PC World USA 2015-05

INSIDE: High-tech cars from Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz
M AY 2015
HANDS ON WITH THE
SURFACE 3
Full Windows and a new CPU make all the difference
Own productivity
wireless desktop scanner
Incredibly fast
Intuitively smart
One button simple
http://Ez.com/pcworld
2015 Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Fujitsu and the Fujitsu logo are registered trademarks of Fujitsu Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
MAY 2015
DEPARTMENTS
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
FEATURES
7 News
112 10 Raspberry
Pi Projects
53 Reviews & Ratings
131 Heres How
124 Mercedes-Benz F 015
COLUMNS
147 Hassle-Free PC
149 Answer Line
36 Consumer Watch
151 Tech Spotlight
About Us
www.pcworld.com/
resource/rss.html
www.pcworld.
com/newsletters
@pcworld
www.facebook.
com/PCWorld
Tap icons for

other ways to
read PCWorld.
CCO & SVP, U.S. MEDIA AT IDG John Gallant
EDITOR IN CHIEF, CONSUMER BRANDS Jon Phillips
DESIGN DIRECTOR Rob Schultz
Follow
Jons tweets
EDITORIAL
EXECUTIVE EDITORS Melissa Riofrio, Gordon Mah Ung
SENIOR EDITORS Michael Brown, Brad Chacos, Mark Hachman
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Caitlin McGarry
STAFF WRITER Florence Ion
DESIGN
DESIGNER Kate Godfrey
ADVERTISING SALES
SALES MANAGER Duane Hampson (415/978-3133)
PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION Nancy Jonathans
SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER Tamara Gargus
FOUNDERS
FOUNDER David Bunnell
FOUNDING EDITOR Andrew Fluegelman
INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP, INC.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Walter Boyd
CEO, IDG COMMUNICATIONS Michael Friedenberg
REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS

You must have permission before reproducing any material from PCWorld. Send email
requests to [email protected]; please include a phone number in your message.
BACK ISSUES
PCWorld back issues can be downloaded in digital format from www.zinio.com at $6.99 per
issue. Back issues in print format (subject to availability) cost $8 per issue for U.S. delivery,
and $12 for international delivery; prepayment in U.S. currency to PCWorld is required. Send
a check or money order to PCWorld Back Issues, P.O. Box 37881, Boone, IA 50037-0781.
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Access your subscription account online24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use online
subscription services to view your account status, change your address, pay your bill, renew
your subscription, get the answers to frequently asked questions, and more.
WEB pcworld.com/support EMAIL [email protected]
(Send your full name and the address at which you subscribe; do not send attachments.)
PHONE In the U.S. and Canada: 800/234-3498
QUESTIONS AND COLUMNS

Send material electronically to the appropriate online address listed below, or mail it to
PCWorld. We reserve the right to edit letters.
ANSWER LINE [email protected]
MAILING LISTS
Occasionally we make our magazine subscribers names available to other rms whose
products may interest you. To have your name excluded from these mailings, send a request
and your email address to PCWorld Subscriber Services at [email protected].
CONTACT
PHONE 415/243-0500; FAX 415/442-1891
MAIL Editorial: 501 Second Street #600, San Francisco, CA 94107
STAFF ADDRESS To contact any PCWorld sta member, simply format the address as
follows: [email protected]
PUBLICATION INFORMATION
Volume 33, number 05 PCWorld (ISSN 0737-8939) is published monthly at $24.95 for one year
(12 issues) by IDG Consumer & SMB, Inc. Copyright 2015, IDG Consumer & SMB, Inc. All rights
reserved. PC World and Consumer Watch are registered trademarks of International Data Group,
Inc., and used under license by IDG Consumer & SMB, Inc. Published in the United States.
The Hunger Is campaign is a collaboration between The

Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation
to raise awareness and improve the health of hungry children.
The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Photo by: Nigel Parry
Hands on with
Microsofts Surface 3
13
New 3D NAND flash

will triple capacity of
SSDs
16
Microsoft to launch
universal apps for
Windows 10 phones
18
.sucks domain is
coming to an angry
website near you
22
Windows 10 build
10061: Exploring the
previews fresh apps
and features
32
The TAG Heuer

smartwatch may
deliver the best
Android Wear
experience yet
Tech and trends that will affect you today and beyond.
NEWS
Hands on with
Microsofts Surface 3
Full Windows and a new CPU cut the compromises.
BY MARK HACHMAN
ith the Surface 3 (go.pcworld/surface3), Microsoft nally

puts forth a budget alternative to the Surface Pro 3
thats worth consideringif only because it runs full
Windows 8.1 rather than the limited Windows RT of prior Surface
models. The $499 starting price doesnt hurt either (the Surface Pro 3
starts at $799). But theres more to the Surface 3 than that, and we
The Surface 3,
left, and
Microsofts
Surface Pro 3.
dove straight in as soon as we received our unit.

Microsoft sent its higher-end Surface 3 for evaluation: the $599
version with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage. (The $499 version
has 2GB of memory and 64GB of storage.) As with its pricier cousin,
everything else for the Surface costs extra: The separate Type Cover
keyboard costs $130, partially oset by the free one-year subscription
to Oce 365 Personal, which saves you $70 initially. The 128GB of
storage shrinks to about 93GB after setup and about 88.8GB after
installing Oce.
A smaller Surface Pro 3

If Microsoft sold the Surface Pro 3 as the tablet that can replace your
notebook, the Surface 3 oers a similar solution, only everything is
just a bit smaller, especially if youve been using the Surface Pro 3 as a
daily driver, as I have. The Surface 3s display measures 10.8 inches
across, for example, with a resolution of 1920x1280 pixels, compared
to the 12-inch, 2160x1440 display of the Surface Pro 3.
The smaller display, combined with the Surface 3 Type Cover,
contributes to a slight feeling of claustrophobia. Another noticeable
limitation: The Surface 3 includes a kickstand with three xed
positions, rather than the nearly innite range of pitch options with
the SP3s kickstand.
Docking the Surface 3 alleviates some of the dierences between
the two tablets. Unfortunately, the $199 Surface 3 Docking Station is
tailor-made for the Surface 3, so you wont be able to reuse an older
dock with the new tablet.

The Surface 3 dock provides ethernet, two USB 2.0 and
two USB 3.0 ports, miniDisplayPort, and a headphone jack.
While the dock completely encloses the tablets own USB port, it
also eliminates the power brick that most other docks include. Keep
in mind that the Atom processor inside the Surface 3 requires
minimal power, so a 13-watt microUSB charger comes with the
Surface 3, and you can use your phones charger in a pinch.
Performance: better than youd expect

A quick round of tests shows that the Surface 3s 1.6GHz Intel Atom
X7-Z8700 powering the Surface 3 is no slouch. 3DMark Ice Storm tests
CPU and GPU performance for cross-platform mobile devices. The
Surface 3 outpaced all comparison devices, including the iPad Air 2.
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited

Surface 3
(Atom x7-Z8700)
25,429
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2

(Atom Z3745)
15,133
Lenovo IdeaPad
(Atom N2840)
21,651
Apple iPad Air 2

(A8X)
21,434
5,000
10,000
LONGER LINE INDICATES BETTER PERFORMANCE
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
The Surface 3
kickstand has
xed positions.
NEWS
Google Octane V2 Performance

Surface 3
(Atom x7-Z8700)
8,098

(Atom Z3745)
6,709
Lenovo IdeaPad
(Atom N2840)
3,297
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
In Googles Octane test of JavaScript performance, the Surface 3

came out on top again, almost 20 perfect faster than the next
device, the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2.
We ran Geekbench 3s single-core performance load, in 32-bit
Geekbench 3 Single-Core Performance

Surface 3
(Atom x7-Z8700)
965

(Atom Z3745)
766
Lenovo IdeaPad
(Atom N2840)
364
Apple iPad Air 2

(A8X)
1,758
200
400
600
1,000
800
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
mode to improve compatibility with the prior-generation

Atoms. The Surface 3 outpaced all the older devices,
though nothing could keep up with the iPad Air 2.
Regardless of the test, its clear that Intels latest Cherry
Trail Atom is noticeably faster than the Bay Trail version
found in the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2a greater bump-up
than the 5 percent to 10 percent improvement we saw
when transitioning from Intels Haswell CPUs to the Broadwell chips
found in its Core PC processor lineup. Wed expect similar performance
boosts in other Cherry-Trail-based tablets.
The bottom line: Theres been a vast improvement in performance
over the various generations of Atom chips, and thats a good thing:
The early versions of Atom were so lacking that they nearly killed the
entire brand.
Microsoft claims the Surface 3s battery life should be about 10
hours. Well be testing that soon.
There was one red flag: After running several benchmarks, the
Surface 3 hard-locked, becoming totally unresponsive to mouse,
keyboard, or touch. I suspected thermal issues related to the dock.
Heres why: The Surface 3 is completely sealed, relying on passive heat
conduction. Yet Microsofts dock encases the rear of the tablet nearly
to the top. A Microsoft spokesman said the company hasnt run into
similar problems with other Surface 3 tablets. Well keep testing.
Building a better econobox

Earlier versions of the Surface were rife with compromise. The
Surface 3 has overcome the biggest problems (with the operating
system and performance). The result is a basic, (hopefully) reliable
performer for students and oce workers who just want an Oce
machine that ts their budget. Those with a bit more coin will
upgrade to the Surface Pro 3.
Im not convinced that long-term use with the Surface 3 will be as
enjoyable as the Surface Pro 3, primarily for ergonomic reasons. Its
just harder to be productive on a smaller machine.
The Surface 3s
new, slightly
smaller
keyboard has a
redesigned top
row.
NEWS
New 3D NAND flash will

triple capacity of SSDs
BY GORDON MAH UNG
STANDARD CONSUMER SSDS will increase up to an astounding 10TB of
storage, thanks to a new type of 3D NAND flash memory that Intel and
Micron introduced.
The two companies, longtime joint partners in NAND flash development,
said the breakthrough isnt to make larger flash chips, but thicker ones.
Much like Manhattan, when youre out of space, the only way to go is up.
Executives at the two companies said that by stacking the NAND they
can greatly increase the capacity. The new 3D NAND technology stacks
flash cells vertically in 32 layers to achieve a 256Gbit multilevel cell (MLC)
and 384Gbit triple-level cell (TLC) die that t within a standard

package. Both say this approach will yield greater eciency and lower
the cost too.
Triple capacity boost

Pack a bunch of those together, and the end result is a tripling of
capacity over todays drives, at least initially. For a standard 2.5-inch
SATA drive, that means up to 10TB of space; for the M.2 drive type
used by most laptops, the 3D NAND will boost capacities up to 3.5GB.
This 3D NAND technology has the potential to create fundamental
market shifts, said Brian Shirley, Vice President of Memory Technology
and Solutions at Micron Technology, in a statement. The depth of the
impact that flash has had to datefrom smartphones to flashoptimized supercomputingis really just scratching the surface of
whats possible.
The chips are already sampling at both companies, and Intel said it
expects to oer products for sale using the 3D chips in the later half
of this year. But how long will the chips last before they fail? That
You can see from

this slide how the 3D
NAND builds up
rather than out.
NEWS
information wasnt disclosed.

Intel did say it expects to oer products using the new NAND chips
this year.
Why this matters

SSDs have drastically impacted computingbut even as prices have
dropped, the capacities still lag far behind those of traditional
magnetic hard drives. This 3D NAND announcement puts SSDs on a
density increase that could very well see it eclipsing hard drives, at
least for most peoples needs.
Microsoft to launch universal

apps for Windows 10 phones
BY MARK HACHMAN
MICROSOFT JUST PUSH its universal apps vision for Oce to Windows 10
phones at the end of April. The new apps are being rolled out as part of a
new Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones. Since theyre part of the
universal apps family, theyll look and feel a lot like the universal apps
Microsoft has previously released for Windows 10. And yes, theyll require
Windows 10, Microsoft executives said.
Microsofts new apps will essentially replace Oce Mobile, Microsofts
rst stab at bringing Oce apps to the mobile platform. But Oce Mobile
was limited in its editing and content-creation capabilities and lacked the
NEWS
richness of desktop apps. Microsoft claims that the

new apps will change all that.
Microsofts Jared Spataro said that the new
universal apps will work on a freemium model,
providing basic capabilities for free, but also
encouraging users to move to an Oce 365
subscription to unlock more advanced capabilities.
According to Spataro, the phone is a triage
device, with the ability to make last-minute
changes without pulling out a notebook PC.
The phone isnt a place where a lot of detailed
work is happening, he said. Instead, I would
label it as a triage device.... this isnt to say that
people arent reading on it; they are. This isnt
to say that people arent making quick edits;
they denitely are. But what we see is that
phone is literally the go-to device for how people stay in touch
with whats going on, in terms of their editors, in terms of their
team.
Why this matters: Its been over a year since Microsoft
launched the new Oce apps for the Apple iPad, which kicked o
a new generation of artfully designed free Oce apps. Finally, its
time for Windows phones to receive the same treatment. We
havent had a chance to play around with the apps yet, but what
weve seen looks consistent with the quality weve seen in the
free Oce apps for other platforms.
The new universal

apps will work on a
freemium model,
providing basic
capabilities for free.
.sucks domain is coming to

an angry website near you
BY IAN PAUL
A BRAND NEW generic top-level domain (gTLD) is now on sale that is
the embodiment of modern online sentiment: .sucks. Yes, pretty soon
you can own your own piece of Internet hate for the political
(HillarysEmail.sucks), the arbitrary (purple.sucks), or the sporty
(StandUpPaddleBoarding.sucks).
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved
the .sucks domain as part of the new gTLD expansion (go.pcworld.
com/gtldexpands) that ICANN says could include more than 1,300
TLDs over the next few years.
NEWS
Some .sucks domain names could end up being nothing more than a
little harmless fun. The worst case scenario for major companies,
however, might be a disgruntled customer getting their hands on
Google.sucks, Nestle.sucks, or Comcast.sucks. And apparently the
company behind the .sucks TLD knows it.
Vox Populi Registry (nic.sucks), a Momentous.ca aliate that owns
the right to administer the .sucks domain, has set aside select names
that will cost as much as $2,500 a pop to register. This category of
domain names, dubbed Sunrise Premium, are lled with names that
are registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse (ICANNs global
trademark database), according to Marketing Landin other words,
the names of large companies.
The Sunrise Premium names were originally slated to go on sale

during the early registration perioddubbed Sunrisebeginning
March 30. Vox Populi has since changed its plan and will start selling
the names during general availability of .sucks domain names
beginning June 1.
Why this matters: Vox Populi says the new TLD is a place for
common people to make their voices heard and where companies can
nd the value in criticism. Others, however, see .sucks as nothing
more than a shakedown by selling acerbic domains to companies at a
high price lest they fall into more hateful hands. At $2,500 each, it may
make sense to cave and pay for the domain. After all, the next hot
Wordpress or Tumblr blog could very well be Monsanto.sucks or, more
General
availability
starts June 1st.
likely given the Internets love of cats, MickeyMouse.sucks.
Into the hands of the proletariat

Any company that buys a domain from the Sunrise Premium category
will be on the hook for $2,500 every year to keep the domain. But
what happens if a company doesnt snap up an oending name like
BurgerKing.sucks?
Unclaimed names will become available for a consumer advocate
subsidy beginning in September for just $10 a year. Companies and
those associated with them are barred from purchasing .sucks names
under the subsidy program.
These subsidized domains will redirect to Everything.sucks, a forum
hosting site where angry consumers can get together and vent about
a certain company or product in a dedicated forum.
If you build it, will they hate?

While a fresh .sucks domain name may add a little novelty to a site,
theres little to stop people from creating a blog at MicrosoftSucks.
com right nowas long as the name is available. And recently,
Gamergate (go.pcworld.com/gamergate) participants proved how
eective online anger can be just with common social media
platforms like Reddit and Twitter.
Ultimately, there may not be much point to buying up .sucks
domains since there will always be an alternative for anyone with a
little creativity. Microsoft could stop XboxOne.sucks from blossoming
Companies that
dont purchase their
domain name from
the Sunrise Premium
category may end up
with a site that
.sucks.
NEWS
into life, but what about XboxOneReally.sucks, XboxOneReallyReally.

sucks, WhyTheXboxOne.sucks, or ManTheXboxOneReallyReallyReally.
sucks? Unless major companies plan to use ICANNs Uniform Domain
Name Dispute Policy against every .sucks domain that mentions them
theres just no stopping the .sucks revolution.
The good news is if PlayStation 4 fans did manage to get their hands
on TheXboxOne.sucks domain, Microsoft or Xbox advocates could
always rival that site with its exact opposite on the .rocks TLD.
Positivity is apparently much cheaper too. At this writing,
TheXboxOne.rocks domain was available for less than $10 per year.
Windows 10 build 10061:

Exploring the previews
fresh apps and features
BY BRAD CHACOS
EVEN THOUGH ITS big annual Build conference didnt kick o until the
end of April, Microsoft dropped their Windows 10 Technical Preview
build 10061 (go.pcworld.com/w10prebuild10016) a week early. Unlike
the last Technical Preview releasewhich merely added the Project
Spartan browserthis one is positively stued with tweaks, changes
and news apps.
Curious, but loath to install pre-release software on your PC? Live
NEWS
Windows 10
build 10061s
Start menu.
vicariously. Ive spent some time poking and prodding at Windows 10

build 10061. Read on for screenshots and impressions of all the new
changes, and dont forget to check out PCWorlds guides to the best
new Windows 10 features to try rst (go.pcworld.com/w10rst10)
and the top Windows 10 tips and tricks (go.pcworld.com/
w10besttweaks) to get a deeper feel for the operating system.
Start me up
The very rst thing you notice upon booting build 10061 is that
Windows 10s Start menu has been tweaked yet again. Its been
widened, from one fat column of apps to two, lending it a feel closer
to Windows 8s Start screen. Dont like it? Fear not: Build 10061 also
restores a previous option to resize the Start menu to smalleror
largerdimensions.
Note that the Power button was moved from the upper-right corner
of the Start menu to the lower-left corner. Its a subtle tweak, but an
appreciated one for desktop users. Lets hope it sticks!
Paint it black
This build also adds a black system theme that travels across the Start
menu, taskbar, and Action Center. The Start Menu and taskbar also
gained some transparency,

showing a bit of the screen
behind them. Its a nice touch,
and the transparency eect is
opaque enough that your
background doesnt interfere
with actually navigating the
Start menu and taskbar.
Again, dont worry if
you dont like it: The
Personalization section of the
Settings app has been fleshed
out in this build. (It was pretty
sparse in the last one.) If you
head to it, youll nd options to enable or disable the new aesthetic
tweaks in the Colors section.
The fleshed-out
personalization
options in Windows
10 build 10061.
Vastly improved Mail and Calendar apps

Once you move beyond the cosmetic tweaks, youll nd build 10061s
Windows 10
build 10061s
revamped
Mail app.
NEWS
biggest additions: overhauled apps galore.

Most notable are the new Mail and Calendar apps, which rst
appeared in the leaked 10051 build that never ocially made it to
Windows Insiders. The Mail app introduces a three-pane design, with
the ability to add a custom image background to the preview pane
when no messages are selected. If you have a touchscreen, you can
also swipe left to delete messages or swipe right to flag them, just like
in the recently released Outlook mobile apps.
Email authoring has been tweaked to more closely resemble
Microsofts Word, with much more robust formatting options and
get thisthe ability to insert tables directly into outgoing emails. The
new app also includes POP email support, a feature oh-so-sorely
lacking in Windows 8. Hallelujah.
The Calendar app, on the other hand, boasts signicantly more color
and contrast than the bland monstrosity known as the Windows 8
Calendar app. It also packs a left-hand pane with a small monthly view
and checkboxes to quickly select which of your individual calendars
are being displayed.
More crucially, the new Calendar app restores Google Calendar
support, which Microsoft yanked in Windows 8.1 as part of a childish
Windows 10 build
10061s new Mail
app has a much
more robust
authoring
experience,
including the
ability to insert
tables. Really. You
can see it here in
the upper-right
corner if you click
to enlarge the
image.
The new Calendar

app in Windows 10 is
a vast improvement
over Windows 8s
dumbed-down gray
mess.
slap-ght with Google. Finally. Id been forced to stop using Windows

8.1s Calendar app because of it, despite my adoration for the apps
system-wide notications
Both represent signicant improvements over their Windows 8
counterparts, but perhaps the most vital changes to Windows 10s new
Mail and Calendar apps occur under the hood. While the Windows 8 apps
were pokey at bestlike virtually all Windows appsthe Windows 10
versions are fast and responsive, feeling like true desktop apps.
That AttackSloth32,
hes a swell guy. Just
look at that
reputation!
NEWS
Xbox app power-up

Microsoft showered some love on the Xbox app as well, after
introducing a new Xbox Avatars app in the Windows Store.
The changes are mostly subtle. The Xbox apps tile is now a Live tile
in the Start menu, flaunting your gamerpic, messages youve received,
and more. You can also check out other gamers reputations and bios
by selecting the More Info option on their prole page. If you have an
Xbox One (I dont), the app will now show the apps youve most
recently used on the console. If youre testing the new Xbox One
tuner, the Windows 10 app supports live TV streaming straight from
your console to your PC, as well as picture-in-picture support.
The Xbox One is getting updates of its own (go.pcworld.com/
xboxupdates2015) to play more nicely with Windows 10, including
support for Miracast wireless display mirroring.
Microsofts Larry Hyrb says the new Windows 10 build also
introduces the highly anticipated Game DVR function for PC games,
which will let you save video highlights from any PC game, as well
the ability to take screenshots of any game using Win + Alt +
Solitaire returns in
Windows 10 build
10061.
PrtScrn. Alas, the work laptop on which Ive installed Windows 10

has no games.
Solitaire is back!
But forget the Xbox app. Heres the real big gaming deal: Windows 10
build 10061 brings Solitaire back to Windows, as rst noticed by Steve
Troughton-Smith via Twitter.
Windows 8 banished the old standby, casting Solitaire and the other
previously preloaded games (like Minesweeper) into the Windows Store
as optional downloads. Windows 10 re-embraces Solitairethough you
wont nd it in the Start menu, nor the All Apps screen. Put Cortana to
work searching for Solitaire, however, and itll pop up lickity-split.
Oh, and a warning for Solitaire purists: Its the new-look Solitaire
Windows app that comes preloaded in Windows 10, not the simple
desktop application of old.
Call me maybe
Interestingly, Windows 10 build
10061 includes a new Contact
Support app that points you
toward resolutions if you run into
trouble. You can arrange to chat
online with Microsoft agents or
(theoretically) schedule a support
call from right within the app
which even displays the current
wait time for your callback.
Currently, actually trying to
schedule a call results in an error. Itll be a nifty feature in the nal
build, though.
New news
Windows 10s News app also receives a fresh coat of paint in build
10061. Its a more dense design than its Window 8 counterpart,
Windows 10
build 10061s
new Contact
Support app.
NEWS
ditching its predecessors full-screen main story splash and

cramming more stories onto the screen by ditching text descriptions
in favor of a grid of images with headlines. Theres also a menu row
across the top of the screen to jump from topic to topic.
All in all, its a vast improvement over the ho-hum Windows 8 News
appone that introduces a more appealing aesthetic while
simultaneously improving the navigation experience for touch and
keyboard-and-mouse users alike.
Finally, the Alarms & Clocks app has been redone with a white design,
replacing the previous dark theme. Windows 10 build 10061 also
includes a new-look calendar and clock interface when you click on
the time and date in the taskbars system tray.
Tablet mode and virtual desktop tweaks

Microsoft also tweaked Continuum, its solution for swapping between
desktop-centric and touch-friendly interfaces.
Activating Tablet Mode (which you can do in the Action Center)
strips all apps o your screen, leaving only icons for Task View, the
Start screen, and Cortana-search in your taskbar. Those icons are more
spread out in Windows 10 build 10061, which is nice for fat-ngered
folks like myself. Even open and pinned apps disappear from the
Windows 10 build
10061s revamped
News app.
taskbar to reduce
clutter and simplify the
experience, though you
can disable that by
ring up the Settings
app, searching for Tablet
Mode, then toggling
Hide app icons on the
taskbar when in Tablet
Mode to o.
That same Tablet
Mode settings screen
also now contains an option to boot directly into Tablet Mode, rather
than the desktop (though the latter is still the default). You can select
your default interface from the When I sign on drop-down menu.
Speaking of interface tweaks, Microsofts also slightly rened the
look of its Task View interface, which allows you to jump among your
various virtual desktops. The new build strips away all desktop clutter
to focus solely on your virtual desktops and their open apps. And if you
really enjoy virtual desktops, Windows 10 now supports an unlimited
number of them. Huzzah?
Wrapping things up
This is pre-release software, so Windows 10 build 10061 still has some
rough edges. One cuts particularly sharp: Traditional desktop apps
flat-out wont open when you click them in the Start menu.
The workaround is to use search to nd and launch these apps and
pin them to your taskbar for quick access, says Microsofts Gabe Aul
though to be honest, thats what I do with my most-used apps already.
(That behavior prompted Microsoft to drop the Start menu from
Windows 8 to begin with, but thats a whole other can of worms.)
That crippling flaw aside, Windows 10 build 10061 is easily my
favorite Technical Preview build thus far. Its been far less buggy than
past Preview builds, and the whole pictures really starting to coalesce
Windows 10 build
10061s Tablet Mode
settings options.
NEWS
The sparse Task View

interface of Windows
10 build 10061.
into a smart, satisfying experience that successfully blends Microsofts

Modern-era ideas with the traditional desktop interface that users
love for damn ne reason. In other words, Windows 10 is shaping up
into the experience that Windows 8 should have been.
Well likely hear more about Windows 10 at Microsofts Build
conference, especially considering that the operating system is slated
to launch this summerthe end of July, if AMDs CEO Lisa Su, who let
it slip at AMDs quarterly earnings call, is to be believed.
The TAG Heuer

smartwatch
may deliver
the best
Android Wear
experience yet
BY JON PHILLIPS
ALMOST EXACTLY ONE year ago, TAG Heuer CEO Stephane Linder
spent an hour on the phone with me, dissing smartwatches. He was
dismissive. He sounded bothered. He said the smartwatches available
at the time looked like cheap wrist computers.
He also brushed away talk of TAG Heuer jumping into the
smartwatch fray anytime soon.
I dont see us taking a big risk, Linder told me, unless we nd a way
to make luxury watches, looking like real luxury watches that provide
very easy-to-use, smart information.
That was March 2014, and within eight months he would leave the
company. Perhaps now we know why. TAG Heuer recently announced
(go.pcworld.com/tag-google) that its working with Google and Intel
on a smartwatch that will be released by the end of the year.
NEWS
So what explains TAG Heuers dramatic about-face, and perhaps

even Linders exit? Is the Swiss powerhouse so spooked by the Apple
Watch, its willing to abandon its design standards? Or have TAG
Heuer and friends actually landed on the perfect combination of
analog and digital features?
Disclosure: Im something of a TAG Heuer fanboy. Ive been wearing
an entry-level Formula 1 for about 10 years. But I also think Google is
making very smart choices with its Android Wear vision, and I have
ideas on how to merge TAG Heuer and Wear in a way that strengthens
Googles platform without sacricing the craftsmanship of analog
timepieces.
A new Carrera
Details about the TAG Heuer project are scant. We know the watch
will integrate Android Wear, but we dont know how. Pocket-lint says
rumors suggest the watch will be modeled after the TAG Heuer
Carrera model. Meanwhile, TAG Heuer top boss Jean-Claude Biver
told Reuters, people will have the impression that they are wearing a
normal watch, and has gone on record saying the timepiece will
have a Swiss-made dial.
A dial, huh? That doesnt sound like a flat digital watchface to me.
So Im hoping that when the watch is released, well see the very rst
One of the many

Carrera models.
Android Wear device to merge a full-fledged analog watchface

moving hands and allwith Googles notication cards.
Crescent display, improved battery life

You can see my vision for the Wear Carrera in the illustration at the
beginning of this article. Theres really not that much to itbut
thats exactly the point. The watch is essentially a brand-correct
Carrera with an analog movement and polished hands inside a
stainless steel case. But the lower third of the face plays host to a
multi-function Android Wear complication.
My Wear window is an odd shape, a semi-circle. But at least one
display expert tells me it can be done.
DisplayMate president Raymond Soneira says an
OLED display would be perfect for this application.
OLEDs are the ideal display for smartwatches
because theyre thin, dont need a backlight, and
o pixels dont use any power... With the same
OLED technology and architecture as the display
in the LG Watch R, Im sure that the crescent
shape, or almost any shape display, could be
produced.
Soneira makes an important point about power
consumption, but what if we could push battery life past the 18
hours promised by the Apple Watch? Well, for starters, my little
crescent has fewer than half the pixels of typical smartwatches. So
youll nd battery-life savings right there.
But what if TAG Heuer eliminated a color display option entirely,
and went with a low-power monochrome LCD? Frankly, I dont think
Android Wear needs to be in color. And a stark black-and-white
display would much better conrm TAG Heuers design statement.
Id hazard that
when TAG Heuers
smartwatch nally
rolls around, the
display will be a
full-circle OLED.
Reduced features, increased simplicity

Reduced screen real estate would have an impact on Android Wear
usability. So not only would TAG Heuer and Google have to make this
NEWS
all work within Android Wears UI rules (or, more disruptively,

amend those rules), they would also be wise to restrict what
actually appears on the watch. Ill always be your strongest
advocate for smartwatch simplicityI told Apple as muchso
why not kick some superfluous features o the Android Wear
plate as well?
Ditch the Android Wear heart rate monitor. Ditch navigation.
We can even ditch step counting. Focus instead on simple
notications, a few key apps, and text messaging. Ive used
Googles Roboto font for messaging in my illustration, but Id like
the watch even more if it used TAG Heuers house font, Gill Sans.
Indeed, this analog-digital merger will really only sing if the
digital side of the watch quiets down.
I know Im asking for a lot of changesa lot of changes for just
a single Android Wear partner. But what if TAG Heuer is Googles
most important Android Wear partner, and this new smartwatch
project is just the rst of many Swiss-made Wear watches?
Well see. If I had to bet my own money, Id hazard that when
TAG Heuers smartwatch nally rolls around, well see a dazzling
TAG Heuer case and an assortment of sumptuous bands and
bracelets, but the display will be a full-circle OLED. The digital
watchface collection may recall every single face from the
Carreras storied history, from 1963 to the present. But it will still,
essentially, be an Android Wear watch.
None of that would square with what Linder shared with me a
year ago. Perfectly nailing why we love luxury timepieces so
much, Linder spoke passionately about their meticulous
craftsmanshiplike you can feel the hand of people in it.
Its a powerful argument for analog movements somewhere in
a smartwatch, and I hope TAG Heuer isnt ready to give up on
them yet.
CONSUMER
WATCH
Make smart purchases,

stay safe online.
The best Windows 8.1

antivirus software
Whats the best antivirus software to buy right now?
The list includes BitDefender, Kaspersky, and Avira.
BY MARK HACHMAN
N SALES, THEY say that youre only as good as your last months
gures. Ditto for antivirus software. And right now, BitDefender,
Kaspersky, and Qihoo 360 are the best in the business. AV-Test, one
of the two leading antivirus testing houses, released its February
antivirus ratings for Windows 8.1 PCs, assessing the 27 or so available
anti-malware packages on protection, performance, and usability. The
AV-Test posted
its results on
antivirus and
antimalware
software for
Windows 8.1
machines.
Microsofts
built-in
antivirus came
in last.
results shouldnt surprise you: The bigger names in the industry rose
to the top, while at the bottomas usualsat Microsoft.
Antivirus software ease of use matters, too

The tests didnt just measure how eective each was in protecting
your PC from malware of all types. Two-thirds of the score assessed
how the software performed and how usable it was. In the latter
category, Microsoft scored a perfect six out of sixbut so did eleven
other vendors, showing how simple most antivirus software is to use.
(If you own a Windows 7 PC, theres a separate list (go.pcworld.com/
avtestwin7) for home users.)
Security solutions
By now, virtually all of the antivirus vendors oer their solutions on
a subscription basis. Avira, for example, charges $49 to protect one
PC for a year and their protection includes link-checking to avoid
downloading malware in the rst place. Other suites throw in a
rewall. But some antivirus vendors, like Avira and Panda, oer free
versions of their software that provide less comprehensive protection
without charging you for it, allowing you to build your own custom
security solutions as you see t.
As for Microsoft, some test houses, such as AV-test, use Microsoft as a
baseline for comparisons sake. But Microsofts
System Center caught only 76 percent of the
known malware samples that AV-test threw at it
and 76 percent of the so-called zero-day antimalware as well. Thats far worse than the industry
average of 95 percent or so that its competitors
detected. (BitDefender, by contrast, caught
everything100 percent.)
Microsofts System
Center caught only
76 percent of
known malware
samples that
AV-test threw at it.
The bottom line

The message is pretty simple: If youre just using Microsofts built-in
antivirus tools to protect your PC, youre fooling yourself. Either invest in
a paid solution or else download a free version from the top vendors. No
antivirus solution is perfect, but you need to give yourself a ghting
chance.
CONSUMER
WATCH
9 compelling reasons not

to upgrade your old PC
BY BRAD CHACOS
FEW CAN WITHSTAND the siren song of the latest and greatest gear,
the deep allure of a new and shiny gadgetbut that doesnt mean
that tossing your old computer in the trash and picking up a fresh PC
is necessarily a smart idea. While gamers and hardcore video editors
always stand to gain extra performance out of fresh repower, more
casual users might be better o saving their cash and sticking with
the PC you already own. Heres why.
Your old PC still works just ne

You honestly dont need a ton of horsepower to
perform most computing tasks. Even old and
entry-level PCs can stream 1080p video, sling
email, and speed through Oce documents
like a pro. Browsing Amazon isnt exactly taxing.
Also consider that processor performance
increases have trailed o dramatically over the years.
Back in the day, CPU performance could leap by 30-plus
percent year over year, but in the past decade that torrid
advance has slowed considerably. New processors tend to be only 5 to 10
percent faster than their predecessors, and clock speeds have largely
remained stagnant.
You can hold onto your PC ve, six, seven years with no problem.
Yeah, it might be a little slow, but not enough to really show up [in
everyday use], Linley Gwennap, the principal analyst at the Linley
Group, told PCWorld in 2013.
You can give your old PC a speed boost

Thats not to say PCs cant slow down over time, but when they do, it
tends to be because of software creep or a Windows installation thats
just become too darn pokey after years of use. PCWorlds guide to 10
cheap or free ways (go.pcworld.com/pcfaster) to make your old PC
run faster can help put some pep back in your aging computers step
for practically no out-of-pocket cost (though it also recommends a
handful of helpful, low-cost hardware upgrades).
Install an SSD instead

Upgrading to an SSD can make any old PC with a lethargic mechanical
hard drive feel better than new again. Seriouslymoving from a hard
drive to a SSD imbues your PC with speed that borders on mind-boggling
if youve never touched solid-state storage before, turbocharging
everything from boot times to application launch times to merely
CONSUMER
WATCH
browsing around your folders. Investing in an SSD is hands-down the

smartest upgrade any PC user can make.
And even better, you can now pick up new SSDs for under $100
depending, of course, on how much storage space you need.
Windows 10 wants you

While cutting-edge hardware used to be necessary if you wanted to hop
onboard the newest versions of Windows, thats no longer the case.
Microsofts pushing hard to t Windows into cheap devices with incredibly
modest specsan initiative that also helps the operating system play
nice with older PC hardware, though Windows 8.1 proved incompatible
with a handful of old processors and abandoned motherboards.
And Microsoft really wants everybody using Windows 10 rather than
lingering on older operating systems. So much so, in fact, that its
oering Windows 10 as a free upgrade (go.pcworld.com/winfree) to
all Windows 7 and 8 users. Thats an unprecedented step for the
company, and one that removes a traditional incentive to purchase a
new computer.
Microsoft is
oering free
upgrades to
all Windows
7 and 8 users.
Linux is lighter than ever

But Windows XP systems arent being oered a Windows 10 upgrade;
and that operating system died a year ago. You should truly ditch it, for
securitys sake. That doesnt mean you need a new PC to do so, however.
Older Windows XP machines might not meet the system requirements to upgrade to a more modern version of Microsofts operating
system, but Linux demands far less from hardware. In fact, there are
numerous Linux distributions designed specically to be lightweight
enough to play nice on aging hardware. Windows XP users should hold
onto their checkbooks until they check out these 3 Linux alternatives
(go.pcworld.com/linuxalt), as well as our guides to popular Ubuntu
software (go.pcworld.com/linuxapps) , Linux Oce alternatives (go.
pcworld.com/linuxocealts), and Linux gaming (go.pcworld.com/
Thousands of free and open-source applications are available through the Ubuntu Software
Center, as are numerous paid, commercial contenders.
CONSUMER
WATCH
Mints webbased personal

nance tools
sync with your
bank accounts.
linuxgamestips), which can help you nd all the programs you need
for work and play alike.
Everythings on the web

You might not even need to use desktop software, however. As more
and more services move toward a mobile-rst philosophy, most of
them cater to PC users in the form of web apps, rather than standalone desktop software. Email, presentation creation, banking, video
chatting, and more are all possible in your web browser (go.pcworld.
com/apps) these days. The entire philosophy behind Chromebooks is
that its possible for most people to handle day-to-day computing via
your browser alone. Even Oce and Photoshop oer online versions now.
If you spend the majority of your time online, buying a new PC wont
really oer much of a performance increase, unless your computer is
particularly ancient. Youd be better o spending that money on a
faster Internet connection.
Steam in-home streaming

Streaming can even breathe new life into old gaming PCs (go.pcworld.
com/steamstreaming)provided you also have a beeer computer
somewhere in your house, that is. If you want to game on a laptop
around your house, Steam in-home streaming works miracles: In our

tests, it was able to play Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag flawlessly on an
old 2008 MacBook.
Exact performance depends on the power of your host machine
and your home network, however. Steam in-home streaming hosts
games on your primary PC, then allows you to stream that signal to
another laptop in your house, kind of like a Netflix for gaming. How
good is it? So good that Ive put o getting a new laptop to replace
my ve-year-old model and simply stream games around my house.
Setting up a new PC kind of sucks

Setting up a new PC is fun for nerds, but pretty much just a pain in
the butt for everybody else. Clearing out the pre-installed bloatware
and setting a new PC up the right way (go.pcworld.com/newpc
setup) is straightforward but takes a signicant time investment.
And with bloatware actively becoming dangerous (go.pcworld.com/
supersh) these days, you cant aord to skip that step and just
ignore the junk, even if your new PC has plenty of storage space and
hardware horsepower.
If you truly need a new PC, thats just part of the territory. But
its a lot of hassle if youre not going to see much performance
improvement by upgrading anyway.
New PCs cost a lot of money

Finally, new PCseven dirt-cheap Chromebookscost
hundreds of dollars, and we can all use more money in our
pockets. Before you splurge on a new computer, consider
using some of the suggestions in this article. Ask yourself
if you really need that new hardware, or merely want
itespecially if the majority of your PC usage occurs
inside the connes of your browser.
Unless youre rocking a specialized workflow or a
truly ancient clunker, the honest answer might
surprise youand save you money.
Steam in-home
streaming was able
to play Assassins
Creed IV: Black Flag
flawlessly on an old
2008 MacBook.
CONSUMER
WATCH
Ransomware: What one

company learned the hard way
BY ROBERT LEMOS
IN THE REAL world, kidnapping is a risky crimegetting paid usually
means getting caught. In the digital world, however, demanding ransom
for data, or ransomware, is an escalating epidemic, a popular crime which
is leaving many businesses and consumers at risk of losing data.
One small company in New Englanda retailer with some twodozen employeeslearned that the hard way. A click-happy employee
ended up infecting one system with a prevalent threat known as
CryptoWall, according to the companys co-owner, John, who asked
that his real name and details of his business not be revealed.
Ransomware may roam undetected

Quietly, the malware reached out over the Internet to get a unique
key and then, over the next three days, encrypted data on the
compromised system. Much worse for the company, the malware
encrypted accounting data on a mapped drive on the rms server.
The retailer learned of the infection when its accounting software
failed to open nancial data on the mapped drive the following
Monday. The ransom note never popped up on the screen, John said.
The accounting program just stopped functioning one morning.
When a support tech investigated the
accounting softwares problems, more than 200
copies of a ransom note were found scattered
around the le system, directing the rm to pay
$500 in Bitcoin to the criminals.
Ransomware is on the rise. Kicking o with
Cryptolocker in 2013, a steady parade of
pernicious ransom-demanding software has
hit unfortunate victims. Cryptolocker likely made its operators tens
of millions of dollars until authorities disrupted the network in May
2014, shutting down Cryptolocker command-and-control servers
and the GameOver Zeus botnet infrastructure that spread the
malware. Yet, other ransomware variants have arisen. Between midMarch and August 24, 2014, for example, more than 600,000
systems were infected with the CryptoWall variant of ransomware,
according to research conducted by managed-security rm
SecureWorks (go.pcworld.com/cryptowall).
Data-nappers are going mobile as well, according to recent data (go.
pcworld.com/mobilethreat2014) from mobile security rm Lookout.
In 2014, four of the top ve malware programs encountered by
Android users in the United States were ransomware, posing as a
legitimate app and then, after installation, locking the phone and
demanding payment. While the threat of mobile malware continues
to be lowonly 7 percent of Android users even encountered
malwareransomware accounted for nearly all of the 75 percent
Four of the top ve

malware programs
encountered by
Android users in the
U.S. were ransomware
CONSUMER
WATCH
increase in encounters from the
previous year, according to the
company.
Your best defense: back up,

back up, back up
The solution to ransomware is fairly
simpleat least, for now. Consumers
and small businesses with a good
backup process will be able to recover
much of the data encrypted by the
attackers. Companies who are doing
backups on-premise should make sure they can recover an image of
the data for months in the past and keep multiple copies. Any
backups made between the time of infection and when the attack is
detected will be encrypted, and thus unrecoverable without paying
the ransom.
For that reason, online backups with automatic incremental
backups can be a great help, Brian Foster, chief technology ocer of
network-security rm Damballa, advised. At the very least, companies
should be keeping at least one set of backups osite.
Im a big fan of online backups, he said. You should expect that, if
you get hit by ransomware, you are not going to get the PC back.
Another possible defense: Ransomware typically reaches out to get
an encryption key from an online server. Detecting and blocking that
request can prevent the encryption of the data.
Unfortunately for the New England retailer, the infection revealed
that the companys backup program had not been working correctly
for more than two years. The company had no choice but to pay. Yet,
even that did not go smoothly: Unable to deal with the mapped drive,
the ransomwares decryption routine failed to unscramble more than
100 of the thousands of encrypted les, leaving nancial and
customer information encrypted. Because the ransomware scheme
Ransomware is
on the rise,
kicking o with
Crypto-locker
in 2013.
requires trust that the criminals will hand over the data after receiving
payment, the operators oered support to the rms owner, and even
oered to try to decrypt the data, if the company sent the les. The
rm declined.
The infection also leaves the owner in a quandary. While the
criminals have said that the infected system should be clean, John
understandably does not trust them.
The fear, as an IT person, is you feel like you need to format every
drive in the network, he said. I dont trust the other computers, but
do we shell out $10,000 to rebuild our infrastructure?
The company is still considering its options.
CONSUMER
WATCH
Facebooks Like button

can still be easily gamed
BY JEREMY KIRK
FACEBOOKS LIKE BUTTON is a pervasive feature of the Web, a way to
gauge the popularity of a website or piece of content. But researchers

have found its easy to inflate the numbers, undermining its value as
an accurate measure of popularity.
The problem of bogus Likes has been around for some time, and
Facebook has released updates to its software over the last couple of
years to cut down on fraudulent ones generated by spammers.
But researchers with McGill Universitys School of Computer Science
in Montreal say the social networking company still hasnt xed
several major problems with the feature.

Recently, they released a research paper
(go.pcworld.com/fblikespaper) outlining
the problems, which they rst told
Facebook about in early 2013.
Those Like numbers may be faked, said
Xue Liu, a professor of computer science
at McGill, in a phone interview. There are easy
ways to generate those fake Likes, and
unfortunately on the Internet, a lot of
companies and economic benets are related
to the number of Likes now.
Facebook ocials couldnt be immediately
reached for comment. The research is important
because companies may be making marketing spend
decisions based on Likes. There are thriving marketplaces
for people to buy fake Likes, which can cost around $30 for 1,000.
Also, average Facebook users may not be aware of exactly what kind
of actions generate a Like. Its generally assumed that a single user can
only generate one Like, but thats not actually the case. Sharing a link
on Facebook from a source with an embedded Like button increases
the count by one.
If the same user comments on the post, the Like button continues
to rise. A demo video (go.pcworld.com/fbscript) shows how a
spammer could write a script that posts a piece of content on
Facebook and then adds nonsensical comments, each of which causes
the Like count to tick up once.
In that example, 30 Likes were quickly generated. The researchers
found it was possible to generate up to 20 likes per minute by creating
a post, adding fake comments, deleting the post and repeating. Those
actions didnt trigger a rate-limiting feature in Facebook that might
have frozen the account for a while.
The flaw has been around for years and is apparently rooted in
outdated Facebook APIs that are still used by many websites,
Its easy to generate fake

Likes, and a lot of economic
benets are related to the
number of Likes.
CONSUMER
WATCH
including CNN, ABC News, The Hungton Post and The Economist,
according to their research paper.
Whats useful about their method is that it can generate a high
number of Likes using only a single account. It means that spammers
wouldnt need to take the time and expense of creating a high
number of zombie accounts that would likely be detected and
removed by Facebook.
Another demonstration video (go.pcworld.com/fblikesdemo) shows
how a Likewhich is essentially a soft endorsementcan appear out
of context and may actually be contrary to a users real opinion.
The researchers created a fake Web page for demonstration
purposes that promoted disgraced investor Bernard Mado. The
website had an embedded Like button. If the sites URL was shared on
Facebook, anyone who commented on it would increase the pages
Like count, even though its doubtful anyone would truly endorse it.
But people who visited the Web page would have seen an ever-rising
Like count, giving the impression that the site is worthy. Other large
online services, such as YouTube and Quora have worked around this
contextual problem by adding dislike or downvote buttons.
The researchers also found if a Facebook user deletes a post, the
Like count doesnt correspondingly drop.
Facebook wraps a lot of data into the little number next to the Like
button. The company is straightforward about it in its documentation,
saying that a Like includes not only the people who hit the button, but
also the number of times the URL has been shared and the number of
comments. But some people may not know that.
The paper was also co-authored by Xinye Lin and Mingyuan Xia of
McGills School of Computer Science.
54
Falcon Northwest
Mach V rips the lid
o gaming tests
81
Nvidia GeForce GTX

Titan X: Hail to the
new GPU king
62
The Galaxy S6 is one

of the best camera
phones ever
92
Chromebook Pixel
excels both as a
machine and an
idea
68
DirectX 12s
potential
performance leap is
insane
100
Crucial MX200
Review: A fast SSD
at a nice price
103
Pillars of Eternity:
The Baldurs Gate
spiritual successor
77
How to test your

PCs DirectX 12
performance
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
TESTED IN PCWORLD LABS

In this section, hardware & software
go through rigorous testing.
Falcon Northwest Mach V

rips the lid o gaming tests
Titan X has already been anointed the king of gaming GPUs. Packing
three into the Mach V has made it one of the fastest rigs in the world.
BY GORDON MAH UNG
Watch the
video at
go.pcworld.
com/titan
MERICANS LOVE stats. Who has the greatest batting
average of all time? (Ty Cobb.) Who was in the most James
Bond movies and how many times? (Roger Moore, with
six.) Can a gaming PC really cost $9,683? (Bleep yes!)
Falcon Northwest (falcon-nw.com), the company credited with
creating the gaming PC category, thinks it has justication for the
audacious price of its Mach V Icon2, and many might agree: It has three,
count-em, three of the fastest gaming GPUs on the planet inside of it.
Yes, thats three of Nvidias $1,000 GeForce Titan X cards running in TriSLI mode. One card alone is capable of playing most of todays most
punishing games at 4K resolution, but only if youre willing to run at high
settings instead of Ultra, Ultimate, or Uber, and you have a G-sync
monitor that smooths out those occasional slower frame rates.
Three Titan X cards: As fast as youd expect

How fast are three Titan X cards? When I rst received the rig I ran
3DMarks FireStrike Ultimate, which lets you compare results run at 4K
resolution against Futuremarks massive database of results. The Mach V
landed in the top 40.
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY RO B S C H U LT Z
You might sco at a result

only in the 40s, but
Futuremarks leader board
includes machines overclocked
using liquid nitrogen, liquid
helium and all kinds of extremeoverclocking sports entries. To
land in that esteemed company
with a production machine is no
small feat and easily puts the
Mach V among the fastest
gaming rigs in the world.
The Mach V isnt just about the Titan X cards, though. Falcon
matches those three GPUs with Intels 8-core Core i7-5960X, with a
smooth little overclock to 4.3GHz. Thats not the most aggressive
overclock around, but its respectable and stable. We had no issues
with crashing during our time with the Mach V.
Theres also 32GB of G.Skill DDR4 buzzing along at 2,400MHz, a pair
of Samsung 850 Pro drives in RAID 0, 1,500 watt Silverstone PSU, and
even an optical drive for old-school use. That RAID conguration
certainly surprised us, though. Sure, 2TB of fast SSD storage is good,
but are we truly at the point where a hard drive isnt needed anymore?
Peoples opinions will vary, but Id still like to see a 6TB or even 10TB
drive for backup use.
This is all installed on an Asus Rampage V Extreme with USB 3.1
support. Yeah, we were excited about seeing USB 3.1 on this
motherboard, but we had nothing to test it with. There are simply no
USB 3.1 devices available yet. But hey, were ready whenever they do
actually appear, right?
The case itself is a custom-painted design built by Silverstone that
flips the GPUs into a vertical position. This helps cooling by venting air
out the top of the case rather than trying to exhaust it out the back.
Falcon aids this eort by adding a massive fan below the cards to help
blow air through the top. To keep the GPUs from super-heating the rest
Heres a better
look at the bale
to keep hot air
from the GPUs
away from the
CPU.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
of the system, a bale is also used to wall o the GPUs from the CPU.
This probably isnt a bad idea. While the GeForce GTX 980 was known
for its gentle temperatures, the GeForce GTX Titan X isnt. I measured
temperatures on the cards on some spots at 179 degrees. Yes, thats as
hot as McDonalds coee was before the lawsuit. Much of that heat is
trapped between the cards. Others have recorded temps hitting 213
degrees (go.pcworld.com/213)!
If these temps make you wonder about stability, Falcon says it stresstests the machines it sells in a room heated up to 80 to 90 degrees
overnight to vet bad components.
On the performance tip, the Mach V certainly lights up our charts.
Lets just say the three Titan X cards dont disappoint. The next-fastest
system is AVA Directs i7 X99 (go.pcworld.com/ava) box we reviewed in
December. Using the synthetic but still-respected 3DMark FireStrike
Extreme, we see the Mach V outperforming the pair of GeForce GTX
980s in the AVA Direct by almost double. Our reference system, with
its single GeForce GTX 980, is pretty lonely way back there too.
To see how the Mach V does in an actual game, we spooled up Tomb
The cards are

flipped vertical
to help exhaust
the hot air
from the GPUs.
Heres what
three GeForce
Titan X cards
look like stacked
up against
GeForce GTX
980s in SLI and
a single 980
card. The MSI is
a laptop, and
there just for
reference.
3DMark FireStrike Extreme

Falcon Northwest
Mach V (Titan X Tri-SLI)
20,364
AVA Direct i7X99

(GTX 980 SU)
10,502
MSI Titan SLI

(GTX 980M SU)
7,418
PCWorld Reference
System (GTX 980)
5,754
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
LONGER LINE INDICATES HIGHER PERFORMANCE
Raider set to Ultimate and running at 2560x1600 resolution on a

30-inch panel. Even though we didnt expect such a dierence at this
low resolution, those three Titan X cards put serious distance
between the AVA Directs pair of GTX 980 cards and our single GeForce
GTX 980. For kicks, we also included MSIs Titan SLI laptop to see how
its pair of GeForce GTX 980M cards in SLI would do. Its not bad
considering its a gaming laptop, albeit one big-ass gaming laptop.
Gaming at 2560x1600 with three Titan X cards is downright criminal,
though, and in some states, you can actually be charged with a Class B
felony for using too much hardware for your gaming resolution. (Just
kidding!) So I also ran the Mach V on a 4K display. You might think with
this much repower you can play with, say, three 4K panels in
surround, but I think were not quite there yet.
In 3DMark FireStrike Ultra, I saw the Mach V give up 11,238. At the
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
time of our original run, before Titan X cards were out, that was good
enough to put it in the top 40. With Titan X cards in the hands of more
folks, the Mach V has slipped all the way back to the low 40samong
all the PCs on the planet. For shame.
In actual gaming, Tomb Raider at 4K and set to Ultimate still puts out
135.4 fps. I also ran Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor with the 4K texture
pack installed and saw 81.6 fps. I didnt have access to the AVA Direct
machine to run this benchmark, but I know from our review of the
Titan X, a single card in this benchmark at 4K pushes 35.6 fps, and a
pair of 980s plows along at 43.9 fps. Thats a testament to just how
demanding Shadow of Mordor is of GPUs.
Ryse: Son of Rome is another GPU-crushing game. It doesnt have a
Tomb Raider Ultimate 25x16 (fps)

Falcon Northwest
Mach V (Core i7-5960X)
250
AVA Direct i7X99

(GTX 980 SU)
103
MSI Titan SLI

(GTX 980M SU)
79
PCWorld Reference
System (GTX 980)
55
50
100
150
200
250
300
Tomb Raider isnt the most intensive game in town anymore but even at 2560x1600
resolution itll give cards a good work out. The triple TX cards run away from the pack.
Eight Haswell
cores vs. four
Haswell cores
unsurprisingly
oers better
performance.
Handbrake Encode (sec)

Falcon Northwest
Mach V (Core i7-5960X)
1,235
AVA Direct i7X99

(Core i7-5960X)
1,128
PCWorld Reference
System (Core i7-4700K)
2,197
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
SHORTER BARS INDICATE HIGHER PERFORMANCE
built-in benchmark mode, so I played through the game a little to see

how the frame rate would react playing at 4K and set to Ultra. For the
most part the frame rate stayed in the mid- to high 80s, which is still
well above the magic threshold of 60 fps to appear smooth without
resorting to a G-sync or Freesync panel.
The Mach V is obviously aimed at gamers, but few gamers I know are
exclusive to gaming. Most also edit photos and video and use their PC
for general tasks. With its 8-core Haswell-E Core i7-5960X overclocked
to 4.3GHz, the Mach V isnt going to seem slow, but it wont be the
fastest thing on the planet by a long shot.
In fact, the AVA Direct i7 X99 rig that cost almost half as much as the
Mach V actually managed to outpace it in our Handbrake Encoding
test. This isnt the only test where the AVA Direct beat the Mach V,
either: The AVA Direct also outran it in PC Mark 8s Work conventional
test. In that test, of course, once youre above a certain performance
floor, Word doesnt ever get faster. The encoding test is a surprise,
though, because the AVA Direct wasnt overclocked as heavily.
So where does this leave the Falcon? The most obvious two points:
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Damn, its fast for a gaming box. And, of course, damn its expensive
too. Boutique PC builders have always demanded a premium, though.
For those who can even think to pay for a machine with this hardware,
its not too pricey.
Its like the old adage goes: If you need to ask how much, you cant
aord it. That can be said of the Mach V too, except its $9,683 actually
isnt that crazy. With each Titan X costing a solid grand, youre already
at a third of the price just in the graphics cards alone. And dont forget
the beautiful paint job.
I do have a few criticisms. I miss the
hard drive, although as a custom
builder, Falcon will sell you all the
hard drives you want. It likely doesnt
include a high-capacity drive here
because it didnt want to crack the
psychological $10,000 mark.
More importantly, is it too much to ask for custom liquid cooling?
Granted, it isnt available for the new Titan X cards yet and isnt as leakresistant as closed-loop coolers, but its starting to become the norm
on high-end rigs.
The Falcon Northwest Mach V Icon2 is freaking expensive, but for
that price youre relieved of the burden of turning down any in a game.
Knowing that its from the company that literally built the gaming PC
category, youve got guts and gravitas to spare.
With each Titan X costing

a solid grand, youre already
at a third of the price in
graphics cards alone.
The Galaxy S6
is one of the best
camera phones ever
BY FLORENCE ION
WE HAVE A lot to say about the new Samsung Galaxy S6 (samsung.
com/galaxys6). For one, I cant get over the fact that it kind of looks
like an iPhonemy Macworld colleagues certainly agreeand two,
its obvious Samsung put a lot more eort into this phone than the
past few generations of its flagship Galaxy family.
We talked about the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge quite a bit in our
initial hands-on (go.pcworld.com/handson6) with the devices at
Mobile World Congress. One of its standout new features is its new
camera hardware. Rather than simply increase the megapixels and
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
tout a higher number, Samsung worked
meticulously on this years camera to ensure it
outperformed its predecessors.
Thus far, weve only had about a day with the
phone, so instead of rushing a half-baked review,
we took the Galaxy S6 out for a spin on the
streets of San Francisco to focus on testing out
its new camera capabilities. Whatever Samsung
did to its camera software really worked, because this is seriously one
of the best camera phones Ive ever used.
Our rst lab test,

under bright
studio lights.
In the lab
I took the Galaxy S6 to the photo lab to begin testing its photo-taking
capabilities. I was astonished at how much Samsung actually improved
its camera. Its not just clever advertising.
The Galaxy S5s ghosting eect seems to have been eectively
reduced in the Galaxy S6. This is not only a boon for those who do
serious photo editing with their smartphone, but its also a testament
to the fact that Samsung did right by its users in equipping the Galaxy
S6 with a camera that takes in more light, rather than simply upping
the megapixels.
Low light performance has increased exponentially between the
Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S6. The end result is no longer grainy and almost
indecipherable, though Ive honestly yet to take the Galaxy S6 into a
bar setting to really test its low-light chops.
For a while there, I could barely believe the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, or
The Galaxy S5
(left) performed
abysmally in our
low-light test
compared to the
S6 (right).
Galaxy S5 had Macro abilities because of how frustrating they were to

use. Taking Macro shots on the Galaxy S6 is much more stress-free. I
still have to hold the lens at a bit of a distance to allow the camera to
focus, but its more akin to using a 50mm lens on an DSLR.
Indoors, the Galaxy S6 camera was inconsistent, though thats to be
expected considering the lighting in our building is a bit inconsistent,
too. There are some rooms that are brightly lit by windows, while
others have fluorescent lights, and still others utilize spot lights. That
said, the Galaxy S6 was better at adjusting to the dierent lighting
situations through the building than other smartphones, and it was
consistently quick when choosing the mode in which to shoot. The
live HDR preview certainly helped in some cases, too.
Outdoors, the Galaxy S6 produced a myriad of stunning shots. In
fact, it inspired so much condence in me, that I posted photos
directly to Instagram with the hashtag #nolter. I hardly ever do that
because Im usually too embarrassed by the quality of the photos I
take with whatever Android hardware I have in hand. (This exact
reason is also why I switched to the iPhone for six short months in
2012. Seriously.)
The Bay Bridge,
shot with the Galaxy S6.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
In our initial look at the Galaxy S6, Samsung said that it did a
lot of tweaking to the camera sensors focus abilities. It
denitely shows: I tapped the screen to focus in on the stop
sign you see on the right, and afterwards the app instantly
brightened just that area of the stop sign. It was previously
too dark to see it in the shade.
Galaxy S6 versus the iPhone 6 Plus

This is always a fun way to do things: Like the Giants and
Dodgers, Samsungs feud with Apples iPhone goes back what
seems like eons. With all the talk about how much Samsungs
improved the camera sensor on the Galaxy S6, I gured Id put
the two to a head-to-head to really see the dierences.
iPHONE 6 PLUS
GALAXY S6
The bright light test, with the studio lights turned all the way up.
iPHONE 6 PLUS
GALAXY S6
The low light test, with just a dim floor lamp in the back of the room.
iPHONE 6 PLUS
GALAXY S6
The low light test with the flash on. Notice how the Galaxy S6s photo
is a bit warmer, while the iPhones is a bit whiter, but a little blown out.
Samsung did a
lot of tweaking
to the camera
sensors focus
abilities .
The Galaxy S6 has one of the best front-facing cameras on the

market right now. Its 5-megapixels, with a very wide F1.9 aperture
the same as the Galaxy S6s rear-facing 16-megapixel camera sensor
and oers auto real-time HDR capabilities.
Im going to be honest here: I liked the photos taken with the iPhone
6 Plus just a bit more. You cant see why with the lab tests, however, so
let me show you what kind of photos both the iPhone 6 Plus and
Galaxy S6 took out in the real world.
Overall, the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy S6 are nearly on par as faras
photo performance goes, with the Galaxy S6 skewing toward a deeper
contrast in some cases. It still has that annoying issue with light leak,
however, which is
something thats
plagued
Samsungs
smartphones in
the past.
All this anecdotal
evidence is good
news for Android
fans, though: if
iPHONE 6 PLUS
GALAXY S6
you want an
iPhone-like
camera
experience, you
can get it with
the Galaxy S6.
(Thats good
news for anyone
trying to leave
Apples ecoiPHONE 6 PLUS
GALAXY S6
system, too!)
There is more
light leak from
the Galaxy S6
than there is
from the
iPhone 6 Plus.
I actually like
both of these
equally, though
Id go with the
higher contrast
Galaxy S6
version for
Instagram
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Software
Samsung hasnt always had the most user friendly camera
apps, though it seriously toned things down from all the
buttons and switches it tacked on to the viewnder in the
Galaxy S5 camera app.
The Galaxy S6s Camera app, on the other hand, is just right,
though it borrows some of its tricks from HTCs interface. When
you tap to switch Modes, the camera interface shows eight
dierent options. Theyre all self explanatory, but this particular
motif also greatly resembles what HTC introduced last year in
Sense 6s camera interface.
Despite the copycat button layout, the Galaxy S6s Camera
app is bundled with a myriad of neat features. Theres a Pro
mode that lets you adjust every facet of the photo all right there on
the screen. Theres also a Slow motion and Fast motion mode for
lming neat Instagram productions, as well as a Quick launch option
you can engage by simply double pressing the Home button to launch
the camera appeven if the screen is o or youre in another app.
This is absolutely perfect for seles.
The Galaxy S6s

camera interface.
Final thoughts
There are still a few things I need to test out.
First, I still need to play around with the
phones video capabilities. Its certainly quick
and its stabilization abilities are impressive,
but I want to spend a little more time with
the slow- and fast-motion eects. I also
want to test out the Galaxy S6s manual
controls. Im curious to see how accurate they are, and whether I can get
the same kind of performance out of it that I get from my Canon DSLR.
Ill have more on the Galaxy S6s camera capabilities in the future,
after Ive had some time to really use Samsungs new flagship out in
the wild. However, I can honestly say with conviction, that this is one
of the best camera phones Ive ever used.
The button layout.
DirectX 12s potential

performance leap is insane
BY GORDON MAH UNG
WE ALREADY KNOW DirectX 12 will drastically improve game
performance when Windows 10 ships later this year, but just how
much of a free boost youll get isnt exactly known.
Microsoft execs expect frame rates to more than double (go.
pcworld.com/double) when comparing DX12 to the current DX11
API. But that estimate looks to be conservative if Futuremarks new
API Overhead Feature test is to be believed.
Microsoft and Futuremark gave us early access to the latest
3DMark test, which lets us measure just how much more ecient
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Microsofts Windows 10-only gaming API is than its predecessor, and
whoa mama, does it perform. But before we get too carried way and
the hype train leaves the station with a big toot toot, remember that
this is a theoretical test, and not based on an actual game engine.
3DMarks new API

Overheat Feature Test
measures the
performance
dierence between
DirectX 11 and the
new Windows 10-only
DirectX 12.
How we tested
For the tests, I used an Intel Core i7-4770K processor in an Asus Z87
Deluxe/Dual motherboard alongside 16GB of DDR3/1600 RAM, a
240GB Corsair Neutron SSD, and either a Gigabyte WindForce Radeon
R9 290X or a GeForce GTX Titan X. I also switched o the Asus boards
Core enhancement feature, which essentially overclocks the chip a
little for you. All of our tests were performed at 1280x720 resolution
at Microsofts recommendation.
3DMark and Microsoft point out that the new feature test is not a
tool to compare GPUs but an easy way to gauge a single PCs
performance and API eciency. Dont use it to compare PC Y with PC
X, nor as a GPU test: This is all about how your particular PC
conguration performs when running DX11, and how that same PC

conguration performs when running DX12.
Even better, the test is available immediately to anyone who owns
3DMark. See How to test your PCs DirectX 12 performance today
on page 77 to learn how.
The test works by tasking the GPU to draw something on the
screen. This instruction goes through the API, whether it is DX11,
DX12, or AMDs Mantle. The less ecient the API is in handling these
draw calls from the CPU to the GPU, the fewer objects can be drawn
on the screen. 3DMark rapidly ramps up the draw calls and objects
until the frame rate drops under 30 frames per second (fps).
The rst test is a comparison of DirectX 11s single-threaded
performance vs. DirectX 11s multi-threaded performance. It then
tests AMDs DirectX 12-like Mantle APIif Mantle is supported by
the hardwareand nally DirectX 12 performance.
3DMark API Comparison

(Core i7-4770K & R9 290X)
DX11
Single-Threaded
904,165
DX11
Multi-Threaded
935,777
Mantle
12,451,149
DX12
Multi-Threaded
13,474,728
2,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000 8,000,000 10,000,000 12,000,000 14,000,000
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
As you can see from the 3D Mark API Comparison chart below, DirectX
11s single-threaded and multi-threaded performance is underwhelming,
churning through roughly 900,000 draw calls before performance drops
under 30 fps on the Gigabyte WindForce Radeon R9 290X card. Using
AMDs Mantle, we see an incredible jump to 12.4 million draw calls per
second.
Although its dicult to actually say which actual API was developed
rst (Ive read stories that said DirectX 12 has been in the works for
numerous years, while others report AMD was likely the rst to push it),
this test at least shows the potential of both of the new APIs. DirectX 12,
in fact, is even slightly more ecient, cranking out 13.4 million draw calls
per second.
The whole Mantle vs. DirectX debate is over anyway, as AMD itself has
encouraged developers to use DirectX 12 or Vulkan, OpenGLs gamingfocused successor, instead.
Remember that part where I said that Futuremark says not to use this
as a GPU test? You still want to see this on Nvidia hardware, so I repeated

(Core i7-4770K & Titan X)
DX11
Single-Threaded
740,372
DX11
Multi-Threaded
658,056
DX12
Multi-Threaded
13,419,183
2,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000 8,000,000 10,000,000 12,000,000 14,000,000
If gaming only worked like theory. Here we see the GeForce GTX Titan X in action in DirectX 12.
the test with the GeForce GTX Titan X in the R9 290Xs place. Theres
no Mantle, of course, since thats an AMD-only feature.
Youre also going to be curious about DX12s impact on integrated
graphics processors (IGP). With Intels graphics actually in use by more
gamers than AMD and Nvidias discrete cards, its a valid question,
but Ill be honest: Gaming with IGP aint real gaming. I didnt see the
point in running tests on Intels IGP.
Fortunately, Microsoft provided results from its own IGP machine
using a Core i7-4770R Crystal Well CPU with Intel Iris Pro 5200
graphics. The quad-core chip is used in high-end all-In-ones and
Gigabytes Brix Pro. Thats pretty much the very best performance you
can get out of an Intel chip today, and here are the results.
Not baduntil you glance back at the previous AMD and Nvidia charts.
But remember that DirectX 12 is about making the API more
ecient so it can take better advantage of multi-core CPUs. Its not
really about graphics cards. Its about exploiting more performance
from CPUs so they dont bottleneck the GPU.
With that in mind, I decided to see how the CPU can change the
Using results
supplied by
Microsoft, DX12
gives a bump to
the Intels
integrated
graphics but its
far short of real
gaming metal.

(Core i7-4770K & Iris Pro)
DX11
Single-Threaded
740,372
DX11
Multi-Threaded
645,940
DX12
Multi-Threaded
2,126,150
500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
DX12 Multi-Threading Performance 3DMark

2.9GHz/2 Cores HT O
5,110,314
6,473,171
2.9GHz/2 Cores HT On
3.5GHz/2 Cores HT O
5,662,418
7,120,692
3.5GHz/2 Cores HT On
5,722,745
3.2GHz/2 Cores HT O
7,234,710
4.8GHz/2 Cores HT O
3.6-3.8GHz/4 Cores HT On
10,980,800
13,419,183
3.6-3.9GHz/4 Cores HT On
0
2,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000 8,000,000 10,000,000 12,000,000 14,000,000
Heres how DirectX 12 performance could scale across dierent clock speeds and
thread counts on Futuremarks new API Overhead Feature test.
results, by varying the core and thread count as well as clock speeds in
various congurations. I limited the quad-core Core i7-4770K to two
cores, switched Hyper-Threading on and o, and limited the clock
speeds the CPU could run at.
The big winner was the Core i7-4770K set to its default state: four
cores and Hyper-Threading on. All of the tests were conducted with
the GeForce GTX Titan X card. Im only comparing the DirectX 12
performance because thats all that matters here.
Which CPU is best for DirectX 12?

To make this a little easier to understand from a system-buying or
-building perspective, I also tried mimicking the dierent clock, core

count and Hyper-Threading states of various Intel CPUs. (If you want
to dig into the details of the chips I tried to simulate, Ive lined up the
details over at Intels ARK: go.pcworld.com/thedetails.)
Keep in mind that these are simulated performance results. The Core
i7-4770K has 8MB of cache vs. the 2MB on a Celeron or 6MB on a Core i5
chip. I havent found cache to make huge dents on most tests, and if
anything my simulated CPUs would perform better than their actual
counterparts thanks to the larger cache available. One other note: I had
an issue underclocking the CPU to lower speeds while trying to simulate
the Core i5-4670K. The lowest I could set it for was 3.6GHz, which is
200MHz higher than the stock part.
How many
combat drops
Lieutenant?
Two. Including
this one. These
are tests of
DirectX 12
performance
between
various
simulated CPUs.
DX12 Simulated CPU Performance

2.9GHz Celeron
G1850 (2 cores)
5,110,314
3.5GHz Core i3-4330*

(2 cores+HT)
7,120,692
3.2GHz Pentium
G3258*(2 cores)
5,722,745
4.8GHz Pentium
G3258*(2 cores)
7,234,710
3.6GHz Core
i5-4670K* (4 cores)
10,980,800
3.5GHz Core i74770K* (4 cores+HT)
13,419,183
0
2,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000 8,000,000 10,000,000 12,000,000 14,000,000
LONGER LINE INDICATES HIGHER PERFORMANCE * SIMULATED CPUS
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
No replacement for displacement
The takeaway from these simulated CPU tests is that thread-count
trumps clock speed when it comes to DirectX 12 performance
improvements.
Look at the results for the simulated dual-core Core i3-4330, which is
a 3.5GHz CPU with no Turbo-Boost and Hyper-Threading. Compare
that to Intels low-cost wonder: the dual-core Pentium G3258
overclocked to 4.8GHz. Nicknamed the Pentium K by budget
gamers, the chip is the only unlocked dual-core chip in Intels lineup
and cheaper than dirt. It overclocks easily,
and just about anyone should be able to
push a real one to 4.8GHz.
But look at the benchmark results:
Despite running 1.3GHz higher than the
simulated Core i3, the Pentium G3258 isnt
much better in DX12 draw calls. This isnt
anything new. In tests Ive performed with
CPUs as far back as the 2nd-gen Sandy
Bridge Core processors in 2011, Ive seen a 1GHz overclock on a Core i5
chip hit roughly the same performance as a stock Core i7 with HyperThreading in heavy multi-threading tests.
DX12 also seems to scale nicely with core-count. Again, compare the
dual-core, 4-thread Core i3-4330 with the quad-core, 8-thread Core
i7-4770K. Its almost exactly double.
Unfortunately, PCWorlds 8-core Core i7-5960X was working on
another secret product so I didnt have time to test it with 3DMarks
new feature test. I see nothing to make me believe that the test, at
least, will scale nicely with an 8-core, Hyper-Threaded CPU.
The silicon elephant in the room is also AMDs FX series. Generally
AMD CPUs are inferior to their Intel counterparts clock-for-clock. A
quad-core Haswell CPU generally lumps up an eight core FX chip in
the vast majority of performance tests. But that FX chip, though it
uses shared cores, runs much closer toand sometimes faster than
Haswell if the test is heavily multi-threaded. DirectX 12 may make
The takeaway from these

simulated CPU tests is
that thread-count trumps
clock speed when it comes
to DirectX 12 performance
improvements.
AMDs often ignored FX parts hot again, since you can nd an 8-core
FX processor priced for as low as $153.
At some point, Ill hopefully spool up an FX box to see if that
advantage indeed crops up in DX12.
But back in reality

Before you look at the results from these tests and assume youre
going to see a frickin 10x free performance boost from DX12 games
later this year, zing, zam, zow! You wont. So ease o the hype engine.
Whats realistic? Id expect anywhere from Microsofts claims of
50-percent improvement all the way to the what were seeing here in
Futuremarks test. This will depend very much on the kind of game
and the coding behind it.
The reality is this test is a theoretical test, although one made
with advice from Microsoft and the GPU vendors. This test reveals
the potential, but translating that potential into an actual game
isnt quite as easy.
We wont know for sure until actual DirectX-12-enabled games ship.
Microsoft estimates that will be the end of this year.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
How to test your PCs

DirectX 12 performance
BY GORDON MAH UNG
THE FINAL RELEASE of DirectX 12 and Windows 10 is months away
but if youre itching to test your systems DX12 theoretical

performance today, heres how you can do it.
First, youll need to have the 64-bit version of the Windows 10
Technical Preview installed. The 32-bit version is not supported.
Earlier preview builds had DirectX 12 components aboard (go.
pcworld.com/x12) but it will take the latest one build 10041(go.
pcworld.com/10041) to enable the DX12 functionality. If you
havent installed Windows 10 yet, heres everything you need to
get it up and running (go.pcworld.com/howto).
Once youve installed it, check the version number

by looking in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
It should say Windows 10 Technical Preview Evaluation
Copy, Build 10041. If youre running a previous build,
youll need to update the system.
Updating Windows 10 to the most

current preview build
Just click in the search box in the taskbar and search
for Windows Update, then click on it when it appears.
In the Update & Recovery window, click on the
Advanced options. Now scroll down and change Choose
how preview builds are installed from its default of
Slow to Fast. Go back to Update & Recovery and
select Check for Updates. Your system should
download the latest Build and install it. This may take
You may need to set Windows
some time depending on your Internet connection
Update frequency to Fast to get the
and a reboot may be required.
latest Win10 Build if your box
If you have a DirectX 12 capable video card or
doesnt already have it.
integrated graphics, Windows Update should also
install the latest DX12 capable driver. DX12 card driver support on
Windows Update currently supports Nvidias Maxwell and Kepler
Just push Check for Updates after changing the frequency to Fast and you get
the latest update as well as the correct DX12 drivers for your GPU.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
cards (GeForce 600-series and up), AMDs GCN-based cards (Radeon
7000-series and R-series) and Intel Haswell parts.
Running the 3DMark API

overhead test
The next step is to make sure you own and have 3DMark (3dmark.com)
installed. Yup, theres no free lunch here. The test wont work on the
free basic version of 3DMark. It only works on the Advanced ($24.95)
and Professional (dont ask) editions.
If youre already running one of those, 3DMark should chirp that an
update is available when you start it. Download it and install it. If you
purchased 3DMark on Steam, an auto-update should also be available
for download. Youll also need Internet access to run 3DMark initially,
as it validates your code.
3DMarks new API
Overheat Feature
Test measures the
performance
dierence between
DirectX11 and the
new Windows
10-only DirectX 12.
Now youre nally ready to run it. Fire up 3DMark and click Feature
Tests. Select the options you want it to test. By default, it will test
DirectX11, DirectX12, and AMDs Mantle, if youre running supported
Radeon hardware.
The test will take a minute or two to complete and present you with
the draw calls the machine is capable of in the various APIs. These are
draw calls per second. You can change the resolution the test is run at,
but both Microsoft and Futuremark say the default resolution is all
3DMarks new
feature test
shows you Draw
Calls per second
that a system can
handle.
you need for the vast majority of systems.

If youre looking for more details on what exactly 3DMark is doing
here, point your browser at page 83 of this Futuremark PDF (go.
pcworld.com/futuremark). Was it worth the eort? Maybe, maybe
not. But for most of us, its the rst DirectX 12 content well be
running on our PCs.
The test itself is not meant to be compared to other systems and is
mostly a theoretical test of DX12s potentialbut youre going to look
anyway so review the results from the performance tests I ran using a
number of dierent CPU and GPU congurations on page 68.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan X

Hail to the new GPU king
BY BRAD CHACOS.
NVIDIA SURE KNOWS how to strike a killer rst impression. The
company revealed its new GeForce GTX Titan X (go.pcworld.com/
titanx) not with a massive event, not with a coordinated marketing
blitz, but by CEO Jen-Hsun Huang striding unannounced into
Epics Game Developers Conference panel, introducing the most
advanced GPU the world has ever seen, autographing one for
Epics Tim Sweeney, then casually striding back out.
Like a boss (go.pcworld.com/boss).
Nvidias walking the walk to back up the talk, though. The $1,000
Titan X truly is the bestest, baddest, most

rebreathing single-GPU graphics card in all the
landand its the rst one able to play many
games on high detail settings at 4K resolution
all by its lonesome, with no multi-card setup
necessary. It is a beast.
This is going to be fun.
The Titan X truly is

the bestest, baddest,
most rebreathing
single GPU graphics
card in all the land.
Meet the Titan X

Lets talk about technical design before jumping into raw performance
specs. Huang stayed vague on tech specs when he revealed the
Titan X at GDC, only teasing that the graphics card contains 8 billion
transistors and 12GB of memory. That extreme amount of memory
led some to believe the Titan X would be a dual-GPU card, like AMDs
Radeon R9 295x2 or Nvidias own Titan Z.
Nope.
Nvidias Titan X graphics card.
The Titan Xs beating heart is the all-new 28nm GM200 graphics

processor unit (GPU), which is basically the bigger brother of the
GM204 chip found in the GTX 980 and 970. Since its based on Big
Maxwell rather than the GTX 960s newer GM206 chip, the Titan X
lacks the GTX 960s H.265 decoding abilities, and likely its HDCP 2.2
compliance as well. (Weve asked Nvidia but havent received an
answer yet.) GM200 can handle H.265 encoding, however.
Built using the same energy-ecient Maxwell architecture as its GTX
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
900-series brethren, the Titan X packs a
GTX Titan Xs specications
whopping 3072 CUDA corescompared
Graphics Processing Clusters
6
to the GTX 980s 2048along with 192
Streaming Multiprocessors
24
textures units. The card comes clocked
CUDA Cores (single precision)
3072
at 1000MHz, with a boost clock of
Texture Units
192
1075MHz. You can see the full list of
ROP Units
96
specications in the chart at right. For
Base Clock
1000 Mhz
most of the core GPU specs, its basically
Boost Clock
1075 Mhz
a GTX 980 plus 50 percent more.
Memory Clock
3505 Mhz
That 12GB of onboard RAM is clocked
Memory Date Rate
7 Gbps
at a speedy 7Gbpsjust like the GTX
L2 Cache Size
3072K
900-series graphics cardsand it utilizes
Total Video Memory
12288MB GDDR5
a 384-bit bus. AMDs high-end Radeon
Memory Interface
384-bit
GPUs use a wider 512-bit bus, but slower
Total Memory Bandwidth
336.5 GB/s
5Gbps memory, for comparison.
Texture Rate (Bilinear)
192 GigaTexels/sec
Physically, the black, aluminum-clad
Fabrication Process
28nm
Titan X rocks three DisplayPort
Transistor Count
8 Billion
connections, a solitary HDMI 2.0 port,
Connectors
3 x DisplayPort
and dual-link DVI. The card draws 275
1 x HDMI
1 x Dual-Link DVI
watts of power through an 8-pin and
6-pin power connection. It measures
Form Factor
Dual Slot
10.5-inches long in a traditional dual-slot
Power Connectors
One 8-pin and one
6-pin
form factor. Unlike Nvidias GTX 980
Recommended Power Supply
600 Watts
reference card, the Titan X has no
Thermal
Design
Power
(TDP)
250
Watts
backplate, ostensibly to better facilitate
Thermal Threshhold
91
cooler airflow in multi-card setups.
Speaking of, heres how Nvidia
describes the Titan Xs cooler design: A copper vapor chamber is used
to cool TITAN Xs GM200 GPU. This vapor chamber is combined with a
large, dual-slot aluminum heatsink to dissipate heat o the chip. A
blower-style fan then exhausts this hot air through the back of the
graphics card and outside the PCs chassis.
The card runs extremely quietly even under load, to the point that Im
not sure if I was hearing the case fans or the GPU cooler during intense
benchmarking sessions. Thats essential, especially since all Titan X

designs will rock reference coolers onlythere will be no aftermarket
cooler options from board vendors. Nvidia claims the Titan X
overclocks like a champ, hitting up to 1.4GHz in the
companys internal testing. I was unable to OC
the Titan X due to time constraints, but given
the superb overclocking capabilities of every
other Maxwell-based GPU, I heartily believe the claim.
The Titan X features the same basic software features as
the GTX 980 and 970, including Voxel Global Illumination (VXGI),
which lets developers create better dynamic lighting without invoking a
massive performance hit, and VR Direct for virtual reality gaming. (The
Titan X was actually used to power many of the VR demos on display at
GDC 2015hence the surprise launch during Epics panel.)
It also fully supports Nvidias impressive Multi-Frame-Sampled Antialiasing (MFAA) technology, which smooths out jagged edges at a
level similar to traditional MSAA, but with much less of performance
hit. This awesome technology works with any DirectX 10 or DX11 title
that supports MSAA and basically provides a freeand often
substantialframe rate increase. Thats a huge deal at any resolution,
but it can mean the dierence between a playable game and
stuttering garbage at 4K resolution.
If you use Nvidias GeForce experience to automatically optimize
your games, itll enable MFAA in place of MSAA by default.
Removing
the Titan Xs
shroud reveals
its heat sink
and cooler.
The new 28nm

GM200 chip is the
beating heart of
Nvidias Titan X
graphics card.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Benchmarking the Titan Xs performance
So why does the Titan X rock such a ridiculous amount of RAM? The
massive 12GB frame buer is frankly overkill for todays games, but it
helps future-proof one of the Titan Xs biggest strengths: ultra-highresolution gaming. Higher resolutions consume more memory, especially
as you ramp up anti-aliasing to smooth out jagged edges even more.
The Titan X is the rst video card that can play games at 4K
resolution and high graphics settings without frame rates dropping
down to slideshow-esque rates.
Not at ultra-high-level details, mind youjust high. And still not at
60 frames per second (fps) in many cases. But youll be able to play
most games with acceptable smoothness, especially if you enable
MFAA and have a G-Sync-compatible monitor.
Nvidia sent a G-Sync panelAcers superb, 3840x2160-resolution
XB280HK gaming monitor (go.pcworld.com/xb2)along with the
Titan X for us to test, and its easy to see why. When enabled in a
compatible monitor, Nvidias G-Sync technology forces the graphics
card and the display to synchronize their refresh rates, which makes
stuttering and screen tearing practically disappear. (Monitor makers
are expected release displays with AMDs competing FreeSync soon.)
Merely reading the words on a screen doesnt do the technology
justice. It rocks. G-Sync makes games buttery smooth. When its paired
A 4K-resolution
screenshot of Metro:
Last Lights
benchmarking tool.
with the Titan X at 4K resolution, you wont even care that the games
arent technically hitting 60fps.
That said, I disabled G-Sync and MFAA during our benchmark tests to
level the playing eld for Radeon cards. For comparison benchmarks, we
included AMD and Nvidias top-end mainstream consumer cardsthe R9
290X and GTX 980, respectivelyas well as two 980s running in SLI and
AMDs Radeon R9 295x2, a single-card solution that packs a pair of the
Graphics Cards Compared

GeForce GTX
Titan X
GeForce GTX
Titan Z
Gforce GTX
Titan Black
GeForce GTX
Titan
GeForce GTX
980
Radeon R9
290X
Architecture
Codename
Maxwell
Kepler
Kepler
Kepler
Maxwell
GCN 1.1
GPU Name
GM200
GK110B
GK110B
GK110
GM204
Hawaii XT
Transistor Count
8 billion
14 billion
7.1 billion
7.1 billion
5.2 billion
6.2 billion
Process
28nm
28nm
28nm
28nm
28nm
28nm
Cores
3,072
5,760
2,880
2,688
2,048
2,816
Base Clock
1,000 MHz
705 MHz
889 MHz
837 MHz
1,126 MHz
727 MHz
Boost Clock
1,075 MHz
876 MHz
980MHz
876 MHz
1,216 MHz
1,000 MHz
Memory Amount
At Launch
12GB
12GB
6GB
6GB
4GB
4GB
Memory Clock
1,750 MHz
1,750 MHz
1,750 MHz
1,500 MHz
1,753 MHz
1,250 MHz
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
GDDR5
GDDR5
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Interface
Width
384 bit
768 bit
384 bit
384 bit
384 bit
512 bit
Memory
Bandwidth
336.5 GB/s
336 GB/s
336 GB/s
288 GB/s
224 GB/s
320 GB/s
290 Watts
TDP
250 Watts
375 Watts
250 Watts
250 Watts
165 Watts
Power connectors
6+8
8+8
6+8
6+8
6+6
6+8
Single Precision
Floating Point
Performance
7 TFLOPS
8 TFLOPS
5.1 TFLOPS
4.5 TFLOPS
4.6 TFLOPS
5.6 TFLOPS
Double Precision
Floating Point
Performance
200 GFLOPS
2,700 GFLOPS
1,707 GFLOPS
1,500 GFLOPS
144 GFLOPS
700 GFLOPS
Launce Date
Mar. 2015
May 2014
Feb. 2014
Feb. 2013
Sept. 2014
Oct. 2013
Launch Price
TBA
$3,000
$1,000
$1,000
$549
$549
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
same GPUs found in the 290X. And, of course, the original Titan.
Since most people dont commit GPU specs to memory the same way
they do obscure baseball statistics from 64 years ago, see the quick
refresher chart on the previous page to help. The Radeon R9 295x2 isnt
on the chart but its essentially two 290X GPUs crammed into one card.
An interesting side-note: The R9 290X refused to play nice on the
G-Sync monitor, flickering constantly. A 4K Dell UltraSharp (go.
pcworld.com/4kdell) was called in as cavalry. All tests were done in our
DIY test bench consisting of the following components. (You can nd
full details in our build guide (go.pcworld.com/buildguide) for the
system.)
> Intels Core i7-5960X with a Corsair Hydro Series H100i
closed-loop water cooler
> An Asus X99 Deluxe motherboard
> Corsairs Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory, Obsidian 750D
full tower case, and 1200-watt AX1200i power supply
> A 480GB Intel 730 series SSD (Im a sucker for that skull logo!)
> Windows 8.1 Pro
Please see: go.pcworld.com/titanbenchmarks for detailed
benchmark charts and explanations.
First up we have Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. While our reviewer
wasnt blown away (go.pcworld.com/mordor) by the game itself,
Shadow of Mordor garnered numerous industry awards in 2014 for its
remarkable Nemesis systemand with the optional Ultra HD Texture
pack installed, it can give modern graphics cards a beating. The add-on
isnt even recommended for cards with less than 6GB of onboard RAM,
though itll still run on more memory-deprived cards. The game was
tested by using the Medium and High quality presets, then by using
the Ultra HD texture back and manually cranking every graphics option
to its highest setting (which Shadow of Mordors Ultra setting doesnt
actually do). You wont nd numbers for the dual-GPU Radeon R9
295x2 here because every time I tried to change the games resolution
graphics settings when using AMDs flagship, it promptly crashed the

system, over and over and over again. Attempts to x the problem
proved fruitless.
Sniper Elite III was released in the middle of 2014. While its not the
most graphically demanding game, it scales well across various
resolutions, and its an AMD Gaming Evolved opposite to Shadow of
Mordors Nvidia-focused graphics. Plus, its always fun to snipe Nazis in
the unmentionables in slow motion.
Next up: Sleeping Dogs: Denitive Edition. This recent remaster of the
surprisingly excellent Sleeping Dogs actually puts a pretty severe hurting
on graphics cards. Even the highest of highest-end single-GPU options
hit 60fps in Sleeping Dogs: Denitive Edition with detail settings cranked,
at 4K or 2560x1600 resolution.
Metro Last Light Redux is a remaster of the intensely atmospheric
Metro Last Light, using the custom 4A Engine. Not only is the game
gorgeous, its an utter blast to play. Its tested with SSAA disabled
because SSAA drops frame rates by roughly 50
percent across the board.
Alien Isolation is the best, most terrifying Aliens
experience since the original Ridley Scott movie.
The game scales well across all hardware, but looks
especially scrumptious in 4K.
Bizarrely, we couldnt coax Bioshock Innite, a
regular in our test suite, into oering a 4K
resolution option in its benchmarking utility,
despite being able to actually play the game in 4K. For more on how
the Titan X stacks up to the competition at lower resolutions, go to
our benchmarks page (go.pcworld.com/titanbenchmarks).
I also tested the systems using two o-the-shelf benchmarking
tools: 3DMarks Fire Strike and Unigines Valley. Both are synthetic
tests but well respected in general.
Finally, heres the power usage and thermal information. For
thermals, we run the Furmark stress test for 15 minutes and record the
GPU temperature using SpeedFan. Power usage is the total power
Every time I tried

change the resolution
or graphics settings
when using AMDs
agship, it promptly
crashed the system.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
consumed by the PC at the wall socket, measured with a Watts Up
meter during a Furmark run.
All the various Nvidia reference cards run hotter than the Radeon R9
295x2, which uses an integrated closed-loop water-cooling solution,
but none of them ever generated much noise or began throttling back
performance. No surprise, our Radeon R9 290Xwhich is known for
running hot on account of its atrocious reference coolerhangs out at
the front of the pack.
Nvidias GeForce GTX Titan X: The nal verdict

Nvidia was right: Single-GPU graphics cards dont come more powerful
than the Titan X. Its no contest. The Titan X truly is the rst solo GPU
card capable of playing 4K
games at reasonable detail
Nvidia GeForce
settings and frame rates. And
GTX Titan X
that ferocious power pushes
even further if youre playing
PROS:
with MFAA enabled,
Incredibly powerful gaming
especially if youre lucky
performance
enough to have a G-Sync
Capable of playing games at 4K
monitor to match.
resolutions with high detail settings
Still, that doesnt mean the
Quiet, relatively cool, and easily
Titan X is for everybody.
overclocked
If youre in the market for a
CONS:
graphics card this expensive,
99 percent of gamers cant aord it
raw power is obviously a major
concern. And when it comes
BOTTOM LINE:
to raw power, both the
Nvidias GeForce GTX Titan X is handsRadeon R9 295x2 and dual
down the fastest single-GPU graphics
GTX 980s running in SLI
card in the world, and the rst capable
outpunch the Titan X. While a
of gaming at 4K without having to
pair of 980s is fairly equal in
resort to a multiple-card setup.
price ($1,100 total) to a
$1,000 Titan X, the cooler
If youre looking for pure,

unadulterated, price-isno-concern single-GPU
power, that card is clearly
the Titan X.
running 295x2 is far cheaper, starting at

$700 on the street today, and available even
cheaper with rebates. Monitors bearing
AMDs FreeSync technology will also likely
cost less than competing G-Sync displays
when they hit the market, given that G-Sync
requires the use of a costly, proprietary
hardware module where FreeSync simply works over DisplayPort 1.2a.
But!
Dual-GPU solutions require compromise. For one thing, they suck up
a ton of case spacetwo full-length cards in the case of a pair of
GeForce 980s in SLI, and a long, heavy card with a sizeable water
cooling setup if you go with AMDs flagship 295x2. Drivers and
optimizations for multi-GPU setups also tend to be slower to appear
and much more nicky, as evidenced by the Shadow of Mordor
wonkiness with the 295x2. (Nvidia has had an initiative to have SLI
support on the day of launch for top titles but the lower-tier games
dont get the same commitment.)
Likewise, single-GPU graphics cards can also t in tighter spaces
than multi-GPU solutions. You could, for example, squeeze the Titan X
into a relatively small form factor PC, which would be downright
impossible with the Radeon 295x2 or dual 980s. Dual-GPU solutions
consume more power and tend to spit out more waste heat than
single cards, too.
Because of all that, our standard recommendation is to rock the
most powerful single-GPU graphics card you can buy. If youre looking
for pure, unadulterated, price-is-no-concern single-GPU power, that
card is clearly the Titan X, and the 12GB frame buer helps guarantee
the card will continue to be relevant as we move deeper into the 4K
resolution era. Hail to the new GPU king, babythough AMD has a
new generation of Radeon cards barreling down the pipeline soon.
And if youre made of cash and arent scared of running multiple
graphics cards, can you imagine how potent two Titan Xs in SLI would
be? Im quivering just thinking about it.
Chromebook Pixel excels

both as a machine and an idea
BY MELISSA RIOFRIO
THE LAPTOP YOURE about to see is as much an idea as it is a machine.
Googles new Chromebook Pixel (go.pcworld.com/cbpixel) is designed

to be the worlds best Chromebookand it is, without even trying hard,
by a yawning margin. Thats the machine part.
Now for the idea part. Two years ago, when Google introduced the
original Chromebook Pixel, you could argue it was too early. Chrome OS
was young. There wasnt enough to do with all the processing power,
and with an early-gen mobile CPU, battery life was disappointing. It was
all dressed up with nowhere to go, and it was also crazy-expensive, with
a base price of $1299 and a higher-end model that cost $1449.
Also, people looked at the Chromebook Pixel and asked, Why build
Watch the
video at
go.pcworld.
com/pixelvid
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
such a powerful laptop just to run browser-based applications? But

they were asking the wrong question. Google made the Chromebook
Pixelthe old one and the new oneto answer a dierent question:
Why not?
Why not have a flagship for the fledgling Chrome OS that can stand
with the best from Apple or any major PC vendor? Whether you
thought the Pixel was awesome or ridiculous, Google was simply
expressing its ambition to compete head-on with those two platforms.
The new Chromebook Pixel starts at $999 and has an LS model with
a faster CPU for $1299. Its still expensivejust a little less than before.
But if the new 12-inch MacBook can get 4-out-of-5 stars (go.pcworld.
com/4of5) for pedestrian performance and a tyrannical, single USB-C
port, the Chromebook Pixel must earn more than that for delivering
signicantly better speed and battery life than its predecessor, plus
signicantly more generous and versatile connectivity.
It can hold its head up among the flagships of other platforms for
beauty and features. Oh, and its the best Chromebook available by far,
as Im about to show you.
Compared side by
side, the 2015 (left)
and 2013 (right)
Chromebook Pixels
look almost identical.
The 2015 model is
slightly lighter and
thinner.
Built to be the best

Lets be honest: Its not hard to be
the best Chromebook when the
market remains largely one of
small, inexpensive, underpowered
machines. But the masses
clearly dont mind, because
Chromebooks were the top sellers
among laptops during the last
holiday season, and theyre big in
education, too.
The Pixel, by contrast, exudes
excellence, starting with its
aluminum chassis whose subtle texture almost feels soft. Google paid
attention to details, giving the Pixel crisply tailored edges and an
extremely sturdy hinge.
A slender LED lightbar near the edge of the lid flashes Googles
rainbow colors and also shows battery life. Compared to its
predecessor, this new Pixel is slightly lighter than before (3.3 pounds
compared to 3.35 pounds) and even a scant millimeter thinner (15.3
compared to 16.2).
On the sides, youll nd a lot more connectivity than weve seen on
some other new models lately (*cough* MacBook *cough*), including
right and left USB-C ports. The ports can be used with the included
power adapter from either sidea nice convenience. Google sells a
bunch of USB-C adapters: USB-C to HDMI ($40), DisplayPort ($40), or
USB-A (adapter or cable, both $13). The new Pixel also has two USB
3.1 ports, an SD card slot, and an audio jack.
Open the Pixel, and there it is: That gorgeous, 12.85-inch
touchscreen display with a 2560x1700-pixel resolution and 400-nit
brightness. Take that, Retina. Of the machines weve seen, only Dells
XPS 13 has better bragging rights, with its 3200x1800 display option.
According to Google, the new Pixels display has a wider color
gamut. We set the same wallpaper and same display settings on both
The Pixels exterior

is both luxurious
and strong, with
subtle nish to the
aluminum chassis
and a piano-style
hinge.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
The original Google

Chromebook Pixel
(left) and the
second-generation
model (right) have
the same screen
resolution, but the
newer model has a
broader color
gamut, subtly visible
in this side-by-side
comparison.
Pixels, and you can see that the new Pixel (at right in the photo) has
richer colors. Just look at the richer blue details in the surf and sky,
and the red-tinted crags on the sandy cli.
Browsermark 2.1
gets right to the
heart of the
Chrome-books
operating system,
measuring graphics
and computational
performance
within the browser.
Browsermark 2.1
Google New Pixel
(core i5 5200U)
6,095
Google Pixel
(core i5 3427Y)
4,614
Acer Chromebook
15 (Celeron 3205U)
4,115
Acer Chromebook
13 (Tegra K1)
2,260
Toshiba Chromebook
2 (Celeron N2840)
2,322
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
The cr-XPRT
performance
test measures
Chromebook
performance in
basic productivity
tasks as well as
more demanding
activities
cr-XPRT 2015 Performance

Google New Pixel
(core i5 5200U)
161
Google Pixel
(core i5 3427Y)
124
Acer Chromebook
15 (Celeron 3205U)
97
Acer Chromebook
13 (Tegra K1)
52
Toshiba Chromebook
2 (Celeron N2840)
62
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
The full-size, island-style keyboard is rm without being harsh. The

trackpad on the Pixel is bigger, and its also supposed to be more
responsive than its predecessor. I enjoyed using both for long periods.
Like I said, it wasnt hard for this to be the best-designed
Chromebook. But its also hard to nd a feature set this great on any
other premium laptop.
The Broadwell CPU silences all comers

The Pixels rst-class on the inside, too. Our model boasts a Core i5
Broadwell CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 32GB SSD. (Call the Pixel LS superultra-premium: It sports a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD.)
Intels improved its mobile CPUs signicantly since the rst Pixel
came out with an Ivy Bridge chip two years ago. Not surprisingly, in
test after test, the new Pixel left its predecessor and all other
Chromebook comers in the dust.
Browsermark 2.1 gets right to the heart of the Chromebooks
operating system, measuring graphics and computational
performance within the browser. The new Pixel is 32 percent faster
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
The cr-XPRT
battery test
provides an
estimated
rundown time
of 12.88 hours
for the new
Pixel
cr-XPRT 2015 battery life (hours)

Google New Pixel
(core i5 5200U)
12.88
Google Pixel
(core i5 3427Y)
4.62
Acer Chromebook
15 (Celeron 3205U)
7.77
Acer Chromebook
13 (Tegra K1)
9.52
Toshiba Chromebook
2 (Celeron N2840)
7.27
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
than its predecessor, let alone any other Chromebooks weve tested
recently that have advanced CPUs.
The cr-XPRT performance test measures Chromebook performance
in basic productivity tasks as well as more demanding activities, such
as watching movies or playing games.
In the cr-XPRT performance test, the new Pixel is 30 percent faster
than the old Pixel, and once again miles ahead of any other contenders.
Googles Octane 2.0 Javascript benchmark pushes hard on more
advanced browser-based activities, including productivity
applications, games, and interactive content. Googles new
Chromebook Pixel outpaced its forbear by 28 percent, and other
contenders werent anywhere close.
At this point, some people are still going to say theres nothing to do
with all that power. That argument is weaker now than it was in 2013.
Chrome and the computing world have evolved a great deal in the last
two years: There are more online games, more web-based productivity
applications, more high-end content that you can stream, and theres
more in the works. Even Adobe Photoshop, which has been a rallying
cry-slash-sacred-cow for many naysayers, is coming to Chromebooks in

online form (its already in beta if you want to try it).
Lets be honest again: Most of us have a PC thats far more powerful
than what we really need. We buy more power because we like it. The
Pixel is designed to be ready for the future, and the benchmarks show it
has muscle to spare.
Finally, the new Pixels battery life is a huge step up from before. The
Broadwell CPU helps, but
Google also designed other
eciencies into the Pixel, like
Google Chromebook
turning o the keyboard
Pixel
backlight if you dont use the
PROS:
Pixel for 30 seconds. The
Beautiful, advanced design
cr-XPRT battery test provides
Stunning, high-resolution
an estimated rundown time of
touchscreen display
12.88 hours for the new Pixel,
Signicant improvements in
compared to 4.62 for its
performance and battery life
predecessor. Other
contenders had good stamina,
CONS:
but the Pixel comes out way
Expensive
ahead once again.
BOTTOM LINE:
I saw the dierence in my
The Chromebook Pixel is clearly
hands-on time, too. I streamed
not for everyone, any more than
a movie at full-screen on both
any flagship is. Its expensive. It
the new Pixel and the old one,
pumps much more power than
using the same display
most people need. But as a
settings, of course. After 20
Chromebook, its the best you can
minutes, the old Pixel had lost
get. As a flagship, its as avant10 percent of its battery
garde as it should be and it
capacity. The new Pixel had
gives other flagships a run for
lost only 3 percent.
their overpriced money too.
The Chromebook Pixel is
$999
clearly not for everyone, any
more than any flagship is. Its
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
expensive. It pumps much more power than most people need. But as a
Chromebook, its the best you can get. As a flagship, its as avant-garde as
it should beand it gives other flagships a run for their overpriced
money, too.
Crucial MX200 Review:

A fast SSD at a nice price
BY JON L. JACOBI
CRUCIAL, BEING A Micron subsidiary, has access to NAND from its parent
companys fabs. It rolls this advantage over to you, pricing drives such as the
companys new MX200 (crucial.com/storage-ssd-mx200) lower than the
competition: $470 for the 1TB version is a bargain in a top-end drive. The kicker is,
Crucial makes even less expensive, albeit slower SSDs such as the BX100 that we
also hope to review.
Of course, other companies, such as Intel and Samsung, fab their own NAND
too, but those vendors opt to keep margins higher. They may have to re-think
that. Where Crucials older generation SSDs were only middling performers that
deserved to be discounted, the MX200 can hang with the best around. Hmm,
just as fast, cheaper...
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Ratings and warranty
Its nice that Crucial provides realistic Terabytes Written (TBW)
ratingsthat is, how many terabytes can be written before the drive
theoretically wears out: 320TBW for the $470/1TB MX200, 160TBW
for the $250/500GB model, and 80TBW for the $140/250GB version.
You might be put o because those ratings are backed by a mere
three-year warranty, but you shouldnt. As SSD warranties are of the
whichever-comes-rst variety, theres actual little dierence in terms
of total coverage from Samsungs competing 1TB 850 EVO with a
5-year warranty, but an unrealistic and rather low 180TBW rating.
The varying approaches to coverage can be leveraged to your
advantage if you know your usage scenario. Buy the EVO and be
covered for 10GB a day for ve years, or buy the Crucial and be
covered for 30GB a day
for three years.
Crucial MX200
PROS:
The most aordable top-shelf
SSD out there.
Supports encryption.
CONS:
Not the fastest at any one thing.
BOTTOM LINE:
You cant argue with the MX200s
price. However, if youre more
about capacity than performance,
consider the $400 1TB Crucial
BX100 or even Sandisks 960GB
Ultra II, which is available at a
steep discount.
$470 for 1TB
Software and
Performance
The MX200 employs the
same Marvell 889189
controller found in the
M550 SSD Crucial released
last year, but pairs it with
Microns new 16nm MLC
NAND. Thats squeezin
cells pretty close together,
which allows more in less
space, but reduces their
longevity.
Crucial now provides
Storage Executive, a
browser-based utility
that lets you see S.MA.R.T
information, download debug info (for tech support), as well as

perform rmware upgrades and reset the PSID (Physical Security ID).
The latter doesnt zero cells as a secure erase will; it simply creates a
new encryption key so that old data on the drive is
unreadable. Yes, the MX200 supports encryption.
The MX200 is not the fastest SSD weve tested at
any one thing, but its pretty darn good in all
phases, and theres no drop-o in performance
with the lower capacities. As a matter of fact, the
smaller 250GB and 500GB capacities proved
slightly faster. On my testbed, CrystalDiskMark
rated the three MX200s at about 495MBps to
500MBps reading, and 480MBps to 490MBps writing 4MB sequential
les. The drop with smaller 512KB les was only about 30MBps in
each direction.
Random reads and writes were also quite good, at 30KBps/80KBps
on single 4KB les and over 300KBps with 4KB les at a queue depth
of 32. It really doesnt get much better with a single drive on the
SATA bus. Youll need to switch to a PCIe solution or combine drives
in RAID 0 to go any faster.
The MX200 is not

the fastest SSD weve
tested at any one
thing, but its pretty
darn good in all phases
Conclusion
You cant argue with the MX200s price. Its the most aordable topshelf SSD out there. However, if youre more about capacity than
performance, consider the $400 1TB Crucial BX100 or even Sandisks
960GB Ultra II, which is available at a steep discount.
Note: The MX200 will also be available in other form factors, such
as mSATA and M.2 (SATA), but Crucial was unable to provide any at
the time of this writing.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Pillars of Eternity: The Baldur's

Gate spiritual successor
BY HAYDEN DINGMAN
IM NOT DONE with Pillars of Eternity (eternity.obsidian.net).
Lets be clear: The only context in which that statement is bad is in

the context of writing a review. Do I wish I couldve nished the game
in time to slap a score on it today? Sure, kind of.
On the other hand, Im thirty-ve hours into the game and I just
popped an achievement telling me I completed Act Two. Out of (I
think, maybe) four or ve. All week Ive inhabited this zone where Id
wake up at like, six in the morning and think, Would it be weird for me
to get out of bed right now and immediately start playing Pillars?
Because I really want to play Pillars. Theres no doubt in my mind that
if the second half of this game is as good as the rst, this is one of
2015s best games.
Endless paths
Obsidians Baldurs Gate, Innity Engine-era throwback is massive. Its
sprawling. Its exactly the type of game (I hope) fans wanted and
expected when that Kickstarter page went up two years ago. Its like
an Innity Engine game with the rough edges sanded o.
And normally thats something people say in a derogatory tone, at
least when it comes to video games. Like, Oh, they dumbed it all
down. But this time it quite literally just means taking away all the
things that didnt quite work in those games or made them
intimidating or boring or not fun to play.
For Innity Engine veterans, that means: Getting rid of THAC0. Finetuning the Miss/Miss/Miss/Miss/Crit-and-the-enemy-is-dead combat.
Adding a slow-motion mode so you can play combat (especially the
easy encounters) without needing to constantly pause and unpause.
Adding a double-speed mode that minimizes the pain of retraversing
enormous maps. Allowing you to upgrade the equipment you love
instead of throwing it away every level or two. Making inventories more
manageable. A better-sorted journal. The list goes on.
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
Make no mistake: It still feels distinctively like an Innity Engine

game, in ways the other two CRPG revivals last year (Divinity: Original
Sin and Wasteland 2) did not. Its polished, though. Modern even, in
some ways. I cant help but think a lot of that comes from the fact
Obsidian got to start from scratch here, rather than converting
Dungeons & Dragons rules into ill-tting video game form.
Ive especially come to love the games two-reservoir health system.
Your characters each have a per-encounter stat termed Endurance
and then a larger, overall stat termed Health. For instance, if a
character has 80 Endurance and 240 Health, that character will get
knocked out if Endurance hits zero but will only die if, say, knocked out
in three subsequent encounters without resting.
Contrast that with Baldurs Gateyou had one pool of health, total,
and if it reached zero you died. That made parts of the Innity Engine
games a slog because youd inevitably have one character with much
lower health than the rest of the party. Even if you beat an encounter
with your strong characters, you might be forced to reload if your
weakest character died and you didnt want to lose that party
member. Sorry, wizards.
Pillars of Eternitys change is a small, elegant renement, and thats
basically the feeling I have about the

whole game. Its the Innity Engine
game you wanted, but with some
smart tweaks that make the whole
thing just a bit more playable.
And youll need that second health
reservoir, believe me. This game is still
hard as hell. Im only playing on Normal,
and even so Ive done my fair share of
reloading. The review guide we got from
Obsidian straight-up recommended
playing on Easy, and I understand why.
Pillars is punishing, in the same way Baldurs Gate wasanyone who left
Candlekeep and immediately died at the hands of a wolf will know what I
mean. Im just now getting to a
point where I feel over-leveled,
Pillars of Eternity
and Im thirty hours in and have
done most of the side content
PROS:
so far. I cant imagine trying to
Obsidian at its best, crafting a
brute-force the main story
fantastic RPGs.
straight through.
One of 2015s best games.
CONS:
Youll have way too much money
if you regularly complete side
quests.
Pathnding is a bit janky.
BOTTOM LINE:
Obsidian once again proves that it
is the foremost RPG studio in the
world, with an understanding of
its mechanics, its lore, and (most
importantly) its story on a level
most games dont even aspire.
$44.99 for Hero Edition
Awakening
So, questing.
This might be the rst game
to utilize Pillars of Eternitys
setting, but you wouldnt know
it by the amount of worldbuilding and lore that goes on
here. Like Wasteland 2, Obsidian
proves that world-builders and
story-tellers can do some of
their best work when freed
from the shackles of voice
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
acting budgets and facial tech that doesnt quite work and cinematic
camera angles.
This is a book. A book you play. Obsidians Josh Sawyer was not
kidding when he told me that Pillars of Eternity is a game for people
who like to read, and honestly if you played the Innity Engine games
you probably already knew that. But that reading allows for some
incredible detail that other games simply cant aordrooms, people,
places, quests, everything is imbued with enough lore as to be
overwhelming if you try to take it all in. Obsidians world is an old one,
with former civilizations passed into memory and massive ruins left to
puzzle over.
But that doesnt matter a whit to your character, at least to start.
Youre a colonist, coming to the remote frontier-esque realm of
Dyrwood because youve been told all settlers will receive free land.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Turns out Dyrwood needs settlers because nobody can have babies. Or,
they can have babies, but every child birthed in the realm lately is
Hollowborna baby without a soul, or without the spark of life that
gives it true consciousness. It breathes, it blinks, but it isnt really alive.
Nobody knows why. Some blame the gods, or certain subsets of gods.
Some blame the nobility, which threw o the shackles of the Aedyr
Empire not that long ago. Still others blame animancersscientists
studying the nature of the soul. After all, animancy seems like a good
enough place to start when casting blame around for soulless babies.
And then theres you. You have the
opposite issueyour soul has
Awakened. Each soul in Pillars of
Eternity is subject to strict rules of
reincarnation, so when a person dies
his or her soul nds itself in another
body, though without any memory of
its past selves... except when
Awakened, like you. You remember
flashes of your past lives and can
actually see other peoples past
selves as well.
Why you? Thats the initial question
that sets you wending through Dyrwood, trying to uncover your own
fate while also surviving one of the most tumultuous game worlds Ive
ever experienced. Dyrwood is basically a revolution in the making. The
peasants hate the nobility. The nobility cloisters itself away from the
peasants. The Galfathansa tribal group living in the wilderness
hates the people of Dyrwood. Everyone hates the animancers. And
theres this whole Hollowborn epidemic hovering over it all.
I dont want to spoil much more, but the story so far is fantastic.
Sure, much of it can reduce down to the age-old random person saves
the world trope, but its really the amount of care put into presenting
the world that sets Pillars of Eternity apart. Its the way youll read a
random book and then six hours later realize that book was actually
intrinsic to a conversation youre having, not necessarily in terms of
actual conversation options but just because you have a deeper sense
of the world itself.
Its also interesting how the lore mirrors questions from our own
world. You can clearly see shades of debates about stem cells or the
REVIEWS
& RATINGS
role of religion in government or Has science gone
Side note:
too far? in Obsidians world, albeit couched safely in
Turn o the metagame
fantasy. And whos right? Well, nobody really.
information in conversations.
Animancers arent necessarily evil, nor are the people
You can have the game tell
against animancy. Its all shades of gray here.
you whether specic
The story is bolstered by fascinating party members:
responses are Benevolent,
The priest who looks so insane he scares people
Rational, et cetera. Disable
walking down the road, for instance, and the hulking
those indicators and just play.
Aumaua (a race) who, despite his size and strength, is
Its way more interesting to
see how your characters
mostly at your side so he can continue his scholarly
dialogue is perceived when
pursuits. Or the ranger who spent the last ve years
you dont know ahead of time.
scouring the earth in search of her former tribe
leaders reincarnated soul.
And these characters are, in turn, bolstered by
Obsidians unique character classes. The game industry seems content to
settle mostly for a ghter-rogue-wizard paradigm, and thats ne. Its
easy to understand, and the distinctions between those three are huge.
Obsidians range is both more granular and more diversethe mark
of people who have a lot of experience building these systems and a
lot of talent to back it up. Having

now dabbled in all eleven classes,
Im amazed how dierent they all
are, even amongst similar classes.
The wizard, for instance, has a lot
of heavy oensive spells to choose
from but only gets to pick one or
two when leveling up. Priests? They
get access to entire tiers of spells
when leveling, but these are mostly
support bus and heals, not oensive spells. Then theres the cipher,
whos the most interesting magic class. Like you, ciphers can see
into an enemys soul. The dierence is ciphers use this ability akin to
magic, causing enemies to for instance relive old wounds. And since
their magic deals with souls, it can only be targeted at individuals.
Bottom line
What Im saying in way-too-many words is this: Obsidian has a
reputation for crafting fantastic RPGs, and deservedly so. Pillars of
Eternity is, as far as Im concerned, Obsidian at its best ever.
There are a few odditiesyoull have way too much money if you
regularly complete side quests, I still nd it strange not getting XP from
every monster slain, and I miss some of the dynamic eects from Divinity.
Its weird to cast a lightning bolt while standing in a pool of water and
have it do nothing. Oh, and pathnding is a bit janky at times.
But Pillars of Eternity is masterful. Earlier this week Obsidian released
a documentary on the making of the game where it revealed the
studio almost shut down before Pillars. Like, entirely. Obsidian was
working on a project when the publisher pulled out, tons of sta were
laid o, and there was even an expected shutdown date in place.
What a shame that wouldve been. With Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian
once again proves that it is the foremost RPG studio in the world, with
an understanding of its mechanics, its lore, and (most importantly) its
story on a level most games dont even aspire to.
NOVELS ROCK N ROLL

STAND-UP COMEDY JAZZ
VIDEO GAMES MOVIES
COMIC BOOKS TALK RADIO
EVERY NEW ART FORM HAS ITS FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH.
OUR TIME IS NOW

FIGHT FOR YOUR VIDEO GAMES
V I D E O G A M E V O T E R S . O R G
FEATURES
Insanely Innovative, Incredibly Cool
Raspberry Pi
Projects
BY IAN PAUL
A HEAPING HELPING OF PI
The Raspberry Pis very existence can be chalked up to creativity. Ebon

Upton and the Raspberry Pi Foundation created the $35 mini-PC to
inspire students to learn computer science and enable tinkerers to
dream up wild projects without breaking the bank.
And they have! In honor of Pi Day (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day)
March 14, or 3/14and the recent release of the Raspberry Pi 2
(go.pcworld.com/raspi2), were basking in 10 of the most creative,
surprising, and downright interesting Raspberry Pi creations crafted
since the micro-PCs launch. Even better, most of the creators share
full details on how to replicate these crazy innovative projects in
your own home. Lets dig in!
FEATURES RASPBERRY PI PROJECTS
TALKING TOY
Inspired by the talking Fisher-Price Chatter
Telephone in Toy Story 3, UK-based Grant
Gibson decided to use a Raspberry Pi to
improve on the actual toy. He took a special Toy Story
edition of the Chatter Telephone (equipped with
sound clips from the movie) and added a Wi-Fienabled Raspberry Pi B+ (go.pcworld.com/raspidiy) to
it. The result is a Talking Chatter Smartphone that
can tell you the current weather, let you know whats
playing at local theaters, or listen to the radio. It even
has geo-fencing notications: When the owner leaves
the oce, the toy is alerted at home and lets everyone
else know.
Check out the full story, along with some tools to
help you build your own, on Grant Gibsons blog (go.
pcworld.com/chatter).
PICROWAVE
Why bother owning a traditional

microwave when you can swap out
some innards and create your very
own Pi-powered food nuker (go.pcworld.com/
raspimwave)?
Developer Nathan Broadbent took his
microwave apart, redesigned the touchpad,
and added some new functions like voice
control, a barcode scanner to access an online
database of cooking times, a web-based
interface for remote access, and auto-tweets
(twitter.com/rbmicrowave) for when the
timer is done.
PORTABERRY PI
Turning the Raspberry Pi into a gaming
machine is a classic use case for the mini
computeremulators for the legally gray
win!but Portaberry Pi is one of the nicer set-ups.
It includes a Raspberry Pi Model B, a 4.5-inch TFT
display, a 3D-printed case, and various components
to construct a boxy handheld retro gaming device
(go.pcworld.com/raspigaming). Check out the
nished project on (YouTube go.pcworld.com/
raspigaming2) with the device running Super
Mario World for Super Nintendo.
PIPHONE
Some Raspberry Pi projects are cool

and useful, and others are just a neat
idea. Id argue that David Hunts
Pi-powered mobile phone (go.pcworld.com/
raspiphone) falls into the latter category. This
isnt something youd want to stick in your
pocket, but its amazing to think you can take
a Raspberry Pi and combine it with a GSM
module, battery, and TFT touch screen to
create a homegrown cell phone.
PIRATE RADIO
A simple, but eective hack from Make
shows how you can turn your Raspberry Pi
into a mobile FM transmitter (go.pcworld.
com/raspiradio) to share your tunes with those
around you. The beauty of this project is its simplicity.
All you need is the Raspberry Pi basicsSD card, a
power source, and the Raspberry Piplus a piece of
wire for an antenna, some basic tools, and about an
hour of your time.
The site also warns you to be careful about
choosing a broadcast band for your new transmitter.
If you start pumping tunes on government bands or a
band used by a licensed radio station, you could quickly
end up in more trouble than the project is worth.
MAGIC MIRROR
Developer Michael Teeuw came up with a neat idea

for a home project: Create a high-tech mirror that
shows you the weather, time, and the days headlines
while youre getting ready for the day.
For his project Teeuw took a one-way mirror, attached a
display and Raspberry Pi to the back, and put it all together in a
custom-made case. Its a killer concept, and his magic mirror
inspired others to create their own versions. You can nd full
details on how he built the mirror (go.pcworld.com/raspimirror)
on Teeuws blog, along with another post showing o other
mirrors from around the world (go.pcworld.com/
raspimirrorworld).
CLUSTER COMPUTING
If using one Raspberry Pi is great, then combining a
whole bunch of them together must be even better
especially if youre trying to create a capable, yet cheap
and power-ecient computer cluster.
Je Geerling, who runs web and mobile development company
Midwestern Mac, took ve Raspberry Pi 2 devices to create a
mini-datacenter running Drupal 8 (a content management
platform for websites). Geerling calls his creation a Dramble
(Drupal + bramble) (go.pcworld.com/dramble). There are lots of
people experimenting with Raspberry Pi clusters. Even Britains
spy agency, the Government Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ) is playing around with Raspberry Pi clustersin GCHQs
case, a cluster of 66 Raspberry Piswhich it calls a Bramble (go.
pcworld.com/bramble).
IN/OUT BOARD
Heres a handy tool for anyone who needs to keep

track of a large number of roommates or family
members. Take a Bluetooth USB dongle, a monitor,
and a Raspberry Pi, and youve got yourself an automated way
to see whos at home or in the oce at a glance.
This project requires that everyone have Bluetooth activated on their smartphones, so the Raspberry Pi can identify
which devices are present. Any time someone is in range of
home, the display shows that theyre present (or at least that
their smartphone is). Check out Instructables (go.pcworld.com/
raspiwhoshome) for a step-by-step breakdown.
SEMIAUTONOMOUS
QUADCOPTER
This is a more expensive and mechanically intense
project, but whats more rewarding than building
your own Raspberry Pi-powered miniature vehicle?
UK-based Pi enthusiast Andy Baker has a breakdown of
how he built his own semi-autonomous quad-copter that
comes programmed with its own flight plan. There are quite
a few articles to read through, but this one (go.pcworld.com/
raspifltplan) is probably your best starting point. Also be sure
to check out the new quad-copter project (go.pcworld.com/
raspiquadcopter) that he started in February.
ERICA THE RHINO
The last project well look at isnt really

something you can do at home, but it is a
downright cool use of the Raspberry Pi.
This art installation by the University of
Southamptons Electronics and Computer Science
team is powered by ve Raspberry Pi devices that
allow the Rhino to move its ears, send out and read
tweets, make Rhino sounds, and even interact with
nearby viewers via smartphones. Erica has her own
website (ericatherhino.org) where you can nd out
more about this interesting art experiment.
FEATURES
Mercedes
-Benz
F 015
THE SELFDRIVING
LOUNGE
OF THE
FUTURE
BY MELISSA RIOFRIO
HE MERCEDESBENZ F 015 looks so out-of-this-world
amazing, even people who cant stand the idea of a

self-driving car might still be willing to ride in it.
And thats exactly what I didnot on city streets,
but within the controlled environment of a former
naval base. Other journalists and I chatted in the
space-age cabin while the car drove. We skimmed
music choices on integrated touchscreens that lined
the wallswhile the car drove. I waved at the dashboard
to adjust the air conditioning. The F 015 (go.pcworld.com/
benzF015) drove.
First unveiled at CES, the F 015 is just a concept car. It may never
become a retail product, and its engineers caution that some of its
capabilities are many years away from reality. Still, it takes self-driving
cars beyond Googles LiDAR-studded experiments and reconsiders
how the most cutting-edge auto tech could change peoples lives.
Why this matters: Self-driving cars may be coming in 2020, but were
The saloon
doors on the
Mercedes-Benz
F 015 concept
car open wide
for entry and
have integrated
touchscreen
displays for
infotainment.
FEATURES MERCEDES-BENZ F 015
nowhere near guring

out how to incorporate
them into our everyday
world. We dont know
how much to trust them
with the thousands of
split-second decisions
that driving requires. We
dont how to behave as
passengers or pedestrians.
And, honestly, some of
us just dont want to give
up control.
And yet, the F 015 has
captured the imagination
in a way Id normally have
expected for a car like
the Alfa Romeo 4C (go.
pcworld.com/alfa4c),
a for-reals baby Ferrari
thats the complete opposite: an adrenaline rush, not a Germanengineered nap room. So think of the F 015 as an ambassador for
autonomous driving. It inspires people to think about all these issues
simply because theyre excited about the car.
Sure, you can drive the F 015, but

wouldnt you rather kick back and
let the car worry about it?
GOING BEYOND GOOGLE
Googles experimental self-driving cars, with their whirling roofmounted LiDARS, have turned heads on San Francisco Bay Area roads
for several years. In 2014, the company unveiled a more radical, bugshaped design that had no steering wheel or brakes and embodied a
utopian vision of giving mobility back to blind men and senior citizens.
The F 015 looks a lot less quirky than the Google cars, but its more
than an aesthetic step up: Its designed under the assumption that
well be spending more time in our cars in the future. Life will be more
hectic, explained Koert Groeneveld of Mercedes-Benz. As megacities

rise, getting around a denser urban environment will take longer
and be more dicult. Private space and time will become luxury
commodities, Groeneveld predicted. A self-driving car like the F 015
would let people use the time in trac for other activities.
Thats why the F 015 looks like a lounge on wheels. Mercedes-Benz
wants you to relax while the car handles the logistics. The company
designed it with an unusually long wheelbase of 3.6 meters (about
11.8 feet) to allow for plenty of cabin room, as well as a more
comfortable ride. Even the saloon doors oer a wide, welcoming
embrace as you enter the car.
The four captains chairs have built-in seat belts and soft leather
cushioning. (Although the white leathers impracticality bales me, as
this car is denitely not self-cleaning.) The front seats turn to face the
passengers. A touchscreen coee table extends into the middle of the
space with a quick tap, and even more touchscreens are built into the
doors. Warm wood floors whisper of home.
Oh, you want to drive it? The steering wheel, accelerator and pedal
Watch the
video at
go.pcworld.
com/
benzF015vid
FEATURES MERCEDES-BENZ F 015
The Mercedes-Benz F 015

Luxury in Motion concept car
can detect pedestrians and
yield to them, beaming a safety
zone onto the ground for
added reassurance.
are still there, though they fold away when youre not driving. The
dashboard is a touchscreen, too, and you can control it using eye or
hand movements. Eye movements werent working when we demoed
the car, but the gesture control worked pretty well: You have to learn
where to hold your hand so the dashboard can sense it.
A CAR THAT COMMUNICATES
Outside the car, the F 015 combines sensors with lights and vocal
cues to communicate directly with pedestrians and other drivers. If
the F 015 sees a biped waiting to cross, for instance, itll stop, beam a
laser crosswalk onto the pavement, and tell him or her to please go
ahead. (How long until some rascals hack into this system and alter
the phrases?)
That crosswalk gimmick isnt just noblesse oblige, either. MercedesBenz is trying to gure out how a self-driving car would interact with
its environment: pedestrians, bicyclists, and other cars of course
which may or may not be self-driving.
The company set up a demo where Roomba-like rolling robots took

on these dierent roles and performed activities such as parking,
playing a lawn game, and crossing an intersection while studiously
avoiding collisions with each other.
Our ride ended all too soon. I had just set up a panoramic view of
verdant forests on the touchscreens. Our driver shooed us out and
used a smartphone app to send the F 015 to its parking space.
Engineers checked it over carefully, while hungry cameras snapped at
the car from behind.
My reluctance to leave the F 015 highlights the most intriguing
idea about this concept car: Its designed for lingering. The comfy
chairs, huge touchscreen vistas, and sociable seating intend to make
your journey into something relaxing rather than arduous.
I dont like the idea that Ill need all this comfort because the future
holds nothing but trac jams and two-hour commutes. But I do like
the idea that this car could save me from tracs worst stresses, and
that might be worth giving up some control.
MercedesBenz used
rolling robots
to demonstrate
how a selfdriving car
would function
in an open
environment.
The blue-lit
car at upper
right heads for
a parking spot
while avoiding
the pedestrians
walking nearby.
SURE,
AT FIRST I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK
BY THE WHOLE PEEING STANDING UP THING.
BUT I TAUGHT HIM TO THROW A STICK
AND NOW HANGING OUT WITH HIM
IS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY.
EINSTEIN
adopted 12-09-10
HERES
HOW
132 Try these 5
undiscovered Google
Drive tricks
137
143
8 Gmail mobile app

tricks for iOS and
Android
How to run Windows
software in Linux
147
Hassle-Free PC
3 tips for easier
migration to a new
browser
149 Answer Line

What to do if
someone steals your
IP address
HERES
HOW
How to build, maintain,

and x your tech gear.
Try these 5 undiscovered

Google Drive tricks
Google Drive and its attendant apps offer a wealth of tools to
help you be more productive. Try these ve for the biggest boost.
BY MICHAEL ANSALDO
Using Google
Chrome, you
can set Google
Drive's apps to
work oline.
Work offline
Like it or not, there are times when you have to work without an
Internet connection. Fortunately, Google Drive has an oline
mode that lets you create, view, or edit documents in these
situations.
Youll need the Chrome browser to activate the oline feature. Go
to your Google Drive account, click the gear icon in the upper right
corner and select Settings. On the General tab, make sure the box
labeled Sync Google Doc, Sheets, Slides, & Drawings les to this
computer so that you can edit oline is checked. Youll need to work
in Google Drive in Chrome when you dont have a connection, but all
your changes will sync once youre back online.
Search for links from within a document
Normally when you want to add links to a document, you have

to go through the tedious process of opening a new browser
tab, searching for the page you want to link to, copying the
URL, and going through the steps to link the text.
Google Search, however, is incorporated right into Google Docs so
you never have to leave the page to add a link. Just highlight some
text, select Insert > Link, and type your search into the link dialog box
that appears. Google will display a list of matches. Click the one you
want to add the link to your text.
Keep track of revision history
Keeping tabs on all the changes made to a document,

particularly a collaborative eort, can get dizzying quickly. But
Google Drive makes it easy to see all the changes you and
others have made to any document, presentation, slideshow, or
drawing. You can even revert to earlier versions of a le, if need be.
To see the revision history of a Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drawings le,
click File > See revisions history. Select a timestamp in the revision
pane to see that version of the le. Below the timestamp youll see
the names of each person who edited that le. The exact edits they
made are shown in the document in the same color that appears next
to their name.
By default, revisions are grouped into general time frames, but you
can view more granular details by clicking Show more detailed revisions
at the bottom of the revisions pane. To revert to the version youre
currently viewing, click Restore this revision.
Revision history
helps untangle
a documents
changes and
revert to earlier
versions.
HERES HOW
Use the web clipboard
A little known feature of Google Drive is its web clipboard,

which lets you copy and paste data across Docs, Sheets, and
Slides. Unlike your operating systems clipboard, it can hold
multiple items at once, and because its associated with your Google
account, its contents are accessible across all your devices.
To use the web clipboard, select some text, a drawing, or other data
and go to Edit > Web clipboard > Copy to web clipboard. Youll see that
data added to the list of items on the web clipboard menu. When your
menu starts to get too full, just select Clear all items. Items will
automatically clear if they havent been accessed within 30 days.
Publish to the web
Google Drives sharing feature is great when you want to

make a document available to a handful of people, but what
if you want a wider viewing audience? For that, use Drives
Publish feature.
Web clipboard
holds multiple
snippets of data
and makes them
available across
all your devices.
you can choose to publish

an entire spreadsheet or just
single sheets, set the speed at
which a presentations slides
advance, and choose the
image size of a drawing.
To publish a document,
spreadsheet, presentation, or
drawing, open the le and
click File > Publish to the Web.
Certain le types have some
customization options
available on the menu: You
can choose to publish an
entire spreadsheet or just
single sheets, set the speed at which a presentations slides advance,
and choose the image size of a drawing. When youre ready, click
Publish, then copy the link that appears and send it to everyone you
want to view to le.
If you want the published le to update automatically when you
make changes to the original, go to the File menu and select Publish
to the Web > Published content & settings. Check the box labeled
Automatically republish when changes are made. To remove the
published le, select Stop publishing.
HERES HOW
8 Gmail mobile app tricks

for iOS and Android
BY BEN PATTERSON
THERES MORE TO the recently revamped Gmail app than a pretty
Material Design. You can manage threads, sync subfolders, get
notications and more. We found eight new Gmail tricks for Android
and iOS that will make your life easier.
Set a vacation responder (Android, iOS)

You can set a vacation reminder directly from the Gmail app, perfect
for letting friends, loved ones, and coworkers know that you wont be
replying for a good long while.
For Android: Tap the menu button in the top-left corner of the
screen, scroll down and tap Settings, then tap the Gmail account for
which youd like to set an out-of-oce message. Tap Vacation
Responder, then ll in the start and end dates, a subject line, and the
body of your message. Checking the box next to Send only to my
contacts will ensure that only people you know will get the message.
Flip the Vacation responder switch on, then tap Done.
For iOS: Tap the menu button in the top-left corner of the page,
then tap the Settings button (the one shaped like a gear) next to your
email address. Flip the Vacation Responder switch, then ll in the
blanksyou know, start and end dates, subject line, message, and so
on. Tap the Save button.
Bonus tip: Any vacation message you set in the web version of Gmail
will automatically sync with the Vacation Responder settings for the
Gmail app, and vice versa.
Shush an annoying email thread (Android, iOS)

Gmail makes it easy to mute an annoying message threadlike the
kind where everyone chimes in with a congrats! or so cute! or see
HERES HOW
you there...over and over again. Once muted, the

thread wont appear in your inbox again unless
youre the only person in the To eld.
See a message thread youd like to mute? Open
it, tap the three-dot (for Android) or down-arrow
(for iOS) menu in the top corner of the screen,
then tap Mute.
Want to unmute a message? Search for
is:muted, open the muted message youd like to unmute, then
move it back to the inbox. That will clear the threads Muted label.
Automatically sync
message folders
besides the inbox
(Android)
By default, the Gmail app syncs
only your inbox (or inboxes, if
youre signed into multiple
accounts). All your other
message folderser, labelswill only be synced when you open them
manually. You can set the Gmail app to sync some or all of your labels
automatically, not just the inboxand that will give you some
interesting options when it comes to email notications.
Tap the menu button in the top-left corner of your Gmail inbox,
scroll down and tap Settings, then select a Gmail account. Next, scroll
down to the Data Usage section and tap Manage labels. Select a label,
tap Sync messages, then pick an option: None, Last 30 days (or another
period of time), or All.
Bonus tip: The more labels you sync, the more mobile data youll use,
so you may want to sync your Gmail labels sparingly.
Get notications for the Gmail labels you

choose (Android)
Now your Gmail app is syncing some of your labels, how about
getting a notication whenever a new message with that label hits
your account? That could come in handy if youve got Gmail lters
that automatically label messages as they arrive, bypassing your
inbox as a result.
Go back to the Manage labels setting. Tap the menu button at the
top of your inbox, scroll down, tap Settings, select an account, tap
Manage labels, then pick a label that youre syncing.
Check the Label notications box, then choose an alert tone, toggle
vibrations on or o, and decide whether you want a notication for
each new message with a given label.
Decide how many messages youd like to sync

(Android)
Back when we were learning how to sync messages with certain Gmail
labels, one option was how many days of messages youd like the
Gmail app to sync: none, a specic number, or all.
You can decide how many messages youd like Gmail to sync for your
inbox and other specied labelsanywhere from one to a hundred or
more. (Again, the more old messages you sync, the more mobile data
youll use.)
HERES HOW
Tap the menu button in the top-left

corner of your Gmail inbox, scroll down
and tap Settings, then tap an account. Tap
Days of mail to sync and make a selection.
Swipe between message

threads (Android, iOS)
Heres a handy little Gmail feature thats
easy to miss. Want to read the next
message thread in your inbox? No need to
tap the Back button to return to the inbox screen. Instead, just swipe
from right to left (for older threads) or left to right (for more recent
threads).
Attach big Google Drive les to your messages

(Android, iOS)
With a little help from Google Drive, you can send a massive leas in,
say, more than a few GBto a friend via email, or deliver a large batch
of les.
Dont have a Google Drive account? Well, if youre using Gmail,
youve actually got one already (drive.google.com).
First, youll need to load the les you want to send into Google Drive.
Open your Google Drive account, then drag the le you want to send
onto the web page. The le should begin uploading automatically.
Next, open the Gmail app, compose a new message or reply to an
existing one, tap the Attach button (it looks like a paperclip), then tap
Insert from Drive.
Find the le you want to send, tap it, then tap the Select button (for
Android) or the curved arrow (on iOS).
Check a non-Gmail account (Android)

Nope, Gmail isnt just for Gmail any more. The latest version of the
Gmail app for Android lets you add non-Gmail email accounts, such as
Yahoo Mail, Outlook, or any account that supports the POP or IMAP
email protocols.
Just tap the menu button in the top-left corner of your inbox, tap
your email address, tap Add account, select Personal (IMAP/POP), then
tap OK.
For popular email services like Yahoo and Outlook, Gmail should be
able to guide you through the setup process using nothing but your
email account and password. Otherwise, you may need to know some
other information, such as your email providers POP and IMAP
settings. For those details, check your providers Help pages.
HERES HOW
How to run Windows

software in Linux
BY CHRIS HOFFMAN
LINUX IS MORE capable than ever. With over 1000 Linux games
available on Steam and a general shift towards more web-based
desktop software, theres less need for Windows than ever. After all,
you can now watch Netflix on Linux without any hacks, and you can
even use Microsoft Oce on Linuxa web-based version of it, at least.
But, as most dedicated Linux desktop users will eventually discover,
there comes a time when you just need to run a particular piece of
Windows software on your

Linux PC. There are quite a
few ways to do so. Heres
what you need to know.
Wine
Wine is a way to run Windows
software on Linux, but with
no Windows required. Wine
(winehq.org) is an opensource Windows
compatibility layer that can
run Windows programs
directly on your Linux
desktop. Essentially, this open-source project is attempting to
re-implement enough of Windows from scratch that it can run all
those Windows applications without actually needing Windows.
This is the only method here that wont actually require a copy of
Windows, but the downside is that it wont run every application
properly. You may encounter bugs or performance issues, especially if
youre using Wine to play video games. But if youre running a popular
game released a few years ago, you may nd that it performs very well.
Many people use Wine to play World of Warcraft on Linux, for
example. You can get an idea of how an application will run and any
tweaks it might require by visiting the Wine Application Database
website (appdb.winehq.org) and searching for that application.
First, download Wine from your Linux distributions software
repositories. Once its installed, you can then download .exe les
for Windows applications and double-click them to run them with
Wine. You can also try PlayOnLinux (playonlinux.com), a fancy
interface over Wine that will help you install popular Windows
programs and games.
Codeweavers also oers a commercial version of Wine, known as
CrossOver Linux (go.pcworld.com/crossoverlinux). You have to pay
PlayOnLinuxs
version of
Wine, running
on Ubuntu
HERES HOW
to use it, but Codeweavers tries to go out of their way to ocially

support popular applications (like Microsoft Oce, Adobe Photoshop,
and some big PC games) and ensure they work properly. Codeweavers
also contributes its changes back to the main Wine project.
Virtual machines
Virtual machines are a very convenient way to run Windows software
on your Linux PC. As PCs have gotten faster, virtual machines have
become comparatively more lightweight.
This process involves installing
a copy of Windows in a virtual
machine program like
VirtualBox (virtualbox.org),
VMware, or Linuxs built-in KVM
(Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
(linux-kvm.org) solution. That
copy of Windows thinks its
running on real hardware, but
its really running in a window on
your desktop. Modern virtualmachine solutions can even
break Windows programs
running in the virtual machine out of that window, allowing them to
act like normal windows on your Linux desktop.
This solution is more foolproof than Wine. As youre running those
Windows applications on an actual copy of Windows, you wont
encounter bugs.
Using a virtual machine does require a full copy of Windows,
however, and there is more hardware overhead because that copy of
Windows has to be running alongside your primary operating system.
In particular, demanding PC games that need access to your
computers graphics card wont perform well at allyoure better o
with Wine for those. But for productivity applications like Microsoft
Oce or Adobe Photoshop, this is an excellent solution.
VirtualBox in
Ubuntu Linux.
Dual-booting
Dual-booting isnt technically a way to run Windows software on Linux
itself, but it is how many Linux users run Windows software. Rather
than using it directly under Linux, you just reboot your computer,
choose Windows, and boot into Microsofts operating system. The
Windows software can then run in its native environment. Thanks to
modern solid-state drives (go.pcworld.com/ssd), that reboot process
should be faster than ever.
This is particularly ideal if
youre a PC gamer who just
cant give Windows up yet.
Rather than forgoing all those
Windows games, you can just
reboot your computer when
you want to play Windowsonly games. As youre using
plain-old Windows running
directly on the hardware, you
wont have to deal with any
compatibility or performance
headaches.
The best way to set up a dual-boot system is to install Windows
rstif your computer came with Windows installed, thats good
enough. Next, install the Linux distribution of your choice and tell it
to install alongside Windows. Youll then be able to choose your
preferred operating system each time you boot your computer. This
Ubuntu guide (go.pcworld.com/ubuntuwindualboot) to installing
Linux beside Windows can help walk you through the process.
The best option really depends on what youre trying to do. If you need
to run a single application or game that works well in Wine, Wine may
be ideal. If you need to run a variety of desktop applicationslike the
most modern versions of Oce and Photoshop, a virtual machine will
be best. If youre a PC gamer who still wants to play the latest Windows
games, dual-booting will give you the performance you want without
the headaches of Wine.
Installing Linux
in a dual-boot
conguration.
HASSLE-FREE PC
HERES
HOW
BY IAN PAUL
3 tips for easier migration

to a new browser
RECENTLY, I SWITCHED to Firefox after Chrome became unresponsive
and buggy one too many times. Switching between browsers never used
to be a big deal, but thats just not the case now. We customize these
programs with extensions, sync open tabs to our mobile devices, and, if
youre using Chrome, run apps like theyre native to the desktop. If youre
thinking about moving between browsers, we show you three things to
consider as you plan your move.
Know your sync
A key feature for many users is being able to move seamlessly

between open browser tabs on any device as well as access your
complete browsing history. Google makes this really easy for
Android users with Chrome, but other browsers also oer this feature.
Firefox has a feature called Sync that syncs all your browsing data
between devices, and Operas is called Link. Firefox is available on Android
(an iOS browser is in the works), while Opera has mobile browsers on
Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. If youre using Safari on an iPhone and a
Windows PC, youre a little more limited to what you can sync, but iCloud
does allow you to sync your Safari bookmarks with Internet Explorer.
Bookmarks
You cant go anywhere without your bookmarks, but luckily this

was a problem that was solved a long time ago. We wont go into
detail on how to move your bookmarks here. Instead, Ill point you
in the right direction for all four major browsers on Windows.
> Chrome: import or export (go.pcworld.com/chromemove)

> Firefox: import (go.pcworld.com/refoximport),
export (go.pcworld.com/refoxexport)
> Internet Explorer: import or export (go.pcworld.com/explorermove)

> Opera: import or export (go.pcworld.com/operamove)
Check out your new extensions or add-ons
Everybodys usually got a few tweaks theyve added to their

browser via extensions--also known as add-ons in Mozilla-speak.
The one thing youll want to make sure of is that any mission
critical services carry over to your new browser, such as a browser-based
password manager or services like Evernote.
The reality, however, is that sometimes you may have to give things up or
nd an alternative. Firefox users wont nd NoScript on Chrome, but there
are a few alternatives that do something similar. Chrome users moving to
Firefox will have to give up Hangouts as a stand-alone app unless theyre
willing to try an unocial add-on or just run Chrome in the background to
keep Hangouts going. Many of the mainstream services will oer
extensions on all the major browsers, but niche stu like Vimium may be
harder to replace.
Those are the main points to think about when moving between
browsers. There are other considerations such as the browser interface,
how tabs behave on certain websites, and so on, but those are issues that
come down to personal preference more than anything else.
ANSWER LINE
HERES
HOW
BY LINCOLN SPECTOR
What to do if someone
steals your IP address
Sam Cooks ISP informed him that he has been downloading illegal material.
He has done no such thing. He asked me to help him solve this problem.
Neither your ISP nor anyone else can actually tell what you are doing
on the Internet. But they can follow the activity of your public IP
addressthe one your router uses to access the Internet. And if
someone else uses that address for unsavory purposes, you could
become a prime suspect.
Your public IP address is readily accessible on the Internet. Anyone
can use it to discover your general location (your neighborhood, not

your house) and your ISP. Your ISP can identify it as yours and will do
so if subpoenaed.
So how could someone else be using
your public IP address?
It could very likely be someone you
live with. Everyone using your home
network is using the same public IP
address. Have a very serious talk with
your family or roommates.
Another possibility: A neighbor may
have hacked into your Wi-Fi network and
is now using it without your permission.
You can stop this by changing your Wi-Fi networks password and
tightening your routers security.
Something else to keep in mind: Most home Internet connections
use a dynamic IP address. From time to time, your address will change.
When your ISP accuses you of illegal activity, ask them how long youve
had that particular address. Yes, they should have looked that up
before contacting you, but we all know that ISPs often lack sterling
customer service records.
Finally, its possible that someone far away could actually be
spoong your IP address. Discuss the possibility with your ISP, and ask
them to give you a new IP address. If they comply and the illegal
activity stops, youve solved the problem.
Everyone using your

home network is using
the same public IP
address. Have a very
serious talk with your
family or roommates.
Tech Spotlight
A video showcase of
the latest trends
Watch the
video at
go.pcworld.
com/alfa4cvid
Alfa Romeo 4C: The

high-tech car you
might actually want
The Alfa Romeo

4C is a snarling,
stupid-fast Italian exotic thats actually dicult to drive.
But for all its impolite behavior, the Alfa Romeo 4C is
also packed with technologytechnology that stands
in stark contrast to the battery-powered propulsion and
robot driving aids so routinely hyped by todays
technology press.
enhanced editions
Get your digital

PCWorld now!
The best way to experience
PCWorld magazine on your device.
The enhanced editions on Android, iPad, and Kindle provide
these kinds of interactivity and more!
VIDEOS: Tap and play videos
SLIDESHOWS: Swipe
360-DEGREE VIEWS:
(with Internet connection).
image to activate slides.
See products from all angles.
Get it here: go.pcworld.com/digital

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Monthly recurring, $1.99 per month; single issue, $6.99

PC World USA 2015-05

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PC World USA 2015-05

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

PC World USA 2015-05

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

INSIDE: High-tech cars from Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz

HANDS ON WITH THE

Full Windows and a new CPU make all the difference

wireless desktop scanner

53 Reviews & Ratings

131 Heres How

124 Mercedes-Benz F 015

151 Tech Spotlight

Tap icons for

REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS

QUESTIONS AND COLUMNS

The Hunger Is campaign is a collaboration between The

New 3D NAND flash

The TAG Heuer

ith the Surface 3 (go.pcworld/surface3), Microsoft nally

dove straight in as soon as we received our unit.

A smaller Surface Pro 3

dock with the new tablet.

Performance: better than youd expect

3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2

Apple iPad Air 2

LONGER LINE INDICATES BETTER PERFORMANCE

Google Octane V2 Performance

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2

LONGER LINE INDICATES BETTER PERFORMANCE

In Googles Octane test of JavaScript performance, the Surface 3

Geekbench 3 Single-Core Performance

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2

Apple iPad Air 2

LONGER LINE INDICATES BETTER PERFORMANCE

mode to improve compatibility with the prior-generation

Building a better econobox

New 3D NAND flash will

STANDARD CONSUMER SSDS will increase up to an astounding 10TB of

and 384Gbit triple-level cell (TLC) die that t within a standard

Triple capacity boost

You can see from

information wasnt disclosed.

Why this matters

Microsoft to launch universal

richness of desktop apps. Microsoft claims that the

The new universal

.sucks domain is coming to

The Sunrise Premium names were originally slated to go on sale

likely given the Internets love of cats, MickeyMouse.sucks.

Into the hands of the proletariat

If you build it, will they hate?

into life, but what about XboxOneReally.sucks, XboxOneReallyReally.

Windows 10 build 10061:

vicariously. Ive spent some time poking and prodding at Windows 10

gained some transparency,

Vastly improved Mail and Calendar apps

biggest additions: overhauled apps galore.

The new Calendar

slap-ght with Google. Finally. Id been forced to stop using Windows

Xbox app power-up

PrtScrn. Alas, the work laptop on which Ive installed Windows 10

ditching its predecessors full-screen main story splash and