Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles, including Desktop CPU Comparison Guide Rev. 13.0, ROCCAT Apuri Hybrid USB Hub & Mouse Bungie Review, AVADirect Mini Gaming PC: Titan in a Small Package, NZXT HALE90 V2 850 W Power Supply Review, and RetroDuo Portable Version 2.0 Core Edition NES/SNES Handheld



Desktop CPU Comparison Guide Rev. 13.0 @ Tech ARP

There are so many CPU models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different models or even remember their specifications!

Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various desktop CPUs in the market, as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete.

Currently covering 887 desktop CPUs, this comprehensive comparison will allow you to easily compare 19 different specifications for each and every CPU. We hope it will prove to be a useful reference. We will keep this guide updated regularly so do check back for the latest updates!

Read more: Desktop CPU Comparison Guide Rev. 13.0 @ Tech ARP

ROCCAT Apuri Hybrid USB Hub & Mouse Bungie Review @ Neoseeker

It can seem uncommon to find products that stray too far from the mould in a market saturated with mice and keyboards of all shapes and sizes. Enter the ROCCAT Apuri: part hybrid active/passive USB hub, part mouse bungee, and part "scorpion" (at least in its design).

If you've been following our recent reviews, you'll know ROCCAT is a German company that specializes in producing peripherals for gamers and enthusiasts. Just like how Razer brands itself with a green and black color scheme, ROCCAT products follows a slick blue and black visual theme that should easily complement many rigs.

At first, I didn't know what to think of the ROCCAT Apuri – I've used USB hubs before, but never in this shape or form. Despite the deviation from a traditional rectangular design, the addition of a mouse bungee here does seem like a logical step forward. The accessory will be sitting atop your desk after all. It will be interesting to see how everything meshes together as we take a closer look at the ROCCAT Apuri.

Read more: ROCCAT Apuri Hybrid USB Hub & Mouse Bungie Review @ Neoseeker

AVADirect Mini Gaming PC: Titan in a Small Package @ HotHardware

Building a small form factor gaming PC is a tricky business. For one thing, there simply isn't enough room to fit as many components as you would put in a mid- or full-size gaming PC. Multiple graphics cards aren't likely, and oversized power supplies (not to mention CPU heatsinks) usually present major challenges. The other issue is the heat: with space at a premium, good airflow becomes even more important, but all the harder to preserve. And don't expect your customers to give you leeway on performance, looks, or (and this might be the toughest target of all) noise.

But it's not a lost cause, especially with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan delivering so much power (and whisper-quiet cooling) in a single card. AVADirect thinks it has threaded the needle with its latest Mini Gaming PC, built around NVIDIA's latest powerhouse.
house. Let's take a look...

Read more: AVADirect Mini Gaming PC: Titan in a Small Package @ HotHardware

OCZ Vertex 3.20 SSD 240GB Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

There are a large number of consumers out there looking for the best price performance ratio and OCZ feel that one of the best ways to satisfy those needs is to take the an older (but not necessarily outdated) range and tweak the model to minimise costs. Enter the Vertex 3.20...

Read more: OCZ Vertex 3.20 SSD 240GB Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Phanteks PH-TC12DX Review @ Vortez

Phanteks may not be as well-known as other cooling brands but since their arrival in 2007 they have asserted themselves are a key player in an extremely competitive market-place. More notably, Phanteks have taken pride in their ability to offer a variety of different colours for their models of CPU coolers, giving flexibility to those who prefer to style their entire setup in full coordination.

Today we will be taking a look at the new PH-TC12DX. A mid-range CPU cooler featuring a dual-tower heatsink design and furnished with two 120mm cooling fans. PH-TC12DX is designed to bring style and good performance; will this new release make an impression in our cooling league? Let’s find out!

Read more: Phanteks PH-TC12DX Review @ Vortez

Enermax Triathlor FC 550 W @ techPowerUp

Enermax, one of the major power supply unit manufacturers, recently introduced their Thriathlor series consisting of mainstream budget-orientated units. This review will look at the entry level modular Thriathlor PSU with 550 W capacity to figure out how it performs against our load testers.

Read more: Enermax Triathlor FC 550 W @ techPowerUp

be quiet! Silent Wings 2 Case Fans Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Today we are looking at a pair of 140mm fans, the Silent Wings 2 from a company that seems to be too good at their name: be quiet!. Yes that is be quiet, with an exclamation point, and if you are like me this is probably the first time you have ever heard of them. Looking at their website, they certainly have a fairly full product line. The problem seems to be that none of it is for sale outside of Germany. With claims of near silent operation, it’s time to find out if they can actually live up to their namesake.

Read more: be quiet! Silent Wings 2 Case Fans Review @ ThinkComputers.org

The Future is Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite @ FrostyTech

When the thermal conductivity of copper and aluminum heat spreaders just won't cut it, the future revolves around a material called Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite. Let's consider the numbers: where a solid aluminum heat spreader has a thermal conductivity of 126W/mK, the same heatspreader with an Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite core would see thermal
conductivity on the order of 1092 W/mK. That's not a typo.

Read more: The Future is Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite @ FrostyTech

NVIDIA CEO Unveils Volta Graphics, Tegra Mobile Roadmap, and GRID VCA Virtualized Rendering Systems @ HotHardware

NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang kicked off this year's GPU Technology Conference with his customarily impressive opening keynote. The focus of Jen-Hsun's presentation was on breakthroughs in computer graphics and advances in GPU computing, but he also unveiled new GPU and Tegra roadmaps and took the wraps off of a brand new small form factor Tegra-based product.

Read more: NVIDIA CEO Unveils Volta Graphics, Tegra Mobile Roadmap, and GRID VCA Virtualized Rendering Systems @ HotHardware

NZXT HALE90 V2 850 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

The HALE90 V2 power supply series from NZXT has 850 W, 1,000 W, and 1,200 W models, all with the 80 Plus Gold certification and a fully modular cabling system. Let's take an in-depth look at the 850 W version.

Read more: NZXT HALE90 V2 850 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Mid-Range AMD Graphics Card Round-Up (HIS 7770 GHz / HIS 7850 / Sapphire 7850) @ KitGuru

AMD has affirmed its position in the mid-range graphics market with the successful Radeon HD 77xx and 78xx GPUs. With so many individual graphics cards to choose from, how do you decide which is best? Cooler, factory overclock, VRAM and display outputs are all valid reasons for picking one card over another.

Read more: Mid-Range AMD Graphics Card Round-Up (HIS 7770 GHz / HIS 7850 / Sapphire 7850) @ KitGuru

Coolermaster Centurion 6 @ Rbmods

Today we will take a look at the new midi-sized case from Coolermaster called Centurion 6. Let’s see what it has to offer and if it’s worth buying.

Read more: Coolermaster Centurion 6 @ Rbmods

Noctua NH-L9i Review @ HCW

Today we’re taking a departure from our usual reviews of monster desktop heatsinks such as the Noctua NH-D14 and Phanteks PH-TC14PE, and look at something much, much smaller – The Noctua NH-L9i.

If you’re in need of a cooler that fits within super small form factor cases – such as a Mini-ITX case or a really small Micro-ATX, you would usually have to rely on the stock cooler. Intel’s stock coolers are actually quite good at stock speeds – they are small, and low profile, but can get a bit noisy and hot under load.

Noctua seeks to remedy that with a cooler that is just as small, but features a lot more dissipation area, and even has a pair of copper pipes to drive the heat from the bottom of the heatsink to the fins more efficiently. Today we’re reviewing the Noctua NH-L9i, compatible with LGA-1155, 1156, and upcoming LGA-1150 (Haswell) processors

Read more: Noctua NH-L9i Review @ HCW

RetroDuo Portable Version 2.0 Core Edition NES/SNES Handheld @ MEGATech

As much as we like to play the newest games on the newest consoles, as much as we may be looking forward to the PS4 and Xbox 720, there is just something to be said about those classic consoles. For those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s, there is a definite nostalgic value to the games of the NES and SNES, but even if you still have those old systems, they may not work all that well anymore.

Well, there is a solution and it’s far more authentic than using some emulator on your PC. You might remember when we bumped into the Innex booth at CES 2013 earlier this year. One of the products that they were showcasing was the RetroDuo Portable V2.0 Core Edition, which is an improved version of the original RDP. They were kind enough to send us a sample to test, so let’s see if it really works as advertised.

Read more: RetroDuo Portable Version 2.0 Core Edition NES/SNES Handheld @ MEGATech

Azio Levetron GH808 USB Gaming Headset Review @ Hi Tech Legion

It sounds simple but the freedom to curse my teammate through a headset while playing Call of Duty or Battlefield 3 online is something I should appreciate more often. Online communication has become second nature to non-impaired individuals of my generation that some of us actually seek out further levels of sensory stimulation while gaming. Stereoscopic 3D gaming for the eyes works quite well but for auditory purposes, AZiO’s Levetron GH808 headset is offering a bass vibration feature that promises another level of action beyond your standard gaming headset.

AZiO’s Levetron GH808 is a USB headset designed for gaming. The Levetron GH808 headset is plug-and-play, only requiring USB port on a Windows or Mac OS X system to use. Optional software can be downloaded from AZiO’s website, providing control of the GH808’s features from the desktop. Equipped with 40mm neodymium drivers and an additional 30mm “vibration” driver, the AZiO Levetron GH808 brings pulse-pounding excitement straight to gamers’ ears. Should you need to chat with your online buddies while playing, a unidirectional microphone can be pulled out from the left ear cup. The AZiO GH808 also includes a volume control knob as well as a toggle switch for enabling or disabling the bass enhancement feature.

Read more: Azio Levetron GH808 USB Gaming Headset Review @ Hi Tech Legion