I still need to grab a Windows 10 key. A friend of mine linked me to this site a few weeks back, not sure if it's legit though:

https://psngames.org/downloads/microsoft-windows-10-professional/?utm_source=www.allkeyshop.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=allkeyshop

I'd love to find a site that sells the Win 10 key or USB version for a decent price.

Yeah the investors would dislike them doing that, but they want to show support for the very same scene they funded and created in the first place, they should carry on doing so, rather than both nickel and diming us while aslo asking us to foot the support bill as well as buying their games. SCII in it's entrety costs £235 if you want all the content it's selling. That alone is asking a lot from the consumer, for a single AAA game.

I bought Mineacraft for £14 back in 2010 and I'm still having fun with it. I nabbed SC II for £135 and had an on off relationship with it over the course of 7 years, half of the content I couldn't even make use of because I was always getting stomped in the MP games by godlike players, so I paid way more for the SP campaigns than I did for Minecraft on it's own.

I look at this and it's beginning to look the same for other AAA games I've bought in recent years, like SWBF and Titanfall for recent examples. I'm paying more for less while those indie games I'm also buying are offering more for less. These are also small time studios doing this, big time companies like Blizz are simply demanding more based on brand image and power alone, it's actually quite absurd at how bad this is getting in regards to AAA gaming. 

I know they won't pull the same move with SCI remaster, as the Koreans simply want the base game and nothing more.

Yeah, having the curved ones in the way has actually made my monitor search all the more frustrating. Curved seems to have more downsides than pros above non curved monitors. 

I could go with the Acer predator one as it's the cheaper monitor, but under it's sepcs, it doesn't seem to list DP, but I'd assume it would support DP as all the G-sync ones seem to anyway.

I don't think I can even go with a 1080p 24' atm as I can't even find one that doesn't have more cons than pros.

Seems mining might bomb soon.
Might be worth keeping an eye on second hand outlets for something cheap.

Soon™

It supports my claim.

A 24''-monitor (16:9, 1920x1080) with EXACTLY 24'' diagonal and a 32''-monitor (16:9, 2560x1440) with EXACTLY 32'' diagonal both have the same 91.79 PPI density.

But most manufacturers sell you a slightly smaller display (23.6'' or 31.5'') to max their profits and these have both ~93 PPI. So most 24''-models have the same density as your 32'' model, not less.

My monitor sits barely two feet away from me, and I could only add another one if, and only if, I mount the monitor into the wall. So big monitors are completely out of the equation for me.

Besides, using a smaller panel with a high resolution would mean less use of AA, probably only 2x.

A problem with going 1440p is that most manufacturers are so focused/obsessed with 4K that they don't make 1440p panels with HDR 10 or FALD, and it's a damn shame.

I've read that a new version of Etherium (or whatever it's called) might rool out in November, which could cause at this craze to bomb, or at least slow down for a little while.

*Edited because I made a little mess*

Ok, here are one good rumor from Intel, and one bad piece of news from MSoft/Intel:

Intel preparing multiple 6-core Coffee Lake CPUs
Source: https://videocardz.com/70978/intel-preparing-multiple-6-core-coffee-lake-cpus
Original Source (in french): https://www.cpchardware.com/coffee-lake-approche/
In few months Intel will introduce new six-core processors based on Coffee Lake architecture. The high-end i7 8700K processor is reportedly running at 3.7 GHz base frequency with Hyperthreading enabled (12 threads). Compared to recently launched Core i9 7800X, the i7-8700K would have much lower TDP of 95W (vs 140W). This would without a doubt affect the sales of i9-7800X. Intel is also launching i7 8700 non-K which is said to be running at 3.2 GHz base frequency.

The most interesting part of the rumor are 6-core processors from i5 series. The major difference compared to i7 is a lack of Hyperthreading. The i5-8600K processor is said to be clocked at 3.6 GHz with the same TDP as i7-8700K (95W).
According to CPC Hardware the six-core series will not end at 8600K. The slowest 6-core desktop CPU is allegedly the Core i5-8400 with a core clock of 2.8 GHz and TDP at 65W. This is a direct response to AMD’s Ryzen 5.

>>Intel is launching 6-core parts in the mainstream class. At last! And it only took us to wait for AMD to kick them in the a** to see them.


The following won't affect you with your personal PCs, but it could have a minor impact in some business PCs. It also shows what MSoft could do in the future:

Microsoft cuts off Windows 10 support early for some PCs
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-blocks-windows-10-creators-update-on-some-pcs/
Some PCs that received a free upgrade to Windows 10 less than two years ago are now officially blocked from receiving future updates.
If you are one of the unlucky owners of one of the first 2-in-1 PCs, announced in 2012 and sold throughout 2013 and 2014, your PC was eligible for the free Windows 10 upgrade in mid-2015, and it also received the Summer 2016 Anniversary Update (version 1607) without any compatibility issues.

But when Windows Update tries to install the March 2017 Creators Update, version 1703, the installation fails with a dire (and confusing) message
I was able to confirm that this hard block exists by attempting to install the Creators Update on an HP Envy X2, which uses a Clover Trail CPU, the Atom Z2760. HP shipped me the device in early 2015 and I've used it in lab tests as a benchmark for low-spec CPUs.

A search of Microsoft's website doesn't turn up any support documents that explain this serious compatibility issue. I did find confirmation from Acer, which published this support note: "Intel Clover Trail processors are not currently supported in Windows 10 Creators Update."

The following Intel Clover Trail processors are currently not supported on Windows 10 Creators Update:

* Atom Z2760

* Atom Z2520

* Atom Z2560

* Atom Z2580

Microsoft is working with us to help provide compatible drivers to address this incompatibility. If you install the Windows 10 creators update, icons and text may not appear at all, or may show up as solid color blocks or bars. If you have already installed Creators Update and are experiencing problems, you can use Windows 10 recovery options to restore your system to the previous build.

You are right, I was slightly inaccurate with my first claim. I am only human, we all make mistakes. :P

But still. My panel which is 31.5" + 1440P and does have superior PPI to that of a 24" 1080P panel. - And it was advertised as 32" with 31.5" viewable area.

As for manufacturer claims. Some brands are more guilty than others, manufacturers with better reputations such as Asus seem to be pretty accurate with their claims as 23.6" panels are often advertised as 23.6" here.
I have seen 24" advertised panels actually have 24.5" viewable areas such as the Asus ROG Swift PG258Q.

That's sad. :(
I lucky to have a fairly large and wide desk (Needed it to fit 3x monitors on it) so I can get away with having my tower, 32" screen, half a dozen external drives, A full Hi-Fi sound system... And still have a ton of room to spare.

I am hearing you on the HDR. I wish it was the standard industry wide, but I think we are a few years away from that yet. Hopefully 1440P gets a look in, it's the sweet-spot in terms of resolution for your buck right now in my opinion.

I am going to be watching ebay like a hawk. Haha

Can we call that a rumor though? It was on Intels Roadmaps from over a year or two ago.

The new tidbit is that it's going to be more than one chip... And notebooks will also have 6-core chips as well, which is going to be brilliant.

Interested to see if AMD manages to bring Ryzen to notebooks eventually and how many cores it throws at it.

Start watching now!

Steep decline in cryptocurrency market has miners dumping their GPUs on Ebay
http://www.pcgamer.com/steep-decline-in-cryptocurrency-market-has-miners-dumping-their-gpus-on-ebay/
Ethereum, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, is becoming more difficult to mine. At the same time, volatility is rearing its welcome head, and the value of Ethereum is now less than half of what it was around a month ago. As a result, profitability is way down, and some miners are putting their GPUs up for sale on second-hand sites such as Ebay, CoinDesk reports.

Yes, that was the rumor part I mentioned.

And I think AMD will focus first on APUs, and then notebooks/laptops. An APU based on a quad core Zen APU plus an 560 could be a very popular solution for gaming HTPCs.