Highlights-new | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 08 Apr 2016 08:19:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Highlights-new | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 MSI Z170A SLI Plus Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/msi-z170a-sli-plus-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/msi-z170a-sli-plus-motherboard-review/#respond Fri, 08 Apr 2016 08:10:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=288032 Retailing just under £110, MSI's Z170A SLI Plus is targeting Skylake users with an eye on SLI support for their graphics subsystem. With the Z170A SLI Plus motherboard's use of an Intel NIC and largely black colour scheme, MSI is aiming to perk the interest of mainstream users who may not want the Killer NIC …

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Retailing just under £110, MSI's Z170A SLI Plus is targeting Skylake users with an eye on SLI support for their graphics subsystem. With the Z170A SLI Plus motherboard's use of an Intel NIC and largely black colour scheme, MSI is aiming to perk the interest of mainstream users who may not want the Killer NIC and flashy aesthetics of the company's Gaming series alternatives.

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With its asking price set just a few quid past the £100 mark, MSI's Z170A SLI Plus is amongst the cheapest Z170 motherboards to offer SLI certification. That's a big selling point to hardware enthusiasts who may opt for a low-cost motherboard in order to plump more cash into their graphics system. There's also CrossFire support for AMD users, but this is more common on motherboards due to the less stringent requirements imposed by AMD.

Adding to the multi-GPU support is a 10Gbps USB 3.1 Type-C port, a 32Gbps M.2 connector with NVMe capability, and the Realtek ALC1150-based Audio Boost system. Application of the Z170 chipset's offerings with respect to 5Gbps USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps ports, in addition to a cost-effective power delivery solution, help MSI meet an aggressive price target for the Z170A SLI Plus.

We have already shown the board's capability for overclocking multiplier-locked Skylake chips via the BCLK using a modified BIOS. Does the MSI Z170A SLI Plus prove itself a worthy contender for budget-conscious users interested in a multi-GPU upgrade path?

Features:

  • Supports DDR4-3600 Memory (OC)
  • DDR4 Boost: Give your DDR4 memory a performance boost
  • USB 3.1 Gen2 2X FASTER: USB 3.1 Gen2 offers performance twice as fast as a regular USB 3.0 connection
  • Turbo M.2 32Gb/s + Turbo U.2 ready + USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C + SATA 6Gb/s
  • MULTI-GPU with Steel Armor: Steel Armor PCI-E slots. Supports NVIDIA SLI™ and AMD Crossfire™
  • OC Genie 4: Overclock in 1 Second
  • Click BIOS 5: Award-winning brand new Click BIOS 5 with high resolution scalable font
  • Audio Boost: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality
  • Military Class 4: Top Quality & Stability
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Get yourself in-shape for room-scale VR with these exercises https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/highlights-new/jon-martindale/get-yourself-in-shape-for-room-scale-vr-with-these-exercises/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/highlights-new/jon-martindale/get-yourself-in-shape-for-room-scale-vr-with-these-exercises/#respond Thu, 07 Apr 2016 12:09:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=288682 One of the big selling points of the HTC Vive headset is that it is “room scale,” which means you can walk around your room, interacting with different elements with the motion controllers – all of it tracked within the VR space. But that means physically moving around and in fast paced games, that can mean a …

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One of the big selling points of the HTC Vive headset is that it is “room scale,” which means you can walk around your room, interacting with different elements with the motion controllers – all of it tracked within the VR space. But that means physically moving around and in fast paced games, that can mean a lot more action than your average button and mouse clicking.

This isn't Wii tennis either. The tracking is accurate, the games and experiences immersive. You'll want to play games like Hover Junkers, Raw Data and Space Pirate trainer for potentially hours at a time; but to do that you'll want at least a basic level of fitness.

In the build up to VR, we reached out to the developer of Hover Junkers, Stress Level Zero, to ask how strenuous they felt the game was. It said that average games at 8-10 minutes were ok, but once you started going beyond 12 minute sessions, things started to feel more gruelling.

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So if you have a VR headset coming soon and want to get yourself ready for when it arrives, you'll want to start doing some simple exercises. To see just what kind would be best for VR, we asked personal trainer @KatyHemfit to see just what she recommends we do to get ready for room-scale VR.

After analysing a number of videos of people competing in high-octane VR action, Katy recommended that we all start doing a few more of the following:

Beginners

If your exercise regime consists of getting up in the morning and making your way to your desk job, before taking the laborious step of sitting down in-front of your PC or TV at the end of the day, starting from scratch would be your best bet. For that Katy recommends a combination of the following:

  • Boxing drills – Whether it's shadow boxing in the mirror, hitting a heavy bag or having someone hold mitts for you, throwing a few punches can get your heart rate up and it's a good stress reliever too. Just make sure you don't lock your elbows as you throw, keep your thumbs tucked outside of your fingers and keep the punches quick and light – don't throw bombs without good technique.
  • Leg get ups – These might seem simple, but if you're not used to it, it's surprising how tiring they can be. Kneel down on one knee, then the other and then stand back up, one leg at a time. This should do a good job of simulating some of the dodging, dipping, ducking, diving (and dodging) you're likely to do in VR.
  • Squats – Otherwise known as ‘nobody's favourite exercise' Squats will do wonders for your legs, lower back and glutes (ass muscle). This will all help posture, which is very important if you're planning to spend a few hours flailing around in VR. Place your feet shoulder width apart and then act as if you're going to sit down. Lower your posterior as low as it can go while retaining balance and keeping your back straight. Then use your legs to drive yourself back to standing again, exhaling as you go.

Since this is designed as a real introduction to basic level fitness, we're not going to worry about number of repetitions, sets or time, just try to do a few of each, gauge your own fitness levels and make sure you get your heart rate up and a bit of a sweat on.

Intermediate

If the above seems a little simple for you and you have a pair of dumbbells lying around, Katy has something a little more advanced for you to try out. These exercises target more specific parts of the body and should improve your strength and stamina enough that you'll be able to wave around those wand controllers for hours without feeling like you're going to faint.

Get yourself warmed up and take a stab at some of these and see how you fare:

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  • Dumbbell shoulder press – Pick a weight that you can lift easily enough and hoist it above your shoulder so it's sitting comfortably, with your palms facing forward. Press it above your head until your arm is almost (but not quite) extended, while exhaling, hold for a second and then slowly lower it back down. Repeat for each side, or complete simultaneously if you prefer. See if you can do 6-12 reps to start with and if you can, complete another set or two and see how you fare.

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  • Dumbbell bicep curl – Pick a weight that you can hold comfortably and er on the side of lower weight if you're unsure. Hold it at waist level, palms facing inwards. Keep your upper arm stationary while you bend your elbow and pull the weight upwards, turning your palms inwards as you go and exhaling on the way up. Then slowly lower the weight down again, being careful not to over extend your elbow. Repeat for 6-12 reps and if you feel up to it, run through a couple of sets.

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  • Dumbbell lateral raises – Pick a weight that you know works for you and hold it by your side, standing up straight. Keep that pose and lift the weights up at your sides, with your arms almost completely extended, with just a slight bend in the elbow. Raise them to shoulder height, hold for a second and then slowly lower them again. Try and a complete a set of 6-12 repetitions and repeat as needed to push yourself.

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  • Lunges – This can be performed with or without dumbbells. Keep your upper body straight, with relaxed shoulders, step forward with one leg and drop your hips until both your knees are bent at a near 90 degree angle, making sure they don't ever go in-front of your lead toes. Then, exhaling, push yourself back to your starting position and repeat. Make sure to do both legs and stop if you feel your form start to falter.
  • Squat pulses – Like squats, only meaner, complete your squat as mentioned in the beginning section, but instead of giving yourself the sweet relief of standing back up again, these will see you bounce gently at the bottom. Hang out there as long as you can before returning to a standing position and repeat as many times as you can before feeling like you're going to fall over.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're looking to get yourself ready for room-scale VR, or if you just think you should be a more active gamer, performing these exercises even once will put you on a good path, but if you really want to make an impact, you'll need to commit to performing these at least a couple of times a week. It might suck to start with, but before you know it you'll have kickstarted your body's fitness levels to new heights.

Do let us know how you get on though, we'd love to hear about it, and of course if you have any questions, we're sure Katy would be happy to answer them. You can get in touch with her on Instagram @KatyHemfit where she also offers online one-to-one training and weight loss plans.

Image source: Wikimedia/Everkinetic

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Be a reviewer for the day, win an MSI motherboard and GPU https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/jon-martindale/be-a-reviewer-for-the-day-win-an-msi-mobo-and-gpu/ Tue, 05 Apr 2016 10:33:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=288714 As much as it's a fun job, being a reviewer isn't easy. It involves dedication, integrity and a deep technical knowledge that is gradually built upon year on year. But sometimes you guys think you can do a better job, so we're going to give you the chance to prove it. Think you can be …

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As much as it's a fun job, being a reviewer isn't easy. It involves dedication, integrity and a deep technical knowledge that is gradually built upon year on year. But sometimes you guys think you can do a better job, so we're going to give you the chance to prove it. Think you can be a reviewer? Well we have the hardware for you.

To make this possible we've teamed up with MSI to offer one passionate hardware enthusiast a MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard and a MSI GTX 970 Armor 2X 4GB. All you have to do, is convince us that you're the man or woman for the job.

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If you state your case well enough on the official Facebook post, we'll send both bits of kit straight to your door and you can keep them forever. All we ask in return, is that you give them an honest review. Judge their performance, looks, extra features, bundle and compare it all up against the price tag to see if you would recommend these products to the wider KitGuru reader base.

You can write it, film it, or even sing it if you're feeling particularly entertaining – but whatever the case, you need to pass on your thoughts.

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If you think you're up to that challenge, head on over to the KitGuru Facebook page and tell us why you should be chosen as the KG Reviewer for the day and perhaps you'll end up with a pair of shiny new toys in the week to come. Competition entries close on the 12th April and it's open worldwide, so wherever you are, we'll send the hardware if you win.

KitGuru Says: Consider well if you want to enter this one guys. You will be expected to produce a review once the hardware has been sent out. We're only able to do competitions like this if people follow through, so if you don't plan to, hold fire for one of our less intensive competitions which are always just around the corner.  

 

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Asus RT-AC5300 Tri-Band Gigabit Router Review https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/orestis-bastounis/asus-rt-ac5300-tri-band-gigabit-router-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/orestis-bastounis/asus-rt-ac5300-tri-band-gigabit-router-review/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2016 08:53:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=284875 The Asus RT-AC5300 is a unique wireless router. Its slightly odd looking design is due to its eight antennas, providing three separate wireless networks – two of which are quad-stream 4×4 802.11ac. It’s of most benefit to environments with an extreme amount of wireless traffic, and for people who want the very fastest wireless speeds …

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The Asus RT-AC5300 is a unique wireless router. Its slightly odd looking design is due to its eight antennas, providing three separate wireless networks – two of which are quad-stream 4×4 802.11ac. It’s of most benefit to environments with an extreme amount of wireless traffic, and for people who want the very fastest wireless speeds across multiple devices.

We’ve heard the Asus RT-AC5300 compared to an amusing range of different things. A dead bug, an upside-down processor removed from a motherboard and an artillery cannon from the game Supreme Commander are just a few.

Its easy to appreciate why just by looking at it. We can’t think of another consumer router with this many antennas, and although it isn’t the only router with a square design, it’s large dimensions and general appearance aren’t something you see every day.

The reason for this unique design is a corresponding unique set of features. It offers two 5GHz 802.11ac networks on separate circuits, allocating a full quota of bandwidth to each. Many routers already offer multiple SSIDs, providing users with two or more networks to connect to, each of which can be configured separately.

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But on those routers they have to share the same 5GHz channel, so bandwidth will have to be split between them. With the RT-AC5300, both 5GHz networks are capable of 1733 Mbit/sec, independently of the other.

The RT-AC5300 has a 1.4GHz dual-core Broadcom BCM4709C0KFEBG processor, with 512MB of memory. It has three separate Broadcom SoCs, one for each wireless channel. Effectively the RT-AC5300 contains two routers, although they still share the same CPU.

Each wireless network uses the combined bandwidth of four 802.11ac MIMO streams, also known as a ‘4×4’ configuration. Annoyingly, although 4×4 routers have been around for over a year, there are still no laptops or adapters on the market that support such speeds. To get the full performance you’ll need to use either a 4×4 bridge, such as the Asus EA-AC87 (Review HERE) or a 4×4 router such as the Asus RT-AC3200 (Review HERE) set to bridge or access point mode, with your client connected via a LAN cable, transforming the router or bridge into a wireless dongle.

For most people, the considerable expense of purchasing multiple routers or extra bridge units for a better wireless signal around their home is not something worth considering. A single 802.11ac router has more than enough bandwidth for checking emails in the kitchen or watching YouTube videos, and even 802.11n is (just about) sufficient for such light use.

But if you want to perform some large data transfers, backing up 1TB of media, for example, it’s not really feasible, unless you’re getting full speed over 802.11ac. And it will take quite some time, impacting performance for other clients on your network. With the RT-AC5300, one client can be doing a huge file transfer on one wireless network while every other client enjoys full speed on the second network.

That feature might not be something everyone wants or needs, but it’s not something offered by any other router on the market.

And like other Asus routers, the RT-AC5300 comes with the AsusWRT software, an operating system for routers that offers a great interface and lots of features, from parental controls to an excellent QOS system and external storage management. In particular it has a useful tool called SmartConnect, which determines the position of a client and allocates them the fastest available wireless connection. With three wireless networks, this feature becomes a lot more useful.

Please Note:

In order to test the Asus RT-AC5300 we've needed a wireless setup that goes beyond a single laptop to measure performance.

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In order to get the full 4×4 performance of any 802.11ac router, you need a network bridge that also supports 4×4 802.11ac speeds, since no laptop has this built in.

So along with the RT-AC5300, Asus sent us a pair of RT-AC88U routers, to be configured in bridge mode. These are already high-end 4×4 router models. But why two?

We've tested performance of both a single 4×4 wireless network and then run tests with both networks going at full pelt. This required us to have a second Asus RT-AC88U configured as a bridge.

In all the 4×4 tests, both clients were connected to either the RT-AC5300 or an RT-AC88U via ethernet cable, so the only wireless link was between the bridge and the router, to ensure there were no bottlenecks from slower wireless protocols.

In one test, we've had to use four computers, two of which were running WiFiPerf, our testing software of choice, while two other computers transferred a file over the other 5GHz wireless network.

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In the above image you can see some of the kit we used, including all three routers, the MacBook Pro laptop, a Thunderbolt ethernet adapter, and one of the many pieces of ethernet cable involved.

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MSI GT80 Titan Gaming Laptop Review https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/zardon/msi-gt80-titan-review-2x-gtx980m-023uk/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/zardon/msi-gt80-titan-review-2x-gtx980m-023uk/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2015 13:07:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=232376 Few products have generated as much hype and interest as the MSI GT80 Titan Gaming laptop. Kitguru was the first major publication to cover the new laptop when we flew over to Taipei last November. LEO then got his hands on an early pre retail sample for KITGURU TV back in December. Today we present …

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Few products have generated as much hype and interest as the MSI GT80 Titan Gaming laptop. Kitguru was the first major publication to cover the new laptop when we flew over to Taipei last November. LEO then got his hands on an early pre retail sample for KITGURU TV back in December. Today we present our full, in depth analysis of what can only be considered the most powerful laptop that money can buy. Add a full mechanical keyboard with Cherry switches into the mix and you have a heady combination for a gamer demanding a fully mobile form factor.

Before reading our indepth analysis today, be sure to watch LEO's early video coverage from December 2014 over HERE.
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The MSI GT80 Titan will ship in various guises over the coming months and our review sample ships with some seriously high end hardware.

The GT80 Titan is powered by Intel's most powerful mobile chip – the i7 4980HQ which runs at 2.8ghz with a turbo to 4ghz. There is 32GB of DDR3 memory installed, alongside dual Nvidia GTX980M graphics cards and a 1TB 7,200 rpm storage drive. To ensure that system responsiveness is never an issue, MSI have equipped this machine with 4x 256GB Solid State Drives, running in RAID 0.
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While all this high end hardware is enough to get an enthusiast gamer literally foaming at the mouth, one of the biggest talking points is the inclusion of a full mechanical Steelseries keyboard featuring Cherry switches.

This backlit board has caused much debate over the last month due to the position. The deep travel mechanical keys force the internal hardware to be pushed back inside the chassis. MSI are aware that this could be uncomfortable, so as the first image on this page highlights – they have included a gel style wrist rest as part of the package.

MSI GT80 Titan Specifications:

  • OS: Windows 8.1
  • CPU: Intel core i7 4980HQ (2.8Ghz – 4Ghz)
  • Display: 18.4” Full HD, anti-glare LCD in LED backlight 1920×1080 16:9
  • Memory Supplied: 4 x 8GB (32GB)
  • Memory Type: DDR3L
  • Memory Speed: 1600
  • Max Memory Support: 32GB
  • Graphics Chipset: Dual nVidia GeForce GTX 980M SLI
  • Graphics Memory: 8GB GDDR5 x2
  • Storage: 4 x 256GB M.2 SSD + 1TB 7200RPM
  • Keyboard Type: SteelSeries Red backlit mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Brown Switches
  • USB3.0 Ports: 5
  • HDMI Port(s): 1
  • Mini Display port(s): 2
  • LAN Port(s): 1
  • Microphone Jack(s): 1
  • Headphone Jack(s) (SPDIF): 1
  • Card Reader: SD (XC/HC)
  • Audio: – 4.1 Sound by Dynaudio
  • LAN: Killer DoubleShot Pro Gb LAN
  • Wireless LAN – Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac
  • Bluetooth: V4.1
  • Webcam: Full HD type (30fps@1080p)
  • Warranty : 2 YR's Collect & Return (1 YR Global)

Total cost £3,499 inc vat.

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Win two ASUS Strix OC GTX 960’s with Nvidia and KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/jon-martindale/win-two-asus-strix-oc-gtx-960s-with-nvidia-and-kitguru/ Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:43:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=232186 One of the worst parts of a new GPU launch is dealing with that jealous devil in the pit of your stomach that broils around as you watch other hardware enthusiasts snap up the new cards, boasting of their boosted frame rates. But what if you could be one of those lucky few? Well now …

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One of the worst parts of a new GPU launch is dealing with that jealous devil in the pit of your stomach that broils around as you watch other hardware enthusiasts snap up the new cards, boasting of their boosted frame rates. But what if you could be one of those lucky few? Well now you can, as KitGuru and Nvidia have teamed up to offer TWO lucky readers a new upgrade – in the form of the Asus GTX960 Strix OC.

Offering solid frame rates at a decent price and a ton of overclocking head room, the new Asus GTX960 Strix OC deservedly won our ‘WORTH BUYING' award earlier this week.

Read our indepth analysis, over HERE.

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Yes, to win one of these cards, all you have to do is share your interest over in a post on our Facebook page. Winners will be chosen by KitGuru staff on Monday 2nd February. Nvidia will ship the cards directly to the winners. All decisions made by admins are final.

Enter on our Facebook page, over HERE.

Also be sure to check out the ASUS pages, over here: www.facebook.com/ASUSROGUK and Follow twitter.com/ASUS_ROGUK

KitGuru Says: Good luck everyone. The Asus card will certainly be a great upgrade for 2015.

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Biostar Hi-Fi Z97WE Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/biostar-hi-fi-z97we-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/biostar-hi-fi-z97we-motherboard-review/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2014 06:56:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=205996 While Biostar may not be the first company that springs to mind when we ask you to name a motherboard vendor, the Taiwanese board maker does have a long history of providing well-priced Intel- and AMD-based components. We take a look at Biostar's competitively-priced Z97 flagship – the Hi-Fi Z97WE. As suggested by the name, …

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While Biostar may not be the first company that springs to mind when we ask you to name a motherboard vendor, the Taiwanese board maker does have a long history of providing well-priced Intel- and AMD-based components. We take a look at Biostar's competitively-priced Z97 flagship – the Hi-Fi Z97WE.

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As suggested by the name, Biostar puts a large emphasis on Hi-Fi level audio performance with its Z97WE. While we have seen many gaming-orientated audio systems come into fruition over recent generations from various motherboard vendors, a solution that is tailored towards music listeners is a little more unique.

And it's not just the Puro Hi-Fi audio system's benefits that Biostar's Hi-Fi Z97WE offers; CrossFire support is present, dual LAN chips are provided, and the chipset's 10Gbps M.2 connector is used. While those features don't sound particularly interesting, they're a good foundation for a board intended to hit hard at an affordable price point.

Features:

  • On board HDMI supported 4K2K resolution enables high-definition image display
  • 100% Solid Capacitors
  • BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Technology inside
  • Hi-Fi Cap for premium sound quality with lower distortion
  • Dual GbE LAN
  • PCIe M.2 Connector
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MSI Z97 Gaming 9 AC Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/msi-z97-gaming-9-ac-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/msi-z97-gaming-9-ac-motherboard-review/#respond Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:08:27 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=204384 Flagship parts on a mainstream platform can cause confusion for motherboard vendors. Do they go all-out, offering 4-way SLI and CrossFire via a PLX chip, with the knowledge that many people inclined for such configurations will use a HEDT platform instead? Or do they put that expenditure into a full-blooded feature set, accepting the potential …

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Flagship parts on a mainstream platform can cause confusion for motherboard vendors. Do they go all-out, offering 4-way SLI and CrossFire via a PLX chip, with the knowledge that many people inclined for such configurations will use a HEDT platform instead? Or do they put that expenditure into a full-blooded feature set, accepting the potential hit in graphics and overclocking capabilities?

Referring to the above conundrum, MSI has opted for the latter with its flagship Gaming series part – the Z97 Gaming 9 AC. OK, so we could have guessed the answer with the board being a Gaming series part, but the point referencing 4-way GPU support is still valid; MSI willingly sacrifices 4-way GPU support in favour of a particularly heavy set of features, including a notably high-end audio solution.

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And for the arguably irrelevant loss of 4-way SLI and CrossFire support, gamers are rewarded with a Killer E2205 NIC, added SATA and USB 3.0 connectors, enhanced motherboard appearance, and a particularly strong audio solution that includes WIMA and Nichicon capacitors and a C-Media CM6631A processor. Oh, and let's not forget the borderline audiophile Wolfson DAC, Cirrus Logic ADC, and Texas Instruments amplifiers.

Audio looks to be one of the Z97 Gaming 9 AC motherboard's strong points, but can the rest of its performance live up to expectation?

Features:

  • Dragon Armor.
  • Audio Boost 2 with Xtreme Audio DAC.
  • Killer E2200 Networking.
  • Intel 802.11ac WiFi.
  • XSplit Gamecaster licence.
  • Military Class 4.
  • OC Genie 4.
  • Click BIOS 4.
  • OC Essentials.
  • Gaming Device Ports.
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Corsair Flash Voyager GTX 128GB Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/pen-drives/zardon/corsair-flash-voyager-gtx-128gb-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/pen-drives/zardon/corsair-flash-voyager-gtx-128gb-review/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2014 12:58:25 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=202084 Chances are you already have several flash pen drives at home, either lying around on a desk or in a drawer. Smaller drives are ideal for flashing a motherboard BIOS and updating firmware, but the larger drives are more serious – used for backing up and moving large amounts of data between computers. It is …

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Chances are you already have several flash pen drives at home, either lying around on a desk or in a drawer. Smaller drives are ideal for flashing a motherboard BIOS and updating firmware, but the larger drives are more serious – used for backing up and moving large amounts of data between computers. It is true they are generally not the most exciting of devices however today we look at something very special from Corsair, a new flash drive they say is their fastest ever – The Voyager GTX.

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Corsair claim the new Flash Voyager GTX drives deliver ‘SSD-Performance' in a thin USB 3.0 thumb drive. These drives incorporate a fully fledged SSD controller. The theory is that the performance should be significantly improved over a traditional design, all without suffering from heat issues.

While we don't have confirmed pricing as I write this, we have been told that UK prices should be around £95 inc vat for the 128GB version and £185 inc vat for the 256GB version. They are therefore very expensive flash drives, so they will need to deliver plenty of performance to justify the cost.

‘It is simply the fastest USB drive we have produced'. say Corsair. So what kind of speeds can we expect according to Corsair?

Their literature states that the drives can deliver performance in excess of 430 MB/s when reading and over 350 MB/s when writing. One of the fastest flash drives we have tested to date is the Patriot SuperSonic Magnum – way back in February last year. This drive has been such a potent product that we have used in many of our motherboard and system reviews since – to test USB 3.0 performance.

Can the Corsair Flash Voyager GTX 128GB trounce the Patriot SuperSonic Magnum and claim the top performance slot?

Specifications:

  • Unformatted Capacity: 128GB / 256GB.
  • Max Sequential Read (ATTO): Up to 450MB/s.
  • Max Sequential Write (ATTO): Up to 360MB/s.
  • Max Sequential Read (CDM): Up to 430MB/s.
  • Max Sequential Write (CDM): Up to 190MB/s.
  • Interface Type: USB 3.0.
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MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro 15.6 inch Laptop Review https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/zardon/msi-gs60-2pe-ghost-pro-15-6-inch-laptop-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/zardon/msi-gs60-2pe-ghost-pro-15-6-inch-laptop-review/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2014 13:09:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=198862 Today we have a very special review for our readers, a look at the world's slimmest and lightest 15.6 inch Gaming Notebook. The MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro is currently available in 3 different flavours – one will ship with a 3K screen, another with Nvidia GTX860M discrete graphics. The model we are looking at …

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Today we have a very special review for our readers, a look at the world's slimmest and lightest 15.6 inch Gaming Notebook. The MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro is currently available in 3 different flavours – one will ship with a 3K screen, another with Nvidia GTX860M discrete graphics. The model we are looking at today however is the most interesting. It ships with a Core i7 4700HQ CPU, a powerful Nvidia GTX870M GPU, 256GB Solid State Storage in ‘Super Raid' and a more usable 1080p Anti-Glare eDP Wide View angle panel. MSI pack in 8GB of fast DDR3 memory and another 1TB of mechanical storage to sweeten the deal. At only £1,399 is this one of the most portable, but powerful gaming laptops money can buy?

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There is no doubt that the MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro is a beauty. MSI have placed a primary focus on ensuring the build quality is at the highest standards – after all they are targeting the discerning audience who have found the Razer Blade a tempting proposition. Today we put the MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro 15.6 inch Laptop through a series of paces to evaluate its worth as an all around super portable laptop.

This is the first gaming laptop to use Magnesium-Lithium Alloy (Mg-Li). Magnesium-Lithium alloy was first used by NASA on Saturn-V – known as the most powerful rocket that had ever flown successfully in 1960. Later, It was popular use on rockets, military and aircraft.

MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro:
Processor: Intel Core i7 4700HQ.
Panel: 15.6 FHD Anti Glare (1920×1080) eDP Wide View Angle.
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTX870M, 3GB GDDR5.
Wireless: KILLER LAN+ Intel 7260 Wilkins Peak 2 (2×2 802.11ac) + BT 4.0 M.2 type.
Memory: 8GB DDR3
Operating system: Windows 8.1 64 bit.
Storage: 256GB SSD (M2 SATA) and 1TB SATA 7,200 rpm.
Battery: 6 Cell
Warranty: 2 Years

Retail price: £1,399 inc vat.

KitGuru has recently invested in enhancing our photographic studio – the MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro is our first system review using the new equipment so we hope you will notice the improvement in the quality of the images in this article.

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Asus ROG Striker Platinum GTX760 SLi Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/asus-rog-striker-platinum-gtx760-sli-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/asus-rog-striker-platinum-gtx760-sli-review/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2014 09:09:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196271 Last week we reviewed two new cost effective Ultra HD 4K monitors from ASUS and AOC. No longer do you need to pay £2,000+ to land a 60hz 4K monitor for gaming –  these new models have hit retail for less than £600. Buying the monitor is only part of the cost however, because it …

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Last week we reviewed two new cost effective Ultra HD 4K monitors from ASUS and AOC. No longer do you need to pay £2,000+ to land a 60hz 4K monitor for gaming –  these new models have hit retail for less than £600. Buying the monitor is only part of the cost however, because it is likely a graphics card upgrade will be needed as well. Nvidia's GTX780Ti is ideal for gaming at 4K – however today we look at saving some money and running two of the new Asus ROG Striker Platinum GTX760 solutions in an SLi configuration.

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The Asus ROG Striker Platinum GTX760 is a new solution featuring 4GB of memory, 1GB more than the flagship GTX780Ti. It features Direct CU II cooling, Cooltech fans, a DIGI+ voltage regulator module and Super Alloy power components.

Specifications:

  • Core Clock: 1085MHz (GK104)
  • Core Boost Clock: 1150MHz
  • Memory: 4096MB GDDR5
  • Memory Clock: 6008MHz (Effective)
  • Memory Interface: 256-Bit
  • Processing Cores: 1152
  • Bus Type: PCI-Express GEN 3.0 (Backwards compatible)
  • Display Connectors: 2x Dual-Link DVI-I, 1x HDMI 1.4a & 1x Displayport
  • SLI Ready (Upto 3-Way SLI Supported)
  • HDCP Capable
  • DirectX 11 Support
  • OpenGL 4.0 Support
  • PhysX Enabled
  • CUDA Enabled
  • 3D Vision Enabled
  • NVIDIA Surround Enabled
  • Warranty: 3 Years
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iRocks M05 Spirit Cocoon Mouse Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/mouse/jon-martindale/irocks-m05-spirit-cocoon-gaming-mouse/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/mouse/jon-martindale/irocks-m05-spirit-cocoon-gaming-mouse/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2014 11:00:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=192581 There are a lot of household names in the PC peripheral industry, especially when it comes to gaming. However, like the games themselves, there are brands that are more dominant in certain parts of the world – it is often only after much time and growth that they start showing up outside their home town. That's the …

The post iRocks M05 Spirit Cocoon Mouse Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
There are a lot of household names in the PC peripheral industry, especially when it comes to gaming. However, like the games themselves, there are brands that are more dominant in certain parts of the world – it is often only after much time and growth that they start showing up outside their home town. That's the case with i-Rocks, one of the most popular gaming peripheral brands in the Far East who are just starting to make their presence known in Western markets.

Make no mistake, you are going to be seeing a lot of i-Rocks products appear over the next few years, so to get you in on the ground floor and give you a taste of what the company offers we have the i-Rocks Spirit Cocoon mouse to test today.

irocks

Specifications

  • Interface: USB
  • Adjustable Sensitivity: 450 / 900 / 1800 / 3500 dpi
  • Adjustable Polling Rate: 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000 Hz
  • 3D backlight: Multiple colours, ON/OFF and Lock Switch
  • Power Consumption: Max 100 mA (without backlight) / Max 150 mA (with backlight)
  • Dimension: 103 x 60 x 39 mm
  • Cable Length: 180 cm
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Asus PB287Q 4K UHD 28 inch Monitor review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/zardon/asus-pb287q-4k-uhd-28-inch-monitor-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/zardon/asus-pb287q-4k-uhd-28-inch-monitor-review/#comments Wed, 28 May 2014 10:09:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=195285 KitGuru was one of the first websites to regularly start using an Ultra HD 4K monitor in graphics card reviews, mid 2013. We adopted the wallet sapping Asus PQ321QE and have been mighty impressed with the gorgeous IGZO display. PQ321QE prices have dropped from £3,000 to £2,400 recently, but the price is still prohibitive for …

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KitGuru was one of the first websites to regularly start using an Ultra HD 4K monitor in graphics card reviews, mid 2013. We adopted the wallet sapping Asus PQ321QE and have been mighty impressed with the gorgeous IGZO display. PQ321QE prices have dropped from £3,000 to £2,400 recently, but the price is still prohibitive for a massive audience. Enter the new Asus PB287Q model offering 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1ms response time, on board speakers, and a 60hz refresh. At £599.99 inc vat, is this the new Ultra HD 4K screen that should make your final shortlist?

As graphics cards become more powerful the move to higher resolutions makes sense – after all, there is no point selecting the highest image quality settings at 1080p while pushing 200 frames per second. It is true that to get smooth frame rates in many games at 3,840 x 2,160 you will need at least a GTX780/Ti or R9 290/x graphics card. We are pretty confident that within 2 years time, even a mid range gaming card will be able to handle Ultra HD 4K gaming with ease.

The Asus PQ321QE is one of the finest monitors I have used, and at £2,400 it really should be. Colour reproduction is impeccable, viewing angles are wide and panel linearity is first rate. The £599 Asus PB287Q is obviously not designed to tackle the same demanding audience – aimed more at the general user, or gamer who wants to improve the visual quality of his or her experience.
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The Asus PB287Q runs natively at 3,840×2,160 resolution and has a 157 pixels per inch display. It is capable of displaying 1.07 billion colours in 10 bit – to help improve the colour gradations. It is rated at a 1ms (GTG) response time. It supports DisplayPort 1.2 to offer refresh rates at up to 60hz and has two HDMI ports, one of which supports MHL.

Asus PB287Q overview:
Panel Size: Wide Screen 28″(71.12cm) 16:9
True Resolution : 3840×2160 at 60Hz (DisplayPort) ,3840×2160 at 30Hz (HDMI)
Pixel Pitch : 0.16mm
Brightness(Max) : 300 cd/m2
ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio (ASCR) : 100000000:1
Viewing Angle (CR≧10) : 170°(H)/160°(V)
Response Time : 1ms (Gray to Gray)
Display Colors : 1073.7M (10bit)
LCD ZBD Warranty : Yes

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Synology DS414j Review https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/nas/leo-waldock/synology-ds414j-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/nas/leo-waldock/synology-ds414j-review/#comments Mon, 12 May 2014 07:47:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=192348 Synology describes its new DS414j as the successor to the DS413. It’s a 4-bay NAS device, aimed at home users and SOHO environments requiring up to 20TB of storage, and they put the emphasis on the ‘retro looking black chassis, dual core CPU … and USB 3.0 which combine to make it ‘the fastest and …

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Synology describes its new DS414j as the successor to the DS413. It’s a 4-bay NAS device, aimed at home users and SOHO environments requiring up to 20TB of storage, and they put the emphasis on the ‘retro looking black chassis, dual core CPU … and USB 3.0 which combine to make it ‘the fastest and most powerful J series NAS from Synology to date.'

It seems more logical to me to compare the DS414j with the DS414 as they are both current models. The DS414 is the more expensive model that is aimed at the Home to Business Workgroup market while the DS414j lops off the best part of £100 and is intended for Home to Small Office users.
Synology DS414j

The specifications of the two NAS look very similar – click here. It isn't especially obvious at first glance how one model sells for £349 while the other is much cheaper at £258. I say ‘much cheaper' however £258 is still fairly expensive for a four bay NAS that is supplied without storage.

By the time you have loaded the Synology with high capacity hard drives you would be up to the £800 mark.

Highlighted features

  • Number of drive bays Four
  • Claimed Max Read speed 112.3MBps
  • Claimed Max Write speed 80.4MBps
  • External ports One USB 3.0, one USB 2.0
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Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/gigabyte-z97x-ud5h-bk-black-edition-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/gigabyte-z97x-ud5h-bk-black-edition-motherboard-review/#comments Sun, 11 May 2014 07:01:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=190417 Intel's Z97 chipset has arrived, bringing with it a handful of new features, including native support for PCIe-based storage. Motherboard manufacturers have been busy working on their boards based on the 9-series chipset. As of May 11th, the LGA 1150 socket motherboards with Z97 and H97 chipsets are available to purchase. We analyse Gigabyte's upper-mid range Z97X-UD5H-BK Black …

The post Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition Motherboard Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Intel's Z97 chipset has arrived, bringing with it a handful of new features, including native support for PCIe-based storage. Motherboard manufacturers have been busy working on their boards based on the 9-series chipset. As of May 11th, the LGA 1150 socket motherboards with Z97 and H97 chipsets are available to purchase.

We analyse Gigabyte's upper-mid range Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard to see what features it and the Z97 chipset bring to the table.

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With its Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard, Gigabyte is aiming to provide the upper-mid range market with features that will satisfy gamers and conventional users alike. Hitting an important target zone that Asus exploited with its TUF series motherboards, Gigabyte is building the Black Edition version of its UD5H board around durability and reliability.

The value associated with certified reliability is something that I can understand. Many users are happy to pay-up for the additional peace of mind that their component has already survived high-stress loading, effectively accelerating its electronic components further away from their infancy region in the bathtub curve.

Many people may suggest that such reliability dictates the requirement for workstation-level hardware, although that's not always feasible. For example, I use my personal system on a daily basis for a variety of tasks, from gaming and general web-browsing, to CAD, computational simulation, and programming.

Workstation-level hardware may only suffice for the engineering-tasks that make up less than 50% of my usage. Not necessarily to me personally, but gaming hardware may not appeal to users with a similarly varied workload. This is where Gigabyte's ‘hybrid' Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard has an opportunity to prove its worth.

install_650

Key features for the Z97X-UD5H-BK include SATA Express and M.2 connections, support for multi-VGA configurations, a Killer E2200 series NIC partnered with Intel's I217-V, and a Realtek ALC1150-based audio system. Reliability aspects include 10K black capacitors, International Rectifiers power controllers, a 2 Oz copper PCB, onboard voltage reading points, and Gigabyte's patented Dual BIOS.

Certified for reliability by undergoing a 168-hour stress test and backed up by a 5-year warranty, can Gigabyte's £174.95 Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard prove its worth through our critical analysis?

The Z97 Chipset

To consumer audiences, the most important new feature that Z97 brings with it is native support for PCIe 2.0 x2 M.2 storage devices with speeds of up to 1GBps. Other features include enhanced security and updated storage support (based around PCIe SSDs).

Motherboard Features:

  • Durable components.
  • Safe design.
  • 10Gbps M.2 connector.
  • 10Gbps SATA Express connector.
  • Killer E2200 series NIC.
  • Intel LAN.
  • Realtek ALC1150.
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Asus Essence STX II 7.1 Sound Card / Headphone Amplifier Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/soundcard/zardon/asus-essence-stx-ii-7-1-sound-card-headphone-amplifier-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/soundcard/zardon/asus-essence-stx-ii-7-1-sound-card-headphone-amplifier-review/#comments Tue, 06 May 2014 17:39:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=191372 If you use your rig to listen to music then there is a good chance you won't be happy with the onboard sound from the motherboard. ASUS have released the STX II and STX II 7.1 to build on the huge success they experienced from the earlier Essence STX solution. Today we review their follow …

The post Asus Essence STX II 7.1 Sound Card / Headphone Amplifier Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
If you use your rig to listen to music then there is a good chance you won't be happy with the onboard sound from the motherboard. ASUS have released the STX II and STX II 7.1 to build on the huge success they experienced from the earlier Essence STX solution. Today we review their follow up sound card and headphone amplifier – the Essence STX II 7.1.
ASUS_EssenceSTXII71
The Essence STX II 7.1 Sound Card is capable of a 124db signal to noise ratio with support for headphones up to 600 ohm impedance. The new product also includes an exclusive OP AMP swap kit to let the end user tweak the sound characteristics. The Essence STX II 7.1 also ships with a daughtercard which offers Ultra Fidelity 7.1 channel audio.

You can see the full list of specifications on this page.

Features:

  • Industry-leading 124dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) audio quality inherited from the revolutionary and widely-acclaimed Xonar Essence ST/STX
  • Ultra-low jitter with premium TCXO clock source
  • Clean and consistent power supply thanks to high-fidelity low-dropout (LDO) regulators and WIMA® capacitors for uncompromising sound
  • Top-notch headphone amplifier supports up to 600ohm-headphone impedance with additional gain for in-ear monitors (IEMs)
  • Exclusive op-amp swap kit includes three op-amps and tool for easy tone tuning
  • Celebrated MUSES op-amps deliver true-to-life musicality
  • Ultra-fidelity (120dB SNR) 7.1-channel output via the exclusive daughterboard
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Antec High Current Pro Platinum 850W PSU Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/antec-high-current-pro-platinum-850w-psu-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/antec-high-current-pro-platinum-850w-psu-review/#respond Fri, 02 May 2014 07:55:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=189620 At the beginning of April we reviewed the incredible Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1300 W. This power supply ranked as one of the best we had ever reviewed, and today we look at the more cost effective 850W model. Can the HCP 850W power supply cement Antec's standing in the high end power supply …

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At the beginning of April we reviewed the incredible Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1300 W. This power supply ranked as one of the best we had ever reviewed, and today we look at the more cost effective 850W model. Can the HCP 850W power supply cement Antec's standing in the high end power supply sector?

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Like its bigger brother, the 850W model is fully modular, has 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, incorporates only high grade Japanese components inside and uses a large 135mm fan for cooling.

Antec High Current Pro Platinum 850W PSU Overview:

  • Platinum Efficiency – up to 94% efficient for reduced energy bills
  • AQ7 – Full seven year warranty for peace of mind
  • Components – All Japanese heavy duty components
  • Cool and Quiet – A 135mm fan with voltage control for quiet and cool computing
  • Stealth Wires – All cables are darkened for the ultimate in design aesthetics
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Corsair Graphite 730T Chassis Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/corsair-graphite-730t-chassis-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/corsair-graphite-730t-chassis-review/#respond Wed, 30 Apr 2014 07:40:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=189405 The Corsair Graphite 730T is a budget version of the 760T which means you miss out on the polycarbonate side panel and don't get any fan controllers. Also, like a Model T Ford, the 730T only comes in black, whereas the 760T is available in black or white. On the plus side the 730T costs …

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The Corsair Graphite 730T is a budget version of the 760T which means you miss out on the polycarbonate side panel and don't get any fan controllers. Also, like a Model T Ford, the 730T only comes in black, whereas the 760T is available in black or white. On the plus side the 730T costs a reasonable £110, which is a good bit cheaper than the £147 you pay for the 760T.
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Specifications:

  • Motherboard support: XL-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.
  • Expansion slots: 9
  • Included fans: 2x 140mm front intake, 1x 120mm rear exhaust.
  • Fan mounts: Alternatively 2x 120mm front, 3x 120 or 2x 140mm roof, 2x 120mm bottom with drive tower removed.
  • Radiator mounts: 240mm/280mm front, 280mm/360mm roof, 120mm/140mm rear, 120mm bottom.
  • 5.25″ drive bays: 3.
  • Internal drive bays: 6x 3.5/2.5″, 2x 2.5″, 4x 2.5”
  • Dimensions: 568mm high x 564mm deep x 246mm wide
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Asus Z97-A Motherboard Preview https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asus-z97-a-motherboard-preview/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asus-z97-a-motherboard-preview/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2014 06:54:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=189491 Tending to the needs of budget users wanting Intel's mainstream chipset, the Asus Z97-A motherboard aims to offer a low-cost route onto the LGA1150-based platform. Still managing to offer support for SATA-Express and M.2 storage interfaces, let's take a look at the other features that make Asus' Z97-A an interesting low-cost proposition.  Asus is aiming to prove …

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Tending to the needs of budget users wanting Intel's mainstream chipset, the Asus Z97-A motherboard aims to offer a low-cost route onto the LGA1150-based platform. Still managing to offer support for SATA-Express and M.2 storage interfaces, let's take a look at the other features that make Asus' Z97-A an interesting low-cost proposition. 

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Asus is aiming to prove that users do not have to sacrifice critical features in order to get a low-cost motherboard based on the ‘future Intel chipset'. 

board-1 board-2

The Asus Z97-A uses a light gold and black colour scheme which, in comparison to the Z87 series motherboards' bright gold and black appearance, uses a far more toned-down selection of shades. All of Asus' ‘Z97' series motherboards will utilise the light gold and black colour scheme.

Asus also changes its heatsink design, opting for an orb-shaped cooler with its upcoming motherboards.

There's no denying that the Asus Z97-A is not the most attractive motherboard that will come to market, but it does offer budget mainstream users a decent level of aesthetic pleasantness.

RAM,-USB-3,-24-pin CPU-area

Four DIMM slots give the Z97-A the capacity to hold 32GB of DDR3 memory. Each of the slots uses Asus' convenient single-latch mechanism. The ever-handy MemOK button gives users a quick way of booting their system with troublesome memory sticks.

Looking at the CPU power delivery section, it is easy to see where Asus issues a drive to cut costs. An eight phase power delivery system is used on the Z97-A, though we don't see the 10K solid black caps or BlackWing chokes that may be found on higher-priced boards in the series.

For the overclocking requirements of this board's target audience, the simplistic eight phase power delivery system should help to deliver sufficient frequencies.

SATA rear-IO

Storage connectivity comes in the form of six SATA 6Gbps ports set in a right-angled orientation. As has been seen across many of the previewed ‘future Intel chipset' motherboards, two SATA 6Gbps lanes and an extra data-carrying port are used to form the 10Gbps SATA-Express connection.

The rear IO consists of an array of ports typical for a low-cost motherboard using a mainstream chipset. Asus provides users with four different forms of display connectivity, allowing them to make full use of an LGA 1150 processor's onboard graphics. Ethernet is provided by Intel's I218V chipset.

expansion-slots sound-system

Despite its price tag, the Asus Z97-A still manages to present support for Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFire. The upper two PCIe x16-length slots operate at x8/x8 bandwidth in dual-card mode. The lower full-length PCIe slot operates at PCIe 2.0 x2 bandwidth, making it insufficient for handling a graphics card. It is, however, capable of feeding add-on PCIe devices.

Two PCI slots provide legacy support, while a pair of PCIe x1 connectors supplies further expansion prospects. Sat above the primary PCIe x16 slot, in the position where we'd find a northbridge chip in generations gone by, Asus mounts its 10Gbps M.2 connector. Drives using the 2260 (60mm-long) and 2280 (80mm-long) form factors can be secured into the connection.

Another noteworthy feature for a low-cost ‘future Intel chipset' motherboard is the enhanced Crystal Sound 2 audio system. Asus uses a discrete PCB pathway, Nichicon capacitors, and (presumably) a Realtek codec to provide users with a high-quality audio solution. It's a derivative that isn't as beefed-up as the Crystal Sound 2 system used on Asus' higher-priced motherboards, but it is an appealing feature for a low-cost motherboard.

board-installed-1 board-installed-2

With a CPU cooler mounted to the board and memory installed, Asus' Z97-A provides an appearance that is far better than many budget motherboards of the past. Noctua's beefy NH-D15 fits on the Z97-A without issues, just in case anybody is thinking of saving money on a motherboard to go all-out on cooling.

We look forward to testing whether Asus' budget Z97-A motherboard can compete with the higher-priced options. Check back in a few weeks to read our full, in-depth review. If you're interested in the other motherboards that Asus will be bringing to market, check out our line-up article, over HERE.

In the mean time, we invite you share your thoughts on Asus' Z97-A motherboard and tell us what you'd like to see tested.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

KitGuru Says: Could Asus' budget Z97-A motherboard present a low-cost route onto the LGA1150-based platform? Keep an eye out for our upcoming review to find out.

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Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition Motherboard Preview https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/gigabyte-z97x-ud5h-bk-black-edition-motherboard-preview/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/gigabyte-z97x-ud5h-bk-black-edition-motherboard-preview/#respond Sun, 27 Apr 2014 23:00:55 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=189325 It's approaching that time of the year; the launch of Intel's ‘future chipset' is just around the corner and board partners are busy preparing their products for the retail channels. Full reviews of motherboards based on the ‘future Intel chipset' still cannot be published for another few weeks (as we always adhere to Intel's NDA), …

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It's approaching that time of the year; the launch of Intel's ‘future chipset' is just around the corner and board partners are busy preparing their products for the retail channels. Full reviews of motherboards based on the ‘future Intel chipset' still cannot be published for another few weeks (as we always adhere to Intel's NDA), but in the mean time let's look at some highlights of the upcoming products.
board-install-2-650px

Without further ado, let's delve into a preview of Gigabyte's upcoming Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard. 

board-1 board-2
As the name would suggest, Gigabyte's Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard uses a dark colour scheme with gold and grey hints offering small variances from the all-black appearance.

It is clear that Gigabyte's upper-mid range motherboard is accompanied by a host of user-orientated features, but two further foundations for the Black Edition part are: stability and reliability. Gigabyte outlines the motherboard's durability by operating a continuous, week-long, server-level stress test which includes Litecoin mining as a task.

memory,-usb,-24-pin CPU-area
Up to 32GB of DDR3 memory can be installed in the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK motherboard. In the vicinity of the DIMM slots are onboard buttons and voltage checkpoints to assist with users' overclocking efforts.

Durability is another key philosophy to the twelve phase power delivery system and electrical arrangement; Gigabyte's Z97X-UD5H-BK utilises a 2 oz copper PCB design, 10K black solid capacitors rated for 10,000 operating hours at 105°C, and a 15-micron gold-plated CPU socket.

A pair of eye-catching heatsinks, sporting gold-coloured Gigabyte branding, are connected via a heatpipe and tasked with cooling the motherboard's MOSFETs. The heatsinks are sufficiently low-profile to make interference with large CPU coolers an unlikely issue.

SATA rear-IO

Six chipset-fed SATA 6Gbps connectors are used on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK motherboard, with a further two ports being provided by an add-on Marvell controller. SATA-Express support is present; two of the chipset-fed SATA 6Gbps connectors can be used alongside the additional bandwidth-provided port to produce a 10Gbps SATA-Express connection. Gigabyte includes an auxiliary SATA power connector to provide extra juice to multi-VGA configurations.

The highlight of the rear IO is the pair of LAN ports. Aiming to cater for all consumer-level audiences, Gigabyte uses a Killer E2200 series NIC to provide gamers with smooth online performance, while Intel's tried-and-tested I217V chipset provides accompaniment and potential low CPU overhead benefits.

expansion-slots audio-configuration

Support for 3-way CrossFire and 2-way SLI is present on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK. All PCIe x16-length slots are fed by the CPU's sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes. 3-way CrossFire is supported in an x8/x4/x4 manner, while SLI is limited to a 2-way setup due to the technology's insistence on PCIe x8 connections.

Gigabyte offers support for legacy devices by outfitting the Z97X-UD5H-BK with a pair of PCI slots. Layout of the expansion area is very good; triple-slot graphics cards can be used in a multi-GPU configuration at x8/x8 bandwidth, or a dual two-slot card setup can be given a breathing gap between the partnering boards.

Positioned between the CPU socket and upper PCIe expansion slot is the motherboard's M.2 connector. Based on previous news articles and leaked information, the M.2 connection seems to derive from the ‘future Intel chipset', although we are not allowed to validate this suggestion. However, we can say that no add-on controllers are present in the vicinity of the M.2 slot. Gigabyte's M.2 implementation provides support for 42, 60, and 80mm drives.

Based around the Realtek ALC1150 codec, Gigabyte uses an additional amplifier for rear audio purposes and filters signals through a series of capacitors and a discrete PCB layer.

board-install-1_ board-install-2

Teaming Gigabyte's smart-looking Z97X-UD5H-BK motherboard with black-coloured hardware can result in an attractive system foundation. A black CPU cooler, such as the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3, can blend in with the Black Edition board's dark colour scheme.

Despite being limited by the information that we are allowed to disclose, while sticking to Intel's NDA, we hope that our preview of Gigabyte's Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard has helped get you fired up for the board's impending launch.

In the mean time, we would like to invite your early views on the motherboard and suggestions for the features to test in our full, in-depth review.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

KitGuru Says: Check back in a few weeks to read our full, in-depth review of the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK Black Edition motherboard.

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FiercePC Hazer Mini Gaming PC Review https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/zardon/fiercepc-hazer-mini-gaming-pc-review-2/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/zardon/fiercepc-hazer-mini-gaming-pc-review-2/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:18:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188007 While overclocked Core i7 systems with dual GTX Titan Black graphics cards are the wet dream of any enthusiast user, most of us have to make do with a more modest configuration. If you are working with a limited budget of £500 then today's review system will certainly be interesting. The FiercePC Hazer Mini Gaming …

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While overclocked Core i7 systems with dual GTX Titan Black graphics cards are the wet dream of any enthusiast user, most of us have to make do with a more modest configuration. If you are working with a limited budget of £500 then today's review system will certainly be interesting. The FiercePC Hazer Mini Gaming PC is no slouch because it features the Kitguru award winning Nvidia GTX 750 Ti graphics card. DX11 1080p gaming at high image quality settings is a distinct possibility.

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Hazer Mini Gaming PC – page listing here.

Standard Configuration:

  • Bitfenix Colossus M Micro ATX Case – Black
  • Corsair VS450 450W Power Supply
  • Gigabyte GA-H81M-S2PV Motherboard
  • Intel Core i3 4130 3.4GHz Dual Core Processor
  • Nvidia GTX 750 Ti 2GB Graphics Card
  • Onboard 7.1 Surround Sound Audio
  • 24x DVD Re-Writer
  • Kingston SSDNow V300 60GB SATA3 6Gbs Solid State Drive
  • 1TB SATA3 6Gbs Hard Drive
  • Kingston HyperX 8GB 1600MHz Memory
  • Standard 2 Year Warranty

RRP: £629.95 – £509.95.

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AMD Athlon 5350 (Kabini AM1 Platform) FS1b APU Review (w/ Sapphire R7 240 Low Profile) https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/amd-athlon-5350-kabini-am1-platform-fs1b-apu-review-w-sapphire-r7-240-low-profile/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/amd-athlon-5350-kabini-am1-platform-fs1b-apu-review-w-sapphire-r7-240-low-profile/#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2014 06:37:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=186989 The gaming and enthusiast audiences love their big, quick, expensive powerhouse machines – there's no denying that. But the reality is that many users – about 38% of the market, in fact – in a wide span of geographical regions simply cannot afford or justify the latest-and-greatest in both CPU and GPU hardware. That's where …

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The gaming and enthusiast audiences love their big, quick, expensive powerhouse machines – there's no denying that. But the reality is that many users – about 38% of the market, in fact – in a wide span of geographical regions simply cannot afford or justify the latest-and-greatest in both CPU and GPU hardware. That's where AMD's Kabini APUs come into the picture. Shipping in up to 2.05GHz quad-core flavours and leveraging the GPU power of AMD's Radeon R3 graphics, can the Athlon and Sempron – Kabini – APUs prove that respectable performance is available for a sub-£40 fee?

Kabini has seen action in the mobile scene for a good deal of time, but AMD realised the requirement for the APUs to make an appearance on the desktop side of the divide. Entry-level chips in the desktop arena are not difficult to come by; Intel has its Bay Trail CPUs. But many of the current low-cost options share a common shortfall – the inability to be upgraded.

It's socketed 28nm Kabini where AMD aims to hit hard. Forming the AM1 platform, backed by socket FS1b motherboards, Kabini APUs give users in the entry-level scene an opportunity to buy cheap and upgrade later. And when we say ‘cheap', we mean sub-£25 cheap.

Hitting retail at less than £40, and with motherboards available for under £25, does AMD have a gem in the value department with its Kabini APUs and AM1 platform?

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AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/amd-radeon-r9-295x2-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/amd-radeon-r9-295x2-review/#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2014 12:00:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=185164 Nvidia, ATI. Nvidia, AMD. The battle for top graphics card billing seems to have been around since time immemorial. We announce a new performance king, then another card is released and the position switches. While it may sound purely diplomatic, we genuinely feel that the last year has been very strong for both Nvidia and …

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Nvidia, ATI. Nvidia, AMD. The battle for top graphics card billing seems to have been around since time immemorial. We announce a new performance king, then another card is released and the position switches. While it may sound purely diplomatic, we genuinely feel that the last year has been very strong for both Nvidia and AMD.

Nvidia currently have the GTX780 Ti and Titan Black – two very expensive, killer boards which have appealed to the ultra high end audience. AMD have their premium R9 290 and R9 290X targeted at more aggressive price points – opening up the potential for Ultra HD 4K gaming to a wider audience.

With the recent Nvidia announce of the $3,000 Titan Z, AMD have taken the battle into the ‘dual GPU arena' by releasing their R9 295 X2 solution, comprising a mind blowing 12.4 billion transistors.

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AMD have worked behind the scenes with Asetek in the development and creation of the proprietary liquid cooling system for the R9 295 X2. We will look at this in more detail on the next page of this review, however you can see from the picture above that it is based around a 120mm radiator – similar to a Corsair Hydro H60 V2, for instance.

Regular KitGuru readers will remember my appraisal of the reference AMD R9 290/X cooler. I can condense it down into a single word: atrocious. The move by AMD to watercooling is not only welcomed, but without question – unavoidable. We already know just how hot a R9 290 core gets under load – with two R290 cores on a single PCB the toasting of marshmallows is likely possible.

We have never received a graphics card with a power supply in the box. AMD are not taking any chances and include a BeQuiet! 1000W Power Zone to ensure review publications didn't decide to use a underspecified, unbranded Chinese power supply. We put our Fung Yung Wung 350W supply back in the cupboard.

Without delving into power demands right at the start of a review — in a nutshell AMD state that the power supply must have two 8 Pin PCIe power connectors that can each supply 28A of dedicated current. Combined power must be 50A or greater over the two 8 Pin power connectors. Realistically if you want to power one of these cards properly then a high grade 850W+ Gold or Platinum rated power supply should be in the system.

AMD Radeon R9 295 X2 AMD Radeon R9 290X AMD Radeon R9 290
Process 28nm 28nm 28nm
Transistors 12.4 Billion 6.2 Billion 6.2 Billion
Engine Clock Up to 1.02 GHZ Up to 1GHZ Up to 947 mhz
Primitive Rate 8 prim / clk 4 prim / clk 4 prim / clk
Stream Processors 5,632 2,816 2,560
Compute Performance Up to 11.5 TFLOPS 5.6 TFLOPS 4.9 TFLOPS
Texture Units 352 176 160
Texture Filrate Up to 358.3 GT/s Up to 176.00 GT/s 152.00 GT/s
ROPs 128 64 64
Pixel Filrate Up to 130.3 GP/s Up to 64.0 GP/s Up to 64.0 GP/s
Z/Stencil 512 256 256
Memory Bit-Interface 2x 512 Bit 512 Bit 512 Bit
Memory Type 8GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5
Data Rate Up to 5.0Gbps Up to 5.0Gbps Up to 5.0 Gbps
Memory Bandwidth Up to 640.0 GB/s Up to 320.0 GB/s Up to 320.0 GB/s

The chart above highlights that the R9 295 X2 is basically a single PCB comprising two R9 290X cores, with a combined 8GB of GDDR5 memory. It has a combined count of 5,632 stream processors, 352 texture units and 128 ROP's.

‘Underpowered' isn't a word we would associate with the R9 295 X2.
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We have already mentioned the Nvidia GTX Titan Z graphics card. This $3,000 monster is powered by two Nvidia GK110 graphics processors in their maximum configuration with 2880 stream processors – giving the solution 5760 compute units in total to offer whopping 8TFLOPS of single-precision compute performance. The board is equipped with 12GB of GDDR5 memory (6GB per GPU).

We don't have an Nvidia Titan Z yet but we wanted to replicate the solution as best as possible. Today therefore are using two Nvidia GTX Titan Black cards, and will be comparing them to the R9 295 X2 in an SLi configuration.
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KitGuru was one of the first technology publications to start featuring an Ultra HD 4K screen in high end video card tests last year. We have been using the wallet busting Asus PQ321QE. As the price of other 4K monitors are now finally dropping to around £700, Ultra HD 4K is going to be the future of enthusiast gaming.

We also supplement our review today with 1080p and 1600p results, because every time we omit these we end up with hundreds of complaints in our inbox. It is worth pointing out that at 1080p there is likely to be some CPU limiting today, but we try and maximise the image quality settings as much as they will allow us.

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Gamdias Hephaestus Headset Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/headphones/bill-smyth/gamdias-hephaestus-headset-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/headphones/bill-smyth/gamdias-hephaestus-headset-review/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2014 07:40:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=185007 One of the toughest markets to compete in these days is gaming accessories. Where once upon a time Razer stood alone, now there are dozens of companies vying to be the gamer's number one choice when they go into battle. KitGuru has just taken delivery of a gaming headset from a new brand called Gamdias. …

The post Gamdias Hephaestus Headset Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
One of the toughest markets to compete in these days is gaming accessories. Where once upon a time Razer stood alone, now there are dozens of companies vying to be the gamer's number one choice when they go into battle. KitGuru has just taken delivery of a gaming headset from a new brand called Gamdias. Is it a sound investment?

While we're always happy to see new brands, the market is congested, so the first thing to consider is where has this headset been positioned?

The yardstick for positioning is a combination of featureset and price. In a nutshell, the Gamdias Hephaestus is retailing around the £70 mark and they have surround sound and some intelligent rumbling technology.

That puts it between the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Gaming Headset at £58 and the Asus Vulcan Pro at £89  – both of which feature high quality construction and surround sound audio. More importantly, the Speedlink Medusa NX is only £50 with a similar featureset.

Gamdias-Hephaestus-Headset-Review-KitGuru-650

  • Cable Length: 2.5m
  • Dimension(LxWxH): 232 x 100 x 216 mm
  • Frequency range: 20 ~ 20KHz
  • Plug type: Gold-plated USB plug
  • Sensitivity: 117dB + / – 4 dB at 1 kHz
  • Impedance: 32 Ohms
  • Driver diameter: 40mm
  • Driver magnets: NdFeB
  • Driver membrane: N/A
  • Microphone size: 6.0 * 5.0mm
  • Microphone Sensitivity: -46dB + / – 3 dB
  • Maximum input power: 100 mW
  • Microphone frequency range: 100 ~ 10KHz
  • Microphone impedance: 2.2 K Ohms
  • Vibration unit frequency range: 20 ~ 200Hz
  • Vibration unit sensitivity: 82dB + / – 4 dB
  • Vibration unit impedance: 8 Ohms
  • Vibration unit maximum input power: 1 W
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PC Specialist Infinity 7850K System (£499.00) https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/zardon/pc-specialist-infinity-7850k-system-499-00/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/zardon/pc-specialist-infinity-7850k-system-499-00/#respond Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:41:17 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=176829 We review many high end gaming systems on KitGuru but what if you only have a budget of £500 and need an ‘all round workhorse' capable of dealing with office duties and casual gaming at 720p? AMD's Kaveri is the sensible choice when budget is a primary concern, so today we look at PCSPECIALIST's £500 …

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We review many high end gaming systems on KitGuru but what if you only have a budget of £500 and need an ‘all round workhorse' capable of dealing with office duties and casual gaming at 720p? AMD's Kaveri is the sensible choice when budget is a primary concern, so today we look at PCSPECIALIST's £500 Infinity 7850K System.

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At the heart of the system is the AMD A10-7850K APU, designed to deliver modest gaming capabilities without a need for an expensive discrete graphics card. The A10 7850K is currently priced around the £130 inc vat mark in the UK today.

If you need more graphics power, then the PCS Infinity is fully expandable … meaning you could add a discrete graphics card at a later date – when funds permit.

PCSpecialist have consistently scored well in our lab reviews in the last year, thanks to a combination of clever hardware component selection, excellent build quality and competitive pricing.

PC Specialist Infinity 7850K
Case PCS ALPHA TRION 7622B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU) AMD A10-7850K Quad Core APU (4.0GHz) & Radeon™ R7 Series Graphics
Motherboard Gigabyte F2A88XM-D3H FM2+ (M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card Integrated AMD Radeon HD 8000 Series Graphics
Memory – 1st Hard Disk 2TB 3.5″ SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe AMD CPU Cooler
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT – AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Power Cable 1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit – inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY – FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build – Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price £499.00

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Intel 730 Jackson Ridge 240GB SSD RAID 0 Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/zardon/intel-730-jackson-ridge-240gb-ssd-raid-0-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/zardon/intel-730-jackson-ridge-240gb-ssd-raid-0-review/#comments Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:26:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=184395 KitGuru reviewed the Intel 730 Jackson Ridge Solid State Drive back on March 6th, and there was a lot of interest in the review. Since then Intel sent us over two more 730 drives and today we supplement our original findings by adding some RAID 0 results. As we covered in the earlier review the …

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KitGuru reviewed the Intel 730 Jackson Ridge Solid State Drive back on March 6th, and there was a lot of interest in the review. Since then Intel sent us over two more 730 drives and today we supplement our original findings by adding some RAID 0 results.

730-Series-Angle
As we covered in the earlier review the new 2.5 inch Solid State Drives use a specially qualified 3rd generation Intel controller, the same 20nm NAND flash memory that was used in the S3500, alongside an optimised firmware. Intel have overclocked the controller by 50% and the NAND bus has been tweaked by 20%.

Intel have released the 730 in 240GB and 480GB capacities and there is quite a difference in rated write performance between the two units.

Sustained Sequential Reads / Writes
240GB: up to 550 / 270 MB/s
480GB: up to 550 / 470 MB/s

Today we put two of the 240GB drives into a RAID 0 configuration and see how the performance scales. The 240GB is significantly slower than the 480GB version when looking at sequential write performance – down from 470 MB/s to 270 MB/s. Read speed is the same, rated at 550 MB/s.

730 SSD 4K IOPS performance is rated at 86,000 read and 56,000 write for the 240GB model and 89,000 read and 74,000 write for the 480GB model. Again the 240GB unit suffers a noticeable performance penalty.

The new 730 Solid State Drive is based on the Intel PC29AS21CA0 controller which is found inside the Intel DC S3500 and S3700 products. Both of these drives are designed with the server market in mind, delivering consistent write performance. The higher cost S3700 has been designed specifically to deal with extremely taxing write based workloads. It is able to deliver 10 full drive writes every day, for five years.

The 730 is based on these drives, but as a consumer model it is using 20nm ONFI flash memory. The controller has been overclocked from the 400mhz speeds in the server models, to a final clock speed of 600mhz. NAND bus speeds have also been increased from 83mhz to 100mhz.

The 730 is also protected with an impressive five year warranty – covering 70GB of data transfer each day across the time frame. If you are moving a lot of data around every day and demand the highest levels of reliability, then this is a very strong selling point.

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The Facebook, Oculus deal makes sense for everyone https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/the-facebook-oculus-deal-makes-sense-for-everyone/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/the-facebook-oculus-deal-makes-sense-for-everyone/#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:33:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=184369 I know guys. I know. I'm mad too. I'm sad, disappointed, even betrayed, but these are all things I'm feeling and I bet you are too. We're having an emotional reaction to two companies worth multiple billions of dollars doing a business deal and though I can't help but wish it hadn't happened, I know …

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I know guys. I know. I'm mad too. I'm sad, disappointed, even betrayed, but these are all things I'm feeling and I bet you are too. We're having an emotional reaction to two companies worth multiple billions of dollars doing a business deal and though I can't help but wish it hadn't happened, I know that if I look at it logically, it makes sense for everyone.

Firstly let's look at Facebook itself. While still dominating the social networking scene Facebook has peaked and is slowly on the decline. It may be still seeing increased user numbers around the world as it enters new territories, but in specific age groups, teens and 20-30s, it's definitely on the downward slope. It's not the cool, hot property it once was, so the kids are moving on to new methods of communicating. Facebook has to diversify and move with the times, hence Whatsapp, hence Oculus.

devil
It's time to play…

With the Rift, Facebook will be able to champion digital, virtual face to face meetings, hang outs, multiplayer movie watching, virtual music gig experiences – the potential to expand into all these areas is huge, all through a centralised Facebook or Oculus hub, which it can sell adverts on.

All of this was coming any way, but now it's going to have the Facebook name associated with it. I know that seems distasteful, especially considering Zuckerberg's stances on privacy and personal ownership in the past, but this isn't Zynga with OMGPop, this is Facebook, a company that while overvalued in any number of ways, is making WhatsApp work and it's grown Instagram exponentially.

It also can't afford to screw up with Oculus, as there's competition out there now. Sony isn't too far behind and Microsoft is dipping its toes in the water. Oculus has a head start, but not enough that it can drop the ball on the consumer launch and still maintain that lead.

Let's talk about Oculus' position though, as really, it didn't have to take the deal did it? Well, no, but then again, how many of you would have turned it down? Seriously, think about it for a second. If you started up a business and two years later someone offered you two billion dollars for it, are you going to turn that deal down? Even if it comes from Facebook? While I'm sure there's a few who legitimately would, the majority of you saying no, are liars.

oculusbus
Look at those guys. Running a successful, fun, innovative business. And they're happy. What assholes. 

Even taking the personal money out of the equation though, Oculus is still a very niche product (for now) and even with the impressive number of devkit sales, we're still years off this becoming a mainstream product. Not only can Facebook finances help make that a reality, but it can also promote it like nothing else. Hell, a massive portion of KitGuru's traffic comes from Facebook, can you imagine the amount it could funnel Oculus' way if it so chooses?

It can help champion the more social aspect of the Rift too. It's great for some games, but if you've used it extensively, you'll know that “experiences,” in it tend to be more memorable. That's partially because very few real Rift games have been made yet and we don't have the full capabilities of a consumer version, but it should also tell you that as much as we love the Rift as a gaming device, it's so much more than that.

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All we need now are trailer park skyscraper “stacks” and we're good to go. Source: Sepiawolf

We've seen the potential for vision correcting programs, help with phantom limb pain, communal movie watching experiences, the ability to visit virtual art galleries – there's a myriad of weird and wonderful things you can and could be able to do with the Rift and it's these are the sorts of things Facebook is going to push. AND, it's these sorts of things that will take the Rift mainstream, which is where it needs to be if you ever want to see it get the install base it needs for big developers and publishers to give it the time of day.

But what about Kickstarter backers? You helped fund the very company that has just been bought out. As Notch said, he didn't drop 10 grand on the Kickstarter to see if sold off to a giant corporation two years later. Neither did any of the original backers. If we cut to the quick though, you know what you and he did pay for? Your rewards. Notch paid that extra money to go to the Oculus developers studio (which he only just decided to do), an early Devkit, Doom 3 BFG and a few little extras. If you pledged enough for the original Rift, you got one. That's what Kickstarter is, a potentially volatile pre-order system, that is designed to help companies and ideas that you like succeed.

In Oculus' case, it worked exactly as intended.

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You backed this, and got this. What's the problem?

While it would be a classy move for Oculus to offer its original backers a kickback now that it's hardly cash poor, Kickstarter is not an investment scheme. Campaigns cannot offer financial incentives (though on other crowd funding sites, that is a possibility) and beyond fulfilling the rewards, the campaign creators are not beholden to “backers” in any way. Is it nice when a company continues to listen to and support early fans afterwards? Sure, and Oculus has done that over the past year and a half, but considering so many Kickstarter campaigns face endless delays and some don't even send rewards before running out of money – just look at CLANG – Oculus did right by everyone.

Everyone still loves Tim Schafer and Double Fine remember, me included, but his company took eight times the original budget for Broken Age and still ran out of money, leading to delays, half a product and calls for more funding through early access to actually finish the project. That's far worse than what Oculus is doing and Double Fine hasn't received close to the amount of vitriol that Oculus has.

Even after everything I've said though, you're still pissed right? I can tell. I am too if I'm honest and I think I know why – Oculus Rift just stopped being cool. Dare I say it, but we're in danger of becoming technological hipsters.

I know it's difficult to accept, but by being all uppity because the cool, startup, tech firm was bought by the giant corporation, is the same as that guy that stops liking a band because it's in the charts. The Rift doesn't stop becoming awesome just because Facebook bought the company that makes it.

Ultimately though, whether this sale is really a money grab by the owners, or a big middle finger to the earliest backers, or in-fact a real investment opportunity for a company that wants to make the best virtual reality hardware imaginable, while giant corporations like Sony are nipping at its heels, we're just going to have to wait and see. It really is way too early to tell what's going to happen here, but just remember this: just because you were invested emotionally in Oculus and its future, doesn't mean pandering to you is what's best for the company.

You aren't its only customers, in-fact, you can't be if it ever wants to something more than a curiosity you show your mates that had no idea VR existed. It's been a cool run, but Oculus and its Rift is going to step out into the sunlight sooner or later and at that point we can either go with it and enjoy the minor props from knowing it would do well all along, or we can sit and grumble about how the owners sold out.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

Either way, VR technology doesn't care, it's coming and it's going to be awesome.

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Logitech G602 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/henry-butt/logitech-g602-wireless-gaming-mouse-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/henry-butt/logitech-g602-wireless-gaming-mouse-review/#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:40:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=182620 Today we are going to take a look at one of Logitech's more advanced gaming mice – the G602.  This was released last year and is designed for those gamers who are looking for a capable gaming mouse, offering lag-free wireless connectivity. Logitech are one of the longest established and most highly regarded manufacturers in …

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Today we are going to take a look at one of Logitech's more advanced gaming mice – the G602.  This was released last year and is designed for those gamers who are looking for a capable gaming mouse, offering lag-free wireless connectivity.

Logitech are one of the longest established and most highly regarded manufacturers in the peripheral market, although the focus of their product range is the mainstream market.  We have reviewed a number of their gaming products over the last few years and have been generally impressed by the quality and value for money that they offer.

It will be interesting to see how the Logitech G602 fares against other gaming mice from dedicated gaming peripheral manufacturers in our tests.  We are also interested to see whether the G602 is as ‘lag-free' as Logitech claim.
IMG_6240

Features

  • Enduring Battery Life
  • Wireless Gaming Technology
  • 11 Programmable Controls
  • Delta Zero Sensor Technology
  • In-Game Sensitivity Switching
  • Peformance/ Endurance Modes
  • Intuitive, Comfortable Design

Specification

  • Resolution: 250 – 2500 dpi
  • Max. acceleration: >20G
  • Max. speed: up to 2 meters/second (80ips)
  • USB data format: 16 bits/axis
  • USB report rate: Up to 500 reports/second
  • Dynamic coefficient of friction – Mu (k): .09
  • Static coefficient of friction – Mu (s): .14*
  • Buttons (Left / Right): 20 million clicks
  • Feet: 250 kilometers
  • Performance mode: up to 250 hours
  • Endurance mode: up to 1440 hours
  • Wireless range: 3 meters
  • Warranty: 3 years
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Nvidia GTX Titan Black v Palit GTX780 Ti Jetstream OC (1080p, 1600p and 4K) https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/nvidia-gtx-titan-black-v-palit-gtx780-ti-jetstream-oc-1080p-1600p-and-4k/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/nvidia-gtx-titan-black-v-palit-gtx780-ti-jetstream-oc-1080p-1600p-and-4k/#comments Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:27:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=182731 Even though the Nvidia Titan was never truly designed as a gamers card, the high end enthusiast audience have been buying them en masse since they released. A muted launch in February this year saw the new Nvidia GTX Titan Black hit retail shelves. Nvidia didn't sample the new card, with the reasoning that it …

The post Nvidia GTX Titan Black v Palit GTX780 Ti Jetstream OC (1080p, 1600p and 4K) first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Even though the Nvidia Titan was never truly designed as a gamers card, the high end enthusiast audience have been buying them en masse since they released. A muted launch in February this year saw the new Nvidia GTX Titan Black hit retail shelves. Nvidia didn't sample the new card, with the reasoning that it was not a target for the gaming audience. Nvidia partners didn't really sample the cards either, as they were forced to adhere to the Nvidia reference cooler design.

Even though the Titan Black retails for around £800 – the wealthy enthusiast gamer has been snapping them up to play the latest Direct X 11 titles. Is the Titan Black really worth the £300 premium over some of the best GTX780 Ti's currently available today? Does the Titan Black's extra 3GB of GDDR5 memory really make a difference with current games at Ultra HD 4K resolutions?
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Since the Nvidia Titan Black launched, we have been inundated with emails and comments from our readers on Facebook asking if we can take a look at the new hardware. Nvidia might have expected these requests to come from CUDA developers aching to analyse the double precision performance – but alas, they were all gamers.

To get the most in the latest games from either a GTX780 Ti or GTX Titan Black then we recommend you pair up with at least a 30 inch 1600p screen. This is why we have tested today at both 2560×1600 and 3840×2160 resolutions.

We have been testing at Ultra HD 4k for the last 6 months because we know the future of enthusiast level gaming will be based around a single Ultra HD 4K screen. This is exactly why you should be considering at a GTX Titan Black.

We know some our audience are still using triple screen configurations, but research in the last year has shown that most people will never consider more than one screen, due to the physical desk space required to house them all. Unless you pick up specialised monitors then the bezel on each screen can also prove distracting when gaming across a spanned image.

It is worth reiterating that the cost of an Ultra HD 4K screen will continue to drop this year and we think in 2015 that they will finally become affordable for a much wider audience. A case in point is the ASUS PQ321QE panel we use for Ultra HD 4k testing – last year this cost £2,999.99 and it has already dropped by March 2014 to £2,399.99. Thats a sizable 25 percent drop within four months.

Today we include additional tests, because hundreds of readers have asked us to include results at 1080p. It is worth pointing out that I sincerely don't recommend you spend £800 on a graphics card to play games at 1920×1080 resolution, but the level of feedback has made us aware that a lot of our readers are feeling neglected.

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Asus Transformer Book T100T (Windows 8) Tablet Review https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/tablet-pc/henry-butt/asus-transformer-book-t100t-windows-8-tablet-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/tablet-pc/henry-butt/asus-transformer-book-t100t-windows-8-tablet-review/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2014 08:50:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=182424 Today we are going to take a look at a hybrid tablet from Asus – the Transformer Book T100T. Asus have been pushing the hybrid tablet concept for a while now and have released a handful of models to date … we looked at the impressive Android powered Transformer Book TF300T back in 2012. The …

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Today we are going to take a look at a hybrid tablet from Asus – the Transformer Book T100T. Asus have been pushing the hybrid tablet concept for a while now and have released a handful of models to date … we looked at the impressive Android powered Transformer Book TF300T back in 2012.

The concept of a hybrid tablet is a fascinating one, theoretically offering the best of both worlds between a tablet and a laptop. It will be interesting to see if the Transformer Book T100T does truly offer the best of both worlds and if Asus have had to make any significant compromises to integrate the two different form factors into one unit.

We are also interested to see if Windows 8 is a better fit for a hybrid tablet than the Android operating system was. While Android is well-suited to tablets, Windows 8 should offer a number of benefits when operating the Transformer Book as a laptop.
IMG_6210

Specification

  • Display: 10.1″ with Multi-Touch Screen WXGA (1366 x 768) Screen, IPS Panel
  • Processor: 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z3740 quad-core
  • Memory: 2GB DDR3
  • Storage: 32GB internal (non expandable)
  • Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth V4.0
  • Camera:  1.2MP front-facing
  • Battery: 2-cell Li-polymer
  • Operating System: Windows 8.1 32-bit
  • Dimensions: 263 x 171 x 10.5 mm (WxDxH)
  • Weight (tablet): 523g
  • Weight (with keyboard): 1104g
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