MaximumPC 2007 08

MaximumPC 2007 08, MaximumPC

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//-->Reviewed! Next-Gen GPUCan the Radeon HD 2900 XTbeat the GeForce 8800 GTS?How H20 Cooling WorksWhat you must know aboutthe laws of thermodynamicsMedia Center vs. TiVoWhich will win our brutalPVR battle royale?MINIMUM BS • AUGUST 2007Maximum PC Presents the UltimateTO BECOMING A POWER USER29Kick-AssTips & Tricks to Make You a PC Brainiac!AMD’s Athlon-Killer Revealed!Will the newPhenom quad coresmack downIntel’s next-genPenryn?How to Save $300 a Year!ZZZZZWe show you howto enable your PC’ssecret sleep state tosave big bucks onelectricity!FIX NAGGINGVISTA PROBLEMSWITH OUR STEP-BY-STEP HOW-TOContentsEd WordMIs MicrosoftSerious AboutGames forWindows?Please send feedbackand steamed broccolitowill@maximumpc.com.icrosoft has been talking about Games forWindows for half a decade now, and the firsttwo games that fully represent the promise of aneasy, console-like multiplayer experience on the PCare available—Halo 2 and Shadowrun. We didn’tget code in time to review these titles this month(we’ll post both reviews online when they’re doneas well as in next month’s issue), but I’ve spentmore than a few hours playing both, and frankly, I’mconcerned—these games have serious problems.The promise of the Games for Windows effortis laudable: Redmond says it will deliver an XboxLive–style friends list, seamless multiplayer, easiergame installs, and even Microsoft marketingdollars spent to promote the PC as a gamingplatform. The problem is that the entire initiativeis tied to “gaming-friendly” Vista, which is notas gaming friendly as Microsoft hoped due tounstable, poor-performing drivers and spottysupport for gamer must-haves like SLI andhardware audio.But let’s talk about the games. I’m not goingto kvetch about the insanity of requiring Vista forHalo 2—a game designed to run on a Pentium 3/GeForce4-powered console with 64MB of RAM. It’ssilly, and everyone knows it. I am, however, going tocomplain about the developers pulling the featurethat made Halo 2’s multiplayer revolutionary—seamless party-based matchmaking. In Halo 2on the Xbox, you form a party with your friends,and then the matchmaking system automaticallymatches your group with other groups with similarskills—all in the game type of your choice. TheVista version of Halo 2 doesn’t work the same way,leaving you with the same tired in-game serverbrowser we’ve used since Quake 2.Shadowrun was to deliver on the Live forWindows promise of cross-platform multiplayer,pitting Xbox 360 gamers against PC players.Unfortunately, the game suffers from a host ofLive-related problems, and it, too, is limited to Vistaowners. Its buggy matchmaking works differently forPC and Xbox players, and signature Live features (likeAchievements) work only sporadically. But the thingI really don’t understand is why Microsoft would tie anew title to Vista, particularly if the company’s goal isto sell as many games as possible.When looking only at bugs, I think thatMicrosoft simply goofed on the implementationof Live on Windows, but when I look at the salesprospects for these titles, I’m beginning to wonderif these “missteps” are part of a larger strategy todrive gamers away from the PC.MAXIMUMPC08/07Features24Power UsersGuide36HomeTheater PCsZWe test the latestofferings fromthree vendorsand compareMediaCenterto TiVo.ZZZZZZZZZ48S3 StandbyTheMaximum PCeditors unleasha torrent of PC tips and tricks thatwill blow your mind!Put your rig to sleep—andreap the monetary rewardof its restful state.AUGUST 2007MAXIMUMPC05MAXIMUMPCEDITORIALEDITOR IN CHIEFWill SmithMANAGING EDITORTom EdwardsEXECUTIVE EDITORMichael BrownSENIOR EDITORGordon Mah UngSENIOR EDITORKatherine StevensonASSOCIATE EDITORDavid MurphyCONTRIBUTING WRITERSCameron Butterfield, Tom Halfhill,Thomas McDonald, Zack Stern, Paul TownsendEDITOR EMERITUSAndrew SanchezARTART DIRECTORNatalie JedayASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORSBoni Uzilevsky, Katrin AuchPHOTO EDITORMark MadeoCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSamantha BergCONTRIBUTING ARTISTSean DallasKiddBUSINESSGROUP PUBLISHERStacey Levy650-238-2319, slevy@futureus.comWESTERN AD DIRECTORDave Lynn949-360-4443, dlynn@futureus.comWESTERN AD MANAGERDerek Johnson650-238-2327, djohnson@futureus.comEASTERN AD MANAGERLarry Presser646-723-5459, lpresser@futureus.comEASTERN AD MANAGER GAMESKristin Kelleher646-723-5491, kkelleher@futureus.comADVERTISING COORDINATORJose Urrutia650-238-2498, jurrutia@futureus.comSENIOR MARKETING MANAGERAlison McCreeryMARKETING COORDINATORMichael BasilioPRODUCTIONPRODUCTION DIRECTORRichie LesovoyPRODUCTION COORDINATORDan MalloryCIRCULATIONCIRCULATION DIRECTORPeter KellyNEWSSTAND MANAGERElliott KigerNEWSSTAND COORDINATORAlex GuzmanINTERNET SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGERBetsy WongPRINT ORDER COORDINATORMila VillaflorContentsDepartmentsQuick StartAMD strikes backR&DHow liquid cooling works ........64with its Phenom CPU .............................08Head2HeadCamera & cell phone vs.WatchDogMaximum PC takesIn the LabThe pros and cons ofDDR3; a second look at HP’s LP2465 ...66smartphone—we pick your pocket pal.....14In/OutYou write, we respond........102Rig of the MonthDon Soules’sAtlas ..................................................104a bite out of bad gear .............................20How ToMake Vista less annoying .....58Ask the DoctorDiagnosingand curing your PC problems ................6282ReviewsVideocardPowerColor RadeonGaming rigOverdrive PCHD 2900 XT ..............................................68Core2.SLI .............................................70FUTURE US, INC4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080www.futureus-inc.comPRESIDENTJonathan Simpson-BintVICE PRESIDENT/COOTom ValentinoCFOJohn SuttonGENERAL COUNSELCharles SchugPUBLISHING DIRECTOR/GAMESSimon WhitcombePUBLISHING DIRECTOR/MUSIC AND TECHSteve AaronPUBLISHING DIRECTOR/BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTDave BarrowEDITORIAL DIRECTOR/TECHNOLOGYJon PhillipsEDITORIAL DIRECTOR/MUSICBrad TolinskiDIRECTOR OF CENTRAL SERVICESNancy DurlesterPRODUCTION DIRECTORRichie LesovoyFuture US, Inc. is part of Future plc.Future produces carefully targetedspecial-interest magazines, web-sites and events for people whoshare a passion. We aim to satisfythat passion by creating titles offer-ing value for money, reliable infor-mation, smart buying advice andwhich are a pleasure to read or visit.Today we publish more than 150magazines, 65 websites and a grow-ing number of events in the US, UK,France and Italy. Over 100 international editions of our magazinesare also published in 30 other countries across the world.Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange(symbol: FUTR).FUTURE plc30 Monmouth St., Bath, Avon, BA1 2BW, Englandwww.futureplc.comTel +44 1225 442244NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN:Roger ParryCHIEF EXECUTIVE:Stevie SpringGROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR:John BowmanTel +44 1225 442244www.futureplc.comREPRINTS:For reprints, contact Ryan Derfler, Reprint OperationsSpecialist, 717.399.1900 ext. 167or email: futurenetworkusa@reprintbuyer.comSUBSCRIPTION QUERIES:Please email customerservice@maximumpc.com or call customer service toll-free at 800.274.3421Maximum PC ISSN: 1522-4279MonitorsHanns.G HW223DPB,Samsung 226BW...................................72MotherboardsP5K Deluxe Wi-Fi AP,DVD burnersLite-On LH-20A1S,Network storage devicesP5K3 Deluxe Wi-Fi AP .............................74Asus DRW-1814BLT ...............................76Western Digital My Book World Edition II,Hammer Storage Myshare.....................7872VideocameraFlip Video 1GB ........82EarphonesShure SE530PTH ........84Home automationIntermaticHome Settings Lighting ControlStarter Kit..................................................84Front-panel displayAeroCoolVideocardXFX 8800 Ultra XXXPowerWatch .............................................80Edition .......................................................80External driveOWC MercuryOn-the-Go External Drive .....................8278GamingTest Drive Unlimited...........................86Microsoft Xbox 360 Racing Wheel...86AUGUST 2007MAXIMUMPC07quickstartThe beginning of The magazine, where arTicles are smallIt’sPhenom(enal)!AMD ditches the Athlon 64moniker for its next-gentop-end CPUsHow confident is AMD that its next-genCPU will be faster than anything inIntel’s stable? Well, the company is will-ing to ditch the well-respected Athlon 64name in favor of a new moniker: Phenom,as in phenomenal.AMD’s betting the farm that the evolu-tion of Athlon 64 will have the chops to beatback Intel’s recent success.Although Athlon 64 is no more, the FXand X2 designations remain. At the top end,Phenom FX will feature the fastest-clockedCPUs in quad-core only, with the option ofrunning Phenom FX in a dual-processorconfiguration for up to eight executioncores. Phenom FX versions will come in theQuad FX–platform Socket 1207 trim as wellas Socket AM2. One step down will get youPhenom X4 and Phenom X2 parts in SocketAM2. Details are sparse, but these partswill likely be clocked lower and feature lessamd’s next-gen lineupcache than the FX ver-sions. Existing Athlon 64parts will be renamed sansthe “64,” which AMD feelshas lost its meaning sinceIntel has long since added64-bit extensions.Phenom parts willbe pin compatible withthe majority of AM2 andSocket 1207 mother-boards on the market,but there’s talk of animproved version of thesockets called Socket1207+ and Socket AM2+, which will fea-ture the ability to run the CPU and northbridge at separate speeds to save powerand enhance performance.Phenom is essentially an evolution of theAthlon 64 core with a better DDR2 memorycontroller, enhanced virtual-machine perfor-mance, better power management, and SSEperformance improvements. The companyclaims that floating-point performance, forexample, should be quadrupled over Athlon64. There’s also a new L3 cache that’sshared by all four cores. That’s possiblebecause of the Phenom’s design, whichAMD touts as being “true quad core.”While Intel constructs its Core 2 QuadThe upcoming Phenom FX featuresfour cores on a single die, as opposedto Intel’s quad core, which fuses twodistinct dual-core chips.whaT IT IssockeTcomPaTIbIlITySocket 1207 andSocket AM2Phenom FXQuad-core only, with the larg-est caches and highest clocksof the consumer CPUs.Available in quad-core anddual-core versions with lowerclock speeds and less cachethan FX parts.Take existing Athlon 64 parts,whack off the 64, and you getAthlon X2.Phenom X2,Phenom X4Socket AM2aThlon X2Socket AM2chips by joining two dual-core processorsthat communicate via the relatively slowfront-side bus, AMD designed a singlecontiguous die that lets all the cores com-municate at much higher speeds thanIntel’s 1,333MHz FSB. AMD’s new CPU,however, may be less efficient to produce.Because Intel uses the same essentialcores for its dual- and quad-core procs, itsproduction process is simplified. AMD willhave to maintain separate production linesfor its dual and quad versions. But theimpact will likely be minimal because thePhenom will be based on the same 65nmprocess as Athlon 64. Next year, AMDexpects to have its 45nm process onlineand a chip code-named Shanghai shouldbe the first AMD processor to use it.Of course, none of this really meansanything if Phenom can’t deliver, saysPC industry analyst Rob Enderle of theEnderle Group.“At the end of the day, the marketwhere Phenom plays is about providing alot of performance,” says Enderle. “If theproducts are good, they will probably carryand establish the brand. If they are notand Intel continues to perform, then theonly phenom will be the fact that they arenot selling.”08MAXIMUMPCaugust 2007FAST FORWARDTOMHALFHILLWi-Fi on the RoadAvis offers broadband connectivityin its rental carsPenryn HelpsIntel’sComebackRental-car agency Avis has begunrolling out a new service for its cus-tomers who want broadband Internetalong with their rental car. The AvisConnect service costs travelers $10.95per day and consists of a mobile Wi-Fidevice (pictured) that can be used inthe car or carried into a hotel room,board room, or other locale. The device,made by AutoNet Mobile, providesInternet access over both 3G and 2.5Gcellular networks and can be chargedAvia either a car’s cigarette lighter or awall socket. AutoNet will soon be sell-ing its portable Wi-Fi router throughautomotive dealers for $400, with amonthly service charge of $30-$50.E-Strike on EstoniaCyber attacks on a small Eastern European hamlet may serve as awarning to larger nationsEstonia, an incredibly tech-savvy country located on the Gulf of Finland,might be too advanced to stay safe: The Estonian government uses theInternet to have cabinet-level discussions, important documents are oftensigned by way of digital signatures, and Estonian citizens can even vote innational elections from their PCs.That sophistication made Estonia all the more vulnerable when mysteryperpetrators began bombarding the country’s official websites with distribut-ed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in late April. The attacks offlined many ofthe government-run sites, rendering the country’s digital infrastructure unus-able. At its peak, one onslaught disabled 56 sites at once.While Russia, which has had tense relations with Estonia, is a suspect,officials from NATO and the European Union have been unable to uncover theroots of the attacks.If any good has come from this bout of cyber warfare, it’s that a spotlighthas been cast on this new, potentially debilitating form of terrorism.s I predicted last year, Intel is recovering from itsmistakes by introducing new processors that aremuch more competitive with AMD’s chips. Meanwhile,AMD is suffering money woes again, but the scrappycompany is developing some very interesting mul-ticore processors with integrated ATI graphics. Thecoming year will be a great one for PC enthusiasts.Intel is on track with Penryn, which improvesthe already-strong Core microarchitecture andshifts to the next-generation 45nm fabricationprocess. In addition to having smaller transistors,the new process will debut high-k metal-gatetransistors, which I described in April. Along withother improvements, the new technology shouldmake Penryn a winner.You’ve probably heard about Penryn’s SSE4.With 47 new instructions, it’s the largest expansionof the x86 instruction set in seven years—evenlarger than the recent 64-bit extension. Digitalvideo, 3D graphics, and scientific applications aredriving the need for many of these new instructions.In some cases, programmers can replace a wholescreen of code with a single SSE4 instruction.The drawback? Programmers must use low-level assembly language to reap most of SSE4’sbenefits. Vectorizing compilers that do the workautomatically are still immature. Some SSE4instruction mnemonics (such as MPSADBW andPHMINPOSUW) are so confusing that I need mne-monics to remember the mnemonics.Penryn-based mobile processors will havea new Deep Power Down mode that drasticallyreduces the voltage to minimize power leakagewhile a core is idle. The OS issues a command toforce the core into this mode; another commandrestores the original state. I’ve been worried thatbuggy or malicious software could repeatedlytrigger this mode, creating a power-thrashingrace condition that effectively disables the pro-cessor. However, Intel assures me that a specialtimer prevents a core from entering this modetoo often. (We’ll see.)Another Penryn feature for mobile processorsis Enhanced Dynamic Acceleration Technology.Dumb name, clever idea. It temporarily boosts theclock speed of one core to handle extra work whileanother core is idle. This job-sharing prevents theidle core from having to power up to handle a smalladditional workload.Overall, Penryn is a smart design with a mix ofpower-saving and performance-enhancing features.Sometimes little things add up to a lot.Tom Halfhill was formerly a senior editor for Byte magazineand is now an analyst for Microprocessor Report.AUGUST 2007MAXIMUMPC09 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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