How Well Will Mass Effect 3 Run On Your PC?

On March 6th, BioWare will launch Mass Effect 3, the final chapter in Shepherd's epic journey. We take the GAME'S DEMO for a spin in anticipation of how this highly-anticipated title will behave on a broad range of graphics cards and processors.

BioWare is on a roll. Star Wars: The Old Republic is perhaps the most talked-about MMO launch in recent history, and EA just announced that THE GAME is already sitting at 1.7 million subscribers. Fresh on the heels of that introduction, the developer is just about ready to release its third and final chapter of the Mass Effect trilogy.

Although Mass Effect is in no way as pervasive as Star Wars, it has shown how far BioWare could go with its own intellectual property over the past five years. The series doesn’t fit into any standard mold; it mixes role-playing and shooter mechanics, and your ability to affect the story through dialogue choices set a bar that no other studio has yet matched. It’s a truly interactive space opera, and we know that many enthusiasts are looking forward to seeing how it ends when the game ships on March 6^th.

What Does DirectCompute Really Mean For Gamers?

We've been bugging AMD for years now, literally, to show us what GPU-accelerated software can do. Finally, the company is ready to put us in touch with ISVs in nine different segments to demonstrate how its hardware can benefit optimized applications.

It seems like only a few months ago that the crew here at at Tom’s Hardware started approaching hardware vendors and software developers with our desire to more thoroughly evaluate the capabilities of OpenCL- and DirectCompute-capable components using real-world metrics. We've gone into as much depth as possible, but there just didn't seem to be much to report on. Sure, we'd run tests in Metro 2033 with its DirectCompute-based depth of field filter turned on and off. But the only conclusion we could draw was, "Wow, that sure hammers performance."

Finally, that situation is changing. A growing roster of games now implements DirectCompute. We're testing four of them in this piece: Battlefield 3, DiRT 3, Civilization 5, and of course, Metro 2033. Unlike most of the game testing we do at Tom’s Hardware, our focus here is not on raw system or component performance. Yes, this is another piece AMD helped us put together with technical insight and help talking to developers, so we're looking at the company's APUs and comparing them to discrete graphics. But there is more to this story than frame rate impact. It’s about enabling techniques for achieving realism that were previously infeasible in the days before GPU-based compute assistance.

Four ATX Cases For High-Capacity Water Cooling, Reviewed

Big radiators need lots of space that most enclosures simply weren't designed to offer. We're using Swiftech’s latest triple-fan cooler to test the fitment and performance in four cases supposedly set up to accommodate high-end water cooling setups.

Editor's Note: Our Southern California lab recently signed for a big box from NZXT full of cases and power supplies to give away. If you'd like a chance to win one of three Phantom 410 chassis or one of three HALE82 power supplies, read through to the end of this piece and enter our sweepstakes!

CPU water cooling has been around since the early days of Tom’s Hardware. But enclosures specifically designed to hold large liquid cooling systems have always been scarce. And while the availability of mid-sized mainstream systems like Corsair's H100 pushes case manufacturers to at least support dual-fan radiators in their enthusiast-oriented models, high-end cooling support remains a rare feature, even in the highest-end chassis. Fortunately, the few solutions that do exist are fairly good.

If you missed our walk-through of these four enclosures last week, and you want a closer look inside each case before continuing, check out In Pictures: Four ATX Cases Perfect For High-Capacity Water Cooling.

	Aerocool Strike-X ST	Azza Hurrican 2000	Cooler Master Cosmos II	NZXT Switch 810
Dimensions
Height	25.2"	21.9"	27.9"	23.9"
Width	9.3"	10.2"	12.2"	9.2"
Depth	27.9"	23.9"	26.2"	23.7"
Space Above Motherboard	3.2"	2.3"	1.8"	3.2"
Card Length	16.8"	13.6"**	15.5"	13.7"
Weight	32.0 pounds	24.5 pounds	47.4 pounds	31.4 pounds
Cooling
Front Fans (alternatives)	1 x 200 mm (2 x 140/120 mm)	2 x 120 mm (None)	1 x 200 mm (1 x 140 mm)	1 x 140 mm (2 x 140/120 mm)
Rear Fans (alternatives)	1 x 140 mm (1 x 120 mm)	1 x 120 mm (None)	1 x 140 mm (1 x 120 mm)	1 x 140 mm (1 x 120 mm)
Top Fans (alternatives)	1 x 200 mm (2 x 200 mm, 3 x 140/120 mm)	2 x 230 mm (1 x 120 mm)	1 x 120 mm (1 x 200 mm, 2 x 140 mm, 3 x 120 mm)	1 x 140 mm (3 x 140/120 mm)
Left Side (alternatives)	None (1 x 180 mm, 9 x 120 mm)	2 x 230 mm (None)	2 x 120 mm (4 x 120 mm)	None
Right Side (alternatives)	None (1 x 120/92 mm)	1 x 120 mm (None)	None	None
Drive Bays
5.25" External	Four	Four	Three	Four
3.5" External	None	1 x Adapter	None	None
3.5" Internal	Ten	Six	Thirteen	Six +One***
2.5" Internal	Ten*	2x Adapter	Eleven*	Seven*
Card Slots	Ten	Seven	Ten	Nine
Price	$200	$145	$350	$163
*shared on 3.5" tray **Without cables to backplane ***On 5.25" backplane

Cooler Master tops the list in features, price, and weight, while Azza targets mid-budget enthusiasts with a mid-sized solution. Between those two pricing extremes, NZXT and Aerocool attempt to offer the best value with nine- and 10-slot designs. Today, we find out how well each case fits our parts and performs.

Before we move on to our installation notes, let’s take a quick look at the cooling system that made all of this testing possible.

OCZ Vertex 4 Review: A Flagship SSD Powered By...Indilinx?

OCZ breaks new ground with its Vertex 4 in that this isn't a SandForce-flavored SSD. The company's latest flagship features an Indilinx Everest 2 controller that definitely impresses us. Can Vertex 4 stand up against the SSD 520, m4, and Samsung 830?

Update: The praise heaped on OCZ’s CONTROLLER TECHNOLOGY was intended to recognize the company’s effort in making itself independent of third parties. However, a few weeks back, our friends at Xtreme Systemsraised suspicions that OCZ’s Everest controllers (first- and second-gen) were actually based on Marvell logic. We were unable to confirm the validity of those claims until more recently, when OCZ acknowledged this to us. 

The company’s official statement is as follows:

OCZ has a strong relationship with Marvell who we have collaborated with on both the Everest and Kilimanjaro platforms. Just as any product, a complete platform consists of many components, and in this case includes silicon that is run at higher speeds and Indilinx proprietary firmware, which was developed completely in-house, and allows OCZ to enable enhanced features, performance, and endurance. All of these elements come together to form the complete platform that can only be found in SSD products like the Octane and Vertex 4.

This puts the company in an interesting position, as it switches from one third-party controller company to another. It’s able to claim some benefits over other Marvell-oriented vendors on the HARDWARE SIDE, but puts most of its emphasis on the firmware work it has done. In the days to follow, we plan to dig even deeper on our own accord. And, if our research turns up anything interesting, you can count on a follow-up.

OCZ's Vertex 4, a drive that was first shown off at this year's CeBIT, is finally here. And it's based on the Everest 2 controller, first shown off earlier this year in Vegas at CES. More than just the company's new flagship SSD, the Vertex 4 represents OCZ's desire to stand apart in a business that's increasingly based on too few components integrated by too many vendors. 

Killer Wireless-N 1103 Review: Can Qualcomm Take On Centrino?

Some people swear by the performance benefits promised by Killer network adapters. Others question its value in the real world. Back in 2009, we took a look at the company's Xeno Pro Gaming Network Card and concluded:

"...impressive specifications and a laundry list of features don't necessarily translate into real-world performance boosts. Without the core ability to wow us with ultra-low network latencies compared to less expensive solutions (like a freeware Firefox plugin), configuring your torrent client, or simply turning off your downloads during your gaming session, the Killer Xeno Pro is a tough sell as a must-have gaming NIC."

You may recall that the Killer NIC derived its strength from a few key enhancements over regular integrated network controllers. First and foremost, the adapter used an on-board 400 MHz processor to handle all network packet processing. This offloaded traffic from the host CPU and sidestepped the Windows networking stack. Killer actually had a Linux distribution on the card, turning it into a sort of PCI Express-based co-computer.

Unfortunately, a $130 price tag on the card was a deal-breaker, especially since we were able to reproduce many of its functions using common sense and freely available software. Really, we thought, there was just no reason to spend that much on questionable benefits.

Intel’s Z77 Express And Lucidlogix MVP: New Features For Gamers

Integrated USB 3.0, advanced management features, reduced power consumption, and a new software package from Lucidlogix separate the Z77 EXPRESS MOTHER BOARDS from the Z68 chipset that preceded it. Were these capabilities worth waiting for?

Comprising its Ivy Bridge-based processors and Panther Point (Z77 Express) chipset components, Intel’s Maho Bay platform is one of the firm's worst-kept secrets. So much has been leaked ahead of today’s launch that the best any publisher can do is to validate known or suspected information.

The Windows Phone 7.5 Review, A Month-Long Experience

After a long string of clumsy mobile releases, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 strikes us as one of the better designs to pass through our labs. After more than a month of using the latest build on a Nokia Lumia 800, we think WP7 deserves consideration.

After several unsuccessful mobile offerings, Microsoft has released Windows Phone 7 (WP7). With 71% of smartphone owners using either an Android or iPhone device, according to Nielsen, it might not seem like Microsoft's new MOBILE OS stands much of a chance. However, quite a few companies have announced their support for WP7, and we believe the WP7 is worth watching.

The name "Windows Phone 7" is somewhat misleading. Microsoft unveiled WP7 in 2010; in 2011, a massive update added a mobile version of IE9 supporting Web standards, TWITTER INTEGRATION, and multitasking. This update was called Windows Phone 7.5 (also referred to as Mango). However, the mobile operating system still goes by the name WP7. Specific references to version history usually make use of the code name.

The Complete iPad 3 Review: Retina Display, A5X, 4G LTE, And Camera

We're back with a more comprehensive review of Apple's new IPAD 3, including new gamut benchmarks pitting the iPad 3 against an array of recent Android-based tablets. Is Apple's latest offering a disappointment to those expecting more—or a game-changer?

Every new product launch from APPLE is enveloped in hype and hoopla. Some folks look for reasons to love the new hardware, while others spend hours looking for that one flaw that'll get everyone's attention. Not surprisingly, the iPad 3 launched to a full media circus.

But not everyone's expectations were satisfied by Apple’s third-generation tablet. Looking back at how this product family has evolved, the iPad 2 advanced in a pretty clear way. It was smaller, thinner, lighter, and delivered better performance. The IPAD2 was expensive, yes. However, its improvements over the company's first-generation effort made the price tag worthwhile for a great many.

Overclocking: Asus Rampage IV Extreme Versus EVGA X79 FTW

Many companies claim to offer the best overclocking for your money, yet only two compete for the best overclocking at the very highest price point. Today we put those claims to the test, including a full set of benchmarks to analyze performance gains.

The editors of Tom's Hardware do our best to cover the broadest selection of hardware that finds its way into your PC, but some components fall through the cracks whenever the steady march of technology pushes us to move on to the next new thing. Such was the case for a few X79 Express-based motherboards priced over $380.

Reader John Case wrote in a few weeks after our premium X79 motherboard comparison to tell us that one of the products we missed wouldn't support any of his high-end memory at its rated frequency, no matter how much time he spent trying to optimize timings and voltage levels. After several successful RMAs, he was ready to ship us his board for testing. That’s when the manufacturer stepped in to provide a full refund.

We contacted that manufacturer (along with one of its closest competitors) to see how two of today’s top-rated enthusiast-oriented boards would compare to each other in terms of overclocking ease, stability, and features.

Asus Transformer Prime TF201: A Tablet With A Higher Calling

Apple's new iPad is turning heads, but it's not the only compelling choice. Four months after its introduction, Asus' Transformer Prime TF201 shows us that TABS aren't exclusively content consumption devices. Some make it easier to get work done!

We weren't able to review Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime when it first launched. But in light of Apple's new flagship tablet, the third-generation iPad, we thought it important to follow up and question whether the Asus effort still measures up. After all, Apple has a knack for generating headlines that suggest its competition cannot compare.

Certainly, the IPAD'S MARKET performance continues to be a powerful force. However, the fact that other manufacturers are building and selling their own Android-based devices means that there has to be room to grow outside of Apple's walled garden.