PC &Amp; Tech Authority - May 2016

8/15/2019 PC &Amp; Tech Authority - May 2016

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www.pcandtechauthority.com.au May 2016 67

COMPONENTS GROUP TEST

RECOMMENDED VALUE

ASROCK ASROCK MSI

Z97 Extreme6 H97M Pro4 H81M-E34

LGA1150 LGA1150 LGA1150

ATX MicroATX MicroATX

Z97 H97 H81 Express

DDR3 (3,200MHz OC) DDR3 (1,600MHz) DDR3 (1,600MHz)

4 4 2

32GB 32GB 16GB

1x 24-pin ATX, 1x 8-pin 12V 1x 24-pin ATX, 1x 8-pin 12V 1x 24-pin ATX, 1x 4-pin 12V

2x PCI-E x16, 1x PCI-E x16 (x4 speed), 2x PCI-E x1 2x PCI-E x16 (one runs at x4 speed), 2x PCI 1x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1

6 5 3

10x SATA3 (two operate as SATA Express), 1x M.2 6x SATA3 2x SATA3, 2x SATA2

2x Gigabit 1x Gigabit 1x Gigabit

Realtek HD Audio (6x 3.5mm analogue, opticalS/PDIF)

Realtek HD Audio (5x 3.5mm analogue) Realtek HD Audio (3x 3.5mm analogue)

6x USB3 2x USB2, 4x USB3 2x USB2, 4x USB3

4x USB2, 4x USB3 2x USB2, 1x USB3 1x USB2, 2x USB3

DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort DVI, VGA, HDMI DVI, VGA, HDMI

1x PS/2 1x PS/2 None

$240 $97 $85

One year RTB One year RTB One year RTB

www.asrock.com www.asrock.com www.msi.com

If you want to build a powerful LGA1150 system,this is the motherboard for you. It’s got lotsof expansion options and an M.2 interface forsuper-fast SSD storage. The downside is thatyou pay a hefty premium for these features; ifyou don’t need them, you can save around £60on a cheaper board.

For a mid-range LGA1150 build, thismotherboard is hard to beat. It’s got all thesockets and ports you could need and supportsthe full range of Haswell and Devil’s Canyonprocessors. The second PCI-E x16 slot runs atonly x4 speed, but is useful for other expansioncards, rather than a second graphics card.

This motherboard is a little light on expansionand features, but it supports all LGA1150processors, including Devil’s Canyon models. Ifyou want a small and cheap motherboard for anew PC, then it’s a great buy.

LGA1150


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68 May 2016 www.pcandtechauthority.com.au

RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED

MSI GIGABYTE GIGABYTE

AM1M GA-F2A68HM-HD2 GA-F2A88XN-WIFI

Hardware

Processor socket AM1 FM2+ FM2+

Form factor MicroATX MicroATX Mini-ITX

Chipset AM1 A68H A88X

Supported memory type DDR3 (1,600MHz) DDR3 (2,133MHz) DDR3 (2,133MHz)

Memory slots 2 2 2

Maximum memory 32GB 64GB 64GB

Motherboard powerconnectors


PCI-E slots 1x PCI-E x16, 1x PCI-E x1 1x PCI-E x16, 1x PCI-E x1, 1x PCI 1x PCI-E x16

Motherboard fan headers 3 3 2

SATA ports 2x SATA3 4x SATA3 4x SATA3

Wired network ports 1x Gigabit 1x Gigabit 1x Gigabit

Motherboard sound(ports)

Realtek HD Audio (3x 3.5mm analogue) Realtek HD Audio (3x 3.5mm analogue) Realtek HD Audio (5x 3.5mm analogue,optical S/PDIF)

USB ports 4x USB2, 2x USB3 4x USB2, 2x USB3 4x USB2, 2x USB3

USB headers 4x USB2, 2x USB3 4x USB2 2x USB2, 2x USB3

Video outputs DVI, VGA, HDMI DVI, VGA, HDMI DVI, 2x HDMI

Other ports 2x PS/2 1x PS/2 Mini PCI-E (801.11ac Wi-Fi)

Buying information

Price including VAT $65 $80 $155

Warranty One year RTB One year RTB One year RTB

Details www.msi.com www.gigabyte.com www.gigabyte.com

Verdict

AM1 hasn’t taken over the world andthere aren’t a lot of motherboards, butthis MSI model is comparatively cheapand has all the expansion options youneed for a good budget computer.

If you’re looking to build a budgetFM2+ computer, this is themotherboard to buy. It’s excellentvalue and has lots of expansionoptions. The downside is that there’sno USB3 header.

If you want to build a very small PC,this Mini-ITX board could be justwhat you’re looking for. It’s rathercompact, but there are plenty ofUSB ports and headers, and you getbuilt-in Wi-Fi, too.

AMD MOTHERBOARDS

AM1 FM2+


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VALUE VALUE

ASUS MSI GIGABYTE

A88XM-Plus 970A-G43 GA-990FXA-UD3

FM2+ AM3+ AM3+

MicroATX ATX ATX

A88X 970 990FX

DDR3 (2,133MHz) DDR3 (2,133MHz) DDR3 (2,133MHz)

4 4 4

64GB 32GB 32GB


2x PCI-E x16 (one runs at x4), 1x PCI- x1, 1x PCI 2x PCI-E x16 (one runs at x4), 2x PCI-E x1, 2x PCI 4x PCI-E x16 (two at x16, two at x4), 2x PCI-E x1,

3 3 4

8x SATA3 6x SATA3 6x SATA3

1x Gigabit 1x Gigabit 1x Gigabit

Realtek HD Audio (3x 3.5mm analogue) Realtek HD Audio (6x 3.5mm analogue, opticalS/PDIF)

Realtek HD Audio (6x 3.5mm analogue, optical S/PDIF)



DVI, VGA, HDMI None None

2x PS/2 1x PS/2 1x PS/2

$110 $120 $215

One year RTB One year RTB One year RTB

www.asus.com www.msi.com www.gigabyte.com

For most people building with FM2+, this is themotherboard to buy. It’s well-specied, hasplenty of expansion options and is excellentvalue. A slower second PCI-E x16 slot may put offgamers.

If you’re looking for value in your AM3+ build,look no further. With lots of expansion optionsand plenty of USB ports, this motherboardticks all of the right boxes. Look out for thesecond PCI-E x16 slot, which runs at only x4speed, though.

If you want a powerful AM3+ system, thisis the right motherboard for you. It’s got lots ofexpansion slots, including two full-speed PCI-Ex16 slots. The big downside is the price, with non-gamers able to buy a motherboard for a lot less.

AM3+


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A lthough most processors nowhave graphic chips built in,the simple fact is that they’renot good enough to cope with today’sgraphically intense games: they’redesigned for light gaming and for poweringvideo and 2D displays. If you want moregraphical prowess from your PC, you’llneed a dedicated graphics card.

The big issue is that there are lots ofdifferent models to choose from, withmanufacturers seemingly lling in everyprice point gap. It really isn’t helpful andmakes choosing the right model verydifficult. This month, we’ve benchmarkedevery major graphics chip to work out thebest high-end, mid-range and entry-levelcards. Over the page, you can see our

test results and our in-depth table withrecommendations, so you know which

card to buy for your budget and needs.Before we dive into that, though, here’severything that you need to know.

CARDS ON THE TABLEAlthough graphics cards aremanufactured by third-party vendors,such as Sapphire and Asus, the actualgraphics chips are made by Nvidia andAMD. Each third-party manufacturer isfree to make some adjustments to thecard, such as overclocking it, but it rarelymakes a big difference. Instead, you’rebest off choosing the type and modelof the graphics chip, such as an AMDRadeon R8 370, and then nding the bestdeal on that card.

This means that the real choice in

the rst instance comes down to onebetween Nvidia and AMD.

TEAM GREEN

Nvidia typically aims its cards at the highend, with few mid-range or entry-levelcards available. If you demand the peakof performance from the most efficientcards, then Nvidia is your friend.

All Nvidia cards support the PhysXhardware-accelerated physicstechnology, although few gamesactually support it, as AMD can’t usethe technology. As a result, gamesdevelopers won’t implement an exclusivetechnology.

Multi-Frame Sampled Anti-Aliasing(MFAA) uses an Nvidia card’s hardwareto provide high-quality anti-aliasing,smoothing off jagged edges in gameswithout a big performance hit (see box,

right). Dynamic Super-Resolution (DSR)renders games at a higher resolution than

CONTAINS GRAPHICSCENESGraphics cardsIF YOU WANT TO TURN YOUR NEW COMPUTER INTO A POWERFUL GAMESMACHINE, YOU’LL NEED A GRAPHICS CARD THAT’S CAPABLE OF DISPLAYINGTHE LATEST TITLES IN THEIR FULL GLORY. HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR


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CALL THE AA: ANTI ALIASING EXPLAINED Aliasing is the unavoidable effect that comes from using square pixels to draw diagonal lines.As screen resolutions increase, the effect becomes less prominent, but on today’s 1,920x1,080and 2,560x1,440 monitors aliasing (jagged edges) is still a major issue. A range of differentanti-aliasing techniques reduce the effect, but these vary by game and by graphics cardmanufacturer. We use three different methods when testing graphics cards: Fast ApproximateAA (FXAA), Multi Sampling AA (MSAA) and Super Sampling AA (SSAA).

FXAA is the least intensive form of anti-aliasing, as it doesn’t actually analyse the 3D modelsonscreen; instead, it applies a smoothing effect to the entire scene as a post-processing lter.However, this means it blurs objects and textures that should be left alone, reducing thesharpness of the image. If your graphics card is powerful enough, it’s worth opting for one ofthe other anti-aliasing modes.

MSAA requires more GPU resources, as it targets just the jagged lines for smoothingby detecting the edges of polygons. It’s the method you should use if your graphics card can’tcope with more demanding forms of anti-aliasing.

Finally, SSAA uses a brute force approach. At a basic level, the process involves rendering thescene at a higher resolution than your monitor natively supports, then downscaling it to displaycorrectly on your screen. Enabling 4x SSAA on a game running at 1,920x1,080 essentiallyforces the graphics card to render at 3,840x2,160, effectively quadrupling the workload. It’sthe most intense anti-aliasing method out there, but it preserves visual clarity and is worthturning on if your graphics card can handle it.

REALITY BYTES: VR SPECS Virtual reality looks set to become a big dealin 2016, with the likes of the Oculus Riftmaking a splash. The idea is simple: you strapon a set of goggles, giving you one screenper eye, for true 3D. Even better, as you move

your head, the world updates, letting you lookaround as naturally as you do in real life. Inthis way, games will become fully immersive.

While the idea is simple, powering this kindof technology is a l ittle harder: you need agraphics card that can produce double the

number of frames, so each eye gets its ownview. You also need a PC that can handle real-time head movements and tracking.

Nvidia has released its minimum VR specsfor a new PC. These are an Intel Core i5-4590processor, 8GB of RAM, two USB3 ports and aGeForce GTX 970 graphics card.

For AMD graphics cards you need a RadeonR9 290 or higher, with the R380 from thenewer generation proving more than capableat the moment.

and height, depending on how big theactual GPU is, the size of the coolingsystem and the number of ports on theback of the card. Our PC case reviewsstarting on page 60 state how muchroom is available inside for graphicscards. You may need to remove one of thecase’s hard disk drive cages in order tot very long cards. Not every card will tin every case, particularly if you havea microATX or Mini-ITX chassis, so it’simportant to check before buying. Ourspecications table shows the length of

each graphics card we’ve tested.It can be harder to nd out a graphics

card’s width, which can be an issuein Mini-ITX and home theatre cases.You’ll also need to take the placementof the power connectors into account,as shallow home-theatre cases mightphysically be able to t the card, butpower connectors on the side of the cardcould stop you from putting the case’stop panel back on.

Most mid-range graphics cards takeup two expansion slots, in order toaccommodate a heatsink and cooling fan.These cards are known as dual-slot, andwill obscure the slot directly beneath the

your monitor can support, before scalingthe graphics down, in effect addingsupport for Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing(SSAA, see box) in all games. Thisimproves the look of games.

RED DAWN

AMD has some of the best-value graphicscards around, though it has recentlydropped the 2xx series of cards, so someof the biggest bargains are no longeravailable. Even so, its 3xx series is rathergood for the mid-range.

As with Nvidia, AMD has its ownrange of proprietary technologies thatappear in a wide selection of games.The Mantle rendering engine is usedto provide a performance boost overDirectX, while the TressFX hair simulationin Tomb Raider was optimised for AMDhardware. Again, proprietary technologiesaren’t that well supported, as gamesmanufacturers don’t want to alienatepeople with different graphics cards.

AMD has its own superscalingtechnology, called Virtual SuperResolution (VSR). This renders gamesat a higher resolution than your monitorsupports, downscaling them to t, forhighly accurate anti-aliasing.

POWER UP

You need to make sure that you havea power supply that can handle yourgraphics card. The best way is to usethe power requirements calculator

at outervision.com/power-supply-calculator. This site will tell you the powerrating (in watts) of the PSU you’ll need foryour particular computer.

PCI-Express slots don’t provide enoughpower for graphics cards, so you have toprovide additional power from your PSU.Most of the cards we’ve tested requireone six-pin PCI-E power connector; high-end cards need one eight-pin and onesix-pin, or even two eight-pin connectors.You can use our table over the page tomake sure that your PSU has the rightconnectors. If you need a new PSU, seepages 78 to 81.

Graphics cards vary greatly in length

one into which you plug the card (if thereis one).

Finally, half-height or low-prolegraphics cards are designed for ultra-compact home theatre PC or desktopform factor cases. These are typicallyless powerful than their full-heightcounterparts and can be noisier dueto having smaller fans, so unless youhave very limited space a full-height cardwill likely be a better option.

PORTS REPORT

Almost all modern graphics cards haveat least one DVI port, for connecting to amonitor. If you have an older monitor witha VGA input, you’ll need to use a DVI-to-VGA adaptor; our table on the followingpage tells you if one is included in the box.HDMI outputs are now fairly common ongraphics cards; you’ll want at least one ofthese if you plan on connecting to a TV.

Be aware that many HDMI connectionslimit you to a 30Hz refresh rate at2,560x1,440 or higher resolutions, whichwill make the Windows Desktop feel jerky.Also, on some cards with two DVI ports,one port may be a single-link model,which will only support displays up to1,920x1,200 pixels; dual-link DVI supportsup to 2,560x1,440 at 60Hz.

If you want to connect to a3,840x2,160 (4K) monitor or one witha very high refresh rate, you’re bestoff using a DisplayPort output, as thisinterface standard supports very highresolutions and refresh rates. Almostall the cards we’ve tested have atleast one DisplayPort output. Youmay also nd Mini DisplayPort or MiniHDMI connections, but these aren’t asconvenient as their full-size counterparts

as you’ll need adaptors to connect themto most monitors.


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0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

GTX 980 Ti

GTX 970

Radeon R9 380X

GTX 960

Radeon R9 380

GTX 950

Radeon R9 370 65.7

71.9

86.9

87.7

97.6

116.8

126.8

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

GTX 980 Ti

GTX 970

Radeon R9 380X

GTX 960

Radeon R9 380

GTX 950

Radeon R9 370 28.2

39.1

49.9

53.1

61

77.8

156

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

GTX 980 Ti

GTX 970

Radeon R9 380X

Radeon R9 380

GTX 960

GTX 950

Radeon R9 370 22.6

26.6

29.5

30.4

33.6

44.7

64

DIRT SHOWDOWN, 1,920X1,080,4X AA, ULTRA QUALITY (FPS)

TOMB RAIDER, 1,920X1,080, 2X SSAA,ULTRA QUALITY (FPS)

METRO: LAST LIGHT REDUX, 1,920X1,080,SSAA, VERY HIGH QUALITY (FPS)

AMD

RECOMMENDED VALUE

AMD AMD AMD

Radeon R7 370 Radeon R9 380 Radeon R9 380X

HARDWARE

Slots taken up 2 2 2

GPU cores 1,024 1,792 2,048

GPU clock speed 1,000MHz 990MHz 1,030MHzv

GPU clock boost speed 1,050MHz Not disclosed Not disclosed

Memory 2GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5

Memory interface 256-bit 256-bit 256-bit

Max memorybandwidth

179GB/s 176GB/s 185.6GB/s

Memory speed 5,700MHz 5.7GHz 5.8GHz

Graphics card length 258mm 234mm 234mm

Outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort

Power leads required 1x 6-pin PCI Express 2x 6-pin PCI Express 2x 6-pin PCI Express

Accessories DVI to VGA adaptor 1x 6-pin to 4-pin power cable, 1x 8-pin to 6-pinpower cable

2x Molex to 6-pin PCI Express power adaptors

BUYING INFORMATION

Recommended model MSI Radeon R7 370 Gaming 2GB Gigabyte Radeon R9 380 Windforce Sapphire R9 380X Nitro

Price $220 $300 $370

Warranty Three years RTB Three years RTB Two years RTB

Details www.msi.com www.gigabyte.com www.sapphiretech.com

VERDICT

A decent entry-level gaming graphics card,although as our more demanding tests show,you may have to turn down graphical detail tokeep frame rates up.

A spot-on mid-range card. This will cope with1080p gaming with all modern games and willbe the right choice for most people.

Quicker than its little brother, but only by alittle. If you want a bit more oomph, this is agreat card, but the R9 380 or GTX 960 arebetter value.

Benchmarks


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NVIDIA

RECOMMENDED VALUE VALUE

NVIDIA NVIDIA NVIDIA NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 950 GeForce GTX 960 GeForce GTX 970 GeForce GTX 980 Ti

HARDWARE

Slots taken up 2 2 2 2

GPU cores 768 1,024 1,664 2,816v

GPU clock speed 1,190MHz 1,279MHz 1,140MHz 1GHz

GPU clock boostspeed

1,393MHz 1,342MHz 1,279MHz 1,075MHz

Memory 2GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5 6GB GDDR5

Memory interface 128-bit 128-bit 256-bit 384-bitMax memory

bandwidth105.76GB/s 112.16 GB/s 224GB/s 336.5GB/s

Memory speed 6,610MHz effective 7,010MHz 7,000MHz 7GHz

Graphics card length 256.5mm 257mm 264mm 267mm

Outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x Dis

Power leads required 1x 8-pin PCI Express 1x 8-pin PCI Express 1x 8-pin PCI Express, 1x 6-pin PCIExpress

1x 8-pin PCI Express, 1x 6-pin PCIExpress

Accessories 2x Molex to 8-pin PCI-Express, VGAto DVI adaptors

DVI to VGA adaptor, Molex to 8-pinPCI-Express adaptor

DVI to VGA adaptor DVI to VGA adaptor, Molex to 8-pinPCI-Express adaptor

BUYING INFORMATION

Recommendedmodel

EVGA GTX 950 SC Gigabyte GTX 960 OC MSI GTX 970 Gaming Twin Frozr 5 MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G

Price $255 $290 $500 $1100

Warranty Three years RTB Three years RTB Three years RTB Three years RTB

Details www.evga.com www.gigabyte.com www.msi.com www.msi.com

VERDICT

Verdict Budget graphics cards don’t comemuch better than this. You mighthave to turn down detail settings insome high-end games, but you getgreat performance for the price.

Ideal for mid-range gaming, withdecent frame rates at 1080p in allour test games. It’s a great price,too, and competes with the RadeonR9 380.

For most people, this card is thehigh-end model to buy.It will easily cope withhigh-resolution, high-detailgaming, making it a great choicefor enthusiasts.

This card will cope witheverything, even 4K gaming, butyou’re going to have to pay a lotfor it. Unless you want and needthe best, a cheaper card will suitmost people.

HOW WE TESTWe test all our graphics cards on an Intel DZ87KLT-75K motherboard withan Intel Core i7-4770K processor and 16GB of RAM. This system is powerfulenough to ensure the CPU or memory isn’t holding back the graphics cardand articially slowing down frame rates. We then use a range of differentgames, which vary in graphical intensity, to measure performance.

Dirt Showdown is our least challenging title, so should play well onmid-range GPUs without dropping below 60fps; racing games particularlybenet from high frame rates. The game scales well to 2,560x1440 and4K resolutions when running on more powerful cards. 2013’s Tomb Raiderreboot uses very demanding SSAA, which will tax mid-range cards, whileMetro: Last Light Redux makes heavy use of Tessellation to challenge allbut the most powerful cards. We’ve printed the results of the graphicscards at 1,920x1,080, so you can see how they compare to each other.

Dirt Showdown in

all its filthy glory


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HOW WE TESTTo test the read and write speeds of eachdisk drive, we use a script that copies les toand from the drive and measures the timetaken. We copy the les to the disk frommemory rather than from another disk drive,because RAM is faster than any hard disk orSSD so won’t act as the limiting factor in the

tests.

In our large-le tests, we copy a 100MBle to and from each disk 100 times to seehow fast a drive is when dealing with bigles such as video clips. We repeat this testusing a selection of smaller les totalling100MB, to see how well a drive copes withthe many smaller les needed when loading

an operating system or application.

much data each of its cells can contain.There are the now less common single-level cell (SLC) type that can only storeone bit, multi-level cells (MLC) that canstore two bit s and triple-level cell (TLC),which can store three.

Being able to store more than one bitof data per cell allows manufacturersto pack more storage capacity into asmaller physical space, allowing theSSDs to reach ever-greater capacitieswhile still tting into existing drivebays. However, a balance needs tobe struck, as using more bits per cellcan result in compromised speed andreliability. There have also been sometechnological innovations allowing

SSDs to increase in capacity fur ther,such as Samsung’s 3D V-NAND system,which stacks cells both vertically andhorizontally. However, SSDs are stillconsiderably behind HDDs in termsof storage capacity, and the cost pergigabyte is also a lot highe r.

A separate controller acts as aninterface between the NAND modulesand the operating system, and this can

have a direct impact on performance. Forexample, Marvell is a popu lar controllermanufacturer, and its designs can befound in many SSDs from differentmanufacturers.

While a lot of SSDs connect to a SATAport (SATA3 is best for speed), somenewer drives can plug into an M.2 porton your motherboard. This will give youeven more speed if they support X2 or X4bandwidth and/or the new and speedyNVMe protocol, in a form factor thatsits snuggly against your motherboard.There are quite a few M.2 d rives availableat the moment thanks largely to theformat’s support in laptops, but we listour favourite models for desktop PCsover the page.

SSDs per gigabyte, so if you have lots ofmedia and documents to store, they’reyour best option. If you’re planning touse a hard disk drive for your operatingsystem and applications, don’t expectthe same fast loading times and snappy

system responsiveness as you’ll get withan SSD, however, as even the slowestSSD is over three times as fast as thequickest hard disk.

Hard disk drives are often referredto as ‘mechanical drives’ due to theway they operate. A hard disk consistsof a mechanical arm and, dependingon its storage capacity, one or moreplatters. The arm holds the read/wri teheads that move across the platter atextremely high speeds, as theplatters themselves rotate athigh speed, anywhere up to10,000rpm. Data is stored onthe surface of each platter,and the arm moves the headsover the surface of the di sk topick up data.

It’s because of the mechanical natureof hard disk drives that they can’tcompete with the speed of ash storagefound in SSDs, which doesn’t rely ondelicate moving parts. It’s also why harddisks are more susceptible to impactdamage, making dropping a laptop witha hard disk likely to result in data loss.

SO SOLID CREW

Installing an SSD can be one of themost effective upgrades you can maketo your desktop or laptop. SSDs are anexcellent choice for a primary systemdisk. Thanks to their superior read andwrite speeds, they can instantly speedup your operating system, making itfeel fresh and responsive. Bootup andshutdown times will be signicantly lessthan when using a mechanical disk, andyour applications will typically openmuch faster.

SSDs are able to achieve suchblistering le-transfer speeds because ofthe lack of any moving parts. Rather thanthe disk platters found in HDDs, SSDsuse NAND ash memory. NAND comesin a number of varieties based on how

HYBRID VEHICLE

Hard disk drives may still provide thebest bang for your buck when it comesto storage capacity, but the read andwrite speeds of SSDs simply can’t bebeaten. The solution, therefore, would be

to combine the two. That’s what manymanufacturers have done with solid-state hybrid drives (SSHDs).

Although many desktop PC users willopt for an SSD as a system di sk to housetheir operating system and software,with a separate secondary hard disk fortheir media, this simply isn’t possible inmost laptops, where there’s a solitarydrive bay thus limiting any storageexpansion. This is where an SSHD could

be useful.SSHDs combine both

technologies into a singlephysical drive. Most havea large-capacity hard diskpaired with a smaller SSDNAND cache, typicallyaround 8GB in size. Caching

algorithms then decide what datashould reside on the SSD and whatwill go on the hard disk. Typically, datayou use most frequently will remainon the SSD cache for quick access, sothese could be operating sys tem les orsoftware application data. This meansperformance should gradually improveover time as the caching algorithmlearns your usage patterns. Our tests

have shown that hybrid SSDs makesome difference to le transfers, and candramatically reduce operating systemboot times.

Other hybrid drive implementationsinclude Western Digital’s Black2 DualDrive. Instead of using an SSD as acache, a separate HDD and SSD arepackaged together in a single 2½in drive.This means you can use the smaller,faster SSD as your system disk, while stillhaving plenty of mechanical hard diskspace for your les.

SIZE MATTERSStorage drives typically come in twoform factors: 2½in and 3½in. All SSDs are2½in, but mechanical HDDs can come ineither size. Most PC cases will be able toaccommodate both sizes, but laptopsonly use 2½in drives.

Where it gets a little confusing isthat there are different heights for 2½indrives. Most are 7mm high, but some areavailable in a thinner 5mm format oftenused in Ultrabooks or other slim laptops,or a thicker 9.5mm format often seenin large desktop-replacement laptops.We note how thick each drive is in our

reviews, but if you’re building a desk topPC the thickness doesn’t matter.

“ Our tests have shown that hybrid SSDsmake some difference to file transfers,

and can dramatically reduce operating system boot times ”


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HARD DISKS

RECOMMENDED VALUE

SEAGATE WESTERN DIGITAL

Laptop SSHD Green

HARDWARE

Form factor 2½in 3½in

Capacity 500GB/1TB 500GB/1TB/2TB/3TB/4TB

Cost pergigabyte

$0.17 (500GB), $0.11 (1TB) $0.13 (500GB),$0.07 (1TB), $0.05 (2TB), $0.04 (3TB), $0.05 (4TB)

Interface SATA3 SATA3

Spindle speed 5,400rpm IntelliPower

Cache 8GB SSD + 64MB 64MB

Quoted seektime

8ms Not stated

BUYING INFORMATION

Warranty Three years RTB Two years RTB

Price $88 (500GB), $119 (1TB) $65 (500GB), $74 (1TB), $105 (2TB), $137 (3TB), $209 (4TB)

Details www.seagate.com www.wdc.comVERDICT

Ignore the word ‘laptop’ in this product name: this hybrid drive is great valueand its SSD cache can help improve boot speeds, from 50s down to 28s inour tests. The SSD cache is very small, though.

With excellent prices and great performance, the WD Green series is ourhard disk of choice. The 2TB, 3TB and 4TB models are the best value pergigabyte, but buy according to budget.

Benchmarks

0 50 100 150 200 250

WD Green 1TB

Seagate LaptopSSHD 1TB

132.1

201.1

81.5 82 82.5 8 3 83.5 8 4 84.5 85 85.5

WD Green 1TB


82.7

85

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

WD Green 1TB


255

133.9


WD Green 1TB

0 20 40 60 80 100

65.3

92.7

0 50 100 150 200 250

WD Green 1TB


133

228.1

68 7 0 7 2 74 76 78 80 8 2 8 4 86 8 8 90


WD Green 1TB 75.2

87.7

LARGE WRITE (MB/S)

SMALL WRITE (MB/S)

LARGE READ (MB/S)

SMALL READ (MB/S)

LARGE FILES OVERALL (MB/S)

SMALL FILES OVERALL (MB/S)


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0 200 400 600 800 1,0001,2001,4001,600

Samsung 950 Pro M.2

Samsung 850 Evo

SanDisk Ultra II

Samsung 850 Evo M.2 436.1

617.7

712.9

1,349

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400

Samsung 950 Pro M.2

Samsung 850 Evo

SanDisk Ultra II

Samsung 850 Evo M.2 85.4

97.5

99.8

1,205

0 200 400 600 800 1000120014001600

Samsung 950 Pro M.2

Samsung 850 Evo M.2

Samsung 850 Evo

SanDisk Ultra II 77

91.2

108.1

1,646

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400

Samsung 950 Pro M.2

Samsung 850 Evo M.2

Samsung 850 Evo

SanDisk Ultra II 87.3

95.5

96.8

1,425.5

0 500 1,000 1, 500 2,000 2 ,500

Samsung 950 Pro M.2

Samsung 850 Evo M.2

Samsung 850 Evo

SanDisk Ultra II 454.4

465.3

579.8

2,171

0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000

Samsung 950 Pro M.2

Samsung 850 Evo

SanDisk Ultra II

Samsung 850 Evo M.2 508

536.1

589.1

1,760

LARGE WRITE (MB/S)

SMALL WRITE (MB/S)

LARGE READ (MB/S)

SMALL READ (MB/S)

LARGE FILES OVERALL (MB/S)

SMALL FILES OVERALL (MB/S)

SSDs

VALUE RECOMMENDED VALUE RECOMMENDEDSAMSUNG SAMSUNG SAMSUNG SANDISK

850 Evo 850 Evo M.2 950 Pro (NVMe) M.2 Ultra II

HARDWARE

Capacity 120GB/250GB/500GB/1TB 120GB/250GB/500GB 256GB/512GB 240GB/480GB/960GB

Cost per gigabyte$0.78 (120GB), $0.51 (250GB),$0.45 (500GB), $0.44 (1TB)

$0.82 (120GB), $0.54 (250GB),$0.49 (500GB)

$1.11 (256GB), $0.93 (512GB)$0.79 (120GB), $0.50 (240GB),$0.48 (480GB), $0.45 (960GB)

Interface SATA3 M.2 M.2 (NVMe) SATA3

Claimed read 540MB/s 540MB/s 2,200MB/s 550MB/s

Claimed write 520MB/s 500MB/s 900MB/s 500MB/s

Controller

Samsung MGX Controller, SamsungMEX Controller (1TB) Samsung MGX Samsung UBX Marvell 88SS9190/88SS9189

NAND ash type Samsung 40nm 3D V-NAND Samsung 3D V-NAND Sasmsung V-NAND 19nm TLC

Mounting kit No No No No

BUYING INFORMATION

Warranty Five years RTB 5 years RTB 5 years RTB Three years RTB

Price$94 (120GB) $129 (250GB),$229 (500GB), $459 (1TB)

$99 (120GB), $135 (250GB),$245 (500GB)

$285 (256GB), $480 (512GB)$95 (120GB), $120 (240GB), $235(480GB), $440 (960GB)

Details www.samsung.com www.samsung.com www.samsung.com www.sandisk.comVERDICT

Samsung’s 850 series is nowexcellent value. It’s still extremelyquick, too, performing well acrossall of our tests. The 120GB drive isn’t

good value, but the other capacitiesare.

The M.2 version of Samsung’s regularSSD. It’s a little more expensive, butit’s a little faster, too. If you have amotherboard with an M.2 slot, this is

the best-value drive for it.

Incredible performance from thistop-end M.2 SSD. It’s comparativelyexpensive, but you’ll have a reallyquick PC if you buy one. It’s best

suited for use with a new IntelSkylake system.

This range of SSDs is great valueand still comparatively quick.It’s the ideal choice if you valuecapacity over raw speed. The

120GB version’s not great value,but the other capacities are.

Benchmarks


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T he power supply unit (PSU) maynot be the most exciting productinside a PC, but you shouldn’toverlook it and just buy the cheapestmodel you can. An unbranded PSUmay not deliver the wattage printedon its box and could therefore causerandom instability and crashes. Fromexperience, we’ve also found that cheappower supplies don’t last as long as theirbranded equivalents.

For this month’s issue we put several

power supplies through their paces tosee how well they performed under

load. However, we’ve only included thetop models that you should consider inthis issue, giving recommendations thatwill suit all builds and all types of user.Before you jump into the details, here’severything you need to know abou tchoosing a power supp ly.

UNBRIDLED POWER

For a while the PC industry went mad andit wasn’t unusual to see 1.2kW suppliesfor sale. The good news is that everything

has become more power efficient.Typically speaking a 500-550W PSU

will cope with a regular PC build with asingle low-power graphics card. If you’regoing for something a bit more powerful,a 750-850W PSU will do the job. If youwant a better idea of how much poweryou’ll need to provide, the eXtremePower Supply Calculator (outervision.com/power-supply-calculator) lets youselect your components using a drop-down menu, so you can get an accurateprediction.

AGAINST THE RAILINGSA PSU outputs its power on different rails,

POWER RANGERSPSUsA DECENT POWER SUPPLY WILL NOT ONLY GIVE YOU THE RIGHT CONNECTORSTO POWER ALL YOUR KIT, IT CAN ALSO SAVE YOU MONEY ON YOUR BILLS


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HOW WE TESTYou need specialist kit to tes t power supplies properly. We useStratton load generators, which are able to simulate a load of upto 1,600W on a PSU. The supplies are tested at 200W, 300W, 400W,500W and, for the 750W and higher supplies, 600W, 700W and800W. This lets us see if each supply can hand le its full load . We alsotest for power efciency: the percentage of power drawn from the

mains that is delivered to the PC’s components, with the remainderbeing lost as heat. We test at the same loads and compile anaverage efciency gure. Our results are shown over the page.

Finally, all our supplies are tested for noise in a sound-proofchamber. We measure noise at 10cm, with each PSU running at aload of 100W, 300W and 500W.

85% effi cient would need to draw 294Wfrom the wall to power a 250W PC. Incontrast, a 94% effi cient PSU would draw

266W – 28W less to power the same PC.To help you choose, power supplies

are rated by the 80 Plus certication,with Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinumand Titanium awards for minimumeffi ciencies (see the table, left). The 80Plus standards set effi ciency targets at20, 50 and 100 per cent load. Our teststell you how effi cient each supply i s,but be careful in choosing by effi ciencyalone. In our example, you might buy amore expensive PSU to save on runningcosts, but it may take years of lowerelectricity bills to recoup the higher initialcost.

PLUG IN

Make sure your PSU hasenough plugs for all yourPC’s components. If youwant to run two powerfulgraphics cards, you’llneed four 6+2-pin PCIExpress connectors,for example.Plentyof SATA

which run at various voltages and havea rating in amps to show the total powerthey provide. Different parts of your PCdraw on different rails for their power;power-hungry components such as theprocessor and graphics card, for example,draw a signicant amount of power fromone of the 12V rails. The rail’s total ratinggure is the amount of current that canbe drawn by that single rail: multiply thatby the voltage to nd the total power thatthe rail can provide.

Branded power supplies will be ableto provide close to their rated maximumwattage across their 12V rails.

EFFICIENCY DRIVE

Nowadays, effi ciency is just about themost important part of any supply. Thisdescribes how much power is wastedwhen converted from input to output.

Any ‘lost’ power is converted into heat.For example, a 500W power supply that’s

connectors are useful for hard disksand SSDs, but look out for older Molexconnectors for old devices and case fans.

You may also need a Floppy connectorif you have a front-panel device that ispowered this way. Buy a modular PSUif you can (most are), as you only needto plug in the cables that you’re using,leaving your PC less cluttered inside.

We use professionalStratton loadgenerators tosimulate a loadof up to 800W oneach PSU

Power supply ratingsFraction of load 20% 50% 100%

80 Plus Bronze 81% 85% 81%

80 Plus Silver 85% 89% 85%

80 Plus Gold 88% 92% 88%

80 Plus Platinum 90% 94% 91%

80 Plus Titanium 94% 96% 91%


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550W PSUsRECOMMENDED

CORSAIR EVGA

RM550 Supernova GS 550W

FEATURES

Fan 135mm 120mm

Dimensions (WxDxH) 150x160x86mm 150x150x86mm

CLAIMED OUTPUT

3.3V rail 25A 20A

5V rail 25A 20A

12V rails 1 (45.8A) 1 (45A)12V rails max output 45.8A 45A

Maximum total output 550W 550W

80 Plus certication 80 Plus Gold 80 Plus Gold

CONNECTIONS

Modular Yes Yes

Molex 4 4

SATA 6 6

Floppy 1 1

Motherboard connector 20/24-pin 20/24-pin

Four-pin 12V processor Yes Yes

Eight-pin 12V processor Yes Yes

SOUND

100W load 18dB(A) 23.3dB(A)

200W load 18dB(A) 24.4dB(A)

500W load 28.8dB(A) 28.8dB(A)

BUYING INFORMATION

Price $150 $106

Details www.corsair.com www.evga.comVERDICT

Lengthy, at cables and a large, quiet fan are just the start for this topPSU. With excellent effi ciency from 100W updwards, only i ts price holdsit back.

If you’re building a budget computer, this is the PSU for you. Voltagedrops a little at high loads, but remains within the ATX specication.

Benchmarks

Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 850W

Corsair RM550

EVGA Supernova GS 550W

Corsair RM750i

EVGA Supernova G2 750W0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

89.47%

89.47%

89.84%

90.43%

90.87%

91.61%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


EVGA Supernova G2 750W

Corsair RM750i


Corsair RM550 89.09%

89.51%

89.74%

89.86%

92.35%

EFFICIENCY AT 300W EFFICIENCY AT 500W


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0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


Corsair RM550


Corsair RM750i

EVGA Supernova G2 750W 89.41%

89.47%

89.91%

89.94%

91.79%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


Corsair RM750i

EVGA Supernova G2 750W

92.34%

89.26%

89.19%

AVERAGE EFFICIENCYEFFICIENCY AT 700W

550W PSUs 750-850W PSUs

750-850W PSUsVALUE

BE QUIET! CORSAIR EVGA

Dark Power Pro 11 850W RM750i Supernova G2 750W

135mm 135mm 140mm

150x193x86mm 150x180x86mm 150x180x85mm

25A 25A 24A

25A 25A 24A

4 (2x 30A, 2x 35A) 1 (62.5A) 1 (62.4A)70A 62.5A 62.4A

850W 750W 750W

80 Plus Platinum 80 Plus Gold 80 Plus Gold

Yes Yes Yes

8 7 4

8 8 9

1 2 1

20/24-pin 20/24-pin 20/24-pin

Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes

18.2dB(A) 18dB(A) 20.1dB(A)

18.9dB(A) 19.6dB(A) 18.5dB(A)

21.9dB(A) 23.5dB(A) 32.8dB(A)

$269 $189 $129

www.bequiet.com www.corsair.com www.evga.com

It’s expensive, but this PSU is incredibly well built andextremely effi cient. Integrated fan controllers are a nicetouch, but the price is hard to get over.

At 180mm long this is a big PSU, so make sure you haveroom for it. If you do, you get excellent effi ciency andwhisper-quiet operation, thanks to the large 135mm fan.

A fully modular design and excellent effi ciency above100W make this a great-value PSU. For most peoplebuilding a high-power system, this is the best choice.


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UPGRADE AUSTRALIAIS COMING TO MELBOURNE

BUILD. PLAY. CREATE APRIL 13TH AT MONASH UNIVERSITY, CAULFIELD CAMPUS BUILD

• Witness the newest PC hardwarein action

• Get hands-on with a huge rangeof PC gear

• Speedbuilding returns!

PLAY

• The hottest new competitive games• Play solo or against Australia’s hottest

Pro teams... and watch them annihilateeach other

• Play better with exclusive tips fromthe pros

CREATE

• Learn how to use your PC as a powerfulcreative tool

PLUS! WIN COOL PRIZES ANDSCORE SWEET FREEBIESNote Upgrade Australia is an over-18s event

Visit www.pcauthority.com.au/UpgradeAustraliafor more information, and stay tuned for when registrations opens

• Images on this page show previous Upgra de Australia events, and are not necessar ily indicative of what we have in store for you at the Melbourne Upgra de Australia event.

Out of the box thinking

CORSAIR BULLDOGBulldog combines the efforts of Corsair’s class-leading cooling,chassis, and PSU technology to produce the ultimate small formfactor barebones kit for 4K gaming. It includes the Hydro SeriesH5 SF liquid CPU cooler and the SF600 80 Plus Gold-rated powersupply wrapped in a stylish chassis capable of supporting anymini-ITX motherboard and an additional 120mm radiator.

With liquid cooling support for the graphics card and the CPU,Bulldog lets you bring 4K gaming performance into any room inyour home and then overclock, taking users beyond the limitsof out-of-the-box performance – all without increasing noise oroverheating.

UPGRADE TOCORSAIR INNOVATION

CARBIDESPEC-ALPHAThe Carbide SPEC-ALPHA’sbold, angular looks and directairflow path cooling are justbegging for you to build yournext gaming rig. A gorgeous,oversized window shows offthe roomy interior, and thethree included 120mm fanscan be easily controlled withthe three-speed switch onthe front panel.

The SPEC-ALPHA isn’t justanother case, it’s got a greatinternal design that eschewsthe legacy 5.25” drive cagescompletely for better cooling,but still has plenty of drivecapacity, with room for up tothree 3.5” drives and four 2.5”drives, as well as front panelUSB 3.0 support.


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POWERED BY INTEL UPGRADE AUSTRALIA

WHYCHOOSE ANINTEL XEON PROCESSOR?

Wondering whether a Xeon-basedworkstation could be right for your needs?We spoke with Grah am Tucker, the ANZTechnical Manager at Intel to get histhoughts.

WHEN SHOULD I CONSIDER

A XEON PROCESSOR? “Xeon processors are ta rgeted atprofessional users, partic ularly people likearchitects, graphic art ists, photographersand video editors. Any professional whodepends on applications that require highreliability and performance will benefitfrom a Xeon-based workstation.

“If you compare Xeon processors with

desktop Core i7 processors,the Xeon has more cores andcan address more memory. Someapplications can take advantage of morecores and memory, others cannot. Someexamples of applications that benef it fromthe features of Xeon processors are CAD,

photo and video processing applications.Even small businesses th at operatewith large inventories and data sets ca nbenefit from usin g a Xeon processor.

“Consider reliability. For example, ifan architect or a graphic designer loses aday’s work through a hardware failu re,the cost would be considerable. Wheneveryou’re using a lot of memory, the chancesof failure are hig her. One of the keyfeatures a Xeon processor has over a Corei7 is ECC (Error-Correcting C ode) memory.ECC memory enables better data integrityand system reliability through thecorrection of memory bit failures.”

HOW DO I CHOOSE THERIGHT XEON FOR ME?

“There is a larger range of Xeon processorsthan Core desktop processors. Xeonprocessors have up to 18 cores (some withhyperthreadin g) and up to 45MB of lastlevel cache. Not all Xeons are supportedby specific Xeon workstation board a ndsystem designs. If you are building your

own workstation, it is advisable to checkthe manufacturers tested and supportedlist.”

WHEN MIGHT A PC ENTHUSIASTUSE A XEON BASED SYSTEM?

“Putting aside the business uses, any PCenthusiast who does a lot of multitaski ngcould benefit from the many cores ofXeon. For example, if you’re multitaskingusing many high performa nce applicationssimultaneously, then you may utili se morecores of the Xeon processor.

“Similarly, anyone who makes use ofvirtualisation capabilities, such as forsoftware development or sandboxing, willalso benefit f rom more memory and cores.Typically Xeon will support multiple CPUsbetter than Core i7 desktop processors.”

WILL A XEON BASED SYSTEMBE ENERGY EFFICIENT?

“The energy eff iciency of the Xeonprocessor range is comparable to the Corei7. The difference is a Xeon-based systemmay give you the same performa nceas two desk top computers if you couldconsolidate the additional applicationssupported by Xeon.”

G R A H A M W IL L D E L I V E R A K E Y N O T E

S P E E C H A T T H E U P G R A D E A U S T R A L IA

E V E N T I N M E L B O U R N E O N A P R IL 13 T H!

Choosing the right processor foryour workstation is an important

consideration. What advantages doIntel Xeon processors have overDesktop CPUs?


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84 April 2016 www.pcandtechauthority.com.au

HAND-ON PREVIEW GAMES

Hands-on Preview:Total War: WarhammerWE RULE THE LAND WITH AN UNDEAD FIST.

I must admit to some trepidationwhen I sat down to play Total War:Warhammer. I’ve been bit of a TotalWar tragic since the days of Shogun, butthe recent Rome II really took the shineoff the series for me. I do know it’s beenpatched to within an inch of its life, making

it now a much better game, but thoserst impressions stick. Thankfully, my rstimpressions of Total Warhammer aremuch more positive.

The build I got to play was basedaround the Vampire Counts army, one ofthe game’s four playable release factions.As you might surmise, they’re a little bitevil. Well, actually, a lot evil. Think hordesof bats, raising the dead, and generallycasting a shadow of doom and corruptionacross the land.

They’re also one of the moreiconic races in the tabletop wargamethe game’s based on, and CreativeAssembly has done an outstanding jobof bringing the vampires, direwolves,and masses of skeletons and zombiesalive. Er, so to speak.

The broad brushstrokes of any TotalWar game are ever present – campaignmap movement, city management, it’s allthere, so that veterans will feel at home.But laid over that are unique abilitiesdrawn from the immense lore that GamesWorkshop has amassed over decadesof working on Warhammer. Surprisingly,these translate perfectly to the Total Warmilieu.

Our preview session started at thebeginning of the campaign, with a single

territory, and a stretch of narrativemissions to get me into the swing of beingManfred von Carstein, EPIC VAMPIREDUDE. His initial aims are to dominatethe area of the Known World knownas Sylvania, which is totally not at all arip-off of Dracula’s Transylvania. Well,

it obviously is, but Games Workshop’salways been a master of pastiche.

The only issue with this name is that itseems very silly to anyone familiar withSydney’s suburb of the same name. Thenagain, if it were revealed that SylvaniaWaters is the home to the blood-feastingundead, it probably wouldn’t surpriseanyone.

So as usual, you need to expand,and you’ve got a pretty neat star tingarmy to do so. Watching skeletonsmarch in lockstep to war is wonderfullyreminiscent of Jason and the Argonauts,and it’s hard to get more iconic thanhordes of shambling, slow movingzombies. But the Vampire Counts realpunch comes from von Carstein himself,and the monstrous Varghulf.

As I said, Manfred’s an EPIC VAMPIREDUDE, and I really mean it. Total

Warhammer’s generals and heroesare solo gures. Unlike the generals ofprevious games, they stride through thebattleeld alone, and are immeasurablymore powerful. They’re in fact quite inline with power levels of characters fromthe tabletop game. Von Carstein can cast

spells with sap the strength of enemies,or that heal and raise from the dead hisallies. And in combat, he’s incredible – it’slike watching Sauron lay waste to thearmies of elves and men in the openingof Lord of the Rings. Total Warhammer’scharacters are more than capable ofdestroying entire units.

And that’s even before you startmessing about with the many skill treeson offer to the Vampire Counts, which canreally boost your combat ability, or yourspell-casting ability, or your control overterritory. On top of that, there are magicitems to nd on the eld of battle fromlesser magic weapons and armour, to themore epic named items that are part ofeach major character’s quest chain.

The Varghulf, on the other hand, isone of the game’s monstrous creatures,a towering undead monster that candash across the ground, and decimateunsuspecting units. Again, it’s onecreature, but very tough, and verydangerous.

And really, all the Vampire Countsunits are useful, because they all causefear. This doesn’t mean much ghtingother Vampire armies, but when you

ght human troops, their morale can bereally fragile. This opens up some trulyunique tactics. You can harass the enemywith a quick ight of bats, a fragile yingunit that can nonetheless break up anadvance. Then you bog them down withskeletons and zombies, using magic toweaken the enemy, and bolster your ownranks. If an enemy character wades in,hit them with your own characters, or tiethem down with a monster.

Then, when the enemy is engaged allalong its line, surprise them with an attackfrom the ank by hidden direwolves, oryour fast-charging Varghulf. That’s arecipe for a shattering win over your foe.

What’s impressive is that while thetools may be different, the same tacticsare still rewarding and reliable.

Combined with the fantastic effectsthat animate the campaign map, to thetrue-to-miniature-life recreation of theunits, Total War: Warhammer is startingto look like the triumph we’ve all beenhoping for.David Hollingworth

KEY SPECS warhammer.totalwar.com

Genre


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WAR THE

SPECIAL

ON SALE APRIL 14


86/116

The DivisionAN AMERICAN GOOD GUY WITH A GUN

T here are some very strange quirksearly on in The Division thathighlight a few of the major awsin the game but still don’t detract fromhow addictive the overall experience is.Soon after creating a character playershave to register their agent on an in-gameterminal. There is only a single terminaland during the rst few weeks of releasetrying to register a character was likeplaying bumper cars with other players,jostling for space in front of the terminalfor long enough to activate a character.The same character introduction phasealso requires the player to have a chat toan NPC Division agent. She is in a smallroom with a single entry that can beblocked easily by a single player, thanksto character based collision detection,making it impossible to progress.

These strange oversights highlighthow The Division is kind of lost betweenworlds. A mash up of cover based thirdperson shooter and MMORPG, TheDivision casts players as one of the eliteoperatives of a sleeper agency taskedwith going into action when everythingelse fails. In this case, Manhattan hasbeen devastated by a biological attack

that has killed a huge number of peopleand rendered the island uninhabitablefor the most part. Of course, all those

bad people who have been looking foran excuse to riot and loot have come outof the woodwork. There are basic riotersand looters – faceless, interchangeablemooks that have no real agenda asidefrom chaos. There are the Cleaners,crazed “heroes” who believe they can savethe city and the world by burning out theinfection with amethrowers and napalm.Other factions, such as Wall St privatesecurity mercenaries betrayed by theiremployers and escaped prisoners alsowant a piece of the post-apocalyptic pie.

GOOD GUY WITH GUN Playing into the current American feverdream, players are the “good guy with agun”, the only force capable of stoppingthe bad guys with guns (and napalm)and bringing some stability back to thecity whilst simultaneously uncoveringthe truth behind the biological attackvariously known as the Green Poison orthe Dollar Flu (the virus was impregnatedin currency distributed during the BlackFriday sales). This lone saviour idea leads

to one of the most jarring points of TheDivision. The story takes the playersthrough a series of district based quest

hubs, safe houses that are unlocked whendiscovered and give the player access tovendors and supplies. In these hubs theagents learn of the active quests in thearea, each of which appears on the map.From there it’s little more than a matter ofheading to a map specied location, killingsome baddies and then on to the next.

QUEST QUESTING The open world of The Division is detailedbut empty. This is by design – Manhattanhas been devastated by a biologicalweapon after all – but that designdoes not detract from the fact that theemptiness makes for something of a slog.Aside from the occasional encounter with


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GAMES REVIEW

KEY SPECS www.tomclancy-thedivision.ubi.comGenre - Third Person Shooter/MMO • Developer - UbisoftMassive, Red Storm Entertainment • Publisher - Ubisoft •Platform - PC, PS4, Xbox One

OVERALL

0 1 2 3 4 5

groups of interchangeable villains andsome resource or collectable pickups,there is little to actually do in the city.It’s a long, bleak slog from one quest toanother, punctuated by the occasionalreght and once you get to said questit will inevitably involve another reght.

Despite the action RPG style levellingand item drops, guns are the solution toevery problem in The Division. There areno puzzles or conversations, just gunghtsand the occasional icked switch.

WINS WITH FINESSE

This is all sounding very negative, butthe gunplay in The Division, whilstunspectacular, is denitely enjoyablethanks to some nice little details thatcan turn the basic cover shooting intosomething far more. Each agent can carrythree weapons, a sidearm with inniteammo, making it a fall-back piece, andtwo others drawn from a pool of sniperries, assault ries, shotguns, SMGs andlight machine guns. The guns all featuresome nice physics modelling, giving themrealistic lift and pull when red, forcingplayers to compensate and be judiciouswith their shots. The cover system takesa little getting used to but reveals itselfto be an intuitive and accessible way toshielding a character from damage as wellas moving around the battleeld. Hitting

space next to any form of cover will makethe agent hug that cover. From coverplayers can target any other cover in rangeand charge into that cover by holdingdown the space bar. It’s a fairly simplesystem but it works in context. The enemyAI will focus re on where they saw theplayer last, so being able to move unseenfrom cover to cover makes for some funanking and blindsiding.

COMBAT MECHANICS

Rather oddly for a game about covertagents, Players in The Division canneither jump nor enter any kind of stealthoutside of cover. Instead of being ableto jump, agents are instead procient in

parkour, enabling them to mantle overmost obstacles or climb things that giveadequate handholds. For the most partthis system is solid, but for reasons thatcan only be put down to funnelling, thereare some areas that resort to limitingclimbable/mantleable areas to those thatare clearly signposted – a wall may beof uniform height for its entire length butplayers can only get over the portion thathas a green tarp on it. These areas feelincongruous to the rest of the game world.

Like any good action RPG, The Divisionfeatures items colour coded in orderof rarity. White items are common andhave no abilities outside of their basicfunction. Green items have a stat boostfor one of the three core statistics;Firearms, Stamina and Electronics(damage, hitpoints and skill/grenadepower respectively), whilst higher tieredequipment can have more than one statboost, primary and secondary abilities,such as extra damage with a certaincategory of gun or more ammunitioncapacity, and even special unique weapon

based skills that are unlocked by havingthe requisite statistics. It’s quite anelegant system for equipment upgrading,but also one that shows why there aren’ttoo many loot based games set in themodern day as opposed to science ctionor fantasy worlds.

AR UI HUD

Aside from depicting a stunning post viralapocalypse Manhattan, the integration ofthe gamier elements of the interface arebeautifully realised. Rather than havinga standard HUD at the bottom or top ofthe screen, The Division instead takesa kind of augmented reality approachwith health, ammunition and currentlyequipped skills oating in space next tothe character and other elements, suchas GPS or location names seamlesslyoverlayed over the top of action. Not onlydoes it look fantastic, the use of the ARstyle HUD ensures that players are alwaysfocussing on the centre of the screenrather than having to look away to checkany vital facts or statistics.

The Division is a game that is hamperedby its own ambition. Combining anarrative open world action RPG with anMMO style multiplayer element and thirdperson shooter aesthetics sounds like agreat idea on paper, but in execution theseparate elements seem to dissociatedfrom each other to be fully satisfying. Thenarrative single player shooter elementsare fun but outlive their welcome.

The PVP free-for-all of the Dark Zonemakes for a fun and thrilling multiplayerexperience but is alienating for soloplayers even though it is a necessity foranyone who wants the best loot for theircharacters. The RPG style levelling istoo tied in with questing to have any realimpact and the range of skills is not reallywide enough to give much variation inbuilds. It’s a strange beast, equal partsmoreish character progression andfrustration. With a few more patches andcontent updates, The Division could begreat but right now it ’s less than the sumof its parts.Daniel Wilks


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The A-ListTHE VERY BEST GEAR YOU CAN BUY

WIRELESS ROUTER Asus RT-AC5300

SUPPLIER www.asus.com.auIf you’re connecting less than ten devices to the twin5GHz networks, this extra bandwidth isn’t necessary,but there’s no harm in future-proofing as more devicesstart including Wi-Fi.SPECIFICATIONS Tri-band router (2 x 5GHz and 1 x 2.4GHz networks);802.11a/b/c/g/n/ac compatible; 4x4 antennae design; Combined rate of 5334Mbps

DESKTOP STORAGE CalDigit T3with Thunderbolt 2

SUPPLIER www.amazon.comThe T3 is an expensive RAID device, but when you factorin the drives and the capacity included, it’s good value.

SPECIFICATIONS 6/9/12/15TB external hard disk with RAID; Thunderbolt andThunderbolt 2, 135 x 241 x 116mm 4.5kg.

NAS SynologyDiskstation DS415play

SUPPLIER www.synology.comFor most home users, the DS415play is very impressive. It’san all in one box that can literally do it all.

SPECIFICATIONS 4x SATA 3 2.5”/3.5” drive bays • Intel Atom Dual Core 1.6GHzCPU • 1GB DDR3 RAM • 2x USB 3.0 & 3x USB 2.0 • 1x Gigabit Ethernet

PERIPHERALS

ALL IN ONE PRINTER Canon Pixma IP 8760

SUPPLIER www.canon.com.auThis Canon can do it all, and at a reasonable price.SPECIFICATIONS 9600 x 2400dpi print; 2400 x 4800ppi scan; USB 2; 802.11nWLAN; 150-sheet tray

LASER PRINTER Dell B1160w

SUPPLIER www.dell.com.auThe best all-rounder in our printer grouptest, with excel-lent text printing and decent costs.

SPECIFICATIONS 1800 x 600dpi resolution; USB 2; Wi-Fi; 150-sheet input trays;331 x 215 x 178

ALL IN ONE Apple iMac 27in with Retina 5k display PRICE $2,299SUPPLIER www.apple.com/auThe Apple 27in iMac with Retina 5K display is great. The best all-in-onecomputer around, and by a furlong.SPECIFICATIONS Quad-core 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 processor; AMD Radeon R9 M390 graphics; •

8GB RAM • 1TB Fusion Drive • 27in 5,120 x 2,880 Retina 5K IPS display • SDXC card slot • 4 x USB 3 • 2 x

Thunderbolt 2 • Gigabit Ethernet • 802.11ac Wi-Fi

PC DESKTOP


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A-LIST REVIEWS

SECURITY KasperskyTotal Security

SUPPLIER www.kaspersky.comKaspersky Total Security is the onlysecurity package on test that achieved

both perfect protection and false-positives scores.

BACK UP AcronisTrue Image 2015

SUPPLIER www.acronis.com.auThe 2015 version adds full-systembackup and dual backup and unlimitedcloud storage.

OFFICESUITE MicrosoftOffice365 HomePremium

SUPPLIER www.microsoft.com.auThe easiest to use Office to date.

WEB DEV AdobeDreamweaver CS6

SUPPLIER www.adobe.com.auThis edition makes PHP and CMS itscore focus.

AUDIO Cubase 7.5

SUPPLIER www.steinberg.netThe addition of better filters solidifiesthis program’s continued place on theA-List.

VIDEO Sony Vegas MovieStudio HD Platinum 1 1

SUPPLIER www.sony.com.auMay not have the bells and whistles ofother consumer editing packages, butits tools are efficient.

PHOTO AdobePhotoshop Lightroom 6

SUPPLIER www.adobe.com.auLightroom 6 doesn’t add up to arevolutionary update, but it improveson what was already an exceptionalpiece of software.

SOFTWARE

LAPTOPS

VALUE Asus T100HA

PRICE $428SUPPLIER www.asus.com.auPerformance that delivers everythingtypical day to day computing demandsshort of intense gaming, combinedwith a fantastic screen and a solid andwe think, rugged design makes this thevalue king.SPECIFICATIONS 10.1in IPS panel; Intel Quad-Core x5-

Z8500 processor; 64GB eMMC SSD; 4GB LPDDR3 memory

GAMING Metabox Prime P870DM-G

PRICE $4,549SUPPLIER www.metabox.com.auIf you can handle the noise, the netresult of all of this hardware is a speeddemon of a machine, without doubt thefastest gaming laptop we’ve tested.SPECIFICATIONS 17.1in 1920 x 1080 G-Sync display; Intel

6th Gen Core i7-6700K CPU (quad-cored, Hyper-Threaded

4GHz); 16GB DDR4 memory; 250GB Samsung EVO M.2 SSD

and 1TB HDD

PROFESSIONAL MicrosoftSurface Book

PRICE $2,299 – $4,199SUPPLIER www.microsoft.com.auTruly beautiful, undeniably powerfuland without doubt the bestprofessional laptop you can buy.SPECIFICATIONS 13.5in 3000x2000 IPS display • Intel

i5-6300U/i7-6600U CPU • 8/16GB RAM, optional Nvidia

GPU • 256/512GB PCIe SSD • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.0,

2x USB 3.0 • Mini DisplayPort

ULTRA PORTABLE Dell XPS 13

PRICE $2,499SUPPLIER www.dell.com/auThis is a powerful, light, lovelyultraportable that comes only hair’sbreadth from perfection and is as sexyas they come, too.SPECIFICATIONS Dual-core 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U l

8GB RAM l 256GB PCI-E SSD l 13.3in 3,200 x 1,800 IPS display

l SD/SDHC/SDXC slot l 2 x USB 3 l Thunderbolt 3 l 720p

webcam l 802.11ac Wi-Fi (2x2)

SMARTPHONE Sony Xperia Z5

PRICE $999SUPPLIER www.sony.com.au

Similarly impressiveperformance andspecs to the GalaxyS6 and iPhone 6s,but with the valuablebenefit of dust andwater resistance anda microSD slot.SPECIFICATIONS Octa-core 2GHz Qualcomm

Snapdragon 810 SoC • 3GB RAM • 32GB storage • microSD

slot (up to 200GB) • 5.2in 1,080 x 1,920 IPS display

EBOOK READERKindle Paperwhite

PRICE $119SUPPLIER www.amazon.comThe premiumKindle goes theextra mile, with amore attractivedesign, lowerweight, and bettercontrast.SPECIFICATIONS 6in 1,072 x 1,448 E Ink Carta display •2GB storage • single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi • optional 3G • 1yr

RTB warranty • 117 x 9.1 x 169mm (WDH)

TABLET SamsungGalaxy TabS2 9.7

PRICE $599

(32GB, Wi-Fi)SUPPLIER www.samsung.com/auIt’s neck andneck with the iPad Air 2, but the GalaxyTab 2 gets it for a nicer screen, a fasterCPU, microSD and being lighter.SPECIFICATIONS 1.9GHz Octa-Core CPU • 3GB RAM •

32GB storage • 9.7in 1,536 x 2,048 IPS display • 7,340mAh

battery

HANDHELDS

SMARTWATCH Apple Watch Sport

PRICE $499SUPPLIER www.apple.com/auThis is not onlyour pick of AppleWatches, but ofthe smart watchmarket overall atthis point in time.Good features, greatapp support and justso nice to use.

SPECIFICATIONS 340 x 272 AMOLED • 512MB / 8GB • 205 mAh iOS 8.2+


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KITLOG REVIEWS

TOTAL: $3566 RIG ONLY: $1917

A U D I O

D I S P L

A Y

S Y S T E M D R I V E S

C O O L E R

COOLERMASTERNEPTON 140XLPRICE $120Easy to install AIO CPU cooling,relative quiet and performance torival twin-radiator units.

SAMSUNG 850 PRO 512GBPRICE $349

This SSD offers greatly improveddurability. Supplement it with a hard

drive of your choice if needed.

ASUS PG279QPRICE $1,050The same core specs andcapabilities of the Acer, withan added SD card reader.

HYPERXCLOUD IIPRICE $149

The HyperX Cloud IIprovide excellent soundquality and not just for

the price range. P

O W E R S U P P L Y

M O U

S E

K E Y B O A R D

C A

S E

BITFENIX RONINPRICE $99Bitfenix continues to deliver greatbudget cases that look terrific andare easy to build in.

CORSAIR K70PRICE $190

The glorious perfection ofmechanical keys with well

thought-out gamer design.

LOGITECH G502PRICE

$120Comfortable, controllable andimpressively adjustable.

COOLER MASTER G750MPRICE $125

Outstanding value for money, it’spowerful enough for even performance

PCs packing twin GPUs.

CORSAIRVOIDPRICE $130The USB 7.1 modelis the best balancebetween price andperformance.

TOTAL : $9,108 RIG ONLY: $6820

A U D I O

H D D S

S S D S

C O O L E R

CORSAIR H100IGTXWATER COOLERPRICE $160Excellent cooling that is easyto install with advancedmonitoring.

INTEL 7501.2TB SSDPRICE $1499

Leaves SATA SSDsin the dust.

ASUS PA329PRICE $200032-inches of 10-bit colour at 4k res, 100%RGB for professionals, and a luxuriousdelight for gaming and general use.

ANY HDDPRICE $100 (2TB)

Supplement the SSDwith cheap HDD storage.

P O W E R S U P P L Y

M O U S E

K E Y B O A R D

C A S E

ANTEC S10PRICE $599If you absolutely must have what isvery nearly the best case we’ve seen,this is the one.

CORSAIR VENGEANCE K95PRICE $189

The perfect keyboard. Lovely Cherry Redmechanical switches, a slick and attractive

aluminium body and customisablebacklighting make this The One.

CM STORM REAPERPRICE $75Very solid and feels fantastic underthe hand with sweet on-screenmovement.

CORSAIR HX1000IPRICE $299

Corsair’s mighty HX1000ipumps out extremely reliable

power, even when under

full loads.

2 X SAMSUNG950 PRO 512GBPCIE/M.2 SSDPRICE $429 each.Intel’s equal, and in asmaller M.2 form-factor.

ACER XB271HUPRICE

$1,050G-Synced frames up to165Hz in a generous 27in sizeyet with a super thin bezel.


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S martphones may seem like anextension of ourselves, but a truecomputer-human meld is a goal yetto be reached – despite work by militaryresearchers such as DARPA. While roboticlimbs are increasingly commonplace, theyremain diffi cult to attach and expensive.DARPA is hoping third-par ty efforts canhelp create the ultimate interface betweenhumans and machines.

Just as the Kinect sensor found usesin remote surgery and controlling robots,gesture-recognition hardware could be thenext big opportunity for bionics. In part,that’s thanks to developer Thalmic Labsoffering an API and software developmentkit (SDK) for its armband, Myo. Myoreads electromyography (EMG) signals– tiny twitches in your muscles – andtranslates them into data to communicatemovement in a game or control a drone.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University

saw the potential for people who aremissing limbs: strap on the Myo and useit as a cheap way to read EMG signalsto control computerised prosthetics. Itworked.

MIND OVER MUSCLE

The use of EMG signals to control smartprosthetics isn’t new. British companyRSLSteeper uses a similar idea for its“myoelectric” bionic hands. “The Bebionichands work by picking up and magnifyingEMG signals from a user’s muscles,”explained Courtney Medynksi, productdevelopment manager. “These signals aresent to the hand and translated into openand close inputs. These open and closeinputs can be proportional, meaning theinput is related directly to the strength ofthe muscle contraction.”

While the system works, it haslimitations. “The bandwidth we have towork with is quite small,” Medynski said.“We’re limited by the number of inputsfrom the user and the absence of anyfeedback provided to the hand. It’s diffi cultwhen trying to create a product thatremains non-invasive while attempting tomatch how natural people’s perceptions

are.” Keeping connected prosthetics non-invasive is key. It’s long been possible to

Computers can’t read our minds, but they can read our muscles. Nicole Kobie discovers howsmart prosthetics might become affordable and what’s next for human-computer interaction

graft them directly to a person, connectingnerve endings to the smart prosthetic fordirect control, but that involves surgeryand is expensive. The Steeper systemreads muscles via connections on the skin.

That’s exactly what the Myo is doing, butat a fraction of the price. Bebionic systemsrun to the tens of thousands, while theMyo armband costs only US$350. Thatprice doesn’t include the cost of softwareand the prosthetic itself, but it’s a goodrst step to slashing the bionic bill

The Bebionic is the top-of-the-line prosthetic and there are cheaperalternatives, but the Myo could proveeasier to use than cheaper rivals,potentially pairing top-end EMG featureswith lower costs. “The unique thingabout Myo is that it uses very sensitiveelectromyography sensors,” said SameeraBanduk, marketing director at ThalmicLabs. “In the past, the EMG sensors had

been used to detect muscle activationin hospitals and things like that. But youneed to put on conductive gel; you maybeneed to shave your arms so that you haveit directly on the skin; you’re hooked up toa $10,000 machine in a hospital in orderfor it to read these electrical activity, theelectrical activity of your muscles.”

However, the Myo is a consumer device– it’s designed to be easy to use and

requires “none of that skin preparation,”said Banduk. “You just slide it up on yourarm and you can start controlling devices.”

DEVELOPING CHALLENGES

That doesn’t mean the Myo will workwith all prosthetics. The Johns Hopkinsresearchers had to program the deviceto work with the prosthetic worn by testsubject Johnny, which connects directly tohis arm bone. At the moment, the setuponly works with a computer running theprogram nearby. Banduk noted the Myoworks over Bluetooth, so it could in theory“speak directly” to a prosthetic limb or viaa smartphone in the future.

Thalmic Labs believes the power inits gadget isn’t just the hardware, butopening it up via an API and SDK. “A bigfocus for us is continuing to focus on thatdeveloper community,” said Banduk. “Soenabling developer tools like the SDK

and the API, and listening to them onthe features that they want in order tocontinue to unlock the potential of thedevice.” The armband has already founda variety of applications, but Banduk saidthe prosthetic work has “blown away”the startup’s team of developers. “Thiswas one of the most touching, rewardingapplications that we have seen come tolife so far.”

CONSUMER CYBORGS:WHY GESTURE RECOGNITION ISTHE FUTURE OF BIONIC LIMBS


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FUTURES

DARPA’SCYBORGSOLDIERS

Imagine if the brain could tell a machinewhat to do without having to type,speak or use other standard interfaces.That’s the aim of the US DefenseAdvanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA), which has committed US$60million to a Neural Engineering SystemDesign (NESD) project to do just that.

“Today’s best brain-computerinterface systems are like twosupercomputers trying to talk to eachother using an old 300-baud modem,”

said Phillip Alvelda, the NESDprogram manager. “Imagine

what will become possiblewhen we upgrade ourtools to really openthe channel betweenthe human brain andmodern electronics.”

The aim is to createa tiny chip – no larger

than a cubic centimetre –that can translate the brain’s

electrochemical “language” into the“ones and zeros that constitute thelanguage of IT,” DARPA said.

Current interfaces can read signalsfrom tens of thousands of neurons, butthe result is “noisy and imprecise”. TheNESD research aims to bump that up toa million signals.

That won’t be easy. “The brain hasmillions of neurons trained to look atthis, but technologies have limitationsin what they can do,” said AngeloCangelosi, professor in AI and cognitionat Plymouth University. “The challengeremains, with so many signal patterns,how do you map them to human-likeactions? This is a big challenge.”

But it’s not impossible. Cangelosiexpects results within a few years, whilepointing out that a cyborg made frommachine parts linked directly to thebrain is a much longer-term project, measured in decades.“We’re increasing the complexity ofsignals, which are already hard tohandle,” he said. “Our machine-learningsystems are powerful, up to a point. It’simportant to go past where we are nowwith a few simple actions, but we haveto wait a bit.”

However, Stephen Hawking haswarned that we must be careful withcyborgs, lest they harm humanity.“I’m an optimist, not like Hawking –wedon’t need to worry too much,” saidCangelosi. “Humans can have control

over their technologies.”

A key Bitcoin developer has declared the digital currency over – but othersdisagree. Can it survive, or will it be superseded by its own ledger system?

BITCOIN IS DEAD, LONGLIVE THE BLOCKCHAIN

if you invested in 2012, each bitcoin youbought would be worth ten times as muchnow – but what will it be worth if thedigital currency fails?

With a price above $540 it doesn’tlook like Bitcoin is circling the drain, butdeveloper Mike Hearn raised the questionin an online post: “Bitcoin is an experimentand like all experiments, it can fail.” Heclaims it’s fading because the currencywas intended to be a decentralisedanswer to nancial institutions, but is nowcontrolled by “a handful of people”.

Part of that comes down to theblockchain, the digital ledger systemthat manages transactions. According toHearn, because of an articial capacitycap that those in control of Bitcoin won’tchange, the network is “now almostcompletely exhausted”. That limits Bitcointo three payments per second – notenough to keep up with transactions –while disputes are holding back proposedsolutions. A point Hearn hammered homeby quitting his work on the currency,knocking 10% off its price.

What doesn’t kill us...Bitcoin faces challenges, but they can besolved. Directors of the Imperial CollegeCentre for Cryptocurrency Researchand Engineering Professor WilliamKnottenbelt, Dr Catherine Mulligan, and DrRobert Learney considered the issue.

“Bitcoin is having a governance crisis,”they explained. “It has proved itselfas a novel kind of asset with uniqueproperties and, if anything, it’s the victimof its own success. But it does face animminent crisis caused by the limitedtransaction-processing capaci

Documents

PC &Amp; Tech Authority - May 2016