Here a roundup of today's hardware reviews, including GIGABYTE R9 280X WindForce 3X OC Review, ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720 128GB External SSD Review, Acase TipTop Leather iPad Air Case Review, Biostar Hi-Fi B85N 3D Motherboard Review @ HiTech Legion, and ECS L337 GANK Domination Z87H3-AX Golden Review



GIGABYTE R9 280X WindForce 3X OC Review @ Vortez

The R9 series of GPUs have proven very popular, especially those which have a custom cooler with which to keep noise and temperature levels down to a minimum. The GIGABYTE R9 280X WindForce 3X OC is one such graphics card which as the name suggests, utilises the excellent Windforce cooling design. This cooler is widely regarded as one of the best available so while the Tahiti core of the R9 280X was never regarded as an extremely hit chip, the AMD sliver of silicon will certainly benefit from added cooling, especially when we look to overclock the card. We have also been heavy critics of the reference cooler due to the noise production but this could not be further from the truth with the Windforce design. Cool, quiet and high performing - what could go wrong?

Read more: GIGABYTE R9 280X WindForce 3X OC Review @ Vortez

ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720 128GB External SSD Review @ TechnologyX

From USB flash drives to solid-state drives, ADATA is worldly renown for their memory products. They routinely produce innovative products and this October ADATA released the DashDrive Elite SE720 external solid state drive, which is not only innovative, but stunning! The DashDrive is sleek, practically weightless, and has the performance potential to embarrass an external hard disk drive!

Read more: ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720 128GB External SSD Review @ TechnologyX

Fractal Design ARC Mini R2 Micro ATX Chassis Review @ eTeknix

Fractal make some of the best looking chassis on the market, they’re known for their desirable designs and they’ve always done well to back that up with rock solid build quality and premium quality features. It is because of this that we have very high expectations of the ARC Mini R2, Fractal Design have set their own standards incredibly high with ever product they’ve released and we’ll expect nothing less with this new chassis.

Smaller form factor chassis are very popular right now and while micro-ATX isn’t exactly tiny, not everyone wants a 3 foot tall super tower next to their desk, nor does everyone even have the space for such things. Small and mighty is the popular choice these days and that’s exactly what Fractal Design are promising here. Keeping with the theme and style of the rest of the Arc range and priced at £69.99 it looks like a great mid to high-end solution for a compact gaming build and as you can see from the specifications below, it isn’t exactly lacking in features and components support either.

Read more: Fractal Design ARC Mini R2 Micro ATX Chassis Review @ eTeknix

Acase TipTop Leather iPad Air Case Review @ TestFreaks

With the release of the iPad Air brings a host of new accessories to outfit that tablet. Today we will look at a folio style case from a company aptly named – Acase. The Tip Top is a leather iPad area case that doubles as a stand in horizontal orientations. It has a magnetic closure front cover which replicates the Smart Cover feature to wake the iPad Air when opening the case.

The inner cover has a microfiber material to protect the screen of the iPad Air. Acase made the Tip Top with a low profile to minimize the bulk of the case.

Read more: Acase TipTop Leather iPad Air Case Review @ TestFreaks

Cooler Master Hyper 103 Review @ ocaholic

Today, we have a chance to check out Cooler Master's latest Hyper series CPU cooler aimed solely as a budget mainstream solution that should replace Intel's and AMD's stock cooler. Cooler Master always had some impressive entry-level coolers and Hyper series is quite well known in the cooling world. We are quite keen to check out if the Cooler Master Hyper 103 lives up to standards that we expect from Cooler Master and how much better it actually is when compared to stock coolers it is meant to replace.

Read more: Cooler Master Hyper 103 Review @ ocaholic

AVerMedia Game Capture HD II C285 @ MEGATech

With the arrival of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4, we’re starting to see gameplay recording and even live game streaming baked right into these next-generation consoles, but that doesn’t mean they offer the best possible way for you to record that epic headshot or that crazy comeback win. Having an external game capture device still holds a lot of value, because you can far more easily access those video files for later viewing, editing and sharing.

AVerMedia is easily one of the most respected names in this segment and one of their latest offerings is the AVerMedia Game Capture HD II. It’s a stylish box that will work with just about any console (or A/V source) you have, recording it all at the simple push of a button. And they’ve thrown in some new bells and whistles to amp up the functionality too.

Read more: AVerMedia Game Capture HD II C285 @ MEGATech

Biostar Hi-Fi B85N 3D Motherboard Review @ HiTech Legion

Some people say that good things can’t come in small sizes but, in some situations, a smaller package is exactly what you need. Take, for example, parking in a garage, there always seems to be that compact car spot available that you can't fit a massive SUV into, but you can certainly get a SMART electric car into it. Easy parking is definitely a plus in a crowded city where parking can cost you as much as a mortgage on your home. The same can be said for other things, as well, there have been many times where I could not fit into a tight space to get to something but my daughter could get her body into the space and get whatever was needed.

Read more: Biostar Hi-Fi B85N 3D Motherboard Review @ HiTech Legion

ECS L337 GANK Domination Z87H3-AX Golden Review @ OCC

Three out of four of the cons could be overlooked if this motherboard had a proper BIOS update that fixes it. The market ECS has targeted is very small, so potential bug reports are probably low; ECS may not even know a problem exists. Hopefully the BIOS is the only issue causing the boot failures and not some hardware problem. If the BIOS wasn't buggy and it booted fine, then the price could be more justified since it is a high-end design. Fixing the BIOS would essentially negate three of the cons, and simply updating the eOC software with more options would remove it from the Cons list too.

Read more: ECS L337 GANK Domination Z87H3-AX Golden Review @ OCC

Cooler Master CM Storm Reaper Gaming Mouse @ PureOverclock

Cooler Master's CM Storm division caters to the gaming enthusiast that has such demands with various levels of product, ranging from mild to wild. The CM Storm Reaper is part of Cooler Master's Aluminum Gaming Series of peripherals, boasting all of the niceties expected of a proper high performance mouse: an Avago 9800 sensor rated at 8200 DPI (dots per inch), Omron switches, macro functionality across all eight programmable buttons, and aluminum accent pieces to lend not only a truly premium feel, but to a certain extent a degree of customization not present for most mice. Does the Reaper deliver a product that is more than the sum of its illustrious list of parts? Read on and find out.

Read more: Cooler Master CM Storm Reaper Gaming Mouse @ PureOverclock

Ozone Rage ST headset review @ DV Hardware

In recent years we've seen the launch of several new brands in the PC gaming peripheral market. Created by and for gamers, Ozone Gaming is a Spanish brand that introduced its first products in 2010. The company offers gaming mice, headsets, keyboards, mousepads and other accessories.

This is the first time DV Hardware reviews a product from Ozone. In this review I'm taking a look at Ozone's Rage ST, a relatively low-end gaming headset that's sold for under 30EUR. I have the blue version but you can also get the Rage ST in four other looks: black, white, red and yellow.

The Rage ST ships in a cardboard box with a plastic window that prominently shows off the headphone's design. With a weight of 300g the Rage ST is relatively lightweight.

Read more: Ozone Rage ST headset review @ DV Hardware

Pittasoft Blackvue Sport SC500 Action Camera @ TechnologyX

Pittasoft is a Korean based company that focuses on video camera technology, more specifically, dashboard based video cameras. Here at Technology X we have the pleasure of taking a look at the Blackvue Sport SC500 action camera. It is important to note that the Blackvue Sport has not been released at the time of this review, so any findings could, and may, have changed.

Read more: Pittasoft Blackvue Sport SC500 Action Camera @ TechnologyX

Luxa2 H1 Premium Mobile Holder Review @ eTeknix

Luxa2 are a sub division of Thermaltake, who as we know are one of the biggest companies in the computer tech world and with a large focus on mobile devices, Luxa2 offers a premium collection of products that are aimed at consumers wanting style, durability and finesse. While Luxa2 have developed mobile phone holders over the years that have been specific to iPhone’s such as the H1-Touch, they are now realising that the world is bigger than Apple and their iOfferings. With this, we have their latest mobile phone creation; the H1 Premium holder which allows any device with a display size of 3.2” ~ 4.8” to be snugly housed within it.

Featuring an all aluminium desk stand, adjustable mount that can be pivoted, swivelled and manipulated to fit your device, the H1 Premium seems to work from the success of the original H1 products, while offering something for the Android, and BlackBerry users opposed to singling them out with its previous iPhone range of products. Weighing in at 198g and measuring a measly 110x93x167mm it will hardly use up much space on the desk either and if your desk is anything like mine, it might make it look a bit tidier.

Read more: Luxa2 H1 Premium Mobile Holder Review @ eTeknix