Tag Archives: Review

Much of the computing industry is rapidly moving towards physically smaller components without downsizing performance. Can MSI's Mini-ITX Z87I Gaming AC prove that Small Form Factor gamers need not worry about finding a motherboard which tends to their requirements? MSI's first take on a gaming-orientated Mini-ITX motherboard sees the inclusion …

Thunderbolt, and lightning, very very frightening me! Tacky ‘Bohemian Rhapsody' quotes aside, it is great to see that the Thunderbolt interface is finally seeing some traction in the PC marketplace, having already experienced great success with Apple's hardware. The major motherboard manufacturers are adopting Thunderbolt on a handful of their …

Today we take a look at something special, the world's first dual material fan from Aerocool. The new DS ‘Dead Silence' Fluid Dynamic bearing fans are particularly interesting due to dual layered blades, comprised of plastic and rubber. Aerocool claim this helps to absorb the noise of moving air. The …

Despite the fact that being a PC gamer usually means you're swimming in much deeper nerd waters than your average console or handheld gamer, there's always been a desire to make peripherals look cool. A lot of the time, that means black, heavy duty plastic and bright LEDs with varying …

The buzz around Raspberry Pi started two years ago when we were offered the prospect of a tiny Linux computer that would cost around £30. That's a trivial amount of money for an interesting new gadget so I slapped in my order with RS Components, and sat back to wait. …

If you want a new small form factor system then today's review will be of particular interest. We are taking a look at the latest MESH Elite Mini Gamer Plus system, built inside the tiny Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Case. It may be small, but this is not …

Today we are going to look at Tt eSPORTS first attempt at a console gaming headset, the ConsoleOne.  It appears to be based heavily on the Shock gaming headset that we reviewed recently and commended for delivering excellent value for money.  In addition to being a console gaming headset, the …

Today we are taking a look at the latest power supply from Seasonic, the S12G 450W. This is an 80 Plus Gold Design and utilises high grade Japanese components throughout. We have already reviewed the excellent high end S12G 750W in November 2013 and it walked away with our highest …

Today we are going to look at one of Logitech's latest mice, the M560. Unlike many of the mice that pass through our labs this is not a gaming model.  It has been designed for those who want a wireless mouse to use specifically with Windows 8. The M560  features …

Today we are going to take a look at the latest liquid CPU cooler from Corsair, the Hydro H105.  Corsair are one of the longest established players in the liquid CPU cooling market and are presently the most popular brand.  This can be attributed to their wide range of products …

Today we are going to take a look at the latest gaming headset from Tt eSPORTS – the Cronos. The headset is designed for people on the move as it can be can be folded up to fit inside a complementary bag. This makes it ideal for those who frequent …

Today we are taking a look at the NZXT Phantom 530. As the direct successor to the original Phantom, the Phantom 530 aims to impress with support for radiators up to 360 mm in size, graphics cards up to 444 mm in length, CPU coolers up to 183 mm in …

Today we are going to take a look at the Gigabyte F2A88XM-DS2 motherboard, aimed at those looking to build an AMD APU based system with a limited budget.  This particular motherboard is a bit of a departure from the usual high end product we are used to receiving from Gigabyte …

Last year ASUS enjoyed both public and critical success with their Xonar U7 USB sound card. For the enthusiast user demanding higher grade sound quality, adding an external DAC can be a good investment. Driving an expensive audiophile grade pair of headphones from the basic sound chip on a motherboard …

With so much of Haswell’s performance being related to on-chip parameters, many users are quick to question the relevance of a high-end motherboard. Does MSI’s Z87-G43 Gaming act as proof that an entry-level board can compete with the high-end contenders on the Z87 chipset? Featuring support for two-way CrossFire (albeit …

Solid State Technology has been dropping in price steadily for the last year and today we look at the latest product from Plextor – the M6e, a PCI express solid state design. This product is designed for the enthusiast audience who demand the fastest speeds possible. The M6E incorporates the …

Today we are taking a look at the CM 690 III. Following in the footsteps of the CM 690 II the latest revision supports up to ten 2.5″ drives, graphics cards up to 423 mm in length and CPU coolers up to 171 mm in height. Retailing around £85, is …

Today we are going to take a look at the latest product from Bitfenix, the Flo headset. This is Bitfenix’s latest addition to their ever-growing product range, which has branched out significantly since the brand launched around 3 years ago. We have been very impressed with their products in the …

The first waves of AMD partner 290 cards are being released this month, and today we follow up on our Gigabyte and Sapphire reviews taking a look at the latest card from ASUS, the R9 290X Direct CU II OC. This card ships with a proprietary cooler and the fastest …

Today we are going to take a look at another gaming headset from Sennheiser, the G4ME Zero. Like the G4ME One we reviewed recently, this model is targeted at the premium segment of the gaming market and commands a premium price. Sennheiser are well known for producing a large range …

AMD fans may have had to wait several months for custom cooled R9 290/x cards to hit the channel, but today we follow up on our December review of the Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X OC with a look at the latest Gigabyte R9 290X OC solution, featuring their excellent triple …

Today we are looking at the Cooler Master Hyper 103. Aimed at users on a restrictive budget, the Hyper 103 sports three 6 mm heat pipes, vents to aid airflow around the heat pipes and a 92 mm PWM fan. Retailing for as little as £9.99, can the Hyper 103 …

Today we are taking a look at the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition. Aimed at enthusiasts on a budget, the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition supports Micro ATX and ATX motherboards, graphics cards up to 293 mm in length and coolers up to 172 mm in height. Retailing for around £50, can …

Today we are taking a look at NetGear's XWNB5201 PowerLine 500 Wifi adapters. These powerline adapters promise to extend a WiFi network with wireless speeds up to 300 Mbps. Retailing for £79.00 inc vat. the XWNB5201 are expensive, but are they worth the investment? Specifications Powerline 500 Wifi Access Point: …

Today we are going to look at the Noctua NH-U14S which is a recent addition to the Noctua family of coolers.  This is slim single-tower air cooler which is designed for those users who want to maintain decent RAM compatibility. Noctua are still one of the best respected manufacturers in the …

Today we are going to take a look at one of the latest gaming headsets from Sennheiser, the G4ME One. This particular model is targeted at those users who have a lot of money to spend and are looking for a premium over-the-ear headset which is specifically designed for gamers. …

Today we are taking a look at the Dell XPS 18 Portable All-In-One. Sporting an 18″ Full HD screen the XPS 18 All-In-One comes equipped with an Intel Core i5-3337U, a 32 GB mSATA SSD cache drive and 8 GB of DDR3 memory clocked at 1600 MHz. The big question …

Today we are going to take a look at the Buffalo AirStation N600 wireless router which is positioned as an affordable dual-band wireless router.  This means it operates on both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz frequencies … ideal for those who want to connect multiple devices which consume a lot …

If you are working with a budget of £180 or less there has never been a better time to buy a graphics card. The Gigabyte R9 270X Windforce OC that we are looking at today for instance is supplied in a preoverclocked state, with a custom cooler and has a …

Today we review the new VTX3D R9 270X X Edition, the second 270X we have reviewed since the launch in November. Should you be shortlisting this card for a new system build early in the New Year? The card we are reviewing today is a new dual fan version of …