Introducing Leap

The technology industry has been searching for years for an input method to replace the traditional keyboard and mouse. Many believe touch could be the future, which has already proven itself with mobile devices, but is less convincing for the desktop. Others are betting on voice, with "Siri" like features allowing the user to interact with the device through natural language processing.

This all sounds possible, but like others I have been waiting for a truly revolutionary input method, something that feels like it's been taken directly from a sci-fi movie.

Introducing Leap, which represents a new way to interact with desktop or laptop computer. The concept is similar to Microsoft's Kinect, but instead of working in the living room, it has been specifically designed for a closed environment, such as your desk. Leap Motion (the company behind Leap) state that "it's more accurate than a mouse, as reliable as a keyboard and more sensitive than a touchscreen". If that turns out to be true, we could be on to a winner! Check out the video demonstration below:

Leap is currently available for pre-order in the US for $75 and is expected to start shipping in December 2012. If Leap Motion can deliver on their vision, I think this could be a very interesting product, although the six month wait is a little disappointing.

Personally, I believe the future will likely include multiple input methods, even for a single device. Meaning you could use touch, leap and voice separately for different scenarios or potentially simultaneously. For example, I could imagine typing on a touchscreen, while checking my calendar or making a quick note via voice.

Either way, I love to see new IT innovation and Leap looks very cool. Let's hope they make it to production and the final version looks and works like the demonstration video.

Windows 8 User Experiance

A few weeks ago Microsoft announced that the Windows 8 Release Preview (AKA Release Candidate) will be made available in the first week of June 2012. This will likely be the final milestone before the official launch later in the year (expected in September).

As we draw closer to the June date, the Microsoft team have continued to update their "Building Windows 8 Blog", which includes the most recent novel (I mean article) about the Windows 8 User experience. As with previous posts the team have gone into excruciating detail about the decisions they have made. However buried deep in the article is a single screenshot showing the new Desktop user interface that is set to replace Aero (used in Windows Vista and 7).

As you can see, the new desktop user interface has a flatter, more metro look (which I guess is to be expected), but still retains a familiar feel. Hopefully this change will help to bridge the gap between the desktop and Metro, which I still see as the biggest challenge for Windows 8.

As previously stated, the Windows 8 Release Preview will be available to everyone for free in the first week of June, with the final release expected in September.

My Next PC - Setup and Overclocking

This is the third part in a series of articles documenting my new PC build. I suggest you check out my previous two articles "Building My Next PC - Intel Ivy Bridge" and "My Next PC - The Build" before proceeding.

The final phase of the build process is setup and overclocking. When it comes to overclocking I am always interested in finding the best 24x7 settings that balance performance, temperature and sound. It's always great fun trying to find the maximum achievable performance for each component, but if the system is only stable for a few minutes, or sounds like a hair dryer, then in my opinion it's already a failure.

I don't intend for this article to be an overclocking guide, but I will share any rules that I follow, including any tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way. A great starting point is research, specifically to understand the limits of each of your components. For example, what is the maximum recommended power and heat specification for each component you intend to overclock? The best way to find this information is to head over to the manufacturers website or community forums. You can see the details for my new system below:

This information is critical when overcloking as it sets your limits to ensure you don't damage any of your components. It should be noted that the information above is for air cooling, therefore if you have high end water cooling or are using liquid nitrogen (some people do), then you will likely have a different set of limits (due to the lower temperatures).

The next step is to start the testing process. For this I make sure I test each component individually (with all other components at default) to find the maximum value for each. I normally start with the processor, moving to the memory and finally the graphics card, however this is personal preference.

To guarantee a component is stable I normally run a batch of tests that aim to push the system to 100% utilisation (essentially a stress test). Throughout the entire testing process I carefully monitor the voltage and temperature using CPUID HWMonitor and GPU-Z, as well as look for any unusual behavior (display artifacts, software errors, etc). In my opinion, if a component can pass each test without breaching any of the previously mentioned limits (for example temperature) then it can be considered stable. The batch of tests I complete are:

• Prime95 (1 hour)
• SuperPi (32M)
• 3DMARK 11 (Performance Mode)
• PCMARK 7

The entire test process takes approximately 2 hours, which can be a pain but is a necessary evil to ensure the system is stable. Once I have found the maximum stable performance / voltage / temperature ratio I normally scale back a touch for my 24x7 settings. At this point I reset to default and move on to the next component. Only once I have data for all the components do I combine the configuration.

Now you know my process, let's dive into the overclocking results. Firstly the max stable overclock results, which can be seen in the table below:

One issue with using cutting edge components is that the software is not mature, which unfortunately resulted in an issue with memory compatibility, meaning the system refused to POST at anything above 1600MHz (11-11-11-28 2N). This is disappointing and will probably result in a 5-10% performance impact (when compared to the sweet spot - 2133MHz). I have spoken with MSI regarding the challenge and they expect to have a BIOS update available soon to resolve the issue.

With that said, the processor and graphics card both achieved very good results. With a 32% increase for the processor and a 33% increase for the graphics card. It should also be noted that the Sapphire HD 7950 OC comes pre-overclocked by 100MHz and therefore this new overclock value can actually be considered a 50% increase over a stock 7950! The load temperatures (Prime95) are a little high for my liking, but the system remained stable and within specification.

The next set of results show my 24x7 settings. Again the memory remains stock, but the processor and graphics cards see a decent increase, with acceptable temperatures.

Overall this is a 26% increase for the processor and a 22% increase for the graphics card (or 37% increase over a stock 7950). This puts the graphics card above AMD's current flagship (Radeon HD 7970), which has a default clock speed of 1050MHz and would cost an additional £100.

For those who are interested I have included screenshots of the BIOS setup and graphics card overclock settings below. It's key to remember that every component is different and therefore simply copying my configuration may not achieve the same results.

The first screenshot shows the "Overclocking Setting" page of MSI's UEFI BIOS. Personally I disable the majority of Intel's power saving features such as EIST, however you should be able to keep these enabled without impacting your overclock.

The second half of the "Overclocking Setting" shows the voltages, that are all set to "Auto" except the VCore which is manually set to 1.250v.

Finally the "CPU Features" page, which are primarily set to "Disabled". Again this is personal preference, as I am happy to run my system at 100% 24x7, without Intel's C-State power saving features kicking in.

Moving on to the graphics card. Although it's possible to overclock using the AMD Catalyst Control Center, you don't get access to the voltages, which is critical if you want to hit the high numbers! This is where the Sapphire proprietary software "TRIXX" comes into play. You can also use Afterburner which is popular tool from MSI that can also be used with other manufacturers graphics cards.

MSI also have a piece of software called "ClickBIOS II" that allows you to modify BIOS settings from within Windows. This apparently works very well, however I'm "old school" and prefer to make my changes directly from the BIOS.

Benchmark Results

There is a good chance you skipped straight to this section. The benchmark results below show my 24x7 settings (outlined above) compared against my old system.

As you can see from the results, the performance increase across the board are quite dramatic. With SuperPi coming in under 8 minutes and a 3DMARK 11 score of 8769! Even the solid sate drives running in RAID0 have shown an impressive increase over the single drive, however without TRIM support it will be interesting to see if this level of performance lasts. For a full breakdown of the results head over to the image gallery.

That's it! Overall my new Ivy Bridge PC has been a pleasure to build and I will continue to tweak the setup over the next few months. My hope is that once the platform matures (new BIOS updates and drivers) I will be able to push it a little harder and get even better results, but even now it's a monster!

MacBook Pro Update Imminent?

I've been eagerly anticipating the release of a new MacBook Pro. In my opinion the Pro range is overdue a significant update, with the MacBook Air receiving most of the attention over the past few years.

We have already had a few false starts, but with the recent release of Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture and some interesting GeekBench scores appearing online, I think this could finally be it!

The GeekBench score shown below popped up online recently and appears to show an unreleased MacBookPro version (v9,1) running an Intel Core i7 3820QM (which happens to be an Ivy Bridge part), as well as an unreleased build of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. This leads me to believe that this is an internal test unit, which someone may have accidentally (on purposes) uploaded GeekBench scores for.

So what else can we tell from the GeekBench scores? Unfortunately not a lot. We know that the i7 3820QM is a 45-watt chip and therefore would likely be positioned for a 15" or 17" model. We can also see that it has 8GB RAM, which is a great starting point. What we can't tell is if this version includes a new form factor, integrated Apple SSD or a Retina Display, therefore there is still plenty for Apple to announce.

It should also be noted that GeekBench scores have also appeared for an unreleased version of the iMac, which I would expect to get a similar Ivy Bridge update.

Based on the fact that we are less than one month away from WWDC (11th June), I now predict that the new MacBook Pro and iMac will be announced during the keynote, alongside an updated version of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and a sneak peak of iOS 6.0. If this turns out to be true, WWDC is gearing up to be an impressive event!

My Next PC - The Build

Anyone who follows LifeinTECH will know that I'm currently in the process of building a new PC. I've been eagerly anticipating the release of Intel's new Ivy Bridge architecture, specifically the Core i5 3570K processor (the successor to the very popular 2500K Sandy Bridge part). A reminder of the specification can be seen below:

• MSI Z77A-GD65 Intel Z77
• Intel Core i5 3570K (Malaysia, Batch L208B089) + Noctua NH-D14
• Samsung Green 16GB DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz 30nm
• Sapphire HD 7950 OC 3072MB
• Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D PCI-E
• 2x Intel X25-M (G2) 160GB SSD - RAID 0
• Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP Blu-Ray
• OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w Modular PSU
• Lian Li V1000 Case
• Microsoft 3000 V2 Keyboard and Logitech Nano VX Mouse
• Samsung S27A950D 27" 120Hz 3D

With Ivy Bridge becoming officially available in the UK last Sunday (29-APR-2012), I immediately placed my order, which arrived on Wednesday. Since then I have building, overclocking and testing.

This article aims to provide an overview of the build process, which you can also follow in my step by step gallery. So let's get started!

Firstly, the MSI Z77A-GD65 motherboard, utilising Intel's new Z77 Panther Point chipset. It includes the standard LGA1155 socket, three PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots and native USB 3.0. For overclockers the Z77A-GD65 includes onboard power, reset, O/C Genie control buttons, as well as a handy CLR_CMOS button on the I/O panel. The Z77A-GD65 also includes a two-digit diagnostics display, line voltage detection points, and a dual-BIOS switch.

This is my first MSI motherboard (I normally use Asus or Gigabyte), however I have to admit the build quality and feature set is excellent. It’s also worth noting that MSI are using a 10 + 2 phase power design, with two large heatsinks to cover the MOSFETs (connected by a single heatpipe). These heatsinks are significantly larger than what other vendors have used, again demonstrating MSI's commitment to quality components. 

Next up are the Samsung Green memory sticks. The first thing you will notice is their tiny height, which makes them look more like laptop memory (especially when compared to my existing Corsair XMS2 sticks). I was lucky enough to get 16GB (4x4GB) of this new 30nm memory for just £77, however it has since gone up to £101 (memory prices are notoriously turbulent, so I recommend buy as much as you can while it's cheap).

Like all memory it was very simple to install, however I do recommend doing so before attaching your CPU cooler (you'll see why in a second).

Regarding CPU cooler, meet the monstrous Noctua NH-D14 which I hope will keep my new Ivy Bridge processor in check while overclocking. Although it's big (160mm high and 1240g) the installation process is very simple and Noctua even include two high performance fans (NF-P14 and NF-P12) and their award winning NT-H1 TIM.

Although there are many techniques to applying TIM, I personally use the "grain of rice" approach, which is also recommended by Noctua (see the gallery for more details). The cooler itself has good clearance over the MOSFETs and even provides access to the memory if you remove the outside 120mm fan. With that said, unless you're buying the Samsung Green, I still recommend you check your memory module height before buying.

It's only after the motherboard, CPU and memory are installed that you realise just how big the "dual radiator" Noctua NH-D14 really is (taking up nearly half the motherboard).

At this point I have also installed the two Intel X25-M (G2) solid state drives, which are mounted in the center of the case to a 5.25" bracket from Lian Li (the BZ-B25A to be exact). I'm also pleased that due to the side mounted ports on the Z77A-GD65 that most of the SATA and power cables can be hidden behind the motherboard tray.

The final components are the Sapphire HD 9750 OC graphics card and the less exciting Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D (recycled from my previous system). The HD 9750 is a full length PCI-E 3.0 x16 card that requires 2x6-pin power leads. It includes a custom dual fan cooler and dual BIOS, which has been pre-programmed with a high voltage and more aggressive fan profile. To switch the BIOS you simply move the tiny switch on the top of the card to point "2", as shown in the image gallery.

The installation of the 9750 is very simple, although as you can see from the final photo it does sit very close to the Noctua NH-D14 (approximately 10mm clearance).

The system is now fully built, which includes the addition of two Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm (1850RPM) fans at the front and as an exhaust.

That's it for "the build", but make sure you check out my full photo gallery (which includes additional notes). The next part will outline the setup and overclocking process. I will also include full benchmark results, comparing them against my previous system.