The right way to mess with success

By Jeff Kampman @ The Tech Report

Corsair has arguably been the company most responsible for ushering in the closed-loop liquid-cooled era of enthusiast PC hardware. The H60, H80, and H100, introduced in 2011, likely marked the crossover point where an all-in-one liquid cooler became an enduring and attainable option for enthusiasts versus a monster tower-style air cooler. The company later expanded its lineup with the H105, H110, and a variety of Corsair Link-compatible i-series versions of those coolers, and it sourced those products from Asetek (in GTX guises) and CoolIT Systems (with the GT tag line) alike. I’ve long used versions of these coolers on my personal systems and test benches alike thanks to their easy-to-use mounting systems, low stress on motherboards, and high performance. In light of that storied history, Corsair’s H115i Pro and H150i Pro coolers have a lot riding on their shoulders. The 280-mm H115i Pro is an evolution of Corsair’s existing H110i GTX, while the H150i Pro is the company’s first 360-mm closed-loop cooler ever.

Read The Review Here

By Joe Shields @ AnandTech

NZXT, a company much better known for products like cases, power supplies, and coolers, is dipping its toes in the motherboard waters with an Intel Z30 based motherboard named N7. The N7 is nearly completely covered with shrouds exposing only the pertinent parts, making for a unique looking motherboard. We’ll put it through its paces and see where it stands after our testing.

Read The Review Here

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD late Thursday released Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.1.1 Beta drivers to the public. Bearing the same version numbering as the early-January 18.1.1 Alpha release, these drivers have a more detailed change-log, which includes the game crash fix for DirectX 9 games; freezing experienced in DRM-protected video playback, a stability issue affecting Windows 10 “Movies & TV” app, color corruption on Radeon Overlay when running multiple game and 3D applications, PUBG menu flickering in multi-GPU systems, and more.

The new Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.1.1 Beta drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.

Second Expansion Coming February 13th from Eugen Systems and Paradox

Paradox Interactive today announced the second DLC for Steel Division: Normandy 44. Back to Hell will be available February 13 on Steam for Windows PC. Featuring first-ever cooperative play and seven new historical missions (including five in co-op and multiplayer) based on real world operations, in Back to Hell, players take on the role of 11 never before seen divisions in new historically accurate battles like Operation Windsor and Operation Bluecoat. The DLC also adds four new divisions, 58 new units and two new exclusive Aces. Back to Hell is bringing a whole new realm of gameplay to one of 2017’s biggest RTS titles.

Click here to view the Steel Division: Normandy 44 – Back To Hell Announcement Trailer!

Back to Hell will arrive together with a free update available for everyone who owns the base game. The free update will add one historical mission available in cooperative play.

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, visit the games official website.

Matrix Games has announced that Campaign Series: Middle East 1948-1985 has been updated to version 2.0! Version 2.0 is massive. It contains over 50 implementations and new features added, a completely revised UI, new graphics and visuals, new terrains, improvements on an already challenging AI, and a lot more!

To celebrate this important achievement, Campaign Series: Middle East is on sale for a week! 50% discount from today to January 25th!

Waste no time and join the fight!

Important information for the installation! This update is completely free but in order to play with the new version, please make sure to uninstall the old version of the game. You can find the Uninstall option in the game’s Start menu folder.

Check the whole changelog here.

We’ve gathered a bit more info regarding the Meltdown security exploit, which primarily affects Intel’s CPUs, but also has been confirmed to affect some ARM CPU designs. Also the Spectre exploit that every high-performance processor ever made – Intel, AMD, ARM, and POWER – is thought to be vulnerable to. Check out the links below for the latest news pertaining to the Meltdown and Spectre exploits.

• InSpectre Meltdown and Spectre Check Tool Released by GRC
• BSODs from Meltdown and Spectre Firmware Updates Are Spreading Like the Plague
• AMD Gets Hit With Two Class Action Lawsuits For Spectre Vulnerabilities
• Adding Insult to Injury: Fake Spectre, Meltdown Patch Pushes Malware to Users
• Motherboard Vendors Release BIOS Updates For Spectre

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• Caseking Starts Selling Skylake-X Direct Die Cooling Frame
• Thermaltake/Tt eSPORTS Announces New Iris Optical RGB Gaming Mouse
• DeepCool Intros Earlkase RGB White Edition
• ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Strix Fusion 500
• Sharkoon Announces Quickstore One 2.5″ External Hard Drive Enclosure
• Iiyama Prolite 5K Monitor 5120 x 2880 Pixel Display Now Available
• Ozone Introduces Alliance Gaming Keyboard – VIDEO

Today, Ubisoft announced that The Hidden Ones, the first downloadable content (DLC) for Assassin’s Creed Origins, will launch on January 23rd, 2018, on all platforms. Ubisoft also revealed release dates for upcoming Assassin’s Creed Origins post-launch content, including season pass content and free add-on content, available to all players. Players can continue their journey through Ancient Egypt with a wide variety of content, including several hours of new storyline expansions and quests, timed events and customisation items.

DLC 1 – The Hidden Ones: This story-driven expansion builds upon the growth of the Brotherhood, taking players four years after the events of Assassin’s Creed Origins, as they clash with an occupying Roman force in a new region of the world, the Sinai. This expansion will increase the level cap to 45, allowing players to continue to upgrade and customise their character. Players will have access to four new Legendary weapons, a new outfit, two new mounts and multiple new weapons, as well as two new levels for all crafted gear. The Hidden Ones DLC is available for all season pass owners or can be purchased separately on January 23, 2018.

Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed: Ancient Egypt: This new educational mode of the game lets everyone, from players to history-enthusiasts and non-gamers, choose between free roaming the beautiful world of Ancient Egypt to learn more about its history and daily life, or embarking on guided tours curated by historians and Egyptologists. People can discover and explore a world free of conflict, time pressure or gameplay constraints, where storyline and quests are not active and the world of Ancient Egypt evolves into a combat-free living museum.

Discovery Tour will be available as a free update for all Assassin’s Creed Origins owners and will be available for purchase separately on Uplay and Steam for Windows PC on February 20th, 2018.

DLC 2 – The Curse of the Pharaohs: This new expansion offers players a completely new storyline to delve into as they travel to Thebes to investigate an ancient curse that is plaguing the region. The Curse of the Pharaohs focuses on Egyptian mythology, pitting players against famous pharaohs and Egyptian beasts, as they investigate the cause of the curse that has brought the dead pharaohs back to life. This new piece of content will increase the level cap to 55 and give players access to new outfits and gear, including rare and legendary weapons, all themed around classic Egyptian mythology. The Curse of the Pharaohs  DLC will be available for season pass owners, or can be purchased separately, on March 6th, 2018.

The season pass is included in the Assassin’s Creed Origins Gold Edition and, in addition to the two pieces of DLC, includes the Horus Pack and Roman Centurion Pack with their own set of weapons, mounts and outfits, a legendary weapon and 500 Helix credits. The season pass is also available for purchase separately.

Additionally, a wide variety of free content, including Trials of the Gods and a new quest, Incoming Threat; a prelude to DLC 1 The Hidden Ones, in which players must head-off an incoming incursion and find where its coming from, will be available for all Assassin’s Creed Origins players.

For more information about Assassin’s Creed Origins, please visit assassinscreed.ubisoft.com.

A great year for Battlefield 1 has begun. On the road ahead players will find great content, trials, more Battlefield 1: Turning Tides, and of course, Battlefield 1: Apocalypse.

Between January 16th and January 22nd, all Battlefield 1 players can storm the Gallipoli peninsula thanks to the Battlefield 1: Turning Tides – Gallipoli Trial. This trial will also give base game owners a chance to conquer the fronts of Battlefield 1: In the Name of the Tsar and Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass.

Additionally, Battlefield 1 Premium Pass owners can dig in to the North Sea campaign of Battlefield 1: Turning Tides. With the Zeebrugge and Heligoland Bight maps, the British Empire Royal Marines, and the new C-Class Airship, the amphibious warfare possibilities will be greater than ever. Previously available only to Battlefield 1 Premium Pass owners, night map Prise de Tahure becomes available for base game owners starting January 16th.

Stay tuned for more news on Battlefield 1: Apocalypse and for full details on the road ahead you can check out the blog here.

Eagle Dynamics SA and Belsimtek are excited to announce that DCS: F/A-18C Hornet is now available for pre-purchase!

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet will be the most authentic and detailed simulation we have ever developed, and it will use our unique CFD engine and aerodynamics developed by Belsimtek to create the most realistic flight dynamics possible. Based on exhaustive research in association with Boeing, our Hornet takes advantage of our newly developed simulation engine and it will set a new benchmark for PC flight simulation.

The Hornet is a true multi-role fighter that can switch from attacking surface targets to engaging air targets with the press of a button. Equally at home on an aircraft carrier or airfield, the Hornet is equipped with a large suite of sensors that include radar, target pod, and a helmet mounted sight. In addition to its internal 20mm cannon, the Hornet can be armed with large assortment of unguided bombs and rockets, laser- and -GPS-guided bombs, air-to-surface missiles of all sorts, and both radar- and infrared-guided air-to-air missiles.

DCS World provides the most rich and authentic digital battlefield for the Hornet to fly in.

Key Features of DCS: F/A-18C Hornet:

• Professional Flight Model (PFM) and authentic Flight Control System (FCS)
• Realistic model of the F/A-18C, down to each bolt
• Detailed simulation of the Hornet’s many systems like engines, fuel, electrical, hydraulic, radios, lighting, emergency, and many, many more
• Inertial and GPS navigation systems with moving map display
• Virtually all the weapons and sensors that a mid-2000s US Navy F/A-18C operates
• Highly realistic cockpit that is mouse interactive
• Spin recovery system
• Authentic Hornet sounds with assistance from Boeing
• New effects like over-wing vapor
• Virtual Reality support
• Multiple liveries

During the Early Access period, the following items will be added to DCS: F/A-18C Hornet:

• New and updated sensors to include air-to-ground radar, additional air-to-air radar modes, Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), Link-16 Datalink, and targeting pod.
• New weapons such as Harpoon, HARM, Shrike, Maverick, JSOW and SLAM, SLAM-ER missiles, Walleye, laser- and GPS-guided bombs, sea mines, fire bombs, TALD decoys, and AIM-9X and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.
• Additional display pages like the Situational Awareness, Flight Performance Advisory System, and Automatic Carrier Landing pages.

Pre-purchase now for $59.99 and save $20 from the Early Access release price of $79.99. We plan Early Access DCS: F/A-18C Hornet to be available for download by the end of Spring 2018.