MSI looks to break into the CPU cooling market with the Core Frozr L. Offering their distinct GAMING series looks with solid performance and exceptional build quality, it looks to give the competition a serious run for their money.
SteelSeries is always trying to push the boundaries to give gamers something new with their products. The Rival 700 is the latest mouse from them, and it not only comes complete with vibrating tactile feedback and a set of customizable options, but even has an OLED screen!
Gigabyte's GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming comes with an incredible triple-slot cooler that keeps the card very cool and runs quieter than any other GTX 1060 we tested before. The board also features an additional two HDMI outputs, adjustable RGB lighting, and a metal backplate.
The Fractal Define Nano S takes the same engineering and quality standard we have become accustomed to from the larger Define enclosures, but shrinks things down to a small form factor chassis.With the ability to hold four drives, a long PSU and graphics card this case might be ideal to build a powerful SFF system.
The Cougar GX-S550 is an affordable PSU with decent performance, ultra-compact dimensions, and a silent operation under normal ambient temperatures. The only compromise is the lack of modular cables.
Fnatic a well-known eSports team with their own peripheral range has released the Gear Rush Keyboard, featuring Cherry MX switches. You also have two USB ports on the back, which you can never have enough of. Macro functionality is included too, through a software, which is optional if you don't plan on using macros.
The Predator 280 from EKWB aims to eat the competition alive. Offering top-tier performance, low noise levels, and easy expansion thanks to its QDC fittings, it offers users near custom watercooling performance without the headaches of doing it all yourself.
The Raijintek Aeneas is an mATX chassis that allows for multi-GPU and liquid cooling within a compact frame. It also aims to provide a lot of extras at an attractive price point by including unique lighting elements and plenty of fans right out of the box.
ECS has been known to have some rather crazy board names in the past, but none are as crazy as the ECS Z170-LIGHTSABER! With a name like that, you can only naturally expect one thing: a bunch of lights, right? Or will it lean toward the dark side?
Here's another $400 option for ultra-small PCs, this time based on Intel's 35W Skylake CPU, the Core i3-6100T. The ECS LIVA One ups the performance a notch compared to past LIVA units, but the ECS LIVA One also ups the size a fair bit.
MSI's GTX 1070 Gaming Z is the bigger brother of the Gaming X, with a higher GPU overclock and a memory OC. The backplate has also been pimped, featuring an RGB-illuminated MSI logo. Thermal performance is identical, which means the card is whisper-quiet and runs low temperatures - all at the same time.
Fnatic is well known for being one of the leading eSports teams in Europe, and now, they have released their own peripheral range. The Fnatic Gear Flick is hoping to go head to head with the wide range of currently available gaming mice. With the input of professional gamers readily available, we will hopefully to see some exceptional products from Fnatic Gear.
The Rosewill Cullinan utilizes glass panels on three sides of the chassis. It looks sleek and clean and comes with four LED-equipped fans, but also offers a long set of functional and design-specific features. We light it up and take a closer look behind its tinted glass panels.
Cooler Master is back with a new range of keyboards aptly named "MasterKeys". I got to grips with their latest TKL board, the MasterKeys PRO S RGB and put it through its paces.
OCZ's new VX500 SSD is built around a Toshiba controller paired with Toshiba 15 nanometer MLC flash chips. The drive offers excellent performance at even better pricing, making it a great candidate if you want to stay away from TLC drives, but don't want to break the bank.
Thermalright's Le Grand Macho RT is massive in size, weighing in at 1060g with the fan. Capable of being used passively, it offers users a near-silent operation and top-tier performance when paired with the TY-147B fan. The competition should take note as Thermalright looks to steal the air-cooling crown.
The ASUS GTX 1060 STRIX OC is the fastest GTX 1060 we have tested so far thanks to a large GPU and memory overclock out of the box. You will also find plenty of features, like RGB lighting, idle-fan-off, and the recently introduced ASUS fan headers. Thermal performance is good too: the card uses the GTX 1080 STRIX cooler.
MSI's GTX 1060 Gaming X 3 GB might come with half the memory amount only, but still brings the big guns in form of the large dual-fan TwinFrozr cooler. Our review will test whether 3 GB is a viable alternative to 6 GB if you are trying to save some money.
The TVS-682T is an incredibly high-end QNAP NAS with a fast Skylake Intel CPU and 8 GB of RAM. Its two Thunderbolt ports and two 10GBase-T ports even allow it to offer blazing fast network transfer speeds, which makes smooth 4K video transfers are a definite reality.
MSI has gone and smashed overclocking and gaming into a single motherboard! The MSI Z170 MPOWER GAMING TITANIUM has a huge list of abilities to go along with its huge name! Fitted with an aesthetic unmatched by anything else on the market today, MSI's Z170 MPOWER GAMING TITANIUM is truly a board built to be tougher than steel!
Silverstone has taken the RAVEN Z RVZ02 and toned it down a bit for the more traditional PC user. The result is a clean and slim chassis with mass-market appeal and that same great feature set gamers want. Add the handle and you are presented with the ability to build a compact, ultra portable, briefcase-like system that can deliver all the computing power - even for high-end scenarios.
Kennerton Audio's newest mid-end offering, the Laguz, is put to the test. Priced at $110, it will face fierce competition from the Brainwavz S5 and HiFiMAN RE-400. The Laguz is absolutely tiny and features a rugged aluminum design that is pretty unique.
Cooler Master looks to redefine all-in-one liquid coolers with the MasterLiquid Maker 92. Offering a completely unique design that has more in common with a traditional tower cooler than a liquid cooler, it manages to stand out in a crowded market. However, the question is whether it can keep your CPU cool?
Shuttle's new SZ170R8 XPC Cub combines a potent CPU and a capable GPU - you won't need more for a nice gaming system or a VR setup. Not only is its mainboard rife with features, but the SZ170R8 also looks elegant and is incredibly small.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided has just been released today. We bring you a performance analysis using the most popular graphics cards, at four resolutions, including 4K, at both Ultra and High settings. We also took a closer look at VRAM usage.
MSI looks to dominate the notebook market with the GE72VR Apache Pro. Offering an Intel i7 6700HQ and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, it offers some serious gaming performance for the price. Oh, and it includes an SSD and IPS screen, which are certainly appealing.
MSI's GeForce GTX 1060 OC 6GT is a cost-optimized custom-design variant of the GTX 1060 that still comes with 6 GB VRAM and an overclock out of the box. In our testing, we didn't see much of a difference to more expensive custom boards.
The Cougar LX600 is a budget-centric PSU with some interesting features, including a fully modular cabling design, compact dimensions, and a HDB fan that promises to last for a very long time.
MSI delivered us a new X99 motherboard, the X99A-GAMING PRO CARBON, a stealthy all-black motherboard with some RGB Mystic Light goodness. Designed for those new multiple GPUs you just bought, the MSI X99A GAMING PRO CARBON is ready to take your VGAs, your memory and your new Broadwell-E CPU to the limits to then stay there!
The Deepcool Gamer Storm Genome is a gaming chassis with an embedded Captain 360 cooling solution and cool double-helix reservoir. Many have tried offering a case and liquid-cooling combo in the past, but this seems to be one of the first cases out there that does not only seem to look good but also ends up being functional - but only a closer examination of its genes will tell.
AZiO have been around for some time, making some great keyboards for those who want premium features at an affordable price. They have now released the MGK L80 range, which, as their motto suggests, look "Elegantly Fierce." This range has three keyboards - a red, blue or RGB version is available.
Zotac's GTX 1080 AMP! Edition is one of the more affordable custom designs, retailing $30 cheaper than the Founders Edition. The dual-slot, dual-fan card is still overclocked out of the box and comes with a good cooler that uses lots of metal, delivering excellent noise levels.
Top-flow cooler designs tend to come across as a little stale these days, but be quiet! must have missed the memo with the Dark Rock TF. Rather than boring and bland, this new sleek, dark nickel-plated offering also looks aggressive. Offering ultra-low noise levels and a surprising level of performance, it might just be what you are looking for.
AMD's Radeon RX 460 promises entry level gaming for the masses, with pricing starting at $109. We are reviewing the ASUS RX 460 STRIX OC, which comes with 4 GB instead of 2 GB and an additional 6-pin power connector, at a $140 price point.
You probably haven't heard of Dream Machines, a new company planning on taking the peripheral market by storm. One of their first mice, the DM1 Pro, is here, and it looks as though it will be going head to head with products from such brands as Zowie and SteelSeries.
NVIDIA released their new Pascal based Titan X earlier this week. It is based on a brand-new GP102 graphics processor, which is even more power efficient than the one in the GTX 1080. In our review of this $1200 card, we take a closer look at whether there is a way to justify the purchase somehow.
Today, AMD releases their Radeon RX 470, a more cost-efficient, trimmed-down version of the RX 480. For review, we have the ASUS STRIX, an overclocked custom design with a completely new dual-slot, dual-fan cooler that stops its fans in idle and light load.
ASRock has upped the ante with mini-PCs by introducing their latest innovation, the ASRock DeskMini 110. The DeskMini 110 features the new Mini-STX form factor that brings full 65W CPU support into a tiny 5"x5" package. That means you can stuff a 65W Core i7 6700 Skylake-S CPU into the ASRock DeskMini 110. It also features a PCIe Gen3 x4 link for one of its M.2 ports, so you can have ultra-fast storage, too!
MSI's Radeon RX 480 Gaming X is the first custom-design RX 480 with a good cooler that manages low noise levels and temperatures, which is the only way to compete with the GTX 1060. The card is also overclocked out of the box and includes user-adjustable RGB lighting.
Palit's GTX 1060 Super JetStream is a custom design variant of the GTX 1060 with a triple-slot thermal solution that promises low temperatures and low fan noise. Also, the card is highly overclocked out of the box for a performance advantage over the NVIDIA reference design.
The DS916+ is mostly for professional users, or enthusiasts who can afford it. It is powered by a capable quad-core Intel CPU with good performance and low power consumption even when taxed heavily.
Eurocom looks to impress with its ultra portable 14 inch Monster 4. Weighing in at just 2kg / 4.4lbs, it is light, but don't let its small size fool you. It comes configured with an Intel Core i7 6700HQ and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, which gives it quite the punch for such a tiny system.
The Antec P380 is a full-tower chassis that aims to offer an understated and clean look by employing solid and thick aluminum panels and excellent steel construction. The no-frills interior goes for a useful feature set - all at a price that seems to make sense.
We speak to Tesoro, which kicked the door into the highly competitive gaming peripherals market in with such award winning products as the Durandal keyboard. Our talk takes us through some of the company's important near-future plans.
The ASUS RX 480 STRIX OC is the first custom design variant of the RX 480 we are reviewing. It comes with the same cooler as the STRIX GTX 1080, which ensures excellent temperatures. ASUS has also improved the power capability of their card since it comes with an 8-pin power connector.
SteelSeries has partnered with professional gamers and mechanical switch experts to come up with a brand new switch type, the QS1. With this switch and a whole host of other features, the SteelSeries APEX M800 promises to be the fastest gaming keyboard available.
MSI's GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X comes with a large dual-fan thermal solution that's incredibly quiet and stops the fans in idle and light gaming. The card is overclocked out of the box as well without sacrificing any of the marvellous power efficiency NVIDIA's Pascal provides.
Today, NVIDIA released the GeForce GTX 1060, which is designed to combat AMD's Radeon RX 480. It looks like NVIDIA has won this fight since the GTX 1060 brings GTX 980 performance levels to the table while being much more power efficient than the RX 480 - all at a price point of $249 to $299.
HiFiMAN's newest high-end headphone, the Edition X, bears a striking resemblance to their flagship HE-1000. It uses the same driver design without the fancy nano materials found in the $1200 more expensive HE-1000, but is, at $1799, still the second most expensive headphone in HiFiMAN's line-up.
Intel's Skylake loves high-speed DDR4. G.Skill loves making it. The G.Skill F4-3866C18D-8GTZ is one of those high-speed kits, topping out at a crazy 3866 MHz, a whole 1733 MHz above the Skylake base memory specification. Can our CPU make it that high? Does your motherboard even support such speeds? G.Skill's 3866 MHz TridentZ kit definitely pushes the limits.
ECS has yet another LIVA iteration in stores now, ready to add basic compute functionality to all those home theatres without "smart" features. The tiny LIVA Core features faster HDD tech to make media playback features better, so it's not just ready for HT use; it's capable of more! Presenting the LIVA Core!
Toshiba's TransMemory-EX II flash drive is geared toward the more professional user, comes in capacities of up to 128 GB, and has a 5 year warranty and a security application to password protect your valuable data. We take the drive for a spin to see whether it delivers on the performance it promises.
EVGA's GeForce GTX 1070 SuperClocked comes with the company's new ACX 3.0 thermal solution, which uses a dual-fan, dual-slot heatsink to keep the card cool no matter what you throw at it. The card is also the quietest GTX 1070 we tested so far - even quieter than the MSI GTX 1070 Gaming.
The AS3202T is equipped with a quad-core Intel CPU, which enables it to handle up to 4K resolution multimedia content playback. This means the AS3202T can also play a central role in a multimedia set-up while still acting as a regular NAS with up to 16 TB of storage capacity.
Trying to game on your PC from a sofa or your bed can be a tricky task, especially when you have no desk to support your favourite peripherals. Corsair has come up with a solution that enables us to unlock the true potential of our living room PCs from our sofas, gaming in true comfort.
Cooler Master is updating the Hyper line of CPU coolers with the Hyper 212X. Featuring a time-tested, single-tower design much like its predecessors, the Hyper 212X looks to build upon their success. Bringing better performance and lower noise levels to the table, this evolution on the 212 EVO could very well become the next go-to budget cooler.
We test the Gigabyte X99-Ultra Gaming with the latest Intel 20-core Broadwell-E processor. This new motherboard comes with both Intel and KillerNIC LAN, U.2 and M.2 drive support, USB 3.1 Type-C, and audio-tailored for gaming. It also supports multiple videocards and to look pretty it provides fantastic LED lighting.
The Pandora ATX is, judging by its look, a larger version of the original Pandora, coming with an LCD screen just like the original while featuring different materials and much broader compatibility.
Palit's GTX 1080 GameRock uses a mighty triple-slot dual-fan design, which provides excellent temperatures and noise levels that are better than those of any GTX 1080 we have tested so far. The fans also turn off in idle, and thanks to the large overclock out the box, the card is the fastest GTX 1080 we have tested to date.
Today, AMD is introducing their new 14 nanometer Polaris architecture. The first card we are reviewing is the Radeon RX 480, a highly affordable 8 GB card that sets out to shatter current price-to-performance ratios. In terms of performance, you can expect speeds between the GTX 980 and GTX 970.
In their marketing leading up to the Polaris launch today, AMD showed two Radeon RX 480 cards running in CrossFire, beating NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 - at a much lower price point. We have a review of two of these cards running 16 games at 4 resolutions in CrossFire.
MSI's GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming X is an overclocked custom-design variant of the GTX 1070 that is whisper quiet even during heavy gaming thanks to its dual-fan TwinFrozr thermal solution. We also overclocked this $439 card in our review, where it's even faster than the GeForce GTX 1080.
Alphacool looks to change the way we think of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers with the Eisbaer 240. Offering expandability at closed-loop prices, it takes things a step further with its all copper design. With good specs and extra features, Alphacool may have just what it takes to sink the competition.
The COUGAR ATTACK X3 is here for gamers who want a keyboard that is feature rich, but priced low. Fully configurable key functions, macro support, and Cherry MX switches all enable COUGAR to compete in a very lucrative market.
Crysis 4K at more than 60 FPS! We take a close look at multi-GPU SLI with two GeForce GTX 1080 cards in 16 games and at 4 resolutions. We used an SLI HB bridge for all testing, but also have numbers with the old bridge to find out whether a high-bandwidth bridge is absolutely necessary for SLI on Pascal.
ASRock is back in the overclocking game with a purpose-built Z170M OC Formula mATX motherboard ready to take your Skylake CPU and DDR4 memory to the absolute limit. Rated to support DDR4-4500+ and built with ASRock's Hyper OC Engine, this OC-centric Z170M OC Formula board has the highest rating for memory speeds on the market today.
The ASUS STRIX GTX 1080 Gaming OC is the highest clocked GTX 1080 variant so far, running almost 2000 MHz actual clock on average, which has it boost up to 2050 MHz out of the box without a manual overclock. The new cooler is not only quiet but also looks good, and the backplate has RGB illumination.
The Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming comes in at $649, which is $50 cheaper than NVIDIA's Founders Edition card. The card is overclocked out of the box, and its heatsink works much better than the one on the FE. It features idle-fan off, runs cooler without throttling, and is still quieter while gaming.
MSI's GTX 1080 Gaming X is an overclocked, custom-design variant of the GTX 1080 that doesn't throttle. Its fans are also nearly inaudible in heavy gaming, switching off completely while the card is cool for zero noise output in idle and light gaming.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1070 is nearly twice as fast as the GTX 970, easily beating the $1000 Titan X and GTX 970 SLI at only $379/$449. It is built on the same platform as the GeForce 1080, using the same GPU and cooler, but with GDDR5 memory instead of GDDR5X. As expected, power efficiency is amazing, and overclocking works well too.
Angelbird's Wings PX1 adapter lets you install M.2 SSDs in the motherboard's PCI-Express slots. This approach unlocks full bandwidth for older chipsets. The adapter also comes with a nice metal heatsink that prevents thermal throttling on high-performance M.2 SSDs like the Samsung 950 Pro.
During our last stay at CES, QNAP surprised us with the TBS-453A NAS, an incredibly small NAS since it only takes M.2 SSDs. While not a NAS for the average user, it does have some really cool features we are going to explore in this review.
Noctua is resurrecting the down-draft coolers of old with the new NH-C14S. Featuring an offset design for better PCIe clearance, this cooler also brings extra versatility to the table, including great memory clearance and a low-profile option, which appears to make it an interesting jack of all trades.
With memory capacities soaring, G.Skill sent us a huge 32 GB kit out of their Ripjaws V line-up, ready to be mated with Intel's Skylake processors. This two-stick kit from G.Skill is not only huge in capacity at it is also very fast at 3200 MHz.
The Zalman Z9 NEO aims to offer a diverse and useful feature set and good looks and liquid-cooling compatibility, all at an affordable price. Add the fact that it comes equipped with a whooping 5 (!!) fans and it just got even more interesting, while the choice between a black or white version does not help curb the expectations we have diving into this review.
The XM300 is Gigabyte's take on an RGB gaming mouse. It keeps the low price point Gigabyte's other mice have, but offers very impressive specifications with Omron switches, an optical sensor, and, of course, RGB lighting, a steal for just 40 bucks.
Ultimate Ears' line of BOOM speakers recently got updated with the arrival of the BOOM 2 speaker. The BOOM 2 shares the same footprint as the original BOOM, but has been updated with a few nifty features. Among these is wake-by-bluetooth and stop/start/pause slapping capability.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 was announced recently. Today, we have the first review! Performance is incredible, doubling GTX 970 performance levels. Efficiency is also sky high, nearly doubling everything we've seen from NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture. Our GTX 1080 review compares 10 cards in 16 games at up to 4K resolution.
The Hydro X line consists of three members with capacities ranging from 450 W to 650 W. All feature Gold-certified efficiency and Japanese electrolytic caps, but aren't equipped with modular cables in an effort to reduce cost. The 550 W Hydro X model will be put to the test today.
Corsair is back with a new version of the K70 RGB keyboard. This time, Corsiar has partnered with Cherry to create a brand-new switch type called the Cherry MX Speed RGB. This switch has been created to meet the demands of hardcore gamers who value every millisecond.
Kennerton Audio's Jimo is a new high-end dual dynamic driver in-ear. The Jimo features aluminum housings and comes with several different ear tips to suit your every need.
SilentiumPC is on top of their game with the release of the Fortis 3 HE1425. Available in both a standard and Malik Customs edition, it offers exceptional bang-for-the-buck performance with the option of extra customization.
The RM650i is a high-end PSU from Corsair with a digital interface, amazing performance, and silent operation. The cherry on top is the ten year warranty, which is now provided with all Corsair AXi, HXi, RMi, and RMx models.
CM Storm's Quick Fire line of products includes a wealth of different options. Today, we will take a look at their fully sized multi-color backlit gaming keyboard dubbed the XTi. Like other recent Quick Fire keyboards, it uses Cherry MX key mechanisms and has a standard US-layout.
AMD's APUs have been refreshed, some now featuring lower power consumption and a new thermal solution, so they draw less power and are quieter. AMD's A10-7860K supports HSA, DirectX 12, Vulkan, and Mantle. With a maximum turbo clock of 4.0 GHz, the AMD A10-7860K isn't just a CPU, it does graphics, too.
ASUS recently released a GTX 950 that runs without any power connectors, making it the fastest graphics card in this performance class. In our review, we will test how the board deals with the 75 W power limit and how that affects performance.
MSI has a solid entry to mid-range gaming laptops in the GL62 6QF-628. Packed with an Intel quad-core Core i5 6300HQ, GeForce GTX 960M 2GB dedicated graphics processor, and a host of other features, it delivers solid value for gamers on the go.
The Biostar Racing Z170GT7 is a fully-featured high-performance platform that includes an LN2 switch. Unlike previous motherboards from Biostar that were affordable with more basic features, this one has everything a gamer would want and does very well in our testing.
Close to the market launch of AMD's Radeon Pro Duo, the $1499 Fiji-based dual-GPU graphics card, we walk you through the card's design, AMD's performance claims, and what to realistically expect from the card.
With a flurry (pun intended) of white products on store shelves now, one thing that has been sorely missing are white memory sticks. However, Crucial is here to save the esthetics of your white build with their Ballistix Sport 32 GB kit clad in white heatspreaders and a white PCB! Not only do they look good, their huge capacity means you'll nearly never run out of memory!
Tt eSports has hit the market with an RGB keyboard aiming to attract customers with its low price. The Tt eSPORTS Poseidon Z RGB is not only cheap, it is packed full of functions, including mechanical switches, full macro support, multiple lighting effects, and more.
Synology is widely known for its NAS products and has now decided to enter the router market with the RT1900ac Wi-Fi router, supporting transfers up to a total of 1900 Mbps. A very promising product with an advanced OS, it is also quite affordably priced.
When it comes to overclocking, ASUS's ROG series has a long-held reputation everyone else strives to achieve. The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME stands out as the product to uphold that tradition for Skylake; a tradition of huge capabilities and amazing BIOSes along with a nearly bullet-proof design that is truly deserving of the "EXTREME" moniker.
With a simple design change, Noctua has reinvented the NH-D15. The new NH-D15S has that same awful color scheme, but now features better memory and expansion-slot clearance, all thanks to its new asymmetrical design.
SAMA is a Chinese PSU manufacturer which, for the moment at least, doesn't seem terribly interested in retail markets outside of Asia. However, this isn't the case for companies looking to find new OEMs for their products. Today, we will look at SAMA's flagship, the Forza Titanium, with a capacity of 800W.
Gigabyte's new GTX 980 Ti XtremeGaming is highly overclocked, yet more affordable than other GTX 980 Ti variants. It also comes with a quiet triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution that stops the fans in idle and provides great temperatures.
Brainwavz is known for putting out some great-sounding in-ears at very reasonable prices. Today, we will take a look at their brand-new bluetooth in-ear dubbed BLU-200, which is to be had for just $54.50.
The be quiet! Silent Base 600 is the company's second chassis after the Silent Base 800 from 2014. With the more compact 600 series, be quiet! is aiming to offer the contested mid-tower market a choice of their own, while ensuring that the larger variant's overall look, feel, and engineering are still there.
The Cooler Master V650 is a high-grade PSU with ultra compact dimensions and a fully modular cabling design. It uses nothing but Japanese caps and a quality fan, and CM backs it with a pretty long warranty. The only downside so far looks to be its price.
The Corsair Carbide 400 series is a smaller version of the 600 series. On paper, the case still reads like quite the potent enclosure without any real drawbacks in comparison to the Carbide 600 series, which is already extremely promising as it costs a full 50 US dollars less.
The DS216play is a multimedia-oriented NAS despite the fact that it doesn't feature an HDMI port. It supports 4K video transcoding, and its highly efficient SoC is crucial in reducing its overall power consumption.
Zalman has been making value-oriented keyboards for some time now. The ZM-K700M is their first attempt at a high-end keyboard. It is completely driverless and manages to offer extensive lighting effects and macro support, but is that enough to justify a $140 price tag?
OCZ's Trion 150 is one of the most affordable SSDs on the market today, with only 27 cents per gigabyte. Performance has also been improved significantly over the Trion 100, which makes the Trion 150 an excellent candidate for a low-cost system upgrade to boost performance.
MP4Nation's HM5 has a tremendous reputation for being one of the best sub-$150 circum-aural headphones around. We put it to the test to see if it is still as relevant today as it was when it first launched.
Crucial's BX200 SSD comes at an incredible price point Micron's new triple-layer-cell (TLC) flash chips make possible. In our testing, the drive delivers decent performance, which, combined with pricing, results in a leading price/performance position for the BX200.
Far Cry Primal is a first-person shooter that takes you back to the year 10,000 BC, which means no guns or RPGs. Using primitive tools, you fight wilderness creatures and human enemies. We test the game with 13 graphics cards and their latest drivers, at four resolutions, including Ultra HD 4K.
The Dark Power Pro 11 line is be quiet!'s high-end PSU line with six Platinum-certified members that offer great, silent performance. Today we will test the second-strongest member of the line with a capacity of 1 kW.
Today, the RTS game Ashes of the Singularity was released in a version that supports mixing GPUs from various vendors, even of different architectures, to provide a performance uplift similar to SLI and CrossFire. We test a selection of NVIDIA and AMD cards to investigate what to expect from the new DirectX 12 feature.
While Swiftech launched their all-new Prestige AIOs, they have not forgotten the more value-oriented market either. Enter the H220 X2, which offers enthusiast quality water-cooling at a more attractive price. Having exceptional performance and expandability, it is definitely an attractive option.
The Corsair Carbide 600C comes with an inverted motherboard layout and aims to offer a perfect mix for those looking to take advantage of such an interior with a wide body, plenty of liquid-cooling compatibility, a 3-stage fan controller, and great cable management.
The TS-453A is a multimedia-specific NAS server capable of 4K video playback. This unit comes with not only one, but two HDMI ports, which allows it to be connected to two monitors or TVs.
The GTX 980 Ti Matrix is ASUS' flagship card for its current GPU lineup. It is priced at $720 and comes with tons of enthusiast tuning options, a huge triple-slot cooler, and a large overclock. Out of the box, the card is the fastest GTX 980 Ti we have ever tested!
A new year, a new custom all-in-one liquid cooler from Swiftech. The H220 X2 Prestige looks to one-up the competition by not only offering exceptional performance but more customization options. The only question is whether you can you overlook its price.
We have on our test bench today EVGA's flagship PSU with an enormous capacity and Titanium efficiency. We expect it to preform incredibly well because it uses Super Flower's high-end Leadex platform and comes with some formidable specs.
The Sentinel III is Cooler Master's latest iteration of the Sentinel mouse. It keeps the shape and ever so useful OLED screen of its predecessor, but also boasts an acceleration-free optical sensor and 16.8 million color RGB lighting.
We benchmark Rise of the Tomb Raider on 12 graphics cards, in four resolutions, including SLI. Also included are measurements of VRAM consumption, which is high, but seems extremely well optimized.
Synology has lots of offerings for enthusiast home users and the DS416 is one of them. It uses an Annapurna Labs Dual-Core SoC that offers enough computing power while consuming very little energy.
"No one ever said a gaming PC cannot be small and pretty." - big words from SilentiumPC when it comes to the tiny Gladius Q50 chassis. We take a really close look to see if it can deliver on this promise.
Sapphire's R9 390 Nitro is equipped with a triple-fan cooler that runs very quiet and also delivers good temperatures of only 65°C during heavy gaming. The card, which trades blows with the GTX 970, is also overclocked out of the box and provides a dual-BIOS as an extra safety net.
HiFiMAN is constantly developing their planar technology, and today, we will take a look at their latest state-of-the-art headphone. It is dubbed the HE-1000 and features a nanometer thick diaphragm, leather headband, and milled aluminum. We take HiFiMAN's most audacious and pricey headphone for a ride!
Rantopad is a new player to the PC gaming peripherals market, and the MXX is their first tenkeyless keyboard. It comes with per-key backlighting and several other cool lighting effects. With a price tag of 79.99$, it is also one of the most affordable mechanical keyboards on the market.
350W? 10 Litres? What sort of power can you get inside that space? MSI's Nightblade MI2 answers both those questions in a very surprising way. Packing a GTX970, Skylake CPU, DDR4, M.2 SSD, and a built-in optical drive, the MSI Nightblade MI2 is a fully 1080p-capable GAMING PC you can lug around under your arm.
The anidees AI7 is exactly the same size as the AI7m, but allows for a full ATX board instead of maxing out at an mATX variant. This is achieved by offering a completely different interior layout. Let's see what this same-looking but different chassis has under the hood!
Today, we will evaluate a high-end switch from Netgear. The XS728T offers 10GbE transfer speeds through copper cables and is also equipped with four SFP+ ports for fiber optic cables.
The Fractal Design Core 500 is the company's first mainstream SFF chassis. Clocking in at around 60 USD, it aims to offer the perfect balance between size, price, and quality. We take the unit for a spin to see whether it holds up in these areas.
FSP recently released a new line dubbed Hydro G for gamers and modders who are after a nice-looking PSU. The features of this line include a fully modular design, semi-passive operation, and a set of exchangeable side stickers.
Reeven has a solid contender on their hands with the Ouranos CPU cooler. Offering an offset design for better memory compatibility, it makes a compelling case for itself. Granted, it doesn't hurt that it performs well and is nearly completely silent in most situations.
Cooler Master added three low-capacity members featuring a fully modular cabling design and Silencio fan to their V series. Today, we will take a look at the smallest V model with 550 W capacity, which is among the most efficient PSUs at light loads.
The AS3102T is an affordable NAS by Asustor, capable of 4K-multimedia playback. On top of that, it is equipped with an HDMI port and features hardware encryption, which allows it to provide good speeds with encrypted file transfers.
The Cooltek Skall aims to deliver a long list of functional features at an affordable price while offering a clean and timeless design and potent liquid-cooling compatibility. Available with LED fans in three different colors, you will also have an element of choice.
Creative's newest portable speaker, dubbed Roar 2, gets put to the test. This new device with an MSRP of $170 aims to take on the big guys in the portable-speaker market by including a wealth of features. The new Roar 2 is 20% smaller than the original Roar it obsoletes.
After skipping Intel's X99 Express platform, ECS is back to enthusiast-focused board products using Intel's Z170. The ECS Z170-CLAYMORE is a weapon built for today's gamer arsenal, carrying Realtek's latest "Dragon" LAN controller not seen on these pages before.
CRYORIG looks to shake things up in the entry level CPU cooler market with the M9 series. It is available for Intel as the M9i and AMD as the M9a. Don't let its tiny size fool you as it is as good as it gets and then some.
Gigabyte's GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming comes with a watercooling solution onboard, which provides excellent temperatures and low noise. In our testing, the card turns out to be the fastest GTX 980 Ti we ever tested, and with $720, it's not as expensive as the MSI GTX 980 Ti Lightning either.
The Synology DS715 is a quad-core CPU NAS with two Ethernet ports. Having two drive bays it is ideal to meet the demands of enthusiast home users and small business environments, but can also expanded to support a total of seven drives.
Today, AMD released this year's major update to their Radeon drivers. The new package is called Radeon Software Crimson and features an updated control panel, many new features, and performance improvements in lots of games.
CRYORIG offers something unique with the C7. It features a fit-anywhere compact design that should be right at home in many a small form-factor system. The only real question is if it's too niche to be noticed.
We all know who Fatal1ty is. If you don't, what rock have you been under? The original pro gamer's take on Intel's Z170 chipset is provided by none other than ASRock, known for crazy things like motherboards that support 22 hard drives. What happens when the two meet and take gaming needs, not your budget, to the limit?
Today, AMD launches their Radeon R9 380X, which is built on the company's fully unlocked Tonga silicon with 2048 shaders. In terms of price and performance, the card sits right in the middle of the GTX 960 and GTX 970, where it is supposed to capture market share from the green team.
We have the pleasure of reviewing the anidees AI4 today, which pretty much looks like a shrunken AI6 chassis. Unlike some other cases from the brand, the AI4 is only available in black, yet anidees has, on the other hand, done a great job in keeping the exterior look and feel while also making sure to include a good set of features.
Corsair adds to its portfolio with yet another PSU line, the RMx series - the RMi line without the digital interface or an FDB fan in order to reduce cost. Today, we will test and compare the RM1000x to the competition in its category.
Zotac's GeForce GTX 980 Ti Amp! Extreme is one of the fastest custom-design GTX 980 Ti cards out there, yet comes at a relatively affordable price increase - unlike such competitors as the MSI Lightning or ASUS Matrix.
CM Storm's newest in-ear is a refined version of the original Pitch they launched a while ago. The bundle has been updated, and the price has stayed the same. We take it for a spin to see how it compares to other budget friendly offerings.
The TS-451 was released last year, and it was a milestone for QNAP since it featured a new external design. Today, we will evaluate its successor, the TS-451+ with an upgraded CPU and the ability to take up to 8 GB of RAM.
Silverstone looks to one up the competition with a more affordable 240 mm all-in-one liquid cooler, the Tundra TD02-LITE. What it lacks in visual appeal it more than makes up for with its lower cost of entry and solid performance.
The latest installment of the Anno series sends you to the moon to harvest precious minerals. We tested the game using 11 of the latest graphics cards, at four resolutions each, to determine what kind of hardware is required to play Anno 2205 at its highest settings.
The Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 Rev. B is a much-needed update of the popular original silent chassis, with a great price-to-performance ratio and excellent build quality. We take a close look at the updated version to see if its new features are actually worth the refresh.
In this article, we investigate how performance of AMD's Radeon Fury X is affected when running on constrained PCI-Express bus widths such as x8 or x4. We also test all PCIe speed settings, 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0. One additional test checks how much performance is lost when using the chipset's PCIe x4 slot.
What sort of hardware can you get for a few more dollars than the cost of a retail copy of Windows 8.1? ECS has the answer with the ECS LIVA X2. Based on Intel's NUC platform featuring a Braswell SoC, the ECS LIVA X2 is a full PC that includes a full version of Windows 8.1. Hardware for pennies? Yes, please!
HiFiMAN's latest value-oriented headphone is dubbed the HE-400S. Like other headphones in the 400-range, it features a planar magnetic driver and HiFiMAN's newest headband solution. The driver has been tweaked to a point where just about any source out there will power these just fine!
MSI's new GTX 980 Ti Lightning is amazing. It's the fastest, quietest, and coolest GTX 980 Ti we ever tested. All at the same time! What a fantastic product; if only the price were lower. Clocking in at $780, it's over $150 more expensive than the cheapest GTX 980 Ti variants.
In Win has been known to apply interesting materials to its high-end enclosures. The company was one of the first to utilize glass and has now brought the feature to the main stream with the 503. We received the black and red variant for review.
Gaming at a refresh rate of 120 Hz can be as much of a revelation as 60 Hz is, to people moving from 24-30 Hz consoles. We will piece together a kickass 120 Hz, 1440p gaming desktop with adaptive-sync technology.
The anidees AI6v2 is not simply an update to the original as the name suggests. It is actually a more feature-packed variant, with its predecessor still available for purchase. We take a really close look to figure out whether the additions warrant the price premium.
Zalman just released a new PSU series with 80 PLUS Gold certified models. The ZM1000-EBT we test today is based on a Sirfa platform and promises good performance, along with reliable operation.
Castor is the newest IR LED gaming mouse in Mionix's line-up. It uses the same sensor as on the Avior and Naos 7000, but it has been upgraded to support 10000 DPI. The ergonomics are brand-new for this mouse as it is a medium-sized, right-handed-only model.
MSI listens to all you gamers out there who want Intel LAN instead of KIllerNIC, and who are tired of all the dragons. The MSI Z170A GAMING PRO is the board that rids itself of the things many users complain about, adding in a new twist instead. Pro gaming for the MSI Z170A GAMING PRO?
Scythe is looking for a stealth kill on the competition with their new Ninja 4 CPU cooler. Featuring a massive Tower, it can run semi-passive or with dual fans. Versatile and deadly, it looks to beat the heat and the competition.
Nanoxia's Deep Silence 5 is the second-biggest chassis in the "DS" line of enclosures. It comes with affordable pricing, a long list of functional features and has the ability to swallow a huge XL-ATX board as well.
With DDR4 prices taking a dive recently, there's no time like the present to get yourself a new Z170 system, or perhaps you want to move from 8 GB to 16 GB. G.Skill's Trident Z kits and their sweet new looks and affordable pricing just might make you click that buy button.
With 4K Ultra HD displays fast becoming essential to high-end gaming PC builds, we take a crack at building a 4K gaming desktop ready for the DirectX 12 generation of games.
ASRock's engineering department has been at it again, this time to bring something new to the mini-PC market. With claims of 30 FPS 4K playback using a Braswell SoC, the ASRock Beebox is a nice little box supporting 16 GB of DDR3L, dual HDMI, USB 3.1 Type-C, and mSATA/SATA.
The introduction of the F12C sees the advent of Streamcom's first full ATX enclosure. Besides the ability to hold a fully sized ATX motherboard, it also brings with it a unique mounting mechanism for hard drives and fans. Available in either black or silver, we got the silver variant of the Streacom F12C here for review.
EVGA recently added units featuring 550 W and 650 W capacities to their SuperNOVA G2 lineup. Today, we will take a detailed look at the 650 G2 promising high performance and silent operation; a highly desired combination of features for most users.
Gigabyte's GA-Z170X-Gaming G1, their top-level Gaming board product, has been on my test bench. Featuring high-end audio with swappable OP-AMPs, support for Quad SLI and Quad Crossfire, USB 3.1, and a host of other features to meet the discriminate gamer's needs.
Ozone's Argon Ocelote World mouse is a reskin of the Argon, Ozone's top-of-the-line gaming mouse. For around €50, it offers the same ambidextrous ergonomics design, an 8200 DPI laser sensor, and physical feature set as the regular Argon in a striking orange color theme.
Gigabyte's new GTX 950 Xtreme Gaming is the company's new flagship GTX 950. It comes with a large overclock on both the GPU and memory, making it the fastest GTX 950 we tested so far. An idle-fan-off feature is also present, and the card runs quiet during gaming.
EKWB has burst onto the all-in-one liquid cooler scene with their Predator 240. Like its name-sake, it eats the competition alive, redefining what one should expect from a pre-filled liquid cooler. Elegant and functional, it is for those who can't be bothered with a custom loop.
The Synology DS215+ is a business NAS for centralized backup and the protection of critical data. Our tests also show that it offers high performance while consuming very little power.
Corsair's newest mechanical keyboard is dubbed the Strafe and features per-key back lighting, among other tricks. It is equipped with Cherry MX-switches and is supported by the Corsair CUE driver suite. At US$109, this is one feature-packed keyboard for the price.
In this Review, we will test two Radeon R9 Nanos in a CrossFire setup, and we also include data for a R9 Nano paired with a Fury X, a combination that's possible on AMD because both cards use the same GPU.
The Radeon R9 Nano is AMD's solution for all small-form-factor system builders that want to create a 4K-capable gaming PC in a tiny volume. Thanks to a new approach to power management, the card stays below 200 W at all times, while still delivering excellent framerates.
Today, we take a look at the fresh GSS116E switch from Netgear, which manages to put 16-ports inside a very compact enclosure. The same switch also features a mounting mechanism that allows for its vertical and horizontal installation.
The Cougar QBX costs a mere 50 euro, but offers everything you could be looking for in a compact Mini-ITX gaming rig. It sounds nearly unreal, but we take a closer look to see what you get for such little money and do not find the chassis lacking - on the contrary.
The Silverstone Tundra series has a new addition with the TD03-LITE. This new standard 120 mm all-in-one liquid CPU cooler packs a pretty good punch, which is in part to its solid performance and affordable price. It has some serious potential.
Intel's new Skylake platform comes with DDR4 at increased memory speeds, and the first to help us investigate the benefits of high-performance DDR4 is G.Skill's latest design, the Ripjaws V. Wrapped in a new look, these ultra-fast 3600 MHz modules push the limits of your Skylake CPU.
Colorful is one of the leading graphics card vendors in Asia. Their iGame GTX 980 Ti is overclocked out of the box using a triple-fan, dual-slot cooler. In idle and light gaming, the card will turn off its fans completely for a noise-free experience.
The Fractal Design NODE 202 can be purchased bare or with a 450W SFX PSU. Its aim is to deliver all the space you need for a compact but potent gaming rig, while also sporting the looks to go right next to your TV or even gaming console. We fill the chassis and fire it up to see if it can hold its ground in both usage scenarios.
UE's highly anticipated follow up to the original BOOM has finally arrived. MEGABOOM is the grand name of this new product that is just, as the name suggests, a MEGA-version of the original design. We put it through its paces to see if it is a worthy successor!
We've seen a GAMING board, but what about those of us who want the best while making use of all the features provided by a platform? With support for NMVe devices right in the box, the ASUS Z170-DELUXE hits the ground running. Mixed with great audio and one of the most extensive BIOSes ever, the ASUS Z170-DELUXE is exactly that - deluxe.
The MSI GeForce GTX 950 Gaming comes with the company's famous TwinFrozr dual-fan cooling solution that provides quieter than whisper-quiet noise levels in gaming and completely turns its fans off in idle. The card is also rather affordable with just a $10 price premium.
The N5810 Pro by Thecus is an enthusiast-grade NAS that not only includes the usual features we expect to find in a product of its category as it also comes with its very own mini-UPS device as a precursory measure against data losses caused by power cuts.
In our latest entry to the Builder's Digest series, we put together something that can game at $800, complete with a monitor and peripherals.
EVGA's GTX 950 SSC features the company's signature ACX 2.0 cooler for very low noise levels during gaming, or none at all since the fans will stop in idle and light gaming. The SSC is also overclocked out of the box, which provides an 8% performance boost.
The ASUS GTX 950 STRIX comes overclocked out of the box and features an extremely quiet dual-fan cooling solution that makes the card quieter than whisper-quiet during heavy gaming. In idle or light gaming, the fans will stop completely for a perfect noise-free experience.
ZOTAC's GTX 950 AMP! Edition is the only GTX 950 with a backplate. It is cooled by a full-metal thermal solution that gives the product a high-quality look and feel. The card is also the fastest in our tests thanks to a large overclock on both the GPU and memory.
The Gigabyte GTX 950 is an affordable custom-design variant of the GTX 950. It comes with an overclock out of the box and the board is relatively compact. Thanks to NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture, its power draw is refreshingly low, with less than 100 W during typical gaming.
Cooler Master spent considerable time and effort on presenting the Mastercase series to journalists and the media at Computex 2015. As the product is at the core of their brand refresh and new alignment, it aims to be the driving factor to regaining some lost ground in this competitive market by offering a fresh new approach to differentiate it from the competition.
With Mini-ITX becoming ever more popular, the demand for low-profile heatsinks has exploded. Enter be quiet!'s Shadow Rock LP with a maximum height of just 75.4 mm. Its low-profile design allows it to fit where traditional tower coolers cannot.
EVGA's SuperNOVA 650 GS unit is made by Seasonic and features 80 PLUS Gold efficiency and a fully modular cabling design. This model looks to be ideal for anyone who wants a well-performing mid-capacity PSU.
The Toshiba HK3R2 is an entry-level enterprise SSD that has been built around Toshiba's own controller and NAND chips. With its 960 GB capacity, it offers plenty of storage for all business applications, and our MySQL database testing reveals excellent performance in read-heavy scenarios.
The Jonsbo RM1 powered by Cooltek turns some serious heads by being extremely compact and lightweight, but with the ability to swallow a fully sized ATX board. On top of that, it comes with a 5.25" drive bay and small fan controller. All this while using an all-aluminum construction.
Sapphire's R9 Fury comes with a large triple-slot, triple-fan cooler that delivers fantastic noise levels during gaming, and in idle it will turn off the fans completely for the perfect noise-free experience. The card also comes overclocked out of the box, and the dual-BIOS lets you switch to one with an increased power limit.
Today's the day Intel's latest launches, and here is MSI's Z170A GAMING M7 to help us take a look at what the new platform offers. Taken from the upper echelon of MSI's current GAMING motherboard line-up, the MSI Z170A GAMING M7 is an enthusiast-oriented GAMING product with a host of built-in features for today's gamer.
With the FI-REEX Deluxe, ID-Cooling is a new contender in the CPU-cooler market. This heavy weight monster combines vapor chamber and vapor pipe technology with traditional heatpipes and soldered fins. New and unique, it might be what you are looking for if you can stomach the price.
The anidees AI7m offers full mATX compatibility in a cube chassis, while retaining the ability to equip your system with a large CPU cooler. Having reviewed anidees cases in the past, it'll be interesting to see what the new line of enclosures brings to the table. Those interested in the AI7m can go for a solid or windowed version, and it comes in black or white.
Crucial's latest has spent some time being punished in my memory testing rig, stretched to the limits and back again. Before giving it a chance to rest, I put Crucial's Ballistix Elite DDR4 through the paces. With a big black heatsink, this kit not only looks mean; Crucial's Ballistix Elite DDR4 packs a good punch, too!
Palit's triple-slot GTX 980 Ti Super JetStream is the quietest GTX 980 Ti we tested so far, it's actually quieter than the watercooled AMD Radeon Fury X. Thanks to the overclock out of the box, the card is 9% faster than the much more expensive GTX Titan X.
We are testing software-based voltage control on AMD's Radeon Fury X, at up to 1.37V, in order to investigate what overclocking gains can be expected. We also measure the real-life performance effect and how voltage changes power consumption.
The new ASUS GTX 980 Ti STRIX delivers the highest performance of all GTX 980 Ti cards we have tested so far, thanks to a large overclock and increased Boost Clock range. The DirectCU III triple-slot cooler turns off its fans in idle, media playback, and light gaming. Price-wise, the card clocks in at $670, which is similar to other custom GTX 980 Ti cards.
Things may have been a bit quiet on the case front with Zalman, but they still offer a wide range of products, including the Z11 NEO, which surprises. The Z11 NEO looks bulky and comes with a great feature set on paper and a small price tag. Having reviewed Zalman cases quite some time ago, it is now time to figure out what the Z11 NEO brings to the table.
ASRock's updated X99 OC FORMULA is here, now called the ASRock OC FORMULA/3.1. Fitted with the latest in USB technology, the ASRock X99 OC FORMULA/3.1 is ASRock's top-level overclocking board built to smash clock records time and again. USB 3.1 isn't everything: we've got SATA Express, Ultra M.2, Xeon, and ECC support - every high-speed item you could ask for when overclocking X99 is here.
Pint-sized and full of pep, the Noctua NH-L9x65 takes an already solid design and scales it up. Made with compatibility in mind, it keeps clear of memory and first expansion slot while offering a quieter alternative to stock coolers. With the quality you expect and the low noise output you desire, can the NH-L9x65 deliver on performance?
The Asustor AS5102T is ideal for home users in need of a NAS that can fullfill multiple roles, including that of a simple data-storage device. This NAS can easily be the centerpiece of a multimedia setup because of its HDMI and S/PDIF ports, or it could play a key role in a surveillance system.
Luxa2 recently launched a smart little Bluetooth speaker dubbed GroovyA. The GroovyA features physical buttons for playback control and a rugged aluminum stand that allows you to change the device's output angle.
Today, AMD released their Radeon R9 Fury. Only two vendors are allowed to build designs for the Fury Non-X: ASUS and Sapphire. Today, we are reviewing the ASUS R9 Fury STRIX, which comes with a new large DirectCU thermal solution that keeps noise levels in check.
OCZ's new Trion 100 SSD is built around brand-new TLC NAND chips from Toshiba, using a Toshiba TC58 controller. Thanks to TLC technology, the drive competes with Crucial BX100 in pricing, which is less than 40 cents per gigabyte.
Seasonic recently released another Snow Silent unit, this time with less capacity to address a wider range of users. The Snow Silent 750 W is smaller than its big brother, but comes with many of its features like low noise and high quality capacitors.
ZOTAC's GTX 980 Ti AMP! Edition comes at GTX 980 Ti reference-design pricing, which makes it the most affordable GTX 980 Ti custom-design. The card is overclocked out of the box, running faster than the GTX Titan X. Zotac is also introducing a new all-metal cooler that looks fantastic and reaches great temperatures.
Today, we are reviewing MSI's highly anticipated GTX 980 Ti Gaming, which comes with a new TwinFrozr dual-fan cooler. In idle, the fans will completely turn off for the perfect noise-free experience. The card is also highly overclocked for the highest performance of any GTX 980 Ti we tested so far.
Today, we get to look at and test a NAS from Netgear for the very first time. The ReadyNAS 202 is powered by a Cortex A15 CPU and has two Gigabit Ethernet ports for faster network speeds. Its key feature is that it uses the BTRFS file system instead of the far more common EXT4 file system.
PowerColor introduces a new triple-fan, triple-slot, full-metal cooler with their R9 390 PCS+. The card comes overclocked out of the box, and PowerColor is asking a small $10 premium over reference-design pricing. Like all R9 390 cards, it features 8 GB of VRAM, which is twice that of the R9 290.
If you're into the latest tech, DDR4 is in your sights, and G.Skill is here on these pages yet again with another Ripjaws4 kit, its timings 15-16-16-35 at a blazing 3000 MHz. Great-looking, the F4-3000C15Q-16GRBB quad-channel kit is affordable, fast, and clad in blue.
Corsair revamped the Hydro Series of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers once again with the H80i GT. This new design takes the thick 120 mm radiator design a step further with an ultra-thick radiator. Add in a new look, full Corsair Link support, and exceptional performance, and it is another top AIO from Corsair.
AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X is released today, introducing HBM memory for graphics cards. The new card is built around a watercooled Fiji GPU, which enabled AMD to design a very compact card that will fit into many small-form-factor cases. Gaming performance at 4K is good and roughly matches the GTX 980 Ti.
The EVGA GTX 980 Ti SC+ comes overclocked out of the box, using the company's ACX dual-fan cooling solution. It features low noise in gaming, and the fans will turn off completely in idle for that perfect noise-free experience. Performance levels exceed those of the much more expensive GTX Titan X.
Corsair introduced the RMi series at Computex 2015, and it offers some major upgrades compared to the previous RM line. Today, we will evaluate the strongest RMi unit with 1 kW capacity in order to figure out how it does against its predecessor and all other competing offers in its category.
MSI's Radeon R9 390X GAMING comes with a massive triple-slot, dual-fan cooler that turns its fans off completely when the card idles. Thanks to the overclock out of the box, the card matches GTX 980 performance at 1440p and beyond. Like all R9 390X cards, the MSI R9 390X GAMING is equipped with 8 GB of video memory.
The NOX Xtreme Coolbay CX joins the fray of sub 70 euro mATX cube cases - a hard fought-over case segment. It aims to catch your eye with its ability to hold a 280 mm radiator and its built-in card reader. But will that be enough to take away from more specialized or more colorful mATX cases?
Gigabyte's GTX 980 G1 Gaming comes with a large overclock out of the box, which lets the card surpass the GeForce GTX Titan X in performance, at a much lower price. The cooler is also better than the reference heatsink and avoids the 84°C thermal limit at all times - it also turns off its fans in idle and light gaming.
Thermalright looks to improve upon the ever-popular Macho series with the new Macho Revision B. This revision offers an offset design for better memory compatibility while sticking with a massive single tower. Offering fantastic performance for the price when compared to ultra high end solutions, it could very well be just what you are looking for.
Synology's DS1515+ mostly addresses SMB environments since it can combine with two DX513 expansion units to support up to 15 HDDs. Today, we have the opportunity to evaluate a DS1515+ along with one of Synology's expansion units, which make for a great opportunity to figure out how this combination performs in various usage scenarios.
The In Win 707 is the In Win 703's bigger brother, offering the full-tower experience with the same clean and asymmetrical design, but the ability to install potent water cooling and a very modular HDD cage. While the chassis is of high quality and offers the look, we cannot shake the feeling of having seen this all before.
CRYORIG continues to push ever forward with, this time, the H7 Universal. Poised to take the entry level market by storm with an affordable price and exceptional features, this smaller sibling to the H5 Universal proves more than a match for the competition, its performance packing a serious punch considering its size.
Today, NVIDIA releases the GeForce GTX 980 Ti based on the same GPU as the Titan X, with same clocks but fewer shaders. This card is designed as preemptive strike against AMD's upcoming Fiji cards. In our testing, the $650 GTX 980 Ti can almost match the performance of the $1k Titan X.
Today, we will evaluate LEPA's flagship PSU with a capacity of 1.7 kW and efficiency levels that its official specs say to surpass 80 PLUS Platinum requirements. This unit is only compatible with 230 VAC mains, so you won't find it in the United States.
In 100 years, we will look back at our meager existence and when someone quietly asks the question, "How did Skynet get started?", the answer could very well be, "Once, there was this chassis, the Tristellar...". Deepcool created a crazy looking chassis that weighs more empty than most ITX systems do as a whole - all to be a simultaneous showcase of design and function.
HiFiMAN has a reputation for producing great headphone amplifiers. Today, we take a look at their newest do-it-all headphone amplifier & DAC combo with an on-board T-amp. This all-encompassing device features a class A/B headphone amplifier with a tube input stage. Despite all its features, it sells for $499, which is quite impressive.
In this article, we put the GTX Titan X, R9 295X2, GTX 980, R9 290X, GTX 970, R9 290, GTX 960, and R9 285 through the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We do so at resolutions of 1600x900, 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 4K to assess what hardware you need to play this recently released top-title.
CM Storm's newest gaming mouse is put to the test. Like previous high-end models from CM Storm, the Mizar features the 8200 DPI Avago ADNS-9800 laser sensor. The Mizar's design looks to harken back to the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0, which is a good thing. We take it for a spin to see how it compares to recent high-end gaming mice.
Kingston's new HyperX Savage 240 GB is built around a Phison controller using 19 nanometer flash chips. With a price of only $120 for the 240 GB version, it sits right on the magic $0.50-per-GB mark.
What do you do when you want a PC with a small footprint, but a powerful CPU? You buy an mITX motherboard. But what if you want EIGHTEEN CORES and THIRTY-SIX threads? You buy the ASRock X99E-ITX/ac. Doing the unexpected by bringing Intel's X99 Express to the mITX form-factor, the ASRock X99E-ITX/ac can push those 18-core Xeon chips and has an X-OC socket to push Intel's standard unlocked chips to the limit. And USB 3.1. And a CPU cooler is in the box.
The Shuttle DS57U is a slim barebone PC that only needs RAM and a HDD or, even better, an SSD to boot. It comes with an Intel dual-core Celeron processor (Broadwell) and features lots of I/O ports, which make it suitable for a wide range of applications.
The NCASE M1 is one of the best cases we ever reviewed. It aims to utilize every cubic inch of space within its belly, which makes it of extremely compact size. Able to swallow a 240 mm radiator and long GPU even so, the M1 is a near damn perfect implementation of a shoebox-sized gaming rig.
be quiet! looks to take over the entry level cooler market with their new Pure Rock heatsink. Offering the exceptional build quality you know and love and a top-notch silent fan, it has the specifications and features you'd expect. Its relatively tame price just improves its value for those looking for good, quiet, and affordable cooling.
Extremely compact, able to use 240 mm radiators and a 5.25" drive at the same time, all while holding five hard drives, a mATX board, and that high-end GPU: does it sound too good to be true? Well, the Raidmax Hyperion offers all that and can be had in four different colors and at an attractive price to boot.
Super Flower meant to rock the boat and has without a doubt done so with the Leadex Platinum 2 kW that is only compatible with 230 VAC mains since a normal 115 VAC socket cannot deliver the amperes the unit requires at full load.
Gigabyte's GTX 960 OC retails at an affordable $199, all while offering the same performance out of the box as the bigger G1 Gaming. Even though priced low, Gigabyte didn't compromise on OC potential, noise, temperatures, and power consumption as all of those are comparable to more expensive custom-design variants.
Crucial is a name most of us know well. From memory to SSDs, Crucial has been a major player in the memory market for many years. Now that DDR4 is on the market, we turn to Crucial to get a look at what DDR4 has to offer.
The Nox Xtreme lanbx aims to combine portability with the ability to pack potent hardware. The result is a small system you can easily take with you. The lanbx looks bulky and quite menacing, like those nuclear launch-suite cases in modern action movies, and we give it a go to see whether it is more than just a movie prop.
The Fractal Design Define S sports the same build quality and look as the Define family of enclosures, which we have come to love, but bears one very big difference: It is geared toward those building a custom liquid-cooling loop. With dedicated mounting possibilities for radiators, pump, and reservoir, the Define S shines where most other mid-tower cases fail by offering more than just a mounting possibility for pre-assembled liquid-cooling solutions.
QNAP has for the first time used an AMD CPU with one of their NAS offerings. The new series is codenamed TVS-x63, and today, we will evaluate the TVS-463, which, as its model number implies, can take up to four HDDs. It is also 10GbE ready through an optional expansion card.
Intel's new 750 Series SSD is a technological marvel. It is built on an 18-channel controller using a PCI-Express x4 3.0 interface with the NVMe protocol. This provides transfer rates of well over 1 GB/s, which clearly impresses. With a price of $1 per GB, the drive is also not prohibitively expensive.
In this article, we put the GTX Titan X, R9 295X2, GTX 980, R9 290X, GTX 970, R9 290, GTX 960 and R9 285 through Grand Theft Auto V. We do so at resolutions of 1600x900, 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 4K to assess what hardware you need to play this recently released top-title.
After the release of the 1200 Platinum unit, Andyson has now also put a Titanium unit with four models into their portfolio. We will take a look at the N700 today: It features a semi-modular cabling design to keep its price down and promises to perform incredibly well.
Surveillance and security systems are of interest to many users nowadays. Netgear recently introduced the Arlo security system with weatherproof and wireless camera(s) and a dedicated base station. The main advantages of this system are its easy installation and out-of-the-box cloud support.
Raijintek is upping their game by entering the all-in-one liquid CPU cooler market with the Triton. Not content with off-the-shelf, self-contained units, they have instead entered the market swinging with an expandable system. Customizable and to be had for a sweet price, the competition might be in for a world of hurt.
CM Storm's newest do-it-all headset is put to the test. The Sirus-C is compatible with all major console systems and features its own in-line USB sound card. The design is like previous Sirus headsets on the outside, but it now uses a dual-driver setup on the inside.
Today, we are reviewing the Vibe Therapy Meridian which comes with seven different settings and a high quality silicone finish. Priced between 30 and 60 euro, it delivers satisfying performance. Oh, and we overclocked it, too.
Xigmatek released the Maverick S line consisting of three rather compact, Bronze-certified PSUs a while ago. We will evaluate the line's 500 W member today; it features a semi-modular design and interesting looks. This unit's strongest point is its incredibly low price; however, you currently won't find it anywhere in the US.
While making a splash with unique enclosures such as the D-Frame, H-Frame or S-Frame, In Win hasn't contributed anything to the mainstream chassis market in a while. The 70X series is here to change all that, and the 703, a chassis for an affordable 70 US dollars, nails more than just looks - price and performance are spot on as well.
Synology definitely put up a strong showing in the SMB category with the DS1815+ that can support up to 18 HDDs if paired with two optional DX513 expansion units. Today, we will put it to the test to figure out how it fares against the competition.
CRYORIG's H5 Universal is an interesting design as it offers 90% of the R1 Universal's surface area with a single 140 mm x 13 mm fan. While it may seem a bit silly to pair such a slim fan with a large heatsink, the results don't lie. The H5 Universal offers maximum memory clearance, low noise levels, and solid performance.
OCZ's new Vector 180 adds power stability monitoring capability, which helps protect the drive's data in case of a power outage. OCZ has also announced a new SSD software suite, which is more user friendly and comes with additional features. The OCZ Vector 180 240 GB retails at $150.
Cougar's newest top of the line gaming keyboard is dubbed the 700K. The 700K is fully loaded with Cherry MX Red switches and comes with several extra buttons, which gives you plenty of options in terms of macro control.
The prodigy M combines the mATX interior of the Phenom M with the portability of the original Prodigy. Doing so is no easy task as gamers would want to take advantage of all the interior features for multi-GPU setups, liquid cooling, or an external drive bay. We take a look at the green variant, but you may pick from among many different colors if this one is not to your liking.
Today, NVIDIA launches the GeForce Titan X, their fastest single-GPU card yet. It is built on a brand-new, fully unlocked GM200 silicon with 3072 shaders and a massive 12 GB of VRAM. Thanks to the energy efficient Maxwell architecture, this $999 card only consumes 225 watts during typical gaming.
We review the Haswell-E lineup by pitting all its processors against each other and the Ivy Bridge-E Intel Core i7-4960X, Haswell Refresh Intel Core i7-4790K, and Haswell Intel Core i7-4770K. If you are looking to build a high-end gaming PC, or are looking to upgrade, then look no further: This review will tell you which CPU you will want to get to cover your needs.
Asustor recently released their AS7004 and AS7008 NAS servers which address small- and medium-sized business environments with 200 and more users. Today, we will put the AS7004 to the test, which can take up to four HDDs and is based on an Intel i3 processor.
The NZXT Source 340 aims to draw the masses away from picking elaborate-looking counterparts for 70 USD by showing them how sleek and beautiful a case can look without breaking the bank. Available in black or white, the Source 340 utilizes metal panels all around - a first for a case in this price bracket.
Seasonic released a special version of their Platinum offering with 1050 W capacity; it comes with a while paint job and is equipped with an FDB fan and a relaxed fan profile for less noise output, which will thrill users looking for a quiet high-performance PSU.
Crucial's new BX100 SSD is a cost-optimized solid state drive that can be had for an ultra affordable price. Built around a Silicon Motion controller, it delivers fast, consistent performance that's just within 1% of the Crucial MX100.
HiFiMAN has always been known to produce some pretty interesting high-end headphones. Today, we take a look at the new HE-400i. It uses the same magnet array technology HiFiMAN introduced with the critically acclaimed HE-560.
The Antec Nineteen Hundred takes the frame of the Eleven Hundred and pimps it with a bottom compartment, more I/O, extra fans, a splash of color, and an updated exterior. But is this hard-drive swallowing behemoth worth the extra cash you have to throw at it to call it your own?
CM Storm is debuting its new gaming keyboard dubbed the NovaTouch TKL. The NovaTouch TKL features Topre switches with Cherry MX-type stems, which allows for a lot of accessories to work on these Topre mechanisms. The keyboard is, as the name suggests, a ten-key-less design, which is great for all gamers with limited desk space and lan-party goers!
The Fractal Design Core 2300 sits right in-between the Core 1300 and Core 3300 in the family of enclosures. It essentially offers the same layout and feature set as the Core 3300 for 10 Euro less. But will that result in a better price / performance ratio? We take a close look to find out.
Crucial's new MX200 SSD can utilize portions of its flash capacity in super-fast SLC mode, which makes it the fastest SSD we ever tested. Once the disk gets fuller, the drive automagically switches to MLC mode, block-by-block, all in the background, so you can maximize its disk-space usage.
Thermalright is shaking things up with the Silver Arrow ITX. It features a tweaked design that offers better compatibility with Mini-ITX motherboards, especially the ASUS ROG line. With solid performance, exceptional style, and near-silent operation, the Silver Arrow ITX manages to hold its own against the competition.
The ASUS GTX 980 Matrix is the company's flagship GTX 980 designed to break world records with liquid nitrogen. It comes with an innovative memory-heating circuit that protects against dreaded cold bugs which cause memory instability. The card also features a dual-BIOS and voltage measurement and control points.
Thecus has lately paid some additional attention to mainstream NAS servers by offering solid products at very affordable prices. The N4310 falls into this category and provides users with a rich feature set at a highly competitive price.
Antec aimed to take the ISK 600 and enlarge it with the ISK 600M - for a mATX board, more hard drives, and better cooling, and it does so while re-defining some design elements in the front. Will this bigger version of the ISK 600 manage to leave a mark and is bigger better in this particular case?
We now have the opportunity to test the XH97V from Shuttle. As its model number denotes, this barebone is based on Intel's H97 chipset, making it compatible with 4th generation Haswell CPUs (its cooling system can support up to 65 W TDP CPUs). Shuttle advertises it as a blend of energy efficiency and performance, and our tests show their claims to be true.
The Lian Li DK-02X should not be considered a computer chassis. It should be considered a designer table with the ability to hold two full systems. But is the biggest of the DK line of desks still a functional piece of furniture, especially once its costs vs. design vs. functionality triangle has been considered?
All-in-one liquid coolers are proving to be ever more popular. In response, Deepcool is setting themselves apart with their all new Gamer Storm Captain 360. Featuring a unique LED-illuminated, reactor-style pump with a visible coolant channel and a 360 mm radiator, it has some serious specifications, and style.
Corsair's newest top-of-the-line gaming keyboard, dubbed K70 RGB, gets put to the test. The keyboard features fully customizable back lighting and full n-key roll-over over USB. You also get a huge driver suite and a choice between three of the most popular mechanical Cherry MX switches.
ID-Cooling may be a new brand, but they made a splash with their introduction of the ultra-compact T60-SFX chassis. As one of the most compact Mini-ITX cases out there and consisting of nothing but aluminum while featuring a unique shape, we were eager to get our hands on it.
Fractal Design has for the first time worked with Seasonic, and the outcome is the Edison Modular series. Today, we will take a detailed look at the Edison M with 650 W capacity, the second-strongest unit of the series. It features Gold-certified efficiency, a semi-modular cabling design, and an FDB fan.
With 3x DP, 2x DVI and 1x HDMI outputs, Gigabyte's GTX 960 G1 Gaming features the most complete output configuration. The card is also overclocked out of the box, and a powerful triple-fan thermal solution keeps it cool, yet it stays very quiet in gaming states and will stop the fans completely with idle and light loads.
The In Win D-Frame Mini is a smaller, updated version of the original D-Frame. It actually improves on the compatibility, comes fully assembled, and looks sleeker than the original. Forget looking at the price - the D-Frame Mini is not a sensible buy. Look at it from a design perspective as that is where it really shines.
Another dragon flies ashore! MSI's "high-end" Intel Z97 motherboard, the MSI Z97 GAMING 9 AC, swoops down onto my testbench after a long trip to me. The MSI Z97 GAMING 9 AC is MSI's answer for the ultra-dollar gamer, but does it breathe fire or just puff smoke out its nose?
Palit's GTX 960 Super JetStream is the highest-clocked GTX 960 we are reviewing today. It also comes with an overclock on the memory for that little bit of extra speed. The card is cooled by a dual-fan, triple-slot cooler that stops the fans in idle and light gaming.
With a single GTX 960 threatening to shake up the mid-range the way its bigger siblings did, the question on everyone's mind is whether two GTX 960 cards can measure up to single, bigger GTX 900 series cards, and on the cheap.
EVGA's GTX 960 SSC is built upon the company's famous ACX Cooler for extremely low noise levels, and it turns itself off completely while idling. The card is also overclocked out of the box with a sizable overclock that helps it gain 5% performance over the NVIDIA reference design.
MSI's new GeForce GTX 960 Gaming comes overclocked out of the box. Just like previous MSI Gaming cards, the board runs extremely quiet, emitting almost no noise while gaming, and it also turns off its fans in idle. With a price of $200, MSI has chosen to go with NVIDIA's reference-design pricing.
The ASUS GTX 960 STRIX OC is a custom variant of the GTX 960 that comes with an overclock out of the box on both GPU and memory. It is also the only card that features a backplate. Like all other boards, it will completely turn off its fans in idle and light gaming for the perfect noise-free experience.
Reeven looks to impress with their small-form-factor friendly Steropes low-profile CPU cooler. At just 60 mm tall, this diminutive cooler may lack size, but it certainly doesn't lack style. Offering solid performance and low noise, it might be just what you need for a SFF or HTPC.
The SilverStone RV05 is the latest Raven mid-tower chassis with a 90°-turned internal layout. Sporting the same elaborate looks as all other cases in the family, it aims to please the mainstream with its compact size and interesting price tag. Will the RV05 capture our heart or instill fear?
Tired of your smart TV's horrible interface? Looking to add Wi-Fi and digital media options to your home theatre? Want Windows in your living room? ECS's LIVA X is the cost-effective, silent solution to meet those needs, as well as the basic compute needs of most Internet users. With added storage-expansion options and more CPU power, the new LIVA X is the mini PC many have been waiting for.
SilentiumPC hits it out of the park with the Grandis XE1236, bringing top-tier performance and low noise levels to an unheard-of budget friendly price. With the ability to improve performance even further using a third fan, this heavy-weight CPU cooler towers over its competition.
The Phanteks Evolv aims to transform what a mATX chassis should be capable of. Catering to the liquid-cooling crowd without compromising on air-cooling capability, the Evolv comes with the great feature set we have come to expect from Phanteks - all while combining quality with an enticing price.
Fractal Design is breaking into the all-in-one liquid cooler market with the Kelvin S24. Featuring anti-kink coils for the tubing along with G 1/4" fitting support, this fully expandable pre-filled water cooler is shaking things up.
With 3x DP, 2x DVI and 1x HDMI, Gigabyte's GTX 980 G1 Gaming features the most complete output configuration. The card is also overclocked out of the box, and a powerful triple-fan thermal solution keeps it cool. In our testing, we also found Gigabyte to have massively increased the power limit, which overclockers and voltmodders will find beneficial.
The Cooltek C3 aims to be an affordable, 100% aluminum chassis, attractive to both HTPC users and those looking for a compact chassis for fairly potent hardware. It also comes in two colors, and you can have your pick of a solid or windowed side panel.
The ASRock X99 Extreme11 is a true storage monster. With 18 built-in SATA ports, Eight of which are capable of SAS 12 Gb/s, the LSI 3008-equipped ASRock X99 Extreme11 is a wet dream for those of us whose heart skips a beat for ultra-fast, high-density storage capability.
The Fractal Design Define R5 is the fifth generation of this series, once again with updated features, looks, and functionality to meet the needs of those who want a quiet system and those looking to install a lot of liquid-cooling. It manages to impress in nearly every way with its unique and functional approach and great material mix.
Synology recently introduced the DS415+. This four-bay NAS mostly targets SMB users and is the first to use an Intel Rangeley quad-core CPU, which allows for very high performance in every possible usage scenario.
QPAD's newest gaming mats are put to the test. The new UC series is the simple soft-performance mat, while the FX-series seeks to bridge the gap between the harder hybrid mats and the soft top mats. Both are available in five different sizes, so you can get one that fits your needs. Prices start at a very reasonable €10 for the smallest ones.
The Lian Li PC-O5SX is for those who want to show off their hardware in an elegant way, while using their system for more than just media playback. With an intricate interior that can house powerful enthusiast-grade hardware, a great mixture of materials, and an industrial look, the PC-O5SX aims to combine the best of both worlds - design and function.
MSI's GTX 970 Gaming is probably the best GTX 970 on the market. It comes overclocked out of the box, with an amazing noise-less cooler for light gaming, one that is also extremely quiet with even the most demanding titles. Temperatures are great, too, so you should definitely consider this card if you are in the market for a GTX 970.
Silverstone aims to dominate the Steam-powered HTPC/Gaming arena with the Raven RVZ01 as it may hold a large GPU of up to 330 mm in size - all while aiming for the golden middle between performance, cooling, and expandability. With a sub-100 USD price tag, the chassis may just be what you need if you are out to build a cool-looking but small gaming power house.
QPAD keyboards have earned a good reputation over the past couple years, and today, we take a look at their brand-new MK-70 offering. The MK-70 fills the gap between the MK-50 and do-it-all MK-85. The MK-70 uses Cherry MX Red switches, which bodes well for its gaming performance.
The Aerocool DS 200 is the DS Cube's mid-tower counterpart. With a choice from among seven different colors and a ton of features, it should be an intriguing option for those looking to buy a jam-packed chassis for around 100 bucks. Yet such does beg the question of whether it manages to impress with the way in which its features are implemented.
Every two or so years, AMD rolls out a year-end Catalyst driver update, which not only steps up performance and splats bugs, but also expands their own software feature-set. The new Catalyst 14.12 Omega is part of AMD's effort to catch up with and get ahead of NVIDIA's latest software features.
They say bigger is better, and it seems as though Swiftech is following through on that mantra with the H240-X. Similar to its smaller sibling, the H220-X, this new version offers a larger 280 mm radiator. Though is the increase in surface area enough to place this Swiftech cooler firmly at the top of the charts?
The Fractal Design NODE 804 is aiming to be an uncompromising gaming system with the ability to hold up to twelve hard drives, while still offering plenty of water-cooling possibilities - all in a cube form factor.
We had the chance to evaluate many Seasonic products within the last couple months. Today, we will take a look at their 1050 W Gold-certified X series unit. Like its big brother, the X-1250 XM2 we tested recently, we expect it to perform incredibly well.
With a base clock of 1203 MHz, Colorful's iGame GTX 970 is one of the highest-clocked GTX 970 cards available on the market. Its triple-fan, dual-slot cooler achieves excellent temperatures and contributes to its overclocking potential, which is higher than with any other GTX 970 we have tested thus far.
The Cooltek W2 is a bigger version of the W1, able to hold an XL-ATX motherboard and fully sized components. It comes equipped with three 140 mm fans, the same high-quality aluminum shell, and an excellent mix of drive bays - including an external 5.25" drive in the rear. Clocking in at a good 20% less than the Carbide Air 540, the Cooltek W2 is an excellent alternative for those looking for a clean full-sized cube chassis.
Antec recently released a fresh mid-capacity series for enthusiast users. The EDGE unit with 650 W will be evaluated today. All EDGE units use a fully modular cabling design and are 80 Plus Gold certified, and Seasonic is their OEM, so we expect great things from them.
Feature rich, the LIQMAX 120S from Enermax is an AIO CPU cooler ready to rock. Utilizing a 120 mm radiator and single-fan design, it makes up for what it lacks in specs with its features. Offering exceptional mounting pressure, an adjustable PWM RPM range, and removable fan blades for easy cleaning, it might just be the cooler you have been looking for.
We have reviewed most Obsidian cases in the past - with a few exceptions. One being the tiny but capable 250D, the smallest chassis in this family of enclosures. This review of the Corsair Obsidian 250D will show whether Corsair managed to shrink its size to the smallest possible denominator without compromising on any of the aspects that make Obsidian enclosures so very appealing.
XFX teamed with Seasonic to introduce the new XTS line of PSUs. In this review, we will test the flagship of the series with 1 kW capacity, Platinum efficiency, a fully modular cabling design and hybrid-fan-mode operation for as little noise output as possible at light loads.
The award-winning ASRock M8 barebones chassis has received an upgrade recently, sporting Intel's latest Z97 chipset as well as a larger 600W PSU. Ready to accept nearly any add-in VGA and nearly any LGA1150 CPU, the ASRock Z97 M8 barebones is that system many lust over, and we get our own chance to see why.
The Silent Base 800 is be quiet!'s long awaited entry into the case market. Rumors were confirmed at Computex 2014 with the case making its first official appearance, and after more than 12 months in development, it is finally available. The resulting Silent Base 800 may just be the start of a great new product line by be quiet!.
Deepcool looks to grab a share of the all-in-one liquid CPU cooler market with the affordable Maelstrom 120. It features a red and black theme, a single fluid dynamic bearing 120 mm fan, and solid performance. So if looks, memory clearance, or space are an issue, the Maelstrom 120 from Deepcool has you covered.
After the flagship HX1000i unit, the time has now come to evaluate the smaller member of this series, the HX750i. Like its big brother, this one is fully modular and 80 Plus Platinum certified. It is also fully compatible with the Corsair Link system because of the digital monitoring circuit it is equipped with.
Thunderbolt may not be a very wide-spread interface in the Windows domain, but nearly every modern Apple notebook or desktop features such a connector. Silicon Power aims to leverage this high-speed interface with the Thunder T11 series, offering 120 GB or 240 GB capacities for less than a Lacie or OWC alternative.
The Antec P100 is the compact mid-tower version of the P280, following the same interpretation of a high quality enthusiast chassis. We take the chassis for a spin to see whether it revs up just as nicely as its big brother or ends up being short on horse power.
Thermaltake delves even deeper into the digital PSU era with the fresh DPS G lineup. Today, we will test the flagship of the series, which not only features software monitoring and 1050 W of power, but also comes with a fully modular cabling design and a unique look.
MP4Nation Brainwavz S5 - the name of the company's newest high-end in-ear model priced at just $99.50. The S5s use a single 10mm driver in a very small housing. They also feature a full bundle and even include a set of Comply foam tips.
Reveen might be a relatively unknown manufacturer, but their Okeanos has proven to be a true contender. Offering bold looks and exceptional performance, it rivals some of the best high-end air coolers on the market today. Then again, such is not surprising considering it features dual-cooling towers, two fans, and six heatpipes.
PCI-Express x16 3.0 is well established in the market, and the majority of gamers are using the interface. But what happens if you end up in a slot-bandwidth-constrained situation? We are testing NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX 980 flagship in 17 games, at four resolutions, including 4K, to assess what performance to expect.
The Core X3 series, Fractal Design's entry level line of cases, now includes the Core 3300 looking to deliver what the enthusiast on a budget is gunning for. Throwing itself into the hardest-fought-over case segment, it'll be interesting to see whether it manages to deliver on the core elements it needs to capture the hearts of its buyers.
We evaluated the flagship Seasonic unit SS-1200XP3 some time ago. In this review, we will check on the second-strongest model of the series with 1050 W capacity, the SS-1050XP3. It comes with the same features - Platinum efficiency and a fully modular design, for instance. Like its big brother, it also delivers top-notch performance.
Lots of new QNAP offerings lately utilize Intel's Bay Trail CPU, an ideal choice for a NAS. In this review, we will take a look at the HS-251. A mixture of a NAS and HTPC, it comes with the best of both worlds, passive operation, and great looks.
Takstar is well-known for their bang-for-the-buck headphones, and today, we take a look at their HD5500s. Priced at $74.50, these headphones are for mobile users who want a solid and well-sounding pair of headphones. We take the HD5500s for a spin to see if they can live up to such expectations.
Be quiet! is well known for their low-noise products. Today we will test a member of their fresh Straight Power 10 series. It is nearly inaudible thanks to its SilentWings fan, can deliver up to 800 W of power, and features a semi-modular cabling design in which only the main ATX cable is fixed.
The ASUS GTX 980 STRIX OC is the company's latest flagship, featuring a completely passive operation in idle and light load and an extremely quiet cooler during full-on gaming. The GTX 980 STRIX also impresses with its power consumption - lower than the NVIDIA reference design, it still has the card deliver more performance.
The Antec ISK 600 aims to deliver a well-rounded feature set in a compact mini-ITX chassis to those looking for an understated, but functional chassis. Clocking in at a price point where the usual competition is present, it will be interesting to see what arguments the ISK 600 makes for you to pick it over others.
FSP recently launched the Aurum PT series, which currently only consists of a 1200 W member with the Platinum efficiency certification. The PT-1200FM uses only Japanese caps and exploits a fully modular cabling design. FSP also says the unit to be for hardcore overclockers and gamers with multiple VGAs.
The Cooltek UMX2 is a compact full ATX case with a designer body. Constructed of solid aluminum and utilizing an interesting approach to the interior layout, it does not only look good, but sounds intriguing as well. But is it all superficial beauty or does it also have what counts on the inside?
MSI's latest flagship is the GTX 980 Gaming. It delivers a super quiet gaming experience thanks to a powerful thermal solution and a well-crafted fan profile. In idle and light gaming, the fans will even stop completely. MSI has also overclocked their card out of the box, which yields around 10% extra performance.
The ETS-N30 from Enermax might not blow you away with top-tier performance, but its affordable price will certainly be easy on your wallet. It even offers up lower noise levels and better performance compared to the stock heatsink bundled with today's processors. If you want lower noise levels with a bit more cooling power, the ETS-N30 might be just what you need.
The NZXT Phantom 240 is the Phantom series' entry level gaming chassis. With the looks of the chassis mimicking that of its larger brothers, will this compact case be the menacing Phantom or just a little blimp on our radar?
HiFiMAN's highly anticipated release version of the HE-560 gets put on the spot. It features a lot of changes that improve the sound quality; however, the beautiful teak cups are now gone in favor of more durable plastic cups.
Built with some of the highest possible speeds without being the most expensive kit, the G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 3000 MHz C15 kit is a treat for both overclockers and gamers alike. Featuring a brand-new look that includes a new heatspreader design, the G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 3000 MHz kit is ready to take your system to the limit and beyond.
The Xigmatek Aquila aims to become the compact cube chassis for a mATX board while delivering good quality and timeless looks. Will it manage to float the price / performance boat, or does it end up capsizing by leaning out to far into one direction?
Enermax seeks to make a name for itself in the AIO liquid-cooling market with the Liqtech 240. Taking the top spot in the Liqtech series of coolers, this 240 mm AIO offers adjustable peak-fan-speed options and a unique design. The Liqtech 240 is not all show either as it performs admirably as well.
We take our first look at ASUS's LGA 2011-3 products, starting with the ASUS X99 DELUXE. Wrapped in new clothing, the ASUS X99 DELUXE not only has DELUXE looks and DELUXE features, it also has a DELUXE socket for you to place your new Haswell-E CPU into, with an additional 48 pins.
It was nigh time to test a small PSU with less than 500 W since such units are among the most popular. The smallest member of Enermax's Revolution X't line will be our test subject today. This small fellow comes with Gold-certified efficiency, a semi-modular cabling design, and, like every modern PSU, support for the sleep states Intel’s Haswell CPUs introduced.
BitFenix is looking to step things up in terms of the material mix with the Pandora. While plastic and steel have dominated their cases until now, the Pandora utilizes aluminium side panels and a bolder design. Will the Pandora bridge the gap between function and design or will it remain as elusive as a planet on which tall, blue creatures live?
NVIDIA's $550 GeForce GTX 980 shook up the high-end graphics card market, and today, we are testing two of these cards in SLI. This killer combination will let you build an Ultra HD capable gaming system, or enjoy smooth fragging with G-SYNC Surround.
A chassis with the ability to hold some serious liquid cooling within its belly, six USB ports, and with enough to still satisfy air cooling fans - at less than 100 USD? It seems as though such is possible with the Aquarius X90 Pure Black - but will this case be a beacon of light and hit its crowded market with guns blazing, or does it shoot with nothing but blanks?
Palit's GTX 970 JetStream is one of the highest-clocked, custom design GTX 970s out there. It features a triple-slot, dual-fan cooler that will completely stop the fans in idle and light gaming. Palit's card is also the most affordable custom design, with just a $15 price premium.
Attitude One's newest laser-sensor-equipped gaming mouse, the Rapira Elite, gets put to the test. It features the Avago ANDS-9800 sensor, which guarantees good tracking performance on pretty much any surface imaginable. Priced at €59 MSRP, it isn't nearly as expensive as other high-performance gaming mice we recently tested.
The Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 is the company's third generation of low-noise cases. Available with an all-black or graphite-colored front, the chassis may not look very different on the outside, but it does offer some surprises within.
Rosewill's portfolio includes the Fortress line, a Platinum PSU series for users who look for high efficiency and reliability, but are on a tight budget. We are testing the 750W model today, which features a non-modular cabling design to save on cost and comes with a hefty seven-year warranty. The cherry on top is its silent operation.
Today, NVIDIA releases their new GeForce GTX 980, which brings the Maxwell architecture to the high-end. It features massive power efficiency improvements and reduced noise, but also beats the GTX 780 Ti in raw performance. Pricing is quite acceptable, too, with an MSRP of $549.
ASUS just released their GeForce Strix GTX 970 OC, an overclocked version of the GTX 970 with its own custom-PCB. What is special about the STRIX technology is that it will shut off the fans completely during idle, media playback, and light gaming, resulting in a completely noiseless experience.
At half the price of a GeForce GTX 780 Ti, the GeForce GTX 970 can tempt you into buy a pair of them. With Ultra HD monitors dropping below the $500 mark, a playable Ultra HD gaming PC under $2000 suddenly sounds realistic. Here's why spending 3 grand on a GTX TITAN-Z was a bad idea.
EVGA's brand-new GeForce GTX 970 SC ACX uses the company's latest ACX cooler, which promises to improve its noise and temperatures over the reference design. It is also overclocked out of the box for that little bit of extra performance it needs to beat the Radeon R9 290X.
Looking for an affordable, yet highly-featured Z97 board? ASUS has the board for you! The ASUS Z97-A is ASUS' mainstream Z97 product, yet you might wonder about whether ASUS made a mistake with the price once you get one and see what it packs. The $120 Z97-A definitely offers more than you would expect.
QNAP released the TS-x51 series, which, although classified lower than the TS-x70 line, is comprised of high-performance members that feature the brand-new Intel Bay Trail SoC. Today, we will take a look at the TS-451. It not only features good performance but also looks great because of its white finish.
MP4Nation's newest budget-minded in-ears get put to the test. The $22.50 Brainwavz Delta in-ears feature a metal enclosure and four sets of well-performing tips, including a set of Comply foam tips. A 8 mm Ø driver allows for a very slim enclosure, which makes achieving a good and comfortable fit a breeze.
The Corsair Graphite 780T is the successor to the 760T, a chassis that has been on the market for quite some time. It features the same new bold design we have seen on the 380T, but allows you to install a fully sized ATX board and features a lot more expandability.
The DeepCool Steam Castle aims to take steampunk to the main stream. Available in four different colors with elaborate looks, will it manage to deliver hip looks right out of the box while remaining functional at a competitive price point, or is it a hip shell with a boring interior?
Corsair just introduced the new HXi series, comprised of members with Platinum efficiency and full compatibility with the Corsair Link software. Today, we will take a look at the second-strongest unit of the line with 1 kW capacity, ideal for a power-hungry system with up to four VGAs.
Crucial's new MX100 SSD is super affordable, yet provides excellent performance that can easily compete with the big boys. It uses brand-new 16 nanometer flash chips from Micron, paired with a proven Marvell controller. Hands down the best SSD you can get!
Aerocool's Dead Silence series of cases aims to be quiet, but flashy, thanks to its various bright color choices. With the DS Cube, the company is offering a compact mATX chassis having the ability to hold potent components, which allows you to build a hip gaming rig.
Today, AMD launches the Radeon R9 285 based on their brand-new Tonga GPU, which replaces Tahiti, promising to be faster and more power efficient. Sapphire's board comes with a custom cooler and is overclocked out of the box for some extra performance.
EVGA recently introduced their new flagship SuperNOVA unit with 1600 W capacity and 80 Plus Gold efficiency. According to their description, this PSU is the ultimate tool for any highly overclocked system, and in this review, we plan to push it beyond its limits to see how it fares.
Corsair is aiming to take the Graphite series on the road with the Graphite 380T. A compact Mini-ITX chassis with a solid grip and sweet looks, it certainly has the specs to be an awesome LAN-gaming rig. But all this comes at a fairly high price - will the Graphite 380T manage to make each cent count?
Another new Intel debut is upon us, and you just can't miss it if you use multiple monitors and videocards. Today, we take our first look at Intel's X99 Express platform with MSI's X99S GAMING 7 to show us what's in store. Including SATA Express, M.2, DDR4, and support for Intel's new Haswell-E CPUs, the MSI X99S GAMING 7 might just be what you're looking for.
Corsair's RM series includes some of the quietest PSUs available on the market. Today, we take a detailed look at the strongest member of this series, the RM1000. It promises good performance and ultra-silent operation, a rare feature for a 1 kW unit.
Intel released the Intel Core i7-4790K, which created quite the stir with Intel Core i7-4770K owners. Does the Intel Core i7-4790K outperform the Intel Core i7-4770K in every way or does it fall a little flat? If you already own a 4770K, is the upgrade worth it?
ASUS marked their entry into the high-end sound card market with the Xonar Essence ST some years ago. Today, we will take a good look at the new STX II. The STX II brings new op-amps and a more precise clock generator to the table; the latter should lower jitter. The STX II also bolsters 7.1 outputs through a small break-out card.
When it comes to all-in-one liquid CPU coolers, the Reserator 3 Max Dual sets itself apart. If you want unique looks, solid performance, and have a love for blue LEDs, Zalman has you covered. There is nothing quite like the Reserator 3 Max Dual with its unique radiator design.
The In Win 901 is a smaller version of the 904, intended for use with a Mini-ITX board instead. Even so, it still offers enough space for an optical drive and a long GPU. Will the smaller brother impress us as much as the 904?
Along with their Platinum units, Seasonic also revamped their Gold-certified line-up, and the fresh X-1050 and X-1250 now get to add "XM2" to their model numbers. In this review, we will evaluate the X-1250 -- its promise is to deliver high efficiency and top performance at an honest price.
Today, AMD enters the SSD market with their Radeon R7 SSD, which is built using OCZ technology. Using a Barefoot 3 controller and Toshiba 19 nanometer flash chips, the drive is designed for consumers and gamers alike. AMD has also extended the warranty of their R7 SSD to four years.
Angelbird is a young solid-state drive manufacturer from Austria. Their new SSD, wrk, is built on the Silicon Motion SM2246 controller which delivers good real-life performance in our testing. While a price of $300 for 512 GB won't shock the market these days, the drive is affordable overall.
Corsair has steered clear of the tiny cube chassis, while other companies like BitFenix, Xigmatek, or Aerocool have been duking it out, trying to get the attention of gamers who want a compact chassis with the ability to hold potent hardware. Well, the Carbide Air 240 is about to step into the ring and manages to impress.
Shuttle's DS81 is a Haswell supporting barebone system, optimized to minimize space while still providing good performance. With its VESA mount it can easily be installed on the back of a monitor. Thanks to native 4K output you could even use it as media PC for your new UHD TV.
The Enthoo Pro is the most affordable chassis of the Enthoo family by Phanteks. Featuring the same frame as the Luxe, but a slightly simpler approach, we will dive in deep to see if the chassis, while not as luxurious, is still professional enough.
Swiftech's new H220-X is a fully customizable and expandable all-in-one liquid CPU cooler with nothing but high-end components to offer enthusiasts the very best in terms of quality. As such, class-leading performance was a given, but with low noise levels and a plethora of fantastic features, it could also stand alone at the very top.
Toshiba's new HG6 Series is an incremental update over the HG5d Series and claims the performance throne in our new real-life SSD benchmarking suite. Toshiba's latest model is also cheaper than the predecessor, which even makes it an excellent choice for value-oriented buyers.
Cooler Master decided to upgrade their VS(M) series and added a new model with 750 W capacity and nothing but Japanese capacitors, which play a key role in its increased reliability. Today, the VSM750 will be put to the test to prove it is worthy of your money.
There are plenty of cube cases out there, but many lack real innovation. Cooltek aims to take cube gaming enclosures to the next level with the W1. Featuring a smart combination of aluminum and steel and a choice between a windowed or solid side panel.
The NAS market grows day by day and all companies thrive to introduce more and more innovative products. In today’s review, we will take a good look at one of these products, the Synology DS414slim, a compact NAS with a huge feature list.
Another member joined EVGA’s SuperNOVA family. The new P2-1200 with a capacity of 1200 W and Platinum efficiency promises up to 94% efficiency with 220 V input and features a fully modular design with Japanese capacitors to ensure it is incredibly reliable and stable.
Palit's GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX is the first completely fanless NVIDIA graphics card in a long time to offers performance that doesn't suck. Thanks to its fanless design, there is no noise from the card itself, which is important for media PC systems or quiet office PCs.
Looking for a decent board to push that shiny new Pentium G3258 in an HTPC? Biostar has what you need in the Hi-Fi Z97WE, an affordable option that offers great audio and a high-level feature set you'd not expect for so cheap.
Seasonic recently added a new high-end model to their arsenal, a 1200 W unit with Platinum efficiency, extraordinary performance, semi-passive operation, and a fully modular cabling design. This PSU is one of the best we ever tested and teaches manufacturers a lesson in how to push analog circuits to their limits.
The Streacom NC1 is one of the more intricate NUC enclosures available since it offers a modular approach, allowing for easy installation and upgradability. The NC1 is also an excellent compact alternative to Intel's retail NUC chassis.
Sapphire's R9 290 Vapor-X comes highly overclocked out of the box, matching the R9 290X in performance. The card's triple-fan, triple-slot cooler manages temperatures very well and offers a unique feature: you decide whether the card idles with one or three fans running, which lets you focus on temperature or noise.
Rosewill built up a solid reputation over the last few years, especially for PSUs, where things are tough because of the strong competition. In this review, we will evaluate the Capstone series' flagship model. It features 1 kW capacity, a semi-modular design, and a nice price tag. Our expectations are high because the unit is based on a Super Flower platform.
Thermaltake is shaking things up with their non-interference line of CPU coolers which includes the NiC C5. This single-tower, dual-fan offering not only beats the heat, it also offers unobstructed access to all DIMM slots. So if you like stylish memory kits with tall heatsinks, Thermaltake's NiC C5 has you covered.
The Enthoo Primo was Phantek's first entry into the case market, and the company is now throwing the line's smaller brother into the frey: the Luxe. It features the same look, an interesting feature set, and comes in either black or white, along with some nifty lighting element.
Silverstone has been offering fanless PSUs for quite some time; however, they hadn’t released a relevant product for some years now, which changed recently as their Nightjar fanless series now includes the NJ520 with Platinum efficiency, a fully modular cabling design, and a promise of total silence.
Black is really an absence of color, or light, all there was before time began. Now, there is the Z97X-GAMING G1 WIFI-BK, Gigabyte's top-tiered Black Edition board. So powerful it can create black holes itself, the Gigabyte Z97X-GAMING G1 WIFI-BK is here to take your gaming experience to a whole new level.
Deepcool is jumping into the sea of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers with the release of the Maelstrom 240. Featuring stunning looks, solid performance, and high quality fans, it has the specs and features that enthusiasts not only expect, but demand.
The In Win S-Frame is what you get when a case designer has fun and faces nearly no limitations. Constructed of a single 4 mm thick aluminum sheet that was hand-folded 15 times, the chassis weighs in at nearly 18 kg and 800 US dollars. With all these attributes, the question of whether the S-Frame can pull off looking like a star when equipped with hardware has to be put to the test.
We are testing the smallest member of the Antec HCP family with 850 W capacity and Platinum efficiency. The unit promises very high build quality, top-notch performance, and high efficiency, so stay tuned to find out more.
The new ASUS GTX 780 STRIX introduces a completely passive operation while the card is idling, which provides a noise-free experience. The GTX 780 STRIX 6 GB also features twice the memory capacity of the regular GTX 780 and a large overclock out of the box.
Today, we will evaluate another slim-PC by Shuttle. The DS437 is for applications like digital signage, POS, education, etc., and its fanless design makes it incredibly reliable and completely silent. It uses a dual-core Intel Celeron CPU with an embedded Intel HD Graphics solution and comes with a large number of I/O ports.
ASUS pushes the limits with its ROG branding by unleashing yet another HERO onto the battlefield to save the day. Built with ASUS ROG technology from top to bottom, the ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO just might be that new flashy board you buy.
MSI's new GTX 780 Gaming 6 GB doubles the available video RAM over the reference design, which just has 3 GB. With the latest titles requiring 3 GB VRAM minimum for textures at Ultra, this 6 GB card could help provide a performance advantage. We will investigate this claim by using our brand-new VGA test suite.
Another high-end Platinum PSU, this time by Deepcool, the DQ Series 1250 W unit uses a high-end platform with incredible performance, Platinum efficiency, and low noise output. Especially the latter is something not often seen in such a strong PSU, so stay tuned if you want to learn more about this product.
Attitude One is a new player on the gaming scene, and today, we take a close look at their first headset, the Almaz. The Almaz can be configured to act as either a headphone or headset because of its detachable microphone and multiple cables.
If you're looking for a miniature board to toss into a portable LAN box, MSI has the board for you! The Z97I GAMING AC we are looking at today is a GAMING-centric mITX board, equipped with everything you need to blast your enemies into GAMING nirvana.
The Gamer Storm Lucifer from Deepcool is an affordable CPU cooler that packs a punch. Featuring six Ø6 mm heatpipes, a 140 mm fan, and its single monolithic tower design, this cooler is quiet and performs extremely well.
The UE BOOM was one of the first bluetooth speakers that wowed us. Today, we take a look at the newest revision of the BOOM. It features much improved firmware, allows you to customize its start-up sound, and comes with a bigger bundle.
We already tested its smaller brother, and it performed incredibly well, so it is nigh time for the SuperNOVA G2-850 to be put to the test, to show what EVGA has in store for this very hot market segment. Like all other G2 units, this one is based on Super Flower's Leadex platform, offers Gold efficiency, and comes with a fully modular cabling design.
With the NH-D15, Noctua once again takes their place, leading our charts. This cooler offers unprecedented cooling performance that makes all-in-one liquid coolers seem weak, especially considering that it does so while remaining whisper quiet.
Although not the unlocked chip most of us are waiting for, the Intel Core i7-4790 is the new kid on the block, sporting a fancy 4.0 GHz boost clock right out of the box. I put it through the paces to see what's what only to come to the same conclusions as most other sites. But here's my take on the Intel Core i7-4790 anyway.
We evaluate the XTR-650 of XFX’s fully modular XTR series in today's review. This PSU is Haswell compatible and comes with Gold-certified efficiency, and its hybrid fan operation has it operate quietly. Using quality components, it also promises to perform incredibly well while being very reliable.
Computex Taiwan is the leading computer tradeshow in the year. Thanks to its asian location the booths are full of hot show girls in short skirts. TechPowerUp brings you the complete collection with 130 girls - including high-res images.
Today, we take a look at ECS's LIVA Mini PC Kit, a small and affordable PC with very low power consumption, a small price, and lightweight computing capabilities. With a sub-US$200 price tag, expecting top-notch performance would be ill advised, yet what can you get for $200 that fits in the palm of your hand? An ECS LIVA Mini PC Kit, of course.
be quiet! released their new flagship cooler, the Dark Rock Pro 3. Improving upon its predecessor, it is quieter, lighter, and just as stylish. With solid cooling performance and the best noise profile to date for a high-end air cooler, the Dark Rock Pro 3 sets the bar when it comes to performance versus noise.
Hide your childrens, hide your wives! A KILLER is here! ASRock's Fatal1ty Z97X KILLER is on my test bench, after arriving in a plain white box. The only true Fatal1ty here is hopefully the one in the name, or this red and black gamer had better go back to training camp!
Thecus has recently released a SMB NAS server, the N7710-G. This unit is equipped with strong components that easily support the needs of a business environment. Among others, it supports RAID 50 and has a 10GbE Ethernet port through which very high network transfer speeds can be achieved, given you have the right network structure in place.
We have none other than the Z97-DELUXE (WLC & NFC), ASUS's expensive high-end Intel Z97 product, with us today. Packing everything you expect and perhaps a few things you do not, the ASUS Z97-DELUXE (WLC & NFC) has everything Intel's latest platform has to offer, all wrapped into a classy new esthetic.
Corsair is first to release an 80 Plus Titanium-certified PSU, which is the flagship of their top-notch AXi line. The AX1500i is the best PSU we ever tested, and at 1.5 kW, it is strong enough for an incredibly powerful system with a four-way SLI or Crossfire configuration.
MSI's Radeon R9 280X Gaming 6 GB comes with twice the video memory of the reference design. We will test multiple resolutions, including EyeFinity and 4K, to see whether it really makes a difference. Another highlight of the card is that it's really quiet, quieter than any other R9 280X we've tested before.
The Antec GX500 aims to mix things up in the entry level market, offering three fans and fan controllers right out of the box, it jumps into the fight with its fists flying. Do those inclusions come at a sacrifice in quality, or will the GX500 be able to come out on top as the featherweight champion?
HiFiMAN's latest high-end headphone just got put to the test. The new HE-560 features improvements across the board, both in terms of sound and comfort. Design-wise, it is a long departure from the older HE headphones since it features a suspended headband design and wooden cups.
I called out for some help in fighting the never-ending stream of motherboards that come my way, and G.Skill sent none other than the god of war kit, ARES F3-2400C11D-8GAB, to fight beside me. Can these G.Skil ARES F3-2400C11D-8GAB sticks turn the tide in the battle for top-level memory performance for a good price?
The Corsair Hydro Series H105 has redefined what one can expect from an AIO liquid CPU cooler. Making use of a thicker 38 mm radiator and Corsair's own SP fans designed to deliver high static pressure, this well-engineered cooler makes quick work of the competition.
Seasonic decided to silently update their G-550 model to add Haswell support. The company did not change the model number, but did add a Haswell-ready badge to the box. The G-550 is an affordable product for users on a tight budget who, want a reliable PSU with great performance for a mid-level system.
CRYORIG and their R1 Universal have redefined what makes a high-end air cooler. Packing some serious features and never before seen memory clearance on a cooler of this size, it not only performs like a champ, it could make the competition appear obsolete in comparison.
The Cougar MX500 is a mainstream chassis for mainstream gamers. Without any crazy bells and whistles, it offers everything you need for a clean, functional system. We dig right in to figure out whether it also has everything we would expect a chassis of its price-point to feature.
Fresh on the market in just the past few days is Intel's Z97, and I get to take my first look at MSI's new Z97 GAMING 5, built from the ground up for gamers looking for great features at a great price. Featuring a new esthetic design as well as a host of new features.
Rajintek's new Morpheus VGA cooler is compatible with the Radeon R9 290X and GTX 780/Ti. It provides excellent temperatures and whisper-quiet noise levels, which will be a godsend for users of the Radeon R9 290X reference design who are plagued by high temperatures and noise.
We end our look at mITX Z87/Haswell boards with none other than the ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT. After many requests from users all over the world for ASUS to make a tiny ROG board, those requests have finally been answered. Is the MAXIMUS VI IMPACT worth the wait?
Synology knows how to create good and affordable products like the DS214se we will evaluate today. Along with it, we will also take a detailed look at the company's new DSM 5.0 operating system that introduces many new, interesting features and upgrades over its predecessor.
Cooler Master decided to unleash a big beast onto the PSU market by again teaming up with Seasonic and releasing their V series flagship, the V1200. It not only comes with a high capacity, but also sports Platinum efficiency, a fully modular design, and a hybrid fan mode option that turns this unit into a silent beast at low loads.
Mionix's newest version of the NAOS and AVIOR designs get put to the test. Both feature the newest IR-LED sensor from Avago, the ADNS-3310. We take them for a spin to see how they perform in comparison to their previous versions!
Bitfenix decided to enter the PSU market, and today, we have the chance to look at the flagship of their Fury series. It has a capacity of 750 W, is 80 Plus Gold certified, and features individually sleeved cables of high quality and stunning looks.
Xigmatek's Nebula is a compact Mini-ITX chassis that utilizes an interesting mixture of materials and comes with the ability to hold a fully sized ATX PSU and dual-slot graphics card. But will it look as elaborate on the inside as it does on the outside, or is this Nebula not hiding any secrets of the universe?
New products from Intel are on their way, and today, we take our first look at what the next-gen Intel platforms have to offer, starting with MSI's Next-Gen GAMING 5. This 3rd-generation GAMING design by MSI takes all the best of past GAMING products and adds new features to solve some of the problems users ran into with past products, all with a new take on what motherboards have to offer.
SilentiumPC is a fresh Polish company that was established in 2007. Today, we will take a look at their first Platinum PSU, the Supremo M1-700 with high efficiency, semi-passive operation for lower noise output, and a semi-modular cabling design.
The $700 MSI R9 290X Lightning is MSI's latest flagship card geared toward overclockers and enthusiasts. It comes with a large overclock out of the box, higher than any other custom R9 290X available today. The board is cooled by a large triple-slot, triple-fan cooler that yields excellent temperatures.
BitFenix's first headset is a feature-packed, lightweight construction made for gaming. It features 40mm dynamic drivers, a detachable microphone, and a highly ergonomic design. We put it to the test to see how it fares against headsets from more established brands!
be quiet!'s Dark Rock 3 is a great single-tower cooler as it offers up stylish looks with the performance to back it up. Take into consideration its exceptional build quality and warranty and you have a cooler that might just be best in class.
The NZXT H440 aims to make the new and revamped H series part of the mid-tower market. Offering no external drive bay is either gutsy or naïve, but let us take a closer look to figure out whether NZXT managed to gun for the glory among silent mid-tower cases this time around.
Asustor is hard at work to establish itself as a good name on the NAS scene, and they are on the right track. Today, we will take a look at the AS-204TE, which Asustor says to be the best multimedia and storage-center solution for your home because it comes equipped with all typical NAS functions, an HDMI port, and XBMC support.
EVGA is expanding their high-end SuperNOVA G2 series by releasing two mid-capacity units with 750 W and 850 W maximum output power. Today, we will evaluate the G2-750 with Gold efficiency, a fully modular cabling design, and selectable semi-passive operation, which renders it totally inaudible at lower loads.
Creative's new SoundBlasterAxx series is rapidly expanding. Today, we take a look at the 200 Axx which packs a lot of unique features and great sound quality to boot. Priced at $149, it should be very competitive.
Cooler Master is joining the fray of extra large cases, but is making things modular in the process. With that in mind, the HAF Stacker was born. Will it show others how it is done, although late to the game? We take the HAF Stacker and shuffle its parts around a few times to see what it has to offer over offerings by other brands.
The Leadex Platinum 1200 W will hit our test bench today. It features 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, a fully modular cabling design, and promises to perform wonderfully while producing hardly any noise by utilizing an excellent platform and a semi-passive operation user can swap to by flipping a switch.
Today, AMD is launching their Radeon R9 295X2, a dual-GPU card based on two fully unlocked, fully clocked Hawaii graphics processors. As a result, the card delivers impressive numbers in 4K and EyeFinity. But with a price of $1500, it is certainly not cheap, no matter how you look at it.
VidaBox's new media player, dubbed the OpenSqueeze, fills the gap left by Logitech's Squeezebox devices. The OpenSqueeze is powered by an open source OS and comes with the same functionality as the original Squeeze products.
Seasonic is one of the best PSU OEMs and has lately been trying to improve its presence in the mainstream and lower-end segments by releasing affordable products. Today, we will evaluate the S12G 450 W which is essentially a G series PSU without modular cables.
Crucial's new M550 SSD is based on an updated version of the Marvell controller, which means it no longer uses overprovisioning: you get to use the whole capacity. In our real-life testing we also see a slight performance improvement, which is great, especially considering the M550's competitive pricing.
The Obsidian 760T is essentially a 750D with a lot more "oh" and "ah". Flashier on the outside, it sports a more elaborate look, a choice of two colors, a huge window, and a bit more lighting. It even comes with a fan controller right out of the box.
We take our first look at AMD's FM2+ platform with a value-oriented product from Biostar that boasts some upgraded audio abilities. The Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D comes with the focus and feature set that has become Biostar's calling, as the company has its own take on entry-level enthusiast designs.
The Corsair 450D is the smallest of the Obsidian family, but it offers the same cool and clean look and a potent feature set at a price tag of 120 USD - which is 20 dollars less than the 550D, but 20 dollars more than the 350D. Is there enough room for the 450D to fill such a gap?
Silverstone offers many different PSUs and has lately enriched its portfolio with several new units, including two Strider Essential ones. We will put the ST60F-ESB to the test: It, in an effort to be as affordable as possible, is 80 Plus Bronze certified and comes with nothing but native cables that have mostly been left unsleeved.
NZXT has taken the body of the Phantom 530 and fused it with the more affordable Source line. With the same model number, the Source 530 aims to give the user all the functionality of the Phantom at a cheaper price point.
Cambridge Audio is a well-known brand in the world of HiFi. Today, we take a look at the newest addition to their extensive line-up of DACs and amplifiers. The new DacMagic XS is a matchbox-sized DAC/amp with plenty of power for normal headphones. We take it for a spin with several headphones to see how it performs.
be quiet! has gained a good reputation among noise-sensitive users who also treasure reliability and high performance. We will review the Power Zone 850 W: It is the second strongest of its line, offers a fully modular design, and sports Bronze efficiency. This PSU is also equipped with a high quality SilentWings fan.
SilentiumPC looks to shock and awe with the affordable Fera 2 HE1224 CPU cooler. Do not let its generic appearance fool you - it has much to offer. Featuring exceptional memory clearance and amazing performance, it sets the bar for what budget coolers should offer.
The In Win 904 is aiming to accomplish one thing: to make computers beautiful. And it does, strutting its mixture of thick aluminium and tempered glass around perfectly. Consider it the McLaren of cases: too tight for that family of four, senselessly expensive to most, but put it into a row with all the cases out there and people will look at it in awe.
Antec, a major player when it comes to PSUs, recently reinforced its flagship High Current Pro series with a new unit, the HCP-1300. The Bitcoin mining craze probably contributed to the release of this 1300 W PSU that is Platinum certified, fully modular, and backed by a seven year warranty.
The newest addition to Shuttle’s NAS portfolio, the KD22 is a 2-bay NAS for home and small office users. It packs some incredibly interesting features, like a built-in Wi Fi card that transforms this unit into a hot-spot, and looks incredible because of its nice black aluminum casing.
PowerColor's R9 290X PCS+ uses a large triple-fan, triple-slot cooler, which promises improved temperatures and noise levels over the AMD reference design. The card is also overclocked out of the box by +50 MHz GPU and +100 MHz memory, making it the highest-clocked R9 290X available today.
G.Skill sent me a fancy new memory kit with huge capabilities, both in size and for overclocking! Clocking in at a normal 1600 MHz, but with CAS 7, the G.Skill F3-1600C7Q-32GTX's sticks aren't average, and their red and black tridents are nearly the perfect match for any watercooled and overclocked build.
Enermax seeks to ruffle the feathers of their competitors with the ETS-T40 Black Twister. They do so by combining solid performance with low noise output; all without compromising on quality and style.
Super Flower is hammering the PSU market with incredibly interesting products, and they have now sent us a mid-capacity unit based on the excellent Leadex platform. The Leadex Gold 750 W unit features Gold efficiency, a fully modular cabling design with the crystal-cube connectors particular to the series, and the option for a semi-passive operation.
Take the Prodigy and the original Colossus chassis by BitFenix, combine them, and out comes the Colossus Mini-ITX chassis. The love child of these two product lines sports the compatibility of the highly successful Prodigy and the coolness of the very first BitFenix chassis, the Colossus.
MSI's Radeon R9 290X Gaming comes with the company's well-known TwinFrozr dual-fan cooler, which should improve temperatures and noise levels over the AMD reference design significantly. The card is also overclocked out of the box for some extra performance.
Unlike most other GTX 750 Tis, ASUS has placed an additional 6-pin power connector on their GTX 750 Ti OC, which promises improved overclocking potential and may even improve out-of-the-box performance due to GPU Boost. The card is also extremely quiet thanks to its dual-fan thermal solution.
It has taken Xigmatek some time to release their fresh Vector P line, having two members with Platinum efficiency. Today, we will take a look at the P700: It features a semi-modular cabling design, promises ultra-silent operation, and exploits the Reverse Thrust Fan technology to avoid internal dust build up.
Today, NVIDIA also launched the GeForce GTX 750, which is similar to the GTX 750 Ti, just with fewer shaders and lower clocks. The ASUS GTX 750 OC is overclocked out of the box to provide some extra performance while still being power efficient, cool, and quiet.
MSI's GTX 750 Ti Gaming is the quietest GTX 750 Ti we reviewed today. It is whisper quiet in both idle and during gaming, even with the included overclock out of the box. Thanks to NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture, the card also runs incredibly cool and consumes very little power.
Palit's new GTX 750 Ti StormX Dual comes with the fantastic power consumption improvements of the Maxwell architecture, but also includes a large overclock out of the box. Additional overclocking potential is also excellent, making this the card you want if you are after maximized performance.
Today, NVIDIA launched their GeForce GTX 750 Ti, which is based on the new GM107 graphics processor introducing NVIDIA's Maxwell graphics architecture. Power consumption of the new card is at a record low, which means temperature and noise levels are impressive as well.
The intended base of any EVGA Hadron build, the Z87 Stinger is EVGA's answer to a high-end mITX OC solution. Built with a focus on features and overclocking, as with EVGA's high-end videocards and PSUs, the EVGA Z87 Stinger makes its mark, but does it sting like a bee, or is it only as annoying as a fly?
BitFenix has taken the original genes of the Prodigy and fused them with the exterior of the newer Phenom line. The outcome is a small and compact chassis with all the major functional benefits of the highly successful Prodigy in a cleaner, sleeker package - perfect for that HTPC or Steam Box.
AMD today released their Radeon R7 265 in a preemptive strike to cover their bases against NVIDIA's upcoming GTX 750 Ti. While the card is based on the aging HD 7850, it still offers good gaming performance and comes with an excellent price/performance ratio.
The Katana 4 from Scythe is a cooler that changes what one can expect in terms of performance at such a small size. It proves itself by offering good cooling at low noise levels and an affordable price, but can it cut through the competition like the sword it is named after?
ASUS ROG is back at it again, tossing another bone our way - the RAMPAGE IV BLACK EDITION. Harkening back to the much older RAMPAGE III BLACK EDITION, this new board seeks to do the same with its ultimately-optimized ROG design and feature focus, but for Intel's X79 Express platform.
Today we are taking a look at Antec's TruePower Classic 750 W unit. The strongest of the series, its efficiency is Gold-certified. It also utilizes a non-modular cabling design to be as affordable as possible.
Fractal Design's latest mATX chassis brings the Arc Mini series up to par with the Midi line by offering an R2 variant. It includes a few nice updates, but does come with a price tag to match. Is the Arc Mini R2 fly enough to get away with it?
Sapphire's custom design R9 290X Tri-X OC impresses with low noise levels that still run the card at cool temperatures. The card is also overclocked out of the box, which makes it faster than the GTX Titan. In Europe, the price over reference is just 10%, which makes the choice a no-brainer.
Good NAS servers don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Case in point is Thecus' fresh N2310 for use at home. It is equipped with an 800 MHz SoC processor and 512 MB of DDR3 RAM and can take up to two HDDs. Not here to break performance records, its very high price/performance ratio is simply amazing.
We continue our foray into mITX motherboards by taking a look at an high-end enthusiast option from ASUS, the P87I-PRO. Featuring a huge 12+2 VRM design, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, plus all Intel Z87 features, the ASUS P87I-PRO also carries the standard high-level ASUS experience we've all come to expect.
The Dragonfly 4 by Titan has proven to be unique. Near silent when in use, this slim tower design with a slim fan delivers unrivaled clearance around the CPU socket. Featuring a solid list of features and an affordable price, it still packs a punch with the ability to cool up to 160W.
The MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming should definitely be on your short list if you are looking to build a SFF gaming PC or compact Steam Box. It runs quieter than any other compact graphics card we ever tested, yet still has enough power to play all the latest titles at full HD, with maximized settings.
Intel managed to turn some heads with the NUC, but with its active cooling solution, it leaves things to be desired in terms of noise. A few manufacturers have stepped up to offer passive cooling platforms, one of which is the Akasa Newton. Competitively priced and with a good feature set, it has all the right ingredients to make for an excellent silent solution.
Func's first ever gaming headset gets put to the test. The HS-260s is Func's attempt at creating a good mid-end closed-back gaming headset. Func ships this headset with two different types of ear pads, which allows you to tailor their performance somewhat.
Feenix is a new brand in the high-end gaming gear scene. Today, we will be taking a look at the Nascita gaming mouse featuring the well-performing Avago ADNS-9800 sensor and some pretty interesting features.
BitFenix has taken the frame of the Prodigy M and now offers its genes in the Phenom Micro-ATX chassis aiming to offer a clean, understated, but compact option to those who need storage drives and the ability to include potent hardware.
The ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II OC is R9 290X done right. It is overclocked out of the box, but doesn't suffer from the throttling issues of AMD's reference design. The card is also quieter, even in performance mode, and you can activate the second, quiet BIOS for a very low noise experience.
Silverstone has a rich portfolio of PSU offerings and recently released a new line, the Strider Gold S series, which includes the world’s smallest fully modular ATX PSUs. We will take a look at the ST75F-GS unit, having Gold efficiency and Silverstone's great look.
MP4Nation has been manufacturing quality budget in-ears for a while, and they hope to take a good chunk of the mid-fi earphone market with the $60 S1s. The S1s use a 10mm driver in a well-designed housing and come with a flat cable, which is neat for people on the go.
The Deep Silence 4 is Nanoxia's mATX offering for silent fans out there. Offering the ability to control up to six fans within the chassis while encapsulating the sound from within, this should be an interesting option for those wanting a compact system with as little noise as possible.
EVGA's GTX 780 Ti Classified is the fastest GTX 780 Ti we ever tested. It comes with a large overclock out of the box that makes it run above 1175 MHz most of the time. The dual-fan ACX heatsink also provides good cooling, resulting in low temperatures and a stable operation at all times.
Super Flower raised the bar even higher than before with their new Platinum and Gold Leadex PSUs. We will take a look at their strongest PSU offering, the Leadex Gold 1300 W. This unit features a fully modular cabling design with LED lit connectors, a single +12V rail, and a selectable semi-passive operation for completely silent operation at low loads.
The latest trend in NAS devices is to reproduce multimedia content, which home users appreciate since it provides them with the ability to also use their NAS as a media player. Synology adheres to this trend with the DS214play we are testing today - this unit's media server features allow it to transcode 1080p Full HD video on the fly.
MSI's GeForce GTX 780 Ti is the best graphics card I've reviewed in a long time. It is very fast because of its overclock out of the box, but doesn't run hot at all. Its powerful TwinFrozr cooler also enables MSI to run the card at fantastic noise levels that are quieter than most other graphics cards on the market.
CM Storm's new Havoc gaming mouse features the 8200 DPI Avago ADNS-9800 sensor which has proven to be one of the most consistent, high-performance laser sensors out there. That, coupled with plenty of buttons, should make for an interesting combination.
The Ashura is breathing new life into Scythe's CPU cooler lineup. Featuring an offset single tower design, this heatsink offers enough clearance even for the tallest modules in all four memory slots. With a price below $50, it is also quite affordable, while providing decent noise levels and good cooling.
Today, we will test the strongest member of be quiet!’s latest series, the Power Zone line. With 1000 W capacity and six PCIe connectors, it will easily handle a high-end gaming system. The PSU can even power and thermally control up to three case fans, which contributes to the quiet operation of your entire system.
Whether you want to build a new Haswell-based HTPC or fully-fledged gaming box, like Valve's STEAMBox, ASRock's Z87E-ITX is ready to meet your needs at a decent price. We take a look at the ASRock Z87E-ITX and perhaps discover why Valve chose the ASRock Z87E-ITX board for their own STEAMBox.
The new ASUS GTX 780 Ti DirectCU II OC offers amazing performance out of the box that is 6% higher than the already fast GTX 780 Ti reference design. ASUS is also using their large dual-fan DirectCU II heatsink to ensure that the card runs cool enough for maximized performance.
Corsair recently added another line, the CS-M, to their rich portfolio. Today, we will evaluate the CS650M: it features compact dimensions and a semi-modular cabling design. The PSU is also 80 Plus Gold certified and has a single +12V rail that can deliver up to 51 A of current.
MSI's R9 270X GAMING provides the lowest noise levels of any card in its performance class thanks to its dual-fan TwinFrozr cooler. It is also overclocked out of the box, giving it a 3% performance advantage, which matches HD 7950 performance.
The EVGA Hadron Air comes with a high quality 80Plus Gold 500W PSU and provides enough room for a potent graphics card. This compact case offers everything you need to build a tiny, powerful gaming system. But did EVGA achieve what others are only dreaming of, without sacrificing anything?
Like a mad rush of level 60 rogues, the ECS GANK MACHINE launches its assault on the Intel Haswell platform in a way no other would even attempt, going straight for the kill. Built with gaming in mind, and a bit of overclocking, too, the ECS GANK MACHINE not only surprised me, but left me feeling helpless, and under-skilled.
