Posted by Becky on 23rd May 2013 - 0 Comments
Hardware Heaven have reviewed the OCZ Vertex 450 Solid State Drive (256GB) - here's a snippet:
Quote:
"OCZ were one of the early SSD Pioneers, bringing devices to consumers which helped drive the solid state storage market forward in the early days. Since then they have created a number of drives which have been class leading at launch with the Vector series being their most recent high end device.
Before Vector was OCZ's high end model it was Vertex that led the way, starting in 2009 with the original model and most recently we saw the release of Vertex 4 (although it was followed by a Vertex 3 refresh too). Throughout the Vertex evolution OCZ used controllers which were best suited for their target markets and this saw the use of Marvel, Sandforce and Indilinx parts (before Indilinx became part of OCZ).
Now OCZ are bringing to market a new Vertex drive using more than a little tech from their Vector series of enthusiast SSDs. Today the Vertex 450 launches and we have the 256GB model in our test system to see where it fits into the current market."
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You can continue reading here.
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Posted by Becky on 22nd May 2013 - 0 Comments
Tech Power Up have reviewed the Shuttle OMNINAS KD20 two-bay NAS:
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"The KD20 is a two-bay NAS that addresses home environments and users with avarage needs by including a lot of storage space and super-fast data transfer speeds. The KD20 surely doesn't carry the features that the high-end competition provides, and its operating system looks poor compared to the ones that QNAP and Synology use, but it is really affordable. Its administration interface is also very simple and doesn't confuse the inexperienced user. Setting the KD20 up is a piece of cake, and we think that if you are new to the NAS world, you will highly appreciate the simplicity of its graphical interface despite its shortcomings.
The KD20's elegant style made a good impression when we first saw the NAS. The serious network administrator may not appreciate style, but looks are surely important to the end user looking for enhanced usability in a nice package. Shuttle scored a "ten" in this area, teaching the dull looks of some competing products a lesson in design. The KD20 is also equipped with a card reader and a USB 3.0 port, which will greatly assist with fast transfers to/from compatible external storage devices. Shuttle also released an application for Android and iOS devices through which you can manage the KD20 and the files it stores."
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You can read more here.
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Posted by V_R on 21st May 2013 - 20 Comments
Quote:
After months of speculation, Microsoft finally revealed its next-generation console today: the Xbox One.
Microsoft called the system an "all in one system" for games, entertainment, and television.
The system includes 8GB of RAM, an 8-Core CPU, a 500GB hard drive, a Blu-ray drive, HDMI in and out ports, USB 3.0, 802.11n wireless, and more. It also includes a new version of the Kinect sensor. The Xbox One will not require an always-on internet connection.
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Read more at IGN
So, First impressions? I think it looks good, glad they haven't faffed with the controller too much too. 
More to come at E3 later in the year.
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Posted by Ian on 21st May 2013 - 5 Comments
The server may be down for around 20 minutes early tomorrow morning, as we're getting another backup drive added to the server sometime between 5am-8am.
It should happen when most of us are asleep and I doubt it will even take more than a few minutes, but if you happen to be up early then the site may be out of action for a very short while.
Fingers crossed it goes smoothly
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Posted by Becky on 21st May 2013 - 0 Comments
eTeknix have reviewed the Streacom F7C EVO Chassis designed for home theatre PCs:
Quote:
"I’ll admit, until I saw this chassis I had never even heard of Streacom, but they’re a relatively new company that formed in 2010 so it’s understandable that they’re still finding a name for them selves in some markets.
They’ve already established a solid product range that features active and passively cooled chassis, valve amplifiers and home entertainment solutions to name but a few, and Streacom seem to have a good team behind them from around the world and various parts of the industry that should favour them well in terms of an end product.
Priced at around £75 for the chassis, it’s not exactly cheap but it’s not terribly expensive either and there is a high demand in the HTPC product for products that have a premium edge about them, given that the “under the TV” spot is extreme important in many people’s home cinema setup, it’s often worth the extra investment to get something that looks good. New entrants to this Streacom range will however need to make a further investment into the Nano 150 PSU that basically acts like an external PSU, which at £77 is a little expensive, but not overly so for a decent quality PSU. So for the purpose of this review I’m going to consider this a combined setup of PSU and Chassis at a total cost of around £150.00."
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You can continue reading here.
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Posted by Becky on 20th May 2013 - 0 Comments
Benchmark Reviews have taken a look at the Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Case:
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"If you research a little about Fractal Design, you'll discover that "Design" in their name is not an accident. They've set out to "provide products with an extraordinary design level" using a "less-is-more" philosophy. With that in mind they've made some revisions to their Arc Midi enclosure, resulting in the new Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 computer case. The original was praised for its ability to accommodate radiators and other water cooling components in a mid-tower enclosure. Benchmark Reviews has the chance today to take a closer look at the revisions made to the Fractal Design Arc Midi.
There resides within my brain a section that would love to launch into a discussion on "Design." Unfortunately, I don't have a background in the subject (either academic or professional) beyond my own likes and dislikes and evolving tastes over the years. I will say Fractal Design cases have caught my eye in the past - something about the clean lines, white fans and accents made me pick up a Core 3000 almost a year ago now. It was somewhat of a departure for me: normally I prefer something with more color, or unique styling. The Core 3000 was by comparison a little "boring" - and I place that term in quotes because I believe Fractal Design have accomplished something unique with their enclosures. In my opinion, they've managed to find a near-perfect blend of sophistication and style while integrating common-sense features important to a performance oriented case. Will the Arc Midi R2 measure up to the rest of their product line? Let's dig in and find out."
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You can read more here.
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Posted by Becky on 17th May 2013 - 1 Comments
Legit Reviews have taken a look at the ASUS Xonar DGX and Xonar DSX audio cards:
Quote:
"It’s unfortunate that desktop sound cards are becoming less popular. Many years ago, sound cards with their dedicated audio processors could genuinely benefit gamers and their computers when CPUs were much slower. Nowadays, sound cards are being displaced by such factors as fast CPUs, increasing usage of software audio processing, and improved motherboard audio. Additionally, quality listening hardware is necessary to really hear the difference and the cost of good headphones or speakers is another cost burden many people don’t want to deal with. Cheap audio solutions are acceptable to most people and that's fine, but a more recent to insult to high-end audio is the development of trendy headphone fashion currently led by Beats by Dr. Dre, though I digress.
Nevertheless, there will always users who demand the benefits sound cards can bring to the table. Audiophiles demand sound quality, home theater PC users can utilize the outputs and connectivity, and gamers can step up their game with accurate positional audio. ASUS has tackled these challenges with its Xonar sound card line-up. Today we’re looking at the two budget Xonar cards, the DGX and the DSX, though ASUS has made an entire range of Xonar solutions. Among them are the Essence ST and STX which are targeted at home audio enthusiasts, the ROG Phoebus which complements the gamer’s arsenal, and the Essence One DACs made for the most hardcore of audiophiles."
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You can read more here.
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Posted by Becky on 15th May 2013 - 0 Comments
Pure Overclock have reviewed the Enermax MaxRevo 1500W power supply unit:
Quote:
"With the lure of multiple graphics cards for gaming on spanned monitors, and wonderfully overclocked processors to crunch at higher speeds, we can often overlook the need of keeping such impressive computer systems stably powered, and more efficiently as possible. Power supplies are the unsung heroes of modern premium systems, whirring quietly while keeping things running smoothly, allowing us to do more and more these days.
Premium power supplies in the kilowatt+ range are a bit of a rarity, particularly to us mere mortals on budgets. But for the elite who want (and need?) such powerful units, there is the allure of “bigger is better”. That may be the case, and today we’re looking at one such unit that may satisfy the hunger: the Enermax MaxRevo 1500W.
That’s a beastly amount of power available, 1500W, if you have need of such a behemoth. An 80 Plus Gold rating helps keeps things efficient, though it could be argued that if you’re in the market for a 1500W power supply then you can afford the electricity bill that follows. Regardless, power supplies in this upper echelon are something special, and Enermax is known for creating some premium power supplies.
Coming with a price tag of $340, the Enermax MaxRevo 1500W definitely brings a premium cost, but does it have the top performance to match? Let’s find out."
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You can continue reading here.
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OCZ Vertex 450 Solid State Drive (256GB)
