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Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Processor Review
Just a year ago Intel launched their Ivy Bridge processors and now a year later we have another platform launch from Intel. The 4th Generation Core Haswell processors are the “tock” to Intel’s “tick” and “tock” release schedule. A “tock” represents a new architecture and a “tick” represents a process refinement. So Haswell brings with it a new architecture, but is still built on the same 22nm process as Ivy Bridge. Intel has introduced a new LGA1150 socket with Haswell and a new chipset so you will not be able to throw this processor in an older motherboard, you will have to buy a new one. Today we are taking a look at the top of the line Haswell desktop chip the Core i7-4770K. Of course the “K” denotes that it is an unlocked processor. This is a quad-core processor that has a default clock speed of 3.5 GHz and a turbo frequency that goes all the way up to 3.9 GHz.
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XSPC AX Radiator Desk Stand Review
One of the biggest limiting factors in what you can do with watercooling is how much room you have in your case. With so much equipment to pack in for watercooling alone, space ends up being one of the chief concerns for builders and modders. And the single biggest limiting factor: how much radiator one can fit. Radiators are large, bulky, and inflexible in how they need to be installed. This can easily lead to the builder having to sacrifice cooling surface for space. There is a solution to this problem though; external radiator stands. And if you have chosen to use XSPC’s AX series of radiators, then you’re in luck. Today we will be looking at the AX Radiator Desk Stand from XSPC.
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Win a NZXT Phantom 630 Case!
It is summer time and it is the perfect time to give you, our readers some free hardware! We have teamed up with our friends at NZXT to give away a brand new NZXT Phantom 630 Case! This Ultra Tower not only looks good it has room for quite a lot inside like long graphics cards, XL-ATX Motherboards, 8 hard drives and a lot of watercooling! Like many of our contests we will be running this one on Facebook and it is extremely easy to enter!
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Case Mod Friday: ReactorMod
Welcome to another Case Mod Friday showcase! This week we have a builders ReactorMod build. Here is what he had to say about it: It's a modded Chieftec BX-03 case. I wanted to make it look like it's quite old and kinda shabby. I was thinking about this build for quite a long time, so I managed to collect some cool stuff that I've found on a nearby scrap yard (e.g. switch or steel sheet that I used to make the radiator cover). I also used some spare parts that I had lying around.
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Enermax Triathlor FC 550W Power Supply Review
Enermax is a brand whose strong product is their power supplies, especially when it comes to the high-end spectrum. Their Platimax and MAXREVO units are some of the best out there. But these units are not cheap in terms of cost. Enermax knows not everyone has a ton of cash to throw at a new power supply so they have created the Triathlor series of power supplies. There are actually the Triathlor and Triathlor FC units. The Triathlor units are lower wattage and non-modular and the Triathlor FC units are higher wattage and are modular. Today we are checking out the Triathlor FC 550W unit which is 80PLUS Bronze certified and offers quiet operation.
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SilverStone ARM22SC ARM Two Dual LCD Monitor Mount Review
We mainly know SilverStone for their cases and for good reason, they are high quality and look great. What if SilverStone took that same quality and put it into a LCD monitor mount? Then you would have what we are reviewing today which is the ARM Two ARM22SC dual LCD Monitor Mount from SilverStone. LCD arms are a great addition to any computer setup, especially if you are using a multi-monitor system. The ARM22SC is constructed with robust aluminum alloy and steel so this is a heavy duty piece of hardware. It will support two displays with VESA mounts. Read on as we get this installed and see how it transforms our desk.
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Win a Pivos XIOS DS Media Player!
Pivos is a company we have been working with lately and they make some pretty cool little media players. We have already reviewed their XIOS DS media player and it is a very unique device. Pivos was nice enough to give us one to give away to our readers! Just like all of our contests this one is very easy to enter and we will be running it on Facebook? So what are you doing get out there and get your entry in!
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Case Mod Friday: Black and White
Welcome to another Case Mod Friday showcase! This week we have Christian Black and White build. Here is what he had to say about it: Well this is the first time I do something like this, and it really is interesting the world of case modding the project is BLACK AND WHITE and really was a design chosen because I began to paint the cabinet only and one thing leads to another as in all cases and was thinking of some ideas for covers.
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The History Of The Hard Drive
In 1953, engineers in IBM's California-based laboratory invented the very first hard drive. Since that first disk drive, technological advances have been made at an astonishing rate, with data capacity increasing and size and price decreasing exponentially, year on year. 60 years on, the hard drives of today are unrecognizable from the first models, which took up an entire room. Hard drives today are measured in terms of gigabytes and terabytes, rather than megabytes-an amount of data that would have been almost unimaginable in the early history of computers. Here we take a look back at the evolution of the hard drive as it grew from 5MB to 4TB.
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Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 Review
Lenovo has been making headlines with their IdeaPad Yoga. It is a tablet convertible that can be used as a laptop as well. There are 11-inch and 13-inch models. While the larger 13-inch model has the choice of Intel Core processors, the 11-inch does not and is rather powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 platform. Today we will be taking a look at that unit which does offer a very sleek and slim design, responsive 11.6-inch touchscreen, Lenovo’s patent-pending hinge design that allows the screen to flip completely over and it is running Windows RT. Let’s check it out!

Archive for category: Laptops

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 Review

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Lenovo has been making headlines with their IdeaPad Yoga. It is a tablet convertible that can be used as a laptop as well. There are 11-inch and 13-inch models. While the larger 13-inch model has the choice of Intel Core processors, the 11-inch does not and is rather powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 platform. Today we will be taking a look at that unit which does offer a very sleek and slim design, responsive 11.6-inch touchscreen, Lenovo’s patent-pending hinge design that allows the screen to flip completely over and it is running Windows RT. Let’s check it out!

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Lenovo IdeaPad U410 14-inch Ultrabook Review

Lenovo IdeaPad U410 14-inch Ultrabook Review

If you have not fully embraced Intel’s Ultrabooks you really should.  They have been what power users like me have been wanting for quite a long time.  A sleek and slim laptop that is powerful enough to do all of our daily tasks and still have a good battery life.  Today we are taking a look at one of Lenovo’s latest Ultrabooks in their IdeaPad U410.  This Ultrabook features a sleek colored aluminum chassis, an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and one of the most comfortable keyboards that I’ve ever used!  Is this the perfect Ultrabook for you?  Read on as we take a look.

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Lenovo Y580 15.6-inch Laptop Review

Lenovo Y580 15.6-inch Laptop Review

Just about a year ago we took a look at Lenovo’s Y570 15.6-inch laptop and today we have its successor the Y580.  Designed to be an all-around system or even a desktop replacement that can handle HD video, gaming, and other intensive tasks the Y580 features NVIDIA GTX660M graphics, an mSATA solid state drive for fast boot times and application load times, a very fast Intel Core i7-3610QM processor, 8GB of DDR3 and USB 3.0 support.  For those who hate the typical dull speakers on laptops Lenovo has outfitted the Y580 with premium JBL speakers with support for Dolby Home Theater v4.  Finally just for looks Lenovo has added a backlit keyboard that not only looks cool, but allows you to work at night with ease.  Starting at just $849 the Y580 is still very affordable.  Is this the laptop for you?  Read on as we put it to the test!

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iBUYPOWER Valkyrie CZ-17 Gaming Laptop Review

iBUYPOWER Valkyrie CZ-17 Gaming Laptop Review

We all know iBUYPOWER for making some pretty amazing and affordable custom gaming machines, but did you know they have a few custom gaming laptops as well?  Laptops are a great choice for people who do not want the hassle of a large tower and want something they can easily take with them to say a LAN party, but still has enough power to play some of the latest games.  Today we are taking a look at iBUYPOWER’s Valkyrie CZ-17 gaming laptop that features an Intel Core i7-3610QM processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M graphics, and 8GB of DDR3 memory.  Is this gaming laptop the perfect companion for gamers? We are going to find out!

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Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 15.6-inch Laptop Review

Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 15.6-inch Laptop Review

Lenovo’s Y-Series of laptops are meant to be desktop replacements that can handle HD video playback, intense gaming, video editing, and much more.  The Y570 has actually been out for some time, but Lenovo has upgraded it with Intel’s second generation Core processors, USB 3.0, dedicated GeForce 550M graphics, JBL speakers with SRS surround sound and an optional Blu-ray drive.  We will be putting this newer Y570 through the paces to see how it performs as a desktop replacement, gaming machine and much more.  Read on to see how it performs!

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Lenovo IdeaPad U260 12.5-inch Laptop Review

Lenovo IdeaPad U260 12.5-inch Laptop Review

It is not often that I look at a laptop and say wow that looks beautiful and then pick it up and fall in love with it even more.  I think the only time that has really happened was with a Macbook Air, but I’m not even a Mac user.  Lenovo is not a company you really think of when it comes to beautifully designed laptops, they make great laptops no doubt, but most of them are not that eye catching.  Today we are going to be taking a look at the Lenovo IdeaPad U260 12.5-inch laptop, which is one of sleekest laptops I’ve ever seen and comes packed with an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of memory.  Is the U260 all looks or will it really perform?

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AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand Review

AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand Review

Laptop stands are always a good thing to have around. They making typing and using your laptop much easier but more importantly they place your laptop at an ergonomically-correct angle. I have quite a few laptop stands actually, but the thing that bothers me is that they take up so much space when you are traveling. Today we have a notebook stand that is extremely portable; it folds up for easy storage and traveling! It has quite a large price tag, let’s see if it’s worth it!

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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15-inch Notebook Review

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15-inch Notebook Review

A few months ago we took a look at Lenovo’s ThinkPad Edge 13-inch notebook and we absolutely loved it. It was a great blend of consumer and business features not to mention it looked great. The 13-inch form factor is perfect for some people, but many people want a larger laptop with more power and of course a larger screen to work with. Knowing this Lenovo has released 2 more models to its ThinkPad Edge series, a 14-inch and a 15-inch. Both models feature the new Intel Core i3 processor, DDR3 memory, HD graphics and of course all of the extra features you would expect from a ThinkPad. Today we will be taking a look at the 15-inch model.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13-inch Notebook Review

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13-inch Notebook Review

When you think of ThinkPad’s you think of business notebooks and they really are. I’ve reviewed quite a few ThinkPad’s over the past few years and the features are unrivaled when it comes to other notebooks. But the thing about the ThinkPad’s is that they don’t appeal to many people, even small business users. Lenovo noticed this and came out with the ThinkPad Edge. The Edge is a very attractive 13-inch notebook that provides the right amount of business and consumer features. The Edge is also one of the first ThinkPad’s that has an AMD processor option. Let’s see if the ThinkPad Edge is the perfect new laptop for you!

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Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook Review

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook Review

Intel’s Atom processor really made it easy for many manufacturers to make an inexpensive laptop that performs well, now netbook’s are everywhere. They appeal to many consumers because they are small, inexpensive, and for normal computer users they are good for browsing the internet and other similar tasks. Today we will be looking at the IdeaPad S10-2 from Lenovo. We looked at the original S10 back in November, the S10-2 is very much the same as hardware goes, but Lenovo did a lot to make this version of the S10 better. Let’s take a look…

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