Innholdsfortegnelse for Xmas 2023 i APC

If you’ve been using Bing with ChatGPT regularly, get ready for things to look a little different as Microsoft moves forward with plans to rebrand it as Copilot. This is significant because it suggests Microsoft has found its broad branding strategy for the ChatGPT powered services it’s been rolling out all year. However, it’s hardly surprising. Microsoft has always talked about this tech broadly as Microsoft Copilot, and we’ve already met Windows Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot, which embed LLM-trained chatbots similar to Bing with ChatGPT into Windows 11 and Microsoft apps like Word and Excel. Now, that Copilot branding has apparently proved so successful that Microsoft is retroactively applying it back to Bing. “We are taking the next step to simplify the user experience and make Copilot more accessible…

DOCKER | RECOMMENDED SPECS 64-bit CPU, 4GB RAM, WSL2 PRICE VMWARE WORKSTATION PLAYER | RECOMMENDED SPECS 2 physical CPU cores, 6GB RAM, WSL2. PRICE Free and open source Not everyone needs a full-blown virtual machine to run certain types of software – Docker is a lightweight alternative that uses containers to wrap up Linux applications and dependencies in a minimal environment. Readers of this magazine will have seen our many tutorials for Docker over the past few years and got a good idea of how it works. But Docker isn’t perfect – it was originally designed for development rather than production-ready use, which has led to question marks over security and stability. Luckily, in 2015, Docker created the Open Containers Initiative (OCI), which has seen several alternatives emerge that can…

THIS ISSUE 31 Intel 14th Gen 34 Surface Laptop Go 3 35 TP Link Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System BE85 36 Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) 38 Google Pixel 8 & 8 Pro 41 Thermaltake Citadel V2 42 Logitech Wave Keys 43 MSI MAG 323UPF 32” 4K 160Hz Gaming Monitor APC is Australia’s oldest consumer technology magazine – having been consistently in print for over forty years, since our first issue way back in May 1980 – and we take that heritage and responsibility very seriously. While our focus is obviously on the personal computer the very definition of the PC has changed and shifted markedly since the early 1980s. As such, we touch on many other areas of tech, too, from smartphones and apps to peripherals, accessories, and beyond. We…

LABS | INTEL CORE DESKTOP PROCESSORS (14TH GEN) PRICE $699 The Intel Core i7-14700K is the workhorse CPU in Intel’s 14th generation and, like any good workhorse, it needs to do some heavy lifting. Fortunately it’s more than capable of that. For a start, it’s the only processor of the three to get a substantive upgrade to its specifications. Rather than the eight performance and eight efficiency cores (P-cores and E-cores) of the i7-13700K, the i7-14700K comes with eight P-cores and 12 E-cores, all running with a slightly higher turbo boost clock for extra performance. The i7-14700K also includes Intel’s Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0. That’s a mouthful, but what matters is that it gives the best performing P-core an extra bump up to 5.6GHz. Provided that the processor is…

PRICE $2,999 (3-pack) WEB www.tp-link.com/au Wi-Fi 6E laptops appeared more than a year before the first Wi-Fi 6E router. However, here’s the first Wi-Fi 7 kit and the only Wi-Fi 7 laptop we’ve seen was an engineering sample at a recent Intel Developer Conference. Still, TP-Link’s three-node Deco kit could potentially provide the promise of Wi-Fi 7 performance regardless. Will you want one? A (very) quick Wi-Fi 7 overview is that it’s dramatically faster and more efficient than its predecessors thanks to several new technologies: Extremely High Throughput (EHT) pushes the maximum theoretical speed up from Wi-Fi 6E’s 9.6Gbps to 46Gbps(!); Multi-Link Operation (MLO) allows multiple connections at once; Restricted Target Wake Time optimises network resources to enhance your devices’ battery lives; Multi-User Resource Units (MRUs) reduce network interference; Quadrature…

LABS PRICE $1,099 WEB msi.com We’ve had fast 4K displays for a few years now, so they’re not exactly the cutting edge tech they once were. And while they’re not yet cheap-as-chips, they have come down a bit in price to mean they’re within the ballpark for many looking to upgrade their gaming monitor. Personally we reckon you get more bang-for-your-buck with lower resolutions like 1440p or WQHD+ (especially when you consider most of us don’t have an overclocked RTX 4080 to easily push 2160p into the 100+fps range), but if you you’re hung up on 4K and you also want silky smooth high refresh rates then the MAG 323UPF is something worth considering. “While it might not be perfect for professional colour work, the screen does offer impressive colour…

DEVELOPER The Qubes OS Project WEB https://qubes-os.org LICENCE GPL v2 While there are numerous security-focused Linux distros, Qubes can be compared to Fort Knox. This Fedora-based OS was first produced in 2012. The latest testing release (4.2.0-rc3) was made available in September, and will go through at least one more round of tests before a stable version is made available. We’ve focused this review on the latest stable version of Qubes (4.1.2), which was released in March. Qubes uses so-called security by isolation to prevent apps from interacting in a way that could compromise your privacy. The OS achieves this through using what it calls qubes, implemented as lightweight Xen virtual machines. These qubes can be categorised based on levels of trust. For instance, you can have one for work…

LABS PRICE $609 WEB www.asus.com If the price of Asus’ ROG Strix and Maximus boards turns you off, then the Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Pro WiFi is one you’ll probably come across. It would be a solid pairing with the Core i5 14600K, for example. At $609, the TUF Z790-Pro is still a relatively pricey option, but that’s the world we live in these days. Like all products in Asus’ TUF range, it comes with a focus on reliability. “The Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Pro WiFi is a standard ATX board that features a fairly utilitarian design free of expense-adding bling and design flourishes.” The Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Pro WiFi is a standard ATX board that features a fairly utilitarian design free of expense-adding bling and design flourishes. The board is predominantly…

The high-octane ride of the 1920s had just gone up in flames with the Wall Street crash of November 1929, but the market malaise that followed would last years. Dire economic and political conditions in Germany gave rise in 1933 to new chancellor, Adolf Hitler, and almost immediately, new tensions would sweep across Europe. Meanwhile, television continued to improve significantly throughout the decade, but the focus of scientific endeavour would eventually fall on more militaristic targets. Nevertheless, the decade that began in collapse and ended with war delivered new vision technologies that are not only still with us today, but that our current-day lives cannot do without. Farnsworth takes on RCA The new decade dawned in Australia with visible progress on the momentous Sydney Harbour Bridge. As the two halves…

ECC server memory I’m looking at building a home server, but none of the boards I like support ECC memory. I understand that this is important for detecting potential memory corruption before it can lead to serious data loss. Is there a Pentium J-series board (or similar low-powered board) that supports ECC memory? Graham Naylor APC Responds: ECC stands for Error Correction Code, which refers to memory that constantly checks for errors in data memory that can indicate failing RAM. In turn, these errors can start to silently corrupt files – including personal data, as well as those from the underlying operating system. ECC memory is usually found in high-end servers in professional and business environments, where corruption or service outages could be catastrophic. Sadly, you won’t find ECC memory…

GAMESThe games we play PRICE $79.95 PLATFORM PC, PS4/5, XB1/S/X, MAC WEB tinyurl.com/APC527ASS This is the purest stealth game Ubisoft has made in 15 years of AC, dense with rooftops, ziplines and fluffy carts of hay in one of the most beautiful cities ever realised in a videogame. When I’m perched on a ledge studying guard routes, mentally noting hiding places, or plotting a risky climb, Mirage feels like Ubi at the top of its game. It’s a shame, then, that the fluid stealth sandbox is dragged down by all the bad stuff it inherits from the last six years of AC RPGs – spammy combat, floaty character movement and parkour that never quite flows as well as it’s meant to. I want so badly for classic Assassin’s Creed to…

Tesla Cybertruck struggles on dirt The sci-fi ute isn’t as outdoorsy as its creator would have you believe. While Tesla’s sister company, SpaceX, might be responsible for the majority of rockets that make it into space these days, it seems the recently released Cybertruck isn’t even able to make it up a dirt hill without a struggle. A video showing the ‘apocalypse proof’ Tesla truck failing to climb a simple dirt incline at the Hollister Hills 4 x 4 park in California, surfaced in November ahead of the car’s planned release date. Footage of one of Tesla’s biggest electric truck competitors, the Rivan R1T, easily completing the exact tracks that the Cybertruck almost got beaten by makes the revelation all the more embarrassing. GAME RUNS ON LINUX SHOCKER! CYBERPUNK 2077…

ABOUT IFIXIT iFixit is a global community of tinkerers dedicated to helping people fix things through free online repair manuals and teardowns. iFixit believes that everyone has the right to maintain and repair their own products. To learn more, visit www.ifixit.com All of the internals are hiding behind the screen instead of behind the back glass. However, that back glass is now removable, too, just like the 14. MAJOR TECH SPECS • A17 Pro SoC with 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU and 16-core neural engine• 6.7-inch Super retina XDR display, 2,796 x 1,290 pixels, 2,000 nits• 48MP, 24mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture main camera; 12MP, 13mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture ultra-wide camera; 12MP, 120mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture, 5x telephoto camera• 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (configurable up to 1TB)• 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4…

LABS As its “Raptor Lake Refresh” codename implies, Intel’s newest chips are a refreshed version of the 13th gen Raptor Lake processors that debuted last year. While Intel’s refresh doesn’t provide the big gen-on-gen leaps we typically see with new core microarchitectures – there are no instructions-per-clock gains because the chips use the same underlying design as their Raptor Lake predecessors – Intel has optimised its chips to make them more attractive. Intel’s Core i7-14700K now has 12 E-cores, up from eight with the prior generation, leaving it a mere four E-cores shy of matching the Core i9 model. The Core i7-13700K provided almost the same gaming performance as the Core i913900K but for a significantly lower price, and that small gap between Core i7 and i9 in gaming has…

LABS | INTEL CORE DESKTOP PROCESSORS (14TH GEN) PRICE $989 The Intel Core i9-14900K is a hard chip to justify, which is a weird thing to say about a processor that’s arguably the best Intel has ever sold for desktops. It beats every other chip I tested in most categories with the exception of some multitasking workflows and gaming performance, in which it’s a very close runner-up. What you don’t get is innovation, but that isn’t surprising when you consider this is the final flagship using Intel’s current architecture. It uses the same 10nm Intel 7 process node as its predecessor and with the same number of cores (eight P-cores, 16 E-cores) and cache, the only real improvement in terms of specs are its faster clock speeds. All cores get…

LABS PRICE From $2,699 WEB apple.com/au Despite releasing its last generation of MacBook Pro devices at the start of 2023, Apple was already ready to launch another iteration in October. These new MacBook Pro 14 and 16 laptops are built on the latest M3 Apple silicon processors, the first in the world to use a 3nm manufacturing process. Apple likes to refer to them as the “most advanced chips ever built for a personal computer”, but the general performance improvements for the M3 will vary depending on whether you opt for the stock M3 chip, the reduced performance-core M3 Pro processor, or the supercharged M3 Max that has four additional performance cores over the M2 Max. Apple was more eager to push the GPU performance gains on the new MacBook…

WEB www.marticliment.com/wingetui NEEDS Windows 10 or 11 On 31 October, one of our favourite free tools for updating software, SUMo Software Updater, will be discontinued following the closure of its parent company. WingetUI provides a reliable alternative, and though it works in a different way to SUMo, it’s significantly improved since it launched last year. Rather than get updates from developers’ websites, WingetUI uses package managers to detect and download the latest versions of programs. These include the built-in Windows Package Manager (Winget for short), the rival services Chocolatey and Scoop, and – as of the latest version – the .NET package manager required to install updates for Microsoft’s .NET framework. If that sounds rather technical, don’t worry – WingetUI is straightforward to use. On the Discover Packages tab, you…

WINDOWSShould I pay for?Choose the right version of software WEB www.winzip.com PRICE From $43.95 FREE TRIAL 21 days NEEDS Windows 10 or 11 “WinZip is packed with useful tools, but some are unnecessary inclusions and you don’t even get them all in its cheapest version.” WinZip was once an essential tool for creating and unpacking archive files, but Windows now has those functions built in. To convince PC users that it’s still a worthwhile purchase, the program’s 28th version brings several new features and improvements – but is it really worth your money? WinZip 28’s redesigned home screen gives you one-click access to the software’s main options – other than compression. These include its SafeShare feature, which lets you encrypt your archives to send them securely by email, remove personal…

LABS Intel’s 14th Generation processors are now on shelves. They are very much an iterative improvement over their 13th Gen predecessors, and the same can be said of a fresh wave of Z790 motherboards, though there’s a little more to them than that. It’s been over a year since Z790 launched, giving motherboard manufacturers an opportunity to equip their boards with the latest features, update their BIOS’ and tweak their electrical layouts. The latter is a part of the reason the new boards support much higher memory speeds. Z790 refresh boards represent the last hurrah for the LGA 1700 socket, and they’ll generally end up regarded as the best motherboards of the LGA 1700 generation. While they are an improvement over their predecessors, they are still refreshes, so unless you…

LABS PRICE $1,049 WEB www.gigabyte.com “The Master X performed as expected, and outliers are not expected from a now mature platform. But gee, does the i9-14900K get hot or what!” The Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master X is easily the most expensive model in our roundup. At $1,049 it’s a board relatively few will buy. For the money, the Aorus Master includes just about everything you could wish for. You’ll have to spend a lot more for things like a PCIe 5.0 SSD expansion card or a fancy OLED screen. As a high end board, you get things like five M.2 slots, WiFi 7, 10G Lan and triple 20Gbps USB support. It’s also got a mega VRM and cooling solution capable of pushing a 14900K to its limits, even under extreme…

We might not be living in the smart home future we were promised in the 1980s, complete with full automation and swooshing doors, but we’re not that far off. Amazon Echo brought voice control to the masses, while ubiquitous Wi-Fi and internet have made smart devices far more popular. From smart cameras to smart thermostats and plugs, there’s barely a house in Australia that doesn’t have some kind of intelligent technology installed. Now we need to take the next step: we need to bring it all together. In this Labs, we look at two distinct parts of the smart home ecosystem. First, we review the major smart home control systems, including Alexa and Apple HomeKit. These systems comprise software and often hardware that allow for integrated control and centralised storage.…

HELP STATION | HARDWARE Adding memory to your PC is one of the most effective upgrades you can make. The trouble is, not everyone can do it. Some computers are sealed boxes, and others have their memory soldered to the motherboard. In such cases, you’ll have to make the most efficient use of the memory you’ve got. But even if you can upgrade your computer, it’s silly to splash out on new memory without first checking to see whether a few tweaks could save you the expense. Here we explain different ways to unlock memory. Run memory-cleaning software This should be your first step. Programs such as Windows Memory Cleaner flush your PC’s physical memory (or RAM) to make room for new data. It uses built-in Windows features to do…

CHROME Explore the new Chrome Web Store The Chrome Web Store, which hosts thousands of extensions and themes to install in Google’s browser, has remained relatively unchanged for years. To celebrate Chrome’s 15th birthday, Google has redesigned the site to give it a fresh, modern look and make it easier to browse. The new store features a larger, more prominent search box at the top of the page, which now provides accurate auto-complete suggestions when you start typing the name of an extension. The Categories list on the left-hand side has been replaced with a ‘Top categories’ section in the centre, which includes Shopping, Entertainment and Tools. There are recommendations for add-ons you might like, ‘Editors’ Picks’ and a new category for AI-powered extensions. There’s also a carousel of themed…

GAMES PRICE $53.95 PLATFORM PC WEB dunespicewars.com Like Dune 2, Spice Wars is an RTS, but it’s also a 4X affair, and a remarkably traditional one at that. It lets you lead one of six rival groups locked in constant struggle over Arrakis’ sandy expanse. Single scenarios and multiplayer battles are available, but the main draw is doubtless the 25-30 hour Conquest mode which unfolds over several missions, seeing me gradually tighten my grip on planetary domination. Mission objectives vary, but progression follows a typical trajectory: first, I send out ornithopter scouts to locate spice fields close to the starting base and annex neighbouring villages to expand my borders. Then I start building essential infrastructure and researching new technologies. And, finally, I specialise in preparation for my current mission’s endgame,…

PRICE $119 PLATFORM PC, XBS/X WEB forza.net Forza Motorsport, which for all its considerable qualities and resources, just manages to grab hold of excellence despite both technical and conceptual issues. By which I mean this: the handling’s absolutely wonderful, like we knew it would be. Its vehicles genuinely are better than we’ve seen in driving games before, and circuits are so high in fidelity now it’s almost a shame to have to take them in at speed. But Turn 10 plays too safe with those valuable assets in FM’s singleplayer career mode, arranging them into a stack of the usual racing series categories to tick off in a career just like a Gran Turismo or a Grid might. Luckily, online racing elevates the whole experience. There’s a newfound sense of…

Nvidia already commands about 80% of the discrete graphics processors for PCs, as well as most of the AI and HPC GPU market. But it looks like the company is ready to take on yet another major market: processors for client PCs that run Microsoft Windows, reports Reuters. AMD, which has historically competed against Intel on this market with x86 offerings, is also venturing into Arm-based CPUs for desktops and laptops, the news agency claims, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. Both companies aim to introduce their Arm SoCs for client PCs in 2025. AMD and Nvidia’s decision to offer Arm-based CPUs will be a strategic move, in collaboration with Microsoft’s broader initiative to enhance Arm-based processors for Windows PCs, aiming to compete more effectively against the Arm-based…

Like a lot of PC components, graphics cards are cyclical. We’re now in the calm between the storms of new GPU generation launches. Both Nvidia’s RTX 40 Series and AMD’s RX 7000 GPUs have been fully fleshed out. Likewise, it’ll be a while before any properly new graphics cards are launched, so it’s the perfect time to take stock and consider where the value propositions lie. In other words, what are the best picks of this generation? And might there be one or two old timers from the previous gen of GPUs that still make sense? 5 AMD RADEON RX 7600 www.amd.com | $420 There’s nothing we’d enthusiastically recommend at the budget end, but the best of a bad bunch is the AMD Radeon RX 7600, especially now it’s $420.…

U-Turn Orbit Theory Turntable From $1,533 | uturnaudio.com U-Turn turntables are a rare breed of tech – they’re all made by hand – and the vinyl-playing specialist has recently given the range a revamp. The Theory turntable is the most advanced in the upgraded line-up. The precision gimbal Orbit Arm 3 tonearm, made from a single piece of magnesium and an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, ensures accurate tracking, vibration damping and low distortion. The external silicone belt drive, in combination with the inverted main bearing, results in an ultra-quiet motor so your audio takes centre stage. And the hardwood Theory model uses 100% walnut, ebonised oak or oak for the plinth, rather than a veneer effect used in some ‘wooden’ turntables. As the players are handmade, you can even opt…

PRICE $1,697 WEB microsoft.com/en-au Microsoft has steadily been increasing its range of Surface devices over the last few years into the more budget friendly arena for students, and those that only need lighter processing power. The Surface Laptop Go range is much like what the MacBook Air is to the MacBook Pro… a lightweight, budget friendly option for those that need less power day-to-day. With a starting price of $1,397, the new Surface Laptop Go 3 is a little less expensive than Apple’s offering, but you have to keep in mind it’s got a smaller 12-inch form factor and it doesn’t have high-performing processors. The Surface Laptop Go 3 brings a high end feel to the more affordable laptop market thanks to the sleek metal chassis and colourful 12.4-inch PixelSense…

LABS PRICE $149 WEB logitech.com “It feels like a very good compromise between a regular keyboard and a fully-ergonomic one.” Ergonomic keyboards can tend to be a bit of a love/hate affair. There’s no doubt that they have benefits, but making the switch from a standard keyboard can involve a learning curve, especially the ones that have a split or large angle between the keys. A lot of your learned behavior and muscle memory gets tossed out the window. Logitech’s Wave Keys keyboard is designed to bridge the gap between standard keyboards and fully split models. It incorporates a curved design and the eponymous wave. The central keys are vertically higher than those on the outside, all of which is designed for comfort, without forcing you to adapt to an…

MAC PRICE Free WEB ULAA.COM | NEEDS macOS 10.13 or later Privacy and control of advertising have grown increasingly important features in web browsers. Safari offers Private Relay with iCloud+, competitors promise private or incognito browsing, and there’s no shortage of ad blocker extensions. Ulaa, developed by Zoho, is one of few that seem serious enough to sacrifice income from Google and other advertising platforms. There’s an inner irony as Ulaa is built on open-source Chromium, at the heart of Google Chrome, uses the same Widevine DRM engine, and offers extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Relying on Chromium requires responsive updating: currently Ulaa receives a minor update every month, and provides patches every few days to keep pace with Chromium’s fixes. Other Chromium-based web browsers often aren’t as conscientious.…

LABS PRICE $459 WEB www.asrock.com “At $459, the Z790 Riptide WiFi has features that make some more expensive boards look pretty average in comparison.” The first of our reviews also happens to be the most affordable option. The Asrock Z790 Riptide WiFi is a part of Asrock’s Phantom Gaming lineup. Like the other boards we’re reviewing, it comes with out of the box support for Intel’s 14th Gen processors, though of course it supports 12th and 13th Gen processors as well. The Z790 Riptide WiFi features a simple all black aesthetic with a little splash of metallic blue and purple above the rear I/O. There’s a strip of RGB LEDs under the bottom most M.2 heatsink. There are seven fan headers, so it’s a cooling friendly option. At $459, the…

LABS | INTEL Z790 REFRESH MOTHERBOARDS PRICE $579 WEB www.msi.com “The rear I/O of the Tomahawk Max WiFi is a real highlight. There are a total of ten USB ports, made up of a single 20Gbps Type-C port, five 10Gbps ports (one of which is Type-C), plus four 5Gbps ports.” MSI’s Tomahawk range of motherboards sits in the middle of its product stack, above the entry level gaming oriented MPG range and below the high end MEG range. They’re designed to be good bang for your buck products, offering a good blend of sensible features without an exorbitant price. $579 is still a pretty penny to use historical standards. Still, the Tomahawk Max WiFi is around the same price as its non-Max predecessor, but for just a few bucks more,…

HELP STATION | MAC IT WILL TAKE 30 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to share your Mac’s screen YOU’LL NEED macOS 12 or later for SharePlay GENIUS TIP! You can’t use Screen Sharing and Remote Management at the same time. So, when you enable Screen Sharing, make sure Remote Management is off. There are dozens of reasons why you might need to share your Mac’s screen with someone else or access the screen of a friend or family member. Perhaps you left a file on a Mac at the office and need to open it at home. Or maybe you have a ‘headless’ Mac running upstairs and you need to troubleshoot it on your MacBook. Need to help a friend or family member with a problem on their Mac? A…

RELEASE June 6, 1993 DEVELOPER Bullfrog Productions PUBLISHER Electronic Arts LINK gog.com Syndicate is a game that stirs strong feelings within me, and the realisation that it’s now 30 years old plunged me into a pit of nostalgia for my teenage years. I’ve owned Syndicate four times, and played it on three different platforms. Three were on PC, the game coming as a selection of floppies in a big black box with a bright green sheath around it, then a CD-ROM in a small green cardboard case, then as a download in its Syndicate Plus incarnation. Only the last one still works. I also played it on the Amiga 500, and later the PSP port of the Super Nintendo conversion as part of the dreadful EA Replay disc. It’s a…

To pick through the business comings and goings of Atari since it was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney you’d need a huge dollop of patience and a keen eye for detail. The company hit the ground running with the arcade smash hit Pong, but it’s a very different beast today. That’s primarily because Atari has been in the hands of many companies. Bought by Warner Communications in 1976, its consumer division was sold to the former Commodore International CEO Jack Tramiel in 1984 – a year after Atari ran up a loss of $538 million. The profitable coin-op division, which became known as Atari Games, ended up split between Warner and Namco. Then, in 1998, Atari Inc ended up in the hands of Hasbro Interactive who…