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CyberPower Announces Water-Cooled LAN Mini H20 SFF

Paul Lilly — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:50:40 -0500

One way to intimidate your opponents right off the bat is to show up at your next LAN party lugging around a water-cooled rig, but in a SFF enclosure.

Now you can do that, thanks to CyberPower's new LAN Mini H20. Measuring just 11.25 (L) x 8.75 (W) x 7 (H) inches and weighing about 10 pounds, the OEM managed to cram an Asetek water cooling solution into the cramped confines of a Silverstone SST-SG05 Mini-ITX enclosure that integrates both the CPU and GPU into a closed loop.

Also included in the sub-$1000 base configuration is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2.83GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 12MB L2 cache), Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX motherboard, 4GB of DDR2-800 memory, Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 videocard, 8X DVD burner, and Windows Home Premium 64-bit.

The customizable LAN Mini H20 is available now.

Image Credit: CyberPower

Blizzard: StarCraft II and Diablo III Are Getting LAN-Like “Solutions”

Nathan Grayson — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:21:09 -0500

LAN? You still use that? People gathered together and sat around the old LAN, like, back in the days of vee-see-arrrrs and stuff, right? That’s old news, man. But how about that new thing Blizzard’s got cooking? It lets you play multiplayer games with a blazing connection, as if the Internet isn’t even involved. It’s crazy. What will these developers think of next?

"We are working on solutions with regard to things we can do to maintain connectivity to Battle.net in some way, but also provide a great quality connection between players," said Battle.net developer Greg Canessa.

The plan, it would seem, is for the game to authenticate with Blizzard’s server before switching into LAN mode.

"Something like that," Canessa replied when asked about such a solution. "Maintaining a connection with Battle.net, I don't know if it's once or periodically, but then also having a peer-to-peer connection between players to facilitate a very low-ping, high-bandwidth connection… those are the things that we're working on."

So then, can we never talk about LAN in Blizzard games ever again? With this solution, Blizzard’s happy and you’re happy. Unless, of course, you’re a pirate, in which case, it looks like your luck's finally run out.

Blizzard: LAN Will Be “a Great Footnote in Our History”

Nathan Grayson — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:02:47 -0500

The petition may already be having fond, nostalgic memories of the time it was at 100,000 signatures, but Blizzard’s decision to keep StarCraft II LAN-free remains set in stone. So, one might wonder, is Blizzard an unfeeling, out-of-touch monster? Does it even care what its fans think? Blizzard’s Rob Pardo was taken to task with such a question, and he fired back with this little number:

“Of course we care, but it’s not like we’re surprised that there’s a petition about LAN in Star II. It’s not like we went, ‘D’oh. People care about that?’ Clearly, we knew, it was a very tough decision, and I’d say we’d been talking about it back and forth for well over a year before we finally decided that this is more the direction for the future for us, and actually for the industry.”

“If you look at LAN, that goes back to the War II days, with Cali and stuff like that. I think LAN will be a great footnote in our history, just like DOS was. It’s just something that, with broadband and with the connections and the things that we can do on Battle.net, and having to support LAN in addition to that… It’s the sort of decision we have to make that has to be the lowest common denominator for both. I don’t necessarily think [LAN’s] going to be the way of the future. And that’s going to be the best thing for Star II and our future games.”

So there you have it. Blizzard thinks history is all well and good, but the future’s where it’s at. And we imagine Blizzard knows a thing or two about the future. After all, the company did birth one of the greatest futuristic sci-fi gaming series of all time. And that concludes this week’s installment of Flawless Logic Theater.

Blizzard Thinks Players Don’t Want LAN in StarCraft 2 – 57,000 People Beg to Differ

Nathan Grayson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:37:16 -0500

Wow. Nothing gets past StarCraft fans. Case in point: Blizzard quietly announced that LAN play would be absent from StarCraft 2, and fans immediately zerg rushed an Internet petition all the way up 57,000 signatures.

As of now, Blizzard has yet to respond, though with 57,000 semi-militant people joining in a spectacular chorus of anger, sorrow, and rage, we imagine the developer won’t be able to ignore the whole fiasco for too much longer.

So, what’s your stance on LAN in StarCraft 2? Could you care less, or are you so determined to cram a bunch of guys in a room to play StarCraft that you’d even go so far as to write your name on a piece of paper?

CyberPower Wants You to Get Gaming with LAN Party Commander System

Paul Lilly — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:02:05 -0500

Summer's fast approaching, and that means (hopefully) more free time for gaming (who needs sunshine?). To help you do that, CyberPower today announces the LAN Party Commander, a new system built around the Core i7 platform and housed in Cooler Master's recently released Scout enclosure.

"CyberPower offers a true LAN party solution that combines gaming performance quality and style," CyberPower wrote in a press release. "This all-around LAN Party case embodies CM’s 'Storm Tactics' approach to extreme gaming systems that gives you Strength, Security, and Control."

We were half expecting CyberPower to throw an 'Army Strong' quote somewhere in the press release, but marketing eccentricities asides, the self-proclaimed "Perfect LAN Party Rig" seeks to get you gaming on the go with an Intel Core i7 920 processor, Gigabyte X58 motherboard, 6GB of DDR3-1333 tri-channel memory, AMD's ATI HD4870 videocard, 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, 680W power supply, and Windows Vista 64-bit. Several upgrades are available, each of which will add to the base configuration's $1,130 price tag.

For security duties, CyberPower says the Commander's StormGuard security solution will allow you to lock down peripherals from mischievous passerbys.

The Commander is available now starting at the aforementioned $1,130 price point, though you can knock 5 percent off with coupon code "Instant."

Image Credit: CyberPower

iBuypower Offering "LAN Warrior" Gaming-PC-With-A-Strap

Andy Salisbury — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:21:12 -0500

So you’re a fan of multiplayer gaming, but you haven’t tried a LAN party yet. What’s holding you back? If it’s the (admittedly) huge hassle of packing up your entire computer, iBuypower has got you covered with their latest PC.

The LAN Warrior, which is a mega tower with a nylon strap attached, comes with your choice of an Intel Core i7 processor, a 1000W power supply, an Asus Rampage II Gene X58 motherboard, up to 24GB of RAM, and either dual Nvidia or ATI graphics cards.

The machine starts at only $1000, and is available now.

Image Credit: iBuypower

How To: Troubleshoot and Optimize Your Internet Experience

Chris Comiskey — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0600

With outsourced support now the de facto standard in the IT and ISP industries, do-it-yourself computer repair has gone from being an optional luxury to an outright necessity. You might feel hopeless and abandoned the first time your network connection gives out, but don’t fret just yet. Given the right direction, even the greenest of users can fix a number of common network errors. We’re going to give you all the tools you need to become your own network tech support.

You might be skeptical, but LAN/WAN troubleshooting isn’t all that difficult. Upgrades are easy and cheap—if required at all—and the analysis process is brief and painless, even if you’ve never wired a Cat5 cable or run a command line ipconfig. Even better, many of the steps and instructions are identical in Vista and XP, which goes a long way toward easing the troubleshooting transition, should you switch from one OS to the other.

While sometimes a call to your ISP is unavoidable, when you do have to do it, at least you’ll brandish the knowledge to blaze through all the low-level BS and head straight to a speedy resolution. Don’t let the Internet and networking companies bully you any longer—it’s time to stand up and take matters into your own hands.

Time:

97 minutes

What You Need:

An internet connection
Windows XP or Windows Vista
Spybot Search and Destroy
Free, http://tinyurl.com/5or9tg
Ad-Aware SE Free Edition
Free, http://tinyurl.com/6lzwnk

1. Find the Root of the Problem

Some of the jargon you get from tech support is actually worthwhile. First, if your network connection is on the fritz and you’re connecting through a personal router, remove the router and connect your PC directly to your ISP’s point of entry (e.g., the cable modem). Reboot your modem immediately and then restart your computer. Next, examine your network cables. Is your Ethernet cord crimped or does it have a loose RJ45 retention clip? Replace it. The smallest things can often disturb your connection, and it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

Next, open a command prompt by going to Run in XP’s Start menu or the search bar in Vista’s Start menu and typing cmd and hitting Enter. Type ipconfig and hit Enter. Ensure you’re receiving a proper IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. If any entry is empty, type ipconfig /release and hit Enter; then type ipconfig /renew and press Enter. Now try to ping the default gateway by typing ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (where the x’s are the numbers in the gateway) and pressing Enter. Note the results. If you can ping your gateway, see if you can resolve a domain name by typing ping google.com and pressing Enter.

Next, test the stability of your connection for 15 minutes by running a continuous ping. At the command prompt, input ping –t google.com and press Enter. After the time is up, hit Ctrl + C to stop the ping. Scan the list and observe any timeouts (a couple is OK, but more than that is trouble). If you still can’t browse, or if you’ve encountered an error during any of the commands, refer to Step 3 for a solution.

2. Diagnose the Cause of Slow Internet Connections

Running a home network with two or more dormant computers? Turn off those machines or put them in standby—any additional rigs downloading or uploading information (no matter how minute) will negatively impact your online performance. Therefore, if you want maximum bandwidth, lock out those YouTube-surfing in-laws during your sweet all-night-long TF2 sessions.

Also, as clichéd as it might sound, the most common causes of a bogged-down connection are spyware and malware. If you haven’t done so already, download and install both Ad-Aware SE free edition (http://tinyurl.com/6lzwnk) and Spybot Search and Destroy (http://tinyurl.com/2c4c69); run them one after the other (you can safely ignore the compatibility warnings). You might be amazed at how well these utilities can improve performance.

Now for some housecleaning: For XP, go to the Start menu and then Run; for Vista, go to the search bar. Type msconfig to open the System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab and uncheck any boxes except the following (if present): Windows display drivers, anti-virus/firewall software, soundcard drivers, systray, Windows Explorer, and anything listed under Microsoft Operating System. If you’re unsure about a specific entry, take the safe route and leave it checked. Many times, some software, such as Apple’s QuickTime, will start itself with Windows and auto-update in the background, hogging all your precious bandwidth.

Lastly, if you utilize DSL or cable, call your ISP and request a line-test. This is a quick and simple procedure, and while it can only be run from the provider’s side, it can instantly reveal whether your residence is too far from the central office, suffering from severe signal degradation, etc.

Quicktip
To compare your ISP’s stated connection speed with your download speeds, divide the speed your browser reports by 1024. Example: 550KB/sec / 1024 = .537 MB/sec.

3. Fix a Dead Connection

If you’ve hit a snag running any of the commands in Step 1, here are a few solutions to the most common errors.

1) You have an IP address, but no default gateway, even after releasing and renewing, or you can’t ping a domain name.

In this case, make absolutely sure you have Windows configured for DHCP (or statically, should your ISP support it). For XP, go to the Start menu, then Run; in Vista go to Start or the search bar. Type control netconnections and click OK. Right-click your active icon (should be the one without a red X) and select Properties. From here, ensure that all boxes are checked and highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties. If you don’t have a static IP, make sure there’s a dot in the circle next to “Obtain an IP address automatically.” If everything is set up correctly but your command lines are still failing, the ISP is probably at fault and will need to be contacted.

2) You pinged Google.com continuously but received an extraordinary number of timeouts.

The most common causes for this error are a conflict in an assigned public IP address or large amounts of interference with the connection due to, say, interior power cables running parallel to the residence’s WAN line. Unfortunately, both of these issues necessitate a call to your ISP. However, if you list everything we’ve mentioned above, the conversation should be quick and torture-free, and while interference can take time to diagnose and resolve, assigning a new customer WAN IP should take no longer than five minutes.

4. Get Your Nic Up to Speed

If you run Vista, turn off IPv6 if you don’t use it. Doing so will typically result in better overall reliability. While you’re inside your network connection properties (this applies to XP users as well), click the Configure button next to your network card’s name and navigate to the Advanced tab and ensure that these properties (if listed) are set as follows: LAN Power State Link Speed: Disable; Optimize For: Throughput; Speed/Duplex Settings: Full Autonegotiation. Next, click the Power Management tab (if available) and make sure to uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

For XP users only, go to Start, then Run, and type gpedit.msc. Click OK. (Note: You must have full admin rights to make this edit.) Find User Configuration and navigate to Administrative Templates, then Desktop, and right-click “Do not add shares of recently opened documents to My Network Places” and click Enable.

It’s also a good idea to disable any unused network ports. Simply type control netconnections into XP’s Run or Vista’s search bar, click OK, and right-click the dormant icon and select Disable.

5. Tune Up Your Network

Flash that router firmware! Browse to your router manufacturer’s website and do a quick download/update search. You should find new firmware in no time. Have an ISP-owned router that runs your LAN? Believe us: It’s worth the dreaded phone call to have them update it—many ISP firmware bundles can instantly solve major download/upload speed issues.

Next, if you use a VoIP router in conjunction with your LAN and you want data packets at peak efficiency, plug in the VoIP router inside your internal LAN, not outside it. Sometimes, running your network through VoIP equipment prior to your personal or ISP router will auto-enable high priority for voice packets. It’s good for phone calls, bad for data throughput and fragging.

If you’re having slowdowns while sorting through network folders or shares, here’s a DWORD that might help: type regedit into Run for XP or Vista’s search bar, and find your way through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters. Next, right-click anywhere in the window and select New > DWORD Value. Now name the item SizReqBuf and right-click the entry and select Modify. Select the Decimal option and change the numeric value to 16384. After this, close out of the registry and reboot.

6. Repair Bad Settings and Tidy Up Loose Ends

Network cards, like any other peripheral, require drivers. This is a good place to start when trying to repair a dead LAN. Next, if you’ve made any recent changes to your personal router and you’re now faced with a nonresponsive or shaky connection, reset the hardware to factory defaults. Do so by depressing the small (often well-hidden) reset button on the back or bottom of your router with a ballpoint pen for about 30 seconds. After that, release it—your router will now be configured like the day you bought it, sans user-implemented errors. This is actually a smart first troubleshooting step for any networking errors or otherwise wonky behavior.

If you’re still having trouble accessing network shares or shortcuts, see if your computer can resolve other computers’ names on the network. Many routers will contain a breakdown of all attached devices’ info (including the computer name and current IP address), but if your router lacks this functionality, you’ll have to retrieve the data manually off every other rig. It’s easy though— just right-click the My Computer icon on Vista or XP, go to Properties, click the Computer Name tab, and observe the “Full computer name” field. Once you’ve retrieved the necessary data, open up a cmd inside XP’s Run or Vista’s search bar. Try to ping each powered-on computer’s name. If you receive an error stating “unknown host” or “could not find local host,” go back to your run /search field and type control netconnections. Right-click your active LAN icon and hit Properties. From here, double-click Internet Protocol TCP/IP and then click the Advanced tab. Under the WINS tab, ensure that NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled. You should now be able to access your sibling network devices.

Cat5 vs.Cat5e

Some folks wonder if there’s really a difference between CAT5 and CAT5e cable. The answer is a resounding yes. The most important distinction is that basic Cat5 squeezes by on Ethernet and Fast Ethernet but doesn’t support Gigabit. CAT5e, however, is rated for 350 megahertz, making Gigabit support a breeze, while at the same time enjoying full backward compatibility with Fast Ethernet; CAT5e also guards better against electrical interference, making it more robust for tight installations. If in doubt, replace your current wiring with CAT5e. This could save you some headaches in the long run.

Showdown 2007: Big Indy Style's All In It!

<a href="/david_murphy">David Murphy<br /></a> — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 02:39:59 -0500

Yes, that's right. It's LAN party time once again! We're rocking Indianapolis this time around, bringing the hottest games, coolest interns, and cases upon cases of energy drinks to the Midwest. Alas, scheduling conflicts prevented any of the Maximum PC editors from making the trip to Ohio's Neighbor*, but rest assured that you'll find plenty to do over the next few days!

So if you're in the area, swing on by! All the fun's going down at the Indiana Convention Center / RCA Dome. Best of all, it's free! Gaze! Gawk! Stand in awe! Take pictures! Cheer on your fellow gamers as they play round, after round, after painful round of de_dust.

If you're not in the Midwest. Well, it's ok. You can still check out all the action using the Official Showdown Webcams of Awesomeness. Click on the title! Let us know if you see anything cool or horrific!

And have no fear; we'll have a full wrap-up for you once the event's over. Happy fragging!

*Indiana