KitLog issue 2 is here!

Atomic's KitLog e-book is back, with more hot system builds, upgraded and tweaked to bring you best for any machine you might want!

You loved the first one - I mean, really loved the first one. Even we were surprised at what a hit our KitLog e-book was with readers.

So here it is, issue 2 of Atomic's guide to the best builds for any number of purposes - gaming, home servers, HTPCs... and much more. We've gone over every build, updating each to the best new gear, rethinking others based on user feedback, and generally polishing the entire book. Plus we've thrown in a popular overclocking piece from a recent issue of Atomic, so you can always have it in electronic format.

Handy!

Anyway, have a look at the new issue, and be sure to tell us what you think - this, more than anything, is made for you the readers, so tell us what we can do to keep making this the only system-building resource you'll ever need.

KitLog Issue 2.

Behind the scenes with Mass Effect 3! GTX 560 VGA round-up! Essential Skyrim tweaks to improve your game! Plus reviews, news, hardware, more games, and easy to following modding guides for PC builders. ON SALE NOW!

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30 Comments

12345 Dec 9, 2009 4:19 PM	great thanks. Im looking to build a pc in the near future. maybe a design oriented pc for the next one :D
TheFrunj Dec 9, 2009 4:37 PM	@12345, you can actually use the Gaming PC build on page 19, but substitute the ATI card for something less powerful from NVIDIA's side (such as a GTX285) and use it; since it supports both CUDA and OpenCL acceleration :) -JR
smadge1 Dec 9, 2009 4:42 PM	Good work on the SFF Home Server!
Ravennoir Dec 9, 2009 4:53 PM	I can never get the Kit log to open, either on my Work PC or my home one, and friends of mine have had the same issue
Mudg3 Dec 9, 2009 4:56 PM	Now thats more like it. You pretty much stole my home server.
TheFrunj Dec 9, 2009 5:00 PM	@Ravennoir, so long as you have the latest Adobe Flash Player and a relatively up-to-date browser, it should work ok. Give it a shot with Chrome and Opera if Firefox won't work. @smadge1/Mudg3, I'm running that same build at home, after some research :)
N3M3SiS Dec 9, 2009 5:05 PM	Stellar work guys. However windows that auto resize my browser to the edges of my screen can go fuck themselves. Just my 2c.
hectorbustnuts Dec 9, 2009 6:25 PM	Awesome work, Justin and crew! I hope your Xmas bonuses are fat this year!
Ashlar Dec 9, 2009 7:16 PM	Nice. :) -A-
qwakqwak Dec 10, 2009 8:21 AM	spam much?
Negotiator Dec 10, 2009 8:41 AM	Hey ohfashion - go fuck yourself spam troll On other news, A big cheers to you guys at Atomic for another great Kitlog. Have a good chrissy to you all
Paranoid_Android Dec 10, 2009 10:01 AM	hey, what's with the dream PC's memory? wouldn't the faster ripjaws be a better option considering 2 of the 6 gig in the dream pc's memory kit would be wasted?
Paranoid_Android Dec 10, 2009 10:02 AM	oh and gg otherwise - very useful :-)
Roguegaming Dec 10, 2009 12:42 PM	I am a little confused, wouldn't the dream pc platform be more a X58 platform due to the possibility of quadfire or quad sli with the benefit of the full 16x pcie bandwidth? And whats with the spedo, what happened to the corsair, lian li and coolemaster flag ships? I would also like to see a newer option for the the htpc graphics and the inclusion of a digital tv card to complete the build. Apart from that great job...
TheFrunj Dec 10, 2009 1:07 PM	@Roguegaming, the Dream PC isn't a silly blown-out-of-proportion build that other people might list - in all honesty, who is going to spend $15k on a system? Rather, it's a system that has huge performance, but at a realistic price. P55 has plenty of PCIe lanes for the 5970; if you need more graphical power than that, you're simply doing something wrong! I agree the HTPC gpu needs updating, but there isn't much happening in the passive space for a little while, and certainly nothing overly compelling. A TV tuner would be nice, though most people nowadays just download all their shows, at least in my experience.
Roguegaming Dec 10, 2009 2:02 PM	TheFrunj, Certainly being able to record live tv (even pay tv) while watching another channel in HD might be inviting to a lot of the demographic? Especially when the cost is so minimal compared to the overpriced, inflexible DVR systems available. And don’t you just love it when your IQ set decides to do an upgrade, erasing all your previous recordings. Silly? Blown out? Are these really Atomic words? My understanding of the P55 platform, although remarkable in its own right, to be the end of the line technology or purpose built. Whereas the X58 platform has already been upgraded with the six core “Gulftown”. 15K? you could put a custom water cooled system with 2 5970’s a 975 with 3 120 gig ssd’s in raid 5 and have change out of 10k. You can’t tell me these systems won’t start hitting the forums?? We all love to dream about the perfect system, even if it is through reading about it :)
Hawkeye Dec 10, 2009 2:15 PM	Wishlisting is all well and good, but one of the tenets of KitLog is that every build must be in the realm of an Atomican to build, and therefore reflect not only performance and power, but also cost and reliability. And for that dream level of performance, we really do believe that P55 is the place to be.
TheFrunj Dec 10, 2009 2:20 PM	@Roguegaming, you have to assume that if the (admittedly small proportion) of users are that into watching free-to-air TV at all, PVRs will be easy enough to choose (after all, they don't change too much). P55 was never meant as an EOL, rather as a mainstream platform similar to the P45. X58 is indeed getting that uberchip, but those extra two cores won't net you an actual performance increase in games unless you're running three of them sequentially :P P55 is getting 32nm chips next year, and possibly even the next manufacturing step. Those systems might exist, but they're abnormal. As I've mused over facebook to Ashlar, Ultra PCs are a spectacle - but are ultimately useless to the vast majority of people. Perhaps I'll include one for the third Issue, but it's a lot of time to invest in something, especially when the magazine is free :)
Roguegaming Dec 10, 2009 3:28 PM	I have had quite a few requests from friends and potential clients, to be able to record tv and to back up there IQ's without getting to complex. An all in one HTPC, now including digital radio, would seem to be more cost effect path? Couple this with the latest range of LCD TV's with built in media player streaming, the uses are endless. I respect your choice of the P55 platform and have already built 4 systems based on your reviews. The idea of Ultra PC’s even though a spectacle, or never utilised to their fullest potential, was the main allure of the magazine. Why build a Rex with 300 + HP when the speed limit is only 100k?......... Cause we can. As a subscriber, respecting admirer and avid builder, it is always a pleasure to converse with such authorities in my chosen profession/pastime. Thank you for your time and your feedback.
RRN12 Dec 11, 2009 4:24 PM	Hey awesome mag by the way. Yes! Please! Build (Well, you dont have to, but at least come up with a plan for) a supercomputer pc. They have no point but really don't we all just wish we had one? Try out some PCI HDDS, colossal mobos with excessive graphics, massive amounts of ram ect. Thanks, once again awesome mag.
Devilsmurf Dec 11, 2009 6:48 PM	Mame system for an arcade cabinet featured ?
Hawkeye Dec 12, 2009 8:36 AM	Sadly, no...
widow_mak3r Dec 12, 2009 10:58 PM	thanks for the help with i7's just needed a bit of help understand the new stuff :P.
Nchalada Dec 17, 2009 9:45 PM	For those that want the ultimate uber extreme super fabulous amazing 1337 extraordinary computer imaginable ... http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs_extreme
TheFrunj Dec 17, 2009 10:32 PM	Um, Nchalada, an interesting list of expensive parts but they're not practical - and won't even all work with each other >.<
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Dec 18, 2009 12:58 AM	Nchalada, that system is laughably bad. D:
Mike6 Jan 18, 2010 7:41 PM	Guys i'm loving your work, but what's with no HDMI on the HTPC? i'm looking at building something based on a Shuttle chassis myself (the usual HTPC cases are too big to fit in my TV cabinet :( ) but HDMI was the first feature i looked for. i'd have thought in this day and age...
TheFrunj Jan 18, 2010 8:36 PM	Heya Mike6, good point. Initially Kitlog was based off the magazine pages of the same name, which was built around hardware that had actually been reviewed by us. Kitlog the emag has loosened that grip somewhat, so parts that are more appropriate are sometimes chosen. I must've simply missed that it was missing HDMI; but I'll remember it for the next issue! :)
Mike6 Jan 18, 2010 10:32 PM	Aha! i'd never spotted that the Kitlog machines in the mag used only reviewed parts. Fair enough then. Just let the vendors know you're doing an HDMI performance test, i'm sure you'll get some decent candidates ;)
Geoxx Feb 16, 2011 10:08 AM	Not a single good Nvidia card in sight!!

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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 133 | February, 2012

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.

What's in this issue?