Reviews

9.6
Date: Nov 12th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Corsair AX860i 860 W

A couple of days ago we reviewed the Corsair AX760i, which impressed us with amazing performance. Today we'll evaluate its bigger brother, the AX860i, which should perform equally as good and offer the same features with a little higher capacity.

Date: Nov 9th 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: USB Sticks
Mach Xtreme MX-ES 32 GB USB 3.0

The MX-ES can be mistaken for a cheap run-of-the-mill USB 2.0 drive, but its generic housing holds an SLC-flash-based heart. Mach Xtreme got us drooling with advertised speeds of 170/185 MB/s read/write. The drive did not quite hit those numbers, but managed to get our nod of approval.

Date: Nov 8th 2012
Author: Frederik S
In: Mice
CM Storm Recon Gaming Mouse & Scorpion Bungee

CM Storm just launched the Recon gaming mouse and the Scorpion mouse bungee. Today, we test to see whether the Recon has the performance to take up the fight against other mid-range gaming mice. We will also see if mouse bungees should get their place back on our gaming desks.

9.5
Date: Nov 7th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Corsair AX760i 760 W

Corsair's new AX860i and AX760i promise to blow away the competition with their performance and digital (DSP) control. The smaller of the two will be the test subject of this review, and we are eager to see how it will perform on our test bench.

Date: Nov 6th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
HIS Radeon HD 7750 IceQ X Turbo 1 GB

The HIS HD 7750 IceQ X Turbo is a custom design, overclocked HD 7750. A separate 6-pin PCI-Express power connector has been added to the card, which improves power delivery and might have an effect on overclocking potential. In our testing, we saw over 25% real-life performance gain from overclocking.

Date: Nov 5th 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: USB Sticks
Patriot Memory Supersonic RageXT 32 GB USB 3.0

Patriot has released an updated version of the Rage drive that offers up to 180 MB/s read and 50 MB/s write in a small & compact package. We take a closer look to find out if the Rage XT is like Speedy Gonzales, or ends up huffin' and puffin' through the benchmarks.

Date: Nov 2nd 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Motherboards
Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Intel Socket LGA1155

Fresh on store shelves is Biostar with a completely new take on budget-board features through none other than the Hi-Fi Z77X. Bringing upgraded audio functions to the entry-level market, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is going to rock your socks off.

Date: Oct 30th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: Power Supplies
Silverstone SFX Series ST45SF-G 450 W

With the successful ST45SF counting more than two years in production, it was about time for Silverstone to release its successor, the ST45SF-G. The latter is the strongest SFX PSU and on top of that is the only one in its category that features Gold efficiency and a fully modular cabling.

9.5
Date: Oct 29th 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: Media Players
Zotac ZBOX nano XS AD11 PLUS

The Zotac ZBOX nano is minuscule in size, but packs a full AMD based system within. The compact dimensions along with the wall mount and plethora of connectivity make the ZBOX nano an interesting choice for HPTC and Office users.

Date: Oct 26th 2012
Author: Frederik S
In: Speakers
Logitech UE Boombox

Logitech bought Ultimate Ears about a year ago and now we are finally seeing the first joint effort of the two companies. Today we will be taking a look at their new Boombox which is a basically a battery powered wireless speaker with over six hours of battery life.

Date: Oct 25th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: NAS
Synology DS213+

Synology recently introduced several new NAS servers, including the DS213+ which includes many upgrades over its predecessor. A dual-core processor powers the DS213+ offering faster speeds in every RAID configuration it supports. Also, with only 2.6 Watts during system hibernation this NAS offers great energy savings, something many users will appreciate.

9.2
Date: Oct 24th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: SSD
Mach Xtreme MX-DS Turbo 120 GB SLC

Unlike the majority of SSDs on the market, the MX DS Turbo SLC uses the faster and more durable SLC flash chips. As a result the drive is the fastest SSD we ever tested, and it also comes with improved durability thanks to the different flash type.

Date: Oct 23rd 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: Cases
NZXT Phantom 820

NZXT has evolved the Phantom into the next generation chassis. Bigger, more elaborate, plenty of new features and a higher price tag are some of what sets the Phantom 820 apart from its older brethren. Is this big case a true evolution into something great or a mere mutation with no place to be?

Date: Oct 22nd 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Processors
AMD FX-8350 - "Piledriver" for AMD Socket AM3+

Without much fanfare, AMD is launching yet another new product, this time the Piledriver-based AM3+ CPUs. Ready as a drop-in replacement for current 9-series AMD motherboards, the FX-8350 not only offers a bit of a surprise in performance, but also a suprise that your wallet will like too!

Date: Oct 22nd 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
MSI GeForce GTX 660 HAWK 2 GB

MSI's new GeForce GTX 660 HAWK is a fully customized, overclocked GTX 660. It comes with the company's signature TwinFrozr cooler and includes goodlies like dual BIOS and voltage measurements points.

Date: Oct 22nd 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
AMD Catalyst 12.11 Performance Analysis

Today AMD announced a new game bundle for their Radeon graphics cards and the new Catalyst 12.11 driver which brings performance improvements across the board. We test each card of the HD 7000 lineup in 20 games and benchmarks to verify what the new driver offers.

Date: Oct 18th 2012
Author: crmaris
In: NAS
QNAP TS-869L

QNAP recently released their new TS-x69L series which, in essence, is the economical alternative to the Pro series, but with almost identical performance because the same hardware is used. In this review we will evaluate the TS-869L NAS, which can take up to eight HDDs for up to 32 TB of storage!

Date: Oct 17th 2012
Author: Darksaber
In: Cases
Nanoxia Deep Silence 1

Nanoxia is known for its cooling products. Their first chassis takes aim at the established Fractal Design Define family and fires a few salvos in the direction of the R4. Does the Deep Silence 1 have what it takes to stand up to the established players? You will be just as suprised as we are.

Date: Oct 16th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
ASUS HD 7970 Matrix Platinum 3 GB

The ASUS HD 7970 Matrix Platinum is the company's new card geared towards enthusiasts and hardware overclockers. It comes with many features for the extreme crowd, but also caters to more normal users. One unique feature is buttons on the card that let you adjust voltage on the fly.

8.3
Date: Oct 15th 2012
Author: Aris Bitziopoulos
In: Power Supplies
Akasa Venom Power 850 W

Akasa enriched their Venom Power PSU series with two new models, featuring Gold efficiency. Today we will take a detailed look at the Venom 850 W which utilizes semi-modular cable design and has a strong +12V rail that can deliver up to 70 A of current, making it suitable for systems equipped with two high-end VGAs.

9.1
Date: Oct 11th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 650 Ti AMP! Edition 2 GB

The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 650 Ti AMP! Edition comes with a large overclock on both GPU and memory. Having 2 GB GDDR5, it also features twice the memory capacity than most other GTX 650 Ti cards. Will these improvements provide enough performance and is pricing low enough to make the card competitive?

Date: Oct 11th 2012
Author: Frederik S
In: Speakers
KRK Systems Rokit 5 Active Speakers

KRK Systems are known for their high-end studio monitors. Today we will be taking a good hard look at their entry level model dubbed Rokit 5. Instead of the usual studio use we see how usable they are as PC speakers.

9.5
Date: Oct 10th 2012
Author: cadaveca
In: Motherboards
ASRock Z77 OC Formula Intel LGA 1155

Like a high-priced premium sports car, the ASRock Z77 OC Formula races to the finish line, equipped with XFast speed. Bred with nothing other in mind than breaking clock limits while retaining full stability, ASRock has enrolled Nick Shih, to help them design one of the best overclocking-centric products.

9.2
Date: Oct 9th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
ASUS GeForce GTX 650 Ti Direct Cu II 1 GB

The new ASUS GeForce GTX 650 Ti DirectCu II TOP comes with a 100 MHz clock increase out of the box, which gives the card an extra performance boost. It also features a DC II thermal solution that is ultra-quiet, despite its two fans.

9.2
Date: Oct 9th 2012
Author: W1zzard
In: Video Cards
MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Power Edition 1 GB

Today MSI launches their new GeForce GTX 650 Ti Power Edition. This card comes overclocked out of the box, runs extremely quiet and has one of the lowest power consumptions we've ever seen. Especially Blu-ray power is ultra-low which might make it a candidate for a media PC.