Summary of "PC Perspective Podcast 328 - 12/04/14"
Episode overview
PC Perspective Podcast #328 — recorded Dec 3, 2014
Short, focused recap of the technical coverage: reviews, test analysis, product notes and staff picks.
Reviews, product coverage and key takeaways
In‑Win (Wind) D‑Frame Mini (aluminum & glass Mini‑ITX case)
- Design: open‑air / test‑bench hybrid with an all‑aluminum frame, glass side panels, built‑in carry handle and configurable orientation. PSU mounts externally.
- Compatibility: Mini‑ITX only; can accept a 240 mm radiator.
- Construction: highly finished TIG‑welded build, very portable (~10 lb).
- Price: expensive (around $350).
- Pros: excellent build quality, modular shelves, flexible layout.
- Cons: exposed internals (dust, fingers/pets), high cost.
PC Perspective 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
- Multi‑staff picks covering cases, GPUs, SSDs and accessories.
- Staff recommended shopping via provided Amazon links (affiliate links noted on the show).
Fractal Design Define R5 (silent mid‑tower)
- Focus: sound‑damping with lined panels, damped fan shrouds and quiet hydraulic‑bearing fans.
- Noise: very quiet; only ~1–2 dB change with front door closed.
- Features: modular drive cages/trays, roomy interior, easy cable management.
- Value: good value at roughly $109–$120 and competes with higher‑end cases for quiet builds.
G‑Sync / ROG Swift artifact / “flicker” analysis
- Observed issue: visible brightness artifacts during complete frame/driver stalls. When the GPU/pipeline stalls and forces much lower effective refresh (e.g., 144 Hz → ~30 Hz), fast LCD pixels “relax” between updates and produce apparent brightness spikes.
- Measurements: used brightness sensors and oscilloscope traces showing high‑frequency refresh ripples and larger spikes coinciding with forced low‑refresh frames.
- When it occurs: most noticeable when a game completely stalls (no frames), common in some MMOs and certain loading/transition screens (example: Portal elevator).
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NVIDIA comment (summarized):
LCD pixels relax after refresh; lower refresh can appear ~1–2% brighter — usually barely perceptible in normal operation.
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Conclusion: behavior is consistent with the physics of low‑persistence, high‑response LCD panels. The hosts developed a test method and plan to do similar FreeSync testing later. Note: OLED would behave differently because it holds states rather than relying on refresh relaxation.
MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming (review/highlights)
- Cooling/noise: very quiet; large fans and heatpipe design.
- Overclocking: strong headroom — roughly +250 MHz yielded consistent ~1.58 GHz in‑game.
- Thermals: GPU temps kept under 70 °C.
- Power: lower consumption than AMD R9 290X.
- Performance/price: with an OC, competes well with 290X in many titles. Price tradeoff: GTX 970 ≈ $350 vs R9 290/290X ≈ $300–$320.
- Notes: consider multi‑monitor/DisplayPort needs (some partner cards limit DP outputs). Some partner boards use mixed power connectors (6 + 8 pin); pay attention for SLI/multi‑G‑Sync setups.
ASUS / other GTX 970 DirectCU Mini (small form factor 970)
- Mini‑ITX form factor GTX 970s provide strong performance and good cooling in compact builds.
- Caveat: sometimes limited display output options, which can impact multi‑G‑Sync or multi‑monitor setups.
News & technical commentary
- Hardware myths video: a humorous teardown/exposé on component similarities — viral/fun content.
- Far Cry 4 CPU requirement:
- The game requires four logical cores to run and may not launch on some dual‑core CPUs unless the core‑count check is bypassed.
- Trend: more games expecting 4+ threads to match console parity. Hyperthreading or OS core reporting can sometimes provide a workaround.
- Windows 10 codec support:
- Native support planned for HEVC (H.265), FLAC and MKV — reducing the need for third‑party codec packs and players.
- Intel 3D NAND analysis (32‑layer 3D NAND):
- Intel/Micron use layered vertical cell stacks (32 layers). Intel reportedly using larger die capacities (for example, 256 Gb per die) vs Samsung’s smaller‑die approach.
- Implications:
- Samsung’s smaller die + more dice → more internal parallelism → potentially larger write throughput gains.
- Intel’s larger die could blunt throughput improvements but aims to improve cost per gigabyte via density and wafer efficiency.
- Hosts performed “napkin math” to estimate real‑world effects. Conclusion: Intel’s 3D NAND may drive costs down, but may not deliver the same write‑speed jump for small‑capacity SSDs unless other architectural changes are used. Final verdict awaits actual drives and datasheets.
Picks of the week (staff picks)
- Alan: Intel 730 SSD (Shell Shocker deal) — enterprise‑derived consumer SSD with strong low IO latency; 240 GB ≈ $110, 480 GB ≈ $200 (time‑sensitive deal).
- Jeremy: I Am Bread (game) — quirky physics‑based indie title; cheap and novelty fun.
- Josh: Corsair / NZXT Carbide 300R (mid‑tower) — affordable ($69–$87 for windowed), roomy, good cable management; great for test rigs and budget builds.
- Sebastian: Nexus 6 — 6” OLED flagship with surprisingly good color calibration/contrast for OLED; comfortable once used to the size and offers a pure Android experience.
Speakers / sources (main participants)
- Alan Malventano
- Jeremy Hellstrom
- Josh Walrath
- Sebastian Peak
(Also referenced repeatedly: Ryan Shrout — absent; Ken — office/admin mentions)
Category
Technology
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