IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 9/18/2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 9/18/2013

TweakTown

Google Drive updated with UI changes, and more
Google continues its workout by updating its Drive app, which includes a UI change and a bunch of new features. First up, we have Google moving from the "holo dark" theme to "holo light", which will bring Drive to the same look as Gmail.

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Next up we have a new bottom action bar which provides Drive users with the ability to upload, create and scan, and more. The "create" option lets you see a familiar menu where you can make new folders, documents and spreadsheets. The new bottom action bar replaces the old + button in the top action bar, and it also hides when you scroll down your documents list, freeing up precious pixels.
There's some new features to bed found in the spreadsheet editor, which lets you merge and lock cells, as well as new options to improve your scans. There are the usual bug fixes and small improvements here and there. You can grab Google Drive here, if your device hasn't already updated.

RumorTT: Valve to announce Steam Box next week
Gabe Newell has gamers across the world, including myself and now probably you, excited to a degree we haven't felt in quite a while. While speaking at LinuxCon, the gaming God himself said "Next week we're going to be rolling out more information about how we get there and what are the hardware opportunities we see for bringing Linux into the living room."

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Yes, this would mean Steam Box. We know that Valve has been working on Steam for Linux for quite sometime, but meshing both the living room and Linux together can only mean one thing: Steam Box. This is going to be quite the step for Valve, and I'm hoping that with this announcement, we hear about Half-Life 3, which would really be raining on the next-gen consoles' parade.
I wrote a piece a while back, asking if the rumored Steam Box could "change gaming as we know it" and I still think it can. What are your thoughts on the upcoming 'console' from Valve? Could we see Half-Life 3 debut at the same time the Steam Box is unleashed? Imagine that.

LeakedTT: Another look at the upcoming Nexus 5 smartphone
We were greeted with quite the tease a few weeks back of the Nexus 5, at the time when Android 4.4 KitKat was announced. But between now and then the teases have slowed down, that is, until now.

The latest news on the Nexus 5 smartphone is a quick video of the device, which seems to be running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, and not what most expected: Android 4.4 KitKat. We should still expect to see a 5-inch (or bigger) Full HD display, mixed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC and Android 4.4 KitKat. I'm guessing that the Nexus 5 in this video is running an older OS because it's an older prototype of the N5, maybe?

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Nokia launches the Nokia 108, a $29 basic camera phone
Earlier today, Nokia announced the launch of a new, very budget friendly camera phone that comes equipped with everything you need for talking, texting, and taking photos. The new Nokia 108 comes equipped with a small LCD, a number pad, and a VGA camera for just $29.

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Taking cues from its Lumia line of smartphones, Nokia has given the 108 colorful cases to match your personal style. Additional features include an FM radio, MP3 player, microSD slot for storing up to 32GB of music or photos, and a built in LED flashlight. And for those who are feeling nostalgic, the old school Snake game we all grew up loving is present as well.
A dual SIM and single SIM version of the 108 is expected to ship during the fourth quarter of this year and will be initially available in black, red, and white, with cyan and yellow following shortly thereafter. No information was released on which carriers might feature the phone in their lineups, but we can expect at least a few of them to offer the phone as a free option to those who do not want an expensive smartphone.

Google acquires mobile startup Bump for $30 million
Today, the tech startup Bump announced that it has been acquired by Google in what industry analysts say is a deal worth between $30 million and $60 million. Bump was the first app that allowed users to "bump" their iPhones together to automagically transfer files from one phone to the other.

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The original app has been downloaded over 100 million times. In the years, the company has expanded to feature a group photo sharing app called Flock. While the price tag of $30 million seems to be a home run for the company, it had already raised about $20 million from backers including Sequoia Capital, making the deal not so sweet.
"Bump and Flock will continue to work as they always have for now," Bump CEO David Lieb wrote in a blog post today. With the company now being owned by Google, it leaves many industry insiders to believe that we will see deep integration of Bump's IP into Android 5.0

"The Bump team has demonstrated a strong ability to quickly build and develop products that users love, and we think they'll be a great fit at Google," said a Google representative. Google declined to comment further on where it will integrate the Bump team at Google.

Nokia's upcoming Sirius tablet is quite serious if new leak is true
Today we learned just a little bit more about Nokia's upcoming RM-114 tablet. It appears that the device will be renamed to the Sirius and will feature a quad-core QUALCOMM Snapdragon 800 processor with graphics being augmented by an Adreno 330 GPU.

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Recently leaked benchmark results point to the name change and lead us to believe that the tablet will in fact run a version of Windows 8. Additionally, rumors are surfacing that suggest the tablet will sport a 10.1-inch 1920x1080 resolution screen with technology allowing it to be viewed under bright sunlight. 2GB of RAM is said to be present alongside 32GB of internal storage, which can be augmented by a microSD card.

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Rumors also suggest that the tablet will optionally feature a QWERTY keyboard-equipped cover with an embedded battery that will increase the tablet's uptime from 10 hours to 15+ hours. Industry experts are widely expecting to see the Nokia Sirius released on September 26 during the Lumia 1520 phablet launch event.

NVIDIA shows off amazing new PhysX effects in Batman: Arkham Origins
Today, a demo video that showcases some of the special effects that NVIDIA's PhysX API powers in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins video game popped up online. The video covers the PhysX used to animate Batman's cape, but honestly the soft shadows and particle-based weather are much more interesting to me.

Unfortunately, the video features pretty poor quality even when set to 720p resolution and does little to show the minute effects that NVIDIA's PhysX will bring to the game. Honestly, this video actually makes me feel little let down as I was looking forward to some killer graphics and a massive new level of real-time rendering. The textures appear to lack detail and I really cannot tell that much difference in the hand-to-hand combat between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum.

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Amazon mistakenly launches GTA V days early in the UK
It appears that Amazon UK has accidentally shipped out copies of Grand Theft Auto V days earlier than the official launch date of September 17. A new report from the BBC suggests that not all Amazon pre-order customers got a copy of GTA V early, but more than a few did.

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This release has caused some problems for Rockstar as videos and spoilers have already began popping up online. This mistake marks the third strike for GTA V in content leaks over the last month. Earlier in the month, Sony offered pre-order customers a link that led to the game's soundtrack online as well as some gameplay secrets. Additionally, last week we saw the game's map leaked onto the web from yet another industry insider.
GTA V will be available for in-store purchases and online ordering tomorrow, September 17. Rockstar has disclosed that GTA V was the most expensive video game ever made, costing a whopping $265 million. Many of us here at TweakTown expect this to be one of the greatest games released in the history of gaming, but are still a little miffed by the title not been released on PC.

Garmin launches new Forerunner 220 and 620 GPS running watches
Today, Garmin announced the launch of two new items to its Forerunner line of GPS smartwatches. The new Forerunner GPS 220 and GPS 610 running watches take Garmin's involvement in wearable technology to an entirely new level.

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Both of these wearable GPS's act as a personal coach by alerting you of your distance traveled, lap times, and even recovery times needed before attempting another strenuous run. Both models feature color screens, with the 620 being touch-enabled. The 620 also predicts your race time and gives you personalized oxygen consumption estimates. When combined with Garmin's HRM-Run technology, the 620 is able to measure how long your foot is on the ground rather than in-flight, which lets you compare your time per step to previous events.

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"Whether running indoors or out, Forerunner 620 and 220 will change the way runners look at training," said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. "Advanced features in the 620 such as recovery advisor, VO2 max estimate, race predictor and stats on running economy, combined with connected features and training plan options found in both the 620 and 220, make these watches must haves for runners of all levels. To keep runners motivated the watches also notice if runners hit any personal records on that run, like their fastest mile, 5k, 10k, half or full marathon or their longest run to date."

Beam Down Into Darkness with our latest Blu-ray competition!
Thanks to Paramount Pictures, we have an awesome pool of Star Trek: Into Darkness prizes to give away. Ten lucky readers will each take home a Triple Play edition of Star Trek: Into Darkness on Blu-ray disc, valued at $49.95 each and filled to the brim with extra features.
The first sequel from J.J. Abrams 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise, Into Darkness finds Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise pitted against a genetically enhanced and wholly superior adversary.
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To go into the running, correctly answer the following question:
Name the Star Trek: Into Darkness actor who also appeared as the titular character in RoboCop
Send your answers, along with your address to ben@tweaktown.com before the competition closes on Thursday the 19th of September. The competition is open to the world, with TweakTown covering shipping.

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Star Trek: Into Darkness will be available on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD & Digital from Australian retailers starting September 18th.
© 2013 PPC. Star Trek and all related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc.

Rockstar releases "iFruit" companion app for GTA V, iOS only for now
Today, Rockstar Games released a new companion app for Grand Theft Auto 5 ahead of tomorrow's launch. The aptly named Grand Theft Auto: iFruit app is an apparent jab at Apple's iDevices, but it does actually serve a purpose within GTA V.

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The new iFruit app allows users to create and customize vehicles that can be used in game, with the ability to make changes to almost every aspect of the vehicles in the game. Vehicle appearance as well as performance is upgradable via the app and users can even customize license plates that can be used in the online portion of the game.

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"The Los Santos Customs app offers players the freedom to create their ultimate vehicle in Grand Theft Auto V from anywhere. At the bar, on the beach, on the toilet. This is the future, we're almost sure of it." Said Rockstar. "Depth of content, high production values, defecation. It's the app that has it all. Because who doesn't love tending to a virtual pet? Chop is Franklin's canine sidekick in Grand Theft Auto V. Look after him well in the "Chop the Dog" app and you will reap the benefits when playing as Franklin in Grand Theft Auto V. Pet him, feed and water him, play fetch and tug-of-war, teach him tricks."
Additionally, the app features options for caring for Chop the Dog, the player's in-game sidekick in GTA V. This virtual pet system reminds me somewhat of the Tamagotchi's of the mid 90s, but by taking good care of Chop, he can perform tricks and locate hidden items within GTA V. Additionally, the app provides access to the Rockstar Games Social Club. For the moment, the Grand Theft Auto: iFruit App is only available on iOS, but Rockstar says that Android support is coming soon.

HIS accidentally leaks SKUs for AMD R-200 series graphics cards
Early this morning, video card manufacturer HIS accidentally leaked the SKUs and details on seven new GPUs the company will be offering from AMD's upcoming R-200 series. It appears that with the pending 4K refresh happening in the video resolution world AMD is looking to dump the Radeon HD name for its video cards and replace it with a new system that makes it easier to identify which cards are which.

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The new simplified naming scheme works something like this. R9-280X stands for Radeon Generation 9 Model 280 Variant X. AMD says that this new naming scheme will make it easier to classify future generation cards and will enable consumers to quickly chose the right card for their needs.

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Now that we have the naming scheme covered, let's move on to the leaked cards. It appears that the HIS R9-280X iPower IceQ X2 will be at the top of the list and will sport 3GB of GDDR5 Memory. The HIS R7-240 iCooler will round out the list with 1GB of GDDR5. Not much is else is known about the new R-200 series, but the complete leaked list can be seen below.

HIS R9 280X iPower IceQ X² Boost Clock 3GB GDDR5 PCI-E DLDVI-I/HDMI/2xMini DP
HIS R7 250 iCooler 2GB DDR3 PCI-E HDMI/SLDVI-D/VGA
HIS R7 250 iCooler 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI/SLDVI-D/VGA
HIS R7 250 IceQ 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI/SLDVI-D/VGA
HIS R7 240 iCooler 2GB DDR3 PCI-E HDMI/SLDVI-D/VGA
HIS R7 240 IceQ 2GB DDR3 PCI-E HDMI/SLDVI-D/VGA
HIS R7 240 iCooler 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI/SLDVI-D/VGA

Rockstar is advising customers not to install GTA V Xbox Play Disc
Earlier today, Rockstar Games issued an advisory to Xbox 360 owners that warned them not to install the Grand Theft Auto V Play Disc as it could adversely affect in-game performance. The advisory came via the company's Twitter page and said, "For optimal performance, we recommend not installing that disc. We will have more info on our support site at launch."

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For those not familiar with what a "play" disc is, GTA V for the Xbox 360 comes on two 8GB discs, with the first being an "install" disc and the second being a "play" disc. The install disk is mandatory, while the play disc can be used to play the game or install the full game on the console. No information has been given on if or when this issue will be fixed, so for now do not install the "play" disc and just run the game from the disc instead.

Mark Zuckerberg now worth $19 billion, now the 20th richest American
Mark Zuckerberg has once again reclaimed the number 20 spot on Forbes 400 Richest Americans list. He previously held the spot back in 2011 but fell to number 36 in 2012 after Facebook's IPO flopped. Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, the world's largest social network.

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Last year, Zuckerberg's net worth was reported at $9.4 billion, but in the last year this figure has more than doubled with a newly reported net worth of $19 billion, which landed the number 20 spot on the Forbes list. This new wealth comes after Facebook stock has risen from an all time low of $17.55 in 2012 to an all time high of more than $45 per share last week.
Zuckerberg is among good company with Bill Gates taking the top spot at $72 billion, Jeff Bezos who is ranked number 12 with $27.1 million, and he pushes out Steve Ballmer who is now rated number 21 with a net worth of $18 billion. Other notables on the list include: Google's Larry page at $24.9 billion and his colleague Sergey Brin who is worth a mere $24.4 billion.

Sprint to take on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile with new One Up program
Today, Sprint announced that it would be following in the footsteps of its competition by launching its new "One Up" program that will allow its customers to upgrade their phone on a yearly basis with little upfront cost. The new program works much in the same way that T-Mobile's "Jump," AT&T's "Next," and Verizon's "Edge" initiatives work.

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Sprint's new One Up program allows customers to pick up a phone with no money down and pay for the device over 24 monthly installments. An average smartphone costing around $650 will cost customers about $27 a month and the remaining balance paid in full on the 24th month. Sprint will allow existing customers still on contract to participate in the service, but they must trade in their existing phones unless they have a two-year upgrade available on their account.
The new One Up program is very similar to T-Mobile's Jump plan in that it allows customers a discount on their service plan if they opt for the monthly hardware payment. AT&T and Verizon were criticized for their versions as they require customers to pay full price for their handset but did not offer any discounts on service. With the new iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, I think this Sprint waited until just the right time to launch this new program. With thousands of customers wanting to upgrade to the latest iPhone, the new One Up program should see lots of use in the coming weeks.

LeakedTT: 45W AMD Richland APUs revealed in leaked pre-order listing
Today we got a glimpse of AMD's new 45W TDP Richland APUs thanks to a Connecticut retailer accidentally listing SKUs, specifications, and prices for two of the upcoming low-power devices. The listing detailed the new A8-6500T and A10-6700T APUs, which are both FM2 socket APUs that are clocked at 3.1GHz and 3.5GHz, respectively.

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Both the A8-6500T and the A10-7600T feature a 4MB cache and a TDP of just 45 Watts. Pricing for the new chips appears to be set at $108.59 for the retail boxed version of the A8-6500T, while a systems builder tray would run customers $114.58 per APU. The A10-6700T is a bit more expensive with the tray version running $166.97, while the retail version would run $155.91. With all of the information released last week on Ivy Bridge-E from Intel, does AMD still stand a chance, or will AMD return to the throne once again with these new APUs? Let us know in the comments.

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HighPoint announces the launch of a new 4-Port Storage HBA
Today, HighPoint launched the RocketU 1144E, a new 4-port HBA that it says is the most versatile storage HBA in the industry today. The new RocketU 1144E features USB 3.0 and 6Gb/s eSATA connectivity and uncompromised per-port architecture. HighPoint says that the new device is designed for PC and Mac platforms and is the perfect solution for external eSATA and USB 3.0 storage.

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HighPoint says that the RocketU 1144E benefits from the company's per-port architecture, which gives it an exclusive advantage over other HBAs on the market. With this technology, each port remains fully independant and is powered by a dedicated 5Gb/s USB 3.0 or 6Gb/s SATA controller. Additionally, the inclusion of a PCIe 2.0 x4 host interface ensures that customers experience nothing but the highest level of performance from this new 4-port HBA.
HighPoint says that the new RocketU 1144E is capable of supporting all of the industry standard USB and SATA storage devices and is compatible with Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Mac OSX 10.8.3 or later. Linux support is also available and drivers can be downloaded from the company's website.

Art Director says no one will find all the Easter eggs in GTA V
During an interview with TechRadar, the Art Director for GTA V, Aaron Garbut, said that Grand Theft Auto V is so packed with Easter eggs and references that he feels that it is impossible for anyone to find them all. He was asked about the fabled Yeti rumored in the first visit to San Andreas and he said that "players would be wowed" by the stuff they find in GTA V.

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"There's stuff that's so obscure that most people will never see it," said Garbut. "I love the connection that social media has given us to the people that play our games... We can see what they like and what is interesting them as it happens, and this really has helped push more of these things into the game. I think everything in IV has been found, I'm not sure if the same thing will happen for 5."
For our readers who see these quotes as a challenge, you are in luck as GTA V goes on sale tomorrow! I, for one, will be picking up my copy and starting my hunt for Easter eggs. Have you pre-ordered GTA V or are planning on purchasing it tomorrow? What place will you visit first? Let us know in the comments.

Top 10 TweakTown News Stories from the past week [16 September 2013]
Here are our top 10 news posts from the past week!

Toshiba 500GB SSHD (MQ01ABD100H) Review

Introduction

toshiba_500gb_sshd_mq01abd100h_review

Toshiba over the years has maintained a pure OEM position from a marketing perspective in the HDD market, with many of their drives being included within notebooks, netbooks and many of the external storage devices we review here at TweakTown.
Now that we have all major players in the HDD market onboard with this hybrid drive technology, WD with their OEM only solution, Seagate with many models including the Laptop Thin SSHD we reviewed, and Toshiba with four capacities, it's a safe bet to say each manufacturers sees a certain amount of value in this market segment.
The driving force behind the SSHD value has always been its rather low cost to performance ratio, where the implemented caching algorithm and NAND flash combine to offer SSD-like performance for your daily activities.
Last month, along with the release of both the 320GB and 500GB capacity SSHD's, Toshiba launched the much larger 750GB and 1TB SSHDs in the 9.5mm z-height. These drives share the same features we found with the smaller capacities including Toshiba's own implementation of caching and what they call "Usage Pattern Optimized Self-learning Caching Algorithms".
Today, we will put the 1TB Toshiba SSHD next to comparable products like the Seagate Laptop Thin SSHD in the 500GB capacity and see where the best bang for your buck lies in this emerging market.

Specifications, Pricing and Availability

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The larger 9.5mm z-height allows Toshiba the opportunity to offer their SSHD's in both 750GB and 1TB capacities. Each of these drives feature 8GB of NAND flash from Toshiba and 32MB of DRAM cache based on the SATA III specification, while also maintaining backwards compatibility with the older SATA I and II specs as well.
A little further down the specification list, we find that Toshiba has allowed a maximum areal density of 744.1GB per square inch complemented by a 5400RPM spindle speed. The ABDH series of drives both feature a two platter design, offering 12ms average seek times with non-operating shock listed at 900G and operating shock at 400G.
Warranty of the Toshiba ABDH series is listed at three years from date of purchase. Pricing of the 1TB capacity is listed at $199.99.
... Read the rest in your browser!

Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review

Introduction

$fractal_design_newton_r3_1000w_80_plus_platinum_power_supply_review$

A few months ago, we looked at the Fractal Design Newton R3 800W unit, and while we were rather pleased with what the unit had to offer, it just didn't stand out from what was already on the market. Fractal Design has always proven to give us quality products that stood out, so we were surprised that we didn't see this from the 800W model.
We decided that it would be a good idea if we took a look at their 1000W model as well, and that is just what we are doing today. The 1000W model doesn't differ too much from the 800W power supply, other than additional power, but we do hope that the price makes it a much more attractive offering.
The unit that we are taking a look at today is the standard black model but Fractal Design does offer it in a white version that is just absolutely beautiful, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a white unit.
Let's just stop talking about it and start seeing what it offers.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

$fractal_design_newton_r3_1000w_80_plus_platinum_power_supply_review$

The Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W power supply features a single 12V rail rated for 80A or 960W. This is the only difference you'll find between the Newton R3 800W and 1000W models in terms of power output. The Newton R3 1000W still features 20A 3.3V and 5V rails rated for a maximum combined output of 100W and a 5VSB rail rated for 2.5A or 12.5W. 1000W power supplies typically see a bump on all three of these rails too, but not for this one. Maximum combined output for the Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W power supply is 1000W.

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The Newton R3 series of power supplies are relatively feature rich. They offer SCO, OVP, OCP and OPP, but lack OTP. The Newton R3 1000W features both native and modular cabling. All cables are either fully sleeved or of the flat ribbon variety. The Newton R3 1000W is rated for 100% continuous output at 50C and is certified for 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency.
Fractal Design's Newton R3 1000W has an MSRP of $209. The unit is still relatively new to the market and you won't find it for much cheaper than the MSRP. Newegg currently comes in at the MSRP, and while some may have it cheaper, shipping kills the price back to the MSRP. This makes the unit one of the cheapest 1000W Platinum rated power supplies on the market.
... Read the rest in your browser!

Top 10 TweakTown Content from the past week [16 September 2013]
Here are our top 10 articles, reviews and guides from the past week!

MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming (Intel Z87) Motherboard Review

Introduction

msi_z87_gd65_gaming_intel_z87_motherboard_review

We've really kind of hit a bit of a dead spot when it comes to new core components over the last month or two. That surge up to Computex was extremely busy with NVIDIA making a big push for new video cards and then we saw a flurry of motherboards enter the market thanks to the introduction of the Intel Z87 platform.
While we expected newer RAM modules to be a bit more popular with the new platform, there really hasn't been much in that area. Things should start to get a bit busier again, though, over the coming months as we see new video cards hit the market from AMD and hopefully we'll see companies do a bit more on the RAM side of things before the introduction of DDR4 memory.
Today, though, we've jumped back into the motherboard pile. The particular board we're looking at comes from MSI and is the Z87-GD65 Gaming.
The Gaming series has really impressed us and we like that MSI has created some unity between the motherboard and video card segment.

Package

msi_z87_gd65_gaming_intel_z87_motherboard_review

Checking out the front of the box, you can see there's not a whole to see with just the main information being shown. You can see the model number of the board clearly along with the fact it's a part of the Gaming series. You can also see a couple of logos across the top of the box including the "Recommended by FNATIC" one and the Killer E 2200 one.

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Turning the box over, you can see we get a bit more detail on some of the main features, which include Audio Boost technology that carries with it Golden Audio Jacks, Headphone Amplifier, EMI Shielding and High Quality Audio Capacitors. You can see also see the board carries with it the Killer Networking chip which we'll talk about a little later, along with OC Genie 4. Some of the other major features include Multi-GPU support, Sound Blaster Cinema, Military Class 4 and the Gaming Device Port.

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Diving inside, you can see a fairly standard line up of paperwork, along with a sign to hang of your door. Also above you can see we've got a driver and utility CD, I/O cover and a Gaming Series case sticker, which looks great.

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You can see we've also got four SATA cables, along with an SLI bridge. Two regular additions are the V-Check cables that give us the ability to check the voltage of certain areas on the board, along with the M-Connector points, making plugging in your front panel connectors easier.
... Read the rest in your browser!

Top 10 TweakTown Press Releases from the past week [16 September 2013]
Here are our top 10 posted press releases from the past week!

Available Tags:Google , Valve , Steam , smartphone , Nokia , Nokia , tablet , NVIDIA , Amazon , UK , Blu-ray , Rockstar , iOS , HIS , AMD , Xbox , TweakTown , Toshiba , MSI , Gaming ,

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