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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: "mATX"

Fractal Design Define Mini mATX Case Review

Fractal Design Define Mini mATX Case Review

Not that long ago we took a look at our first case from Fractal Design, the Arc Midi Tower and were very impressed.  It seems the Swedish case maker has really been making great headlines over the past few months and we are excited to take a look at our second case from them the Define Mini, which is a mATX case.  This case combines stylish, contemporary design with maximum functionality and noise absorbing features.  Let’s take a look and see if Fractal Design has another winner here.

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Unboxing the Fractal Design Define Mini mATX Case

Unboxing the Fractal Design Define Mini mATX Case

Fractal Design is a relativity new company to us here at ThinkComputers. We took a look at their Arc Midi and were really impressed by it. Today we are opening up the Define Mini, which is a mATX case. The Define Mini features a very sleek design, noise canceling elements, two included 120mm fans and room for up to 6, and support for longer video cards. Read on to check out our unboxing and overview video.

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Thermaltake Armor A30 mATX Case Review

Thermaltake Armor A30 mATX Case Review

I myself travel a good bit for LAN parties, with them ether being at a friend’s house or a larger LAN event like Pittco events right here in Pittsburgh. Traveling and carrying around a big case can sometimes be a pain. Then again there are not very many mATX cases that will suit the needs of gamers and fit their larger graphics cards and heatsinks. But Thermaltake was nice enough to send us over their Armor A30 case for us to take a look at. Let’s see if this case will suit my needs and the need of other gamers out there.

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Lian Li PC-V352 mATX Case Review

Lian Li PC-V352 mATX Case Review

With mini-ITX systems becoming more and more powerful and mini-ATX motherboards offering the same features as full ATX boards it is hard to decide what type of system to build.  At the same time if you are going to build one of these smaller systems there really are not that many cases that offer all the features you expect from a normal PC case.  Well Lian Li noticed this and came out with the PC-V352.  A small cube style case that packs in a lot of features and has all of the quality you expect from Lian Li.  Let’s check it out and see if it is perfect for your next small system build.

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In Win Dragon Slayer mATX Case Review

In Win Dragon Slayer mATX Case Review

Many people are turning to mATX setups for LAN gaming systems and home theater PC systems.  There are not a ton of options when it comes to mATX cases; most are cube cases that do not offer a lot of features.  Well today we have a mATX that is designed just like any other mid tower case and has quite a few options.  What case are we talking about?  The Dragon Slayer from In Win, let’s take a look…

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ASUS M4A88TD-M/USB3 AMD 880G mATX Motherboard Review

ASUS M4A88TD-M/USB3 AMD 880G mATX Motherboard Review

When it comes to building a PC there are many choices when it comes to your components.  One of the biggest decisions is what motherboard to get.  Many people always have their mind set on a traditional ATX motherboard, but if you want to build a smaller PC that is easy to take with you a mATX board might suit you better.  Many mATX boards offer the same features as ATX boards and cost much less.  Today we will be like a look at the M4A88TD-M/USB3 from ASUS.  It features support for AMD 6-core processors, has built-in Radeon HD 4250 graphics, SATA 6GB/s ports and USB 3.0 support.  Let’s take a look…

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NZXT Vulcan mATX Case Review

NZXT Vulcan mATX Case Review

“Unique. Unprecedented. Inspired.”  This is the motto of NZXT and the Vulcan Case is the embodiment of all three words. NZXT computer cases have really broken into the scene over the past few years, especially with their New Micro ATX case the Vulcan. I was excited to see someone come out with a computer case like this, having always been on the lookout for a good lan party case to make transporting everything easy.  The Vulcan was created with serious Gamers in mind with enough space for a full sized graphics card while still maintaining sufficient airflow.   Now let’s take a look at the NZXT Vulcan.  Who knows?  This might be the next purchase for your MATX gaming build.

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ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Intel H55 mATX Motherboard Review

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Intel H55 mATX Motherboard Review

All of these changes in processor and chipset design, along with Intel’s new 32nm manufacture process, opened the door for their latest and most radical change yet…placing the VGA on the processor. Yes, Intel’s new 2010 Core i5 600 series processors have on-die graphics processing. Of course to accommodate this, Intel has released a new motherboard chipset, the H55 Express. Sporting the same LGA 1156 socket as the P55, this new design has monitor ports in the I/O panel. So far I’ve seen 20 H55 motherboards for sale at my favorite online retailer. Of these 20 boards, 19 are mATX boards, including the motherboard I am looking at today, the Asus P7H55D-M EVO. Sporting Asus’ EVO cosmetics and onboard extras, this motherboard also natively supports the new “Superspeed” USB 3.0. Read on to check out the Asus P7H55D-M EVO!

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ASRock M3A785GMH/128M AMD 785G AM3 mATX Motherboard Review

ASRock M3A785GMH/128M AMD 785G AM3 mATX Motherboard Review

[ad#review1061-top]Earlier in this decade, nobody used AMD chipsets. During the time of Socket A, Socket 754, and Socket 939, there was no question, you used an nVidia nForce motherboard. To tell you the truth, I’m really not sure if AMD even made chipsets at that time, and if they did I have no idea what [...]

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ASUS Maximus II Gene Intel P45 mATX Motherboard Review

ASUS Maximus II Gene Intel P45 mATX Motherboard Review

To satisfy the desire for enthusiast/gamer mATX motherboards, Asus has created a new series of boards, the ROG Gene series. These mATX form factor motherboards sport the features of Asus’ high-end ROG motherboards. The first of these to be seen was the Rampage II Gene, an mATX i7/X58 board. Our friends at Asus have now released an mATX Socket 775 ROG Gene motherboard, the Maximus II Gene. It looks to be the answer to what I’m looking for, an upper-end mATX board with Intel P45 chipset. Designed with the enthusiast/gamer in mind, it should be the platform for an awesome LAN party rig, which definitely fits my high-performance/high-portability desire. Will the Maximus II Gene do the job? Read on to see!

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