then headed into the EFI to see how much we
could coax out of the APU and GPU. Sadly, the vcore
isnt offered as an absolute voltage, which made
overclocking a little tricky, but we eventually applied
a1.475V vcore and used a multiplier of 47x to reach
A
GIGABYTE
M95
Good overclocker;
decent audio
credentials;
support for future
Kaveri APUs
SPUD GUN
Limited
overclocking
extras; audio
features push
upprice
IT NOT ONLY HAS AN INSULATED
SOUND SYSTEM, BUT IT ALSO HAS
AN UPGRADABLE OP-AMP SOCKET
A great value, audio-focused motherboard
and a competent overclocker
G1. Sniper A88X
41 January 2014
FM2+ MOTHERBOARD
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
Stock speed Overclocked
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
MULTI-TASKING
OVERALL
0 300 600 900 1,200
Gigabyte G1.
Sniper A88X
0 600 1,200 1,800 2,400
Gigabyte G1.
Sniper A88X
0 350 700 1,050 1,400
1,277 1,066
Gigabyte G1.
Sniper A88X
0 450 900 1,350 1,800
1,621 1,423
Gigabyte G1.
Sniper A88X
Stock speed min Stock speed avg
Overclocked avg Overclocked min
OC (2,133MHz RAM) avg OC (2,133MHz RAM) min
2,386 2,120
1,202 1,085
THE ELDER SCROLLS: SKYRIM
LEFT 4 DEAD 2
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
0 7.5 15 22.5 30
fps 21
fps 25
fps 27
fps 14
fps 18
fps 20
Gigabyte G1.
Sniper A88X
0 20 40 60 80
fps 69
fps 70
fps 78
fps 51
fps 54
fps 59
Gigabyte G1.
Sniper A88X
4.7GHz. With this setup being perfectly stable and
offering reasonable temperatures, we upped the
anteand tried 4.8GHz. While it booted, Prime95 failed
after a few seconds, but raising the vcore to 1.5V and
applying medium CPU and NB loadline calibration
didthe trick. Sadly 4.9GHz proved too much, however,
whatever the voltage.
We also managed to boost the GPU core to a healthy
1,050MHz, up from 844MHz. This saw the overall
score in our Media Benchmarks rise from 1,423 to
1,621 and saw 3fps added to the minimum frame rate
in Left 4 Dead 2 as well. Skyrim saw a healthy boost
too, with the minimum frame rate rising nearly 30 per
cent from 14fps to 18fps this is still unplayable, but
removing anti-aliasing will make the game playable.
As the GPU memory speed is tied to the system
memory speed, we also threw in some 2,133MHz
memory to see what further boost we could add to the
game tests. The rate in Skyrim rose a further 2fps to
20fps, while Left 4 Dead hit 59fps, up from 54fps. The
on-board SATA speeds saw no complaints from us
either, with read and write speeds of 547MB/sec
and500MB/sec respectively. Meanwhile, idle
powerconsumption rose from 42W to 82W after the
overclock, while at load it climbed from 160W to 210W.
CONCLUSI ON
At 85, the G1 Sniper A88X offers decent value for
money. It sports plenty of interesting features for the
audio-conscious, the most beneficial of which is the
upgradable OP-AMP, but theres plenty to like
01
The layout is excellent,
with oodles of space
around the CPU socket
02
The audio system
enables you to upgrade
the OP-AMP, so you can get the
sound you want for your setup
03
All the usual creature
comforts are supported,
including eight SATA 6Gbps
ports
TEST KIT
4.1GHz AMD A10-6800K, 16GB Corsair Dominator
1,600MHz DDR3 RAM, 128GB OCZ Vector SSD, Corsair Pro
Series Gold HX750 PSU, Windows 7 64-bit


custom PC
89
OVERALL
SPEED 41 / 45
FEATURES 25 / 30
VALUE 23 / 25
01
02
03
elsewhere if youll just be connecting a standard set
ofPC speakers. While overclocking was a little
haphazard, we eventually reached 4.8GHz. Couple this
frequency with 2,133MHz memory, which isnt much
more expensive than standard 1,600MHz RAM at the
moment, and youll see some sizeable boosts to your
frame rates. Were not talking about maximum
settings in demanding games, of course, but for
occasional gaming, or for a media PC, the G1. Sniper
A88X receives our vote.
ANTONY LEATHER
42 January 2014
HOW MUCH?
Price 389 inc VAT
Supplier
www.overclockers.co.uk
Manufacturer
http://uk.asus.com
IN DETAIL
Chipset Intel X79
Socket LGA2011
Memory support Four slots:
max 64GB DDR3 (up to
2,800MHz)
Expansion slots Four 16x
PCI-E 3 (one at 16x, three at
8x), two 1x PCI-E 2 slots
Sound Realtek ALC898
8-channel
Networking 1 x Intel
Gigabit LAN
Overclocking Base clock
100140MHz, CPU
multiplier 8-79x; max
GPU frequency 2,000MHz,
max voltages: CPU +0.3V,
RAM 1.9V
Ports 6 x SATA 6Gbps,4 x
SATA 3Gbps, 2 x eSATA
6Gbps, 10 x USB 2 (X79), 8 x
USB 3 (ASMedia), 1 x LAN,
4 x surround audio out, line
in, mic, optical S/PDIF out
Dimensions (mm) 305 x 272
t nearly 400, motherboards dont get much
more lavish than Asus Rampage IV Extreme
Black Edition. It represents the pinnacle of
Asus LGA2011 range, and it also has plenty
of features to help it to justify its price tag. In fact, we
could quite easily take up half the magazine talking
about them.
For starters, its large E-ATX PCB has four 16x PCI-E
slots and supports four-way CrossFire and Quad-SLI
a feature that very few LGA1150 motherboards offer.
However, rather than dropping the third of fourth slots
down to 4x speed, even if all four slots are filled, the
lower three actually run at 8x speed, with the top slot
continuing to offer full 16x speed. Whats more, with
three graphics cards installed, two will run at 16x
speed and the third at 8x.
These are some serious numbers if youre looking
to combine the Rampage IV with numerous GPUs to
play games on a 4K monitor, or if you have
folding, Bitcoin mining or other GPGPU tasks
in mind. That said, even using three dual-slot
graphics cards will render both of the two 1x
PCI-E slots unusable.
Whats more, to make it easier to spot
aflaky graphics cards in the fold, a PCI-E
16-lane toggle switch is located above the 24-pin ATX
connector, which allows you to identify the culprit
without removing all the graphics cards potentially
saving you hours of work if theyre water-cooled.
Theres also a hefty count of ten SATA ports on the
PCB, although we were a little surprised to see that
only two of the SATA 6Gbps ports are controlled by the
Intel X79 chipset, meaning that youll only be able to
use two SATA 6Gbps SSDs without sacrificing speed.
Meanwhile, with eight DIMM slots, you can install a
maximum of 64GB of RAM, with a frequency of
2,800MHz supported as standard, although youll
need Windows 7 Professional or higher, or a version of
Window 8, to access all of it.
Like most of Asus current RoG motherboards, the
Rampage IV offers an enhanced on-board SupremeFX
sound system thats shielded from the rest of the PCB
and sports a Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC, with Asus
claiming a 120dB signal-to-noise ratio. Bluetooth and
dual-band Wi-Fi are also present and, of course, you
also get the full complement of Asus usual RoG
software and features.
The Rampage IV is bristling with overclocking
goodies too, with the likes of BlackWing Chokes
and10K black metallic capacitors on the board, in
addition to 8-phase CPU power and 3-phase VCCSA
power circuitry.
There are numerous voltage measure points on the
PCB too, along with thermal probe headers. Theres
also an LN2 mode and slow mode switches, both of
which can help to bypass cold bugs on CPUs if youre
going all out with liquid nitrogen.
As you would expect, you get on-board power and
reset buttons, a rear-mounted clear-CMOS switch
and twin EFIs that you can toggle at the press of a
button. However, the Rampage IV has another
overclocking trick up its sleeve in the form of an
external overclocking tool called the OC Panel. This
unit connects directly to the motherboard and can act
as a handheld tweaking tool for adjusting frequencies
and voltages and monitoring on the fly, away from the
EFI, or it can act as a 5.25in bay device.
PERFORMANCE
At stock speed, the Rampage IV returned some
excellent numbers in our Media Benchmarks. Its
image editing score of 1,904 was well ahead of the
1,741 that the EVGA X79 Dark scored last month, as
well as the 1,822 scored by the Asus X79 Deluxe.
It was faster still in our video encoding test, where it
was several hundred points ahead of the EVGA board
and also a little faster than its sibling, the X79 Deluxe.
Overall, it was slightly ahead of the other Asus board
and significantly faster than the EVGA board.
A
ASUS
RAMPAGE
Excellent
overclocker;
good stock
performance; four
16x PCI-E slots
STROLL
Very expensive;
only two decent
SATA 6Gbps ports
THERE ARE NUMEROUS VOLTAGE
MEASURE POINTS, ALONG WITH
THERMAL PROBE HEADERS
Looking for the fastest LGA2011 board with
multi-GPU support? Look no further
Rampage IV Extreme
Black Edition
43 January 2014
LGA2011 MOTHERBOARD
It was ahead again in the Cinebench 11.5 rendering
benchmark, with its score of 12.07 leading the X79
Deluxe by over half a point. Its X79-controlled SATA
6Gbps ports proved to be up to the job too, with read
and write speeds of 533MB/sec and 522MB/sec
respectively. However, the ASMedia 6Gbps ports
couldonly manage read and write speeds of 390MB/
sec and 350MB/sec.
We then headed into the tweakers heaven that is
the EFI to see how far we could push our Core
i7-4960X. It booted straight in at 4.5GHz using a
multiplier of 45x, vcore of 1.4V and a VCCSA voltage of
1.050V the limit of the X79 Deluxe. However, the
Rampage IV then managed to add an inspiring
200MHz, topping out at 4.7GHz with a vcore of 1.45V,
VCCSA of 1.075V, while using the Extreme setting
under Loadline.Calibration. This gave it a substantial
advantage over the X79 Deluxe, with an overall score of
3,049 compared to 2,920, and 14.21 compared to 11.85
in Cinebench R11.5.
CONCLUSI ON
The Rampage IV Extreme Black Edition is by far
thefastest and most feature-packed LGA2011
motherboard weve seen. The extra power circuitry
really seems to make a difference to overclocking
and,aside from its limited number of fast SATA 6Gbps
ports, theres really little else to leave you wanting. If
01
The Asus SupremeFX
on-board sound system is
shielded from the rest of the PCB
02
You can run a four-way
SLI setup with the top
PCI-E slot running at 16x, and
the others running at 8x
03
A 16x PCI-E toggle switch
enables you to identify
flaky graphics cards without
having to remove the whole lot
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
Stock speed Overclocked
Stock speed Overclocked
0 600 1,200 1,800 2,400
2,238
2,143
1,904
1,822 Asus X79 Deluxe
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM
0 40 80 120 160
147fps
150fps
91fps
95fps
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
0 1,250 2,500 3,750 5,000
Asus X79 Deluxe
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
MULTI-TASKING
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000
Asus X79 Deluxe
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
OVERALL
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
3,049
2,920
2,669
2,601 Asus X79 Deluxe
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
Stock speed min Stock speed avg Overclocked avg Overclocked min
Stock speed idle Stock speed load Overclocked load Overclocked idle
TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 DX9 CPU TEST
Default settings, no AA or AF
1,920 x 1,080, 16x AF, 0x AA
TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION
0 90 180 270 360
110W
342W
95W
225W
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
CINEBENCH R11.5
0 4 8 12 16
14.21 12.07
Asus X79 Deluxe
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
0 12 24 36 48
fps 45
fps 46
fps 38
fps 36
fps 40
fps 41
fps 32
fps 30
Asus X79 Deluxe
Asus Rampage IV
Extreme Black Edition
4,983
4,803
4,325
4,276
1,926
1,815
1,779
1,707
13.57 11.85
TEST KIT
3.6GHz Intel Core i7-4690X,
Nvidia GeForce GTX 680
2GB, 16GB Corsair
Dominator 1,600MHz
DDR3 memory, 128GB OCZ
Vector SSD, Corsair Pro
Series Gold HX750 PSU,
Windows 7 64-bit


custom PC
87
OVERALL
SPEED 44 / 45
FEATURES 27 / 30
VALUE 16 / 25
price isnt a massive concern, and you need the grunt
of several graphics cards and CPUs with more than
eight threads, this is the motherboard for you.
ANTONY LEATHER
01
02
03
44 January 2014
GAMING KEYBOARD
HOW MUCH?
Price 33 inc VAT
Supplier www.scan.co.uk
Manufacturer
www.gigabyte.com
IN DETAIL
Connection Wired, USB
Cable 1.8m, braided
Material Plastic
Extras None
iven that every new gaming keyboard appears
to be a mechanical model these days, youd
beforgiven for thinking that membrane
keyboards had all but died out. That isnt the
case, of course; membrane boards now just occupy
the cheaper end of the market and, for some, thats
abonus. Not everyone likes the click-clack of
mechanical keys, after all.
One such example of an affordable
membrane gaming keyboard is the new
Gigabyte Force K7 an aggressively styled,
stealth bomber-inspired affair that retails
for a wallet-friendly price of 33 inc VAT.
Once its placed on your desk, the petite
dimensions of the Force K7 are revealed;
despite having a full numeric keypad and
what Gigabyte claims to be an extended rest area the
keyboard measures only 490mm long and 195mm
wide. This is a refreshing change, and a boon for those
with small desks, or those who plan to lug their PC
andall their personal peripherals to LAN parties.
This compactness is partly down to the K7s use of
scissor keys throughout. These are usually found on
laptop keyboards, and have a very short actuation,
meaning they can be crammed in closely. Gigabyte
touts this extremely short actuation distance as a
benefit, as key presses are quick and direct.
Depending on your play style, this may well be
thecase too, although if youre used to a traditional
membrane keyboard or a mechanical board, it will
take a while before you get used to it.
As youd expect from a keyboard with gaming
credentials, the K7s keys are all backlit too. The
intensity of the backlight can be adjusted using one of
the jog wheels found on the top edge of the board (the
other controls volume), while pressing the wheel
cycles through the three different backlight colours.
Not surprisingly for the price, though, the backlight
implementation is relatively crude, with clear hotspots
of light visible underneath the keys when you sit in
anormal position in front of the keyboard. This is
distracting, as are the overly bright lock key lights on
the right of the board, which sit in your peripheral
vision whenever youre using the keyboard.
Equally rudimentary is the K7s approach to its
shortcut keys, which provide quick access to common
websites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter.
Pressing one of these keys simply executes a macro,
which opens a run dialog box and enters, for example,
www.google.co.co.uk into it. Theres no arguing that
the approach works, but it lacks finesse.
Other gaming-orientated features are also present,
such as a Windows key lock (complete with another
startlingly bright LED to show its engaged), and
rudimentary anti-ghosting protection that covers the
important W, A, S, D , shift keys and spacebar. There
isnt any support for gaming macros, however, which
will frustrate MMO players.
CONCLUSI ON
The K7 isnt a bad keyboard for such a low price, but
that doesnt mean you cant get better elsewhere.
Thesuperior Cyborg V.5 can be found for a similar
price, for instance.
The K7s patchy backlight and distracting lock key
lights show a lack of attention to detail during the
design process, and while it looks good and has a
solidtyping action, that simply isnt enough to earn
arecommendation.
PAUL GOODHEAD
G
GIGABYTE
THE FORCE
Compact; well
priced; looks
smart
MIDI-
CHLORIANS
Patchy
backlighting; no
gaming macros;
distracting LEDs
on lock keys
GIGABYTE TOUTS THIS EXTREMELY
SHORT ACTUATION DISTANCE AS A
BENEFIT, AS KEY PRESSES ARE
QUICK AND DIRECT
Gigabyte has a stab at the budget end
of the gaming keyboard market
Force K7

70
OVERALL
DESIGN 26 / 40
FEATURES 22 / 35
VALUE 22 / 25
46 January 2014
Thorough testing and research is the key to evaluating whether a product
is worth buying, and deciding whether or not theres a better alternative
TESTS: We use the Custom PC Media Benchmarks, Cinebench R11.5 and Total War: Shogun. We also test the resultant power draw of the
test PC with the CPU installed. These tests reveal a broad range of performance characteristics for the CPU, from image editing to gaming
and video encoding to 3D rendering. We run all the tests with the CPU at stock speed and again when overclocked to its highest frequency.
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.
We judge CPUs on whether they offer sufficient speed for the price. Part of a CPUs speed score comes from
how overclockable it is. Every type of CPU is tested in the same PC, so all results are directly comparable.


The graphics card
were reviewing
Thegraphicscard 4.2GHz Intel Core
i5-3570K
AMD FM2 Intel
LGA1150
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 680 2GB
Asus F2A85-M Pro Intel
DZ87KLT-75K
120GB OCZ Vector for
FM2 and LGA1150
250GB Samsung
SSD 840 EVO for
LGA2011
8GB Corsair
2,133MHz DDR3
16GB Corsair Vengeance
Pro Silver 1,600MHz DDR3
Windows 7
64-bit
8GB Corsair Dominator
2,400MHz DDR3
Asus Maximus V
Extreme
Windows 7 64-bit
SP1
Wi d 764 bit
Intel
LGA2011
Asus X79-Deluxe 16GB Corsair Vengeance
Pro 1,866MHz DDR3
AMDFM2
amd fm2
Intel lGa2011
Intel lGa1150
orsairVengeance
HOW WE TEST
47 January 2014
Our benchmark suite
simulates how people
really use PCs, and a
higher score is better.
You can download
the suite from
www.tinyurl.com/
benchies
2.66GHz Intel Core 2
Duo E6750
2GB of Corsair
1,066MHz DDR2
250GB Samsung
SpinPoint P120S
Asus P5K Deluxe
WiFi-AP
TESTS: By using the fast PC detailed on the
left, we can be sure that any limitations we see
are due to the graphics card on test. We test the
four games (right) at their maxi mum detail
settings, in their highest DirectX mode, and at
three resolutions. High-end cards should be able
to sustain playable frame rates at 2,560 x 1,600,
while 1,920 x 1,080 is more important for mid-
range cards; we also now test at 5,760 x 1,080 for
three-screen setups. As well as this, we try to
overclock every graphics card we test to see what
difference this makes to the cards performance.
Some products are
gloriously over the
top. These items of
excellent overkill
earn our Extreme
Ultra award.
Premium Grade
products are
utterly desirable
wed eat nothing
but beans until we
could afford them.
Products worthy
of the Professional
award make you
and your business
appear even
more awesome.
Approved products
are those that do a
great job for the
money; theyre the
canny purchase for
a great PC.
For those gadgets
and gizmos that
really impress us,
or that we cant live
without, theres the
Custom Kit award.
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.


TESTS: We use the Custom PC Media Benchmarks and several games, and also test
the speeds of the boards SATA ports. We try to overclock every motherboard we review
by testing for a maximum QPI, base clock or HTT as well as overclocking the CPU to its
maximum air-cooled level. We run our tests at stock speed and with the CPU overclocked.
Intel Core
i7-4770K
Intel Core
i7-4960X
Motherboard
on test
Motherboard
on test
16GB Corsair
Vengeance Pro Silver
1,600MHz DDR3
16GB Corsair Vengeance
Pro 1,866MHz
Motherboard M AMD A10-5800K Motherboard
on test
16GB Corsair
Vengeance Pro
Silver2,133MHz
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 680 2GB*
120GB OCZ Vector Windows 7
64-bit
Windows7
*Please note: We test AMD FM2 motherboards using the on-board graphics, not the Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 2GB 3GB
Intel lGa2011
amd fm2
Intel lGa1150
sairVengeance
48 January 2014
Custom Kit
We check out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys
Written by Paul Goodhead
Seen something worthy of
appearing in Custom Kit?
Send suggestions to
[email protected]
SCREEN PROTECTOR
RHINO SHIELD
03
The Rhino Shield makes big promises for a screen protector, claiming to add not only scratch
protection to your phone, but also impact protection. This confidence stems from its six-layer
construction method, which the manufacturer claims to be unique. For testing, we did what any self-
respecting reviewer would do and borrowed somebody elses iPhone while they werent looking, and then
hoped the Rhino Shield lived up to its promises. The shield is thicker and stiffer than the cheap screen
protectors weve used before, and when in place, it withstood assault from keys, moisture and having
coins dropped on it from a height of 10in. We didnt dare do more than that, but if your phone needs to
endure more than coins and keys, youll be better off with a rugged case.
PG
FUR SHIELD DAEDRIC SHIELD
Price 18 inc VAT Supplier www.firebox.com Manufacturer www.evolutivelabs.com
iPAD CASE
FIREBOX BACK TO THE
FUTURE iPAD CASE
01
Back to the Future II made many promises about
the now-not-so-far-away 2015, which science has
largely failed to deliver. Shame on you science. While were
waiting for our Hover Boards, though, we can at least
marvel at this iPad case from Firebox that lets you dress
your tablet as Grays Sports Almanac. Sadly, it lacks a rear-
facing camera hole, and the interior strapping doesnt hold
your iPad particularly tightly. Purists will also dislike the
spelling error on the spine (Greys rather than Grays). There
are better cases, but this is still a great-looking iPad home
for non-pernickety Back to the Future fans.
PG
BIFF MARTY
Price 20 inc VAT Supplier www.firebox.com
Manufacturer www.firebox.com
EARPHONES
YURBUDS
INSPIRE PRO
02
Developed by Ironman
triathlete Seth Burgett,
Yurbuds purport to offer the last
word in active earphones. It isnt an
idle boast either the fluted shape
of the silicon covers means that you
twist the earphones as you put them
in your ears, essentially locking
them in position. Despite our
scepticism, it really works the
earphones remained resolutely in
place and comfortable during our
test runs. Without the constant
niggle of wobbling earphones, we
were free to focus on the other
aspects of our running, such as
searing calf pain and laboured
breathing. Wonderful. Just note
that only two sizes of covers are
provided, so you may not be able to
get a snug fit if you have particularly
big or small ears.
PG
WALK RUN
Price 45 inc VAT
Supplier www.wiggle.co.uk
Manufacturer www.yurbuds.com
CUSTOM KIT
49 January 2014
DESKTOP ACCESSORY
GG BUTTON
06
While most gamers are familiar
with the concept of being a
gracious, gallant winner, its an unread
Internet rule that most of us forget
about it as soon as our fingertips grace
the WASD keys. Hence, the GG button.
Just tap the top of this bright plastic
contraption, and itll scream GEE GEE!
at the top of its bombastic, triumphant
lungs, robbing any shred of empathy or
compassion from the good-natured end
of game farewell. Obviously, we loved it.
There is little is more satisfying than
knowing your friends already stewing
in their loss can hear the gleeful tones
of the GG guys filtering through their
headphones. It was great, right up until
we lost it and someone did it back to us.
Then, frankly, it was classless.
PG
BG GG
Price 5 inc VAT Supplier www.ggbutton.com
Manufacturer www.ggbutton.com
GADGET DOCK
GRIFFIN POWERDOCK 5
04
Resembling a Perspex toast rack, the PowerDock
5 aims to provide a smart, convenient home for
anentire familys gadgets. The rack also provides five
powered USB ports, so youll need to locate it near a wall
plug. On paper, its a great idea, but in practice, niggling
problems prevent it from fulfilling its promise. Theres little
concession to cable management, for instance, meaning
the dock becomes a tangled mess far too easily, and the
price is preposterous for what is essentially justa powered
USB hub. Even the concept is questionable we still want
our gadgets near us while theyre charging, so leaving
them all in one central place isnt always convenient.
PG
NICK GRIFFIN STEWIE GRIFFIN
Price 80 inc VAT Supplier www.store.apple.com/uk
Manufacturer www.griffintechnology.com
HEADPHONES
NOONTEC ZORO
05
Its clear from the styling of the Zoro headphones that Noontec took a series of long,
sideways glances at the ubiquitous Beats brand during the development process. That
isntnecessarily a point against it, though, as its left the Zoro as a sleek, elegant-looking set of
headphones. Where Noontec hasnt aped Beats, however, is in the sound quality. The Zoro pumps
out plenty of bass, but the low frequencies arent matched by quality in the high and mid-ranges,
making the overall mix seem wallowy and lifeless. Mid-tones in particular sound neglected, with
much of them crushed down into the lower registers, making vocals and acoustic guitars sound
lacklustre. You can do better for 40.
PG
HAMBURGLAR ZORRO
Price 40 inc VAT Supplier www.amazon.co.uk Manufacturer www.noontec.com
52 January 2014
Intels Next Unit of Computing
motherboards are tiny, tempting slices of
moddable computing. We look at the kit
needed to build a miniature marvel
N
aming a PC the Next Unit of Computing requires a certain amount of
hubris, but Intel is confident its NUC motherboards and PC kits
represent the desktops well be buying in years to come, and its easy to
see why. These machines have more than enough power for general
computing tasks, and an active modding scene has already sprung up around these
tiny motherboards, as well as a healthy number of manufacturers making high-
quality NUC cases.
Weve rounded up the most important NUC boards and put them under our
microscope to find out which models are worth buying, and the charge is led by a new
Haswell-powered model with one of Intels brand-new HD Graphics 5000 cores.
Weve also collected a host of memory kits, mSATA SSDs and third-party cases
and put them through the mill to find out which components will make the best NUC
PC. Plus, if thats not enough, theres a guide to building your very own NUC case, and
weve also covered a couple of tempting ready-made NUC alternatives.
MIKE JENNINGS AND MATT LAMBERT

reviewed this month
54
58 SODIMM memory
64 MSATA SSDs
74 Results
MOTHERBOARDS
54 Intel NUC Board D54250WYB
55 Intel NUC Board DC53427RKE
56 Intel NUC Board D33217GKE
56 Intel NUC Board D33217CK
NUC ALTERNATIVES
60 Chillblast Fusion Brix
62 Zotac Zbox Nano ID65 Plus
CASES
66 Akasa Newton V
66 Akasa Newton
68 CarTFT Blackpete-NUC
68 Impactics D1NU1-B
70 Logic Supply LGX NC210
70 SilverStone Petit PT14
71 Streacom NC1 GK
71 Tranquil PC NUC-YE
72 Logic Supply LGX ML300
MINISCULE
MACHINES
53 January 2014
54 January 2014
Price 303 inc VAT Supplier www.scan.co.uk Manufacturer www.intel.co.uk
I
ntels latest NUC board, named
D54250WYB (and codenamed
Wilson Canyon), ups the ante
with a Haswell processor and
HD Graphics 5000. The new
GPU features 40 stream
processors more than twice as
many as the HD 4000 core but it runs
between 200MHz and 1GHz; a little
slower than the top speed of HD
Graphics 4000 systems.
The graphics core is crammed into
the Core i5-4250U CPU, which has a
TDP of just 15W. Its two cores run at
1.3GHz, and theres only 3MB of L3
cache. Thankfully, two features survive
from Intels full-fat CPUs though:
Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. The
latter is especially effective, enabling
one 1.3GHz core to hit 2.6GHz.
The ultra-low-power chip is soldered to the
bottom of the board, which also houses the
CMOS battery and a header for monitoring
debug codes, but its the top half thats most
interesting. It has two memory slots that each
support 16GB of 1,600MHz, 1.35V DDR3L
memory the same as Ivy Bridge NUCs. A
mini PCI-E slot for Wi-Fi cards sitson top of
anmSATA connector for SSDs. Theres also a
full-sized SATA 6Gbps port and accompanying
power connector.
Last years NUC boards suffered from
oddconnection options, so were pleased
thatIntel has standardised this years
specification. There are four USB 3 ports and
two USB 2 headers; a big improvement on the
single USB 3 connector on some older NUC
boards. Theres also Gigabit Ethernet, and
display outputs include a mini-DisplayPort 1.2
and mini-HDMI 1.4a.
The EFI is surprisingly well stocked with
performance-monitoring tools too, and its
easy to use thanks to responsive mouse
control. It isnt possible to overclock the CPU,
Intel NUC Board D54250WYB
The fastest NUC board available, and it can play games too
though, as both its multiplier and bus speed
are locked down.
Performance-wise, the HD Graphics 5000
system is definitely faster than last years 4000
system. The Haswell GPUs minimum and
average Skyrim frame rates of 8fps and 14fps
easily beat the 5fps and 10fps figures from the
older DC53427RKE, but we had to dial down
the quality settings in order to make the game
playable. At 1,280 x 720, and Medium quality,
the HD Graphics 5000 returned a minimum
frame rate of 29fps an impressive 9fps
ahead of last years system.
Meanwhile, the extra CPU and GPU power
was shown in the Shogun CPU test, with the
minimum and average results of 10fps and
18fps trumping the 9fps and 15fps scores of
the DC53427RKE, which has an Ivy Bridge-
based Core i5-3427U CPU. Haswell isnt
farahead of Ivy Bridge in application
performance, though, and theres little to
choose between the new and old boards.
The i5-4250Us image editing score and
video encoding results of 1,274 and 1,783
respectively barely squeeze ahead of the 1,258
and 1,717 scored by the older
machine. The new machine returned
an overall result of 1,366 a little
ahead of the Ivy Bridge boards 1,334.
Haswell makes strides in power
consumption, so its no surprise to
see the latest NUC is extremely
frugal. Its idle and peak power draws
of 9W and 24W are better than the
13W and 26W results from the Core
i5Ivy Bridge model, despite the new
machine being slightly quicker in
every benchmark. Theres nothing to
worry about when it comes to heat
either the Haswell machines top
temperature of 52C was the coolest
of any machine on test.
CONCLUSI ON
The latest NUC improves on its
predecessor in every area, and its cheaper
too. However, being a new board, its also
currently hard to find stock, and there arent
many compatible third-party cases either. In
terms of performance, though, this is the
NUC board to buy, if you can find it. MJ
NEXT GENERATION Improved performance; lower power draw; improved connections
ENTERPRISE Not a huge leap in performance; lack of third-party cases; currently hard to nd stock
IN DETAIL
CPU 1.3GHz Intel Core i5-4250U
Chipset Intel QS77 Express
Memory 2 x SODIMM slots, each accepts 16GB
1,600MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 5000
Storage 1 x mSATA connector
Front ports 2 x USB 3
Rear ports 2 x USB 3, mini-HDMI, mini-
DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless 1 x half-height mini PCI-E slot
Dimensions (mm) 102 x 106 x 22 (W x D x H)
Warranty Three years return to base
83
OVERALL
SPEED 20 / 25
DESIGN 21 / 25
FEATURES 23 / 25
VALUE 19 / 25
NUC MOTHERBOARDS
55 January 2014
56
Price Board, 308 inc VAT; kit, 323 inc VAT Supplier www.scan.co.uk Manufacturer www.intel.co.uk
I
ntels top-end Ivy Bridge NUC board
features a 22nm Core i5-3427U
chipwith a stock speed of 1.8GHz
andatop Turbo Boost frequency of
2.8GHz slightly ahead of the Haswell
boards frequencies.
The CPU has 256KB of L2 cache per
core and 3MB of L3 cache, which is the
same as the Haswell board, but it falls
behind in two areas. Its 17W TDP is
higher than the new board, and
graphics grunt comes from an HD
Graphics 4000 core, which only has 16
stream processors less than half as
many as the HD 5000 system. However,
they run at a top speed of 1.15GHz a
little higher than the 1GHz pace of
those in the Haswell chip.
The base is dominated by a heatsink
and small fan, which is also easy to remove
handy for installation into passive cases. The
top side of the PCB offers familiar features:
two SODIMM slots, each of which can accept
16GB of 1,600MHz 1.35V DDR3L RAM.
Meanwhile, storage and Wi-Fi are handled
bymini PCI-E and mSATA connectors.
Intel has also tempered the strange
selection of ports are included with the various
Core i3 NUC models. Thunderbolt has gone
as it has on the Haswell board and the
inclusion of Gigabit Ethernet and a single USB
3 port make this model more versatile. Theres
no internal SATA port, unlike the Haswell
board, but there are two USB 2 ports, two
internal USB 2 headers, an HDMI output and
two mini-DisplayPort connectors.
The DC53427RKEs image editing result of
1,258 was barely behind the 1,274 scored by
the Haswell machine, and its a long way
ahead of the 848 result from the Core i3
boards. The Ivy Bridge Core i5 board scored
1,717 in our video encoding test; again, this
wasnt far behind the Haswell machine, and a
long way ahead of the 1,161 result of the Core
Intel NUC Board DC53427RKE
A huge performance improvement over Core i3 NUC boards
i3 system. These results made for an overall
score of 1,334 only 32 points behind the
Haswell NUC, and around 30 per cent quicker
than the Core i3 boards.
Theres a bigger gap between the two Core
i5 machines in games though. The Ivy Bridge
machine returned minimum and average
frame rates of 9fps and 15fps in Shogun 2:
Total Wars CPU-intensive benchmark, with
the Haswell machine 1fps and 3fps ahead
respectively. In Skyrims Ultra-quality test
runat 1,920 x 1,080, the older board hit a
minimum of just 5fps 3fps behind the HD
Graphics 5000 chip, although both results are
unplayable. We dialled down the settings to
Medium and the resolution to 1,280 x 720, and
the DC53427RKE returned minimum and
average frame rates of 20fps and 29fps an
improvement, but still basically unplayable.
The newer system, however, with a minimum
of 29fps and average of 36fps, was playable.
Haswell prides itself on reduced
temperatures and power consumption, so
itsno surprise that this Ivy Bridge board also
falls behind in these departments. The
DC53427RKE drew 13W when idle
4W more than Haswell and its 26W
peak draw was 2W higher than the
newer system. Plus, while weve no
complaints about the DC53427RKEs
top temperature of 59C, its 7C
hotter than the Haswell boards
toptemperature.
CONCLUSI ON
The latest Ivy Bridge NUC board is
abig improvement on the Core i3
models, thanks to better application
speed and a versatile board design,
but Intels newer Haswell board is a
little faster in applications, much
faster in games, has a better port
selection and its cheaper too.
On the plus side, though, the kit
andboard are currently easier to find than the
Haswell equivalents. This is still a good board
if you cant find the Haswell board, and its
compatible with more third-party cases too.
In short, buy the Haswell kit if you can, but
thisis a close second if gaming performance
isnt a priority. MJ
NEXT UNIT Almost identical application performance to Haswell; third-party cases available
PREVIOUS UNIT Cant match Haswell in games; only one USB 3 port; higher power draw than Haswell
IN DETAIL
CPU 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3427U
Chipset Intel QS77 Express
Memory 2 x SODIMM slots, each accepts 16GB
1,600MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000
Storage 1 x mSATA connector
Front ports 1 x USB 3
Rear ports 2 x USB 2, 2 x mini-DisplayPort, HDMI,
Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless 1 x half-height mini PCI-E slot
Dimensions (mm) 102 x 106 x 22 (W x D x H)
Warranty Three years return to base
76
OVERALL
SPEED 18 / 25
DESIGN 21 / 25
FEATURES 20 / 25
VALUE 17 / 25
56 January 2014
NUC MOTHERBOARDS AND KITS
58
Price D33217GKE board, 216 inc VAT; D33217CK board, 240 inc VAT; DC3217IYE kit, 240 inc VAT; DC3217BY kit, 260 inc VAT Supplier D33217GKE board, www.
scan.co.uk; D33217CK board, www.scan.co.uk; DC3217IYE kit, www.overclockers.co.uk; DC3217BY kit, www.overclockers.co.uk Manufacturer www.intel.co.uk
T
he two cheapest NUC boards on test use
Core i3-3217U CPUs, and are identical
except for their port selections and
networking options. The CPU has a TDP of
just 17W but, while its two cores might be
Hyper-Threaded, their stock speed of 1.8GHz
isnt given a helping hand from Turbo Boost.
Also, while the chip has an integrated HD
Graphics 4000 system, it isnt on the same
level as the GPU on the Ivy Bridge Core i5
board. Its top GPU clock speed is 1.05GHz
100MHz less than that of the Ivy Bridge Core
i5s GPU. The rest of the board ticks the usual
NUC boxes though. Its two memory slots
eachhandle 16GB of DDR3L 1.35V RAM, and
theres an mSATA slot for an SSD and a mini
PCI-E slot for a Wi-Fi card.
The D33217GKE sports a Gigabit Ethernet
port and two HDMI 1.4a ports, but no
Thunderbolt connectors, while the D33217CK
includes one of these high-speed storage
connections, but no wired networking. The
latter also has only one HDMI port. Both of
these Core i3-based boards have three USB 2
connectors, though, and two further internal
connectors, but none has USB 3, which is
disappointing especially as the QS77
Express chipset supports the faster standard.
Theres one area where these older boards
do match up to their newer counterparts,
however, and thats the EFI. As with the
Haswell board, its responsive, easy to
navigate and packed with options for
monitoring hardware and fan configuration.
Those who dont like these mouse-driven
interfaces can even switch to a classic,
keyboard-controlled BIOS interface instead.
Not surprisingly, the boards returned
sluggish benchmark results. The image
editing score of 848 couldnt match the two
Core i5-powered boards, both of which scored
more than 1,200. The biggest gap between the
Core i3 and Core i5 NUCs was found in our
Intel NUC Board D33217GKE and D33217CK
Cheap, but lacking in processing power
video encoding test though; the D33217GKE
scored 1,161, while the Ivy Bridge-based Core
i5 board rattled through to 1,717.
It all added up to an overall score of 941
from the lesser chip a long way behind the
1,366 scored by the Haswell board and 1,334
from the Ivy Bridge-based Core i5.
The Core i3 chips also fell behind in gaming.
In the CPU-intensive Shogun 2 benchmark,
the i3-3217Us minimum of 7fps was 2fps
behind the other last-generation board, and
its10fps average was 5fps slower, which just
goes to show the difference a CPU makes to
games such as Total War.
The gap closed in Skyrim, but not
surprisingly, none of the results was playable.
The weaker processor does mean that power
consumption is good, though, with a 12W idle
draw increasing to just 19W when stress-
tested a figure thats 5W lower than the
Haswell board. The Core i3 chip didnt get too
hot either; its top temperature of 56C sits
between both Core i5-based NUCs.
CONCLUSI ON
These boards are the cheapest options if
youwant to explore the NUC world without
resorting to a Celeron, but they only cost
around 60 less than the Haswell Core i5
board, and theyre significantly slower too.
Inits favour, though, the D33217GKE is
compatible with a much wider range of third-
party cases than the other boards on test,
andboth boards have enough power for
everyday computing, as well as low power
consumption, even if theyre not going to set
the world alight. In all other areas, though, the
Core i5 boards are far superior. MJ
WEENIE Low prices; low power consumption; wide range of third-party cases available
WEEDY Weak performance; odd choice of ports
IN DETAIL
CPU 1.8GHz Intel Core i3-3217U
Chipset Intel QS77 Express
Memory 2 x SODIMM slots, each accepts 16GB
1,600MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000
Storage 1 x mSATA connector
Front ports 1 x USB 2
Rear ports D33217GKE: 2 x USB 2, 2 x HDMI,
Gigabit Ethernet; D33217CK: 2 x USB 2, HDMI,
Thunderbolt
Wireless 1 x half-height mini PCI-E slot
Dimensions (mm) Board: 102 x 102 x 20 (W x D x H);
kit: 117 x 112 x 40 (W x D x H)
Warranty Three years return to base
70
OVERALL
SPEED 14 / 25
DESIGN 21 / 25
FEATURES 18 / 25
VALUE 17 / 25
D33217GKE
D33217CK
58 January 2014
W
hether you buy a NUC board or a
barebones kit, memory wont be
included, so what should you be putting
in those SODIMM slots? Lucky for you,
weve tested a whole range of memory
configurations with our Haswell NUC,
using five different kits, our CPC
benchmarks and a couple of games.
All of the kits we tested are rated at
1.35V by default, since the Haswell
NUCwont supply any more than this
voltage. Users of older NUC boards can
confidently buy 1.5V modules, though,
should they wish. Weve also focused our
testing on 8GB kits, as this is typically the
size we recommend (even for low-power
systems), although a 4GB and 16GB kit
are also included for comparison. As you
can see, pricing scales well with capacity,
and you can expect to pay around 30-35
for a decent 4GB kit, 60-70 for 8GB and
double again for 16GB.
Between the 4GB Crucial kit and the
two higher-capacity Kingston
1,600MHzones there were small gains in
performance in both image editing and
multi-tasking. However, the biggest
impact was felt in general use, as having
8GB consistently makes the Windows
experience smoother, especially when
you have multiple applications open.
Theoverall difference between 8GB and
16GB, on the other hand, was a mere six
points in our benchmarks, well within the
margin of error. As such, theres little
reason to equip a NUC with that much
memory, as any applications that could take
advantage of it would likely be limited by the
CPU anyway.
FREQUENCIES
To test the impact of memory frequency, we
lowered the 1,600MHz 8GB Kingston kit to
1,333MHz and saw performance drop
across the board, up to a whole 10 per cent in
the multi-tasking test. The two 1,866MHz
kits also made a difference, achieving the
top two scores between them in almost
every test, with the biggest change again in
the multi-tasking result. The margins of
victory were small in each case, which is
often the case with memory, but the pattern
was repeatable.
Memory timings, on the other hand, had
aminiscule impact, although the CL10 G.
Skill kit had a very slight edge on the CL11
Kingston one overall. Generally, though,
prices for SODIMM modules rarely vary
based on timings, so theres little reason not
to opt for lower latency unless the modules
are massively more expensive.
SINGLE VS DUAL-CHANNEL
The clearest impact on performance was
seen when using memory in single-channel
mode, which effectively halves the available
memory bandwidth. A single 4GB stick with
the same speeds as Crucials 2 x 2GB setup
was the worst performer in every test
exceptvideo encoding, where there was no
meaningful difference between any of the
memory kits.
Likewise, using just one of Kingstons 8GB
modules resulted in a similar pattern of
performance drops when compared to a 2 x
4GB kit, with multi-tasking again suffering a
SODIMM MEMORY
What memory will serve your NUC best?
FEATURE TABLE
Manufacturer Brand Model number Size Speed CAS latency Voltage Price inc VAT Supplier
Crucial Standard CT2KIT25664BF160B 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1,600MHz CL11 1.35V 36 www.ebuyer.com
G.Skill PG Ripjaws F3-1866C10D-8GRSL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1,866MHz CL10 1.35V 70 www.memoryc.co.uk
Kingston HyperX PnP KHX16LS9P1K2/8 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1,600MHz CL9 1.35V 67 www.lambda-tek.com
Kingston HyperX PnP KHX18LS11P1K2/8 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1,866MHz CL11 1.35V 77 http://uk.insight.com
Kingston HyperX PnP KHX16LS9P1K2/16 16GB (2 x 8GB) 1,600MHz CL9 1.35V 139 www.ebuyer.com
The basic 2 x 2GB Crucial setup bettered
asingle-channel 8GB system by at least
17 per cent in gaming
59 January 2014
SODIMM MEMORY
60
drop of 6 per cent, despite everything else
inthe setups being equal.
Even the dual-channel 4GB kit typically
kept pace with the single 8GB stick, despite
the latter having the advantage both in terms
of timings and capacity.
GAMING
For gaming, system memory is more
significant than usual when using integrated
graphics, such as the systems used on NUC
boards, as graphics workloads chomp
through memory bandwidth like theres no
tomorrow. As such, we tested each of our
memory setups using the Shogun 2 DX9
CPU test, as well as three NUC Skyrim
benchmarks (1080p and 720p with Ultra
settings, and 720p with Medium settings,
each with anti-aliasing and anisotropic
filtering disabled).
The clearest pattern to emerge from
these tests was, again, that single-channel
memory is a poor choice, and this was
evenmore obvious than with the media
benchmarks. In every gaming test, the
single-channel 4GB module had the worst
results, while the single 8GB stick closely
followed it as second worst. Even the basic
2x 2GB Crucial setup bettered the single-
channel 8GB one by at least 17 per cent.
Meanwhile, the G.Skill kit, which is the
fastest on test, achieved the best frame rates
in each gaming benchmark. However, it was
only in the most demanding tests that its
higher bandwidth gave it any advantage over
the rest.
The most important result is that of the
Medium settings, as this is the only setting
atwhich the Haswell NUCs hardware can
maintain playable frame rates.
In this benchmark, memory bandwidth
became less of a bottleneck; every kit
managed to maintain a minimum of 29fps
inthis test. It was only when limiting
ourselves to 1,333MHz, or a single-
channel setup, that we saw performance
take a hit here.
CONCLUSION
The NUC is built predominantly for
everyday computing and media
playback, and for that we recommend
8GB of system memory, combined with
adecent mSATA SSD (see p62), for a
smooth experience in Windows.
Any less and you could easily experience
slowdowns, but any more is an
unnecessary expense for a typical NUC
workload. Of the kits weve seen,
G.Skills is easy to recommend, since its
reasonably priced and a top performer.
That said, our tests also show that a
standard 1,600MHz dual-channel kit
from a reputable manufacturer will
nearly always serve you just as well, if
you can find a good deal on one.
As long as you steer clear of
frequencies below 1,600MHz, and you
arent tempted by single-stick 8GB kits,
which are often cheaper than their
dual-channel counterparts, youll be
onsolid ground.
MATTHEW LAMBERT
Timings had little
impact, although
the CL10 G.Skill
kit had a slight
edge over the
CL11 Kingston kit
To test the impact of memory
frequency, we lowered the
1,600MHz 8GB Kingston kit to
1,333MHz and saw performance
drop across the board
60 January 2014
NUC ALTERNATIVES
62
Price 585 inc VAT Supplier www.chillblast.com Manufacturer www.gigabyte.com
C
hillblastsFusion Brix is based on a bare
bones system built by Gigabyte. The
Brixs motherboard is a couple of
millimetres wider than the NUC PCBs,
but Gigabyte has crammed it inside a
smaller chassis its 2mm narrower,
5mm shorter from front to back, and its
32mm height is 5mm less than that of the
latest NUC case.
Four screws seal the base, which is
removed with a small handle a feature we
wish was incorporated into other NUC cases
and the interior is familiar. The motherboard
has two SODIMM memory slots, which accept
DDR3 RAM, and theres both a mini-PCI-E
slot for Wi-Fi and an mSATA slot for an SSD.
Atfirst glance, its similar to the NUC, but the
Brix isnt as versatile. Theres no standard
SATA connector, for example, no USB 2
header, no front-panel connector and those
two memory slots only accept 8GB of RAM
each half as much as NUCs, although 16GB
is still more than enough for most people.
The outside connections improve matters.
There are two USB 3 ports for a start, which
might be half the amount on the Haswell NUC
board, but its still twice what you get on the Ivy
Bridge models. Theres a Gigabit Ethernet
port too, and the full-sized DisplayPort and
HDMI ports are preferable to the mini versions
crammed onto the latest Intel NUC board.
Gigabyte has embedded the Intel Core
i3-3227U onto the underside, which is a step
ahead of the i3-3217U processor used on the
two cheapest NUC boards on test. Its clocked
Chillblast Fusion Brix
Even smaller than Intels NUC kits
to 1.9GHz, and its two cores are Hyper-
Threaded, but theres no Turbo Boost. The
Core i3 chip also includes HD Graphics 4000 ,
which can hit a top speed of 1.1GHz 50MHz
higher than the i3-3217Us GPU. Chillblast
has fitted this machine with a 120GB Intel 525
Series mSATA SSD, along with 8GB of DDR3
RAM and 802.11n Wi-Fi, but its single-band.
The low-power Core i3 couldnt match the
equivalent Core i5 silicon in our benchmarks.
The Fusion Brixs image editing score of 908
isnt far ahead of the 848 result from the lesser
Core i3 chip, but its video encoding score of
1,234 lags significantly behind Core i5 boards.
The Brixs overall result of 983 beats the 941
from the i3-based NUC, but its a long way
behind the Core i5 boards. There were no
surprises in our game tests either. Its
minimum of 7fps in Shogun is the same as the
Core i3-based NUC, and its 17fps minimum in
our Skyrim Medium benchmark at 1,280 x 720
was also 1fps behind the Intel board.
The SSD, meanwhile, didnt set the world
alight. Its AS-SSD sequential read and write
scores of 471MB/sec and 173MB/sec
respectively place it in the middle of this
months benchmark tables.
The Fusion Brix is also a little louder
than any of the NUC machines weve
tested full load, and the processors
peak temperature of 69C is only 3C
cooler than the Zotac Zbox Nano ID65 Plus
(see p62) a machine that packs a much more
powerful Core i7 processor.
CONCLUSI ON
The Fusion Brix is sold as a full unit, but its
585 price is still high: for that money we could
buy Intels Haswell NUC kit, spend 100 on an
SSD, drop 36 on memory, and then buy a
wireless card and an OEM copy of Windows 7
for 20 and 70 respectively. Wed save around
50, and net ourselves a system thats faster,
cooler and more versatile. This may be the
smallest and smartest-looking system on
test, but too much has been compromised to
make it so tiny. MJ
FUSION Tiny desktop footprint; easily accessible interior; good looks
SEPARATION Expensive; poor processor; lack of versatility
IN DETAIL
CPU 1.9GHz Intel Core i3-3227U
Chipset Intel HM77
Memory 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000
Storage 120GB Intel 525 Series mSATA SSD
Front ports 1 x USB 3
Rear ports 1 x USB 3, HDMI, DisplayPort,
Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless Single-band 802.11n
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Dimensions (mm) 108 x 114 x 35 (W x D x H)
Warranty Two years collect and return
69
OVERALL
SPEED 15 / 25
DESIGN 21 / 25
FEATURES 17 / 25
VALUE 16 / 25
62 January 2014
NUC ALTERNATIVES
64
System price 520 inc VAT Supplier www.lambda-tek.com Bare bones price 435 inc VAT Supplier www.ebuyer.com Manufacturer www.zotac.com
T
he Zbox Nano ID65 Plus is the top-end
model in Zotacs mini PC range. It uses an
Ivy Bridge CPU, but one that has higher
clock speeds and 1MB more cache
than the Haswell NUC boards CPU.
The D54250WYK has the advantage in
terms of graphics, though, thanks to
its newer Intel HD Graphics 5000
silicon. The Zotac also only features
single-channel memory, something
that our testing shows will limit performance
(see p58), particularly when gaming with
integrated graphics. At 435, its bare bones
package is expensive next to Intels NUC
kitstoo, but weve tested with the 520 Plus
model, which also includes a 500GB hard
drive and 4GB of memory.
Although its slightly bigger than the
standard Intel NUC case, the Nano still
qualifies as a palm-sized PC. It also sports
high-quality aluminium sides and a glossy
black plastic top and bottom, as well as four
rubber feet that also hold the chassis screws.
A VESA mount, Wi-Fi antenna and power
supply are all provided with the Nano too, as
with the Haswell NUCs retail package,
although older NUC kits lack such extras.
As well as featuring Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
out of the box, the Nano also has a better
storage system. Not only does it feature a
2.5in drive mount, which boosts its capacity
and performance potential over NUC
systems, but the supplied NanoRAID adaptor
can be used to turn it into two mSATA slots,
which are RAID 0/1 compatible too.
Zotac Zbox Nano ID65 Plus
A great all-rounder for its size, but it isnt cheap
Another supplied adaptor turns the ID65s
3.5mm output jack into an optical S/PDIF
connection. Although Intels NUCs are
missing this feature, it isnt much of a win for
Zotac since both systems feature 8-channel
audio over HDMI anyway. Theres no denying
that the Zbox is better connected elsewhere,
however. While the Haswell NUC matches the
Nano for USB 3 ports, Zotacs mini PC has two
additional USB 2 ports, an eSATA connection
and a 7-in-1 card reader.
As well as handling all large HD media files
with ease, the ID65 Plus was also the fastest
system on test in our Media
Benchmarks, with decent
leads over the other Ivy
Bridge systems. However,
while its performance
could be stretched a little
further with an SSD and
8GB of memory, it holds
just an overall 21-point lead
over the cheaper Intel
D54250WYK.
Graphics
performance isnt a
strong point in any of the
systems on test this
month, but Intels
Haswell NUC has a
distinct advantage. The
Nanos unplayable
18fps minimum in Skyrim with Medium
settings at 1,280 x 720 is poor compared
to the D54250WYKs playable 29fps.
Despite performing only marginally
better than the D54250WYK in CPU-
bound tasks and worse in GPU ones,
theZbox Nano also draws 9W more power
under load. This is a clear example of
Haswells efficiency improvements over Ivy
Bridge. The Haswell NUC also runs cooler
and quieter, although the Zotac is quieter than
the Chillblast Brix.
CONCLUSI ON
The Haswell NUC leaves Zotacs Zbox Nano
ID65 Plus in a sticky situation, as it offers
similar CPU performance and better GPU
performance, while drawing less power and
making less noise. This is largely a result of
Haswells newer and more efficient
architecture. Therefore, although the Nanos
price tag is currently too high for what it offers,
it will be worth waiting for Zotacs own
Haswell versions if youre excited by its
excellent connection options. ML
NUC KILLER Fastest application performance on test; heaps of connections; good storage options
NUC-LEAR WASTE Expensive; poor graphics performance; older CPU architecture
IN DETAIL
CPU Intel Core i7-3537U
Chipset Intel HM77 Express
Memory 4GB 1,600MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000
Hard disk 500GB Toshiba MQ01ABD050
Front ports 2 x USB 2, headphone, mic, IR receiver
Rear ports 4 x USB 3, eSATA, LAN, DisplayPort,
HDMI, S/PDIF out
Wireless 802.11n/g/b, Bluetooth 4.0
Extras 7-in-1 card reader
Dimensions (mm) 127 x 127 x 45 (W x D x H)
Warranty Two years
76
OVERALL
SPEED 16 / 25
DESIGN 20 / 25
FEATURES 25 / 25
VALUE 15 / 25
64 January 2014
Y
oull have to buy your own SSD for
your NUC system, whether you buy a
board or a bare bones kit, so weve put six
mSATA SSDs through their paces to find
the best balance of capacity and
performance for your money.
We started by testing the new Intel 530
Series 180GB SSD. It uses 20nm MLC
NAND, features a SandForce SF-2281
controller, 256-bit AES encryption and a
lengthy five-year warranty. However, its
not that quick. We recorded a poor 4KB
random read pace of 18MB/sec, and its
AS-SSD sequential read and write results
of 439MB/sec and 158MB/sec sit towards
the bottom of the results table.
The Intel drive recovered in PC Mark 7,
though, with a system storage score of
5,387 ahead of three other drives. Its
boot time of 9.872 seconds was good, too
three SSDs on test were slower. The
five-year warranty is lengthy, but the Intel
530 SSD costs the same as the Crucial
M500 240GB, but without being able to
match the performance. Whats more,
spending a little extra will get you the
even faster Toshiba drive.
The next drive into the NUC, the Crucial
M500 240GB, is one of the best-value
SSDs on test this 240GB drive costs a
reasonable 150, and it sports a Marvell
88SS9187 controller with custom
firmware, and 20nm MLC NAND. The
Crucials AS-SSD sequential read score
of 487MB/sec is barely slower than the
table-topping Toshiba, but its write pace
of 263MB/sec is slower. Its the same in
CrystalDiskMark: the Crucials
sequential read score of 475MB/sec is
great, but its write pace of 282MB/sec is
mid-table. Meanwhile, its PCMark 7
storage score of 5,181 was fifth out of six
drives, although its boot time of 9.623s
was the second best.
Third on the bench was the Kingston
SSDNow mS200, which is the cheapest
SSD on test, although its specification is
lacking. The SandForce SF-2241 controller
is behind the curve, it only has a capacity of
128GB and it has 128-bit encryption rather
than 256-bit security.
Accordingly, its AS-SSD sequential read
and write results of 254MB/sec and 150MB/
sec were at the bottom of the table, and
CrystalDiskMark produced similarly poor
results. The Kingston was also at the bottom
of the table inboth PCMark 7 tests too, and
its boot timeof 10.294 seconds was only
quicker thantwo SSDs.
Only when performing random 4KB writes
did the Kingston SSD pick up pace its
AS-SSD and CrystalDiskMark results of
76MB/sec and 97MB/sec are in second place
in this group. While this drives low price is
appealing, you get what you pay for in terms
of price. This SSD is only worth buying if
youre building a NUC rig on a budget.
Next up was the Plextor PX-128M5M.
Likethe Kingston, it only has a capacity of
128GB, but Plextor has borrowed the Marvell
88SS9187 controller from its desktop drives,
and it has custom firmware too. Meanwhile,
the 128GB of storage is made up of four
Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND chips.
Its AS-SSD sequential read pace of
484MB/sec is in the top half of our table, and
its write speed of 303MB/sec is in second
place. The Plextor delivered decent results in
other benchmarks too across almost all of
AS-SSD and CrystalDiskMarks tests, it was
in the top half of our tables.
Its PCMark 7 system storage score of
5,368 comes in fourth place, though, while
itsraw system storage result of 5,256 came
fifth. The Plextors performance is patchy,
but its the best of this tests cheaper SSDs. If
you dont need much in the way of storage
space, and want reasonable performance on
a budget, this is a decent SSD for the money.
The fifth drive into our NUC was the
Transcend TS128GMSA740. Its made from
Toggle MLC NAND, and features a JMicron
JMF667 controller. The Transcend displayed
erratic form throughout our benchmarks. Its
sequential read and write scores in AS-SSD
and CrystalDiskMark were average, but it
picked up the pace when reading and writing
small files its AS-SSD 4KB random read
and write results of 31MB/sec and 73MB/
secare some of the best on test, and that
pace is backed up by the best score in
CrystalDiskMarks 4KB random reading
benchmark.
Its PCMark 7 speed was also great, with its
raw system storage result again being the
THE BEST mSATA SSD FOR YOUR NUC
We round up six of the best mSATA SSDs to nd the best partner for your NUC PC
65 January 2014
MSATA SSDS
66
best on test. It fell behind the pack in other
tests, though, and it isnt cheap for a 128GB
drive either the Plextor drive offers
comparable speed for 30 less.
Finally, we tested the catchily named
Toshiba THNSNH256GMCT, which features
19nm MLC NAND and a unique controller;
the Marvell chip doesnt include any
firmware, so Toshiba has coded its own.
Theresult was explosive. The Toshiba led the
way in AS-SSDs sequential read and write
tests, with a pace of 487MB/sec and
441MB/sec, and it also topped the table in
CrystalDiskMarks equivalent tests. Its
64-queue-depth 4KB random results were
consistently impressive too. In fact, the only
tests in which the Toshiba disappointed were
when it was performing 4KB random reads
in CrystalDiskMark.
The Toshiba also topped the table in
PCMark 7s system storage test with a result
of 5,485, and it was only pipped by one other
drive in the raw storage test. Theres only
one sting in this drives tail, and thats a
boot time of 10.918s but we can handle
that when its otherwise so quick.
Toshibas mSATA SSD may be the
priciest drive on test this month, but it
has the biggest capacity and the best
performance in the majority of our tests,
making it our mSATA SSD of choice for
NUC systems.
MI KE JENNINGS
FEATURE TABLE
Manufacturer Crucial Intel Kingston Plextor Toshiba Transcend
Model name M500 530 Series SSDNow mS200 PX-M5M Series THNSNH256GMCT TS128GMSA740
SKU number CT240M500SSD3 SSDMCEAF180A4 SMS200S3/120G PX-128M5M THNSNH256GMCT TS128GMSA740
Price inc VAT 150 150 80 90 180 121
Supplier www.expansys.
com
www.novatech.
co.uk
www.pixmania.
com
www.ebuyer.com www.span.com www.memoryc.
com
Capacity 240GB 180GB 120GB 128GB 256GB 128GB
Formatted capacity 223GB 167GB 112GB 119GB 238GB 119GB
Controller Marvell 88SS9187 SandForce
SF-2281
SandForce
SF-2241
Marvell 88SS9187 Toshiba/Marvell JMicron JMF667
NAND 20nm MLC 20nm MLC 19nm MLC 19nm MLC 19nm MLC 20nm MLC
AS-SSD
Sequential read (MB/sec) 487 439 254 484 487 470
4KB random read (MB/sec) 18 18 21 25 18 31
64-queue-depth 4KB
random read (MB/sec)
348 193 76 302 348 259
Sequential write (MB/sec) 263 158 150 303 441 294
4KB random write (MB/sec) 79 62 76 54 72 73
64-queue-depth 4KB
random write (MB/sec)
195 155 139 253 176 183
CrystalDiskMark
Sequential read (MB/sec) 475 400 260 508 505 458
4KB random read (MB/sec) 26 18 25 29 21 36
32-queue-depth 4KB
random read (MB/sec)
329 180 75 319 367 281
Sequential write (MB/sec) 282 170 159 320 472 303
4KB random write (MB/sec) 111 69 97 54 87 80
32-queue-depth 4KB
random write (MB/sec)
266 132 153 300 208 262
PCMark 7
System storage 5,181 5,387 5,112 5,368 5,485 5,421
Raw system storage 5,033 5,800 4,935 5,256 6,331 6,519
Bootracer (seconds) 9.623 9.872 10.294 10.841 10.918 9.311
66 January 2014
NUC CASES
Price 40 inc VAT Supplier www.scan.co.uk Manufacturer www.akasa.co.uk
Price 52 inc VAT Supplier www.scan.co.uk Manufacturer www.akasa.co.uk
A
kasas Newton V sports the same design
as the Newton, other than the front and
rear panels, which now fit Intels DC53427RKE
Core i5 NUC board.
As such, theres a front USB 3 port, which
connects directly to the NUC board with a
pass-through cable, and this sits alongside
T
he Newton is bigger than the
standard NUC chassis, but still
small with its area of just 150mm
2
.
At 52 inc VAT, (37 without the
bundled PSU), its one of the
cheapest on test, but you wouldnt
guess it from the build quality. The
Akasa Newton V
Akasa Newton
Passively-cools a Core i5 CPU,
but it gets toasty
Simple, effective and outstanding value
82
86
OVERALL
OVERALL
two extra front USB 2 ports, which
are connected via the internal header.
Unlike the Newton, the V isnt available
with an external PSU, but it still offers great
build quality for your 40, with consistently
high-quality construction. It feels weightier
than LogicSupplys LGX NC210, for example,
which is made from steel rather than
aluminium and costs 11 more.
As with the Newton (see below), everything
in the chassis is passively cooled and its
sealed against dust. Working with the case is
also very easy.
Although we were only able to test two
other cases with the Intel DC53427RKE NUC
board, the Newtons result was the worst of
the three. The other passively cooled one,
LogicSupplys LGX ML300, beat its thermal
thick, black brushed
aluminium used
throughout isnt just
gorgeous, but is also very
well crafted.
The rear of the chassis features a
Kensington lock hole and interior EMI
shielding, while the front maintains the
DC33217GKEs USB connection via an
internal header. There are also four
attachable rubber feet for extra grip.
Installation is wonderfully simple, requiring
only the removal of the base plate, which
has built-in VESA mounts, and four more
screws to secure the motherboard.
The Newton cools the NUC passively, with
araised block thats part of the chassis roof
used to draw heat away from the CPU and
PCH. The case therefore acts as a heatsink,
with the fins on its side and top used to create
result by 6C, but it also costs almost three
times the price. While the thermal result isnt
as outstanding as that of the original Newton,
though, the ability to prevent a Core i5 CPU
from overheating after 15 minutes of a
Prime95 torture test is still impressive for a
passive case, and its build-quality and looks
are first class too. ML
COOLING 19 / 30
FEATURES 8 / 10
DESIGN 27 / 30
VALUE 28 / 30
COOLING 24 / 30
FEATURES 7 / 10
DESIGN 27 / 30
VALUE 28 / 30
additional surface area to dissipate the heat.
Athermal gap filler is also supplied to bridge
your mSATA SSD to the case frame. As well as
being totally silent, the Newton is fully sealed
against dust, since it has no vents. With the
second best cooling of all tested cases, the
Newton is a superb choice for an attractively
priced upgrade to the default NUC chassis. ML
68
68 January 2014
NUC CASES
70
Price 85 inc VAT Supplier www.cartft.com Manufacturer www.cartft.com
Price 90 inc VAT Supplier www.overclockers.co.uk Manufacturer www.impactics.com
T
he Blackpete-NUC from German car-
PCspecialist CarTFT is rather different
from the competition. Firstly, its large for a
NUC case, but its dimensions allowit to house
a DCDC-USB circuit board (sold separately for
51), so it can be powered by a car battery. It
also uniquely includes a 2.5in drive bay with an
mSATA to SATA adaptor, which considerably
expands its storage options.
T
he Impactics D1NU1-B is a stunning
example of build quality. The 4mm-thick
aluminium front plate, aluminium lid and the
hefty copper heatspreader are beautifully
crafted, and go a long way towards justifying
its 90 price tag. Even the power button, with
its blue LED ring, gives it an attractive edge
over the other cases on test.
CarTFT Blackpete-NUC
Impactics D1NU1-B
Good car PC support, but
otherwise too big and pricey
An expensive but luxurious chassis with
phenomenal cooling
At 85 inc VAT (closer to 100 with UK
shipping), it isnt cheap, but the aluminium
exterior and internal steel fittings are high
quality. It forgoes the front USB port too,
instead including an extra two rear ports
thatuse the NUC boards header.
Installation can be quite fiddly, though,
withthe front panel cables in particular
squeezing the available space at points,
despite the roomy insides. Four rubber feet
are also supplied.
As a sealed, passively cooled case,
the Blackpete-NUC is dustproof and
silent. A screw-on metal heatsink is
provided with three thermal pads to
connect it to the CPU, PCH and case
body, which dissipates heat through
itsfins. Although its still 11C cooler
Where the case falls down is with
its lengthy installation process it
also uses hex screws, rather than
Philips ones, so make sure you
have the right screwdriver handy. It
also feels like an unnecessary step
for you to have to stick the EMI shield
on the rear bezel yourself, and the lack of any
bundled thermal paste seems stingy at this
price too. Meanwhile, the front panel
cables are also unnecessarily long.
Theres no denying that the end
result of the design is nearly flawless,
though, as the cases cooling
performance is nothing short of
incredible. Despite being fanless and
free of vents, the D1NU1-B knocks a
massive 38C off the Intel DC33217GKE
than the stock chassis, the Blackpete
unfortunately achieved the joint-worst cooling
result with the DC33217GKE installed a poor
show considering its size. As such, given its
cost and dimensions, its only really worth
considering if youre intent on building a car
PC, and even then youll need to pay for the
extra circuit board. ML
kits stock cooler, which is
testament to the effectiveness of
the thick heatspreader and large
cooling fins.
Sadly, VESA mounts need to be
purchased separately, and its a shame its
missing SSD cooling, but if you can afford it,
the D1NU1-B will wow you with its build
quality and inject some class into your
NUCsetup. ML
68
OVERALL
COOLING 16 / 30
FEATURES 9 / 10
DESIGN 24 / 30
VALUE 19 / 30
83
OVERALL
COOLING 29 / 30
FEATURES 4 / 10
DESIGN 26 / 30
VALUE 24 / 30
www.overc|ockers.co.uk
EUy W|t| Ccndence
0vercIockers Uk | Unit 5 LymedaIe Cross, NewcastIe-under-Lyme, Staordshire, S75 97
www.overcIockers.co.uk 7eI: 0871 200 5052
Pr|oes oorreot at t|me of pr|nt but ma ohange w|thout pr|or not|oe. || |tems subjeot to ava||ab|||t. D|soount oodes are va||d for 2 weeks after the magaz|ne pub||sh date.
70 January 2014
Price 51 inc VAT Supplier www.logicsupply.co.uk Manufacturer www.logicsupply.co.uk
Price 31 inc VAT Supplier www.scan.co.uk Manufacturer www.silverstonetek.com
T
he NC210, which is also available for the
DC33217GKE in its NC200 guise, is a
small steel chassis with essentially the
samedimensions as the Intel NUC chassis.
Although the material is thin and light, the
case still feels rugged, which makes sense, as
its designed as a basic but durable option for
industry. As such, the case is compatible with
D
espite costing just 31, SilverStones tiny
PT14 is still fully formed from aluminium,
although at 322g, it weighs less than a
quarterof the Impactics 1.4kg D1NU1-B.
Nevertheless, the material quality is still high,
and the case is firm and rigid throughout.
Its light on extras, but it does include a
VESA mounting plate and 60mm exhaust fan,
so its still a good value package. The fan is
LogicSupply LGX NC210
SilverStone Petit PT14
A rugged chassis with Core i5 support
A basic but solid choice for those on a budget
optional VESA and DIN rail
mounts, supports dual
antenna and features dual right-
angled folds along its interfacing edges
to limit EMI emissions.
Four attachable rubber feet are also
provided, and EMI shields are attached to the
front and back panels.
Its also simple to work with the NC210, as
itonly uses two screws to hold the
top and bottom halves together.
Motherboard installation is easy
too, and theres no need to attach a
cooler, as the case relies on the stock
NUC cooler. A neat addition is a metal
heatsink that sits between the Wi-Fi
card and mSATA SSD, the screw for
which holds it in place.
Supplied thermal pads connect these two
components to the heatsink, which then
also optional and designed
mainly to provide additional
cooling for the SSD and
memory compartment, as the
embedded copper heatpipe and outer fins
mean the case can deal with the heat from the
CPU and chipset passively.
Four screws, housed in the rubber feet, give
you access to the cases innards, while the
front and back panels are
each held in place by two.
The PT14 is available in
different flavours to suit
whichever NUC you
happen to own too.
Despite the dimensions,
installation is simple, as
thermal material is
already applied, and the
main screws also secure
enjoys indirect cooling from the NUC board
coolers fan.
Temperatures for the DC53427RKE board
were good too, but consumers after a cheap
and durable chassis for this Core i5 board will
be better served by the Akasa Newton V, which
is 11 cheaper and features passive cooling as
well. ML
the board. Sadly, our samples 60mm fan had
a loose connection, so we could only record
thepassive result, which was relatively warm
but still a 14C improvement over the stock
Intel case.
The fins also have vents between them, so
youll occasionally need to get out the air
duster, but overall, the PT14 is a great low-
cost alternative to the standard NUC case. ML
79
OVERALL
COOLING 24 / 30
FEATURES 6 / 10
DESIGN 26 / 30
VALUE 23 / 30
77
OVERALL
COOLING 19 / 30
FEATURES 5 / 10
DESIGN 24 / 30
VALUE 29 / 30
71 January 2014
NUC CASES
72
Price 73 inc VAT Supplier www.overclockers.co.uk Manufacturer www.streacom.com
Price 99 inc VAT Supplier www.tranquilpc.co.uk Manufacturer www.tranquilpc.co.uk
Streacom NC1 GK
Tranquil PC NUC-YE
Flexible motherboard support, but lacks
cooling and features for its price
First-class look and feel, but bettered
by the Impactics
S
treacoms NC1 is entirely passively
cooled, and constructed mainly from
high-quality aluminium, although it also has
four rubber feet and two black acrylic side
panels, which are intended to boost internal
wireless signals.
The black or silver NC1 can be bought to
match any NUC board, including the Haswell
ones, and the case panels are all separate, so
they can be upgraded to support future NUC
systems too.
T
he passive and dustproof NUC-YE from
Tranquil PC is astonishingly good-
looking. Its hewn from a block of aerospace-
grade aluminium, which is anodised and
brushed for a stunning overall finish thats
unbeaten by any other case on test. Tranquil
PC also offers the chance for to customise
The separate panels and the need to rebuild
the enclosure increases installation time, but
it isnt difficult or fiddly. The chassis also has
its own power button in the roof, which simply
pushes down on the default NUC switch.
Youll need to attach the supplied heatsink
to the CPU and chipset, and a generous tube
of thermal paste is provided too. Oddly,
though, the case requires you to use the NUC
boards own chipset thermal pad rather than
simply including one. VESA mounts must
alsobe purchased
separately, which is
aletdown when you
consider its 73
asking price.
Unfortunately, the
NC1s cooling result
your case for free with a laser-engraved
message. The enclosure is available in three
flavours, with support recently revealed for
Haswell NUCs, although the DC53427RKE
isnt supported by any of them.
Installation is frustrating, though, as
pushing the plastic top hats into the recessed
thread holes, which are positioned in
tight corners, is incredibly fiddly.
Meanwhile, the power button
mustbe screwed into the chassis.
While this maintains a clean
appearance, its wires can get
in the way of the insides, and
theres little reason for it not
tobe a permanent fixture.
Meanwhile, those wishing to
mount their NUC to a display
for the low-power Intel DC33217GKE board
was the joint worst on test. The vents on the
roof, while allowing heat to rise upwards from
inside, will also let dust inside the case, and it
lacks SSD cooling too.
As such, unless you want flexible
motherboard support, which would be
understandable given the current lack of
options for the Intel Haswell board, the
AkasaNewton is cheaper, cooler and sports
better features. ML
must purchase a 17 VESA mount, which is
steep given that the case costs 99.
Built-in blocks connect the CPU and PCH to
the chassis, and the SSD is cooled by a wedge
of thermal pads. The deep, thick fins work
well, with a delta T 20C below that of the
standard NUC case.
However, the Impactics D1NU1 chassis is
similarly well built, even better at cooling and
a touch cheaper too. ML
64
72
OVERALL
OVERALL
COOLING 16 / 30
FEATURES 6 / 10
DESIGN 25 / 30
VALUE 17 / 30
COOLING 21 / 30
FEATURES 4 / 10
DESIGN 25 / 30
VALUE 22 / 30
72 January 2014
NUC CASES
74
Price 113 inc VAT Supplier www.logicsupply.eu
A
s this chassis is designed first and
foremost for industry use, rather than for
building a home PC, we decided to speak to a
LogicSupply hardware designer and dig a little
deeper into how the NUC can be used in this
field, rather than reviewing it from our
consumer perspective.
The accumulation of dust and debris is
responsible for the majority of PC failures
inindustry. To combat this problem,
LogicSupply, which specialises in fanless
embedded computing for industry, has made
the ML300 free of vents and fans, so the NUC
board is cooled passively with a one-piece
aluminium lid.
Being passive and dustproof isnt unique,
ofcourse; both Impactics and Tranquil PC
achieve the same feat with their cases in this
test, and they look better too. However, the
ML300 also uses metal cooling brackets and
thermal pads to connect both the Wi-Fi card
and SSD to the chassis shell, and its the only
case weve seen to offer this level of thermal
protection for performing network and drive-
intensive tasks important factors when you
dont have active cooling, or any vents.
While our thermal tests show decent
results for the ML300, the chassis has also
been verified by Intels thermal labs as the top-
performing fanless system. Logic Supply
saysthere was no hardware failure in the
strenuous test in ambient temperatures up
to40C, with the nearest competitor only
managing 30C.
Sadly, we cant replicate this test (partly
because the testing procedure is kept under
lock and key), but its result would certainly
beinteresting to industries based in hotter
climates, or workplaces where machinery
results in warm ambient temperatures.
Another concern is wireless interference.
Like Akasas Newton, the chassis features
EMI gaskets on the front and back panels.
Also, the steel is nickel-plated, while the
interfacing edges of the top and bottom halves
feature dual right-angled folds to deflect
potentially interfering waves.
As well as having VESA mount punch-outs
LogicSupply LGX ML300
We look at how Intel NUC systems can be used in industry
in the floor, the ML300 is also compatible with
additional optional mounts, including wall
andDIN rail mounts. Whats more, vibration-
isolating mounts are available to protect
against G-forces of 30-50G.
One of the most interesting features is the
slide-out expansion bay. As well as supporting
2.5in drives via an mSATA to SATA connection,
it can also be harnessed to house an internal,
battery-powered UPS, which LogicSupply
says can power the NUC at full load for up to
20 minutes in the event of power failure.
The case sports a backplate for a Core-i3
orCore-i5 Ivy Bridge NUCs. However, these
backplates offer more than usual, as they
include punch-outs for a COM port, three
wireless antennae and numerous power-
supply inputs. These can be used in various
ways. Wireless options include 4G and GPS,
for example, while you can also install an
automobile buck-boost DCDC converter,
which enables the NUC to be powered by a car
battery, and it can accept a 6V-30V input range,
enabling it to accommodate the spikes typical
of such power supplies. It can also be
programmed to stay awake for a certain
amount of time and safely shut down the PC
with the engine off.
One flaw we did notice with the ML300,
though, is that it blocks the NUCs front USB
port. While it replaces it with a header for two
front USB ports of its own, the end result still
removes USB 3 from the DC53427RKE
board.However, as Logic Supply was keen
to emphasise, future configurations will
maintain it and the chassis is designed to
beredesigned, as the company offers bulk
purchasers the ability to redesign their
systems. For example, custom backplates
and ribbon cables, branded paint jobs and
even waterproofing can all be produced with
aquick turnaround. Such customisation is
perfect for industry, but naturally not available
to standard consumers, given that production
runs arent done on an individual scale.
Although this only provides a very brief
overview, its nevertheless interesting to see
the number of ways that a single piece of
hardware can be customised and adapted
tomeet needs it was never initially designed
tomeet. It also raises questions about the
exciting ways that PCs, in particular low-
power and small form factor computers, will
continue to be implemented all around us,
from automated industries to vehicles and
transportation.
Thanks to Logic Supplys design team for
taking the time to talk with us.
MATTHEW LAMBERT
74 January 2014
NUC RESULTS
76
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
1,303
1,274
1,258
908
1,848
GIMP IMAGE EDITING
0
500 1,000 1,500 2,000
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
1,821
1,783
1,717
1,234
1,161
HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
0
300 600 9,00 1,200
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
1,043
1,038
1,027
814
806
MULTI-TASKING
0
350 700 1,050 1,400
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
1,387
1,366
1,334
983
941
OVERALL
MOTHERBOARD RESULTS

Stock
76 January 2014
NUC RESULTS
0 5 10 15 20
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 DX9 CPU TEST
Default settings, no AA or AF
10fps 18fps
9fps 15fps
8fps 12fps
7fps 10fps
7fps 9fps
0
3 6 9 12 15
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra settings, 0x AF, 0x AA
8fps 14fps
5fps 10fps
5fps 9fps
5fps 9fps
4fps 9fps
0
10 20 30 40
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM
1,280 x 720, Medium settings, 0x AF, 0x AA
29fps 36fps
20fps 29fps
18fps 26fps
18fps 25fps
17fps 25fps
0
15 30 45 60
Stock Intel case
CarTFT
Blackpete-NUC
Streacom NC1 GK
SilverStone Petit PT14
Logic Supply
LGX ML300
Tranquil PC
NUC-YE
Akasa Newton
Impactics D1NU1-B
CPU DELTA T (C)
With DC33217GKE installed
20
31
38
44
38
47
47
0
10 20 30 40
Zotac Zbox
Nano Plus ID65
Intel NUC Board
DC53427RKE
Intel NUC Board
D54250WYB
Chillblast
Fusion Brix
Intel NUC Board
D33217GKE/
D33217CK
TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION
9W 19W
9W 20W
12W 24W
12W 26W
13W 33W
Lower is better
Lower is better
58
0
18 36 54 72
Akasa Newton V
Logic Supply
LGX ML300
Logic Supply
LGX NC210
CPU DELTA T (C)
With DC53427RKE installed
55
72
66
Lower is better
MOTHERBOARD RESULTS
CASE RESULTS

Stock

Overclocked

Minimum

Average

Idle

Load
78 January 2014
Dont like the look of any of the NUC cases weve reviewed this month?
Antony Leather shows you how to make your own
T
here are plenty of NUC cases available, including fan-
assisted and passively cooled models. However, given
thetiny size of NUC motherboards, they provide a great
opportunity to make your own case. They dont need a
complicated rear panel for graphics cards and sound cards, and they
need little in the way of cooling. Whats more, the amount of material
you need is miniscule compared to a scratch-built ATX case.
Acrylic is probably the best material here, as its bendable when
heated with a heat gun, and easy to cut and sand, but its also strong
enough to support the motherboard. It comes in a variety of different
colours and thicknesses too, but you shouldnt need to spend more
than 10-15 to get all the material you need. Well only be using a
Dremel with a few select attachments and a heat gun in our guide, so
you can do this at home without the need for expensive machinery.
MAKE YOUR OWN
NUC CASE
INSTALL GOOGLE SKETCHUP
SketchUp is a free and easy-to-use 3D rendering
program thats great for creating mock-ups. There are
also several free NUC 3D models already available from
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse, or you can
design your own case from scratch.
CREATE YOUR CASE IN 3D
There are plenty of YouTube videos that act as great
introductions to SketchUp, and our design took around 15
minutes to create, from start to finish. Start by making the
sides, drawing one panel first, which will form the basis
of the case.
CREATE SIDE SECTI ONS
By double clicking on the side section, youll select the
whole object, which you can then copy and paste to create
an identical side with which to work. Our sections are just
a few millimetres larger than an NUC board.
01 02 03
79 January 2014
ADD THE CURVES
Well be bending the acrylic sides halfway down to make case supports, which are
slightly more elegant than a 90-degree bend or sticking another section of acrylic to the
bottom. Use the Curve tool to create the foundation of the bent supports, then copy it to
the other side and use the Rotate tool to create a mirror image.
ADD MOTHERBOARD STANDOFFS
We even found some pre-rendered motherboard standoff models online, so we added
these to our project, copying the model four times one for each corner. Attach these to
the motherboard over the mounting holes and position them onto one of the side panels.
ATTACH NEW CASE SUPPORT
Once youve rotated the case support by 180 degrees, attach it to the main case by using
the Alignment tool, which will add the two sections together, corner to corner. Weve also
smoothed the outlines to make the model look more realistic.
MAKE SIDE PANELS TRANSLUCENT
Select each side panel and click on the Paint Bucket tool, so you can assign them a
material and colour. Weve used the translucent tinted glass material and changed the
colour to red. This is only a rough mock-up, but it helps when deciding which colours to
use, and how to secure the side panels to the motherboard.
80
CUSTOMISATION
CONSIDER BOARD MOUNTINGS
We used a micrometre to measure the exact length of
any standoffs or supports that needed to clear the NUC
boards ports and cooler. There are numerous ways to
mount it, and you could even just use temporary adhesive
pads to stick the cooler directly to the acrylic, as long as
you also create holes to allow air to get to the fan.
TEST-FI T STANDOFFS
We found that doubled-up motherboard standoffs were
the right height to support the NUC board on the cooler
side. We later made stealthy mounts on both sides so the
screws didnt protrude, but install whatever you plan to
use, as some of the corners dont have a lot of room for
standoffs, due to the proximity of ports and chips.
MARK UP ACRYLI C
Mark up the acrylic to fit around the NUC board. In
our case, we used identical strips to create a case and
support. Leave the protective film on the acrylic as long
as possible to prevent scratches a permanent marker is
ideal for marking on the film.
08
04
06
05
07
09 10
80 January 2014
SAVE SOME TIME
To make an identical section, measure the first and transfer the measurement to the
adjacent length of acrylic, placing the pieces next to each other where possible to reduce
cutting time. Make use of pre-cut corners, not only to save yourself time but also so that
you get clean straight edges.
MARK UP STANDOFF HOLES
Place the NUC board in position and mark up the standoff holes, which youll be drilling
later. Double-check the mark-up points with the measurements you just took, so you can
make sure theyre the right distance apart.
CUT THE ACRYLI C
If youre looking for a perfect finish, you could consider taking the acrylic to a local DIY
store to get it cut. Otherwise, a Dremel and cutting disc are more than up to the job if you
dont mind a little filing and sanding afterwards. Use a low speed setting, or youll risk the
acrylic melting, which will make your job much harder.
DRILL STANDOFF HOLES
Use a drill bit thats 1-2mm smaller than the standoff thread, as youll be heating the
acrylic later. Weve drilled into the acrylic, but not all the way through. Leaving a couple
of millimetres on the other side will still allow the standoffs to be fitted securely, but will
mean there are no unsightly holes on the other side.
MEASURE STANDOFFS
Mounting the NUC board is the trickiest part of the project, as you need to be precise to
the millimetre. Weve used a micrometre to measure the distance between the standoffs
and centre sections. We can use this tool to make sure our other measurements are
correctlater.
MARK UP THE DIFFERENT SECTI ONS
The top half of our case sections will house the NUC board, while the bottom half will feel
the heat from our industrial heater to make the curves. Mark off the two sections so you
know which one is which.
11
13 14
15
12
16
81 January 2014
HEAT THE ACRYLI C
Heat the standoff holes with a heat gun, or gently over a small gas hob if you use the
latter, dont hold them too close for too long, or youll risk the acrylic bubbling. Remove
the plastic film before you start too. After 30 seconds or so, the acrylic will become pliable
test it with a standoff.
REMOVE THREADS
The threads on the screws mean the pin section wont fit properly, so use a Dremel and
cutting disc to remove them, leaving the pin section intact. Be careful with the pins, as
theyre likely to be too hot to touch for several minutes afterwards.
INSTALL STANDOFFS
The standoffs should screw into the acrylic easily, so theyll be held tightly in place when
it cools. Secure the NUC board to the standoffs to make sure everything is in the right
place. You may have to tweak some of the standoffs to get them to line up. If any are loose,
try drilling their holes a little deeper.
INSERT PINS INTO WASHERS
Now you need to attach the side panel to the pins. This is best achieved by inserting the
pins into the washers, meaning theyre guaranteed to line up later. Apply a generous
amount of plastic adhesive to the tops of the pins.
INSTALL WASHERS
Weve used plastic adhesive to secure the washers to the tops of motherboard standoffs
on top of the motherboard, although superglue will also work. Again, youll need to
check that theres enough clearance for the side panel to rest above the ports on the
NUCboard.
CREATE THE MOUNTING PINS
To mount the NUC board to the other section of acrylic, weve used Lian Li hard disk
screws and washers, which will allow you to pin the side panel in place, but also easily
remove it. Cut off the outer edge of the rubber section, as its unnecessary and can
protrude outside the case.
17
19 20
21
18
22
CUSTOMISATION
82
82 January 2014
CUSTOMISATION
ADVENTUROUS NUC DESIGNS
To see more custom Intel NUC cases for inspiration, check out the winning entries to bit-techs recent Intel NUC case competition at
http://tinyurl.com/nuccomp
FI X THE SIDE PANEL
Remove the plastic film on one side of the other section, and place it on top of the pins
try to line it up first time, so you dont spread the glue around. Once in place, rest a heavy
object on top to hold the two surfaces together while the adhesive sets. Leave them for at
least an hour to make sure the glue is thoroughly dry.
BEND ACRYLI C
Use a heat gun to heat the acrylic so it can be bent to shape. We used a glass as a guide for
the curve. Allow the acrylic to cool and harden before letting go. You can then overlay this
piece on the other half of the case to check the bends are the same.
ADD CASE FEET
To prevent the acrylic from scratching any delicate surfaces, you can add some small
case feet to the bottom. These arent essential, but they can also help to deaden vibration
from the cooling fan and prevent the case from sliding around. You can then either leave
the NUC exposed or add a cover, perhaps using thin mesh or a vinyl film.
FI T SIDE PANELS TOGETHER
With the acrylic panels bent to shape, attach the other half to the NUC board by pushing
the pins into the washers. It should then stand flat on its own. If one of the feet is at an
angle, use the heat gun to warm it so that it droops down and meets the floor both feet
need to lay flat at the same angle.
23
25 26
24
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84 January 2014
Our choice of the best hardware available
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A Xigamtek Midgard II www.overclockers.co.uk www.xigmatek.com Issue 113, p74 60
B Gigabyte GA-F2A85XM-D3H www.scan.co.uk www.gigabyte.com Issue 115, p90 58
C AMD A10-6800K www.scan.co.uk www.amd.com Issue 120, p20 109
D 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2,133MHz CAS11 www.scan.co.uk www.corsair.com Issue 112, p60 80
E Gelid Tranquillo Rev 2 www.quietpc.com www.gelidsolutions.com Issue 100, p86 26
F XFX Pro Series 550W Core Edition www.novatech.co.uk www.xfxforce.com Issue 122, p50 53
G 500GB Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p72 40
H Lite-On IHAS124-04 www.dabs.com www.liteonit.eu Issue 99, p108 13
I Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 114
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 553
You dont have to spend an huge sum to get a decent PC. Our budget PC
includes a superb AMD Richland APU, with a built-in Radeon HD 8670D
GPU, plus 8GB of 2,133MHz RAM to boost the on-board graphics
B
MOTHERBOARD
F
PSU
G
HARD DISK
D
RAM
H
OPTICAL DRIVE
E
COOLING
I
OPERATING SYSTEM
C
APU
A
85 January 2014
86
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A SilverStone Raven RV03 www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue 103, p70 94
B MSI Z87-G45 Gaming www.scan.co.uk www.msi-computer.com Issue 120, p54 110
C Intel Core i5-4670K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue 119, p38 179
D
8GB Patriot Black Mamba
2,400MHz PV38G240C0K
www.cclonline.com www.patriotmemory.com Issue 120, p98 84
E Thermalright True Spirit 120M www.overclockers.co.uk www.thermalright.com Issue116, p61 25
F
MSI GeForce GTX 760
Twin Frozr OC Gaming 2GB
www.scan.co.uk www.msi.com Issue 121, p52 199
G
Antec HCG-520M
High Current Gamer 520W
www.ebuyer.com www.antec.com Issue 122, p43 77
H Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p75 66
I Lite-On IHAS124-04 www.dabs.com www.liteonit.eu Issue 99, p108 13
J SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB www.ebuyer.com www.sandiskcom Issue 117, p68 125
K Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 114
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 1,086
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 wont break the bank
A
G H I J K
PSU HARD DISK OPTICAL DRIVE SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM
F
GRAPHICS CARD
B D E
MOTHERBOARD RAM COOLING CPU
C
86 January 2014
Our choice of the best hardware available
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A SilverStone Fortress FT02B-W USB 3.0 www.scan.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue 85, p88 185
B Gigabyte GA-Z87-UD3H www.scan.co.uk http://uk.gigabyte.com Issue 120, p52 137
C Intel Core i5-4670K www.scan.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue 119, p38 179
D
8GB Patriot Black Mamba 2,400MHz
PV38G240C0K
www.cclonline.com www.patriotmemory.com Issue 120, p98 83
E Antec Khler H2O 920 www.scan.co.uk www.antec.com Issue 116, p62 78
F Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB www.scan.co.uk www.nvidia.com Issue 119, p72 255
G XFX Pro Black Edition 750W www.scan.co.uk www.xfxforce.com Issue 122, p60 108
H Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p75 66
I Creative Sound Blaster Z www.scan.co.uk www.creative.com Issue 116, p42 74
J Plextor M5 Pro 256GB www.scan.co.uk www.plextor.com Issue 117, p64 176
K Lite-On IHAS124-04 www.dabs.com www.liteonit.eu Issue 99, p108 13
L Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 114
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 1,468
Our choice of the best hardware available
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
G H I L
PSU HARD DISK SOUND CARD SOLID STATE DRIVE OPERATING SYSTEM
F
GRAPHICS CARD
A
B D E
MOTHERBOARD CPU RAM COOLING
C
J
87 January 2014
88
NAME SUPPLIER MANUFACTURER REVIEWED PRICE (inc VAT)
A SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W www.overclockers.co.uk www.silverstonetek.com Issue 63, p87 260
B Asus Rampage IV Extreme Black Edition www.overclockers.co.uk http://uk.asus.com Issue 124, p42 389
C Intel Core i7-4930K www.overclockers.co.uk www.intel.co.uk Issue 123, p51 444
D
16GB Kingston HyperX Predator 1,866MHz
KHX18C9T2K4/16X
www.dabs.com www.kingston.com Issue 123, p56 143
E
2 x EVGA Superclocked ACX
GeForce GTX 780 3GB
www.scan.co.uk www.evga.com Issue 123, p54 854
F Corsair H100i www.scan.co.uk www.corsair.com Issue 116, p65 89
G Corsair Professional Series AX760i www.ebuyer.com www.corsair.com Issue 122, p53 160
H Samsung SSD 840 EVO 1TB www.overclockers.co.uk www.samsung.com Issue 121, p28 510
I Creative Sound Blaster Z www.scan.co.uk www.creative..com Issue 116, p42 74
J Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM0001 www.scan.co.uk www.seagate.com Issue 104, p75 66
K Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit www.scan.co.uk www.microsoft.com Issue 75, p46 174
TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE 3,163
What you need for gaming at 3,840 x 2,160. The PC includes LGA2011
parts, not only to give you powerful multi-threaded processing, but also
to give you the option of a third GPU if you want it. Weve included a
Corsair H100i, but the case can house a variety of water-cooling setups too
G H I J K
PSU SOLID STATE DRIVE SOUND CARD HARD DISK OPERATING SYSTEM
A
D
RAM
E F
GRAPHICS CARD COOLING
B
MOTHERBOARD CPU
C
UPDATED
4K GaminG PC
88 January 2014
TYPE GRAPHICS CARD GRAPHICS CARD GRAPHICS CARD 4K GRAPHICS SETUP
NAME Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB
MSI GeForce GTX 760 Twin
Frozr OC Gaming 2GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB
2 x EVGA Superclocked ACX
GeForce GTX 780 3GB
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.nvidia.com www.msi.com www.nvidia.com www.evga.com
REVIEWED Issue 119, p66 Issue 121, p52 Issue 119, p72 Issue 123, p54
PRICE (inc VAT) 143 199 255 854
Our choice of the best hardware available
lGa1150 components
UPDATED
TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME Intel Core i5-4670K Gigabyte GA-Z87-UD3H
Thermalright True Spirit
120M
8GB Patriot Black Mamba
2,400MHz PV38G240C0K
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.cclonline.com
MANUFACTURER www.intel.co.uk http://uk.gigabyte.com www.thermalright.com www.patriotmemory.com
REVIEWED Issue 119, p38 Issue 120, p52 Issue116, p61 Issue 120, p98
PRICE (inc VAT) 179 137 25 83
89 January 2014
TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME Intel Core i7-4930K
Asus Rampage IV Extreme
Black Edition
Corsair H100i
16GB Kingston HyperX
Predator KHX18C9T2K4/16X
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.dabs.com
MANUFACTURER www.intel.co.uk http://uk.asus.com www.corsair.com www.kingston.com
REVIEWED Issue 123, p51 Issue 124, p42 Issue 116, p65 Issue 123, p56
PRICE (inc VAT) 444 389 89 143
90
TYPE CPU MOTHERBOARD COOLER RAM
NAME AMD A10-6800K Gigabyte G1 Sniper A88X Gelid Tranquillo Rev 2
8GB Corsair Vengeance
2,133MHz CAS11
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.ebuyer.com www.quietpc.com www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.amd.com www.gigabyte.com www.gelidsolutions.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue 120, p20 Issue 124, p40 Issue 100, p86 Issue 112, p60
PRICE (inc VAT) 109 85 26 80
UPDATED
UPDATED
90 January 2014
Our choice of the best hardware available
TYPE BUDGET CASE AIR-COOLING CASE WATER-COOLING CASE
NAME Xigmatek Midgard II SilverStone Raven RV03 SilverStone Temjin TJ07B-W
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.xigmatek.com www.silverstonetek.com www.silverstonetek.com
REVIEWED Issue 113, p74 Issue 103, p70 Issue 63, p87
PRICE (inc VAT) 60 94 260
TYPE MINI-ITX CASE
Z87 MINI-ITX
MOTHERBOARD
MICRO-ATX CASE
Z87 MICRO-ATX
MOTHERBOARD
NAME BitFenix Prodigy MSI Z87i SilverStone TJ08-E Asus Maximus VI Gene
SUPPLIER www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.bitfenix.com www.msi.com www.silverstonetek.com http://uk.asus.com
REVIEWED Issue 109, p54 Issue 121 p48 Issue 98, p48 Issue 121, p20
PRICE (inc VAT) 70 99 73 170
mini-ITX and micro-aTX
91 January 2014
92
TYPE HARD DISK SSD NAS BOX
NAME Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 Plextor M5 Pro 256GB Synology DiskStation DS213j
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk www.ebuyer.com
MANUFACTURER www.seagate.com www.plextor.com www.synology.com
REVIEWED Issue 104, p75 Issue 117, p64 Issue 119, p50
PRICE (inc VAT) 66 176 166
TYPE BUDGET 550W PSU 520W PSU 760W PSU 1.2kW PSU
NAME
XFX Pro Series 550W Core
Edition
Antec HCG-520M
High Current Gamer 520W
Corsair Professional Series
AX760i
Corsair Professional Series
AX1200i
SUPPLIER www.novatech.co.uk www.ebuyer.com www.ebuyer.com www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.xfxforce.com www.antec.com www.corsair.com www.corsair.com
REVIEWED Issue 122, p50 Issue 122, p43 Issue 122, p53 Issue 111, p40
PRICE (inc VAT) 53 77 160 250
92 January 2014
Our choice of the best hardware available
UPDATED
TYPE 24IN MONITOR 27IN BUDGET MONITOR 29IN MONITOR 4K MONITOR
NAME Dell U2412M Digimate IPS-2701WPH Dell U2913WM Asus PQ321QE
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.dell.com www.digimate.com www.dell.com www.asus.com
REVIEWED Issue 105, p64 Issue 115, p62 Issue 115, p58 Issue123, p27
PRICE (inc VAT) 222 338 380 2,986
TYPE SOUND CARD USB SOUND CARD 2.1 SPEAKERS HEADSET
NAME Creative Sound Blaster Z Asus Xonar Essence One Corsair SP2500 Qpad QH-90
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.dabs.com www.scan.co.uk www.scan.co.uk
MANUFACTURER www.creative.com www.asus.com www.corsair.com www.qpad.com
REVIEWED Issue 116, p42 Issue 118, p44 Issue118, p75 Issue 118, p69
PRICE (inc VAT) 74 340 176 73
93 January 2014
TYPE RPG FPS STRATEGY UNDERDOG
NAME Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim BioShock Infinite Frozen Synapse Trine 2
DEVELOPER www.bethsoft.com http://irrationalgames.com www.mode7games.com http://frozenbyte.com
PUBLISHER www.bethsoft.com www.2kgames.com www.mode7games.com http://frozenbyte.com
REVIEWED Issue 101, p100 Issue 118, p84 Issue 96, p92 Issue 102, p98
PRICE (inc VAT) 18 30 19 for two 12
TYPE KEYBOARD MMO KEYBOARD MOUSE
NAME Gigabyte Osmium Corsair Vengeance K95 Mionix Naos 3200
SUPPLIER www.scan.co.uk www.cclonline.com www.dabs.com
MANUFACTURER www.gigabyte.com www.corsair.com www.mionix.net
REVIEWED Issue 123, p66 Issue 123, p64 Issue 108, p60
PRICE (inc VAT) 98 129 40
94 January 2014
XCOM:
Enemy Within
Behold, the Seeker, one of the fearsome new
alien enemies in Firaxis first expansion to
XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Hes able to use his
cloak ability to sneak up on your soldiers before
choking them with his tentacles, but youre by no
means helpless against this sly new adversary.
Enemy Within is all about infusing alien
technology into your soldiers bodies to even the
odds against the extraterrestrial menace.
Genetic alterations can improve your snipers
aim, enable your medic to emit a healing gas
from his pores, or simply turn your Heavy into
a7ft-high hulking mech. Enemy Within is
released later in November, so expect a review
in our next issue.
he fearsome new
i
c
u
s
t
o
m
p
c
E
X
C
LU
S
IV
E
IM
A
G
E

96
CYNICAL HIT
Blowing off Steam
98
TITANFALL
Mech it out
100
F1 2013
Age racefully
101
SHADOW WARRIOR
Remake or break?
102
THE STANLEY PARABLE
Bask in his story
104
THE WOLF AMONG US
Its a wolfs life
106
ENGINE ROOM
Total War
110
INDIE CORNER
The games to watch from
independent developers
96
95 January 2014
Readers Night Wed, 27 November, 9 till late
The place Our Counter-Strike: Source server
What you need An up-to-date Counter-Strike:
Source installation
GAME SERVER IP ADDRESSES
32-player BC2 85.236.101.22:16667
32-player CS: Source 85.236.101.24: 37015
FIND US ON STEAM
Public group http://steamcommunity.com/groups/
CustomPC
Modern Warfare 2 http://steamcommunity.com/
groups/CustomWarfare2
w
e now finally know Valves master plan to save PC
gaming with Linux boxes. Software available to all,
toinstall on whatever machine you want. Prototype
devices packing GTX Titans, because theres no kill
like overkill followed by a little extra kill and delivered by nuke for good
measure. Home streaming. Months of ultimately unfulfilled hopes for
Half-Life 3. A really weird controller with dual touchpads.
Were it any other company attempting this feat, it wouldnt even be
worth pondering its success. Microsoft failed miserably with Games
For Windows Live, the PC Gaming Alliance is only
fit to apologise for the existence of the PC Gaming
Alliance, and its hard to imagine even EA or
Ubisoft pulling off anything similar. Valve has
form, though, having legitimised, if not invented,
digital distribution, to the point that people
routinely buy games they already own purely to
have access to them on Steam. It has Nvidia on
side, providing both graphical firepower and easier game porting.
Hardware remains a big question mark, but a manageable one.
But would a win for Valve also be a win for the rest of us? Thats a
tricky question. The power of the PC is its openness, and while Linux
itself counts, Steam is always going to be a closed ecosystem to at
least some degree its Valves store, playground and technology for it
toshare as it chooses. Its built up a phenomenal reputation over the
years, admittedly, but to quote Neil Gaimans classic Neverwhere,
Remember, Lucifer used to be an angel. You could also add: Absolute
power corrupts absolutely, and other cynicisms.
The timing seems right, though, largely thanks to Windows 8
demonstrating that Microsoft would quite happily lock everything
down, with its PC gaming ventures stuck in the shadow of its more
profitable Xbox division. Two options are better than one, if only
Valve has the potential to be a very different
PC gaming boss from Microsoft, argues
Richard Cobbett
toremind people that options even exist and while Linux gaming has
evolved from Tux Racer, it still needs a patron with a big wallet.
More importantly, though, the raw technologies behind SteamOS
are unconnected from the store or Valves ambitions. It cant buy Linux.
Likewise, OpenGL isnt its API to close down. An Nvidia graphics driver
that makes Doom 4 look pretty will also work in Unity or any other
engine that wants to hook into it.
More generally, a game on Steam for Linux, whether or not its
made for it, is also only a quick jump from running on regular
Ubuntuor another distro. Valve has a
powerful store and Steamworks, but those
are by far the easiest parts of the experience
to swap out with alternatives such as Desura,
though admittedly without the community.
Communities arent tied down with chains
though; people will change allegiance. Just
ask MySpace or Friendster.
At the very least, Valve has earned enough benefit of the doubt that
itwill do right by the world that it might actually succeed here. PC
owners dont give their love easily, and hoard respect even tighter.
Still,theres a massive challenge ahead if its going to pull this off, and
especially to retain its moral compass if it proves successful enough
that people talk about Xbox, PS4 and Steam instead of mentioning the
PC. It may not seem likely, but it wasnt that long ago we were all saying
IBM PC compatible either.
MEET THE
NEW BOSS
PEOPLE WILL CHANGE
ALLEGIANCE. JUST
ASKMYSPACE OR
FRIENDSTER
GAMING
96 January 2014
Richard Cobbett is a journalist and professional cynic, wishing
everything was as easy to solve as an adventure game puzzle.
@richardcobbett
CYnical hit
THE KNOWLEDGE
Publisher EA
Developer Respawn
Entertainment
Website www.titanfall.
com/uk
Release date March 2014
he games industry is changing. New models
of distribution and funding have seen a huge
surge in the development of vibrant,
imaginative and original games. Old hats
tired of making the same game with slightly better
graphics have broken away to make the games
theyve always wanted, while new faces in the
bustling indie scene are breaking ground in new
ways. Amid this explosion of creativity, Titanfall
looked a little behind the times when its debut videos
stomped onto the Internet earlier this year.
It looked like another grey-looking, overly serious
FPS set in the near future, and its biggest idea
seemed to be taking the standard Call of Duty
multiplayer format and putting mechs in it. As a
result, we must confess it wasnt at the top of our list
of most exciting games coming out next year. But
then we played it.
In the space of 20 minutes, Titanfall demonstrated
in quite remarkable fashion that theres plenty of
room in gaming for the mainstream shooter, and that
the former Call of Duty heads who founded Respawn
Entertainment havent been resting on their laurels.
Instead, theyve dismantled the template for your
average virtual gun festival, examined each
component and then found a way to make it better,
more efficient and more novel.
Titanfall is a dynamic multiplayer FPS, but
onethat simultaneously incorporates the
choreographed drama and narrative structure of
asingle-player FPS mission. The demo we played
was set on a map named Angel City, in which two
interstellar armies vie for control of a twisting, neon-
drenched, futuristic Cityscape in a familiar team-
deathmatch scenario. Before the battle, both teams
are privy to a brief scripted introduction,
which outlines the objectives
and the reason behind the
conflict. From there, its
acombined rush to the
combat zone, where the
game begins in earnest.
The soldiers in Titanfall
arent your standard
military FPS squaddies.
Known as Pilots, theyre
equipped with a short-
range jetpack enabling them to double-jump and
run along walls. Nimble and acrobatic fighters,
theyre able to hop through second-storey windows
with ease, and pinball themselves between buildings
to scramble up to rooftops.
Titanfalls jetpack adds a whole new dimension to
the team-based FPS, enabling you to flank and get
behind the enemy with ease. No longer are two
teams clashing along rigidly established battle lines.
Instead, theyre constantly among one another like
aswarm of fighting insects. It basically combines
thecooperative nature of a team game with the
unpredictability of a free-for-all. Its also remarkably
easy to get to grips with the game, as it takes care of
grabbing ledges and sticking to walls for you. In fact,
the controls system was so slick and responsive that
the gamepad supplied for this preview session didnt
feel like a hindrance in any way.
While Pilot combat is excellent, its only half the
story. From the start of the mission, a two-minute
timer begins to count down for each Pilot. If you score
points by killing enemies and generally doing cool
stuff, the timer will count down faster. When the
timer reaches zero, your own personal Titan
becomes available, and you can Initiate Titanfall by
designating a clear area of ground and holding the
relevant button. A ball of fire appears in the sky, as
your hulking mech is fired from the orbiting dropship
and plummets to the ground, landing with an earth-
shaking whump. You clamber aboard, or
leap into the cockpit from the nearest
rooftop, and the Titans four-panelled view
then lights up, and the other half of
Titanfalls game commences.
Being inside a Titan a 12ft-high
perambulating artillery fortress
makes you feel invincible.
Enemy Pilots buzz
around you like flies,
and you can
T
TITANFALL
Initiating jaw-fall
98 January 2014
,
introduction,
es
y g
and plummets to the ground, landing with
shaking whump. You clamber ab
leap into the cockpit from the n
rooftop, and the Titans four-pa
then lights up, and the other
Titanfalls game comme
Being inside a Titan a
perambulating artiller
makes you feel invin
Enemy Pilots b
around yo
and
back into the combat zone to continue the
fight on foot, at which point the countdown to
your next Titan being ready begins.
Its the layering of Titanfalls various
systems that makes it so novel and engaging.
It layers verticality on top of a previously
horizontal plane of combat, sprinkling Titans
over the familiar foot-soldier FPS, framing
the fluidity of multiplayer with a single-
player structure. Titanfall even layers a
game onto its game. Once the round is over,
theres an Epilogue stage in which the losing
team must make a dash to an extraction
point, while the winners are tasked with
hunting them down. It makes for a fabulously
frantic end to the match, which is typical of
Titanfalls approach to rebuilding the FPS
from the ground up.
There are so many other little bells and
whistles that complement the experience as
well, such as the way in which your teams AI
PREVIEW
swat them into oblivion with a blast from
your Titans enormous machine gun, or use
its gravity-vortex ability to catch enemy
bullets in mid-air and return them to sender,
because revenge is best served with a side
dish of irony. Titans are also equipped with
ashoulder-mounted rocket launcher
designed for emergency situations, such as
being ambushed by an opposing Titan while
reloading your main weapon.
Of course, youre not unstoppable. In fact,
Titan combat tends to be a short, sharp
experience, because driving one also makes
you a big walking target for every enemy
Titan nearby. Moreover, all Pilots carry an
anti-Titan weapon, such as a laser-guided
rocket launcher or a rapid-fire machine
gunwith a huge bullet calibre. If your Titan
sustains too much damage, you have a brief
opportunity to pull your ejector seat, which
rockets you into the sky, before dropping you
commanders keep you informed of the
battles progress via video-com, or the way
Pilots can leap upon the backs of friendly
Titans for a ride, or clamber onto enemy
Titans to either destroy or commandeer
them. Even the Pilots arsenal has been
carefully considered. Accompanying the
familiar shotguns and assault rifles are
unique weapons, such as a pistol that can
firearound corners.
Almost every aspect of what we saw of
Titanfall was utterly riveting, but there are
some big questions remaining. Firstly,
can Titanfall impress over the course of 20
hoursas it did over 20 minutes? Its already
clear that Respawns remodelling of the
multiplayer FPS has spawned a thrilling,
explosive experience. However, explosions
tend to be short-lived, and we have no idea
how Titanfalls exhilarating demo will
compare to the final version of the game.
IsAngel City the most interesting map
available, or the least? How will its
mechanics fare in different game modes?
How will player upgrades affect its delicately
balanced systems?
All these questions funnel into the
samegap thats currently present in our
knowledge about the game. What we can
sayfor certain, however, is that if the entire
experience is consistent with the demo
weplayed, Titanfall could well be the best
game of 2014.
RICK LANE
99 January 2014
THE KNOWLEDGE
Price 29.99 (39.99 for
Classic Edition) inc VAT
Developer Codemasters,
Birmingham
Publisher Codemasters
Website
www.formula1-game.com
aking an annually updated sports game
cantbe easy, especially if the sport hasnt
changed a lot lately. Thats where F1 2013
finds itself; the most recent F1 season hasnt
even provided a new track to virtually recreate.
Accordingly, Codemasters has looked to the past for
inspiration, and consequently the star of this years F1
game isnt from this year, but the 1980s. The Classics
mode adds cars and drivers from 30 years ago, and
lets them race on all of this seasons tracks, plus a
handful of memorable circuits from bygone years,
such as Brands Hatch or Spains Estoril.
Its a smart idea. The 80s cars provide a radically
different driving experience from the technological
marvels of today. More raw in their power and robust in
their construction, theyre for throwing around corners
and jostling amid the pack; a refreshing distraction
from the precision demanded by the modern cars.
Unfortunately, the Classics mode is just that, a
distraction rather than an alternative. Theres also a
1990s classic pack, which has its own unique cars,
drivers and HUD design, and also includes what we
consider the best car in the entire game Damon Hills
beautiful, ferociously fast 1996 Williams. But access to
this feature requires you to fork out an extra tenner for
the Classic Edition of the game.
This is brazen on Codemasters part, as the Classics
mode is the only major addition to the 2013 version.
The other changes are mostly tweaks
such as improved car handling, more
detailed information from the race
engineer and the ability to save mid-race.
This isnt to say its a bad game. The
racing model remains intensely detailed,
and driving the cars is still utterly
thrilling. Every little change in your
environment conditions can be felt; the condition
ofthetrack, weather, tyre wear and fuel-load, each
ofwhich is able to dramatically affect your race
competitiveness. Perhaps too dramatically. On wet
races, tyres give outalmost always at the same point,
making the car extremely difficult to drive. Meanwhile,
the AI seems toencounter no problems whatsoever.
The accumulated content from the past few years
means theres plenty of game here too, from short,
one-off races, to time trials, specific challenge
scenarios such as beating your team-
mate on your first race, and a whole
hostof multiplayer features. The added
Classics mode may not be sufficient to
draw in purchasers of last years game,
but if youre a newcomer to the series, F1
2013 is undoubtedly the definitive version.
RICK LANE
M
CHEQUERED
FLAG
Largely excellent
simulation;
brilliant
Classicsmode
SAFETY CAR
Not much new;
simulation
sometimes
toorigid
Blast from the past
75
OVERALL

100 January 2014
F1 2013
REVIEW
THE KNOWLEDGE
Price 7.99 inc VAT
Developer Galactic Cafe
Publisher Galactic Cafe
Website
www.stanleyparable.com
91
OVERALL

102 January 2014
nce upon a time, the Stanley Parable was a
small but interesting Half-Life 2 mod that
explored the gap between following a games
story and forging your own path. You played
Stanley, a man who worked in an enormous office
complex inputting numbers into a computer. One
day,Stanleys co-workers suddenly disappeared and,
more worryingly, his life began to be narrated by an
omnipotent storyteller with a voice like warm treacle.
Stanley began to search for his co-workers until he
came to a pair of doors, at which point the narrator
stated that Stanley entered the door on his left. The
storys progression was then up to the player, and
theconsequences of those decisions were often
unexpected and usually funny.
Several years of hard work and one training
montage later, The Stanley Parable is back as
afullgame, with completely redeveloped
environments and a much broader
network of choices. Each individual story
thread can last between ten minutes and
half an hour, often not so much breaking
the fourth wall as demolishing it with a
wrecking ball. Meanwhile, the narrators
role swings from being your outright
nemesis to your guide, companion and, at times, even
your victim. Along the way it pokes fun at many modern
video game conventions and idiosyncrasies, such as
entitled player feedback and arbitrary moral choices.
Almost every action the player can perform
in-game has been considered ahead of time and given
a response. For example, one area requires you to
input a code, which the narrator gives you. If you
restart, and input the code again before the narrator
tells you it, he chastises you for rushing through his
story. Its exceptionally clever, but also manages to
avoid feeling smug, by having a sharp needle of
humour ready to pop any inflated sense of self.
In addition, nearly all the original mods flaws have
been fixed. The problem of having to restart a lot and
walk through the same initial area has been sorted
bymaking that initial area subtly different every time.
The only complaint is that theres little
interaction beyond deciding where to
go,but those choices are so frequent,
andtheir results so delightfully strange
and amusing, that this rarely feels
problematic. Listen to the Stanley
Parable, and youll live happily ever after.
RICK LANE
O
THE STANLEY PARABLE
RIGHT
Incredibly funny
and clever
WRONG
Little interaction
beyond choice
Meta is better
REVIEW
THE KNOWLEDGE
Price 18.99 inc VAT (for all
five episodes)
Developer Telltale Games
Publisher Telltale Games
Website www.
telltalegames.com/
thewolfamongus
he Wolf Among Us is Telltales first new game
series since last years The Walking Dead, and
it looks just as dark and compelling. Playing
as Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown, youre
tasked with solving a grisly murder in New York suburb
populated entirely by displaced fairytale characters.
Like the Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us features
strong writing and a story that adapts according to
your choices. Telltales flair for the dramatic is
immediately apparent, and the twisted world of Bill
Willinghams Fables comics makes for a delightfully
twisted setting. Having to survive among regular
humans has forced the Fables to adapt too. For
example, the Woodsman, saviour of Red Riding Hood,
is now an alcoholic deadbeat who continues to hold a
grudge against the Wolf.
Bigby is intriguing too, as hes generally attempting
to make up for his past misdeeds by protecting the
other Fables and dispensing justice. Unfortunately,
people dont easily forget a face that blows down
houses and eats grandmothers, so hes generally
greeted with apprehension and mistrust.
Meanwhile, writer Pierre Shorette handles the
source material well, and despite this
being the first episode of five, the plot
moves rapidly with sharp twists.
However, in one case, the twist involves
an important character with whom we
arent acquainted well enough for it to be
properly effective. Also, Bigbys position
as a literal lone wolf, and the focus on
mystery at this stage, can make it harder to empathise
with the characters problems than in the Walking
Dead, beyond their relevance to your case.
Alongside the dialogue options and major binary
events, you also make choices regarding how you
proceed in your investigation, specifically the order in
which you visit certain locales. Moreover, the game is
clear about when choices are being made, and when
characters are influenced by what you say to them.
This makes the narrative choices feel less illusory,
although the game should also include an option to
switch off these notifications if you dont want to see
the mechanisms underneath.
Also, while the art style is beautiful, Telltales clunky
old engine struggles to bear the weight of all those
lovely cel-shaded shadows. The larger environments
suffer from stuttering and slowdown; given that
theyarent particularly large, this is
disappointing. Fortunately, these flaws
are countered by the games fast-paced
storytelling and novel setting. We dont yet
know how far the branching narrative will
actually branch, but theres no doubt
about Telltales storytelling talent.
RICK LANE
T
BIG
Compelling
narrative; large
number of
choices
BAD
Some technical
issues; less
empathetic
than The
WalkingDead
Whos afraid of Bigby Wolf?
80
OVERALL

104 January 2014
THE WOLF AMONG US:
EPISODE ONE
Rick Lane
n its 13 years of existence, the Total
war series has revolutionised the
capabilities of the grand strategy
genre three times, and has generally
stayed graphically ahead of the curve since
its debut in 1999. Its games have seen
players fight over most of the earths
landmass at one point or another, from
thesmall-scale feudal wars of Japan to
dominating three-quarters of the globe in
Empire, with trips to Medieval Europe and
Imperial Rome in between. The recent
Shogun 2 was one of the best strategy games
ever made, and the latest, Rome II, is one of
the largest. But, bizarrely, it was never
meant to be this way.
Originally, it was supposed to just be
aquick RTS clone to make a bit of quick
cash,but it sort of grew as the game was
developed, says Charlie Dell, lead engine
programmer on the Total War series,
whohas been with games creator, The
the engine room
Creative Assembly, since 1999. Thats my
remembering of it. I have to stress that I was
just doing front-end work on that one; I was
23 years old I think.
Conceptually, Total War began life as a
two-dimensional Command and Conquer
knock-off from a company whose history lay
in making licensed sports games. It was only
after the advent of 3dfx graphics cards, and
subsequent experimentation with 3D
landscaping, that the game began to evolve
into the strategic behemoth we know today.
The lead programmer at the time was
Tag, short for Anthony Taglioni, I believe.
Hedeveloped this system based on Bzier
patches. The landscapes are stitched
together in a grid, and you get an effect
rather like the South Downs out of it, Dell
explains. No one else was doing anything
like that the time, and then everything else
was bolted on top; all the little sprites
running around, the little models and the
little trees. I suppose the terrain drove
everything really.
Even the campaign map, the entire other
half of Shogun where the vast majority of
thestrategy plays out, emerged as a
consequence of these 3D battle maps.
Weneeded something to stitch the battles
together to give them context. That ended
upbeing the board game of Japan; it just sort
of snowballed.
Shogun went on to be a surprise hit for The
Creative Assembly, and since then the team
has always strived to incorporate the best
graphics tech available into its strategy
games. The next major jump came in 2004
with Rome, which introduced total 3D
rendering for everything, including units
andthe campaign map. Yet rendering such
alarge number of units in polygons would
have put enormous pressure on graphics
cards and processors of the time, so The
Creative Assemblys solution was to continue
106 January 2014
Rick Lane charts the progress march of the strategy game that conquered the world
Total War
In Rome II, the size of cities on
the campaign map directly
relates to their size on the
battle maps
ANALYSIS
107 January 2014
using sprite-based models, and simply
conceal their appearance.
We had the experience of using the 2D
sprites in Shogun for the men, and in Rome,
we used a hybrid of the two systems. So you
had high-detail meshes up close, and at a
certain distance, we just flipped them and
hoped no one noticed, Dell says.
In fact, the use of sprites at the greater
camera distances has continued right up
until today. Warscape, the engine thats
powered the Total War games since 2009s
Empire, still makes the transition to sprite-
based units at the maximum camera
distance. Of course, this also works the other
way, as the camera zooms in on a unit, the
reduced rendering requirement enables the
designers to pack in a huge amount of detail
on those individual units. We can easily
afford the amount of processing power you
may spend on an FPS game when youre
viewing it up close, Dell states.
Warscape was the engine that saw Total
Wars units morph from rather blocky
clumps of polygons into humanoid models
that rival the artistry in most advanced
first-person shooters. It also significantly
improved the bespoke combat animations
for individual units. Previously, individual
units would essentially flail at the air while
underlying calculations dictated who won
and lost. But from Medieval II onwards, the
combat animations have become more
detailed, with dozens of individual duels
playing out within the crush of battle.
While this adds to the authentic look of the
combat, though, it could also be problematic.
The Total War games are ultimately strategy
games, so adding increasingly complex and
flashy animations could affect the tactical
outcome of battles, especially since they
onlyrender the nearest levels of detail. The
Creative Assemblys solution was to entirely
separate the games tactical logic from the
physical rendering of battle events.
We try to keep the amount of information
required by the logic side to a minimum, Dell
explains. So if you imagine two characters
who meet in one of these little matched
combats, all the information we need from
alogic point of view can come from a motion
tracker on the ground, around the guys
logical position. The rest of it is calculations
on the rendering side; the animations and
soon. As long as they tie to the positions then
its all fine.
During battle, the logic engine is only
concerned with a characters position,
orientation and velocity, and has no ties to the
nuances you see in character combat. This
prevents the difference in rendering detail
between characters near to the camera, and
characters distant from the camera, from
affecting the strategic outcome of the fight. It
also ensures the logic is kept synchronised in
multiplayer games, in which players will see
different levels of detail at different times.
For the first half of Total Wars history, all
these calculations had to be performed by
the same processor, meaning there was a
limit to graphical quality. This changed with
the advent of multi-core processors. The
actual game simulation only updates at a
frequency of 10Hz, if you imagine those as
animation keyframes, says Dell. If your
game is running at 40fps, its rendering four
frames for each logic update. We push that
At the maximum view distance, Rome II still transitions to sprites for its units But when zoomed in, Rome II rivals the best-looking first-person shooters
THESE CALCULATIONS
HAD TO BE PERFORMED
BY THE SAME
PROCESSOR
As with soldier units, city buildings switch between
several levels of detail, depending on their distance
from the camera
Empire was the first Total War game to feature
characters that could path-find on their own, rather
than in groups
Rome IIs largest cities are graphically demanding, due
to their high polygon requirements
108
108 January 2014
the engine room
entire update off onto one core,
and while were waiting for it
tofinish, we interpolate
between the last known frame
and the frame before that. So in
effect the logic is a tenth of a
second ahead of what youre
actually seeing.
By comparison, Dell points
out that if you were running at
60fps on a single-core CPU, the
game would have to complete
all its processing in 60
milliseconds. Basically,
offsetting the logic calculations
to a separate core adds an
additional 40 milliseconds with
which to play; these can go
anywhere from improving
visuals to improving path-
finding, or creating more
sophisticated AI.
Speaking of which, while
Total War has been deservedly
lauded for its ability to present
scale and spectacle, AI has
consistently been a bugbear.
Inalmost every release,
complaints have been made
about overly simplistic battle AI,
or idiosyncratic campaign AI.
Not all of these complaints are
valid Shogun 2s AI provided a sufficiently
stiff challenge, but its a recurring complaint
within the series. Dell states that creating
competent AI is by far the toughest aspect of
developing a Total War game.
Even with a game of chess, where you
have a limited number of pieces with a well-
defined set of moves, it would still take the
fastest computers longer than the universe
has been in existence to evaluate a perfect
game of chess, he explains. So if you
multiplied that by the number of men on a
battlefield, the number of ways they can
move and the number of tasks they can
possibly carry out, you can see that trying to
make an AI system that can deal with all
those situations becomes really difficult.
But improvements have been made. For
example, up to the release of Empire, AI
path-finding on the battlefield was worked
out on a unit-by-unit basis, with the men of a
unit blindly following a beacon set by the unit.
Since the introduction of Warscape in
Empire, individual soldiers have been
capable of path-finding on their own, using
various techniques, such as some soldiers
following paths forged by other soldiers.
Thisdoes have the downside of sometimes
creating an unconvincing conga-line effect,
but its indicative of how CA is attempting to
incrementally improve the AIs capabilities.
Meanwhile, the developer continues to
improve the Warscape engine in other ways.
One aspect thats changed considerably over
the years is the way in which battle-map
terrain relates to your location on the
campaign map. In the original Shogun,
therewas a pre-set number of maps that
corresponded to particular regions.
Mountainous regions would load one of
several mountainous maps, river regions a
river map and so on. In Rome, CA attempted
to procedurally generate Roman Europe
using fractals, but found that procedural
generation doesnt give the
landscape the same level of
variation as hand-painting what
Dell calls a crinkly paper look.
Since then, the team has opted
for a mixture of the two. The
entirety of Europe is mapped out in
a tile structure, with thousands of
individual tiles representing battle
maps, and battles taking place on
the closest corresponding
campaign map tile. These maps
are built using a combination of
procedural generation and hand-
moulding. Theyre made up from
various prefabs, says Dell. So
there are lots of hill prefabs and
river prefabs, plains, mountains
and whatever. Those tessellate
together, and underlying that
system is a low-frequency lattice
that the whole setup sits on, which
is used to determine your height
from sea level up to the foothills
and then into the mountains.
The latest game, Rome II, added
that same mixture of procedural
generation and custom-built
assets to its sprawling cities, with
bespoke maps for the most
historically significant cities
(Rome, Carthargo, Athens and so
on), and prefabs that vary in size and layout
for Barbarian cities. Creating cities of this
scale and detail has only become possible
recently, due to their much higher
requirements in terms of memory and
processing power. To look convincing, they
need to have a fairly high polygon count
attached to them, says Dell. These cities are
almost life-scale, with a couple of kilometres
across some of them, so if you try to fill that
city with assets, the resources needed add
up very quickly. It also takes quite a lot of
memory to cope with path-finding
representation and so on.
The team is currently concerned with
supporting Rome II, and when asked what
tech its considering for future games, Dell
simply replies lots. Given that The Creative
Assembly created the most acclaimed
strategy game in existence almost by
accident, its perhaps best not to
underestimate its capabilities.
Medieval II introduced units with asymmetric armour and clothing, as well as motion-
captured battle animations
The original Shogun featured fully 3D landscapes, but sprite-based soldiers
107
110 January 2014
he indie game scene has seemingly
exploded over the last few years. Not
in the Oh God, what happened? I cant
feel my legs sense, but in the Ooh, aah
firework display sense. The difference, of
course, is that this firework display can be
witnessed from the comfort and warmth of
your computer desk, and each individual
burst of sound and colour is so radically
different from the last that its impossible
to be bored by it. From fizzy little sparkler
experiments such as Vlambeers myriad
small games, to thundering, awe-inspiring
rockets such as Minecraft, the variety and
imagination on offer make for a truly
dazzling spectacle.
And its unlikely to end any time soon
so,ina small effort to keep up, heres a
briefrundown of some of the most novel
and intriguing indie games currently
beingdeveloped.
Rick Lane takes a look at some of the coolest independent games that are currently
in development, so you know what to look out for
any indie games effectively avoid specific genres, as so
manyof them are unique in their own ways. However,
theresone that is inextricably linked to the rise of indie
development, and thats the survival game. Since 2010, there
hasbeen a surge in games that task the player with prevailing in
aharsh, unforgiving wilderness, such as
Dont Starve, Miasmata and, of course,
Minecraft. The Long Dark is the latest game
to brave the elements and tackle this genre,
and it looks set to be the purest, most
immersive survival simulation yet.
Set in a fully 3D world with a beautiful
minimalist art style, The Long Dark tasks
you with enduring after a cataclysmic
electromagnetic event destroys all the
worlds technology. Every bodily need is
simulated: hunger, thirst, tiredness and
temperature, and all of these requirements
must be juggled while exploring the world,
collecting resources, and crafting equipment to improve your
chances of staying alive. Immersion is the main draw of The
LongDark, with all the information about your character
communicated to you via its utterances, and there are plans
toaddfull-body rendering and animations.
Furthermore, unlike most survival
games, which place you alone in the
wilderness, The Long Dark will include AI
survivors also seeking salvation, and a
significant part of the game will involve
choosing how to deal with them. Will you
pool your resources and work together? Or
will you be a predator, hunting down other
survivors and taking what you need for
yourself? Theres still a year of development
to go, but with names such as Mass Effect
voice actress Jennifer Hale on board, the
Long Dark could well be one of next years
biggest indie hits.
Website www.intothelongdark.com Developer Hinterland Studios Release 2014
GAMES
111 January 2014
ho remembers Jedi Knight II? If that
classic happened to slip past you, it
featured the best representation of
lightsabers in all the Star Wars games,
and also had one of the most fluid,
dynamic and exhilarating melee combat
systems to date. Now a team of fans-
turned-developers are making a sword-
fighting game inspired by Jedi Knight IIs superb combat system.
Blade Symphony is a straightforward duelling game based on
player skill rather than button mashing. There are no unbalancing
character upgrades or perks, and all the unlockable items are
purely cosmetic. Blade Symphony is all about learning how to
better your opponent through talent and training.
There are four characters, which
specialise in weaponry, from Japanese
Katanas to fencing foils, military sabers
and the mighty medieval long sword.
Each character has three different
stances and over 40 types of attack.
Moreover, attacks are performed in real
time, with three-dimensional physics and
collision detection, ensuring that blades clash realistically. Plus,
you can stop an attack at any point in a manoeuvre to return to a
safeguard, allowing for nimble feints and clever counterattacks.
Melee combat games are often plagued by canned animations
and restrictive QuickTime events, so the prospect of a duelling
game thats flexible and analogue is very exciting indeed.
Website http://tangiersgame.com
Developer Andalusian Release Mid-2014
ames dont get much stranger than the brilliant-looking
Tangiers. Its a stealth game set in a surreal cityscape
inspired by the modernist writers and avant-garde art
movements of the early 20th century. Its environments include
a forest made entirely out of giant, stubbed-out cigarettes, and
a city with walls plastered in modernist prose and poetry.
Meanwhile, its inhabitants are tall, long-limbed creatures.
It lies somewhere between Thief and Dishonored, with you
sneaking through the shadows and avoiding your enemies line
of sight. Its a completely open sandbox, meaning much of it will
also involve figuring out precisely how to move through the city,
infiltrate certain buildings and perform assassinations.
But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Tangiers is the
way that levels can collapse and rebuild around you. Tangiers
reality is crumbling , and your actions can dramatically affect
the weakening fabric of space. Meanwhile, the words of other
characters have physical form, and can be stolen to use against
your enemies by spreading rumours and misinformation.
Website http://maiagame.com
Developer Simon Roth Release 2014
here arent enough games with disembodied floating
hands now. The palm of Dungeon Keeper and stroking
fingers of Black and White added a sense of tactility, something
thats been lost in recent years. However, Maia brings back the
disembodied hand, and a lot more besides.
This god game tasks you with setting up a human colony in
an alien world. The planets surface is hostile to human life, so
you must take your team underground, mine minerals and
excavate rooms from the rock to found your settlement.
You issue orders to the scientists and aliens who make
upyour colony, and they carry them out, depending on their
physical condition and emotional temperament. Characters
actually have, well, character, and that affects how they get on
in the colony, their relationship with other colonists and their
likelihood of survival.
Ensuring your colonists are fed and entertained will be
crucial to keeping up their spirits, enabling them to conduct
forays to the surface to find sources of power and food.
Website www.blade-symphony.com Developer Puny Human Release Out now (Beta)
112 January 2014
Jim Killock
ve had the displeasure this week of
reading our governments current
policies for the future of the Internet.
Published in the summer, the
document claims to be a strategy for digital
policy: Connectivity, content and consumers:
Britains digital platform for growth.
In fact, the strategy is the remnants of what
was meant to be the communications bill
that Jeremy Hunt was pushing before he was
put in charge of the NHS. Hunt had gained
control of Internet and media policy after
Vince Cable was recorded criticising the
Murdoch press. Internet policy is now the
poor relation of football and opera, stuck in a
department many people dont think should
exist. Many who do believe in the department
for culture, media and sport (DCMS), such as
music and film lobby groups, often view the
Internet as a problem, focusing on heavy-
handed policies to reduce illicit file sharing.
CONNECTI VI TY
After Hunt left, the possibility of getting
serious attention for any of the real issues
with which the department should be dealing
seems to have faded. Internet policy needs
tobe asking serious questions about the
capacity of the UK network, which is lagging
behind South Korea, Japan, Switzerland and
the Czech Republic.
Just as importantly, were all expecting a
massive growth in the numbers of connected
devices, as more everyday consumer
products have management tools that work
over the Internet. Meanwhile, the number
ofavailable Internet addresses has been
diminishing, with a limit of 4.3 billion unique
numbers. This is supposed to be solved with a
switch from IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4)
to IPv6, which provides, er, 340 billion billion
billion billion addresses, more or less (2128).
The practical problem that failing to
switchcreates is that Internet providers in
theUK, including mobile phone companies,
are using increasingly patchy methods of
allocating IP addresses. Now even fixed-
lineISPs are starting to use what they call
carrier grade NAT (network address
translation), just like mobile companies.
Carrier grade NAT is usually thought of as
substandard, as it can create security risks,
has reliability problems and doesnt offer full
Internet capabilities.
The switch is progressing very slowly, even
globally, but in the UK its so bad that last year
the UK body trying to promote it gave up and
disbanded. Peter Judge, in TechWeek
Europe, offers a possible reason why mobile
companies arent keen. He points out that
the kinds of things that could be developed
would most likely involve peer-to-peer
networking a possible reason why
authorities might not want to support IPv6.
He gives the example of IPv6-enabled
phones, which might be able to contact each
other directly, without going through the
centre of the operators network. This could
be more efficient, and reduce the load on the
network, but it would also allow users to
route round the operators billing systems.
But even so, the UK government should be
keen. NAT makes it hard to log and track user
IP addresses something it claims is a
serious problem for law enforcement, and
A dogs
breakfast
Jim Killock dissects
the governments latest
strategy for digital policy
113 January 2014
JIM
KILLOCK

is executive director of
campaign organisation
The Open Rights Group
(www.openrightsgroup.org)
@jimkillock
policing in which you believe, meaning that
its unlikely to be even handed.
The unit recently sent notifications to
somedomain name companies, boldly
stating that some of the domains they were
administrating for customers were being
used to infringe copyright and should be
handed to the police. EasyDNS in Canada
published a copy of a notice it received.
On the 24th September 2013, EasyDNS
Technologies was emailed a domain
suspension request It would be
appreciated if you would respond either
positively or negatively to this request
confirming if you will assist Police in
preventing this ongoing crime. EasyDNS
responded by asking, Who decides what is
illegal? What makes somebody a criminal?
Correct me if Im wrong, but I always thought
it was something that gets decided in a court
of law. I wonder if well see more of these
types of missteps in the future.
CONSUMERS
The DCMS rightly says that confidence is
important for economic growth on the
Internet. Unfortunately, however, it glosses
over the main barrier to online consumer
confidence, which is privacy and personal
security concerns. Instead, it emphasises
that the ad industry must be able to track
users around the Internet, unimpeded by
data protection constraints. The DCMS
warns that new EU legislation could harm
personal ad profiling, which it says is
welcomed by many consumers.
It also spends a lot of time reiterating its
policies for protecting children, but doesnt
explain how its going to prevent widespread
filtering from damaging legitimate
businesses from accessing their customers.
The DCMS insists it wants good filters, but
mentions nothing that will ensure problems
one reason it gave for pushing the Snoopers
Charter. IPv6 would remove that problem.
While the DCMS Internet strategy has
ambitions for improving Internet speeds, it
doesnt even mention IPv6. Apparently, the
UK government has given up as well.
Basically, the DCMS is simultaneously
encouraging new infrastructure investment,
but failing to push for an infrastructure thats
world class with support for IPv6.
Then theres the problem with radio
waves,or spectrum. Theres competition
between mobile telecoms companies and
broadcasters for spectrum, in which the
government has been receiving windfalls.
After claiming back spectrum released
byending analogue broadcasts, the
government is now auctioning the spectrum
for new applications, such as 4G
phone networks.
However, Id argue that it should
also properly release some
spectrum to the community, as
inthe case of Wi-Fi, for instance.
Unfortunately, that means the
government giving up a windfall,
and mobile companies potentially getting
some spectrum for free.
Therefore, Ofcom and DCMS are glad
togive up whitespaces small areas of
spectrum in locations that cant be easily
allocated and auctioned, but arent likely to
make it easy to do anything adventurous.
CONTENT
The DCMS is good at content, though, or at
least understanding the content industry.
While I dont wish to dissect its whole strategy
here, at least one aspect sticks out: a self-
congratulatory note about setting up the City
of London polices Intellectual property unit,
which is acting against websites it believes
are facilitating copyright infringement.
The DCMS doesnt mention that this unit
isexpected to be privately funded, including
receiving funds from the music industry lobby
group BPI.
This isnt the first ever instance of private
companies paying for policing, but its a
controversial strategy. If you pay for the
police, youre also paying for the type of
are resolved. However, it does spell out some
details about the filters: they must be on by
default and pre-ticked for parents. This is
silly. The aim is to make sure parents use
filters, but defaults might work against that, if
filtering is badly set up. If the filtering is badly
set up, to the point where its a nuisance, it
could encourage people to switch it off.
The DCMS also makes some very broad
statements about criminality on the Internet.
It says that material promoting terrorism is
unacceptable in any circumstances. This
kind of sweeping remark is genuinely
unhelpful. Is such material, exposed on a
documentary, unacceptable for inclusion in
that programme? Is it unacceptable for a
library to loan works by historical terrorists?
Who defines these terrorists?
It also mentions splash pages to
warn people who stumble on child
abuse images that they were about
to commit an offence and should
seek professional help. The DCMS
wishes to see a ban on search
terms related to paedophilia,
without considering that these
terms will mutate, and that such a ban could
harm people seeking help.
All these issues are difficult, but they
donthave a lot to do with the consumer
confidence that the policy is supposed to
encourage. Confidence that the police would
handle everyday complaints about phishing,
online fraud or online harassment would be
more help, but theyre not mentioned. To be
fair, many of these issues are about criminal
law enforcement, which isnt the DCMS job,
but online consumer confidence is about
much more than the points made in its
simplistic strategy document. Six out of ten.
Must try harder.
OPINION
THE DCMS DOESNT MENTION THAT
THIS UNIT IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE
FUNDING FROM THE MUSIC
INDUSTRY LOBBY GROUP BPI
just worked better. The Red 5 reference was
used for the red striped logo on the painted
side panel, which was the call-sign of
LukesX-Wing.
CPC: What's the purpose of the project?
Bill: Andrew wanted a case mod that drew
visual cues from Luke Skywalker's X-Wing
fighter, without adding wings to the sides of
the case. We both agreed the exterior should
look 'battle hardened' with meticulous
simulated paint effects. Areas of the exterior
were airbrushed by Brad Galvin, who created
multilayered panels with tiny fasteners. The
simulated engine vents were painted to look
distressed from heat.
114 January 2014
CPC: What inspired you to build
Rebel A?
Bill: I own www.Mnpctech.com
acustom PC modding service and
store based in the USA. My Intern, Andrew
Kjos, asked if I would help him with his first big
project build, inspired by the Rebel Alliance
from Star Wars. We imagined something that
would look like service equipment for the
X-Wing fighter .
Andrew: The inspiration came from my long-
time love for the original Star Wars movies.
When I was a kid, I would watch them nearly
every night, and I could recite every line from
every movie. Because it was such a big
influence on me while I was growing up, it was
a good choice for a theme that would have
real meaning to me.
CPC: Where did the name come from?
Andrew: The full name originally started as
Rebel Alliance Cosmos II, but that name
slowly became shortened to Rebel A, which
Your chance to get involved in Custom PC
Inspired by Luke
Skywalker's X-Wing in
Star Wars, Bill Owen
and Andrew Kjos
decided to build a PC
that might form a part of
the ship's hangar. This is
Red 5, Im going in
meet thy makers
Name Bill Owen
Age 45
Occupation Professional PC
modder
Location Minneapolis, MN
Main uses for PC Video editing
Likes Greene King IPA, WTHs on The
Mod Zoo podcast, sci-fi movies and
wrenching on old German cars
Dislikes Pop music
Name Andrew Kjos
Age 22
Occupation IT project manager at
UnitedHealth Group
Location Minneapolis, MN
Main uses for PC Gaming
Likes Fishing, hunting, web
development, modding, gaming,
electronic music, technology and sushi
Dislikes Country music dislike is an
understatement
R
E
A
D
E
R
S
'

D
R
I
V
E
S
115 January 2014
CPC: What difficulties did you come across,
and how did you solve them?
Bill: We planned to make custom
waterblocks for the EVGA GTX 780 graphics
cards, but we ran into resource constraints.
Andrew: Yes, those custom graphics card
waterblocks we had in the works would have
been awesome, but they just weren't feasible.
CPC: What materials did you use, and how
did you get the custom parts fabricated?
116
ENTER YOUR OWN PC AT HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET
FULL SYSTEM SPECS
CPU Intel Core i7-3930K
GPU 3 x EVGA GTX 780 Classified
Storage 512GB OCZ Vertex 4 SSD, 3 x 3TB Seagate
7,200rpm hard drives
Memory 32GB Corsair Dominator 2,133MHz
Motherboard Asus Rampage IV Extreme
PSU Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w
Cooling EK Supremacy Elite LGA2011 Nickel CPU block.
EK R4E Nickel CSQ motherboard block, 2 x EK Ram
Dominator X4 blocks, 2 x Alphacool 480 XT radiators, 2 x
DDC-3.2TP pumps and 1 x Swiftech MCP35X2 pump, 2 x
EK X3 150mm reservoirs, Bitspower and EK Black Nickel
fittings, Mayhems coolant
Andrew: I like mods where it isn't obvious
what the creator was trying to portray. In
thiscase, I didnt want a replica X-Wing, but
instead build from its influences. The end
result looks like a piece of machinery you
could find in the hangar.
CPC: What other mods have you built
between you?
Bill: Ive been building custom PCs for the
past decade. Andrew has made a handful of
builds, but this was his first large-scale build
that involved fabrication.
Andrew: I started building PCs in 2002, when
I was 12, and I'd just found Bills first videos on
YouTube. I was inspired to see all the unique
ways a PC build could be taken and made into
a work of art.
I slowly started moving through mods with
the help of my dad. The majority of my past
builds involved Dremel work and basic paint
jobs. Rebel A was the first time I used a solid
theme for a build.
Bill: We used a combination of acrylic sheets
in different thicknesses and 6061 aluminium
to fabricate the case modifications. The
majority of work was achieved using hand
and power tools. Our goal was to optimise
thespace for liquid cooling. We stripped the
chassis to its core before cutting anything,
and then sent it out for a Flat Grey automotive
paint finish. The interior is shrouded with
acrylic panels, so you can only see the
motherboard, graphics cards and
Aquacomputer Aquaero 5XTdisplay.
The CPU and 3-way SLI graphics card
setup have dedicated, individual loops. We
modified the chassis to fit two 420 radiators,
one in the roof and the other in the front. The
roof radiator is dedicated to the CPU loop,
with the front radiator serving the Classified
graphics cards.Two DDC-3.2TP pumps are
inthe CPU loop, with a Swiftech MCP35 dual
pump sending flow to the cards.
Meanwhile, the front bezel that covers the
four gentle Typhoon 120mm fans and the
SEE
Rebel A's full project
log at http://tinyurl.
com/Bullseye
Womprats
116 January 2014
Alphacool NexXxos 420 radiator was CNC-
machined from a block of aluminium. The
bezel was airbrushed with weathered and
distressed surface effects, and then topped
with a billet nameplate with 'Rebel A'
engraved into it. Each of the fan openings
alsofeatures five red anodised socket-head
screws, and all the Gentle Typhoon 120mm
fans were dismantled and painted to match
the exterior.
Then there's the top cover of the PC, which
is split into sections. Both of these sections
are hinged, to provide access to the fans on
the 420 radiator and two EK X3 150mm
reservoirs. There are also three 3TB Seagate
7,200rpm hard drives hidden underneath the
motherboard, installed in custom mounting
plates made from acrylic.
Other touches include the interior and
exterior vents, which are illuminated with
programmable RGB LED strips, so we can
change the colour and mood. The exterior
paint finish also emulates the layered panels
on the X-Wing fighter, with the Rebel Alliance
badge and Lukes rank on the wings, painted
in matt red. The matching coolant is a mixture
of blue and red dyes from Mayhems to form a
blood-red colour.
CPC: What tools and machinery did you
use?
Bill: The majority of the fabricated parts
weremade using our arsenal of hand and
power tools, which include a Dremel,
jigsaw,vertical saw and power drill. The
frontbezel and clear window panels were
theonly features that were CNC-milled at
www.Mnpctech.com
CPC: What media interest has the project
attracted?
Bill: Cooler Master shared the project on its
social media, and you can watch our video
series showing stages of the build at www.
youtube.com/user/MonsterMawd. It's
currently had over 150,000 views.
CPC: How long it take you to complete
building Rebel A?
Bill: Ten months, on and off.
CPC: What did you learn from this build?
Bill: That Cooler Masters Cosmos II is a
greatcanvas for creating modifications.
Andrew: This build was a great learning
experience for me. Having the opportunity to
work with many talented people also meant
that I could learn to provide direction, and
allow time for parts to develop. I envisioned
everything happening overnight, and that was
certainly unrealistic.
Bill has also given me an incredible
amount of experience and advice, which I will
take with me through my next builds. As we
spent so many hours together working on
this build, Bill was able to give me an insight
into building and modding that I would never
BEAWINNER!
To enter your machine for possible inclusion in Readers
Drives, your mod needs to be fully working and, ideally,
finished based in the UK. Simply log on to www.bit-tech.net and head over to the forums. Once
youre there, post a write-up of your mod, along with some pics, in the Project Logs forum. Make
sure you read the relevant rules and advice sticky threads before you post. The best entrant each
month will be featured here, where well print your photos of your project and also interview you
about the build process. Fame isnt the only prize; youll also get your hands on a fabulous
selection of prizes see the opposite page for details.
have otherwise experienced. To get that
personal exposure to one of the best, if not the
best, modders in the world is truly priceless.
CPC: Are you happy with the end result, and
is there anything you'd do differently if you
built it again?
Bill: I like the end result, and I would
implement reservoirs on top of a PC build
again too the angled mounting is ideal for
filling the loops.
Andrew: Im very happy with the end result.
The project started out with a pretty general
direction, but the theme became more
focused as time went on, and we ended up
with a project that had a great amount of
detail on every part of the case. I wanted to
create something that would surprise people
when they found out it was a Cosmos II, and I
think we accomplished that quite well.
Andrew and Bill
would like to
thank our photographer, Brian D Garrity
from Radar Studios in Minneapolis, and also
Mnpctechs build sponsors Cooler Master,
EK Waterblocks, Lutro0 Customs and
Mayhems coolants and dyes.
THANKS!
HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET
The Phobya modding kit is designed with the modder in mind, offering
great value for money and quality products. The kit includes Nano-G
12 Silent Waterproof 1,500rpm multi-option fans, which use
an innovative fan-blade design. As standard, the
fans include braided black cables to keep
your case looking as neat as possible. The
fans are also supplied with a special cable
that lets you run the fan at 5V rather than
12V, reducing the noise emitted in order to
help you to build a silent system.
The kit also includes the
60cmPhobya 3-pin Molex to
4x 3-pin Molex Y-cable. This pre-
braided extension cable gives you extra routeing options in your case,
and it also enables you to run up to four fans from one compatible
motherboard header. Meanwhile, the Phobya SATA 3 cables included
in the kit offer the same great quality braiding as the
rest of the Phobya range, while also
securing your connection with latched
connectors. As well as this, the kit
includes the Phobya SlimGuide
Controller, which gives you the
option to vary the speed of other
fans in your case, while the Phobya
TwinLEDs let you shine a light on
your mods.
Weve teamed up with some of the worlds leading PC manufacturers and retailers to offer this great
range of prizes to each lucky Readers Drives winner. If your creation is featured in the magazine then
youll walk away with all of the prizes listed on this page, so get in your entries!
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES 230T CASE
AND RM 550W MODULAR POWER SUPPLY
Total value 150 inc VAT Manufacturer www.corsair.com
Corsair believes that a great PC starts with a great case. The
Corsair Graphite Series 230T is a compact expression of
this core philosophy. With stylish looks and a choice
of three different colours, it packs in a remarkable
number of features to provide builders with tonnes
of room for expansion and amazing cooling
potential. Like all Corsair cases, its built using the
finest materials and finished to the highest
standards, so it will withstand several years of
upgrades. Plus, to make sure it stand outs from the
crowd, the 230T features Corsairs new Air Series
LED high-airflow fans, providing distinctive lighting
with low-noise, high-airflow cooling.
Just as a quality case is essential to building a
quality PC, a high-performance, a high-quality power
supply is also a vital ingredient. The all new RM series
has been built from the ground-up to deliver
unmatched reliability alongside 80Plus Gold efficiency,
and all with the absolute minimum of noise. It uses
specially optimised quality parts to reduce sound at the
component level, and it's completely silent below 40 per cent load, thanks to its Zero RPM
fan mode. Its also fully modular, allowing for the maximum amount of flexibility during
installation. With a Corsair Graphite 230T case and an RM 550W Modular power supply at
the heart of your build, youll have the foundations for a truly awesome gaming machine.

PHOBYA MODDING KIT
Value 50 inc VAT Manufacturer www.phobya.com, www.aqua-tuning.co.uk
117 January 2014
MAYHEMS COOLANT
AND DYES
Value 50 inc VAT
Manufacturer www.mayhems.co.uk
Cooling performance is only one part of the equation
when it comes to kitting out your rig with custom
water-cooling gear. The other major bonus is that all
those tubes and gleaming fittings just make your PC
look damn sexy, and they look even better when they're
pumped full of fancy coloured coolant. As such, we're
particularly pleased to have the folks at Mayhems now
on board with Readers' Drives; they're currently
offering two 1-litre bottles of Mayhems' Pastel Ice
White coolant, along with a selection of five dyes, so
you can choose the colour that best complements your
PC. Check out the blue coolant in our own mini PC mod
on the cover of Issue 109 for an example of what's
possible with some Mayhems coloured coolant.
e. The
of
118 January 2014
CHOOSE YOUR COLOURS
Were using PlastiDip paint, as its easily removable and
generally doesnt require primer. You can also use it
to achieve a matt effect thats similar to the heatsinks
on premium motherboards. There are many colours
available were using matt black, but you can always
use standard spray paint for a wider range of colours.
REMOVE HEATSINKS
Apply masking tape to the areas around the push-pins
or screws to prevent you from scratching the PCB, then
go ahead and remove the heatsinks. They may need a
little force to come off, as any thermal paste will have
dried. Twisting them a little or even using a hairdryer
can loosen them.
PlastiDip spray paint
www.plastidip.co.uk
Standard spray paint
Most hardware stores
Standard brush paint
Most hardware stores
Masking tape
Most hardware stores
Paint Your
harDware
DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT
TO SPRAY
We dont recommend spraying every component on
your motherboard; a few select details such as the
heatsinks and SATA ports will do the trick. Masking the
PCB or large areas of the motherboard can take ages
too, and theres little hope of being able to remove the
paint to sell your board later.
CHECK HEATSINKS ARE
REMOVABLE
If the motherboards heatsinks are removable then
painting them will be a whole lot easier. Some are
held in place by push-pins, others by small screws. By
removing them, you can easily access all their sides,
and the underside if necessary.
ou may have already painted
your case, but theres nothing to
prevent you from dealing with
your other hardware. Heatsinks,
capacitors, and even your keyboard and
mouse can all be colour-matched too. The
colours are nearly unlimited, as you can use
standard spray and liquid paints. Painting
canalso give older hardware a new lease of
life. If your keyboard has seen better days, for
example, you can get rid of those scratches.
Whats more, if your beige and silver optical
drives and hard disks stick out like a sore
thumb through your side window, you can
hidethem by matching the colour of your drive
bays or case, or even make them stand out to
match other colour details in your system.
Well be looking at several types of paint,
including one you can simply peel off if you
dont like the look or colour.
Y
MOTHERBOARD PARTS
Ever wanted your hardware and peripherals to fit the rest of
your systems colour scheme? Antony Leather shows you how
HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET
119 January 2014
SPRAY HEATSINKS
Clean off any dust using a damp cloth, then lay the heatsinks on a piece of cardboard
or paper. Spray the heatsinks using light coats of paint, building them up and allowing
each to dry before applying the next. If youre using PlastiDip, you wont need more
than two or three coats.
MASK SATA PORTS AND POWER CONNECTORS
Other components that are easily painted are SATA ports and power connectors.
These arent removable, of course, so youll either need to mask around them and
use spray paint or use a paintbrush. In any event, youll need to mask off the insides
of the ports.
REINSTALL HEATSINKS
Once the paint has dried (see the instructions on your particular paint can to see how
long it takes to dry completely), peel off any masking tape youve used and reinstall
the heatsinks on the motherboard, applying a small amount of thermal paste if needs
be, again taking care not to scratch the PCB.
PAINT HEATSINKS
If you decide to use normal paint from a tin then apply it sparingly using a small brush.
Again, apply it in thin layers, building it up, which will give you an even finish and
prevent the paint from running.
USE PAINTBRUSH
Clean any dust off the ports, then go ahead and apply the paint, mixing it thoroughly
first. Were using a paintbrush to deal with our ports, applying several thin coats, as
with spray paint. Allow each one to dry before applying the next.
REMOVE PAINT WHERE NECESSARY
Whats great about PlastiDip spray paint is that its easily removable. You dont need to
use solvents; you can just peel it off slowly and it will come off in one piece. The more
you apply, the easier it will be to remove.
120
HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET
120 January 2014
REMOVE MASKING AND ALLOW TO DRY
Allow the final layer to dry completely and then remove any masking tape youve
used. If any paint has strayed onto the motherboard, or anywhere else you dont want
it, a cotton bud dipped in white spirit is usually enough to clean it away.
CLEAN SURFACES
Sanding will leave metal dust that needs to be removed before you paint the optical
drive the paint could peel off if it doesnt have a firm surface on which to rest. Use a
slightly damp cloth to remove any loose dirt from the surfaces youll be painting.
CHECK OPTI CAL DRI VE FOR SCRATCHES
Moving on to an optical drive, your first job is to check it for scratches. These will most
likely be on the sides where the casing scrapes along the inside of your PC or around
the screw holes. PlastiDip is great for filling scratches, but particularly deep ones
may require primer or sanding.
MASK UP
Whatever paint youll be using, you need to mask the front of the optical drive, the
pressure equalisation hole on the hard disk if it has one and the ports at the rear of
thedevices.
SAND SCRATCHES
If you do spot some deeper scratches, sand them lightly with wet and dry sandpaper
(1,600 2,000 grit) to even them out. The PlastiDip will flow into smaller ones but you
could otherwise be left with grooves in the finish. At this point you also need to remove
any labels and their residue.
CHECK HARD DISK FOR PRESSURE HOLES
Hard disks also dont need a lot of preparation if youre using PlastiDip, but you need
to check that any pressure equalisation holes are masked off and wont be filled.
These are used to maintain an even pressure inside the hard disk and are often
located on the top.
11
02
04
01
03
05
HARD DISKS AND OPTICAL DRIVES
122
122 January 2014
APPLY SPRAY PAINT
Apply the PlastiDip sparingly over the surfaces in slow, sweeping motions. Build up
thin layers rather than applying one thick coat, which could result in the paint running
and drying unevenly. You wont need more than a couple of layers before the original
colour vanishes.
MASK OFF OTHER AREAS
If youre using PlastiDip, be aware that masking areas and removing the tape
afterwards will likely remove large areas of paint, as they bind together. Instead, aim
to cut it out afterwards. However, you can also shield the surfaces from spray and
overspray by using a section of cardboard between the can and the surface.
REMOVE MASKING AND ALLOW TO DRY
Wait for the paint to thoroughly dry (PlastiDip takes four hours to dry completely) and
inspect the finish. If it isnt up to scratch, or has imperfections, peel off the PlastiDip
coating and try again. Once youre done, remove the masking tape and youre
finished.
SAND ANY DEEP SCRATCHES
As with the optical drive, your keyboard is likely to have some scratches and knocks
from all those rage quits. If theyre particularly deep, you can either sand them out or
use a small amount of filler to smooth over the surface.
DECIDE WHI CH AREAS TO PAINT
While you can remove sections of PlastiDip fairly easily, we still recommend masking
keys and lights first if you arent able to dismantle the keyboard. For other keyboards,
you should now have the top section removed, ready for spraying. You can either
mask it into sections or spray the whole piece.
DISMANTLE KEYBOARD
Most keyboards are fairly easy to dismantle, enabling you to paint specific sections
without spending hours masking the keys and gaps. Be careful to treat any wires and
connectors gently once youre inside, though, especially if the keyboard has touch-
screens, a lighting system or any ports.
06
01
03
07
02
04
KEYBOARD
HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET
123 January 2014
CLEAN AREA
As the keyboard usually represents the largest surface area of any peripheral, its
important to deal with scratches and then clean the whole area thoroughly. Theres
likely to be plenty of grime from drink spills and food, for example, and you can use
this time to give the rest of it a good clean.
CLEAN AND SPRAY MOUSE
The mouse is likely to be quite dirty, especially if you dont clean it regularly. As youve
removed the casing, its even possible to wash it in soapy water with a brush this will
probably make it less bacteria-ridden, as well as providing a good painting surface.
SPRAY THE KEYBOARD
Spray the keyboard using long sweeping strokes as you would when painting a larger
area. A good finish is important here, as the keyboard will be in front of you all the
time, so any blemishes will become increasingly obvious. Apply light, multiple layers,
allowing each to dry for 20 minutes until the original layer isnt visible.
LEAVE TO DRY AND REASSEMBLE
Leave the paint to dry overnight before you reassemble the mouse. Once youve
screwed the chassis back together, test the buttons to make sure they still work, and
check that the mouse wheel is free to move too.
DISMANTLE MOUSE AND CLEAN SURFACES
Some mice can be tricky to dismantle, but most have screws that are either exposed
or hidden under a sticker or plug that enable you to open the casing. Ours came apart
perfectly, with the base holding the mechanism and electronics while our target for
painting the piece with the palm and finger areas came off in one piece.
ALLOW TO DRY AND REMOVE MASKING
Reassembling the keyboard will likely mean dealing with screws and clips, so you
need to make sure the paint is thoroughly dry to avoid scratching or otherwise ruining
the paint finish. On an exposed surface such as a keyboard, its best to allow any paint
youve used to dry overnight.
05
07
02
06
01
03
MOUSE
124 January 2014
because only a few graphic cards for PC
have DisplayPort, and gamers also play on
consoles which do not have DisplayPort.
Putting aside the gamers reference, this
irked me because I think its the wrong tack.
The new standard should be pushed by both
graphics card vendors and monitor vendors.
What do you guys think?
Alistair Hardy
Letters
Send your feedback and correspondence to
[email protected]
Ben replies: Well, firstly, Ill cheekily say
that I think you should pay more attention
to our monitor reviews and our Elite list!
Our favourite 24in monitor, the Dell
U2412M (see p92) currently costs 222 inc
VAT and has a DisplayPort input as well as
great picture quality. Your response from
BenQ is poor though. Im not sure how
many people plug consoles into monitors
rather than TVs, but I bet its not very many.
We also see a lot of DisplayPort outputs
on graphics cards, and its a common
connection on laptops (Mac and PC) too.
Im not sure why it hasnt caught on to the
same degree as HDMI and DVI, but its
probably because DisplayPort has never
cornered a market to the same degree. DVI
was the standard on PCs for over a decade,
and HDMI has been the standard for
connecting to TVs for many years now too.
DisplayPort, for whatever reason, hasnt
been accepted to the same degree.
DISPLAY SPORT
Im currently looking for a new set of
monitors to replace my two different
monitors, so I did a little research
about connectors and decided I wanted two
monitors connected to the DisplayPort
socket on my graphics card. This is because
its made as a replacement for the old DVI
connector, and can run two monitors at a
decent resolution off one port. The next
stepwas to find a monitor that had the
DisplayPort sockets. Theres absolutely
none in the sensible price ranges though!
They only seem available on expensive 3D
monitors, but why would I pay extra for a
gimmick I wont use?
How come the manufacturers are mostly
ignoring this type of connector, especially as
its royalty free? Is it too much to ask for a
well-priced, 24in monitor with a DisplayPort
connection? I asked both Asus and BenQ
fortheir reasons on their Facebook pages.
Asus didnt respond but BenQ said it was
MINOR ERRORS I N ISSUE 123
Is there such thing as a technical proof
reader? Ive spotted several mistakes from
what Ive read of the magazine so far. In the
In detail section of the Asus R9 280X review
on p20, compatibility is listed as DirectX
11.1, but most sources Ive seen say that the
280X is also DirectX 11.2 compatible. Also,
on p49, in the Intel Ivy Bridge E explained
feature, the second paragraph says that
One of the biggest changes is the move
from a 28nm manufacturing process.
However, Intel doesnt manufacture on
socalled half node processes and the
Sandy Bridge architecture was built on
32nm technology.
Then, on p103, the second paragraph
states that you can get 2,560 x 1,440 17in
screens. This should, of course, have been
27in. Finally, on p106 in the What hardware
do you need? section an f is dropped in the
second paragraph, where it says 13ps
instead of 13fps.
Richard Paul
Ben replies: Thanks Richard, thats some
fine proofing skills youve demonstrated.
Also, argh! In our defence, most of those
sections ended up being done at the last
minute because we only had so much time
with the 4K monitor, and the graphics card
didnt arrive in our lab until the week the
magazine went to the printers. Ive flayed
Mike for his 28nm Intel fab nonsense,
though, and have also banged my head on
the desk for good measure, because I cant
believe I didnt spot it myself!
Get a kick out of pointing out the shortcomings of others? Its okay so do we
Dells U2412M is one of few PC monitors that support
DisplayPort
125 January 2014
FEEDBACK
4K NOT OKAY
Ive been a long time subscriber, but this is
the first time Ive written to you, and the
reason is the Elite list shake-up.
I understand the logic behind it; the
Extreme Ultra slot has always been for the
money is not an option components, but in
fact it was what I always checked when
planning future builds (I currently have nine
out of the 11 components in my rig from the
Issue 122 list). Now its gone, Im lost, as I
dont have any intention of wasting 2,999
on a monitor that you admit has driver
issues and mediocre colour reproduction.
Add to this the fact that, unless you have
1,000 worth of dual GPUs (which have their
own issues), youre looking at borderline
unplayable frame rates. Personally, I think
the Elite list should either bring in the 4K
PConce theres a little more competition
and up-take within the market, or have it as
the next step up from the Extreme Ultra PC.
Adorable Bob
Ben replies: Thanks Mr Bob, this wasnt a
decision that I made lightly. I reasoned that
there should be a specific purpose for the
Extreme Ultra PC, rather than just being a
PC thats powerful and expensive, and 4K
looked like a great reason to build a really
powerful gaming PC, while also being
aspirational it might be expensive, and
flawed in some respects, but thats always
the way with the latest and most powerful
technology; 4K is amazing for gaming
though. I will listen to feedback about this
change to the Elite list, however. If any
other readers want to give me their
tuppence worth then Im all ears
changesdont have to be permanent.

SMALLER COOLER PLEASE
I recently installed an Arctic Freezer i30
inmy upgraded rig after changing the
motherboard, CPU, RAM, SSD and graphics
card. It has performed amazingly well, but I
have one minor gripe with it; the sheer size
of cooler means it blocks one of the RAM
slots, and I had hoped to install a couple
more DIMMs. Im using a Gigabyte Z77X-
UD3H with 16GB of RAM, and Im hoping to
get this is up to 32GB, due to the sheer level
of detail I need in my video and animation
work PC. I would only water-cool if I was
going to overclock the CPU; it would solve
the RAM slot issue but I dont think I would
really be using the cooler to its full potential.
Is there an alternative cooler that would
allow me to use all the RAM slots, but also
give me a decent amount of cooling?
Nicholas Lambourne
Ben replies: I dont know if you know this,
Nicholas, but you dont have to position the
Freezer i30s fan over the RAM slots; you
can handily mount it the other way round if
you like, which may just give you enough
room to use your RAM slot. If you turn the
fan so its facing the back of your case,
though, youll also need to turn around the
fans at the front and back of your case, so
that all the airflow is consistently going
from back to front.
If that still doesnt solve your problem,
an all-in-one liquid-cooler is probably your
best bet, as the best LGA1150 air coolers
are generally large towers or large circles,
which are still likely to block that RAM slot
on your motherboard. However, if youre
not overclocking, you dont need to go for a
dual-fan cooler such as the H80. Corsairs
single-fan H60 V2 will do the job fine.
Corsairs liquid coolers are also sealed
units, and theyre simple to install I doubt
you would experience the same problems
you had with liquid cooling before.
projects. My first thought was to just get
asmaller cooler such as Arctic Cooling
Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2, which I recently found
on Amazon, but Im not convinced of its
cooling power.
Another option is changing to a Corsair
H80 liquid cooler. I changed my case to a
Corsair Carbide Air 540, which has been
amazing, but I had a bad experience with
water cooling before, and Im not too keen
on overclocking my Core i7-3770K in case of
any serious mishaps with the PC. I use my
PC for 3D rendering and animation so, while
overclocking seems like a good boost to the
system, it feels risky considering this is my

frequentlyrare Find myself
strangely looking forward to @
CustomPCMags mince pie megatest!
Ben: We always look forward to the
pie-tasting as well, but we dont enjoy
feeling like we want to die for the few
hours afterwards though!

two00lbwaster Ben, regarding
cover dates as covered in the
letters section this month, you could
have a Christmas 2013 and Christmas
2014 ed.

jwilliamson1121 The irony of
putting this card on the 4k cover :)
Follow us on Twitter at @custompcmag
Large air coolers such as the Arctic Freezer i30 might
be great for powerful cooling on a budget, but they can
also obstruct your first DIMM slot
126 January 2014
Join our folding team and help medical research
WHAT IS FOLDING?
Folding@home uses the spare processing cycles from your PCs CPU and graphics cards for medical research. You can download
the client from http://folding.stanford.edu and our teams ID is 35947. Once you pass a significant milestone, youll get your name
in the mag. You can also discuss folding with us and other readers on the www.bit-tech.net forums.
CPC: So who is Dickie?
Dickie: My name is Tim, and I work as a
simulator technician. I usually have two or
three independent networks to manage,
andIalso provide technical advice to other
members of my team.
CPC: Why did you decide to start folding?
Dickie: I started folding to really test the
machines I was building. If they could fold for
a long period of time, I knew they would be
very reliable.
CPC: What excites you most about folding?
Dickie: I just like the challenge of moving
upthe leaderboard and trying to keep my
machines running stably.
CPC: How many machines do you have
folding?
Dickie: At the moment I have two machines
folding. I usually have between four and eight,
but Ive had a few issues with power supplies,
so Im currently rebuilding my folding rig.
CPC: Any tips for fellow members of the
team?
Dickie: My only tip is to swap out your old
power supplies and graphics cards, and
replace them with modern kit the difference
in running costs can be huge.
CPC: What do your friends and family think
about your folding?

We catch up with folder of the month: Dickie
Dickie: My family worry about the cost, and
my friends say I should get out more.
CPC: Whats the average spec of your folding
machines?
Dickie: I usually have three PCs with Core i5
CPUs and GTX 680 graphics card. I also have
an older machine with a GTX 480, and I use a
Core i7 with an Nvidia Quadro card at work.
Ive just finished building a new machine with
a Core i7 and a GTX 680 too.
CPC: Whats your best piece of folding kit?
Dickie: My Core i7 with a GTX 680. This
produces a good ppd rate, but its also quiet
and very energy-efficient.
CPC: Youve been producing quite a few
points recently do you intend to keep this
sort of production level?
Dickie: Ive had to slow down my production
level recently, as Ive had to deal with the
aforementioned power supply failures. Once
Ifinish rebuilding my machines, I intend to
keep going until Im in the top ten.
CPC: What operating systems do you use for
folding?
Dickie: I use Windows 7 64-bit on all my
machines.
CPC: Whats your worst folding experience?
Dickie: Having a cascade of power supply
failures.
Team rank 175 World rank 7,177
Score 6,717,897 Work units 2,912
Daily points average 3,326
TOP FOLDERS
This months shout-outs go to Slavcho,
BeauchN, StreetSam and Nelio. If you fold
under any of these names, email folding@
custompcmag.org.uk
CPC: And the best?
Dickie: Reaching the 1 million point
milestone a while ago, and managing to
reduce my energy costs by nearly 40
permonth.
HTTP://FORUMS.BIT-TECH.NET
127 January 2014
MILESTONES THIS MONTH
Username Points
milestone
Username Points
milestone
Username Points
milestone
Username Points
milestone
alastair_paley 700000
Allan_Smith 700000
KJGouldstone 700000
Michael_Bland 700000
AlSomething 900000
gKitchen 900000
ittoms 900000
Trevrev 900000
Mr.a2008 1000000
ChunkyBrother 2000000
Jamie_
Corkindale
2000000
Jon_Simmo 2000000
Roveel 2000000
awst
computers
4000000
techman 4000000
th3_F15T 4000000
David_Murphy 5000000
Froskoy 5000000
Little_Willie 5000000
biffa72 6000000
maniyer 6000000
Neku 8000000
THE NEXT OVERTAKE
coffinwarmer 20000
Fleeticus 20000
ME95MMC 20000
atpark 30000
CaSpErTbH 30000
Grimm808 30000
markf0wle 30000
Oscar_Unwin 40000
HeaverNothing 50000
Urumiko 60000
SashaNein 70000
SuperLeon 70000
Elettra 100000
Liam266 100000
madmatt1980 100000
MaverickOne 100000
navy_blue 100000
RichyUK 100000
Sean_Fletcher 100000
DJcarrot 200000
EscaFoXX 200000
Hanscombe
EnterprisesLtd
200000
Techie_Taylor 200000
anadir 400000
Clotten 400000
Rogerater 400000
siddallj 400000
ashchap 500000
AtomicSpace 600000
o0-Shark-0o 600000
World
rank
Team name Points Daily points
average
Time until
overtake
7
Custom PC &
bit-tech
8,107,647,776 7,281,709 0
10 Hardware.no 5,369,963,754 12,393,759 1.5 years
12 Hewlett Packard 4,285,900,314 8,083,170 13.1 years
THE NEXT OVERTAKE
128
MILESTONES THIS
MONTH CONT.
Username Points
milestone
TOP 20 OVERALL
Rank Username Points Work units
1 DocJonz 463,255,586 156,794
2 Dave_Goodchild 440,333,044 113,796
3 coolamasta 355,721,152 148,843
4 phoenicis 247,518,595 95,387
5 Nelio 241,576,488 49,720
6 zz9pzza 211,014,628 15,794
7 StreetSam 174,637,374 78,440
8 Scorpuk 163,547,580 7,386
9 Wallace 159,321,864 5,992
10 Christopher_N._Lewis 152,197,972 35,787
11 Ben_Lamb 132,284,244 2,513
12 Lizard 131,878,662 60,132
13 Lordsoth 117,645,553 77,526
14 CustomBitChimps 103,528,316 47,990
15 piers_newbold 97,532,455 25,499
16 fir3x 96,263,533 16,042
17 The_M2B 92,401,617 45,772
18 BennieboyUK 87,731,729 5,563
19 johnim 85,058,963 71,122
20 PC_Rich 78,858,738 58,433
TOP 20 PRODUCERS
Rank Username Daily points average Overall score
1 DocJonz 764,929 463,255,586
2 Nelio 629,281 241,576,488
3 Scorpuk 619,484 163,547,580
4 StreetSam 581,667 174,637,374
5 coolamasta 555,423 355,721,152
6 piers_newbold 493,449 97,532,455
7 JEE6 397,892 24,224,333
8 johnim 260,210 85,058,963
9 Ben_Lamb 246,949 132,284,244
10 Lordsoth 189,453 117,645,553
11 Wallace 177,335 159,321,864
12 Slavcho 138,800 44,483,935
13 KevinWright 111,521 37,301,765
14 BeauchN 92,328 31,261,283
15 Promethus26 85,249 42,119,307
16 BennieboyUK 84,056 87,731,729
17 fir3x 81,807 96,263,533
18 biffa72 79,288 6,887,579
19 The_M2B 77,669 92,401,617
20 Dave_Goodchild 65,328 440,333,044
On sale 12 December, 2013
*Please note that these articles are subject to product delays,
kit not turning up on time, and needing a good lie-down after a
day of pie-tasting.
Gaming mice
Your choice of digital rodent can make
a surprising difference to your gaming
ability. We put several of the latest
gaming mice through their paces to
find your best gaming partner.
Dream PCs
We check out the very cream of the
pre-made systems crop, where
custom-modded parts, fancy
water-cooling loops and extreme
overclocks go without saying.
Extreme Wi-Fi
Do we even need wired Gigabit
Ethernet in the home any more? We
investigate some of the latest routers
and Wi-Fi cards to see if you can
achieve similar speeds wirelessly.
Coming next month in
Laguna2012 10000000
luckybfocus 10000000
JEE6 20000000
BeauchN 30000000
johnim 80000000
piers_newbold 90000000
128 January 2014
We
ters
y.
Mince pie megatest
Its that time of year again, and
were not ones to break a ten-year
tradition. As always, well be test-
tasting loads of festive pies so you
dont have to.
129 January 2014
PowerVR
Kyro II
Ben Hardwidge travels
back to 2001, when
PowerVR was successfully
trading blows with Nvidia
e didnt always have just two
main players in the PC gaming
graphics business. Weve
already dissected a couple of
3dfx cards in these pages over the past
couple of years, but up until a decade ago,
wealso had Matrox and VideoLogic (now
Imagination) making competitive graphics
chips too. The latter is particularly relevant
with all the current talk about DirectX 11.2s
new Tiled Resources technology (see p21), I
was reminded of a similar idea
from PowerVRs past.
Tile-based deferred rendering
was used by PowerVR desktop
chips as a way of increasing frame
rates. It doesnt work in exactly the
same way as Tiled Resources,
naturally, but it was still a way of dividing a
workload into tilesto improve performance.
One of its main advantages was that it could
work out what the viewer was able to see in a
3D scene, and which parts of the scene were
obscured by other geometry in the way,
depending on your point of view.
At this point in time, geometry calculations
were performed by the CPU, and they still
had to be done, but a PowerVR chip would be
able to work out which polygons needed to be
textured before filling them, saving it a large
amount of work in comparison to the Nvidia
and AMD GPUs of the time, which used
Z-buffered rendering pipelines.
PowerVR battled with 3dfx and ATI in the
original 3D acceleration era, provided the
graphics chip for the acclaimed Sega
Dreamcast and then in 2001, teamed up with
STMicroelectronics to provide the rendering
technology in the companys Kyro chips. This
is what I consider to be the crossover age in
3D graphics, when graphics chips were
taking on more of the rendering pipeline,
starting with transform and lighting, and
thenmoving to programmable shaders.
ATI and Nvidia got straight on board with
hardware transform and lighting, which was
a major component of DirectX 7, but 3dfx and
PowerVR didnt keep up, with the Voodoo5
and Kyro chips still having to perform
transform and lighting calculations in
software, using the CPU. While the Voodoo5s
history and the demise of 3dfx is well known,
PowerVR managed to cling on for a few years
longer, largely thanks to its efficient tile-
rendering technique.
I was working on PC Pro magazine at
thistime, and was amazed by the Kyro IIs
performance when I first tested it. Even in
3DMark2000, a benchmark made to take
advantage of hardware transform and
lighting, the Kyro II successfully traded blows
with the GeForce 2 and ATI Radeon cards of
the time. There was a choice of cards too not
only did VideoLogic have its own versions, but
Nvidia partner Hercules also used the Kyro II
chips on its 3D Prophet 4500 cards.
Nvidia hated the Kyro II, and the fact that
Hercules was making the graphics cards. We
know this because it made a presentation for
some of its partners that went into all the
KyroIIs flaws; you occasionally got
artefacts in games as a result of
skewed geometry calculations, and
Nvidia demonstrated this with
screenshots. The latter part of the
presentations was the most amusing,
though, when it went for Hercules,
saying that the company didnt know how to
make graphics cards, pretty much destroying
the relationship between the firms. Buying
Kyro II is a risk, said the presentation, and
when cards and PCs get returned it damages
your finances and your reputation.
We havent seen a desktop PowerVR card
since the Kyro II, but it showed that unique
approaches to rendering could still compete
with the best, even if it didnt have the latest
hardware API support. However, PowerVR
has since made huge inroads into the mobile
business, where its technology is used in all
sorts of gadgets, from the PlayStation Vita to
the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.
W
NVIDIA HATED IT, AND THE FACT
THAT HERCULES WAS MAKING
CARDS. WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE IT
MADE A PRESENTATION ABOUT IT
a
t the risk of sounding like a broken record player, I still believe
that the monitor is the most important component of your
PC, for the simple reason that its the component with which
you interact the most, and therefore has the biggest effect on your
computing experience. In short, upgrading your monitor will
transform your whole computing experience for the better, bringing
games, photos and videos to life.
You can imagine, then, that when Nvidia told me it had an
interesting idea that would transform the way we look at games and
videos, I was both intrigued and sceptical.
After all, what does Nvidia know about
monitors? As it turns out, quite a lot actually.
The whole process started around two
years ago when a clever bod at Nvidia realised
that the whole concept of monitors having
fixed refresh rates, and all the problems
thatthese then cause, is a ridiculous way to
display moving images. Older readers might
remember that, back in the day, the refresh
rate of your monitor was important because
of how CRTs worked. The only way they could update even a tiny part
of the screen was to redraw the whole image by moving the image-
producing gun from top left to bottom right, this process being
known as a refresh.
LCD monitors, on the other hand, dont have any moving parts.
However, to maintain backwards compatibility with CRTs, they
simulate a refresh rate, typically 60Hz, and this leads to problems
when it comes to smoothly displaying moving images.
The problem is that if the GPU sends a rendered frame to the
monitor while its refreshing, only the part of the display that hasnt
yet been refreshed will be drawn with the new frame. Now, because
the LCD monitors have an artificial refresh rate of 60Hz, 60 refreshes
James Gorbold enthuses about
Nvidias new G-Sync tech
james GorBolD
per second, the GPU and monitor will only ever be in sync when the
game is being rendered at precisely 60fps a very rare occurrence
indeed. The end result of the GPU and monitor being out of sync is
known as tearing, with one part of the on-screen image being drawn
from one frame and the rest of the screen from another.
For years, gamers have tried to minimise this problem of tearing
by enabling v-sync in the graphics driver. V-sync reduces tearing
byforcing the monitor to only display whole frames. However, as a
side effect, v-sync causes images to stutter when the frame rate
changes dramatically, such as when an
explosion needs to be rendered, or when a
complex 3D object such as a space station
suddenly needs to appear on screen.
Nvidias solution to both problems is
G-Sync, which essentially enables the GPU to
determine when your LCD monitor refreshes,
rather than sticking to an arbitrary, and now
arguably irrelevant, 60Hz refresh rate. With
G-Sync enabled, the monitor will only refresh
when the GPU has finished rendering a
frame, meaning no more incomplete, torn images or stuttering.
This isnt easy to explain in a column, but believe me, syncing the
frame rate with the refresh rate makes a staggering difference to
the qualitative experience of gaming; its a surprisingly big deal. All
Ineed now is an affordable 4K monitor that supports G-Sync before
Christmas. Its a lot to ask, but if you dont ask, you dont get.
James Gorbold fell in love with the original IBM PC in the early
1980s and has been building, tweaking and overclocking PCs ever
since. He has written an article in almost every issue of Custom
PC and now helps Scan Computers to develop new systems.
The GPU determines
when your monitor
refreshes, rather than
sticking to an arbitrary
60Hz refresh rate
GOODBYE TO
TEARING AND
STUTTERING
130 January 2014