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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: "LAN Party"

Gaming Friday: Pittco Iron Storm XIII Lan Party

Gaming Friday: Pittco Iron Storm XIII Lan Party

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending Pittco’s Iron Storm XIII Lan Party!  This 42 hour event hosted about 150 gamers and started April 20 and concluded on April 22nd.  They had official tournaments for Counter-Strike: Source, League of Legends, Starcraft II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Halo Reach and many more.  Besides just the tournaments there was quite a lot of gaming going on as well as other fun.  Read on to see what the event was all about!

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Come see us at Pittco Iron Storm XIII LAN Party This Weekend!

Come see us at Pittco Iron Storm XIII LAN Party This Weekend!

It is another LAN party weekend here at ThinkComputers! This time we are headed to Pittco for their Iron Storm XIII LAN Party! All Pittco events are great and this one should be as well. They are having quite a few different tournaments, both PC and console. There is going to be an official ThinkComputers booth there showing off some of our systems and we will have some swag to give away, so make sure you stop over and say hi! Read on to find out more about the event!

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Gaming Friday: Live from FITES LANFest 2012!

Gaming Friday: Live from FITES LANFest 2012!

That’s right Gaming Friday is back! Not only do we have quite a few games to tell you guys about we also will be attending quite a few gaming events this year! Today we are attending our first, FITES LANFest 2012! This 200 person LAN party is held in Mechanicsburg, PA. It is currently the largest LAN party in Pennsylvania and the 3rd largest in the North East. Read on to see what this LAN party is all about and keep checking back throughout the weekend for updates!

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Attending FITES LANFest 2012!

Attending FITES LANFest 2012!

This upcoming weekend (February 24-25) ThinkComputers will be attending FITES LANFest 2012 in Mechanicsburg, PA! FITES is a 200 person LAN party and we are really excited to check it out. We will not only be covering the event, but also we will have a booth there with some of our systems showcased. If you have never heard of FITES before here is a little bit of information about them…

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MillionManLan 10

MillionManLan 10

I attended Lanwar’s MillionManLAN LAN party in Louisville, Kentucky last month. The four day event started August 4 and ended August 7. More than 300 gamers attended, bringing their own PCs and gaming consoles. They competed in several tournaments on many platforms, with the winner or winning team taking home a prize from the several hundred dollar prize pool.

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Gaming Friday: Live from TheGXL!

Gaming Friday: Live from TheGXL!

We here at ThinkComputers are very avid gamers. So each Friday we will be covering a game that should help you get through the weekend. The games will range from new games to classics that we still love to play. They also are not limited to just PC games either. If you have a game you think we should cover check out the Gaming Friday thread in the forums.

This week is a little bit different, we are actually at a gaming event! We are at the TooManyGames 2011 Expo, which has teamed with TheGXL to have a 17,000 square foot BYOPC LAN room! We are live from the LAN room, gaming, talking to gamers and checking out some sweet PC’s! Read on to check out this awesome event! This post will be live updated throughout the event which goes from today May 6th – Sunday May 8th.

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NZXT Bunker USB Locking Device Review

NZXT Bunker USB Locking Device Review

We all know NZXT for making some great cases, cases that offer many features, but are not that expensive.  Over the past year NZXT has released some really interesting products like the USB Expansion System and Sleeved LED Kit that are simple products which do their job.  Today we will be looking at another simple product that when you think of it, you are probably going say, “Why haven’t we seen something like this before”.  Today’s product is the Bunker USB Locking Device and it does a great job at securing USB devices at LAN parties or schools where they could be stolen.  Let’s take a look…

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Pittco’s Iron Storm XII

Pittco’s Iron Storm XII

Pittsburgh LAN Coalition is hosting Iron Storm XII, a computer and console LAN party video game tournament on March 4-6. More than $2,000 worth of prizes from more than 20 sponsors will be given away as door prizes and in 10 official tournaments, including $800 cash for Heroes of Newerth and a buy-in for Counter-Strike: Source. Pittco is also known for its “jackass tournaments”, such as musical chairs, rap battles, and the mind-over-pain “ice head”. Check out the sweet LAN gaming action at www.pittco.org.

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Thermaltake Launches ARMOR A30 LAN Party Ready Mini-Tower

Thermaltake Launches ARMOR A30 LAN Party Ready Mini-Tower

Thermaltake, leading DIY chassis brand, is launching their latest edition to the popular and award winning ARMOR series of PC cases. The entirely black ARMOR A30 sports the familiar “bulletproof” armor design concept with metal mesh elements lending the ARMOR series an extremely stylish and powerful appearance that attracts gamers and enthusiasts alike. The top and front blue LED-fans enhance the overall combat ambience. It’s small dimensions of 266 (H) x 291 (W) X 456 (D) cm make it an ideal solution for small form factor systems (Micro ATX and mini ITX), while still allowing for enough room to house the most powerful graphics cards available on the market today (e.g. AMD Radeon HD 5970 and NVIDIA GTX460). Demanding LAN party goers can now set up a truly powerful gaming machine that is still small enough to be portable and stylish at the same time.

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Pittco Iron Storm X LAN Party

Pittco Iron Storm X LAN Party

Pittco is a local LAN group here in Pittsburgh. The currently run the largest LAN party in Pittsburgh and their events are always fun. I have been going to Pittco events since they started and I was really excited for this event. Especially because with this event it was not all about PC gaming, there was a very large console section, which was never at a Pittco event before. I ventured out to Castle Shannon for Iron Storm X to game, watch some tournaments, and just have a good time. Let’s see what this 200 person event is all about!

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