computer hardware
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Gigabyte intros Llano-compatible A75 motherboards for the DIY set (video)
Llano-based PCs are still trickling their way into the market, but if you're the enterprising type you can just up and build your own. Gigabyte just announced a family of seven A75 series of motherboards, all of which are compatible with AMD's spankin' new Fusion A6 and A8 chips and A75 chipsets. To recap, the Fusion A-Series combines a discrete-class Radeon HD GPU and either a dual- or quad-core CPU on the same die, though all of the A6 and A8 models are quad-core. These 35- and 45-watt chips are also stereoscopic 3D-capable and support USB 3.0, DirectX11, OpenCL / OpenGL, and both 1600MHz DDR3 memory and lower-power 1333MHz DDR3L memory. As for the motherboards, they allow for 108dB audio with 7.1 surround sound, and you can use Gigabyte's Easy Tune 6 utility to realize Fusion's promise of overclocking. They also use the company's DualBIOS technology to prevent failure due to BIOS corruption, while each USB port has its own fuse to prevent port failure. Hit the source link for information on where to buy, and mosy on past the break for the full PR and a short demo video.
Testing Age of Conan: Gamespot's hardware roundup + performance guide
You got bills to pay, no computer upgrades in a year, heck maybe it's been two or three, and here comes along Age of Conan with eye-dazzling effects that you must play. It also comes with launch bugs that don't ease the stress on your computer or your nerves for that matter. Crash after crash will leave you infuriated, the problem could be drivers, maybe the PSU can't handle the load, or it's poor optimization code -- whatever it is let the debugging process begin. PC Gaming really does need some better standards, especially MMOs, but let's get back the basic computer hardware needed to run Age of Conan. What hardware will make it run like a champ, and what hardware will even run the game at all in case Grandma wants to chop some heads off in Hyboria on the most sluggish computer. Everything you need to know is available in this in-depth, fantastic hardware performance guide by Gamespot.
Black Friday: Last minute loot-n-scoot roundup for slackers that prefer online buys
I am lazy. I like being lazy. When Black Friday was niche and relatively unknown compared to today the experience was fun for bargain hunting... Now, everyone and their grandmother get in on the wheeling and dealing. It's crowded, too crowded. I do not want to spend my Thanksgiving encroached by of slack-jawed mouth breathers in a line that lasts for an eternity. Ditching friends and football for a 50 dollar hard drive deal just isn't worth the hassle, oh, and I guess spending time with the family during commercials is important too. That doesn't mean those that don't participate in this consumer activism are left to fend for the scraps after the animals are done pillaging the brick and mortar stores. Some big chains are offering online Black Friday deals before "Cyber Monday" launches, another gimmick to rob poor blokes such as myself blind. I went ahead and compiled a list primarily of online deals that are suited towards MMOG players, and the necessary trappings and innards that connect our gaming contraptions to these fantasy worlds to make all that fanciful magic happen.
