Overclockers Infin8 Nebula Review and Test

This is our review and test of a pre-built desktop system called Overclockers Infin8 Nebula. The latest system from Overclockers is one of the most powerful we’ve seen, and its cooling system is one of the slickest and most extensive water-cooling rigs we’ve seen for a long time.

Samsung SSD 850 Pro 256GB, 512GB and 1TB Comparisons and Tests

In a few significant ways, the 850 Pro is the most advanced 2.5in SSD on the market. So far, Samsung remains the only company to sell products based on 3D NAND, where layers of cells are stacked on top of each other, as well as horizontally. Samsung’s own implementation of this idea is called 3D V-NAND.

Samsung 850 Evo 250GB, 500GB and 1TB Comparison and Tests

Samsung’s SSD 850 Evo uses 3D V-NAND, the firm’s proprietary technology for vertically arranging flash memory cells. We’ve explained the advantages of V-NAND in the 850 Pro review on p52, and it clear that it adds considerably to the cost of SSD production. The 850 Evo aims for a lower price than the 850 Pro, but its prices aren’t the lowest around. The Crucial BX100 and OCZ Arc 100 are both more affordable, as is the Kingston SSDNow V300.

Intel SSD 730 240GB and 480GB Comparison and Tests

In the early days of SSDs, Intel was one of the biggest players, mostly thanks to the X-25M, which offered a significant step up in quality from a lot of other solid state products at the time. Since then, the company has retreated a little and, like many other brands, often relies on thirdparty SandForce controllers. Intel has a strong focus on expensive enterprise-level SSDs, of course, but it still has an interest in the consumer market, and the Intel name alone still carries a lot of weight.

SanDisk Ultra II 240GB Review and Test

While SanDisk’s Extreme Pro range (see opposite) aims for the top end of the market, it’s cheaper Ultra II series caters for the mid-level segment. All SSD manufacturers seem to be employing a similar strategy for their cheaper drives: shave off a few features, along with some performance via cut-down controllers that are cheaper to build, enabling them to cut a great deal off pricing.

Plextor M6 Pro 256GB and 512GB; SanDisk Extreme Pro 480GB Comparison and Tests

The Plextor M6 Pro and SanDisk Extreme Pro occupy the same space in this Labs, as they share the same controller, Marvell’s 88SS9187. They differ in the types of NAND used, though, along with the features on offer, with both firms offering their own tweaks and proprietary additions. The Extreme Pro uses SanDisk’s own 19nm 2-bit NAND, with Plextor instead opting for A19nm Toshiba MLC NAND as used in the OCZ Arc 100.

What are M.2 SSDs? Do you need to buy them?

You could be forgiven for not knowing a great deal about M.2, since the term and the technology have only been around a short while. Originally known as NGFF, or nextgeneration form factor, M.2 is a 67-pin connector that’s intended to replace the growing plethora of different standards for connecting storage devices and other peripherals to a motherboard. It’s included on some Z97 and X99 motherboards, and it’s starting to show up in a growing number of laptops too.

Kingston SSDNow V300 240GB Review and Test

The Kingston SSDNow V300 has been on the market longer than any of the other SSDs on test, being released back in 2013 and based on SandForce’s aging SF-2281 controller. It’s joined by Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND chips, which are built on 64Gb packages, while the warranty is pegged at three years, which is typical of entry-level SSDs.

Crucial BX100 250GB, 500GB and 1TB Comparison and Tests

Following on from the roaring MX100, Crucial’s new strategy is to split its low-priced SSD range in two. The more advanced MX200 has hardware-based encryption, a power-loss protection circuit and SLC caching for some impressive endurance figures, at a slightly higher price than its predecessor does, while the BX100 drops these features and retains the MX100’s great value.

Crucial MX200 250GB, 500GB and 1TB Comparison and Tests

Crucial’s MX100 made a big impact when it launched in 2014, as it performed brilliantly while also being affordable. A few additions have since been made to its successor, the MX200, which have pushed up the price slightly, as the BX100 now occupies the role of Crucial’s most budget-friendly SSD range. The 128GB capacity has been dropped and a 1TB version added. It uses the same Marvell 88SS9189 controller and 16nm Micron MLC NAND as before, though, and retains most of the extra features such as hardware-accelerated AES 256-bit hardware encryption.

HyperX Cloud II Review and Test

The only visible difference between Cloud II and the original Cloud is that the former’s cup arms have a red anodized finish rather than the black of the latter.

As such, the Cloud II retains the sturdy black leather headband, large circumaural ear cups and comfortable, leatherette-covered, memory foam-filled ear pads that made the Cloud a pleasure to wear during long gaming sessions. Inside the large 53mm, drivers are still present too, as is the detachable microphone. Even the bundle of extras remains the same, with a handy airplane adaptor, carry bag and an extra pair of microfiber-covered ear pads included in the box.

How to Make a Video Game from Scratch 2015 version

This month, we have decided to have a go at making a video game for ourselves, and relate our experiences. We’re starting with no prior experience in game development, and no clue what we’re going to make, so the chances of us creating the next Minecraft are unlikely. But the point isn’t to create a masterpiece. Rather, it’s to show that today’s game-making software, combined with an abundance of helpful instructions online, mean that anybody can have a try.

Which the best operating system for your RaspberryPi 2?

Raspbian

The obvious choice for a general-purpose operating system, Raspbian was the first OS to receive support for the Raspberry Pi 2, and in a very clever manner. Rather than branching into two builds, Raspbian detects whether it’s running on the original ARMv6 BCM2835 or new ARMv7 BCM2836 and loads an appropriate kernel; everything in user-space, meanwhile, uses ARMv6 code.

How to build Raspberry Pi 2 Media Streamer using OpenELEC

One of the most common tasks for a housebound Raspberry Pi is to act as a media streamer, and that’s a job that the new Raspberry Pi 2, with its more powerful quad-core processor, can do with aplomb. Using the latest OpenELEC build, there’s no hint of the lag that plagued the user interface on the original Pi, and installing it is a breeze.

How to build a Raspberry Pi 2 File Server using Raspbian

While the strange configuration of its USB and network ports – which share a single USB 2 channel to the system-on-chip (SoC) – may limit the performance of the Raspberry Pi 2 when acting as a file server, its low cost and minuscule power draw mean it’s still a good choice for anyone who doesn’t need high-speed throughput.

How to use Apple Watch with iPhone

The first wearable gadget from Apple beams messages, Facebook updates and simplified apps to our wrists, eliminating the all-too-common need to take out our Apple devices to constantly check notifications. The Watch and the iPhone are intimately connected and should be considered as one system together. There are more than a dozen ways to interact with the Watch, from receiving glanceable notifications, to feeling ‘taptic’ feedback, to summoning Siri, according to WatchKit documentation for developers.

How to make professional Keynote Presentations

1. Control your presentations with your iPhone.

When Steve Jobs did his famous keynote addresses, he didn’t crouch over his laptop and advance slides by clicking the trackpad. He strode confidently about the stage, using a remote control to move things along. Now, not only can you do the same thing with an iPhone in your pocket (or an iPad or iPod touch), but it’s actually an even richer experience. All you have to do is open the Keynote app on your iOS device, and then tap the remote icon in the menu bar. Now you can see the current and next slide, or the next/ current slide plus your presenter notes so you don’t freeze up on stage, and you can draw on the screen with different coloured markers and even use a virtual laser pointer.

Why do you need to buy the newest MacBook?

Launched by Apple CEO Tim Cook in March, the new MacBook builds upon years of learning about miniaturisation during iPad and iPhone development to deliver the thinnest and lightest MacBook yet. “Can you even see it? Can you even feel it?” joked Cook. But not everyone is happy with the decision to equip the system with just one port (USB-C) to handle power, peripherals and external displays.

SteelSeries Apex M800 Review and Test

The keyboard market is saturated with Cherry MX switches, and we’re seeing more companies move away from them in a bid to offer something different. SteelSeries is one such company, and its Apex M800 is fitted with a brand-new switch, the QS1. SteelSeries claims the M800 is the fastest available mechanical keyboard, and it offers per-key RGB backlighting and reprogramming for every key. 

MSI GT80 2QE Titan Review and Test

MSI’s GT80 is the first laptop w mechanical keyboard, and there’s no quibbling with its pedigree thanks to Cherry MX Brown switches and SteelSeries design. The keyboard and touchpad have been hauled forwards to the front edge, with the touchpad on the right – a design change that helps the GT80 to mimic a more conventional desktop setup. 

Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Review and Test

Phanteks makes some excellent full towers, but has only more recently turned to small form factors, although the confusingly named Mini XL is hardly small, with dimensions more akin to a large midtower. What this space offers you, however, isn’t only heaps of water-cooling support, but also the ability to house a second, full mini-ITX system inside with the purchase of a £23 upgrade kit.

Ambros Gigabyte BRIX S GB-BXi5H-5200 Review

Quite a few companies have jumped onto the mini PC bandwagon in the wake of Intel’s NUC form factor. Most motherboard manufacturers, for instance, have a presence and we saw Asus’ Core i5-4210U-based VivoMini. Gigabyte is certainly no stranger to tiny PCs either, and its BRIX range of bare bones units has even included a GTX 760 GPU before now. This month, we’re looking at its latest Intel Broadwell-based BRIX S GB-BXi5H-5200. As its name suggests, this model uses an Intel Core i5-5200U, which launched earlier this year and is identical to the mobile CPU found in the latest laptops and ultrabooks.

Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan X Review and Test

On paper, the Titan X’s new GM200 GPU is 50 per cent faster than the GTX 980’s GM204. It is a 28nm part with a 601mm2die size and a massive 8 billion transistors. GM200 is still divided into graphics processing clusters (GPCs) with four Streaming Multiprocessors (SMMs) apiece, and each of these SMMs again has 128 stream processors. However, while GTX 980 had four GPCs, the Titan X adds another two, both of which are fully enabled. This takes the number of stream processors to 3,072 and the texture units to 192. Clock speeds are a little lower, but with the base clock at 1GHz and the rated boost clock at 1,075MHz, there’s a lot of potential.

Corsair Hydro Series H80i GT Review and Test

The H80i GT picks up from where its predecessor left off, with the ‘i’ after the model number signifying its compatibility with Corsair’s Link control software. There’s a mini USB port on the side of the pump section, and an included cable connects it to a motherboard USB 2 header. As we saw with the H110i GT last month, the latest version of the Link software offers masses of customization and control, and you can even adjust the RGB lighting on the pump section to your own preference, or just to indicate the coolant temperature.

AMD Crossfire vs NVIDIA SLI – what to choose?

There are some critical differences between SLI and crossfire, which I believe demonstrate a fundamental difference in philosophy between AMD and NVIDIA. First, the basics, both technologies are pretty much a way to utilize more than one graphics card working in tandem in your PC to achieve next generation class performance that would not otherwise be available with the current technology due to power, thermal, or other limitations.