A question that seems to get asked a lot by our customers is why we always use ‘slower’ CPUs – for example, only including a Core i5 processor when our competitors are giving out Core i7 processors for the same price.

The reason? By spending less on the CPU, we can balance the CPU and Graphics Card processing power ratio, making your games run faster and smoother than they otherwise would on one of our competitors’ systems.

Seems a little paradoxical? Here’s how it works: when you’re gaming, the graphics card is responsible for everything that appears on-screen. It draws the pretty pictures, so to speak. The CPU only tells the graphics card what to draw. Of course, it’s important to have a fast CPU, and most desktop CPUs are fast enough for this purpose.

But when the graphics card can’t even keep up with the CPU, that’s when you begin to have problems. At best, you won’t be able to turn up the details to make your games look truly as good as they should. And at worst, you’ll have lag, stutter and freezes when the action gets heavier – common in most first-person shooters including the ever-popular Battlefield 3.

In a real-world example, take our NightFire system (with an Intel Core i5-2400 and a Radeon HD6870) and a system from Competitor P (with an Intel Core i7-2600 and a Radeon HD6770).

The following graph shows performance in a well-known synthetic game benchmark (3DMark Vantage running in Performance mode). Both the total scores of the systems (and the average contribution of the CPU and GPU to total performance) are shown.

Big difference between the two. Even though the Core i7-2600 is much faster than the i5-2400, the difference just isn’t enough to let the i7-based system catch up with our NightFire system.

At this point you may be wondering how this translates into real-world gaming performance – and the answer is very well, in fact. For the following graph, we’re going to take Battlefield 3 as an example.

There’s a massive difference of 20fps between the two systems. And with the i7-based system running at a borderline 30fps, even a small dip in frame rates will be noticeable. But with the NightFire, there’s a healthy 20fps of headroom, meaning that your game won’t start lagging when you venture into a heavy firefight or out into the open.

The thing to note here, though, is that this comparison was between the NightFire’s Radeon HD6870, and the Radeon HD6770 (the de-facto entry-midrange standard). This doesn’t bode well at all for the majority of our competitors, who are shipping even slower cards with their ‘gaming’ PCs (or even no graphics card at all!)

And that’s one of the things makes us different – we’ve already done the design work for you, so you know you’re getting the best value-for-money when you buy one of our systems.

There will be a Nightbreaker event on the 19th of April, a thursday, 9am to 7 pm. There will be an event as well. If you're free and have nothing to do, why not come by? Its $15 for the entire night.

Here is a link to the event page.

http://www.facebook.com/events/269856803106172/

Dear customers,

We're open during the Easter public holidays. Our normal operational hours remains the same from 10am - 11pm. However we are closing at 6pm on Monday 09/04/12 due to private function. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Have a lovely Easter holiday break!

Today should be a good day, the weather isn't too shabby. Rather humid though, but nevertheless it is a good day. We remember today the arrival of the first fleet in 1788, and the blossoming from that point on of the British Colonies. Do not forget what is important on this day, and that is the people of the Australian nation. Spend time with your family (or if you regard your friends as your family, then spend time with them too!), and keep in mind the luck you have in living in this prosperous nation. Next comes our duty as citizens, and ensuring the safety of our freedoms, and to remember our unique history, and our hardships.

Today is a day of unity, where people from various cultural backgrounds, and various religions, come together in a multicultural harmony. An important feature, I find, of Australia Day, is this social harmony, and the celebration of Australian multiculturalism, without whom Australia would be an entirely different place.

Regardless, I wish you all a great Australia day, and if you get tired of the heat, or want to spend some time with your mates, Confuciustech is open and welcoming of all.

Be at ConfuciusTech on New Year's Eve (31/12/11) and recharge $5.00 ($5.00 per entry) for your chance to win up to 5 X Double Passes to see the latest Under World Series (Awakening). Winner will be announce on Facebook during the day.

This year went by far to quickly, and we have seen the rise and fall of Gaming studios and games, some games were disappointments, where as others were surprisingly good. It was by far an interesting year because of the various ups and downs of certain events. One cannot deny that there was an impact on gaming, we have seen a rapid incline and popularity of Smartphone games and apps and the impact it has had on how video games are being seen by the public, this has also revealed to the public just what video games are like, I could remember there being negative statements from the media and politicians about video games, and no doubt, the R18 rating debate has had an impact on the image of video games, and gamers alike.

So to recap, this year we have seen the release of a myriad of great games, such as Mass Effect 2, Magicka, Killzone 3, Rift, Dragon Age 2, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim, Shogun 2, Crysis 2, Witcher 2, Alice: Madness Returns and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, just to name a few but there have been so many great games. Games this year have brought new things to the table, or just continued on with a previous formula, as well as provide innovative new engines such as Crytek and the Frostbite engine. Bethesda improved the Creation engine used for Skyrim, allowing greater distance renderings then Crysis, and introducing a ingame system where the game uses the player's gaming style to create challenges for the player.

Story telling is another I keep an eye out for in video games, as i feel that it has become significant feature in the gaming medium. The need to tell a story is far more important then just flashy appearance or new features. Games with a compelling story line add more depth to the experience, a rememberable character or moment that makes the game worth playing, and goes a long way. A perfect example of this would have to be The Witcher 2, which has a great story line and fleshed out characters. Skyrim is a great game, but story wise, it isn't that involving or even consistent.

This year we also saw the rise of online stores, such as the massive growth of Steam, and EA trying to get in on the market with Origin. This has had an impact on gamers because this means that a lot of transactions are done online, and subsequently we are seeing a decline in retail stores that sell PC video games. We have also seen the rise of anti-piracy associated software, such as DRM (Digital Rights Management) in an attempt to protect intellectual property. This has also had an impact on gamers, take for instance Battlefield 3 and Origin, or Ubisoft/Windows Live games being limited until activated online where the consumer has to download the rest of the game. Online gaming is moving towards a cloud system, Steam and Origin are two I can name from the top of my head, but first, I'll define what a cloud system is, the core content of a game does not belong on your PC but rather is accessed from the Cloud server of a particular company, requiring a constant internet connection to play. It could be saving trivial things, such as in Team Fortress 2, your load out. The cloud system poses questions over ownership, are you really in control over what you buy, or are you simply buying a license to use a product?

A lot has happened this year, and we can only guess as to what's happening next year. Hopefully us Australian's gain the R18 rating we have been waiting and campaigning for, for so long now. I just wish that gamers in Australia get treated more with respect from the media and politicians. The gamer demographic has changed so much in the past few years, not all of us are children addicted to violence (as the media puts us to be), but rather, sensible and normal adults who are capable of making decisions for ourselves and that we don't need a nanny government.

I got my hands on Limbo, a good pc and Fraps and decided to make a video review of limbo. I hope you guys enjoy. I would go into detail but a colleague of mine decided to post up the review before i could. Here is the link for it: http://www.confuciustech.com.au/community/news/limbo/

Here is the link for the video review, i hope you guys enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUX3NK5NU10&feature=channel_video_title

Order your NRG system from ctcomputing.com.au now!

NRG promotion:

One week only - ends 26/08/11

• Intel i5-2500K Core i5 Processor, 3.3GHz, LGA1155

++++ Overclocked up to 4.7GHz Performance ++++

• Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 MB, Intel Z68 Chipset, Socket 1155, SATA3, USB3.0, Crossfire/SLI
• Efficient active cooling with powerful Push/Pull airflow
• Corsair Hydro H60 Liquid CPU Cooler
• 8GB Corsair 1600MHz DOMINATOR DDR3 memory
• DUAL ATI HD-6870 1GB GDDR5 in XFire Mode
• 80GB Corsair Force SSD
• 2TB Hard Drive – SATA 2, 7200RPM
• 12x Blu-ray Burner Drive
• Corsair Obsidian 650D Black Mid Tower
• Corsair 750 watt (HX-750) PSU (80-PLUS Silver Certified)
• Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

$2599.00

As we are experiencing some technical difficulties with our telecommunications provider, you may experienced some issues in contacting our store. We are working hard to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Meantime, you can contact us via:

0430 888 326 (store mobile phone)

or email:

info@confuciustech.com.au

These days you can either have powerful, or small. Want a computer you can take with you? You're gonna have to get either a slow, heavy 'gaming' laptop, or a sluggish nettop- but not any more.

We've taken everything available in the NightFire II system- and shrunk it into something barely bigger than a shoebox. No kidding, this thing is tiny. It's small enough to go wherever you go, be it LAN parties, tournaments or friends' places. Most importantly, we haven't compromised on anything at all.

And if that isn't enough, we also offer the top-of-the-line Core i7-2600, as well as the nVidia GTX 590 (the world's second-fastest graphics card) in this system. Yes, you can have a NightStar-class system in here as well.

It's the end of May, and we've shuffled our system lineup (again!) to give you the best value for your money. Click the images for more info on each system.

First up, the ViperX's had a case change, amongst other things. It now also features the latest Radeon HD6670 graphics card. One thing hasn't changed though- the price.

The ever-popular NightFire line of systems have also been shuffled around slightly. All systems now come with the BitFenix Shinobi case (yes, that really awesome looking one), and an Aywun A1-V4 Black Edition CPU cooler as standard. Oh, and the case side panel lights up thanks to the red LED fan, too.

The NightFire CF and XE editions now both come with 850W modular power supplies, and the NightFire XE now has a pair of Radeon HD6870s in CrossFireX. For those of you who like the DF-10, we still have those available on request (and for an extra fee) for a limited time.

We've also introduced a new system- NightStar- for those who want the best, and only the best. We've packed the fastest graphics card in the world (along with a crazy desktop CPU) into NZXT's sleek Lexa S chassis.

Of course, we can always build custom to suit your tastes. Just drop in and speak to one of our friendly staff who can help you with that. We also offer a selection of peripherals such as gaming keyboards, mice and headsets, and we're more than happy to give you a discount if you buy those with a system.

HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND: We're Open!

The original ViperX- reborn. With an even lower price, it brings more value to the table than ever- a new quad-core processor clocking in at 3.2GHz, and the AMD Radeon HD5670 graphics card. If you're on a budget, but don't want to miss out on anything, then the ViperX II's hard to pass up.

Need more power? There's upgrade packages available too. Choose from CrossFire (another Radeon HD6850), or eXtreme (Core i7-2600, and two HD6850s). Both deliver the best bang-for-buck on the market.

With the addition of many exciting games, we’ve brought back classic action games which we know gamers love.

Gears of War - One of the most well known and favourite first person shooter games out there. (Computers in VIP area will have little problem running this game, however others might.)

Battlefield 2 - A successful team based FPS.

Doom 3 - Need I say more? A classic, timeless, and one of the greatest first person shooters out for Windows!

Thanks to the new DDS Server system, we have acquired new and old (and well loved) strategy games which will definitely bring back memories of old. There are so many new games that it would take ages to list them all.

Some of the best old (and new) games that we have are as follows; Empire Earth 2 - Not for the casual Real Time Strategy player!

Supreme Commander - Managing a giant robotic horde has never been so easy.

Age of Empires 2 - A classic RTS, returned to Confucius.

Here are some of our latest games in action! More to come in the future! Come to CT and cool down this hot summer with these new games!

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We wish you and your friends / family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Remember we are open at CT everyday during the holidays!

Recently we have completed our annual PC upgrade. VIP computers have been upgraded to ATI 5770 / 4GB RAM. With plenty of games loaded (backed with online licenses) - you are sure to have awesome fun with your friends at CT!

Time & Date: Saturday 27th November 2010 9:30 am - 2pm

Location: ConfuciusTech 296 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield 2131 New South Wales

Entry Fee: $5.00 per person

Format: 1 vs 1

Prizes: 1st Place - Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110 (RRP $130.00) + 25 hours 2nd Place - Thermaltake Challenger Gaming Keyboard (RRP $85) + 15 hours 3rd Place - Microsoft Sidewinder Mouse (RRP $65.00) + 10 hours

Special Participation Random Prize - 12 x Monster Shots

Register in store now or drop us an email with the following details to info@confuciustech.com.au

Full Name: Battle.Net Name: Race: Contact Number:

1. General 1.1 All participants must be playing on Confucius Technology computers 1.2 All participants must pay the $5 entry fee prior to playing any tournament matches 1.3 You need your own copy of starcraft 2 and battle.net account. Without your own copy of starcraft 2 andbattle.net account you are not eligible for this tournament. 1.4 You must play your chosen race for the entire tournament

2. Tournament Format 2.1 Maximum of 32 player tournament Round 1 - Group phase 2.2 Initially 4 groups of up to 8 players. Each player will play a Bo1 (Best of one) against each player in that group. 1 Point for each win. The top 4 of each group will move on to Round 2. All group stage will be played on either Metalopolis or Jungle Basin (Up to the host to choose, in the case of a conflict, the map is set to Metalpolis as default). Round 2 - Single Elimination 2.3 Round 2 will consist of a single elimination BO3 (Best of three). Players will be seeded on performance in group stage. Each player will be able to down vote up to 2 maps. The three maps to be played will be then randomly selected from remaining maps by the coordinator. The maps will only be maps from the current ladder pool. Round 3 - Finals Finals will be BO5 (best of 5). Each player will downvote up to 1 map. The five maps to be played will then be selected from the remaining maps by the tournament coordinator. The maps will only be maps from the current ladder pool. 2.4 Finals and/or previous rounds may be shortened depending on time. 2.5 All games will be played on battle.net 2.6 The winner of each round must report his win to the tournament coordinator.

3. Games/Hosting 3.1 One player will be designated to host a game by the tournament coordinator. 3.2 When both players type "ready" into the game, the game will begin immediately 3.3 In the case of a disconnect and or computer restart inform the Tournament coordinator immediately. 3.4 The tournament coordinator will inspect the replay, the game may be replayed or the coordinator will call a victor depending on the replay.

4. Cheats & Disqualification 4.1 The use of cheats and hacks is strictly forbbiden. If caught, you will be immediately disqualified from the tournament and future Confucius Technology tournaments. 4.2 Observers suspected of cheating may be asked to leave and player may also be disqualified on tournament coordinator's disgression. 4.3 All players must follower the tournament coordinators instructions. Failure to comply may result in a disqualification. 4.4 You will not recieve a refund for the entry fee if you have been disqualified.

5. 5.1 Confucius Technology has the right to alter, change, or modify the rules without any notice.
6. 6.1 The prizes are as follows: 1st. Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110 (RRP $130) 2nd. Thermaltake challenger gaming keyboard (RRP $85) 3rd. Microsoft Sidewinder mouse (RRP $65)

In celebration of our new website, ConfuciusTech are giving away 2 Nightbreaker vouchers worth $15.00 each for just posting something up and hitting the ‘Like’ buttons!

All you got to do is visit our website at http://www.confuciustech.com.au/cybercafe/ and post up something interesting underneath your favourite games! Feel free to comment on other peoples’ comments as well and hit ‘Like’ whenever you get the desire.

Start a convo, make a point or just simply say what’s on your mind about it to be in the running for these prizes!

If you have been living under a rock for the last two years, here is an example: http://www.confuciustech.com.au/community/news/league-of-legends/

To win these awesome prizes, there are two categories:

Most Valuable Post: Whichever post gets the most positive feedback and ‘Likes’ from friend or foe will receive a Nightbreaker voucher.

Best Contributor: Whoever makes the most contributing comments to our new Cyber Café listings will also receive a Nightbreaker voucher.

Winners will be decided on the 6th of October so stay tuned!

-Any posts deemed inappropriate will be removed without notice. Winners must bring proof of identity to claim prizes. Prizes not claimed by 08/10/10 will be rewarded to the runner up for that category. Trolls will be persecuted. : )

Great news! ConfuciusTech is able to create free LAN accounts for Heroes of Newerth for you and your friends to try out the new team based multiplayer game that is sweeping the gaming nation!

Based on the worldwide phenomenon Warcraft 3 “Defence of the Ancients” map, Heroes of Newerth is the next generation in team based gaming that is created as a game in its own right.

With improved graphics, tracked player stats, ingame chat, game reconnection and superior client-based server code for no lag games, get in today and experience the

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Copy this key: mr7tcf4kaho63mbkhzd1
2. Gamers can create their HoN account by going to https://lan.heroesofnewerth.com/create_account.php and fill in the details required.
3. Please note that ALL usernames created through this service will automatically begin with LAN. (i.e. LAN.username). For example, when the customer enters the username nobody, the official login will be LAN.nobody. This will ensure that the accounts can only be used at the LAN center.
4. Start Heroes of Newerth the game.
5. Login and start DOMINATING!

In case you didn't know, ConfuciusTech is holding a Heroes of Newerth Tournament with plenty of fun and prizes to be handed out!

Details:

Date: 25th July 2010 Format: 2v2 Banning Draft Location: ConfuciusTech 296, Liverpool Rd, Ashfield 2131 TIme: 9.30am - 2pm

No Entry Fee!

Prizes:

1st - $150.00 Cash Prize! 2nd - $50.00 Cash Prize! 3rd - S2 Swagbags filled with goodies!

And that's not all. Random prizes will be handed out to all customers present at the tournament itself! Don't miss out and register you and your mate today!

Follow the event on our Facebook here.

You heard right, we are giving away freebies (Logitech Mouse, Altec Lansing Speakers) on our Facebook fanpage. How? Click on the BIG RED BUTTON below to find out!