Reviews 51950 Published by

Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including NVIDIA SHIELD Tegra 4 Gaming Device Review, GIGABYTE Z87X-OC Force Overclocking Motherboard Review, Noctua NF-S12A Series Fan Roundup, Cougar Spike case review, and Rig of the Month - July 2013



NVIDIA SHIELD Tegra 4 Gaming Device Review @ HotHardware.com
NVIDIA made quite a splash at this year's Consumer Electronics Show when they first unveiled their SHIELD portable gaming device. If you missed the original announcement, or the myriad of related posts we've put up about the device since then, SHIELD is a Tegra 4-based portable gaming machine that's packing a 5-inch multi-touch screen, a console-grade game controller, and an unmolested version of Android Jelly Bean.

In some respects NVIDIA's SHIELD is simply a small Android tablet with a kick-ass game controller attached. But of course, NVIDIA has injected some of their own special sauce into SHIELD and is leveraging the huge install base of GeForce GTX graphics cards in many of today's gaming PC as well, to enable some cool features on SHIELD that you won't find anywhere else...

Read more: NVIDIA SHIELD Tegra 4 Gaming Device Review @ HotHardware.com


ASUS U7 USB Sound Card @ techPowerUp
ASUS manufactures many sound cards but only a few great USB solutions. In order to correct that, they launched a wide variety of USB-powered products, and we will now take a close look at the U7, a 7.1 sound card powered via USB only, keeping cable clutter at an absolute minimum.

Read more: ASUS U7 USB Sound Card @ techPowerUp

Toshiba Qosmio X75 Review @ TechReviewSource.com
The Toshiba Qosmio X75 is a gaming powerhouse thanks to its quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce GTX 770M graphics. It's 17-inch display is 1080p HD and extremely impressive.

Read more: Toshiba Qosmio X75 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

NZXT H630 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
NZXT has just released a huge full-tower case, the H630, targeted to users who want to build a high-end yet quiet computer. Let's see what this new product has to offer.

Read more: NZXT H630 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

Logitech G700s @ LanOC Reviews
Over the past few years I could count on one hand all of the wireless gaming mice that have been introduced, it’s just something that you rarely see. That is because a lot of gamers will push back citing wireless lag and battery life issues. Those issues can be an issue, but there are still a lot of people who end up gaming with their everyday wireless mice because of the lack of gaming options. That is where the Logitech G700s comes in; this is Logitech’s only wireless gaming mouse. With that in mind I was excited to see how the G700s compared to both the G500s and the other wireless mice that we have tested in the past.

Read more: Logitech G700s @ LanOC Reviews

GIGABYTE Z87X-OC Force Overclocking Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
Being one of the top tier manufacturers of computer parts, GIGABYTE isn't a new comer to the performance and overclocking scene. Today we have the latest entry from their OC Series of motherboards. It started with the X58A-OC a few years ago, and now we are on the Intel Z87 platform with the Z87X-OC Force! First glance at the board and specifications look promising! Will it hold true to first impressions? Read on to find out!

Read more: GIGABYTE Z87X-OC Force Overclocking Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews

Cooler Master Comforter Mini Review @ OCC
Cooler Master is a well-established name in the computer parts and peripherals world. Since its creation in 1992, it has always been a source of innovation, and kept an updated lineup of products. The mobile accessories offered by Cooler Master are the perfect example that the company is keeping on top of the new trends. And it's for a good reason! Mobile devices are everywhere in this day and age. We use them while on the go mostly to keep us entertained, productive, and also socially connected. So what about home usage you might ask. More and more users consider that browsing the Web, checking emails, and media playback doesn't justify firing up a full blown desktop or even a laptop. It's the era where tablets and smartphones made a swift transition from the couches in Starbucks coffee shops to the couches of our homes!

Today I will present you the Cooler Master Comforter Mini. This reversible lapdesk for laptops and tablets is a light, multi-usage platform that Cooler Master claims to be "Cool and Comfy at the DESK, SOFA, and BED". Will this pad be the new standard for comfort? Let's check it out!

Read more: Cooler Master Comforter Mini Review @ OCC

NVIDIA SHIELD Review; Android and More @ Hardware Canucks
When it was announced NVIDIA’s SHIELD became one of the most talked-about gaming devices around since it was as unexpected as it was mysterious.

At the time, NVIDIA’s Jens Hsun Huang showed a handheld Android-based, Tegra 4-powered handheld console with a flip-up screen that promised to be a one-stop shop for numerous technologies that had been announced previously. TegraZone, GeForce Experience and GeForce GRID were all thrown into the melting pot of SHIELD with a healthy dose of PC-to-device streaming.

Read more: NVIDIA SHIELD Review; Android and More @ Hardware Canucks

Mushkin Ventura USB 3.0 64GB @ PureOverclock
Fast and small is good, right? At least that’s how it works in the computer world. And USB flash drives are no different; we like them fast for data transfer, but also come in a small package. Indeed, the best of both worlds. But the previous USB 2.0 speeds proved woefully inadequate to address increasingly large files and storage capacities, as we seem to have less and less time to wait for something as simple as a file transfer.

This is where USB 3.0 comes into play, and particularly as it’s become nearly commonplace in modern systems. USB 3.0 boasts huge speed increases that can allow us those faster transfer speeds we want, while still maintaining large capacity and highly portable nature of those ubiquitous flash drives.

Read more: Mushkin Ventura USB 3.0 64GB @ PureOverclock

Noctua NH-U14S CPU Cooler Review @ TestFreaks
If you want the best possible cooling solution for your CPU, then you go to a company known for their performance cooling solutions. If you’re like me then you like your system to be as quiet as possible but yet remain cool and it’s hard to find a nice balance of noise levels and cooling performance. One company that’s known for quiet and good performance is Noctua, they make some of the best performing but yet quiet CPU coolers and fans on the market today.

Noctua has recently introduced two new CPU coolers to the market, and I have one of them for review today, the NH-U14S. This cooler is a tower style, and it’s rather large, it can accommodate two of Noctua’s NF-A15 150mm fans but it’s designed so that you can also use larger style performance ram with it and to fit with most every socket configuration out today. The cooler is also designed to work well with SLI or Crossfire setups, it’s made to not get in the way but yet still provide excellent performance. I’ve put the cooler up against several others and as expected from Noctua it performed very well even with an overclocked CPU, but yet remained virtually silent. So read on to learn more about an excellent cooling solution…

Read more: Noctua NH-U14S CPU Cooler Review @ TestFreaks

Noctua NF-S12A Series Fan Roundup @ Neoseeker
Today I will be taking a look at the NF-S12A lineup of cooling fans from Noctua, one of the leading manufacturers of case fans and CPU coolers. I am a firm believer in the fact you can never have too many case fans. Not only do they enhance cooling efficiency, they can transform the look of your case from the inside through the use of colored frames and/or lighting effects. There are many companies that produce cooling fans; some prove fantastic while others less so due to poor fan blades, low fan speed or frame design. The price for cooling fans can range from around $5~29.00 or more depending on the brand, features and the amount of fans included.

Noctua's NF-S12A lineup features a new technology in the form of Anti-Stall Knobs that work to decrease flow separation in medium to high impedance environments. Other technologies found on the NF-S12A series include Noctua's own custom AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimization) frame design, SSO2 bearing and Stepped Inlet design, just to name a few.

Read more: Noctua NF-S12A Series Fan Roundup @ Neoseeker

TTesports Cronos Headphones @ Rbmods
Today we take a look at some cool looking headphones that can be used with both a computer and with mobile devices such as cellphones, tablets, etc.
They come from TTesports and they are called “Cronos”. Its obvious to me that a good amount of effort was put into making them as light weight as possible for mobile users. So lets take a closer look!

Read more: TTesports Cronos Headphones @ Rbmods

Cougar Spike case review @ DV Hardware
Cougar made its debut in 2007 and quickly became a recognized name among computer enthusiasts. The German firm primarily focuses on cases, power supplies and fans, and this is the first time we'll be taking a look at one of Cougar's products at DV Hardware. The focus of this review is the Cougar Spike, a mini tower case designed for gaming-oriented Micro-ATX builds. Priced at $39.99, this is a low budget case that promises relatively great expandability in a space-saving design.

To save costs, Cougar kept the design of Spike's cardboard box relatively simple. The box is surprisingly small if you're used to mid-tower cases, and also very lightweight. The case itself is protected by two styrofoam spacers to prevent damage during shipping and wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent scratches.

Read more: Cougar Spike case review @ DV Hardware

Raijintek Aidos & Themis CPU Coolers @ NikKTech
ne of the best things the PC industry has to offer is that no matter how many manufacturers there are around at any given time new ones always rise to strengthen the competition and make more options available for consumers. Such events are especially good whenever people who have spent several years working for some of the leading manufacturers come together to share their massive experience in order to create something they can call their own. Raijintek is one such brand formed by people who used to work for CoolerMaster and Xigmatek and it was officially revealed to the public just a few days ago along with the introduction of their first 5 products 4 of which are CPU Air Coolers (Aidos, Themis, Themis Evo and Ereboss) and one is an 130mm case fan (Aeolus α). Today we will be taking a look at the two smaller models of the line that arrived here roughly a week ago the Aidos and Themis CPU Coolers.

Read more: Raijintek Aidos & Themis CPU Coolers @ NikKTech

Roccat Kone Pure Gaming Mouse Video Review with DaveChaos @ HardwareHeaven.com
Today DaveChaos reviews the Roccat Kone Pure Gaming Mouse, specifially the Inferno Orange Color Edition. Watch the latest HardwareHeaven video review now!

Read more: Roccat Kone Pure Gaming Mouse Video Review with DaveChaos @ HardwareHeaven.com

Cooler Master Storm Pulse-R Gaming Headset @ Modders-Inc
Cooler Master has once again brought a new style and performance to the market place. Up on the block this time is the new aluminum CM Storm Pulse-R gaming headset. With 42mm drivers pushing out the sounds with shocking clarity.

Read more: Cooler Master Storm Pulse-R Gaming Headset @ Modders-Inc

Gigabyte G1.Sniper 5 Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps
The G1.Sniper 5 Z87 motherboard from Gigabyte is packed with all bells and whistles and offers stuff like Killer E2200 NIC, a solid 16-phase VRM, Sound Blaster Core3D audio with interference PCB isolation and replaceable OP AMPs, a 2-in-1 heatsink on the VRM which also acts as a water block, 4-way CrossFireX/SLI support and many more.

Read more: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 5 Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps

Rig of the Month - July 2013 @ Guru3D
We just adore hardware. And sometimes some you guys really make a PC that really stands out. We ask you to answer a few simple questions and send in photo's of your rig. Each month we'll have a look at the entries and perhaps pick you and post your PC with photo's and everything here at Guru3D.com Here you can find out what you need to do and win a great prize brought to you with the courtesy of OCZ Technology.

Read more: Rig of the Month - July 2013 @ Guru3D