We have a unique review today; I’ll be reviewing some PC hardware, something that I haven’t been able to do in years (Mac guy). Today I’m going to be talking about and reviewing the Antec High Current Gamer 520W power supply unit. If you want to see several pictures of it, check out the unboxing post I did early today.

The unit itself is actually a nice unit. For those of you that have messed around with power supplies, you know how simple these are to install but how much of a problem they are if you don’t have one that is strong enough. The install was simple, 4 screws, just like every other PSU out there. The next part of the install was obvious, hooking everything up to it. The HCG-520M has one of the less clutter/cable management types of system where all the cables detach from the PSU itself so you only have to use what you need. This type of system here is really what you want because you only have cables in your case that you need. It takes any excess out which then helps with opening things up for a better air flow inside your PC, and let us not forget just how much better it also looks. You don’t really want a rat nest inside your case. I did have a small problem with the cable management system though, but that’s really because it’s only a 520W unit, it only comes with one set of the PCI-E cables. Most likely you won’t need more than this, especially if you only need 520W’s, but it would have been nice for one more.

After the install I fired up my personal gaming PC; you can see its specs here (I have a few other things installed as well, like another HDD, USB hubs, and several USB powered devices). It stared up without problems. I wasn’t quite sure if the HCG-520M would have enough power to keep everything going but I had 0 hiccups. Alright, now that that’s done, how about if I overclock it a little bit. Again, not a problem. So I figured I’d put max my PC out with some benchmark tests, surely this would really draw some major watts. And yet again, not an issue, nothing. The PSU itself was cool to the touch. Not bad, not bad at all.

Antec’s HCG-520M really surprised me. I really didn’t think it would have enough juice it in to power everything under a long load. What sucks even more is that I spent around $140 on my Corsair CMPSU-750HX which I love but I could have went ahead and picked up the HCG-520M for about $50 cheaper as Energy sells it for $90.

Steve’s Final Thoughts: The Antec HCG-520M is a really nice PSU that’s made for the budget gaming PC. It’s affordable, and yet, has all the perks of the more expensive PSU: high continuous power (520W), a really nice cable management system, and the Antec name backing it. If you’re in the market for a budget PSU, you’ll be lucky to get such a great bang for your buck then what the HCG-520M is offering.

Here’s all of the official specs:

• 520 watts of Continuous Power
• 80 PLUS® Bronze certified — up to 87% efficient
• High Current Hybrid Cable Management — special 10-pin and 5-pin modular connectors for High Current rail
• Quiet 135 mm Double Ball Bearing cooling fan
• Stealth Wires: all wires darkened for minimal visibility in chassis
• All Japanese brand capacitors for reliability
• Thermal Manager: an advanced low voltage fan control for optimal heat & noise management
• Up to 90% power available on +12V rail
• ATX12V version 2.32 and EPS12V version 2.92 compliant
• Heavy-duty protection circuitry on all rails prevents damage from a variety of dangers:
• AQ5 — Antec Quality 5 year limited warranty on parts and labor
• MTBF: 100,000 hrs

Side Note: If you’re in the market for a CPU cooler, check out Antec’s KÜHLER H₂O 620. I bought that for my PC when I built to keep my Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core cool. Even with me overclocking my i5-2500k, it’s cooler then it running normal with the stock cooler. The other two great things about the KÜHLER H₂O 620 is its price because you can get it for only about $55, and the fact that it’s zero maintenance. You install it, it works, nothing else to do with its liquid cooling system. Ever.

Here are a bunch of pictures I took of Antec’s High Current Gamer M, 520W power supply. You can read all about the specs of it here. There will be a review out on Platform Nation later on today with my thoughts on it. I’ll even see if it can handle my beast of a PC! Hope you enjoy the pictures and very soon the review will be up.

Can I get that $25 back? Yes, I paid the $25 it costs to watch UFC 143 in 3D at my local theater, one of only 2 theaters showing the event in 3D in all of Washington state. I’m not going to give my thoughts on the event here, this is mostly to give you all the low down on UFC’s first event in 3D, even though it was a pretty awesome card.

The first thing I noticed about the event was how we got screwed over instantly. The UFC was showing a new intro, one that is set to replace its gladiator intro, well, we missed that. In fact, we missed everything for the first 7 minutes of the card. Not a good start at all. When the feed finally came back on, guess what, the audio sync was off. It wasn’t really noticeable until the Joe Rogan interviews because you really don’t see the people talking until the interviews but it was there and it was annoying.

The next thing that was probably my biggest problem with the card in 3D, we got hosed! We didn’t get Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg calling the action for us, we got Jon Anik and Kenny Florian. Don’t get me wrong, Anik and Florian don’t suck, but they are no Rogan and Goldberg. There was stuttering, dead air (when there wasn’t suppose to be, you could tell they were trying to gather their thoughts), and it just sounded awkward.

Crappy camera angles suck. I think I counted around 3 true 3D cameras there, because of that, the UFC decided to try to use those as much as possible for our feed. These angles were not the ideal angles or views for us, those were saved for the main feed so we were constantly getting non-optimal views. What was worse though was when they would switch to the single lens cameras and give us what seemed to be a post-process 3D image, it was just awful. Not to mention every time that they showed anything in the UFC video library where nothing was actually shot in 3D and they tried to make it seem 3D. It just looked like crap.

Can we not forget that 2 friends seeing this in the theater at $25 a ticket is the cost of the PPV in the comfort of your own home with your own food and drinks that’s so much cheaper than what you are going to pay at a theater? And so much better quality too.

Overall, when the 3D was actually done right, it was awesome, it really was. It really made me feel like I was there (I’ve been to several UFC events live so I know what it’s like), but so often, it wasn’t done the right way. Every time the UFC would switch to one of the single camera lenses or show an older video clip, it would just suck you out of the experience and it really left you wanting your money back. This was the first time the UFC has done 3D and this was my first and last time paying for it. Never again for me.

At least from the GameStop side of things. GameStop, a store that I absolutely love to hate, seems to have screwed over several top notch fighters. If you pre-order UFC Undisputed 3 from GameStop you get the deal that you see in the picture above. 4 DLC fighters that are/were at the edge of really making a name for themselves. The thing about this is though that all 4 of these fighters have all lost their last fight with Nick Diaz being the latest of them with last nights awesome matchup against Carlos Condit.

This of course, being just the lastest of the UFC curses. I still subscribe to the #UFCONFOX curse where the fights on FOX just seem to be crappy fights and disappointing showings of UFC in a primetime environment.

Let’s be honest though, there probably isn’t any such curse, I do find it very odd though that a store that most gamers actually hate seems to have a pre-order DLC deal that the 4 fighters that are a part of it all lost in pretty big fashion.

If you are looking to buy UFC Undisputed 3, I highly suggest you pick it up from Amazon or you should check out the deal THQ currently has on it.

Our DLC offering will include a wide variety of new fighters, historic UFC fights, career boosts and early access to unlockable content, available via Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and PlayStation® Network.

Please scroll down for official details on our UFC 3 DLC Season Pass program, which you can get FREE by pre-ordering UFC Undisputed 3 now at the THQ Store.

This weeks hosts are, Steven Artlip (Steve519, Scott diMonda (WCC5723), Mark Rea (MarkRea), and Ryan Strain (zwian).

Steve’s list:
Scott’s list:
Mark’s list:
Ryan’s list:

Our primary objective this week:
- Didn’t really have one this week

To contact us, email us at lockandload@platformnation.com, or you can call us at 484-99-GAMER

Thanks for listening to this weeks show, please do us a favor and leave us your feedback about what you thought of the show and don’t forget, we will have a fresh new show for you NEXT FRIDAY!

You can also now find out show on Stitcher Radio! Be sure to download it on your favorite smart phone for free and stream our show to your device instantly!

To subscribe to this podcast, click the AWESOME Animator below and then click Subscribe with iTunes or whatever your podcast downloader is.

iPhone/iPod Touch/Android users, be sure to check out our newest app in the Apple iTunes Store or the Android Store. It is free and it will allow you to do everything you can do from your computer but from your phone, even listen to the latest and greatest P*N podcasts!

Did you like what you read? If so, do us a favor and share it with your friends as well. Click any of the ShareThis links above or below. Thank you!

If you are like me, you’ve been waiting a long time for this; and now our day has come, the jailbreak is out! Today the team over at GreenPois0n released their jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, the first untethered jailbreak for the A5 devices to hit the ‘net. My jailbreak is happening as we speak, but if you would like to hook your phone up to fully unlock its capabilities, feel free to check out Absinthe at the link above. And just in case that link isn’t working (their site is getting absolutely hammered right now), you can also get Absinthe over at idownloadblog.com. Have fun everyone, don’t forget to do a backup before you jailbreak your device as a “just in case” because you never know what might happen.

Did you like this post? Do us a favor, Share it! You can do so with a single click by clicking any of the ShareThis buttons at the top or bottom of this post. Thank you for your support!

If you checked us out yesterday you probably noticed that we were blacked out as we were joining so many other websites yesterday protesting against SOPA and PIPA. So, now that yesterday is over, lets just see how the Internet did against the rich, powerful and connected MPAA, RIAA and just about every other “old media” outlet.

Well, the LA Times is reporting that 4.5 million people signed Google’s anti-SOPA petition yesterday. 4.5 million, just wow! What’s more impressive to me as far as that goes is the fact that I’d say the majority of those people probably never even heard of SOPA till yesterday.

“There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs,” the petition reads. “Too much is at stake -– please vote NO on PIPA and SOPA.”

I couldn’t agree more with the above statement. The people that are against SOPA aren’t against online piracy, they are against censoring the biggest tool we have today for free speech! You don’t need SOPA to fight off internet piracy, just look at what happened today against MegaUpload. There’s no need for SOPA, there are already tools in place to prevent piracy.

Google’s petition wasn’t the only tool to attack SOPA though, Twitter was equally effective at getting the word out. HotSpots.io was tracking 267k tweets per hour getting the word out about SOPA. Throughout the day, SOPA was the most talked about topic on Twitter.

Elsewhere, Reddit Co-Founder, Alexis Ohanian called the protest a “Resounding Success” he continued with this, one of the best quotes I’ve heard about this topic,

Why is it that when Republicans and Democrats need to solve the budget and the deficit, there’s deadlock, but when Hollywood lobbyists pay them $94 million dollars to write legislation, people from both sides of the aisle line up to co-sponsor it?

So again I ask, who won? I’d say we did, the Internet! Ars Technica is reporting that now 19 Senators dropped their support and are now in opposition of PIPA (the Senate’s version of SOPA), 7 of which were co-sponsors of the bill. That’s amazing there, and that’s because of you guys and gals getting your voices heard! For a single day, the Internet became a single voice and shouted our opposition of SOPA and PIPA and for once, our concerns were actually heard. For once the all mighty dollar didn’t drown out what the people wanted.

Unfortunately though, that’s not the end of the story. Chris Dodd, former Senator and now MPAA Chairman and CEO came out calling the internet blackouts:

another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals.

News flash for you all, the blackouts were not a gimmick at all and with the help of major sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Google and smaller sites like us, Platform Nation and thousands of others, we got the word out about these dangerous bills and we won this battle.

So what happens next? Well, we sit and wait. We have to be prepared for what’s next because don’t think for a second that this is over. There will be other bills, there will be millions more pouring into our representatives pockets that want to censor what we can do online while hiding behind the masks of “piracy” or other hot topics.

I can promise you one thing though, while we here might not be the biggest site out there, we will continue to fight the good fight for our community. We don’t care about pageviews here (they are nice though), we don’t care about making money, all we care about is doing what’s right. As long as we are around, and as long as we have your support, we will do everything we can to help you guys be heard through us. After all, that’s why we exist in the first place, and that’s why on the bottom of Platform Nation is has always said:

Platform Nation is a collaboration of several gaming podcasts who decided it would be best for our gamers, the podcasters and the rest of the gaming community if they came together to share efforts. Together we have a larger voice in the community for the gamers that we strive to speak for. We share the same forums and for the most part, share the same listeners. After all, we are a community, not a network Platform Nation, United We Game.

And for those of you that still might be in the dark, please, I urge of you, just watch the video below as it will help explain what SOPA/PIPA really is about.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Image source: reddit.com

Did you like this post? Do us a favor, Share it! You can do so with a single click by clicking any of the ShareThis buttons at the top or bottom of this post. Thank you for your support!

Yep, the time has come to call it a day here at Platform Nation, well, kind of at least. On January 18, Platform Nation will be joining several other sites all around the Internet in protesting the internet censor bills that are currently in the House and Senate. Check out the video below, they do a whole lot of a better job explaining the entire situation then I can.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

The freedom, innovation, and economic opportunity that the Internet enables is in jeopardy. Congress is considering legislation that will dramatically change your Internet experience and put an end to reddit and many other sites you use everyday. Internet experts, organizations, companies, entrepreneurs, legal experts, journalists, andindividuals have repeatedly expressed how dangerous this bill is. If we do nothing, Congress will likely pass the Protect IP Act (in the Senate) or the Stop Online Piracy Act (in the House), and then the President will probably sign it into law. There are powerful forces trying to censor the Internet, and a few months ago many people thought this legislation would surely pass. However, there’s a new hope that we can defeat this dangerous legislation.

via Reddit.

So what can you do to help? Check out sites like Fight for the Future, Sopa Strike, American Censorship, and of course, Reddit. There is so much great information on all these sites as well as things you can do to help. I urge you, please, go out and show your support to help defeat these bills and keep our Internet free and open.

Listen, this is no joke, the internet as we know it is as stake here. Check out the links above, educate yourself on this topic and please do your part and help spread the word!

First and foremost, please allow us to apologize for the technical issues that impacted your access to UFC 141 on Xbox LIVE. We remain committed to providing you with the quality experience you expect, therefore we completed a thorough investigation into the issues that prevented you from enjoying UFC 141 on Xbox LIVE, and we’re confident that we’ve addressed the problems.

We’d love it if you’d give us a second chance, and we’d like to offer you another opportunity to experience UFC on Xbox LIVE free of charge with UFC RIO: Aldo vs. Mendes on January 14th, 2012. Instructions on how to access UFC RIO on Xbox LIVE are outlined below. In addition, we’re providing all those impacted by the UFC 141 technical issues with one month of free Xbox LIVE Gold membership*. See redemption code and instructions below.

So does that make it better to you? I’m still extremely skeptical about hosting again, I’m really thinking about going to our local bar to watch the event or one of my buddies houses that is also buying it. For me, it isn’t just the fact that their service might be down again that makes me nervous, it’s the extremely crappy quality of the video that really makes me think twice.

Just yesterday I was sharing the new UFC Undisputed 3 trailer which provided us with its predictions for UFC 142. Well, today THQ decided to share with us a video which highlights the official roster for UFC Undisputed 3. It’s a pretty impressive roster, one that has over 150 fighters in 7 weight classes. You can also check out the full roster, with the figher stats over here.