Best Graphics Cards For the Money: February 2013

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: February 2013 5:30 AM - February 22, 2013 by Don Woligroski In the last month, we've seen a couple of Tahiti-based Radeon HD 7870 LE cards that now pique our interest and earn a recommendation at $240. Additionally, we have information about the recently-announced GeForce GTX Titan card and its performance. Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great—that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget. So, if you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right card, then fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards offered for the money. February Updates: As of this very moment, Nvidia's GeForce GTX Titan still isn't something you can buy, even if the card's details and performance characteristics are well-enough known. According to the company, though, availability should pick up sometime next week. Most of the rumors about the thing proved true, though. It centers on a GK110 graphics processor with 2,688 CUDA cores, it employs a 384-bit memory bus, and includes a massive 6 GB of GDDR5 memory. The card is naturally a speed demon, though it has the price tag to match. Although it ascends the throne as the fastest single-GPU board we've ever tested, clearly, this board is only right for a select few. If you count yourself among those lucky enough to have the money for one Titan card, consider a GeForce GTX 690 instead. Its dual GK104 graphics processors are faster, at the end of the day. The only time we'd recommend otherwise would be if you're working within the confines of a small machine unable to accommodate the 690's length: a Tiki, a Bolt, a Revolt, or something else along those lines. However, if you're willing to spend big on three Titans, well, there's nothing else out there capable of matching such a configuration's performance. The other card we started seeing in the last month centers on AMD's Tahiti GPU, and our opinion of it showed up in Tahiti LE, Tested: PowerColor's HD7870 PCS+ Myst Edition. That's right, PowerColor is using its highest-end GPU (albeit cut back quite a bit) in a product bearing the Radeon HD 7870 designation. Equipped with 1,536 shaders operating at a 925 MHz base clock and accelerating to 975 MHz under the right conditions, this thing proved enough of a value to earn a Smart Buy award in our review. The PowerColor board sells for $240, so, we have no reason to continue recommending the Pitcairn-based Radeon HD 7870 at $230. In other AMD-related news, the vanilla Radeon HD 7970 dropped to $385, while GHz Edition boards still go for $430 or so. This gives us even more reason to recommend the older version of the card over its boost-enabled successor. That lower price also makes it look a little better next to the $370 GeForce GTX 670. It's also worth mentioning that the Radeon HD 6870 and 6850 are pretty much gone now, so there's a sizable void between the $120 Radeon HD 7770 and $175 Radeon HD 7850 1 GB. Prices on Nvidia's cards remain fairly stable. However, we did notice that the GeForce GTX 570 is no longer available on Newegg, and the GeForce GTX 550 Ti is represented only by a single model. Some Notes About Our Recommendations A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list: This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, then the cards on this list are more expensive than what you really need. We've added a reference page at the end of the column covering integrated graphics processors, which is likely more apropos. The criteria to get on this list are strictly price/performance. We acknowledge that recommendations for multiple video cards, such as two Radeon cards in CrossFire mode or two GeForce cards in SLI, typically require a motherboard that supports CrossFire or SLI and a chassis with more space to install multiple graphics cards. They also require a beefier power supply compared to what a single card needs, and will almost certainly produce more heat than a single card. Keep these factors in mind when making your purchasing decision. In most cases, if we have recommended a multiple-card solution, we try to recommend a single-card honorable mention at a comparable price point for those who find multi-card setups undesirable. Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t base our decisions on always-changing pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest, along with real-time prices from our PriceGrabber engine, for your reference. The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary. These are new card prices. No used or open-box cards are in the list; they might represent a good deal, but it’s outside the scope of what we’re trying to do.
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Best Gaming CPUs for the Money!

Six new processors are available since our update last month. In addition, AMD's flagship FX-8350, based on the Piledriver architecture, underwent a significant price reduction. How do these changes affect our recommendations? See for yourself! If you don’t have the time to research benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right processor for your next gaming machine, fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming CPUs offered for the money. February Updates: AMD Of the six new processors that launched this month, only one is from AMD: the A10-5700. In essence, it's an underclocked A10-5800K with a locked multiplier and a lower 65 W TDP. The APU's base clock rate is 3.4 GHz, and Turbo Core technology takes it up to 4 GHz under the right thermal conditions. In comparison, the A10-5800K starts at 3.8 GHz and works its way up to 4.2 GHz. Moreover, the -5700's on-die graphics engine with 384 shaders operates at 740 MHz instead of 800. At $129, the -5700 sells for one dollar less than the A10-5800K. You're basically paying a premium for that lower thermal ceiling. Unfortunately, that makes the new chip a lot less interesting to us in a gaming-oriented machine. In a cruel twist, AMD's A10-5700 shares the same frequencies as the unlocked and graphics-free Athlon II X4 750K we've been waiting for. We keep hoping to see it pop up for sale in the U.S., but it still hasn't. You've also probably seen news of a Piledriver-based FX-4130, which, unfortunately, is not true. The FX-4130 launched last year employing AMD's Bulldozer micro-architecture. In the last month, the company dropped its price on the -4130 to match what the -4100 used to cost. It's still a 125 W processor, and it still runs at 3.8 GHz with a 3.9 GHz peak Turbo Core clock rate. AMD claims this chip uses less power at idle than the FX-4100, and it similarly comes with a better cooler than the -4100. Though not new, AMD's flagship FX-8350 recently dropped to $180 on Newegg. Frankly, this is where this processor should have been priced right from the start, and where we see it offering maximum value against Intel's Core i5 family in threaded applications. Unfortunately, the FX line-up continues to trail less expensive options from Intel when it comes to gaming, so it doesn't make it onto our Best Gaming CPUs for the Money recommendation list. Intel We see five new chips from Intel this month. Unfortunately, four of them are low-budget dual-core parts without Hyper-Threading technology, which we've already mentioned wouldn't receive recommendations moving forward (read Gaming Shoot-Out: 18 CPUs And APUs Under $200, Benchmarked for more on why). The $60 Celeron G1620 operates at 2.7 GHz with a 2 MB shared L3 cache, and is rated for a 55 W TDP. The $50 G1610 shares the same basic specs at a 2.5 GHz clock rate. The $100 Pentium G2130 and $65 Pentium G2020 are similarly rated at 55 W, but feature larger 3 MB third-level caches. They run at 3.2 and 2.9 GHz, respectively. All of these lower-end parts employ Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture and use up to 10 W less than the Sandy Bridge-based models they replace. A $130 Core i3-3210 does enable Hyper-Threading, promising better gaming performance than Intel's Celeron and Pentium chips. But it also fails to excite us. After all, a 3.2 GHz clock rate represents a 100 MHz drop from the Core i3-3220 at the same price. We're also seeing more news about Intel's next-gen Haswell-based parts; leaked slides suggest this chip will surface at this year's Computex, in Taipei. It'll employ the same 22 nm manufacturing technology as the Ivy Bridge architecture, and is said to offer substantial graphics performance improvements, too. Some Notes About Our Recommendations This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, then the CPUs on this list may not be suitable for your particular needs. The criteria to get on this list are strictly price/performance. We acknowledge that there are other factors that come into play, such as platform price or CPU overclockability, but we're not going to complicate things by factoring in motherboard costs. We may add honorable mentions for outstanding products in the future, though. For now, our recommendations are based on stock clock speeds and performance at that price. Cost and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing information in the text, but we can list some good chips that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest (and our PriceGrabber-based engine will help track down some of the best prices for you). The list is based on some of the best US prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary. Of course, these are retail CPU prices. We do not list used or OEM CPUs available at retail. read more at http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Banking malware is getting sneakier, security firms warn

Banking malware is getting sneakier, security firms warn Financial malware authors are trying to evade new online banking security systems by returning to more traditional phishing-like credential stealing techniques, according to researchers from security firm Trusteer. Most financial Trojan programs used by cybercriminals today are capable of tampering in real time with online banking sessions initiated by victims on their computers. This includes the ability to execute fraudulent transactions in the background and hide them from the user by modifying the account balance and transaction history display in their browser. As a result, banks have started deploying systems to monitor how customers interact with their websites and detect anomalies that might indicate malware activity. However, it seems that some malware creators are returning to more traditional techniques that involve stealing credentials and using them from a different computer in order to avoid being detected. Familiar Trojans, new technique Trusteer researchers have recently detected changes in the Tinba and Tilon financial Trojan programs designed to prevent victims from accessing the real online banking websites and replace their log-in pages with rogue versions. trojan "When the customer accesses the bank's website, the malware presents a completely fake web page that looks like the bank login page," Trusteer's chief technology officer Amit Klein said Thursday in a blog post. "Once the customer enters their login credentials into the fake page the malware presents an error message claiming that the online banking service is currently unavailable. In the meantime, the malware sends the stolen login credentials to the fraudster who then uses a completely different machine to log into the bank as the customer and executes fraudulent transactions." If the bank uses multi-factor authentication that requires one-time passwords (OTPs), the malware asks for this information on the fake page as well. This type of credential theft is similar to traditional phishing attacks, but it is harder to detect because the URL in the browser's address bar is that of the real website and not a fake one. "It's not as sophisticated as injecting transactions into web banking sessions in real time, but it accomplishes its goal of evading detection," Klein said. This "full page replacement" feature is present in Tinba version 2, which Trusteer researchers have recently discovered and analyzed. The malware comes with support for Google Chrome and attempts to limit its network traffic by storing images loaded on the fake page locally. Already in use According to the Trusteer researchers, Tinba v2 is already used in attacks targeting major financial institutions and consumer Web services. "Banks have always faced two attack vectors in the online channel," Klein said. "The first is credentials theft. There are various ways to execute this type of attack including malware, pharming and phishing. The second attack vector is session hijacking which is achieved through malware. These two vectors require two different solutions." Banks should make sure that they have protection in place against both attack types, otherwise cybercriminals will quickly adapt their techniques, Klein said. "You can't put a lock on your door and leave the window open." read more here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2027625/banking-malware-is-getting-sneaker-security-firms-warn.html
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Kaspersky launches all-in-one security tool for SMBs

Companies have to manage security across a wide range of issues and threats. Operating systems and applications have to be patched and updated. Active monitoring needs to be in place to identify and block malware threats. Data needs to be protected to prevent exposure or compromise. Mobile devices and the BYOD (bring your own device) trend represent a new frontier of concerns. Kaspersky intends to simplify the process for all of the above issues. Its new Endpoint Security for Business merges all of these functions into one product so that small and midsize business IT managers can see and control every aspect of security from one console. Kaspersky Lab has been at the forefront of research into sophisticated cyber espionage attacks like Flame, Gauss, and Red October—insidious attacks that have compromised and exploited targets for years. The Moscow-based antimalware and computer security company unveiled the new Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business at an analyst event last week in New York. Part of the problem, particularly for SMBs, is that there are too many moving parts involved. “Complexity is the enemy of security,” said chief product officer Petr Merkulov. He pointed out that there are solutions for a number of security problems, but each one requires a different platform and management console. That’s too many balls to juggle—especially for busy IT managers in small and midsize businesses. By merging system management, patch management, antimalware, mobile device management, data protection, and other security tools into a single product, Kaspersky promises to enable IT managers to protect all systems and endpoints—from a PC in the next cubicle, to a virtual machine in the next building, to a smartphone in the next country—through one console. The new product comes in four flavors: Core (only available outside of North America), Select, Advanced, and Kaspersky Total Security for Business. The options are modular and scalable, so a company can choose the level of protection that meets their needs today, but can also easily add additional functionality as needed. Other platforms provide a similar mix of capabilities, but Kaspersky naturally claims they’re all too cumbersome and expensive for SMBs. Symantec and McAfee each offer comprehensive platforms that can be managed from a single console. No security solution is perfect, though. Users of Kaspersky Endpoint Security—a similar but separate product—were unable to reach some websites following a software update this week. Kaspersky resolved the issue with a subsequent update Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, Kaspersky is not sharing pricing for Endpoint Security for Business. You'll have to contact a Kaspersky Lab reseller for a quote for your company. read more here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026747/kaspersky-launches-all-in-one-security-tool-for-smbs.html
By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28 Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.