EK H30 360 HFX Watercooling Kit Review

EK are a frontrunner in the watercooling scene, manufacturing attractive yet functional products that are in use by many across the globe. EK’s latest line, CSQ, is a fusion of sharp edges and rounded curves, designed to fit stealthily into any system without compromising the aesthetics of any particular component – yet standing out by itself all the same.

Today I’m working with EK’s H30 HFX 360, a complete water cooling kit that provides their latest and greatest CPU block, the Supremacy, with a full 64mm thick 360mm radiator. Also provided in the kit are all the required fittings, a pump, a reservoir, tubing and all mounting hardware. We’re very excited to test this kit, and we hope you are too. Keep reading as we unbox, install, and test the performance of EK’s kit, along with my own personal feelings towards the end.

Case Labs Merlin SM8 Case Overview

If you’re an enthusiast, chances are you’ve heard of Case Labs. Some of their cases have garnered worldwide acclaim and the utmost care and attention goes into their designs, builds, and company ethos. Case Labs’ cases are 100% made in the USA, and are hand assembled in the Case Labs warehouse (if you opt for assembly!).

Case Labs recently launched the SM8, the first is their new “Merlin” line, boasting support for E-ATX boards. Crafted from 100% aluminum, with absolutely no plastic to be found, the Merlin SM8 is built incredibly well. Promising support for even the most demanding cooling setups, Case Labs’ newest case is staggeringly detailed.  Case Labs were nice enough to send us over a Merlin SM8 for review, and we’ve put together a brief overview with an explanation of some of the features of this very well thought out case.

ASRock Z77 OC Formula Motherboard Review

Not too long ago we had the pleasure of covering ASRock’s mid-range offering, the Z77 Extreme6. Since then, ASRock have continued to release new motherboards to fit each market segment, including the board we have in front of us today, the Z77 OC Formula.

Geared towards overclockers and tweakers, the Z77 OC Formula sports both air and watercooled VRMs, 12 CPU power phases, an 8-layer Copper PCB, dual stack MOSFETs, Multi-Filter caps and a whole slew of other features and benefits, this new board promises to be the best performing board from ASRock that we’ve seen to date.

Thermaltake WATER 2.0 Performer and Pro Review

Water Cooling is awesome. There’s no doubt about it. Traditionally, it performs better than air cooling, it’s quieter, and looks amazing. But, it’s also expensive, can be complicated, and to the uninitiated, looks risky. So, what if you want the benefits of water cooling, whilst eliminating…well, every one of those drawbacks? Enter the self-contained water cooling unit.

The Thermaltake WATER 2.0 Performer and Pro are made by Asetek. They are both equipped with 120mm radiators, allowing effective mounting almost anywhere in a chassis that has 120mm fan mounting locations. Thermaltake provide you with two 120mm fans so that you’re able to do a push/pull set up, which is most welcome and much appreciated.

Memory Timings Explained

So you’re on the hunt for a new memory kit, and whilst you know that “lower = better”.. you don’t exactly know why. You may even know the name “CAS Latency” .. but what is that, exactly? Why is it better to have CL8 over CL10? What are all these other numbers? What do the abbreviations mean? Why is it all so complicated!? Oh, and why do I care? Well.. read on, find out, and rejoice! I’m here to save the day.

G.Skill TridentX DDR3-2400 8GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review

This time around we’re taking a look at G.Skill’s TridentX series. Starting at 2133Mhz and going all the way up to 2800Mhz, the TridentX Series is brutally fast. A black and red theme well suited to ASUS’ ROG series or ASRock’s Fatal1ty series, it looks awesome if you’re the kind of person who likes oversized or extreme styling.

The kit G.Skill have sent us is the middle of the spectrum; 2400Mhz, yet it’s only CAS 10 – speeds, with high speeds with such low latency this kit promises to be a strong performer. Lets check it out!

NVIDIA 600 Series Video Card Overclocking Guide

Welcome to the ThinkComputers overclocking guide for the NVIDIA GK104. Also known as the NVIDIA GeForce 680, 670, and 660Ti! This guide does MAY apply to other cards in the series, but, use it at your own risk, as it has not been tested on those devices. If this is your first time overclocking, we hope this guide will be useful to you. If you’re running Intel’s latest processor technology, Ivy Bridge, feel free to check out our sister guide that’ll help you in that area.

Settling the Debate: Multi Rail Vs. Single Rail Power Supplies

Ever since multi-rail PSUs were introduced, we’ve seen enthusiasts adamantly claim that one or the other PSU type is better. Some claim single rail is better for overclocking. Some claim multi-rail is safer. Single rail is cleaner. Multi-rail more efficient. The list goes on and on, so who’s right? People on either side argue their points and pick up uninformed followers along the way, resulting in the same rehashed marketing over and over again from companies playing on this vehement fanboyism: A single strong 12v rail! Multi-rail for extra stability! Blah blah. Which is better? How does this apply to me? Keep reading, and I may just give you an answer.

Inno3D iChill GeForce GTX 680 Black Series Accelero Hybrid 4GB Video Card Review

Getting put through its paces today is the Inno3d iChiLL Black Edition GTX 680, with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. It is factory overclocked to 1120 Mhz, and has an aftermarket hybrid liquid / air cooler attached. The cooler itself is manufactured by Asetek, branded by Arctic, and then partnered with the inno3d card. Claiming to be virtually silent whilst many times more efficient than the reference cooler. If all goes well this card should be quite the performer. Follow us through the review as we benchmark, overclock, and generally beat the card into submission to reach our conclusion.

ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Intel Z77 Motherboard Review

Today we’re looking at ASUS’ P8Z77-V PRO. Ranking 2nd in ASUS’s mainstream line of motherboards, ranking slightly above the P8Z77-V, and below the P8Z77-V DELUXE. Offering a 12-Phase all-digital power delivery design, 100% Japanese Capacitors, and support for SLI and CrossFire, it boasts all the required features required for a mainstream gamer or overclocker. So what do you say we put it through its paces and see where it ranks, yes?