Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920x1200 24-inch IPS Monitor @ $449.99

Subject: General Tech | June 13, 2013 - 02:54 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Dell's UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS claims a 6ms response time which makes it suitable for gaming, as well as offering superior colour support.  As it is a new model it supports HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, DVI-D and mini DisplayPort inputs as well as acting as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub.

Top Deal

• Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920x1200 24-inch IPS Monitor (2013 model) for $449.99 with free shipping (normally $599.99 - use coupon code W7HWC5Q9S4V6VH ).

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• Dell Inspiron 15R 3rd Gen Core i7 Touchscreen Laptop for $749.99 with free shipping (normally $1,169.99 - use coupon code 0H9Q3PQ6L3744C ).
• Apple iPhone 4S [2-year AT&T contract] (Certified Like-New) for $49.99 with free shipping.
• Dell XPS 8700 Core i7-4770 3.4GHz "Haswell" Quad-core Desktop w/8GB RAM, Radeon HD 7570 & 23" UltraSharp Monitor for $849.99 with free shipping (normally $1,174.99 - use coupon code 0H9Q3PQ6L3744C ).
• 21.5" Dell S2240T 1080p Multi-touch LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $339.99 with free shipping (normally $399.99 - use coupon code $PX1BGTSZ3G635 ).
• 50% off Webroot SecureAnyWhere Products.
• Realspace Calusa Mesh Task Chair for $84.99 with free shipping (normally $189.99 - use coupon code 1SWS81789Z348C ).

Podcast #255 - AMD's 5 GHz Processor, 1080p Oculus Rift, and more news from Computex!

Subject: General Tech | June 13, 2013 - 02:33 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: wwdc, video, titan, podcast, oculus rift, nvidia, FX, apple, amd, a10-6800k, 5ghz

PC Perspective Podcast #255 - 06/13/2013

Join us this week as we discuss AMD's 5 GHz Processor, 1080p Oculus Rift, and more news from Computex!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

• iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
• RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
• MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Morry Teitelman

Program length: 57:27

1. Week in Review:
   1. 0:01:30 AMD Releases First 5 GHz Processor for Consumers, FX-9590 and FX-9370
2. News items of interest:
   1. 0:11:45 Win an AMD A10-6800K Richland APU + SimCity!!
   2. 0:13:00 Computex 2013: Intel Demos Baytrail Tablet, Haswell Ultrabook, Ivy Bridge Passive Tablet
   3. 0:15:00 Razer Blade Haswell Gaming Notebook is Damn Sexy, Powerful
   4. 0:17:15 Computex 2013: Gigabyte Preparing Custom GTX Titan With WindForce 450W Cooler... Some Assembly Required
   5. 0:22:30 AMD wants you to know there is a Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition for $419
   6. 0:25:10 Computex 2013: New Haswell-Ready PSUs From SeaSonic Pictured
      1. OCZ Releases Haswell PSU Compatibility List
   7. 0:29:30 Computex 2013: The Comedic Return of the Ultra GPUs
   8. 0:33:30 Oculus VR Rift HD 1080p Prototype Headset Impresses
   9. 0:34:15 E3 2013: Monoprice Shows New 27-in and 30-in High-Res, Low Cost Monitors
   10. 0:36:30 NVIDIA Reiterates Dedication to Gaming on PC, Working with Developers
   11. 0:40:40
   12. WWDC 13: Dissecting Apple's New Hardware Changes. MacBook Air and the new Mac Pro.
       1. Apple introduces PCI-Express based SSD in new MacBook Air
3. 0:49:00 Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
   1. Ryan: LA Traffic
   2. Jeremy: The mighty can of air
   3. Josh: The more I have used this, the better I like it
   4. Allyn: Cold Medication
   5. Morry: more pump for your pump - Swiftech MCP35X
   6. Scott: Now with 100% more compelling. Alienware X51
4. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
5. http://pcper.com/podcast
6. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper

E3 2013: Dell Alienware X51 Gaming Desktop Refresh

Subject: General Tech, Systems, Shows and Expos | June 13, 2013 - 04:17 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: E3, E3 13, dell, alienware, alienware x51

The launch of Haswell led to many new product launches, and so did E3. The overlap? The Alienware X51 gaming desktop has been refreshed with some very compelling components at a surprisingly compelling price.

Unfortunately, there is a slight difference between the Canadian and the American offerings; it is not a case of one citizen paying more than the another, however, as things are more shuffled around than outright better. Our Canadian readers start with a base price of $1499.99, and Americans start out at $1449.99. Americans can spend an extra $100 to upgrade their DVD reader to a Blu-Ray drive, Canadians get Blu-Ray by default. Therefore, if you desire a Blu-Ray drive, it is $50 cheaper to be Canadian; otherwise, it is $50 cheaper to be American.

Whether you are Canadian or American, I would personally recommend spending the extra $100 upgrading your RAM from 8GB to 16 GB. Sure, 8GB is a lot, but the extra can go a long way especially with the direction that web browsers have been heading. You each, also, have the option of spending $300 and receiving a 256GB SSD albeit also at the expense of, beyond the $300, reducing your 2TB HDD down to a slower, 5400RPM 1TB drive.

In all, this actually looks quite compelling for someone who wishes to have a console-esque form-factor near their TV. Unfortunately there are currently no Ubuntu-based options for this X51, although you may freely ($0) choose between Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and Windows 8 64-bit.

E3 2013: AMD tells the press their gaming initiatives

Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards, Processors, Shows and Expos | June 13, 2013 - 02:26 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: E3, E3 13, amd

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the biggest event of the year for millions of gamers. The majority of coverage ends up gawking over the latest news out of Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo, and we certainly will provide our insights in those places if we believe they have been insufficiently explained, but E3 is also a big time for PC gamers too.

5 GHz and unlocked to go from there.

AMD, specifically, has a lot to say this year. In the year of the next-gen console reveals, AMD provides the CPU architecture for two of the three devices and have also designed each of the three GPUs. This just leaves a slight win for IBM, who is responsible for the WiiU main processor, for whatever that is worth. Unless the Steam Box comes to light and without ties to AMD, it is about as close to a clean sweep as any hardware manufacturer could get.

But for the PCs among us...

For those who have seen the EA press conference, you have probably seen lots of sports. If you stuck around after the sports, you probably saw Battlefield 4 being played by 64 players on stage. AMD has been pushing, very strongly, for developer relations over the last year. DICE, formerly known for being an NVIDIA-friendly developer, did not exhibit Battlefield 4 "The Way It's Meant to be Played" at the EA conference. According to one of AMD's Twitter accounts:

@overlordkai #BF4 at #E3 is being powered by dual AMD Radeon HD 7970s and AMD FX-8350. ^SL #AMDE3

— AMD Radeon Graphics (@AMDRadeon) June 12, 2013

On the topic of "Gaming Evolved" titles, AMD is partnering with Square Enix to optimize Thief for GCN and A-Series APUs. The Press Release specifically mentioned Eyefinity and Crossfire support along with a DirectX 11 rendering engine; of course, the enhancements with real, interesting effects are the seemingly boring ones they do not mention.

The last major point from their E3 event was the launch of their 5 GHz FX processors. For more information on that part, check out Josh's thoughts from a couple of days ago.

Apple introduces PCI-Express based SSD in new MacBook Air

Subject: General Tech, Storage | June 12, 2013 - 08:04 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: ultrabook, sandisk, Samsung, pci-e ssd, Marvell, MacBook Air, macbook, haswell, apple

As Scott covered earlier this week, Apple quietly announced an update to the MacBook Air line along side the headline-grabbing Mac Pro redesign preview. Being a MacBook Air user for the past 2 years, I decided it was time to replace my Sandy Bridge-based model with some new Haswell goodness. Today marked the first day of retail store availability, and I picked up an 11" model with 256GB SSD.

Naturally, when I got back to the office there was only one route to take, installing Windows and disassembling it. While Anand uncovered the fact that these MacBooks were hiding a new unadvertised option, in a PCI-Express based SSD, I wanted to check it out for myself.

When I did some digging, I discovered that while Anand found a Samsung based SSD in his MacBook, mine actually contained a model by Sandisk. I did a quick initial benchmark in OS X, and proceeded to inspect the hardware itself.

Click here to read more!

Freespace picked back up by Interplay ... almost good news

Subject: General Tech | June 12, 2013 - 02:37 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: freespace, gaming, interplay

Interplay were the original owners of the Freespace IP and sold it off to THQ, who did absolutely nothing with it and apparently did not see any value in it as THQ just sold it back to Interplay for a mere $7500.  This is not necessarily good news as Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN points out Interplay is not necessarily the healthiest company right now.  So far there is no news about future releases nor really anything apart from the transfer of ownership, but at least we know Freespace is still somewhat alive.

"Yes, Interplay, the company who’s only slightly more existent than THQ at this point. The publisher sealed the deal with a cool-as-an-airless-vacuum sum of $7500, which is a disturbingly small amount of my total yearly rent. If I moved someplace else, I could own Freespace. Right now. I will carry this regret to my deathbed."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Gaming

• No Force Can Prevent There Being A Warhammer 40K MMO @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Metro: Last Light Review @ OCC
• Metro: Last Light Review @ Techgage
• The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing @ Kitguru
• 10 E3 Trailers You Don't Want to Miss @ Wired
• Borderlands 2 Step By Step Modding Guide @ TechwareLabs

Apple turns over a new lead

Subject: General Tech | June 12, 2013 - 01:57 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: apple, wwdc

The Tech Report spent some time thinking about Apple's keynote yesterday and decided that it demonstrated a big change in Apple's corporate philosophy.  Over the past year Apple has been bereft of direction after spending so much time with a single person at the helm and at the keynote they finally seemed to have found a new set of core values to lead their business.  It seems that Craig Federighi is a much more personable leader, willing to stray from the script and poke fun at himself which is drastically different from the serious soliloquies which has represented Apple's pubic face for so long.  Read on to see what they think these changes could imply for the future of Apple.

"There was something different about Apple during yesterday's WWDC keynote. According to TR's Cyril Kowaliski, that something was Apple's new soul—a new identity based not on one man's ego, but on human ideals we can connect with."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Giving an RC tank a fire control computer @ Hack a Day
• iOS 7 interactive guide @ The Inquirer
• Toshiba announces Q series SSDs for laptop upgrades @ The Inquirer
• KEEP CALM and Carry On: PRISM itself is not a big deal @ The Register
• Computer Tips & Tricks Everyone Should Know @ TechSpot
• Symantec claims a Linux kernel exploit has been ported to Android @ The Inquirer
• Pandora to hit airwaves with terrestrial radio station buy @ The Register
• And the Winner of Next-Gen is: PlayStation 4 (Unless Microsoft Fixes Things) @ Techgage
• Disease Outbreak Threatens the Future of Good Coffee @ Slashdot

Alienware 14 Core i7 "Haswell" Gaming Laptop @ $1150

Subject: General Tech | June 12, 2013 - 01:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

There is another Haswell based notebook on sale today, though this one packs significantly more graphical power.  The Alienware 14 on special sports a i7-4700MQ with a top speed of 3.4GHz, 8GB DDR3-1600 and a GT750M to power the 1366x768 screen with a 750GB HDD for storage.  It also has a Killer NIC to help you out during fast paced gaming online either wired or on WiFi.

Top Deal

• Just-released Alienware 14 Core i7 "Haswell" Gaming Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive, GeForce GT 750M graphics for $1,149 with free shipping (normally $1,199 - use $50 coupon code BHW1L0MX0D?MCX ).

Additional Deals

• 256GB Crucial M4 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD (CT256M4SSD2) for $184.99 with free shipping (normally $229).
• 14" Dell Inspiron 14z Core i7 Ultrabook w/8GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive + 32GB SSD, 1GB Radeon HD 7570M & built-in Optical Drive for $749.99 with free shipping (normally $1,188.99 - use coupon code R8C7B72VL7JKD1 ). 24" Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920x1200 IPS Monitor (2013 model) for $458.99 with free shipping (normally $599.99 - use BOTH coupon codes $PX1BGTSZ3G635 and W7HWC5Q9S4V6VH ).
• HP Spectre XT 15t-4000 TouchSmart 15.6" Core i7 1080p Ultrabook for $1,049.99 with $9.99 shipping (normally $1,199.99 - use coupon code NEWPC150 ).
• Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete 2013 (5 User) for $29.99 (normally $79.99).