Reviews

8.8
Date: May 7th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
HIS Radeon HD 7770 iCooler 1 GB

The HIS Radeon HD 7770 iCooler is a close to reference implementation of the HD 7770. Coming at reference design price and clocks, its biggest innovation is its cooler, which is exceedingly quiet. It is actually the quietest HD 7770 we tested so far.

Date: May 7th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
Ivy Bridge PCI-Express Scaling with HD 7970 and GTX 680

Today's latest graphics cards come with support for PCI-Express 3.0, which promises twice the bandwidth, while still being compatible with older motherboards and graphics cards. In our article we analyze differences in PCIe performance on Intel's Ivy Bridge with GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon HD 7970, using 20 games at five resolutions, each at all three PCIe generations and x4, x8 and x16 link width.

Date: May 4th 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Motherboards
Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 Intel Z77 Express LGA 1155 Preview

Fresh out of boot camp, Gigabyte's latest platoon of gaming warfighters is here in the TPU motherboard testing facility, ready for battle. The Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 is a tiny mATX gaming fighter, armed with Gigabyte's own Super Hearing, Super Sight, Super Speed, and Super Sheild.

9.5
Date: May 3rd 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 4 GB

Today NVIDIA releases their new GeForce GTX 690 flagship. The $999 card is based on two GK104 graphics processors that have their full potential enabled. The new card has one of the most extravagant designs, making heavy use of metal which adds to the experience. Performance is outstanding, being neck to neck with a dual GTX 680 SLI setup.

8.9
Date: May 2nd 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Rosewill Capstone Modular 750 W

Today we will test the newest PSU offering from Rosewill, Newegg's house brand. The Capstone Modular 750W features Gold efficiency and promises a really interesting review since the OEM behind the new modular Capstone units is Super Flower.

8.9
Date: May 1st 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
MSI Radeon HD 7870 HAWK 2 GB

MSI's HD 7870 HAWK is the company's mid-range equivalent of the Lightning Series. The card uses a Twin Frozr dual-fan cooler and features increased clock speeds of 1100 MHz GPU and 1200 MHz. It also includes triple voltage control via MSI Afterburner.

9.6
Date: Apr 30th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
Palit GeForce GTX 680 JetStream 2 GB

Palit's GeForce GTX 680 JetStream offers several enhancements compared the NVIDIA reference design, like a quiet triple fan cooler, overclock out of the box and reduced power consumption. The best improvement is certainly that it comes at no price increase compared to the reference design.

9.5
Date: Apr 30th 2012
Author: Frederik S
In: Headphones
KRK Systems KNS 8400 Headphones

KRK Systems, known for their studio monitors, recently and quietly released two studio headphones. Today we will be taking a good look at the KNS 8400 headphones which is the current high-end offering from KNS 8400. Intended for studio use and abuse these headphones are durable and feature a more analytical sound signature than most headphones available.

9.5
Date: Apr 27th 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Motherboards
ZOTAC A75-ITX WiFi A-E

ZOTAC is at it again, making tiny little high-quality HTPC products, this time in AMD flavor. Featuring WiFi, Bluetooth, dual LAN, and XMP support on AMD, the ZOTAC A75-ITX WiFi is made to meet HTPC users needs.

8.7
Date: Apr 26th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge GPU Performance

This week saw the release of Intel's new 22 nanometer Ivy Bridge processors. The new CPUs also feature a beefed up graphics core that is faster and includes support for DirectX 11. In our review we test 18 games to investigate whether HD Graphics 4000 can provide a decent gaming experience.

8.0
Date: Apr 25th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
MSI Radeon HD 7970 Lightning 3 GB

MSI's Radeon HD 7970 Lightning is a heavily customized implementation of the HD 7970 with focus on performance and overclocking. The card uses a beefed up voltage regulation circuitry and massive dual-fan heatsink to ensure stable operation at MSI's clocks of 1070 MHz core and 1400 MHz memory.

8.5
Date: Apr 24th 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: Cases
Cooler Master HAF XM

Cooler Master aims to shrink the HAF X, offering a mid-tower sized variant by the name of HAF XM. Still featuring that rugged, wide and military look, we take the chassis apart to see if it still manages to offer the guts of a war machine, just like the original, or if its looks hide nothing but a bland interior.

8.7
Date: Apr 23rd 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Enermax Revolution87+ 850 W

Enermax's latest line of PSUs is called Revolution87+, which consists of five members with capacities ranging from 550W to 1000W. All are 80 Plus certified, utilize a semi modular cabling design and are equipped with a twister bearing fan. Today we will evaluate the 850W model which can power up to three high-end VGAs along with other power hungry components.

9.7
Date: Apr 20th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
ASUS GeForce GTX 680 Direct CU II 2 GB

The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 Direct CU II TOP uses the company's famous triple slot cooler to bring low temperatures and low noise to the GeForce GTX 680. ASUS has also increased the clocks of the card significantly, which gives it a healthy performance boost, for a reasonable $20 price premium.

9.1
Date: Apr 19th 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: Cases
NZXT Switch 810

With the NZXT Switch 810, the company inches toward the higher end spectrum of the market, offering an XL-ATX chassis in white or black. With a unique interior and some really cool features, the Switch 810 makes a great impression.

7.9
Date: Apr 18th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Akasa Venom Power 550 W

Akasa's new Venom Power PSU has 550W capacity, utilizes a semi-modular cabling system and features a single +12V rail. With its affordable price it is one of the cheapest modular units in its segment, which will also help with price/performance.

8.3
Date: Apr 17th 2012
Author: Frederik S
In: Keyboards
CM Storm Trigger Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

CM Storm's latest keyboard dubbed the Trigger is put to the test to see how it performs, compared to recent offerings from QPAD and Zowie. The Trigger features an ingenious lighting system and has quite a few tricks up its sleeves.

9.4
Date: Apr 13th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1000 W

Antec finally released a new flagship PSU: the High Current Pro Platinum 1000W. The previous generation HCP-1200 was the favorite PSU of most extreme users and overclockers. Its outstanding performance helped to breal many records. Now the new HCP-1000 has to carry on the tradition and prove its worth.

9.1
Date: Apr 12th 2012
Author: Frederik S
In: Headphones
Head-Direct HE-400 Planar Magnetic Headphones

Head-Direct's latest addition to the HE-line of headphones is the much anticipated HE-400. The HE-400 sells for only $400 which is quite low for a high-end set of planar magnetic headphones. We take them for a spin to see how they compare to both planar magnetic and dynamic headphones

9.1
Date: Apr 10th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Super Flower Golden King 500 W

Today we are going to rigorously test another Super Flower product, the Golden King 500W; a non modular PSU which combines top performance, 80 Plus Platinum efficiency and an affordable price. The cherry on top is the super quiet operation. At low temperatures it can even go fanless.

Date: Apr 9th 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Motherboards
Biostar TZ77XE4 Intel LGA1155 Preview

With the launch of Intel's latest Z77 Express platform, Biostar steps up to the plate with a new game in mind, ready to hit a homerun. Featuring a new aesthetic design, and a new highly efficient VRM, the Biostar TZ77XE4 is ready to knock one clear out of the park.

Date: Apr 9th 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Motherboards
ECS Golden Board Z77H2-AX LGA 1155 Preview

The eagerly anticipated Intel Z77 Express Chipset is finally here. As always, ECS is first out the gate here at TPU, with none other than their first and only "Golden Board" Z77H2-AX. Built with unmatched quality and funtionality as its main focus, the Z77H2-AX is ECS's latest weapon against the twin overclocking Dragons of AMD and Intel.

8.8
Date: Apr 5th 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Memory
Exceleram Rippler ERB300A 4 GB PC3-12800 CAS 6 1.65 V DDR3

Today we take a look at another classic memory kit on the Intel X79 Express platform, this time from Exceleram. The Rippler ERB300A is built for overclocking with its fast CL6 speeds, but will that still work with the overclocks of today?

8.8
Date: Apr 4th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
OCZ FATAL1TY Series 1000 W

OCZ decided to work with the famous gamer Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel to develop a high-end PSU that will meet the specific needs of all gamers in performance, stability and ease of installation. The outcome was the Fatal1ty series 1000W PSU which differs from the rest of the bunch mainly because it features individually sleeved cables.

8.8
Date: Apr 3rd 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
MSI HD 7870 Twin Frozr III 2 GB

MSI's HD 7870 TwinFrozr III improves on the AMD reference design by adding the company's dual-fan cooling solution to the card. It also comes with increased clock speeds of 1050 MHz core and 1200 MHz memory out of the box. In our testing we saw great additional overclocking potential, well into the 1200 MHz range.