Reviews 51951 Published by

Herew a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including HP Z1 27-inch AIO Workstation Review, Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review, TITAN Taichi TP-15TC & TP-25TC 2-in-1 USB Charger Review, Thermaltake NiC C4 CPU Cooler Review, and MSI Z87 XPower Review: Our First Z87 with PLX8747



HP Z1 27-inch AIO Workstation Review @ HotHardware
Mainstream All-In-One PCs have become increasingly more popular in recent years, but AIO workstations remain a rare breed. After all, workstations typically require more horsepower than your average AIO, and IT folks demand better access to a computer's internals than most ordinary AIOs allow. That makes HP's Z1 workstation all the more attractive perhaps: it's meant to give you the power and access of your big workstation box in a small footprint, with no (or few) compromises...

That quad-core processor featured in the system is an Intel Xeon E3-1245v2... The CPU runs its four cores at 3.4GHz and has 8MB of cache. It supports error correction code (ECC) memory, which is ordinarily a tricky component to put in a slim computer, as ECC memory generally resides on full-height DIMMs. HP made room for the full-size memory in the Z1 series and installed 4GB DDR3-1600 ECC DIMMs into the system's four memory slots, for a total of 16GB of memory.

Graphics are powered by NVIDIA's Quadro K3000M, which is designed specifically for AIO workstations. Hit the full review here for all the intricate details.
Read more: HP Z1 27-inch AIO Workstation Review @ HotHardware

HIS 7950 IceQ X² Boost Clock 3GB GDDR5 Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
The HIS 7950 IceQ X2 Boost Clock 3GB card sports a high performance cooling system along with a plate to avoid PCB bending, a custom design with more power phases and can also overclock to impressive levels in order to reach Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition performances or even exceed them.

Read more: HIS 7950 IceQ X² Boost Clock 3GB GDDR5 Video Card Review @ Madshrimps

Attitude 1 Tonguska Gaming headset review @ Guru3D
A while ago we got in contact with a fairly new (to us) USA based company called Attitude One, and with such a name you can't really miss, can you? Attitude One is a new company that was founded back in 2011 and is targeting gamers, and they recently started distribution here in the EU as well. Attitude One is entering the gaming perhiperial market and offers a multitude of mousemats, mice, keyboards and gaming headsets.

For this article we test and review the Attitude 1 Tonguska Gaming headsets. Both the USB (Virtual 7.1) and the regular (Stereo 2.0) versions are being put to the test in an extensive review here at Guru3D. The A1 USB headset works off USB and offers surround-sound and comes with nice 40mm and drivers that include Virtualized 7.1 surround sound, capable of offering 16-bit/48 KHz playback.
Read more: Attitude 1 Tonguska Gaming headset review @ Guru3D

Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review @ Techspot
With well over a dozen members spread across four chassis families, Corsair offers enclosures at just about every price point and form factor relevant to high-end system builders, including six Obsidian products spanning from $100 to $350. The upper end of that bracket, as you're likely aware, is held by the super tower 900D, which is followed by the full-tower 800D at $240 and mid-tower 650D at $190.

Notably absent from Corsair's lineup is the 700D, a discontinued model that removed the 800D's hot-swappable drive bays and side panel window so it could exist at a cheaper price. Despite costing $50 less than the 800D, the 700D was still too expensive for the average system builder, especially considering how many other attractive options there are in the sub-$200 territory -- not least from Corsair itself.

Read more: Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review @ Techspot

Western Digital Blue Slim 1TB hard Drive Review @ Hardware Canucks
Western Digital’s Blue series had gone through a long and storied history and the new Slim edition brings its standards up to today’s expectations. With the recent proliferation of Intel’s ‘Ultrabook’ standard and other, similarly svelte personal computers, it is not all that surprising that storage manufactures would start thinking ‘small’ in a big way. Unlike the typical laptop or micro ATX form factor which can easily accept a ‘standard’ 9.5mm height storage device, thin and light notebooks and certain desktops have shaved every millimetre possible. As such, only thin, 7mm devices can fit inside, of which there are very few options to choose from.

For most consumers and system builders interested in a light weight design, SSDs are the de-facto standard but they tend to be expensive and don’t allow all that much storage space without getting into extreme price points. As such, they aren’t an acceptable option for entry level Ultrabooks. This is why 2.5”, 7mm hard drives were been created and continue to flourish.

Read more: Western Digital Blue Slim 1TB hard Drive Review @ Hardware Canucks

CM Storm SF-17 Notebook Cooler Review @ HiTech Legion
Today’s society is always on the go. Between work, school, friends and family, and all the little things that make those possible, just finding time to relax can be hard work. I know I am one of the lucky ones, I do something I love, and I get to do it at home, but I spent many years working 10-12 hour days, sitting in traffic for another 1.5-2 hours, then still trying to find time to make it all worthwhile. My biggest passion is gaming and it is something I have done since we used pencils, paper, and dice. Now, games are a booming industry, pushing the envelope of science and computer technology. For the longest time, one was tethered to a bulky TV and console to play electronic games, or they were stuck at the desk playing on a huge desktop. Personally, I still like my oversized desktop (and would go bigger, if budget allowed), but many gamers are finding a home on portable gaming laptops.

Read more: CM Storm SF-17 Notebook Cooler Review @ HiTech Legion

TITAN Taichi TP-15TC & TP-25TC 2-in-1 USB Charger Review @ OCC
The TITAN Taichi TP-15TC & TP-25TC 2-in-1 USB Charger are solidly built devices with a unique and appealing design. The YinYang theme depicts the duality approach that TITAN adopted with these adapters. Two types of output ratings for the USB ports and extra functionality as a car battery tester are the results. The units do not feel flimsy or cheap; they fit spot on in the power port of our car and pulling USB cables away never resulted on the whole thing coming off, as it used to happen with the generic charger I have been using so far. The cooling vent on the white side is a nice touch that will improve the longevity of the device.

Read more: TITAN Taichi TP-15TC & TP-25TC 2-in-1 USB Charger Review @ OCC

Cooler Master HAF XB PC Case Review @ TestFreaks
Today for review I have a case or chassis from Cooler Master called the HAF XB. This is a smaller style case, what might be called a lanbox but it’s not just for gaming of course as you can use it for anything. What makes the HAF XB really special is the fact that it also doubles as a test bench. Me, being a reviewer, can very much appreciate a tech bench as it makes life easier for testing products. Just because it’s a test bench doesn’t mean that the average user can’t use it, in fact being a test bench allows you to fully open it up and get inside making installation of you system just that much easier. The HAF XB is small in size but it’s got a lot of room inside thanks to the excellent design of it. The HAF XB allows you to use even the largest video cards and you can easily fit three of them inside for a nice gaming system. The case comes with two fans pre-installed but there is room for more if you need more cooling, and the case can be used with liquid cooling as well or any combination thereof. It’s from Cooler Master so you know it’s a quality made case, and that HAF XB is that and more. The case is very well designed to maximize all of the available space and still make it easy to install even the highest end systems in it. So read on for a rather lengthy review of the HAF XB…

Read more: Cooler Master HAF XB PC Case Review @ TestFreaks

In Win GreenMe 750 W @ techPowerUp
In Win is very sensitive to environmental issues, and the GreenMe series is clear proof of this, since they donate $1 for every GreenMe PSU they sell to the WWF. Today, we will take a look at the GreenMe 750 W unit; it is the strongest unit of the lineup.

Read more: In Win GreenMe 750 W @ techPowerUp

Seagate NAS HDD 4TB Review @ Techgage
Considering the fact that network-attached storage (NAS) use is growing at an alarming rate, it didn’t surprise us much last summer when WD released its NAS-bound “Red” series, but it did make us question, “what took so long?”

A NAS-specific hard drive might seem like a gimmick at first, but there are important differences over other low-powered drives that makes them the better and safer solution.

Read more: Seagate NAS HDD 4TB Review @ Techgage

SilverStone TD03 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
The SilverStone TD03 is a liquid cooling system for processors. It has a 120 mm radiator with two 120 mm fans in push-pull configuration, and a full metallic CPU block. Let's see if it is a good buy.

Read more: SilverStone TD03 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

Thermaltake NiC C4 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
When it comes to CPU cooling Beijing based Thermaltake has found a way to impress us time after time with stellar performance from their all in one liquid coolers. And although their naming schemes sometimes leave something to be desired, they certainly seem to know how to create a great product for thermal management. For the first time we will be taking a close look at one of their air coolers, the NiC C4. The C4 is near the top of their new line of NiC coolers designed for maximum performance in the close confines on some of todays motherboards. Will the C4 live up to the performance bar set by its bigger AIO brothers, or is this just another standard issue air cooler? Read on to find out!

Read more: Thermaltake NiC C4 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Kobo Arc Android Tablet eReader Review @ Benchmark Reviews
For many people carrying a book around to read has become a thing of the past, replaced by a phone, tablet, or e-Reader. Kobos e-Reader line has been one of the primary competitors for Amazons Kindle, that is until Amazon brought out their Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire helped bring an Android tablet to the masses, and allowed Amazon to distribute its music and movies directly to their device. Kobo is fighting back and Benchmark Reviews tests their new 16GB Kobo Arc 7″ Android Tablet eReader (model K107-KBO-16W), which features a 1.5GHz dual core TI OMAP 4470 CPU and a POWERVR SGX 544 GPU.

Read more: Kobo Arc Android Tablet eReader Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Razer Naga Hex League of Legends Edition Review @ HardwareHeaven
Today Kaeyi Dream has her hands on the League of Legends branded Razer Naga Hex. Check out her latest video review.

Read more: Razer Naga Hex League of Legends Edition Review @ HardwareHeaven

MSI Z87 XPower Review: Our First Z87 with PLX8747 @ Anandtech
When it comes to motherboard extravagance, X58 heralded some mightily expensive boards, and a choice few from X79 and Z77 also raised this baton.  So where does a $440 Z87 motherboard sit in this genre?  Today we tackle the MSI Z87 XPower.

Read more: MSI Z87 XPower Review: Our First Z87 with PLX8747 @ Anandtech