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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!

Post Tagged with: "80PLUS"

Fractal Design Telsa R2 650W Power Supply Review

Fractal Design Telsa R2 650W Power Supply Review

Not that long ago we took a look at our first power supply from Fractal Design, the Newton R3 600W.  While that unit sits as Fractal Design’s top tier power supply today we are checking out one of their more mainstream units the Telsa R2 650W power supply.  While this power supply is not modular it still features an 80PLUS Gold certification, single 12V rail, and a temperature controlled 135mm cooling fan.  The Tesla R2 still has the same great looks we saw on the Newton R3, but can it perform?  Read on as we find out!

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Fractal Design Newton R3 600W Power Supply Review

Fractal Design Newton R3 600W Power Supply Review

We mainly know Fractal Design for their cases, but did you know they make power supplies as well?  Over the past couple of years the really high-end power supplies all had 80PLUS Gold certifications, but now we are seeing 80PLUS Platinum certifications.  80PLUS Platinum certification means that the power supply runs 92% efficient at 50% load and 89% efficient at 100% load.  Today we are taking a look at Fractal Design’s Newton R3 600W Power Supply that not only has the 80PLUS Platinum certification it features a semi-modular design, single 12V rail, semi-passive fan, and is CrossFireX certified.  Is this this next power supply for your system?  Read on as we take a look…

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Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W Power Supply Review

Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W Power Supply Review

Cooler Master is well-known for their cases and CPU coolers, but they also offer some very high quality power supplies.  We have taken a look at their Silent Pro Hybrid and Silent Pro Gold units in the past and today we are taking a look at the newer Silent Pro M2 series.  The Silent Pro M2 series is very popular with units ranging from 420W all the way up to 1500W.  Today we are looking at the highest wattage Silent Pro M2, the 1500W.  It features a dual 12V rail design, 135mm durable hydraulic dynamic bearing fan, a 80PLUS Silver efficiency rating, modular cables, and a 5 year warranty.  Read on as we put this power supply to the test!

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OCZ Fatal1ty Series 1000W Power Supply Review

OCZ Fatal1ty Series 1000W Power Supply Review

If you been around the gaming scene in the past 5 years or so you should know the name Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendal.  Known to many as the worlds first professional gamer he has created a gaming brand which its goal is to work with manufacturers to create the perfect components for your gaming system.  Today we are taking a look at Fatal1ty’s take on a gaming power supply.  The OCZ Fatal1ty Series 1000W Power Supply features an 80PLUS Gold certification, individually sleeved modular cables, 140mm red LED cooling fan and a 5 year warranty.  Is this the next power supply for your gaming rig? Read on to find out!

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High Power Astro PT 700W Power Supply Review

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Powering our test rig today is one of High Powers 80PLUS Platinum units, the Astro PT. The Astro PT is a semi-modular power supply rated at 700W, has an all-digital power delivery mechanism, flat ribbon-style modular cables, and a special LED bar on the rear of the unit that will display the units load and efficiency in real-time, which High Power have dubbed the “Eagle Eye.” You may recognize this particular model if you follow trade shows, as at this year’s Computex it took home the Design and Innovation Award.

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NZXT HALE82N 550W and 750W Power Supplies Review

NZXT HALE82N 550W and 750W Power Supplies Review

Today we’re looking at NZXT’s latest power supply range; the HALE82N series. This series is aimed at PC builders who demand quality components, whilst sticking to a budget. It’s 80PLUS Bronze certified, non-modular, and has a standard ATX form factor that will accommodate cases where free space is at a premium.

Whilst many manufacturers are attempting to diversify their product ranges, in order for people to actually purchase these new lines the product needs to be of a certain quality. Does the NZXT HALE82N series hit the mark or fall short? Only one way to know; read on to find out!

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Unboxing the NZXT HALE82N 750W and 550W Power Supplies

Unboxing the NZXT HALE82N 750W and 550W Power Supplies

NZXT has recently released their HALE82N series of power supplies and were nice enough to send us two of them! The HALE82N series power supplies feature an 80PLUS Bronze certification, a 120mm cooling fan, and a strong single +12V rail. Besides all of that the HALE82N Series is the first among others to pioneer 2013 ErP Lot 6 Energy Star standard which will reduce vampire power by 50%, decreasing your energy consumption. Today we are going to check out the 550W and 750W models, read on to check out our unboxing and overview video!

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In Win GreenMe 650W Power Supply Review

In Win GreenMe 650W Power Supply Review

Today we’ll be looking at one of the first eco-friendly power supplies that we’ve ever reviewed. The In Win GreenMe series features a unique combination of eco-friendly packaging and product components to make any “green” fan rejoice. This white power supply also makes a nice change of pace to those standard black power supplies we’re used to. Read on further to take a look.

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Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W Power Supply Review

Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W Power Supply Review

It seems lately many companies have been coming out with power supplies that are very efficient and are made to be installed and just forgot about.  Well Antec has had a line of power supplies like this for a long time, the EarthWatts series.  Today we are going to be taking a look at one of the newest power supplies in the EarthWatts line the Platinum 650W.  This 650W power supply has an 80PLUS Platinum certification, the highest efficiency mark for power supplies.  With this power supply you will ge 92% efficiency at 50% load and 89% efficiency at 100% load.  Read on as we take it through the paces.

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Thermaltake SMART Series 430W and 730W Power Supplies Review

Thermaltake SMART Series 430W and 730W Power Supplies Review

Today we’ll be checking out two of the many options in Thermaltake new SMART series of PSU’s. These new PSU’s aren’t meant for hardcore builders, but rather the everyday Joe, looking for a cheap, reliable PSU that he can install and forget about for several years.  All of the PSU’s are 80PLUS efficient, include lengthy enough cables, and can support the latest hardware. Read on further to see our review of the 430W and 730W SMART Series power supplies.

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