Benefits of CRT Monitors

Chances are you were more than happy to get rid of your old, clunky dinosaur of a monitor in favour of a new, sleek LCD or LED replacement. But were older CRT monitors really that bad? Performance wise, they certainly bring plenty to the table:

• Better colour representation than low to mid level LCD/LED equivalents 

• Better responsiveness thanks to a high refresh rate  

• More rugged - how many cracked LED screens have you seen in the last 5 years? And how many CRT monitors have you seen live 25+ year lives? 

• Given their sudden abandonment, CRTs can now be found dirt cheap online

While it's probably not worth replacing your current monitor with a bulky, power hungry CRT, it's most definitely worth holding on to if you've still got one.

The image below shows the difference in refresh rate between a CRT (left) and LCD (right) monitor:

Price Watch - Hose Cutter

Don't even bother trying to get through thick-walled watercooling tubing with kitchen scissors; you'll end up disappointed and possibly bleeding. Hose cutters are tools designed exactly for this purpose: to cut through thick hose without breaking a sweat. 

But don't rush off to your local PC store just yet - 'specialized' hose cutters for watercooling are nearly always identical to their gardening counterparts, and are usually significantly marked up. If you want, you can fork out $19 for Phobya branded ones, or you could go on eBay and pick up THESE for a mere $10. There's hundreds in stock :D

Cost effectiveness of PC Gaming

TNG Systems have shown that PC gaming is not only as cheap as, but cheaper than console gaming, assuming the following:

• Consoles/PC have same lifetime of 8 years
• Games are purchased legally
• PC system isn't upgraded during it's lifetime (though a mid range gaming PC will play games for 8 years without a problem)

The results are surprising, with PC gaming costing up to 30% LESS than an XBOX One and titles to match. All the specifications of the PC are listed in the graph. Be sure to read the footnotes, they provide further insight into the benefits of owning a PC.

FULL RES IMAGE - Cost of a Gaming PC compared to Next-Gen Consoles

Why a GTX780 might still be a better choice than an R9 290X...

Now that the 290X has hit store shelves and NDA has been lifted, the usual performance pattern between AMD and Nvidia flagship GPUs has been seen once again. Less biased benchmarks show the 290X and GTX780 to trade blows between titles, with no clear winner at resolutions that average gamers actually play at.

"But the R9 290X is so much cheaper!", I hear you say. That's true, by about 15% in Australia. However, there are a few key points that make the GTX780 still a better buy:

• 3rd party coolers - AMD have chosen a reference launch for the 290X, which means that coolers such as DirectCUII, Windforce, VaporX etc won't be available until 2014.
• Runs cooler
• Runs quieter
• More OC potential - the 290X (granted, in its reference form) has very little thermal headroom to be able to overclock without causing serious heat concerns
• Reference cooler is higher quality (objective) and looks better (subjective)

There are still benefits to buying the 290X, however. One immediate advantage is the bundling of Battlefield 4, though it's likely that many potential customers have already preordered it. Reference cards are excellent if you plan on watercooling; there's no chance of a custom PCB preventing the waterblock from working, and you don't waste money on an air cooler you won't use. Despite this, 290X waterblocks are yet to come to market.

With this new information, I can sleep easy knowing I didn't make a wrong choice :)

     - Leeroy

Thermaltake Chaser A71 Full Tower Case Review/Thoughts

My experiences with the A71 have been nothing short of excellent. From it's superior dust filtration, to iit's whisper quiet fans, the A71 doesn't disappoint in any way. It's a bit on the plasticy side, with most of the the case being made of plastic, but this does not detract from the overall experience. It is a full tower case, standing at about a foot and a half high. The case is chocked full of features, it's best being the AHCI drive bay. This is found on top of the case, and allows you to mount any SATA hard drive to be used in Windows, without the need for a reboot. This is super handy for transferring data from the old PC to the new one. It also contains 4 front side USB ports(2x USB 2 and 2xUSB 3.0 SuperSpeed).

This case extremely clean. Dust is filtered superbly, 4 months with 2 cleans, and there is hardly any dust on the inside of the case. There was zero dust to be found on my Stock CPU cooler (Intel) which usually gets extremely dusty. The case comes with 4 fans pre installed. Three large 200mm fans, one side input, one front input and one top exhaust. Cable management is also a breeze, with their being many grommets to pull cables through. The tool-less design for the drives is also fantastic. In all, the Chaser A71 is a fantastic full-tower enthusiast case, while also being relatively cheap. - Quaker

Why you need a NAS in your life

Network Attached Storage is brilliant. It offers the ability to have centralized network storage, often far larger in capacity than any external hard drive can offer, at speeds usually good enough to stream HD video content at. Although NAS enclosures can be a little expensive ($200-400 for a mid range, 4-bay NAS), excluding the cost of populating them with drives, the benefits listed below more than make up for it.

Here's why you should buy a NAS:

• Local file sharing - NAS is autonomous, can be accessed by all, or select few, in network
• Back up all your files
• Removes need for mechanical drives in your desktop - pure SSD excellence!
• Connect it to your TV - stream all your media
• Keep everything you torrent, forever
• Got a wireless router? Cool, wirelessly stream all the same content your TV can recieve to your smartphone or tablet!
• More complex RAID levels available (0, 1, 5, 6, 0+1, 10) without the need to purchase a RAID card
• Off-site storage - two NAS owners who know and trust each other can host each other's content through a private network. Off-site backups are considered essential by many experts
• Frees up system resources - less tax on your CPU and RAM
• That overwhelming, but good feeling you get when 40 seasons of TV, 6 weeks of music, a few years worth of photos and complete back ups of two PCs has still only used about 3.5% of your total storage capabilities.

Thinking about getting a NAS? I recommend QNAP and Synology for the enclosures, and Western Digital Red hard drives. Alternatively, Seagate Barracudas also provide good performance and lifespan at a reduced cost. Currently, 2TB and 3TB drives provide the best price/storage ratio for a seriously large NAS.

AMD Radeon R9 290X OFFICIAL Benchmarks!

AMD have officially approved two benchmarks from Tom's Hardware of their new R9 290X graphics card. These benchmarks clearly show the 290X edging out Nvidia's GTX780, however, one can't help but notice a few oddities about the benchmark.

AMD chose only to approve benchmarks of two games (BioShock Infinite and Tomb Raider), and only when these games were run at a resolution of 3840x1260. It's fairly common knowledge that one of the R9 290X's big selling points is it's 512-bit memory bus, with 4GB of VRAM. Does this large bus give the 290X an unfair advantage? Probably, but who cares?The benchmarks don't lie...

Currently, the R9 290X will also sell at an initial price point lower than the GTX780, at roughly AUD$700. Most new releases of the card also seem to be bundling a copy of Battlefield 4, as part of AMD and DICE/EA's partnership for the game. Factor in support for AMD's Mantle API, and the 290X really does seem to be a threat to Nvidia.

Nvidia have responded, however, with the official confirmation of the GTX 780Ti. Hopefully, the increase in competition between the two graphics giants will drive prices down, and the consumer will be the real winner.

Price Watch - Dealing with High RAM Prices 2013

If you're currently building, or looking to build a PC, you will have noticed that prices on RAM are currently through the roof. In the last 12 months, the average price of an 8GB kit has doubled. If you absolutely MUST save money without compromising quality, check out Elixir memory. It isn't the prettiest piece of printed circuit board, but they offer single 4GB 1600mhz CL9 sticks with a lifetime warranty for only $44. Currently, PCDIY in Box Hill stock Elixir memory. Check it out in the link below:

PCDIY Price List

Price Watch - Black Ice SR1 480mm Radiator

PC Case Gear are currently selling Black Ice's quadrupled 120mm SR1 radiator for only $89! If you've got the skills and gear to mod a case, or are running the radiator externally, this is a LOT of cooling for very few dollars. Pick it up before someone else does! :D 

Link: Black Ice SR1 480 Radiator

Quote from PCCG:

On sale! (normally $129) At 54mm thickness and featuring 9 fins per inch, the Black Ice SR1 platform is the new PC radiator technology from Hardware Labs designed for ultra-low airflow applications. Black Ice SR1 radiators feature a custom compressed core width utilizing streamlined 45 micron copper fins giving it unparalleled performance from sub-800rpm to 2000rpm fans and flow constricted systems.

Gigabyte OC Themed Custom Build - WOW.

I always thought that while black and orange seemed like a nice colour combination, there weren't enough parts on the market that shared it to make a themed build. Karlo Jesus Sobiaco has proven this to be false in one of the tastiest looking builds I've ever seen.

Christmas Build Log Teaser

I have always thought of watercooling as quite cool, though never something I'd ever be 'hardcore' enough to try out. This all changed about a year ago, when a particular build log photo caught my eye...

Having seen this picture, which wasn't even the final build, I knew I would have to make my own watercooling loop. After months of research on pumps, radiators, waterblocks, coolant, tubing and plasticizer issues, case support, etc etc, I have finally decided on all the parts I will be using.

Corsair 750D
XSPC EX360 360mm Radiator
Black Ice SR1 280mm Radiator
Koolance CPU-380i Water Block
Swiftech Komodo GTX780 Water Block
FrozenQ Liquid Fusion V 250mm Reservoir
PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Green Tubing, 1/2ID 3/4OD

Fittings will probably change multiple times, but I would like to have some compression fittings in there, mainly for aesthetic appeal. Updates coming in a few months :)

Naming Guide for AMD's R-series

AMDs R7 and R9 graphics cards are essentially rebranded versions of the 7xxx series, with the exception to this being the upcoming R9 290X. The rest of the lineup, however, has an equivalent last gen counterpart. 

R7 250    - HD7730 (though the R7 is higher clocked)
R7 260X - HD7790
R9 270X - HD7870
R9 280X - HD7970 GHz Edition

What does this all mean? Not much. The 'newer' cards offer slightly better performance and a slightly lower price tag. However, keep your eyes peeled for 7000 series cards on sale, as these may offer the best deal of all. For a more in depth analysis of the rebranding, check out the video link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UU_SN80_V2GymyCWM2oTYTeg&v=orr6gFYRL_4

Has this ever happened to you? Medal of Honor Tier 1 was a like this for me... :(

Howdy Partner - AMD Joins forces for "Graphics Core Next"

I'm a little behind schedule in posting this, but AMD have partnered with Battlefield developers DICE and publishers EA for the upcoming release of Battlefield 4. This is mainly due to AMD's new technology, Mantle, which aims to be a low level API alternative to other solutions such as OpenGL or Direct3D (DirectX). Frostbite 3 (on which BF4 runs) has been confirmed as the first video game engine to support Mantle.

AMD claims that mantle will result in much better utilization of hardware, and thus an increase in performance. Given that it is proprietary software, only AMD cards will recieve the performance boost in games that support it. As such, large numbers of people have begun frothing at the mouth over AMD's new R9 290X graphics card, and understandably so. Will it be the Titan-Killer the fanboys hype it up to be? Or just a graphics card version of the false hope that was PileDriver?

Anywho, my question is this: have you ever bought any hardware in expectation of using it for a particular game? Let us know in the comments below :)

      - Leeroy

PCCG Alfar HD 7770 Gaming System

There's no denying it, I have a soft spot (and possibly a bias) for PC Case Gear. They stock a much wider range of products than any other Melbourne based PC/Tech store I know of, and although the prices can be just a few dollars more than competitors, the pure brilliance of the online store more than makes up for this. However, I digress - I am here today not to review, but to critique a pre-assembled system that PCCG offer for $899.

Price - just about right for someone not too serious about getting into PC gaming. Leaving room for some decent peripherals and a monitor, you should expect a complete setup featuring this tower to total at around $1300-1400.

Purpose - it would seem that this is intended to be an entry level gaming PC, as at the time of writing, it is the cheapest offering actually capable of running relatively demanding, modern titles. So, have the folks at PCCG got it right? Well, yes and no... here's why:

Case - Xigmatek Alfar. Run of the mill entry level gaming case. Nothing special, but will serve quite well for an entry level PC. Ludicrously cheap ($55). 
Verdict: Approved

CPU - Intel i5 4440 (3.1 gHz Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache). I can't help but feel like this is overkill. Intel's i5 series of processors have never been slouches; the 4440 could easily push a GTX770. So why is it paired with an HD7770, when an AMD Quad or even an i3 would suffice? Seems like a wasted opportunity to lower the overall cost. However, if this PC is intended to be a platform for future upgrades, the i5 may be justified. I will elaborate on how this is contradicted by other part choices later.
Verdict: Uncertain

Motherboard - MSI H87M-G43. Speaking from experience, MSI motherboards deliver in the quality department. There's only one problem with this choice - there's simply no need to pay the premium for the H87 chipset, when the B85 chipset would provide much the same functionality for less of your hard earned dollars. Both chipsets offer the same overclocking capabilities, both support SATA 6Gbp/s, and both have USB3.0.
Verdict: Unapproved

Memory - GSkill Ripjaws 4gb (1600mhz CL9, 2x2gb). Perfectly acceptable; 4gb is still enough for today's games. GSkill make very reliable (and quite overclockable!) RAM. The only real question is why 4GB and not 8GB? Simple: the roughly 100% inflation of RAM prices seen in 2013. If you're tight on money, make sure you get a motherboard with four DIMMS. That way, you can add another 2x2GB kit down the road. Otherwise, bite the bullet and get 8GB for a frankly offensive $99.
Verdict: Approved

GPU - MSI Radeon HD7770 Power Edition. This card is a shapeshifter, with user customisable fan configurations allowing for greater cooling, or a smaller footprint. It comes factory overclocked to 1100mhz, so it should be one of the faster, if not fastest stock HD7770s on the market. Good choice, but.... (see conclusion)
Verdict: Approved (for now)

Storage - Seagate Barracuda 1TB. Garden variety 7200RPM 32mb cache mechanical drive. Should be nice and reliable, and has plenty of storage for OS, programs, games and media. Normally, you should never accept not having an SSD. When confined by budget, however, sometimes storage is more crucial than a crucial M4 (;D).
Verdict: Approved

PSU - Seasonic G550 80 plus GOLD 550W. The crowning jewel of the build, this PSU would last multiple builds throughout years of load. Seasonic is synonymous with quality and efficiency. There's only one problem... is it necessary? Long story short, no. This PC is unlikely to draw very much power, and although 550W is plenty of headroom for the future, it doesn't actually help the build achieve its goal. Any 80+ bronze power supply of 400W or more (e.g Corsair CX430) would be almost as reliable in the same conditions at much less of an expense. The justification for this PSU choice seems to be lacking...
Verdict: Unapproved (though a brilliant piece of kit)

OS - Windows 7 SP1 64bit. The wisest choice for PC gamers.
Verdict - Approved

Score - 6.8/10

Why
         This build seems to be going in different directions. It is not uncommon to see high quality, 'future-proof' parts being bought together, the classic couple being a high end power supply and quality case. What we see, however, is a budget case being paired with a PSU more than twice its value. Furthermore, if the main focus of the build was value gaming, then I can't help but daydream about a cheaper AMD FX or FM2 processor with a cheap motherboard being used to their full potential. Had this route been taken, along with a more fitting power supply, enough budget would have been spared to upgrade to an HD7850, or even add an SSD. It is worth noting that even an older AMD chipset motherboard would not hinder the other components. The mechanical drive would not saturate a SATA 3.0Gbp/s connection, and an HD7850 would not exceed the capabilities of PCI-Express 2.0.

Final words - a willing, capable build, but one with room for improvement.

       - Leeroy

Welcome to Performance Computing Nexus

Performance Computing Nexus has been created with one purpose in mind: providing you, the reader, with the latest and greatest news, benchmarks, hardware/software releases, and advice on all things in the PC gaming sphere.

From within the next few days, expect to see:

• CPU benchmarks
• GPU benchmarks
• Local price monitoring (physical and online stores!)
• Build logs
• Gaming news
• Vendor news
• Pre-configured system critiques! (my favourite! :D)
• And possibly some more, should spare time allow
• ... perhaps even some giveaways if this gets large enough? (Stay posted ;D)

Please, if you enjoy the content on this blog, share it with friends, whitelist it on AdBlock, and check back regularly for updates.

      - Leeroy