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Best PC Power Supplies: Holiday 2017

Now that you’ve picked out your CPU, it’s time to start picking out the rest of your system components. And perhaps the most humble but overlooked of these components is the power supply unit (PSU). Available in a wide range of sizes and power capacities, there are a number of great PSUs out there, but choosing between them can be a challenge. So today we’re bringing you our annual PC power supply guide, to help you sort figure out what the best options are, be it a low-wattage unit for a small form factor PC, or a hulking kilowatt unit for the most powerful PC.

Windows Mixed Reality Headsets Gain SteamVR Support, a Library of VR Games
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Windows Mixed Reality Headsets Gain SteamVR Support, a Library of VR Games

When Microsoft introduced its Windows Mixed Reality platform for productivity and gaming earlier this year, it was clear that in order to make it competitive, the software giant would need to either create its own VR marketplace or gain compatibility with an existing one. This week Microsoft and Valve announced that Windows Mixed Reality headsets are now compatible with the SteamVR platform and therefore dozens of VR games.

Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality headsets will be available from multiple vendors, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and others for the price of $400 – $500 or so with controllers included. The head-mounted displays (HMDs) require a Windows 10 PC with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to operate as well as Steam with SteamVR and Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR add-ons to access virtual reality games (there is a guide how to set everything up at Steampowered). At present, the WMR for SteamVR app is in Steam Preview stage, so it is not final with all the possible consequences.

Besides specific software, Windows Mixed Reality headsets require high-end hardware to play VR games. Officially, Microsoft has rather moderate requirements for its WMR platform (a quad-core Core i5 CPU, a GeForce GTX 960/1050 or similar GPU, etc.), but to play VR titles comfortably, Valve advices its WMR customers to use a considerably more powerful system featuring at least Intel’s quad-core Core i7 7700/7700K processor as well as NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card. Such requirements do not come completely unexpected. Windows Mixed Reality HMDs feature two 1440×1440 LCD panels (for a total resolution of 2880×1440) with a 90 Hz refresh rate and running modern games at a 2880×1440 resolution at 90 FPS or higher is a tough job for a GPU. Since different games have different requirements, it is obvious that far not all titles need a high-end video card, but it makes sense to keep the recommendations in mind.

General Specifications of a Windows Mixed Reality Headset
Display 2x LCD
Resolution 2880×1440 (combined)
1440×1440 (per eye)
Refresh Rate 90 Hz
FOV 95°
Sensors Gyroscope: 6 degrees of freedom tracking
Accelerometer
Magnetometer
Proximity
Position Tracking Inside-Out Camera (x2)
Audio 3.5mm Audio Jack
Controls Microsoft Motion Controllers
Launch Price $400 – $500, depending on manufacturer, bundle, etc.

At present, SteamVR has about 30 – 40 titles that support Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality HMDs, which is a lot more than Microsoft itself sells in its own online store. When compared to other VR platforms, WMR is considerably behind HTC’s Vive and Facebook’s Oculus Rift that support hundreds of titles, but keep in mind that both HMDs have been available for well over a year now. In any case, the number of games that support Microsoft’s AR/VR headsets will grow over time as developers validate their titles for the new HMDs, so gaining Steam/SteamVR support is a big deal for the Windows Mixed Reality platform.

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AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.11.2
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AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.11.2

Just ahead of tomorrow’s Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) release, AMD has released Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.11.2, bringing game support to Battlefront II as well as a number of bug fixes. 17.11.2 comes as a more minor update, with the highlighted fixes largely targeting Radeon Software issues (e.g. ReLive and WattMan).

Officially launching on November 17, Battlefront II is the much awaited sequel to EA DICE’s 2015 Star Wars Battlefront (and named nearly identically to 2005’s Battlefront II). Once again built off of the Frostbite 3 engine, Battlefront II was playable for 10 hours starting last week, applicable to gamers part of EA’s Play First Trial early access program. Not long after, EA faced significant player criticism over their implementations of Battlefront II’s microtransaction and character progression systems. EA DICE later took to a Reddit AMA to respond to concerns.

As far as AMD graphics are concerned, Battlefront II lists the Radeon HD 7850 2GB as the minimum requirement and Radeon RX 480 4GB as recommended. While the game does feature DX12 support, some players have reported stability and performance issues when DX12 mode is enabled.

For bug fixes, AMD has resolved the following issues:

  • [Radeon ReLive] Recorded clips may experience green corruption or green screen backgrounds.
  • [Radeon ReLive] ReLive may fail to record when switching a game between fullscreen and borderless fullscreen.
  • [Radeon WattMan] User interface may not reflect overclocked or underclocked video memory values.
  • [Radeon WattMan] WattMan may not apply correct reduced voltage values for some Radeon RX 400 and RX 500 series graphics.
  • Radeon Settings may experience a crash or hang when enabling/disabling CrossFire mode on certain HD 7000 series graphics.
  • Secondary extended displays may experience green corruption when resuming from display off or sleep modes.

In terms of known issues, most have been documented in previous driver updates. The list of open issues is as follows:

  • Intermittent or random hanging in Overwatch; disabling ReLive may resolve the hanging.
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege may hang when breaching walls with grenades or explosives.
  • Some desktop productivity apps may experience latency when dragging or moving windows.
  • RX Vega graphics products may experience a system hang on installation in multi-GPU system configurations. A workaround is to do clean install only for multi-GPU enabled systems.
  • Intermittent stability issues while enabling/disabling HBCC on RX Vega cards.
  • A random system hang may be experienced after extended periods of use on system configurations using 12 GPUs for compute workloads.
  • The GPU Workload feature may cause a system hang when switching to “Compute” while CrossFire is enabled; a workaround is to disable CrossFire before switching the toggle to “Compute workloads.”
  • Resizing the Radeon Settings window may cause the user interface to stutter or exhibit corruption temporarily.
  • Unstable Radeon WattMan profiles may not be restored to default after a system hang.

The updated drivers for AMD’s desktop, mobile, and integrated GPUs are available through the Radeon Settings tab or online at the AMD driver download page. More information on this update and further issues can be found in the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.11.2 release notes.

Razer Announces BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard: IP54 Dust & Splash Resistant Mechanical Keyboard
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Razer Announces BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard: IP54 Dust & Splash Resistant Mechanical Keyboard

Razer this week introduced a new version of its popular mechanical BlackWidow keyboard that is splash- and dust-resistant. The BlackWidow Ultimate will be among a few IP54-certified mechanical keyboards on the market, and will offer similar gaming features as other keyboards from the same series sans without RGB backlighting. A good news is that it will also be cheaper than some of its RGB-enabled counterparts.

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard uses Razer’s Green mechanical switches with a 50 g actuation force that are used on many other products from the company. The Green switches will be the only option for the keyboard, so it is not possible to customize tactile feedback or reduce travel distance, as in the case of the flaghship BlackWidow Chroma V2. Meanwhile, the main feature of the BlackWidow Ultimate is of course its IP54-rated resistance against dust and splashes of water. Under the classification, the keyboard is rated to be able to survive an accidental spill and limit the ingress of dust, but it’s not so sealed that can be submerged or subjected to extreme dust conditions (e.g. a sandstorm).

From general features points of view, the BlackWidow Ultimate promises to offer the same look and feel as other BlackWidow keyboards available today: it has programmable keys (on-the-fly macro recording is supported), it supports 10 key roll-over anti-ghosting and features 1000 Hz polling via USB. The only contemporary feature that the BlackWidow Ultimate does not have is RGB backlighting — the new unit only has green backlighting that supports programmable lighting effects that can be customized using the Razer Synapse software.

Razer’s BlackWidow Ultimate is available directly from Razer for $109.99/€119.99 (depending on the region), which is lower than the price of the BlackWidow Chroma V2 with RGB backligting (around $150) and only slightly higher than the price of the BlackWidow X Ultimate keyboard without the IP54 rating (around $100). The company’s retail partners will start to sell the splash- and dust-resistant keyboard later this quarter.

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Corsair Builds 32 GB DDR4-4333 Kit, Only for Pre-Binned Coffee Lake CPUs
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Corsair Builds 32 GB DDR4-4333 Kit, Only for Pre-Binned Coffee Lake CPUs

Corsair recently revealed a new 32 GB memory kit rated to run at DDR4-4333. The product consists of four modules and is the fastest set of DIMMs featuring such capacity to date. Of particular interest here are the kit’s very specific compatibility requirements: due to the heavy strain on a CPU’s memory controller from running so many DIMMs this far overclocked, the kit is only compatible with some Intel’s latest 8th Generation Core processors, with Corsair going as far as suggesting interested buyers pickup pre-binned CPUs in order to ensure compatibility.

Corsair’s Vengeance LPX 32 GB DDR4-4333 (CMK32GX4M4K4333C19) kit is rated to run in dual-channel modeat 4333 MT/s with CL19 26-26-46 timings and 1.5 V. Like other latest enthusiast-class DDR4 modules, the 8 GB DIMMs from the new kit are based on pre-binned Samsung B-die DRAM chips made using the company’s 20 nm process technology. The modules traditionally feature XMP 2.0 profiles with appropriate SPD settings to make their setup easier. To ensure that the 32 GB DDR4-4333 kits work stably, Corsair uses Intel’s Core i5-8600K CPU running on the ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero motherboard.

Corsair’s “World’s Fastest” 32 GB DDR4 Memory Kit for Intel’s Coffee Lake
Speed CL Timing Voltage Kit
Config.		 Kit
Capacity		 Family PN
DDR4-4333 CL19 26-26-46 1.5 V 4×8 GB 32 GB Vengeance LPX CMK32GX4M4K4333C19

As reported, Intel’s Coffee Lake CPUs work a bit differently with high-end DDR4 modules and require looser tRAS sub-timings than the preceeding Kaby Lake CPUs. With this in mind, it is not entirely surprising that Corsair’s Vengeance LPX 32 GB DDR4-4333 kit is intended only for the latest Coffee Lake processors.

As mentioned earlier, Corsair says that not all Coffee Lake CPUs can handle the kit’s rated DDR4-4333 speed. This is due to a combination of the kit’s already high clockspeeds, coupled with the fact that running 4 DIMMs (2 DPC) is harder on a memory controller than 2 DIMMs (1 DPC). Functionally speaking this is a facet of processor overclocking – in the form of overclocking the memory controller – and with Corsair pushing the envelope so hard, ultimately not all CPUs are going to be capable of maintaining stability this far overclocked.

Consequently, Corsair recommends using pre-binned processors and high-quality motherboards with this 4 DIMM kit. Such CPUs are sold by select stores, such as Overclockers UK and CaseKing.de, and are more expensive than the regular parts since it takes time to find samples with a high overclocking potential. Given the very special positioning of the 32 GB DDR4-4333 Vengeance LPX kit, it remains to be seen whether Corsair will sell it only directly from its web site, or through select retailers.

At present, Corsair’s fastest dual-channel 32 GB DDR4 kit is the Dominator Platinum 32GB (4×8 GB) DDR4-4000 C19 (CMD32GX4M4E4000C19) set of memory modules available either directly for $599.99 or from Newegg for $579.99.

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